mmm-yoso!!!

Saturday Stuffs - Phuong Nga Opening a Second Location, Inka'fe Replacing Humble Bean, and by Request, More JJ Photos

Just couple of things for this Saturday.

Phuong Nga Opening a Second Location: 

In the comments section of my latest post on Mien Trung, "FOY" Elle, who always has the "scoops" on City Heights and Mira Mesa mentioned Phuong Nga was possibly opening another location near World Foods where Tan Ky Mi Gia used to be. It just so happens that a couple of days later, the Missus was craving the Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga (you can read that post here).

So, I decided to head into the parking lot at 5237 El Cajon Boulevard and wouldn't you know it.....the sign reads:

So, when I had a moment when picking up my noodle soup from Phuong Nga I asked the young lady working. She confirmed that this will be a second location because "business has been very good". So they are not moving. There was a line forming so I didn't ask any other questions. Good to see that their business is doing well!

5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Thanks as always for the info Elle!

Inka'fe Replacing Humble Bean:

I took JJ for his first grooming appointment. We decided to try a place fairly close by. Since this was his maiden voyage, I decided to get a bite to eat and also take a walk. I was surprise to see that the Humble Bean, which I've bean been to is being replaced by something named Inka'fe?

With a name like that I'm assuming it'll be Peruvian Coffee? It's interesting because the drive thru Gold Soul Coffee is nearby and right down the street is the now crazy busy Superbloom.

2615 Denver St.
San Diego, CA 92110

I did note that Google said the place was open, but it definitely wasn't on this day.

As for JJ, what do you think about his haircut?

Which leads me to....

By Request:

In the comments section of my post on Bica, "FOY" Junichi requested some photos of JJ, so here you go....

Been taking JJ exploring a bit, you might recognize these places.

JJ would like to thank his "Uncle Junichi" for the attention!

Bica

Recently, the Missus mentioned a place in Normal Heights that was pet friendly and supposedly made good coffee, named Bica. JJ enjoys riding in the car; but gets major FOMO. He does enjoy the walks, so recently I headed on up to Normal Heights and easily found street parking a couple blocks away from Bica, which is basically across the street from White Rice Bodega.

Indoors there's a counter for ordering; the Barista working there on both visits was very friendly.

Prices aren't too bad either.

There's a small menu of "tartines" - open face toasts and sandwiches. It was different on both visits.

I went and ordered a Cold Brew and Mushroom Tartine ($12), paid and walked over to the patio area.

While the furnishings in the patio area were pretty packed in; it was not fully occupied and was quite nice and relaxing. 

The place just gave off a nice vibe and JJ did well, just hanging while I enjoyed my Cold Brew, which tasted lighter, but had a nice caffeine "kick".

As for my Tartine; well, it looked lovely.

Loved the bread. Wish there was more mushroom...more savory-earthiness would have been appreciated. A bit too much stracciatella cheese. A bit too much sour-acidity, but overall a decent breakfast.

JJ enjoyed his pre and post breakfast walk as well.

A few weeks later, the Missus decided to join us on another visit to Bica.

I told the Missus to just order me a Cold Brew and order a sandwich for us to split. JJ and I then just headed over to the patio.

The Missus had gotten Herself a Cortado which She loved.

As for the sandwich; well, I was surprised that She ordered a Cubano ($17)!

Once again, we loved the bread, which was perfectly toasted, crusty and crisp, sturdy enough to hold up thru our entire meal.

The pork was tasty, as were all the individual parts. Though when taken as a whole, there was a bit too much pork in this for us. Of course, I'm sure all the swine lovers must love this. For us, proportion matters and more acidity and pungency would helped to balance things out.

The Missus loved the pickled veggies.

We again enjoyed the vibe and walked JJ all the way to Kensington. Funny how people react differently when you have a pup in tow. Folks were wishing us a "good morning", several women stopped to pet JJ....and being the little ham that he is, we would roll on his back to get his tummy rubbed! 

Overall, we enjoyed Bica. Heck, if they were in our 'hood we'd be regulars. Plus, the Missus enjoyed Her Cortado and we actually returned just for that a week later.

I also noticed another place during our time in the neighborhood that we'd end up visiting and enjoying as well!

Stay tuned!

