The Woodrack Cafe

It's been a long time since I've written a review of a new local business, so I'm excited to finally get back into the swing of things again. First of all, I can't believe it's already October! September flew by so quickly, and it won't be much longer before those beautiful fall colours on the trees disappear. October is also the month that I dread as a university student... why, you ask? Midterms!!! For me, October has always been a month with tons of midterms or assignments, which of course means a lot of studying to be done. Although I mostly study at home or at school, sometimes I enjoy venturing out to a locally-owned cafe for a change in scenery. That's where this post and future posts come in... I hope to share with you a couple cafes throughout Edmonton that would be perfect for studying in or for getting that caffeine fix to help you power through your lecture notes. And as usual, my posts will also be an overall review of the business I check out.

The Woodrack Cafe.

One cafe that has been on my list all summer is The Woodrack Cafe (7603 109 Street), which officially opened to the public just last Monday September 28th. While out kayaking, the owners - Melissa and Shammy - collected driftwood and placed it on the rack of their kayak's - that's how the name of this cafe was born! Located on 109 Street and 76 Avenue, it is only a few minutes away from the University of Alberta (and from Whyte Ave).

The interior.

The interior.

When I stepped inside the cafe, it was almost a full house (the above pictures were taken later on)! It was so nice to see a bustling space on their first day of operation... a good sign that The Woodrack Cafe is very much a welcome addition to the neighbourhood.

Comfy seating at The Woodrack Cafe.

Now let's talk about what really caught my eye when I walked in: the lovely decor and the atmosphere! The About section on their website describes the cafe as having a "relaxed boho style atmosphere", and I couldn't agree more. The room itself is spacious and modern, but the furniture and decor were what really gave off that perfect, cozy vibe throughout the entire cafe. The dream catchers hanging on the walls, the driftwood art, and (my personal favourite!) antler art on the tables and shelves looked absolutely gorgeous. I'm happy that the owners (who are also very friendly!) took their time in making their vision for this cafe come true!

Baked goodies!

Menu for Hot Drinks.

Menu for Cold Drinks.

There is a huge glass display case showcasing all the different baked goods they offer, but when I arrived just past 1:00 PM the case was almost empty! Talk about a very busy day for The Woodrack Cafe. The drink menus, neatly written in chalk on two blackboards hanging above the till, are easy to read and categorized into hot and cold drinks. The Woodrack Cafe features 3 brands of coffee: Danesi, an Italian roast, Edmonton's own ACE Coffee Roasters, and Anchored from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Chocolate Whoopie Pie.

I managed to score the very last Chocolate Whoopie Pie ($4.50) available! I'll admit that my goal coming in was to try this exact treat, so I'm quite lucky to have picked up the last one. Whoopie pies are The Woodrack Cafe's specialty, and I would say the one I tried tasted really good. Soft and a little crumbly, with a rich chocolate flavour all held together by a delicious, fluffy frosting. As a fan of all things chocolate, it's no surprise that this treat immediately became a new favourite.

12 oz Hott Chocolate.

Even though the weather was warm when I visited, I still ended up going for their 12 oz Hott Chocolate ($3.50). The drink was served with whipped cream in a beautiful mug featuring antlers! The Woodrack Cafe has a bunch of these mugs for sale as well (for $28), so I'm planning on purchasing one for myself during my next visit. The hot chocolate was on the sweeter side, but it was smooth with no shortage of chocolate flavour, just how I like it.

Earl Grey Shortbread.

CJ got Earl Grey Shortbread for himself, which looked delectable. I didn't end up trying it, but it was instantly devoured! A sign that it was quite tasty for sure. 

12 oz Iced Mocha.

To cool down, CJ went with the 12 oz Iced Mocha ($5.25) for his drink. Yet another drink served in a really pretty cup featuring antlers! These upcycled cups hand crafted by the owners themselves are also available to purchase too.

Pretty antler art found throughout the cafe, view from the couch.

Although CJ and I sat down at a table at first, we were lucky enough to eventually relocate over to the comfy couch facing the fireplace and large windows. There is definitely room for more than 2 people on the couch, and I think it would be a perfect spot to sit and read a book with a hot drink in hand. 

