Hidden in a small strip mall off Lincoln in Anaheim is The Scratch Room, a newly opened casual breakfast and lunch spot serving up a wide varitey of comfort food options. If you are familiar with this area then you might have noticed that The Scratch Room actually took over the spot of the recently closed Peru Peru Grill.
From the outside, the restaurant didn’t catch my eye right away. The sign was a little difficult to read and I wouldn’t have noticed the place at all had I not know the address and location beforehand. But whenever I visit a new place I remember to tell myself, “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
When I walked inside the restaurant, I was immediately greeted by a welcoming and friendly hostess.
Just past the hostess stand was a large open dining room. For a moment, I forgot that I was inside a restaurant located in a strip mall in the middle of Anaheim. If you like privacy or booth style seats while eating, then you might want to find another restaurant.
For a Sunday morning, I was surprised to see the restaurant almost empty, but I realized that it takes time for new restaurants to gain a following. In time, this place should be packed at all hours on the weekends.
Since I never visited this location when Peru Peru Grill was here, I can’t comment about how the designed has changed. Though from the few photos I have seen, it appears that not much has changed with the decor and design from the past restaurant. Why fix something that isn’t broken?
The design of the interior was basic. Black ceilings, dark tile floors, black and white walls, and dark wooden tables and chairs. On one side of the restaurant was a faux brick wall. The other wall had a large mirror that made the dining room appear larger. Hanging on the walls were a few televisions playing whatever game was on at the time.
For such dark colors in the dining room, I was surprised how light and bright the interior was. In the morning, lots of natural light shined right in through large glass windows located at the front.
I was also a big fan of the classic rock songs playing lightly in the background.
The Scratch Room Menu
The menu at The Scratch Room was extensive and impressive.
On one side you had a good selection of breakfast items including eggs, waffles, French toast, omelettes, Mexican dishes, skillets, benedicts, and even breakfast burgers. On the flip side you had your lunch items such as sandwiches, burgers, salads, soups, tacos, and other entrees. With so many items on the menu, there was something for everyone, including even the pickiest of eaters.
I came for breakfast but still had a tough time deciding what to order. All the choices looked great. Each time the waitress came by to see if I was ready to order, I told her I needed a few more minutes to decide.
After much debate, I decided to order the Corned Beef Benedict and Fajita Skillet.
Corned Beef Benedict
When I noticed the Corned Beef Benedict ($9.99) came with not two, but three poached eggs, I knew I found a winner.
You better come hungry though.
Each order was served with a choice of potatoes or hash browns along with a choice of toast, biscuits and gravy, or a slice of scratch made bread. Just the corned beef and potatoes was too much for me to eat, let alone trying to eat two additional sides. The generous amount of food was a great value.
On top of the corned beef were three poached eggs topped with hollidanse sauce. The first thing that I noticed was that the eggs were quite small. I was glad that there were three eggs instead of two.
I always judge the quality of an eggs Benedict dish by how the eggs are cooked. A perfectly cooked poached egg should explode with golden yellow yolk when first cut into. When I cut into the first poached egg, it was over cooked. The second egg was slightly better while the third egg was almost right. The inconsistency of how the eggs were cooked was disappointing.
The hollandaise sauce had the perfect consistency without being oily. It wasn’t too thick or thin. It was well seasoned and buttery with a slight hint of lemon.
Underneath the poached eggs were cubes of freshly prepared corned beef. The corned beef was tender and had the right amount of seasoning and salt unlike the other stuff you might find in cans.
The other half of the plate was covered in a mound of potatoes packed with large pieces of roasted peppers and sautéed onions. I loved how the potatoes were shaved into thin pieces. This made sure that the potatoes were crispy on each side. Just the potatoes could have fed two people alone.
Fajita Skillet
Up next was the Fajita Skillet with chicken ($9.45). Each order was also served with a choice of two sides (potatoes or hash browns + toast, biscuit and gravy, or a slice of scratch made bread.
Those wanting to add a protein to their skillet have the option of adding either chicken (add $2.50) or steak (add $3.50).
This Mexican inspired skillet was made with three eggs (cooked anyway you want), peppers and onions with guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo on the side. I enjoyed how the pico de gallo was freshly made, but it could have been better with some chopped jalapeño or serrano peppers for a little extra kick.
Just as with the Corned Beef Benedict, the eggs were overcooked for my liking. I can understand poached eggs being overcooked, but you really have to mess up to overcook sunny side up eggs. The dish seemed to be slightly dry without luscious yolk flowing throughout the skillet.
Underneath the eggs was a generous amount of hash browns mixed with large pieces of roasted peppers, sautéed onions, and big strips of juicy chicken breast. They nailed the fajita aspect of the dish.
While the flavors and seasoning of the skillet were spot on, the hash browns could have been cooked a little longer. They tasted raw instead of crispy.
Service
From the moment I walked through the front door until I left, the service was fantastic.
The server was friendly and attentive and kept the refills of water and coffee flowing.
Though it wasn’t necessarily my servers fault, my only complaint with service was that the food took too long to arrive after ordering. If food takes at least 30 minutes to arrive on a slow day, how long will it take on a busy day>
Conclusion
I was disappointed with how long it took the food to arrive along with the eggs in both dishes being cooked inconsistently.
With that said, I still plan on returning to The Scratch Room. The menu just has too many interesting food items that I still want to try.
I believe any issues with service or inconsistencies with food will work themselves out naturally over the next few months as the restaurant grows, learns, and attracts more guests.
Pros
- Big portions
- Friendly service and attentive server
- Great value for money
Cons
- Food was slow to arrive after ordering
- Eggs in both dishes were not cooked consistently
- Only open until 2:00PM