Habit Burger

Finally tried the Habit Burger!

There's an outlet just five minutes away from where we stayed (I know, don't be jealous!) and Panda's been there a couple of times with his coworkers. He has been wanting me to try it, since it has pretty good Yelp reviews.

My verdict? 

Not your regular fast food joint given the comfortable seating and restaurant-like ambience. I tried their original char burger, and the ingredients are just as fresh as In-N-Out Burger. A bigger portion, too.

They also have sandwiches and salads for the non-burger lovers, and unique sides like tempura green beans. I saw two middle-aged ladies walked past with ice-cream cones, and could have sworn that the ice-cream top is four inches tall i.e. toppling out of the cone. Alas, they only served vanilla-flavoured cones, so I couldn't verify that. Would have loved a chocolate cone to end my lunch.

Habit Burger is not as pricey as Counter Burger - another awesome burger place, or Red Robin - the burger chain we like to hang out at for free flow fries and broccoli (*heh*). It's still a tad more expensive than the rest of the fast food places, but I would say given the quality of food and ambience, it's worth the indulgence once in a while. 

A good place to bring visitors, too!

Space at bottom left is for the soon-to-come chocolate cone on their menu (I hope)

Half Moon Bay & Sam's Chowder House



I will make this a short one, because we are going to attempt a one-day ski trip to Boreal Mountain Resort at Truckee tomorrow.

A trip we planned to do last Saturday but got postponed.

Why? Because I couldn't sleep well the night before, due to somebody's thunderous snoring. Was found curled up on the sofa, cold and bleary-eyed, at 5am in the morning. That guilty somebody then promised we would try again the coming Monday. Yaaaaay.

Anyway, it may be a good thing we didn't make the trip because the weather was really gloomy. Grey skies that threatened to break anytime with rainfall.

Not a good time to drive up the mountains. 

Still, we didn't want to waste the Saturday, so we took a 45-min drive to Half Moon Bay. We have heard of Sam's Chowder House but haven't had the chance to try it. We figured it would be less crowded by the time we reached.





Wind and waves along Cabrillo Highway



Little houses against fog-covered hilltops. Mysteriously pretty.

Arriving at Sam's Chowder House. We got lucky and found parking shortly.

An in-house gift shop for those waiting in line 

The lunch crowd was just beginning to clear when we got there around 2.30pm. We opted for whichever table comes first and thought we would be seated inside. After 30 minutes' wait, however, we were surprised with a table at the patio.

What a refreshing beach view!



The ocean air was chilly but the view was worth it!



A rather casual and relaxed atmosphere



Hoot! Hoot! Chase the birds away!

Care to sit back, relax, and enjoy the view?

The hamson husband

Since we weren't very hungry, we ordered spicy popcorn shrimp, fish and chips, and a bowl of New England Clam Chowder to share. All 'basic stuff', which tasted pretty good. 

What blew us away, however, was the portion of the chowder.

It was HUGE!!!  

 

The bill came up to around $45. A deal considering the amazing view, the ample portions, and the above average quality of food. We couldn't finish everything, so we boxed the rest for dinner.

 After lunch, we took a stroll along the seaside.

The flight of stairs leading down to the beach

Furry friends having fun on the sand



A couple were also walking, ahem, their goats. Can you spot them?

Sailboats

I used to think there's nothing much to do or see at Half Moon Bay, other than major events like the Pumpkin Festival. It's just a pretty name for a boring place.

But I think I've officially changed my opinion.

Would love to come back and try the little cafes. Experience the quaintness of this seaside town. Enjoy the crisp sea breeze on the quiet beach. 

It could possibly be a hangout place on weekends, or the next time we missed a road trip.

Of marriage magic, new tires and 49ers...

Three major things this past week:

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary!

Time flies and I cannot believe we have been married for 4 years. The good thing is, I still feel that we are dating every day. I don't know how we managed to do that, I just thank God for the magic.

So what did we do? We had a SG time zone celebration at home, where I cooked the usual steak and then tried two new recipes. First, creamy curried cauliflower soup from here. And then a dessert, adapted from what I've tasted at Wendy's for our girls' brunch - baked apple bits + dried apricots + lemon zest with crumbs.  A big thank you to Panda, who is always ready to try whatever I cook.

Oh, and I bought a balcony table and chair set so that we can eat breakfast at the balcony! Alas, it rained the night before so Wendy became my first 'balcony customer' a day later.

For US time zone celebration, we had 小肥羊 at downtown San Mateo. I love steamboat and the spicy soup base was so good, I ate till I was bursting at the seams! Honestly, the quality and quantity of food are well-worth the price. We only paid $65 for two pax!

