Creekside Coffee Factory

Needing some catch-up time with two childhood church friends, we met up at Creekside Coffee Factory for a cup of early morning caffeine.

I've been aware of this cafe's existence for a very long time; the cafe with the giant Costco stuffed bear that is usually filled with Korean people (many of my Korean friends mention that their mom's chat with other ahjummas here, totally something my mother would do too). Oh, and its directly across from Sushi Town. If my friend hadn't suggested Creekside Coffee, it may have been a much longer time before I discovered its awesome-ness. (Oh no, here comes Peanut-Crumpet-influenced vocabulary..)

Some of the items for sale

The cafe is fairly busy on a Saturday morning at 10am. And to my surprise, filled with mostly Caucasian folks; I guess they know where to find quality coffee~ There are a handful of small tables and most of the customers were sipping on a hot beverage while splitting a giant scone with someone. Those massive scones are very reminiscent of the well-loved scones from Purebread, which I raaaaaaved about. At Creekside, one scone costs only $2.35! I must try one for myself next time. There are also seasonal(ish) baked goodies to pair with your drink or some simple sandwiches for a heftier meal.

Green Tea Latte, (unknown coffee dirnk), Coconut Chai London Fog

The Coconut Chai London Fog ($3.89) written on the 'special drinks' chalkboard caught my eye; I've been really into chai lately and adding coconut to it can only get better. A London fog drink is half a cup of strongly brewed tea plus half a cup of frothy milk. The coconut chai teabag is used in this particular one. I was lucky enough to score the last one they had! 

This drink did not disappoint; warm spices and a hint of sweetness from the coconut, in addition to the creamy milk was very enjoyable on a chilly November morning. This tea-based drink is a nice alternative for those that don't really like coffee. The serving is large and the mug keeps the drink hot for quite a long period of time. Even an hour later, my drink was still warm.

Sorry I can't comment on the other two drinks, but they were both presented beautifully!

Quoting my friend, "Starbucks is too mainstream". With prices that are essentially the same as Starbucks, I would recommend Creekside Coffee Factory over Starbucks any day. Yes, they don't have them red Christmas cups (which I admittedly will purchase from Starbucks each year to hold one), but their drinks are definitely of a higher quality and not laden with sugary flavoured syrups. I should try their Pumpkin Spice Latte next time to make a comparison to Starbucks, as I was quite disappointed by the 10 year-old famous PSL. Why no pumpkin flavour? D: 

Creekside Coffee Factory is a fantastic place to grab a hot drink to-go or sit down for long periods of time for chatting. The atmosphere is very cozy and warm, and the drinks are delicious. I can definitely see myself meeting up with friends here in the colder months (and Ninja Bubble Tea in the summer...?).



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

Needing to find a place to charge up our midday glucose levels and hide from the summer sun, my family found shelter and snacks at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe on Main Street USA in Disneyland.

Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

We picked up two sweet treats to share amongst the four of us. The display case had everything from Mickey-themed cookies, to cinnamon buns, to muffins and scones. There are coffees, specialty drinks, simple sandwiches and salads for sale too. I would say this cafe resembles the Starbucks inside the California Adventure park.
 

Matterhorn Macaroon ($1.99) and Raspberry Almond Twist ($3.49)

I was really excited about the Matterhorn Macaroon. Not only because I love coconut macaroons (duhh, I am Coconut Crumpet for a reason), but the concept of using Matterhorn and it actually looking like the mountain is adorable! However, I was originally skeptical about the taste; poorly made macaroons (please do not confuse with the macarons) can end up extremely chewy and overly sweet. To my pleasant surprise, this was neither! It was a beautifully crafted macaroon with tender, fine flakes of coconut with the perfect level of sweetness. A very well executed traditional coconut macaroon. The massive size also contributes to it being such a great deal for two dollars. No joke, this is a mountain of coconut.

The pastry of the Raspberry Almond Twist was like a danish, flaky and a bit chewy. The filling consisted of a thin layer of raspberry jam which provides all the sweetness this items needs. Sliced almonds were generously sprinkled on one side but were not toasted, therefore lacking the aromatic flavour of almonds. I would have preferred that there was no icing sugar dusted on top. Although this twist was okay, I wouldn't purposely recommend it.

