Coffee Fiend: Kyoto Style

Oh-so-clean. :)

Have I mentioned that I like coffee? It's starting to become so much of a problem that I'm pretty sure K.yo and Special K were trying to arrange an intervention for me. Well, their wish semi-came true when I got sick last week. I was off the beans for over a week; a record that was broken by the discovery of Blue Bottle's Kyoto Iced Coffee through K.yo and 7x7. Apparently, Kyoto style means long-ass dripping process. According to the mag, each drop of water trickles ever so slowly, one at a time, in order to "[bring] out delicate flavors you might miss in a piping hot cup." Riiiiight. I love coffee, but sometimes even I get tired of coffee culture. Anyways, the coffee was good...as is all Blue Bottle. Think of it as Blue Bottle's New Orleans Style iced coffee but without the cream and sugahhh. Oh, almost forgot to mention that it's only served at the Mint Plaza locale.

Blue Bottle
66 Mint Street, San Francisco
(Across from the Westfield Mall in Downtown. Walk down fifth street, and you'll see a sign for the Plaza.)

Slocombe-sicles: Yay or Nay?

I think that K.yo will agree with me when I say that we're kind of Slocombe fan girls. Case in point: We actually follow the Mission ice cream parlor on Twitter. It's the only way you know what their flavours are for the day...other than calling the parlor, but there's always a line out the door, so they probably wouldn't be to keen on reading the entire menu to you. Oh, and they also update twitter followers on when and where other local restaurants/food stands will be serving their products. As of late, I have ventured into the world of the Slocombe Pops that are served at the 4505 Meats stand at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market.

First Pop Consumed: Coconut Cardamom Pluot Pop. Hmm...If you really like Coconut and Cardamom, you will love this. It was just okay to me because I prefer a more fruit-y pop. You will also love it if you enjoy eating frozen Thai Curry because that's basically what it tasted like. (Hey, some people might actually enjoy this, so who am I to tell you not to try it?)

Second Pop Consumed: Strawberry Margarita Pop. Exactly what it sounds like. Strawberry Margarita, but in popsicle form. I was quite delighted that it tasted like/was made with actual strawberries and not syrup. The legit strawberriness balanced well with the tangy margarita-ness.

Analysis of Slocombe Pops: Like everything Slocombe, the Pops are definitely unique. Be ready for that. But to be honest, I actually like their ice cream more. If you're at the Ferry Building on a Market day and feel Slocombe-y, then definitely give the pops a try. If you're actually at Slocombe, you might want to just go for the ice.

4505 Meats
Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building

Or

Humphrey Slocombe
2790 Harrison Street, San Francisco
(Cross-street is 24th)

Cha-Ya, Ch-yeah!

I've lived two blocks from this place for over two years, and only recently tried it for the first time. It's weird because I feel like living close to some good eats doesn't necessarily mean you go there all the time. The desire to go to Cha-Ya has increased in past months due to a multiplicity of reasons: there's always a hella long line for dinner, nearly half of my close-friends are vegetarians or veggie-inclined, and I also keep passing by the one in the Mission. Sweet-ole K.yo's b-day was a week ago, so the friends and I decided to finally give the place a try. I ordered the Vege-Tofu Curry with Udon. First of all, I lovelovelove Japanese curry, so I was already pretty stoked before even entering the restaurant. The soup was flavourful, and there were so many veggies! Kabocha, pearl onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, and sugar snap peas to be exact! I finished my entire bowl and was surprised at how incredibly stuffed I was. Although Japanese Veggie Food sounds weird, this is really a must-try. The menu was cute and explained how the restaurant is inspired by vegetarian food consumed at Japanese temples. So yeah, it's actually legit even though most people think of either fish or katsu when it comes to Japanese cuisine. Other delicious items consumed that night include veggie tempura. Itadakimasu!

Cha-Ya Vegetarian Japanese Restaurant
1686 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
(In between Virginia and Lincoln)

Eat Real: Food Carts Are How We Roll

A little late, but here's my rundown of Eat Real, the three-day food fest that went down in the land of Oaks last weekend. As mentioned in my previous post, one should and must plan out food fests. This time, I was eager to hit Homeroom, Chairman Bao, and the Crème Brûlée Cart. Mission accomplished! Here's my account of said success:

Homeroom: Yet to open, this place is already getting a lotta buzz in the food blog circuits. Apparently, they got sued by McDonalds for including "Mac" in their original name (Little Mac). Companies really need to stop suing others for the use of words because if this continues, language will probably die. Anyways, after a contest that asked locals to come up with cute new names, "Homeroom" was chosen. Macs devoured on this glorious day: Trailer Mac and Spicy Mac. Trailer Mac was filled with hot dog goodness and topped with POTATO CHIPS. Spicy Mac was as the title would suggest: spicy. Which do I prefer? Hard to say, but probably the Spicy Mac because it was seasoned quite tastily.

Chairman Bao: Speaking of places that are getting sued, Chairman Bao has also had it's share in ridiculous lawsuits. Some NY chef is suing the cart for taking the name of his best-selling item. Word has it, that said chef finally trademarked his precious Bao. In the words of Christian Bale, "Well, good for you!" Bao devoured: Tender Pork Belly with Pickled Daikon. A very tasty bao indeed! It's a little different from your usual dim sum bao, since it's wrapped the way that Peking Duck is usually. The Pork Belly was flavorful and the daikon balanced it well.

The Crème Brûlée Cart: By the time I was done with the other two, I was pretty damn full. But there's always room for dessert, right? Well, there has to be at a food fest! K.yo, Special K, and I missed out on the Cart at SF Food Fest cuz we opted for funnel cake, so I was determined to hit it this time around. Crème Brûlée devoured: Mexican Chocolate. Because I'm a nerd, I will admit that I love cracking the tops of Brûlées like Amelie. Analysis of top: good amount of crackily-crunchy-ness. Analysis of the stuff underneath: noms, but a bit pot-de-crème-y. Not a bad thing, but I feel like I should have tried the vanilla bean one, since the chocolate distracted me a bit...but that's my own fault. :)