Mmmmmacrobiotic!

M Café de Chaya boasts "contemporary macrobiotic cuisine."


In M Café's words, this means "balanced, nutritious, creative cooking which can be enjoyed daily by everyone, not just vegetarians or people with dietary restriction." This food is prepared "fresh daily, using only the finest ingredients without any refined sugars, eggs, dairy, red meat or poultry."

In my words, this means "food that requires braving Melrose Avenue, where it is impossible to find a place to park in under 30 minutes because there is a pinkberry next door and Pink's Hot Dogs around the corner, as well as 167 different parking restrictions, but is still delicious and sort of worth it, even though it's a tad overpriced for what it is."

I had the pleasure of trying M Café with my new friend insomniac, who is currently in the midst of 30 days of eating according to Michael Pollan's mantra, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." M Café was perfect for her plan!

insomniac had the California Club Sandwich ($11.25), which was a triple-decker of savory tempeh “bacon,” lettuce, tomato, avocado, carrots, sprouts, and soy-mayo on house-baked multi-grain & seed bread. It looked really beautiful, and she said it was delish.

I opted for the Grilled Tuna Burger ($14.25), which was seared ahi glazed with teriyaki sauce and garnished with sliced avocado, pickled red onions, daikon sprouts, spicy yuzu mayo, and fresh shiso leaf served on a house-baked whole wheat bun. 'Twas excellent.

Both of our meals included a choice of a side dish. I had the wasabi sweet potatoes, which were quite tasty. I really enjoyed my meal and my company. The food was so fresh, and I felt good after I ate it. And insomniac is just as smart, witty, and charming in real life as she is online. Quite the delightful meal!