Ads

After breakfast, we immediately started looking for a place to have lunch. Our trusty smartphones told us that a 30 minute walk would bring us to the World of Beer, which sounded pretty amazing to beer enthusiasts like H and I. From Lineage Coffee, we walked to Lake Eola, went around the park, which was full of people and swans, explored the busy farmer’s market, and arrived at the World of Beer:

IMG_20180426_212503_903

Walking into this bar took some courage. The patio looked more welcoming, but it was already full. The servers were all very friendly, but looked like they were way too busy. Nobody greeted us, and we sat ourselves down at a table that was covered in dirty dishes. The place was really busy and really dirty – it smelled like dirty old beer and greasy food. Typical of a bar, I guess.

World of Beer Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

Eventually, we ordered our tater tots and margherita flat bread, as well as a flight of local beers for me and a pint of some IPA for H. The local drafts did not impress me, and some of them downright tasted NASTY. Maybe it’s the chlorinated water in Florida, but I probably will not come back.

I would go back to Florida to see another rocket or shuttle launch, and for the sunshine. It’s pouring again in Vancouver, as I write this… What else does one do in Florida besides enjoy the sunshine?

IMG-20180426-WA0011

Go to Orlando Breakfast
Go to Orlando Dinner
Landed in Orlando (second time this year! at least once more next month!), and picked up H along the way. We were going to spend some time together in Orlando before I had to go back to work. Are you surprised that one of the first things we did was go for coffee?

Lineage Coffee

We took an Uber out to Lineage Coffee, which I sourced out from Instagram (unfortunately, most of my food choices are influenced by Instagram…). The cafe was very spacious, very bright, and appeared to be very clean. Most of the seating was taken up already, but H and I found a little spot by the counter. I had a cappuccino, H had a pourover, and we shared a chocolate croissant. They gave us a regular croissant at first, but we had no troubles exchanging it for one filled with chocolatey goodness. The croissants were gigantic and very fluffy, I would recommend not missing out on it.
I didn’t like the flavour of my cappuccino, probably just personal preference, but I’d come back for the environment and to try a different blend (if I’m ever in the neighborhood again). H seemed to enjoy his coffee, but we both enjoyed spreading the joy and excitement of our upcoming marriage!

Lineage Coffee Roasting  Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

H proposed right before we left for coffee, and I am happy to announce that I will be posting all about the wedding planning. I am going to go on the record here to say that I don’t think it will be too stressful (for me at least). My future husband is resourceful when it comes to planning events and he will likely be doing most of the work. I hate making decisions, and I already had to make one of the toughest ones in this wedding (I decided I want to marry him!) so I think it’s only fair that he does most of the researching and coordinating, right?

Jokes. I’ll be sure to pin things to our Pinterest board too.

If you want to hear the story of how he proposed, email me and I’ll send you the story. It fits our relationship perfectly, and I love how it went down.

Go to Orlando Lunch

Go to Orlando Dinner
Thinking back to this dinner at Abe and Louie’s, my stomach is starting to grumble once again (I’ve also just gotten out of yoga class at Yyoga and I’ve worked up an appetite). I don’t usually go out for dinners like this, just because I’m not really a steak and potatoes type of person and these meals can really burn a hole in the wallet… But when travelling with other people, I’ll usually go with the restaurant choice of whoever is the most enthusiasitc and makes the reservation first. So, because I am not really into steak and potatoes, I opted for the halibut special:

IMG_20180420_161003_255

The fish was served over a bed of lobster mashed potatoes and… I don’t recall the sauce, sorry. I did also have a martini, which may have added to the memory loss. I do remember how excited I was about the mashed potatoes, and how I wiped the plate clean! D thought the fish was a tad dry; I thought the fish was fine with the sauce and mashed potates to add moisture. The little seed net over the lemon really was an indication of the calibre of food that was being served.

Abe & Louie's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

We worked through our mains, finished the creamed spinach and what not (great sides too, I think any of the options would have been amazing), and it was time for dessert. This was the creme brulee, and it may have been one of the best I’ve ever had (#Drake). I couldn’t wait to eat it, so the photo above is not of the actual dish as it comes out.

IMG_20180420_161128_839

Conversations over heavy meals like this can get pretty interesting, as everybody gets a bit more relaxed. I really am glad I work with such open minded people though, who can discuss almost anything, from politics to love to the weather. There can be so many different perspectives to a topic, and it’s not all 2 sided, like the wall that Trump wants to build.

