The Varsity ? Food Finds: One Hour Cafeteria

With just over a year under its belt, Spadina?s One Hour Cafeteria is quickly gaining recognition for its addictive combination of comfortable, minimalist ambiance, pleasing array of Chinese teas, and light yet satisfying snacks.

JOSHUA FUOMO / THE VARSITY

The brainchild of former U of T architecture student Han Shao, One Hour?s premise is simple: keep things, well, simple. White walls, adorned with little more than the odd wooden coat hanger or piece of local art, are contrasted with natural wood stools and tabletops. The dining area ? split in two by the front desk and kitchen ? also features a handful of communal wooden bench tables and bean-bag chairs, creating the illusion of openness in a narrow dining space.

The caf??s selection of food options is small, especially compared to the encyclopedic menus so often found in neighboring Chinatown restaurants. Instead, One Hour places its array of specialty teas and drinks in the foreground. Ranging from $5 to $8, each tea is made to order and features a variety of fresh ingredients. The banana tea ($5.99), a combination of fresh banana, green tea, milk, sugar, and ice, is served over sweet tapioca pearls and garnished with a chocolate-hazelnut rolled wafer. Drink options also include freshly-made juices, such as honeydew and papaya ($5.99?6.99). A ?make your own? drink option allows diners to choose the flavour of fruit-infused tea, the type of tea (black or green), and the type of tapioca/jelly that they would like to include in their creation ($3.99?5.99).

JOSHUA FUOMO / THE VARSITY

As far as food goes, One Hour separates its dishes into ?big? and ?small? options; the former features Asian specialty soups and noodle dishes, while the latter focuses on appetizer-sized snacks best suited for sharing. The restaurant?s beef noodle soup ($6.29 small/$7.29 large), a more refined version of what can be found at every pho restaurant in Toronto and elsewhere, showcases fresh ingredients like diced tomato and cilantro on top of thinly sliced beef and delicate rice noodles, all of which is steeped in a rich beef broth. One Hour?s cheesecake in a jar ($5.99), one of only two dessert options, is a mason jar filled to the brim with tangy, smooth cheesecake filling and topped with sweet strawberry preserves.

JOSHUA FUOMO / THE VARSITY

If you have yet to be initiated into the world of Chinese teashops, One Hour is the perfect destination to start your culinary adventure. With its warm and comforting atmosphere and firm dedication to quality ingredients, the future of this minimalist teashop is nothing but bright.

The One Hour Cafeteria is located at 435 Spadina Ave. It is open every day from noon to midnight.

Source: http://thevarsity.ca/2013/01/20/food-finds-one-hour-cafeteria/

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