We found this lovely place called Cafe Lala in NJ when we were looking for a brunch spot in NJ. They opened not too long ago. They have some parking right in front of the cafe, and also behind the building from what I understand. It is a part of Lee Park Plaza, small outdoor mall-type building that hosts other restaurants and such.
The inside is much bigger than it looked from the outside, especially for a “cafe” in my opinion. It was decorated with flowers and some antique-looking things in the little nook. It was so lovely and pretty.
They had some baked goods and other items by the ordering counter. Their menu is mainly breakfast/brunch items, which makes sense for a cafe. The menu is quite small, which is not always a bad thing. It makes it easier to decide on what you want to order. Since they have been opened for about three months, it could be that they are starting out with a small menu?
We usually get a cup of coffee drinks for brunch, but my husband was very interested in their Einspänner menu. Einspänner is a viennese coffee, usually made with hot espresso topped with cool whipped cream. I still remember the one I had from Café Sabarsky. They had both hot and cold options, and we went with hot. My husband chose the classic Espresso Einspänner, and I went with Mocha Einspänner ($5.95/each). The manager/owner (?) told us that will be a few minutes since they are just making the whipped cream in the machine. We would gladly wait for a freshly whipped cream for sure! They came in an adorable cup, and Mocha Einspänner had a drizzle of chocolate. The whipped cream was overflowing so she placed a small plate underneath. She felt so bad about it but I was thinking “the more the merrier!” These were delicious and delightful. The whipped cream was nice and velvety, not overly sweet, and went great with the hot coffee. Definitely have this again, and would like to try the cold version too.
For food, I chose LALA Toast ($8.95). It comes with regular coffee, but since we ordered the Einspänner, she gave us a small discount on the order. How thoughtful! The LALA Toast is made with Blue Egg Omelette, Canadian Bacon, with Lala Cabbage & Pickles.
The funny thing about this dish is that it didn’t come on a “toast,” but it came on toasted buns. It had a mountain of cabbage slaw that had a slight kick to it, which I really enjoyed. The egg was overcooked in my opinion, a bit dry… Since I always prefer my eggs to be cooked slightly (or more than slightly) runny, it could be just my preference being very different from how they cook their egg. But to me, I like my eggs NOT cooked all the way, just like a good piece of steak… Other than that, it was an interesting and unique breakfast sandwich.
My hubby who was hungry decided to go with LALA Breakfast ($16.95). This one also comes with a regular coffee, so she gave us a small discount on this as well. It comes with Two Eggs, Organic Chicken Sausage, Canadian Bacon, Spring Mix Salad, Mushroom, Tomato, Beans, and Toasted Bread. It also came with a small container in the middle, which had butter and jam. This one actually comes with a toast. He got the eggs to be over-easy, and they came out perfect. The sausage was big and juicy, packed with flavor. The salad was fresh, and mushroom was nice too. Basically, everything on this plate was quite delicious! It was very filling too, great for a hungry customer.
We also ordered a couple of their baked goods to have as desserts. They had cute little Madeleines next to the ordering counter. We ordered one of each flavor: Red Bean and Sweet Potato ($2.95/each). The Red Bean Madeleine was shaped like a shell, while the Sweet Potato Madeleine was shaped like a chestnut.
When I cut them open, I was pleasantly surprised with the amount of filling they had in the inside! The sweet azuki bean filling had bits of the beans, to give more texture. The sweet potato had this beautiful deep purple color, made into smooth, velvety filling. They were both very good, perfect little desserts that are elegantly sweet and very satisfying to you taste buds.
At the end, we got to try one of their most popular items, Strawberry Milk thanks to generous manager/owner! It comes in a plastic bottle, with pretty gradation from white to pink. You can see loads of strawberry bits in here already.
After giving it a good shake, I poured them into two small cups the manager/owner brought for us (so that we can share). It had loads and loads of fresh strawberries bits in there! It was soooo good! Had such amazing strawberry flavor, as you can imagine, and made with just the right amount of sweetness. I can see that reason why this drink is so popular. I would definitely have this again…
Our first visit was a total success! The manager/owner was so kind and courteous. The food and drinks were all very high quality and delicious. We enjoyed every bite and every sip. The cafe is very clean and cozy, we are very happy to have found this spot! We will definitely go back and try more of their menu in a near future.
Cafe Lala – 520 Bergen Blvd Suite 8, Palisades Park, NJ 07650