Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

Quito – JW Marriott, Mercado Santa Clara, TelefériQo, and Helados de Paila Pomasqui

November 14, 2025 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Ecuador, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Last year, before JJ came into our lives we took several trips. One of them was to a place we’d had on our “bucket list” for a while. The Galapagos. Being born and raised on an island, places like Easter Island have always fascinated me. So, of course we had to do the Galapagos. There were basically two ways to get there, it was either Guayaquil or Quito. After doing some research, I thought Quito would be a good starting point.

Well, getting there from San Diego was going to be interesting. We’d be flying Delta with Hartsfield as our transfer point. Man, Hartsfield….during the 90’s, I did consulting work in ATL, and Hartsfield was the airport….it’s always been crazy busy!

Well, at least we’d be flying domestic first, then international business, which means things were a bit elevated.

The actual lounge was a bit less crowded than I recalled.

With a decent selection of food.

So that made the three hour layover a bit easier to handle.

The flight from ATL to Quito was 5 1/2 hours and seemed to go by quickly.

I arranged for a private transfer from the airport to where we were staying the JW Marriott in Quito. I was using accumulated points for this and we had access to the Club Lounge which made things really easy.

It made arriving at 9pm at night and the check in a breeze.

Along with the lounge there was a rather popular restaurant in the hotel, though we never had to visit. The property was huge….like it’s own little city.

My guess is that it is set-up so folks wouldn’t have to leave the property.

The Executive Lounge was quite large and it was never full during our stay.

It had a nice view….

And made having a nice, light breakfast so convenient.

Since we had limited time in Quito; I arranged for a private tour….actually three private tours for our days in Ecuador. This would end up being such fun! I organized the tours based on what we’d be doing…in other words, first I’d want us to just get acquainted….then to expand our horizons so to say. On our first day, I booked us a Private City Tour of Quito, Teleferico, and the Middle of the World. We were asked about our interests and mentioned that we enjoy learning about food and cuisine. So, our first stop was the large Mercado Santa Clara.

Where we were able to taste some of the local products….

The most interesting was the Tamarillo aka “Tree Tomato”, a member of the nightshade family. It was quite puckery and acidic; the skin pretty thick.

Also quite interesting was what they called the “Taxo”, also know as the Banana Passion Fruit.

Slightly sweet, acidic, and mildly fruity.

This was a fun way to start our tour of Quito.

Mercado Santa Clara
RG22+473 Antonio de Ulloa
Quito, Ecuador

In any city, there are things that are every day occurrences and Quito is no different. While driving up one of the streets our guide pointed something out to us saying; “I don’t think you see this in San Diego, huh?”

Can you imagine someone walking goats here? Well, maybe in North Park??? jjk….

Next stop was on the western side of the city. Along the eastern side of Pichincha Volcano, would you believe that the western side…Wawa Pichincha is still active, is the TeleferiQo, a cable car.

Here the 20 minute or so ride brings you up to over 12,950 feet. Making it one of the highest in the world. Quito itself is at around 9,250 feet.

Needless to say, the views, even on a slightly cloudy day are outstanding.

And, it’s even dog friendly…..

There a famous six mile trail that goes to the top of Pichincha ending at 15,400 feet….I’m glad we didn’t have time to do this one! Whew…..

Once back at 9,000 feet elevation we headed off. We stopped near the north side of the city at this little shop; Panificadora Quito.

Where the Missus got a Helados break!

Panificadora Quito
Av. Manuel Córdova Galarza
Quito, Ecuador

After which it was time to head to…..”the Center of the World!”

Thanks for stopping by!

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt

November 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Australia, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Sydney

It's funny how doing a bit of travelling will expand your life and even add new items into your routine. Take for instance, Yomie's Rice x Yogurt which opened off Convoy back in May of last year. Honestly, I'm not much of a Boba drinks kinda guy and I just put Yomie's into that "bucket". Plus, ever since our return from Taiwan, the Missus has gotten some major sticker shock regarding the prices in tea shops, with one notable exception. More on that in a future post.

