Mooi Pre-Opening Party

Although I was looking forward to the Mooi opening in Echo Park tonight--the raw, vegan resto apparently has some salivating-worthy dessert items--I was none to impressed by the inadequate supply of food. Truly a let down for as long as the "Mooi coming soon" sign has lived on the store front. The "tasting" should be taken as literal since there is not more than a bite offered to maybe the lucky dozen who are quick as a fox to snatch a little goodie off the trays, which were toted around by two people. In truth, I'm not a vegan, but I often eat vegan as part as any other cuisine like you would Mexican or Thai.

A couple colleagues--including Eco Vegan Gal--of mine went so far as to ask, "If this a preview tasting, where is the food?" The food did come out but in clusters that were carried on tiny trays and promptly grabbed by the first 10 hands near the kitchen. So much for actually testing this well-reviewed catering-turned-resto. I hate to be such a critic, but here's some nice things ...

Mooi's doorway for the night was the side door (instead of the ground floor entrance on Sunset) and offered a fun, dramatic entrance down the staircase.

Although I love getting out and meeting new folks in town, the atmosphere, as one of us quickly noted, was "a weird vibe." It seemed more individuals were there to be seen more than to eat. Lame. Folks, I was there to eat! What's more I felt slightly rebuffed by the owner, who was more than happy to meet and greet with fancy-looking people, over this writer (ahem, and my colleagues), who will NOT be reviewing his place. Sorry. You gotta be willing to put in the work. No food and now, you don't even want to talk to me for a minute about your food? Why do people just expect others to default to thinking you're cool because you're "aloof?"

Even, poor overcrowded hipsters had to hover over the seven tables and odd chairs, which left many awkwardly (and drink-less) standing. 

OK, back to the nice stuff. What I liked about the interior was the varied selection of antique lamps and oversize, ornamented mirrors--reminded me of mine at home.

This was the best shot I could get of the food--what I could snag--and nope, it didn't offer much taste or thrill. Much of vegan food is also cashew-based, which, frankly, can get tiring after four or five mini bites of these. I've had more exciting vegan, raw food (hello, M Cafe de Chaya). A bit lackluster was the consensus among our writer group. 

Probably the best thing to happen this night, was the funky-fun music, which offered enough upbeat classics that my friends and I were more than happy to sway along to before calling it a night--sans the Mooi. Here, I am with yourdailythread.com founder and friend, Tracy Hepler. 

Iced Iced Babycakesnyc

Tonight I sat in bed and enjoyed a Babycakesnyc vanilla spelt cupcake. The vegan cupcake boutique, started by Erin McKenna in New York City, finally launched its westside transplant on Sunday in Downtown L.A. During a much-needed lunch break, I made a little stop down 6th Street and bought a chocolate and vanialla cupcake and a whoopie pie.

Even without being traditional, mouthwatering (read: very fattening) sweets, at least not with its vegan, gluten-free and agave-sweetened method. The frosting is actually pretty sweet without being overly syrupy. It's rumored that they sell "frosting shots" at its east coast counterpart. The cupcakes are made with soy milk and coconut oil, among other wheat-free and allergy-friendly ingredients. Healthy foods like blueberry juice, tumeric and chlorophyll are used to create blue, red and green-colored frosting (no artificial colors). What's pretty awesome about Babycakes too is that they come in a case that creatively holds 'em right in place (there's nothing worse than coming home and finding smashed up cupcakes from knocking around in its own box).

Apparently Babycakesnyc is also very known for their donuts.

Yep, antioxidant-rich chocolate muffins at 99 cents.

The girl at the counter recommended the whoopie pies the most. Their incredible taste takes the ouch out of their being five bucks a pop.

My jaw dropped a little when I saw Babycakes sells cupcake tops. :)