After my short stint in London - I fell in love with Indian food and needed to get my fill in the Salt Lake Area. To my surprise, this not so hidden gem Saffron Valley has done just that and has become a bi-weekly meal for this girlie! The best thing about this restaurant is you can buy any spice from them - no need to run all the way to the market specific grocer anymore, just get it on your next curry takeout!

What this girl orders:
1) Punjabi Samosa (Vegan) and the dipping sauces are to die for!
2) Ghee Dosa (Gluten free & Vegetarian)
3) Tikka Masala (if you like spice go past medium level or if it's Tuesday get 32 ox of tikka!)
4) LTO: Lunch Box Specials, get 2 curries, rice, and appetizer of choice - such a steal!
5) Mumbai Sloppy Joe (Pav Bhaji)
6) Coconut Korma

The love for asian food continues...

Ever since my study abroad to Korea I find myself craving tteokbokki, cheese bites, and bulgogi bibimbap and Stun Cube happens to be the cutest little quick-serve restaurant serving just that. They also sell dosirak, which is a lifesaver when I need a quick to-go lunch. The staff is always kind and accommodating for vegetarians and for those who can't handle spice (nice!). I will say the food is nowhere near as good as food straight from Korea but if I want something cheap, to-go, and nearby this is the place I recommend. The next time I go I want to try the kimbap roles and kimchi stew.

Stun Cube Menu 

Be sure to swing by this charming K-restaurant in SLC!

​xoxo caprice

This french-inspired restaurant meets bakery is a great place to sit down and catch up over a latte and tiramisu.

From being in the midwest where hardly any Mexican fast food exists (aside from Taco Bell, but is that really real?): I'd like you to meet Cafe Rio. Think of Cafe Rio like a region specific Chipotle except it's 100% better than Chipotle - I didn't even think that was possible.

While the concept of the Mexican Grill is the same, he one produce that separates them is the Sweet Pork offering. This hot item has copycat recipes everywhere you look on AllReceipes and even Reddit! There's just something about the taste profile and the texture that keeps me coming back and ordering that same menu item.

If you are ever in the western region of the United States Cafe Rio has to be your next Mexican Fast-casual eatery!

It has been a long first year at the University of Utah and I think it's about time that I shared some of my experiences with the food ON-campus. I lived on lower campus at Lassonde Studios for the entire academic year and had a wonderful experience with housing, even with the pandemic; however, the food had mixed reviews. Although, I will say that most of the food improved from fall semester into spring semester. 

Be sure to check the page out!

Only the best Mexican restaurant that I have tried in my entire LIFE! 

Red Iguana is just after the North Temple stop on the TRAX and feels right 'outside' of Salt Lake City. I didn't really understand the hype around Red Iguana, I mean it's just like other Mexican restaurants right? WRONG! The massive line of people waiting to get inside gave it away; this was no ordinary Mexican restaurant. I highly recommend that you make a reservation at least the day before to ensure that you can get a seat at a lunch of dinner time slot, or else you will wait up to and even over an hour.  

You can always tell how good a Mexican restaurant is by the chips and salsa served before the entrees. I have to say, this salsa was pretty darn good. A good mix of chopped onions, tomatoes, chili peppers and lime. I do prefer salsa to have quite a 'kick' to them and this one fit the bill! The chips also came out nicely warmed and lightly salted which just added to the experience. 

The menu has a wide variety of foods to choose from including gluten free and vegetarian options. We ordered Ramon's Famous Fish Tacos and the Chile Verde Chimichanga. Kelli always tries fish/shrimp tacos so that was a no-brainer, but I typically order quesadillas or something seafood related, so the Verde Chimichanga was a surprise. The food proportions are just the right size so that you are full but not stuffed - although I did leave a quarter of the Chimichanga behind!

I also invite you to look at the souvenirs from the restaurant; they have shirts, hats, water bottles, shot glasses, magnets, everything souvenir-ish and it is there!

​caprice x

Crepe Cakes, Fluffy Pancakes, Tiered Crepe Cakes, Taiyaki Ice Cream, and Japanese Crepes - how cute!!

Some of my classmates wanted to find a cute study place and decided on Doki Doki Desserts as it was nearby some of the off-campus housing and short walk from one of the TRAX stops. This place is absolutely adorable; there is a small traditional seating section with the latest anima posters on the inside. They only play Japanese music, ie anime openings, endings, and OST tunes to karaoke to! 

I had never tried Taiyaki before, and I was a little hesitant because of the ice-cream. They didn't have a lactose-free version so I was hesitant but I was glad I went ahead with it anyway because it tasted so good and I didn't react to it in any sort of way. Depending on thee menu there are different toppings and ice cream choices. Some have a graham cracker topping or an Oreo®. I really wanted to try the fluffy pancakes but they were all out by the time I got there, which was late. I still feel bad about leaving when they had technically closed!! oops

Moving out of Lassonde was around the same time as Mother's day so I looked through the Doki Doki Desserts website to see if there was anything that I could get in advance for my mom. I ended up going with a 7" Raspberry & White Chocolate Crepe Cake. Each month they have crepes of the month and the regular menu crepes. If you are interested in getting a crepe cake I would order one a week in advance to make sure they get the order and you can designate what time you will pick it up early!

