E U R O P E - part 1. London

POLLEN STREET SOCIAL 

I can't believe it's been so long since I posted about FOOD. Is my excuse of: work has been busy/ I haven't had time super lame? Yes, yes it is.

No more excuses - here it is: Our best meal in London (also our only meal in London which means we had to go big). Thank you to Phil and Steph for the amazing recommendation. Jason Atherton knows what he's doing in the kitchen and executes each dish to perfection. I will frequent this restaurant upon any return to London and hope everyone can try it out during their travels.

We opted for the tasting menu as this was our big night out/one of Joe's bday dinners during our 24 hour layover in London. Here is what we ate:

POLLEN STREET SOCIAL 

Chilled Pea soup, citrus creme fraiche, peas & gambas

English Breakfast 

Orkney Sea Scallop carpaccio, kohirabi, pomelo (my fav), yuzu jam, black olive & samphire

Cornish Turbot roasted with capers & brown butter, samphire almonds, white strawberries, caper gnocchi 

Roasted Lake District rack of Lamb, Shepherd's pie, Sweetbreads, braised lettuce, morels & mustard seed

Cumbrian Pork Belly & Cheek, Mrs Brown's black pudding, almond crumb, apricot puree, fondant potatoes

English Strawberry soup, yoghurt foam, cucumber granite

Caramel popcorn & sweet corn cream

Granny Smith apple parfait, blueberry, shiso & eucalyptus

I opted for the Lamb as my main course and Joe went with the Pork Belly. Both were delicious, unique and fun. The meal itself lasted about three and a half hours which was a perfect way to get through our jet lag. We split a bottle of Red Wine during the dinner and to start I ordered a glass of bubbles (shocker) while Joe tried an Old Fashioned (duh). The portion sizes were perfect and the desserts were very light and a perfect way to end the meal. I am proud to report that Joe and I were members of the clean plate club for each course! 

My favorite of the night was the English Breakfast - soft scrambled eggs topped with mashed potato, pork jus and bacon bits.. served in an egg (see above photo). It was glorious. I could have ate 5 more. Just writing about it is making me hungry and now I want to fly to London to eat this dish again.

Runner up to the English Breakfast was the Turbot. The fish was cooked to perfection with a nice crust and the caper gnocchi was a unique and delicious compliment to the fish. I was also surprised at how sweet the white strawberries were. Yum!

This was definitely a successful layover in London - Joe and I knocked off multiple tourist attractions (Big Ben, London Eye, Buckingham Palace, London Bridge, and a stroll thru Piccadilly Circus) had a fabulous dinner at the amazing Pollen Street Social in Soho, and finished the night with a cocktail at the new Shangri-La at the Shard over-looking all of London town :) 

Best way to start our European vacation!  Next stop - Norway!

Date Night in San Carlos: Johnston's Saltbox

Last Friday was date night for Joe and I which we were both looking forward to after a long week of work. We have been trying to find local restaurants near our place in San Mateo to go during the week as an alternative to driving to the city. We struck gold with Johnston's Saltbox in San Carlos! The restaurant has only been open for 13 weeks but you wouldn't even know as it was packed with locals when we arrived. They don't take bookings and due to size can only seat parties of 6 or smaller but pay no attention to those details because the food and atmosphere is worth the wait. To accommodate diners, the patio (pictured above) is open while you wait with direct access to the bar. We arrived at 7pm and were told the next available table would be ready in about an hour. To hold us over Joe got a beer and I had a glass of sparkling Rosé with some marinated olives. The chalkboard menu reads "Wait and Wine" which I found quite clever.

After waiting for only 35 minutes a table became available and we were quickly seated inside and on our way to a fabulous dinner. We started with a daily special of Yellowfin Carpaccio with a tomato salad and avocado paste. The Yellowfin was extremely fresh and the tomato salad brightened up the fish while the avocado added a soft balance. We could have ate 3 more servings each it was so good! We then moved on to a simple Rooftop Garden Salad that was made up of the restaurants daily harvested lettuce, radish, goat cheese and local olive oil and sherry vinegar dressing. The owner, Sean Johnston, started a rooftop herb garden and tries to incorporate as many items from the garden into his menu. Anyone is allowed to check it out too which adds to the dining experience. 

