Jiaren Cafe - Santa Clara, CA

 

☕️  Charcoal hojicha latte - tbh got the charcoal one to be extra but it looked so PRETTY and apparently it helps with detoxing! This latte had an amazing hoji flavor and the PERFECT amount of sweetness (similar 30-50% sweetness in boba shops) 😫

🍵  Matcha latte - also had the perfect amount of sweetness and you could tell they use high quality matcha 😊

🌟 Jiaren Cafe donates some of their proceeds to female leadership programs, healthcare workers, and other local/global non profit causes! Their drinks are one of the best tea lattes I’ve had and I really recommend that you check them out!!!

Beard Papas - Cupertino, CA

 

Japanese cream puffs: probably one of the most underrated desserts but one of my favorites 😝

The shells are thin, slightly crispy, and plain unless you get a flavored one. My favorite shells from Beard Papas are the original (bottom left), creme brûlée (bottom middle), and cookie (top). The focus is on the custard cream anyway, which is cold, silky, not too sweet, and you just wanna lick it allllll up! 😋 So addicting! My favorite filling is def the vanilla 🤤

Din Tai Fung - San Jose, CA

 

Aren’t xlbs so cute (and yummy) 😆 I can always tell if a bao is from Din Tai Fung because these folds are so uniquely dtf!

I’ve been getting their takeout lately and my faves are the pork chop fried rice (MUST GET), xlbs, and beef noodle soup (sub with glass noodles 😋)! Also love their online platform to make reservations and place pickup orders!

Sul & Beans - Cupertino, CA

 

I’m craving some shaved ice!

There are so many great bingsoo flavors at Sul N Beans but mango is my favorite 😋 fluffy light ice that melts in your mouth with sweet mango and gooey condensed milk 🤩

Tan-Cha Teahouse - Cupertino, CA

 

Tan Cha’s (milk) teas are amazing but their fruit drinks are just as good!!!!😋

Cheezo peach (left) is a peach drink made w fresh peaches (there are some peach bits!) topped with their delicious salted cheese, and it tastes INCREDIBLE! I think it’s a seasonal drink but pls make it permanent @tanchateahouse 🥺 Def gonna try their other cheezo fruity drinks -- I've tried cheezo grape and I HIGHLY recommend that 🤤

And their grapefruit slush (right) is the BEST I’ve had and so refreshing 😊

In-N-Out Burger - Sunnyvale, CA

 

Nothing hits the spot more than a burger and animal fries from In-N-Out Burger! 🍔 Here we have a reg double double and a double double protein style for ✨health✨

Did you know in n out is Gordon Ramsay’s guilty pleasure? That means it’s actually good 😝

Poke House - San Jose, CA

 

Aren’t poke bowls so pretty? 🌈 Pictured here are the house salmon bowl and a custom bowl w tuna and salmon from Poke House! I like mine drenched in sauce (sriracha aioli + ponzu are my favorites and they go so well with salmon (my favorite protein))! 🤤

Modo Donuts Hawaii Popup - San Jose, CA

Aren’t these donuts so ✨voluminous✨ ? Mochi donuts are sooo good I can eat them without being sick of them — not too sweet! Flavors here are strawberry 🌸, hojicha (fave), and honeydew sugar 🤤

This was a pop-up but Modo will have a more permanent location opening in Santa Clara!

 

Maggianos - San Jose, CA

 

I’ve literally gotten the same thing from Maggianos Little Italy on Santana Row ever since I discovered it while growing up in the area — lobster carbonara, which has a LIFE CHANGING truffle cream sauce!!! 🤩The boyfriend wanted something special so we got these pastas as takeout 😊 Spaghetti and meatballs tasted just ok, the lobster carbonara is where it's at!

RareTea - Cupertino, CA

Who knew that strawberries and salted cheese would pair so well together? Not me (but it makes sense bc of the fireworks scene in the beginning of Ratatouille when Remy ate strawberries + cheese??) 😯 

Strawberry 2.0 Snow Cream from RareTea has become one of my FAVORITE drinks and is made with real strawberries! 🍓 

And for my lactose intolerant friends (like myself), I highly recommend taking a Lactaid for salted cheese + organic milk teas bc why suffer 😌

Pacific Catch - Cupertino

Hello world, this is my first post on this Bay Area foodie blog! What better place to post than my first outdoor dining experience during quarantine at Pacific Catch located in Main Street Cupertino?

The outdoor dining experience couldn’t have been more pleasant with everyone following covid protocols! 🙏🏻 The lobster roll was AMAZING, just LOOK at how much lobster they put!!! 🦞 plus, it was on a soft delicious sweet roll with avocado (so good). 😋