san francisco Archives

In Cafe

Matcha Cafe Maiko: Dessert in San Francisco

February 15, 2019

Matcha Cafe Maiko is a great place for matcha and Hojicha dessert lovers. When I was in San Francisco, I knew I needed to make a visit while we were in Japan Town. I couldn’t miss this chance. As it was in the middle of the weekday, it wasn’t busy at all.

They started in Honolulu, Hawaii and is making a massive expansion across the United States and soon in Richmond, BC too. I’m looking forward to the Richmond location as it’s 30 minutes away from my home.

All of their products are imported from Japan from Harima Garden.

Interior

The shop in Japan Town is small, so there are only a few seats inside, but most people just take it to go and walk around while consuming the delicious desserts.

Maiko Special (Mix)

This has a bit of everything – matcha and vanilla cream together along with matcha chiffon, chestnuts, and shiratama mochi.

A great parfait to devour yourself or to share. I ate this all to myself and I was so damn happy. I loved every part of this parfait. Highly recommended.

Soft Serve Mix

This has a twist of their matcha ice cream and vanilla ice cream in a crispy cone that they make fresh daily. Classic!

Final Thoughts

I loved the quick stop at Matcha Cafe Maiko and excited for the opening of the Richmond, BC location as well. The desserts are solid and will satisfy any matcha craving.

Address:
581 Webster St #175, San Francisco, CA

Website:
http://www.matchacafe-maiko.com/eng

In Bakery

Good Mong Kok Bakery: Take Out Dim Sum in San Francisco

January 8, 2019

Good Mong Kok Bakery is a popular spot for homemade dim sum and baked goods in this tiny shop. They are located in Chinatown in San Francisco. As we arrived on a weekend in the morning, there was already a long line up. Since we wanted a small snack and had some time to kill, we thought we would give this place a try.

Don’t forget to bring cash.

Line Up

Everyone self-organizes themselves into a line, so you just need to ask around to find the end of the line. The line up was long when we were here but it moved at a decent pace.

Interior

The space is very small and cramped inside and it is to go only as there are no seats. Dim Sum and buns are pumped out constantly from the shop. When you get your order, don’t forget to ask for utensils if you’re eating it nearby.

If you come later in the afternoon, they sell out of popular items so don’t come here too late or else you’ll be out of luck.

Shrimp and Chive Dumplings

It comes with 3 pieces each and it’s very very affordable. The skin was a bit thicker than what I normally like, but the shrimp and chive filling inside was good.

Sticky Rice Ball

The big round thing on the right side if a big ball stuffed with sticky rice. Something interesting that I haven’t seen that often.

BBQ Pork Bun

The BBQ pork bun was big and had a good amount of filling. Sweet and meaty. Highly Recommended.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I thought this Good Mong Kok Bakery was ok because I come from a city that has some of the best Dim Sum in the world. If you’ve never had dim sum before, you’ll enjoy this place. Just know its not very typical to have dim sum for take out. I personally prefer to sit down at a restaurant to have dim sum.

Address:
1039 Stockton St, San Francisco, CA

In Mexican

Taqueria El Farolito: Tacos in San Francisco

January 7, 2019

Did someone say tacos? A few hours before our flight back home, we needed to stop at Taqueria El Farolito for some delicious Mexican tacos in this hole in the wall. If there is a line, it better be good. We heard of this place as my brother in law came here on a previous trip to San Francisco. They have a few location in San Francisco, but we came to their Mission location.

Also, it’s cash only, so make sure you have money on you.

Interior

As a hole in the wall restaurant with no-frills, don’t expect much and that didn’t bother us at all. It’s all about the food. You get in line and order on the left side of the restaurant. There are some seats on the right side and the rear of the restaurant, but very limited.

Sauces

As we paid for our order and waited till it was ready, there is a sauce station where you can grab what you need. There are mild, medium and hot sauces.

To Go

We got our meal to go as there weren’t any seats, so we ate our tacos in the car before going to the airport. It was messy but oh so good.

Al Pastor Taco

This is their Marinated Pork taco with onion, and cilantro on a soft tortilla. It was really good as the meat was very juicy. I paired it with the medium salsa and inhaled it so quickly.

