La Petite Chinoise : LPC

My friend Allan just sent me a link to a New York Times entry about Paris in the night. I think this short clip has captured the allure of Paris and why so many of us are living here... Enjoy!

Posted by lpc at 09:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

When I was studying at the convent, we had etiquette lessons: what to wear to a baptism, where to put the finger bowl… all of which I would fail miserably at. I was always fidgeting or daydreaming. My gang of “bad girl friends” and I would giggle or do exactly the opposite of the manners the nuns were trying to impart to us. There were just too many things to remember and do “right”. After some 20 years, I still place the forks and knives all wrong (which btw is different everywhere).

Sister Maria always says that as a host, we must always make our guests feel welcome. And we must always introduce people and include something about them so that guests can strike up a conversation about their hobby or a recent event etc. For guests coming from overseas, we should choose a place or make some dishes that are familiar to them. I didn’t really understand all that, until I was on the other side to appreciate what some of my good hosts have done.

This time, I had the opportunity to play host, when my friend Jodi came to visit. We went to Pershing Hall for drinks and dinner. Jodi is my benchmark New Yorker. She’s trendy, she’s chic. She likes to wine and dine and lives a fast life. The crowd at Pershing Hall is equally chic and trendy and well-dressed. Everyone has a BlackBerry, if not the latest Vertu and the best of manners. Even the wait staff is all smiles. Why don’t I see more of this on the Parisian streets?

Above all, I love Pershing Hall for its esthetical beauty.

Pershing Hall, the hotel, bar and restaurant is housed in the 19th century mansion occupied by the General “Black Jack” Pershing during WW1. It is a masterpiece by the French (woman) designer, Andrée Putman, who is famous for her sleek modernist designs. She designed the interior of the Concord planes for Air France, as well as fashion store interiors for Karl Lagerfeld, Azzedine Alaia and she also designs minimalist furniture. Pershing Hall is another one of her masterpieces, where she transformed an empire-era building for use in the modern, fast-paced Parisian life.

Walls have been replaced with floor-to-ceiling glass bead curtains. The stone walls and façades are illuminated with vivid colors of purple, pink, lime green, bright orange that change every so often. The floors flow smoothly and the constant stream of young “in” Parisians is well managed. I never felt suffocated or pressed into someone’s armpit. The hotel rooms are cream-colored and have very clean designs according to a friend who spent the night in one of the rooms.

Pershing Hall is one of my preferred meeting places in the Arc de Triomphe-Champs Elysees district. It has a formidable combination of virtues: old and new architecture, artistic gastronomy, long list of cocktails, champagne and wine, friendly wait staff, good French lounge music and lots of well dressed people.

What I recommend:
Arrive early and sip a glass of champagne at the bar or lounge on the 1st floor. Then proceed to dinner in the candle-lit courtyard, that has a wall of cascading plants. The maître’d tells me that there are about 300 varieties of plants on that wall. It is très romantique.

My dinner was: Roasted veal shank with creamy polenta (EUR35), melon granite (EUR12). Non-alcoholic fruit mixes (EUR15), alcoholic cocktails (EUR17-25), champagne (EUR20+).

Pershing Hall
49 rue Pierre Charron
75008, Paris
tel: 01 58 36 58 00
fax: 01 58 36 58 36
Click here for the website

Posted by lpc at 11:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One of the very few Chinese restaurants I go to in Paris is literally called “The Usual Home Cooked Food”. It’s a hole in the wall operation, but there is always a long line. This is one restaurant, probably the only one that I have waited patiently (Ben will disagree, but it’s true, I mean, compared to waiting in line at the perfecture) for an hour to get in. Yes, the craving for decent Chinese food is that strong.

“Jia Chang Cai Fan” (JCCF) is located in the 3rd Chinatown in Paris near the métro “Arts et Métiers”. There are no obvious signs of the Chinese community in the 3rd, as this is a very discreet group and generally keep to themselves. However, this is actually where Chinatown started in Paris*. In the 1930s and 40s, Chinese from Wenzhou, a province in China, came to work for the Jewish traders in leather and wholesale businesses. They later took over the jobs and the businesses from the Jews during WWII. The largest Chinatown is in the 13th arrondissement at Ave de Choisy and the second in size is in the 19th at Belleville.