Before heading back to Oahu we stayed in Sydney for four days. Instead of staying right in the middle of CBD (not, it's not what you think, CBD = "Central Business District" here), we stayed right on the Southern edge of the district in the area known as Chippendale (and no, it has nothing to do with what just came to your mind either). It was close to transportation and I thought we might enjoy the area. Which we did immensely. We spend a good part; or even most of each day just wandering and exploring, and there seems to be a boba/tea/frozen yogurt shop on every corner; which totally reminded us of Taiwan.

Anyway, on one of our "walks" we passed this place.

Yomies Sydney 01

Look familiar? Anyway, the Missus was fascinated, it was a warm day, and so we went in and ordered two Jujube Yogurts, one with the purple rice, the other without. We both enjoyed it; though that Purple Rice is quite filling….well, it was quite filling period as we could only do half of each cup. It looked somewhat pricey at $6,7 AUD….BUT, with the exchange rate it was like $4.40 US! Anyway we returned a couple of days later and split the Haw version. Sadly, as we enjoyed our treats while walking, I never took photos. I actually never thought I'd post on the place as we were quite "busy".

Upon returning, I found out that this location was the original as Yomie's was started in Sydney!

Yomies Sydney 02

I mentioned to the Missus that Yomie's had a shop in San Diego; in Plaza del Sol off Convoy and She seemed quite interested! We also went to check out the location in Ala Moana Center and the prices looked good; being in the mid $6 range. Unfortunately, they didn't have Jujube or Haw which is what the Missus was craving.

To my surprise, after lunch one day, the Missus instructed me to drop by Yomie's Convoy. The place opens at 11 and I was thinking the parking lot might be crowded, but with China Max and other businesses having not reopened yet, we easily found parking.

Yomies 01

The place was quite empty….in fact, we've been the only customers in the place on all our visits….yes, we've been back like four times already!

Yomies 02

The menu looked similar to that in Sydney, which made the Missus happy. Though, we got major sticker shock at the prices.

Yomies 03

Most everything is over eights bucks? Yikes! More expensive than Ala Moana Center, how can that be? At that moment, we decided on the "Yomie's rule". Since the yogurt smoothies are pretty filling; we get one and share.

Here are our current favorites.

We always go with the "less sugar" option. Our current favorite is the Matcha Red Bean Yogurt ($8.50).

Yomies 04

The matcha adds a nice earthy-chlorophyllic flavor and is a good foil for the sweet-nutty red bean. We usually get this without the signature purple (forbidden rice). It's quite refreshing.

Other than that; we will usually get the Red Bean; sometimes with the purple rice ($8.50), sometimes without ($8.25).

Yomies 05

Yomies 06

The Missus also enjoys the Jujube versions as well. We haven't tried any of the fresh fruit versions; perhaps during the summer?

Yomie's touts the health benefits of both the yogurt (the probiotics) and the purple rice (antioxidants) and claims everything is made fresh inhouse.

Well, it is the current favorite of the Missus and we've developed the "Yomie's rule" to deal with the price. And even though I don't have much of a "sweet tooth" I do enjoy the refreshing "less sugar" option. And heck, we've even been to the original location!

Yomie’s Rice X Yogurt
4688 Convoy St. Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Road Trip – The Dog & Bear Tavern and Where We Met (Tahoma)

September 27, 2024 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Gastropub, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Lake Tahoe, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

After a satisfying lunch at My Thai in South Lake Tahoe, we headed up the 89. It was a quick half hour drive to our destination in Tahoma, a town on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, with a population of just over 1,000. The area was recommended by one of the Missus's coworkers. I really wasn't too sure about the location, but we ended up enjoying the area.

Other than all the outdoorsy stuff, there's not much going on in the area. The town has one pretty nice Market/Deli, a burger place, a pizza/gastropub/wine bar, and a coffee/gelato shop. We had an Vrbo just a few blocks from the restaurants and coffee shop. The little cottage was very comfortable, though we had to get used to using "bear fences", making sure to arm them whenever we left.

Once we got settled, we walked the couple of blocks down Pine Street to check out the two restaurants and coffee shop.

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The coffee-ice cream shop was open. And the Missus decided on a coffee while I went in a different "direction".

