There are so many restaurant choices in Los Angeles, and carnivore or not, this place is special. No meat yet you would never know it. You are so satisfied by all the vegan bounty, that you will leave full and never want for anything else. The concept is 98 percent organic, with no meat or dairy, food eaten this way is in its freshest and most natural state. The funny thing is, most of the customers were dragged here kicking and screaming by their vegan friend for their first visit, but leave very happy.
Owner Ron knows his way around the vegetarian world having been one for 27 years. To him life without meat should be flavorful, and filling. There are no trappings here of a strict vegan experience. Instead you get the same vibe of a bar and grill, without out all of the unhealthy choices. You can eat to your hearts content and never feel one ounce of guilt.
The previous Italian restaurant Zachs Café was not doing well; Ron contacted them every 6 months and told the owner he would be interested in taking this location over when he was ready. In Dec. 2013 he got the ok on the new location. He has recently been offered some franchises but is not quite ready to make any more moves. Ron says their busiest day of the year is Jan 2, when everyone is making News Years Resolutions.
My server Nevin Kumar was very knowledgeable. He was able to describe all of the dishes with their ingredients to a T from memory and answer all questions, very impressive. Nevin also created the very best wine list, of which I tried many and loved each one.
Here’s everything I tried:
Blended to Order:
Cacao Superfood Shake – raw cacao, goji, cashew, agave, raw. So much sweet goodness in one glass, it makes you proud to be healthy.
Orange Creamsicle Shake – fresh orange, pineapple, agave, raw. Really just like a creamsicle, delicious.
Starters:
Soups – Tomato, so much raw flavor packed into one bowl, and I must say that I love tomatoes, so this made me very happy.
Lettuce Leaf Tacos – SunChorizo, cashew cheese, pico de gallo, avocado & basil ranch, raw. You are getting a huge burst of flavors in your mouth, makes you forget that this is healthy and good for you.
Sun Nachos – SunChorizo, nacho cheese, guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeno, green onion, cashew sour cream with choice of raw thin-sliced jicama “chips” or baked blue corn chips, available raw. Nice and spicy, lots of different elements to this very powerful dish.
Pizza:
Farmer’s Market – fresh figs, white sauce, tempeh bacon, arugula, Meyer lemon vin, balsamic reduction. This pizza is savory and sweet; you would never miss a meat pizza eating this luscious gem.
SunCafe Favorites:
Sun Pad Thai – golden beet noodles, sunflower sprouts, basil, cilantro, tossed with a zesty tahini sauce topped with crushed pistachios, raw (add garlic cilantro agave tofu). I am not a big fan of beets, this dish you can’t really call out the beet flavor. It’s just that good.
Dinner:
Mushroom & Spinach Quinoa Risotto – crimini mushroom, shallot, garlic, baby spinach, this is such a creamy flavorful dish, you. The house made balsamic vinegar was the icing on the cake…wow what a perfect dish. This dish is very rich and creamy, but without using any cream. Oh the wonders of the Sun Café, another huge hit.
Roasted Vegetable Curry – potato, carrot, bell pepper, spinach, onion, tomato, mild yellow curry, with fluffy quinoa. It has a warming color like the sun, and with just the right amount of curry it is sure to be a customer favorite.
Wines:
All of the wines are very well chosen, their wine list does not disappoint. I was very happy with these amazing wines, each one with their own special characteristic, what a great accomplishment.
Reds:
Chacewater Merlot – Sierra Foothills, 2010
Alta Pinot Noir, Napa, 2012
Sanity – Malibu Pinot Noir – 2012
Whites:
Trefethen Chardonnay, Napa, 2012
Arrogant Frog Chardonnay, France, 2012
Girasol Rosa Pinot Gris, Santa Barbara, 2012
Schetter Malibu Vineyard “Malibu Sanity” Pinot Noir Malibu, 2012
Beer:
Not a big fan of beer, but my guest loved all of the flights, each one was greatly chosen and had all of the great nuances of what you would expect from a craft beer experience.
Allagash White – A traditional Belgian wheat beer, spiced with coriander and Curacao orange peel.
Smog City Ground Work Coffee Porter – Classic American porter infused with locally roasted coffee.
Groundwork’s Fair Trade Organic – Chocolate covered espresso beans with vanilla notes.
Cuvee Des Jacobins Rouge – flanders red ale / flemish sour, 5.5% ABV. The beer Cuvée des Jacobins is unblended old lambic, aged for at least 18 months in (French) oak barrels from the cognac region. It has a robust character but is beautiful and sophisticated with a full body and overtones of vanilla, dried cherry, stone fruit and cocoa. It is a complex, beautiful sour beer.
St. Bernardus ABT – The flagship beer for one of the world’s greatest breweries. It’s dark with a full ivory head and aromas of raisin, dark cherry, apple, molasses and sweet caramel.
Uinta Baba Black Organic Lager – Schwarzbier is simply German for black beer. Robust and smooth; this full flavored lager is exceptionally drinkable and pitch black in color.
Weihenstephaner Hefeweizen – This golden wheat beer, with its fine poured white foam, smells of cloves and impresses consumers with its refreshing banana flavor. This is the oldest brewery in the world, over a thousand years old. This beer is rated one of the, if not THE, hefeweizen.
Zurra Blanca Sangria – Coriander, pinot grigio, peach, orange, lemon, cinnamon.
Oscar Blues Old Chubs Scotch Ale “Nitro Can” – Brewed with bodacious amounts of malted barley and specialty grains, and a dash of beechwood-smoked malt. Old Chub features semi-sweet flavors of cocoa and coffee, and a wee-bit of smoke.
The interior is modern but casual, very homey. There is a 7 seat cozy bar area, only serving beer and wine. There are nice hard wood distressed floors, with octagon tiles, nice high banquets and a common table. The music is a great array, from 50’s malt shop to 60’s and 70’s. The patio is just the perfect place to dine. Even though the valley is pretty hot in the summer, this locale is very close to the hills and stays cooler then the rest of the Valley. There was a nice cool breeze that came blowing through at 9pm.
This new location only opened 1 week before my tasting, their other restaurant on Cahuenga was much smaller and was open for many years. Their customers come from all over the place, there is a couple that frequents SunCafé from Newport Beach. The celebrity factor is off the hook, many celebrities come to SunCafé. Some of them vegan some of them not; Ann Hathaway, Mila Kunis, Olivia Wild, George Clooney, Megan Fox, Amy Adams, and Anthony Hopkins all have tried this amazing food.
So if your lifestyle is all about health, well-being, vegan, raw, non-gluten food then the SunCafé has a little bit of everything for you. The best part of this establishment is that all that you taste is enormously flavorful, and you would never miss not eating meat. They really do cover all of the bases.
SunCafé
(818) 308-7420
10820 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
www.suncafe.com
