Good Bites Cafe (Belmont, CA)

Our trip to SF was such a whirlwind of food and sightseeing, both Jen and I were negligent in recording our meals. However, it would be criminal for me to keep living my life without jotting a few notes about this little Filipino hole in the wall.
I love small, obscure restaurants tucked away in some corner, serving delicious, simple food for cheap cheap cheap. This place fits the bill and is probably the best meal I ate in California.
We came here for a late brunch. Each meal comes with a choice of meat, garlic rice, and a salad, all for $7! We also got a free appetizer of pita/naan type bread with the best thick garlicky hummus I’ve ever tasted.
Our meats of choice: sweet bacon, sweet sausage, and marinated beef. All were delicious but the juicy smokey sweet sausage trumped them all. The garlic rice was sensational and lacked the usual oil laden feel of most fried rice.
Plus, the owner was super friendly and hospitable, I felt like we were being served at his house :)
Thank you Yelp.

Shanghai Dumpling Brunch

When in Flushing, stopping by Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao is an absolute must. If someone recommends Joe’s Shamghai to you, they’re not your friend–friends don’t let friends eat second-rate Xiao Long Bao!

We also ordered You Tiao and sweet warm soy milk. Mmm. Here’s a tip from our experience–check how many pieces come in an order before you order multiple quantities. We ended up with 8 large pieces of You Tiao when we thought we were only ordering 4…

Jen & Trudy Eat Simultaneously III

Trudy: We started our rainy Saturday at the Durham Farmers Market in downtown Durham, the allegedly up and coming corner of the Triangle. The weather was dreary, but the market was bustling and cozy all at once. I sampled a buttery turnover filled with deliciously smooth potato and an expectedly bland “vegetarian sausage.”

Jen: I bought Spiced Peach Bread Pudding to split with Trudy and a little Pumpkin Tart (I forgot to take pictures…) The bread pudding was pretty good. It was spiced with ginger and nutmeg–I could definitely taste the ginger, a little overwhelming, but it tasted like fall, which was satisfying enough. I had the pumpkin tart a couple days later and it wasn’t mind-blowing. Just average.

Trudy: As we finished up our appetizers (because yes, breakfast needs an app), we got out of the rain and met up with Rebel Yang, the legendary baker (see post), at an equally legendary bakery – Guglhupf.

Jen: I ordered the Eggs Arnold (Eggs Benedict minus the ham replaced with spinach, artichoke, and tomato) topped with “the best Hollandaise sauce in the triangle” (source: a Google post Trudy found). After ordering, we went upstairs to our table and chatted and caught up while waiting for our food. We were all very engaged in a conversation as we were taking our first bites…and in that moment, I just stopped listening and could only focus on that sauce–creamy, buttery, slightly tangy…a mouthful of perfection.

Trudy: The Berliner (raspberry jelly donut) was once my top Saturday morning pick at Guglhupf until that fateful day my wandering eye fell upon the chocolate croissant. I’ve never looked back. So this time I again ordered my old standby and it did not let me down: crisp yet soft, sweet yet savory, tender and chewy,  is the delicious, harmonious contradiction of the chocolate croissant. Plus a piping hot mug of smooth black coffee to wash it down and warm me up. I love when Jen comes to visit! :)