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I went with a small Pink Grapefruit Gelato, which was nice and refreshing.

Look who else wanted a Gelato!

Where We Met
7000 West Lake Blvd.
Tahoma, CA 96142

We then crossed over West Lake Boulevard and walked to the end of Pine Street. There's a small beach with a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe.

We strolled back to the cottage, then drove on over to the General Store for a few things and headed back. After relaxing for a bit, we decided to head out for an early dinner at the Dog & Bear Tavern, which was in the same little mall as Where We Met.

It was only 430 and the place was pretty busy. We got one of the two tops. It seems like the place really specializes in pizza, but we found the rest of the menu quite interesting.

The menu was totally not what we expected and we took some time to look over things. The Missus had a nice glass of wine. I got a crisp Pilsner.

We decided on two items; the first being the Chicken Liver Mousse Flatbread. The portion was quite generous.

Well, this was quite a surprise; in a good way. The flatbread was fluffy and yeasty, I can understand why folks would like the pizza here. The duck liver mousse was creamy, smooth, slightly offal-ly, rich, with a slight bitter-sweet finish. There was a touch of pungency and the duck cracklins' were like….well, "crack". The strawberries added a sweet-fruity-acidity to the dish. This was quite nice.

The other dish we got was the Duck & Kimchi Loaded Potatoes. It just seemed like a bit of an odd combo, so we were interested in trying it.

This one might have been a bit too much; the rich-gamy duck was over taken by the sourness of the kimchi. Goat cheese and that gochujang mayo just piled on with tart sourness. The potatoes, roasted in duck fat were really tasty on their own, but this was a bit over-the-top for us.

Still, this was by far our favorite meal during this road trip. The folks working were very friendly and so were the locals. We would end up returning the following evening.

The Dog and Bear
7000 West Lake Blvd.
Tahoma, CA 96142

After dinner, we decided to take a walk. The Missus's coworker who comes up here a lot recommended heading to Sugar Pine Point Beach for paddle boarding. We planned to head on over the next morning, but decided to take a walk over, about a mile and a quarter each way. There's a path that follows the road that is lined with soaring trees.

Gosh, it was so beautiful. We got to the park, strolled thru the parking lot, and then walked over to the shore.

I can understand why people love it here!

We'd return early the next morning to ensure a good parking spot.

We walked on back…..

We decided to head back into the Dog & Bear for a nightcap. This time we had a seat at the bar. The Missus got a glass of wine and I got an Amber Ale.

It was a nice way to end the day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Guanajuato (2022) – Estacion Gelato and Dinner at Mestizo

August 27, 2022 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Mexican Restaurants, Mexico, San Miguel de Allende/Guanajuato, Travel

Our Uber picked us up right on time in SME and we headed off to Guanajuato. Our driver was fantastic and the hour-and-a-half drive came out to around $30/US! Our hotel, the Casona de Don Lucas was located on Plaza de la Paz and our room, which had two floors also had a small balcony with a view of the Plaza.

Our room was ready when we arrived so we quickly dropped off our bags and headed out to do some exploring. We quickly took to Guanajuato as it was less touristy than SME. We loved the everyday hustle and bustle, the city seemed just a colorful and vibrant.

The first thing we did was head off to the Mercado Hidalgo. Much of Guanajuato is not car friendly; in fact, the main arteries are located underground in tunnels. There are many alleyways, no grid pattern, we were told that much of the city center was built along the walls of the canyons which surround the city. So, we'd often be walking down an alleyway, which would then open up onto a plaza!

The Mercado is located in a huge building. According to legend, it is said that the structure was initially designed to be a train depot. We just took a quick look since we'd be exploring a bit further the following day when we had a private tour scheduled.

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After our short visit, we decided to check out some possibilities for dinner and also walk past the University before settling in for a short break. We ended up walking down one of the many winding and narrow streets.

At the curve in the alleyway stood a little gelato shop. The Missus and I decided to take a short break here.

It turned out to be a good choice. The service was very friendly, the gelato refreshing, and the Missus and I enjoyed sitting on the small balcony.

