Duckweed Urban Market – Tampa, FL

 

I bought a LivingSocial deal for $10 that gave me $20 to spend on meat and seafood at Duckweed Urban Market. 

It’s in the lower level of the Element tower, and it’s the only local grocery store for all the residents of downtown Tampa.  I had never been before, but since I sell lots of furniture to residents of the Element, I’ve heard good things about it. 

The first impression was very good – the outside is decorated with plants in brightly colored pots and has seating for people wanting to grab a quick bite.  It looks like something you’d find in New York City. 

It’s a pretty small store, but they do have many of the essentials along with some really great local venders.  When I told them about my coupon, they said I could actually use it towards anything in the store, not just meat and seafood. 

I was excited to see that they had Whatever Pops – fantastic gourmet popsicles that are normally sold at food truck events and farmer’s markets in Tampa.  I picked up a Strawberry Basil and Earl Grey Lavender Lemonade. 

I also bought some lobster ravioli from Tampasta, granola with vanilla and chocolate clusters, a dark chocolate bar with chilies & cherries by Chocolove, and a jar of pear dark chocolate cinnamon jam from The Urban Canning Company. 

We had the ravioli for dinner last night and it was delicious.  The granola I’ve been eating for breakfast in parfaits, and we’ve been savoring the chocolate bar (I love the sweet & spiciness).  The chocolate had a Shakespeare poem inside, which was a nice touch.  

 

 

I haven’t had the chance to eat the popsicles or jam yet, but I’ve had several other Whatever Pops and they’ve always been incredibly fresh.  We have a few other jellies to use up before I crack this one open, but if it tastes as good as it sounds, I may have to go back for more. 

I will say that the quality of what I bought was fantastic.  But the prices are out of my normal grocery budget – the 6 items I bought came to a total of $33.  I’m all for supporting local businesses and I love the unique products, but I’d have to make a bit more money if I wanted to shop here regularly. 

Duckweed Urban Market is located at 803 North Tampa Street, Tampa, FL 33602 and is open 10am – 10pm Monday – Thursday, 10am – 11pm Friday, 8am – 11pm Saturday, and 8am – 10pm on Sunday.   

Brunch at Bamboozle Tea Lounge - Tampa, FL

 

One of my favorite restaurants, Bamboozle Tea Lounge, invited me to preview their new brunch menu, which debuts later this month on Sunday, October 26^th.  You can read more about Bamboozle on this blog post from August. 

 

 

Up until now, they have been closed Sundays.  The owner, Lynn Pham, tells me that they’ll start off with brunch on just Sundays, then if it is popular, it may expand to other days of the week. 

 

 

We sampled a bit of everything from their new brunch menu this morning, and I can tell you it’s all incredible!  Just like their lunch and dinner items, the brunch selection was all carefully crafted with fresh ingredients.  It was filling, yet light enough that we didn’t feel guilty afterwards. 

 

 

We started off with the mini beignets – French doughnuts coated with powdered sugar and cinnamon.  There were several drizzles to choose from – including honey, condensed milk, and chocolate syrup – and then roasted coconut, almonds, and crushed peanuts to garnish.  Lance loaded our beignets with a bit of everything!  They were perfectly light and flaky, just as if they were bought in New Orleans. 

 

 

 

 

Next we split one of the exotic fresh fruit parfaits.  The Greek yogurt was layered with tropical fruits, roasted coconut, local honey, and organic artisan granola from local Bake’n Babes.  I’d say it’s the best parfait I’ve ever eaten. 

 

 

Next we tried the pate chaud – a Vietnamese French chicken puff pastry.  Lance had skipped it at first since he thought it was just bread, but when he saw it had chicken inside, he grabbed one for himself.  It ended up being his favorite item this morning – I think if we didn’t fill up on other foods he would have eaten a half dozen more. 

 

There are several mini dessert options on the brunch menu as well – including Nutella cheesecake bites, mini pear cupcakes, mini Vietnamese coffee cupcakes, and mini 5-spiced carrot cupcakes.  I don’t think the carrot was there this morning, but the rest we sampled were wonderful.  The pear cupcakes were made again by Bake’n Babes – they were topped with a caramel miso glaze and ginger candy.  Wow!  The caramel on top almost tasted a bit like flan.  Then the ginger added a nice Asian twist. 

 

 

 

The fresh rolls from their normal menu were also included in the brunch.  We sampled a chicken one served with peanut dressing, and a fresh fruit roll with citrus dressing.  My personal favorite roll of theirs is the Coco – Tiger shrimp, shredded coconut, pineapple, jicama, and mint with the citrus dressing. 

 

Lynn served us each pineapple lychee mimosas with mint syrup – they were sweet and refreshing.  We also tried the Vietnamese slow drip coffee – made with Monde-French Chicory coffee and sweetened with condensed milk.  It tasted more like a dessert drink – very yummy. 

 

 

 

 

Behind the counter they had 4 flavors of their seasonal fresh fruit infused sake that will be made into spritzers – those will available starting this Friday for their Open Mic Night. 

 

I noticed that they have a Pumpkin Spice tea on the shelf, so once it cools off a bit more, I’ll be back for that! 

 

We feel so privileged to have been included in this preview brunch – I have only good things to say about Bamboozle!  Everyone who works there is so inviting, and the food won’t disappoint.  If you haven’t been – go check them out immediately.  They have a downtown café as well, but I tend to go to the Tea Lounge since it’s close to my work and has a laid-back atmosphere. 

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 starting October 26^th.