JCCF is run by a family from Wenzhou as are most Chinese restaurants in Paris. There are 12 small tables and 2 “big” round tables for groups of 6. They do not accept reservations and seating is on a first come first serve basis.

Every time I eat at JCCF, I always order way too much. But Ben and I have a way of eating it all up with two bowls of fragrant rice each and a big bottle of TsingTao pi jiu (TsingTao beer). Our favourites are Wen zhou specialties are “water cooked beef” and Wenzhou style dumplings. “Water cooked beef” is claypot of thin slices of beef, tofu cubes, green cabbage cooked in water and oil with coriander and red chillies. You can order water cooked beef in three different claypot sizes and three levels of spiciness. Very spicy will send you shooting through the roof if you are not an expert red chilli cruncher.

We have also tried the other dishes such as “Ma Po Tofu”, “Seasonal greens stir fried in oil and garlic”, “Spring onion omelettes”, “Steamed fish with young ginger”, “Salt and pepper crispy prawns”, “Eggplant stew”… they’re all very good, just like home cooked food.

The only “down” side is that the two ladies who run the show are very snob with an elephant’s memory. They will tell you to stand in line or come back another day, sometimes with a smirk and then more gibberish to each other in their dialect. You could very politely and firmy ask“Madame, how long is the wait”… If you are newcomer or not from Wenzhou, the wait can be doubled. If you are not Chinese, the answer is usually tripled. They do not care that non-Chinese is interested in the food. They know they are good and they have more business than they can manage. They have not, and probably will not expand either.

Dinner for two: small "water cooked beef", "salt and pepper prawns" and eggplant claypot, 2 bowls of jasmine rice and a big bottle of TsingTao beer amounted to EUR34.20

Jia Chang Cai Fan or Le Lac de l'Ouest
5 Rue Volta**
75003, Paris
Métro: Arts et Métiers
Open all day, except M, W and F afternoons. Last order at 10:30pm
Cash, checks and ticket restaurants only
Closed for 4 weeks in the summer and it varies from year to year

* The first Chinatown ever in Paris, was located where Gare de Lyon now stands. It formed when the Chinese arrived after WW1 to help with France's labour shortage. It was called Îlot de Chalot, but no longer exists. The Chinatown in the 3rd arrondissement was formed by the second wave of Chinese labourers.

** No 3 Rue Volta is the second oldest building in Paris. It is a half timbered house and believed to be over 300 years old. The oldest is close by at 51. Rue Montmorency and considered to be built in 1407.

Posted by lpc at 03:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

You hear lots about “la belle vie” - “la dolce vita” – “the good life” in France. You also hear about the Sunday markets, the freshest and best local produce. How every French person is so lucky to eat wonderfully, how French people really take the time to cook their meals and spend time savouring every bite and morsel of a Quiche Lorraine prepared from scratch, with bacon from pigs that ate only corn… French people enjoy the occasional splurge at fancy Michelin starred restaurants for the celebration, the meal of the month. In short, French people just know how to eat, and they eat well.

This food-loving scene is probably only applicable to 25% of the population. These are the foodies, the weekend cooks, the doyens of the families that prepare the big family lunch on Sunday (does not including the people who were running around all week and missed food shopping in Carrefour on Saturday). The rest of the population pie is divided among the younger generation who prefer fast food, the others who see food as a social tool and the working people who do not have any time for food.

The “foodie” group is the one that wakes up faithfully at 7am on a Sunday for the freshest foods, who are on the pulse of what the French chefs are into. The younger student generation prefers pizzas, a jambon fromage baguette (ham and cheese sandwich)- handy food to down with a can of diet coke. Then there are those who like to hang out in a nice trendy place. They care only that Phillippe Starck designed BON or that they are paying EUR15 for a beer, hanging out with the cool gang.

The last group consists of the busy bees and the lonely bachelors. Ben and I are part of this group. Our day starts at 6:30am in the morning and we are not home before 8:30pm every night. By the time we have dinner, it’s 9/9:30pm. We spend two hours every day on the metros… and we don’t even have kids. How do the other French families cope with work, children and food shopping? The surgélés Picard (Picard brand frozen foods) are ubiquitous in Paris (88 in Paris, that makes 4.4 in every arrondissement). Is that another lonesome bachelor coming out of Picard with his weekly supply of frozen roast beef and fondant au chocolat (melty chocolate cake)? We are also the reason for the horrible Chinese traiteurs (caterers) in every neighbourhood.

