Global Eats

With two whole days in Disney World and 4 different parks, there was plenty of time for Hayley and I to get our hands on some delicious treats. The first photo deserves first place because it was seriously so amazing. The Sleepy Hallow cafe right near the castle is a must right before the Happily Ever After fireworks show. This nutella fruit waffle was worth every penny! Next, the mickey beignets. Hayley and I stayed at the French Quarter New Orleans resort. So of course, some beignets were a must! Not the healthiest breakfast, but if you're like me you can justify it with the 12 miles you'll walk around all the parks ;) Last, but definitely not least are all the different treats in Epcot. Since Epcot holds the miniature versions of 12 different countries, there is plenty of food to choose from and there is something for every kind of taste bud. We started in Mexico where Hayley got her fruity blended margarita drink. Definitely a good start on a hot day, for those of age of course ;) Nit pictured are the delicious dumplings we shared in the little China! As the sun started to set we got a little hungrier so Hayley and I split a California roll in little Japan. Once it was really time for dinner we made our way to little France. This was by far my favorite pavilion! Hayley got the spinach and goat cheese quiche with a mimosa. I chose the ham and cheese quiche with a baguette because it was so cheap and very French. The desserts pictured were so tempting, but we were too full and there were too many options. I highly recommend Epcot and all its food on your visit to Disney World!

This little vegan restaurant in Savanna was the best start to the trip! Fox and Fig is a small restaurant in the middle of the cutest neighborhood in Georgia. A very modern trendy cafe, it served many creative dishes that vegans and even non-vegans could appreciate. I had the "tostadas verde" because the avocado mash in the dish had grabbed my attention. It went above and beyond my expectation. Hayley enjoyed the "proper breakfast." It took us a while to decide on our drinks because they all sounded amazing. How could we choose between match lattes or vegan shakes or eccentric lemonades? In the end we went with the kombucha because it was locally brewed in Charleston, South Carolina and because we needed a little detox after all of our Disney food. Everything about this place was to die for, from the nice outdoor seating to the decorative succulents and delicious food. I definitely recommend if you are ever in Georgia!

With our first day in the south, Hayley and I obviously had to find some biscuits and grits and Millers All Day was definitely the place for it. This trendy little breakfast place in downtown Charleston couldn't have been more perfect on a rainy day. We started with a plate of four biscuit samples. Although traditional biscuits can surely hold their own, the blueberry biscuit took the cake on this plate. I ordered the "Millers Plate" for a wholesome southern plate consisting of bacon, home fries (or grits), eggs, and a corn muffin (or biscuits). Hayley ordered the special grits bowl of the day. Neither dishes disappointed and left us full and content as we hit the road to Atlanta. 

What could be better than Batter? On our night out at Ponce City Market we wandered about the different food stalls and couldn't help but stop at this little shop of heaven. At first, I thought it was gelato, but at a closer look I could not have been more happily wrong. Batter serves scoops of edible cookie dough! And not just chocolate chip. We tried what the workers that night decided were their best four flavors (lemon, chocolate chip, rocky road, and s'mores). What a yummy surprise in Atlanta!

Nashville was just about half way through our epic journey and the açaí bowl withdrawals were real. Growing up in California, I am used to at least an açaí bowl a day and never have I had a satisfying açaí bowl outside of Southern California. However, Franklin Juice Co. has me craving Nashville even more. This delicious bowl pictured was the Bombom, which the worker that day claimed was the most popular. I don't usually have chocolate in my açaí bowls because it seems to take away the nutritious feeling, but Nashville has proved me wrong. I am still dreaming of a visit back to Nashville just for this wonderful bowl of yumminess. 

Another food Hayley and I missed while in the south, Mexican! Luckily, Santa Fe had the perfect restaurant to settle our cravings. We couldn't decide if it was the fact that we were had walked all day in the heat and were starving or that The Shed actually did have the best chip dip ever, but we have a feeling it was the latter. This guacamole sour cream secret dip pictured was on the specials menu so I am not sure if it is always available, but even if not The Shed is a must when in Santa Fe. I ordered the spinach tamales and Hayley ordered the enchiladas. All I can say is that the Mexican food was fantastic! I definitely recommend making this a top priority after walking through the Santa Fe plaza. 

Coming from a British family, I was all too excited when my best friend recommended the Cornish Pasty Co. for dinner. It definitely did not disappoint. I ordered The Oggie, the original pasty, while Hayley had been craving Indian food all week and so she chose the Chicken Tikka Masala. Both were amazing! The fantastic food and cute trendy and modern setting of the restaurant made it the perfect last meal on our trip across America. 

