Sofra; More Than Just a Table

The best thing about living in a diverse community is the ability to find places that connect you to different countries and cultures without having to go there. Today before heading to work, I got to visit Sofra Bakery & Cafe, a small place located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I didn't actually know what Sofra meant nor did I know what kind of food they served until I looked up their website. Sofra is a Turkish word for a special low table. Sofra Bakery and Cafe offers food from Turkish, Greek and Lebanese cultures. It's like visiting 3 countries in one go.

Upon entering the store, I was offered a pumpkin spice sourdough ball that sort of looked like a munchkin but tastier and more authentic. 

I continued to wait in line that was a little bit outside of the store due to it being a smaller area inside. the cafe had a few seating areas outside, but not enough. The wait in line was about 5-7 minutes at 9:40 am. Sofra only offers breakfast at this time until 3 pm from Friday to Sunday. As my turn approached, I decided to go for the Turkish Style Breakfast which consisted of  soft-boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, olives, feta, yogurt, & spoon sweets. The dish was $9, which seemed to be a bit pricy seen as it was only one egg.

The Turkish Style Breakfast was a small dish. Many of us have heard the expression "The best things come in small packages" and it applies to this one pricy dish. Despite it being small and expensive, it had a powerful blast of flavors from sweet to sour to that which makes your mouth water. I first tasted the spoon sweets which was a sweet cheesy cube that was fried for a battered shell. I then dug into the soft boiled egg which also had a crispy outer layer. I don't like boiled eggs with a hard yolk but was excited when I saw that the yolk on this was runny and cooked to perfection at the right temperature and time. I mixed that with the yogurt, which wasn't as runny as regular yogurt and this apricot jam type that was sat on top of it. It certainly was something different than what I had expected to eat. I then started to mix it all up and added the tomato (hint of sweetness) with the cucumber, yogurt, crispy shelled egg, and spoon sweet. It felt so healthy and worth my $9. I have never tried something like this before. It was a great mixture and felt like their passion was put into making it. Although I loved it, I do wish there was at least another egg on there and a couple more spoon sweets.

I also ordered Za'tayer bread which is a dried herb based bread topped off with olive oil, well-known within the middle eastern side of the world.

Next, I got the Morning Bun with an orange blossom glaze. It looked soft and moist and for $3.50, I might as well have tried it. It tasted like a crispy on the edges yet soft on the inside buttery croissant. The orange blossom glaze wasn't overpoweringly strong and with the base of this bun being neutral, it was a great combination. It's a go to for those who don't have a sweet tooth but yet want a hint of sweetness. 
For drinks, I went for a lemonade. Although it may seem basic, it wasn't. This was a lemonade made with orange blossom. It was sour, like lemonades should taste, but then had that soft orange blossom spark. Again, a wild combination that makes it unique and having you come back for more. The Orange Blossom Lemonade was $3 but because it didn't fail to satisfy me, it was worth it.

The inside was pretty and culturally appealing despite it being small. They had packaged sweets that they make right in the back everyday. They offer their homemade fruit preserves, imported olive oils, spices, nuts, cookbooks and many more items. Other than the size of the place and wishing it was more capacious, I loved everything I ordered today and hope to go back and try the other dishes as they have an array of options.

Sofra also offers classes with the chefs so check out their website for more information and the full menu!