Estación Gelato
Cantaritos 29
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

Once refreshed and relaxed, we strolled over to Positos and looked over the menus of two places I had on my "list". We'd end up eating a both of them on this short trip, but we'd end up returning to one for a second meal!

We strolled on over and took a quick peek at the University of Guanajuato. The University has over 30,000 students……which is why I kind of consider Guanajuato to be sort of a college town….with a ton of history.

We then headed back to the hotel for a short break before heading out for an early dinner. Since we didn't have reservations; we decided on an early dinner and got to Mestizo at 430pm and easily got a table.

The chef at Mestizo is the son of a well known ceramic artist, so the decor of the restaurant is quite lovely.

While perusing the menu, the Missus had the house version of Sangria, while I had an Old Fashioned.

First thing we noticed was how inexpensive items were versus San Miguel. And as is our MO, we found items on the Entrada menu the most interesting and ended up ordering 5 starters for our meal.

Things started out rather auspiciously with the Tostada de Pato ($180/MX)

While the presentation was very nice. The duck was bland, stringy, and dry.

The Ceviche de Robalo ($280/MX) was a slight improvement .

The marinade was bursting with wonderful citrus flavor, the overall seasoning was nice and complex. The fish however had not been marinated long enough and was overly chewy. Still, this was not bad.

Things turned around in a big way when the Chinchulines con Guacamole ($170/MX) arrived.

Perfectly fried and crisp pork intestines; wonderful porky-mild offal flavors, offset with a creamy-mildly sweet guacamole, with pungent onions and cilantro. Not only was this texturally wonderful, the melding of tastes were fantastic. Why haven't I seen this on menus everywhere?

Next to arrive was the dramatic looking Tartar de Atun en Chile Viejo ($200/MX).

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A nice tuna tartare nestled in a smoky, mildly spicy toasted dried chile, this was quite good. The tuna, was of decent quality, nice and meaty with no off flavors, the flavors counterbalanced with clean and briny cucumber and pungent onions, the nutty-sweet pistachios added a nice layer of flavor as well.

And then the show stopper arrived; the Tuetanos Mestizo ($190/MX).

Good lord, this was so delici-yoso, perfectly roasted, the bones were bursting with buttery-beefy marrow, which just melted in your mouth. A perfect amount of salt and the herbs added layers of flavor. This was so darn good, that we immediately made reservations to return on our last night in Guanajuato.

We really enjoyed most of the meal. Service was friendly and professional and the prices were quite reasonable. The tortillas were decent and up to the task of handling the food.

Mestizo
Positos 69
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

We strolled back to our room, feeling quite satisfied. As we got to De Paz, we decided to grab a nightcap before heading off into dreamland. We saw this doorway and headed down the stairway from the sidewalk.

And walked into almost a speakeasy like bar bathed in greenish light.

The super friendly young woman manning the bar spoke perfect English. There seemed to be an interesting mix of older folks and students having drinks. So the Missus and I each had a nightcap…..

Along with some gratis chips, before heading back across the street to the hotel. I'm still not quite sure what the name of his place is….I'm thinking it was Don Beni Taberna, but am not certain.

Regardless, we really enjoyed our afternoon and evening in Guanajuato. And of course I had bone marrow dancing in my dreams…..

Creamistry- Ice Cream made in front of you, using liquid Nitrogen

July 4, 2019 Cathy Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read this food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Today's short post is written by Cathy.

Ice cream. A frozen dessert or snack. Countries around the world have some version, using various add ins (I did particularly like the Qwality Brand ice creams along with the falooda ice cream based beverage at Cash and Carry on Miramar Road and the Filipino ice creams and Halo-Halo at Snoice in Spring Valley. San Diego has a few modern ice cream shops as well as some older, established businesses, like Mariposa, Niederfranks and (thank you, cc, for this epic post: Oasis).

In August 2016, Bing Haus opened, featuring rolled ice cream- cream and other ingredients placed on a 'reverse griddle' (ice pan) and in about two minutes, fresh ice cream is made to your order.

A month before Bing Haus, Creamistry opened on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard. Made to order ice cream using liquid nitrogen in a mixer. We finally made a stop.

