SYD IN SAN FRANCISCO: DAY ONE

Hello! It's been a week or two since my last update and I do wholeheartedly apologize, it's been pretty busy and hectic! If you follow me on any of my other social media then by now you would have known that I'm currently on vacation in San Francisco with two of my pals Tiffanie and Nikki. We're currently staying with our long-time friend Amber, who I cannot thank her and her family enough for their wonderful hospitality and allowing us to stay with them for these six days.

Planning this trip was a bit of an unreal experience for us actually. Amber visited us last April and the thought of coming out to San Francisco was kind of an idea until Tiffanie and Nikki suggested we actually go. With Amber's approval, the trip was confirmed, booked, and before we knew it we're on our way to the airport! 

Technically, Amber lives in Bay Point, which is a good 30 minutes away from San Francisco and roughly about 20 minutes from Walnut Creek. To describe Bay Point, I'd put it as a modern up and coming neighborhood mixed in with some mountainside views. Gosh, her neighborhood is literally something out of suburban heaven.

We flew in around 11:30 at Oakland Intl. and got to Bay Point around 12:30ish? After Amber picked us up we went straight to her house to freshen up a bit and headed to Walnut Creek. 

See what I mean about the mix between suburban and rural? Going down the road with all the mountains was super fun, we saw cows! 

The Walnut Creek Free Ride Trolley. Looked something right out of Disneyland. 

Downtown Walnut Creek has that "mall-like" feel to it but it's actually not one big outdoor mall. I guess it is because I'm so used to going to outdoor malls that I automatically assume that close-knit stores are associated with one another. The Barnes & Noble bookstore here is huge and I fell in love. 

My parents have visited Walnut Creek before I have and they suggested to my friends and I to eat at this Mediterranean restaurant. I don't know if I was just really hungry or if the food was that good, but damn, I ate my heart out. 

At one point in the day I realized we were all so exhausted but just seeing each other and being in a different place other than home gave us more energy. 

To summarize our exhaustion 

1. We all woke up at 4:30 or 5 that day, having slept at 1 AM.

2. Nikki, Tiffanie, and my flight was scheduled to leave at 10:50 AM.

3. We got to the airport at 6:30.

Nonetheless, we still had a lot of fun with each other. 

For appetizers, they gave us this toasted Pita loaf with a really tasty cilantro and olive oil/balsamic vinegar based dip. Again, I don't know if we were really just hungry or if the food was spot on. LOL 

I ordered a Koubideh Kabob. 

Amber had the lamb shank.

Tiffanie had the exact same thing as me, albeit wrapped in a pita and Nikki had herself a simple Greek salad. 

After eating we wanted to go somewhere to cool down. When you think about San Francisco or Walnut Creek you should picture it being a little chilly right? For some reason, that very day we go there, we brought the heat with us. We looked for some cafes on Yelp and I found one not too far so we headed down there to cool off. 

Cafe La Scala had this rustic Italian vibe to it. It was a nice change compared to the by-the-dozen Starbucks' in Las Vegas. 

The majority of the people were all students or business people going over their schedules. How I wish to be a busy cafe going student one day. 

I ordered a Cafe Mocha while Amber had an Iced Caramel Macchiato. Our verdict? Swell. 

HEY AMBER. 

Once it started to finally get cooler we decided to go forth and go back, while exploring Downtown Walnut Creek at the same time. 

I don't know how straightforward the name Modern China Cafe could get. Amber says it's a smaller P.F. Changs.

It was really interesting to see small sculptures and fountains every couple meters away; they just added to the whole downtown vibe. 

You can't really see the title of the store because of the glare, but we passed by Cream! Amber tells us Cream is a very popular ice cream sandwich shop. We plan on visiting it later on this week. 

I remember that at this point in the afternoon, we were all loopy and just about ready to pass out from the giggles. 

It was a great first day and stay tuned for more! 

Thanks for reading- 

.x

DINNER AT RX BOILER ROOM

To celebrate my older sister's birthday, we went to Rx Boiler Room which is the first restaurant of it's kind to feature an all Steampunk theme. As a kid who grew up reading various collections of H.G Wells' works, it was spectacular to see the genre celebrated in this manner. What is Steampunk? Well, in short, it is a sub-genre of Science Fiction in which all technology in the future is powered by steam. The world in which the majority of Steampunk literature takes place in mostly features Victorian fashion that utilizes gears, clocks, and goggles, an anachronistic future, and various elements of fantasy. This was up my alley as a very curious 12-13 year old, the entire appeal of this genre and the culture behind it was so engrossing. 

