Boudin Bakery & Cafe (San Francisco)

It was by sheer accident that we decided to have lunch at Boudin. Thank goodness we chose to eat here because we nearly missed out on something good a second time. 

The first time we passed by Boudin was at Fisherman's Wharf where you could see them making their famous sourdough bread. But we were craving for crab then so we didn't try the bread bowl. The bakery at Geary Street has tables both inside and outside of the shop. 

This is the star of the show- the Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl ($6.29). I'm not sure whether it was because we were starving (we had lunch at 3+ pm), or whether it was really good, but when the first mouth of piping hot clam chowder went into my stomach, I think my stomach did a happy dance. I don't know what good sourdough bread is supposed to taste like. But, as long as the bread is soft and tastes fresh, it does the trick for me.

It's inevitable to compare soups made anywhere to canned soups. Well, here they sell canned soups too ($4.95). I have not tried clam chowder in canned form before, but they sure don't skimp on the clams! Not too salty, just right and magically just enough to scrape the insides of the bread bowl.

The food came rather quickly and although it seems somewhat like a chain establishment, it is a charming place, probably due to the fact that it's been making sourdough bread since 1849. It's pretty cheap and the warmth radiating from the soup will keep your stomach and heart safe from the chilly winds.

Boudin Bakery & Cafe

251 Geary St.
San Francisco, CA 94102
Tel No: 415-296-4740

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The Cheesecake Factory (San Francisco)

If you had read my earlier post on Cheesecake Factory, you would know that I really adore (or rather, used to adore) Cheesecake Factory. Its portions are really huge and filling. But this time, the disappointment was also dished in a large portion. This was made worse by the fact that I was anticipating an even better experience this time round due to the location.

The queues here can get really long. We arrived at around 645 pm and had to wait for around 45 minutes for a party of 2. So we did what the others did- walk around in Macy's till the beeper goes off. It was a pity that they no longer serve my favourite portabello mushroom burger. Apparently, there was a menu overhaul and I'm not sure if the prices have changed although I have a feeling that the prices increased.

The usual bread as a prelude to the meal.

I ordered the BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich. Stingy is the last word to describe Cheesecake Factory. The pulled pork, coleslaw and fries came in abundance. But there is no use in loading up on the quantity of food, if I'm going to deal with extra salty food. Did you just pour a whole bottle of BBQ sauce into that pulled pork?

We also ordered the Incredible Grilled Eggplant Sandwich. Abundance describes this dish very well too. But, what's so incredible about this eggplant sandwich? The eggplant was hard and I really do not see what is so incredible about this sandwich.

The views outdoors are precisely what I was looking forward to.

The dining experience was a large letdown because of the quality of the food. Service was attentive although that doesn't salvage the situation. The prices here are pretty decent (even though it seems like there has been a hike) and you might want to come here, only if you would like to have a good night view of Union Square.

The Cheesecake Factory

251 Geary St 8th Fl (between Powell St & Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94102

Tel No: (415) 391-4444

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Dottie's True Blue Cafe (San Francisco)

"If you can't take care of yourself, don't go to Dottie's True Blue Cafe."


"I just realised I entered into one of the loveliest neighbourhood." 

The queue at Dottie's True Blue Cafe is so long, you can use it to either 1) eavesdrop on (or openly listen to) conversations (there is where the above quotes came from), 2) people watch or 3) do both.

The Cafe is located in the Tenderloin area and although we went to the Tenderloin area a few days ago for some Vietnamese food, we realised that this was the real Tenderloin area. When the girl said that this was one of the most loveliest neighbourhood, she was obviously being sarcastic. This place is one of the most dangerous places in San Francisco where there are many homeless people, drug taking, prostitution etc.

But, anything for food.

It opens at 730 am (closed on Tuesdays). If you don't want to queue, I suggest you reach there before 730 am. We reached there are 8 am, and ended in the shop at 915 am. For those arriving later than 8 am, I'm almost certain that your waiting time is going to exceed 2 hours. You won't miss the shop- the queue snakes round the corner and goes deep into the alley.

I ordered The Open Road ($13.50) which was a small glass of juice, two eggs (done in any way), bacon, ham or mild Italian sausage, home fries and two pancakes or 1/2 order of French toast.

I got orange juice, scrambled eggs, ham, home fries and two pancakes. The juice was freshly squeezed, and the eggs were nicely scrambled. I was craving for a little pepper on the eggs though. The ham was a tad too salty for me although it was chewy and it was thick. The home fries were small chunks of potatoes, seasoned with herbs and the skin was crispy on the edges.

Then, there are the BEST pancakes I've ever tried. So incredibly fluffy. So out of shape. So yummy. Drizzled with the maple syrup, sigh, this breakfast is high in calories but will raise your happiness level too.

The lunch portion was so huge I had to take away some food. Worth it? Definitely. The service is great and the servers are very helpful. Love the decor of the restaurant as well. But the queue and the location might deter some from coming here!

Dottie's True Blue Cafe
28 6th St (between Stevenson St & Jessie St)
San Francisco, CA 94103
Tel No: (415) 885-2767

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Crab House (San Francisco)

San Francisco is well known for its dungeness crab. We went to Pier 39 not knowing where the best crabs were but decided to drop by Crab House anyway just because there was the word Crab in it. (That's as good as saying i'm going Pizza Hut just because the word pizza's in it.) 

But this place didn't disappoint at all.

The place wasn't fully occupied when we went in around noon but it didn't take long before people were waiting for seats outside.

We got the Prix Fixe Menu ($24.95) which is very worth it. It includes mixed baby greens salad, killer crab and tiramisu dessert.

The salad is typical salad- tossed with ginger oil dressing. A very generous portion of greens- but that says nothing because greens probably don't cost too much.

The star of the show. It's the first time I'm eating anything other than black pepper/chilli/salted egg yolk crab. When we first saw it, we said, "Oh that looks quite small." But after digging through the claws, it was clearly enough to fill us up. The "secret garlic sauce" recipe was buttery and while some parts of the crab was a little too salty due to the butter, most of it was perfect! The crab was obviously fresh because the restaurant is located next to the pier. (okay, I suppose it isn't that obvious, but still, it was fresh.)

This was the tiramisu. I liked the flavours- not too sweet and the alcohol was just the right amount- not too overwhelming but you know it's there. The cream layer was a little too much for me, in proportion to the sponge fingers, but that really isn't much of an issue.

The server was very friendly and it's just a very chill place to enjoy some good crab at Pier 39. I would say it's really value for money as long as your appetite isn't particularly big.

Crab House 
203 C Pier 39
San Francisco, CA 94133
Tel No: (415) 434-2722

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