This is one of my favorite stops whenever I go downtown Monterey farmers market. I love their ube…read moreand pandan waffles as well as the mochi cakes. I also love some of the cookies that I missed during this visit. I love the flavor and chewy texture of these treats! First time trying the shortbread cookies- although not my favorite texture for a shortbread cookie, it was delicious! Edit: I've had a bit more of the cookies and they're actually the soft texture I love! This place accepts cash, card, Apple Pay.

Some of the most yummy treats I've had in a while. I've never had Thai treats like this and I was…read morevery impressed. The mochi and coconut just give them a great taste and texture. All the treats I've tried, from the pandan cake, to the Oreo cookie, to the mochi waffles, are a must try. A nice selection and the owner was so great in explaining all the treats to us and its ingredients. I will be visiting the farmers market much more often now!

So lucky to have Mary V leading our NorthBay group... just back from another amazing event!…read more Special shout out to her intern Ruby... better hire or quickly or one of us will! Many thanks, Alan

Ordering: smooth process-after checking in for the event, we went ahead and scanned the QR code for…read morethe menu. For this you can directly order and no worries on the charge- so long as it's the one hotpot & one drink. Service: very attentive and kind throughout- when seated brought our water. All staff are wearing masks appropriately! (Not something I consistently see when out now) Hotpot: - I've always loved Tasty pot and happy to support their 7 year anniversary, this is a locale I haven't been to but have been to the one in Berkeley - flavor- for Taiwan stinky tofu and spicy pot the flavor is spot on. Feel to add extra add ons as needed to support the business - bathroom- the womens bathroom has a broken faucet but it was working just loose. - portions- the $20 pots tend to be larger but al come with water and it's great :) Now I'll be frequenting this spot when the craving hits for hotpot :) glad to have come around for this event

Super duper event. Unique. Splendid. I have a new found love for matcha…read more Paolo et al were great as usual. It was well organized, then giveaways and snacks were a nice touch. I really did enjoy the owner coming out to talk to us about matcha. The stuff comes directly from their home town at the foot of Mount Fuji. While other matcha houses have shortages, they have a steady supply here. Otherwise they get on the phone, and mom and pop walk over to the supplier to see what's up. Tables were nicely set up. Met sevral nice people. Don't you love yelp events? Had a nice chat with the person across from me. Then talked at length to the person on my left. And got to hold hands with the lady on my right, Fun time had by all!

This was my first yelp event wherein I met up at a specific time and place to join fellow yelpers…read moreto sample goodies. I love matcha, so this Lunch & Learn at Ryokucha Cafe on Friday, November 14, 2025, definitely piqued my interest. I arrived at the storefront at exactly the 12:30 PM start time; however, their tiny parking lot was completely full, so I had to drive around the block a couple of times to find street parking. I later learned that the adjacent underground garage was available for us to use. Wish that information was shared with us in the email. Luckily, I was only five minutes late to the event. I don't like being tardy. Upon arrival, I was greeted at the check-in table, showed my attendee QR code Party pass, and grabbed a yelp sleep mask. A small table and three chairs were added to an existing table of yelp participants to seat Yikai and Fumika, my new yelp friends whom I met here, and me. Boxes of individual packs of baked buns from Sheng Kee Bakery were available for grabs at a table by the front counter. This was our lunch. I picked a hot dog bun and a pork bun both of which were super soft. Shortly after being seated, we were given another yelp gift, a nice food container with accompanying eating utensils. I envisioned the event to be similar to a wine tasting where all of the small drinks are pre-poured in small cups and presented on a tray with labels for each and a host speaks on each as you sip them. Instead, as each beverage was made, the pours were done at the table. It wasn't the most organized flow, but it was steady. Our table, or at least the end where I was sitting, didn't hear of any talks on the origins, preparation, nor health benefits of matcha, which was no big deal to my tablemates nor me since we were engulfed in socializing and sharing our opinions of each sip with one another. The experience was definitely all about matcha. After snacking on Sheng Kee buns, we were served a tiny scoop of Matcha Soft Serve, an array of generous sips of Ryokucha's signature matcha drinks, and a sample of their Hojicha Latte. Below are all of the items that we got to try: Macha Soft Serve - Made with real milk. I took a Lactaid and enjoyed this. Blueberry Matcha Latte - This was Naomi's (another new yelp friend whom I met here) favourite. At initial sip, Yikai exclaimed, "Whoa! That is special! Very unique. Definitely good, but sweet." I liked this drink, too, but didn't find it to be very sweet, which was great. Banana Cream Matcha Latte - Naomi was not a fan of the version made with oat milk, citing the chalky, powdery texture. She preferred this made with real milk. Initially, Yikai skipped this sample, but Naomi and I insisted that he taste this one because it was not sweet. The banana flavour really came through, but it didn't make it to the top of my list. Mango Matcha Latte - I really tasted the mango here, too, but the drink was a bit too sweet for me. I didn't hear anyone else comment on this one. Strawberry Matcha Latte - This was also good, but on the sweet side. Yikai commented, "Interesting. You can see strawberry chunks." Hojicha Latte - After his initial sip, Yikai said that "they keep bringing more and more unique stuff." I enjoyed the warm, toasty flavour of this roasted Japanese green tea. This won the top drink of the day vote from Yikai and me and I ordered it for my complimentary drink item, 50% sweet and made with almond milk. Yikai said that even 50% would be too sweet for him. I didn't expect it to be since the sample tasting I had wasn't very sweet at all. Welp, in the end, I agreed with Yikai - perhaps I should have asked for zero sweetness because the 50% ended up to be too sweet for me as the ice melted that I ended up giving my beverage to DJ. He said that he liked the flavour. Perhaps, during the tasting, I didn't find the Hojicha Latte to be very sweet because it was the last sample I tried...after the others which were much sweeter. What a great way to bring together people with similar interests like tasting and rating edibles and potables. It was a rare time for me to enjoy taking shots and notes on served items without someone growing impatient with my yelping (a.k.a. family). Come on yelp friends, you know what I am talking about, right? I can't be the only one on here who feels pressured to snap shots within half a second, so that others can dive in! Needless to say, I had a great time, meeting and mingling with yelpers over shots of Japanese tea. Shout out to Ryokucha Cafe for a welcoming and fun event. A million thanks Paolo for looking out for me, ensuring that my drinks were made with milk alternatives.

