Hello readers! Wow! May just flew by and while this post is a few days late I found a lot of fantastic finds during Memorial weekend and needed to include them for this month’s favorites, so without further adieu lets see who made the cut!

$ Bargain

Outdoor Photo Venue (Carbon Canyon Regional Park): If you’re in search of an inexpensive location to take professional photos. This is a great location. Parking is $5. See my review here.

$$ Moderately Priced

Cardamom Croissant (The Midwife and the Bakery): I enjoy bread, but I was blown away by the Cardamom Croissant which apparently is a crowd and staff favorite from The Midwife and the Baker. This Mountain View, CA warehouse sells a wide range of baked goods; however the Cardamom Croissant ($4) has such a nice nuttiness to it and since I got it right out of the oven it was warm, flaky, crunchy, buttery – orgasmic! Interested to learn more click here.

Honey Fromage Yuzu Cheesecake (U: Dessert Story): Dessert that taste as good as it looks? Yes! If you want that perfect instagram shot, but want to enjoy it afterwards, this shop fits the bill. The wait times can be ridiculous at this San Francisco based cafe, but check out my review here to get tips and read all about it. The Honey Fromage Yuzu Cheesecake ($12.50) was the star of the night.

Curry Pan (Okayama Kobo Bakery & Cafe): Okayama is a Japanese Bakery in Anaheim, CA that serves both sweet and savory baked goods. I absolutely loved the Curry Pan ($3.50) since the bread was so fluffy, but the contrast with the crunchy panko crumbs and creamy curry just all went well together. I ate one since it was a snack, but you could easily eat 3 for a meal. See full review of Okayama here.

Blueberry Lavender Ice Cream (Pints of Joy): If you love interesting ice cream flavors you will definitely enjoy Pints of Love in Sunnyvale, CA. This humble shop has dynamic flavors and they are all made in small batches. A cup is $5 and a pint $10. You can read all about here.

$$$ Splurge

Katsu Sando (Stonemill Matcha): Okay so $18 a sandwich is definitely a splurge, but you need to try the Katsu Sando at Stonemill Matcha! This small cafe in the Mission District of San Francisco, CA is definitely a hidden gem and there was a line right at 10am – I mean who eats lunch at 10am (aside from me? I eat all day lol) You can read all about my experience here.

Salmon Spinach Cream Udon (Udon Mugizo Mountain View): Among the different types of noodles Udon is probably my favorite. I usually have it with broth however, the Salmon Spinach Cream Udon at Udon Mugizo was definitely a highlight of this month. There are two locations for this restaurant – one in Japantown and one in Mountain View and while It is a bit of splurge for noodles ($18ish a bowl) it’s delicious! See my full review here to see why.

Rocket Rolls & Banh Khots (The Banh Khot Lady): This small home-based business is a mother/son duo that shares their love of Vietnamese finger foods with the masses. There are different packages patrons can consider but For $40 I got 20 rocket rolls and 20 Banh Khots combo, which was more than enough for 5 people. At least as of the time of writing this they operate on a preorder system with Saturday and Sunday pickups in Fountain Valley. See my post here to drool over the photos.

Professional Studio (Wonderland Studio): I was invited to participate in a private cosplay photo shoot and was really impressed with the variety of fun backdrops and lighting equipment. Wonderland Studios is based in Anaheim and hourly rate is $35 (with a minimum of 2 hours). Read more of my review here.

Which of these finds are you hoping to try?

Until Next Time,

Irene