For the main course Joe ordered the Pan Seared Salmon over green rice with almonds and summer squash while I had the Roasted Chicken with summer vegetable succotash, potato mash topped with chicken ju and fried okra. Both dishes were full of flavor and the perfect size. My chicken came with the bone in and roasted crispy skin (the best part in my opinion .. although my scale would say otherwise!). Joe's salmon was a perfect medium rare and the almonds added a nice crunch. The vegetables in both dishes were so fresh and the chef highlighted their natural flavor by not adding any overpowering spices or sauces. Our wine of choice was Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia Highlands which complimented the chicken and salmon well. 

To finish off our meal we sampled the warm peach pie with salted caramel, vanilla ice cream and graham cracker crumble... it was amazing! It was served as a mini individual pie and heated through so the peaches melted in your mouth. The contrasting cold vanilla ice cream sat on a bed of graham cracker crumble and the salted caramel was served on the side so you could add as much as you like to the ice cream. 

Needless to say - Joe and I were members of the clean plate club on Friday night. I'm so happy we found this hidden gem in our neck of the woods and I can't wait to go back and try their weekend brunch and lunch menu too! Plus everything is seasonal and always changing so we will never get bored. Date night on the Peninsula was a complete success - can't wait for our next one :)   


  

Father's Day in SF

One of the reasons I wanted to move back to the US was to be closer to family. This past Sunday was a perfect day celebrating my Dad and I couldn't be happier that our family was all together in the same city and I wasn't frantically trying to Facetime him Monday morning before heading to work in Sydney.

The plan was to surprise him with Giant’s tickets so I made up a brunch reservation near the Ferry Building so that my parents could take the Larkspur ferry and meet us in the city. We met them at Hog Island for some “pre-brunch drinks” where we gave our dad a Giant’s t-shirt and tickets for the 1PM game. Success! He was so surprised!

The line was at least 25 people deep before the doors even opened at Hog Island (not shocking) but thankfully we were able to get a seat right away. They have the system down and everyone who works there is very efficient. Plus menu isn't huge so the food comes quickly. 

We started off with a couple Bloody Mary’s and some beer to help with our hangover from the night before. I usually prefer a mimosa in the morning but lately I've been trying to expand my horizon. The Bloody Mary isn't spicy but there are various hot sauces on the table so you can add as much heat as you need which is nice. With our drinks came a dozen fresh oysters – half Kumamoto’s and half Hog Island Sweetwaters. The Hog Island Sweetwaters are a pacific oyster that are sweet tasting (the name kinda gives that one away) with a smoky finish. They are slightly larger than the Kumamoto’s which are my all-time favorite and will usually sell out by the end of the day. The “Hog wash” that accompanies the oysters has become quite famous and Hog Island even advertises the recipe on their website (they also add it to their Bloody Mary’s – super yum). 

              

We quickly proceeded to our main courses: 2 clam chowders, sriracha grilled oysters, cowgirl creamery grilled cheese with homemade pickles, old bay fries and a mixed green salad with sherry-dijon vinaigrette. The clam chowder and grilled oysters stole the show while the grilled cheese was good but the Gruyere was a little strong. The chowder broth was a perfect consistency (not too thin, not too thick), well balanced with flavor, perfect for bread dipping, and the bowl was overflowing with fresh manila clams. The potatoes were cooked perfectly and the bacon didn't overpower the overall dish. I will definitely order the chowder when I go back especially if it’s cold outside.

Hog Island is one of my favorite places to go and I will continue to frequent their Ferry Building restaurant as often as I can. I would crave their oysters when I was living abroad and I’m so glad we stopped in for Father's Day.

