Category: Travel

Is it that time already?! Here are my picks for the month of June!

$ Bargain

Coffee (Pavaraga Hawaiian Coffee & Cafe): I’m pretty sure I’m in the minority as a non-coffee drinker; regardless, I can still appreciate bold flavors and the Hawaiian coffee at Pavaraga in San Diego is dynamic! and just for $5ish. Check out my full write up here.

Cheap Mexican Food (Las Cuatro Milpas) You’ll have major heart burn, but the food is so cheap and delicious. This popular Mexican mom n pop shop is located in San Diego is I ordered 5 rolled tacos ($5.50) and Chorizo Con Huevo ($5.75). These two items alone probably could feed 3 people if I’m being honest. Read my full review here.

Park (Chicano Park): If you’re looking for an interesting place to enjoy a picnic the Chicano Park in San Diego is a good choice. Read all about it here.

$$ Moderately Priced

Tea Party (Aubrey Rose Tea Shop): I simply adore this tea house in Las Mesa (San Diego, CA). For $28.95 (per person) you can feel like a proper lady with their 3 tier tea tray set and unlimited tea selection. See my full review here.

Poke (It’s Raw Poke Shop): Authentic Hawaiian poke is hard to come by on the mainland, but It’s Raw Poke Shop does an awesome job in bringing true Hawaiian flavors to Ocean Beach (San Diego, CA). For $15 a plate, you can enjoy 2 scoops of poke and rice (or substitute for edamame or mac salad) right on the beach. Check out my write up here.

Lobster Nachos (Lamplight Lounge in Disney’s California Adventure): Good food with a beautiful view. The lobster nacho portion is quite filling ($21) and I really enjoyed the flavors of all the ingredients together, though you are obviously paying for the spectacular view. Read about my experience here.

$$$ Splurge

Cream Puffs (@Puffs_SD): Honestly, these are some of the most beautiful cream puffs I’ve ever seen. I think a traditional flavor of that size costs roughly $2.50 and these are more at $4.33 each (but you need to buy in half dozen or full dozen increments). Nevertheless, the flavors are very unique and I would absolutely buy them again on my next San Diego visit. Learn about the ordering process here.

Avengers Campus (Disney California Adventures): The newest land in Disney’s California Adventure is finally open! Avengers Campus was highly anticipated and for obvious reasons my friends and I booked our tickets ($104 -$209) to check it out during Opening Weekend. We were super lucky in getting an early reservation for the new Spiderman ride Webslingers and if you don’t want to wait 4 hours in the standby line just to enter the park you can check out my video here to see what it was like!

Rise of the Resistance & Snow White Ride (Disneyland): I have my favorite rides (Space Mountain, Peter Pan), but on this Disney trip I got to experience Rise of the Resistance and the newly renovated Snow White Ride. Both really are amazing in their own ways and were the highlight of my Disney trip. Curious about the new changes to Snow White? You can watch my ride-through here.

Which of these finds are you hoping to try?

Until Next Time,

Irene

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

Happy Birth (day, week, month) to me! and what better way to celebrate me than by redeeming free stuff! Here’s a list of what I redeemed during April 2021. Come check it out!

Food

Del Taco (Free Milkshake): Join the Raving Fan Club and they’ll email you QR code to redeem a free shake! The coupon expires with 1.5 weeks of your bday. I usually get the strawberry milkshake. Yum! (est. value $3.29)

Hapa Cupcakes (Free Cupcake): They’re known for their alcohol infused cupcakes, but have various options if that’s not your thing. Join their mailing list to redeem your free code!

Habit Grill (Free Burger): Join the CharClub and redeem a free cheeseburger! (value est. $4.29)

Paderia Bakery (Free Cookie): Get on their email list and they’ll send you a code to redeem a free cookie on your next visit! I got the triple chocolate which was devine! ($4 Value)

Tastea ($5 off any purchase): If you love bubble tea this is a fantastic perk! Sign up for their loyalty program on their app to redeem this free perk.

Togo (Free Sandwich): Pull up rewards from you app for free lunch! Most sandwiches apply! (Est Value $9.24).

Misc

Hot Topic ($5 Birthday Credit): Sign up for Hot Topic’s “Guest List” and earn a $5 Birthday Credit to use within a month of your birthday.  I signed up during my birth month I was also awarded a $5 anniversary credit. During my shopping spree I was able to combine both rewards towards a B1G2 Free clearance sale! This year I purchased a pair of Harry Potter workout pants, a Gryffindor raglan tee, and an Incredibles shirt for about $10 total!

Makeup Shack ($5 off any Makeup Shack Product): I purchased a new contouring brush and paid the difference. I think about $1.50 or so, and it’s a great brush! You’ll sign up at the store with your phone number!

Sephora (Makeup): For some reason I didn’t get an email this year, but if you’re a Beauty Insider be sure to redeem your free beauty or skincare deluxe sample. For the month of April I picked up a Laneige cleansing kit which included a sleeping mask, moisture cream and lip sleeping mask! How lux!

Did I miss a cool freebie? Comment below because sharing is charing!

Until Next Time,

Irene

It’s definitely been a hot minute since I last blogged; however, considering this year’s lockdown orders and the evolving status of Covid-19 I’ve had a pretty low key year in terms of adventures and discoveries. Nevertheless, as I reflect on this chaotic year I’ve come to the conclusion that life is short and we too should grow and evolve.

I’ve had the username @yurockstar or Rockstar for the past 5 years maybe? and while I will still be known as Rockstar by some of my friends I think Insider Irene is much more inclusive of my interests and also allows others to get a peak into some of my latest finds – whether it be restaurants, fashion, nerd culture, historical landmarks, etc. I think at my core I’ve always liked discovering new things, supporting mom n’ pop shops, and sharing it with everyone so for the coming years I hope that I’ll be inspired to share more consistently. If you like my cosplay stuff go check out my other alias @cosplaycounselor where I integrate counseling with cosplay. I’ve posted tons of video content www.cosplaycounselor.com.

For now I’ll just leave you with this announcement and pose this question: What is something that you think EVERYONE should know about. It can be a restaurant, a cool shop, landmark etc. Let me know below!

Love, Irene