Carne Asada Taco

This is their steak taco with onion, and cilantro on a soft tortilla. Similar to this one, it was really delicious.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a nice quick stop to Taqueria El Farolito for their delicious tacos. The prices were really good and I would come back again. The sizes of the tacos were nice too.

Address:
2779 Mission St, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://elfarolitosf.com/

In Burmese

Burmese Superstar: Best Dishes to Order in San Francisco

January 5, 2019

Burmese Superstar is a restaurant I go to when I visit San Francisco as their Burmese food is delicious. It’s hard to get good Burmese cuisine where we live, so we made it a mission to come here with family. They don’t take reservations, so we lined up ahead of time before they open to snag their 2 largest tables.

Waiting

As you wait in line, they have complimentary tea that is there for self serve. There is also a bench to sit too. A nice idea, which I liked.

Interior

The space isn’t too large and gets filled up quickly on weekdays and weekends with everyone wanting a taste of their Burmese dishes.

Burmese Samusas

These are hand wrapped and filled with curried potatoes. Then it is deep-fried and served with their house special red sauce. You can choose from chicken, beef or vegetarian. We went with chicken and it was good. Essentially like Indian Samosas.

Tea Leaf Salad

This salad is the top item to order on the menu. It has romaine lettuce, fried yellow beans, fried garlic, sesame seeds, fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, and dried shrimp. Mix it all together and its absolutely amazing. You can also get this in a vegetarian version too.

Rainbow Salad

There are 22 ingredients in this Rainbow Salad. It is made with four types of noodles, green papaya, onions, dried shrimp, many other things that they don’t list and served with a tamarind dressing. You toss this and enjoy. It’s another popular salad but I still prefer the tea leaf salad.

Oh Noh Kauswer

This is their Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup. One of my favourite items to order. It has Burmese style coconut noodle soup with chicken, onions, eggs, cilantro, lemon, and topped with chili. We got their larger size to share among the table.

Moh Hinga

My favourite noodle soup is their Catfish Chowder Noodle Soup. It has fish chowder with rice noodles, ground catfish, onions, cilantro, lemon, and topped with chili. Highly Recommended.

Duck Garlic Noodles

This has flour noodles with fried garlic, and scallions in a red chili sauce. You can choose this with duck or vegetarian, but we went with the duck. A good amount of garlic flavour and tasty.

Burmese Style Curry and Coconut Rice

This is Burma Superstar’s special curry. It is braised until tender with potatoes and topped with cilantro. You can choose this with beef or lamb. You should order a side with coconut rice to eat with the curry.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this is my favourite restaurant in San Francisco and their Burmese dishes are just solid. The dishes are pretty traditional with some tweaks. All the dishes were very homey and comforting that I’ll be back again. Highly recommended.

Address:
309 Clement St, San Francisco

Website:
https://www.burmasuperstar.com/

In Japanese

Mensho Tokyo SF: Long Lines, Expensive, and Rich in Flavour

September 2, 2018

Mensho Tokyo is a popular ramen shop in Japan and this is their first location outside of Japan. Luckily, it’s located in San Francisco in the Tenderloin. When I was visiting for a week, a lot of my Instagram followers suggested I go to Mensho Tokyo SF. We were warned that there would be a long line up and should go right when they open, but we didn’t make it until around 7pm.

Since we didn’t have evening plans, we decided to just wait. If so many people were also waiting, it must be good right? It’s also Michelin recommended.

Interior

The space is small, so I can see why there isn’t that many seats, so I can see why there was such a long line up. We counted about 28 seats in here.

Enoki Mushroom Chips

Since we waited for so long, we wanted to make sure we ordered as much as we could to make it worth it. The enoki mushroom chips were more like enoki tempura. A good pairing if you have beer.

Oyster in Shoyu Dare Oil

There were a good amount of oysters submerged in the oil. It was good to snack on them as it was better than the canned smoked oysters.

Tori Paitan Ramen

This is their most popular ramen and it has a rich and creamy chicken broth, pork chashu, duck chashu, menma, kale, burdock, and katsuobushi sauce. We added an ajitama egg to it.

The duck was delicious and we think its been sous vide to get that nice colour and texture.

