A Superior Meal At SunCafe

SunCafe, previously called SunPower Naturals, has recently become one of my favorite restaurants in Los Angeles for delicious raw fusion cuisine. Having just gone to Leaf Organics a few days earlier, I was excited to have even more healthy food. On this visit, I opted for more cooked food than raw food. Nevertheless, the cooked food at SunCafe is more wholesome than the food at other restaurants and I still feel invigorated after a meal.

The only bad part about SunCafe is that the service is horrible there. The waitress kept returning to our table, asking what we ordered, although somehow she managed to give us the correct items. Going to SunCafe, I know to allow twice the amount of time as I would at any other restaurant, since the waitresses constantly ignore us. I am always a bit reluctant to use my $25 restaurant.com gift certificate there, as I am forced to pay a way higher tip than I normally would.

SunCafe's menu seemed to be a little larger than my previous visit. With the addition of a new head chef, they revamped several menu items and added more daily specials to their repertoire. While we scanned over the menu, we put an order in for a couple of my favorite offerings. We began with the Cacao Superfood Shake ($7). The waitress split it into two glasses, so we could both easily enjoy it. Thankfully, she gave us each generous portions of the drink.

The shake was so rich and chocolatey. It was reminiscent of a decadent milkshake, only much healthier and filled with nutrients. The shake was very frothy and creamy and worked perfectly with the meal and as a dessert. There was a delicate topping of coconut and goji berries, which added a slight bitterness and balanced out the sweetness of the smoothie very well.

Next, we had one of my all-time favorites, the Sunpower Nachos ($12).

These nachos are probably the best nachos I've ever had, vegan or not. They are loaded with toppings, from the savory pieces of "chorizo" to the creamy glob of guacamole to the heavenly cashew cheese drizzled on top of each chip. There is so much flavor going on, which is enhanced even more by the lightly scattered spicy jalapeno peppers and the moderately salted black olives. This dish is true perfection and in no way could this be made better.

For our entree, we shared a taco plate ($14), which had similar tastes to the nacho dish, but was even more savory.

The tortillas were very soft and lightly seasoned. They were filled with well massaged pieces of kale, which was interspersed with "chorizo". The juiciness of the faux meat worked perfectly with the soft and delicate kale. There was a generous topping of creamy cashew cheese sauce, which added an extra bit of saltiness to the dish. The mild salsa and smooth guacamole added even more texture and flavor to the dish. The quinoa salad accompanying the tacos was lightly sweet and refreshing.

Lastly, we ordered a small dessert, as we were just under the minimum requirement of $35 to use the restaurant.com gift certificate. We opted for a mini chocolate mousse ($3).

Even though the dessert was small, it was very rich and dense. It so delicious and decadent and truly a great way to end the meal. While it was very sweet, the goji berries added a hint of bitterness. The vanilla sauce drizzled on the plate was a great touch, especially with the cocoa powder interspersed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this meal. Everything was so amazing and it was even better than my previous visit. The meal was very inexpensive at $11, which is such a great deal considering how high quality the food is. I cannot wait to try more of the dishes at SunCafe. I am disappointed that the service is so bad, as it keeps me from frequenting the cafe more often.