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San Diego Anni pt. 2

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Part 2 (final) of San Diego anniversary celebrations - see Part 1, at Marlene’s Tea & Cakes

First off, we parked near Balboa Park and came across Earthfest! I realised my photos of it were pretty bad afterwards haha, but it was a pretty fun place to look through with lots of focus on sustainability and almost all the food booths were vegan. My manz commented that finally there is something for me to eat since usually at these events, I end up only being able to eat like, a bowl of corn or something LOL.

We got this vegan mac and cheese that was pretty loaded. I was waffling on this or something else but I hadn’t had mac & cheese in sooo long and wondered if a business made it better. It was honestly just okay and it had way too much pasta, so we couldn’t finish it even though we shared It’s so hard to find a good non-dairy mac and cheese…!

The mango lassi though, was SO GOOD I was worried it was going to be too nutty for my manz but he ended up really liking the cashew milk base!

We walked over to the gardens area to have a nice time. It was really hustlin and bustlin sin ce it was Easter weekend, though this area is alwayssss paacked

Last time we were here, it was Winter though so nothing was blooming, but it was really pretty this time around in Spring

The Botanical Garden had its plants again

I forgot to untuck my hair from eating earlier haha, but here was my outfit shot! It’s the same day as Marlene’s tea lol. The jacket is from Rojita and incredibly lightweight and wonderful for sunny days

We spent some time looking at an orchid competition/feature - it was really fascinating to see so many different kinds of orchids! To be honest, I’m not too planty so I didn’t know what made them make certain ranks and such, but they were all very pretty to look at

We joined in a lesson on orchid care and my manz now wants an orchid At this point, I was so tired I fell asleep during it, hopefully the gentleman running it didn’t feel bad… there was just so much activity this day already!

I thought this orchid mounted on a wall-type object was quite funny to look at!

Afterward, we checked in to our hotel which was this really pretty seaside one! They gave us a complimentary wine for our anniversary stay, which was really sweet!

Though we both brought our swim suits in case we wanted to swim, neither of us brought sandals lol and this hotel layout is pretty weird - you have to walk across an entire walkway and roof restaurant area to get to the pool… so barefoot was just not gonna be a fun time

My manz found this fish taco place called Shoots via his food credits app (I don’t know what it is lol, but it partners with local eateries and gives coupons and stuff) which ended up being really delicious and fresh. You can’t go wrong with fish in San Diego it feels like

My manz got a crispy fish collar and the pescaderos taco. He really loved it, especially the fish collar one since I don’t think we’ve seen it as an option much before?!

I got the sunset poke where the market catch was tuna. Tuna is not my favourite but a little bit doesn’t hurt my stomach as much so I thought it was ok to go with! It was super fresh!!

1022 Cafe & Gelataria - this caught my eye on Google Maps nearby since I really wanted a delicious creamy treat OMG, if you ever go to this area in Oceanside, please go here because it is incredibly delicious and all staff here are so sweet.

I forgot to take a picture of the flavour I ordered so it was either Gianduja (Chocolate & Hazelnut w/ Condensed Milk) or Tiramisu haha, but it was so delicious… We got a split cup where my manz picked Pistachio, which they apparently source from Italy! This was probably the most pistachio’d-pistachio flavour I’ve ever had. So tasty!! I’m salivating remembering this haha

Lastly, I’m super sad I forgot to ask to take a photo but while we were waiting here, an older couple brought in a tiny puppy dachshund who was soooo excited and jumping as high as my purse to try to get to my hanging shirokuma It was sooo cute and when the staff gave the couple samples the dog tried eating the samples too!!

The next day, we were planning to go to the Carlsbad flower fields, so I picked something comfy for time outside

♡ Dress: Ank Rouge ♡
♡ Hat: tocco closet ♡
♡ Bag: idang club ♡
♡ Hairclips: Lafary ♡
♡ Shoes: Evelyn ♡

I got this Ank Rouge dress a while back but it wasn’t a good season to wear it until now - it’s made of a really soft material and quite nice to wear! I’m also happy because I got it new with tags for $15

My manz wanted to try the famous High-Pie, which was apparently a house featured in the movie Top Gun that has now turned into a pie store! It’s so cute outside! It was basically downstairs from our hotel so going there was very close by!

Inside, it definitely smelled like old house But it was really tiny and cute.

The flavours we picked were apple, blueberry, and strawberry (seasonal), I think? OMG they were actually so incredibly delicious - the pastry and the filling were both balanced and not overly sweet, yet buttery!

Then we went back to 1022 to get more gelato because I insisted LOL. Also, I wanted to try one of their drinks and my manz wanted a coffee! This time, I picked strawberry & cream and cheesecake as my flavours (yes… I burned through my lactaid stash this trip lol), both of which were also super tasty

For my drink, I was intrigued by their spring seasonal matcha and green tea with lavender/rose/orchid syrup plus vanilla cold foam, sprayed with hibiscus flower oil. Sounds so complex!!

I kind of wanted a stronger matcha, so the kind staffer (I think he was one of the owners, actually?) offered to make it as a super strong matcha (no tea)! It was really nice and I loved the drink, though I think the floral flavours could’ve been stronger (I think most floral flavour drinks are not perfume tasting enough for me though)

Goodness, we ate like crazy this trip. Since my manz only had an affogato (which he loved), he wanted an actual breakfast and so we stopped by Petite Madeline Bakery & Bistro which was just a block or so away.

Their pastries looked so good, but we were definitely in need of savoury over sweet at this point!

