Coffee and Hip Orange County: Bites

Showing posts with label Bites. Show all posts

at 3/04/2018

Coffee at Daydream Surf Shop, Newport Beach

Creative, free spirit, special.
Daydream is a surf shop, vintage apparel & home goods store and, most importantly, a coffee shop. Perfect combo to strike good vibes.
Located in Newport Beach (Monrovia Ave), they are neighbors with Common room Roasters, another favorite of ours.
Favorite craft espresso drink: cappuccino

Creative, free spirit, special. Daydream is a surf shop, vintage apparel & home goods store and, most importantly, a coffee shop. P...

at 6/22/2017

Breakfast at Xanadu Cafe, Newport Beach

I can’t help it. Every time I go to Xanadu Cafe, I start humming Olivia Newton-John’s melody, Xanadu. I wonder if they named the cafe after the song.

Xanadu moved to Newport Beach over a year ago, but it’s been up and running since 1985, when it was established in Santa Barbara by the grandmother of the current owner, Shervin.

We like going there for breakfast. They have a great variety of entrees, smoothies and pastries, freshly baked daily by their partners at Crema Seal Beach.

We usually get orange juice and coffee, but they have a delicious Nutella swirl with banana that is perfect for sharing. We like experimenting with coffee, so the last time we went we decided to try something we hadn’t seen anywhere else: the dark chocolate cappuccino. Xanadu’s coffee is made with their 80th anniversary Italian Roast Blend, a medium-dark roast, organic blend with beans from Mexico, Peru, Sumatra and Ethiopia roasted in Italy. The coffee looked great, but unfortunately it didn’t taste as good as it looked.

Entrees are their specialty. We had a breakfast burrito and a croissant breakfast - eggs and bacon in a warmed-up croissant with salad on the side. We are not big fans of salad dressings, but we loved the one they serve! Both options were really good and fulfilling.

If you are one of those who prefer having a sweet pastry for breakfast, we recommend their danishes and croissants - soft and super fluffy!

I can’t help it. Every time I go to Xanadu Cafe , I start humming Olivia Newton-John’s melody, Xanadu. I wonder if they named the cafe...

at 5/06/2017

Ink and Bean, an Authentic Coffee Saloon and Wordshop in Downtown Anaheim

Ink and Bean is a cozy coffee saloon located in Anaheim’s downtown historic district.

They offer writing workshops and 2 free refills on any of the barista-made drinks (go for a cortado, cold brew or macchiato - some of our favorites!) for anyone who lets them know that they are working on a writing project. How cool is that!

On the weekends, visitors can enjoy live music from local musicians playing on the deck. Perfect set up to relax and enjoy your cup of joe.

COFFEE AND HIP SUGGESTS

Get a sandwich from their neighbors at the Cheese Shop and finish your lunch with an affogato (shot of hot espresso + scoop of vanilla ice cream) and a chocolate muffin.

Ink and Bean is a cozy coffee saloon located in Anaheim’s downtown historic district. They offer writing workshops and 2 free re...

at 4/17/2017

Cauldron Ice Cream: Edible bubble wrap & liquid nitrogen-made ice cream

Creative flavors, made in small batches, wrapped in a delicious puffle cone. This is why Cauldron’s signature ice cream became famous.

Cauldron Ice Cream in Santa Ana, California, opened in May of 2015. The shop began selling ice cream made with liquid nitrogen and introduced the puffle cone a few months later. This bubble wrap-looking cone is inspired in the Hong Kong egg waffle, a popular Hong Kong street snack that is made with an egg-based sweet batter.

The combination of the warm cone with the ice cream makes it a great combination. Flavors like lavender, sea salted caramel crunch or chocolate and s’mores are some of the most popular ones.

Creative flavors, made in small batches, wrapped in a delicious puffle cone. This is why Cauldron ’s signature ice cream became famous...

at 3/29/2017

Fresh Toast, The Largest Brunch Event in Orange County

Pasta Shells stuffed with Basil and Cherry Tomatoes from Ecco Pizzeria

Last Saturday we were invited to attend Fresh Toast, a brunch event held at the Newport Dunes in Newport Beach.

The Cannery Coconut Quince French Toast with Whip Cream and Nut Crumble

Set next to the Newport Beach’s back bay, the event featured over 35 SoCal restaurants and artisans that offered delicious samples of their best dishes to all attendees. We had a very fun foodie adventure!

Ghost Bloody Mary by Saint Marc

In addition to the unlimited amount of delicious brunch nibbles we got from the likes of Clay Oven, A Market, Cucina Enoteca or Roy’s, there was also a bloody mary competition going on between some of the participating restaurants. Contestants experimented with spices and some secret ingredients to make their specialty drinks unique. And they really were! Attendees got a chance to vote on the best bloody mary and best presentation. We’re not big fans of this red drink, but we have to admit that some of them really surprised us.

Some of our favorite bites (and sips):
Beef burrito from Burritos La Palma. Very few ingredients, but really tasty!
The world famous gyro platter from The Halal Guys.
Other samples we loved (featured in the picture below): the poke wonton from A&O Kitchen + Bar, or the shells with basil and cherry tomatoes from Ecco Pizzeria, in Costa Mesa.
Chunk’n’Chip’s craft ice cream sandwiches. We had the matcha green tea with pear and ginger ice cream.
O'Neills corn waffle with foie gras and strawberry whip cream. Amazing!
And (off course) the delicious freshly brewed organic coffee from Tru Bru.