By Geoff Page
Before I get into my review of OB’s newest breakfast joint, I have to admit two things. I am a breakfast guy, breakfast is my favorite meal to eat out, and I know the young people who have created Jake & Eggs and I like them. So, biases confessed, let me tell you about the new place.
Jake & Eggs is located on the west side of Sunset Cliffs bordering the alley a half block south of Narragansett. The Olive Tree market anchors the little commercial cluster at the north end. For those of you who have discovered Sundara and its excellent Indian cuisine, Jake & Eggs is in the same spot on Saturday and Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. There is a Sundara connection because Jake is one of the chefs at Sundara, which, for me, was a great recommendation for this new place.
Marisa and Jake Turnbow
For now, Jake & Eggs is only open two days a week. The young couple that created it, Jake and Marisa Turnbow, are following a path similar to the one Sundara followed, being very cautious about overhead and starting out slowly but purposefully.
Sundara started in OB by sharing the small restaurant shack at Pt. Loma Ave. and Sunset Cliffs that is now the Little Lion. One of Sundara’s owners explained to me that this is called a “pop up” business.
Sundara took over for dinners, did very well, and then moved into a space of their own. Jake and Marisa have similar aspirations. They live in OB and love it here. Both have worked in the restaurant business for a number of years and Jake trained to be chef at culinary school. Having some breakfast at Jake & Eggs is a delightful experience created by a delightful young, local couple – it is well worth a try.
Whenever I find a new breakfast place, my fondest hope is that they have something I haven’t had before, which becomes a rarer and rarer occurrence the older I get.
Kimchi Fried Rice
But, I found it at Jake & Eggs and it is called Kimchi Fried Rice. Now, I had heard, but am not at all sure of the truth, about kimchi somewhere that it consisted of fermented cabbage that the Koreans make by putting it into large jars and burying in the ground for a long time before digging it up. I had also read recently that it is a daily staple for Koreans and every woman there has a pot of kimchi ready all the time for any meal. I just never thought of fermented, buried cabbage for breakfast but it is wonderful. It’s a simple dish of this terrific kimchi fried rich with two fried eggs on top. It is rich with flavor and spicy, a good way to start the day.
I could say the Jake & Eggs menu is eclectic but that’s a tough word for early in the morning so I’ll just say the menu is all over the place, meaning there is bound to be something for everyone. There is French Toast, Breakfast Burrito, and Biscuits and Gravy to name three that cover Europe, Mexico, and the Deep South, and Korea of course. My daughter had the Chilaquiles Stack that she really liked and I agreed was great after a sample.
Sweet Potato Hash
The menu is not huge, there is also a Sesame Granola Bowl, Sweet Potato Hash, Avocado Toast, and a Veggie Breakfast Burrito. I’ve also had the Sweet Potato Hash, that consisted of diced sweet potato and regular potato and some onions topped by two poached eggs. This was very clean meal, not heavy, meatless, and simple. They also have a really good muffin. I heard two ladies gushing so much over it at their table that I got one to and it was very good.
Because Jake & Eggs is sharing space with Sundara, they haven’t made any real interior changes but what is noticeable are the small things that are different.
The coffee cups are dark, low, heavy mugs reminiscent of camping mugs, the kind you can wrap both hands around and warm your fingers. The coffee is excellent and I don’t say that lightly. They have these small, white, vase like containers for cream that I have heard patrons compliment Marisa on. Jake is in the kitchen and Marisa is out front, a tall, lovely, friendly presence who is comfortable in a restaurant setting.
I think anyone who gives Jake & Eggs a try will be happy they did. And, you will have a new breakfast joint on your list, I know I do. Check it out: http://www.jakeandeggs.com/
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
One thing I forgot to mention in my review of Jake & Eggs is that you can enjoy these breakfasts at home too, just order takeout and they will deliver breakfast to your home. Now I ask you, who does that?
I enjoyed the pozole and fresh tortillas!
Kudos to Geoff and the Rag for posting this. Took a couple weeks, but I finally made it in for the kimchi fried rice this past wknd. All of the food my table ordered (french toast, corned beef hash) was great as was the service. Would have never known about this little gem were it not for this post. I’ll definitely be back.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it too, thanks for posting that.