Ever ordered a crepe at the weekly farmers’ market on Library Walk? If you find yourself counting down the days until your next bite of a tender crepe slathered with Nutella, then you’re in luck. Harry Koolen, a native Belgian who faithfully serves his crepe creations on campus each week, recently opened Bibby’s Crepe Cafe. Don’t worry, his crepes may have attained restaurant status, but they’re still as fresh, fast and affordable as the farmers’ market fare.
Bibby’s serves crepes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. The breakfast crepes are like omelets tucked into svelte pancakes and complimented with a special sauce. If you don’t feel like crepes, you can also order Belgian waffles or build your own omelet sans sauce and crepe.
Lunch crepes span the gamut from the traditional French “La Complète,” with ham, Gruyere cheese, sauteed mushrooms, spinach and tomato, to the quintessential Californian (turkey, cheddar, jack, avocado, spinach, bacon, tomato). The tangy cream sauce layered between thin folds makes them melt in your mouth.
Dinner crepes are pricier than their lunch counterparts, but come with soup or salad and the ability to forever rid you of the idea that crepes are delicate meals for skinny French women. The crepe Del Mar, for example, overflows with chunks of salmon, shrimp and scallops swimming in a buttery garlic-wine sauce. You won’t leave hungry, but thanks to the generous medley of vegetables tucked in with the seafood, you won’t feel like a sack of bricks either. Save room for that beloved Nutella crepe, or one of Bibby’s sweet specials like the famous flaming Crepe Suzette (Grand-Marnier, vanilla ice cream) or the exotic St. Tropez (caramelized apricots deglazed in Cointreau, pistachio ice cream and vanilla custard). If you’re too full, you might have to settle for the truffle that’s been beckoning you from the case of imported Belgian chocolates next to the register.
Bibby’s Crepe Cafe
(858) 459-0558
723 Pearl St.
La Jolla, Ca 92037
