Remedy Café

Mmmm! Remedy is one of my favourite places for a quick lunch or dinner accompanied by long conversation with friends. Located near the university on 109 Street and 87 Avenue, Remedy is a cozy café with a variety of overstuffed chairs and comfy couches. It’s a happening place, though, so you may sometimes have to share your couch space, or even (gasp!) sit at a table.

Café first and restaurant second, Remedy has a long drink list including teas, coffees, beers and my favourite chai – the Kashmire Chai, which is bright green and topped with crushed pistachios. Cleverly named dips (Slayer Dip for 5-Layer Dip) and desserts (“Desserts is Stressed Spelled Backwards” Cake, “Does This Cake Make Me Look Fat?”) are sold alongside smaller treats like biscotti and “Time and Date Squares”. Not having much of a sweet tooth, though, I have never tried the Remedy desserts although they look fantastic and I have been told that they are.

Instead, I am all about Remedy’s curries. There are 2 vegan options – chana masala (chickpea curry) and sabji masala (mixed veggie curry with falafel pieces) – and an additional vegetarian option – palak paneer (spinach with homemade cheese cubes). At lunch, the curries come in wraps ($7.50) with a delicious tamarind-cinnamon dipping sauce, and at dinner, the curries come in bowls ($9) with pita pieces. All of the curries are delicious – well spiced with good ingredients – but my favorites are the chana masala and the palak paneer. Luckily, you can get them together as “Palak Chana” and then I am in heaven.

There is only one caveat about the Remedy Café – it truly is a café first and restaurant second, and so while the food itself is always good, the food service varies. I have usually gotten my food within 10 minutes of ordering it, but I have also often been forgotten during a rush and received my food much, much later. Still, it’s a great place to sit and read or catch up with friends, accompanied by a delicious curry.