San Francisco's Food Truck Dining Scene

Fort Point is the building under the Golden Gate Bridge under blue skies

Yesterday morning we arrived in San Francisco and the blue skies were such a welcome sight from so much rain in Hong Kong.

My cousin took us around in the afternoon, first to Fort Point, which is located under the Golden Gate Bridge -- but it was the fort that was built just before the Civil War, and that position considered as the "key" to the whole Pacific coast.

Looking down inside the fort, that was never used in warfare

The thick brick walls were considered impenetrable, but in the end the fort was never used in warfare.

We got to take look around -- free admission as it is considered on national park land -- though there isn't much to see. My cousin and I climbed up three floors to get to the top to see the underbelly of the bridge, and have a better view of both the Bay Area and the Pacific Ocean on the other side.

Afterwards we grabbed an early dinner at Off the Grid at For Mason nearby in the Presidio area. Every Friday, several food trucks gather in this spot, and with a DJ, some stands selling beer, wine and cocktails, the place was rocking, and hot, with the sun still blazing at 6pm.

Delicious grilled half lobster from Maine with parsley

As my parents had never been to a food truck festival before I was worried about their reaction, but they were game to try this new way of dining. We managed to grab a very tall table and eventually some high stools and we were in business.

Our first dish was a no brainer -- fresh half lobster from Maine cooked on a mesquite grill. The lobster wasn't too big, but the taste was delicious, juicy, meaty and a smoky taste. We even tried to dig out as much meat from the claws as possible.

Then we got some carbs -- a paella with chick peas, chicken, tomato and shrimp. It was quite filling but also very tasty, evidenced by the rice dish being cooked for a long time so that it soaked up all the flavours of the ingredients. Another dish we tried were tater tots garnished with some sour cream and chives.

A few food trips served Filipino food

We washed it all down with some fruit juices from Hawaiian Sun -- the guava and passionfruit with orange flavours were refreshing! And we did some people watching as many brought kids or their furry ones (ie dogs) with them.

There were many other dining options, particularly Filipino, such as lechon, sisig, and adobo, while a Shandong-style dumpling food truck was extremely popular with its constant long queue. You could also get pizza, satays, and Nepalese momos.

For dessert, there was a frozen custard bar that could be covered in chocolate sauce with nuts, and looked so good, but we were already too full. There was also a stand that sold cookie dough, or macarons, or ice cream in between two maracons. Tempting but we had reached our quota!

A big crowd for a Friday evening chowing down

Off the Grid
Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture
2 Marina Boulevard
San Francisco, CA
94123
offthegridsf.com

Adventurous Dining at Serge et le Phoque

Pan-fried scallops with red cabbage and squid ink sauce at Serge et le Phoque

Last night after the typhoon signal finally went down to T3, I ventured out for dinner with my aunt and her friend.

Spanish prawn two ways

I was prepared with rubber boots, but they were not necessary as there was hardly any rain, though a lot of debris on the road from tree branches.

We headed to the restaurant through what a street that is usually bustling with shops and customers but last night was completely shut and quiet. Serge et le Phoque is a hipster French restaurant located near the Wan Chai wet market and we were the first to arrive.

The place is hardly pretentious, which makes customers relaxed and curious about the place. Not long after we were seated, chef de cuisine Nic Chew (ex-L'atelier Robuchon and St Betty's) spotted us and came by to say hello. We asked what was on the chef's menu (HK$850 per person), but he was vague, only hinting the restaurant specialized in seafood.

Based on scant information we decided to go for it.

After a cucumber granite with a touch of spiciness, our appetites were whetted for an unknown feast. It started with skewers of four mussels each, lightly seasoned, followed by a Spanish prawn -- the meat extracted from the shell and again only lightly seasoned, accompanied by the head that was cooked tempura style. The flavours on both were intense and flavourful.

Sea bass ceviche with avocado and seaweed

Next came a refreshing sea bass ceviche with some fresh avocado slices topped with sesame seeds and dry seaweed. When we finished the dish, we were instructed to mop up the vinaigrette sauce with bread.

