Ku-kum Indigenous Kitchen

100% the best dining experience I've had in Toronto, and second best experience in my life. I've been wanting to come here for a while, and after a few failed attempts (had to cancel resos because of family emergencies), finally made it out. Reservation was at 7:30, and even though they closed at 8, we were completely accommodated. The food was phenomenal and the service was excellent. Indigenous cuisine truly emphasises respect for the ingredients used, and this place espouses that ideology completely. My wife and I shared the seal trio (seared, tartare, and pâté) and I was pleasantly blown away. The flavour of the tartare and seared seal reminded me of liver (probably the iron content), and was flavourful to the fullest. However, as much as I like tartare in general, the pâté was amazing. The balance in all the flavours was perfect! My only (slight) qualm was that I felt that there wasn't enough bannock to balance the ratio of meat. After this, I had the duck, and my wife had the venison dish. My goodness. Phenominal! The duck was perfectly cooked, and though the barley was a bit too salted (could have been too much salt in the water), it wasn't overbearing. The squash and purée perfectly complemented the duck. The venison was equally perfectly cooked; the potato fondant and roasted veg were superb and I was very intrigued by the moss! I never knew that it was edible but it balanced the flavours completely. For dessert, we couldn't decide on one, so we chose two. I had the pine needle sorbet, and my wife had the bannock and chai tea. I think, quite honestly, that the sorbet was the best dessert I've had in my life. It's vegan friendly, and I doubt it has gluten, so I recommend it to all guests. It was sweet, but not cloying. Rich, but not overbearing. I was at a loss of words. The bannock was equally amazing. My wife had quite the experience with it. It took her on a story and reminded her of walking through the forest. If food can do that, you know there's something special about it. Think about the experience the food critic had in Ratatouille; he was brought back to his childhood. Food, in its perfection, should be able to convey an inner emotion, and this certainly did. The service was phenominal. The server was excellent; he brought me my own cup of tea so I could join my wife. The atmosphere was great. Indigenous art line the walls and the lighting isn't too dim. This restaurant will forever be on my list of places to return to, no matter what stage in life or where I am. If I'm ever in Toronto, I'll come back. Five out of five stars are not enough for Kūkǔm Kitchen. I completely recommend this place.

My boyfriend has been wanting to go here for awhile. They serve Indigenous cuisine so I was highly skeptical but it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! We started off with the mushroom dish which was delicious. I ordered the Bison and he ordered the Elk. The food was sooooo yummy. We also found a delicious wine to pair with it (from Beamsville) and their sparkling water which is also from the GTA (we ended up loving the water so much we ordered some off their website - actually, directly from the company - Thanks Adam!) We also had incredible service from a different Adam. He knew all the dishes and was just very wonderful. I had the Lavender Chocolate Mousse for dessert and my boyfriend had the sorbet - we were given a glass of ice wine (compliments of the restaurant) to go with it and everything was so super YUMMY! If you're looking to try a new place and get out of your comfort zone this is definitely it. The space is small but it makes for a quiet, intimate date or family gathering. Thank you!

Truly a gem. The celebration of indigenous foods and culture is refreshing. We thoroughly enjoyed all the food. I had the elk and it was so flavourful and juicy. We had hoped to have their seal tartare, but they didn't have any. So we will have to come back. They were just about to move to another location at the time of our visit.

We went for the experience and weren't dissapointed. Food is delicious, we tried almost everything! Even an almost vegeterian member of our party was pleased and decide to try some game meat. Waiter was knowledgeable and awesomely friendly, we even learn how to make cedar tea on our own, Thanks Vince!!!! We close the place and left rolling instead of walking. Prices are also super fair, we all got completely stuffed for about 50$ a person, which is, related to the quality of the meals, super extra cheap. As menu change with season, we decide that it will worth it to go back again and again to try more delicioussness. Have a long and happy life, Kūkŭm !!!! A must try for every food adventurer, for sure!!!!

Ate here the other night. Very small restaurant that fits less than 30 people. Serves traditional Canadian fare with a native Canadian theme. Had the raw trio of tartar. The salmon and bison was good but the raw black seal was difficult to eat. Too hard to chew and break apart. The halibut was good. The bison steak was served well done. Wish it was a little more tender and rare. Overall a good dining experience but is a little adventurous and a very small and limited menu.