The Scadding Court Community Centre (707 Dundas West, at Bathurst, 416-392-0335, scaddingcourt.org) has some of the most innovative food programs in town. Why, just the other week, they filled their indoor swimming pool with trout and invited locals to fish for their supper for three bucks a pop.
Their most recent effort is a street market set up in a row of winterized shipping containers that runs along the north wall of the library directly across from Toronto Western Hospital and close to trendy Kensington. The economic development initiative allows vendors to set up business for as little as $350 a month. And it’s all city-approved!
Best of the bunch is Sloppy Bunjo (416-462-0333), a mostly vegan Indian take-away run by Magic Oven’s Tony Sabherwal specializing in the northern street food that gives the stall its name. Think veggie hamburgers stuffed with curried yellow peas and dressed with diced onion, fresh coriander and explosive tamarind sauce ($3), plump vegan samosas ($1.25) and grilled Indo-style corn on the cob washed down with iced genmaicha green tea (both $2).
A few doors over, Monforte Dairy (1-877-437-5553) has set-up a year-round outpost. Stock up on preservative-free goat cheese and summer sausage or stick around for a snack at a curbside table for two. Fancy chilled watermelon soup tossed with squeaky-fresh cheese curds and grilled asparagus tips ($4) followed by grilled white cheddar and organic local tomato sandwiches ($5 with dill pickle) made on honey multigrain bread from Scadding Café ($4 loaf) and rich vanilla water-buffalo ice cream ($4)?
The Scadding Court Marketplace runs Monday to Thursday 11 am to 7 pm, Friday 11 am to 10 pm and Saturday 11 am to 7 pm, except Monforte Dairy, closed Monday. Hours approximate.
Market update
Monforte Dairy also appears at the new Leslieville Farmers’ Market (leslievillemarket.com). Located in John Ashbridge Park at the corner of Eastern and Woodward, the Sunday market runs from 9 am to 2 pm and features many of the nabe’s top food shops. Look to Hooked for sustainable seafood, J.P. Challet of Ici Bistro’s Le Matin Bakery for straight-from-the-oven croissants and the Waffle Bar for made-to-order beignets.
No longer found in bucolic Eglinton Park, uptown’s AppleTree farmers’ market (appletreemarkets.ca) makes it debut July 14 on the newly designated Orchard View Boulevard pedestrian mall just north of Yonge and Eglinton.
The meet happens Thursdays from 11 am to 7 pm through October.
