Egg Heaven Cafe [Long Beach]

Egg Heaven Cafe is a little mom and pop shop located on the street corner with its unassuming green awnings. I arrived for Sunday brunch and the wait list wasn't long at all -- although, I believe that this is the type of place with a long wait at an earlier time. The restaurant itself offers bar and booth seating but both are rather limited.

Even though it's called Egg Heaven Cafe, there are dishes other than eggs: sandwiches, pancakes, oatmeal. I'm not usually an omelette gal but it dominated a major portion of the menu and compelled me to order one. My Vegetarian Exotic omelette consisted of lentils, rice, cottage cheese, sour cream, Jack cheese. It also came with a size of potatos and toast. The omelette was a little large for me but the hodgepodge of ingredients worked well together and it was rather tasty. Another plus is that I felt healthy eating it. I was extremely surprised with the wheat toast which was unlike any i've had at any breakfast joint. It was thick, and buttered, and even though it was toasted, the center was amazingly soft.

The small fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice is quite a generous serving and topped off my meal quite nicely.

My company ordered the Eggs Benedict but it didn't blow his socks off. Personally, I've had better Hollandaise.

If the restaurant were around the corner of my house, I would stop by occasionally but I don't think it warrants a special drive out to Long Beach.

Egg Heaven Cafe
4358 E 4th St
Long Beach, CA 90814
(562) 433-9277

Hi Tea [Chicago]

I had come in search of finger sandwiches but found that there were none available here. I opted for a sandwich of almond butter and strawberry jam in wheat, and a strawberry fields green tea.

The sandwich all-together reminded me too much of a plain PB&J. The almond butter wasn't amazing and the jam was mediocre. I guess it made for a semi-healthy lunch. In addition, the sandwich was accompanied by a small jicama and apple salad that was lacking in seasoning. The tea was revitalizing under the scorching heat outside and it tasted singularly of strawberries.

The space allows for much seating inside, including a lower deck by the window. It seemed like an optimal place to study; it was quiet and there was brain food. I wish there were one of these around my school when I was still a student.

Hi Tea
14 E 11th
Chicago, IL 60605
(312) 880-0832

Casa de Tree [Torrance]

My recent vegetarian lunch trend brought me to Casa de Tree, a Japanese vegan/vegetarian bakery and cafe. In addition to daily lunch specials, sandwiches, and salads, Casa de Tree also sells baked goods such as breads, donuts, cookies, and an occasional fruit tart. On top of that, everything is organic.

Though I was tempted by the plump, decadent carob donuts, we opted for a more sensible lunch of the corn-mayo bread, curry bento box, and a small serving of the kiriboshi daikon w/potato salad. The bread bun was chock full o' corn with a hint of mayo to set off the sweetness. It was light, though it would've gone better with a soup to offset the dryness of the bread. We couldn't finish the salad, but only because the potatoes were overcooked and covered everything else with an unpleasant grainy starchiness.

We were impressed with the accuracy of the katsu in the bento box, which came complete with the fat marbled in. The curry had notes of coconut milk in it and was thus more Thai than Japanese. The flavors were subtle and the dish as a whole was a little more sweet than it was savory.


Pullman loaves of white bread are sold in halves or wholes and sliced to order. I chose slice width #3 and found the bread too dense for my pb&j. The dough was dry, which made the eating the crusts feel as if we were chewing on cardboard. We also tasted a sourness, which is uncommon in white bread. Not recommended.

Our experience at Casa de Tree was hit-or-miss, though you cant help but feel good after eating vegan, vegetarian, and organic.

Casa de Tree
2543 Pacific Coast Hwy, Suite E
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 784-0455

Native Foods [Costa Mesa]

This bright, airy restaurant, with windows galore, is situated at The Camp and dishes up menu choices with health in mind. Brochures and stickers denouncing animal cruelty demonstrates that this restaurant isn't only concerned with the well-being of its customers. As a PETA-supporting restaurant, it prides itself on being 100% organic and vegan.

For lunch, I shared the Farrah's Fattoush salad and Bongo Congo hot bowl with Pop Tart. Both dishes were served in deep medium-sized bowls and the portions were filling. The Farrah's Fattoush has a Middle Eastern theme, featuring chopped greens, Kalamata olives, and a lemon oil dressing. The menu stated that there would be crusty bread in the salad but when we got it, the dressing had seeped into the bread and made it soggy. I was very pleased with the firm texture of the tofu feta. Although, I'm not sure if they were trying to emulate the flavor of cheese because it wasn't even noticeable.

