Cafe Mambo’s for the Daytime Crowd

There is something especially charming about this little light-filled house with its pastel walls and easygoing air. Before you’ve even tasted a bite, you’re feeling optimistic about the food. There is also something slightly familiar about the art on the walls and the summery flowers on the tables, looking like they’ve been plucked from a nearby garden instead of delivered by a florist. Consider the neighborhood, then look around you once again. Do you notice a resemblance to a trendy Caribbean restaurant on the untrendy part of Melrose? It’s not your imagination; Cafe Mambo, 707 Heliotrope Ave., (at Melrose), Los Angeles, (213) 663-5800, is Cha Cha Cha’s brand-new breakfast and lunch place.

Why waste this lovely room at dinner? “We are thinking about using it to cater private parties for those who want them,” say the owners. Meanwhile, the rest of us can breakfast on freshly squeezed juices, fruit plates and all manner of eggs and hot cakes. For lunch there are salads, pasta and sandwiches that range from the mundane burger to the exotic lobster with garlic mayonnaise. Side dishes include an empanada and a rather wonderful slice of fried eggplant with a tangy salsa on the side.

The food has the same appealing freshness as that of Cha Cha Cha, the prices are even lower and the room itself is prettier. I’d bet that the owners have another winner on their hands.