This was followed by pan-fried scallops with an interesting pairing of red cabbage and dressed with some squid ink sauce. I don't usually like red cabbage, but this one hardly tasted bitter.

My favourite dish came next -- mackerel decorated with a thin slice of daikon -- but what's underneath? Why some uni of course! And a beautiful smattering of fresh peas too. The fish was cooked perfectly and the uni added the umami umph.

We were also given a side of colourful beetroots garnished with grated fresh wasabi that was more like dry powder to perk up the dish.

Mackerel with uni on top, daikon and fresh peas

Another interesting combo was the only meat course, roasted guinea fowl that was tender, and topped with salmon roe and garnished with some fresh oyster mushrooms. Very creative.

A side dish of boiled then roasted half cabbage came out that also had butter in it. What a novel presentation.

By this point we were full, but would we like some cheese? My aunt said yes please! She was given a plate of blue cheese and brie and we shared it along with the crusty rye bread we'd been eating all evening.

Finally dessert. The restaurant's signature is the dacquoise -- a kind of soft macaron with vanilla custard in it and decorated with icing sugar and I'm pleased to report it's still quite good.

Opera cake garnished with whiskey jelly... so good!

But even better was the Opera cake -- chocolate cake with whiskey jelly on top! A nice small slice was the perfect amount for us to savour.

Serge et le Phoque

G/F, Shop B2, 3 Wan Chai Road

Wan Chai
5465 2000

Some Paris Gems

Looking up at La Grande Arche at La Defense against the blue sky

Our third day in Paris was more secular, starting off at La Defense, in the far northeast end of the city.

One of then French President Francois Mitterand's "grand projets" that also included the Pyramid in the Louvre, Musee d'Orsay and Bibilotheque Francois Mitterand, La Defense's Grande Arche was completed in 1988, a 20-year project.

The site was originally where the French successfully defended themselves from the Prussians in 1870, and has now evolved into a business district, with many top national and multinational companies setting up their headquarters here.

The Arc de Triomphe is straight ahead in the distance

The arch is quite impressive, the gorgeous white marble and sharp edges create a striking image against a blue sky with disorderly clouds passing by. Look down from the Grand Arche and you can see the Arc de Triomphe in the distance.

Sadly we couldn't go up to the top of the building because the area where the glass elevators were was being renovated.

Nevertheless we took a quick peek at the nearby Quatre Saisons mall, where sales were going mad at 50 percent off.

Then we headed east all the way to Bastille, where as soon as we emerged from the metro station we saw the Colonne de Juillet or July Column. It was erected in the 19th century to honour the victims of the 1930 and 1848 revolutions. At the top is a golden statue, the Genie de la Bastille, who represents Liberty.

The curious Oriental room in Victor Hugo's apartment

We saw a sign pointing towards Victor Hugo's home and decided to find it. Down a small pleasant street by a park is his residence, an apartment where he lived with his wife Adele Foucher, from 1832 to 1848.

He paid an annual rent of 1,500 francs that was paid in four installments for the 2,800 square foot flat on the second floor.

Restorers have tried to make the apartment look as closely as it did when he lived there, following photographs of the place and eyewitness accounts.

Each room looked lavish, with sumptuous-looking wallpaper, lots of paintings on the walls, heavy antique furniture, and family portraits in photographs and paintings.

One of Hugo's ink drawings that has a lot of detail and depth

Most intriguing was a room that was done in an Oriental style, with caricatures of what Chinese people looked like -- with slanted eyes and wearing robes, Chinese-inspired furniture and murals, that were mixed with porcelain vases and plates, and two Guanyin statues.

So it turns out Hugo had some exposure to Chinese art and apparently appreciated it too!

The smallest room at the back was the bedroom, and they recreated it to look like the one in which he died in 1885, complete with the four-poster bed that was quite small, along with two paintings of his corpse on the death bed.