Bica
3569 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Daily 630am - 4pm

Milan - Duomo di Milano Rooftop, Lunch from Rossi & Grassi Srl, and Starbucks Reserve Roastery Milano

The day before we headed to Liguria was going to be our busiest in Milan. We had activities scheduled for both the morning and afternoon. Like basically two of the major sites.

We headed out to the first. I had gotten Fast Track Tickets for the Duomo di Milano, which included access to the Terrace, i.e. the rooftop of the Cathedral. I really wanted to check that out after seeing it on an episode Stanley Tucci's Searching for Italy where he visits Lombardy (I hope his new upcoming shows do well). I thought both the architecture and the view was fantastic.

Our assigned time was 10am, so we headed out a bit early. We were way ahead of schedule when we reached bustling Piazza Cordusio. Among all the financial businesses and high end shops we noticed a location of Starbucks Reserve Roastery. Though we're not big fans of Starbucks, we had been to Seattle location of the Reserve Roastery, so we were interested in taking a look.

As one would assume for Milan....this location was pretty fancy.

   The line for coffee was crazy; so the Missus got some tea which She rather enjoyed and I had some sparkling water.

It was an interesting place to visit. There are currently six Starbucks Reserve Roasteries around the world. If you'd like to see what the Tokyo location looks like, you can check out Kat's post here.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery
Piazza Cordusio 3
20123 Milan, Italy

It had started drizzling and things seemed a bit "wet" when we got to Piazza del Duomo.

But heck, we weren't going to let a little drizzle stop us. We were zipped up by the elevators to the "terraces". To a world of spires, statues, and gargoyles.

We were told that many of the statues were carved as a gift to God and were only seen by the workers who climbed the stairs for hundreds of years. Now an elevator can whisk you up in minutes.

It's as if you've entered another world. The amount of work is stunning. No wonder it took almost six centuries to complete.

The view, even on a drizzly day was wonderful as well.

If you ever have the chance to visit the Duomo, we highly recommend doing the rooftop!

Once back down on earth, we entered the cathedral. There's so much to see....I'm just going to post on a couple of tihngs that really caught our attention.

The nave of the Cathedral is impressive, at a height of over 200 feet and stretching over 500 feet long!

There was an "interesting" statue of Saint Bartolomeo, one of the 12 apostles. Check it out.

Bartholomew was famously martyred; skinned alive and beheaded by the Romans.

We also went to the basement of the Duomo, which was quite interesting. The highlight were the ruins of the Baptistery of San Giovanni alle Fonti.

The Baptistry was constructed in 378 AD and is where Saint Ambrose (who became the Bishop at the Duomo) was baptized.

There are different foundations of churches that stood here before the Duomo. Many artifacts, even some tombs.

Yes, there's much to see here. Especially if you go from "top to bottom".

I had thought 2 to 2 1/2 hours would be enough, but it wasn't. We needed to get some lunch and a take a break before heading to our afternoon "appointment". So, we took our leave. We'll be sure to return someday.

As for lunch. Well, we headed back to the apartment. Because we had a nice sized kitchen we were using it for breakfasts and such. We passed this shop on Via Ponte Vetero and walked on in.

The place had a good selection of prepared foods, salumi, and stuff. Though it was kind of pricy. Still, I couldn't resist the Porcini mushrooms, which heated up well! 

Earthy, nutty, slightly sweet, in need of salt, but there was some in the cabinet.

I also wanted to try the Cima alla Genovese; which had everything from offal to boiled eggs to pistachios in it.

It's basically stuffed veal belly. Boy, this was potent! But quite filling!

Luckily we had some bread leftover from breakfast.

Yes, this place was quite expensive for a deli; in fact, this cost more than the dinner we had in a restaurant on this day! Still, it was great to be able to try this!

Rossi & Grassi Srl
Via Ponte Vetero 4
Milan, Italy

It was time for a nap; then we needed to head on out to our next "tour"!

Stay tuned!

S3 Coffee Bar

Well, it as that time again. Time to take my car in for servicing. Once I dropped off my car, it was time to get my caffeine fix and get something light for breakfast. I had thoughts of returning to Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab, but decided to get something more than a croissant on this morning. I decided to head further up Mission Gorge to a place I'd heard of named S3 Coffee Bar. I thought a nice little stroll would do me some good as well.