Take a book, leave a book. That's my own stuffed animal to the right!

The Woodrack Cafe has a lot to offer: in front of the other entrance (the one not facing 109 Street), there is a shelf filled with books with a sign reading "Take a Book, Leave a Book". Really cool to see! I didn't have a book with me to leave, but some of the books on the shelf looked like ones I would find myself picking up. 

View of the bar and shelf containing merchandise.

More items for purchase near the front entrance.

The Woodrack Cafe combines delicious baked goods and drinks with hand crafted merchandise available for purchase. T-shirts, cups, mugs, and even earrings are for sale! Furthermore, those beautiful dream catchers hanging by the window? The driftwood art? You can buy those too! You can tell that a lot of love and care went into creating them. 

Yummy!

I think The Woodrack Cafe is a great place for studying or getting work done because of the super cozy space and relaxed atmosphere. It's easy to get to from the University of Alberta which is bonus for me too (take bus 9 on 109 Street going to Southgate and get off at the stop just past 76 Avenue. Or walk, bike, or drive! They have a parking space). I have a feeling that I'll be making a lot of visits to The Woodrack Cafe this school year. And why wouldn't I want to hang out in a place that has tons of antler decor! Caribou/reindeer are one of my favourite animals after all. 

At the moment, The Woodrack Cafe is open from Monday to Friday from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM. They are currently working on extending their hours and eventually opening on weekends. I'm looking forward to that. Be sure to follow The Woodrack Cafe on Twitter (@TheWoodrackCafe), Instagram (@thewoodrackcafe), and like their Facebook page.

Block 1912

Happy Tuesday! So I'm aware that it's been more than a week since I last posted... I guess you could say I was on a blogging roll at the start of May. Blogging was postponed mostly because CJ returned from vacation so naturally, I wanted to spend time with him. He is my number one distraction after all.

Now let's get this blog post started. If you frequent Whyte Ave like I do, I'm sure you've passed by Block 1912, a European cafe located beside the intersection of 104 Street and 82 Ave. I'll admit the outside appearance is a little unassuming, but stepping inside you'll find yourself in a big space looking at tons of comfy couches and chairs that extend all the way from the entrance to the very far end of the cafe.

Sorry, not the best photos of the interior.

Block 1912 offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner options in addition to coffee and drinks. I've heard a lot of good things about the soups, lasagnas, and casseroles they serve too. But the real stand out for me? Their pastries. They have a huge display of pastries with a lot of selection, so there's something for everyone. The beauty of the food at Block 1912 is that it is all made from scratch in house. 

Our spread of desserts and hot drinks.

I guess one of the biggest downsides (for me) of Block 1912 is the lack of natural lighting available. There is really only one window near the entrance with few seating nearby. If you're lucky enough to snag one of those window seats, do it! You'll get better quality photos that aren't grainy like mine. 

White Hot Chocolate.

CJ ordered a White Hot Chocolate ($3.50), which he actually enjoys more than a regular hot chocolate. This one, however, tasted oddly like cotton candy. It was just okay in my opinion.

Vanilla Milk Steamer.

I ordered a Vanilla Milk Steamer ($3.50), which is my favourite option if I don't feel like drinking hot chocolate. This drink was light and frothy, although I wish the vanilla flavour in mine was more prominent. 

Chocolate Marquise.

CJ also got their Chocolate Marquise (~$6) which is a moist, rich chocolate cake layered with chocolate mousse, topped with chocolate glaze, and decorated with chocolate shavings and hints of gold. Basically a chocolate lovers dream dessert. This cake was quite rich, although the chocolate mousse provided a nice creaminess with each bite. Also, those golden flakes on top are such a beautiful touch! 

Cappuccino Cake.

I was a little torn deciding which pastry I wanted, but I ultimately went for their Cappuccino Cake (~$6). This is a coffee sponge cake with espresso buttercream and white chocolate mousse. The buttercream was light and sweet and paired perfectly with the moist cake. I also enjoyed how the coffee flavour wasn't too strong so my friends (who aren't coffee lovers or drinkers) could try some too. 

