Food for Thought in London Ontario's Old East Village
Food for Thought in London Ontario's Old East Village
The Old East Village Business Improvement Area (OEVBIA) is a community-driven urban reinvestment and revitalization initiative
working in partnership with the Old East Village Community Association (OEVCA) and
a variety of community partners to help stimulate neighbourhood stability and encourage
a blending of viable commercial activities along and off the Dundas Street corridor.
According to Dr. Jason Gilliland (HEAL & Department of
Geography at Western and OEVIA executive board member) “The OEVBIA and its
advisors have been working on an economic development to strengthen the area as
a food district.”
To the
uninitiated, the OEV has a long-standing reputation as a destination for
community, health and social service agencies. The area has also become the
undisputed centre of all things counter-culture and the centre of the city’s edgy
art and music scene, as well as a growing restaurant cluster on the corridor.
Sarah Merritt, manager of the OEVBIA,
observes “The spacing of the food
businesses and restaurants on Dundas Street is creating a very walkable food
district”.
The neighbourhood
contains 28% of the city’s listed and designated heritage properties as well as
some key city venues. Dundas Street is home to the London Clay Arts Centre, the
Palace Theatre, the Aeolian Performing Arts Centre and the Farmers’ and
Artisans’ Market at the Western Fair (FAMWF).
A revival of
culinary entrepreneurs and food enthusiasts has gravitated to the OEV and has
added to the mix of established culinary businesses like Mykonos, Tony’s of
London, Vietnam Restaurant and True Taco Authentic Comedor Latino.
Creative,
independent, and cultishly popular restaurants and cafés like The Root Cellar, Unique
Food Attitudes, Momo’s at the Market, Ten Up Chinese and Sushi, The Starving
Artist Bistro, Asmara Caffee and East Village Coffeehouse have added another
level of diversity and accessibility to the cultural fabric and the evolving restaurant/café
scene in the neighbourhood. A business like The Wisdom Tea Shop is an example of OEV landlords taking the ultimate plunge by opening
their own small businesses in their own buildings.
The FAMWF
continues to serve as an anchor for the village by providing a setting for
enhanced culinary programming, and cultural and civic activities that
complement the market and its location in a neighbourhood previously identified
as a food desert.
The market itself
has a plethora of more than sixty small-scale food makers that include Saucy
Meats, which brings together small-scale farmers, butchers and customers
through a unique artisanal business
model; Café Bourgeois chef/caterer Mary Ann Wrona, whose healthy catering
and gourmet-to-go café form a repertoire of the Polish culinary tradition; and Downie
Street Bakehouse, which features
from-scratch, hand-shaped, artisanal and specialty breads made with time and
care by baker Alan Mailloux.
Visionary culinary
entrepreneur and FAMWF owner Dave Cook says, “Market management supports
smaller-scale producers and farmers in an economic environment that’s challenging
for anyone not performing industrial-scale agriculture, with opportunities for
informal mentorship”.
As an informal
incubator for emerging businesses the FAMWF has evolved into a regional
culinary epicentre for small-scale food makers and farmers, “foodies” and innovators.
Cook, who is at the vanguard of local
culinary innovation, is looking to open a 20,000 to 25,000 square foot food
production facility in the OEV to accommodate two to three anchor tenants
(including his Fire Roasted Coffee Company) and other spillover market
opportunities and interests. Cook estimates that the current economic impact
from the FAMWF is $7.5 million annually.
Various food businesses
have emerged from the market to open or expand into retail and wholesale
businesses in the OEV, downtown London or other farmers’ markets. Miki
Hambleck’s Hungary Butcher, Rick Peori’s All ’Bout Cheese, and Theo and Gerda
Korthof’s Artisan Bakery have all set up shop on Dundas Street across from the
market. On the Move Organics, a premium
market vendor, recently opened a pop-up retail location on the corridor close
to its progeny, the Root Cellar Organic Café.
The market continues to be home to an evolving community of culinary
professionals who are actively fostering the development of a distinctive food
district and encouraging innovation in food and sustainable strategies for the
development of quality culinary practices. Cook’s many business interests interlock and
promote one another, and the success of the FAMWF illustrates the potential
economic spin-off of a food production facility in OEV.
The OEVBIA
continues to work on a local economic development plan for the neighborhood
that involves the creation of an “agri-food district,” and considers building
stronger linkages between the farmers’ market and the neighboring commercial
corridor as a central objective.