Speaking of the budget life, Turbo also went for an 'overhaul' this week. After going through his regular servicing, the workshop advised us to change his tires and get a new battery. But it would cost us close to a grand! *horrified* After some research on Panda's part (with me feeling super heart pain over the potential cost), he managed to find a workshop at Redwood City - America's Tire Company - which brought the cost of tire change down to $585.  In the end, all the work caused us around $750. Phew!

(I forgot to take a photo of Turbo having his tires changed. Boy, I felt like an anxious mom looking through the workshop window as he was being worked on.)

And finally... we understood what American football is all about. Thanks to the Leows!

Panda and I stumbled upon St John's Bar and Grill at Sunnyvale, which supposedly served the best burgers in Silicon Valley. I don't know about the burgers (at half-price on Saturdays) but their garlic fries were good, especially with dips like curry ketchup, chipotle ketchup, honey mustard...

Anyway, Kansas City was playing against Indiana on that day, and we were hooked on that sports atmosphere in the pub. When the Leows invited us to watch 49ers vs Green Bay Packers at their place the next day, Panda jumped at the opportunity. It was such a great idea because we had Len explaining the whole mystery to us! No more just men piling on top of one another, with no sight of the ball in place!

I don't know if this sounds bimbotic, but I'm so glad I finally get what the sport is all about. I can now say with conviction, go 49ers!

Now, to do the same with baseball... *gingerly looking at the orange SF Giants visor in one corner of my wardrobe*

What's up?

Am having so much activities (read: fun) that I could barely catch my breath. After a whirlwind 2 weeks back home to see our families, with birthday and Christmas celebrations snuck in between, we are finally back in FC!

Well, I wish we could say we are back to our quiet lives but looking at what we have done the past month, I don't think so...

Those old bones still rock!

The Leows made full use of their freedom (little L was in HK) and organised an epic clubbing night last month! I never imagine Panda and I going to a night club with transgender dancers but I must say the 'girls' at AsiaSF impressed me with their antics!

I especially loved our waitress - I shall call her Big Mama - who got Panda so red in the face with her teasing and flirting. When I told her hey that's my husband you are touching, Big Mama stage whispered in a manly voice: "Don't worry, I won't get pregnant!"

The most spontaneous award has to go to April, who led the pack on the 'blow jobs' - place your hands on their chest and get the shot glass out from their thighs or cleavage. I sent my sister a photo on that and she went "Eeeeeeeeee!" But actually, it was quite hilarious.

Big thanks to the Leows for that fun night out, which by the way, ended off at a KTV where everyone was almost ready to collapse from exhaustion. Old age.

Dainty, dainty! Tea and pastries!

The next day, Jo and I ditched our party clothes, left the boys at home, and headed down to Satori Tea Company to meet the ladies. It's such an exquisite place that I wished I had donned something prettier, lady-er. They had a whole wall lined with tea choices and a small cabinet filled with mismatched teapots and cups. I felt the urge to put on my best behaviour in such a quiet, feminine setting. But it was so hard because HY was about to leave US for good and I just couldn't stop talking. And it didn't help that the place was quite small! Luckily there weren't many customers.

The ambience was great but the menu was a tad too pricy for its quantity - at least for my current state of housewife-ness. Or maybe it was because I woke up late and I was looking for something to fill my poor starving stomach. The sandwiches did give me enough energy to move my toes home...

Did someone say shop and ski?

I was desperate for some action during the Thanksgiving weekend, so Panda and I had a grand plan - shop till we drop for the Black Friday sale, then head right up to Squaw Valley.

Based on our experience, parking would be a nightmare as it gets late into the night, so we got to Livermore REALLY early. And we weren't the first... at 4pm, queues were starting to form. Temperature was freezing and it got colder as the sun sets... but it didn't dampen people's shopping mood. Check out my frozen smile Kate Spade and Swarovski's line, even before they open!

We were quite glad that despite our tired bodies and the lack of sleep, we managed to get our butts to Squaw Valley. The drive was pretty pleasant and since it was the beginning of ski season, there weren't much snow on the ground though it was cold.

We rested for the night and woke up early to check out the place. I had mistakenly thought that ski lessons would be available in the afternoon (no one told me otherwise when I checked at the counter... boo!), so we took the aerial tram to High Camp in the morning. I had a blast ice-skating on the upper mountain. It was only when we got down and I wanted to pay for the ski lessons that we found out they were long over and the slopes were closing at 3pm! That left me with just an hour to try the easy slope.... it was quite depressing but I still went for it! :(

We stayed at Red Wolf Lodge, literally a stone's throw from the main village. Compared to where we've stayed at Northstar, the lodge was much simpler and smaller but the kitchenette was enough to prepare small meals. By now I'm quite good at packing ingredients that can be cooked in different ways - pasta, potatoes, carrots, some kind of meat, broccoli/lettuce, onion and garlic. Salt and pepper are normally provided but bring butter and sugar along. Condiments like ketchup, and herbs like dill or parsley, are good too!

