Hong Kong Lounge

5322 Geary Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94121

Occasion: Father's day dim sum! 06.16.12 Saturday morning dim sum brings back a lot of childhood memories.  Definitely not something that happens much in the present, but dim sum used to be a treat for us.  We don't go as often as we'd like anymore and our tastes have definitely changed from the younger years, but there are still a few favorite that we must get.  Besides the standoffish waiter guy in the front giving people tickets to wait for a seat, it was a good experience.  Make sure to arrive before 1030am to beat the crowd.

Rice noodle wrapped around a chinese donut on the left and a bbq pork filled rice noodle

Always one of my favorite things to get at dim sum.  Not all places have the one on the left, so I have to get it when they have it.  Soft noodle with deep fried doughy goodness.

Steamed bun filled with custard and egg yolk

Best eaten when it's fresh, warm and gooey.  This is actually a newly discovered favorite of mine.  I don't remember ever having it as a child, but I love it!!! It's sweet with a little bit of savory and it's become one of my favorite and must order items at dim sum.

 Taro Pastry

Bbq pork buns

These are not  your typical baked bbq pork buns, because these are way better.  There's a flaky crust on it, that is absolutely delicious.  I used to get buns like these at golden gate bakery in chinatown without the bbq pork filling and I would LOVE them.  I think it was called a "Mexican bun".  Oh more childhood memories.

Xiao Mai

Always a favorite.

lal

Durian pastry

I didn't get to eat or try it because I was stuffed with all the other goodies.

Smitten

432 Octavia St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion: Ice cream on a beautiful San Francisco afternoon.  After brunch at Zazie's I wanted to try this new ice cream spot. 06.15.12

They have their own patented ice cream making machines. How innovative.

Our ice creams made fresh to order.  I love the idea of it being made in front of you.  Left: Ritual Coffee with almond toffee chunks. Right: Fresh Mint with TCHO chocolate chip.

The coffee with the added toffee chunks were a little bit too sweet for my liking, but the mint was delicious.  Yes, it's a little but pricier than some of your classic ice cream places in the city, but it's definitely worth a try.

They have a very limited menu that changes daily.  What I have noticed the couple times that I have gone is that they seem to always have the TCHO chocolate flavor.

Zazie

941 Cole St
San Francisco, CA 94117

Occasion: Brunch on a much needed Friday day off of work.  We were finally done with one quarter of classes, so we rewarded ourselves with some delicious brunch! 06.15.12

Pancake Sampler

It came with one buttermilk, one gingerbread, one lemon poppysee

I've had the gingerbread before and I remember it being really unique and tasty, I mean where else can you find gingerbread flavored pancakes. But when I went again this time around, I didn't feel the same way.  It was rather dry and lacked in flavor.  It was my least favorite of the three.  The buttermilk was my second favorite and the lemon poppyseed was my absolute favorite, as it was moist and perfectly sweet.  The lemon curd complemented very very well with it too. Next time, I'll screw the rest and just get the lemon poppyseed pancake.

Le Mer Benedict 

Crab Benedict with avocado.  You have a choice of ordering, one, two or three.   Henry said he was REALLY hungry so we got three. Two for him and one for me.  Benedicts are his thing, so he enjoyed them a lot.  However, I think Mama's crab benedicts are tastier, but also at a greater price.

Orenchi Ramen

3540 Homestead Rd
Santa Clara, CA 9505

Occasion: Reward meal after one of our finals.  We've tried coming here several times, but always happened to get there when they've already closed.  We did not know that they had changed their hours of operations on the weekdays to close at 9pm. 06.13.12

Chicken Karage

We usually order three pieces between two people. I love adding it into my ramen, but it's absolutely delicious to eat on it's own.  Crispy deep fried skin with juicy tender meat.

Potato Croquette 

Another favorite of ours.

Orenchi Ramen 

An absolute must when I come here! Check out my previous reviews here and here.

Chez Panisse Restaurant

1517 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94709

Occasion: Henry booked a celebratory dinner for us in celebration to being done with our paper and the past weeks of no life.  They buy all their ingredients fresh, therefore, the menu is different and pre fixed everyday.  One of the top restaurants in the bay area! Friday date night: June 1, 2012

**As featured on http://www.thedailymeal.com/101-best-restaurants-america#ixzz1wnl5JEQb as one of America's top 5 restaurants.**

Prosciutto with olives

It came out as our free appetizer and it was such a tease.  The prosciutto were thinly sliced, flavorful with the perfect chewy texture.  The olives were not overly salty and paired really well with the prosciutto.  It was a great first dish to warm our palates up.

Red Wine and Complimentary sweet champagne

Perfect compliment to our delicious meal.  I loved the red wine. Don't remember what exactly it was, but it was some kind of pinot noir, a light red, just what I like.

Antipasto of little fish with herb salad and flowering coriander

It may not look aesthetically pleasing, but my goodness were we raving about the flavors.  The little fish reminded me of sardines and prepared in two ways.  There were a couple of pieces that seemed to be deep fried, with a flaky skin, but with super tender meat inside.  There were also a couple of pieces that seemed to be just pan fried.  Everything just tasted so fresh and the herbs used just brought out the flavors of the fish and greens so distinctly.  It was one the of best salads I've had in awhile. 

New garlic and thyme consomme with Parmesan custard

It almost reminds me of how my parents used to make steamed egg, but a lot more flavorful. Don't let it's simplicity fool you because it was absolutely flavorful.  I loved how the flavorful garlic and thyme broth complemented the custard so well.  We were taken away by how something so simple could taste so good.

Spit-roasted Salmon Creek Ranch duck with sage and apricot chutney, tatsoi, new onions braised in the fireplace and fried potatoes

Perfectly crisp potatoes, super tender duck meat that was nice and lean.  Apricot chutney was surprisingly not too overpowering and complemented the duck meat quite well.  It was amazing and super filling.

Blueberry tart with Meyer lemon gelato

Henry was not as big of a fan of this dessert, but I loved it.  It was a little bit tart, perhaps our batch of blueberries weren't as sweet, but the crust was buttery, crumbly, flaky and amazingly delicious. Loved the lemon gelato, as it was the perfect ending to the meal.  I like that the dessert was on the lighter side. I was such a fan!

Fresca

2114 Fillmore St
San Francisco, CA 94115

Occasion: After a whole day devoted to wedding dress shopping, we grubbed on some delicious Peruvian food here.  Wedding dress shopping/ bridesmaids shopping is no joke.  It's a lot of work and probably burned a lot of calories because I was famished before we got to the restaurant.  06.02.12

Mussels

Delicious mussels with chorizo. I am definitely a sucker for seafood especially mussel cooked in a tasty broth.  Good thing we ordered two dishes of this because we killed them both.

Scallops, Ceviche, Paella, Loma saltado

I loved everything pictured here.  Scallops with the chimichuri sauce

Beignets

Perfect dessert to end the meal with.  Deep fried goodness with some kind of gooey molasses like sauce. Best eaten when they're nice and warm.