After spending the weekend in Palo Alto for a friend’s wedding, Jenkins and I found ourselves in San Francisco for one more morning before we headed back to Vancouver. I had really wanted to try out Brenda’s French Soul Food after hearing many good things about it from many people including Sherman and Kim. After a somewhat sketchy walk through the Tenderloin District in downtown San Francisco, Jenkins and I finally arrived at Brenda’s low-key restaurant front.

Since it was Monday morning, it wasn’t busy inside at all and I was glad for that since I had heard that it could get quite busy. While we examined the menu, I ordered a glass of sweet watermelon house tea. I really enjoyed this drink, it was only slightly sweet and packed full of watermelon flavour. When summer rolls around again, I think I’ll try and make this tea.

We decided to share a small plate of plain beignets along with main breakfast choice. They were freshly made with a nice slightly crispy exterior which gave way to a soft and slightly doughy interior. Sort of like a fresh doughnut, I think I should be glad that not all doughnuts taste like this or I’d definitely have a weight problem. The mini doughnuts at PNE definitely have nothing on Brenda’s beignets! Since the version we ordered was plain, I spread a little bit of jam on mine to give it some additional flavour.

Jenkins and I weren’t overly hungry that morning so we just decided to share one dish, the andouille sausage and cheddar omelette. If I had known how delicious the food here would be, I would have ordered separate dishes for us but to be honest, the server portions were quite generous and this was more than enough for us. The omelette came topped with a little bit of salsa and was packed full of flavour, mainly from the sausage, cheese, and mushrooms inside. It had a slight hint of spiciness and and the hearty filling was delicious.

I chose to have a biscuit along with this dish and it was probably the best biscuit I’ve ever had. It was slightly crispy on the outside and very moist and buttery on the inside. It definitely didn’t need any butter but I couldn’t resist dabbing a little extra on my portion of the biscuit. The potato hash was also slightly spicy and had a nice crispiness to it that I quite enjoyed.

Jenkins and I had a great time at Brenda’s French Soul Food. It lived up to the hype and I’ll be making a return visit the next time I’m in San Francisco.

Details:
652 Polk Street, San Francisco
Tel: 415- 345-8100 (no reservations)

Summary:
Food: 5 out of 5 stars
Service: 4 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

While Jenkins and I were in the Bay Area, we also stayed a couple of days with one of my aunts and uncles who lived in Palo Alto. We were trying to decide where to go for lunch one day when my cousin suggested that we go to Chipotle Mexican Grill. I had no idea what that was but she assured me that it was quite good so that’s where we decided to go.

Since I now know that Chipotle is actually a pretty popular fast food-ish chain in the States, I can share with you their simple formula. They offer a few popular Mexican (themed) dishes, including burritos, burrito bowls and tacos which are all made with pretty much the same base ingredients. It’s kind of similar to Red Burrito in Vancouver but in my opinion, the ingredients at Chipotle are much fresher and taste better.

I wasn’t sure what to order but I always find burritos too messy to eat so I decided to order a burrito bowl instead. My cousin suggested that I choose a mixture of meats for variety so I chose carnitas (pork) and steak for my meat base. Along with that, I also added some cilantro-lime rice, black beans, guacamole, salsa, lettuce, and sour cream. As you can see below, my portion was quite generous. The lettuce was really fresh and crunchy, which contrasted quite nicely with the salsa and beans. The carnitas was cooked quite tender and actually had quite a bit of flavour although I couldn’t pick out the supposed spiciness from the chipotle in the beef. I also quite liked the texture of the rice, which was slightly chewy and each kernel was distinct although I couldn’t really pick out the cilantro or lime flavour.

Jenkins ordered basically the same thing that I had except it was a burrito as opposed to a burrito bowl. He thought the flavours were only ok though and wasn’t as impressed as I apparently was with my burrito bowl. I guess it just depends on what your tastes are since the same person made both our orders.

The Chipotle we went to in Palo Alto got pretty busy quite quickly during the regular lunch hour. I hear that the locations in California are quite busy although I’m not sure if that’s the case in their other locations. I’m just waiting for them to open up a restaurant here in Vancouver now.

Details:
2675 El Camino Real, Palo Alto (and other various locations)
Tel: 650-462-9154

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: n/a
Price: $

While we were in San Francisco, Jenkins and I met up with one of our aunts and uncles who lived in the Bay Area. They took us out for dinner at a small Chinese restaurant in the Sunset neighborhood of San Francisco (I can’t remember where) and since we wrapped up dinner early, we decided to have some ice cream before going home.

My aunt told me that when my cousin Pick had come to visit previously, they had taken him to Polly Ann for ice cream and they had a fabulous time trying a few different flavours but their favourite was the jasmine green tea ice cream. To be honest, I was interested but at the same time, I didn’t see how this could be too different from the regular green tea ice cream so I decided to sample a few flavours before making a decision.

Although all the flavours I tried tasted really great, I decided that the jasmine green tea really was quite unique and decided to pick that for my main flavour. It turned out that all four of us wanted the jasmine green tea so we ended up buying a half gallon that’s usually for take-out and split it amongst the four of us.