Tori Paitan Ramen (Double Chashu)

If you want some extra charshu, this option might be for you.

Spicy Tori Paitan Ramen

I went the spicy route and it was more of a medium spice level. It is made with a base of their rich and creamy chicken soup, pork chashu, menma, spicy jalapeno miso, cabbage, burdock, green onion and nuts. I also added the ajitama egg.

The egg was perfectly cooked so it looks like the golden sun inside. I found my bowl to be quite rich and salty. It was very difficult to drink all the broth without feeling for my waistline.

Final Thoughts

The ramen is good and unique for those who enjoy rich chicken broth. I personally found the broth to be way too rich for my personal preferences. Their chashu, duck and ajitama egg are done very well and love these.

I wouldn’t line up again for their ramen as there are other shops that appeal more to my tastes as well as being cheaper. With each bowl being close to $20 with auto gratuity, it was pricey.

Address:
672 Geary St, San Francisco

Website:
http://mensho.tokyo/

In Bakery

Tartine Bakery: Pastries in San Francisco

August 29, 2018

Tartine Bakery is a go to place in the Mission District. I asked a few people where I needed to go in San Francisco and they highly recommended Tartine Bakery. They are best known for their pastries.

There was a line up when we arrived, but it didn’t take too long to put our order in. Most people were doing take out.

Interior

The interior is small and feels that way especially when there is a long line up outside the door. What is interesting is that they always feature local art on the walls, which you can purchase if you like.

Croissant

The croissant is a classic item to get. It has a lot of crispy layers on the outside and soft pillowy layers on the inside. I noticed a few of their baked croissants looked a bit scorched, not sure if this is normal or not.

Fresh Berry Tart

The berries were very fresh on top of the tart. The crust was very thin, which is pretty difficult to achieve from watching too many baking competitions on the Food Network. The cream in the middle was a good amount of sweetness to go with the fruit and crust.

Mushroom Croque Monsieur

This has a variety of mushrooms, béchamel, gruyère, and pepper on top of their country bread. It is served with spicy pickled veggies on the side. This was a surprising combination of flavours but we were glad we got it. The mushrooms had so much flavour covered in the gooey cheese.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was good to come here for a visit to try a few of their different pastries. It’s one of the most talked about bakeries, so it was good to see how it compares. The berry tart and croque monsieur were a hit for us. We really enjoyed these items.

Address:
600 Guerrero St, San Francisco

Website:
https://www.tartinebakery.com/

In Cafe

Mazarine Coffee: Lattes and Toast in San Francisco

August 27, 2018

Mazarine Coffee is a cafe on Market Street serving up delicious coffee and toast. This is my second trip to San Francisco and I had to revisit as I love a good latte and avocado toast.

It has a great location right by the Union Square area.

Interior

The cafe was busy around 11am but got busier as it got closer to noon. There are seats on the right side of the cafe as well as some patio seating.

Latte

I started off with a latte and it was delicious and strong. A good ratio of espresso and milk.

Avocado Toast

This beautiful toast is my favourite and it is made up of avocado, chèvre cheese, watermelon radish, chives, sea salt, and cracked pepper on toasted pain de mie. Absolutely stunning and delicious. I like how they layered all the avocado and radish so it looks so nice. The cheese was a good addition too.

Eggs & Avocado Toast

This has two sous vide eggs, avocado, chives, sea salt, and cracked pepper on toasted pain de mie. The sous vide egg was delicious and super gooey that it covers the whole toast. We wished there was a little bit more avocado with this one as it didn’t look as luscious.

Fig Jam and Ricotta Toast

This has a generous amount of ricotta cheese, fig jam, honey, sea salt, and cracked pepper on toasted pain de mie. A different toast than the other 2, but good if you have a morning sweet toooth.

Final Thoughts

Overall, having a coffee and toast at Mazarine Coffee was great. A good treat in the morning before heading off for the rest of the day. If you’re ever in San Francisco, definitely go here for a visit.

Address:
720 Market St, San Francisco

Website:
https://mazarinecoffee.com/

In Four Beakers

Burma Superstar: Burmese Cuisine in San Francisco

January 15, 2017

Burma Superstar is the go to place when visiting San Francisco. I live in Vancouver and I found that in the past year a majority of them have closed down. When doing a quick search on Burmese cuisine, a lot of people recommended Burma Superstar.

