Escaping the cold at Café la Gaffe

In my quest for the best omelette in town I am directed to Café la Gaffe, tucked away on Baldwin Street west of University, directly between College and Dundas. I have been hanging out downtown when I realize I'm quite hungry - now might be a good time to test the café.. at 5:30 in the afternoon, which I think is a fine idea.

I hurry through the depressingly cold weather and lunge through the doorway, frantically blowing on my hands for warmth. I am the only one there and a man behind the bar seats me by the window, leaving me with a menu and a paper displaying their specials. My waitress approaches me after I have made myself comfortable and after realizing I'm already set looks out the window.

- It isn't as dark around this time of day. The candles used to light the place up at this point.. they just don't seem as necessary anymore.

I agree but comment that the candles are still a nice touch.

- Yeah, it's definitely cuter this way.

She favours me with a smile and walks away, leaving me to decide on my meal. My waitress is well ingrained in the system, not taking her job seriously and simply enjoying herself. She wears a blue V-neck and long brown boots that climb up her jeans, stopping just below her knees. Her hair is in loose curls that bounce as she walks around the restaurant, the grin never leaving her lips.

So I look at the menu and see several dinner options (expensive dinner options!) all over the pages. Oh no.. what was I thinking?? Not everywhere has an all day breakfast menu and I can't afford all these luxurious meals! People start to show up for dinner as I sit in a quandary, not wanting to spend a whole lot of money but not wanting to walk back into the cold either.

I decide to ask if they will still serve me an omelette regardless. Maybe by some twist of fate they have a few eggs lying around that they could make use of. I brace myself to be a pain in the ass as my server approaches me to see what's up.

Of course they aren't prepared to serve an omelette anymore.. all the breakfast materials are safely locked away for another day.

..Shit.

Well looks like I have to come earlier next time, but as my server is so nice and the cold is so bitter I look for the cheapest item on their specials list and order: Chicken Corn Cowder, $5.5o.

It arrives in five minutes with an assortment of vegetables - yellow peppers, corn, carrots, and the all important green onion. My server even brings me a personal basket of bread which turns out to be a full quarter of a loaf, especially generous because I've ordered so little. I take the freshly ground pepper offered to me and tuck in, the soup warming me up better than my thin pair of gloves could ever hope to do.

The chowder is much less viscous than I am accustomed to, perfect for dipping my fresh white bread into. The ingredients really soak up the presence of the chicken, particularly the chunks of soft potato that easily integrate themselves in the mix. The chowder is evenly flavoured with pepper and vegetables, green onion permeating the entire dish, giving life to what would be an otherwise lacking dish.

Lingering as long as I can, I drink one more glass of water and nerve myself for the cold walk to Queen's Park Station. I give my waitress a ten dollar bill for her hospitality, zip up my jacket and leave the café, already planning a date when I can return for an omelette - this upcoming Sunday if I can haul myself out of bed early enough.