June 12, 2008 8

LA Mill Coffee Boutique (Silver Lake)

By in 05: Silver Lake + Echo Park, Favorite Food Entries

We finally tried the not-so-new LA Mill Coffee now that the hype has died down. This entry covers two visits: taking an out-of-town friend for dessert, and with Freda for brunch.

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I love places that pay attention to interior designs and decor but here it felt disquieting. Perhaps it’s the mod baroque look with uber bold Chinese feel Turquoise and Red colors that came off a bit tacky. The red sofa seats were too low for short person like me too.

They take coffee very seriously here, which I like a lot. You can get coffee that uses the slow extraction coffee method prepared at your table. The most expensive one ($15) is called the Siphon brew, which uses a Vaccum coffee making device. The drink menu is also full of creative drinks and many different kinds of tea, including Hong Kong YinYang (Coffee + Milk Tea).

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A friend got the Cafe Latte: espresso served in an 8 oz with textured milk and topped with foam ($4.50). He loved it and said it was good

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El Salvador La Montana coffee brew in a “highly specialized clover vacuum siphon brew chamber” that cost about $7.5. That’s the most I’ve ever paid for a cup of coffee. The server took forever to bring the sugar and milk so by the time I’m halfway drinking it’s already cold. I have to say I was a little disappointed. It’s good but not amazing, and there’s a bit of sourness in the taste which I don’t like much. Jon got the Orange Infused Cappuccino with Cacao: espresso dusted with cacao and orange zest, infused textured milk and foam ($6). Wonderful rich orange flavor, I like this a lot.

The food menu includes some light meals, designed by the famous gourmet restaurant Providence‘s Chef/Owner Michael Cimarusti and pastry chef Adrian Vasquez (for the dessert side). I haven’t had the chance (or the budget) to try Providence so this is a good opportunity to sample their talents.

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Passionfruit Gelee: lychee-shiso sorbet, white chocolate-coconut-soy milk soup with basil seed ($9). It tasted delicate and refined but the portion was very small. We had to savor every bite.

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Sweet potato pie: served with Biryani masala spice ice cream, cajeta, and pecans ($9). Again very delicious but very small portions. Both desserts were great and were what you would expect from a gourmet restaurant.

I went back here with Freda for brunch:
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Coffee And A Jelly Donut: strawberry essence layered with donut-infused milk and topped with espresso ($5). Whoever came up with it probably thought it would be cute to combine two morning regulars into a drink; I thought so too until I taste it. It was disgusting, like slurping a donut that’s been puree into a gooey mess.

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“Mojito”: fresh key limes muddled with fresh mint and simple syrup, mixed with a seasonal iced tea and topped with a splash of club soda ($6). Wow, this was very good! Refreshing and perfectly mix. Pumpkin Polenta – stone-ground polenta stirred with pumpkin, topped with candied pecans and whipped mascarpone ($9). Lovely~

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Frisee Au Lardon: served with a coffee-infused vinaigrette, niman ranch bacon, soft poached egg ($12). It’s very delicious but again, the portion is small. I don’t need large portion but this is really what you would call small. The coffee-infused vinaigrette has a great aroma and taste great. Caramel French toast, so-so, but they helped fill me up.

The food is very gourmet though the portion is small. When you visit LA Mill coffee make sure your mind set is not thinking about a “neighborhood cafe” but a gourmet place with light meals that you don’t frequent a lot.

LA Mill Coffee Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026

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8 Responses to “LA Mill Coffee Boutique (Silver Lake)”

  1. seat says:

    Maybe if they are charging you ~$10 for a gourmet dessert, they really have to make it small otherwise they can’t make a profit? ^^;;; Passionfruit Gelee looks amazing! At first I thought it was daikon at the bottom. ^^;; You should have asked them which coffee is not sour if you don’t like sour taste. For coffee shops in Tokyo, “French Roast” is 100% bitterness and 0% sourness. Not sure if it is a Japan thing though.

  2. seat says:

    Oh the head bar is so cute XD!!!

  3. H.C. says:

    Very good and delicious looking photos — I too loved their orangey cappuccino. Can’t wait to return to try out more stuff.

  4. Erinn says:

    A very fair an balanced review, and your photos are simply gorgeous. I think you are right, if you go into a place knowing what you are going to get, you are apt to have a better time. I’d love to try this place sometimes and am glad to know in advance that I’ll most likely leave a bit hungry!

  5. journey says:

    i’ve only been once, and the brunch was good. i felt at the time it still has that “new restaurant” unevenness in both food prep and service. even though it presents itself as a coffee/brunch place, i’ve heard dinner there is quite good.

  6. valentine says:

    how small are the portions?
    are they smaller than the portions in Japan? ^^;;

  7. Freda says:

    Val: yep Japanese size. ^^;;

    Despite Joan wrote “you don’t frequent a lot”, she just went back there the third time in 3 weeks. It’s a good place to have really good dessert after dinner as they open late.

    Journey: I’m curious about their dinner too. They opened till 11 so I guess they wanted to target those who wants gourmet coffee/dessert after their dinner.

  8. Excellent site, keep up the good work