Brunch. San Francisco, USA

November 2019

No trip to San Francisco would be complete without a good brunch.  For a bakery lover’s delight, head to Mr Holmes Bakehouse in Lower Nob Hill, great for grabbing brunch on the go.  Think matcha white chocolate coated croissants, cruffins (croissant/ muffin hybrid), churro croissants, crème brulee danishes, and a daily changing donut which can be anything from lemon meringue to smoked bacon and Baileys.  But be quick, they close once they sell out.

I found the raspberry buttercream of the raspberry hibiscus croissant overpowered any hibiscus notes and was overly sweet, and the Bostock was also disappointing – crunchy, dry and heavy going.  The lemon meringue donut, though, was a winner.  Oozing with tangy lemon custard and topped with a smooth dome of lightly torched meringue.  Deliciously messy, sticky fingers, sugar coated lips, just how any great donut should be.  It’s lemon meringue pie, it’s a donut, it’s lemon meringue pie, it’s a donut…I loved it!

For a more leisurely affair and hands down the best brunch…possibly ever, head to True Laurel in Mission District.  Take some friends so you can share several dishes as you’ll never be able to choose from all the exciting offerings on their menu.  The house made coconut yogurt is a great appetiser – thick and creamy yogurt balances caramelised pineapple, and the toasted coconut flakes give it an exciting texture.  

Move on to the ultimate in toasted sandwiches – omelette, herby sausage, tartare sauce and gooey cheese.  There’s no way you’ll get your mouth around this one! It’s so tasty that you don’t even feel bad that’s it’s a fry up in sandwich form.  Finish off with cornmeal pancakes dripping with sweet corn butter and smoked maple syrup.  The smokeyness really shone through and meant every bite of the soft, fluffy pancakes was divine.  Wash it down with the unusual offerings on their drinks menu, if you can choose!  I suggest the True Brew as your ‘coffee’.  Cold brew coffee, coffee liqueur, sherry and crème blend perfectly to give a smooth, sophisticated and very moorish coffee.  Not too rich and with a delicate kick of alcohol, this is everything you want in a brunch accompanying drink.  As your ‘juice’ go for the Quinine Cobbler – fruity, sparkly, a little bit bitter and topped with pomegranate seeds which add a delightful pop.  This is a place for a long, relaxing brunch and an opportunity for a good chinwag with friends.