Let them eat fries

I went to Sapna Cafe expecting (and even wanting) to dislike it. These are some of the things I read about it that really turned me off:

“winsome”

“healthy, globally inspired food”

“funky”

Even the name Sapna (which in English has an ugly ring to it) means “dream”. All of this added up to something which in my mind was, please excuse more quotation marks, “hippie precious”.

The ambiance served to underscore my feelings. There are gauzy Indian prints hanging from the window tops, and insubstantial tables and chairs crowded into the little pie-shaped space, which appropriately enough is in the old Bragg’s Pie Factory building on Grand Ave. So, too, the menu which is very small, weird, and “organic”.

Breakfast is served from 7 - 11 and includes omelets, scrambles and tofu with veggies. At lunch there are a few quesadillas, one with brie and onion marmalade, another with blue cheese and tomato marmalade ($5 each). There are panini ($7) such as croque monsieur (without the sauce), and brie with pears and walnuts. A number of salads are served. Ken had one of the rotating specials, eggplant, garbanzos, and couscous on field greens (the salads are also $7). He loved it. A lentil salad with onion, carrots, zucchini and red pepper also comes on field greens. I understand the tabbouleh is very popular.

To drink: there’s hot or cold mint tea, ginger lemonade, homemade orangeade with pomegranate and orange flower water, and a few other things - most strangely, gazpacho, served in a glass with a straw. It’s kind of amusing to drink because bits of vegetable keep clogging up the straw so you either get to suck it up really hard, or blow it out while trying to keep all the liquid in the glass. There are usually two or three desserts to choose from.

Now, I’m sure you can tell from my tone that I’m still not happy. And this is despite the fact that I enjoyed my panini (it was so big I took half home and ate it for dinner). The service was excellent. When Ken mentioned that he doesn’t like cilantro, our waitress made sure that his food was free of it, and offered to substitute parsley. We commented to her that our chocolate pie, while quite tasty, would have been better with whipped cream, she said that next time we should just ask, and it would be given (homemade, not canned). So what explains my grouchiness? I don’t know, maybe if it was called “unhealthy, globally inspired food” I’d feel better. Or if there were french fries.

So don’t let me keep you away. You really should try Sapna Cafe. If only they’d name it something else!!!

Sapna Cafe

1301 Grand Ave. at McKinley Phoenix

602-254-6726

Mon. - Fri. 7 - 7, Sat. 10 - 7, closed Sunday in the summer

I suggest you call and check the hours before you go.

There seems to be no website