An easy stretch for good food

THE Golden Bridge yoga studio is plenty worldly -- there is as much floor space devoted to commerce (clothes, books, herbal elixirs, etc.) in its heart-of-Hollywood building as there is to the practice of yoga. But as drop-in lunch spots go, its vegetarian Nite Moon Cafe is a peaceful oasis of tranquillity and calm.

The cafe is modest, just a cooler of juices and drinks, a self-serve salad and soup bar, and a counter where you can order sandwiches or consider the bakery-case offerings. The food’s delightful. And the counter folk are very nice. Sweet, even.

Dress code tends, of course, toward layers of stretchy, gauzy and sweat-suity wear. But if you’re garbed for the office (especially the home office), you won’t feel out of place. You can do the salad bar or order a sandwich and sit at a warm wooden communal table with studio habitues who’ve just finished a class. Or if you’re meeting a friend, you can perch at one of a few high tables set near the boundary of the bookstore and studio (they’re separated by a curtain). Either way, you’re in a spacious converted warehouse, under one of those high, sky-lit, arching wagon-wheel roofs. The ambience is soothing, the music soft and mesmerizing.

If you’re a regular, the salad bar and smoothie options are probably practical, but the fresh hot soups and sandwiches are what’s worth dropping in for. It’s like hanging out in the kitchen of an accomplished vegetarian cook who appreciates intense flavor, knows how to make smart choices and insists on high-quality ingredients, organic whenever possible. There are plenty of vegan choices.

Soups are outstanding and change daily. A spicy sweet potato and peanut soup has great flavor and a wonderful, silky texture.

The best of the sandwiches is a goat cheese on ciabatta. The bread’s much better than your average ciabatta, light with a toothsome crust, and the cheese is full-bodied. Tender but substantial slices of grilled Moroccan-spiced carrots, a thick layer of olive tapenade and bright organic greens make the thing festive, more a plate lunch between bread slices than a mere sandwich. Grilled vegetables on ciabatta are good, too, with a light house-made pesto and a generous, messy stack of soft, unctuous eggplant, crisp zucchini and tangled sweet onions.

The “tiki” masala veggie burger is also a fine choice. It’s a chewy tempeh patty with caramelized onions and mango chutney on a soft whole wheat roll. A veggie BLT is misnamed; the lightly smoked tempeh doesn’t resemble bacon. But it’s a comforting, substantial sandwich, with thick slices of tomato, lettuce and a sweet vegan mayonnaise.

Golden Bridge’s wraps can be delicious. A version made with coconut rice and curried tofu is fun and just the thing with an iced yogi tea for refueling on a summer afternoon.

All sandwiches are served with a house salad of organic greens and grated carrots that’s enlivened with a generous sprinkle of enormous roasted pepitas. Ask for iced tea and you’re offered fresh-brewed from a good-quality, far-ranging organic selection to pour over ice.

Desserts are respectable; most are predictably sweet and fruity but not decadent. An apple crisp special has a nicely naked roasted-apple flavor underlined with nutmeg, not cinnamon. The coconut macaroons are chewy, dense and satisfying.

But a friend and I have a heading-for-nirvana, eye-rolling, rocket ship-to-bliss moment or two when we sample the raw organic chocolate truffles, made on site with cacao, cacao butter, coconut oil, agave and cashew (no sugar). We each put tiny pieces on our tongues, grin as the dark, tropical sensation spreads through our mouths, enjoy the silky texture as the chocolate melts and wish, just for a minute, for a glass of port.

*

Nite Moon Cafe

Location: Golden Bridge yoga center, 6322 De Longpre Ave., Hollywood; (323) 988-4052, www.goldenbridgeyoga.com.

Price: Sandwiches and wraps, $7 to $9; soups, $5; salad bar, $8 per pound; desserts, $2 to $5.

Best dishes: Goat cheese sandwich, “tiki” masala veggie burger, mung beans and rice, sweet potato and peanut soup, raw chocolate truffles.

Details: Open Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (sandwiches only until 5 p.m.); Fridays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m., depending on the special events schedule