July 25th 2026: Charm Ramen and Rice, Wellesley

 Today, after a tiring day at the temple, we decided to have dinner at Charm Ramen and Rice, a new ramen place in Wellesley.

We got the Black Garlic Ramen (Tonkotsu broth, shoyu, black garlic oil, pork chashu, seasoned bamboo, sweet corn, wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallions, nori, seasoned egg)

and the Shrimp Tempura Ramen (Clear vegetable broth, gyoka base (bonito and sardine), garlic oil, shrimp tempura, seasoned bamboo, sweet corn, bean sprouts, scallions, nori, seasoned egg.)

Pretty good flavored broth, and apparently the eggs were perfectly cooked, although I did not get to try any. My little one says we are to come back for sure.

Recommended Places to Visit: Wellesley

Recreation

Golf

Wellesley Country Club

300 Wellesley Avenue

Shopping

Central Street Wellesley
50 Central Street

Arts and Crafts
Sarapaan
265 Washington Street

Water Bodies
Reed's Pond
50 Woodside Road

Abbott Pond
20 Fox Hill Road

Rockridge Pond
53 Hundreds Circle

Wight Pond
5 Hundreds Road

Farm Station Pond
75 Croton Road

Parks

Morton Park
525 Washington Street near Town Hall

Phillips Park

324 Washington Street

Hunnewell Field

435 Washington Street

Washington Park
1 River Street

Warren Park

94 Washington Street

Beaches
Morses Pond
99 Turner Road


Museums
Davis Museum
106 Central Street


Hiking
Recommended:
Rosemary Brook

204 Oakland Street

Longfellow Pond
150 Oakland Street

Cochituate Aqueduct
99 Turner Road

Centennial Reservation
~138 Oakland Street

Rocky Ledges
Yarmouth Road near Sudbury Road

Guernsey Sanctuary
163 Winding River Road  

Sudbury Aqueduct

300 Wellesley Avenue

Tried:
Carisbrooke Reservation
End of Glen Brook Road

Susan Lee Memorial Sanctuary/Waban Arches
125 Livingston Road

Kelly Memorial Park

68 Elmwood Road

Architecture

Monuments

War Memorial
Washington Street in front of Town Hall

Katherine Lee Bates Park
Railroad Avenue and Central Street

Places of Worship

St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
79 Denton Road

Wellesley Congregational Church
2 Central Street

St. Paul Parish
502 Washington Street

Wellesley Unitarian Universalist Church
309 Washington Street

St. John the Evangelist Church
9 Glen Road

Wellesley Hills Congregational Church
207 Washington Street


Schools
Wellesley College
106 Central Street

Hunnewell Elementary School
28 Cameron Street

Dana Hall School
45 Dana Road

Wellesley Middle School
50 Kingsbury Street

MassBay Community College Wellesley Hills Campus
50 Oakland Street

Wellesley High School
50 Rice Street

Babson College
231 Forest Street

Sprague Elementary School
401 School Street

John Hardy Elementary School
293 Weston Street

Town Facilities
Fire Station #1
100 Central Street

Fire Station #2
457 Worcester Street

Town Hall
525 Washington Street

Wellesley Free Library Main Branch 
530 Washington Street

Police Department
485 Washington Street

Post Office
1 Grove Street

Wellesley Free Library Hills Branch
210 Washington Street


Historical Buildings
Annie F Warren Building
90 Washington Street

Sprague Clock Tower
Worcester Street and Washington Street

Old St. James the Great Church
900 Worcester Street

Old Fire Station
182 Walnut Street

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:

Thai

Laughing Monk Cafe (chain)

90 Central Street

Recommended Dishes:

Tom Yum Coconut Soup

Shiitake Roll

Veggie Tempura Roll

Pad Thai

Chinese

CK Shanghai

15 Washington Street

Recommended Dishes:

Five Spices Beef Noodle Soup

Korean

Rice Burg

552 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:

Matcha Lemonade

Chicken Katsu Rice Burger

House Fries

Bulgogi Steak Bowl

Taiwan Style Popcorn Chicken

Western
Blue Ginger
583 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Summer Gazpacho
Shitake Leek Spring Rolls
Wok Stirred Mussels
Tamarind Glazed Chicken Breast
Kurobuta Pork Porterhouse with Edamame Puree
Tahitian Vanilla Creme Brulee
Strawberry Shortcake Donuts

The Cottage

190 Linden Street

Recommended Dishes:

De-Stress

Combo

Tuna Melt

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Organic Arugula Salad
Pasta

Mediterranean

Juniper

13 Central Street
Recommended Dishes:
Chicken Tagine
Karshuf
Dark Chocolate Budino

Milestone of Wellesley (closed)

13 Central Street
Recommended Dishes:
Mediterranean Mussels
Mama's Moussaka

Cafe Mangal

555 Washington Street

Recommended Dishes:

Turkish Tea

Turkish Lashmacun

Hazelnut Cake

Eggplant Dip

Grilled Vegetarian Sandwich

Italian
Alta Strada

92 Central Street

Recommended Dishes:

Spicy Green Beans with Prosciutto

Sweet Corn with Smokey Bacon and Tomatoes
Sicilian Tuna with Olives and Peppers

Mushroom Filled Lune
Tiramisu

Dessert
Susu's Bakery Boutique
575 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Carrot Cupcake
Macaroons
Gingerbread Men

Jeje's Coffee 

259 Washington Street

Recommended Dishes:

