Le Charm & to Stay Charming..

OMG.

I went on a date with a nice boy one dark Thursday night. We sat down, ordered, chatted, sipped, got deeper into conversation, and then.... my heart started racing.......

The food came.

I got more excited about what was on the table than from what was behind it. oops.

LOOKIE!

Divine Orange Crème Brulée

Mouth-watering Chocolate Moëlleux served with white chocolate ganache and a hot dark chocolate heart

Is it bad etiquette to take photos of gorgeous food while on a date?

Patisserie Delanghe

Princess Cake: Layered pound cake, cream pudding, raspberry jelly, & whipped cream topped with green Marzipan. DELECTABLE. The perfect sugar grainy consistency Marzipan topping was the perfect complement to the soft, lightness bite of the cake. This is something to say YUM about.


Next time, I'm ordering the LARGE slice. INDULGENCE at its finest.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

[Trader Joe's mix]

hehe. So I decided to experiment baking in the new kitchen. Beginner's baking, of course. I got real creative, you see, and added semi-sweet chocolate chips into the pumpkin bread mix! It turned out wonderfully inviting. hahaha. Added Vanilla frosting and voilà! Decadent dessert for a flat of three and for the neighbors downstairs.

My flatmate recounted that she dreamt of my baked goods, then proceeded to buy Vanilla frozen yogurt at the Safeway downstairs to accompany the deliciousness. Success!

Yumma's Baklava

After an inspiring day at the de Young with my lovely friend, Ms. Shop A. Holick, spent admiring the Yves Saint Laurent special exhibit and the Maya Lin installments, I went home slightly hungry. Good thing I picked up a square of Baklava at Yumma's earlier on in the day.

Taste Test: Walnut-y, Flakey, Sweet! HOWEVER, I could tell it had been sitting in the yucky plastic display case for a while. There was hardly any moisture left, or maybe none to begin with! That does not a baklava make. It was not nearly as sweet and sticky compared to the ones I devoured everyday in Athens or have concocted at home. hmph.

Here. Pretty but deceiving! :)

Chou Chou!

one word: DELIGHTFUL!!! :)

Met up with my lovely friend here for brunch on a Sunday afternoon in Forest Hill. The native French owner smothered us with slobbery kisses on the cheek and lead us to a table for two. We ordered the scrumptious French Onion Soup, Parisienne omelet, and the sampler plate of tarts: Apricot, Chantilly, Nutty Chocolate, & Mandarin Orange (my favourite). I was very disappointed that they ran out of the Chocolate Pear Tart! boo. But the other tarts were still delicious... expensive but delicious.

The real highlight of the meal was the French café. It was so smooth and enjoyable. No bitterness. I'm going to go back for my Choc. Pear Tart and French Coffee.

Laiola

Let's just say.. for tapas, stick to Cha-Cha-Cha's!! Laiola definitely serves true European-style tapas, however, being an indulging greedy American, I need quantity AND quality.

Bread Pudding: warm & un-sensational.. but I still kept diving in for more... probably because I was still hungry from the un-filling tapas.

Disappointed. But at least I got to try Blood Sausage! Surprisingly tasty.See? Even the picture is ugly. Sigh.

Tart to Heart

After a day at the Academy of Sciences, feet aching, I had to step into Tart to Tart to treat myself. Being new to the city, I didn't know that this place was a chain. But it's okay, I enjoyed the company of me outside at a table for two.

A time to reflect and to people watch. I particularly enjoyed being seated next to, on the other side of the window, a man in his late 30s, dressed business casual, drinking coffee, with an iPhone bulging out of his Dockers pocket.. flipping through THREE comic books! It was surely endearing. Men will always be boys at heart.. made me smile. :)

Dehydrated, I ordered a Raspberry Italian Soda and an Almond Cream Tart. The Italian soda quenched my thirst! The tart was a bit crispy, a little dry... definitely could've used more "cream." Powdered sugar on top added a nice aesthetic touch, but otherwise nothing surprising.

Next time, I might order an éclair as I saw a prim Japanese business man order one for him and his friend as I was walking out.

Chez Maman

In Potrero Hill.

What an intimate vibe, like I was in my French mother's kitchen. One bar, two tables. A short wait later, my friend and I were seated by the very friendly, loud and quirky French owner. haha. I want to be his friend. He would probably make fun of me all the time and I would laugh and love it.

We both ordered burgers, since I heard they were stellar. Served on broiche with frites and a mixed greens salad. The burger was delicious! Juicy, medium (as I liked it), and satisfied my taste buds. Next time, I will try it with an egg, this time I got it with bacon. Should've ordered a crepe but got the Creme Brulee instead since we were very full. Not so great. Watery and looked like they were in a hurry to make it.. it was nearing closing time.

I would make another trip. Very cozy. Perfect for a solo meal as well. I eyed a man eating mussels alone at the bar. Content!

Citizen Fake?