As happy as I am for French people discovering and enjoying Chinese food, I am honestly turned off by the way it is served up in Paris. The traiteurs cook up the food in the back kitchen, which is displayed on plates in a glass case in the store front. The clients pick and point at what they want: rice noodles, beef with green pepper, pork nems… the server puts the food into little clear plastic barquettes (boxes), adds two ladles of gravy into the barquettes and weighs them. The barquettes go into the microwave for 2mins and gets transferred into a clingfilm machine that seals the barquettes up. Hmmm... how appetizing.

I don’t like the fact that the food’s been sitting out (how long??) in the glass shelves and definitely not in the summer time. I don’t like the msg they put in it. I can almost close a blind eye to the zapping of food in the microwave. But what really gets me going is the servers pilling the boxes to the brim with gravy before they weigh the food. This is just such a Chinese trait – screw the customer as much as possible.

Some of my colleagues go to Chinese traiteurs for lunch and always rave about how they like Chinese food, the merits of Chinese food… and this is a real dilemma for me. I don’t want to kill the joy and curiosity and yet, how do I tell them “It’s really not how Chinese food is usually prepared or consumed.”? So, I take them to one of the few good Chinese haunts in Paris.

Next: One of the few Chinese restaurants worth going to in Paris…

Posted by lpc at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Williams pear made its appearance in Parisian marché (market) this week. With the appearance of the Williams pears, I know autumn is on its way and very soon the nights will start to get longer and longer.

As we get further into autumn, the pears we get in the market will start to elongate: an oblong top and a bell bottom. First, we’ll get the round Bartlett to roundish Anjou to my favourite of all pears, the “tear drop” Comice pear. I call it the “rain drop” pear. As soon as I get to sink my teeth into a juicy Comice pear, as if by clockwork, the raindrops will start to fall too, incessantly.

Unlike the Comice, the Williams pear is short and round and greenish yellow in color. It has a strong luscious smell and its white flesh is juicy and tender. When we think of pears, the Williams is probably the pear that comes to mind. This pear is easily available in many parts of the world… and it also seems that everyone wants a part of the Williams pear.

The Williams pear originated from England. Its original name was the Stairs pear, after Mr Stairs, a schoolmaster who first discovered the pear. The Stairs Pear later became the Williams pear, after Mr Williams who introduced and sold it to the rest of England and Europe. I guess Mr Williams forgot to mention Mr Stairs. In the US, Williams is known as Bartlett, with a similar story of identity snatch. A certain Mr Carter brought some pear trees from England and planted them in his land. His property was later sold to Mr Enoch Bartlett who enjoyed the fruit and started distributing them under his own name in the North East, and then to the rest of the US. By the time, someone from both continents realised that Williams=Bartlett, it was too late to change the name, as the Williams and the Bartlett pears are widely known in their respective continent.*

In France, the Williams is sometimes called “Williams Bon Chrétien” (Williams the Good Christian) and often made into an eau de vie (digestive). It has a strong scent and is mild in taste and perfect with winter meals.

This month’s Sugar High Friday is hosted by Alanna Kellogg of A Veggie Venture and the theme is “A Surprise Inside”. The first thought that came to my mind was “Kinder Surprise”. I know! How sad is this? The years and years of Kinder Surprise marketing has taken root. They know what my sweet tooth is.

Chocolate!

Here’s my little contribution to chocoholics who’d like to find a piece of chocolate inside their Williams. This is a surprise in a surprise in a surprise dessert. Under the filo, you’ll find a pear. In the pear, you’ll find the chocolate. Savouring the chocolate, you get a taste of ginger and almonds. This recipe adapted from a Jamie Oliver's recipe. The picture was very enticing, but my first attempt was a flop. His recipe has incorrect butter measurements in the list of ingredients and directions don't match. The pear became too watery with the OJ. I find the vanilla seeds are “lost” in the dessert. And the chocolate doesn't melt and mix evenly if it's not shaved thin and blended properly.

Note: Pears do not ripen on trees. They are picked when they are firm. My verger (green grocer) says to buy them when the skin is light green and let them sit on the countertop to ripen quickly or in the fridge for a slower ripening time.

