On Sunday, my husband and I met some friends for lunch at Blu Jam Cafe. We all live in the valley, so the new Sherman Oaks location was the perfect meeting spot. One of our friends mentioned that she had been wanting to eat at the Blu Jam on Melrose but never got around to it due to the location. Before I suggested eating here for brunch, she didn't know the one in Sherman Oaks existed and was pleasantly surprised to find out that it did! None of us had ever eaten at Blu Jam Cafe, but it got good reviews on Yelp, so we decided to check it out.
Our friends arrived early and put our names on the list. There was a 30-45 minute wait around 12:15pm. A crowd usually means the place is good, right? That's what we were banking on. We arrived a little before 1pm, and our table was ready.
The website said there was a lot of parking available, but it was a really small lot. At least they had a parking lot, but don't expect to find a spot. We circled the block a couple times and eventually found an open metered spot on the street. The meters are free on Sunday, so that was a nice bonus.
I forgot to take pictures of the restaurant, but it had a nice relaxed vibe. There was both indoor and outdoor seating. We sat at a booth towards the back of the restaurant. We were brought water right away, and our friends ordered coffee. They were given the option of drip or french press, and they chose french press. The waitress brought over a french press full of coffee for them to share. How nice!
We took our time looking over the menu. They serve both breakfast and lunch all day, so the first decision was "do we want breakfast or lunch?" We all wanted breakfast. I saw on the menu that the Crunchy French Toast is their signature dish, but I felt like eating something healthier than that.
The Power House caught my eye. It's described on the menu as "six egg whites scrambled with organic spinach, basil, and zucchini topped with two Mary's Farm chicken breasts and San Marzano tomato sauce." I ended up ordering that and so did one of our friends. The server put fresh ground pepper on top of it at the table. I added some hot sauce that was on the table. It was packed full of veggies and protein. According to the menu, it only has 411 calories and a whopping 77 grams of protein! I loved the tomato sauce on it. The chicken was juicy. Really, no complaints. I'd definitely order it again, but the menu's so big that I might have to try something new next time.
My husband wasn't quite as healthy as I was. To be fair, I pointed out the entree that he ended up ordering because I thought it sounded like something he'd love. What was it? It's called Kamil's Breakfast, and it's described on the menu as "pan-roasted macaroni scrambled with eggs, smoked bacon, ham, garlic, chives and cheddar cheese." It was basically like a big bowl of breakfast mac and cheese. I took a bite, and it was a little too rich for me, but my husband loved it. I knew he would. He's definitely a fan of mac and cheese. The bacon was nice and crispy, just how he likes it, and the meal had a nice smoky flavor.
Our other friend ordered the Italian Breakfast Risotto, which is described on the menu as "arborio rice with fresh mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, baby spinach, fresh basil, fresh tarragon, and parmesan reggiano, topped with two poached eggs and drizzled with herb pistou." I was really impressed with the presentation. I didn't taste it, but our friend raved about it.
The consensus was that we all enjoyed our food and would definitely come back for more. They have a nice assortment of gluten free and vegan options, so any diner would be sure to find something they would enjoy.
Thanks, Blu Jam, for a great Sunday brunch!
Happy eating!
Our friends arrived early and put our names on the list. There was a 30-45 minute wait around 12:15pm. A crowd usually means the place is good, right? That's what we were banking on. We arrived a little before 1pm, and our table was ready.
The website said there was a lot of parking available, but it was a really small lot. At least they had a parking lot, but don't expect to find a spot. We circled the block a couple times and eventually found an open metered spot on the street. The meters are free on Sunday, so that was a nice bonus.
I forgot to take pictures of the restaurant, but it had a nice relaxed vibe. There was both indoor and outdoor seating. We sat at a booth towards the back of the restaurant. We were brought water right away, and our friends ordered coffee. They were given the option of drip or french press, and they chose french press. The waitress brought over a french press full of coffee for them to share. How nice!
We took our time looking over the menu. They serve both breakfast and lunch all day, so the first decision was "do we want breakfast or lunch?" We all wanted breakfast. I saw on the menu that the Crunchy French Toast is their signature dish, but I felt like eating something healthier than that.
The consensus was that we all enjoyed our food and would definitely come back for more. They have a nice assortment of gluten free and vegan options, so any diner would be sure to find something they would enjoy.
Thanks, Blu Jam, for a great Sunday brunch!
Happy eating!
No comments:
Post a Comment