Feeling conscious that I was entering a restaurant alone, I felt so relieved to see that the patisserie was sectioned off. I headed straight in. It took me a while to decide on what to taste, as the prices were seriously inflated. The confections were tiny and weren't that pretty. I finally settled for the Mocha Mi Su. I think I loved the name more than the dessert itself...

Rich but still fluffy like tiramisu, smooth, creamy, with a hint of coffee/mocha. Just the right amount of chocolate but I was a bit unhappy with the creme fraiche... it tasted very dairy-ish. Not fresh. The dessert would have been perfect to share between two friends.

The counter lady did not seem happy and bubbly. If I worked at a Patisserie, I would be so energetic and bouncy. Another negative to Citizen Cake. Felt commercial/fake.

I do have to add, the 2nd time I went (the very next day with a boy), we ordered the Creme Brulee and Sorbet Trio. I have to say that the creme brulee was excellent! Served chilled, with a delicately blow-torched top layer, and densely packed creme meat. Succulent! I wanted all of it to myself, no sharing allowed! The sorbet's were delicious. Flavours we tried: stone fruit, asian pear, and berry mix (if I recall correctly). A refreshing lift to the evening. The cocktails sucked. Would I go back? Just to try the Lemon Bars.

Dessert Américain: Cupcakes!

They sure aren't French, but still a delightful sweet I enjoy. Thought I'd do a little research on these wonderful treats and found some interesting factoids:

* originated during the 19th century when it was faster to bake in hearth ovens than full-sized cakes
* named because it is a cake the size of a teacup; and because it was measured by cups in a time when things were measured by weight
* aka "fairy cakes" (British)
* called 1234 or quarter cakes because they are made up of four ingredients in equal ratios: butter, sugar, eggs, and flour

I baked a batch the other weekend celebrating my one-year anniversary of moving to the Bay!

Yellow Confetti Mix/Chocolate Ganache Frosting/Rainbow Sprinkles

I'll make them from scratch next time... in the new flat! :)

French Macaroons

A description so accurate, I had to steal it from a yelp.com commenter...

"The thing about a great french macaroon is that it shouldn't leave you thinking: "hmm, that was ok." It should have you wanting to roll around the floor in culinary ecstasy."

Hahaha! Isn't that so true!? Agreed.

Crepevine

Try the Santorini sweet crepe. Bursts of surprising flavours-- pistachio, walnuts, cinnamon, coconut & mascarpone! Accompany with a pot of tea or apple cider or hot chocolate.

Perfect for a late night rendezvous with your secret lover. :)

624 Irving Street

Pâtisserie Philippe

Fabulously French. Mouth-watering macarons. Delectable. Go immediately.

Best for an afternoon chat with a new or an old friend. Complimentary coffee, I think. voila!

655 Townsend Street

Dream Collage

Why didn't I think of that?

Confused on what you want to do or be in life? (Story of my life) Solution! Make a dream collage. With each dream, add photos and pictures. Then, step back and analyze. What's a common theme? What would make you happiest? The point of the pictures is so that you can visualize what your dream job is or what it would be like if you were to get to that point. Have someone else take a look-see and comment.

Thanks Lish! :)

Quick Fix Discovery

Ah-HA!!

Tonight, while eating my pistachio-sprinkled salad dressed with balsamic vinegarette, and watching "Good Luck Chuck," being my clumsy self (probably with a little influence from Jessica Alba), splashed vinegarette all over my face and on my down throw!! :( I knew the oil stain would never come out with soap & water and it was already spreading! ...but then I thought, "Hmm I remember reading somewhere to use baking soda to remedy oil stains, but I don't own baking soda... maybe I should try dousing it with baby powder!"

IT WORKED!!!!! it's gone! vanished! and smells flowery fresh!

Now, I'm going to do the same with my dresses whenever I'm eating messy food.. i.e. beef noodle soup (my favourite) and end up staining myself. It always happens when I'm eating Chinese.

DPT

aka "Dirty Pretty Things"

Driving home (my time for solitude and analysis), I realized that this movie portrayed not only an aching love story between two friends but a story of two characters in completely different social classes trying to make a living. One a devious prostitute, one a conservative Turkish Muslim, living parallel lives, in the end.

My favourite line comes from Audrey Tautou's character in a cute Turkish accent "...and this time, I bit!!" haha I love it!

I love her....a little too much.. :)

Chiffon & Lace

Two things that will never go out of style.

One of which I wear everyday. The other, worn when feeling whimsical :)

Justification..

I really shouldn't be shopping but hey, you only live once. And I just got a promotion. So...it's my reward, right?

I got boots. $99 (orig. $159)! They're Steve Madden Legion (in black).
I was looking for this Marc watch $134 (orig. $200), but no avail. :( Maybe on Monday they'll have more?

I'm SPENT! 2 large on tires & RT plane tickets to Paris. But it's all worth it! I call it "an investment." :)