The hot bowls are advertised as a bowl of brown rice with steamed vegetables. The Bongo Congo variation had a large half of a banana yam and two spears of tofu chicken. I'll have to admit that chicken is one of those meats that I like in a vegetarian version. I'm not sure if it was the curry or the steamed vegetables that contributed to all the liquids but the rice was slightly soggy, though not in the same way as congee (rice porridge w/similar consistency of oatmeal). The rice had a subtle, light curry flavor to it that reminded me of Japanese curry rice.

Portions are ample, but if you decide that you want more, the deli case has a variety of tofu, seitan, and sweets to take home. The restaurant boasts three other locations where you can get you fill of feel-good vegetarian and vegan foods.



Native Foods
2937 Bristol St.
Cosa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 751-2151

Genki Living [Irvine]

There was something left to be desired after we were rushed out of 242, so I raked my memory for a dessert place in Irvine. I recalled reading some reviews about the crepes at Genki Living and thought we'd give the place a try.

The menu was a familiar laundry list of shaved ices, crepes, and bubble tea organized into categories that made you wonder what the differences were between snow ice and snow bubble. But we came on a mission and there was only two decisions to make: 1) Whether we wanted our crepe with nutella, chocolate sauce, custard, ice cream or cream and 2) Which and how many fruits we wanted in it.

We thought it was suspicious that all of the crepes seemed to have cream inside of them [instead of on the side or on top], but figured that maybe it was a Japanese thing. We opted for peach and strawberries with the custard and cream on the side.

The crepe batter tasted of egg waffles, which lend them a sweetness all of their own. The crepes were also crispier than their traditional French counterparts, but they were also much drier, which explained why they all came with sauce/cream on the inside. The fruits were fresh and nicely cut, though make sure you save some for the end, when you reach the all-batter tip of the cone. We barely touched the custard and cream, which we thought was too sweet.

Overall Genki Living was interesting at best--most interesting of which, was the bullet train wall, complete with sliding doors. If there is a next time, I might try my crepe with a fruit sauce [on special request], though I still prefer the spongier, pancake-quality of French crepes, which require no sauce at all to enjoy.

Genki Living
15435 Jeffrey Road, Suite 110
Irvine, CA 92618
(949) 857-3683

Avanti Cafe [Costa Mesa]

Q: How do you drag a carnivore to Avanti Cafe for lunch?
A: Don't tell them it's vegetarian.

Fifteen minutes before I'm supposed to get picked up, I get a call from AH asking me whether or not the restaurant was vegetarian.

Me: No you're looking at the wrong menu. I said the Avanti Cafe in Newport Beach and that place is a total hole-in-the-wall and it isn't online.
AH: Oh, okay. Are you sure?
Me: Positive.

We pull up into Costa Mesa twenty minutes later and a light bulb goes off in AH's head after looking at the menu. Hey, I've seen this before... I giggle with the glee of my trickery and proceed to order for the both of us.

The selections in the deli case looked pretty good and though I considered ordering a sampler, we settled on the eat-in, cooked-to-order items instead.

The Avanti Magic Bruschetta ($6.75) wasn't a whole lot to look at and didn't resemble bruschetta in any way, but would've been a solid choice for brunch at any cafe. It came with sweet potatoes and yams, which were the the flavor highlights of the otherwise bland dish. It was light and refreshing, though I would've added a little salt, were there salt shakers on our table. It was served with thin slices of a dense bread loaded with nuts and cranberries.

I made the mistake of not asking enough questions and was kind of disappointed when our pizza came out looking exactly like the bruschetta, but on pizza crust instead of with eggs. The Shitake Artichoke Pesto ($8.75) was almost an exact clone of the yam, spinach, pine nuts, and olive combination that was sitting just across the table from me. However, it did managed to offset the blandness of bruschetta by being a tad too salty. I'm not sure that pesto works particularly well with the yam, but as separate entities, they worked on they pizza. The crust was both doughy and bubbly, but didn't carry much substance flavor-wise.

There are a few tables where you can sit down and enjoy your lunch, though the strip mall location doesnt lend itself well to a leisurely long lunch. They do offer a wide selection of teas and some interesting coffee and juice blends as well. I head they do a mean pizza and beer night on Sundays, where local artisan brews are featured.

I like that Avanti doesnt try too hard to be something its not. It is simple, healthy, natural, and a good way to eat out when you've spent the last five meals in restaurants.

Avanti Cafe
259 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
(949) 548-2224

Patisserie Chantilly [Lomita]

Because the South Bay is a good half-hour drive away, we always make sure to hit a couple destinations on every trip that we take. After Sakura-Ya, Spoon House, and Marukai, we drove six miles into Lomita to satiate our sweet toothes with cakes, gelees, and mousses.

The tiny store has a handful of tables where you can sit and enjoy a cup of espresso with your dessert, but we went straight to the soft glow of the dessert display that was nothing short of a gateway of heaven.

