Dandelion Chocolate

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There is always room in the city for another chocolate and dessert shop.  With Craftsman & Wolves (see post HERE) right next door, its hard to decide which sweet shop to indulge in.  Even though C&W is quite popular, walking inside Dandelion Chocolate, I wasn't prepared for the room to be filled to the brim with so many die hard chocolate fans. 
Looking around the shop, its hard to take in all the glorious chocolate items.  From chocolate books to clothing, to a chalkboard sprawled with classes and tours, its sort of like being inside TCHO (see post HERE).

Besides the drinking chocolates, chocolate bars, and chocolate dessert, they do have a dessert thats not overwhelmingly chocolatey for those that aren't chocolate obsessed.  The creme fraiche cheesecake has a nice tartness to it.    The blood orange gelee and candied kumquats gives this dessert texture and a nice freshness.

Papua New Guinea s'more - 7x7 2014 Big Eat

At first I tried to be dainty and proper and use a knife and fork to cut into this gorgeous s'more, but the stickiness of the marshmallow ends up getting everywhere.  Its much better to just pick it up with your hands and enjoy.  The toasted marshmallow gives a surprisingly caramelized taste.  Its like a sophisticated s'more.

updated - Working my way through the 2014 7x7's SF big eat 100 things  

Address:                Dandelion Chocolate
                               740 Valencia St.
                               San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                      dessert

Popular chomps:    European drinking chocolate
                               frozen hot chocolate
                               PB&J tart
                               s'more                               

Chomp worthy:      s'more
                               cheesecake          

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       

Green Champa Garden

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Finally, Laotian food can be found outside of Oakland.  Green Champa Garden, no relation to Champa Garden (see post HERE), lends a much needed variety of Asian food to the Fremont area.  With a ton of Chinese and Indian restaurants in the Fremont area, I can definitely see this being a popular spot down the line.

Nam kao (rice ball salad) is probably one of the more favorite and popular dishes of all Laotian cuisine.  Its crispy texture of the rice along with the spicy and citrus flavors make this dish a unique winning combination for most people.  I do prefer Champa Gardens and Vietiene's version of nam kao over Green Champa Garden, but if you've never had anything to compare to it, then this version can be quite good.

One of the greatest things of Southeast Asian cuisine is their knack of creating well balanced combinations of spicy, citrus, and sweetness without any one flavor overpower the next.  Larb is another one of my favorite Lao dishes.  This one seemed to be missing some oomph and could have used a lot more spiciness.  Not to mention the beef doesn't come out raw, but actually its ground beef.  However, upon request they did bring out some housemade Thai chili sauce, nam prik pao, which I love and poured over everything. 

I could have been happy with just larb, papaya salad, and nam kao, but I figured I should have a go at a noodle or a curry dish.  Noodles won out today.  The drunken noodles was probably the weakest of all the dishes.  The noodles stuck together in a clumpy mess and the flavor of the dish didn't stand out compared to the rest of the meal.   

I can't decide which I love more - nuoc mam (fish sauce) or nam prik pao (Thai chili sauce).  If you ask, they will bring out their housemade nam prik pao, which I highly recommend.  This makes everything delish and helps to up the spicy level to my liking.

While I rarely order desserts at Asian restaurants, I have to say that the roti with ice cream was probably the best dish of the meal.  Fluffy, buttery roti topped with vanilla ice cream that melted in a sweet sauce.  So delicious.  I'd come back just for this.

Address:                Green Champa Garden
                               42318 Fremont Blvd
                               Fremont, CA
 

Type:                      Laotian

Popular chomps:    nam kao
                                roti with ice cream

Chomp worthy:      roti with ice cream       

Sunflower

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I've walked by the Sunflower in the Mission many times, but never really felt the need to go in.  The absence of any Asian customers gave off Slanted Door vibes (high prices and lackluster food). 

I had almost given hope on any bun (vermicelli) in San Francisco, but I have to admit that this is one of the better versions of bun I've had.  The prices aren't even that bad.  At around $9 (which is actually cheap for SF), the portion size is really generous with a lot of noodles and meat plus two giant fried egg rolls.  The lemongrass beef was well cooked giving the beef a tender and juicy flavor.  The only gripes for me is the small portion of nuoc mam (fish sauce), which barely covers the surface of the heaping portion of vermicelli, and the vermicelli noodles cut into super small strands.  That being said, I'd go back to get this one again, but ask for extra nuoc mam.

Five spice chicken with vermicelli - 7x7 2014 Big Eat

The five spice chicken vermicelli is actually my usual vermicelli order when I eat bun, but while the chicken is well cooked and juicy, the flavor is bland and is probably one of the tasteless ones I've ever had.

