Sugar Water Cafe

This place is not very noticeable as it's tucked away beside the large Shopper's Drug Mart entrance. It's a small family operated business, as apparent from the kids helping out behind the counter. The old-fashioned display counters along with trays of Mr. Big chocolate bars and Halls lozenges reminded me of a typical corner store. But I was a bit surprised that none of the cafe food was displayed in the glass counter. There was a small sign on the counter that read "Homemade cheesecake $3.50" without a list of flavours available. I asked the owner who didn't seem very sure either, so service was not professional but conveyed a sense of homeliness.

I chose the mango cheesecake ($3.50) which came in 2 small slices. Perhaps because I visited near closing time, but the cake was pretty much frozen like it had just come out of the freezer. I felt like I was eating an ice cream cake. Taste-wise it was almost identical to the cheesecake I make at home with Philadelphia cream cheese and graham cracker crust.

The strawberry smoothie ($4.50) was quite large and I didn't manage to finish it. It was more like a slushie than a smoothie though, because there was a lot of crushed ice.

The food wasn't particularly impressive, and I'm sure I could reproduce both the cake and the drink at home. But the cafe is casual and cozy, and offers a place for people in the neighbourhood to hang out and chat.