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Golden Island Cafe – San Francisco, California

I really love desserts, and even Chinese desserts. I was brought to Golden Island Cafe in San Francisco and it has been memorable! I still think about this location and the desserts from here all the time! The hours are great as it could accommodate us even as an after dinner dessert.

We ordered a few desserts and they were all delicious! We love the look, taste and texture of Sesame Paste and Sweet Tofu which was basically Dau Fu Fa (tofu pudding dessert) with black sesame paste/soup.

We also had an order of Lychee with Sago as sago is my favourite Chinese dessert! This one is no exception as it’s delicous sago with lychee slush, topped with lychee fruit!

Lastly, we ordered the Sago with Mango, as the name says, it’s a bowl of sago, topped with mangos! It’s delicious, fresh and even refreshing!

Overall, I love this place and I know I will return next time I’m in the Bay Area!

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Golden Island Cafe

1300 Noriega St
San Francisco, CA
(415) 759-9118

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Beamers Coffee Bar – Canmore, Alberta

So we wandered off to the side streets just off of Main Street in Canmore, and found ourselves at a place our friends recommended to us called Beamers Coffee Bar. I wasn’t aware this was here, and yet they have another location right on Bow Valley Trail! 2 excellent locations and I’m glad I’ve now discovered this local favourite!

Once inside, there are tons of goodies in the fridge and the menu is quite extensive! We just settled for a little drink with no snacks even though there’s so much to choose from! We love this place and we love how their Beamers customers bring back pictures with their Beamers cups. It’s a fun thing and I remember we took an extra clean cup for us to add to their collection. However, we forget to bring it wherever we go…

We just settled for a flavoured latte and it was fantastic! It was perfectly roasted and the service was fantastic as well. The atmosphere added to our experience! I’ve had flavoured lattes before and it can get overly sweet too fast or under flavoured where you’d barely know you paid for a shot. Beamers gave us the perfect balance and I appreciate it!

Beamers is a great place for a quick bite or for catching up with family & friends! This will be a place I will return to for sure!

Beamers Coffee Bar on Urbanspoon

Beamers Coffee Bar

737 7 Ave
Canmore, AB
(403) 609-0111

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Bumpy’s Cafe – Calgary

I’m not sure why or even how I even ended up at Bumpy’s Cafe but it’s like it’s hidden gem! Parking wasn’t too bad as we arrived early on a Sunday morning so there was street parking! It’s not too hard to find as there are 2 entrances to the cafe.

Once we got inside, it’s a cute little place with lots of people coming and going – and a lot less customers sitting down and enjoying their morning. We sat down as it was going to be a slow paced Sunday for me.

I ordered to start, a cup of Hot Chocolate and it comes in a large cup – which I loved! It’s really creamy but it doesn’t feel thick and heavy. Plus, it’s not overly sweet, so it was just right for me!

We also figured they’d do latte art, so we also ordered a latte, and we were right – there was beautiful latte art!!

When I use to work at the hotel, one of my favourite breakfasts was their Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon so, that’s what I decided to order from here.

We also ordered their Ham and Cheese Quiche which was in a pretty big slice, melty and ooey gooey making the cheese and egg really delicious!

Overall, the drinks were really delicious and the food wasn’t bad either. It’s simple foods and a tad greasy – but it tasted really good! I eat anywhere that offers good food and this place is no exception! If I was in the area again for breakfast, I’m sure I will be back!

Bumpy’s Cafe

1004 8 St SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 265-0244

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Patisserie Du Soleil Bakery and Cafe

Little cafes with a bakery? I’m in! It’s my favourite! These are the most memorable times I had when I travelled through Eastern Europe – cafes and bakeries! I found this one in Woodbine in the South West and it’s called Patisserie Du Soleil Bakery and Cafe located in a strip plaza and it offers a large seating area with a large display of goodies that they bake from scratch!

I sat down and ordered from both the fridges with their baked goodies as well as from their menu. I ordered a nice hot drink to go with the pastries so I decided to have Chocolate Truffle Mochaccino which was a nice chocolatey drink – which was delicious!

Our hot food from the menu, we tried their Belgium Waffles with Strawberries and this was fantastic! The waffles were light and fluffy with fresh whipped cream and delicious strawberries. I know, waffles aren’t anything “special”, but at least it was really good here!

As many of you know, I love cinnamon treats such as cinnamon buns… so it’s no surprise I would try their Cinnamon Twist which was more “bread-like” that was more dense, instead of being light and fluffy. It was really good and not overly sweet!

Now, I am not going anywhere without trying pastries! So, I ordered 2 of them! We got their Cream Horn which was a light and airy treat that was filled with a light custard cream that was just perfect in texture and taste! The other treat was the Neapolitan Pastry with layers and layers of flaky pastry and a delicious custard cream filling, same as in the cream horn. This was by far my favourite treat from here! The custard is just amazing, a must try for sure! Probably everything with this custard is amazing, so be sure to pick something up with it! It’s not too sweet at all, which is something I love!

Overall, this is a place I could see myself going back to – over and over again! One of the best things about this cafe is the hours, it’s opened from Mon-Sat 7am – 8pm and Sunday 7am – 5pm! I can think about going here any when I’m in the area! Just a great little place to enjoy a snack or a “light” lunch or something! It’s quiet here, so it’s nice in that manner! A hidden gem for sure!

Patisserie Du Soleil Bakery and Cafe on Urbanspoon

Patisserie Du Soleil Bakery and Cafe

2525 Woodview Dr SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 452-8833

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Blue Vinny Diner – Stephen Avenue Calgary

Nothing beats a breakfast on the weekend, diner style! We found ourselves at Blue Vinny Diner one weekend morning, and we walked in and thought the place must be new, as the waitress was running around like mad, they ran out of tons of things on the menu, and it almost appeared they didn’t know the menus yet. I guess they’ve been opened for a bit, but it just didn’t feel like it! This restaurant is located right on Stephens Avenue, so foot traffic is at an ideal place.

Once we got seated and what not, we ordered some tea, and we were ready to order. I ordered their Perogy Bowl which was exactly as it sounded, a bowl of perogies with bacon and sour cream. They had quite a few pieces in the bowl and the toppings didn’t overwhelm the perogies either. I enjoyed my perogies and I ate the entire thing! The bacon was nice and smoked and it was perfect, tasty and crunchy!

The other item we ordered from the menu was the Vinny’s Breakfast which was 6oz of Rib Eye steak, 2 sunny side eggs with hashbrown and toast! This was a big and filling breakfast, and best of all, it was super tasty!

We really enjoyed the modern diner experience here! The people were friendly and the food was tasty! So, there’s no complaints from me here!

Blue Vinny Diner on Urbanspoon

Blue Vinny Diner

105 – 8th Avenue SW
Calgary, AB
(403) 263-3880