Walking up to the place, I tried to recall what it was before? I seem to remember something with a drive-thru? Perhaps Cathy will remember?

The space is pretty large, with ample outdoor seating.

Along with a very bright, modern interior that seems to have every newish-hipster design trend, from the artwork-lighted sayings, to the skylight, to the plant wall, and the pink touches. I've started calling this "Pink-ster" design.

The gal at the counter was very friendly. As is the norm in many places these days, once you pay, you get one of those buzzer things. Once it goes off, you pick your order up at one of the "cubbyholes".

I had ordered a Cold Brew, which seemed to be priced right at $5.50 for a fairly large 16 ounces.

Pleasantly strong, not overly bitter, with just enough simple syrup, this did the trick.

I also got the Avocado Toast ($9.50), which looked quite pretty.

 I enjoyed the mashed avocado which added a nice creaminess to the toast. The Balsamic seemed to take it a bit over the edge with regards to sweetness; though I'm thinking some folks would love that. Not enough micro greens to make a difference. The Mozzarella added some milky-sour tones, but I rearranged them to try to get one in every bite.

The one thing that I really didn't care for was that the bread wasn't toasted enough. It just got soggy and I had the somewhat humorous thought that perhaps since I was obviously the oldest person in the place, the sagging was a tribute to me? Let's not even go into me losing my (cheese) balls, rolling off the bread as it sagged as well. 

Enough of that silliness. Nice folks, very bright and airy...modern interior. I thought the cold brew was pretty good. I do wish that there were more options for savory items.

S3 Coffee Bar
6225 Mission Gorge Rd.
San Diego, CA 92120

On a more interesting note. I noticed quite a bit of construction and empty lots/businesses on my walk back to the shop.

The one that really caught my attention was what used to be 6171 Mission Gorge Road.

This place had a bunch of eateries. I recall an Indian Restaurant, a Japanese/Sushi place, Cathy posted on Donut Panic (one of the best names ever!) and A Brooklyn Pizzeria among others that have resided in that strip mall.

I see that the Taco Shops and Iowa Meat Farms look like they're doing good business and the folks from now defunct Salud have taken over the original location of Tio Leo's. So, it looks like new development like the Vora Lux Apartments, which is where Suppa Cuppa is located is taking over? It'll be interesting to see what this part of Mission Gorge looks like five years from now.

Honolulu - Lunch at SXY Szechuan and the Honolulu Coffee Experience Center

After an evening of revisits, we awoke the next morning with...well, no major plans other than doing a bunch of shopping. We had reservations for dinner and needed to get the usual...you know Lupicia, Hawaii Cookie Company, a couple of stuffs we needed for this trip, etc. We had thought of driving to a couple of places but ended up not using the car at all during our stay at the Ala Moana Hotel! We just had fun walking around.

We started off needing some caffeine to start the day. There are a couple of places really close, but instead, I wanted to walk the couple of blocks over to the corner of Kapiolani and Kalakaua. This is where the  "main" location of Honolulu Coffee, which I used to have when my office was located in downtown. I hadn't had their coffee in ages and I guess now they are a major chain!

Another reason I wanted to visit was that old timers like me will remember when this was the location of Coco's Coffee House (before that it was Kau Kau Corner - but I'm not that old!), which closed and was replaced by the Hard Rock Cafe in 1987.

So, that's what it kinda looks like now. We crossed on over and walked on in.

It's a pretty nice space. It's in a circular design, with a coffee roasting machine at the center.

At the front is where you place your order. The folks working are really friendly.

The Missus ordered a Peaberry Pour Over, I got a Cold Brew, and was a bit hungry, but didn't want anything too sweet. The young man recommended the Elote Scone, toasted, with a friendly warning of "it might be too salty, though." The drill goes this way, all basic coffee drinks and pastries are served at the counter. They call your name and you pick up your order. Cold Brew is specially made at this counter in the back by the area you can buy coffee beans.

You are given a number and they'll deliver the pour over to your table.

Also, all the pastries for the chain in HNL are made here.

Of course my order was ready first.

