Grilled cheese is one of my weaknesses.  It’s so good on a cold winter day, especially when accompanied with tomato soup.  Imagine my excitement when I received an invitation via Twitter to sample some items from Say Cheese, a new grilled cheese bar on Bloor, just west of St. George.  Located at what used to be Mon Berri (the interior more or less looks exactly the same.  It’s just the concept that has changed), a frozen yogurt and bubble tea restaurant (they still have bubble tea and a bit of yogurt), the restaurant offers many varieties of one of my favourite comfort foods.

Garden Veg Grill, served with a side of mixed greens

I arrived at the restaurant on a Thursday afternoon and introduced myself to two of the restaurant’s staff, Chris and Nigel who promptly let me know about their menu.  This isn’t just your run-of-the-mill grilled cheese.  In fact, the standard cheddar on white bread was nowhere to be found.  Instead, I tried the Garden Veg Grill (made with brie or goat beemster with roasted red pepper and other grilled veggies) accompanied by a small side salad, a pulled pork and mac and cheese sandwich (the cheese is either beemster or cheddar) and an absolutely delicious berry compote and ricotta French toast.  I have to say that the French toast was my favourite of the three, though the other sandwiches were bad, either.  I first thought that a pulled pork, mac and cheese sandwich was a little bit unusual, but come to think of it, many people add bread crumbs to their macaroni and cheese casseroles.  It’s just that there’s more of the bread and less of the mac and cheese in this case.  When mixed with the pulled pork, which was slow cooked in delicious barbecue sauce, it’s an absolute delight.  The garden veg sandwich was more standard.

Indira’s Pulled Pork, a sandwich with mac and cheese!

There are many more items on the menu that I’d love to try, including one called “An Italian Classic” (made with buffalo mozzarella, sliced tomatoes and olive oil as well as “Nice Pair” (brie or goat beemster with proscuitto and slices of pear.  One thing missing from their menu is my favourite grilled cheese accompaniment, tomato soup.

Grilled French toast with berry compote (this is a half portion)

Thanks very much to Chris and Nigel for making recommendations for my tasting!  Say Cheese! is slated to officially open at 337 Bloor Street West in early February.