As you step into Sycamore Kitchen your eyes are immediately drawn to the counter; its oozing with heavenly pleasure of treats. These aren’t any ordinary coffee shop pastries, there are Galettes, Meringues, sweet breads, and fruit tarts to name a few. Whenever you go you can almost always expect a long line all waiting to try the delectable food. The menu is short and sweet – not full of a million mediocre choices, but a page full of great ones.

The Sycamore Kitchen has an urban feel with an edgy construction spin to it. It isn’t full of a bunch of decorations, everything is subtle, but is just the right amount. There is seating inside and out and plenty of street parking. There are customers of all kinds, from parents with babies to young girls getting a quick bite. The servers are all very efficient, but don’t seem to engage a lot with the customers as they just seem to always be hustling around.

The food makes the drive and wait all worth it. Both times I visited I had the Fresh Mozzarella sandwich and it has been delicious. The sandwich has thick slices of homemade country bread, which made me feel as if I was eating breakfast on a farm in the countryside, husky slices of mozzarella cheese, juicy tomatoes, a thin layer of basil with some arugula, and a slight brazed caramelized fennel fill the inside. The Mediterranean Chicken Salad is also great capturing both a sweet and savory blend and the roasted chicken is perfectly cooked.

The Farmhouse Chop salad on the other hand was amiss. There were too many flavors that didn’t seem to go together, as if one is multitasking, but instead of getting anything done they just make it worse. That is what this salad felt like the I understand the idea of it being crunchy and soft, but the dressing was bland and kind of heavy. I could have done without the grapefruit, and every couple of bites you would get a large amount of basil which would just overkill the rest of it.

The desserts were out of this world-the problem is having to make a choice. The Salted Caramel Pecan Babka Roll had a crusty outside with a soft center. The caramel was slightly burnt forming a light glazed crust. The soft cinnamon center and pecans gave a nice twist, making the babka a cross between a breakfast roll and a decadent dessert. The Flourless Chocolate Brownie was moist and rich, with a hint of espresso. It had a crispy top and a dense molten chocolate filling – A definite must try.

If you are interested in visiting The Sycamore Kitchen it is located at 143 South La Brea Los Angeles Ca 90036 the hours are 8-5pm everyday.