FOODIE FRIDAY: PARK CHOW

Park Chow
1240 9th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 665-9912
@ParkChow

After only two visits, this restaurant has easily become one of my favourites in SF! Any restaurant that serves my favourite dish of steamed mussels in a white wine and garlic broth is great in my books. Definitely helped that all the other dishes I've tried so far have been delicious! The prosciutto pizza was pretty amazing - they totally didn't hold back on the prosciutto, so it was nice and meaty... just how I like my pizzas! A very popular dish at Park Chow is the Smiling Noodles (photo #3 above). It's the perfect combination of Thai tanginess with a pinch of curry spice.

Not only is the food delicious, but it's conveniently located right by the Golden Gate Park in Sunset! Eat to your heart's (or belly's!) content and then walk it off with a stroll through the park. Done deal.

DENIM ON DENIM

MADEWELL CHAMBRAY SHIRT, GAP JEANS, URBAN OUTFITTERS FLATS, MARC BY MARC JACOBS BAG

Another outfit from my trip to California! Threw this together on a rushed morning. These Gap jeans are quite old - I absolutely love the length and wash, but my only tiff with them is that they stretch majorly throughout the day.

Looking at these photos make me miss the sunshine so much - the Vancouver rain isn't stopping anytime soon!

FOODIE FRIDAY: CAFE M

Cafe M
1799 Fourth St., Unit F
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 526-4429

Yup, I'm bringin' back the Foodie Fridays - tailored to make you drool! On my trip, I couldn't resist finding another great brunch spot in Berkeley! The wait and service at Cafe M took a little long, but the food was delicious. I must say, their potatoes are some of the best I've ever had! Crunchy edges, soft middles, and seasoned to perfection. My only criticism is that the bacon was a little too crunchy for my liking... I like bacon where I can chew and taste the bacon juice instead of eating it like a chip. Overall, I'd go back to try some of their other brunch selections... they had so many that I just defaulted to the comfort of classics. I'd rec this place if you enjoy brunch spots with good lighting, large selections, and have a hankering for potatoes!

HOME TIME

WILFRED SCARF, OLD NAVY DENIM JACKET, BRANDY & MELVILLE SWEATER, T. BABATON TUNIC DRESS, AE BOOTS

Two weeks ago, I went back to California for 5 days to celebrate the 2-year anniversary of The Boy and I! It felt like the shortest trip ever, but I did manage to cover both San Francisco and LA, which was more than I could ask for. This set of photos were taken in Berkeley - the weather was perfect for layering! This Wilfred scarf is honestly the best thing - I have it in 3 different colours, and I wear one almost every day. It's warm, long, and doubles as a shawl.

I miss California dearly whenever I'm not there, but looking at photos help me remember what's waiting for me on my next trip. Stay tuned for more posts from my trip - including some yummy food pictures! Thanks for reading!

FOODIE FRIDAYS: CUPS

Cups
7857 Girard Ave.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 459-CUPS
Twitter: @CupsLJ

It's about time I paid tribute to my favourite cupcake shop of all time - Cups! They are the one and only Green Certified® bakery in San Diego, and in my opinion, the one with the best selection. Their cupcake flavours vary by day of the week, so every Monday has a certain set of flavours, every Tuesday has its own set, and so on. The best part is that the cupcakes come in mini sizes too, so you can buy a few to sample flavours!

My personal favourite (one that I have not been able to find anywhere else)? The Brûlée-J - a crème brûleé cupcake (pictured on the right above) that has a delicious and very real crème brûleé top - yes, including the burnt sugar - with a fluffy cake bottom. TO DIE FOR. Trust me, if you're in SD and have a hankering for cupcakes... this is the place to go. Wanna know a secret? I like these even better than Sprinkles cupcakes. Shh, don't tell.

Darn, I just missed 11/11/11, 11:11 by a few minutes. All jokes aside, today is a day that we remember those who fought for our freedom. I'll be remembering both Canadian and American troops. Thank you.

FOODIE FRIDAY: AROMA COFFEE & TEA COMPANY

Aroma Coffee & Tea Company
4360 Tujunga Ave.
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 508-0677

I noticed that I've covered brunch spots in pretty much every major city in California except for LA - enter Aroma Coffee & Tea Company, a very quaint cafe in Studio City. It had a very vintage, homey feel to it - kind of like having brunch in the comfort of your own backyard. I usually never go for the pancakey, french toasty, doughy kind of brunch foods, but on that day, I was feeling for some french toast. I was pleasantly surprised by the light texture of it, and the fruits were definitely a plus! As tasty as it was, the portions were huge - I couldn't finish all of it!

This is the place to go if you're looking for the full brunch experience!

FOODIE FRIDAY: EL PESCADOR FISH MARKET

Oyster shooters!

Sea bass sandwich... delicious!