   The Cold Brew was ok, on the milder side. The scone was pretty good, not overly dense, nice chunks of corn, and not too sweet. I did not find it to be overly salty. Quite filling to be sure.

The Missus's pour over was delivered on a tray with two cups on the side.

The Missus said it seem to lack "character", She is also more into natural processed African beans and this was washed process and fairly mild.

Still, we liked the "vibe" of the place; think of it as a local version of a Starbucks Reserve Roastery.

Honolulu Coffee Experience Center
1800 Kalakaua Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96815

After our coffee we headed up Kalakaua. I showed the Missus where we lived for a short time. It was a cheap apartment, I had to support my Mom by those days. It cracks me up that it is now a parking lot....probably makes more money than the apartment did?

I then took the Missus to Don Quijote because most other places weren't open yet. Of course, you might remember it as Holiday Mart and then Daiei? Mega chain "Donki" owns many markets you might know, like Marukai, Times, Big Save, and even Gelson's. Anyway, this location of Don Quijote is open 24 hours It's huge; think of it like a huge Asian Grocery combined with Daiso on steroids. It kept the Missus busy for over an hour!

At which time we could head to Ala Moana to do our shopping. By the time we were done we decided to drop off our bags to our room and get some lunch. It was quite hot and we wanted to walk to lunch. I mentioned a place I'd read about on Kathy's wonderful Onolicious Hawaii, with the interesting name of SXY Szechuan. It's got an interesting location facing the parking lot on the second floor of the Kona Street side of Ala Moana, right where the ramp comes up from Piikoi. San Diego has been quite the wasteland for Sichuan in recent years and some Liang Cai and a veggie sounded good.

It was just after opening time for lunch; 11am and we were the first customers served.

The place isn't very big, though it also wasn't too busy on this day. There was only one other party eating during our entire meal.

We ordered two liang cai and some ong choy.

First up was the veggie. Man, this was so tender!

Even the stems! Great garlic tones; just enough salt and pepper, the Missus loved it.

We also got the Fuqi Fei Pian a favorite of hours. 

This had a lot more slices of beef than tripe; but the tripe was so tender as was the beef, which in this case seemed to be brisket. The seasoning had decent spice, good ma-la (numbing hot) with a balance of sweet and sour flavors. It wasn't overly salty and could have perhaps used more garlicky-pungent tones, but this was pretty good overall.

The last item was something I saw on Kathy's post on SXY; the Pork Belly with Garlic.

   Slices of pork belly wrapped around cucumber; looking at it, we were reminded of what we'd had Mountain House. There was a good amount of garlic, but the pork belly was too thick which really made it gummier than we like. While the cucumber did add a nice palate cleansing refreshing note, the overall flavor seemed a bit off balance. It needed more spicy, sweet, and savory. Funny thing, we dumped all the drippings from the Fuqi Fei Pian on the remainder of this dish and we enjoyed it much more. Still, the version at Mountain House is a step above this. Though, we did enjoy our meal. If we weren't staying in a hotel and unafraid to have leftovers, we definitely would have ordered more.

Still, this was a nice meal, the spice really had an almost cooling effect on us as we walked back to our room.

SXY Szechuan (Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814

We decided to have nice nap in air-conditioned comfort, then do a bit more shopping before heading off to dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!

The Croissant Files - Bonjour Patisserie and Cafe de l'Opera

Here are a couple of more croissant visits.

Bonjour Patisserie:

I had read that one of the pastry booths in the Little Italy Mercato had opened a brick and mortar shop on Cedar street. I had tried the croissants from Bonjour Patisserie's stand at the farmer's markets and wasn't very impressed, but since the Missus wanted to try the Spiral Croissant to compare against the version Desserts by Clement. So, after doing my typical Saturday Farmer's Market stop, I headed on over to Cedar to the newly opened shop.

Walking in I was greeted by the nice young lady working. And there was the Pistachio Spiral Croissant that the Missus wanted.

I got one butter croissant and the spiral croissant and headed back to the car and then home.

Once home I went and tried the butter croissant.

  Though it looked over-baked, the exterior wasn't flakey and crisp. The interior was on the doughy-bready-chewy side and the croissant, in my opinion really lacked butteriness. This was mediocre at best and was the same as what I'd had before from their stand. Well, at least they're consistent, right?

