Sunflower Cafe Review: A Matcha Lover's Brunch Heaven
One of my favorite things to do as a student in New York City was find cute and yummy brunch spots—ideally with lots of tea options. Sunflower was a small cafe in the neighborhood of Gramercy, not to far from where I lived earlier this year. It had a variety of delicious food options, plus multiple matcha and other tea drinks available. Here is a look at everything I drank (and ate) from Sunflower in the past few months.
Matcha Latte and The Classic Breakfast
While I was waiting for my takeout order the first time I went to Sunflower, I watched the barista whisk my matcha traditionally (more or less), then make this cute latte-art heart with the oat milk. Afterwards, the barista realized she made too much matcha and asked me if I wanted the extra rather than throwing it out, which I appreciated. It turned out to be a very good matcha latte: not too sweet, just the right amount of grassy, with lots of yummy froth.
I didn’t take a picture of my brunch this day, but I ordered the Classic Breakfast which comes with two eggs, hot buttered toast, and breakfast potatoes. I asked for my eggs scrambled and whole wheat toast, plus a side of sausage. The scrambled eggs were fairly basic, but good with a bit of salt and some ketchup. I also felt the potatoes needed salt but were good with ketchup and some of the sausage. Overall it was good, but not my favorite thing from Sunflower.
Matcha Americano and Tall Stack of Pancakes
I noticed a matcha americano on the menu at Sunflower, which is not something I have ever seen before. The matcha americano is just a matcha shot in water, but I was interested to try it. I definitely prefer a matcha latte, but this was still a good drink…until I got to the end, when it felt kind of powdery.
The menu says the pancakes come with blueberry compote, mixed berries, banana, and mascarpone. These pancakes had more fruit then I have ever seen in my life. They were absolutely loaded and extremely delicious.
Iced Matcha Latte, Avocado Toast, and More
At this point I knew the matcha latte at Sunflower was good, so the iced matcha latte was no surprise for me. The matcha they use is clearly good quality, and this was creamy and refreshing. It makes a very good drink for a warm spring or summer day.
Along with my matcha latte, I ordered avocado toast with a poached egg and sweet potato fries. The fries were not my favorite—I would have preferred them to be much crispier. The avocado toast, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious. It was sourdough toast, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red chili flakes, sunflower seeds, radish, beet hummus, lemon oil, and mixed greens, plus I added a poached egg. I think the greens were supposed to be a side salad, but in carrying everything back to my apartment it kind of fell on top of the toast and I just ate it like that, which was still delicious.
Matcha Lemonade and Crispy Chicken Sandwich
This matcha lemonade might have been the drink I was most excited to try from Sunflower, so of course I saved the best for last. It was made with pink lemonade that made it look so pretty. At first I just tasted lemonade, but once I mixed it the flavors blended well to make a yummy and refreshing drink. My crispy chicken sandwich was served on brioche bun and was topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and special sauce. I really enjoyed this sandwich, though it was a little light on the pickles and the toppings slid off because of the sauce. The sandwich came with regular French fries, which were nice and crispy exactly the way I like.
My mom came to brunch with me this day. She drank a peach black cold brew iced tea and the Break’bowl. I had seen the cold brew iced tea on the menu, but thought it was a bottled tea. It very well might have been, but they put it in a glass. The breakfast bowl came with fried eggs, potatoes, crisp bacon, cheddar, avocado, arugula, cherry tomatoes, and a rustic roll. My mom enjoyed both her iced tea and her breakfast bowl.
So, What’s the Tea?
I was so glad I found Sunflower during my time in the Gramercy neighborhood of New York City. I highly recommend giving it a try if you live in the area (or order delivery anywhere in NYC). It’s a little off the typical path for most tourists, but I would even recommend it if you’re taking a visit.
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