Skip to main content

Bay Area Trip '16

Last January my husband and I went on a weekend trip to the Bay area.  When we got off the plane we were starving (as usual)!  Our friends had made a list of recommended restaurants that we should try.  So when I was looking down the list, I wanted to eat somewhere where I know we'd get full for sure.  Korean BBQ at Gogi Time was the first place I chose to satisfy our bellies.

We came to this restaurant late at night on a weekday and it was busy- a good sign that this place was legit!  If you're not familiar with eating Korean BBQ, you get banchan (side dishes) first to eat and share with your fellow diners.  These small dishes are usually replenished throughout your whole meal:

The side dishes surrounding the grill and some vegetables that we ordered as part of our main course

Some of the main dishes we ordered for us to grill:

Marinated beef and chicken

We didn't take much photos because we were that hungry!  Overall, we were satisfied with the tender meats and their marinades.  Some items I recommend eating are Kimchi pancakes, Beef Brisket, Danmuji (pickled radishes), and BBQ Chicken.  

The price for All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ wasn't bad at all - starts at $25.  Also, if you're not in the mood for AYCE KBBQ, Gogi Time also has an a la carte menu and AYCE Chinese Hot Pot - there's something for everyone!

Gogi Time
2600 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 834-5757


The next morning we stopped by Donut Savant for a sweet breakfast:

Donut Savant

we got the baker's choice

Three unbelievable salted maple donuts - the sweetness and a saltiness create a perfect balance in your mouth, trust me!

cronette and cron't

dark chocolate frosted cron't

I felt cozy eating a cron't next to a fire place :)

They gave us a couple more treats - straight from the oven!

maple pecan

Eating all those donuts at once was one of the highest sugar intake we had in awhile.  We definitely felt a sugar rush/high, it was well worth it though!  What I liked about Donut Savant was that their donuts and cron'ts were not greasy and yet they retained all that sweetness and soft texture.  I recommend getting a baker's choice to find out which donut and/or cron't you like the best!

Donut Savant
1934 Broadway
Oakland, CA
(510) 972-8268


After we did some sightseeing in downtown SF, we decided to eat grilled cheese sandwiches at The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen.  There were so many kinds of items to choose from - breakfast sandwiches, grilled cheese ones, salads and soups!

Our awesome grilled cheese sandwiches each came with a pickle and apple:

Reuben Adams- Jarlsberg, New York pastrami, Sir Kensington's stone ground mustard, brussels "kraut", bread n' butter pickles, and garlic butter on rye served with housemade Russian dressing 

Club Turkey- cheddar, creamy havarti, Willie Bird smoked turkey, seasoned tomatoes, stone ground mustard, and arugula on sourdough

I don't think I've ever had gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches like those ever, I was impressed!  Even though there were a lot of ingredients in each sandwich, they all complimented their cheeses quite well.

The American Grilled Cheese Kitchen
1 S Park St
Apt 103A
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 243-0107


One morning my husband was craving for chicken & waffles so my friend recommended that we all check out Brown Sugar Kitchen in Oakland.  It was a busy cafe, but worth the wait!

We started off with Beignets - they're like a 'French fritter'

We all had the same breakfast entree!  It was my first time eating fried chicken with these type of waffles - they were made out of cornmeal.  I can still remember the slight gritty texture to the waffles:

Buttermilk Fried Chicken & Cornmeal Waffle- comes with brown sugar butter & apple cider syrup

just had to do a close-up

My friend ordered this second breakfast entree, wish I had the stomach to eat that much:

Smoked Pork Hash with two Poached Eggs

Brown Sugar Kitchen
2534 Mandela Pkwy
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 839-7685


This was our first visit to an oyster bar with a numerous kinds of oysters.  It made me wish to be an oyster connoisseur!  On this platter there's six different kinds of oysters.  There were all slightly different in taste depending on which ocean they came from: 

Hog Island Sweetwater from CA, Chelsea Gems from WA, Kodomo from WA, Blue Pool from WA, Pleasant Bay from MA, and 38 Degrees North from MD

We also indulged ourselves with some scallops, all the toppings made this dish light and refreshing:

Diver Scallop Crudo- Grapefruit & Lime Vinaigrette, Crispy Shallots, Cilantro, and Manzano Chili

Hog Island is located at the Ferry Building Marketplace.  There's a lot of cool local and artisan foods to check out here as well.

Hog Island Oyster Co.
1 Ferry Bldg
Shop 11
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 391-7117


On our last day we had our last meal at Burma Superstar.  I don't know if it was my first time trying Burmese food, I was completely blown away with their food!  The deliciousness level exceeded higher than my expectations!  If you haven't had Burmese food before, but have had Chinese, Indian, and Thai food, just think of all of those cuisines having a baby - that's Burmese food for ya:

Salt and Pepper Calamari

Tea Leaf Salad- Even if you're not really into eating salad, I implore you to try this salad!  This salad may change your life ;)

Burmese Samusas with veggies

Take a look at that filling!

Burmese Style Catfish Curry

a side of Coconut Rice- it was more like an entree!  I recommend eating this rice with your meal

This was an amazing foodie trip!  Thanks Mikey, Jason, and Koree for your suggestions :)

P.S.
Click here to see our post from our SF trip in 2012

Popular posts from this blog

Dirt Dog

If you are a hot dog fiend, I highly suggest checking out Dirt Dog ! They specialize in gourmet bacon-wrapped hot dogs.  They're originally from LA, recently opened shop here in Las Vegas and planning to open another location on The Strip: Interior Waiting in line 👍 Menu #DirtyChiliFries- topped with their house-made beef chili #FilthyFries- Guacamole, chipotle aioli, cheddar and cotija cheese The fries with Dirty Corn (can't leave without trying one)- Mexican crema, cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and bacon bits From left to right- #DirtyChiliDog, #TheGreenDog, and #TheVeggieDog.  There are 3 types of buns to choose from: traditional, Lobster (their most popular), and Portuguese (get this if you like your bread semi-sweet). Views- Their hot dogs are topped with onions, green and red bell peppers, and bacon bits Our lavish meal Glorious! Time to eat Beer, a perfect companion to hot dogs Had to make...

Herbs & Rye

After driving pass by  Herbs & Rye  for many years I finally went in to see what all the hype was about this place.  They serve classic cocktails that were popular during the Prohibition Era and before that time like the Gothic Age (unknown-1865) and Golden Age (1865-1900): Here's an example of of some of the drinks: I loved all the drinks they made, wasn't disappointed with any of them: Herbs & Rye also serves Italian food like  flatbreads , pasta, and  they're known for the steaks they cook, I'll try some next time!  I only had the appetite to drink: I really enjoyed my time here especially the atmosphere of a " speakeasy feel".  They get busy during the weekends so if you plan to dine in, make a reservation !

Hana Hou

During the last week of May, Bronsen and I went to Hawaii (my third trip) for vacation / family time / to eat! From my experience so far from eating Hawaiian local food, it consist an influential mix of traditional Hawaiian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, Polynesian, Portuguese, and American foods. If you're fond of any those ethnic foods like me, its like food heaven in Hawaii! We flew on our favorite airline, Hawaiian Airlines . Bronsen was hoping to get a nice meal than a snack because he always has a big appetite. His wish came true, the complimentary meal came with pasta with vegetables and vinegar dressing: and a big brownie!: Hawaiian Airlines going green: One night I was craving for saimin (ramen) noodles and spam musubi , a popular Hawaiian snack simply made with a block of rice, topped with a slice of spam, and wrapped in dried seaweed. Unfortunately, you can't see the noodles, its covered by the pork. I think there was more meat than the noodles! Hawa...