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ASA Bakery @ Downtown San Diego

On May 5th, I went to this spot called, "ASA Bakery", located in Downtown San Diego. I went with my friend to study and we chose this spot since it closed at 9pm, and we also haven't visited this place in a while.

The drive wasn't too bad, but it is located on the main streets, which meant we had to find street parking and practice on my parallel parking skills.

We we arrived, the place was not too packed to the point where it felt busy, but most of the tables were occupied. Once we found a table, we walked towards their order line. Through their menu, they had a great selection of sweet and savory pastries, along with curry meals, sando sandwiches, and beverages.

However, walking closer I found that most of the pastries they had advertised on their display were either temporarily sold out or close to running out. I did give them the benefit of the doubt since we arrived around the afternoon, so it was understandable for them to have a limited supply of pastries.

I had ordered their Strawberry Naruto Crossiant (right) and by far it was the most favorite item I ordered. It has some sort of cream custard filling and the melted chocolate on the outer layer had just the right amount of sweetness.

I also order a Banana Custard Crossiant (left)... I think you can get the underlying theme here. But overall, this item tasted really good. I didn't get much taste from the custard, but I definitely could taste the banana. I think this item would've tasted better if it was warm, but again we arrived late so it was good for what it was worth.

My drink was a regular Matcha Latte with Oat Milk. It already came sweetened, which I found balanced out the earthy aroma that matcha has. I wouldn't say this was my favorite matcha however. It was okay, but I was able to pick up the grainy texture from the matcha they use. The drink didn't taste bad, but you can tell how there is some existing texture towards the end of finishing the drink.

Overall, I really like this space for studying. It wasn't too busy, but not overly quiet. I find this this cafe/bakery did an amazing job of decorating and providing a clear image of what their expertise is. I would go here again! Maybe I'll try some of their savory plates.

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Aree Cafe @ Convoy

On April 16th, me and my friend (I should really introduce her at this point since she's been with me since the start of this foodie blog journey), decided to go to a study spot near the area where our school is at. We found that in Convoy (San Diego), there was this spacious cafe called Aree.

What we found interesting, was that their opening hours start from 6pm and end at 1am (which is highly unusual for a cafe). What was also cool about this space, is that there is another cafe business called The Keep Coffee, which shared the EXACT same space, but instead they open 7:30am and close at 4pm. We might go during a time where the other business is open, but for now let's focus on Aree.

Aree is mostly popular for their toasts and teas! We ended up trying both of their signature toasts (of course with a break in between since we actually did need to study and work on our homework). We first tried the Lava Signature Toast and then tried the Kaya Toasted towards the end of our stay. One thing about their toasts, is that they are HUGE. I would consider it as a version of french toast since it's super sweet with fresh toppings, ice cream, and condensed and evaporated milk that their thickly cut bread slices soaked up. Honestly a 10/10 for both toasts.

We also tried their Thai teas. While my friend ordered the regular Thai Tea, I had ordered their green That Tea. I do have to note that this was my first time trying Green Thai Tea, and I've always heard the rave about it in social media. I can't really compare it to any other Green Thai Tea that I haven't tried, but I will say that the floral scent of the drink pairs well with the sweet aroma that the Thai tea naturally gives. I would prefer to have more milk to balance out how stong the tea actually was, but I find the overall taste to the drink a good 7/10.

In terms of the general atmosphere that Aree provides, I absolutely love how this spot provides so much free range seating, and their music choices that they play on their speakers provide a warm environment. It wasn't too busy, and I find the overall customer service to be one of the top spots in my list. I will definitely come back to this place!

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AKO by Lee

On April 6th, I went to an event with my friend. It was hosted by GAWA (a creative collective based in San Diego). It was a mixer event called, "Backyard Soundcheck", where they showcase multiple local DJ's, along with a few Filipino-owned small business vendors.

One of the vendors is AKO, where they specialize in making teas, coffee, and matcha! While my friend order a hojicha latte, I ordered a matcha latte. This is not our first time discovering AKO, since the non-profit organization that I am in has actually partnered with them in a couple events throughout the year!

Back to the drinks, although I find that the flavors were really good in regards to their balance in sweetness and richness, the price seemed fairly expensive compared to how small their cup sizes were. But I would still buy and support them considering how it is a small Filipino-owned business based in Southern California.

I do say that their matcha is one of my top favorite out of all the other matcha places I have tried. Their drinks are not too sweet, but it distinct flavor makes me want to drink more of it! They also do not charge for oat milk substitutes, which I find almost every other coffee place does (even at the boba spot I work at charges for milk substitutes). I also find myself comparing this business with Kubo Coffee, considering how their markets are niche within a tight schedule.