PHOTOS BY CHOWPHOTO

El Pescador Fish Market
627 Pearl St.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 456-2526

The El Pescador Fish Market is my favourite place to go for fish sandwiches in San Diego. Located in beautiful downtown La Jolla, they have the best assortment of sandwiches anyone could ask for! Each sandwich (which can also be made as a salad or on a plate with rice) is made fresh, and the fish is lightly marinated by different flavours, depending on what type of fish you order. Marinades include lemon butter, olive oil and garlic, teriyaki, among others. They also carry really fresh oysters and make some amazing cioppino if you're looking for something to warm you up! Another great thing about this place is that they carry sushi-grade fish - I don't know too many places that do!

Seating is very limited, but there are benches outside for you to enjoy your meal. Or you could get it to go and head down to La Jolla Cove to eat your sandwich by the water!

DEL MAR BEACH

CHEAP MONDAY MILITARIA DRESS, WILFRED BLOUSE, FOREVER21 SUEDE SKIRT + NECKLACE, AMERICAN EAGLE OUTFITTERS BOOTS, MARC BY MARC JACOBS BAG

These were taken while waiting for a table at Poseidon in Del Mar with The Boy for a celebratory dinner. Still loving everything about these AE Boots... they can really do no wrong. Can you tell I love that militaria dress? Oddly enough, I've never actually worn it as a dress.

I had the craziest weekend working the San Diego Asian Film Festival - from opening night to the awards gala dinner, it was tough work but also very rewarding. Working the red carpet is a hectic time, but you get to learn that celebrities are real people, too. I also had the privilege of planning last night's screening afterparty for "Surrogate Valentine", our centerpiece film. It was a great success, and once again, so amazing to watch everything come together after all that planning.

It appears my weekend was so crazy that I didn't even get a chance to do a Foodie Friday post! I'll have to make up for that this week. I hope you all have a wonderful week!

FOODIE FRIDAYS: BI-RITE CREAMERY

I can't remember the name of this flavour... my apologies!

Salted Caramel & Earl Grey Tea

Bi-Rite Creamery
3692 18th St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 626-5600

Most of us in the state of California are experiencing an Indian Summer right now. The summer weather that didn't show during the actual summer months has come back with a mean vengeance. What better way to fight the heat than get some delicious ice cream? Bi-Rite Creamery is, by far, my favourite ice cream shop in the world. They've got unique flavours that rotate every day of the week. My flavours of choice are their renown Salted Caramel and Earl Grey Tea. I've only ever seen Earl Grey on the list once... so sad that it hasn't come back since the last time I tried it! If you live in or are visiting in San Francisco, I'd highly suggest heading over to Bi-Rite for some ice cream. If it tickles your fancy, you can also walk right over to Dolores Park to enjoy your cold treat. Head up to the top of the hill for a breathtaking view of the city! Have you ever been to Bi-Rite?

FOODIE FRIDAYS: MOCHILATO

Mochilato
14310 Culver Dr., Ste. E
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 559-1116

I discovered Mochilato in Irvine about a year ago on a drive back to San Diego from Los Angeles. If you're a lover of Asian treats or just an ice cream/gelato fanatic, you should definitely check this place out! Mochilato takes the popular snack and froyo topper, Japanese rice cakes called "mochis", and combines it with tons of different flavours of gelato to give you Mochilatos: delicious bite-sized morsels of gelato wrapped in a thin layer of mochi. They have a wide variety of flavours to choose from - I've yet to try all of them!

FOODIE FRIDAYS: THE COTTAGE

Today, I'm beginning a new series on my blog that will showcase one of the things I love to do - EAT! Every Friday, I will put up a "Foodie Friday" post about a restaurant that I've been to... some from new ventures, some old favourites. I believe that good food brings good people together, so it is my hope that by sharing these restaurants, you will all be able to share some amazing meals with your family and friends. Enjoy!

Eggs Benedict - a classic!

Passionfruit Iced Tea - perfect for a summer day!

Chicken Quesadilla - this might just be a new kind of comfort food.

The Cottage
Twitter: @cottagelajolla
7702 Fay Ave.
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 454-8409

This is my favourite brunch place in San Diego - very quaint place, outdoor patio seating, very well-lit indoor seating, and amazing food every single time! Highly suggest it if you're looking for a nice place for a little weekend brunchin'. If you decide to check it out, leave a comment and let me know what you think! Hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

HELLO, MY NAME IS

MADEWELL SCARF & BOOTIES, PINS AND NEEDLES VIA UO DRESS, CHEAP MONDAY VIA UO MILITARIA DRESS, UO SOCKS, AMERICAN APPAREL CLUTCH, MICHAEL KORS WATCH

I'm Diana - but don't be a stranger, call me Dee. It took me a heck of a long time to finally get the guts to do this, but here it is: my first blog about fashion, food, and tidbits of other things I enjoy in life. I'm a Canadian (oh, yes) who is currently residing in sunny Southern California in hopes of finding her place here on the west coast. It's a journey in progress - along the way, I hope you will join me in my experiences and endeavours... and I, with yours. Cheers!