I haven’t been to the Living Room Cafe since I was in high school and at that I have never been to the one located in College. I didn’t go to college here, I went back east, and even then I never was into studying in cafes or at the library. The other funny thing about that is is that everyone – and I mean everyone – assumes I’m from the East Coast because I went to college there. I find that to be weird.
So back to this cafe and studying at cafes thing… let’s just say that it wasn’t my thing. The Living Room Cafe was packed with college kids studying for whatever exam tonight – but luckily they reserve a table for the non-studying folks like my friend and I, which was pretty much the only table available inside the place. I was amused by their water fountain near the front, which I did not drink out of but took a picture of just for kicks.
I should have taken a drink from it. Sigh.
After looking over the menu for a good, long time I finally decided on a few items to try. First up – my choice of coffee. There isn’t really a description of the coffee drinks and with flavored coffees like “Cafe Jaffa” and “Cafe Svizzera”, I opted to go with something I hadn’t tried before but that was still recognizable: Toffee Mocha.
I got it with whipped cream and all – quite an indulgence. But it was tasty once I actually managed to get through the whipped cream. It didn’t particuarly have a toffee flavor to me and it was more on the warm side then pipping hot, but it was good for a mocha. I would have liked it to be warmer though. I like things to be served to me hot, even if I have to wait a bit to consume it.
I also had a light bite to eat – I opted for the soup and half sandwich. The soup’s special of the day was chicken with noodles and veggies and I got the BLT sandwich.
The soup was very good – hot (not pipping hot, but warmer than my mocha) and good in my tummy on a cold day. The chicken chunks tasted fresh and the soup tasted home made. It had a rich flavor and tons of veggies – carrots, celery, and potatoes with a few noodles and chunks of chicken. Much better than anything in a can!
My BLT was also good – piled high with bacon and I opted for the squaw bread. I liked that it was extra baco-y – this is always a good sign of a good BLT sandwich. No skimping here.
The other thing that amused me was when my food was brought out to me, I got this little condiment box with my meal. I thought it was a cute and fun way to give customers their condiments, complete with tiny salt and pepper shakers. Darling.
My friend also got one of these massive chocolate scones which she shared with me.
The scone was buttery and crisp on the bottom and very flaky and good. I’ve had a lot of dry scones in my life, but this one was more crisp – like a good biscuit – rather than dry. The milk chocolate was also a nice complement, melting in just the right places. The photo doesn’t really show how big this sucker is, but trust me, it was large.
Whether you’re studying or not, the Living Room Cafe is a pretty cool place to hang out. They’ve got free wi-fi to sweeten the deal, too. Also – most of the pastries I spotted in the display case were huge. Like “as-big-as-my-head” huge. I might have to come back and snag a croissant or cinnamon roll one of these days…
Living Room Cafe
Multiple Locations in San Diego
5900 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 286-8434
Hours: Everyday, 6A-2A
