Manresa Bread Project

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One of the best things about going to a fancy restaurant is the bread service.  Since I've eaten at Manresa (see post HERE), I'm fully aware of their delicious bread.  Ever since I heard about their booth at both Campbell and Los Gatos farmer's markets, I thought that was the greatest idea since, well, sliced bread!  You have to check their twitter for the exact time and specific farmers market, but everyone must have been fully aware of their schedule because a line formed before they opened at 9a.    

The breads menu changes and I highly suggest coming here at least 15 minutes before they open (9a) so you have a chance to get something before they run and they do run out things very quickly.

One of the special breads of the day was bacon and onion focaccia.  Giant chunks of thick cut bacon are sprinkled all over the surface of the focaccia.  Even after biting into the fluffy focaccia, you can taste the bacon fat throughout each slice.  Its probably the best of the bread haul.

You can never go wrong with chocolate brioche.  Crunchy pieces of sugar top this fluffy mini cupcake shaped loaf of brioche.
 

Potato gouda foccacia.  Thin slices of potato are spread amongst what looks like a generous heaping of gouda cheese.  Since gouda is a strong cheese, its flavor really stands out, so if you aren't a fan of gouda, I'd probably stay away from this one.

 Brioche is loved for its buttery, fluffiness with just a hint of sweetness.  This loaf is the pure definition of that.



This one almost didn't make the cut, but a gal in line whispered "oh, that's a good one", so naturally it got added to the list.  The chocolate cherry sourdough sounds like an odd combination, but it doesn't have the tang of regular sourdough rolls.  The texture is very similar to sourdough with a dense, chewiness to it.  Had I not known they were cherries, I would have mistaken thought raisins due to random chewy bits mixed into the bread.  The bread is more of a dessert bread and I can see this enjoyed with a glass of cold milk.

Top to bottom: sheepsmilk cheese epi, herb epi.  I love epi breads so naturally I had to get both at Manresa Bread Project.  The epi breads here are much chewier and the crust is quite soft.  Both epi flavors come out quite strong in these breads.  I prefer Acme's epi for their crunchier crust.

Address:                  Manresa Bread Project
                                 Campbell Farmers Market
                                 Campbell, CA
 

Type:                        bakery

Popular chomps:      chocolate brioche
                                  chocolate cherry sourdough
                                 

Chomp worthy:         brioche
                                  chocolate cherry sourdough
                                  bacon onion foccacia  

Lisa's Tea Treasures

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Its tea time!  Lisa's Tea Treasures is a tea room in the South Bay (Campbell).  Like all other tea rooms, its very popular and its wise to call at least a week ahead for a reservations, however, I got super lucky and was able to get in same day.  Like all other tea rooms, Lisa's was decorated to the brim with all sorts of knick knacks.

Unlike most tea rooms I've been to, the lemon curd was already set on the table ready for consumption with their lovely tea biscuits.  Tart, tangy, and creamy, this lemon curd is more on the sweet side than the lemony side.

The tea biscuits are lovely set on the table for you to help yourself.  Its just hard to try not to eat all of them while waiting for the mini sandwiches.

One really unique thing I haven't seen at any other tea room before is they offer a monthly rotating menu with various seasonal goodies.  I passed though in favor of their standard choices.  Louis XIV's - from top left; clockwise: chicken croissant sandwiches, scone, and pecan tea sandwiches.  The cheese puff in the middle of the plate was the best thing on the plate.  All the sandwiches were much too sweet.

My lady's respite.  From top left; clockwise:  egg salad, cucumber mint, roast beef with tomato and cream cheese, scone, chicken tarragon, and pesto nut.  For tea time, my favorites are usually cucumber sandwiches and curry chicken, but they didn't have the latter or let you have an option.  All the sandwiches were pretty average with the pesto nut being the best of the bunch.  The mini quiche, although quite tasty, reminded very much of the mini frozen quiche from Costco. 

Desserts come with each of the tea sets.  The chocolate mousse was surprisingly light and a delicious way to end the meal.

The petit four, pecan tart, and yule log was one of the other dessert choices for the second tea set.  I usually find petit four too sweet for my taste, but this one was quite scrumptious. 

Address:                  Lisa's Tea Treasures
                                 1875 S. Bascom Ave
                                 Suite 165
                                 Campbell, CA
     

Type:                        tea room

Popular chomps:      lemon curd
                                 my lady respite

Chomp worthy:         lemon curd and biscuits       

Orale Fish Tacos

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I'm still searching for a fish taco in the Bay Area like I had at LA's Ricky's Fish Tacos (see post HERE).  Orale's Fish Tacos is situated in the quiet suburb of Campbell.

With a plethora of seafood options, the only thing I wanted was the fish tacos.  Even just narrowing it down to fish, they had a choice of salmon, halibut, tilapia, and the breaded halibut.  One order of breaded halibut (right) and one tilapia (left) covered the basics.  Seemly similar orange Baja sauce and shredded cabbage topped each of the tacos, but the similarity stopped there.  The breading was too thick and overcooked.  Even with the breading, it didn't stop the unfresh fishy taste to peek through.  Same for the tilapia.  Chunks of white fish that tasted like they were prefrozen, even lime couldn't hide the fishy flavor.

Large chunks of shrimp cerviche piled on top of a crispy tostada.  Unfortunately, the plump shrimp only looked enticing, but the taste was far from. 

Address:                 Orale Fish Tacos
                                1750 Winchester Blvd
                                Campbell, CA 
 

Type:                       Mexican/seafood

Popular chomps:     fish tacos
                                fish burritos  

Chomp worthy:       nothing