What's for Christmas?

We got back to FC before Christmas eve and the gang had a superb dinner on Christmas day, thanks to Mr and Mrs Tan! Jo and Vic had to be the most hospitable couple I've ever seen - they spent so much effort preparing the sumptuous meal for us! I especially loved the devil eggs and chocolate dipped strawberries, and will try to attempt it one day! There was also an after-dinner song and dance session and we each took turns to jiggle our cellulite for disco music. We witnessed some really uproarious smooth moves but we are keeping those photos for personal consumption!

Next up...

It has been such an exciting year, thanks to our friends, and we are going to end it on high! Where will the gang be heading next? Well, I'm not telling yet, but stay tuned... for another episode of FC adventures is about to be unveiled!

10 days of chilling at FC

Time flies and before we know it, Sheena has come and gone! This trip was rather unplanned, in a nice way too because we didn't have to rush from attractions to attractions, place to place. No long road trips, just short excursions to nearby places for food and coffee.

Since it's her second time here (ahem, in half a year) and knew exactly how she wants to spend her time, we just jotted down a list of to-eat and to-do. The highlights are:

1. New eating places!

Silver Lake is along El Camino Real and we went there on Panda's recommendation (his colleagues brought him there for lunch). At $18.90 for a set of three main dishes and $1 per pax for rice, we couldn't ask for a more value for money lunch. We especially loved the salt and pepper ribs, and tofu rod cod pot!

We stopped by Soho Café on our way to Livermore Premium Outlet - it's just one exit away. Even though the reviews on Yelp are average, we liked the food there and I think it helps if you place your order in Cantonese! I tried their satay mee and it was yums.

Sheena is a ramen lover, like me! We had a girls lunch at Ramen Parlour because it's one of the best around, together with Ramen Dojo and Santa Ramen. I chose the garlic lobster pork soup base - thick and fragrant. The ramen also came with half a soft shell crab! Verdict for us: I think it's as good as Ramen Dojo (I love thick soup bases) but Sheena still ranks Hotaru's curry ramen as her favourite.

Spicy Empire, omg... I've been craving for Sze Chuan food for ages and Sheena gave me the perfect excuse to go because Panda doesn't take spicy food! We asked Vic to bring us there for lunch since he loves spicy food. I'm so in love with the 水煮鱼 and 蒜泥白肉. Will. Be. Back. Burp.

We sort of decided on King of Thai Noodle House at the last minute because we didn't know what to eat while we were in the city. It's a convenient choice since it's located near Union Square. The portions are just right. Their pad thai is better than their fried rice. And oh, Hoi Jor is good too.

Panda and I got a bit worried when Sheena disappeared for the longest time at the Great Mall food court. Turns out, she was queuing up for Great Khan's Mongolian BBQ. So you pile your bowl with as much food and condiments as you can, then someone will dump a pile of noodles on your bowl, and the chef will then cook them all up for you. How it taste is all up to you! But I must say it looks fun... trust Sheena to find this!

2. New gallivanting places!

We have no long road trips this time around, so we mainly hang around nearby places. I took Sheena to Philz Coffee at Palo Alto, and she liked it so much that we went back for a second time with Panda. (Actually, we went to the Facebook HQ branch without knowing that it's only for employees. Oops!)

Anyway, back at Palo Alto, we took a stroll along University Avenue. Love the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop, which sells all sorts of quirky soda and candies, and Paris Baguette because their café mocha roll is so good! Cream, which sells ice-cream sandwiched between two cookies at only $2.50, smells lovely and there was no queue! A pity that our tummies were too full!

For our city tour, we skipped the pier because we've been there, done that. Took a walk along Chinatown instead, partly because we haven't really check out Chinatown before, partly because I wanted to look for good lup cheong! We didn't know all the good bakeries are along Stockton Street, since we went by Grant Avenue. We will save our tummies for next time!

3. New recipes!

Well, not exactly new new. Sheena tried Jo's guacamole dip in her last trip, so this time round she tried her hand at making it, under the supervision of Chef Jo. We also made many bags of potstickers, and baked shepherd's pie at home for the first time. I love it when we have simple home-cooked dinners!

For breakfast, Sheena also made us frittatas with bacon. It's quite yummy and the recipe sounds simple! I will try to make some in future too.

4. New shopping places!

Other than the usual outlets and malls, I brought Sheena to the Nike Clearance at San Leandro. We also shopped in the city for the first time. Among her goodies are two new pairs of TOMS from Sports Basement, and one new pair of boots at Skechers (I think she looks awesome in them!)



This sort of summarises Sheena's 10-day long break at FC. With an extremely relaxed and flexible itinerary, I hope she feels refreshed, satisfied (tummy-wise) and happy with her loot. Because I do, with my own shopping and eating craves fulfilled! Heehee!