Pistachio Cake.

Jeline and Yusra both chose the Pistachio Cake ($6), which was smaller in size compared to the cakes CJ and I chose. This dessert is a vanilla sponge cake with pistachio mousse, coated in white chocolate and pistachio. Jeline and Yusra described it as light, creamy, nutty, and not overly sweet. Sounds delicious if you ask me. 

Lastly, Jeline ordered a London Fog ($4.75). Surprisingly, I don't have a picture of just the drink itself. She said the drink had a good, strong flavour that wasn't too sweet. 

I highly recommend checking out Block 1912 if you're in need of a coffee and dessert break. If sweets aren't really your thing, they also offer salads, hot meals, sandwiches, and tapas as well. The atmosphere is really cozy and relaxing so it's a great spot for studying, catching up with friends, or reading a good book. They are open until 12 AM from Monday to Saturday and until 11 PM on Sunday which is perfect for any night owls. 

P.S. I heard one of their tables has a drawer containing napkin notes and letters! How cool is that? If I ever find myself at that table, I would love to add my own napkin note to the collection. Also makes for a great read and conversation with friends! 

Dauphine Bakery and Bistro

Having a hot drink with dessert will always be something I enjoy doing despite the warm summer weather. After having lunch at The Burg (see previous post), CJ and I wanted to have some dessert and hot beverages to wind down with. After walking down 4th Street Promenade, I suggested to go to Dauphine Bakery and Bistro (twitter.com/DauphineBakery) - another food place I've been wanting to try. 

Dauphine Bakery and Bistro is a family-run, French inspired food place in Downtown and is formerly known as Queen of Tarts. You actually have to take a flight of stairs down to get here, so you can't really see the inside from the street level. However, stepping inside, you see beautiful lights fixed right above the glass display cases filled with an assortment of pastries, along with large blackboards with their menu items written with chalk. 

The interior.

CJ and I couldn't decide what dessert to get - there were so many to choose from! Cakes, brownies, tarts... pretty much any delicious sweet you can think of. We ordered a dessert to share shortly after as well as some drinks at the counter, then took a seat at the far end of the bakery. We were told our dessert and drinks would be brought over to us, so we took the time to get comfy and enjoy our view of the place. 

Our dessert and my drink.

Our dessert looked delicious presented on a clean white plate, and our drinks had a sweet aroma with the steam rising from the mugs. At this point CJ and I had already connected to the Shaw Go Wifi which is all along 4th Street Promenade and had started watching Attack on Titan on Netflix (mwuahaha). 

Carrot cake.

The dessert we picked was a Carrot Cake (~$6, sorry I don't remember the exact price). I thought this cake was great since it wasn't too sweet, yet it still had the comforting flavours and spices found in a carrot cake. I just wished that this cake was more moist, perhaps with more of the cream cheese frosting too! Normally CJ and I are able to finish desserts fairly quickly, but we found ourselves taking our time with this one. 

Vanilla steamed milk.

I went for something simple and chose steamed milk for my drink. I requested for a vanilla flavour shot to be added. While I thought this drink was enjoyable, I probably would've liked it better if it was just slightly more sweet! 

Hot chocolate.

CJ doesn't like drinking caffeinated beverages, so he chose an even more simple hot chocolate for his drink! I didn't try his drink, but considering he finished the entire thing without complaining, I would have to say that he enjoyed it as well.  

For two drinks and one dessert, I paid somewhere around $10-$15 for everything. In addition to pastries and hot drinks, Dauphine offers a breakfast, lunch and dinner menu! They serve items such as soups, sandwiches, quiches, and many more. Another neat thing about Dauphine is that they offer high tea service for $25, but you would need to reserve in advance. I've never experienced a high tea service before, so I would love to try it out at Dauphine one day! I would recommend Dauphine Bakery and Bistro if you're looking for a place to relax with some drinks or desserts, or if you want to grab a simple, light lunch. The French inspired interior and background music make Dauphine the perfect setting for a casual yet romantic date with your loved one! 