​caprice x

Most of you don't know, but I am a Boba-holic. I love tea, milk tea, pearls, and jellies so what's not to like about Boba tea?! My personal favorites are classic milk teas and earl gray teas, but my goal is to try every Boba tea item on the menu of Kung Fu Tea and Space Tea here in Salt Lake City.

Kung Fu Tea is a national maybe even globally recognized Boba tea store. But they recently launched a lactose intolerant classic milk tea so I HAD to try it out. to my surprise it tasted pretty good! Not as good as regular milk tea but still pretty good and no consequences! I really do like Kung Fu Tea but the layout of the store is way too small, you can't sit and enjoy your drink with others you have to go somewhere else! This layout is actually quite common, Chatime is only a store front in malls, Boba & Tea in Saint Paul, MN is only long enough to form a single person line of about 5 people - non physically distant. the Tea Bar in SLC, UT is similar in size to Boba & Tea. Hopefully Boba shops in the future are larger because it definitely a social thing for me and my friends, equivalent to a coffee house!

Unlike the other boba shops, Space Tea has loads of space and outlets to do homework or just chit-chat. If you are ever in Salt Lake City and you love Boba tea you have to try Space Tea! Their logo is a line art drawing of an otter with a space helmet on! How cute! Plus if you buy their reusable mason jar and Boba straw, which BTW is adorable, you can get a 15¢/10¢ discount. If you are a student at the University of Utah, they sometimes cater to some of the event happening at the Peterson Heritage Center, for free!

​caprice x

Ginger Street is an Asian-Fusion restaurant located in the center of Salt Lake City. It gives very millennial meets boho-chic vibes with a local DJ playing into the night. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Ginger Street, it's perfect for a Weekend night out that's a little more upscale than the other bars nearby. 

I believe all six of us got the ginger beers and Kat (pictured below) got something else (?) and then we split a variety of the entrees. If you don't want to spend much here do NOT get drinks here! I believe the 'large' drink we got was $8 each which blew our budget out of proportion. The menu is also not as gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, allergen friendly so it was tricky getting solid dishes everyone could try. We ended up getting Dan Dan noodles, Veggie Dumplings, and Pad Thai. Unfortunately, I was not impressed with the dishes. I already knew they would a 'twist' on the dishes because of the Asian -Fusion concept, but they just did not taste good. If you really want good Thai food hit up Skewered  Thai down the road.

caprice x

"I seriously cannot stop going to Cupbop.... I will get this catered to my college graduation because this is how much I LOVE Cupbop. Now my obsession with Cupbop may stem from my passion for Korean Language and love for basically all Asian food or it might because of its convenience--Cupbop has a food truck on campus every Tuesday ?!

To put things into perspective, Cupbop is not a fancy sit down, it's more of a casual-almost fast-food sit down restaurant. Thus the food quality is no where near the quality of an authentic Korean restaurant. Think of Cupbop as the Panda Express of Korean Food. You can order a bowl with your choice of meat: bulgogi, fried chicken, tofu, vegetables, and mandu alongside white rice, cabbage, clear noodles, and your choice of sauce. The nice thing about the sauce is they have a range from 1-10 where there is a sauce for each level. I would say that between each level there is not a huge jump in spice that you can sometimes experience from a 'mild' to a 'medium' at other restaurants. My order (if I'm feeling really fancy) is to get a side of mandu, "B-Bop," with a level 6 or 7 spice level, with a Milkis drink. The serving size of 1 bowl with 1 meat choice is a hardy meal, even the kids meal size is enough for a lunch portion!

There is also a ramen bar connected to Cupbop (same company); I have not tried it yet but when I get the chance I will put in a review here :)

​caprice x

It's now a family tradition for the Steidle family to celebrate new beginnings with a bowl of Pad Thai and Thai fried rice. Looking to start that tradition in Utah we flocked to Skewered Thai near Trolley Station. 

Kelli (my mum) and I found this place when I was touring Utah in January of 2019! After I moved in my last family dinner was here and pictured below my roommate and I grabbed some grub before finding out we had been exposed to COVID-19 and needed to quarantine. This place has officially become the harbinger of "new" beginnings!

From the outside the restaurant looks like it doesn't have enough space for dine in but it has more than enough seats for multiple groups or greek life Big-Little dinners! Every single dish I have had here it has been amazing! I've had the pineapple fired rice, thai fried rice, shrimp rolls, fried shrimp balls, pad thai, pad siew, and pineapple curry. All the items are accurately priced for the large amount of food you receive. The thai iced tea is also to DIE for!

If you are ever in SLC and are in the mood for some traditional Thai food, I cannot recommend Skewered Thai enough!

​caprice x