Caffeine Fix – Page 18

Tea Station-revisit

May 16, 2012 Cathy Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!! the food blog. Right now, Kirk is relaxing. As is ed(from Yuma). Cathy is blogging in a relaxed fashion.

Hello again. I blogged about Tea Station last year and it's a semi-regular stop for The Mister and I when we want to enjoy a relaxing talk along with a snack or light lunch. Wifi is available and some people are on computers, but for the most part, people are playing board games, card games or just talking and interacting at one of the numerous indoor and outdoor tables.

Tea Station is located in the mall across the street from 99Ranch Market.

This visit, we started out with Tea Eggs ($2.75) which are pretty simple to make at home, but I enjoy trying the the versions made by 'professionals'. Eggs are hard boiled then slightly cracked and placed back into the water which has had tea, soy and spices (like anise, cinnamon, black pepper or just five spice) placed and then simmered for about 20 minutes and then the eggs and tea mixture is placed in the refrigerator to steep for a day or so.

When the egg is finally peeled before eating, the tea mixture has seeped into the cracks,leaving a beautiful marble pattern. The whites of the egg usually take on the salty, savory flavor of the spices and the tea flavor seems to hit the yolk, or somehow enhances its flavor. Anyhow, I suppose I can do a post about making these at home. I enjoy the version here because the tea used is a fermented green, pu-erh tea, which I like. It looks like it is a black tea, but that's the color after fermenting. At home I use less expensive teas to make the tea eggs..and sometimes I don't even use tea- just spices and soy…I digress. I like the tea eggs here.

As on the last visit I blogged, we ordered the squid balls ($5.25). We did so again. These are a favorite…Squid somehow formed in a way that it doesn't fall apart and is solid. The lightly fried balls are rolled in a spicy salt blend (I think the green is seaweed). They are not greasy and don't have any breading. It's different and a really tasty snack.

The fried tofu ($5.25) is also a favorite of ours. Cubed soft tofu very lightly tossed in flour, fried and rolled in the same spicy salt mix. It's served with a thick teriyaki dipping sauce…which also compliments the squid.

Once again, we ordered a pot of the rose tea ($6.50), which was expertly steeped and wonderfully flavored with a marvelous rose aroma.

There are so many beverages you can order here, hot and cold, with or without milk, boba, combinations of flavors….and a good pot of tea is what they do and they do it so well.

I hope everyone had a nice day. Do take the time to sit and talk.

Tea Station 7315 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858) 268-8198 Website

Cafe Hue- crepes!

February 26, 2012 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

The mmm-yoso!!! guys, Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are both having a busy time this week, so Cathy is going to blog, since she has been eating and taking photos the last few weeks while they were blogging and has a few meals to share. This post is short.

Hi again. If you've been in the parking lot at the corner of Convoy and Ostrow, which is a mall housing an international compendium of eateries anchored by Nijiya Market, Mignon Pho+Grill, Okan, Sage French Cake, Spicy House and Koon Thai Kitchen as well as Sunrise Buffet, Subway and Palomino Taco Shop #2, you have probably seen Cafe Hue (and it's predecessor in that space, Red Berry Yogurt).

I have been fascinated by the "Lunch Crepe Special" sign hanging over the doorway and decided to finally stop in. [Actually, The Mister and I had stopped in when Cafe Hue first opened a few years ago and shared a pretty lousy snack consisting of a cup of stale espresso and a stale, warm waffle topped with whipped cream. I didn't want to write a post about that experience.] So we walked in and ordered (and were asked to choose from a variety of sauces when we ordered the crepes; most salad dressing flavors), paid and sat down.

A very good cup of espresso was prepared, a good sign of things to come. The interior is filled with tables, chairs and a few couches along with board games and books for people to share.

The description of my order, the "healthy veggie" ($4.25), mentioned lettuce and spinach and so I figured there was a small salad on the side…but the salad was inside the crepe and my 'sauce' order of balsamic Italian was spread on top of the lightly cooked flavorful batter crepe.

Actually, there was a light layer of cheese cooked into the crepe and then the lettuce, spinach and corn-yes corn- was placed inside the crepe. Unusual and a very nice little lunch.

We also had ordered the $3.95 crepe- ham and cheese and (not knowing) asked for Thousand Island as the sauce. This combination of flavors did work. The photo of a cross section of this crepe didn't work.