All the cute easter themed pastries

It was nice that they have a menu item that’s just 1 egg benny! I got it with smoked salmon

Food options… normally, I try to choose menu items that are really “clean” for my stomach, but it seems like egg doesn’t upset it as much. A lot of eateries that aren’t geared towards healthy eating have really disappointing and quite unhealthy salads or vegetarian-friendly options (btw, I guess I fall more in pescatarian but the safest food for my stomach is veggie/vegan), so I realised I should try to choose the second safest menu options if my stomach is feeling alright that day.

Took a walk down the road to the beach/pier area

It was such a pretty and clear day!

I loved this sitting fellow!

Birds looking frontwards towards you is one of my life enjoyments

I couldn’t stop admiring how deep blue the sky was

Finally, it was about time for our entrance reservation at the Carslbad Flower Fields so we headed over! OMG it was so hard to park it was stressing me out. Bless my manz for figuring out the parking while I stress and do nothing LOL

We decided to go here on a whim because it turns out, Carlsbad was in full bloom this weekend!

There were so many colours

There was this super pretty arch with heart cutouts that I really adored! I felt a bit like an instagram girlie who kept bugging her bf to take photos lol But people were really sweet with helping us take photos together

I kind of hate how I look here LOL but we were talking about how committed one must be to place the head within these cutout holes, and no matter how “into” I tried to place my head, I just could not get it as “into” as my manz was demonstrating

The Carlsbad fields are known for their long bunches of ranunculus in many colours

I ended up taking so many photos haha, looking back they kind of all look the same but I remember how happy I was!

Inside one of the buildings we saw more orchids and other flowers. There was this really spotted boy that was kind of freaky looking LOL

This display was one of my favourites because it had mixed colours. They look like eyeballs

Naturally, I was drawn also to this big happy yellow field

Hehe

Near the back of the fields there were also these tall boys

We wondered how much those houses next to the fields cost, or if they’re hotels or something?

We almost took home some plants here but decided to look again later… since we do have lots of plant nurseries in our area I guess haha. I wonder how well they’ll do in the manzone.

Someone offered to help us take a photo together when my manz was helping me out, so he plopped himself on the bench wearing all my goods like this, which cracked me up lol

It was just the PERFECT weather today. I was so happy we finally got to blooming flower fields since neither of us are planners we tend to miss it every year

For dinner, we took the bus over to the Plot - interestingly, they have a location in Costa Mesa but we never heard of it before! This was another app pick lol but I was really happy about this choice since it’s a vegan restaurant which I always like to try.

I was really intrigued by this place because they are very committed to zero waste as they can - they actually grow their own greens on-site and work with local farmers

We were welcomed and greeted right away by a dressy gentleman waitstaff who helped us a bit with the menu, and I feel SO BAD about that I forgot his name now since I’m writing my blog posts so late… but I was really impressed with his service since it was also his first day working here!

Right after ordering, they brought out a complimentery ‘caviar’ which was a bit salty for me but my manz enjoyed! I don’t remember what it’s actually made of, but I haven’t had real caviar before so I don’t know how similar it is!

I ordered a mushroom hot cocoa, which I haven’t had since… maybe a bit post-college? It always was a bit too earthy tasting for me but I was curious how a restaurant one would be. And oh my gosh, it was so creamy and delicious! Now I’ve rekindled my enjoyment of mushroom hot cocoa…

Since my manz is obsessed with roasted brussel sprouts, we got their brussel sprout with “spam” appetizer! It was really good - I liked it quite a lot!

My manz got their “shepherds pie”. As a non-vegan diet person, he commented that he was really impressed with it though it was obviously not a real meat texture, the flavour was heavy and on-point for a shepherds pie.

I ordered from their spring special menu and got the okinawan sweet potato gnocchi. I really loved the pea puree of it the most! It was a bit heavy for me (on the level of a regular pasta, I think) which meant it was appropriately flavoured! (I have a very bland preference )

I wondered what the big leaf on top was!

After eating, I was so curious about how they grow their own veggies here and asked the gentleman about it, to which he was super exciteable to elaborate on and show us around! We got to walk out around the outside area which had their garden

I loved looking at it all! Somehow, just seeing these little plots is really wholesome

We also saw the “mystery leaf” that was in my gnocchi dish

I really loved looking at the huge leaves!

The next day, I really wanted to go to a nice coffee place but my manz wanted like… to hang out at the hotel LOL. He also was working this day, so we decided to spend a slower morning at the hotel’s breakfast restaurant downstairs

I got a banana bread and chai latte. It was just okay honestly haha, but it was a nice time to catch up on my journal

During this trip, I really wanted to get an acai bowl at least once, so I found Alohana nearby and it turned out to be one of the best acai bowls I’ve ever had! It was soooo thick and not too sweet We should’ve shared one but I was being greedy and wanted to eat an entire bowl of fruit

By this time we were so stuffed… but I really wanted to try this place I saw on Google Maps…

BANANA DANG!

It’s a coffee shop/cafe with banana themed drinks and food. Got one love and committed.

The inside vibes were definitely super cozy!

The story of this cafe is really adorable! Apparently it was started by a couple in Puerto Rico first, but moved to San Diego with a high focus on sustainability and love of the environment. A lot of their products are vegan as well.

I got a banana mocha, though I was kind of so full I couldn’t finish it (until 2 more days later LOL) but I quite enjoyed it! It was… definitely for banana appreciators.

Finally, yes, we went to eat again (struggling at this point LOL) and since my manz wanted a pastry from Petite Madeleine, we went back there again to pick up something to go. Though we really wanted savoury food, we were… too full

He got me a “bear claw” Even though it’s not a polar bear, I liked it a lot

And that’s it! That was our very food-filled weekend in San Diego