I featured RM Seafood a few posts back where we ate for my mother's birthday. For my sister's, we decided to go here! Since Mom works handling both restaurants, it was about time we finally adventured to this place. 

Everything about the mantle archway my inner nerd scream for joy. 

Unlike the main restaurant down below, Rx Boiler Room is mainly a lounge/bar that offers up tapas. 

from their website: Combining the alchemy of food and drink, Rx Boiler Room is Celebrity Chef Rick Moonen’s spin on classic comfort food. Offering guests a variety of playful creations in small and large plate portions, the menu is ideal for a shared dining.

I don't know why, but with restaurants, I'm always drawn to their ceilings and decor. 

The menu. I liked how they referred to it as their Nourishment Chart. A+ for creativity! 

Happy Birthday! Thank you for making me food and bringing me to cool places! 

I think what I loved the most about the decor was that they had various cabinets around the restaurant that were filled with Steampunk objects. The alchemist-esque bottles, the laced up boots, and various old frames that held pictures of Victorian aristocrats gave off a creepy but fulfilling feel to the restaurant. Places with an ongoing cohesive theme are my favorite. 

The bar. 

I covet this geared clock. The paisley wallpaper as well stuck to the whole Victorian theme. 

The Celebrity Chef himself with the Birthday Celebrant! I guess the perks of having a mother who works so close to someone as talented as Rick Moonen is we get pictures and fantastic food! I've only ever met him once or twice, and Chef Rick is a really cool cat, if you do have the opportunity to ever meet him, you'll know why. 

Anywho, onward to the food! 

We started off with appetizers, the first one we got were these wonderful Kampachi Tartare with Grapefruit fish tacos that were cased in a Taro Root shell. Gosh what I would do to eat these again. 

I love the little upside down mason jar with the electronic tea light in it. 

The Taro Root Shells were surprisingly very complimentary to the Kampachi Tartare. 

The kitchen also sent out some amuse-bouche. In this case, Moonen Tater Tots topped with Caviar. 

I had an Arnold Palmer to drink, RM/Rx always has the tastiest Arnold Palmers. 

We continued our appetizers with Rx Guacamole with Big Ass Chips (literally, they were the size of my hand to a little bit past my wrist.) and Bacon Wrapped Bacon-N-Egg. 

Bacon Wrapped Bacon-N-Egg. Toasted Brioche, Tomato Jam, Pork Belly wrapped in Bacon, and Sunny Side Quail Eggs. 

As for my main course, I had the Buffalo Burger. Truffle Tremor Cheese, Red Wine Drunken Onions-n-Mushroom, and Peppercorn Mayo. I also had a side of the Moonen Tater Tots as well. 

What my family had. My sister had the Farm Raised Barramundi (which is on the left). With it came with Green Bean Almandine and Lemons Brown Butter. 

My dad had the Lamb Osso Buco Greek Style. Toasted Orzo, Gremolata, and Ricotta Salata Cheese. 

Mom had the Peking Duck Lettuce Wraps. Hoisin al Orange, Pickled Onions, Cranberry, and Pomegranate Relish. 

I gave my sister the collection of recipes from the famous French luxury bakery and sweets maker Ladurée. Ladurée was created in 1862 and is one of the top premier sellers of the double decker Macaron. Go make me some now! Haha. 

For dessert we actually ordered from RM downstairs. RM offers this massive tray of various sorbets and ice cream, each holding a peculiar flavor. Guess each flavor correctly and the dessert comes free and you win the game! 

Now I won't tell you how many we got right, or what the flavors are but I can assure you that the game is not as easy as you'd expect. Yes, it has flavors that are commonly found like Vanilla and Chocolate, but they also have peculiar and obscure ones like Olive Oil, Nori, and Octopus. 

The experience was absolutely wonderful and I cannot wait to come back. Happy Birthday Ate, I hope you've had a great day so far!! 

.x