* I did much research of the Bartlett-Williams pear and found this site about pears in the USA most useful. Strangely enough, there isn’t much about the Williams-Bartlett naming. I guess no one wants to rock the boat.

Posted by lpc at 12:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Cin from A Few of My Favourite Things tagged me while I was in San Francisco. Immediately, food after food jumped out at me. Says the tomato then the zucchini and the lamb chops: “Choose me. Please choose me!” The list kept getting longer and longer and it became impossible to decide. There is just so much to eat “out there”.

Like many other foodies, I had a hard time choosing my Top 5. Generally, the foods that I enjoy are simple, unfussy and “unaltered” (definitely not genetically modified!). What I consider to be a Top Food to eat before we die is not a matter of consumption but of conversation, artistry and experience. Some are country-specific, some are more “exotic” but all of them are attainable.

So here is my Top 5 list:

Black Pepper Crabs

Being the proud little Singaporean that I am, it’s no surprise that I choose one of the national favorites: black pepper crabs. This is the first thing I eat when I’m back in Singapore. Fundamentally, the dish consists of mud crabs, oil, salt and lotsa roasted black pepper. The fun part is watching the cooking: huge flames, clanging and banging of ladles against deep cast iron woks, chefs yelling in Hokkein for ingredients…

The most popular restaurants that serve them are lined up along the two stretches of beach in East Coast Parkway and Ponggol. My favorite is “Wu Zhao Pai” (meaning No Signboard Restaurant) in Geylang because our huge family can all pile into one table for dinner and the crabs are big and fresh.

Black pepper crabs is a uniquely Singaporean dish that is hard to replicate elsewhere. So, book the next flight and come visit!

Fresh Figs

You’re probably shocked that I have chosen figs as a Top 5. You may like it or you may not, but you should definitely try it before you die. To Asians, the fig is an exotic fruit. It’s soft, velvety and fleshy. The outside feels like a sponge and the seeds on the inside are fragrant and sweet and kind of spreads all over in your mouth. Figs can be green, purple or black in color. Someone told me white figs are the tastiest. I haven’t tasted those yet.

Figs originate in the Mediterranean and are found everywhere in Corsica. Les figuiers (fig trees) grow in the maquis (wild shrubbery) and along road sides. It’s a treat to pause under a fig tree on a hike and nibble on a freshly picked fig.

One important note though: figs must be ripe when you pick them. When you press against the fig, it should leave a slight indent on the fruit. They must feel heavy. Otherwise you will spend lots of time making friends with the toilet walls. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Kobe or Wagyu beef

Because this is beef that has been massaged and drinks beer and eats better than most humans do! It’s beef that does not taste like any other beef I’ve ever had. It is tender and juicy and melty in the mouth. In the raw state, wagyu beef is rosy pink with rings and rings of fat. It is also what they call the “marbled” meat. Have it any way you want, but don’t overcook it. Some people like it thinly sliced carpacio style with vinaigrette. Some like it seared and topped with a slab of foie gras. Some like it in soup with fat udon noodles.

In Japanese language, Wagyu means “Japanese cattle”. Wagyu can only be called Kobe Beef only if the cow is slaughtered in Kobe. Real waygu is hard to come by outside of Japan, as demand for this marbled meat is very high domestically. Wagyu outside Japan is most probably crossbred with the Angus species. Small slabs of Wagyu or Kobe beef can set you back a couple of hundred bucks… If you’re carnivorous, I vote that Wagyu or Kobe beef is a once in a lifetime eat.

Kangaroo Meat

I was 18 when I first had kangaroo meat. I was traveling in the Northern Territory with a group of boisterous friends. We had driven from Darwin to the center and we were going to take a hot air balloon flight over Ayers Rock the next morning (including help set up the hot air balloon!) This particular night, we had set up camp somewhere in the desert and had hired Camp Oven to cook for us. I had kangaroo kebabs and kangaroo steak. Hmmm… kangaroo meat is something else. It is surprisingly tender and soft and melt-y. No, it doesn’t taste like chicken.

Kangaroo meat is a staple in the Northern Territory, so if you are driving along the only highway from Darwin to Ayers Rock, you are bound to have kangaroo steak on the menu.