Taking a look at the menu, a lot of the items looked pretty authentic, so I had to come here. There were some other restaurants that I was looking at, but it was a bit further away from the city.

We came here for a late lunch and this place was still busy, but there was just one table available, so we didn’t have to wait.

Tea Leaf Salad

Tea Leaf Salad has romaine lettuce, fried yellow beans, fried garlic, sesame seeds, fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, and dried shrimp. It tasted so good. I’m used to these without romaine, but most restaurants serve it like this.

Moh Hinga

Moh Hinga is a Catfish Chowder Noodle Soup. It has fish chowder with rice noodles, ground catfish, onions, cilantro, lemon, & topped with chili. So delicious!

Oh Noh Kauswer

Oh Noh Kauswer is Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup. It has Burmese style coconut noodle soup with chicken, onions, eggs, cilantro, lemon, & topped with chili. I love the crispy bits that add a nice texture to the noodles.

Of both noodles, I loved both of them. So delicious and I wanted more. My friend preferred the Oh Noh Kauswer a little bit more. Of all the meals I had on my trip to San Francisco, this was my favourite place. The price is good and you’ll leave satisfied.

We Rate Burma Superstar:

Address:
309 Clement St.
San Francisco

Website:
http://www.burmasuperstar.com/

In San Francisco

(M) Ike’s Place at Sweet Inspiration in San Francisco

January 13, 2017

Sweet Inspiration is serving (M) Ikes’s Place Sandwiches and I was very confused about this location and why it was called Mike’s Place. When I was in town, I spent quite a lot of time searching online if I was going to the right location. Long story short, Ike’s lost their lease to their original location and collaborated with Sweet Inspiration to serve his sandwiches, but they couldn’t name it Ike’s Place due to some city violation, so they changed it to Mike’s Place.

As we got here, we were still very confused if we would be getting authentic Ike’s Sandwiches.

There was plenty of sandwiches to choose from. We got them to-go and decided to eat it before our flight back to Vancouver.

Wonzo Sandwich

Wonzo Sandwich has Halal chicken, Ranch, Bacon, and Cheddar. It is also served with lettuce and tomatoes. You can have your sandwich with your choice of bread – Dutch Crunch, SF Sourdough, French Roll, Whole Wheat, or Gluten-Free. We went with dutch crunch.

Montana Sandwich

Montana Sandwich has Halal chicken, Asian Sesame Dressing, Bacon, Avocado, and Jack cheese. I went with the SF Sourdough.

Both sandwiches were very heavy and filling, but taste wise, it was a bit mediocre. It was a bit heavy on the dressing.

We Rate Mike’s Place:

Address:
2239 Market Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.sweetinspirationbakery.com/

In Brunch

Jane on Larkin: Cafe in San Francisco

January 12, 2017

Jane on Larkin in San Francisco is a local cafe that serves coffee, toast, breakfast, pastries and other items. I was on the hunt for a breakfast spot that also sold avocado toast.

Coffee

Coffee is definitely a staple in any cafe. I went with a Cappuccino

Avocado Mash

Avocado Mash has avocado, cracked black pepper, poached egg, pickled shallot and jalapeño. It was beautiful and very delicious, but I felt the pickled jalapeño was a bit too much especially in the morning. It sure cleared up my sinuses.

Breakfast Sandwich

Egg White Sandwich with spinach and avocado with provolone and a dash of sriracha served on your choice of house-baked sourdough, multigrain bread or baguette. Super healthy sandwich.

Overall, Jane on Larkin was good. We were able to get a table early in the morning. Food looks pretty and tasted good.

We Rate Jane on Larkin:

Address:
925 Larkin Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.itsjane.com/

In Brunch

Mama’s: Breakfast in San Francisco

January 7, 2017

Mama’s on Washington Square was where we had breakfast on the last day we were in San Francisco. Apparently it was a local favourite, but now it is mostly tourist. We came a few minutes before opening and the line was down the block. Everyone wanted a taste of what Mama’s was offering.

Once you get through the line, you’re line up again to order before getting seated.

The staff are very friendly, so have patience with them because it so busy.