The menu is fairly uncomplicated, with suggested combinations costing less than ordering each ingredient separately.
Then again, there are quite a few possibilities, based on your particular cravings. Notice the stacked stainless steel mixing bowls in the back, far left.
The chosen ingredients are added to the mixing bowl,
liquid Nitrogen is pumped in, the resulting ice cream is scooped out and, toppings of the same mix-ins are added. This was our first visit, we were hungry. We ordered an "Elvis Presley" ($7) – banana ice cream, bananas, candied bacon and peanut butter sauce. (A plain ice cream is $6 and add ins are 50¢ each, so choosing a pre-designed flavor saves). The ice cream is filled with the ingredients and the toppings were just a delightful, fresh fanciness. The ice cream itself is smooth and rich and so very creamy. This was enough to share.

Another concept of this summertime treat. We will be going back to try more.

Creamistry 7420 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 874-6407 {there are two other San Diego locations} Website Open daily at noon.

Créme & Sugar (Del Mar)

June 1, 2019 Cathy Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is vacationing and Cathy is writing, again.

After The Mister and I finished lunch at Seasurf Fish Co, we passed this storefront two doors down.We thought we should have dessert here.
Peeking inside we noted familiar decor, consistent with other dessert/coffee places.
The hot and iced drinks menu is on the wall behind the Ordering area.
But, far more interesting choices are on the wall to the right, behind the ice cream freezers.(If you can't enlarge to read the handwritten wall menus, here is the two-sided menu you can grab at the counter). The offerings are "Epic" and pretty much 'County Fair Worthy' (there are some photos on the menu). We decided to go basic, ordering a single scoop ($3.75) of Butter Pecan ice cream. The serving is HUGE. The ice cream was good, but the flavor not as 'buttery'/salty as other versions. The pecans were chopped small. It is a quality ice cream, but a different flavor will be chosen next time.
We decided an Affogato ($5.50) over Sweet Créme ice cream would be nice. Servings elsewhere are not this large. The espresso here is excellent. The ice cream was rich and had a ribbon of condensed milk running through. Quite nice. This will be ordered again.

There are also cookies and slices of cake available. Next time.

All in all, a lot of dessert, fresh and tasty. We were stuck in traffic and got home late; neither of us was hungry at dinner time.

Kirbie has been here.

Créme & Sugar 3646 Del Mar Heights Road Del Mar 92014 Website Open Sunday-Thursday 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Up 2 Yoü Cafe (revisits)

June 20, 2017 Cathy Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this blog. It's a food blog. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are otherwise indisposed.

I just read this article, which has a mention about Up 2 Yoü in the second paragraph and decided I should get a post out before the changes occur. There are two locations of Up 2 Yoü (I've written about dessert at the first location twice.). With the heatwave we've been having, being able to sit down for a refreshing dessert is so refreshing.

The other Up 2 Yoü location is in the same parking lot as Homestyle Hawaiian (just behind/around the corner from the soon to be rebuilt K-Sandwiches). The interior is spacious. The ordering is right next to the menu on the wall. The choices are varied.
A simple affogato (espresso and ice cream) (in this case, vanilla) ($3.95) is usually just enough of a dessert. Unless we also decide to share a crepe. ($4.25)(simply filled with mascarpone cheese ($1)). Fun and filling. A new (to us) menu item is the chocolate sphere ($7.95). That small cup of dark chocolate sauce is very hot and… when poured over the sphere, will begin to melt it, revealing the ice cream (chocolate mint was chosen and it was very refreshing, complimenting the fruit and all the other chocolate flavors) until most of the chocolate sphere is collapsed. The ice cream was on top of a cut up brownie. So many flavors of chocolate as well as fruits. The various textures and temperatures made this a special shared dessert.

I hope you are managing well in this heat!

Up 2 Yoü Cafe 7510 Mesa College Drive San Diego, CA 92111

7770 Vickers Street (at Convoy) San Diego 92111 (619)663-6388 Website

Open 11:30 daily closes at 10p.m. Mon-Th, midnight Fri-Sat, 11 p.m. Sun

Bing Haus-desserts

January 9, 2017 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks so much for stopping by mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is way busy with work and Ed (from Yuma) is kind of busy engaging in things retired people do (in Yuma). Cathy isn't busy in comparison, so she's writing today's post.

