I chose this stripmall quite strategically....
Coffee, lunch and dessert would all be here. I've done it before (sans the coffee options because S3 wasn't open yet)...
For some wierd reason, my phone decided to crap out on me and the online Entertainment booklet buy one get one coupon for S3 Coffee freezes on me. I get locked out and have to sign back in but it wouldn't accept my password and after three times, the site message popped up that they were experiencing technical difficulties. Just. My. Luck.
They got rid of the art wall in the back and replaced it with those fake greenery walls and added a neon sign because let's face it, all of the hipster places now have neon signs. "In Pie We Crust" at Pop Pie. "I Got Baked in Los Angeles" at Mr. Holmes Bakeshop in L.A. and "Refresh Yourself" in the Copa Vida, Sorrento Valley bathroom of all places. Even TJ Oyster Bar #3 has "The World is Your Oyster" in neon on their now octopus muraled wall.
The sign has a big "S" and reads "Smell, sip & savor" (but with only one "S"), hence their name, S3.
There are decorated index cards strung on a string on their side wall. Cute idea.
The Prof had the Matcha latte - it looks quite pretty doesn't it?
As for my drink, this was supposed to be a cortado. It's not on their menu board but I know they offer it (as seen on IG). Just looking at it, it was way too milky. It wasn't that great but was still drinkable. It was at least in a glass (which I did remember to ask the barista to serve our drinks in actual vessels and not paper).
I won't be ordering a cortado here anytime soon. I've had better but now at least I know. It helps to do "research".
The Purple Mint didn't open until 11 so we were at S3 until then. She hadn't been here before and I was curious to do a revisit. I noticed they now have a proper menu with a cover instead of just laminated sheets. Summer rolls with tofu and egg was our appetizer. For our two shared items, I suggested the Jackfruit salad (this was new on their menu) and the Prof chose Eggplant and Tofu with brown rice.
This was the first time I've dined inside the restaurant as we were always seated outside. The drink was the Buddha's Delight, pineapple and orange juice with jasmine tea and basil seeds, which was very refreshing. This was also shared between us (poured into an extra glass).
Everything looked good. The jackfruit salad had fake "shrimp" on there as well.
Looks ALMOST like real skrimps, but they're not. I've had jackfruit salad before at Que Huong and have even made my own with chicken. This version was quite delicious as it had all kinds of textures and flavors (chopped peanuts, fried shallots, black sesame rice crackers, greens, vegetarian fish sauce, and fresh herbs to name a few. She ended up taking home the leftovers to share with her husband.
We both enjoyed our meal here and catching up on things. It had been awhile since we spent quality time together other than seeing each other at random community events where contact was usually fleeting.
She hadn't had vegan donuts before either so we walked over to Nomad Donuts two doors down. I ended up getting a selection of a half dozen donuts plus an extra of her choice for her to take home and enjoy with her husband (also a good friend of mine).
Linda's father, Mr. Damo was there that afternoon. As always, he is a very friendly and patient man, greeting us and wishing us a happy new year as we left.
The lone non-vegan donut was the coconut (for her husband), the rest were part of the regular rotation of vegan donut flavors at Donut Panic - the mock 'bacon' maple, coconut with chocolat, churro, Thai Tea, bavarian creme filled with chocolate icing and the lavender lemon. The last donut was the one that we shared. I really do like the texture of Linda's donuts when they are fresh like this. So light an airy.
Turns out I had already tried this donut back in 2014 along with a lemon filled. The Prof liked the flavor combination. She texted me later that day saying her husband had already eaten three. It's safe to say that he liked them!
Previous visit to S3 Coffee:
October 2016
Previous visit to The Purple Mint:
September 2015 when I took the Educator GF's here for TORC's birthday crawl
Previous visit to Donut Panic:
October 2016
Sigh...the weekend is halfway over and work begins again on Monday. But at least MLK will give us a three day weekend next week.
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