Unfortunately the Giants went on to lose to the Rockies in the 8^th inning which was pretty heart breaking but all in all it was a perfect day and I’d like to think my Dad would say the same :) 

Weekend Getaway - Lake Tahoe

Our first weekend getaway after moving back to the Bay Area and what a great destination! I honestly cannot remember the last time I was in Lake Tahoe. The lake brings back so many memories from my childhood and I am so happy I was able to spend time in this amazing place with Joe.

We were fortunate enough to stay at the Ritz-Carlton Highlands property and it was absolutely stunning! Even after hitting a bit of traffic getting out of San Mateo on Friday night we still made it by 11PM - just in time to climb into that glorious Ritz-Carlton king size bed and fall into a deep slumber...

Our morning started early with breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Manzanita. We figured we should get started with a big breakfast in preparation for the hike we had planned. Joe went with the Filet Mignon Breakfast Burrito while I decided on the Fried Egg Sandwich on Sourdough with apple smoked bacon, gruyere cheese, arugula, and fresh tomato - YUM. Both portions were huge but so good. Joe's breakfast burrito consisted of scrambled eggs, cotija cheese, cilantro and of course - filet mignon (add some hot sauce and it was pretty close to perfection). My breakfast sandwich was full of flavour and the eggs were cooked just how I requested - over easy. The fresh tomato really added to the sandwich and helped "lighten" it up.

After completely over-indulging at breakfast it was time to hit the road and get started on our hike up to Spur Trail Lookout just down the road from the hotel. I completely forgot how much the altitude affects your breathing but we made it to the top in no time and got to enjoy this lovely view!

 

We returned to the hotel with plenty of time to relax and enjoy the spa before our massage appointments at 3PM. The spa has a separate "adults only" heated lap pool that looks out onto the mountain where you can order drinks and food while taking in the scenery. Apparently the main pool fills up with kids during the summer so this is a nice escape for guests who want some quiet time. In an attempt to "eat light" before our treatment we decided to split a meal at the pool.. minor detail tho - the meal we split was the 24-hour smoked brisket sandwich with a side of "tater salad" and "tossed greens with spicy chipotle dressing". The sandwich comes with a bucket of 4 different homemade BBQ sauces so you can pick and choose to your liking. My personal favorite was the honey smoked sauce. Definitely recommend this sandwich - they know what they're doing with the brisket! A quick nap in the sun and it was time for our 80 minute massage. I went with the Signature Ritz-Carlton and added on a foot therapy while Joe opted for the Hot Stone - both are highly recommended and a perfect mid-afternoon activity. 

Before dinner we ventured to the lobby bar where Joe ordered his usual Old Fashioned and I tried the "Mountain Mule" a fun take on the infamous Moscow Mule that is trending in all types of bars nowadays. We enjoyed our pre-dinner cocktail at the courtyard fire-pit where the hotel also serves up smores in the evening. 

I was really looking forward to dinner, especially after such an amazing breakfast experience but unfortunately I have to admit, it was sub-par. We started with a butter lettuce salad (standard) and the crispy pork belly with white cheddar grits, housemade kim-chi and parmesan chicharrons (excellent). No complaints on the starter front - both were excellent. The housemade kim-chi went perfect with the pork belly without overpowering it by being too sour or too spicy. I hummed and hawed over what to order as my main course: Salmon with fava bean mash, wild mushrooms and pea shoots or hand made Tagliatelle with asparagus, mint, meyer lemon, pecorino and brown butter. Both were a little boring but after the huge breakfast and brisket sandwich for lunch I wanted something on the lighter side. Our waiter assured me the Salmon was served medium rare with a pink center - so salmon it was! To my disappointment the salmon was over cooked when it got to the table but the fava bean mash had a lot of flavour (lemon zest and olive oil) and the mushrooms went well with the dish to my surprise. Joe decided to go all the way on the red meat front and had the 12-hour Bordeaux Braised Short Ribs over creamy polenta and pine nut and fennel gremolata. Extremely rich but melt-in-your-mouth goodness. I definitely had buyers remorse and plate envy looking across the table at his dish. Our waiter could sense my disappointment (I'm pretty bad at hiding my emotions) and sent us their signature Molten Chocolate Cake with Salted Caramel Gelato which 100% made up for the over cooked salmon faux pas. The picture unfortunately doesn't do this dessert justice so if you ever dine at a Ritz-Carlton restaurant and they offer this item - order it. 

