kaoris

kaoris
〒231-0861 Kanagawa, Yokohama, Naka Ward, Motomachi, 3 Chome−141-8 エイシャント元町
tel: 045-306-9576

what was consumed: casual lunch set (main dish from the menu (we chose the pasta and the hamburger steak as our main dishes. yeah, hamburger steak is a thing) + bread + tea)

when you live right off the posh motomachi shopping street, you have quite a few cafe options at your fingertips (this was told to me). so, when i head out to meet a new friend, kaoris was a good option.

kaoris is part bakery, part cafe. so if you're looking for a cute place to grab a bit to eat or just wanting something to take on the road (aka to eat once you get to your destination. apparently, it's rude to eat en route here), put kaoris on your list!

kaoris doesn't have a large menu, but the dishes they were serving all looked delicious. fresh ingredients for yummy dishes, comfortable environment ... a great experience!

while i went solo this time. that said, there was a table with a couple of moms and their kids who looked like they were having a good time! it's on my list of places to bring the kiddo <3 span="">

online: http://www.kaoris.com/

cafe divan

cafe divan
1834 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 338-1747

what was consumed: mixed mezze platter, doner kebab, iskender kebab (with yogurt!)

k wanted turkish food (note: k also spent a foreign service tour in turkey, so her opinion and expectation for turkish food is much much higher than average), i wanted anything that a preggers lady could get her hands on (haha). cafe divan it is!

cafe divan is a great little turkish restaurant in georgetown. cafe divan offers a wide variety of turkish dishes. i loved that we could get a sampler appetizer plate with the lentil kofte that is just ... so so good. and be sure to get lots of yogurt with whatever you order. it's just so delicious that way!

online: http://www.cafedivan.com/

    

bakers and baristas

bakers and baristas
501 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20005
tel: 202) 347-7895

what was consumed: Butterkuchen (german butter cake), coffee with lavender

among the hustle and bustle of galleryplace/chinatow, is bakers and baristas. if you're looking for a quite bite to eat, some delicious coffee, and/or a sweet treat, be sure to check them out.

their signature butterkuchen is more butter than sweet (that's the best!). find time to enjoy it on location as bakers and baristas will heat it up so that it's oh so delicious!

online: https://www.bakersandbaristas.com/

kung fu tea

kung fu tea
1529 Wisconsin Ave NW FL 2nd, Washington, DC 20007
tel: 202) 813-3672

what was consumed: taro milk tea with bubbles and taiwanese fried chicken

coming from so.cal, where i've been drinking bubble tea since my childhood, i'm always happy to visit new places that offer delicious bubble tea. 

kung fu tea makes their drinks to order (i.e., they're not pre-packaged/pre-mixed), which is great. in fact, when you order, after you select which tea you want, you choose how sweet, how much ice, and what additional fixin's you'd like to add. my usual go-to is taro milk tea (and depending on my hunger, i'll order the tapioca pearls). they also have tapioca pearls that "explode" when you bite into them! i'll most definitely try those, next time.

i also like that kung fun tea has a few savory bites. in particular, i love the spicy taiwanese-style fried chicken. the szenchuan spice that's a part of the batter is delicious and will be a great complement to your tea.

the location i visited is also down the street from georgetown university. so, depending on when you go, the lines may be long thanks to all the co-eds. hahaha ...

online: https://www.kungfutea.com/

elle

elle
3221 Mt Pleasant St NW, Washington, DC 20010
tel: 202.652.0040

what was consumed: charred broccoli & fennel salad, bbq brisket, roasted mushroom gnocchi ... and 2 slices of pie! chocolate cream (i think) and blueberry.

i'm sad to say i haven't checked out as many restaurants as i would like in the mount pleasant area. there are lots of delicious things to be had there, i'm sure. so when k suggested elle, i was all about it! on top of that, elle and room 11 are owned/run by the same people. that was yet another reason why i knew i would love elle.

walking in to elle, i felt like i was walking into a small town cafe. i loved that feeling! and once we were seated, we were kindly greeted by our server who excitedly went through the menu and gave her recommendations. we opted for a little of this, a little of that - some grilled veggies, some gnocchi (i'm such a sucker), some meat. we were not disappointed. YUM.

and of course, pie. yay pie! we happen to be at elle on pi day. which means it was our duty to eat pie. of course. that just makes good sense. obviously ;P we got a fruity slide and a chocolate-y slice. and despite being healthy slices, k and i polished them both off. they were sweet, but not too sweet. and coupled with the buttery crust, the pie slices were a delicious way to complete our meal.

online: https://www.eatatelle.com/

little pearl

little pearl
921 Pennsylvania Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003
tel: 202) 618-1868

what was consumed: smoked brisket sandwich, fried chicken sandwich, greek panzanella salad ... and a DELICIOUS decaf latte (with white sesame milk!).

ok, so i'd very much enjoyed the delicious bites at pineapple and pearls some time ago. so when i heard that they had a cafe, i was super excited to try it out.

kdk and i met up for lunch at little pearl. i was still having my aversion to chicken (which has finally passed. yay!), so she took one for the team and tried the japanese fried chicken sandwich (which she polished off quickly and even despite her gluten sensitivity. totally worth it, she said). she did comment on how the chicken was a little sweet and that an entire dish of the fried chicken might be much. but in the sandwich, along with the complementary veggies, was just ... perfect.

