Tag: travel

  • Popolo | London, UK

    Street view of Popolo Restaurant Shoreditch

    With building facades covered in beautiful street art and its residents trying hard to look like they’re not trying hard to look like a Hipster™, Shoreditch is the trendy London borough in the East of the city. It’s full of unique food options, fun bars, and indie shops, making it the most popular place for young people to congregate on weekends.

    When a friend and I wandered through Shoreditch in a search for a cafe to get some work done, we passed by a tiny Italian restaurant that immediately jumped out at us. This may or may not have been due to the “Michelin Guide 2017” sticker plastered on the window. The sticker meant, as we later learned from our friend Google, that Popolo was awarded a Bib Gourmand, the second-tier award under a Michelin star. (more…)

  • Dessert in London

    I’m back, baby.

    I took a short (okay, maybe the longish kind of short) break from my Yin and Yolk posting schedule to take a course on front-end web development in my free time to learn how to raise this blog baby of mine into something bigger. But now I’m back and ready to feed your appetites, starting now. Are you ready?

    I know some of you may be tired of reading about the trip to London I took a few months ago, but I have just this one final post to share, and it’s a yummy one. After this, I promise I will share a recipe. It’s been a while, I know.

    (more…)

  • Dinner in London & Oxford

    If you read my last post, you know I still have a lot more to share about my recent trip to London. This is Part II of III, which I am unofficially dubbing, “The Savory Side”. (The first was breakfast, and the next post will be all about dessert. But I digress.)

    I was in the UK for nine days, and I spent one of them visiting Oxford. Untouched by WWII, this quaint little town was overflowing with a rich history still evidenced by its gorgeous old architecture. As I wandered around the immaculately kept University grounds, I got a tiny thrill knowing that I was walking in J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis’ footsteps.

    Outside Eagle and Child Pub

    When they studied at Oxford, they and other literary enthusiasts formed an informal group called the Inklings. The Inklings would meet weekly to discuss their writing. They traditionally met at a pub called The Eagle and Child (which Oxfordians also know as The Bird and Baby) every Tuesday for lunch. (more…)

  • Breakfast in London

    Hello friends!

    I am back from London and ready to share. I have to say, London’s food scene was a pleasant surprise. Maybe it’s because I was expecting meat pies or bangers and mash to be the gastronomic highlight, but I was blown away by the variety and quality of food on every street corner and down every cobblestoned alleyway.

    Because I somehow managed to eat a month’s worth of food in one week, I’ve broken up my trip into several posts. First up: breakfast, my personal favorite meal of the day. Dig in!

    Moreish Cafe Eggs London

    Moreish Cafe was just down the street from my hostel on Tavistock Place near King’s Cross. I walked in expecting to order a pastry from the case I spotted from outside, but was pleasantly surprised to see that they offered full breakfast dishes as well. Their menu has a Spanish flair, and the dish I ordered was simply called “eggs on toast”. Eggs benedict by any other name tastes just as delicious. (more…)

  • Blog News + New York City, Part II

    Hey guys, Leili here. We’ve got big changes happening around here that you ought to know about, so keep on readin’ for a full update!

    I just got back from spending a few days in New York City with some family. The city at this time of year is always the most magical, and gives me all kinds of warm and fuzzies. Our plan was to finish up our Christmas shopping, but unsurprisingly, we were too disorganized to make that happen. (And let’s be real – I’ll just end up running to the mall the day before Christmas like I do every year anyway.)

    Instead of shopping, we mostly focused on filling our stomachs with good food and plenty of hot chocolate.

    Some of the food I had was out-of-this-world-amazing, so I really wanted to share it with you. These are places we didn’t cover in last summer’s New York City post, but they should be on your list for your next visit. (more…)

  • Copenhagen, Denmark

    nyhavn-christmas-boats

    Hello, friends!