Eclair au chocolat

An éclair au chocolate or chocolate éclair is a choux pastry filled with chocolate pastry cream topped with chocolate. Nobody really knows when the éclair was invented or how the name came about. Éclair in French means lightning. Maybe the name comes from the light’s reflection on the bright glaze on the chocolate éclair?

My 2 year quest for a good chocolate eclair has ended at La Maison du Chocolat. This is the best éclair I’ve had in Paris. The choux pastry is firm, not sandpaper dry. The pastry cream is piped into the choux pastry versus the lazy way of cutting the choux pastry into two and spreading it on. I eat my chocolate eclair as soon as I buy them, so I hate messy spillage onto my fingers. Gotta look cool on the Paris streets, duh!

And the chocolate glaze is just divine!

Whoever said “A day without pasty in Paris is hell” is absolutely right! So, when you are in Paris, find your day in Heaven in a chocolate éclair.

Posted by lpc at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

While shopping in the US, I spent a lot of time looking at labels and packaging. I can’t help it – the packaging is very enticing and fun to look at. Here’re some of my favorites: (they taste good too.)

Posted by lpc at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

In 1971, Alice Waters and Paul Aratow founded Chez Panisse.

Chez Panisse started off as a French restaurant. Waters had spent a year in France and Aratow had lived extensively in France and was a faculty member in Comparative Literature at UC Berkeley. These days, Chez Panisse is known as a “Californian” restaurant: fresh food cooked in a fusion of cuisine styles.

Chez Panisse is located in the “Gourmet Ghetto” on Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley. It is housed in a converted apartment house. The restaurant is located on the ground flour and the café (more casual restaurant) is on the first floor, which offers a less expensive, a-la-carte menu. The restaurant offers a set menu, which consists of an appetizer, main dish and dessert, which also differs every night. Monday night is the “country” night, while Tuesday and Wednesday nights are more stylish dining.

There is a surprise element to dinner, as reservations are made at least 6 weeks in advance, and there is no knowing what the menu will be. The menus are posted on the Chez Panisse websiteat the beginning of each week. You should advise during the reservations if you have special dietary requirements, as all portions and food are planned ahead.

Waters is a culinary pioneer for bringing fresh food to the table and putting Californian cuisine in the spotlight. Special care is put towards getting the freshest organic ingredients from local suppliers. Waters is also highly respected for her efforts and her commitment to The Edible Schoolyard.

While waiting for dessert, I asked to see the kitchen. I wanted to see if Waters and her philosophy of good food and community is really all that, if she was real. You know, a man can talk excitedly about the fancy Shelby he bought and yet he wears a polyester tie? To me, it’s a character flaw.

Well, I confirm that Waters is all that! The kitchen at Chez Panisse is the nicest commercial kitchen I had ever seen. It doesn't look like a restaurant kitchen at all and feels more like a kitchen in the countryside. It’s an open kitchen in red brick, timber and terracotta floor tiles. The work counters are clean and spacious. Everything is neatly arranged and the lighting is mellow. Everyone is working in synchronization and has clean uniforms. There is no shouting or yelling. I almost expected to hear classical music playing in the background. I asked the dessert cook if she was happy working at Chez Panisse. Her answer: “I’m proud to be here.”

Chez Panisse is No.20 on Restaurant Magazine’s list of Top 50 Restaurants in the world.

Set Menu Dinner for US$50 on September 11, 2006 was:

Tomato gazpacho with halibut

Gigot à la ficelle: James Ranch lamb leg cooked in the fireplace with peperonata and green beans

Peach and berry galette with crème fraîche ice cream

Verdict: A meal not to be missed while in the Bay Area. The food is indeed very fresh and tasty. Unfussy food that looks and tastes like it should. First meal I had in the US that is well portioned; I was able to have a proper three course meal without leaving the table bloated.

Chez Panisse
1517 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94702
Tel: 1-510-548-5049
Click here for the Chez Panisse website
Reservations at least 6 weeks in advance

Posted by lpc at 07:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

We’ve been very lucky on this trip. Not a day went by without good food. We’ve been so lucky also to have complete strangers online and on the streets recommend good places to eat. Coming from Paris where it is impossible even to get the right directions to streets, it’s a real surprise to me how friendly people are in San Francisco. What’s in the water here?