I started off with a coffee as I need some caffeine before the day begins. A cappuccino for me and freshly squeezed orange juice for my friend.

Farmers M’Omelette has smoked bacon, baby spinach, grilled leeks and Sonoma goat cheese.

M’Omelette’s are served with Mama’s Grilled Potatoes and your choice of toast. You can choose from white, whole grain, rye, english muffin or sourdough baguette. I went with the sourdough.

The dish was very good and filling for brunch.

Florentine Benedict has baby spinach and sautéed mushrooms. There are also two poached Petaluma Farms eggs served on a toasted English muffin with hollandaise sauce and Mama’s Grilled Potatoes. My friend enjoyed the dish.

Monte Cristo has roasted turkey breast, honey baked ham, cheddar and Gruyère cheese battered in egg and grilled, served with homemade jam. This is one of their signature items and we had to split this between the two of us. Highly recommended. I loved the balance between the savoury and sweet.

Overall, it was an experience to eat here. The food was great, but that line up was very long. We tried our best to get here earlier, but everyone else had the same idea too.

We Rate Mama’s:

Address:
1701 Stockton St, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.mamas-sf.com/

In lunch

Frog Hollow Farms: Avocado Toast in San Francisco

January 6, 2017

When I was travelling in San Francisco, I had a crazy addition of Avocado Toast. When I was at the Ferry Terminal, I took a visit to Frog Hollow Farm to get a taste of their toast.

The Shop

They serve pastries, sweet and savoury treats, and other items.

Even fresh fruit.

The Menu

They have a pretty small menu, but good items that people can easily grab and go at the Ferry Terminal.

Avocado Toast has garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper on Acme green onion bread. I got the full size for $10.99, which is pretty expensive, but it looks so beautiful.

After eating this all, I was super satisfied and really full.

We rate Frog Hollow Farm:

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, Suite 46, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.froghollow.com/

In San Francisco

Alcatraz: Night Tour

January 4, 2017

We wanted to explore Alcatraz by night to get a spooky atmosphere as we walked through the corridors. The tour by Alcatraz Cruises is the only official place to do tours as it is a National Park.

The tours need to be purchased well in advance or else you will be out of luck. I got mine a few months ahead of time and they sold out quickly.

Most people know that Alcatraz was once a world-famous federal penitentiary, but the island’s history before and after the penitentiary era is less well-known. This was the site of the first American lighthouse on the West Coast and that the island served as a huge harbour defence fort during the Civil War. After the fort became obsolete, the U.S. Army turned the island into a grim military prison.

The night tour is 2.5 hours and you can see the sun setting as you get to Alcatraz Island.

This tour includes:

narrated boat tour around the island
guided tours from the dock to the main prison building
Doing Time: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour
special programs and presentations are offered only at night

We got our tickets at will call and then waited for the boat to pick us up. The ride was beautiful. As we got closer to Alcatraz, the weather got a lot colder and the clouds rolled in. It definitely added to the atmosphere.

As we spun around Alcatraz, it was narrated to give us a glimpse of what went down here.

Arrival

As we got off the boat, we were split up into groups for guided tours from the dock to the main prison building.

It’s a bit of a steep walk, but they are accommodating to those who need a lift.

Following the closing of the penitentiary, Alcatraz became the site of a American Indian protest movement that would change modern American history. You can see words written around Alcatraz.

Main Prison

We head to the Main Prison to collect our equipment for the self-guided audio tour – “Doing Time: The Alcatraz Cellhouse Tour”.

We followed the audio tour to all the different parts of the prison and it’s quite immersive as you feel like you were there.

The atmosphere was a bit eerie as you can see the remnants of the prison.

The tour was fully booked and it was funny to see everyone listening attentively to the audio tour and the whole jail cell is in complete silence.

Gift Shop

At the end of the tour, there is a gift shop to purchase any souvenirs.

If you have time, you can attend any of the special programs and presentations. We attended one to hear more about Al Capone.

Heading Back

We didn’t want to waste too much time as it was getting really cold, so we hopped on the next boat ride back.

Overall, the tour was a joy and I learned a lot. If you’re in San Francisco, try to book your tickets in advance and bring a jacket for the night tour of Alcatraz.

