Archive for the ‘berkeley’ Category
I love brunch. Having breakfast food in an al fresco setting, with natural lighting and warmth, glass of chilled white wine, good friends with endless chat and no busy schedule to follow, would be most brilliant and make me a very happy girl.
Recently, I went to Graze for brunch. The restaurant, set in a colonial bungalow house, made me feel like I was invited to someone’s house – cosy and comfortable. Besides, the service was good and nothing to complain about. Definitely a place to return again and again.
Baked omelette with smoked salmon, roasted tomato, mushrooms and fried potato (S$17)
Waffles with nutella icecream and strawberries ($13)
If you are not a breakfast fan, there is regular food served as well, starting from 12pm. Where is your favourite place for brunch?
Graze
4 Rochester Park
Tel: 6775-9000
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As you know, God is amazing. If you want something bad enough, he will give it to you. That was how I got to have a grand meal at The French Laundry anyway. Leading up to the dinner, I was just really excited, like a teenager going on her first date.
The food was excellent. Most of them I had read so much about, seen so many pictures on other blogs and reviews, that it actually felt so surreal when I saw them presented in front of me. The service was professional yet very warm and friendly. I loved the whole experience and it was nothing short of memorable.
warm cheese puffs
airy and gone in 3 seconds
airy and gone in 3 seconds
salmon conets
cute mini cones crunchy and savoury. perfect complement to the smokey salmon.
oysters and caviar
If I had to choose (reluctantly), this would be my favourite dish. generous amounts of caviar only to be eaten with a mother of pearl spoon of course, paired with the freshest little oysters and a thick, rich, custard. it was orgasmic.
butter roll
Somewhat like a blend between bread and brioche. nonetheless very good and very addictive. no additional butter was required but then I needed something to spread the Vermont Butter and Local Californian butter with.
Somewhat like a blend between bread and brioche. nonetheless very good and very addictive. no additional butter was required but then I needed something to spread the Vermont Butter and Local Californian butter with.
salad of French Laundry garden beets
sweet navel orange wedges and fresh greens that were very flavourful despite the lack of dressing or sauces.
sweet navel orange wedges and fresh greens that were very flavourful despite the lack of dressing or sauces.
hokkaido scallop tartare
the scallops were raw and sweet and the cream sauce went well with them. the vegetables were again, very fresh and tasty.
the scallops were raw and sweet and the cream sauce went well with them. the vegetables were again, very fresh and tasty.
sweet butter poached maine lobster “mitts”
beautiful dish. the lobster really was fresh and not overcooked. i loved the morels.
beautiful dish. the lobster really was fresh and not overcooked. i loved the morels.
wolfe ranch white quail
that my friends had and claimed was the most tender.
atlantic halibut “confit ala minute”
very tender and went well with the cauliflower puree, which was suprisingly the thing that binded the dish together.
very tender and went well with the cauliflower puree, which was suprisingly the thing that binded the dish together.
snake river farms prime beef
the beef looked so good doesn’t it?
the beef looked so good doesn’t it?
king trumpet mushrooms, sweet carrots and tarragon
the pastry crust could have been ‘puffier’. compared to the beef, this was not quite visually appetising so perhaps that was why i didn’t think much of this course.
the pastry crust could have been ‘puffier’. compared to the beef, this was not quite visually appetising so perhaps that was why i didn’t think much of this course.
“beermat”
pickled red endive, medjool dates, pistachios and black truffle
the sheep’s milk cheese was not so strong in smell and had a firmness of gelatine. you experience different tastes when you pair the cheese with the different condiments. it was good but i had enough after two pieces.
pickled red endive, medjool dates, pistachios and black truffle
the sheep’s milk cheese was not so strong in smell and had a firmness of gelatine. you experience different tastes when you pair the cheese with the different condiments. it was good but i had enough after two pieces.
palate cleanser
oatmeal cookie, yogurt sherbet and apricot jam
this dish had the combination that reminded me of breakfast muesli. clever and tasty too.
oatmeal cookie, yogurt sherbet and apricot jam
this dish had the combination that reminded me of breakfast muesli. clever and tasty too.
parfait au citron
candied buddha’s hand, lemon snow, biscotti tuile
a very refreshing and light tasting dessert. but was not overly exciting.
candied buddha’s hand, lemon snow, biscotti tuile
a very refreshing and light tasting dessert. but was not overly exciting.
chocolate cake with praline
petit four
shortbread cookies to bring home
became supper for me.
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When I found out I could not get a reservation at The French Laundry, I had to look for an alternative dining location around Napa and was utterly convinced to try Ubuntu, touted to be the best vegetarian restaurant ever. Honestly, I couldn’t wait! But I was secretly afraid my friend would protest. God bless her, she was so accommodating throughout my trip and with my foodie obsession.
