La Note: A Favored French Brunch

La Note is a charming little brunch place situated in Downtown Berkeley. It is known to be quite busy with numerous people waiting patiently to be seated, expect the wait time to be around half an hour on average. The few times I've been here, I've enjoyed the meals in spite of the slightly expensive pricing. However, I cannot speak for any meal other than brunch, for I've always came here in the morning.


What I love most about their dishes is their garlic-roasted tomatoes, full of flavor and delight; if I had to choose a side dish, the tomatoes would be my first choice. Notable entrees that I enjoy and recommend are their omelets and the chocolate hazelnut french toast with lavender honey. The lavender honey is definitely worth trying as it highlights the strong tones of lavender. They also serve their warm coffee/chocolate beverages in soup-sized bowls. La Note expresses a lot of character in its decor and serves fine quality food.



2377 Shattuck Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94704
Yelp Review

Liang's Village Cuisine

Liang's kitchen serves Taiwanese style noodles and dishes. They are generally noted for their beef noodle soup, which in Taiwan is an extremely well-made entree. The taste is pretty authentic considering there's not many places you can find with Taiwanese style noodle soup. In comparison to the noodles experienced in Taiwan, it's not as great but good enough. While in Taiwan, you can tell if the noodle soup is good by its fragrant scent just by entering the door. Liang kitchen lacks this effect, but in terms of taste it does the job. I'd recommend this place to people who miss eating Taiwanese style noodles and wouldn't mind paying $6-$10 for a decently sized bowl. In addition to their beef noodle soup, they have a variety of wet noodle and dry noodles as well as the beef wrap which I immensely enjoyed.


The service is okay here. The waiters tend to be a bit slow and make mistakes, but at least they get the job done.

19772 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014
Yelp Review

Pho Phu Quoc

Pho Phu Quoc has been given much praise over the years for its pho. The quality of the pho, in my opinion, is one the best you can get in San Francisco. Generally, I love to get Pho when I'm in the South Bay (Milpitas, San Jose, etc.), but if I'm in the city, this is the place I'd go. The pricing and portions are fair; it's easy to share a large bowl of pho between two people. Their entrees are also pretty decent. They may not be as big or as filling as the huge bowl of pho, but they are delicious. Notable items on the menu include the curry chicken pho and the satay beef pho.


The place is fairly clean and can accomodate a good number of customers. So if you're ever around Irving, this is one of the many places you should check out.

1816 Irving St
San Francisco, CA 94122
Yelp Review

The Delancey Street Foundation

The Delancey Street Foundation Restaurant may look high-class and expensive, but it's actually a well-priced place. The restaurant is situated at the Embarcardero with a pleasant view of the bay and pier and a clean patio for nice warm days. At lunch, sandwiches and most entrees are served with salad, fries, or spicy fries (which I recommend), and generally costs between $5.95-$15 and are decently portioned. The potato latke (small flat potato pancake with apple sauce and sour cream on the side) was a mysterious side dish that my friends and I decided to order and turned out be sastifying.


Overall the food is of good quality and is a nice setting if you want to go to a bit fancier place without having to spend a great deal of money. I would come here to try their brunch as their weekend brunch menu seems to have an even greater variety.

600 Embarcadero St
San Francisco, CA 94107
Yelp Review

The Boiling Crab

The Boiling Crab is a fun and messy way to get your hands digging in some seafood. Located in San Jose, the Northern California branch, people line up to get the experience of eating delicious marinated and seasoned seafood in a bag. Fortunately, when I went the wait wasn't long, but we got there half an hour before opening during Saturday lunch. Normally, the wait can be up to 2 hours, which either means the food is just really that good or that it's overrated. In my opinion, it's good seafood, not entirely the best seafood in comparison to going to a famous fisherman location like Half Moon Bay or Monterey.


Boiling Crab features several types of sauces including cajun, lemon pepper, garlic butter, or the whole sha-bang (which includes all three sauces combined). As a person who likes all three, I enjoyed the whole sha-bang, infused spiciness and flavorful. If you're afraid of getting messy, there are also catfish and shrimp baskets that you can order. Sides such as the calamari was good, but not the best. The fries are well-seasoned and spicy, which I do love. One thing to keep in mind is the cost of water. Water doesn't come free with the meal, but rather, it costs 50 cents. Because of this, I got the lemonade with free refills, and if you don't finish the drink you can take it with you since it's in a recyclable soda cup.

Overall, the ambiance and food makes the visit worthwhile, but the lines and potentially the cost (if you intend on ordering crab or lobster) can be around $20-$30 a person. And, if you're really afraid of getting messy, don't worry because they do offer nice bibs.


1631 E Capitol Expressway #101
San Jose, CA 95121
Yelp Review

Manpuku

Manpuku is a great Japanese place to get ramen. Although Ryowa on University Ave is probably the best and more authentic place to order ramen, Manpuku offers a variety of entrees and sushi at reasonable prices. That being said, since their prices are so friendly, you can literally order over 4 rolls and have your meal be under $30. The rolls, however, are not huge or tiny but of moderate size. The bentos and entrees are of moderate portions as well. I enjoyed coming here because of the memories I have with my friends. The place is cramped and most of the time we had to wait until there was a big enough table to fit five or six of us, but we never were disappointed with the food.


Yelp Review
2977 College Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705

Verde's Tea Cafe

I miss Verde's Tea Cafe in Millbrae. I remember spending nearly every Friday night in the cafe with people from my hometown, catching up, playing uno, and talking about the beginning of college life. It was blissful times. The service was great and Betty, the lady who managed the store, was always around and knew all the local and dedicated customers. She'll even remember your usual drink, such as my green apple half sugar. Sadly, Betty moved and the shop closed down. However, three other Verde Tea Cafes still exist in the South Bay, all of which I have visited. The quality of the tea is made fresh and taste authentic. I'm a huge fan of the hazelnut milk tea and almond milk tea, especially. The size of the cup also seems bigger than most tapoica places. I've tried some of their traditional snacks, such as fried fish balls on a stick and tofu, and I enjoyed them. Two of the three places have dine-in and to-go services, with ample of space for people to hang out and play cards. Although I wish they had more Asian desserts, they have a variety of drinks and foods at standard pricing in the US ($2-$3.50 a drink, $3-$7 for food). I highly recommend this place primarily for the quality and portions.

Yelp Review
47954 Warm Springs Blvd
Fremont, CA 94539

Yelp Review
19760 Stevens Creek Blvd
Cupertino, CA 95014

Yelp Review
852 Villa St
Mountain View, CA 94041

Mokka

Mokka is a cafe, located on Telegraph and Blake. It is a very clean and charming place, specializing in medium-roasted/dark brews. The quality of the coffee was solid and I have yet to try the food but hope in time will be able to. The place is pretty good, better than most cafes. In addition, as by its name, Mokka has its own sipping chocolate, which if at the time I wasn't so full from Bakesale Betty would have tried. Also, as a tea lover, they serve a variety of tea lattes. Like many coffee shops these days, there is free wi-fi and many accommodating seats for leisure or studying. The place has a great atmosphere and the colors feel warm and comforting. I highly recommend coming by here if you're ever down far Telegraph.


3075 Telegraph Ave
Berkeley, CA 94701
Yelp Review