Chocolate Baklava and More at Sofra

posted on July 3, 2011 by Bianca Garcia

As soon as I learned that Sofra serves chocolate baklava, I knew I had to try it.

I became a little obsessed with it. I would check the Sofra counter immediately as soon as I get there to see if they had chocolate baklava for the day, but the last time I was there, they were out. I would visit the Sofra stand at my farmers market, hoping they might sell some fresh baklava, but they never do. I even asked about it at Oleana (same chef and owner as Sofra) during my first dinner there, but it wasn’t part of their luscious dessert menu that night.

But last week, finally, I was able to try the chocolate baklava at Sofra.

and it was so worth the wait

Rich, dense, and intensely sweet, with buttery phyllo layers, dark chocolate flavors, crunchy and chewy hazelnuts, and cocoa honey. I loved every sticky, gooey bite.

there is a lot more than chocolate baklava though

Sofra is a Middle Eastern bakery and cafe in Cambridge that serves modern cuisine influenced by Turkey, Lebanon and Greece. Headed by chef/owner Ana Sortun, Sofra is also a retail shop that entices customers with spiced nuts, crackers, bread, cookies, specialty sweets, and other prepared foods.

it's in a small space, which lends to the cozy vibe

there is always a beautiful display of baked goods at the counter

which makes it hard to decide what else you want to order

there are just too many exotic treats you want to try

you'll just have to come back some other time for the other goodies

and to shop for other items

after you place your order, you can relax at one of the benches

there are a lot of cute little nooks to choose from

I wanted to eat the chocolate baklava for lunch but I decided to be an adult and get a real lunch, especially since Sofra had a tempting mezze bar and plenty of small plates.

vegetarian options abound

I went with the avocado hummus

and the cheese borek

which has layers of pastry and fresh mozzarella cheese

with a spread of labne (strained yogurt) underneath

there is also flavored iced tea - this was the Red Dragon Green Tea (mix of sour cherry juice and green tea)

Sofra masters the great play between texture and flavors. I will describe the food as bright: bright colors, bright flavors. I had a lovely lunch at Sofra, and will certainly be back to try more items from the menu and the counter.