Website:
https://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

In San Francisco

AT&T Park Tour in San Francisco: Review

January 3, 2017

AT&T Park, the home of the San Francisco Giants is open for public tours everyday at 10:30pm and 12:30 pm on certain dates and last for 1.5 hours.

The behind-the-scenes ballpark tour of AT&T Park you will get to go places only the players and staff go including:

The Field Warning Track
A Major League Dugout
Visitors’ Indoor Batting Cage
The Visitors’ Clubhouse
The Press Box
A Luxury Suite

There is a $22 fee for adults, but if you’re a big fan of Baseball and you want to get the behind the scenes look of the park, it’s worth it.

Dugout Store at AT&T Park / Entrance

To find your way to the start of the tour, make your way to the Dugout Store at AT&T Park and you’ll find the area to purchase tickets or pick up tickets if purchased online.

Will call is located on the second floor of the Dugout Store which is located on Third Street. You should arrive 10 minutes before your tour time.

The tour ends at the same place as well.

Tour Guide

Our tour guide was very knowledgable and was able to take all of us around the whole park efficiently as all of us wanted to snap pictures of everything.

Views from the Stands

One of the best views of the entire park is from the stands. We were in awe of how huge the park really was.

You can really see how home runs can be “splash hits” and view the breathtaking Bay view behind the field.

A Luxury Suite

We got to see the Tony Bennet suite. Amazing space and a very great view of the field. Too bad you’ll need a lot of money to

Memorabilia

All around the park, there are lots of memorabilia to see and touch.

There are also cool bobble heads as well as the championship trophy made by Tiffany & Co.

The Visitors’ Clubhouse

We got to see the clubhouse for the visiting teams. A quick glimpse of where they get ready before the game.

Visitors’ Indoor Batting Cage

They even have seperate batting cages for the players to warm up before the game.

Major League Dugout

The best part was being on the ground right by the dugout to be right by the field.

We saw where the players would be waiting during the game.

Overall, it was super fun to get a behind the scenes look. We wanted to come here for a game too, but while we were in San Francisco, they were all away games.

Website:
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=tours

Address:
24 Willie Mays Plaza, San Francisco

In San Francisco

San Francisco Food Tours: Mission District

December 29, 2016

When I was in San Francisco, I did a Mission District Food Tour from Avital Tours. Since I was in town for a short time, I wanted to try as many tried and true places as possible, so I thought a food tour was the best option.

This tour includes 4-course progressive prix-fixe dining experience visits 4 restaurants:

two appetizers
one entree
one dessert

The tour begins at The Women’s Building between Valencia and Guerrero at 5pm. I ended up being 10 minutes late since I didn’t know how to take the BART, so we ended up taking an Uber. We missed a bit of the introduction, but they were telling everyone about the neighbourhoods culinary history and the beautiful art around a few of the buildings.

Mission Cheese

We made our first stop at Mission Cheese, a New York Times acclaimed chic cheese cafe featuring only American artisan cheeses. We got a few samples of cheese and their choice of beer. For those who don’t drink alcohol, they provided them with non-alcoholic drink.

Hog & Rocks

Hog & Rocks is San Francisco’s first and only ham and oyster bar considered one of the Bay Area’s Top 100 Restaurants by the SF Chronicle. They serve comfort fare and classic cocktails.

We tried some of their delicious tastes of their restaurant and a cocktail. This was one of my favourite places of the night.

Taqueria La Cumbre

Taqueria La Cumbre the the birthplace of the Mission-style grilled chicken Burrito at authentic taqueria inventor of the Mission-style burrito.

The owner told us in great detail about this history of La Cumbre and the Mission-style burrito. We all loved the electrifying personality of the owner as he had so much enthusiasm for his product.

The burrito first became popular during the 1960s in the Mission District distinguished from other burritos by its large size and inclusion of extra rice and other ingredients. Of course, there are a lot larger burritos out there in the world, but it started here first.

West of Pecos

West of Pecos was the last stop of the night and we were treated to churros with a chocolate and Cajeta sauce. I love churros especially with the two sauces, it was super enjoyable.

The 3 hours passed by quickly and most of us decided to stay a bit longer and have an extra drink. We noticed there were some local and tourists on this tour.

