Around the winter holidays, I enjoy getting away from the hustle and bustle of daily life and simply relax. Though it’s comforting to go to familiar places, it can be good to explore new areas as well. My wife and I recently had the pleasure of venturing to a little place called Ojai (pronounced ‘oh hi’).

Secluded Escape

Before going into the main area, we started our trip off by visiting a serene location known as Meditation Mount. The area is designed to promote the art of meditation, offering approachable sessions, peaceful surroundings, and a perfect view of the surroundings.

Since it has such a great view, it’s an ideal spot to view what’s known as the ‘pink moment’. When the sun sets, the light reflects off of the mountains in a way that turns them ‘pink’. If the weather’s bad, it’s not always visible, but we were fortunate enough to arrive on a clear day.

Out for Pho

Next, It was time to try some of the local cuisine. And what say peaceful mountainside like a bowl of pho? Though it was a little out of the city center, we had heard good things about this particular restaurant, the Ojai Noodle House.

It was quite crowded when we arrive, but since we had a reservation we were able to be seated right away. There were some typical looking items on the menu; pho, bahn mi, and other Vietnamese offerings. There were also some less typical thing, such as the presence of Japanese beers.

Starting off with drinks, the one that caught my attention was a ‘Vietnamese Michelada’. Essentially, it’s pickle beer, fish sauce, soy sauce, and sriracha. Likely never to have the opportunity to try this again, I had to order it.

The verdict….good to try once, and I did finish it. I’ll stick to regular micheladas in the future. The most popular item on the menu was the beef pho, so my wife and I both went with that. Strangely enough, we almost didn’t get our order because they had almost run out. The scarcity added to the hype, and I wondered how it would compare to pho I’d tried in the past.

The verdict…..acceptable. The soup was good, despite being a bit salty. The meat was also tasty. The overall assessment is gonna come down to how often you eat pho, and what kind of access you usually have to it. As I told my wife, I don’t think I’ve ever had a ‘bad’ pho. That being said, the prices being charged at this restaurant ($21 a bowl), imply a higher quality that…I simply didn’t see. Again, it was good. It just didn’t set itself apart enough from other pho restaurants for my preference.

Start the Morning Right

The next day, we ventured into town to start the day with some coffee. A local shop known as Three Birds seemed promising.

I ordered a normal drip, while my wife went with a mocha (which was accompanied with an additional espresso). The coffee was decent, and I quite liked the atmosphere sitting outside. One notable thing about this cafe is the wall of books available for purchase on the inside of the building. It’s a nice touch, and adds to the cafe atmosphere.

Crystals Galore

En route to our next stop, we saw a small store called The Crystal Corner. This place had loads of rocks, crystals, and information on what each piece was useful for. It was interesting to look around and read the descriptions for each stone. Whether one believes in the ‘magical properties’ of the crystals or not, I think the beauty of them can be enjoyed by anyone.

Looking for Something to Read?

After being properly caffeinated, it was time to visit one of the most popular stops in Ojai, Bart’s Books.

Credited as the world’s largest outdoor bookstore, this place has extensive shelves of all kinds of literature. From fiction, non-fiction, biography, cooking, self help, language learning, this place had walls of shelves packed to the brim with books. Even the front of the establishment is filled with books.

Dinner at the Dutchess

Our next big stop took us to another popular restaurant known simply as The Dutchess. It’s a Burmese style restaurant, often known for it’s baked goods and coffee. Despite being a popular stop for breakfast, they also have a well thought out dinner menu. As we were seated outside, the atmosphere immediately drew me in. The soft lighting accompanied by hanging umbrellas under a wooden ceiling set the perfect mood. Though it was a chilly night, you wouldn’t have known since the staff set all of the propane heaters to max setting (turns out they purposefully do that to set the area, and turn them down upon request).

Our waiter encouraged us to order several different items and share, as is accustomed in Burmese culture. We decided upon chickpea fritters, biryani, and beef satay. Being less familiar with this style of food, I wasn’t sure what to expect.

My expectations were blown away!

Absolutely everything they brought out was delicious. The biriyani was probably my favorite. It’s spiced basmati rice, ground lamb, cashew, all in a puffed pastry. Perhaps not the most traditional, but it was the perfect combination of flavors. I should also mention that all of the ingredients for the menu are locally sourced.

To finish our time here, I ordered a decaf coffee for dessert. I was impressed with the portion size (the the size of my hand), and probably the best tasting decaf I’ve ever had. Overall, 10/10 experience!

Take a Stroll

Ojai has many hiking trails, so the next morning we went to one close by. Though I was a bit resistant at first (due to being a bit tired), I enjoyed taking in the fresh air and the surrounding nature. It wasn’t too crowded either, making for an enjoyable walk.

There was a pond towards the end of one of the paths, where we saw a flock of ducks swimming happily. A nice place to stop and take everything in before heading back (which we did soon after, as the looming clouds predicted rain)

Pressed for Olive Oil

We stepped into a store that specialized in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The Ojai Olive Press has several tables and counters with bottles accompanied by small paper tasting cups. Everything was free to try with no limit on the number of tastes. There were different options ranging from a mix of herbs like rosemary and oregano, to more experimental options like jalapeno. Surprising to me, I was more of a fan of the balsamic vinegars, especially enjoying one that had vanilla. We decided to pick some up as a souvenir.

Dreaming of Burgers

Before bidding farewell to Ojai, we made a stop at an interesting looking place, the Yume Burger Cafe. The claim to fame for this place is their wagyu burger, which seemed promising.

Entering the cafe, we could see the walls were covered in various Japanese advertisements and mini posters. The sight stirred feelings of nostalgia for my time spent living in Japan.

I chose the wagyu burger, while my wife went with a fried chicken sandwich. Both turned out to be an excellent choice, though I think the chicken sandwich edged out the burger a little bit. The taste was similar to karaage (Japanese style fried chicken), and had a good amount of crisp. That being said, the burger was delicious as well, being accompanied by mushrooms and sauce. Either is a fine option.

Having finished our lunch, our journey was coming to a close. Our experience in Ojai was a great one, a much needed get away from the stresses of life. Until next time!