The ice cream at Polly Ann is rich and creamy and full of flavour. Despite us ordering a half gallon, the texture was just right and the ice cream tended more towards the firm side, which I actually like. You can definitely pick out the jasmine flavour in the ice cream and if you are a fan of jasmine green tea, you’ll definitely be a fan of this ice cream. The green tea flavour is also prominent, as in your typical green tea ice cream, which is made with matcha; but the unique jasmine flavour here really makes this ice cream stand out.

We were lucky that we snagged one of the few seats available in Polly Ann. They had a steady stream of customers coming in while we were there despite the fact that it was a week night. Polly Ann’s definitely on my repeat list the next time I’m in San Francisco.

Details:
3188 Noriega Street, San Francisco, CA
Tel: 415-664-2472

Summary:
Food: 5 out of 5 stars
Service: n/a
Price: $

Jenkins and I were off to Fisherman’s Wharf one morning so I hunted around for a good breakfast place nearby. It looked like Hollywood Cafe had some pretty good reviews and it was conveniently located a few blocks from the wharf so we decided to check it out. Even though we were there on a weekday, it was pretty full so I can only imagine how busy it would be on a weekend.

First, I started out with some grapefruit juice.

Both of our orders also came with bread so that came first. I went for sourdough while Jenkins was slightly healthier with multigrain.

There were actually several good options in Hollywood Cafe’s extensive brunch menu that I was interested in trying out but I decided to go for something that wasn’t available in the Vancouver brunch places that I frequent. I forgot to note down the exact name of what I ordered but it was a California scramble that was almost like a blended omelette that had bacon, tomatoes, and avocado in my scrambled egg. It came on top of a crunchy hash brown that provided a nice crunch to my otherwise creamy egg dish. I liked the additional substance and flavour provided by the avocado and this was quite a heavy but satisfying breakfast.

Jenkins had something similar to mine but his was slightly spicy with the addition of chorizo sausage. It’s too bad that I can’t remember the names of these dishes as they both look quite similar I would have to say that taste wise, they were fairly similar as well but it’s definitely a dish I would recommend if you do come here. There was also an option to switch out the hash browns for fruit for $1 extra but I think the extra crunch from the hash browns really add to the overall dish although it wouldn’t be as healthy as the fruit.

Service is super friendly here and we could tell that there were a lot of regulars at this place. Most brunch options are very reasonably priced and I’d be quite pleased if some place similar opened up in Vancouver.

Details:
530 North Point Street, San Francisco
Tel: 415-563-3779

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

Jenkins and I took a short trip to San Francisco earlier this year for a friend’s wedding. Since it was Jenkins’ first time to San Fran, we decided to do some touristy things along with the wedding and time visiting relatives. It turned out to be pretty nice and we got the chance to visit some pretty tasty restaurants in addition to some regular home cooking. I was asking around for some good recommendations and Susan mentioned that she always goes to Fino when she’s in SF so we decided to check it out…especially since it was conveniently located a few blocks from our hotel. Incidentally, Fino is located just off the lobby of another hotel, The Andrews Hotel.

While we perused the menu, we were presented with some bread. The bread itself was pretty lacklustre but I really liked the balsamic vinegar dip that came with it. In addition to the regular olive oil and balsamic vinegar mix, garlic and herbs were also added and it helped to cover the fact that the bread was not very good

Fino has a pretty comprehensive menu but I was in the mood for some pasta so I  decided to order the fetuccini carbonara. The portion size was quite generous and I think the pasta was freshly made. The pasta was made al dente, or as much as it could have been with fresh pasta, and did a great job of soaking up the sauce. What I liked about the carbonara here was that it wasn’t overly heavy and there was just enough garlic to really complement the panchetta. There was also a slight hint of chilli flakes and was a nice addition to the pasta.

Jenkins was also in a pasta kind of mood but he wanted something a bit more substantial…i.e. something with more meat so he went for the linguine con salsiccia, which had sausages and peppers in a tomato sauce. The pasta here was also prepared nicely and as you can see, there was definitely a lot of sausage in this dish but Jenkins noted that he liked mine more.

We were originally going to have dessert but we were actually so full from this meal that we decided to pass. We had quite a nice time at Fino. The service was very prompt and attentive and they served pretty solid and traditional Italian food. I heard that their other entrees and salads are quite tasty as well but I’ll have to save that for a future visit. Note that they do not seat you until your full party has arrived, even if you have made reservations.

Details:
624 Post Street, San Francisco
Tel: 415-928-2080

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$$

It was my last evening in San Francisco and I met up with Thu for dinner. She took me to Straits Cafe over in Palo Alto, which is a Asian fusion restaurant. Thu told me that there are actually several Straits restaurants in the Bay area but the one we went to in Palo Alto was the original one.

We started off with an appetizer sampler. It had a good sampling of the more popular appetizers on the menu. Sorry for the dark and blurry pictures. I really need to learn how to take better pictures in dim lighting with my camera.