Anyhow, I am still on my quest for a perfect crepe and the ones at Cafe Hue are in the running. They serve a great variety of beverages, gelatos, crepes and waffles. It's a nice place to sit and catch up with friends.

Cafe Hue 3860 Convoy, Suite 106 San Diego 92111 (858)571-7947

Midweek Meanderings Hot Drink Edition: The Big Tea-se, Honolulu Coffee Company, and what I’m craving at this moment

December 28, 2011 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Honolulu, Oahu, yoso-silly

I really became a big tea drinker after our trip to China nearly two years ago. And it just carried on after I returned; I drink tea everyday at work, just placing leaves in a large cup I have and adding hot water as the day goes on. It does help that one of the "big" gifts for Chinese is tea. Here's a bunch of containers I threw together for a quick photo:

All of these are from China. We've also been pretty lucky, everytime we nearly run out we'd get a package or have visitors. The Missus' cousins loaded us up with enough for at least another nine months or so…until we start worrying about running out! It seems that the younger generations don't drink much tea, so we've been the beneficiaries. The packaging of some are quite elaborate, looking like something out of Raider's of the Lost Ark. The reflection on the Missus face when She opened this one also reminded me of a movie.

I'm really just a tea drinker, though I know what I like. We also know when something really stands out, as the tea we were given in the red container to the left did. I took a pack to work and noticed how fragrant this was, the finish to me is a bit sweet. Meanwhile, the Missus did some research and found out that Jinjunmei Black Tea is a famous and very desirable black tea that is supposedly grown from a rare species and only found on the slopes of certain mountains at an elevation of 1500 – 1800 meters in the Wuyi Mountains.

The Missus also told me the stuff selling for up to $180 for 50 grams…50 GRAMS! Of course I was at work and had just gotten my first cup of tea……Jinjunmei tea when She called and told me this. Sigh…..I looked down at my cup of tea, not quite knowing what to do……drink it I guess…..but somehow it just felt wrong. Needless to say, the Missus and I keep telling ourselves that we'll have a nice pot, well, "next weekend…..maybe".

Honolulu Coffee Company:

On our last (thankfully) trip to Ala Moana Center, with the Missus riding high from just purchasing a pair of Manolo Blahniks She wanted, I decided that we should sit and have cup of coffee. The smells coming out of this shop was just wonderful……….

I don't drink a whole lot of coffee anymore, but the thought of some decent Kona Coffee just sounded right. The Missus, asked me what to get…. looking at Her bag with the Manolos in them I told Her the French Pressed 100% Kona of course. At eight buck for a cup of coffee it ain't cheap. The Barista told us it would be four minutes and thirty seconds…not four minutes, not five minutes, but four minutes and thirty seconds. And what we got was the most perfect cup of coffee I've had in ages. Smooth, but not too smooth, fragrant, nice finish…..

The Missus, a regular coffee drinker knew better than to ask me if I wanted anything in my coffee….. The Barista came by a few minutes later and asked what we thought of our cup…..I told him, "I'm far from an expert, but this is the best I've had in recent memory….you could get me started on coffee again." On the flight back I read that the Barista who is head of quality for Honolulu Coffee Company, Pete Licata is the 2011 US Barista Champion and took second place in the World Barista Championship. I'd say the quality is quite good……

Honolulu Coffee Co (in Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 3066
Honolulu, HI 96814

What I'm craving:

Strangely, I'm craving this:

Man, I haven't had the broasted chicken form there in over ten years now! I dropped by on one of my solo trips a couple of months back, but the place was swamped and they told me it would be 2 hour wait! You gotta be kidding….I could be back in San Diego by then! But maybe I should have just sucked it up and waited…sigh….

Guess I'll just have to make due with this.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Cafe Cabaret- a coffee shop with food.

August 29, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You are back at mmm-yoso!!!, possibly a bookmark on your Tool Bar, or perhaps you got here by Googling. In any case, Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today, Cathy is.

The other Friday, again after one of our walks around a body of water…

Lake Murray on this day…

The Mister and I started driving and somehow got to Adams Avenue. We saw this sign. I rounded the block and parked.

It was the "French Crepes" sign which attracted me, because I still hadn't had any since my quest for crepes went unrequited a few weeks ago…

However, just the beverage menu here was filled with choices and when we saw menu items (sandwiches, salads, kabobs), breakfast items(omelets, scrambles, waffles, pancakes, French Toast) and some of the daily chalkboard specials, the crepe was soon forgotten and we ordered, paid and found a place to sit.

