Aroma Espresso Bar (500 Bloor Street West & Albany)

Aroma Espresso Bar is the new-ish coffee bar that opened on the corner of Bloor and Albany in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood (old JJ Mugs location). While the cafe's art-deco decor borders on tacky, and while the constant images of CNN newscasts (on the mounted flat-screen television) may seem unorthodox, these stylistic blemishes are easy to overlook in light of the buzz, vibe, constant traffic, and great quality food that accompanies the "Aroma experience".

Aroma is almost undefinable: it confuses the boundary between restaurant and coffee-house. Like a good quality restaurant, fresh bread is baked daily and all sandwiches and salads are made to order. Yet, like a coffee shop, there is no table-service. Instead, you place your order at the cash, and when your order is up, the kitchen calls your name on an intercom system. You then take your tray/drink to a table/bar stool and do your thing.

While Aroma primarily serves drinks, sandwich, salads and pastries, it also serves the "all-day power breakfast". For the traditional brunch-goer, the pickings are slim on the Aroma menu. Other than the all-day power breakfast, the only brunch-like menu items are the fruit, yogurt and granola cup ($4.90) and an assortment of muffins and danishes (prices varying).

The food:

Both of us ordered the all-day power breakfast for $8.90. For an extra $1.50 (a discounted price), one can have any of Aroma's hot or cold beverages added to the meal. Leora added a latte. The power breakfast came with eggs (choice of hard-boiled, sunny-side up, over-easy, scrambled or omelette), a heap of salad (mixed greens, diced cucumber and tomato), large black olives, a pile of shredded feta cheese (cheese may vary depending on the day - it has been halumi, a middle-eastern cheese, in the past), and a mound of a moist, super smooth and creamy soft cheese. The breakfast also comes with four pieces of thickly-sliced artisenal bread (choice of whole wheat, rye blend, and a couple of others) and two salad dressings/dipping sauces (balsamic and thousand-islands).

The food was very good and very fresh. Simple but high quality ingredients were combined in this refreshing and light brunch. The portions were enormous. The attention to detail was also great. All drinks were served on a doily and came with a small milk chocolate square. The latte even had a heart swirled into its foam.

Great quality, great value and friendly service. If you don't mind the possibility of eating brunch on a bar stool, and you're in the mood for a light brunch that won't necessarily keep you "powered" throughout the day, give this a shot. A brunch at Aroma might even wind up being a bit cheaper than other trendy Toronto brunches: since there is no table-service, tipping is up to discretion.

RATING: There is no doubt that one could compile certain elements of the power breakfast at home, yet in this case simplicity indicates creativity; the combination of the fresh-baked bread, the huge portions, the fresh ingredients, and the attention to detail make the power-breakfast anything but ordinary. While there is only one brunch item on the menu, it is a good one. Yet we have to concede, despite its grandeur, it is not the most filling of meals, and given the bustling nature of the joint, it is not a dining experience. The decor is also far from hip, but the crowds and the buzz prove the contrary. While the breakfast was high quality and delicious going down, for these reason we give Aroma Espresso Bar's "all-day power breakfast" a 3.5 out of 5.