We stood and stared with our jaws dropped open as patron after patron walked in and quickly made out with their cake boxes. For us Chantilly virgins, the first time was sure to be a slow and steady step.

We devised a strategy that included a dessert to share for now and a few to-go for later, in order to maximize our cost/benefit tradeoff for driving there. We settled on the Angel, which at $3.75 was a small price to pay for the tiny slice of heaven that found our tongues. The texture of the mousse was nothing short of ethereal, not too smooth and not too grainy. The passion fruit was tart without making our mouths pucker and it was so good that I had to order another one to take home to share. We enjoyed that the bakery offered table service, although we devoured our cake before even thinking about taking a sip of the water.

Between the two of us, we managed to do some damage with the Gateau Fraise, Caramel Macchiato, Grapefruit Gelee, and Chateau Chantilly. The Chateau was a one of the lightest cheesecakes I've had to date and unique in its presentation. Next time, we'll have to come back and try the legendary Blanc Manger and the treats outside of the fridge display.

Patisserie Chantilly
2383 Lomita Blvd #10
Lomita, CA 90717
(310) 257-9454

Bodhi Tree Vegetarian Cafe [Huntington Beach]

My new vegetarian lunch regime brought me to Bodhi Tree on Saturday, where we arrived before it opened and had to take a walk down Main Street to pass the time. Half an hour a later, the gates were open for our consumption.

The decor is a little new age for my taste, but I guess good karma is never a bad thing. We moved onto the menu and gave ourselves one helluva time trying to decipher the English-only translations of the traditional Vietnamese vegetarian dishes. We even had to consult the pictures to figure out what the descriptions were referring to exactly.

My parents had come for dinner the night before and they knew I was in my vegetarian phase and wanted to share. I steered them away from their regular picks and asked our waiter for a few recommendations.

We started with the jackfruit salad ($8.95), which came with deep-fried "shrimp" cakes. The cakes were greasy and are normally baked, not fried. Aside from that minor flaw, the salad was actually quite good and was texturally similar to its meat-based counterpart with seitan chicken and tofu strips. My parents mentioned that this wasn't traditional, since onions and garlic are not usually present in Buddhist vegetarian food [most typical of what you'd find in Vietnamese vegetarian cooking].

We revisited two of their favorites: Fish Claypot ($8.95) and the Hot and Sour Soup ($4.95). Both were very good and I was especially impressed by the soup broth, which would've held its own against any canh chua cá you'd find in a regular Vietnamese restaurant. You can have the soup Vietnamese or Thai-style, though we chose the former. The appearance of the fish in the claypot was less successful, though the dish as a whole was good. The fish actually mimicked the taste of seafood, though with less pungence and no bones Though I often find cà kho tộ too salty or saucy, Bodhi Tree's version was milder and thus didnt require spoonfuls of rice to wash it all down.

We also tried the Rice Dishes with BBQ Pork and Eggroll ($8.95) and the Seasoned Fried Shrimp ($10.95). Both were good, though the "shredded pork" on the rice dishes wasn't as good as what they serve at Au Lac. I enjoyed the fried shrimp, which are also known by the name of salt and pepper shrimp. They were very flavorful, though the texture was more of a shrimp paste than actual shrimp. Although there is a misconception that vegetarian food is always healthier, dont be fooled. Deep-frying is no good for you no matter how you spin it.

As with any Asian vegetarian restaurant, I would steer away from any stir-fries and come with the right level of expectation. These restaurants only try to mimic meat for commercial viability, so dont come with hopes of feeling satiated in the same way that meats can satiate you. But if you're looking for a light meal with all of the flavorful trappings of what you'd eat normally, then dont hesitate to give Bodhi Tree a try. Overall, it was good, but I've had better.

Bodhi Tree Vegetarian Cafe
501 Main Street, Ste. E
Huntington Beach CA 92647
(714) 969-5000

Daily Cafe [Portland]

Daily Cafe is located in the trendy Pearl district of Portland, which is one of those revived warehouse areas a la NYC's Meatpacking district. The modern space is painted in vibrant oranges and reds and is a dose of sunshine waiting for you on a Sunday morning. Not too busy or noisy, it is a good place to bring the family on a warm weekend.

Sunday brunch at the Daily Cafe involves a three-course prix fixe at an affordable $12.95. We started with a basket of pastries that included a cranberry scone, banana nut muffin, and cheddar cheese biscuit--all of which were fairly generic and dry.

Our appetizers came after our entrees and weren't memorable interpretations of apple cobbler or granola. The standouts were our entrees of baked Portuguese eggs with choricou and kale and smoked salmon omelette. In both case, our eggs were cooked to perfection and well seasoned.


Daily Cafe in the Pearl
902 NW 13th Ave
Portland OR 97209
(503) 242-1916