The Missus also dug into Her spiral croissant. Which looked pretty good.

    But the Missus cut into it and took a bite and made a face. She made me have a taste. The crust was doughy, gummy, and lacking in crispness. It was on the thick side. The filling was too sweet for my taste as well.

So guess who was sent back to Desserts by Clement as few days later?

Well, another croissant tried and marked off.......

Bonjour Patisserie
320 W Cedar St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Tues - Sun 8am - 4pm
Closed on Mondays

Cafe de l'Opera:

During my visit to Izola's new location, while walking back to where I had parked my car, I passed a newish looking cafe. I took a quick look inside and saw that they had various patisseries, including croissants. The friendly young lady noticed that I had the Izola box and we had a short chat; the gist of it being that Cafe de l'Opera made their own croissants. I promised to drop by for some coffee and to try their croissants.

A few Sundays later, I decided to get a bit of walking in; so I headed down the hill and caught the Blue Line to the Park & Market stop and then hoofed it over to the Diamond Terrace Condo building where the cafe is located.

The same very nice young lady was working. I placed my order and had a seat in the nice looking cafe.

I had ordered a Cold Brew along with my croissant.

Man, this was a pretty stiff cold brew! It pretty strong and really woke me up! Not bad at all.

As for the Butter Croissant.

   It was soft and doughy, lacking in that flaky-crispness that I enjoy. I'm not sure why they call this a "Butter Croissant" as sorely needed more butter flavor. The interior was a bit too "moist" for my taste as well. 

Too bad, because I liked the cold brew and the young lady working here.

Cafe de l'Opera
910 J St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 7am - 3pm
Saturday  7am - 2pm
Sunday     730am - 2pm

And so my exploration of croissants in San Diego continues.......

Oahu - Bean About Town (Kaimuki), the Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail, and Revisiting Ono Seafood

After having a wonderful evening in town, I woke to this view in the morning.

Of course the Missus wanted to go "holo-holo" right away, but I needed some nourishment to keep up with Her. I had picked up some extra musubi from Iyasume the day before and had that for breakfast. And then we headed out. Of course we needed to get our caffeine fix on the way.

I'd read about a place named Bean About Town in Kathy's page about dining in Kaimuki and it seemed like the perfect spot. They have two shops; one in Waikiki and the other on Waialae avenue. Old timers would recognize the location as it is in the same building as where Tanoue's (which I wrote about in my post on visiting the old Neighborhood) used to be. It's a small shop, there looks to be like 5 parking spaces, so street parking is likely. If I recall, this used to be a barbershop when I was growing up.

Right across the street is Kaimuki Park where I wasted spent a good amount of time as a kid.

The Missus ordered a pour over, which She loved, and I got a nice, fairly stiff Cold Brew.

We had a nice seat on the little two top facing Waialae avenue. The Missus liked the design on my cup so much that She sent me back in the shop to see if they had some merch with the same design.

Sadly they did not.

Well, it looks like we've got a place to get some coffee next time we're in the area.

Bean About Town
3538 Waialae Ave. Suite 101
Honolulu, HI 96816

From here we headed up Waialae to H-1, then Kalanianaole, past Hawaii Kai and Sandy's to our destination; to the gate that says Kaiwi Scenic Shoreline. Since we were fairly early we found parking. I had the Missus pick out some hiking (for Her this was all "walking") spots for this trip. She chose the Makapuu Lighthouse Trail. Man, I don't remember the last time I was here.

Anyway, it's a paved trail, that goes a bit over the mile each way, with a 500 foot elevation gain. I actually enjoyed myself. I even saw Pele's Chair on the path up!

And of course, this is Hawaii, so you will see rainbows.

You can see inside Koko Crater too.

Of course the Lighthouse is not accessible for folks and is off limits, but you do get glimpses of it.

There's a lookout at the top.

And of course, there's Rabbit Island.

It's a wonderful panoramic view.

I heard that you'll often see whales, but none for us on this day.

Still, it was a fun activity for us. I was having fun "playing tourist".

Afterwards we headed back; stopping in Aina Haina for a short break. On our way back to the hotel, the Missus said, "can we go to Ono Seafood, I want more poke!" Man, we hadn't been to Ono Seafood since 2019! It's long been a favorite of the Missus since we first visited in 2011. So, we headed on over and easily found parking in the lot for the apartment building the shop occupies.

