Last weekend, we revisited an awesome bakery/brunch place in La Brea called Sycamore Kitchen. If you guys have been to "Hatfield's", this place is owned by the same owner. They closed the Hatfield's restaurant at the end of last year (I made it there before they closed the place, and it was G-O-O-D), and opened up a new place called "Odys + Penelope", which is a little more casual grill place.
I was planning on only getting baked goods and coffee (trying to save some money), but I just couldn't help myself....... So, I got a couple baked goods to go: Chocolate hazelnut pie, flourless lemon custard, blueberry buttermilk scone and buttercup. I know.... that's a lot, but they all looked sooooo good............ We ended up eating the chocolate hazelnut pie for dessert actually...... this is why I went running the following day to try to run it off. I went with some friends, four of us, we each ordered a dish and coffee. I always think that 4 people is a perfect number for a food outing. Enough to try different things, but not too many people because it's hard to share dishes and chat.
Here's what we ordered:
Left upper corner: Cappucino and stumptown cold-brewed coffee
Left lower corner: [Cured salmon tartine, avocado, capers, hard cooked egg, radish, creme fraiche] in the front and [Yucatan Bowl - Chicken tinga, black beans, corn tortilla, fried egg, avocado, pico de gallo] at the back
Right upper corner: Pork belly hash, roasted peppers and onions, russet potatoes, two fried eggs, spinach
Right lower corner: Eggs Benedict - Honey-sherry glazed pancetta, poached eggs, fried rosemary, hollandaise
They are all absolutely delicious, but my favorite is definitely the pork belly hash, and if you guys like something light in the morning, cured salmon tartine would be an excellent choice. For the pork belly hash, the potatoes are crispy, and it was stir-fried with grounded pork belly, with slight sweetness from the red pepper and onion. Then, you poke open the egg yolk, and mix it with the dish. Party in my mouth! For the cured salmon tartine, it is perfect for people who prefer a light brunch. Salmon is fresh, with a tiny hint of sourness from the creme fraiche. Very refreshing.
There are a lot of interesting unique stores on La Brea. After having a yummy brunch, you can walk around the street, going into different stores, and see if you find something you like. We went to a store that has very pretty jewelry from Peru, a lot of carpets from India, and they also have different kinds of helmets/sword/armor (look like those in the movie 300). A very weird combination of things in one store, but it is so fun browsing these stores. Even if you are not planning on getting anything, you might find it entertaining just to look around. There are a rocking-chair store, a couple of furniture/décor stores, a chandelier/lamp/light stores, etc., you can definitely spend a whole afternoon wandering around these stores.