I can’t really remember what this was but I think it was a fish carpaccio on a potato wafer. What I do remember is that it was very tasty with the carpaccio contrasting with the crunchy potato.

The fresh oyster was dressed with a light Thai chilli sauce which added some spiciness. This was very good and I only wished that there was more than one per person.

The vegetable samosa was also great. The vegetable curry inside was very tasty and the crunchy outside was not greasy at all. I usually find samosas too heavy but this one was just right.

The chicken satay was very juicy and went well with the peanut satay sauce. As far as taste goes, there was nothing special about this but I still enjoyed it.

For our main course, we shared a couple of dishes. First was a pan-fried tilapia with an Indian yellow curry. This was my favourite dish of the evening. The tilapia was crispy on the outside but very moist and juicy inside. The curry was quite spicy and much of the taste was absorbed by the fish and veggies. This dish came with quite a bit of sauce and would have gone great with rice.

We also ordered some Hokkien Bee Hoon, which was vermicelli noodles with shrimp, fish cake, and chillis. This dish was pretty bland and did not have much taste. In a way though, this worked out ok for us because we spooned the gravy from the fish dish over the noodles.

Overall, I was pretty impressed with Straits Cafe. With the exception of the noodles, most of the items we tried were very tasty (especially the fish!). I am usually a bit skeptical when it comes to Asian fusion places but Straits Cafe did a good job with it. I wouldn’t mind coming back to try the other dishes the next time I am in town.

Well, this concludes my California trip. It was fun to try out some new and different restaurants from what I am used to in Vancouver. This will probably be my last post before the new year, so happy holidays and Merry Christmas to everyone!

Details:
3295 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA
Tel: 650-494-7168

Summary:
Food: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$

We were back in San Francisco so NTR and UK took me to Hokkaido Seafood Buffet. Although most of the food here is seafood (obviously!), they also had some other non-seafood items as well. Most of the food offered here is Asian style.

After we settled in at our table, we started digging in at the various stations. I was pretty amazed by the selection of food and the sheer abundance of it all. I gravitated toward the mound of fresh Alaskan king crab, mussels, clams, and shrimp. It was all so tasty and you also had a selection of cocktail sauce, lemons, and ponzu sauce to add to your seafood.

I tried some clam soup, which was served in a small bowl. I didn’t like the taste of the broth very much, so I decided to try the clam meat instead. This didn’t taste much better though…and I later learned that it was the soup that everyone liked — not the clam meat itself. Oops.

The coconut shrimp was quite good although I had to scrape off some of the mayo. I also couldn’t really taste the coconut.

The shrimp were a fair size and were nice and crunchy.

I am a huge fan of fresh oysters and of course I had to load my plate with some of these. The ponzu sauce went really well with the oysters.

More oysters…yum!

There was also a selection of various sushi and sashimi. One that I liked was a tempura sushi, which was lightly fried with tempura batter. Although the sashimi was definitely not as good as what we ate at Taiko, it was quite good for a buffet. The tuna was also a pinker colour than what I was used to in Vancouver.

They also had Chinese-style crabs which was steamed and then stir-fried in a clear broth. The pieces of crab were quite big and tasty.

The baked scallop with cheese was a bit rich for my taste but it was interesting to see that it was baked right in the shell.

The shark fin soup was made with imitation shark fin, but you couldn’t even tell the difference. The soup had a lighter taste compared to what I was used to in most restaurants. NTR enjoyed this quite a bit.

When you are seated at your table, each person is given a ticket for one half a lobster baked in a cheese sauce. To claim it, you just head over to the lobster station and the server there will put one on your plate. The lobster itself was quite good although I wasn’t too crazy about the cheese sauce.

You could also construct some Peking duck using the mini buns provided and the generous pieces of duck. I didn’t have any of this but both NTR and UK enjoyed it. I was starting to get quite full by this point.

There were also hand cones that were made fresh so the seaweed was still crunchy.

The black bean clams had a nice flavour and quite tasty. There were also frog legs, which I didn’t try. NTR noted that it was a bit too lean for her taste.

The black bean oysters were very tasty. I could tell they were quite fresh and were just cooked and had a nice consistency. There was also some dim sum (bottom of the picture below) but the selection was small and most of the items were oversteamed.

Now onto the fruits and veggies. I needed to eat some veggies after all this seafood so I scooped some edamame onto my plate. I also had some watermelon, but the strawberries were definitely the better tasting of the two. They were sweet and ripe…I even went back for seconds!

Now it was dessert time. Most of the desserts were pretty standard but there was a good selection of both Western and Asian desserts.

I found that the Asian desserts looked better than they tasted. I think they had been sitting on the plates for a while so they may have tasted better when they were fresh.

I had quite a good time here. I would say that the seafood items are definitely the specialty. If I were to come back, I would load up on the seafood, especially the cold items, and pass on the desserts. We went on a weekend for lunch so it worked out to about $22/person. Weekday lunches are a great deal at about $12/person.

Details:
2200 Bridgepointe Pkwy, San Mateo, CA
Tel: 650-212-2688

Summary:
Food: 3 out of 5 stars
Service: 3 out of 5 stars
Price: $$