Soutter created abstract paintings in the 19th century

I still remember reading Les Miserables out of my own curiosity when I was in high school and what a slog it was reading the first third of the thick book. However after that things started to get interesting and the different plot lines came together making it a riveting read to the end.

And then years later the musical came out, but never gave the book justice to the numerous twists and turns in the plot, let alone the character development...

The ground floor of the apartment is reserved for rotating exhibitions and here it was showing Hugo also had an artistic ability, proficient at drawing, and how he influenced a violinist named Louis Soutter.

Hugo didn't pick up drawing until he was 30, while Soutter started when he was over 50. Soutter lived a sad life -- he never became famous as a violinist and instead ended up divorced and penniless -- his brother had to sell his violin to be able to let him live in an old people's home.

Hanging out at the Pyramid in the Louvre

When the two artists' drawings are put side by side, it's interesting to see their different styles -- Hugo masters facial expressions with minimal strokes, while Soutter is not afraid to cover the entire paper with pencil strokes that are confident and expressive.

From Bastille we headed to the Louvre, just to take pictures outside and then head to Opera station for Palais Garnier, named after the architect Charles Garnier who was commissioned by Napoleon III to build an opera house to reflect the opulence of the Second Empire.

We didn't go inside, but it was already impressive on the outside with the portraits of many composers lining the large building.

A memorable pistachio and strawberry ice cream sandwich

Just a block away was Galeries LaFayette and I was finally able to complete my mission in Paris -- to try an ice cream sandwich from Pierre Herme. My colleague had raved about them to me before, how she had one and returned not one more time, but twice in succession to savour these cold treats.

I tried the combination of pistachio and strawberry (6.90 euros) and was not disappointed at all. The sandwich shell is made of macaron, and then it's a thick slice of the strawberry swirl ice cream. Each bite was not too rich, and very refreshing, though my dad had the chocolate and nougat one that was quite heavy.

For my mom I chose three macarons for her and we agreed the Mogador was fantastic -- chocolate with hints of passion fruit to cut the richness and wasn't too sweet.

Au Printemps celebrates 150 years in pink and roses

Before going back to our hotel we passed by Au Printemps which is celebrating its 150th birthday this year, the outside of the store dressed in bright pink complete with rose-shaped medallions.

Sweet French Treat

The decadent chocolate noisette tart in the shop

After the macaron craze in Hong Kong died down (finally) as lines at Laduree evaporated, there's a new French pastry shop that has fans, though not at the same intensity.

It's called Dalloyau and yes there really was a Mr Charles Dalloyau in France, whose breads took the notice of Louis XIV and in 1652 appointed him "Officier de Bouche", the highest gastronomic title at the time.

He and his brothers were allowed to attend the king's meals, invited to official ceremonies and could take part in culinary and gastronomic research.

More pastries on display

This all ended with the French Revolution in 1789 and descendant Jean-Baptiste Dalloyau saved the family name by starting "Dalloyau, house of gastronomy" in 1802.

The name became more associated with the art of good eating, offering to prepare meals for bourgeoisie families at home, much like aristocrats used to. Dalloyau settled at Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, the current address of the Paris shop.

Since then the name has come to be associated with sophistication and quality.

A few months ago Dalloyau opened its first shop in Harbour City with an excellent fine dining restaurant called Epure attached to it. But the name Dalloyau is not only strange to pronounce for locals, but also in Cantonese sounds like "big fat ass"...

I arrived late this afternoon to pick up some pastries to take to my cousin's place for dinner and even though it was almost 6pm, people were still standing in line waiting to try the afternoon tea.

However staff were on hand to serve me at the take-away counter. I had to pre-order the pastries as the signature Opera cake is usually sold out -- layers of jonconde soaked in coffee syrup, with coffee butter cream and chocolate ganache. It's topped with a bit of gold foil for that rich touch.