An outdoors-brought-inside decor with many tables inside the building as well as on the patio, apparently offering free wi-fi and community setting, we felt comfortable here.

The nice young lady who took our order brought out the regular coffee we had ordered. I found out the owners are Ethiopian, explaining some of the menu items. {Yes. Too many beverage choices has me wanting to see if a place can make a regular cup of coffee. (Cafe Cabaret can.)}
The Mister had ordered the Vegetable samosas, a light snack ($4.99) which came with a salsa dip as well as a yougurt sauce and some carrots and cucumbers.

These pockets of just baked flaky triangle shaped dough were filled with a delightful blend of peas, lentils, potatoes, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, onions, perfectly seasoned with cumin and coriander.
I ordered the chalkboard special falafel sandwich, which came with salad, hummus and whole wheat pita ($4.99). The salad dressing was a raspberry vinaigrette and the dipping sauce was yogurt based. The fresh hummus was topped with a nice-hot Harissa sauce. The falafel inside the wheat wrap were probably made from a dry mix, had and interesting garlic flavor on their own and were cold (!) inside the wrap filled with lettuces, onion, tomato and cucumber accompanied by a sauce which seemed to be a mix of the yogurt and harissa. There was a lot of falafel in the sandwich and the meal was quite filling and very tasty, although I ended up using all of the other sauces on the table and not the raspberry salad dressing for the salad- it tasted too sweet to me.

This was another lucky find for us. We'll stop by when we are in the area again.

Cafe Cabaret 3739 Adams Avenue San Diego 92116 (619)284-1819 Open 6:30-10 p.m. 7 days. Breakfast 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Website

The Living Room-Point Loma, after a San Diego ‘vacation day’ in the rain

May 18, 2011 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! has a post about food almost every day. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) just can't post right now. Cathy is able to post now.

"May gray leads to June gloom" is a fairly common San Diego weather report. We had a bit more than gray yesterday.

It was Tuesday and The Mister and I planned to take advantage of "Residents Free Tuesdays" at the usually Admission Fee charging museums at Balboa Park.

As we got off the 163, it was really raining.

The gray clouds made the blooming flowers seem even brighter in color.

The Koi at the Japanese Friendship Garden were especially friendly.
The other Museums open yesterday were the Museum of Man, Museum of Art, Art Institute and Mingei International Museum.
The Mingei has quite a few interesting shows going on right now.
We had planned to have a light lunch at the Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden and making that a post. However, there are only two inside tables and the rain was not letting up. We walked through the museums then drove toward Little Italy and somehow ended up in Point Loma and stopped here.

There are five locations of Living Room Cafe and Bistro. This one is an entire repurposed Victorian house, on the West end of Rosecrans. There is seating inside (upstairs as well as downstairs) as well as on the front porch and side and back porches. There is free wifi. Comfy couches, tables and chairs are everywhere and a simple menu:

Since it was so cold and wet and I had planned on tea, I ordered a teapot for two ($3.75)
Choosing organic green sencha, the loose tea was measured and put into two bags and brewed in the pot…(as a reference, the amount of water filled both of those giant cups almost three times)
Oh. That "Pony" marker was to put on the table for identification when the order is brought out.
Soup, salad, fruit and bread($6.25). No photo of bread. Nice salad, fresh fruit. (As further reference, the soup bowl is as large as the giant tea cups)
Excellent soup. Three bean vegetarian. Thick, hearty, wonderful flavored. Just right on this chilly day.

This was a great find for us. Perfect on this rainy day. I imagine it gets pretty crowded with all the seating available. There are pastries, breakfast items, cold and panini and wrapped sandwiches and apparently some pretty good coffee and cold beverages also.

Living Room Cafe and Bistro 1018 Rosecrans San Diego 92106 (619)222-6852 Open 6 am-midnight daily. Website

A great cup of coffee-Zumbar

October 1, 2010 Cathy Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, which is a blog about food and sometimes beverages. Today's short post is written by Cathy, because ed(from Yuma) and Kirk apparently don't have much to say. Today.

