Tag Archive for: jersey city

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Tribos Peri Peri: Jersey City’s newest location shines with spice-filled food options

Have any of you had peri peri before? Before last night, I couldn’t say that I had. Peri peri is a type of Portuguese cuisine based on the African bird’s eye chili pepper. Typically, peri peri cuisine consists largely of chicken. However, when I recently visited Tribos‘ brand new Jersey City location, I learned it’s so much more!

Tribos’ peri set go method makes it quick and easy to get some delish peri peri!

My first thought when I came to Tribos was how streamlined and clean the place looked. Tribos’ new location was described to me as a fast-casual joint, with options to either dine in or take out. Unique to this location, however, is their Peri, Set, Go method of preparing their peri peri. Unlike most peri peri locations, takeout orders are made right in front of you, meaning you don’t have to wait to have your food served. If you have more time and want to dine in, they will bring it out to your table.

Now, to the best part: the food. Because I was trying an unfamiliar cuisine to me, I had no idea what to expect. With some cursory searches online, I thought that everything on the menu was going to be spicy, and while everything was well-spiced, the heat level was completely customizable, from mild to tongue-tingling spicy.

look at all the amazing sides!

We started off with appetizers, which included their peri fries, Tribos rice, coleslaw, their Perimayo corn, a house salad, hummus, and some toasted pita. All of their food items (appetizers included) are spiced with their peri peri spice, and that helps unify the foods without taking away from their distinct natural flavors. Their peri fries were freakin’ bomb, with the unique spices really elevating it above typical french fries. At the table was also some garlic yogurt sauce and peri peri sauce for dipping, and I loved both, but definitely thought the garlic sauce was the star of the show. My other favorite appetizer was the perimayo corn, which reminded me of a twist on esquite, or Mexican street corn in a cup.

Their paneer peri peri is great for vegetarians!

The real stars of the meal were the protein options! I tried the chicken tenders and the chicken leg quarters. Both were cooked perfectly. The skin was crispy on the outside, but moist and delicious on the inside, and their sauces were great. For people who cannot handle any kind of spice, their lemon herb chicken is for you, but fear not, spice lovers, because they have 4 more types of peri peri sauce, ranging in heat from mild to extra hot. I tried the mild peri peri chicken and it was perfect for people who can handle a little bit of spice, but not too much. In addition to chicken, they also offer peri peri falafel and paneer for vegetarians/vegans.

If you’re looking for some delicious chicken, this is where to go!

Overall, I had an excellent time at Tribos’ new location, right off the Grove St. PATH. It’s currently in its soft opening phase, but opens officially on October 4th. I definitely will be back here again to try all of their foods, including burgers, lamb, and pita!

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Whealth: Journal Square’s Best Coffee Shop

Since moving to Jersey City, I’m always on the lookout for new restaurants and coffee shops to try, especially since I work from home. After trying out all of the coffee shops Journal Square has to offer, I have to say by far, Whealth takes the cake for the best coffee, food, and atmosphere in the Journal Square neighborhood of Jersey City.

Why Whealth and Co.?

Their bacon and tomato grilled cheese is so yummy!

Whealth markets itself as a “Modern Day Grandma’s Kitchen”, with farm-to-table seasonal offerings every day. Their location is a little harder to find, tucked behind the Journal Squared apartments right by the PATH plaza. Their interior is rustic, with mason jar water glasses and vintage tables and chairs, giving it an eclectic vibe that I really like. Coffee, tea, and water are plentiful, which makes it a great place to sit down for a while and work/study without breaking the bank. Their WiFi is also very fast and the atmosphere is pretty quiet (except for the lunch rush), which is great for deep focus.

Another important aspect of Whealth’s ethos is relationships. Their major slogan is “All we have is each other”, and that is really reflected in how the staff treats their customers. When I walk in, I get a smiling “Hey Kat!” from everyone in the kitchen, and I’ve seen them treat every other customer the exact same way. Everyone on staff makes a huge effort to make sure everyone feels welcome and cared for like it was their own home kitchen. I have yet to find another place in Jersey City that has remembered my and my partner’s name after showing up only 3 times.

What really sets Whealth apart from other coffee shops in the neighborhood is the food. Most lunch dishes are between $9-$15, but they are very filling. So far, I’ve enjoyed their bacon and tomato grilled cheese, which was any cheese-lover’s dream, as well as their “greens bowl” which had one of the best sweet potatoes I’ve ever had. The quality of the ingredients is so apparent, and if you check out their Instagram stories, the owner, David, is always on the farm, picking up ingredients for their rotating seasonal menu.

