A little stroll in Gravenhurst led to a yummy little lunch

When my daughter looked at me and claimed, “this is the best spanakopita I’ve ever had,” I knew we found a great little spot for a quick bite to eat.

I rarely get down to Gravenhurst for more than work-related reasons, but on this day my son had a health appointment to attend, so we had some time to take a little stroll down Muskoka Road North and see where it took us.

Feeling a wee bit peckish and it being close to lunch time, we started to search for a spot that could tickle the tastebuds.

That’s when RELISH Kitchen & Market caught our eye and we decided to give it a try. Juliet at first was standoffish – 11-year-olds aren’t often into health food stores/cafes – but to her credit she gave it a shot.

Walking in, we’re greeted by a welcoming smile and cozy atmosphere with a lovely deli-style set-up with a decent sized menu as well as plenty of specialty and health food grocery options.

Juliet sees the large spanakopita’s behind the glass at the counter and asks for one of those, I decide we should try a veggie samosa plus veggie and spinach pankora (a delightful Indian fritter).

Then she sees the banana chocolate chip muffin, which I notice is both vegan and gluten free, so we get that too.

While waiting for our other food items to be warmed and plated, we shared the yummy muffin. It was tasty and sweet, without being too sweet like most over-sugared gluten-free items.

Plus, the best part about baking with bananas (if it’s done right) is they add flavour and create a wonderful melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Then the hot food came and we were happy to see it plated nicely with tzatziki for the spanakopita and a mango chutney for the rest.

After a few bites, I was happy and so was Juliet. That’s when she asked “are you going to write about this place for Muskoka Unlimited?”

I replied that I usually don’t do reviews unless I had been there a couple of times to get a well-rounded opinion and that my next review I was planning was going to be on Gangnam Korea in Huntsville because we’ve had many wonderful meals there (shameless plug to keep you coming back for more).

However, under the circumstances and how much I enjoyed the food, atmosphere, and spending a nice lunch with Juliet, I decided we could bend that rule a bit this time.

Something I noticed while there was how busy it got, many I could tell were regulars, with people picking up items from the menu, the shelves and the fridges. The next time I’m in Gravenhurst I’ll stop by to buy some items to go.

I also want to note that on this visit there was a nice lady sitting nearby enjoying a coffee and working on her laptop, who we tried not to bother too much – we tend to have loud voices in our family.

As we left, I said something to the effect of “we’ll give you your peace back,” but she just smiled and said, “not at all, you were both lovely.”

I said “thank you, have a wonderful day,” and we went to pick-up Dante at his appointment with happy bellies and full hearts.