acai bowls are my newest obsession. i’ve liked them for a while but since becoming a gluten-free vegan, they have become my go-to meal while out. so when i found out birdie, a cafe by the same people who opened milk+honey, was opening at the mix mart, i was overjoyed. now i had a great place to get lunch (or breakfast. or dinner. or snack) with my portola coffee. that’s the best part about acai bowls; they’re good for any meal! after my mom and i spoke on a panel for the women’s study at my church, we decided to have a girl date and get birdie bowls and lattes with another mother and daughter from our church. it was a fun time with great food and tons of laughs. my mom is so awesome and i’m really cherishing my time with her while i’m at home
as part of our weekly bible study meet up, ellie and i went to intelligentsia on abbot kinney. i’ve been here a few times before but never stayed long enough to appreciate what a gem this location is. it has such a different vibe from the intelligentsia in silver lake (which i posted about here) which is more slick and less chill. going to this location is a nice change of pace and after a lot of patience, we finally scored spots on the balcony bar overlooking the whole shop. we people watched (since we had the perfect spots) and wrote and drew and laughed and of course had amazing coffee. i always love intelligentsia’s coffee (especially their iced lattes on a hot day) but i do wish they had hemp milk instead of soy and honey instead of simple syrup but i guess i’m just too picky lol. overall, i think i like this location just as much, if not more, than the silver lake location. i think i found myself a new favorite spot.
on our way home from our road trip up north, we stopped at sally loos in san luis obispo. my dad went to cal poly in slo so we spent the day exploring the town and the college and seeing where my dad spent his college years. after looking at taylor kitto’s instagram (she’s from slo), i decided i needed to try sally loos from her endearing pictures. i love the cozy feel of sally loos and it reminded me of some of my favorite hang outs back home like alta and gypsy den. once i saw they had intelligentsia coffee and acai bowls on the menu, i was sold! the acai bowl was fruit filled and as good as any acai bowl i’ve ever had and of course the coffee was amazing. sally loo’s makes me wish i followed in my dad’s footsteps and went to slo. if only they had my major…
while i was in morro bay, we decided to grab lunch at top dog coffee bar. the bright yellow cafe immediately stands out because it is so bright and cheery. i had a great mexican soy iced mocha which was out of this world! we had our own little “top dog” with us so we took a seat outside and enjoyed the beautiful summer day. if i’m ever back in morro bay, top dog is the first place i will go
my best friend ellie and i have a bible study through the book of james every week at a different coffee shop. we alternate who choses which coffee shop and we attempt to surprise each other but i have a knack for guessing ellie’s choices. this past week, ellie choose le pain quotidien at fashion island (still proud of guessing this one) and though i’ve been there many times for lunch or coffee, it is especially wonderful for breakfast. the scrambled tofu was a great vegan option and the soy belgian chocolate was par excellence! i’m so greatful for friends who are up for anything! ellie, just wait for my next coffee shop pick 😉
you know those meals that you talk about for months after and you daydream about whenever you’re hungry? this was one of those meals! i’ve been hearing people rave about gjelina’s for months but i never thought it would live up to, yet alone exceed, its reputation. it was truly one of the best meals of my life. i never thought fennel and brussel sprouts could be so luxurious but they were fabulous, as was everything else at the table (or so i heard). the desserts were also amazing and we ate them so fast, i unfortunately didn’t get any pictures! i’m happy to say that the wonderful cupcakes and cashmere has a recipe for a replica of one of the desserts we got here. already looking forward to eating here again!