Paper or Plastik Cafe - Mid City

Paper or Plastik Cafe was founded in 2010 by a family of artists: husband-and-wife design team Anya & Yasha Michelson alongside daughter, Marina, a filmmaker and actor. Their mission is to sustain their customers not only with quality food and drink, but also with culture and community all under one roof.

After a good workout from the gym, I was so ready to eat! I've mentioned this before, but I love finding places that offers a good brunch selection away from the typical. After browsing the menu, I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to try.

First things first. Caffeine.

Left to right: Cappuccino, Maple Latte, and Canelé. The maple latte was definitely a nice touch and I highly recommend it if you love sweet flavored lattes. I also loved the Canelé. In addition to their made-in-house menu, they also work with excellent local bakeries, including Cake Monkey, Clark Street Bread, CocoBakes, and Bread Lounge.

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Avocado & Prosciutto Toast poached egg, aleppo pepper & micro greens

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Moroccan Fried Chicken Sandwich - buttermilk, cilantro & jalapeno battered chicken, tangy slaw, harissa aioli on ciabatta

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Polentina & Root Vegetable Bowl - red flint polenta and tomato-chile broth, poached egg, roasted broccolini, pecorino

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Shakshuka & Griddled Polenta - red flint polenta, labneh, za’atar, sunny side eggs

I will definitely be back. 

7AM - 10PM 5772 W PICO BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019

Amara Chocolate - Old Town Pasadena

I've been to Amaras a while ago before they started to serve food. Just located conveniently off the Fair Oaks parking structure on Green Street and Raymond, you really don't need to travel far after parking. It's not everyday you find a cafe that serves Venezuelan food. The menu has a lot of exciting unique offerings like Arepas and Cachapas.

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I started with one of their signature lattes, the Cacao. This was 61% dark chocolate, served over ice but you can just imagine how thick and creamy this was. Extremely rich in flavor and mellows throughout your meal as the ice melts. They also carry lemonades which they sweetened with agave syrup.

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Passion Fruit lemonade

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Pabellon Arepas

The Pabellon includes shredded beef, white cheese, black beans and sweet plantains. Salsa verde of the side served with mixed greens. The arepas is grilled white corn flatbread cut open and stuffed. Really tasty and filling from the beans and plantains. I loved how crispy the arepa was even after soaking up the salsa verde.

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Cachapas Mediterranea

Grilled housemade yellow corn crepes with basil pesto sauce, Italian Burrata, Spanish Chorizo, roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, salame and olive oil. The cachapas had little corn kernels running through the batter. Loved the burrata and the different types of cured meats.

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Lunch was ended with some Spanish churros. These Spanish churros were eggs and dairy free. We received the Ice Cream Churros which comes with 6 ribbon shaped churros topped with a chocolate chip vanilla ice cream with a side of chocolate sauce. What's not to love about indulging in delicious sweets?

Make sure to check them out when you are in the area:

55 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105