Go to Boston Breakfast

Go to Boston Lunch
On the last day of Boston, I was getting really tired of sandwiches and catered lunches from the conference. I was craving something fresh, something blended, something in the form of a smoothie. Being in a downtown area, I knew there must be a smoothie place, and I was right. A quick search of the area brought me to Mother Juice:

IMG_20180420_162038_389

Long waits aside (I stood there for about 20 to 30 minutes, I guess the lunch rush was strong that day), I was pretty satisfied. The smoothies were just what I was looking for, and also just what I expected. I had the one with ginger, and D had the one with strawberries and bananas. They were completely organic, and although they might look like they contain very little volume, each cup was a full meal. And they were EXPENSIVE! I always forget the cost of being healthy…

Mother Juice Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

I don’t think I’d go back though, because of the long waits and the price. I’d probably go to Whole Foods next time, because it’s in the same area and usually has some sort of juice/smoothie option.

It does seems like there’s a common theme on this trip (in my life??), where I get tired of something and have to find something new to try.

Go to Boston Breakfast
Go to Boston Dinner
This post is the first of six posts, documenting the last eats of the past 2 weeks in Boston and Orlando.

The day cannot start without coffee:

IMG_20180411_185836_328

It wasn’t hard to find a coffee place in the Backbay area of Boston, a few different options came up and they were all within walking distance of the hotel. I ended up choosing Pavement Coffee, because according to the internet, they had the best latte artists. I ordered the latte, and a very standard blueberry muffin. The coffee came out - I wasn’t disappointed by the latte art, but how was the coffee itself?

After having burnt Starbucks coffee from the lobby and airport for the past couple of days, this coffee was the smoothest kick of caffeine. It could have been stronger, and it could have been served faster, but I was happy enough to come back on another day.

Pavement Coffee House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

The 2nd time I visited, I had the granola and yogurt with fruit, which was very filling and fresh. The other patrons of the cafe were having the sandwiches, which smelled great, and might be worth trying if I ever came here for vacation. Eating too heavily before work is not a good idea for me anyways.

Staying slightly hungry makes me work a little bit harder.

Go to Boston Lunch

Go to Boston Dinner

Fitting in one more post before flying out, because I am procrastinating from all the packing and getting ready. (Business cards… Passport… Laptop… CHARGERS… Remember that trip where I forgot my laptop charger?)

Everytime M and I shop at Kim’s Mart for groceries, we always walk by The Paper Crane. We decided to go today:

Paper Crane

I had a flat white, and was disappointed that they didn’t even try to draw even a little heart… I haven’t had a pretty coffee in a while, and this week, I just haven’t had any luck with finding a place that does a good looking pour.Paper Crane

Other than the aesthetics, the coffee itself was alright. Not my favourite from this weekend. The service was not impressive – one of the baristas was really friendly, but the other was not too friendly. NOthing excessively rude, but I am paying $5 for a cup of coffee, so is it too much to ask for the coffee to come with a smile?

The Paper Crane Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

M passed some skin care goodies to me. Woohoo. Excited to try out them out!

Anyways, it’s been a productive weekend and the upcoming weeks should be interesting. Tonight, I finally spent a few minutes looking up things to do around Boston, and I don’t think it will be an uneventful trip.
Sometimes, it feels like I’m stuck in a moment and time is not really moving, but looking back, where did all my time go? I think I’m just impatient and I want to get to the end of the story and get results. So much change yet nothing has really happened… Talk faster, people!

Here’s an example of my impatience. I got my new Mavic Air and waited and waited for the cherry blossoms to fully bloom, but the trees blossomed about halfway and a rain warning was issued, so I gave up on waiting and went out for this shot:

mavic air

Not bad I guess, but could’ve been more blossom-y.

Waiting for food, also not one of my favourite pastimes. Luckily, B understood that, and for a quick lunch today, we went to Viet House, a nearby pho place on Cambie with good service. She had the #18, Spicy Hue Lemongrass Beef Noodle Soup, ie, BBH or Bun Bo Hue:

Viet House

Why did they rename it to this fully anglicized version? I’m not sure. I had the #17, House Special. Standard soupy noodles that hit the spot and didn’t break the bank. They had beautiful ceramic bowls holding the soup noodle, and I appreciated the cleanliness of the restaurant. If I go back, it would be at night and I would want to try one of their alcoholic cocktails as well.

Viet House Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

A Vietnamese restaurant that serves alcohol out in the open with a real liquor license? Awesome.

The rest of this weekend will be dedicated to working on my patience and catching up with friends before flying out to Boston. I might miss a post this coming weekend, because I’ll be hopping over to Florida as well. Sorry.

As my yoga instructor said this week, it’s not always about reaching the destination, enjoy the steps in between too.