A popular café in Sutton has won the prestigious Gold Seal after being named in the Good Food Awards list for the third year running.
LA Café, opposite Sutton station, first opened in May 2021, serving a mix of French and British cuisine.
Ankur Baria, who has been a chef for nearly 30 years, is the owner and chef at LA Café
The owner and chef at LA Café is Ankur Baria, who has been a chef for over 25 years, and said it was “amazing and very rare” to be named in the Good Food Awards for a third consecutive year.
Ankur told Your Local Guardian: “What’s unique about LA Café is that we produce most of the stuff in-house.
“Everything we do buy from outside is from the top of quality because we have connected with a market of people who understand quality.
“We don’t buy anything substandard or cheap.
“We make sure anything we buy outside, whether beef or tomatoes, is of the highest quality, sourced from the right places.”
LA Café has been named the Good Food Award 2024/25 winner and has therefore won the Gold Seal.
The Gold Seal is given to eateries who have demonstrated consistently high customer ratings and votes for over three years.
LA Café has received high customer ratings on both TripAdvisor and Google, having received a 5-star rating on Google and more than 1,000 individual 5-star reviews from customers.
The menu at LA Café features a continuously changing soup selection and specials that they “never repeat”.
Ankur shared that he likes to play around with his supplies as soon as they arrive, crafting unique daily specials that keep the menu exciting and fresh.
When it comes to the menu, Ankur said: “There’s always something unique, whether it be a main, drink or a dessert.
“There’s something new on the menu every day.”
“We like to follow the basics, and we like to do everything in the best, authentic way possible.”
Everything at LA Café is homemade, and Ankur said, “Everything on the menu is made here; we make our croissants, we make our pastry, and we make our dessert.”
LA Café has already won numerous awards since its opening in 2021.
These include the Good Food Awards 2023 and 2024, Time and Leisure Food and Culture Awards 2024, Restaurant Guru’s Recommended Café, and Best Coffeehouse in Carshalton.
Ankur said the lack of compromise is the thing he most enjoys about running the LA Café.
He said: “I love customers and customers love us as well.
“We can give them the best of food in the best possible way to the best of our knowledge, and there’s no room to compromise anywhere.
“That is what I enjoy the most.”
Ankur spoke about the loyal following LA Café has, which he cited was because everything on the menu appeals to everyone and anyone.
People “near and far” visit LA Café and he said “We have loyal customers who come into LA Café every single day.
“Some get the same thing all the time, whereas others try something new daily.
“We even have people travel from outside of London to visit us”
The Good Food Awards website states: “Our Good Food Awards recognise the hard-working teams who strive for excellence within their field.
“Chosen for their food quality, service and value, our highly revered Gold Seal, is bestowed upon those achieving consistently high customer ratings/votes over three years, making our Gold Seal a marque of distinction.”
LA Cafe is open between 6.30am and 4pm on weekdays, and 8am to 4pm on Saturdays.
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