Om Cafe is located on Woodward Ave in the heart of Downtown Ferndale. Om Cafe planted it’s roots in 1985 and has been serving organic food free of growth hormones and antibiotics ever since. I have been wanting to try out Om Cafe for a while. I follow them on Facebook and drool over the delicious shots of vegan/vegetarian dishes. Emily’s friend was visiting from out of town and is a vegetarian so I suggested Om Cafe. You can imagine my disappointment when we stopped in for brunch a couple weeks ago and received terrible service.
First, let me explain. There were four of us total and we waited for about seven minutes after we were sat. It wasn’t busy, maybe four tables total including us. We watched as employees continued to walk by us, not one stopping to greet us or take our drink order. I finally asked a woman who was busing a table a few down if she was our server. She said she wasn’t with an annoyed tone. I asked her if she could get our server since she didn’t offer and then she walked away.
A few moments later another woman came over and asked if we were ready to order. There was no “Hi, how are you?” No, “sorry about that.” Nothing. We ordered and our food came out pretty quickly, and after that service was OK. However, Seven minutes is a long time to wait when the whole restaurant is as big as a large living room and you are sitting there twidaling your thumbs, hungry while you watch employee after employee walk right by you when all you want is someone to acknowledge you. I was really excited about this place and talked it up to my friends only to be let down and embarrassed.
OK, on to the food!
Breakfast Nachos: Organic corn chips topped with tofu black bean scramble, roasted potatoes, spicy cashew nacho cheese sauce, guacamole and cilantro, served with salsa. I was skeptical and also intrigued by the spicy cashew nacho cheese. This stuff was the bomb.com! I couldn’t believe it was vegan and healthy! I am the type of girl that has seriously contemplated bathing in nacho cheese because I love it that much. I also know that its awful for me, but here I found a healthy vegan version? Shut the front door! Knowing this dish was good for me made it taste even better. The guacamole and salsa were fresh with robust flavors. The tofu black bean scramble was earthy, yet tasty.
Cauliflower Tostada: Crispy corn tortillas topped with seasoned pinto beans, fresh lettuce, seasoned cauliflower crumbles, and a green chili/cilantro/avocado sauce served with chips and salsa. Not as good as the breakfast nachos, but still decent. There was missing something, so I asked for a side of the cashew nacho cheese and this instantly made this dish better. I added a fried egg as well and the yolk was a nice silky addition. The roasted cauliflower was tender, not mushy and almost had a nutty flavor. The green chili/cilantro/avocado sauce was spicy and creamy, but I wish there were more of it. This dish was a little dry before I added the cashew nacho cheese.
Tofu Scramble: Tofu scramble with black beans, broccoli, carrot, garlic, onion, tossed with roasted redskin potatoes and kale. Served with rye toast. Hearty, flavorful, and busy in a good way. The veggies were fresh and still had some texture.
Cornbread, Eggs, and Sausage Bowl: Sautéed veggie sausage with crumbled cornbread and scrambled organic eggs mixed throughout, with tabasco, topped with fresh red bell pepper and scallion. This dish gave me a nice “meat & potatoes” feel. I liked that it was simple, yet included enough ingredients to satisfy the average appetite.
The food was really good, but sadly I will not return because of the poor customer service. Another bummer is that they do not serve alcohol. What is brunch without a mimosa or Bloody Mary!? Seriously guys, customer service is super important in any industry. Step it up!
LOVE THIS!