Friday, July 29, 2011

I Think I'm Done!



I fell in love with Graze's food the first time I dined there and was excited to go again after I got back from my trip. Unfortunately, the second visit was disappointing and I don't think I want to return. For nearly every single dish we had, I had something a little unpleasant to say or write.



DH liked his Pan Roasted Barramundi so much the last time he came here and ordered the same one. Sadly, it was uncooked and I don't remember hearing anyone from the restaurants saying sorry about that. The dish was returned and he got a new one. It's cooked this time.



I was led into trying their Baby Spring Chicken. It turned to be very dry and lack of flavor. Yawn!



Miss P ordered Confit Duck which at the beginning tasted good but the maple gravy was overwhelmingly sweet.



I can't remember how the dessert was, I guess I could say it was not memorable. We had Chocolate Molten Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. It was probably just fine, but I think I am done with this restaurant.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies



We passed by a Trader Joe's store on our recent trip and made a stop and bought some stuff. Miss K bought a bag of dried cranberries and I brought it back to Singapore. I would normally leave that bag alone until the rightful owner comes back, but not this time. I had the urge to make Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies and took liberty to open the bag and used a little portion of it. I am sure she would not mind.



I simply love the results, these crisp and chewy cookies are absolutely delightful. Gotta watch the waistline though!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Peach And Blueberry Galette



After I got back from my recent trip from North America, I discovered some peaches in the fridge. My two children apparently went groceries and were attracted to the beauty of the fruit and bought them. Unfortunately, they were not too great to eat, they were not sweet enough. That left the poor peaches abandoned in the bottom drawer. With some frozen blueberries that I have in the freezer, I went on making a galette and made use of some of the leftover peaches.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Going For Third!



Our last dinner in San Francisco was at Scala's Bistro (again), we just could not help it. It was our third time there. DH had his eyes on linguine since the first time we went to the restaurant and he finally he had what he wanted, Linguine with Clams. After some consideration, I decided on having Pan Roasted Chicken Breast. Both of us were happy with our choice and it's time to go home, back to Singapore. That's it folks!

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Puff Pastry With Spinach And Feta



This is basically puff pastry filled with spinach and feta cheese. There are many different combinations that you can add into the filling, it's all up to your imagination, put in whatever you like in there. There are plenty of recipes that you can follow too.



I made mine with cottage and parmesan cheese, sauteed onion, egg and some black pepper. Brush the top with egg wash and bake them in the oven until they turn golden. I like them this way, but I won't rule out different filling the next time I make them again.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Found In Marin Headlands

There are a few tunnels in Marin Headlands, this is one of them. We went through to the other side and took some pictures.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Red And Ready...



Many of my bird's eye Chillies have turned red and are so ready for consumption. I can't possible use that many, but I might be able to cook some these days. Sometimes, two or three of these are sufficient for one dish for the whole family. They are really hot!

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Sanraku On Sutter St.

The wonder of San Francisco for me this time, aside from shopping was its dining option. I really enjoyed what the place offered in terms of food and the fact that I did not have to travel far from where I stayed, was definitely a plus.



There's another tiny Japanese restaurant that we went to when we were in San Francisco, after Miss K moved in to Berkeley. It's called Sanraku, located just a few blocks away from Union Square. Thanks to the reservation system, we got a table quickly, otherwise, it would be hard. The restaurant is small and seems popular, it got packed really quickly.



First of all, we had their Salmon Sashimi. I can't remember exactly the price, but I am certain it is around twice of those in Singapore.



I ordered a dish that I don't order very often, it was Beef Teriyaki, while DH stayed safe with his Unagi Donburi. They were served with Miso soup and salad, both of which we do not care as much. The main entrees, however, were really delicious.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Lunch At The Cheesecake Factory



We had our last lunch together with Miss K before she started her Summer Camp this year. We wanted to have it at The Cheesecake Factory at Macy's. The restaurant is located on the 8th floor of Macy's, overlooking the Union Square. Our table was indoor, which was fine, since it was a hot sunny day anyway.



