Pêche Café
#101, 10255 97th Street
780-249-2137

I was hanging with a buddy last week and we’d missed lunch. I know, right? How did ol’ Tones miss that? Anyway, someone had mentioned that there was a new lunch spot across from Canada Place called Pêche Café. It says that it is “Plant-Based” and your buddy Tony has been around a lot of plants. The cement plant, the tile plant, etc. You get the picture – and the food around them plants is always good on account of lots of hungry folks eating there all the time. So, we figure this is a great place to go.

We walk in and there’s a few tables of folks and a giant picture of a peach painted on the wall. “What’s wit dat?” I wonder. They’ve got a cooler full of sandwiches and drinks, a decent coffee maker, and a kitchen with cooks in there. So we have a look at the menu – well, Mamma Mia! There’s a ton of stuff – calzones, sandwiches, burgers, and even brunchy stuff.

So, my buddy gets a cheeseburger calzone and yours truly orders the Meatloaf Burger. Because I love that meatloaf! We grab a couple drinks from the cooler – I got a Peach Ice Tea (there it is again, peach!) We cop a squat to wait for the food. The place is bright and open with a simple kinda café feel, so old Tony likes it right away. Food comes right out and man, is there a ton of it. Tasty tater tots surrounding a huge meatloaf burger with melted cheese, onions, lettuce, and sauce on a nice, fresh soft roll. My buddy’s calzone is stuffed and oozing tasty goodness. Now this is real plant-based chow! The meatloaf is thick and tender, with lots of flavour, and the tots are perfect and crunchy. Buddy’s calzone is served with a side of chipotle dip that has him running for the water fountain. And a half an hour later I’m pushing the plate away with a few tots left. I couldn’t do it. The bill for the two meals and drinks came in around $40, but worth every bite.

As we head out to the truck my buddy says to me, “That was pretty good vegan food, eh?”

I stop dead and says “What? What do you mean vegan?”

He says “It’s all plant-based!”

I says, “You mean plant like begonia or zucchini? Not plant like cement?”

He smiles. Darn. Fooled again. So, if you’re in the mood for a change and want to try something new like your buddy Tony always does. Get ya butt over there to Pêche Café. Maybe you can figure out what the deal is with all the peaches.

Editor’s Note: In case you haven’t already figured it out, pêche is French for “peach.”

Tony lives in McCauley.