We were walking round and round by Fisherman’s Wharf, trying to find decent lunch that is not flooded with busloads of tourists. We must have been looking quite despondent when someone asked us if we needed help. This complete stranger took into account our criteria and suggested three of his favorite places in and around Fisherman’s Wharf. We were ready to get out of Fisherman’s Wharf, so we picked the recommendation furthest away.

We walked up Polk till we reached Sacarmento, which was a ways ahead. We were actually happy to see a line outside Swan Oyster Depot, since we needed to catch our breath after the long hike up the hills. (And See’s Candies were next door, so I had time to buy a box of Halloween candies too. *smile*) We joined the long line waiting outside Swan and struck up a conversation with two women in front of us and chatted over a glass of chilled Chardonnay. The wait was long, but we ended up chatting to the people in front and behind us in line. Everyone loved Swan and was helping us decide what to order.

Swan opened shop in 1921 and was later sold to the Sancimino family during World War 2. Swan has now been in the Sancimino family for three generations. Eating at Swan is what I would call an “All American” experience. Service is warm and friendly. Clients are jammed cheek by jowl at the long bar (only place to eat here!) facing a wall of rubber duckies and baseball paraphernalia. The menu is written on chalkboards. A 1960s radio is spitting out cheerful pop music. The catch of the day is laid out in the front window: crab, sweet shrimp, prawn, sea urchin, salted cod, herring, scallop, salmon, sardine, tuna… There isn’t much décor in the place and no effort has been made to beautify it either. The food is simple. There is no fuss about anything. Everyone seems genuinely happy chatting away and chomping down the fresh platters of seafood.

I had a bowl of homemade clam chowder for US$5.50, a combination salad of chopped iceberg lettuce, sweet shrimp, prawn and crab for US$15.50 and a beer on draft for US$4.50.

Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St (between Sacramento and California)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Tel: 415-673-1101
FYI:Swan closes at 5pm, so don’t expect to go for dinner.

Posted by lpc at 08:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Most people who come out to SF don’t leave. For most, it was the hope of striking it rich out west. In the 1800s, hordes of people rushed out to “The West” for gold. The recent IT boom drew people from all over the world to relocate to the Bay Area… many of whom have struck it very rich and have remained in the area.

SF is a city that accommodates, that includes, a real melting pot of many cultures and walks of life. SF is where people want to be. The city is visually beautiful, the climate is agreeable, the food is good, the cultural scene is alive, the music is groovy, there’re lots of choices for sports and the couches are super comfy.

There’s a café on almost every block in SF. The café per capita in this city is probably 1 in 10? Maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but I’m probably not that far off. I drink a cup of coffee every 10 years. I’ve had more coffee and bagels in this week than I’ve had in my lifetime. And I think I’ve identified the “pull” factor: super comfy couches.

Almost every café has at least one super comfy couch. They make it impossible for you to leave. You sink down in the couch and start sipping on a big mug of coffee, soft music playing in the background. You’re allowed to stay as long as you like. The morning crowd comes in for their caffeine fix and read the San Francisco Chronicle. Some people bring in their laptops and type at it all afternoon. Mothers come in with their prams and chat if Huggies is better for boys or girls. Some plonk down with a book to read…

And me? I read and I knitted. I’ve read to my heart’s content on this trip. My DH is saying in the background that I have also shopped to my heart’s content. Yes – this city definitely makes it easy for one to rest the sore feet. There’s literally a coffee place on every block! Cafés (and shops) are where I’ve parked myself for the past week.

Coffee to the People” is one café that I visit every day. It’s low-key and right off Haight Street. It serves coffee and chai teas. The coffees and teas are organic and sourced fair-trade. I salute the effort to be fair to the coffee farmers. I also like the large bookshelf right by the comfy couches. “Coffee to the People” is where I catch my breath before I climb up the steep slopes back home.

Coffee to the People
1206 Masonic Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94117
Click here for the website

Posted by lpc at 05:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I was preparing myself for the worst on the flight to the US. I packed light. I didn’t bring any liquids, mouthwash or water on the plane. I checked in my make-up pouch. I did not give any smart aleck replies:

Flight Officer: Did you bring any sharp objects?
Me: No officer, no sharp objects, no knives, no axes (but I brought my brain.)