Usually my go to Vietnamese garlic noodles is PPQ, but I had to try Sunflower's version since it was one of their popular dishes.  While it doesn't have a super garlic flavor like PPQ's, it is a lot less oily.  Don't get fooled on the shrimp upsell like I did.  The measly five shrimp was more of an afterthought and didn't add anything to the dish.  The shrimp didn't even much garlic flavor.

updated - Working my way through the 2014 7x7's SF big eat 100 things 

 

Address:                  Sunflower
                                 288 Connecticut St.
                                 San Francisco, CA  

Type:                        Vietnamese

Popular chomps:      garlic noodles
                                  five spice chicken vermicelli
                                  pho
 

Chomp worthy:         garlic noodles      

Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate

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Valentine's Day is synonymous with chocolates.  Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates is not just a chocolate shop, but a small cafe that serves specialty hot chocolate.

Hot chocolate choices range from peanut butter to coconut curry flavor.  If you aren't feeling adventurous, they have a really good regular hot chocolate flavor as well.  The deep chocolate flavor is made even more deletable with a homemade marshmallow.

You can't walk into a chocolate shop and not get some chocolates.  From top left; clockwise: maple bourbon, bananas foster, pear, and passion fruit caramel.  My favorite from the bunch was the banana foster.  If you can't wait till you get home to eat the chocolates, you can opt to sit in their seating area on the side of the shop.

  

Address:                Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolate
                               401 Hayes St.
                               San Francisco, CA
   

Type:                      cafe/dessert

Popular chomps:    hot chocolate

Chomp worthy:      hot chocolate
                               chocolate   

Blue Bottle

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Before there was the Blue Bottle Oakland (see post HERE), Blue Bottle in Heath Ceramics (see post HERE), or any Blue Bottle for that matter, there was just this one.  This humble abode, which is the size of a garage, is where it all began.  I love coming to this one and sitting along the sidewalk to enjoy my usual pour over and having an occasional cookie.

My usual pour over coffee.  I remember when Blue Bottle coffee didn't have the emblem.

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Although people come to Blue Bottle for the coffee, they do serve up some really scrumptious ones.  Especially if you like the soft chewy type cookies, like I do.  The snickerdoodle is a popular favor here.  This one has a really great soft baked texture.

Chocolate is one of those flavors that pairs amazingly well with coffee and I'm pretty well known to enjoy a chocolate chip cookie with my coffee.  The double chocolate chip cookie has a good punch of chocolate without tasting like its too much (yes, I do think there is something as too much chocolate).

  

Address:                  Blue Bottle Coffee
                                 315 Linden St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       coffee

Popular chomps:     pour over
                                latte
                                New Orleans iced coffee
                               

Chomp worthy:       pour over
                                latte
                                New Orleans iced coffee
         

Tout Sweet Patisserie

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I've been meaning to check out Tout Sweet Patisserie, especially since I was a huge fan of Yigit Pura when he was on Top Chef.  This sweet cafe is located on the 3rd Floor of Macy's.  Don't get confused like I did and wander around in the basement food court looking for it.

There are a lot of tempting sweets that I will definitely be back to try at another time.

I had heard somewhere that these macarons were on par with Laduree and since Laudree has yet to make an appearance on the West Coast (they have a location in New York), I don't mind looking for a West Coast substitution until one opens up.  A good chewy texture along with flavorful fun fillings.  I'd have to say its probably among the best I've had in the Bay Area (Brodard's in LA does it for me- see post HERE)

From top left; clockwise: Burnt caramel with sea salt, Aztec spicy chocolate, orange creamsicle, burnt caramel (repeat), dark chocolate. 

From top left; clockwise: Raspberry & Wu Long Rouge Tea, Tahitian vanilla, Earl Grey Tea Infused Dark Chocolate, Sicilian Pistachio & ceylon cinnamon.

updated - Working my way through the 2014 7x7's SF big eat 100 things  

        

Address:                  Tout Sweet Patisserie
                               170 O'Farrell St.
                               San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                       dessert/cafe

Popular chomps:      macarons

Chomp worthy:       macarons      

Chocolate Lab

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The Chocolate Lab has made a nice home in the old Piccino space in Potrero Hill.  The cozy interior is the perfect spot to enjoy all things chocolate.

Besides chocolate items, they do serve scones, sticky buns, and quiche.

Of course, in a place called Chocolate Lab, you have to get their version of hot chocolate - drinking chocolate.  It's not as thick as TCHO's version (see post HERE), its just as chocolatey with a true chocolate flavor.  And the homemade vanilla bean marshmallows make this hot chocolate even more delicious.

I had to take a double look when I saw this chocolate risotto on the menu.  I had never seen a sweet risotto before.  I was actually thinking it would be more of a rice pudding than a risotto, turns out its somewhere in between.  The risotto is actually served warm.  Both the warm chocolate and the popping crispy balls were an experience in itself.  All in all a creative dish. 

The meat quiche seems to be another popular item here.  Along with the custardy filling and the buttery crust, this quiche makes for a delightful savory bite. 

Even though I came here for brunch, I feel like this is one of those places you must indulge in a dessert.  The brownie sundae was sinfully chocolatey with a thick gooey chocolate syrup to push the chocolateness to the nth level.