Waves Coffee House

Sometimes going on food adventures is a lot of hard work. Having to travel to different places all over the city... planning the bus route, finding parking space if I'm driving, or even accounting for the hours of operation for the food place I go to. There are mainly fast food and chain restaurants in my neighbourhood at the moment, so I've always wished for more locally owned food places nearby. That's when a new coffee place recently opened up near mine and CJ's house - called Waves Coffee House (wavescoffee.com). It is located in South Edmonton down Rabbit Hill Road, just before you exit onto the Anthony Henday. 

Last Saturday, I went over to CJ's house after work to hang out for a bit. We both wanted to grab a snack, so we decided to go to Waves Coffee House. It was nice outside, with only a mild wind. So instead of driving there, we walked! I love the fact that this place is within walking distance from CJ's house. 

The interior.

We walked in to find ourselves in a bright, open space. The inside is actually quite big for a cafe, but that's not a bad thing at all. There's also a decent number of seating in Waves - both couches and tables with chairs. I loved the light fixtures above the front counter, and the round shape of the menu display on the wall added a unique touch. This place definitely makes a great hang out spot. 

Inside their display case, they had a variety of pastries as well as some sandwiches and wraps that could be toasted. I wanted something sweet, so I chose a Triple Chocolate Brownie. CJ also got a brownie, but he chose the Dutch Brownie instead (though I'm not too sure if I got the name right). For drinks, I decided to get a Blended Beverage - specifically, a Mocha Frappe with milk chocolate topped with whipped cream. CJ got an Iced Chocolate with milk chocolate, which is one of their Iced Beverages. CJ paid around $15 for everything (unfortunately, I don't remember the individual price of each item!). 

Our drinks and brownies.

We decided to sit next to the window on some single couches. I really wanted to try my Mocha Frappe, but I obviously had to take a couple pictures first! 

Mocha Frappe.

The Mocha Frappe consists of Belgian chocolate blended with espresso and ice cream. I got milk chocolate blended into my drink, but you can also choose from dark or white chocolate. I also had a nice dollop of whipped cream on top. The taste of my drink wasn't too sweet at all - in fact, I would say that the flavour stayed true to the real taste of all the ingredients the drink is made of. Don't expect the overly sugary goodness like what Starbucks or Second Cup offers. 

One thing that I liked about our beverages were the words written on the side of the cup. It says, "The movement of the hand to say hello" / "A gesture to welcome a friend" / "An act that creates a sense of connection" - these are all definitions of the word "wave". Waves is a place where we can make connections with our friends and make good conversation. Very neat story behind their name. 

I asked CJ how he liked his Iced Chocolate beverage... and I don't think he was in love with the taste. The Iced Chocolate is made up of melted Belgian milk chocolate served over cold milk and ice. He told me it was like drinking a cold version of a hot chocolate. After a sip of his drink, I have to agree with him. 

Triple Chocolate Brownie (left) and Dutch Brownie (right).

After trying our drinks, it was time to eat the brownies. They tasted like any ordinary brownie, nothing mind blowing. A good amount of sweetness. The Triple Chocolate Brownie and Dutch Brownie had chocolate chips and nuts, respectively, baked inside of them as well. I always appreciate that extra crunch to add texture to the pastry. I'm pretty sure these brownies weren't made in house though... most likely made elsewhere and ordered in. Second Cup probably orders the same types of pastries as well. Interesting. 

CJ and I both liked this place. We even started talking about how we'd start running in the morning and plan our route so that we'd end up at Waves. I definitely want to come back here to try more of their Blended Beverages. If you're more into having a simple cup of coffee, Waves uses 100% Specialty Grade coffee beans that are fully washed and sun dried. 

Waves Coffee House is an awesome place to go if you're looking for a quick coffee fix (they also have a drive thru!) or a cool hang out spot with a relaxing atmosphere. There are a lot of Waves locations in British Columbia and Calgary, but only two in Edmonton. I'd love to see more of Waves throughout my city (it is a coffee chain after all). Can't wait to come back here!