Turned out that traveling to the US wasn’t so bad after all. The flights were smooth, the flight attendants were friendly, the luggage searches on the US-side were surprisingly easy. At customs, I answered the questions as best as a jet-lagged person could and they let me through.

Customs: What’s in the US?
Me: Shopping and Food. I’m here to shop and to eat.
Customs: What are you going to have?
Here is where I pulled out my moleskin and showed him my list.
Customs: Welcome.

They say that the fastest way to get over jet-lag is to exercise. We woke up bright and early on a foggy San Francisco morning and walked half an hour to Sears, off Union Square. Sears is a SF icon and has been around since 1938. Sears reminds me of an old French bistro, with the little hexagonal white tiles, heavy dark-wood tables, little pendant glass lamps… I’m probably very jet-lagged… but Sears was still a very “American” experience for me.

Remember the agent for Joey Triviani, from Friends? The chain-smoking, husky voice agent with the big blond curls? Our server was just like that, only she was not chain-smoking, she had thick black mascara, big curls, a little cute apron and a nice attitude. “Whad cann aye git ya tah-day?”

I’ve been dreaming of Big Breakfasts for a month before the trip… so, this morning, my big breakfast at Sears was an Al’s Special: two eggs over easy, corn beef hash, hash browns, 9 small pancakes, an extra order of hash browns and a strawberry milkshake. The strawberry milkshake was made with real strawberry coulis and lots of whipped cream. Of course, I know this is not reasonable. But I’ve been dreaming of this for a month… and we will be exercising… so…

For lunch, we opted to go light. We had nouveau Japanese food at Medicine Eat Station on Sutter Street. I had one of Medicine’s “Foundation Set” of savory Shiitake clear broth udon, a small block of tofu with ginger and nori and homemade pickled vegetables with black and white sesame seeds. Slurp! slurp!

The setting at Medicine is modern, with an open kitchen and huge glass windows to clearly see the menu. Here is what I find at the bottom of the menu:

ABOUT OUR TIPPING POLICY: The mind can truly rest after a meal since MEDICINE includes a 17% service charge in the bill, eliminating any stressful tip calculation and the ensuing internal battle of thriftiness versus generosity.”

Customers typically tip between 15% - 20% in SF. Personally, I don’t see how calculating 15% or 20% is very mentally challenging, but I can see it helps when there is a large lunch party. I don’t like the imposed 17% tip because that eliminates my choice of not tipping if the service is appalling. Thankfully, that was not the case and I did not have to be the ugly tourist.

After lunch, we somehow found ourselves back to Union Square (not that we wondered very far away) and into Macy’s. Macy’s is huge! Seven whole floors of shopping! We shopped our way from the basement up and five hours later, it was dinner-time at The Cheesecake Factory (TCCF for short).

I found my dinner experience at TCCF very interesting. TCCF gives its customers an RFID when we are waiting for our table (anything between 30-90 minutes). And the hyper chirpy waitress wouldn’t seat the party until all the members of the party are present. Our waiter was very friendly and stylish and he called us “Sweetie” and “Sweetheart” every time he came by our table. *Chuckles*

The menu is a book that is 14 pages long. The menu is written on the right page and advertisements for clothing, bedding, fine china is on the left page. It’s an melting pot menu of Italian pasta, steaks, Asian curries, seafood grill, Mexican burritos and two full pages of every imaginable type of cheesecake – it’s a “there’s something for everyone” type of menu.

Dinner was Bang-bang chicken and shrimp with rice and coconut sauce and a root beer. Ben and I shared a Tolberone cheesecake with almonds. There was way too much food, and what we couldn’t finish, our cute waiter doggie-bagged it for us.

All in all, my first day in San Francisco was lots of jaw-muscle exercise and shopping. And now, the other way to cure jet-lag – to bed!

Sears Fine Food
439 Powell St (off Union Square)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 1-415-765-0957 Fax:1-415-765-0957
Click here for the Sears Fine Food Website

MEDICINE Eat Station
161 Sutter Street at the Crocker Galleria
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 1-415-677-4405
Mon-Fri: lunch and dinner, Sat: dinner only

The Cheesecake Factory
Macy’s Department Store, 7th floor
170 O'Farrell Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel: 1-415-397-333

Posted by lpc at 07:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)