m cafe de chaya
9343 culver boulevard
culver city, ca 90232
(310) 838-4300
sun-thurs 9am – 9pm
friday & sat 9am – 10pm
www.mcafedechaya.com
i’ve been a fan of chaya brasserie ever since the first time my friend took me there back in college, and is probably one of my top favorite restaurants in LA. i’ve been to chaya venice as well, but the chaya on robertson boulevard is still my favorite. :) so anyway, we’ve driven by m cafe on culver many times, but it was only after finding out that it was owned/operated by the chaya family, that we made it a point to check it out. the photos on this post were taken back in nov 2008 on our first visit to m cafe.
it is located at ‘downtown culver city’ where all the little cool shops are, and right across the trader joe’s building. there are outdoor seating, but indoor is as comfy and cozy. inside, at one end is a whole row of counter display of salads, sandwich ingredients and desserts. you place your order and pay at the counter, get a table, and they will serve your food to your table when it’s ready. m cafe practices macrobiotics method of making food using only natural and organic ingredients with no refined sugar, eggs, red meat, poultry, or dairy products.
we arrived pretty late in the morning before heading to the gallery, so we decided to share a light brekkie.
the $2 ice coffee was refreshing. :)
the $3.95 small bowl of mushroom barley soup has carrots, mushroom, barley, potato, and celery. it’s a little too oily, but otherwise, very flavorful.
the breakfast panini costs $11.45, but it is grilled crispy hot. it has scrambled tofu, soy mozzarella, and is delish. :)
i really love this place… friendly staff, nice, relaxed, unpretentious ambient, with good choices of vegan/macrobiotic/healthy/vegetarian menu. however, at one point, the chef came out of the kitchen and saw me snapping shots of the interior, and she asked a staff to politely tell me that they’re okay with taking photos, but not with the interior which would concern them. most of the time, it is usually asian (particularly chinese) restaurants that do not like photos taken of their restaurants interior and/or food, so this is my first such encounter in a non-asian establishment. it’s understandable, i guess, but in my experience, usually the more upscale a restaurant is, the less concern they are with customers taking photos. anyway, love m cafe nonetheless! i’ve never been to their melrose location, but i love this culver city location lots. it’s closeby and a really nice and relaxing place to hang out with friends, or you can simply enjoy a quiet meal on your own finishing some readings/writings. :) oh, and don’t forget to try out their desserts as well! ;)
yum yum in the tum tum 