    I’m back in Boston after a week in Copenhagen, where my boyfriend and I ate 24/7 and tried our best not to get hit by bicyclists channeling their ancestral viking spirits.

    bike-bridges-copenhagen

    I survived, and now I’m going to share my experiences with all of you lovely people. If you’re planning a trip to Denmark in the near future (or even in your daydreams), I hope I can provide you with part of the answer to “where should I eat in Copenhagen?”. And if you’ve never considered Denmark to be a place worthy of your travel time and budget, I hope I can show you just how wonderful it truly is. (more…)

  • Dublin, Ireland

    cliffs-of-moher-and-clover

    After ten days of frolicking around Ireland, I’ve come back to share my adventures with all of you. More importantly, I’m going to tell you all about the food I ate and where I ate it, and all of the fun things I did. That way you have something to go off of when you’re planning your own trip to the Emerald Isle (which I highly recommend you do).

    dublin-ireland

    I was traveling on my own, so I booked a bed at the Generator Hostel in Dublin, and I’m glad I didn’t spring for a hotel – I felt totally at home at the hostel. It was far enough away from the touristy area of town, but close enough to walk to pretty much everything worth seeing. The Jameson Distillery, which was right next door to the hostel, was on the top of my list of things to do – unfortunately, it was undergoing some changes and won’t reopen for tours until March 2017.

    guinness-brewery (more…)

  • Los Angeles to San Francisco | California

    Route 1

    Hey friends!

    Leili here. I just got back from a mini family vacation to California, traveling from Los Angeles to San Francisco and eating everything in between. And now I get to share all that good stuff with all of you wonderful people.

    View of the Bay

    Not to rub it in, but it was pretty great. I had never been to California before, and I can now safely say that I’m a fan. Aside from the gorgeous weather and the “ooh”-and-“aah”-worthy scenic highways, the Golden State has a very calming air to it. Which explains why its culture appears to be one of perpetual leisure, I suppose. (more…)

  • Portland, ME

    Portland Sign

    Hi friends. We’re back with another post from the north – Portland, Maine. Even though this is a monster of a post, we are barely scratching the surface of the food scene in Portland. This small city has one of the most restaurants per capita in the country. Once we got there, we understood why – we were literally surrounded by restaurants, bars, and more food. We had two very wonderful friends to show us around this very charming and seductive city.

    Day One

    We had very little sleep when we first arrived so we quickly made our way to Bard Coffee, a place recommended by more than one person. When we entered this little coffee shop, we found a quiet cafe buzzing with the sound of the espresso grinder and milk steamers. In this sun-filled space, we were more than happy to sit down and relax with a couple cups of caffeine.

    We ordered the latte and mocha – both equally beautiful and delicious. Bard Coffee has an incredibly relaxing atmosphere; we spent a couple hours there talking about boys, food, and the places we were going to hit up next.

    bard coffee meta

    Bard coffee (more…)

  • Eating Through Europe: Gelato

    fatamorgana gelatoWhen August rolls into September and I notice the leaves begin to drift lazily to the ground, I usually breathe a sigh of relief at no longer having to wipe droplets of sweat off my forehead and peel myself off of public bus seats. And like the next girl, I always get a little excited thinking about all those comfy autumnal layers I can soon show off.

    But this year?

    Summer is hanging around a bit longer. The air is still heavy, and I’m still sticking to things. And it really makes me wish I was back in Italy, letting my tongue chase drops of gelato as they rolled down their cone, while I happily sat under a scorching Tuscan sun. Since I’ve been back in Boston, this is what I’ve missed the most: the obligatory afternoon gelato to keep cool (and sane). Unfortunately, it’s hard to find great ice cream here. And when we do, we don’t eat it every day. Which is a damn shame.

    So, this is an ode to the gelato I fell in love with in the handful of cities I was lucky enough to visit this summer: Paris, Venice, Florence, Siena, Rome, Parma and Bologna, with the best for last. I hope it inspires you to get yourself a cone before summer slips away. Enjoy!
    leili eating gelato (more…)