mmm... mmm... m cafe de chaya

seeing that the quarter was finally ending, dani & i decided to treat ourselves to some yummy goodness at m cafe de chaya in culver city! after a long work week AND a long workout, a healthy meal was much deserved. and we were SO ready to dive in by the time we arrived at this adorable macrobiotic eatery.

one of several chaya restaurants, m cafe is super cute and casual. the space is brightly lit, making it all the better to see all the amazing options in the display case. as soon as i walked in, i raced over to the dessert case. everything looked so perfect. and i knew i wanted that carrot cake as soon as i laid eyes on it. (FYI that i *love* carrot cake. and the fact that it's made from veggies makes me feel that much better about eating it!)

after deciding to save room in my tummy for dessert, i wandered over to the rest of the cases to check out all the fabulous salads, sushi rolls, and inari. (mmm.... inari....) after some consultation w/dani, i decided on the 3-salad combo, the hijiki inari, and the carrot cake.

for my combo, i chose the kale w/spicy peanut sauce, the scarlet quinoa, and the dandelion greens. the kale was super leafy and scrumptious. i don't recall the peanut sauce being very spicy, but it was fabulous how you could taste it in every nook and cranny of the kale. mmm.... the scarlet quinoa had such great color and consistency. and i absolutely love love love quinoa, so it wasn't even an option not to get it. quinoa is seriously the best grain ever. and i always get such a kick out of eating dandelion greens. i mean, how inventive is that?! the greens contrasted really well texturally w/the beans, creating a lovely and memorable mouth-feel.

the hijiki inari consisted of a tofu pouch stuffed with the most delicious brown rice and topped with dried seaweed. i LOVE inari, especially when the pouch and the rice are slightly sweet. this particular inari was really good b/c the hijiki was slightly salty, which made for a great salty-sweet contrast in each bite.

and let's not forget the carrot cake. unlike typical carrot cakes, this carrot cake was suuuuuuuuuuper light. this probably has to do w/the fact that m cafe doesn't use any refined sugar, eggs, or dairy. which is AMAZING. that being said, this cake walked that very fine line b/w not sweet at all and just sweet enough. which i wasn't sure i fully appreciated, except for the fact that i kept eating AND not feeling guilty. the cake itself was nothing like the dense (and often cold) cake that one finds at most restaurants. it was airy and light, and if that wasn't enough, the frosting was even airier and lighter! dani & i were completely stumped on the ingredients. this was definitely NOT your typical cream cheese frosting. if i could have this carrot cake every day, i would. i mean, you still feel good after it's in your tummy!

before i forget, let me say that i love the set-up of this place. dani & i sat at the big wooden picnic table in the center of the room, which was totally fabulous. but all around us, there were all these nice and shiny silver tables. and there were lots of tables set up outside too. it was a lovely cross b/w modern and organic, which was reflective of the fare as well. contemporary macrobiotic is how m cafe bills itself. and i have to say, it does a REALLY good job at it.

http://www.mcafedechaya.com/index.html