This is my first post abroad, but SouthPour deserves such a bigger honor! I was honestly considering not posting about this place so I could surprise my best friend when she comes to visit, but in the off chance anyone visits Edinburgh in the meantime, you need to know about this piece of heaven on Earth! SouthPour is very close to University of Edinburgh, but probably only about a mile walk from the center of Old Town, so it is in a prime location for students and tourists alike. The prices and vibe definitely represent a more classic nice out, but as a Californian, it was not unlike a typical bill for a night out. However, the food was definitely unlike a normal dinner in California. I savored every single bite. For starters, we each had a glass of Merlot. Then, we ordered the jerk chicken samosas as a starter, which featured a delicious pineapple chutney. For our main courses, my dad ordered a classic U.K. dish of fish and chips and I had the harissa, sweet potato & chickpea tagine (basically a lighter and healthier Indian style tomato curry with cous cous). Although I am not vegan or vegetarian, I always appreciate a place that features and highlights these dishes. My dinner was vegan and there were plenty of others offered! Lastly, we ordered the sticky toffee pudding, which was served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and was drizzled in a butterscotch sauce that still has my mouth watering. I honestly couldn't believe how ridiculously tasty everything was. I highly recommend looking this place up if you are ever in Scotland, or the U.K. for that matter, it's that fantastic!

On our first night in Milan, the girls and I walked all around the center city trying to find a decent place for dinner. Although Milan is full of restaurants, we were looking for a more local looking Italian restaurant. Bellavista happened to be one of the first restaurants we saw, but we decided to keep looking until eventually we were too hungry and walked all the way back to give it a shot. I am so glad we did! It seemed like almost everyone dining was Italian by the conversations in the room. The waiters were Italian and barely spoke English, so we knew this place was going to be more authentic than the more touristy restaurants near the Duomo. Although this restaurant was right near the Duomo, it seemed people were only interested in eating at restaurants where the Duomo was visible, so this place wasn't too crowded. The girls both ordered the penne, but I am obsessed with gnocchi and this one did not disappoint. It was by far the best Italian food I have ever had! We had gone to the vineyards that day so we had our own bottle of wine, which the staff let us drink. However, to continue with the authentic Italian tradition, we ordered grappa after dinner. Our waitress was laughing at us as we tried to pick which grappa to drink. We were told it was strong so we went with the "easier" one. To me, it tasted like tequila with a little bit of honey, only it is meant to be sipped, not downed like a shot. Overall, it was such a fun and delicious experience. 

If you find yourself in Milan looking for a yummy and cheap place to eat, Gino Sorbillo's is it! However, be prepared to wait in line. The girls and I tried to go to Gino's for dinner the night before and it looked to be about an hour wait so we decided we would try again for lunch the next day. Although there was still a thirty minute wait, we decided to tough it out and I am so glad we did. The menu is all in Italian so it was hard to know what we were ordering, but we knew it was going to be good. I guess Milan is known for having bad pizza, but Gino's is good because they are a Naples style pizzeria, and I guess Naples is known for having amazing pizza. The girls ordered Margherita pizzas and I ordered a pesto pizza. They were huge, but we hadn't eaten all day nor had we ever had such delicious pizza so we downed almost all of it. We also ordered an Italian soda, but it did have a very strong bitter after taste so I don't know if I would necessarily recommend it. All in all it was the most delicious lunch in Milan!

Our final meal in Milan was definitely the prettiest. The girls and I had just finished wandering through the flea market stalls on the water in Navigali and it started to get close to dinner time. We were still kind of full from our giant pizzas we had at Gino's for lunch, so we decided a place with cheap appetizers and drinks would be good. Although sitting outside by the water sounded nice, we were getting eaten alive by mosquitos so we chose this cute place because it had the type of food we were looking for at a cheaper price and a nice little indoor dining room. The girls wanted an aperol spritz and I had never had one so we started off with those. We then ordered a plate of grilled vegetables and a plate of berratta with a side of bread. Lastly, we order tiramisu because it is a traditional Italian dessert and had been on our list of things to try while in Milan. Everything was perfect and the waiters were very friendly. I would for sure recommend this place whether you want appetizers or large meals (there risotto looked good) for the price, location, and taste!

Not to be dramatic, but I have NEVER eaten anything as amazing as the gnocchi in Rome at Da Gildo. My mom's friend had recommended it to us and I couldn't be more thankful! If you are ever in Rome, you HAVE to go here. It is just a short walk from the Pantheon across the river. We went for lunch around 3 pm and it wasn't too crowded. The restaurant is super cute, the staff is very nice, and the food is amazing!

Thanks to Eat Pray Love I knew before going to Rome that pizza is not the staple food there. Apparently to Liz Gilbert, no pizza in Italy is really worth eating if it is not from Naples. Luckily, I found one of the only Naples pizzerias in Rome and it was fantastic! Yes, I did eat mine all after a long day of walking, but clearly, if you are like my mama, the portions are big enough to share as well. Definitely a must go when in Rome.