Two sisters have taken over the old Songbyrd café space in Adams Morgan and transformed it into D Light, a European-inspired café-bakery-lounge, which opened at the end of October. Owners Vira Derun and Anastasiia Derun, both immigrants from Ukraine, gave the storefront a complete makeover, so it now boasts an all-white aesthetic. Tables dot the cozy room for those who want to linger, while there’s a small counter and pastry case in the back for the grab and go crowd. The sisters chose the name because, “We wanted something that was light and bright,” says Vira.
Anastasiia, 30, has worked in the hospitality industry for over a decade, and attended hospitality school in Switzerland, while Vira studies business administration at American University. “She wanted to start something by herself so she could work for herself, but she didn’t have the courage to start it by herself,” says Vira, 21. “As she says all the time, she waited for me to grow up.”
The sisters handle the business and running the front of the house. Neither one cooks – a chef, pastry chef, and baker handle the kitchen.
Served from open until close, the brunch menu features a broad array of dishes. There are toasts topped with eggs as you like them and your choice of a protein, including gravlax and halloumi cheese; a selection of avocado toasts; pancakes and waffles; shakshuka; and a couple of Benedicts. Three warm cereals – listed under ‘kasha,’ the Eastern European term for a cooked grain dish – are available, including savory oatmeal gussied up with salmon, mushrooms, and a poached egg. In a nod to the sisters’ homeland, there are syrnyky (cottage cheese pancakes) with a choice of preparations: with gravlax and mushroom gravy, sour cream and matcha custard, or caramel and roasted hazelnuts.
The pastry case brims with breakfast options and anytime treats. A meringue roll stuffed with pistachio cream is the café’s best-seller, followed closely by a custard-packed Danish crowned with a blackberry and a sprig of sugared rosemary. Other options include several croissant varieties, lime cake, lemon meringue tart, and chocolate cherry pistachio kolbasa (a sweet ‘salami’ made by compressing the ingredients into a sausage shape). Call 48 hours in advance if you’re interested in a loaf of the house-made breads, including pumpernickel, multi-grain, whole wheat with dried fruits and nuts, and shokupan, a fluffy Japanese milk bread.
There are the usual suspects on the coffee menu, but the house specialties coffees go farther afield. The Pink Dreams latte is infused with strawberries and other berries to create its rosy color and add sweetness. Matcha takes on a blue hue thanks to the addition of butterfly pea flower tea. Based on a drink invented in Russia in the late 1990s, the latte-like Nutty Raf is made with steamed half ‘n’ half, a double shot of espresso, and hazelnut syrup. And then there’s the Capuorange, a double shot of espresso mixed with orange juice. “It sounds strange,” admits Vira, who says the unusual wake-up concoction has earned a dedicated following.
The lunch crowd has the option of soups, salads, and sandwiches, as do lounge goers in the evening. “We didn’t plan on doing a lounge, but since we’re in Adams Morgan it would be insane to not do it,” says Vira.
Every Friday night at 7 p.m. the café screens a movie and serves unconventional hot dogs, including one inspired by a B.L.T. and the New Yorker with confit onions and mozzarella cheese.
Opening D Light was challenging for the sisters, who, like many restaurant owners, struggled to find staff this year. “But the hardest part was the emotional part,” says Vira. “I’m not mature in ruling my emotions when things go wrong, and everything goes wrong when you open a business. I struggled a lot. But in this business, you have to be ready for anything and always do your best.”
D Light Café & Bakery is located at 2475 18th St NW. Open Tuesday-Thursday 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday-Sunday 8 a.m.-12 a.m.
