The Jamism

 I was introduced to the Jamism by my good friend, Clair who designed the logo for the cafe.

The Jamism focuses on using organic products to make great tasting jams without using any

sugar or preservatives! Instead of my usual coffee, I opted for Kiwi and lemon soda which

tasted refreshing and totally suitable for summer.

Soomin, the Jamism's owner decorates the cafe with a warm atmosphere. I feel very at home

once I stepped in. Furthermore, I tried the Jam Plate which is served with

croissants and fresh jam selections to try out. 

Before I left for Japan, I did not forget to bring along some of her fresh jams with me.

It was super difficult to make up my mind since they all tasted amazing but I

decided to bring back kiwi and blueberry.

 

If you ever have a chance to visit Seoul, please pay the Jamism a little visit. 

The cafe is located in Pangyo station! Totally recommended! 

For more information, visit the Jamism's website here!

Off duty

Zara faux leather sweater / Bag and Shoes I bought in Tokyo / GU pants / Canmake nail polish in smokey beige

Short stop to Seoul!

Last week, I went for a short trip to Seoul. Since this is my second time in the city,

I didn't want to do too many touristy things I did on my last trip. Instead this time,

I went strolling and experience things local Koreans do on typical weekends. 

A view from Dongdaemun.

This is the newly launched design center, DDP, located in downtown Seoul. The center, designed by

renowned architect Zaha Hadid, is super futuristic and suave. I felt like I was in outer space. 

Strolling in Seoul's fancy shopping area, Garosu-gil, which means tree lined street.

A Street musician in Hongdae.

All in all it was a great long weekend. I feel refreshed and am ready to tackle another month at work!

 More updates on cafes I visited in Seoul soon!

All Photos taken by me. :)

streamer coffee company

Time to hop another cafe. For my latest expedition, I hopped Streamer Coffee Company in Shibuya.

I've always wanted to try this place out since it is owned and operated by Hiroshi Sawada,

Japan's very first free pour latte art champion. 

The cafe indeed lived up to its reputation. We were lucky enough to get latte made by Mr. Sawada

himself. I must say this is the most beautiful latte art I've ever seen, so precise and crisp.

The latte was smooth and delish as well!

If you are around the Tokyo or Osaka area, be sure to check Streamer Coffee out, it's totally worthy!

february wishlist

a.p.c. boots / The seventh duchess tea / archipelago soy wax candles / baggu duffel bag /

 i love ugly six panel cap / korres hand cream

today

I'm loving everything about this look! oh spring, please come soon!

via Aritzia

5 minute healthy rice

one of my resolutions this year is to eat healthier. 

although i vow to be more stern about my diet choices, i sometimes find it challenging to come up with an absolutely healthy dish. 

i accidentally stumbled upon this quick and healthy recipe from a complimentary lunch at work. after trying the bento, i couldn't resist replicating this fresh and easy recipe! The best thing about this entrée is that the ingredients are easy to find, plus it only takes around 5 minutes to make!

ingredients for 1 serving:

- a handful of your choice of sprouts

- half of one avocado, diced

- halved 5 mini tomatoes

- salmon flakes ( you can leave this in case you are a vegetarian )

- 3/4 cup of cooked brown rice

- 3 tbs boiled beans and peas

- sliced green onions to garnish

sauce ingredients:

- 2 tbs soy sauce

- 1 tbs mirin

- 1 ts sesame oil

- a couple of pinches of black and white roasted sesame seeds

directions:

- mix the sauce together and set aside

- add the beans and peas to the rice. add a couple of table spoons of the sauce and mix well.

- simply decorate the dish however you want. I like to layer them and top with salmon flakes and green onions.

- add in the rest of the sauce on top of the rice and voila! your healthy rice is ready!

Japanese charming tea review

There are new trends in Japan on health and wellness these days and this "charming tea" is my recent discovery! I'm not sure what charming tea is, but I guess it's similar to a healthy tea (based on the ingredients).

I received this tea from an acquaintance as a new year gift. It comes in 30 tea sachets. They are mixtures of tea leaves such as corn tea, rooibos tea, rose hip tea, gobo root and candle bush.

I like that the tea is very mild and it doesn't taste bitter at all even if I leave the bag in too long.

I'm not sure if I will buy this tea myself. I find it a little too pricey for a drugstore tea ($20).

the roastery by nozy coffee

first cafe hop of 2014!

I've always wanted to try Nozy Coffee but it's a little outside my usual route. I was ecstatic to find out that the roastery, an affiliate cafe of nozy has opened up nearby Meiji-jingumae.

the verdict? awesome. I would say that they kept their coffee menu pretty minimal with only espresso, americano and caffe latte. The Roastery offer single origin coffee plus they roast on site, which basically made the whole place aromatic. I had my 12 oz latte with a side of banana muffin that reminded me of my time in toronto.

great coffee with lots of seating in a cool and suave atmosphere. definitely worth a visit, only minutes away from meiji-jingumae station.

all photographs by me. 

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from Milk + toast + honey to you!

Here are some holiday cards I illustrated for friends and family. 

Wishing you a wonderful holiday and a great year ahead!

Holiday Wish List

Aritzia mittens / Tokyo Bike: Single Speed White / Yoga Mat Bag by Chuck Rathier / Lazerwood for Beats by Dre / Williams Sonoma: Hot Chocolate / Nixon: The Small Kensington Rose Gold

Café Design Identity

As a fan of both cafés  and design, I pay attention to both aspects before i go visit a café.

These are some cafés with great design + branding identity i like. Although i have only visited la distributrice in montreal,  i have plans to visit the rest of the cafés  in the future.

 

Handsome Coffee Roasters/ La Distributrice/ Flock Cafe/ Stumptown Coffee/ Vittoria Coffee