DH got a table while we finished up buying hiking boots from Timberland shop nearby. By the time we got there, the crowd waiting for table was built up, it was great to have a table ready.

Breads on the basket were already served while we tried to decide on what to have. I knew from eating at the Cheesecake Factory in Rhode Island the hugeness of the size of the food served here. I definitely went for something smaller. My picks from the Small Bites section were Stuffed Mushrooms and Crab Cakes. They were small and were only six pieces each. I still managed to share them with my companies who got tempted.









The two pasta lovers, DH and Miss K, of course, ordered pasta with different sauces.



Again, no space left in the tummy for dessert!!! Boo hoo. I really wanted to try. Maybe next time. It was fun being there anyway.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Finding The Right Spot...

We wanted to go to a place where we can get a good view of the Golden Gate bridge and take some good pictures. With the help from the kind gentleman at the Concierge desk, we were directed to Marin.



So we drove across the bridge and we could see that the bridge was filled with pedestrians and bikers. It was a good thing that we left quite early in the morning as the traffic was not so heavy when we went there. We saw a lot of people in both South and North Vista Points. Parking spaces were filled up and we decided to go further to Marin Headlands. Just followed the direction on the street and up we went!





The view was breathtaking and my pictures did not do justice. It's worth driving there. We wanted to go closer to the park unfortunately the traffic was very bad that day and we had to go to Berkeley that afternoon. So, that was it for the day, we headed back to Union Square and had lunch at Cheesecake Factory.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Scala's Bistro, First Time!



This is Scala's Bistro's Bostini Cream Pie. We ordered a small bite as were so stuffed by the time we finished our dinner. We simply could not help it. It looked so gooey-chocolatey, because it was, it was so delish! Although, it's a small portion, we had to really stretch out our tummy to fit it in. I knew then that I had to come back for more.



When you are in a place that you are not familiar with, asking someone with great familiarity could do you a favor. DH likes to ask where to eat, his question to the concierge normally would consist of, where's the best Italian around? Then he asked them to make a reservation. That's how we got to know Scala's Bistro.



It was our first meal in Scala's. The place was packed, we were glad that we had reservation. Upon waiting shortly, we were led to our table and got a basket of bread and a nice experience of having great meal commenced...



This is their Fritto Misto (calamari, white prawns, padron peppers, fennel, green beans, sherry-cayenne aïoli). It's a generous amount and very yummy way to begin our meal with.





DH was in the mood for pizza, he had Pizza Margherita.



I believe mine was Seabass with fingerling potatoes and beans. I like it so much, it was really superb.



Miss K loves gnocchi and had it served with basil pesto, pecorino, nasturtium flowers, pine nuts. It must have been great, she cleaned up the plate very well.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Still Loving Them...



I don't come to San Francisco often, but I have been there a few times. And after only a few times coming here, I still love to take a snap or two or more of cable cars that pass by. They are so unique to the identity of San Francisco. So here are some of them that I took during our last trip.





Saturday, July 16, 2011

Dewey Monument



Union Square in San Francisco was such a busy area that sometimes I forgot to look at what's standing right in the middle. There's a monument, Dewey Monument, standing tall day in and day out. The monument was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt on May 14, 1903 to commemorate Commodore Dewey's victory over the Spanish fleet in the Philippines.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Mikaku on Grant Ave.



Back in 2007 when we came to San Francisco, we ate at this Japanese restaurant. It's located near the gate to Chinatown, just a couple of blocks away from the Union Square. Neither DH nor the kids remembered this place. I could not remember the name, but sort of knew the location with the help of DH. We had our first San Francisco dinner there last month, right after we arrived in the afternoon.





My order was one of my favorite dishes, Charbroiled Mackerel. It was so good, it had some nice acidity inside, that Miss K was happily continued helping me with the food.



We also shared a plate of Mix Tempura which I thought was just fine in terms of taste.



We had quite a bit of sushi and dragon rolls. It was a great satisfying dinner!