I was lucky enough to fly to San Francisco in April for almost two weeks for work. For the first time ever, I decided to stay in San Francisco proper and catch the shuttle to the office each day. It’s quite luxurious being able to catch an air-conditioned shuttle with WIFI to and from work, even if I was getting up at 5:30am each morning!

I decided to document all the places I went whilst I was out there. You can see a list of all the locations on this map here.

First off was Thai Thai Noodle. I ordered beef with peppers and rice. Prices were cheap, service was swift and the food was pretty decent. 

Just across the road from Thai Thai Noodle is a supermarket. I stocked up on a bunch of American sweets and treats for my colleagues and family. As you can see below, it was quite the haul and I went back for more!

By now it was Saturday, so I decided to have a lovely leisurely brunch at a little place down the road called Canteen. Service was rather surly but the food was to die for. It was in fact, the only place that I went to twice during the whole time I was in San Fran, although again, pity about the service. 

I didn’t take a snap of my second brunch which was pancakes with warm strawberries but I did snap a before and after pictures of the blueberry pancakes with cream cheese. If you are going for breakfast, you must order it. It is AMAZING.

On Saturday night, my lovely friends from London who now live in San Francisco, took me out for dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant called Ristorante Parma

I ordered a Caeser Salad and my friends ordered Garlic Prawns on Spinach and Grilled Mushrooms with Radicchio. Whilst I couldn’t fault the dishes it didn’t really have me raving. With similar ingredients I could quite happily put together dishes like that myself.

We pressed on with our mains, with one of my fellow diners ordered Chicken Parmigiana. This was certainly the strongest of the mains with two rather generous servings of chicken. My other dinner ordered something very similar to me. Looking at the photos the only difference is the type of pasta used as both have a cream sauce with peas and ham.

I should also mention prior to dinner, we popped into the very impressive bar called Nectar Wine Lounge. Great place to check out some wines from the Napa Valley.

Another day beckoned and I thought I’d try that great American tradition, pancakes with maple syrup and bacon. Just up the road on Sutter Street, was the Golden Coffee Shop which is a lovely little family run diner. Despite it raising my food quality alarms for being so cheap, it was brilliant. Ideal if you fancy clogging your arteries first thing in the morning.

Another place nearby if you need your cup of ‘Joe’ as the Americans call it, is the The Morning Fix. I had a perfectly decent cup of coffee there, although I am not in any way shape or form a coffee snob. 

I finally had a chance to try a pretty little neighbourhood restaurant called Nob Hill Grille on the Sunday night. After clogging my arteries with pancakes and bacon, I followed it up with a burger and sweet potato fries. The burger was lovingly constructed from a brioche bun, salad leaves and good quality meat. The fries themselves came with a rather spicy dressing. Washed down with a lovely red from Napa Valley, I practically rolled out of the restaurant.

Probably one of my more disappointing meals was the burrito I had at La Mexicana Taqueria on Sutter Street. I was given a massive burrito but the ingredients were disappointing and things you would normally get automatically in the UK weren’t included. Who knew burritos could be this disappointing in San Fran? Perhaps because it wasn’t the mission but steer clear of this one. The only thing I really liked was the lovely Jarritos Lime drink.

The user experience team that I’m part of went for a lunch together one day near the office, and our boss chose Seto Japanese restaurant. We were lucky enough to be seated at a traditional Japanese booth of sorts. I opted for a Chicken Teriyaki Bento Box, since I love getting a bit of everything when I order food. No complaints on either the food or service but no wild raves either. I’ve been spoiled for Japanese food since our trip at the start of the year!

My final night was spent at a restaurant called Olea. I desperately wanted to like this place. They use local and organic ingredients, the service was friendly, the layout of the restaurant was cosy but still charming and I could see the chef hard at work whilst I waited for my meal. However, when my duck arrived, I found the dish a little bland. The duck was lovely, the asparagus was good but with the quinoa (IIRC) it was served on lacked flavour and it just didn’t sit well with me. The cake I had for dessert was also quite dry and rather stodgy. 

One thing they definitely did have right was the portion sizes. For the first time in my whole trip, I left feeling pleasantly full rather than bursting. Despite both dishes not being great, I’d still give Olea another try. Maybe next time I’m in San Francisco.

