aesthetics

Hi friends!

I was able to go to Cambodia this past week on a week-long trip. The last time I was there was over 11 years ago, so it was quite a shock to see just how much it has changed over the years!

Thankfully, one of my lovely friends moved back this past year and spent the entire year scoping out all of the cutest spots for my visit. Ha ha… just kidding. But she is a foodie and knows all happening places to go! I am seriously sooo thankful for that as Yelp does not exist in Cambodia!

I hopped off the plane in PP and headed straight to my hotel.. Kabiki Hotel. Located centrally in the middle of town, everything that I wanted to see and do was only about 15 minutes away.

I walked into this amazing oasis in the middle of the hustle and bustle of town. I had such an amazing stay here! It was definitely the perfect way to kick-off my stay in PP.

We wasted no time at all and headed straight to Seekers Gin Distillery – and had the best gin & tonic I have ever had! It had a hint of kefir leaf and wowweeee the flavor was amazing!

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I mean..even the bottle and everything was so picture perfect. The taste was just as good!

Now there are starting to be some high-rise buildings that are appearing the the developing city. Trust me.. there were no malls or anything even resembling high-rise buildings a decade ago. To see the difference is astounding.

Rosewood Phnom Penh opened a rooftop bar on the 30-something floor. The views and whole bar had me feelin’ like I was in another country!

Alright… time to call it a night. The next morning we woke up and started our day off right. The picture-perfect Sundown Social (located right besides the Russian market) was definitely one of my favorite places. It was SO cute, the drinks were cute, and I had some amazing fried cauliflower bites.

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Since no vacation is complete without lots and lots of food, we continued on to the next spot! This one was very healthy, with smoothies, bowls, and juices! There was even bottles of locally-made Kombucha (which has been my obsession lately). This was called Backyard Eats, which is located right by the palace area.

77E02D78-4473-4C02-8329-03FACFED070C 8DFFDB53-2547-409B-A4D1-3450A8B6E834 I hope you are able to check out some of these places if you end up taking a Phnom Penh trip! Let me know if there are any other places I should visit for my next trip there!

Xoxo,

-Lena

Dear coffee shops of Southern California,

THANK YOU for opening so many new doors that are aesthetically at a ten this year, you are making my heart very happy.

Hi friends! I had the chance to finally check out a coffee shop that has been open for a bit but I have been wanting to visit in forever! Located in downtown Whittier, this general store (which sells the cutest things I might add) + coffee combo is seriously the best! They serve Stumptown coffee and have baked goods from Donut Snob and Sugarbloom Bakery. All under one roof?! Yes, almost too good to be true.

So, not only do they have all these items, but they have this amazing thing called a “Snob Latte”… and yes, it’s the perfect combo! A beverage of your choice and the perfect mini donut snob donut on top. I got the iced matcha latte with a matcha donut on top. Because there’s no such thing as TOO much matcha amirite? 😉

The coffee shop is totally any plant lover’s dream, as there is an amazing hanging plant wall in the front to greet you, as well as a huge hanging succulent wall inside. My inner plant lady was oh so very happy.

Of course, we had to add some savory to the menu. These pastries were the kimchi spam musubi and the ham and cheese with the cutest little pickle pinned on the top! Look closely and you’ll be able to see it. It was SO good.

Til next time…

Xoxo,

-Lena

aesthetics

Insta-worthy Phnom Penh Vacay.

local fixture.