Their seasonal greens bowl had amazing farm-fresh produce and an AMAZING sweet potato!

Whealth also recently launched a meal delivery service, which I have yet to try but sounds absolutely incredible. For $100 a week, you get enough farm-fresh items for 2 meals a day for 5 days, all for less than the cost of meal delivery for 2 nights. It’s an incredibly great value, especially considering the items already come ready to assemble, which means the cooking required is next to none. If I do get a chance to try it, I’ll be sure to post a review.

If you’re local to the Jersey City area and are looking for a new place to try, Whealth should be at the top of your list! It’s quickly become a favorite of both my partner and myself!

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How Do You Move to New York City on a Budget?

Money Anxiety.

It’s real, y’all. Up until very recently, my money spending style was either feast or famine – either I was eating out every night, not paying attention to my bank account, or I was monitoring it every day and squirreling away every penny. There was no in-between. So when I found out that my partner got into a PhD program at NYU and we’d be relocating from Los Angeles to NYC, I freaked out a little bit.

For context, the greater New York City area’s cost of living is the 5th most expensive area to live in in the country. Between weekly requisite brunches, happy hours every night, and $150 gym memberships, the expenses in New York are quick to add up. That’s not to mention the dreaded broker fee, which doesn’t really exist in Los Angeles. So I realized pretty quickly that my way of living had to change, but I had no idea where to start.

At first, I was nervous. Really poring through my finances and expenses was in some ways eye-opening and disappointing. But after the initial shock, I realized that saving was incredibly doable with some discipline and dedication. Here are some of the things I did:

Paolo reluctantly posting in front of the skyline.

Stop going out to eat every day.
If food was a love language, it would be mine. I don’t spend a lot of money on clothes or technology, but I DO love to indulge in food. I know many people in my life who’d much rather order Uber Eats than try to cook something up themselves. But luckily, for Christmas, Paolo got cookbooks – Lidia Bastianich’s being one of them. Soon, I was enjoying homemade pasta, some of the best meatballs I’ve ever had, and roasted pears and ice cream at the fraction of a cost of what it would’ve been at a restaurant. I found myself calling up my parents and grandparents, asking them for the recipes of my childhood favorites so I could introduce them to Paolo. I’ll also admit that we took advantage of Paolo’s parents being close by and spending time with them grilling outside or his mom making Guatemalan favorites.

Limit my “variable spending” budget to $800 a month.
Now THIS was a tough one. We were challenged to adhere to that budget between the two of us for everything including groceries, shopping, dining out, stuff for my cat, everything went into that budget except for non-negotiable given monthly expenses. That basically evens out to $25 a day for the two of us. We challenged ourselves to “No Spend Days”, where we cannot spend any money in the budget. Paolo and I became ruthless about what was essential and what could go. Instead of going out for drinks with friends, we opted for budget-friendly dinner parties at home. As an idea for a date, we would go out for a walk in one of our local parks and admire the scenery and spend some quality time talking to one another. There are days where it’s not easy and we end up spending more than we intend to, but it’s allowed us to save as much extra income as we can.

The amazing view from Governor’s Island (free to go to on the weekends!)

Open a high-yield savings account.
One thing people don’t tell you about savings accounts is that the ones at most major banks are pretty crappy. After some recommendations, I opened up a high-yield savings account with Marcus which doesn’t have any withdrawal fees, no minimum balance, and an interest rate of 2.25%. I opened both an emergency fund which I deposit money into monthly, as well as a moving expenses fund, which I also have auto-deposit set up on. I love that instead of being charged for saving my money, my money is working for me. Any side income I made from Instagram, astrology consultations, and babysitting, I put into the moving fund. Soon, between my accounts, I had $6k saved up.

The view from the Brooklyn Bridge is incredible!

Be realistic about living in expensive neighborhoods.
Paolo and I really wanted to live without roommates, which is almost impossible to do in New York City proper. Instead, we opted to live in *gasp* Jersey City near the PATH train, which gets us into Manhattan in 15 minutes. There’s such a stigma against living in Jersey that the cost of living prices are significantly lower. For only $50 more than what we’re paying for a 1 bedroom in LA, we managed to snag a 2 bedroom 0.4 miles away from the PATH station. Jersey City has a culture of its own, and it’s slowly becoming a more trendy place to move because of the affordability. Plus, you avoid the exorbitant taxes on just about everything, which means the groceries are significantly cheaper.

Find moving services for cheaper.

Obviously, this isn’t the end-all-be-all endless list of tips that are required to move, but they certainly were helpful for me. Have you ever had to move cross-country? What were your experiences? Comment below! I’d love to hear from you!

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