San Diego Mini Getaway

As I mentioned in my last post, we spent the Thanksgiving weekend in San Diego, Southern California.  I wanted to share a few places we visited from this trip.  We have been to San Diego a number of times and the last time was actually a year and a half ago when our son was just two and a half years old.  I'd like to share photos from that trip if I ever get around to it but for now here is a glimpse of where we went and what we did in this mini trip.

 Mitsuwa Marketplace (Irvine Location)

We stopped by here for lunch on the way down to San Diego coming from Los Angeles since it's on the way.  In the food court, there are three restaurants: A teppanyaki (grilled meats) place I don't recall the name; Santouka Ramen and Go Squared2.  I ordered ramen ($8) from Santouka and the hubby and EJ got okonomiyaki ($8) and gyoza from Go Squared2.  The food all tasted very good given that it was at a food court.  Afterwards, we stopped by the market to grab some snacks for our trip ahead.

Up2You Cafe
*photo by Herman Lee

There are two locations in the area.  This one we went to is in the Clairemont area since it was closer to our hotel.  We had just finished attending our first session of the retreat and wanted to chill and hang out somewhere.  This place was picked because they had pretty good reviews and open late until 11pm. This was a boba, dessert, coffee kind of a cafe.  Price was reasonable.  They had lots of board games to choose from, although not all that clean and I felt the need to wash my hands afterwards.

 

Banana and Pudding Crepe/ Hot Taro Milk Tea

I forgot how much these cost but I think the basic crepe was $3.50 and if you wanted to add fruits and toppings it was extra cost.  The taro milk tea was around $3 as well.  The flavor of both were not bad at all.  Maybe I am not used to having crepe served flat like this, I felt that the portion was too skimpy.  The tea was fairly small too, I think I finished the whole cup in like a couple of sips.

 Sunset at Seaport Village

In between our sessions, we headed to Seaport Village.  After walking along the harbor checking out the cute little shops there, we were able to catch this beautiful sunset over the water.

Pier Cafe at Seaport Village

We didn't eat here but thought this restaurant was very unique, being that it's in the ocean and you can overlook the Coronado bridge.  I took a peek at their menu and the prices were not that bad, given that you get a very nice view.

*photo by Herman Lee

This is what I wore on the second day of the retreat, another casual comfortable outfit for strolling.  Check out what I wore here on the first day.  Notice that the hubby tried to have me carry that Pier Cafe with one hand, pretty strong aren't I?

I hope you enjoyed these few photos I shared from my trip to San Diego.  There are tons of places to visit in SD and our time here was just not long enough to explore them all.

Thank you for reading!

:: On Me :: 

Peacoat cardigan via Ross (similar Here)

Hollister Terry jogger pant

Forever 21 Stripe sweater (similar Here)

Photos on this post are taken by Lily, unless stated otherwise.

Caffe Bene (Review)

A few weeks back, my little family went cafe hopping and found this one located in the business districts of San Marino.  The cafe is located on a main street where traffic is fairly fast so there is a big chance you might miss it.  We came around dinner time on a week night and the place was half filled.  The cafe interior is clean with minimal decorations.  They have a display of their own line of cups and mugs that kind of reminds me of Starbucks.  Their menu is extensive, from coffee and Boba to waffles and sandwiches.  They also sell Honey Bread, their version of Brick Toast.  As usual, my review is based on what we had and who we encountered at the time.

Price: $$

Food: A

Choco Rasberry Saudae Waffle $8.95

I literally had just one bite of this.  It's not that it taste bad it's just because I am not much of a sweets person.  According to my husband who ate most of it, it was pretty good.  Judging from the one bite I had, I would agree because the warm waffle and cold ice cream paired together was a perfect mixture.  To my surprise it was not as sweet as I thought it would be.  My son approved it too, seeing that he ate quite a few spoonfuls.

Bread Bowl Soup Combo $8.95

People often say "It tasted better than it looked" but in this case, it's actually the opposite "it looked better than it tasted".  Maybe I had high hopes for this since the picture on their menu looked very inviting with crusted cheese over the soup.  With this price tag, I was expecting something superior but it really was nothing to brag about except maybe the crusted bread bowl.  The soup was clam chowder but honestly I found more potatoes than clams.

Ambiance:  A

Like I say earlier, their decorations were kept at a minimal but I like the fact that their setup was not busy looking.  We actually felt at peace while having our meal there, which is hard to come by in cafes.

Service: B+

This place is more of a self-serve cafe so you can't expect customer service or waiters coming to check on you.  If you need anything you have to get up to their counter to ask for it.  However, the people that work there are fairly pleasant. 

Caffe Bene

2322 Huntington Dr.

San Marino, CA 91108

1 (626) 291-2393

Open Mon - Sun 7am-10pm

Photography by Herman and Lily

Bon Appetea Cafe

 

 

 Milk Tea with Boba

Boba was very chewy and the milk tea had the perfect amount of sweet!

 Truffle Eggs Open Salad Sandwich

Interesting concept but it was nothing special, tasted a bit bland, over priced egg sandwich I'd say!

 Fried Pork Chops

I passed by this place couple months ago while taking a walk with the family.  It looked really cute from the outside and I've been wanting to pay a visit.  Last Sunday night we finally dropped by because the hubby wanted to lounge somewhere relaxing.  So there we were!  The cafe indeed was very cute with their well thought out decos and dreamy wall arts.  If I could, I would take pictures of all the details but I didn't want to appear awkward to the other patrons ;)

Thank you for reading!

Atmosphere: A

Price: $

Food: B

Service: A

Drink: A

Bon Appetea Cafe

7 S 2nd St

Alhambra, CA 91801 

(626) 281-2266

Photography: Herman and Lily