Karine's
109 McCaul St 
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Phone: 416.591.0863
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Karine's, a new eatery in the Village on the Grange food court, offers a rare combination of all-day breakfasts and plentiful vegan treats. I'd never been to the restaurant before, so I was surprised to be greeted familiarly by a smiling lady in a hot pink headscarf. Hand to jutting hip, she purred, "Hi baby. What can I get for you, baby?"
Now, grown woman to grown woman, this baby talk is a novelty, and my usual response to the catcalled 'hey baby' -- a middle finger and some stern words -- just doesn't seem appropriate. Still, I'm tempted to give her a good "you don't know me" finger wagging, until I notice the menu. $5 for breakfast? The choice was clear: I make an exception, order and serve myself a tea while Karine fries my eggs. (Is she actually Karine? I don't think so, but if she gets to call me baby, I get to call her Karine.)
Bedecked in hot-pink flowers and flashy purple prints, Karine's looks like an exploded fragment of Barbie's Dream Home, but thankfully the specials are geared more towards paper bag princesses than the plastic-doll crowd. At $5, breakfast includes 2 eggs, toast, and a choice of salad, bacon or sausage, plus fries, tropical fruit garnish and unlimited coffee or tea. Fries come in regular and garlic varieties, but unless you're planning to kill a vampire later, I suggest choosing the regular.
The breakfast is surprisingly generous, so I have time to read the menu while I devour my crispy bacon and perfectly fried eggs, and scrape raw garlic from over-garnished fries. Ranging from pedestrian standards like the $5 breakfast and sandwich combos, Karine's also offers vegan waffles and burgers, fattoush salads, raspberry turnovers and exotic cheese platters.
I decide to get a vegetarian platter to take home, and am greeted this time as "honey-bunny." Although the $8 take-out platter is supposed to include four choices plus salad and pita bread, Karine insists I take more, piling my container high with mushroom-fried and tomato-pesto-topped tofu, tomatoey baked eggplant, a vegan burger patty, a serving of roasted vegetables and a scoop of celery and fava bean salad.
Like my breakfast, the platter is a satisfying mix of garlic-dominated flavours, with rich portabella tofu, sweet pesto tofu, perfectly roasted vegetables and a divine baked eggplant the definite highlights. I could do without the greasy, rice-heavy vegan burger, but will definitely be back for more of Karine's tropical-fruit topped combos and sugary sweet talk.
Comments (16)
Hey thanks blogTO, that's *another* neighbourhood secret you've ruined for me. Just like this:
http://www.blogto.com/restaurants/artsquarecafe
Now there's *another* place I'll have to line up to eat at, thanks to you.
Do you hate me?
P.S. Seriously, Karine's is great!
I'm a big fan of Karine's. It's the kind of place that learns your name if you're a semi-regular, the food is tasty, and the portions are very generous. Also, you can eat on real plates with real utensils if you "eat in" (as much as you can eat in at a food court).
The gregarious mother is Maggie (founder of Maggie's on College) and the daughter is Karine. This is not too hard to find on their website (which is linked to in the article but apparently to difficult to read for an easy fact-check).
You didn't get a shot of the utterly cute brown & pink wallpaper and pink coffee machine! :D I pass by this wonderful place everyday and just the design makes me smile. :) This week was the first time I actually bought something and they were so friendly and they always have a smile. I just got fries and was expecting just that but it turns out they put a pineapple & a strawberry in as well. Everything is just a nice touch.
I love Karine's. It is the best place to find vegan french toast. Before my brother moved to Orlando (very sad) we went to Karine's to load up on the decadent peanut butter and banana stuffed vegan french toast. Maggie's warm words always make me smile. The veggie dinner combo is huge and certainly a delicious bargain for $8.
Karine's is the best and Maggie a total sweetheart. I love all the vegan options but those garlic fries just slay me!
Karine's is great! sometimes when im exhausted and frustrated, i go to them during break and they'll yell at me with smiles and kindness! sometimes i wonder what kind of batteries they run one, but it always makes my day to see people that are so upbeat and nice to you! if you want a meal in the dundas and mccaul area that's only 5 bucks flat AND fills you up, then go to Karine's!
btw, any plate that involves their bomba and garlic fries, i highly recommend!
THE MFING BEST. Their bomba is a staple of my diet, and I always feel healthy cuz they shove a bunch of fruit into my container. They're all total sweethearts, and Maggie makes my day.
I've been eating at Karine's since they opened a year ago. The food is exceptionally tasty, and Maggie's infectious enthusiasm always makes me smile. This place totally rocks!
Karine's is an absolute jewel in the Grange food court. They have a wide variety of mouth watering food and the prices are great :) My favorite dish so far is the vegan goodness. Maggie also makes amazing french toast. If you haven't checked Karine's out yet, do yourselves a favor and give it a try. You'll be hooked.
Oh man, I love Karine's! I stumbled on them the second day open. My boyfriend goes to OCAD across the street and is a regular, he's Vegan and eats like a horse. Its nice to have a place like this that is real good cheap eats for students but I would say it's totally worth a trip down there even if you don't go to school there. They are really generous with their portions and giving you extras. I love that they call everyone "sweetie" or "honey bun", they are just trying to put a smile on your face.
The Vegan french toast is a real stand out on the menu, but I really like Vegan benny (the sun dried tomatoe sauce they throw on it is so good). I'm a sucker for the galic fries but do warn that they are DEADLY! So don't order them if you've got a hot date later;)Thanks Ladies for being awesome!
I went to Karine's today for some afternoon breakfast, and it was a great experience. Great service, great prices and great food. I ordered exactly what was mentioned in the review, and my meal looked identical.
Certainly will be heading back!
Just wondering where all the other comments went?
I guess constructive criticism is completely uncalled for. My apologies.
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