There’s nothing like earning your food. I don’t mean via a nine-to-five, hustling to earn a few dollars to pay for some grub. I mean spending your energy, your calories – so that when you suck up your food like a carb-manic pig, you don’t have to feel so guilty about it in the hours post-sup. So guilt never showed her fugly face yesterday after I chowed down with the homies and one of my kids at Larchmont Bungalow for a major breakfast; and that’s because prior to my mouth gettin’ busy, I busied my body with a round of boot camp with Leti_Grinder of Instagram fame (#grinderglamchallenge – but you don’t know?). We LBCers woke up early (a definite challenge for my daughter) to make it out to Pan Pacific Park in LA. Not only was I nursing a scratched cornea (which meant no contacts and sun sensitivity) but I’d just the night before gotten my hair done, so I was determined not to sweat. Yes, I held back some but still had an amazing workout – it was difficult to climb up onto my chair to write this post.
And that amazing workout left me and my compadres close to ravenous. Not yet caffeinated though high off our own endorphins, we made our way over to Larchmont Blvd. and walked around in search of a bountiful breakfast. As we neared the end of the strip, having passed nothing but boutiques, coffee shops, and juice bars, I thought I would have to admit defeat in my idea to park and be spontaneous. “I’m sure there are lots of options for breakfast here,” I’d told my companions, driving back towards the 101 rather than over to the Grove once we finished at the park. Just before that final Larchmont block ended, we stumbled upon the Larchmont Bungalow, not realizing the hunk of real estate the place was – and what a treat it would be.
A hasty Yelp! search gave us the confidence needed to head inside, though the crowd should have told us that we’d be good. Lucky enough to find a table, we marveled at the heavy plates of food that passed us on their way to other hungry bellies as we skimmed the menu for the right form of workout relief.
Mine came in the way of a breakfast panini, stacked with avocado, chicken apple sausage, eggs, tomato, and cheddar cheese. After sampling everyone else’s goods, I only had room for a few small bites of my sandwich, but man-oh-man, it was delish with perfectly crisped bread, fluffy eggs, and the schmoozy mmm of newly-ripe avocado. Just as awesome were the potatoes served alongside my panini, firm skins holding in pillows of fluffiness tinted with the taste of rosemary. Those disappeared quickly (thanks to my tablemates). My panini, I took home to finish later but I should have known better – the hub got to it for his dinner (perhaps I should have cooked something?).
Also tasty were the red and blue velvet pancakes – yummy creations that reminded me more of cupcakes than a traditional pancake – and the salmon crepes. If I’m in the area again, I’d love to check this place out for lunch. It surely satisfied my hungry, sweaty clique after putting in work.
Larchmont Bungalow
107 N. Larchmont