Hi. The other Saturday, after after a breakfast at Opera Patisserie, I decided to drive about aimlessly, as I tend to do (The Mister could tell you some stories) and drove West, under the I-5 and then North on Scranton Road, parallel to the freeway, until I got to the intersection of the I-5 and I-805.
Then I saw a small strip mall, just behind the Coaster stop. I recall someone mentioning this great coffee shop. This rather obscure signage…
Ali Baba's Cave looks interesting, was not yet open. The simple words "Coffee Shop". We had just had a coffee with our breakfast, but that really never stops me. I like good coffee.
Zumbar. Humble. Unassuming. The sign with the name is inside. Three tables and a bar with two stools inside, three tables out front. That is the whole menu. They roast their own coffee and sell it here. (the majority of the space in back is taken up by the roasters) Yes. The entire menu. They make coffee the right way. Coffee.
They make it pretty. ( I ordered a macchiato and The Mister got an Americano). We got it to go, but you can see they have plenty of "for here' cups.
The add-ins area is small. Really, you don't need to add anything. This place has *really* good coffee. Stop in. They have a few pastries available. It is wonderful.

Zumbar 10920 Roselle Street San Diego 92121 M-F 6 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (858)622-0000 Website

Sage French Cake and Coffee-quality food and a New Year Resolution I have kept!

February 18, 2008 Cathy Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is the blog, written by a bunch of friends about food we eat, sometimes with some side notes about other things we do while eating. Today, Cathy is blogging.

Hello. Cathy here. Part of my New Year Resolution for 2008 was to take time to relax every day. Even if only for a few minutes…an hour a least I think I told myself.

So, the other day The Mister and I were shopping at Nijiya Market and finally got ourselves over to French Cake, located in the same parking lot. Many people have told me to try it here, and I have said I would…and now, finally, in 2008, I have.

Should have done it sooner.

We tried the banana split mousse ($3.75)- a very gelatinous, firm mousse, with very strong, rich flavor of banana and blackberry syrup with a dense flavored thin slice of chocolate cake on the bottom and an unsweetened whipped cream on top. Perfect flavors for me- I don’t crave sweets and do appreciate the true flavors that were in each bite. Even the cocoa in the cake.

We got regular coffee from the pump pot. It was strong flavored and fresh.

One of my recommendations from Yummie Yummy was to try the tiramisu ($4), and I am so glad we did. An excellent rendition that was very fresh and very non sugared down, with fresh marscapone with cocoa and cake which was perfectly textured.

I will be stopping here regularly, as part of my wanting to stick to my New Year Resolution to relax for at least one hour daily- and not eat or drink in the car while driving…

Yeah…I made a New Years Resolution and somehow turned it into a reason to stop at a bakery at least once a week…I don’t want to hear it…

Sage French Cake and Coffee 3860 Convoy Street, Suite 112 San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 571-3484 Tues-Sat 10-8, Sun 10-6, Closed Mon

Portland: Voodoo Doughnuts, Stumptown Coffee, and other “stuff”

June 5, 2007 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Portland, Oregon, Travel

For people who don’t like to eat in restaurants, the In-Laws sure did enjoy the breakfast buffets at the Embassy Suites. I on the other had other things in mind. And though several people mentioned that the location of the Embassy Suites in Downtown Portland was right on the "edge" of the more "scary" part of Downtown Portland, we had no problems. In fact I loved that we were just a block away from two of my favorite places in Portland.

The first being Voodoo Doughnuts.

This small and dark little doughnut shop with the edgy-punk look makes up some pretty good doughnuts.

And though there are many "fun" and offbeat names….stuff like the "Triple Chocolate Penetration", the "Arnold Palmer", and the ah..ahem, "Cock-n-Balls", being the unhip and boring Guy that I am…I just order the Old Fashioned Glazed. Now the Missus needs to undergo some serious Krispy Kreme deprogramming, She found the doughnut too light and fluffy, and gasp"…. old fashioned", but not so bad that She was able to hold off taking a bite until I took a photo.

As you can see it is good stuff! Reminds me of the doughnuts we used to get at this little renegade doughnut shop in Honolulu Chinatown. The shop located in a tiny doorway would only open from midnight to about 6 am, and made some great doughnuts.

Voodoo Doughnut
22 Sw 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204

It was my plan to take my doughnut down the street and grab a cup o’ joe from my favorite coffee shop in Portland(the doughnut never made it):

Stumptown Coffee Roasters.

Now from what I understand Stumptown hand roasts all their own coffee beans in small batches. Just watching the Baristas hard at work, you can tell they’re pros.

