ROFL Cafe Now Open With Menu by Govind Armstrong

By Lesley Balla

ROFL - Republic of Laughter, not roll on the floor laughing (that the name is kind of ridiculous) - opened this week in Govind Armstrong's former 8 oz./Table 8 space on Melrose. While he's not an owner or operator of this new venture, he is the consulting executive chef, with former Table 8er Jacob Wildman running the show day to day. The place sounds as wacky as the name, in the Cafe Gratitude vein: the food is inspired "by wisdom from the likes of Tony Robbins," the founder of laughter yoga, Madan Kataria, and Masaru Emoto, who believes human consciousness has an effect on on the molecular structure of water. In essence, "Californian cuisine."

Positive words abound (laughter, happiness, joy) on both the walls and in the naming of the menu items, a smattering of salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, Liege waffles for breakfast, and Armstrong's famous short rib grilled cheese sandwich. Oh, and there's no booze. For a behind-the-scenes look at pre-opening festivities and more on the restaurant, check out the Facebook page.

7661 Melrose Ave.; 323-951-1536