One of the best things about having a PA day and being off school is getting to get to places only open during the week, like Kupfert and Kim in Toronto. They actually have 4 locations, but I went to the K & K Food Stand location which is in the Sun Life Tower, in the PATH in downtown Toronto. The PATH is an underground shopping mall/hall of sorts that runs over 30 kilometers long, and, as far as food goes, most of it is not food any of us should be eating. Kupfert and Kim might single-handedly boost the productivity in businesses downtown by serving people fast food, that is real food. When you eat better, you think and work better too. I’ve experienced this firsthand.
All 4 locations have the same claim to fame. They are all “Wheatless and Meatless” meaning they are vegan and gluten-free, but their way of saying it sounds cool and maybe appeals to people who haven’t eaten plant-powered meals before.
K & K’s website reads that fast food should not be bad food. “Just because we have less time to sit and eat does not mean we have less time to eat well! Noticing a lack of quality quick-service options, we opened with the goal of providing fresh, minimally processed, and flavourful sustenance to the on-the-go human in our on-the-go age.” Don’t you think that’s so awesmazing? I do!
I went to the Food Stand location because it has a larger kitchen, which means that there are more menu items to choose from, including a great selection of burgers and tacos, two of my very favourite food groups! Also, this location is almost directly on the subway, just steps out of the St. Andrew subway station. I grabbed an organic kombucha from the fridge and ordered a Chipotle Black Bean Burger, after negotiating with my mother for her to order the tacos, so we could try many things. There are 3 kinds of tacos and they let you choose if you want 3 different kinds or just one – it’s a mix and match opportunity! We got one of each, of course. We also got a very green smoothie with kale, mango, banana, lime and mint and some other great ingredients and since we brought our own bottle, we got a discount for reusing. Because there is no seating, we went upstairs to the bright lobby of the SunLife building and sat in a couple lounge chairs to enjoy our meal. The burger was great on their house-made gluten-free bun, and my mother loved the side of beet slaw (not my thing) and the roasted root veggies were delicious too. The avocado, alfalfa, pico de gallo, cashew aioli, kale and pickled jalapenos were a great combination of toppings, making every bite ridiculously awesmazing. Of course, after eating my burger, I was still really hungry and “helped” my mom, by eating a majority of each of her 3 tacos. Between the Oaxaca Taco, which was almost the same ingredients as my burger in a taco shell, the Cauliflower Lime Jalapeno, which tasted just as it sounds (amazing), and the Kimchi Ssam, with really great tempeh (my mother ate the kimchi and cucumbers from this one first), I liked the Oaxaca one best, but avocado almost always makes a dish win for me! We also shared an almond cookie for dessert, which was pretty good, too. They do sell Bunners Supersonic Cookies, which was great to see, and that I recommend over the almond one.
Between serving organic, vegan, gluten-free food, and giving a discount for bringing your own containers (otherwise using compostable stuff), I strongly suggest that you eat here if you find yourself in this area for work. If you are on another end of the PATH, what’s a short 30 kilometer walk to get some real food? I guess they will have to open even more locations, which will be possible if we make the good choice to eat here! I’ll be back on another day off school, and will also go looking for Greenhouse Juice’s new location underground Commerce Court, have you tried their Choco-Maca Milk? It’s incredible.
Just a note: Kupfert and Kim is NOT an option for you or anyone with nut allergies.
Other note: does anyone want to open more allergy-friendly, real food restaurants in Toronto? I promise to be there a lot, and know so many who would be too!