In the meantime,
there continues to be discussion regarding an eco-food hub and a possible social
enterprise grocery store in the OEV.
Below are some
interesting dining options in the Old East Village.
East Village
Coffeehouse
London’s only indie coffeehouse, the East Village Coffeehouse is local,
independent and sustainable. The sibling team of
Linser Wayne and Glenn Kiff share a passion for embracing culture and community.
They took another space and transformed it into an exciting community space
with a unique personality that is once again an expression of the owners’
combined creative sensibilities and hard work. 754 Dundas Street at
English, 226-271-6141
The Root Cellar Organic Café
Community-focused, local, sustainable and accountable are
the words used to describe the Root Cellar’s philosophy. With an emphasis on
“from scratch” seasonal menus, the culinary team led by chef Dani Gruden-Murphy
procures ingredients from local organic farmers for this hip artisanal culinary
collective and London’s first
co-operatively owned nanobrewery. 623 Dundas Street, 519-719-7675
Unique Food Attitudes
The success of Barbara Czyz`s foodie-mobbed bistro is
due to its modern European cuisine, chalkboard offerings, and attentive vibe. Specialties
include goulash with potato pancakes, krokiety
(crepes) and red borsch made from beets, slow cooked cabbage rolls, and tender
peirogi with sweet and savoury fillings. 697 Dundas Street, 519- 649-2225
Mykonos
Heidi and Bill Vamvalis are pillars of hospitality, and have
been serving Mediterranean cuisine and traditional English Fish and Chips for
over 38 years. Mykonos sports a festive covered patio at the back of the
restaurant, which is heated during the cooler weather. The Mykonos Platter with
moussaka, pastichio, souvlaki, tsazki, tiropitaki, spanakopita, loukanica and
dolmathaki is outstanding. 572 Adelaide Street N., 519-434-6736
True Taco Authentic Comedor Latino
True Taco continues to wow diehard taco-lovers by providing
superior Mexican and El Salvadorian cuisine in new and much larger
premises. An all-day breakfast of huevos rancheros (sunny-side up eggs with
homemade sauce and locally- sourced beans and tortillas) is a staple. Tacos and
pupusas are house specialities. Burritos, tacquitos, quesadillas, enchiladas
and tamales are also on offer. The standout is the chicken Milanesa. 789 Dundas
Street, 519-433-0909
Tony’s of London
Tony’s
Famous Italian has been serving pizza, panzerotti, lasagna, chicken parmigiana and other Italian-inspired comfort
foods in this cavernous dining room since 1961. 980 Dundas Street, 519 544 4520
The Spring (You
Yi Cun)
An OEV mainstay, The Spring has recently changed hands. The décor could
still use a rethink. The signature wonton “purses” – house-made pork dumplings
– are browned to pan-fried perfection. We love the sautéed Asian eggplant with
chili and sauce, al dente long green beans bathed in a fiery sauce, spring
rolls and crispy deep-fried wontons. 768 Dundas Street, 519-266-4421
The Vietnam
Restaurant
Long Duc Ngo, the welcoming hands-on proprietor, offers a selection of
accessibly priced noodle, rice and soup dishes. The substantive menu includes
superb spring rolls, pho, sizzling hot pots, and many seafood and chicken
dishes. Pho Dac Biet is the signature rice noodle broth with rare and
brisket beef, beef balls and tripe with fresh herbs. 1074 Dundas Street,
519-457-0762
Chi Hi
Vietnamese
Chef Trinh’s Chi Hi Vietnamese restaurant features
traditional Vietnamese fare including bánh mì (black bean tofu or beef subs), pad Thai, vegetarian Singapore noodles,
beef noodle brisket soup, and black bean tofu vermicelli. 791 Dundas Street,
(beside Aeolian Hall at Rectory) 519-601-8448
Thai Taste
This family-owned unassuming hole-in-the-wall, with cramped booth
seating offers superior Thai food. Served with pride and attention to detail
Thai Taste is an OEV favourite. Don’t be put off by the narrow interior—the
food shines. 671 Dundas Street, 519-646-2909
Starving Artist
Bistro and Lounge
This small open-kitchen bills itself as a
café, breakfast and brunch restaurant. This is where you'll
find some amazing work from local artists displayed in the cozy dining area. Try the First Nation’s bannock tacos if they are available. 680 Dundas
Street, 226- 680-0526
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