We got a poke bowl with brown rice and shoyu poke. Then headed back to the hotel to eat.

Though it seemed a bit more "sauced" than  I recall, this was ono! Good shoyu, we enjoyed the limu, which adds a nice oceany-crunch. The fish was tender without the chewy connective tissue that permeates poke here in San Diego. Still one of our favorites for sure.

Ono Seafood
747 Kapahulu Ave. Apt 4
Honolulu, HI 96816 

After lunch, we headed back on "footmobile" (when's the last time you heard that one?), walking to Don Quijote on Kaheka, then returning to Ala Moana to do a bit more shopping, before returning to our room for a nap.

Looking out at the lanai, I noticed that I wasn't the only one enjoying the view.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Finjan Coffee

In these times I seem to have an never ending search for breakfast options in the Clairemont/Kearny Mesa area, for when I'm done my first stage of shopping early and have to wait for places to open. In the time before Covid, there seemed to be many more options. 

I had totally forgotten that the folks who own Tahini, had moved their restaurant into the larger space next door where Ryoma used to be. Cathy has done a post on that location. And Finjan Coffee now occupies the former location next door and they open rather early.

The set-up look basically the same. The girls working were very friendly.

The menu looks large, but there are only 5 food items on it. Hot and cold drinks make up the rest of the menu.

I got a Cold Brew, nicely priced at $4.25.

This was kind of weak in flavor, very mild, tasting almost like plain iced coffee.

As for my food, well, I didn't feel like spending $11 for avocado toast, so I went with the Fava Bean Toast ($9).

This was quite good. The fava beans were seasoned well, great savory spices, the texture of the beans were fairly creamy, yet hearty. I enjoyed the tomatoes and the refreshing cucumber. The bread, which seemed like sourdough as it had a nice yeastiness to it was toasted well. The only item that I didn't care for was the Tahini which was too watery and lacked flavor. Other than that, I thought this was a nice breakfast or light lunch item. And as for the Tahini, the nice young lady mentioned that the next time I should try it with the Cilantro Tahini, which may have given me the solution to the one item on the toast I didn't care for.

I returned a few weeks later and this time ordered an Iced Americano ($3.50). The place was kind of busy, strange for a Sunday and only two girls were working when I arrived. I also decided to try the Labne Toast ($8). This time around I got my drink right away, but waited almost 30 minutes for my toast. I also forgot to take a photo of my Americano which was again on the milder side. But I did remember to photograph my Labne Toast.

   The bread was again nicely toasted, the cucumbers again refreshing, I wish it had more tomatoes and I appreciated the mint. There was a generous of labneh slathered on the toast, but it was just too puckery and sour for me to enjoy, the sour Zaatar just piled on, I'd have appreciated perhaps touch of sweetness and savory to balance things out a bit? As a whole, much too sour for me. My salivary glands are puckering up just looking at the photo!

The young ladies working here are very nice and friendly. I need to find a caffeinated drink I enjoy here and get that Fava Bean Toast with Cilantro Tahini and I think I might have a fairly regular breakfast stop. 

Finjan Coffee
9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs  630am - 5pm
Friday             630am - 10pm
Saturday        630am - 10pm
Sunday           8am - 8pm

Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab and Lemon Grove Coffee

I recently had to take my vehicle in to get an estimate for some repairs. I ended up leaving my vehicle after the estimate. During that time I had two coffee stops, here they are.

Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab:

I initially set an appointment for an estimate and after handing over the keys decided to find a place for a cold brew and maybe a bite to eat. On a previous visit I had noticed that Cuppa Cuppa, which had a drive thru booth on Mission Gorge Road had a new shop in the Vora Apartment complex on Twain, so I decided to walk on over.

The shop is pretty small, a couple of outdoor tables, a few indoors, and some bar seating.

The Barista working was very friendly, she explained that they roast their own coffee beans and actually showed me the roaster which was in the corner.

It was pretty darn hot, so I went with a cold brew and inquired about something savory. The young lady recommended the ham croissant and said that it was much better heated, which sounded good to me.