And though the crew is rather "detached" and the room cavernous(better for the afternoon DJ, I guess) and loud. The coffee is always rich and smooth. All three cups I had there were excellent. The Missus even thought the coffee was "too smooth", and lacked character….sounds like She needs some Starbucks deprogramming as well!

Stumptown Coffee Roasters
128 Sw 3rd Ave
Portland, OR 97204

After breakfast we met up and walked the 2-3 blocks to the Portland Saturday Market, which I’ve posted on before , so I thought I’d just do a few photos.

Now the In-Laws are not big on lunch, so I managed to sneak in a "snack" from this booth:

I ordered some Pierogies($4.75). You know me and dumplings! A friend’s Mom used to always make us fresh pierogies when she visited, and boy did I love them! These however, were not that good.

The toppings were much better than the pierogies. The potatoes were really dry. But still this was more than enough carbs to keep me going.

You see, the day was just beginning. With the help of FOY ("friend of yoso") Guilty Carnivore(thanks, man!), I was able to plan our day to the last detail. Some timing was involved, you see, even though the Max Light Rail ran every few minutes to Washington Park, the Washington Park Shuttle wasn’t beginning service until later in the month. So we had to coordinate our arrival with Route 63, or wait up to an hour between buses. As it happened we did well, and made to our destination…..first

The International Rose Test Garden.

And though we were a bit early in the season, and many of the roses weren’t in bloom, we still enjoyed the beauty of it all.

We also made time for the Portland Japanese Garden which is right across the street, also worth a visit.

I was surprised at how the photos turned out from my little ultracompact camera……

We managed to catch the Bus back to downtown and after getting the In-Laws settled and a short break went out for dinner……

To Be Continued!

Tea Houses- Boba- Snacks? Why has this been kept secret?

May 22, 2007 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Dim Sum, Sandwiches, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. That is the name of the blog, silly. Cathy is a-blogging and Kirk is taking a much needed rest, and really is on vacation.

Oh, I am sooo the White Girl on this blog…I had no idea exactly how Caucasian I was. Sure, I had the whole "chee fee" incident, and I didn’t know sago were the same as boba and…well, I didn’t know much about boba…and, I had seen "tea houses" and "tapioca drinks" and figured ‘eh, Asian Starbucks wanna-be’s’. Really. I figured those ‘tea’ places served hot tea and those silly boba drinks. Lots of young Asian kids hang out there; I saw some drinks coming out in plastic cups and also figured well…you do know the signs say "Starbucks Coffee", right? So it must be the same- tea and those boba drinks and Starbucks makes coffee and all those frou frou drinks. No big deal.

ANYHOW…Years ago, from the place inside 99 Ranch, I got a tea and milk and ‘pearl’ drink and it was good tasting, although I thought chewing on the giant boba (tapioca pearls) was kind of like chewing on snot, albeit flavorless snot, but the boba part held not much fascination to me…I love tapioca pudding, but the actual boba in a beverage…eh. Well, I liked the tea part, then the milk and there was a lot a lot of liquid sugar…and I don’t like sweet.

Then there was an epiphany. I was having lunch with Mr. C, at Bolsa on Mira Mesa.

and we had our ‘standard’ Pho stuff:

and we started talking about boba drinks. In my mind I was thinking, ‘oh yeah, sweet stuff with snot chewies on the bottom’. However Mr. C has never steered me wrong, and he started telling me that the place in the same mall as Bolsa, Tapioca Heaven, had the *best* milk tea boba of anywhere. So, I was polite. I had the milk tea at Tapioca Heaven and it was *wonderful*. It tasted like …tea…with milk…and there was a choice of boba to put in it- regular brown, small brown, green and strawberry. You could ask for no sweetener. Who knew?

The most fascinating thing I noticed at first inside of Tapioca Heaven was that they had free wi-fi. Hello!

Then I noticed something else, much more important- they have snacks. Fried snacks. Inexpensive fried snacks. But Mr. C and I had just finished a nice lunch at Bolsa and I didn’t want to eat any more, even a snack.

and so, I wrote Kirk a note. "Why haven’t I heard of these places that sell boba drinks with snacks?" I asked. "They are wonderful- so much more fun than a Starbucks, which does fascinating high calorie coffee based beverages and sells some ‘meh’ tasting sweets and sandwiches, but by no means sell fried goodies".

The reply, from The Missus, was "Oh boba, that is so last century".

