Modeled after a Korean café, da Bhang serves traditional coffee drinks with Korean fare like bingsoo, fage yogurt, and bimbimbop. Their Belgian waffles are made with Verona chocolate, pecans, or vanilla cooked into the batter. Fruit smoothies, salads, and in-house pastries line the front counter. Da Bhang’s menu is mostly organic, and all of the food is prepared in-house.

As my friends and I approached the counter, I asked Erik, the general manager for a recommendation. He suggested that I order the bimbimbop, a dish prepared over a bed of mixed greens, with rice, shaved beets and carrots on top, with a slight sprinkling of caviar, topped off with a spicy aioli. Seduced by the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans, I ordered an iced-latte and my friends and I decided to share a salad and an assortment of desserts.

After ordering, we gathered around a large table and waited for our meal. Jackie and Heajin were sipping pomegranate Italian sodas, which were light, fizzy, and infused with a true pomegranate flavor. Solbong drank a strawberry-blueberry smoothie, which had a tart yogurt taste and was balanced by the sweetness of the strawberries. My latte was strong and had a rich and smoky taste. So far, a good start.

As I looked around me, I took in the space. Ambient instrumental music played and bamboo paper lined the walls. Black and white photographs were carefully placed above the grey, cushy banquet seating. The smell of freshly baked waffles, house brewed coffee and espresso filled the air. I saw customers reading books, laughing with friends, and working on laptops. Everyone seemed comfortable. No one typed at a frenzied pace on their keyboards or yapped on their cell-phones. Customers came to da Bhang to chill out, slow down, and kick back.

Our food arrived as one huge spread. Erik served us the spring salad with mixed greens, balsamic vinaigrette, pickled ginseng, and avocados, bimbimbop, two deluxe waffles, frozen yogurt, and four different kinds of bingsoo. Bingsoo is a Korean dessert served with shaved ice flavored by different syrups, topped with sweet red beans, and ice cream. We tried the green tea, red-bean, coffee, and fruit bingsoo.

Where to begin with so much food? I mixed the bimbimbop together and enjoyed the spiciness against the crisp clean flavors of the vegetables. Jackie liked the spring salad, and thought it tasted light and summery. Having had enough of our savory treats, I took a huge bite out of the deluxe pecan waffle. It came with pecans, roasted almonds, caramel, vanilla ice cream, and house Chantilly. The waffle was soft, sweet, and had a touch of cinnamon flavor that complemented the nuts nicely. Next, I dug into the chocolate deluxe waffle. The waffle was drizzled with hot fudge, mixed berries, powdered sugar, and vanilla ice cream. The waffle was soft and flakey, with rich dark chocolate. After finishing the waffles, I got ready for my first bingsoo.

I tried the red bean bingsoo first. It had sweetened rice cakes, whip-cream, and watermelon served on top of the red bean shaved ice. There was so much to experience in the first bite. The rice cakes had a soft gummy texture, the watermelon was perfectly ripe and the flavor brightened with each bite of the red beans and shaved ice. It was a complex and delicious dish. Next, I tried the fruit bingsoo, fruit salad served over fruity shaved ice. The fresh fruit against the frozen ice was the perfect match for a hot summer day. Finally, I tried the coffee bingsoo and the green tea bingsoo, both using the smoky taste of coffee or tea to contrast the earthiness of the red beans.

Before I rolled out of my seat, I tried the frozen yogurt. Da Bhang serves non-fat frozen yogurt with your choice of toppings. We ordered one with melon, pineapple, and mixed berries, and another with white chocolate, dark chocolate, and almonds. The frozen yogurt was tart, icy, and smooth. While it wasn’t as creamy as other frozen yogurts I’ve tried, it was lighter, fluffier, and left me wanting more. The richness of the chocolate contrasted nicely with the crisp taste of the yogurt, and the fruits softened the tart yogurt flavor.

Da Bhang mixes traditional Korean dishes with American staples. The entrees are simple and clean, the desserts are thoughtful and complex, and the drinks are inventive, classic, and strong. All of this is wrapped in a warm and welcoming setting. As I walked out of the café, I wished that all cafés had this much heart.