Norwegian Benedict with smoked salmon, poached eggs, sautéed spinach, tomato, and dill hollandaise, served with potatoes
Breakfast Trio with scrambled eggs, French toast, and chicken apple sausage
Ever since experiencing the perfection that is brunch at Nopa, few (read: no) other brunches have compared. They've raised the bar so high that average brunches will no longer be considered. Sadly, this was true of my visit to Blu Jam Café in June. Although most reviewers raved about this Melrose restaurant on Yelp, I was disappointed with my mediocre meal.
I ordered the Norwegian Benedict, which came with smoked salmon, spinach, tomato, and poached eggs. The dish was fine. It just didn't produce the excitement I expected I would have from ordering three of my favorite things: poached eggs, smoked salmon, and Benedict anything. It tasted like the cooks went through the motions of creating a perfectly adequate Benedict; it was just underwhelming in execution. At $15 a pop, I expected much more. This seems to be a trend of a few places I've tried in LA: the prices are high, while the quality is not always there.
What I also didn't like about my visit was the 45 minute wait time. Of course, I'm used to waiting in lines for brunch. It just comes with the territory, especially at popular brunch spots in San Francisco and Berkeley. What's more frustrating is that the 45 minutes didn't lead to an amazing result. Moreover, we were essentially urged to leave after nearing their 75 minute table limit. I understand that it's a busy place, but dang-it, I was catching up with old friends over brunch. That's what it's all about, right?
If you had a good experience at Blu Jam Café, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. What'd you order?
I ordered the Norwegian Benedict, which came with smoked salmon, spinach, tomato, and poached eggs. The dish was fine. It just didn't produce the excitement I expected I would have from ordering three of my favorite things: poached eggs, smoked salmon, and Benedict anything. It tasted like the cooks went through the motions of creating a perfectly adequate Benedict; it was just underwhelming in execution. At $15 a pop, I expected much more. This seems to be a trend of a few places I've tried in LA: the prices are high, while the quality is not always there.
What I also didn't like about my visit was the 45 minute wait time. Of course, I'm used to waiting in lines for brunch. It just comes with the territory, especially at popular brunch spots in San Francisco and Berkeley. What's more frustrating is that the 45 minutes didn't lead to an amazing result. Moreover, we were essentially urged to leave after nearing their 75 minute table limit. I understand that it's a busy place, but dang-it, I was catching up with old friends over brunch. That's what it's all about, right?
If you had a good experience at Blu Jam Café, I'd love to hear about it in the comments. What'd you order?
Want to see more photos from Blu Jam Café? Come one, come all.
7371 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046
Open: Daily 8 - 4
Open: Daily 8 - 4
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