BEST CAFE IN LOS ANGELES: M CAFE DE CHAYA, MELROSE & LA BREA. VEGETARIAN, MACROBIOTIC HEALTHY RESTAURANTS IN LA, JAPANESE FOOD.
I took the boys to my favorite Los Angeles eatery, M Cafe de Chaya (on Melrose at La Brea). Their shining happy faces says it all. Best food ever — and it’s all healthy.
I’m a tad obsessed with M Cafe and eat there whenever I can find an excuse. The macrobiotic cuisine uses “only the finest ingredients without any refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry.” And it’s insanely delicious. From left to right: chocolate hazelnut fudge cake, peanut kale, sesame soba noodles, butternut squash couscous, soy lattes with a touch of stevia, eggplant and shiitake inari, and an incredible new spiced “cola” called kukicha. The grand total came to about $40, and we even had leftovers. (When you eat fresh, nutrient-dense vegetarian food, it fills you up.)
No, the fudge cake did not fall on floor. And Lemon did not pick it up with his hand. Did we still eat it? Take a guess!
M Cafe also serves one of my favorite cupcakes in the world: a vegan version with a light-as-air strawberry icing. Next door, there’s a Pinkberry (which needs to bring back the green tea flavor!). The frozen yogurt chain has obsessive fans. Witness a manic toddler who, desperate for a lick, got stuck halfway between the doors. While the kid flailed around, Ementhy called: “Hey kid! Come here! Hey! Hey! Hey!”
Come read my new CNNGo article: The best and worst Xmas songs by Asian pop stars (with ten videos). You decide which is kawaii and ai-yah.
Happy holidays from J-List, who kindly offered us some gift codes! (Japanese goodies are always a great idea for last-minute shopping.) For $5 off a 3000 yen iTunes card, click here and enter LACARMINA2009A. And if you purchase $100 or more, you can get $10 off with code LACARMINA2009B. Just visit J-list to start shopping!
I’m all about healthy eating — how about you? What are your favorite snacks and recipes? Everything in my cookbook Cute Yummy Time is good for you; I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Song of the Day #265: It’s ALL 80S SYNTH POP WEEK! Let’s kick it off with Human League – Open Your Heart. (What are your favorite 1980s tracks?)
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44 Comments
I’ve never had macriobiotic food. I don’t think any restaurants in my area make food that way.
my favourite snack is Mike and Ike candy, but it’s really bad for you! and i hate how it makes my teeth feel afterward :-/
I think macrobiotic/health food gets a bad rap, but it can be incredibly delicious and creative — such as at this place!
One last tip for M-Cafe…STEAL A TABLE AS QUICKLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. The place was packed (understandably) and we ended up sitting at the yogurt place’s table…shhhhh!
OH that’s right!! Glad you mentioned that. M Cafe is always busy, and you can usually spot celebrities there… such as ourselves… hahah :P
i love M!
I've never had macriobiotic food. I don't think any restaurants in my area make food that way.
my favourite snack is Mike and Ike candy, but it's really bad for you! and i hate how it makes my teeth feel afterward :-/
One last tip for M-Cafe…STEAL A TABLE AS QUICKLY AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. The place was packed (understandably) and we ended up sitting at the yogurt place's table…shhhhh!
OH that's right!! Glad you mentioned that. M Cafe is always busy, and you can usually spot celebrities there… such as ourselves… hahah :P
I think macrobiotic/health food gets a bad rap, but it can be incredibly delicious and creative — such as at this place!
mmm the food looks so good
It’s incredible… I can’t wait to go back!!
that’s sooo not a lemon move to do lmao
Hahah he did a lot of non-Lemony things that trip… for these pics, we convinced him to lie down on the dirty ground :P http://lacarmina.com/2009/12/phoenix-wright-cosplay-bento-lady-angel-starr-jrock-visual-kei-band-boys-in-little-tokyo-los-angeles/
Right you are dear Lizz…they made me do it :(
I’ve never tried macrobiotic food, but I’m a lacto-vegetarian (only because here in Mexico it’s a tad hard to find soy based dairy that isn’t heart-breakingly expensive). Favorite recipe? I’d say it has to be “sopa de flor de calabaza con champiñones” or, in english: soup made from the flower of some kinds of melons and gourds, and mushrooms. It’s really delicious and quite filling!
And fudge is always good, on the floor or not. I’m not just saying this because I’m almost hopelessly adicted to chocolate…
Oh wow, that sounds like a delicious soup! Do you have a recipe somewhere? I’d love to try it out.
I’m also mostly pesco-ovo-lacto vegetarian… :)
Promise to look for it, must ask my lovely aunt.