I feel like they were a perfect vendor for this event, since their aesthetic fits along the earthy and neutral tone of the environment---similar to the Kubo Coffee place I went to. Their customer service is also top notch and very enthusiastic. They also seem like they are very knowledgable in their coffee and teas when you ask them questions about their menu.

I did not try these items at the event, but I have tried it before---and it is their lychee infused black tea and their sticky rice tea! I do say that these teas are strong, and has a taste that some might like or dislike. But, it is absolutely perfect for those who don't really have a sweet tooth. Overall I find that their drinks are perfectly refreshing when it comes to the hot summer weather that is coming up!

I had a great time at the event, and I would say that AKO was the only vendor that I had the initiative to purchase from during the entirety of the mixer.

They don't have a specific store location, but they do make profit based on the gigs they schedule with other notable brands alongside San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County. It is an underrated gem considering how you would need to find them through various events, and not through a weekly schedule.

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Monday to Sunday Cafe & Brunch located at The Source OC

On April 4th, my friend an I attended the J-Hope "Hope on the Stage" LA Day 1 show at the BMO Stadium. On our way driving up North, we stopped by The Source located at Orange County. We mainly stopped here to grab a quick breakfast and kill time before the show.

This is not our first time visiting this cafe. This is actually our second time picking this brunch place when arriving at The Source. The previous time we dined here was also the previous time we visited the mall since we rarely drive up here (only for special occasions). So to say that we went to this place two times in a row says a lot. We were definitely craving and thinking about this spot.

This underrated place called, "Monday to Sunday Cafe & Brunch" is located at the third floor of the entire mall, and it rarely get busy since it is also towards the back corner of the entire lot space.

When you first walk in, there's a bunch of seating and the overall image to this space is clean and minimalistic. You also get a lot of natural sunlight that makes the entire environment feel and look warm. There are also a lot of photo opportunity spots located inside and outside the spot. We arrived around noon, and there were only two occupied tables out of the entire room, so I highly recommend this spot if you need a place to study!

My friend ordered a French Toast along with a Strawberry Matcha Latte, whereas I ordered an Avocado Toast with a Regular Matcha Latte. The wait time was barely long, and these employees were super nice to us. Once we got our food, we spent the next ten or so minutes in silence as we ate (since it was that good).

For my friend's palette, she says that her drink was super sweet in a good way, and that it complemented well with her french toast. I agreed with her when saying that their matcha base and sweetener is top tier, and the avocado toast was super delicious. I wish we took a picture of the aftermath, because both of our plates were completely cleaned.

This is definitely a good go-to spot when trying out foods at The Source! Not only does the overall atmosphere (with their lo-fi background music) encapsulates how calm the space is, but it is truly a small gem that deserves more attraction!

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Kubo Coffee @ San Diego

On March 1st. my friends and I decided to go spend our Saturday morning at Kubo Coffee. Located near Chicano Park in San Diego, Kubo resides in a small cozy space with Future is Color, a speakeasy-like mixer business that allows local artists and DJ's to perform at this space. We mainly wanted to check this spot out since we heard good reviews about it, along with the fact that it is a Filipino-owned small business.

Usually, Kubo Coffee is only open on Fridays and Saturdays, and since there was only street parking, it was difficult to initially arrive at the location considering how busy it was on the weekend. But nonetheless, we managed to find a parking spot and walk to our destination.

When we walked in to the space, we were able to easily spot the coffee place that is partially hidden in the back area--divided from the actual venue spot (being Future is Color). The menu was small, yet simple, considering how there was no food items and only coffee (which ranged from Espresso, Cold Brew, and Matcha).

I had order a simple Matcha Latte with Oat Milk, whereas my friend Katherine ordered the Matcha Latter with Oat Milk and Honey Miso Cold Foam.

My friend Arden chose to try out their unique staple item which is the Patis Salted Caramel Matcha Latte. If you don't know what "Patis" is, the Filipino translation to is it literally "fish sauce"... yes they add a hint of fish sauce to their coffee. Overall, our coffee choices were not bad---in fact they were actually delicious! The matcha lattes itself were sweet and the fish sauce had actually created a good balance to it.

Straying away from the coffee, the actually space was super cozy. It had a warm neutral color palette in terms of its decor. Future of Color was decorated with various plants, that had ample amounts of natural sunlight. There was also a stereo system that was hooked on a vinyl record player, where customers are actually able to pick from their large selection of vinyl records to play.

There were multiple photo opportunity spots that were located both inside and outside of the space, and we were able to capture the overall atmosphere through my digital camera as shown in the pictures attached.

We only stayed in the space for 3 hours in the morning/noon, but I definitely would want to come here again (possibly during the time where Future is Color features a guest mixer).