Good-bye Woojin and Gino!

Hanging out with them for the last time since their summer program is coming to an end. They're leaving Philly while I'll still be here for a few weeks. 

Breakfast from Ryan Crown's Juice Bar, Philadelphia, PA:

Alkaline forest: kale, cucumber, dandelion, parsley, celery, cilantro, dill & apple
(My first juice from here! I've been getting smoothies, but juices are always so much more refreshing. The apple didn't mask the taste of the veggies at all, but since I like tasting veggies in my juices, I quite liked it this way. This is a combination I'll have to remember.)

Gino's banana brain: bananas, gotu kola, hemp tahini, cinnamon bark, cardamom, mango & almond milk (had a sip)
(I remember Aby telling me that this smoothie reminds her of autumn, but I think Gino's description is better: banana and oatmeal smoothie. The little bits of something - perhaps hemp tahini or cinnamon bark - alluded at the addition of oatmeal, but it was really just the strong cinnamon flavour. I guess we're both used to pairing oatmeal with cinnamon. This was an alright smoothie, not my favourite but I didn't hate it. The banana flavour was just a bit too strong for me.)

Brunch at Green Eggs Café - Midtown Village, Philadelphia, PA:

Tofu scramble w/rye bread & fresh fruit (no vegan sausage/chorizo)
(The ultimate tofu scramble came with vegan sausage or chorizo, but I get freaked out by anything resembling meat in an encasing. Anyway, the server asked if I wanted any substitutes like fresh fruit and I agreed. Then she told me that the scramble came with a side, so I just got another order of fruit. This is so much more aesthetically pleasing than Sabrina's Cafe and I enjoyed it a whole lot more too. The scramble was spiced with a lot of cumin and something else, but the flavours worked well. I didn't feel the need to add any other spices. Also, this meal was ridiculously large and I hardly made a dent in it. So worth the price.)

Sweet potato fries
(These weren't the usual fried sweet potatoes. I think they covered the sweet potato strips in polenta or something, but it definitely wasn't just the potato. The sauce tasted like a ketchup-based chili, which is infinitely better than ketchup simply because I like spicy foods. Also enjoyed how these fries were pretty light yet still crisp.) 

Gino's buffalo chicken mac & cheese: cavatappi pasta, sharp cheddar and American cheese sauce topped w/ blue cheese crumbles, buffalo sauce & Southern fried boneless chicken thigh
(I had a noodle without the blue cheese and chicken. I liked the shape of the noodle, but the cheese sauce was a bit too sharp for me. Then again, I'm not a big fan of cheese unless it's on pizza or with tortilla chips so mac and cheese really isn't my thing.)

A view of our table!

Late afternoon nibbling:

Leftover brunch (there's a lot  fries underneath that slice of rye)
(This should basically be another portion. I nibbled on this for about three hours.) 

Dinner:

Watermelon slices w/almond butter
(Got back from an especially intense Bikram yoga session and felt extremely dehydrated. My flatmate and I both downed a ton of water, but I was still feeling parched so watermelon was the only thing I could stomach.)

Matcha green tea latte