. "Looking to kill time after work today before rehearsal, I found myself at Karine's. I had read about this place and was so happy to find another vegan/ vegetarian place to dine at in the downtown core. Unlike most vegetarian places, this place opens early and closes late: 8AM-8PM, Monday-Friday, they're also opened for brunch on weekends, which of course is great for me and 90% of the working public. \n\nUnfortunately, I wasn't too hungry this afternoon and I didn't get to try any of their vegan specialties, such as their vegan french toast, burger, and soy fruit smoothies. But I did try their vegan double chocolate cookie ($1.50) and it was delicious! The owner was awesome, she told me she was baking a new batch of vegan cookies cos she had none left. A fresh, modest sized cookie, straight from the oven, with DOUBLE the chocolate, and VEGAN, it was the perfect afternoon snack before rehearsal and the perfect end to a long work week. \n\nThe owner was such a fabulous lady, so high-spirited, kind and friendly as she told me about the vegan items available on her menu and said I must go back for brunch on the weekend. Since my awesome cookie probably didn't do the place much justice, I'll definitely be going back to this place -probably for bunch on the weekend!\n\nOne unappealing factor about Karine's is that it's in a food court across from OCAD. So it doesn't have its own dining room, thus, no pretty backdrop for me to enjoy while enjoying a nutritious and delicious vegan meal. Karine's \"booth\" is kind of tacky looking too, for example: there's a random chandelier sitting/ hanging in the front, a pink and green patterned wallpaper in the back, and a red velvet sofa with white edges sitting behind the counter. However, the charismatic owner and the vegan friendly menu make up for where they lack in looks."^^ . . . "0"^^ . "3"^^ . "3"^^ . "2010-10-09T00:00:00"^^ . "5"^^ .