Kat's 9 Lives

Surprisingly they actually serve snacks on the flight.  Usually flights within the EU are considered domestic like the US, so we were surprised that they provided a nice little treat.  I like that they are providing a taste of Croatia and some cultural information.  Before our trip I did a bit of research about Croatian specialties and olives were on the list.  The olive oil was very fragrant.  I enjoyed the savory cheese cubes and tried some of the olives as well.  The pillows with Dalmatian herbs were richly seasoned but quite thick and dry.  They were flavorful but definitely makes you thirsty after consumption.  Still, I'm not complaining as this is pretty nice considering it is a free airline snack.  :)

We chose one at random and this package looked pretty tasty. It was a pork flavored instant noodle that comes with real packaged pork, which is something the US does not offer. Supposedly the instant noodles in Taiwan are to die for... and they were right! We made this bowl in our hotel room and had it for a 'breakfast' snack before starting the day. The flavor was on point and the meat was tasty. I don't know if I can ever have the ones we sell in the US anymore.

The cutest things are the packaging! I've seen the caramel ones with giraffe spots and now they have the hearts all over.  Leave it to the Japanese people to make everything super cute! It's almost too cute to eat! 😋

Ms. Lin Guide and I were down in San Diego for my birthday and my goal as always is to find a fun new place to try.  We found Grater Grilled Cheese Bistro nearby and I was sold as soon as I heard that they offered a Lobster Grilled Cheese Sandwich! Fair warning, Google Maps had some issues finding this place so call them if you get lost.  

Even though the grilled cheese sandwich was not as gooey as I had hoped, but the taste was great.  The lobster grilled cheese sandwich was made with their signature cheese blend, butter fried lobster, crab, and their signature Sierra Nevada pale ale beer chipotle aioli.  I have to say that they use some pretty tasty and hearty cheeses as their base.  If you like sharp cheeses and a stronger flavor, then they are definitely your place.  The lobster grilled cheese had a nice spicy kick to the palate along with the savory melted cheeses.  

All in all it is a pretty solid grilled cheese place.  My lobster grilled cheese was only $11.50 plus tax, which is pretty reasonable.  Of course you don't get that much lobster, but it was still very tasty.  I like that the toast was nice and buttery.  I would definitely come back here if I lived closer.

Grater Grilled Cheese Bistro
909 Grand Avenue 
San Diego, CA, CA 92109
(858) 490-2210

We ordered 3 drinks, popcorn chicken, and an appetizer assortment that came out to be about $40.  Needless to say that the prices are not cheap.  I got my favorite Mango Moo, which the name is funny enough.  The smooth and flavorful texture of mango topped off with bits of mango.  Ms. Lin Guide decided to try the avocado smoothie and it was good.  You can taste that they use real avocados.  

The popcorn chicken was not bad.  It was better than what I thought they would serve.  I like that they had basil chopped up and fried in the batch.  The appetizer assortment was just okay.  I wish they baked the garlic cheese bread longer so that the cheese could melt.  The fried mozzarella sticks were good but no different from your typical frozen food sold in markets.  I thought the calamari was just meh.  If you want a snack, just go for the popcorn chicken only.

All in all it was fun to take a trip down memory lane.  I still like the Mango Moo, so I'll eventually be back...

Hello Dessert
1698 Hostetter Rd
San Jose, CA 95131
(408) 453-5566

After a filling lunch at Hog Island Oyster Co, which has great expanded, I mosied on over to Humphrey Slocombe for some tasty ice cream.  I've been before and it was not bad in my memory.  It's got to be better than Ciao Bella, which was here eons ago.  Even though it was late Sunday afternoon, the place was packed!

They only had two employees that were both friendly but swamped.  I tried a bunch of flavors and sampled the 'secret breakfast' with bourbon and crisp flakes. The alcohol wasn't overpowering and had a nice hint of sweetness.  In the end I chose to get the Blue bottle coffee, candy capp, and matcha doodle.  The candy capp had that savory essence embedded amongs the sweet and smooth texture.  Personally I adore the candy capp mushroom on desserts.

The Blue bottle coffee was a safe choice, strong and flavorful.  I though the matcha flavor was subtle in the matcha doodle.  There were bits of snicker doodle embedded in the ice cream.  It's fun but I don't know if I'd get that flavor again.

All in all a great edition to the Ferry Building so that I can endlessly continue to snack :).

Humphrey Slocombe Ice Cream
1 Ferry Plaza
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 550-6971

After a walk around, I decided I wanted to eat something made fresh and hot so I went for the True Burger Co. Bar & Grill.  Guess how much a combo is?  For a burger, fries, and drink it is $15! I upgraded to make it poutine style since I'm in Canada and the total was $20.   Swoon!!

My McDonalds breakfast was maybe 1/3 the price.  Well, what can you do at an airport?  The burger was not bad and loaded with mayo, mustard, and ketchup.  This could be I was starving as well.

The fries poutine style was very interesting.  I ordered it not knowing what to expect.  The board said bacon but the add on was just gravy and cheese curd.  Not sure if I was swindled or this is the add on.  The good thing was some of the curd melted and that was jackpot! 

All in all it was fine for a quick bite, but cost me a pretty penny!