Apr. 08, 2009 - Issue #703: Spring Style 2009
Zuppa Café: Well worth the lineup
Zuppa Café convinces Vue's lineup-averse reviewer
Given the general dislike lines and I have for each other, I now try to avoid them, whenever and however possible. But that little practice has left me in a bit of a quandary lately. Numerous people of the downtown variety have extolled the virtues of Zuppa Café—but always with a “but.” As in, “But it’s always so busy that there’s a long lineup at lunch. It’s no big deal though—it goes really fast.”
Since a fast lineup is kind of like an oxymoron to me, I devised a lovely scheme to circumvent the whole dastardly let’s-pretend-we’re-in-kindergarten thing. I’d have a late lunch. The masses would be gone and I could simply breeze in, order and eat.
Zuppa is tucked away in the bottom of a big high-rise, just west of the legislature buildings and a mere block from the congestion of 109 Street. Technically, it’s downtown—but it seems a world away. There are big, tall trees lining the streets, historic buildings scattered throughout the neighbourhood, a school across the street and free parking right at the side of the building.
I recruited a fellow lineup boycotter and we whizzed effortlessly into one of many empty parking stalls. At 1:30 on a sunny Thursday afternoon, there was no lineup in sight. There was, however, an intoxicating smell swirling around us. No small feat considering it was battling forces with exhaust, rubber and innumerable other unidentifiable downtown odours.
We followed the wondrous smell into the little café and stopped. A glass display case filled with fresh pasta, sandwiches and other assorted goodies demanded our attention. We inspected it carefully, but also snuck a few glances at the menu posted up on the wall.
That’s when our brilliant let’s-have-a-late-lunch gambit blew up. The pasta of the day—Beef Bolognese—was neatly but firmly crossed out. Zuppa makes pasta every morning, from scratch, and evidently it’s lineup worthy, or so the lack of it would suggest.
On to Plan B. Since Zuppa also bakes fresh focaccia every morning, my focaccia-obsessed friend simply had to have the grilled veggie sandwich on herb focaccia ($5.75). After scanning the other sandwich and salad options, I opted for the Vegetarian Wrap ($7.50). And since I was too late for the daily pasta special, I added a bowl of the daily soup ($2), a vegan veggie blend, to my wrap.
We placed our order at the lineup-free cash register and paid cash. That’s all they take so, unless you want to leave hungry, bring some. Or a friend with some. Then we took our little napkin bundles of cutlery and claimed one of only a few empty tables.
The room itself isn’t big, but it’s bright and cheery. The mix of floor-to-ceiling windows, high ceilings, an open kitchen and assorted shades of yellow scattered throughout make it easy to kick back and relax in. So that’s what we did while we waited for lunch, after grabbing a couple of glasses of water from the handy water cooler.
Lunch didn’t take long, but it was kind of nice to glance into the kitchen and see what stage everything was at in the whole putting-everything-together process. And when it did come, one fleeting glance was all it took to figure out I had ordered far too much food.
Everything seemed to be overflowing. My grilled wrap threatened to escape from the plate; thick slices of red pepper and fresh organic greens threatened to escape from it. More organic greens, dressed in a light and tangy vinaigrette and tossed with chunks of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and feta, occupied every spare inch of the plate. Even the soup looked like it was about to burst out of the bowl at any moment.
I took a deep breath and dove in. The wrap was decidedly delicious. Those runaway pieces of red pepper and organic greens were joined by chunks of cucumber and feta, and everything was tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette. The pita was warm and just slightly crispy, the dressing added flavour without turning everything into a soggy mess and it was all exceptionally fresh.
Partway through, I remembered the soup. Kind of greeny-brown with a chunky-pureed texture, it could only be described as interesting. But one spoonful led to another and another and another; it had asserted a bizarre addictive power over me. It seemed to be a conglomeration of mushrooms, carrots, onions, spinach, potatoes and broccoli and, surprisingly enough, they all got along quite well together. A peppery punch just added to my pleasure. Probably not for everyone, but my taste buds were thrilled.
The focaccia sandwich on the other side of the table simply disappeared. I did hear a brief grumble though; something about so much cheddar smothering the roasted red peppers and zucchini that the incredible focaccia couldn’t be fully appreciated.
We couldn’t resist grabbing a decadent chocolate/white chocolate chunk cookie on our way out the door—I had to make up for the healthy soup, after all.
Zuppa Café was good. Very good. Maybe even lineup worthy. V
Mon - Fri (7 am - 4 pm)
Zuppa Café
9843 - 110 St, 780.482.1741
More info about Zuppa Café →
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