It's back to work time for most of us; the holidays are over. Even though it's cold and rainy today, posts about soups and stews may be a bit boring. Here's something to look forward to when our weather gets back to 'normal'.

When growing up, ice cream was a big treat for my brother and I. Whenever we can meet, its for a meal-and dessert. Always. Recently Bing Haus opened in the same Convoy street mall as Grandma's Tofu, a convenient location. I needed to check it out for a future meet up.
Stepping inside, the menu is on the wall to the right.

There are also some grab and go beverages as well as a pastry case.
Orders are being prepped behind the cash register, but just past that area is what fascinates most. Those are 'anti-griddles'- steel surfaced flash freezers. Order a 'rolled ice cream' ($6.25) and a measured cup of heavy cream is then poured onto the surface where it begins to solidify after being evenly dispersed. The cream may then have an ingredient mixed/chopped in and then the thin, frozen layer is scraped into rolls, placed into your cup and topped.

This results in a very fresh ice cream treat. Today's choice was fresh coffee mixed in to make ice cream topped with Heath Bar candy bits and sliced banana. The creamy texture along with a bitter-sweet coffee flavor, complimented by the toffee and banana was very refreshing.

That pastry case sometimes has 'day old' items for $1. Based on past experience, I know that day old scones age well. This one had chocolate chips and coconut as well as almond slices and was delightfully flaky and light. It went well with a fresh cup of coffee.

The Mister and I decided to drop in the other day and tried a Chai tea latte ($4.25) and an affogato ($4.50), as shared desserts. The chai tea was subtle in its melded flavors, with a good black tea undertone. We were curious about the soft serve ice cream made here and it was of high quality, natural vanilla flavored and very smooth. Pouring the fresh made, hot espresso over the soft serve ('drowning' it) made the resulting flavor of coffee and cream quite similar to our coffee rolled ice cream from the first visit.

Other bloggers have been here: CC from Pink Candles has some great 'action' photos and Kirbie has a video on her post. The experience is fun and tasty.

Bing Haus 4425 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (858) 276-9479 Website Open Mon-Th 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri 7 a.m.-midnight, Sat 10 a.m.-midnight, Sun 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Kababayan Market and Snoice (inside the market)

October 31, 2016 Cathy Bakery, Desserts, Filipino Restaurants, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

mmm-yoso!!! is what you are reading; a food blog. Usually there is a daily blogpost about food or food related events written by either Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) or Cathy. Since the guys are out and about (elsewhere in the world and the USA), Cathy is writing a short post.

More than three years ago, I wrote a post about a small Filipino market located South of Chula Vista. That location closed and the new location is closer to home, for me.

Walking in the doorway to your right, bakery items are on shelves to the right. Steam trays are straight ahead and everything is always fresh and being refilled. This two item tray ($7 with rice, $8 with pancit)(this photo is with chicken adobo and pinakbet). Adobo anything (meats or vegetables) is a type of preparation: simmered in a sauce of vinegar, garlic, soy sauce, pepper and bay leaves. Pinakbet is primarily vegetables (almost always, bitter melon and eggplant), but sometimes (in the version here) also has pork, all of it is simmered in a fish or shrimp sauce complimented with ginger and garlic (or onion); usually shrimp paste is a condiment.

At the end of the steam tray area are fried things. Chicken skins, dilis (anchovies), bulaklak ('ruffle fat'-intestines), pig skin plus meat-chicharrones. All the fried items are $8.99/lb. I try to only buy a small bag, so none of it gets old. It comes with a vinegar-garlic dipping sauce. Ukoy, a shredded sweet potato/carrot/bean sprout fritter, topped with a whole shrimp are usually in a pan on top of the steam trays, at eye level. These are great snacks.
Another item I will drop in to purchase is the garlic salted peanuts ($3.75 for the container). We both eat peanuts with skins and these are the best version of garlic peanuts we've ever had. cc likes the 'plain' peanuts from here, and other bakery items. There are also plenty of rice flour based desserts and, on weekends, skewers near the cash register.

