Batch 22 Bakery - Cupertino, CA

 

Batch 22 Bakery is a local business that sells one of the best cookies I’ve ever had 🤩

🍪 Pumpkin spice pudge with cheesecake filling
🍪 Matcha shortbread
🍪 Gourmet chocolate chip

All of the cookies were so fun and had such a deep flavor profile! My favorite was def the pumpkin spice pudge. 🤩I usually don’t like it when desserts are overwhelmingly sweet and heavy — the pudge was huge and thicc but I was surprised when I kept reaching for more! 😱 it was honestly that addicting. Also really appreciated that the matcha shortbread was not too sweet — perfect for me! Overall great cookies and def a great intro to pudges 😋

Tong Sui - Sunnyvale, CA

 

I never know what to say when people ask what my favorite dessert is but now I’m going to say it’s coconut pudding!! 😱

🥥 Signature coconut pudding: coconut pudding made from fresh coconut juice, lightly sweetened
🥥 Strawberry coconut pudding: a layer of strawberry coconut pudding on top of the signature

I didn’t have high expectations because the phrase “coconut pudding” didn’t sound spectacular (I was wrong), but the puddings tasted so FRESH with a deep coconut milk flavor. It was light, flavorful, and satisfying! And if you bring back 10 jars, you get a free signature coconut pudding! Someone please fund my new addiction at Tong Sui 😙

Kemuri Japanese Barú - Redwood City, CA

 

Anyone else absolutely love Japanese izakayas? There are so many fun dishes to try and I always want to order the whole menu!
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🥩 Wagyu garlic rice: steak, garlic butter, and garlic chips with crispy rice. this was so full of FLAVOR and I loved the crunch!
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🐍 Unagi kaba-yaki: grilled eel with sweet soy, cucumber wasabi vinegar. Wow, you could tell this was literally straight off the grill and the sauce was not too salty and not too sweet! One of the best I’ve had 😱
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🍄 Shiitake mushroom skewers: mushrooms with smoked butter, lemon, and black pepper. Didn’t expect much but I was blown away by how much flavor this had! Texture was also perfect 👌🏻
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🍤 Crispy shrimp: soft shell shrimp with umami panko. Don’t like peeling shrimp? Get this because you can comfortably eat the shell! One of my favorite dishes here 😊
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I was really impressed with the quality of food at Kemuri! There are sooo many other things I want to try on the menu so I for sure gotta go back sometime 🤣

Egghead Sando Cafe - Cupertino, CA

 

I’m so happy Egghead opened so that we finally have a new brunch place in Cupertino that specializes in different concoctions of the EGG! 🤩

🍗 The Chic - Taiwanese style juicy fried chicken with an over medium egg, a slightly spicy sauce, on a brioche bun. One of my faves since the chicken was so juicy and went SO well with the sauce!
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🍳 The Scramble - soft scrambled eggs, cheese, onions, and spicy mayo on a brioche bun. We added bacon to ours and that made it super good!
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🥚 Eggy - poached egg on top of 🥔 purée with bacon bits and chive. This was served with bread to dip and was also one of my favorites! We used the remaining purée on our sandwiches 🤤
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☕️ Hojicha latte - ok this was probably one of the best hojicha lattes I’ve ever had. I would be down to get this over boba 🤭
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Overall I was super impressed with the quality of the food here. With this food, there are sure going to be long lines when people hear about this place!

N7 Draft Tea + Coffee - San Jose, CA

 

Anyone know what nitrogen infused tea tastes like? According to google it makes your drinks creamier without the calories 😱 N7 specializes in nitrogen infused drinks!

Watermelon freeze: jasmine green tea mixed with crushed fresh watermelon. It had a BEAUTIFUL floral taste from the green tea and the watermelon provided a refreshing sweetness. 50% sugar is perfect! This was so good 😋

Mango freeze: mango purée blended with house crema. This tasted like mango lassi and I love mango lassi so I was a fan 👌🏻 Super creamy, perfect with 30-50% sweetness, and a great caffeine free option! 🤩

Yuyu Zazang - San Jose, CA

 

Happy National Noodle Day!!!! 🍜🤩

🍜 Seafood black bean noodle: this was a really solid korean jajangmyeon dish! Bouncy noodles with a satisfying slurp, pieces of 🦐 🐙 🦑 and black bean sauce! I think Paik’s noodle is still my favorite but I really enjoyed Yuyu Zazang for quick takeout lunch that’s located closer to me😙

Porto's Bakery and Cafe - Burbank, CA

 

So thankful for friends who drive Porto’s up from SoCal 😭

Guava cheese strudel: Guava jam + cream cheese in a flaky puff pastry — they go so well together! I’ve tried bakeries in NorCal that try to copy this but none compare to the OG!! 🤤

Wish Porto’s had a location closer to me but they do have their refugiados where they ship their unbaked, frozen pastries nationwide!