Besides the food, we go to stroll through the historic Latin neighborhood learning about its culinary history and incredibly colourful murals, while hearing the stories of chefs, restaurant owners and industry experts.

I wouldn’t have gotten any of that if I just walked on my own. Avital Tours also has a North Beach food tour and a Union Square cocktail tour.

Website:
http://avitaltours.com/san-francisco/tour/mission-district-food-tour/

In Cafe

Chocolate Chair: Dragons Breath in San Francisco

December 25, 2016

Chocolate Chair at the Japan Centre draws huge line ups for their Dragon’s Breath, a cereal-like fruity pebbles soaked in liquid nitrogen. Once you comp down on the cereal, a bunch of smoke comes out of your nose and mouth.

It’s been catching wildfire on social media and I wasn’t intending on coming here, but since we saw the huge line up, we decided to give it a try too.

They make it to order and its run to watch them put it together as ton and tons of smoke come out of their mixers.

The cup with the Dragons Breath is super cold and becomes frosted over. The smoke it coming out of the cup.

Grab a few and pop it into your mouth to see the steam coming out of your mouth or nose. It just tasted like dry stale cereal. Most like fruity pebbles. It was a fun experience to try it but it doesn’t warrant a revisit anytime soon.

We Rate Chocolate Chair:

Address:
Japan Center, Level 2
1737 Post Street, San Francisco

Website:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chocolate-Chair/845948145417911

In Late Night

Starlight Room at Sir Francis Drake: Rooftop Bar in San Francisco

December 15, 2016

On the 21st floor of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel at Union Square in San Francisco is the Starlight Room, a rooftop Bar over looking the views of Union Square. When I was on here during vacation, we came up here at night for a drink after dinner.

I love the feeling of exclusivity of this place. Once you get out of the elevator, the huge red curtains reveal the Starlight Room.

We came early on in the evening, so it wasn’t packed yet. We did notice most tables had reservations for them, so if you intend to spend some time here, try to get reservations ahead of time especially weekends.

The decor is really nice and brings me back to the 1920’s. With an opulent interior marked by red-velvet curtains and high-backed booths, the Starlight Room gives you a reason to put on that party dress.

You will see 360-degree city views, along with a cocktail menu that pays homage to the past but is nonetheless distinctly mode.

Then menu has some awesome sounding drinks and they can make any special requests if they have the ingredients. On their menu, they also have smaller bites on the menu if you want food.

My friend got a surprise virgin drink and I went with the Fog’s Rolling In, which has plantation pineapple rum, spiced pear, and grapefruit.

Overall, we had a great time viewing the city from the top floor and sipping on some cocktails. A good way to end the night.

We Rate the Starlight Room:

Address:
450 Powell Street, San Francisco

Website:
http://www.starlightroomsf.com/

In American

Gotts’s Roadside: Burgers at the Ferry Building in San Francisco

December 13, 2016

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and we ended up at the Ferry Building to grab some lunch. The ferry terminal has so much to eat, but we were on a mission to find Gott’s Roadside since we were told by several friends they have some awesome burgers.

We ordered our items at either the left or the right side of the restaurant. They have 2 counters to take orders.

Once you have your order and get your drink, you get this electronic buzzer and it will let you know when your order is ready.

Flashing lights. Time to get the food!

Bacon Cheeseburger is a beast with American cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles & secret sauce on a toasted egg bun. Really nice toasted bun with a good amount of ingredients inside the burger. It really hit the spot.

Onion Rings were huge and I love the crunch when you bite into the onion rings.

Don’t forget to grab some ketchup and mustard. They use Sir Kensington and they make amazing condiments. My favourite brand.

Cheeseburger has American cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and their secret sauce on a toasted egg bun.

My friend also got Sweet Potato Fries on the side with a chili spice-dusted and a side of house-made ranch sauce.

Overall, it was a great lunch and we really enjoyed Gott’s. I would come back again. They even have outdoor seating if you want to enjoy the sun. We avoided eating outside since we didn’t want to get too tan.

We rate Gott’s:

Address:
Ferry Building, Level 1, 1 Ferry Plaza, Suite 6, San Francisco, CA

Website:
https://gotts.com/