Helpful Tip: Cups of ice water are provided for free when asked for! Really appreciated on a hot summer day and when you don't feel like hunting down a water fountain to fill up your water bottle.

Outdoor Seating at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe

The outdoor patio seating is beautiful, and the building blocks the afternoon sun rays, making it a great place to cool down. There is ample outdoor seating (with umbrellas!) and no indoor seating. All of Disneyland is built with the most exquisite and well-designed themes. Everything is kept sparkling clean as well. We were here just as the Soundsational Parade was taking place. Although we were still a distance away from the parade route, I would much rather have a glimpse of the floats and performers from the shady patio than have to be sandwiched between a bunch of other people out in the blazing sun. Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe is well worth a visit and makes a great place for a relaxing afternoon nibble.



Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe: Starbucks in California Adventure

Being my dad, he had to get his Starbucks fix even in California Adventure. I didn't oppose to this at all because I wanted to see the cup design exclusive to Disneyland. I know, it's a weird reason but doesn't everyone want their own 'instagram-worthy' photo of Starbucks in Disneyland?

Which characters can you spot?

Perhaps the only unfamiliarity for Starbucks regulars is the name of the cafe. It isn't given the name 'Starbucks' and you'd only know it serves the usual frappuccinos and goodies if you read the description on the map.


We'd been at the park since 7am and needed to hide away from the blazing California sun at around 2pm. With some Ghiradelli ice cream in hand, we ran from Paradise Pier into this cafe to cool off and maybe even take a nap. My dad claims that spending 14 hours in Disneyland is more tiring than a 7 hour drive from Fresno to Anaheim, hence needing a caffeine charge up. I strongly disagree.

Dad got an iced coffee for the family. And this is no regular iced coffee, it's a mega sized iced coffee. Thought venti was big? At California Adventure, there's an even larger size! I'm not sure what it's called but when my dad made his order, he told the cashier "I want the largest size!" and the cashier told him they had a size larger than venti. It's also very cheap too, I believe until $5 for a towering cup larger than my face (and I don't have a small face). Perfect afternoon refresher.

My parents also got a scone and croissant for dinner before going to see the World Of Colour show. The pastries are exactly the same as any other Starbucks location.

Reviews on Yelp

Love from Coconut Crumpet's Corner ♡

Purebread

Purebread Whistler Village storefront

My motivation for getting up every morning is breakfast. Having Purebread just a block away from my stay in Whistler (close to the IGA entrance to the village) gives me something very exciting to look forward to at the beginning of the day. Just another reason to add to my list of why I love Whistler.

Display of baked goods at Purebread Whistler Village

There is no difference between me walking into this bakery and a kid in a candy store. Zero. Nada. There are too many baked goods to even fit onto the display counter all at once. Scones, pies, cakes, loaves, brioche, cookies, brownies, and croissants are overflowing from behind the glass. Then there's the plethora of fresh loaves of bread sitting on shelves behind the cashier. It is a dessertatarian's heaven. 

Purebread Scones (and other goodies behind)

Their scones are some of their best sellers, be sure to get there early in the morning because they sell out by afternoon! My mission was to try all the [sweet] scone flavours, which I was very close to accomplishing, unfortunately for the calories I attempted to burn right before eating them... But it was all worth it. These scones are absolutely massive, a good four inch square of buttery, dense, crumbly, perfection of a scone. The scone itself is not very sweet at all, the sweetness of the whole scone solely depends on the drizzle of icing on top. And I think that level is perfect.

Lavender Eary Grey Scone & Lemon Basil Blueberry Scone (with Apricot Vanilla Bean Scone in the back)

3rd Tier: Mocha Cheesecake Squares, Coconut Muffin, and Green Tea Cream Puff

DIY Mother's Day High Tea at Coconut Crumpet's Home

As a dessertatarian, this is obviously the most exciting tier. The fact that I prepared an excess amount of each recipe didn't really bother me. That meant I would have dessert to last me a week, mwahahaha! There were a few bumps along the way during my baking of these desserts. A malfunctioning convection oven, running out of all purpose flour, burning this, burning that... Nevertheless, the guests didn't notice so let's just keep it between us, ok?