my brisket sandwich was just ... so ... delicious. chock full of slices of perfectly smoked meat, along with the lettuce and pickles, it was definitely a lunch on the very filling side. i got mine without horseradish (because that's how i roll - don't judge), but for horseradish lovers, i  bet you will not be disappointed! also note that we also most definitely enjoyed the panzanella salad that had just the right amount of pickled stuff to enjoy with the rusk and other fresh veggies. 

and be sure to get some coffee! pay extra for the white sesame milk. it's super creamy and adds a touch of sweetness to your beverage. i can't wait to go back and enjoy the regularly caffeinated stuff. hehehe ... and, of course, their dinner menu. and maybe even other parts of their lunch menu that seems to be every changing!

online: https://www.littlepearldc.com/

colada shop

colada shop
1405 T St NW, Washington, DC 20009

tel: 202) 332-8800

what was consumed: iced cuban coffee, media noche

simple concept, done well. that's what colada shop provides. cuban sandwiches, cuban coffee ... YUM. they don't have a whole lot of indoor seating, but stick around for a seat outdoors! customers tend to turn over quickly so seats open up. there is little better than doing some quality people watching while enjoying delicious treats

online: https://www.coladashop.com/

beans&barley

beans&barley

1901 E North Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53202

tel: 414) 278-7878

what was consumed: chicken salad sandwich, burrito, and a delicious latte.

before heading out of milwaukee, we agreed to meet our company for a quick and delicious lunch at beans & barley.

beans&barley is a market and restaurant all in one. specialty things, healthy eats, etc. i could walk around places like beans&barley for quite some time (i did spend a bit of time in the market before sitting down for our meal, don't worry!).

we asked about what was most delicious at beans&barley and our company basically listed most everything on the menu (haha). BJL and i opted to split their vegetarian burrito (it just looked so good!) and a chicken salad sandwich. YUM! good choice! fresh ingredients combined well to create simple and delicious dishes.

my die-hard milwaukee-an friend also told me beans&barley is one of his go-to places. i can see why! it'll be a regular stop for me the next time i'm in milwaukee.

online: https://www.beansandbarley.com/menu/

85 degrees

85 degrees

2700 Alton Pkwy #123, Irvine, CA 92606

tel: (949) 553-8585

what was consumed: asian bakery bread! and salted cream black tea. YUM.

i remember the first time i went to 85 degrees. stacey and i waited in line. for a long time. and when we finally got to the front, we were greeted with glorious, glorious rows of delicious looking (and delicious tasting!) baked goods. you make your selection and the staff will wrap individual selection in little bags (the selection that you're not going to eat immediately, anyway). they're also supposed to be well known for their mocha bread, which they didn't have this time around. sad face. i'm always up for baked goods from 85 degrees. will you please bring me some?

online: http://www.85cbakerycafe.com/

social

social
plot #2, ensemble plaza, street 48, F-8/4, islamabad, pakistan
tel: 0320) 6862783

what was consumed: loaded fries! mexican rice bowl! others had the korean bowl, burgers, sandwiches, fish and chips ...

looking for a place to eat with a nice rooftop and delish food? if yes, check out social!

after reading about a new restaurant in one of the papers, and after we'd passed social quite a few times going to m's house, we finally made it out there, on a nice evening. and with it being nice, we opted for the rooftop seating (and we're glad we did! for those who get chilly easily, they had quite a few heat lamps to keep you cozy).

we started our meal with some loaded fries because ... well, why not. and as we were sharing among quite a few people, we all got just a taste (i could've eaten the whole thing by myself. no surprise there). we also received salsa and toasted bread "on the house." we didn't know what to make of the combo, but enjoyed the slightly spicy salsa.

social has a diverse menu, so you're bound to find something you like. m and i split the mexican rice dish and the korean bowl. the mexican rice was served in a tortilla bowl (likely a fried chiapti, but let's face it: they're variation of the same). i'm also glad to see that korean flavors are making their way on to the islamabad food scene. social's korean bowl was pretty good. a  bit on the sweet side and more teriyaki than korean, but ... that's just me.

thanks, social! we'll see you again soon.

online: https://www.facebook.com/socialcafeisb/

the butler

the butler
school road, F-6 markaz, islamabad, pakistan
tel: 0321) 585-9494

what was consumed: hummous, cheese sticks, burgers, sandwiches, and shakes!

a cute little store front appeared on the outer edge of F-6 markaz. it caught all of our attention, but it wasn't until more recently that i got a chance to make my own visit to 'the butler.'

it's dark inside, and all of the waitstaff are in uniform (note: NOT in stereotypical "butler" attire, whatever that might mean, but more ... newsboy-ish?). while this would be offputting elsewhere, for whatever reason, i found it to be cute and a nice touch by the butler.

all of the good seats (aka with couches) were occupied - sad for us - but we were nonetheless seated quickly and comfortably (the butler also has an open rooftop, i hear. we went when it was a bit too cold for outdoor dining, but i will look forward to enjoying the rooftop in the future). then started off with a few appetizers: delish hummous and really cheesy cheese sticks.

we all opted for sandwiches (mostly because we wanted fries. i could go for more fries, that's for sure) and will look forward to trying out there other dishes.

i also hear that the butler is totally wheel-chair friendly. you wouldn't think so (so many stairs!), but it is! how wonderful! hopefully more places will take that into consideration when entering into new construction. very important! and very impressive, the butler. yet another reason to visit!

online: https://www.facebook.com/thebutlerisb/ (and, soon, http://www.thebutler.com.pk/)