Another decadent  one is the chocolate noisette tart, featuring hazelnut chocolate ganache, chocolate glaze and sesame tulle on top. The chocolate ganache isn't too sweet, but it's a dense flavour while the crust holds up well.

Our delectable selections this evening!

The same goes for the lemon tart, that had a fantastic lemon curd topped with lemon zest.

On the lighter side is the berry tart, baked almond cream and vanilla custard, decorated with strawberries, red currant and blueberries.

We also like the mango and passion fruit mousse cake, that was light and fluffy and also had mandarin and apricot compote.

Perhaps the only one that didn't hold well after being transported inside and outside was the Dalloyau, an almond meringue cake with praline cream inside and covered with crushed caramelized hazelnuts.

There's many others cakes we didn't get a chance to try which means we'll have to come back again... a big hint is to come after 7pm on weekdays, but you have to hope not everything has been sold out by then.

Dalloyau

Shop 403, 4/F, Ocean Centre, Harbour City

17 Canton Road

Tsim Sha Tsui
3185 8330

dalloyau.hk

Gourmet Treats

All nine cheeses waiting to be savoured with passion fruit jam and bread

My friend Marc from Singapore is here for a few days and since he loves cheese, I thought I'd take him to Caprice Bar in the Four Seasons Hong Kong which has an amazing cheese selection.

As the bar doesn't take reservations we arrived just around 6pm and managed to get one of the prime seats looking over Victoria Harbour. It was great to see the ferries coming in and out of the terminals, while also seeing the digital display on the ICC building.

The main event was the cheeses and we chose the menu item "A little bit of everything". Caprice manager Jeremy Evrard asked us what our preferences were (goat cheese, soft cheeses, blue cheese) and then they were paired with three wines for Marc and a Riesling from Alsace for me that was crisp and had a lot of minerality.

After a bit of a wait our cheese platter arrived on a carved piece of wood and Marc was instantly transported to fromage heaven.

Evrard took time to explain each cheese for us, from left to right, telling us stories about each cheese, its provenance and a hint of each of their tastes. For example Pave de la Ginestaire and Le Colagne were from south west of France near Toulouse, both very creamy, though the latter didn't have much character.

The Prerail had a strong animal flavour from the sheep, and Comte (aged four years) was salty and complex that went well with white wine made like a Sherry to balance the flavour. We liked the Munster cheese, but to finish the platter, the blue cheese of Fourme D'Ambert had a clean finish -- creamy with a slightly harder texture, and the blue cheese taste.

The cheeses were complemented with a yummy passionfruit jam and an assortment of breads and crackers.

Needless to say Marc enjoyed the entire experience -- not only learning more about the cheeses, but also the pairings and savouring each taste. He would go back and forth between the cheeses, deciding which ones he liked best.

Indulging in seven flavours of macarons from Pierre Herme

After our fill of cheese, Marc felt we should have a bit of sweetness, so we headed to Pierre Herme for some macarons.

We were obliged to buy a box of seven for HK$210 and fill it with whatever flavours we liked. The array of macarons was so mesmerizing it was difficult to decide which ones to try.

In the end we chose: salted butter caramel; Mogador -- milk chocolate and passion fruit; green coffee and refined Bourbon coffee from Reunion; Envie -- vanilla, violet and blackcurrant; rose, lychee and raspberry; chocolate and smoked salt; and lemon and flaky hazelnut praline.

We took them home and they were safely, but they were packaged such that it was difficult to get the macarons out without ruining their shells! The shells were too delicate to handle -- we preferred if they were a bit harder and crunchier, but the flavours of each of them were unique and memorable.

Our favourites were Mogador with the strong passion fruit flavour, the black currant in Envie, salted butter caramel goes without saying, and the various textures in the lemon and flaky hazelnut praline. The green coffee did had a subtle coffee after taste, though we couldn't really taste the smoked salt in the chocolate one.

Marc had wanted to save a few macarons for the morning, but I couldn't wait -- why wait?! I couldn't imagine them lasting overnight in the fridge. So we finished them, enjoying every bite.