DAY 2
We had never even heard of it before, but we had discovered it the previous night. It is located right next to Cantina. The menu looked promising, so we thought we'd give it a try. The walk there is really pleasant in the morning, the air is fresh, you see people doing their morning run on the promenade while you are mentally preparing for the awesome breakfast you are going to chow down.
"Café 976" is a cute little house with a nice big garden surrounding it. If you want to sit outside, I'm sure it is lovely, but the morning was a bit chilly so we chose a table inside.
Inside, it seems a bit messy (in a charming way). The walls are colourfully painted and the customers range from surfers to seniors, and everyone comes together to have a good cup of coffee. Ok, we had a little bit more than coffee...
I try to eat something "healthy" in the morning in order to feel good during the day. I got the Yogurt Bowl, which consists of some yogurt topped with fresh strawberries and banana, with stuff to pimp it up on the side! Granola, raisins and toasted almonds.
You make your own little personal mix (or you just dump it all into the bowl) and voilà! You can even have soy milk instead of milk or yogurt to satisfy all your vegan dreams ;)
I'm still a bit sleepy here but I cheered up quite quickly.
They also have cool artwork on the walls (you can even buy it if you like). This one was my fave!
Considering that it was New Year's Eve and we very fully unprepared, we stopped at Ralphs and got a few basics while dad got the Champagne.
The hotel has bikes that you are welcome to use, so it didn't take long until we mounted our cruisers and enjoyed our little place of december heaven.
This is the most accurate sign.
Belmont Park is just down the beach (and the view makes the bike ride seem only a few seconds long). They have a few carrousels and cute little stands, but the main attraction is the roller coaster. It is made of painted wood and I love everything about it, from the nice colours to the little flags. And nothing beats palm trees.
Pre-lunch at Starbucks.
Taco Surf. That and the ocean are probably dad's favourite things in San Diego. He even has this old Taco Surf T-Shirt from 2003 or something.
Everything is freshly made, the guacamole, the pico de gallo, even the tortilla chips (beware: they are not salted!)
A little stop at Brandy Melville... but we had to get ready for NYE!
My favourite part of the outfit was definitely the crown. We wear some on NYE every year and it always makes me feel like a child.
You can never count on the weather, even in San Diego. The beautiful day had turned into fog and you could barely see the ocean! Slightly taken aback, we headed to JRDN. It's probably the "It-place" in SD and they have great food, so it was the place we wanted to have dinner at. Make a reservation.
We had a round of drinks/cocktails and their pita bread. It. Is. Amazing. Slightly warm and toasted, but still soft and chewy in the middle. You get three dips: artichoke something, goat cheese something and HUMMUS. (Can you tell which one was my favourite?)
Sorry for the lack of picture documentation, we were ravenous...
Now comes the hard part. I wish I could remember exactly what we had. I will try. The menu isn't so extensive so we ended up having similar things. Mom and I each had the fish. It was cooked perfectly, the skin side was crispy and flesh soft and buttery. It was served with sweet potato gnocchi, kale, a lemon mousse and green sauce, with a few edible flowers. A winner!
Dad had the beef tenderloin (can't remember the rub) with potato mash, champignons and peppercorn sauce.
William had exactly the same (with potato gratin instead of the mash). The meat was perfect.
Charlotte didn't want any meat or fish so she had a pumpkin soup I believe (it was a bit too sweet).
A little NYE selfie with mommy. A NYE selfie is always appropriate. (We weren't actually wearing the crowns during dinner, no worries.)
We walked around looking for things to do and dessert to eat after dinner. Aside from a few house parties (more like gatherings), the place was deserted. It was like everyone was staying inside out of fear of NYE craziness. Also, if you're under 21 and are looking for a place to party, you're going to have a bad time. You know how the US law is strict with these things. After having wandered around for a while, we decided to go back to the hotel and get the Champagne ready. At midnight, we heard fireworks, but the fog left a lot to the imagination... We clinked glasses and fell into the soft beds after a long day of sun and beach.
x
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