The Good Press – Permanently closed

It seems that I have been a magnet of going to places where it reminds me to eat my vegetables.  I have lived through it all my childhood where veggies are an everyday fare so it’s not really an issue.  Shameless carnivore that I am,  I don’t really mind having my fair share.  I wouldn’t be kicking and screaming for animal protein if given only vegetables for a meal.  Now and then I would find places that does it very well.  One of them is The Good Press at Yorkville.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I was invited by the Mint Agency last Tuesday for the soft opening of The Good Press. That afternoon, I had my business partner Abe Wornovitzky in tow to check them out. Walking in, it was already bustling with media people.  Getting my bearings, I moved inside and gravitated towards the wall menu.  On it was a long list of juices, smoothies, cleanses, acai bowls and even popsicles!  Impressive to have so many options in a small space.  We met owner Andrew Ois and in the midst of a conversation, we tried the juices that he recommended.  I was sold for the Super Red (mixture of beets, apple, carrot and ginger) as it had the right body of sweet and tartness with a hint of spiciness coming from the ginger.  For my second I would go for the clean refreshing taste of their Lean Green (Mixture of cucumber, celery, kale, lemon and apple).

Andrew also pointed out their acai bowls to us on the wall menu, saying that of the five options they have, the Beauty bowl was the most popular, followed by the Date bowl.  I asked for most photogenic of course so I got my Beauty Bowl.  The Beauty Bowl has Acai puree blended with banana, coconut out, avocados and garnished with coconut flakes, house-made granola and slivers of fresh strawberries.  And downright photogenic it indeed was!  I cannot really hide the giddiness whenever I see beautiful food.  The bowl just sang out to me as I took pictures of it.  And its beauty is deep as it was delicious! Coming from bacon-loving me, that is saying lots!  As the bowl was made to order, it had the right chilled temperature as I was eating it.  All components were fresh and was a beautiful medley in my mouth.  I finished the bowl scraping the sides of the last vestiges of the creamy acai puree and licked the spoon too for good measure.  Yep, I liked it that much.  Abe opted for The Date bowl where it was a blend of Acai puree with banana, topped with chopped dates, banana, Chocosol cacao nibs and granola.  This one is for one who loves chocolate.  It had the right degree of sweetness and just like the Beauty Bowl, it didn’t last too long.  I did prefer my Beauty Bowl though.  I have a one-track mind. :)

As I was taking pictures of the space, I met up with Andrew’s wife, Leila.  I found out that she has the same heritage as me, talking about Filipino comfort foods.   I always find it satisfying when I see another success story in front of me.  Apparently Andrew and Leila have The Good Press as a spin-off to their successful health food grocery retail, Sunshine Wholesome Market by College St  and Ossington Avenue.  The success of their juice bar by their retail store got them to start The Good Press.   I did confess to Leila that I am neither vegetarian nor remotely close to being a vegan and she pointed out to me that neither are they.  They do have chicken wraps in together with their pre packed salads in their salad counter.  Such a joy to talk to Leila, making me feel less guilty about my relationship with my veggies.

Thank you for the invitation to try out The Good Press. I am sure it would thrive like The Sunshine Wholesome Market.