To start, thank you to our CM Katie for organizing another amazing Yelp Experience!…read more This is my second time coming here and it gave me confirmation entrees (we got the Lanzhou noodles this time) are HUGE. It was good enough to feed two people + some to-go. Broth is really clean and not too heavy. I wish the noodles were cut a little though because they're pretty long. We went during lunch so it wasn't very busy. Staff were very attentive bringing out refills of water and individual bowls to share. Dinner tends to be really packed. We also got an beef pancake roll which was really yummy. It was packed was packed with cilantro and other veggies which made it super refreshing Overall super great experience! And the Yelp Chopsticks are very cute!

TLDR: Delicious noodles, but I felt a bit uncomfortable! The customer service was nonexistent…read morehonestly and on top of that... there was a man (possibly the owner?) who was very blunt and judgemental. He didn't seem very happy to be a part of this event... 4/5 stars for the Lanzhou noodles! I really enjoy a clean clear beef broth, and this is a great option for it. The noodles were honestly too soft for me, but the noodles I got were the perfect shape. I definitely recommend the thin flat noodles. They give a big portion! You scan a QR code and order on the phone. There's complimentary tea given, but if you want water, you need to ask. After we finished our meal, I let a waitress know that I was there for the Yelp Elite event and she greeted me happily, then referred me to the other man (the owner or manager?). He bluntly says "you're supposed to let us know before you order" and I quickly apologized... When I was ready to pay (since we got an appetizer too), he brought the Square system with Apple Pay to our table. I nervously pay since he's staring us down and when I'm deciding to tip, I quickly type an amount and he suddenly gets VERY UPSET because of how much I tipped. No matter the amount I tip... a business owner should never chew out a customer for a VOLUNTARY tip... AT LEAST I TIPPED SOMETHING??? This was a bitter way to end my experience here....

Enjoyed a wonderful outing with my wife and made some new friends at Hidden Hills Brewing &…read moreBlending. I was excited to receive an invite to check out this local establishment at the Barnyard in Carmel and didn't know what to expect. When I arrived, I checked in with the owners at Hidden Hills - two brothers who are locally grown and experts at their craft. Both are very approachable and were wonderful hosts. The brothers gave my wife and I a complete overview of their craft (brewing, canning, and labeling) and a history of how they started their business. The treats provided by Cheese Fairy Charcuterie were beautifully put together and tasted amazing! The treats consisted of fresh cheeses, meats, fruits, and nuts. It went perfectly with our drinks and topped off a great experience. We toured the inside of Hidden Hills which is warm and inviting. We ended up sitting outside where more even more seating is available. I highly recommend visiting this Hidden Hills - while I'm not a beer drinker but I am confident that beer drinkers from anywhere will give this place two thumbs up! Don't forget to try the Cheese Fairy, too - both establishments provided top notch treats and a wonderful experience.

Filoli is absolutely beautiful year-round, and springtime has its own wonderful beauty!…read more Boyfriend surprised me with a date to see the Chinese Floralia performance, which was so lovely and thoughtful of him! The NorCal Hanfu Association put on multiple performances of different Chinese performance arts dressed in hanfu and traditional Chinese dress from different dynasties. It was so much fun to people watch and see the crowds and see people who came to enjoy Filoli dressed in hanfu. We came on a Saturday, and it unexpectedly sprinkled on us on the way. Weather may be bipolar in the Bay Area, but it's still beautiful, and we were lucky the drizzle stopped for the performances. Not a whole lot is in bloom, but we did see Tulips, and the magnolia tree at the manor entrance is perfect for photos!

Soffra Grille for the win! The food, the atmosphere, the staff were all stellar. I literally…read morerolled out of there stuffed. The baklava for dessert was one of the best I've ever had. It was so flakey and not overly sweet. Amazing Yelp event and you can feel the energy as we all enjoyed out meal.

Thanks Paolo and Sofra Grill for the invitation. First off, I love an easy parking restaurant to…read moremake life so easy to get there with lots of available street parking. Staff are super friendly and made the experience so easy. The steak wrap was delicious with flavorful sauces. The meat was well cooked and love that the wrap is thinner which they make it nice and toasty on the outside. The fresh veggies and pickles inside the wrap give it a nice crunch. In addition, the portions are so generous. I would recommend to my friends to come here again on my own!