Soup for Everyone at Mani's Bakery
By Eli Penberthy
Food Critic

Do you remember the Soup Nazi episode of "Seinfeld," about a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that makes such good soup that people line up for blocks just to get a taste? Once diners get inside and reach the counter, the rules for ordering must be precisely followed, or else they are denied their soup and must leave the restaurant immediately-with no chance of redemption. In the episode, George, of course, immediately breaks the rules by asking for bread. The infuriated Soup Nazi barks, "no soup for you!" and George is booted out of the restaurant, without a lunch and out of luck.

While perhaps Mani does not run as militant a restaurant regime as that of the Soup Nazi, his bakery has definitely developed a similar cult-like following of diners who can't get enough of the decadent pastries and are willing to do almost anything to get them. I know, because since I found Mani's Bakery two weeks ago, I've thought of little else. My friend and I talk about it everyday, discussing what we've already tried and plotting when to go next so we can try everything else. In the last three weeks, we've gone three times-so much that the clerks at the register immediately recognize us and pull out a pretty pink box, knowing well that we will not be buying only one dessert. Once you point out one chocolate truffle or another, the clerk swiftly wraps it and yells "next!" and you simply must keep ordering to comply with the strict orders of Los Angeles's own version of the Soup Nazi.

Although Mani's offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I have to admit that I've never made it past the shiny glass pastry case to try a meal. The menus are mostly in sync with the health-conscious ideology of the wheat-grass-sippers who seem to populate the place, offering tofu scramble and organic oatmeal in addition to traditional breakfast staples like eggs benedict, omelettes, and french toast. Lunch and dinner similarly mix vegetarian pizzas, soups, and salads with meat options like burgers, chicken and turkey sandwiches, and entrees like chicken cordon bleu and grilled salmon. The menu clearly lacks a focus, but they use such good ingredients and make everything from scratch, so I don't doubt the quality of anything the kitchen turns out.

What really draws everyone to Mani's, of course, are the desserts, which can only be described as decadent. What makes them so unique is not only that they are deliciously rich-which, in its own right, is reason enough to indulge-but that they are made with organic flour, natural sweeteners, and pure dark chocolate. Amazingly, many of the desserts are vegan. Mani has debunked the classic notion that dessert must be filled with butter, eggs, and sugar to be worthy, and has proved that baking can instead be just as delicious using simple substitutes such as grain- and fruit juice-sweetened chocolate ganache, which he uses in almost everything.

A word to the wise: get anything that is dipped in chocolate. I've tried the chocolate-dipped chocolate chip cookie, the chocolate-dipped almond shortbread, and the chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon. These cookies are all made without eggs or dairy, using organic whole wheat and unbleached flours, and sweetened with fruit juice and maple syrup. You would never guess-they are so rich you would expect them to be filled with fat. The "Almond Delight" is one of my favorite chocolate dips (although not the only-it would be impossible to decide.) Long and light, it is two soft, puffy almond cookies sandwiching a layer of chocolate and sprinkled with toasted almonds. As a final and necessary touch, the two ends are dipped in chocolate, binding the cookies and making them all the more wonderful.

Mani's also offers a world beyond the chocolate-dipped cookies, but it makes good use of chocolate as well. The brownies, for example, are studded with walnuts and are so dense and fudgey you would think each one is made with a stick of butter. The king of the chocolate desserts, however, confines itself neither to the mold of the conventional cookie cutter nor to the brownie pan. Instead, it is the boldly original "Chocolate Truffle Brick," a dessert that is so massive that it unquestionably lives up to its name. It is ridiculously rich and thick, like a moldable chocolate mousse: so perfect in its light yet solid texture and intense flavor that you can't imagine a more blissful experience.

For those of you who are skeptical of the breadth of innovation in modern health food, I urge you to go to Mani's. The sweets satisfy all of our fat-loving taste buds, but even in indulgence we are comforted that the ingredients are natural and mostly vegan. I warn you, however, that it is impossible to go to Mani's only once-the temptations of such brilliant decadences as the Almond Delight and the Chocolate Truffle Brick will beckon you back again and again. Luckily, it's just a short drive (and a long wait in line) away.

Mani's
519 S. Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles