Toronto General Hospital | Vegan in the City

Oh my God is this place good.

As I mentioned in my last post, I’m sick of the Toronto General Hospital food court so I’ve started venturing outside the hospital to fill my hunger. Banh Mi Boys was my first stop.

A good friend of mine had recently eaten at the Queen St. W. location and raved about it to me the week prior so when I saw it pop up on my Urbanspoon app I knew I had to go.

Located at the corner of Yonge and Gerrard St. it’s not a far walk from the hospital. About 10 minutes (5 if you’re a quick walker like myself). It’s a little spot that has a few tables for patrons wishing to eat their meal there. It’s decor and counter set-up actually remind me of Five Guys, even down to the red and white checkered paper they put the “for here” sandwiches on. Both times I’ve been I got my sandwiches to go so I can’t comment too much on the in-restaurant dining experience.

The menu is divided into five sections: banh mi, tacos, steamed bao, salads and sides.Each section offers a vegan option…except the salad section, ironically.

The first time I went I had the lemongrass tofu banh mi. Mayonnaise is the dressing but they ask before putting it on. After ordering your sandwich, you walk to the side of the counter and wait for them to call your name and then they’ll ask you if it’s for here or to go and then what spice level you want. There is a big sign that outlines the different levels but that time I somehow missed it and answered, “Oh as hot as possible” (which is Banh Mi Boy spice level: extra hot). That meant instead of sriracha (medium spice level) or jalapenos (hot spice level), I got habaneros.

I’ve gone on about how much I love hot food before but this was my first dance with habaneros and all I have to say is: ow. That is hot taken to the level of painful. Literally. It’s painful.

I ended up picking two-thirds of them off the sandwich and even my fingertips burned at touching them. You can imagine how my lips, mouth and throat felt.

But aside from that little misstep, the sandwich was fantastic. The bun was fresh and delicious and the tofu was really, really good. I’m skeptical about tofu sandwiches because I’ve had experiences with soggy or mushy tofu, which is pretty unappetizing on a sandwich. Luckily Banh Mi Boys does tofu well. The sandwich topped with carrots, cucumber, cilantro and pickled veggies + your choice of spice. 5 stars for sure.

The second time I went I decided to try the steamed bao because I’d heard great things about it. I got the panko-crusted tofu bao and it was also fantastic. Especially the price: $3.66! It’s a small sandwich, sure, but still quite the deal.

I had my reservations about the steamed bao because it looks like a giant marshmallow folded over a sandwich. I expected it to taste gooey or soggy but it was neither. It really tastes like a regular bun, but softer. Not soggy at all. The panko tofu was also really, really good. At this moment I’m still undecided which sandwich I preferred because both were so good. Oh, and that time I wisely went with “hot” as my spice level. I can handle jalapenos.

Unfortunately I have not had a chance to sample any of the sides or the tacos but please don’t kid yourself and think those were the only two times I’ll be at Banh Mi Boys’ doorstep. I will definitely be back. Definitely, definitely, definitely.

I’ve been spending a lot of time at Toronto General Hospital recently. Not for myself, but with a family member recovering from a fairly invasive surgery.

Hospital food courts have a pretty bad reputation and, after spending almost every day of the past week there, I’m starting to see why; it’s not very healthy. Which surprises me, to be honest. Maybe I’m naive but I would assume that the restaurants a hospital allows to serve within its walls would have to do more to help people keep out of the healthcare system rather than pushing them in.

Anyway, sitting all day in a hospital watching a loved one recover doesn’t make me feel too good so the last thing I want is to eat a meal that will leave my body feeling bad too. But a girl’s gotta eat.

The options at the TGH food court are: Wing Machine, Bagel Stop, Hero Certified Burgers, Subway, Tim Hortons, Druxy’s, Mega Wraps, Booster Juice, Sushi, and Soup It Up. Sure, healthy (vegan) options can be found at most of those but after a couple days it starts to feel repetitive because those options tend to come in sandwich form.

Here are my thoughts on the vegan meals I’ve had so far:

Soup It Up
What I like about Soup It Up is everyday it offers one vegan soup. I tried the split pea veggie soup and it was quite good. I added a veggie sandwich with sesame dressing on a multigrain baguette and felt pretty good about the whole meal – taste-wise and health-wise. That meal rang in at about $11.

Mega Wraps
Mega Wraps also fits under my “healthy” bill because there are a ton of veggies to add to a wrap or even the option to make it into a salad. I had a falafel wrap that was pretty good and stuffed with vegetables, hummus and tahini. The menu also boasts a falafel salad and of course the options of a veggie wrap/salad. A regular size falafel wrap set me back $8.

Bagel Stop
I had a veggie bagel sandwich one morning and it was alright. The bagel was good but its toppings were…uh, limited. A couple soggy tomatoes, slices of cucumber and one leaf of lettuce. Dressings are either ketchup, mayo or butter so I went without. It was a rather dry sandwich and definitely a disappointing breakfast but it did the job. I don’t remember how much it cost but, honestly, don’t waste your money. Go to Tim Horton’s and get a 12 grain bagel with peanut butter. Hell, I bet the vegetables on Timmie’s veggie sandwich are in better shape so get that even.

Side note: my mom got a bacon, egg and cheese bagel from there and said it was the best breakfast sandwich she’d ever had so for all my non-vegan readers the opposite is true: go! Have breakfast at Bagel Stop!

Wing Machine
So no, I did not actually order or eat anything off the Wing Machine menu. But it gets a call out for offering a selection of fruit for purchase. Oranges, apples, pears and bananas for sale for just $1. I was looking for a quick, cheap and healthy snack and was pleasantly surprised to see that out of all the restaurants in that food court, Wing Machine was able to deliver. When I’m travelling or in other germ-friendly areas, I like to buy fruit that comes with a peel. Being able to wash an apple isn’t usually an option at the airport (or hospital) so a banana or orange works best for me. I’m not going to consider washing my apple in an airport washroom sink so don’t even suggest it. Ew.

Booster Juice
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to anyone that the hospital food for patients is far worse than its food court offerings and so my family member in recovery was not eating the meals being served. They asked me to grab them a smoothie (so at least they could get some kind of nutrients) so to Booster Juice I went. I didn’t get anything for myself because I noticed all the smoothies were made with dairy. Also, juice seems to be pretty big ingredient in the smoothies and I’m pretty against juice in general – it’s basically just sugar water. But for someone who hasn’t eaten in over 3 days, a high protein superfood smoothie (even made with dairy and juice) is perfect. Just not for a vegan.

And that’s it from my TGH food court experience. I’m tired of wraps and sandwiches, and soup isn’t a fun meal to have on the regular so from here on out I think I’m going to start exploring outside the hospital for my meals. Luckily TGH is right in the heart of the city so there are a ton of vegan-friendly restaurants in the area. Stay tuned!