A small seating area is just past the cash registers. That area used to be with shelving and refrigerated beverages, but last year a small pop-up stand was set up (see how it looked in cc's post here) and about three months later, it moved into the Water Store which was behind the wall, and is all built in with the bakery. Snoice is a family run dessert shop, making Filipino-inspired and Taiwanese customizable desserts.
Here is a better photo of the menu
These are the prices.

I've taken many photos of the traditional Halo-Halo here ($4.25+), none of those photos will come out upright. Halo-halo means 'mix-mix'. Shaved ice is placed in a cup with with evaporated milk, sweet banana (saging), sweet potato (kamote), jello (gulaman), purple yam (ube) and topped with a cube of caramel flan and 'toasted rice' (pinipig-young, flattened crisp rice (that green you see on top)). Basically, you mix all the ingredients together in the cup, so each spoonful is a combination of the flavors. The optional ice cream you see in the first photo is the mais queso- corn cheese; I have always been curious about the flavor but never wanted to buy a half gallon in the store. The 'traditional' ice cream topping is ube. (This link is what Halo-halo is NOT.)

Of course, there is indeed Snoice here-shaved snow. This is a strawberry shaved snow (excellent on its own) topped with bananas and lychee jelly (small snow, $4, toppings 50¢ each). Simple and just right.

This little corner store in San Diego has a couple of great family owned and run businesses with authentic, fresh and tasty food-of all types.

Kababayan Bakery 8423 Paradise Valley Road (at Worthington) Spring Valley 91977 (619) 267-1493 open 6 a.m.-7:30 p.m., seven days

Snoice (inside Kababayan) same address, (619)432-5735 Open 11 a.m. daily, closed at 8p.m. Mon-Thurs, 9 p.m. Fri-Sat-Sun Website

EscoGelato (Escondido)

September 8, 2015 Cathy Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

Today's short post is written by Cathy. It's just too hot to think much about food today. The mmm-yoyo!!! men, Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) will write about food when they are ready.

Another hot and humid day in San Diego and not much can keep you cool or relaxed. Unless, maybe you can find gelato! ('gelato' means 'frozen' in Italian)

EscoGelato has been in this small storefront for about three years now, serving up coffee, soup, salad, panini and gelato (as well as a few sorbet flavors), seven days a week. The husband and wife owners are proud to use the highest quality, locally sourced ingredients. This is the view if you are walking South from Grand Avenue, where many nice restaurants are located. You'll probably notice the ice cream cone logo before you notice any signage. Here is a link to cc's 2013 post, which shows a front view of the store.That is the entire menu. Because we had finished lunch elsewhere, we were only here 'for dessert'. I will write a post about the panini, soup and salads later.

What is gelato? Milk, cream and sugar, along with some fruits and/or nuts and/or other ingredients for flavors. Placed into a special machine which cooks, slow churns and then chills. The product is extruded from the machine into a pan and flash frozen. Gelato has less fat than regular ice cream, but it is higher in density than ice cream, so it's very creamy. All the flavors are made fresh daily at EscoGelato.The final product looks like this. Many traditional and some interesting, imaginative flavors. As I mentioned: locally sourced, highest quality, made fresh daily.Small ($3.50). Brown Butter Pecan gelato and Apricot Goat Cheese gelato. We asked for a sample first and each of these were refreshing. You can taste each flavor, and what great flavors these were! The buttery creamy gelato, crunchy pecans…fresh apricots and, yes, goat cheese, were wonderfully complimentary and great tasting.Salted caramel gelato used for an affogato ($4.75) ( Affogato is Italian for 'drowned'). Because I know the coffee here comes from locally owned Zumbar and I had a craving for a good cup of coffee, the shot of espresso with this salted caramel gelato was a perfect combination of flavors. It looks like a small amount of coffee, but because it is so strong, using it sparingly (more like a sauce) was just the perfect amount of espresso with this rather large amount of gelato.

I hope everyone is staying cool!

EscoGelato 122 S. Kalmia Escondido 92025 (between West Grand and 2nd Ave) (760) 745-6500 Website Open Mon-Fri 8-9, Sat-Sun 10-9