McEwan

It’s good but not great. I expected more for the price.
— Sandwiches are good but pre-​made which means you can’t make substitutions. I’m a pick eater so this was not a good idea. Also some of them look they are sitting there for days.
— Hot table: overall good but the ribs tasted very bad and mashed potatoes were not even warm. It tasted pretty bad and it was super cold. Disappointing for something so simple.
— McEwan juice and sweets: taste delicious but a bit overpriced. You can get good juice and dessert for a better price in any other place around.
— Service is great!

My visits to McEwan only revolve around their pastries. It’s a pretty convenient spot to drop in and grab something for breakfast, whilst running through the PATH on the way to work, where the pastry selection is quite decent.
My favourite is the Zucchini Walnut muffin ($ 1.50 each — a crunchy muffin top with a fluffy interior), and the very mini Von Donuts ($ 0.99 cents each — Vanilla Bean is my favourite). While it looks like they have the Zucchini Walnut muffins everyday, their selection of donuts vary daily. In any case, it wouldn’t hurt to stop by and check out the day’s selection.
While admittedly, the pastries are on the smaller size, they’re above-​average in quality and are super, super fresh. I’ve never had a stale pastry from here (yet, anyway). So the next time you walk by… take a look at the pastry case. You won’t regret it.

Something for every time of day. Healthy and delicious choice for every dietary need.

Wow! Expensive is all I have to say…
Ever go to a restaurant and just feel RIPPED off? That’s kind of how I felt leaving McEwan’s new open kitchen.
Don’t get me wrong, its a beautiful location — located where the old Michel’s Baguette used to be in TD centre. Amazing concept of gourmet food. It kind of reminds me of Marche and Pusateri’s mix because it has the open kitchen for hot food but also grocery items you can take home. Beware — marketing and packaging will rack those prices up. it’s definitely going to cost you more than an arm and a leg $. I stupidly got myself the hot food that is weighed. I chose the Chicken Vindaloo on some Basmati rice. For the small (I mean, really small like a size of a soup container) container that I ordered… It was about $ 11.00. Keep in mind… it was loosely packed. So… moral of the story? Don’t pick the heaviest food for your food by scale item. NOT worth it.
The flavour was there, but of course having had real vindaloo before, the authenticity was slightly off. Chicken was also tough, normally in a vindaloo the chicken is tender. So that was disappointing.
If I come again, it will likely just be for a dessert. But too many affordable reasonable options in the path. Likely won’t come back!

What I recommend indulging in on your next visit:
— Rahier fruit tarts: canNOT go wrong with these
— Mini lemon butter tart as well as the chocolate/​caramel flavour from bake shoppe
— Pleasantville Creamery Ice-​Cream: if you’re always curious about healthy treats, DO IT. I enjoy the «Steel Magnolia» (seasonal) and «Blondie»
— CoCos-​Pure 100% Pure Coconut Water: best on the market; I prefer this (less sweet, more refreshing) over the Nirvana brand
— Soup (always 6 in rotation, weekly I believe): 7 bean chili, vegetable broth
Would forego…
— Sullivan & Bleeker cookies: not so much cookies as they are flattened baked goods (imagine a flat, cookie-​ish red velvet cupcake)
— Pop tarts: nothing to write home about
— Sweet buns from Harbord Bakery: rather dry and bread-​y but if that’s what yer lookin’ for, power to ya!
— Elm Hill Chocochip Cookies: packaging (small pin through plastic pouch), though cute, allows some air leakage which impacts the crispness of the cookies
— Salad bar: better value at Fast Fresh
— Hot bar: better butter chicken et al elsewhere

In a pinch, I’d say this place is A-​ok, but as a whole, I really question the value on a dollar scale. I came in to get some truffle oil because the regular place I buy it from was out. For a gourmet store, I expected to find several brands. There was only one. In fact, I expected to find more brands of nice olive oil in general, but there wasn’t much.
Vegetables were insanely overpriced, but they did have a nice selection of specialty greens. I wouldn’t buy regular vegetables here. Prepared foods looked and smelled good and I could see this place being a great option for people who purchase their lunch and eat at their desk.
Overall, I feel that McEwan is a place to buy fancy things or staples when you just don’t have time to shop elsewhere. It’s a convenience thing and they have a wide breadth of products for the busy executive who has the cash to buy this stuff and no time to do a proper grocery shop. So they’ve found their target market with the location. But I just don’t feel that it’s a place for a real foodie (who cooks) and there is a difference. If you know good food and are expecting a wonderland and lots of interesting products to check out, you might be a little disappointed.
It’s more grab n go.