Ahem.

So anyhow, I was on a quest. Since Mr. C had told me that the boba milk tea at Tapioca Heaven was the best, I decided to make that my standard…to see if any tasted better anywhere else. Of course, I needed to try snacks also.

So The Mister and I went to Tapioca Express. See, it used to be next to Bolsaa-on Convoy. Bolsaa isn’t there any more, so you won’t be confused. It is going to become some Cajun-y place in the summer.

When you walk into Tapioca Express, the wall is lined with the menu of beverage choices. At the register, where you order and pay, were two typewritten pieces of paper with a menu. The Mister and I had to try a bit of everything.

Chicken nuggets, chicken wings, fried squid, all with a choice of no spice, medium or hot. (we tried all three,the no spice was great and the medium was good too, the hot was just a little too much in the sense that you couldn’t taste the chicken as well as with the medium spice). Steamed pork dumplings and also fried donut holes with both whipped cream and also a vanilla cream dipping sauce. Each of these snacks were less than $4 each. This is wonderful snacking- or a meal. I saw one guy with something that looked like loco moco and I will go back to try that.

Next we went to K Sandwiches, got a boba milk tea, hot milk coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice.

Also, since we were at K…I got a pate chaud; its only $1 and so flaky and fresh and filled with a wonderful pork pate mixture. A friend, who was born in France and is working out here, said it is very authentic and good.

We also got a BBQ pork Bahn Mi ( think it is Number 9 on the menu) for $3.69. Here is a cross section view of both.

Snacks, free wi fi and boba drinks. Fascination.

So, the other day The Mister and I went to the Tea Station on Clairmont Mesa. Its in the same mall as Lolita’s and Teri Cafe and that Pho place everyone says they go to.

They have sit down service inside, and a menu .

We sat down and were waited on! At the other places you would walk up and pay and wait for your drink, kind of like Starbucks.

We tried the tea flavored dumplings ($6.50)

The flavors were different between the green ones and white ones both the dumpling and the filling, but you can see in the second photo (click- all the photos enlarge) a cross section and that the dumplings were quite meaty and full, very fresh and I believe one was chicken and the other pork. They were delici-yoso!

We also had to try the fried spicy chicken ($4.50)

Lightly crispy, nice spice (you can tell them the level of spice you want). Fresh. Great. Gosh, it’s adult chicken nuggets!

Tea flavored spiced pork slices ($6.50), served with 3 side dishes, it says…either they figured we could not count because we were White, or rice is one of the sides. Whatever. Plenty of food.

Oh, and we got beverages…

Boba_011

So, anyhow, the secret is out. Tea, milk tea, boba, not Starbucks…all with free wi fi and snacks…fried snacks.

We have now gone to many of the tea places around town, not always with a camera…and we try the fried chicken at least. Nothing has been bad or disappointing.

Some of the beverages are unusual- sesame, lavender, rose, yogurt..just about everything Starbucks doesn’t have. { Snow ice, or snow bubbles are merely finely *fine* shaved ice with flavoring-kind of a Slushee®, for the White folks out there.}

Tapioca Heaven definitely had the most tea-tasting milk tea, but getting any of the beverages without sweetener helps.

Oh, and now I kind of enjoy chewing on those tapioca snot-like things….it’s part of the whole "boba experience"

Tapioca Heaven Cafe 9225 Mira Mesa Boulevard Suite 115 San Diego 92126

Tapioca Express 4646 Convoy, #106B San Diego 92111 (858) 363-9889 website

Tea Station 7315 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858)268-8198website

Leilani’s Cafe

November 1, 2006 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

I remember once being asked while having some sushi, "geez what do you do, drive around different neighborhoods looking for interesting places to eat?" I remember answering with an affirmative, "Yes, doesn't everybody?" And getting a strange look in return. I don't quite know how to describe the expression on that Gentleman's face, maybe pitiful amazement would suffice, but that look has remained imprinted upon my memory. And every so often when I do "take a drive", I chuckle to myself thinking about that look.

And those drives do pay off, as in the case of Leilani's Cafe. I was driving up the "quiet" part of Cass street in Pacific Beach, when the banner for Leilani's Cafe caught my eye.

