KING WEST DINER in the THOMPSON HOTEL

The King West diner located in the Thompson Hotel is an intriguing concept. Open 24 hours, it is clearly meant to attract Thompson Hotel patrons, those living in the Thompson Residences, the King Blue community night owls and any other passersby.

The neon orange sign outside the Thompson Diner is a good start to meeting my fairly high expectations – kitschy diner plus fancy hotel/condominium must equal something fantastic. An interesting letter board display piece just inside the entrance of the diner is artsy and fun.

They’ve made an attempt to keep some traditional diner elements: comfortable booths populate the dining area and the traditional plastic red ketchup and yellow mustard bottles sit on each table. And, the Thompson Diner’s website has a bright, cheerful tone one might expect from a neighbourhood diner.

Keeping in mind the Thompson Diner is supposed to be a sleek, contemporary spin on the traditional diner idea, the atmosphere still falls a bit flat. Blues and dark brown tones form the general palette and the bar, which seats eight to ten people, is complemented by shiny, copper-coloured chairs.

The King West diner menu does a good job of including the classics like fries and onion rings, burgers, hot dogs and a large selection of breakfast options. Our server, Michael, who is super attentive and helpful, informs us of the more popular cocktails and food items. It turns out the Double Mac and Cheese with truffle oil, Buttermilk Fried Chicken with cheddar mashed potatoes, and the Grilled Cheese Burger are the winners – no surprises there.

I start with the Toronto Skyline ($8.00) which is a light, fruity and frothy beverage with Chambord and pineapple juice and similar to a French martini. Deciding to skip appetizers to save room for dessert, I figure go big or go home and order the Grilled Cheese Burger ($16.00). Michael warns me it is huge and he’s not exaggerating. The sandwich consists of not one, but two grilled cheeses on either side of the burger patty. It’s intimidating but also tasty and I almost make it through a whole half.

The Buttermilk Fried Chicken ($18.00) is crispy, flavourful and tender, and while it’s served in a cute silver metal pail, the meal loses points on presentation as the mashed potatoes are in a plain white dish on the side. Dessert, however, is the pinnacle of the Thompson Diner experience. There are good chocolate fudge cakes and horrible chocolate fudge cakes, but this one ($8.00) is a crazy and wonderful moist, fabulous and fudgey experience.

So my first Thompson Diner experience ends with some mixed feelings about the atmosphere, but sure feelings about one thing  – don’t pass up the Chocolate Fudge cake!

For more information on the Thompson you can like, follow and check in at the usual spots.