White Squirrel

One of my guilty pleasures was to constantly snack.  I grew up snacking as street food was so available and cheap in the streets of Manila.  It was one of the things I miss when I moved to Toronto.  But it seems to me that Toronto is finally catching up to that way of eating.  With food trucks and snack shops opening one after the other, I am one happy foodie.  It gives me more chances of sampling different flavors and textures and I really relish the experience.  I just recently found out that there was a new one opening up at Queen St. West.  Last Friday, I went and tried White Squirrel Coffee and Snack Shop.

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Very unassuming by the sidewalk, clean signage showing two white squirrels and typography saying snack shop.  Peeking from the outside, I see that there is a communal table mounted to a side of the wall.  Opposite it was a very elaborate antique Toronto map.  I wanted to take a picture of the mural but it was too massive for me to get the whole scope.  Right in the middle was the counter where everything was ordered.  There was no table service.  The guy behind the counter told us that once our food was ready, we were to pick it up at the back where the kitchen was. I didn’t really mind to self-serve as Abe, my EyeCandyTO partner, was the one who did all the walking (insert big grin here).  Seriously, it wasn’t really a big deal as it wasn’t that tedious.

Sitting close the window, both Abe and I were happy at the textured wall, our imaginations on an overdrive how to take the pictures of the food we’re about to eat.  It wasn’t that long of a wait when all what we ordered arrived.  We went for the Sabich, Snack Shop Burger, Spicy Sweet Wings and a big portion of fries.  Abe was in a disbelief that despite several meat options, I opted for the Sabich which was an Iraqi Breakfast Sandwich (soft-boiled egg, grilled eggplant, cucumber salad on a pita).  Every review I checked told me not to miss out on this sandwich and it would be good to try a new snack.

I was expecting smaller portions to the food that we ate as the prices were cheap.  What we got were decent portions of food.  The meaty and juicy burger just beckoned you to take a bite.  It had an impressive volume that can make anyone grow hungry.  My Sabich was an eye-opener.  For a carnivore to be impressed with something vegetarian says a lot of how delicious the Sabich was.  I loved the lingering spice and heat molding very well with the creaminess of the egg. It was one really filling sandwich.  The fries were freshly cut and was crispy and sweet just like the way I loved it.  What was my most favorite was the chicken wings as its flavors was spot on.  The right tartness from the lime blended so well with the soy and slivers of chili and  the freshness of the cilantro made us lick our fingers as we devoured the pile.

We literally finished every morsel of our food.  Queen St. West is really turning out to be quite a snacking alley.  I hope there would be more to catch on the trend. :)