Leilani's looks like another one of the almost endless number of coffee shops and cafes in the Pacific Beach area….I do think there's one on every corner. And I would have just driven past, except that I saw the Kikkoman Soy Sauce bottles sitting on the tables lining the outdoor patio tables, I can spot a Kikkoman bottle a hundred yards away…okay I'm exaggerating…make it fifty yards away. The significance of the shoyu bottle is important, telling me it's more than muffins, croissants, and sandwiches being served at Leilani's. When I got home, I did a quick search on the indispensable Southern California Plate Lunch Connection, and found a listing for Leilani's, which pretty much sealed the deal. I dropped by Leilani's on a quiet afternoon.

As I walked into the tiny cafe, I could hear the sounds of Bruddah Iz in the background. The interior of Leilani's is quite small, and the fireplace in the corner and later on, when I saw the shower stall in the restroom, it pretty much confirmed that this was a former residential studio or duplex. The walls are lined with photos of Leilani's Grandchildren, and other "local-kine" knick-knacks.

Initially, the menu seems a bit long and somewhat intimidating. The first thing that strikes you are what seems like every single type of Frappa-Zappa-Crappa-Nappa-Cuppu-cino known to mankind. It did seem as if Leilani's was just a Coffee Shop. But wait, a little to the right, and you'll start seeing familiar items.

And there among the Hot Oatmeal, and Cream Cheese Bagels, were the Loco Mocos, Spam and Eggs, and even a Spam Bagel! Most items ran in the $6 to $10 range.

Being absolutely famished, I went for the most expensive item on the menu, the Big Luau Plate ($12.50). After I placed my order, Leilani went to the tiny back kitchen, and started cooking everything up. The aroma of the food cooking triggered off some memories….it smelled like my Mom's cooking……

After a short wait(Leilani was doing all the cooking Herself), my plate arrived. Where to begin….let's start with the starch, there were two scoops of rice, with some Teri-Sauce on it(this is scary, it really is like Mom), A piece of Local-Style Teri Chicken, Kalua Pork and Cabbage, and a rather large piece of Fried Mahi Mahi. The Kalua Pork was moist, and had a nice smoky flavor, and wasn't too salty, overall it was quite good. The cabbage was a bit undercooked for my tastes, but this goes to show that it was made to order, not sitting around to to be microwaved. You can't really see it, but there was a pretty large portion of Kalua Pork and Cabbage. The fish was a simple seasoned and fried piece of Mahi Mahi. I'll readily admit that this isn't everyones cup of tea, it's a bit more fishy, and there were more than a few bones. But this is almost exactly the same way that my Mother used to fry up Aku, and other fish, no frills, simple, and the fish will stand on it's own. The fish was moist and flaky.

The piece of Teriyaki Chicken thigh was full of flavor, sweet yet not too sweet, very good! Beats that generic Hawaiian BBQ stuff any day of the week. The macaroni salad had a good amount of mayo, just enough salt, and the addition of celery was a nice flavor and texture bonus. This was a satisfying and filling(to the point of a nap) meal.

So, of course I had to make a return visit. There were two items that I was a bit interested in, Leilani's Spicy Hawaiian Fried Rice($5.75), and of course the Loco Moco($6.25). Lucky for me, I could get the best of both worlds, it's called a Hilo Style Loco Moco($8.75):

This Loco Moco featured a nicely browned hand formed hamburger patty. I'm pretty sure that the patty was almost all beef without filler, which meant a drier and tougher patty, but with a more pronounced beef flavor. The gravy was home-made, dark in color, with a mild beef flavor. The eggs were done a perfect over-medium.

The spicy fried rice was studded with pieces of Portuguese and Spicy Italian Sausage, which added great flavor. As did the shredded carrots. The rice was indeed fairly spicy…..I really enjoyed it.

The food at Leilani's has that "home cooked" signature, something that Mom or your favorite Aunty might make for you. The food may take a while longer, but it does carry that bit of TLC that is missing at those generic, corporate, all-business type restaurants.

I did manage to chat a bit with Leilani, but unfortunately didn't get much info on Her, other than She's from Hawaii…we were too busy talking about getting Local-Kine stuff in San Diego, and how she prepares Her food, and other "stuffs".

Hey even your Pooch can get a little bit of Aloha!

For some reason, I don't do very much exploratory driving anymore…maybe I need to get back into the groove…….you never know what you might find!

Leilani's is open 7 days a week, from 630 am to 2pm.

Leilani's Cafe
5109 Cass St
San Diego, CA 92109

Open Daily 630am-2pm