On Food: A new Asian Mexican fusion cafe in Anaheim where the breakfast is ‘Lit’

There’s a new brunch and breakfast spot in Anaheim Hills that’s serving Mexican and Asian fusion fare alongside fresh pastries.

Lit Cafe is owned by husband-and-wife duo David Fujimura and Erica Tjangnaka. Both are Le Cordon Bleu graduates (that’s where they met), and their nearly 2,200-square-foot cafe opened in July.

Fujimura, who grew up in Walnut, has worked at Marché Moderne, Charlie Palmer, Andrei’s and Cafe Hiro. He says the name Lit Cafe was inspired by his partying days a young man. (A lively party would be called “lit.”)

Tjangnaka, who was born in Indonesia and got an accounting degree at Cal State Fullerton before switching gears to the culinary world, does the pastries — a responsibility that has her starting work around 4:30 a.m.

Like her husband, her resume also includes stints at Marché Moderne and Charlie Palmer, and she also worked at the St. Regis Monarch Beach and taught pastry classes in O.C.

Lit Cafe’s Lit loco dish is on their “Out of the Ordinary” menu.

(Kevin Chang/Times OC)

During my visit, I particularly liked one of the “Out of the Ordinary” menu items: the Lit Loco, a Japanese-style hamburger steak with potato salad, house-made pickles, teriyaki jus, gravy, sunny-side up egg and Japanese grain rice.

Another stellar creation came from its breakfast line: the chilaquiles, made with salsa verde de jairo, mozzarella, cotija cheese, corn tortilla chips, grilled applewood smoked bacon, a sunny-side up egg, sour cream and cilantro cabbage slaw.

Aside from these, you’ll find breakfast burritos, a Nuremberg house-made pretzel (available during Saturday brunch) and sandwiches (namely the “Tori,” a Philly cheese steak sandwich that comes with chipotle aioli).

The Philly cheese “Tori” at Lit Cafe in Anaheim is made with sliced confit chicken breast, smoked mozzarella, caramelized onion, sautéed mushrooms, and chipotle aioli sauce on a hoagie bun.

(Kevin Chang / Staff Photographer)

In the day’s fresh pastry display, you’ll find almond croissants, butter croissants and apple brioches.

“I like the challenge,” Tjangnaka said of the pastry trade, adding, with a smile. “And I like pretty things.”

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