We, the Educator GF's took KD out for her birthday crawl...
Our first stop was at Cafe Virtuoso, one of my favorites and also home of the mocha flight which we had.
All three gals ordered the same thing (what!) - medium roasted beans from Oaxaca, Mexico. Hence, only one cup and with the cream and sugar already added. We sat in the big table in the back after the barista cleared it off for us.
Everyone, like I hoped they would, loved the mocha flight, appreciating each distinct flavor. KD shared my same feeling of unexpectedly liking the white mocha since we're both not white chocolate fans. My favorite of the four is still the Dark mocha followed by the Peruvian.
D ordered a ham and cheese croissant (not sure which bakery it's from). It wasn't heated up and actually could have benefited from that. The ham inside was hard and so was the cheese. No bueno.
Because that mocha flight looks so pretty, here it is from another angle.
KD liked her coffee so much, she bought a bag for herself.
I was really happy that my friends liked this place, especially knowing that it is the only certified organic coffee roaster in San Diego. Plus the baristas here are always so nice.
Our second stop was for brunch at Royale in OB (the previous post).
Usually during our crawls, we include a shopping or window shopping foray/excursion. We headed to Fashion Valley since KD had a return to do. While some of the ladies were in Macy's, I got drinks for me and D at the new Better Buzz brick and mortar (it's next to Godiva).
There was a long ass line and it took just as long waiting to get our drinks.
D said I could order whatever for her, so I got her the blended hazelnut divinity with almond milk; for me, my blended mocha buzz. It ended up being super sweet that I couldn't even finish it.
I can't handle blended and overly sweet drinks any more.
Our last stop of the day was at the strip mall with Phuong Trang...This is now the updated sign as of this month. Look closely. There's been a few changes.
Compare it with this photo from ten years ago....the boxing club and dancing studio is now gone. Hair Delight later became Hair Duck and is now Gina Hair. Japanese food now has the actual name on there, Sushi Shirahama. Big Joy Family bakery that used to be next to Phuong Trang was not on the sign, but now it is MNGO Cafe! This stop would be a two-fer.
(photo from my "Phuong Trang & Canadian candy" post from May 2007)
Before trying the new dessert place and also because I was sugared out and wanted to have some savory appetizers as a palate cleanser, we stopped at Phuong Trang first. I hadn't been in a couple of years and noticed they had remodeled the interior. Gone are the wooden paneled walls and the Vietnamese musical instruments as decor. The walls were now tiled (faux marble maybe?) and cleaner and less busy looking. I kept it short and simple - fried egg rolls (I love their version with rice paper which blisters when fried) and fried butter and garlic wings.
Of the two appetizers, we all enjoyed the wings a bit more but loved the fried rolls, especially the contrast between the hot filling, the crisp exterior, the cool vegetables and the tangy sauce.
Previous visit to Cafe Virtuoso:
December 2017 where Bert and I had the mocha flight
Better Buzz (new brick and mortar, next to Godiva)
Fashion Valley mall
San Diego, CA 92106
www.betterbuzzcoffee.com
Previous visit to Phuong Trang:
June 2016
We were almost done with KD's birthday celebration. Next door would be our first time to try the new bakery that replaced Big Joy, which we miss dearly (the family was so nice). Kirbie had visited MNGO Cafe recently and shared her photos with me when we met up for brunch at Royale last week. After seeing the variety of offerings, I knew it would be the perfect place to end the crawl...
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