Orlando Brewing, Yum-mi Sandwiches & Kilwins

 

Last week we took a day trip to Orlando on our day off.  We started off at Harry P. Leu Gardens – I had never been there before, but it’s a beautiful 50 acre botanical garden. 

 

 

 

Luckily we got lots of walking in at the gardens because we spent the rest of the day eating & drinking.  We stopped for a quick lunch at Yum-mi Sandwiches, which serves Vietnamese style banh-mi sandwiches. 

It was a super casual restaurant but the food was very good.  We split the Shrimp & Pork Yum-Yum Crunch Rolls, then each had our own sandwich.   

Lance ordered the V.P. – with Vietnamese-style Philly steak, cheese, and 2 eggs on top.  Mine was the Miss Piggy – with caramelized pork belly, lettuce, and tomatoes.  I added an egg to the top since the egg on Lance’s sounded so good.  It didn’t compete with Bamboozle, but I was happy with our food.  

 

Afterwards we headed to Orlando Brewing.  Surprisingly, there aren’t very many local breweries in the area – we’re spoiled with having several dozen in the Tampa Bay area.  I tried a flight with a variety of beers – the best by far was the Girl Stout – which tasted like liquid Thin Mint cookies. 

 

 

 

 

 

We picked up a copy of Southern Brew News which had a map of every brewery in the Southeast.  Lance has framed it and started marking all the ones we’ve been to (we’ve got a lot to go – Florida has 104…)

We finished the day in Celebration, FL where they have fake snow every evening at Christmas time.  It was really just bubbles (I don’t know why I was expecting shaved ice...guess it would melt instantly).   

Our “dinner” was ice cream from Kilwins (we couldn’t resist the waffle cone smell coming out the front door).   

Yum-mi Sandwiches is located at 1227 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803 and is open 10 am – 8pm Monday – Tuesday, and Thursday - Saturday, and 10 am – 6pm on Sundays (they are closed Wednesdays).  

 

Orlando Brewing is located at 1301 Atlanta Avenue, Orlando, FL 32806 and is open 3pm – 10pm Monday through Thursday, 1pm – 12am Friday & Saturday, and 1pm – 9pm on Sunday. 

Kilwins has several locations – the one we visited was located at 671 Front Street, Kissimmee, FL 34747 and is open 11am – 10pm Sunday through Thursday and 11am – 11pm Friday & Saturday. 

Bamboozle Tea Lounge Takeout

I’m helping write a healthy living blog for the restaurant Bamboozle (we just started, but you can check it out here).  So you may see a lot of their food on my blog! 

 

I called ahead a few nights ago so I could pick up dinner on the way home from work.  You can order online for pickup if you want – this is actually the first time I did carryout (I love their atmosphere, so usually I dine in). 

I normally order the fresh rolls, but I thought I’d try something different this time.  I got the Tiger Shrimp Baby Noodle Salad, a Beef Pho soup, and Pork Banh Mi – lots of different types of meats!

 

The food was ready just as I walked in so it was super convenient.  I carefully drove home with the blue bag in my passenger seat and we enjoyed the meal very much.  Lance was especially a fan of the Banh Mi sandwich (he didn’t want to share!)

Bamboozle Tea Lounge is located at 109 N 12th St #101, Tampa, FL 33602 and open from 10:30am – 9pm Mondays through Fridays, 11am – 9pm on Saturdays, and 11:30am – 4pm for brunch on Sundays.

Bamboozle Tea Lounge – Tampa, FL

After a tough workout this morning with my friend Thu, we were ready for something to eat.  I had bought an Amazon Local deal for Bamboozle Tea Lounge a while back, so we had $22 of food & drinks for only $11. 

It is located in the lower level of the condo The Place at Channelside – right down the street from where I work.  The tea lounge is a more relaxed version of their full Bamboozle restaurant downtown on Tampa Street.  If the weather is nice outside, there is outdoor seating and a small park right across the street. 

Today we sat inside.  The lounge has a cozy atmosphere with eclectic mismatched tables and chairs.  The walls are filled with pieces by local artists that change every month or so.  They have a variety of board games as well – today the kids at the table next to us were playing Connect Four.  On Wednesday mornings they host a free event called Storytelling with Mr. Teng – it would be a great place to bring little kids.  They also host Open Mic Nights and live acoustic music every once in awhile. 

Today we shared the BBQ Banh Mi and the Coco Bamboozle Roll.  The ingredients are all very fresh and vibrant – and everything there is so healthy it didn’t cancel out our morning workout. 

I’ve actually had the Coco Roll a few times now – it is made with Tiger shrimp, shredded coconut, pineapple, jicama and mint and served with citrus ginger vinaigrette. 

Obviously the Tea Lounge also has a variety of yummy drink options.  They sell smoothies and teas by the glass, along with jars of their loose leaf teas.  Today I had an almond milk drink with chia seeds and Thu had a strawberry banana smoothie.  I really loved my drink – I would definitely order it again. 

Plus, chia seeds have tons of benefits beyond making cute plant pets. They were a large part of the diet of ancient Aztecs and Mayans – “chia” actually comes from the Mayan word for “strength”.  Aztec warriors ate them in preparation for battle, and the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico used them for energy as well (they hunted by running their prey to exhaustion).

They are high in antioxidents, fiber, and protein.  They also absorb a lot of water, so they expand in your stomach and make you feel full so you don’t eat too much.  I was introduced to chia seeds by Lance’s sister, Brandi, who sent me a jar of them a few years ago with a list of recipes (I’ve made some amazing chia seed banana bread and I sprinkle them on my oatmeal).

To wrap it up, our lunch was fantastic and I’d recommend everyone go visit there. 

Bamboozle Tea Lounge is located at 109 N 12th St #101, Tampa, FL 33602 and open from 10:30am – 9pm Mondays through Fridays, 11am – 9pm on Saturdays, and 11:30am – 4pm for brunch on Sundays.