Philz Coffee - SF

 

Fisherman's Wharf, Sea Lions and City Skyline!

I was a little worried I was lost in Mission (a district in SF) after wandering away from Balmy Alley - but I found a coffee shop and WiFi! And interestingly enough, this was a coffee shop recommended to me by another friend who visited Mission a few years ago:
 

Turkish Coffee
It came with mint on top and they customize drinks - so I got mine with less sugar. 

It was a strong bold coffee with a nice aromatic smell and the coffee shop was cozy and really fit in with the artsy-feel of Mission. 

The Cheesecake Factory - SF

For more on my day exploring SF, check out my Travel Blog!

 

Union Square and Lombard Street (and my cool Lyft experience around town). 

I actually bought my Oreo Dream Extreme Cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory on the top floor of Macy's, but I didn't really get around to eating it until I was near Lombard Street (so I could enjoy the view)

I love the Cheesecake Factory - the cheesecakes are AMAZING.
This one in particular had so much oreo flavour and the cheesecake part was so delightful. And to top it all off, it had whipped cream and an oreo cookie! Heavenly...the downside was that this was 1,370 calories - which is INSANE - but it's a nice treat every once in a while (well - it's a treat I only get in the US). 

Art's Cafe - SF

Cute neighbourhood cafe run by a nice Korean couple. I actually came here twice (the first day for breakfast - April 26 and the second for brunch/lunch - April 27). 

 

The cafe is quite tiny, but super busy and there's diner chairs only. 

The diner table had laminate on top of these postcards from customers who've travelled around the world. Very quaint!

Hash brown sandwich with sausage and scrambled eggs with toast. 

The food is simple, quick and filling - no frills here. 

Interesting hash brown sandwich: the hash browns were nice and crispy on the outside like a potato latke but thin. 

Daily breakfast special: Pancakes, two eggs and sausage

The pancakes were huge, but unfortunately rather bland and flavourless until you poured the syrup on. 

 

Art's club sandwich with fake crab meat and avocado and bacon and a ton of fries

Pretty good with toasted bread - all this food for under $10! 

Overall: Good, cheap, quick and simple diner-style food at Art's Cafe! I can definitely understand why there's a line-up outside most days. 

Taquerias El Farolito - SF

San Franscisco - Oakland Bay Bridge at night

 
Apparently they have some of the best burritos here - so we went for dinner/late night eats.
While we were sitting here enjoying our food, we were also entertained with 'La Bamba' by this lovely musician:

Pretty awesome!

Carnitas burrito

The carnitas was okay, but I felt like it needed some more sauce. 

My friends got the Al pastor (marinated pork) which was REALLY GOOD and the beef tongue and it was amazing.  The chicken burrito didn't have a lot of chicken unfortunately and it was a tad dry, but the carne asada was really good.
The other ingredients in the burrito were really good.

 

Tacos!

Overall: It was excellent value for money considering how much stuff was in the burrito (and it was quite filling) - I think I would recommend the al pastor, carne asada and the beef tongue for meats! :)

B Restaurant & Bar - SF

After a busy morning and afternoon in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area: 

 

We eventually came back for Happy Hour in SF at the B Restaurant & Bar right above the Moscone Center North and overlooking the Yerba Buena Gardens:

Happy Hour means $1 oysters!

We ordered 30 first, then ordered an extra 15 - since they were so cheap and yummy!
The oysters were pretty good plain or with a little lemon and even better with the sauce (on the left) and they were so easy to eat. Delicious! We also got to sit on the patio and enjoy the slightly chilly sunshine. 

Website: http://www.bsanfrancisco.com/

Monsieur Benjamin - San Francisco (SF)

We caught the 6pm flight from LA to San Francisco on Virgin Airlines (which was pretty cool! they had a really interesting safety video that actually kept me watching until the end).  Once we dropped off our stuff, we went back out for dinner. 

Menu:

Steak Tartare with Flatbread

A rather interesting presentation. I'm surprised they didn't break the huge flatbread into smaller dip-able pieces. 

Escargot Bordelaise

The garlic butter sauce was so yummy! The dish was rich, delicious and went down so smoothly. 

Steamed Mussels

Could definitely taste that hint of beer in the sauce and the bread was great for soaking up the flavour as well. 

Marrow Bones "Blue Ribbon"

Rich, decadent and quite tasty! 

 

Crêpe façon gâteau: Lime cream, crepe and strawberries 

At first, it seemed like a strange combination (but I love limes - so I knew I wanted to get this).  The combination of flavours worked out well! The tangy lime and sweet strawberries were wrapped in a crispy crepe with crunchy bits inside.  Every bite was different and had all the flavours bursting in each spoonful. 

Website: http://www.monsieurbenjamin.com/