Since I went to Tantris on my own, these are the notes I wrote up between courses. It’s interesting to see the difference between other reviews which are often done much later.

The restaurant is beautiful and the staff have so far done well to tolerate my complete lack of German. I’ve started with an aperitif of prosecco and mango. It is good!

Unlike some other Michelin starred venues, they do offer the ability to choose between a set menu and a la carte. It has been a tough choice but I’ve decided to go for the set menu. 

A little more on the restaurant decor. Key colours are black, red and orange. It’s very elegant in a 1990’s kind of way. Low rounded lights, black leather, red laquer. Thankfully I’m not the only person dining on my own with an older lady next to me and a business man on the other side. I wish they had bar seating though. The rest of the clientele is very well to do. Even in the Fat Duck there was an element of casualness which could only exist in England. The older lady sitting next to me is drinking a nice half of German beer, whilst most sip champagne. She appears to be a regular customer. 

First was an amuse-bouche of sorts, tuna tartare with a rolled quinelle perhaps with mushrooms and a boiled quails egg. First off, I ate an egg - ZOMG! I didn’t get a strong flavour from the tuna, nor the egg but there was a lovely flavour in the dressing and the quinelle filling which tied the dish together. I’ve just sat here for a few minutes trying to pinpoint the flavour, possibly teriyaki? It was good though.

The first matched wine is an Austrian Sauvignon blanc which has a more mineral accent than say New Zealand wines. It also had hints of fennel and peach. Thanks to the sommelier for explaining it to me.

First course was Lukewarm Salmon with White Asparagus. The asparagus was out of this world, as you would expect from a local speciality. The salmon was very delicate, melt in your mouth. There was three dressings on the dish but none were discernable, a light mayonnaise, a herb and another light mayonnaise with perhaps pepper in it? There was also finely diced egg yolk, pancetta and onion over the dish. Perhaps not as successful as the first dish.

They gave me more of the Austrian wine so not sure the pacing of the next two. And some more! I think the next course has taken far too long and there was no word from the wait staff to reassure me, that may be due to German fail. 

Finally my Langoustines arrved. They were served with pak choy and a creamy fish sauce. Perhaps with some coconut cream, the sauce was the highlight of the dish. The langoustines were a little chewy for my liking although the flavour was good.

Being on my own, it’s interesting to note who gets the most attention from the various staff. Some people clearly ate GIPs (German Important People) or at least frequent enough visitors that they get special treatment.

The next course was Venison with Chanterelles, Cabbage and Potatoes. The meat was fantastic, perfectly cooked, tender. Vegetables were good, especially the small slivers of mashed potatoes. The jus was rich, flavoured with red wine and stock. The wine served with the dish was an Italian red, heavy on the tannins with hints of vanilla. Not normally my favourite style but a good match, plus I got an extra glass. The gentleman next to me had a similar menu and is now finished so not sure why I am still quite behind. Same with the elderly lady next to me. 

Next up was Taleggio with Filo Pastry and Salad Leaves. It seemed an odd choice but perhaps replaced a more traditional cheese course. It was served with a light mayonnaise, salad leaves and a balsamic dressing. I can’t fault the dish but it felt jarring after the venison. I queried the waiter about german cheese but he didn’t really add much detail. I really wish I spoke German at this point. 

The dessert had to be the highlight. Sour cream ice-cream, raspberry, rhubarb, a chocolate donut and marshmallow like chocolate cream served with an Italian Muscat with berry flavours, almost champagne like… It was so good. In fact, I’ll go out on a limb and say it was the best dessert I’ve ever had. Each individual component was perfectly executed. It was a journey from hot to cold, from chocolate to cream and then berry flavours. 

The meal finished with an exceptional selection of Petit Fours and a Macchiato, although I only tasted each of the beautifully formed baby desserts. I have felt a little neglected during the meal but I expect that is a result of my language failure more than anything. Better than Joel Robuchon but not as good as Fat Duck. 

Service including tip came to around €211 which included the five course tasting menu, three matching wines (of which I received a total of 6 glasses), aperitif and sparkling water.