Mani’s Bakery Cafe on Fairfax, which has been in business for over 20 years, is one of those places that people seem to either love or hate. I haven’t come across anyone who’s neutral about it. Me? I’ve got my foot firmly on the LOVE side, which is why I was sad to learn that Mani’s is having a hard time staying in business during this lameass economic meltdown.

Back in January the founder of Mani’s posted on their blog in regards to being in dire straights, basically putting out a plea for help in the form of business and feedback. The story was picked up by Quarrygirl who wrote a great review and helped get the word out that Mani’s is in urgent need of support. The story was also picked up by Eater L.A. where a bit of a backlash started to go down in the comments, a.k.a, those with their feet firmly on the HATE side. Poor dear Mani’s basically got shredded by Eater L.A.’s commentors… so much so that Mani’s then in turn responded to this back on their own blog. Wow… such drama!

While it’s always helpful to take into account the feedback that’s out there whether it be from online reviews or word of mouth, ultimately you won’t know if you like a place unless you try it for yourself. One mans trash is another mans treasure, and vice versa. While I don’t doubt that there is some truth to the negative stuff floating around out there, I for one have only had great experiences each time I’ve been to Mani’s, including great food (it’s more than a bakery, it’s also a full service, vegan-friendly restaurant) and a nice staff. If you were to avoid Mani’s soley because of the gangbang they just received on Eater L.A., you’d be sorely missing out on what for many has become an established local favorite. It’s an awesome place worth saving… just look at some of this excellent food:

Let’s start at the most logical beginning: breakfast. This is the Breakfast Wrap: “The whole enchilada’s wrapped up for your morning meal. Black beans, guacamole, spinach, mushrooms, garlic, cilantro, and your choice of turkey ham & scrambled eggs or vegan tofu scramble in a whole wheat tortilla. Served with our Ranchero Sauce and Pico de Gallo.”

I got it with the tofu scramble, natch, and their scrumptious rosemary roasted potatoes… the burrito was huge and delicious all around.

The cool thing about Mani’s is that they have so many options, no matter what you do or don’t eat. The menu is the size of book and there are so many tempting things to choose from, with almost all of them being veganizable. Yeah, it’s a word. They offer great protein options like braised tempeh, marinated tofu, and my favorite, a delicious breaded seitan.

This yummilicious sandwich is known as The Classic: “Like a timeless old Hollywood standard. Lettuce, tomato, and our special-recipe Tangy Sauce atop your selection of chicken or seitan with bacon. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” I’d have to agree with that. And don’t fret, the bacon on my here sandwich was 100% vegan, made of tempeh. Aw yeah.

So close you can almost taste it.

I don’t know how they get that awesome texture and crunch on the seitan, but I’m hooked. Tell them you’re vegan and they’ll make sure your special sauce is too.

This one’s my favorite and one of the most unique vegan goodies they have at Mani’s, the Vegan Black Bean & Plantain Quesadilla: “Our homemade Black Bean Hummus, black beans, plantains and vegan soy cheddar are delectable and healthful. Coveted by non-vegans too!“. I believe that. They use Follow Your Heart cheese which I know some like and some don’t, but whatever, it’s a freakin’ vegan quesadilla with plaintains in it… where else are you going to get that? Nowhere, that’s where.

Ok I realize this picture borders on being awful but it was the best shot of my quesadilla’s innards that I was able to get for you. What you’re looking at there is a big ol’ chunk of grilled plantain in the middle with all it’s accompanying black bean goodness and expertly melted pretend cheese. It came with a nice & hot pico de gallo which I supplemented with tabasco for even more delicious heat. Loved it.

Then you’ve got what Mani’s is best known for, their baked goods. In their own words:

“…cakes, cookies, pastries and breads, baked from high quality, natural, less-refined ingredients… organic flour in all of our baking, a choice of sweeteners, including fruit juice reduction, granulated maple syrup, organic cane sugar, agave syrup and more. All of these ingredients let Mäni’s serve up an array of tempting baked goods that are not overly processed. They bring out the product’s true taste like our real chocolate sweetened with barley malt. The results are delicious, healthier versions of traditional foods for the health conscious connoisseur… We are also pleased to say we use no hydrogenated fats in our freshly baked products, and in most cases replace them with organic alternatives.”

They usually have a number of tasty options for both vegan and gluten-free eaters. Pictured above are one of their most popular treats, the Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Bites: “We use only the finest ingredients in our signature cookies: imported gourmet chocolates, barley malt sweetened chocolate chips, organic whole wheat pastry flour, and our famous fruit juice reduction.”

These are so good, once you’ve tried them you’ll understand why you need to order at least three at a time. They’re not super sweet but the peanut butter and chocolate do this perfect little dance that’s irresistible. The sad news is that Mani’s has temporarily stopped serving these:

“Many have been commenting on the missing peanut butter bites. After the Salmonella scare from the peanut processing plant in Atlanta last month, the country’s supply of peanut butter, especially for commercial use has all but vanished. Our supplier has estimated we should begin receiving product again within a week or so.”

Hopefully this peanut nonsense will be under control soon so we can all get back to uninterrupted peanut eating. That is, unless you are allergic, in which case you should remain calm and quickly step away from that last paragraph.

Continuing the parade of dessert love, here’s the Carrot Raisin Cupcake “A miniature version of our Carrot Raisin Cake frosted with soy cream cheese frosting.” Which takes us over to the description of the cake: “Moist, sweet carrot cake speckled with plump raisins and flavored with cinnamon and orange zest. Filled and frosted with tangy vanilla cream cheese frosting and dusted with toasted almond meal. Fruit juice reduction.”

Again, it’s not super sweet, especially if you’re someone who eats a lot of highly sugared or processed food. For those who appreciate the finer and more subtle pleasures of healthy and pure food, this cupcake just made your day. Most of the sweetness came from the raisins while the cream cheese frosting cut through with a nice sour note. It was moist and dense at the same time, both wholesome and full of flava.

Pictured up at the very top of this post what you saw covered in sunflower seeds is the Morning Glory Muffin: Whole wheat, fruit juice sweetened, vegan, and surprisingly tastier and moister than I expected it to be from just looking at it.

So there you have it, I’m a fan of Mani’s and I think that if you dig healthy food and find any of the items above appetizing, you’re bound to love this place too, even if you’re not a vegetarian (they’ve got all the meaty and cheesy bits you could possibly want). I’m not trying to paint a perfect picture of something that isn’t perfect. Mani’s has some obstacles to overcome and some improvements to be made for sure, but it would be great to see them stay open long enough to make those changes. The folks running Mani’s seem to be very passionate about keeping their restaurant alive and have made it clear to both their supporters and detractors that they’re listening to all the feedback. Give Mani’s a try if you’ve never been or if you have but not for a while, go pay ‘em a visit… it’s now or never!

www.manisbakery.com