Monday 22 October 2012

The Terrace, Washington Blvd, Venice Beach, California


A colourful cafe-bar just off the oceanfront in Venice Beach, the Terrace serves brunch with a buzz on a Sunday in October. The tables on the shaded terrace and the suntrap pavement can be heaving, but the diners turn over fairly fast. Below the bright yellow hoardings, the walls are plastered with garish pictures of flowers and shrubs. The Terrace's orange juice (about $4) isn't great, so you might prefer the free iced water. For 10 bucks, you can get three eggs cooked any way you want and served with ham, bacon, pork or turkey sausage, hash browns and an English muffin. The portions tend to be generous, but the ingredients aren't that good and the scrambled eggs can be a little overcooked. The bill comes with an automatic service charge of 18%, but the fast service probably warrants it. The Terrace is in a fine location, but it's food isn't anything to write home about. 6/10