The Best Thing I Ate All Week: Acai Bowl at Kokomo

The latest addition to Chinatown’s vegan boom offers a better way to start the day.

I am terrible at breakfast. Every morning, en route to work (and running late, naturally), you’ll find me scavenging for sad egg sandwiches or a bruised banana to scarf down at my desk just so I don’t get too cranky during our editorial meetings. “Why don’t you buy groceries so you have food in your house?” you might ask, and I might tell you to shut it because I have not had my sad egg sandwich or bruised banana yet today.It is basically a miracle that I managed to leave South Granville at all the other day to source my morning meal—up early, I hopped in a car to Chinatown to broaden my culinary horizons. And I’m glad I did, because there, at new plant-based eatery Kokomo, I experienced the breakfast that has long been missing from my life: the Kokomo acai bowl, which layers blended frozen acai with crunchy house-made granola, fresh berries and bananas, and tops the hearty mess with toasted coconut and mint. Paired with some on-tap kombucha, I was supercharged for the day in a way I hadn’t been for a long time.Kokomo is owned by former Lululemon brand strategist (and life-long herbivore) Katie Ruddell; in the kitchen, Chef Mark Singson (most recently of Anna Lena) churns out hyper-nutritious bowls to please the vegan and veg-curious. The playful room—which spills some much-needed cheer via garage-style door onto Gore Street—is the work of designer Shiloh Sukkau (best known for her work with Tacofino) and the tropical vibes certainly kicked things off on the right foot. It’s a revelation to exactly no one that healthy food makes for a positive start, but it certainly isn’t always as tasty as this…which means I might actually get up early again one day to get it. (Open ’til 3 p.m. Monday to Saturday, Kokomo works just as well as a lunch option, too, especially with its range of Macro bowls and salads that accompany the acai bowl on the menu.)

More from “The Best Thing I Ate All Week” series:

Gnocchi from Stable House BistroButter-Roasted Cabbage at Royal DinetteQueso Fundido at La MezcaleriaGrapefruit Rhubarb Pie from The Pie Shoppe