Address:                  Chocolate Lab
                                 801 22nd St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                        American/cafe/brunch

Popular chomps:      goat cheese souffle
                                  brownie a la mode
                                  drinking chocolate

Chomp worthy:         drinking chocolate      

M.Y. China

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Honestly, I've walked by M.Y. China many times and never really thought I'd ever step foot in Martin Yan's most recent restaurant establishment.  Having grown up on Martin Yan on KQED, I've tried a couple of his restaurants and found them really unappetizing.  M.Y China is an attempt to bring a mostly Mandarin style menu to the mall crowds in a slightly more upscale environment.  Most of their dishes revolve around hand pulled noodles, which is rather exciting since its not commonly found in SF proper (more so in the South Bay area).   

Beef noodle soup is to Taiwanese people as won ton noodle soup is to Hong Kong people.  I've never been to crazy about this soup, but I can appreciate a good bowl, especially during the winter.  The best thing about this soup is the hand pulled noodles.  Since the noodles are hand pulled and cut, they come in various thicknesses and textures so each bite of noodles is something different.  Everything else about this soup was lackluster, from the too salty broth to the gristly slices of beef.

The wild boar scissor cut noodles are the known specialty in this restaurant.  Its appearance is on almost every table in the restaurant.  While I do have to applaud Martin Yan for bringing hand pulled noodles to the masses, this scissor cut noodles lacks any of the pan fried noodle bits found in these types of dishes.  If you've never had scissor cut noodles, the noodles are actually fun to eat and gives a different texture to the average Chinese noodle.  The flavoring reminds me a lot of beef chow fun. 

The Shandong beef rolls were one of the better dishes I had this meal.  Thin slices of beef are wrapped in a thin pancake crepe and topped with sweet hoisin sauce.  The flavor is pretty good, but the meat is too chewy and seems to be a lower grade of beef.

Inside the beef shandong rolls.

     

Address:                   MY China
                                  Westfield Shopping Centre
                                  845 Market St. 4th Floor
                                  San Francisco, CA 
 

Type:                         Chinese

Popular chomps:       wild boar dumplings
                                   wild boar scissor cut noodles
                                   truffle dumplings
                                   dan dan noodles
                                   beef hand pulled noodle soup

Chomp worthy:          nothing   

Curry Corner Takeaway

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Curry Corner Takeaway resides in a seemingly abandoned strip mall in Hayward, but just stepping into this small restaurant, you'll find that there is a steady stream of regular customers.  Chef Saras cooks up doesn't exactly have a set menu and cooks whatever she feels like daily.  Her food is Fijian Indian, which is more common than you think in this part of the Bay Area. 

Today's noshings was rice with lamb and chicken along with a side of vegetables.  The flavors are somewhat similar to Indian, but with a dash of islander spices.  For $8 for the combo, its a really good deal and can easily feed 2 people.  The food is a tad on the spicy side, but I prefer that.

A side of vegetables is given with every combination plate.  This also changes regularly.  From top left: curry potatoes, spinach, and tomato chutney.  While all the food is good, the tomato chutney is wow worthy and should be bottled up and sold in stores, its that good.

Address:                Curry Corner Takeaway
                              26657 Mission Blvd
                              Hayward, CA
 

Type:                      Indian

Popular chomps:     daily combination

Chomp worthy:       tomato chutney        

Sightglass

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There are something about coffee shops and airy open spaces.  Especially in the city, spaces like that seem to be occupied by mostly coffee shops.  Sightglass has to be at the top of the list of most gorgeous spaces in the city. 

Its a fun sight to see them roasting the beans on site while you order your coffee.

The view of the roaster from the second floor is even better.

I never have much luck with coffee lids as they always seem to leak all over me.  Sightglass's cup is no exception.  A good pour of quality coffee, but unfortunately, a quarter of it ended up spilling out.

Address:                 Sightglass Coffee
                                270 7th St.
                                San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                      coffee

Popular chomps:    pour over
                                latte

Chomp worthy:      pour over       

Euro Delight Bakery

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I'm always ready to check out a new bakery, especially an Asian one.  Once you walk into Euro Delight Bakery, you are greeted with the smell of freshly baked good and a wonderful smell of buttery, sugary goodness.

While Euro Delight Bakery is known for their cakes and other baked items, I headed straight for one thing - their green pandan waffles.  Always a good sign, their waffles are made fresh upon ordering. 

While their pandan waffles has scattered shreds of coconuts mixed with the waffle batter, it was a little limp and bland.  It also didn't have the nice crispy edges I've had in better pandan waffles, like at my standing favorite  -Nuoc Mia Vien Dong 2 (see post HERE)

Address:                    Euro Delight Bakery
                                   1816 Tully Rd.
                                   San Jose, CA
 

Type:                          Vietnamese/bakery

Popular chomps:        green waffle
                                    cakes
     

Chomp worthy:           nothing