The cold brew was nice and strong, which perhaps might be a bit much for some, but it provided a nice "kick in the pants" for me on this morning.

The croissant was quite light, it had attained a dark color during the toasting process.

    Which meant that when I bit into it, flakey croissant shrapnel flew everywhere! Also, the ham had attained almost a bacon like texture during the heating process. The ham gave the croissant a good bit of saltness; though I would have enjoyed a straonger butter flavor. The interior was light and not overly doughy. This was not bad.

I liked the service and the strong cold brew. I'll probably return for my caffeine fix when I take my car in for servicing.

Cuppa Cuppa Coffee Lab
4440 Twain Ave. Suite 102
San Diego, CA 92120
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 7am - 2pm
Sat - Sun 8am - 1pm

Upon returning to the shop, I was told the scope of work, parts would be in fairly quickly, the work would span a couple of days. I decided to go ahead a leave my car and just get the work done. Which meant that I still had a full day ahead of me and no car. Then, I came up with an idea. I'd catch the trolley to Lemon Grove. Why, you say? Well, read on my friend.

Lemon Grove Coffee:

A few months back, Emily, one of my favorite folks who works at Clairemont Coffee told me that Hannah, the co-owner, along with her sister in-law Casey were opening up a coffee shop in Lemon Grove, appropriately named Lemon Grove Coffee. A couple of weeks back, I saw Hannah working at CC, and she told me that I should go and check the place out if I'm in the area. So, having a good amount of time on my hands, I went ahead and caught the Green Line, to the Blue Line, to the Orange Line, and ended up at the Lemon Grove Trolley stop. 

I must say, Lemon Grove Coffee has a nice spot, right across from the trolley stop.

So, I headed on over. This shop is quite spacious, like twice the size...or more of the Clairemont shop.

There's an area with what almost looks like bleacher seating. After I took this photo, a couple of folks came in and sat in the "stands", busting out their laptops. Remote workers I guess.

It's a nice place for a break from the scorching weather outside.

I didn't know any of the gals working, but they were all very friendly. And my cold brew here is a buck cheaper ($3.25) than what I get at the Clairemont Drive shop.

The cold brew was fine; in line with what I get at CC.

Service was friendly, the prices were quite inexpensive, seem like a nice addition to the neighborhood which seemed to have more than few closed businesses, and I'm really happy for Hannah!

Lemon Grove Coffee
7801 Broadway
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
Current Hours:
Daily 6am - 3pm

I took a good amount of time with my cold brew. I wasn't looking forward to the trolley trip and walk back home. By the time I looked at my phone, it was just about lunch time. There was one place that had been recommended to me several years ago. And how often am I in Lemon Grove? I decided to find that restaurant and get some lunch.

Stay tuned!

Midweek Meanderings - Shaka Coffee (Balboa) Closes, the Meaning of "Meat Day", and a Pandemic Flashback

Just a couple of odd and ends for "hump day".

Shaka Coffee on Balboa Closes:

I recently did some takeout from Noble Chef. I parked and noticed the coffee stand in the strip mall had closed.

And the reason was made clear a split second later.

Sigh.....

I mean aren't there already 3 other Starbucks locations within a couple of blocks?

The Meaning of "Meat Day":

So, I did a quick stop at Nijiya for "Meat Day" which is the 29th of the month.

A customer looking at some pork asked her companion why meat day was always on the 29th. Which got me thinking.....I hadn't even thought about the reason.

And then it came to me; 29 in Japanese is something like "ni-kyu/ku" if I recall, and I'm sure you know that "meat" in Japanese is "niku" (肉). Duh, how many years have I been going on meat day and didn't realize this.  I guess I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer".

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Having a Pandemic Flashback:

Well, this one has nothing to do with food or drink. I made a quick run to our local Rite Aid on the way home today. I walked in and went to the section with cleaners and couldn't believe my eyes.

I then walked thru a couple of more aisles.....

I immediately had flashbacks to March of 2020! I did find what I needed and went to the cashier. I asked him what was going on, was this location of Rite Aid closing? He told me it's just a "supply issue." Well no kidding.

Now to make this even more interesting; I'm wondering if he was actually an employee of Rite Aid or perhaps an apparition? Well, because when I looked at my receipt.....

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!