Website: http://plumscafe.com/
Location: 369 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
In an inconspicuous corner of a
strip mall lies an oasis for gourmet breakfast food. This restaurant is the delectable
Plums Café + Catering. Although the title has "plum" in it the fruit
is not markedly featured.
As one comes to
the corner of the shopping center they can notice a line wrapping around the
entrance. There is a spacious patio and indoor area for seating. The atmosphere
is clean and pleasant while maintaining that homey-local feel.
Upon taking my
order from a waiter going on five years working at Plums (Jack), he was surprised to
know I was a first-timer. From the amount of business, the restaurant appears a
local favorite and that’s always a good sign for delicious and consistent
quality food.
Speaking of food…
The Raspberry Pancakes (imaged above) were unbelievably
delicious. The stack was topped with actual raspberries, vanilla cream, and
drizzled with raspberry sauce. The best part, however, was that in the middle
of the stack there were another bunch of raspberries and a dollop of vanilla
cream. Unlike most places where one orders blueberry pancakes or strawberry
pancakes and the restaurant merely give regular pancakes with flavored sauce,
this one held up to its promise of actual raspberry pancakes! Every cut into
the fluffy stack was guaranteed to have a forkful of soft pancakes, berries,
sauce, and cream. The texture of the pancakes was consistent throughout. There
was not a hint of powder or grain in this beautiful stack. Every bite would
melt in your mouth before you even had time to chew. This is one of those
dishes where you would lick the plate when finished. Raspberry pancakes are
their most popular pancake dish.
The Banana
Brulee Oatmeal is a rather large bowl of warm oatmeal with a series of caramelized
banana slices placed in a delicate circle. One can definitely taste the banana,
however not so much that it is overpowering. The texture of the oatmeal and the
bananas together (although caramelized) was a little too mushy for me. Sprinkling
granules of brown sugar in the bowl helped contrast the softness. Overall it
was worth trying.
A dish featured
on the brunch menu and served only on weekends is the Alderwood Smoked Salmon Hash. Poached eggs lie atop a nest of diced
red potatoes and onion & pepper hash drizzled with dill hollandaise. Inside
this concoction are generous chunks of smoked salmon. This salmon is not like
the flat, packaged deal you see in the store. No, this was cut from the entire
fish and smoked to give a full, wild flavor carrying true body. I would definitely
recommend this however it is extremely filling so I would consider sharing.
Overall Plums Café
+ Catering is a delicious find. It is truly a gem and surprisingly, without
much advertising, does very well. The establishment started as a catering
business over twenty years ago and eventually grew into the Plums it is today. Don’t
even try to book their catering during the Christmas season—they are booked
every single day. According to Jack, the Segerstrum family uses Plums’ catering service during
their parties, recommends them to all of Orange County’s elite, and now Plums
is as busy as ever! The Segerstrum family offered the owner to expand and open
a shop in South Coast Plaza but they respectfully declined. So, the only way
you can experience this gourmet breakfast/brunch is to find their little
establishment in Costa Mesa!
