I traveled to L.A. a few weeks back for a long weekend and discovered a new brunch spot that I have been craving ever since I left. It may have been my first time stumbling into Blu Jam, but its is by no means a hidden gem to those who regularly peruse the L.A. brunch scene. I thought I was being sly by trying the restaurant on a Monday afternoon in an attempt to avoid the Saturday and Sunday rush, but this, however, backfired and did not work out as planned. Apparently everyone else wanted to brunch of their day off too!

We arrived at Blu Jam around 1 p.m. and even from a couple blocks away I could see the groups of people crowded outside the restaurant waiting for their names to be called (Note: remember we are in California and it’s actually warm there in February). If I was in New York I might have called it quits right there and then – there’s always another time to stop by and there are also usually five other options within a three block radius.  Since I am only in California every couple of months, my friends and I decided to stick out the wait since we all wanted to give the place a try.

The host alerted us it would probably be an hour wait, but I thought this was just a ploy to discourage people and turn them away. I was starving, but I was also convinced the wait would be 40 minutes at worst so we sucked it up, put our name on the list and meandered around Melrose Ave to pass the time. When we arrived back at the restaurant a short 40 minutes later I expected we would be the next threesome called. Wrong again! We were still third. A couple of tables cleared shortly after and then we were next. I could almost taste the eggs! One hour passed, then one hour and ten minutes, and just as our hopes were dwindling at the one-hour-and-twenty-minute mark, the host called our name and I immediately felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders (and my stomach).

Normally popular restaurants with long waits feel no remorse. They are the “cool,” “trendy” and “hip” place to be so obviously you’re supposed to wait your turn before getting the opportunity to enjoy such a coveted experience. That’s what I expected from Blu Jam – a curt apology for the wait but nothing more. The restaurant, however, takes a different approach and actually finds a way to make patrons feel good even after an appetite-provoking wait time. Upon being seated there was a piping hot order of the restaurant’s signature Crispy French Toast compliments of the chef. Apparently Blu Jam believes that if you patiently wait for an inordinate amount of time you should be rewarded. I cannot remember a time where such a nice (and delicious) gesture was offered to me, and I commend the restaurant for its hospitality. Immediately sold! It also felt good not having to spend the extra $12.95 to try Blu Jam’s signature breakfast dish. The french toast is prepared with brioche toast that has been rolled in crunchy corn flakes and topped with berries, bananas and a vanilla bean sauce. I had not eaten french toast in a while, but this version was lights out. there should be an order on every table for each person to at least have a small taste.

In addition to the french toast Blu Jam offers a great menu of breakfast and lunch items. The best part is that breakfast is served all day seven days a week. I am a huge fan of breakfast/brunch food so any place with quality food that also offers breakfast options anytime I want gets a gold star in my book.   The menu is extensive so the decision process was daunting, but I think it’s difficult to go wrong. When we asked our server what his favorite egg dish was, he got so excited about the menu that by the time he finished running though his “top” picks we realized he had just spoken about 50 percent of the options. That did not really help narrow our decisions, but at least we knew he thought highly of the chef.

I had been eyeing the Eggwich since the beginning of our wait time so I stuck with my gut. An egg sandwich may seem generic for a place that has so many diverse choices, but this was anything but dull – over easy eggs with strips of crispy bacon, avocado, sliced tomatoes, arugula and pesto aioli on ciabatta. The sandwich was huge and I was not sure if I would even be able to pick it up, but I handled it just fine and there was not even one leaf of arugula left when I was through with it. I did not try the Norwegian Benedict or Make-Your-Own Scramble that my friends ordered, but they each seemed equally satisfied with their meals.

So what’s the verdict? Long waits can be a drag, but if you have the time on a sunny afternoon and want a hearty brunch or just have a random craving for breakfast I suggest stopping in at Blu Jam. You can probably be smarter than I was and go at off-peak times such as a random weekday or Saturday/Sunday before 11 a.m. and after 3 p.m. to expedite the process. The food was delicious and fresh with plenty of options for everyone, and the service was amicable. Even though the restaurant was extremely crowded and there continued to be a wait outside while we were dining, I did not feel hurried through our meal and the food was served within a very reasonable time frame.

Blu Jam Cafe, 7371 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA, 90046. Phone: (323) 951-9191

When to Book: Blu Jam Cafe does not take reservations and can be extremely busy during peak hours. Expect to wait thirty minutes to one hour during brunch rush hour.