This tucked away location at the corner of Dundas St. West and Kensington Ave. had always been a regular dim sum haunt for me in my childhood. Living only two doors away, above my parent's original hardware store, we would often walk over for weekend dumplings and the occasional scratch ticket from the door to door ticket salesman. Since those days, it has changed hands a couple of times but had always been an Asian style cafe. Now, chef and owner David has changed the small space into a very relaxed haven of comfort food that is (shhhh!!!) completely gluten free. The Kensington Cornerstone does not openly advertise this in fear of driving away potential customers who may have preconceived notions of the food. And you could barely tell. The chicken fusilli pasta is creamy and rich. There is no way of telling that it is rice pasta. Even the garlic toast is light and delicious. His secret? Instead of making a dough with rice flour (which makes it heavy and crumbly) he treats it like a cake batter. The results are an airy bread that works well with his pastas and sandwiches. Bonus is the lounging area where my kids enjoy frolicking in. Also a great view of the comings and goings of the Market hub bub. Desserts are ambitious but disappointing. Poached pear pie was cold and the crust odd. The chocolate cake not too bad. All in all, a great spot for lunch or dinner especially with friends who have any kind of dietary restrictions which he is happy to accommodate!