Good to hear that! Lots of people don’t really apreciate vegetarianism in Mexico, it’s all about the meat here. Fish eh? I’ve gotta admit I do like fish, but thought it would be better to drop it after thinking it over and realizing “…I mean it’s still an animal”
Still, you just proved that healthy really CAN be tasty, and that’s great!
all that food looks so yummy!…mmmm…soy lattes! lol
I try to eat healthy, most of the time it works…but there are just certain times when the less healthy food calls to me. lol
Mmm mmm, soy lattes. I try to make my own “indulgence” foods as much as possible, so I can make healthier versions (such as by using stevia, whole wheat flour, etc…) :D
i love M!
mmm the food looks so good
that's sooo not a lemon move to do lmao
It's incredible… I can't wait to go back!!
I've never tried macrobiotic food, but I'm a lacto-vegetarian (only because here in Mexico it's a tad hard to find soy based dairy that isn't heart-breakingly expensive). Favorite recipe? I'd say it has to be “sopa de flor de calabaza con champiñones” or, in english: soup made from the flower of some kinds of melons and gourds, and mushrooms. It's really delicious and quite filling!
And fudge is always good, on the floor or not. I'm not just saying this because I'm almost hopelessly adicted to chocolate…
Hahah he did a lot of non-Lemony things that trip… for these pics, we convinced him to lie down on the dirty ground :P http://lacarmina.com/2009/12/phoenix-w…
Oh wow, that sounds like a delicious soup! Do you have a recipe somewhere? I'd love to try it out.
I'm also mostly pesco-ovo-lacto vegetarian… :)
all that food looks so yummy!…mmmm…soy lattes! lol
I try to eat healthy, most of the time it works…but there are just certain times when the less healthy food calls to me. lol
Mmm mmm, soy lattes. I try to make my own “indulgence” foods as much as possible, so I can make healthier versions (such as by using stevia, whole wheat flour, etc…) :D
Right you are dear Lizz…they made me do it :(
I’m all about eating healthy too. I just started asking restaurants to cook my food without MSG. But I’m not a fan of eating out so I usually cook stuff here at home. I’m lucky to live in a place with cheap veggies and fruits. I love curry veggies a lot.
-Denise
I think restaurants have come a long way… there are more veggie/healthy options on the menu than there were 5-10 years ago, and some restaurants make it a point of pride to not cook with MSG. Curry veggies rock — have you tried Japanese curry?
Well, the health movement hasn’t quite reached mainstream status in my city. A lot of restaurants still use MSG. And some waiters are taken aback when I ask them not to use MSG. And no… Haven’t had the chance to try Japanese curry. I’m going to try and cook some soon.
-Denise
OMG what did Lemon do. O.O
HEALTHY FOOD! love vegetarian food :D
me and my dudette friend always go hunting for the latest healthy food every weekend in Vn lol xD
and our favourite cafe is MOF cafe, which serves Hokkaido ice creams and awesome sandwiches and some bento :D
Oh that sounds delicious! Exactly my type of restaurant. ;)
I'm all about eating healthy too. I just started asking restaurants to cook my food without MSG. But I'm not a fan of eating out so I usually cook stuff here at home. I'm lucky to live in a place with cheap veggies and fruits. I love curry veggies a lot.
-Denise
♥ ¸.• I wish you¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•.. (¸.•..a Merry X-mas .•.. ¸¸.•¨¯..♥ (¸.•¨¯..♥ and a Happy New Year!♥ ~
Happy Nightmare before Xmas to you too!
OMG what did Lemon do. O.O
HEALTHY FOOD! love vegetarian food :D
me and my dudette friend always go hunting for the latest healthy food every weekend in Vn lol xD
and our favourite cafe is MOF cafe, which serves Hokkaido ice creams and awesome sandwiches and some bento :D
♥ ¸.• I wish you¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨) (¸.•.. (¸.•..a Merry X-mas .•.. ¸¸.•¨¯..♥ (¸.•¨¯..♥ and a Happy New Year!♥ ~
Happy Nightmare before Xmas to you too!
Oh that sounds delicious! Exactly my type of restaurant. ;)
I think restaurants have come a long way… there are more veggie/healthy options on the menu than there were 5-10 years ago, and some restaurants make it a point of pride to not cook with MSG. Curry veggies rock — have you tried Japanese curry?
Well, the health movement hasn't quite reached mainstream status in my city. A lot of restaurants still use MSG. And some waiters are taken aback when I ask them not to use MSG. And no… Haven't had the chance to try Japanese curry. I'm going to try and cook some soon.
-Denise
Promise to look for it, must ask my lovely aunt.
Good to hear that! Lots of people don't really apreciate vegetarianism in Mexico, it's all about the meat here. Fish eh? I've gotta admit I do like fish, but thought it would be better to drop it after thinking it over and realizing “…I mean it's still an animal”
Still, you just proved that healthy really CAN be tasty, and that's great!