Near Musty Antiques, SDT Is a Breath of Aromatic Air

The aroma of roasting exotic coffee, intermingled with the wafting smells of freshly baked muffins and breads, make going to the Sundried Tomato Cafe in Whittier a pleasurable experience. Plus, it’s next to King Richard’s antique mall.

After strolling amid the mall’s displays, many of which offer old, musty-smelling books, the scents of the cafe are truly a breath of refreshing, aromatic air.

Opened a year ago, the SDT Cafe is a collaboration of manager Rob Quest and chef Mark Jacobi. Jacobi began his career at age 15, when he was working as a chef’s aide (a.k.a. dishwasher) at a summer camp and the cook suddenly quit. Young Jacobi got the job.

For breakfast, the SDT offers eggs with a choice of bacon, chorizo or linguica, a Portuguese sausage heavy on garlic ($4.50). The breakfast menu also includes baked goods--orange-glazed cinnamon rolls with pine nuts or lemon poppy seed muffins ($1.50 each), for instance, and various hot and iced coffee drinks. On Sundays, an omelet is stuffed with poached salmon and topped with a dill cream sauce ($6.95).

At lunchtime a chicken breast sandwich with Brie cheese melted on a roll slathered with a sun-dried-tomato-enriched pesto is accompanied by rosemary-flecked roasted potatoes ($5.95). The vegetarian sandwich ($5.95) features red bell pepper, avocado, capers and Asiago, the Italian cow’s milk cheese with a rich, nutty flavor.

Angel hair pasta ($6.95) comes with sun-dried tomatoes and a rich Gorgonzola-Chardonnay cream sauce. The ziti ($5.95)--long, thin tubes of macaroni mixed with Roma tomatoes, garlic, capers, fresh basil and olive oil--is a lighter pasta dish by comparison.

The Sundried Tomato Cafe is at 12301 Whittier Blvd., Whittier. (310) 907-8061. Open Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.