Red Velvet Pancakes and More at LA's Larchmont Bungalow

October 26, 2009 at 3:47 PM | by Heidi Atwal | 0 Comments

Red Velvet Pancakes at the newly opened Larchmont Bungalow.

The scene on Los Angeles' Larchmont Boulevard yesterday morning was a zoo, literally. The Annual Street Fair brought out families in droves, with a petting zoo, pony ride station, rock climbing wall, and other carnival-esque activities to regale locals and their overstimulated, hopped-up on cotton candy kids.

Larchmont is a quaint pocket of LA, "neighborhood-y" in the best possible way. This is the street where everyone really does know your name, lined with a mixture of small, independently-owned boutiques and restaurants and a few chains, too. The requisite Pinkberry and Coffee Bean are alive and kicking, rest assured. This weekend, a new restaurant called the Larchmont Bungalow joined the street's business brood, and we decided to duck past the sponge throwing station to sample their brunch menu.

The Bungalow is one of Larchmont's largest restaurant spaces, with a front and back patio, light-filled bakery and brew station, and rustic wooden floorboards and vaulted ceiling beams giving it a warm ambiance. Glass cases house cupcakes to rival the size of Crumbs down the street, including a traditional Hostess facsimile, while cookies of a mind-boggling diameter are next to the ordering station. You're salivating by the time you've settled on which menu item you'll have.

When we spoke to the chef, Denvile Christie, the day before, he told us that one the breakfast/brunch specialties was Red Velvet Pancakes�or, heaven for sweets addicts. The recipe is the same as that used for the in-house cupcakes, topped with a whipped cream cheese concoction that isn't for the faint of heart. Servings are generous, and this is definitely something you'll want to consider splitting with a friend. We tried bites of these, along traditional strawberry pancakes with a side of strawberry-infused maple syrup, while another one of our friends had eggs and custard-filled French toast. How we made it out the door without falling into a sugar coma is beyond us.

Other breakfast and lunch items looked equally appealing; there is an entire section devoted to various Eggs Benedict, and a chicken salad that we were eyeing for our next lunch visit. Our next savory lunch visit. What we didn't get was a sighting of My Big Fat Greek Wedding's Nia Vardalos, who recently snapped a pre-opening picture of the interior and Tweeted about the Bungalow, contributing to Hancock Park residents' anticipation of the restaurant's official arrival.

Saccharine overdose aside, the Bungalow is a great addition to the neighborhood. Hours are unusually long (6:00 AM -11:00 PM) for a street that tends to close down early, and with the addition of a coffee brewery, will sate the needs of caffeine purists sick of getting their fix from chain locations. We also spied some high quality Filipino chocolates by the coffee station, and we're positive there is more to discover in the future.

P.S. We were also told that the Bungalow's owners will soon be opening a frozen yogurt self-serve storefront just a few doors down the street. Pinkberry be warned.

Related Stories
· Larchmont Bungalow [Official Site]
· Brunch coverage [Jaunted]

Jaunted

Select a Destination:

Tags: Brunch / Celeb Travel / Los Angeles Travel / Food Travel / Larchmont Boulevard / → All Tags