Dutch Brew Iced Mocha

Quebrada Baking Company
272 Washington Street

Recommended Dishes:

Mushroom Cheddar Croissant

Yellow Christmas Cupcake

Mocha Bean Cupcake

Carrot Cupcake

Cream Cheese Cupcake

Deli

Express Gourmet

11 River Street

Recommended Dishes:

Smoked Turkey Delight
Italian Panini

Japanese

Jin's Asian Cuisine

11 Washington Street

Recommended Dishes:

Golden Nugget Maki

Curry Boneless Duck

Charm Ramen and Rice

555 Washington Street

Recommended Dishes:

Black Garlic Ramen

Shrimp Tempura Ramen

Tried:
Breakfast
Weston Road Cafe
336 Weston Road
Recommended Dishes:
Steak and Cheese Omelet


Dessert
5 Bites Cupcakes
141 Linden Street
Recommended Dishes:
Mudslide
White Hot Chocolate
Double Chocolate
Yellow Birthday
Red Velvet
Cookies and Cream

Truly Yogurt

35 Grove Street

Recommended Dishes:

Crunchasaurus

The Joy

Dorset Cafe
352 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Bartlett Pear Hot Breakfast Pizzette
Citrus Scone
Hot Chocolate



Thai
Coconut Cafe (chain)
257 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Pra Seafood
Tom Yum Soup
Pad Thai Bangkok Style
Pork Dumpling


Western

Maugus Restaurant
300 Washington Street
Recommended Dishes:
Baked Lamb

September 8th 2024: Restaurant Hopping in Brookline

 Today, we started out with a hike at Kelly Memorial Park in Wellesley,

 where the path we took is shown below in pink.

The water body we were here for was totally dried out, although there was a nice view of the playing fields from the top of the hill here.

From here, we headed to Brookline, going for our first restaurant at Liyin Rice Roll Master.

We got the Fried Bread Sticks,

the Liyin Signature Porridge

and the Signature Rice Roll (beef, pork, shrimp).

Really good food I must say, reminds me of home.

Next, it was next door at Baby Cafe, another Chinese restaurant part of a chain.

We got the Hai Nan Chicken Rice,

the Ice Baby Milk Tea

and the Mango Queendom.

Overall, a little disappointed with the Americanized menu, but the food itself was not too bad.

Our last stop for the day was at Cafe Japonaise, this time getting the Morning Bun, Matcha Azuki Cream, Matcha Ichigo Cream, Ichigo Cream.

Not bad as always, including the orange flavored morning bun. With that, an end to a day of restaurant hopping in Brookline.

March 16th 2024: Sichuan Gourmet House, Newton

 Today, we decided to go on a hike at Rosemary Brook in Wellesley, where the path we took from 204 Oakland Street is shown below in pink.

pretty nice views of the wetlands from the path.

From here, we headed to lunch at Sichuan Gourmet House, a decent Chinese restaurant in Newton.

We got the Shrimp in Spicy Salt and Pepper,

the Stir Fried Spinach with Garlic,

the Cumin Lamb on Skewers,

the Chengdu Style Ma Po Tofu,

and the Steamed Pork Soup Dumplings.

Really delicious, especially the lamb skewers, which were full of meat for once and not dry.

October 7th 2023: Lunch and Dessert in Wellesley

 Today, after checking out the Sudbury History Center and Museum in Sudbury,

we decided to get lunch at the Laughing Monk Cafe, a pretty fancy Thai restaurant in Wellesley.

We got the TOM YUM COCONUT SOUP (Chili paste, lime, coconut milk, cilantro, mushroom, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf),

the PAD THAI (Rice noodle, chive, crushed-peanut, turnip, bean sprout, egg)

the VEGGIE TEMPURA ROLL (Yam, shiso, sprout, avocado, mayo) and SHIITAKE ROLL (Black sesame, hot sesame oil).

Really tasty, especially the noodles, no wonder the several locations. 

For dessert, we decided to check out Jeje's Coffee nearby,

getting the Homemade Cranberry Scone,

the Flat White

and the Dutch Brew Iced Mocha.

Pretty good coffee, by apparently one of the top coffee roasters in the USA.

September 16th 2023: Second Time at Cafe Mangal, Wellesley

 Today, we decided to have lunch at Cafe Mangal in Wellesley, which we visited once over eight years ago.

This time around, we got the Eggplant Dip (Fire roasted eggplant, lemon juice, yogurt, parsley, garlic & evoo),

the Grilled VEGETARIAN Sandwich (Sun Dried Tomatoes, Roasted Red Peppers, Muenster Cheese, Roasted Eggplant Basil Mayonnaise on Multi Grain Roll)

and the Hazelnut Cake (Alternating layers of hazelnut cake, hazelnut cream and chocolate cream,topped with praline hazelnuts).

Another excellent meal here, especially the flavors in the sandwich.

November 2nd 2022: Spending Time with the Little One in 3 Different Towns

 Today, while in the area, we started out with a short hike to Hemlock Pond from 45 Young Road, where the path we took here is shown below in pink.

Decent view of the pond, although Young Road seems to be a private road.

From here, we headed into Newton,

The Village Bank

Hamilton Field,
10 Cornell Street

Lower Falls Community Center

then into Wellesley,

Warren Park,
94 Washington Street

getting a quick bite from CK Shanghai, a Chinese restaurant in town.

We got the Five Spices Beef Noodle Soup,

which was pretty tasty and not too herbal. A nice day spending time with the little one in 3 different towns.