Anyway, there was absolutely no regrets whatsoever because I tasted THE BEST PEAS IN MY LIFE. These jade green seeds popped in my mouth and they tasted so clean you can taste the natural juices and sweetness.
“Hmm, I want to bring a whole bowl home!” I remembered that thought running through my ahead. That followed by “No more frozen peas for me. No more canned mushy peas for me. No more, no more, no more!”
The second course was “raw, roasted, pureed”, or how Ubuntu glorified the boring white cauliflower. In the little Staub casserole laid cauliflower cooked three ways. At the bottom, almost 3/4 of the pan, was roasted cauliflower together with whole garlic. The roasting caramelized the vegetables and enhanced it with a deep, smokey flavour. That was followed by a pureed layer, creamy and rich because gruyere cheese was mixed into it. Then, whimsicle raw cauliflower trees decorated the top. Stab the spoon into the pot and smear the vegetables over buttered toast. Yums!
Dessert was a “vanilla bean cheesecake”. Full cream yogurt, thick and slightly sour lined the bottom of the container. Then, digestive cookie crumbs, and cooked sour cherries filled the middle. Whipped cream cheese topped the whole thing off. The honey tuile on the sides were also nice and crispy. We really enjoyed this light but satisfying dessert.
Is Ubuntu the greatest vegetarian restaurant ever? I don’t know if I can make that statement. There is absolutely nothing pretentious – no fancy presentations, foams or molecular cooking. Ubuntu is nothing but fresh vegetables cooked simply to bring out their natural flavours. I loved the food there and sure beats all the other veggie restaurants I have tried so far.
Ubuntu
1140 Main Street
Napa, California 94559
Seven days a week:
M-Th: 5:30pm – 9pm
Fr-Su: 11:30 – 2:30pm and
5:30pm – 10p (9p Sundays)
Tel: 707.251.5656
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In less than 30 minutes, one can take the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) from SF to Berkeley, in the East Bay region. There, you can visit my alma mater and enjoy great food. There are many many good restaurants around but I only have one meal and I chose to go to Chez Panisse.
Opened by a lady, Alice Waters, who has always been an advocate for sound and sustainable agriculture, the restaurant still remains committed to that believe today. The restaurant started out serving only one fix prix menu that changes daily. That has not changed either, but a more casual cafe opened much later, to offer an alternative to the restaurant. Located upstairs, the cafe offers à la carte menu for both lunch and dinner.
Knoll Farm rocket with artichokes and black olives crostini (US$9)
I wasn’t expecting chopped olives on a thin toast. The olives were tasty, but it was far too much oil, good oil or not. But the greens, oh they were a revelation. I could taste each of the different leaves distinctly and they had little holes, a positive sign of organic farming methods.
Spicy Hog Island Clams cooked in the wood oven with pancetta, peas, garlic toast and saffron mayonnaise (US$18)
Tasty.
Tasty.
Marinated beets and carrots with ginger and Monterey Bay sardines (US$10)
If beets tasted this good all the time, I want to have beets everyday. Seriously. I never tasted beets like that before. They were earthy, yet tasted very clean and light, all at once. Loved it. The sardines were also very very good. I want to eat ten of them!
Crimson rhubarb tart with candied orange ice cream (US$9.75)
The tart on first sight, looked so rustic and homemade. I know it sounds strange, but it exuded warmth and love. The shell was very thin and partly soft, partly crunchy. I looked at the pinkish rhubarb and could not believe something so pretty could be oh-so-sour. Luckily we had the ice cream on the side. On its own, it was sweet and tasted like a big, frozen orange creamsicle. It complemented the rhubarb very nicely.
Chez Panisse Restaurant and Café
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94709-1516
Reservations taken up to 1 month in advance.
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I caught up with one of my college friends over brunch at Maverick’s. This restaurant is located at a more suburban area of SF called Missions and honestly, I would not go a foot near that place unless it is broad daylight. It is really really dodgy.
The restaurant is tucked in one of the smaller streets and decked out in cherry oak wood that felt very welcoming and casual. The almost full-length windows open up to the sidewalk and on a Sunday, it felt very relaxed and chill. Recommended for brunch! The restaurant serves proper food for lunch and dinner but I didn’t get to try. Anyways, the brunch menu is not very complex but the staples of brunch are there.
I got a crab and creamy spinach benedict that was simple but soooo satisfying! A lot of fresh picked crab, perfectly poached eggs, thick toasts. Yums. Of course, I had to throw in a pomegranate bellini as well, to make the brunch just that bit extra special and indulgent.
Did I say yums?
Maverick
3316 17th Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
T:415.863.3061
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