 Waking up the next morning I felt fantastic - Joe on the other hand was struggling to pull himself together. Too much red meat is not a good thing and he was feeling the side effects of his meal choices the day prior. We went down to the in-house coffee shop (they serve Blue Bottle Coffee - win!) and got some smoothies and coffee to hold us over while we played a round of Bocce Ball in the courtyard. Added bonus of this hotel - in the summer they have a Bocce Court, Corn Hole and Frisbee Golf! I was hungry for some substance after Bocce so we split an egg sandwich from the coffee shop. Scrambled eggs, american cheese and thinly sliced deli ham on an english muffin - the simplicity was exactly what we needed. If it ain't broke - don't fix it. 

To end our weekend getaway we lounged at the pool for a couple hours talking about how we want to come back and visit this hotel again very soon. While we talked we also ordered more food - shocker. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to order the Pork Ribs from the Backyard BBQ kitchen which by the way will absolute kill it in the winter. It's a ski-in, ski-out BBQ kitchen located in the center of the hotel courtyard - amazing! According to the hotel - "The Backyard Bar & BBQ features a 'blues, brews and BBQ' concept

with the menu offering traditional barbeque favorites" - Apres ski perfection if you ask me. Back to the ribs - YUM is all I can say. Yum, yum, yum ... fall off the bone, finger-licking good. There is a nice dark crust on the outside and the meat is oh so tender. I highly recommend ordering the "slaw" to accompany the ribs - it's vinegar based so it balances out the richness of the BBQ sauce and pork ribs. The home-made kettle chips with rosemary seasoning are an added bonus since you get to pick 2 sides with your order. We decided on splitting the half rack which was plenty of food considering all the food we ate in the past 24 hours. But if I was ordering lunch after a morning of skiing or hiking I would definitely go for the full rack. Well worth it.

So all in all I would say our first "USA Getaway" was a success! If you're looking for a quick holiday out of the city then Tahoe is a great place to go. Being up there for the weekend reminded me of what a special place Lake Tahoe is and I can't wait to go back.

We even got to stop by my parents place in Petaluma on the way home and enjoy my moms famous "Prosciutto and Pea" shell pasta. Recipe coming soon ...

Cheers!    

Welcome

Welcome to the Clean Plate Club ! I've recently moved to the Bay Area after living abroad in Sydney, Australia for the past two and half years. It's hard to believe that my time in Sydney is now a memory of the past. Australia is such an amazing country and Sydney is an unbelievable city.

Now it's time to start this new chapter of my life and The Clean Plate Club will be my guide. Food and travel have always been passions of mine. While I was cleaning out my old room at my parents house I came across one of my many travel journals from when I was 10 years old. It was my first trip to Europe and our destination was Italy. Reading back the entries 16 years later I found myself describing what we ate for breakfast, lunch and dinner in great detail. I even wrote about what we ate on the plane ! Finding this old travel journal inspired me to start The Clean Plate Club - the expression I have grown so fond of over the years. Albeit, as a child I sometimes despised the term when I was being forced to finish my plate of broccoli but now I adore the phrase and simply cannot leave the table until the plate has been wiped clean (thank you mom).

Having just moved back to the Bay Area after living elsewhere (Arizona for school, Newport Beach post-college and most recently Sydney, Australia) I am so excited to explore the city I have always called home with new eyes and a fresh palette. So much of the culinary world has changed and evolved since moving away but at the same time so much has stayed the same. So please join me on my culinary journey one plate at a time. I'll be dining out, eating in, cooking myself and attempting to feed my inner travel bug that always seems to be hungry. And of course, no one is allowed to leave my table until they've joined The Clean Plate Club.