Author: jlmatie22

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Seiya

First restaurant I’ve eaten at in San Carlos, and it was good (but not cheap).

To start, I got the Apprentice sake sampler. To be honest, I don’t think I actually noticed any difference between the three sakes (and I still like the cloudier ones better. These ones were all clear). I do like how it was presented, and the wooden cups did add to the experience (they were surprisingly light and added to the taste).

We got the sashimi salad, which is a great deal (since you get like 8 pieces of sashimi for $17, compared to an order of 8 pieces of sashimi, which costs $32).

We also tried the soft shell crab and chicken karaage (which was actually cooked just right – not too crispy. Perhaps its the batter they used that was good).

For the rolls, we got the Jalapeño Hamachi (it’s pretty simple, and probably a California roll is even more complex), and the Great balls of fire (this one was really good. It was temperature hot and spicy. It had panko crusted spicy tuna roll with spicy mayo, unagi sauce scallions & tobiko).

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Peju

The Sauvignon blanc was ok, but not as good as the Rutherford Ranch Proprietor’s Selection Sauvignon Blanc. The Province, a mix of 3 reds and 2 whites, was really good.

The Carnival is a “French colombard”, which is a sweet white wine (although it’s not super sweet). It’s alright, but a bit light (and not as thick as the Sauvignon blanc).

The merlot is pretty thick, but a bit of a “darker” taste. Cyrene says it’s very “peppery”.

The Cabernet Sauvignon, although the most expensive in the tasting, was not actually my favorite. It was the thickest, and “darkest”.

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Rutherford Ranch

From the menu below, we got the Reserve and Chocolate tasting.

From the 4 wines, the first one was really good (Rutherford Ranch Proprietor’s Selection Sauvignon Blanc). It was sweeter than the usually Sauvignon blanc, but not too sweet.

In terms of the pairing, the second wine on the list was really good with the white strawberry chocolate.

The last wine was my least favorite (tasted very standard with other red wines).

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Kura (aka Kula)

Overall, this sushi place is good for the fact you can get a lot of selection, and each plate is usually only $2. However, the quality is not the best (but not the worst, just ok).

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Smuggler’s Cove

We ended up trying all 3 “sharing” drinks. One was called volcano, and another one was called Eureka (I don’t remember what the 3rd one was called).

From the 3 drinks, Eureka tasted the best (it had a similar flavor to Coca Cola, with the taste of alcohol). The volcano was ok, but reminded me of a margarita (it’s pictured below, but the other 2 looked quite similar).

Each drink was $45, and typically serves 2-4 people.

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Icicles

So we decided to get some late night desert. And man, although it was pricey, it was worth every penny.

I got the Nutella n chill flavor (which was Nutella and banana). You also can get unlimited toppings (I got cheesecake bits, chocolate chip, lychee jelly, strawberries and a toasted marshmallow).

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The Creamery

Decided to try out this place (across the street from where I live) for brunch.

I ordered the Creamery Breakfast (chose ham and potatoes as my options). It was pretty good. The eggs were a bit bland, but adding salt or ketchup did the trick.

For a drink, I ordered a mimosa. I gotta say the mimosa seemed like it was made from non-new champagne (it seemed flat).

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Loving Hut (Westfield Cafeteria)

Feeling like eating a vegan meal, I went to Loving Hut. I had the noodles, with basil mushrooms and red chili tofu.

I have to say, the noodles seemed dryer than I expected, and same with the tofu. The mushrooms were pretty good. The one thing with the noodles that came as a surprise is that they had had small slivers of tofu, that tasted like fish cake (which I obviously really like).

The service was a bit harsh (especially if the name is called Loving Hut). They also don’t do half and half for rice and noodles (wtf).

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Koja (Spark SF)

It’s been almost a weekly ritual of mine to visit Koja. My only order at Spark SF location is the chicken bowl. It’s just amazing. Has all the food groups you need in a meal, and it’s definitely an awesome fusion of Japanese food and Korean.

I almost always compliment my chicken bowl with a mimosa. The two together (especially today as it is 24 degrees) is just amazing.

Update (3/9/2018): I tried the Ahi Tuna Bowl today. It was good (especially because of the crab salad), but I think the chicken bowl is still the best. I also tried the beef bowl at some point too, and let’s just say it still isn’t as good as the chicken bowl.

Update (7/6/2018): I tried the Short rib bowl for the first time. I thought it was good, but it is a bit more expensive than the chicken bowl. At least now I have an alternate selection for this place!

Update (1/24/2019): They now have musubi, and aside from it being really good, I think it’s reasonably priced. The touch of bacon and avacodo on it is also simply amazing.