Tea Tree Tea (Edinburgh, UK): A Solace for Tea Lovers

I thought being in the UK, I would find quality teas around, but going around Edinburgh, I was disappointed to mostly serve Twinings tea bags. Granted I was in Scotland and not England … but really? Just Twinings everywhere?

I was therefore extremely excited when I found Tea Tree Tea, a shop specializing in loose leaf teas, just two blocks away from the conference center (and around the corner from Starbucks). I accidentally discovered it on my walk to the Edinburgh Castle and made a mental note to stop on the way back.


Tea Tree Tea is a charming little shop with friendly people. It's usually pretty quiet and they have free wi-fi to boot!
On my first visit I had a chai latte to warm me up after a long walk around the city and the castle.This lighter version is a nice change from all the sugary, powdery ones you find at chain coffeehouses.

I also like their attitude:

Read more »

This Saturday: The Taste of Mexico Bicentenntial and Eat My Blog Bakesale

Here's the plan. On Saturday morning, head to the Eat My Blog Bakesale. This bakesale benefiting the LA Regional Food Bank was first put on my bloggers and now include some bakeries and restaurants around the city as well (its last sale included Bakelab, Angeli Caffe, and more).

Chocolate cloud cookies from Bakelab and other goodies

The deets:
Saturday, Dec 4, 2010, 10am-4pm
Tender Greens (West Hollywood)
8759 Santa Monica Blvd


Since the holiday is near you can expect a lot of eggnog flavors and Yule logs. And since some of the food bloggers are mighty creative you can also apparently expect curry macarons (I'm curious ..) or bacon brownie with bourbon caramel sauce. Oh and I'm buying the Yoda green tea Oreos because it's Yoda!

This time I'm looking forward to Starry Kitchen's durian flan cheesecake! I'm not sure how many people will be buying a durian dessert in WeHo but I'm certainly planning to. Roomies, I apologize in advance about how the fridge will smell.


After you stuff your loot in the fridge, you'll head to The Taste of Mexico Association's Bicentennial Celebration: "200 Years of Mexico's Cuisine." At this event, you can taste regional Mexican specialties from Guelaguetza, La Casita Mexicana, Frida Mexican Cuisine, and La Monarca Bakery. Oh, and lots of tequilas, of course.

The deets:
Saturday, Dec 4, 2010 5-10PM
Cathedral of Saint Vibiana
214 S. Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90012

Ticket proceeds ($75 presale, $100 at the door) will go to benefit Heal the Bay.

1886 at The Raymond (Pasadena): Reliving the Heydays of Cocktail

The Raymond restaurant in Pasadena is a long-standing restaurant with about 35 years of history. Under its new ownership and management though, The Raymond is getting revitalized with a new chef, and now a new bar featuring hand crafted cocktails that pay homage to how cocktails are classically made.

Honey Nut Old Fashioned

The Raymond had solicited Marcos Tello and Aidan Demarest from Tello Demarest Liquid Assets as consultants of the new cocktail program, which holds true to "how cocktails used to be made": homemade syrups and hand crushed ice and all. The 1886 Bar is named after the year that The Raymond Hotel (which no longer exists) was opened. The building was actually the caretaker's cottage and the historical building is an appropriate stage for these cocktails.

The bar will officially open in early December but it is now in its soft opening stage and was already packed when I visited. The full specialty cocktail list of about 25 isn't fully available currently but you can still choose among about 10 great cocktails.

The cocktail list during the soft opening featured bold flavor and a lot of spices (think mescal with ginger or jalapeno). The honey nut old fashioned strikes strong at first taste but turns into an excellent, well balanced cocktail with a hint of nuttiness.

For the winter months, you can warm up with the Hot Cider Toddy (apple brandy, maple syrup, apple cider).

1886 also has an eclectic menu of bar appetizers. We started with the Hamachi sashimi with cucumber and melon, which I didn't see on the bar menu but was recommended by the manager.

Read more »