An Edible Voyage

November 2019 Micro-roasteries are popping up all over the city.  My favourite was the Lady Falcon Coffee Club for a perfect flat white from their truck.  Located up a hill in the Alamo Square Park, you can sit out on the grass in front of the Painted Ladies, with a 270 degree view over the city and bay.  They also have beans for sale in their funky packaging. 

November 2019 Gelato, classic or innovative, take your pick of ice cream shop in San Francisco.   I love experimental interpretations of conventional foods so I couldn’t walk passed Salt and Straw in Hayes Valley without having to go in to investigate.   Flavours change monthly so being a week before Thanksgiving, that was the theme of most of their flavours.   Think turkey, sweet potato casserole, stuffing and pumpkin pie in ice cream form.   Initially I wasn’t convinced, however taking a look at the ingredients revealed how cleverly this had been done.   I sampled the Thanksgiving turkey – caramelised turkey skin folded in to salted caramel ice cream.   An explosion of flavours – sweet, salty and a definite meatiness that meant it had a very rich mouth feel.   Delicious as a sample but not sure I could have managed a whole scoop.   Much fresher was the goats cheese and winter spice ice cream, streaked with baked pumpkin pie.   The ta...

November 2019 The home of the Mission Burrito, you won’t walk far in San Francisco before coming across a Mexican restaurant.  Handy for anything from a good value, filling snack, to a gourmet Mexican inspired feast.  A stand-out burrito for me was the fried plantain and black bean offering at The Little Chihuahua in Polk Gulch.  It jumped out at me as it was a little more unusual than the standard meat and shrimp fillings.  The fried plantain was almost caramelised, giving a sweetness to balance the smoked chilli salsa and roasted bell peppers, and the black beans ensured there was a bit of bite to it rather than a monotonous soft texture.  With only a sprinkling of cheese, a dab of sour cream and fresh coriander pico de gallo, this burrito was fresh and lively.  There are 3 other branches across the city.

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 mering...