Wine Country - Bistro Jeanty

If you look at their travel itinerary, sometimes wonder where mum tugs all her excess fat away. Nothing seems to happen in between eating and drinking for them. Unless you count spending several hours in a factory outlet mall near Napa.

Even though Bistro Jeanty is also a Michelin starred restaurant, the atmosphere is completely different to the other Michelin starred restaurants during this trip. It is very casual and gives you a feeling that you have been transported to a bistro in the heart of Paris.

The menu is full of classic, simple French dishes. Definitely no over-engineered dishes, what you see is what you taste and what you get. But what you get is dish after dish of warm comfort food expertly cooked that you would love to get near your doorsteps.

They had soups as starters. The cream of tomato soup in puff pastry was definitely the most memorable dish of the day. The silky smooth soup was overflowing with flavors and would be the perfect start to any dinner especially in a cold night. If you can get the same fresh ingredients that they have you can even try making it at home. Here is the recipe. The onion soup was very good but the tomato soup was better.

Next they had a fried bone marrow, which was beautifully cooked and finger licking yummy. They were going to share a steak tartare but mum decided against eating more after one bite of what resembled raw beef burger to her. While dad kept stuffing himself with raw egg and raw beef, mum ordered an egg-white leek tart which was the special of the day.

This Michelin star meal came at a much lower price tag, really helpful staff and immensely enjoyable dinner. Highly recommended if you go to Napa Valley.

Wine Country - Joseph Phelps Vineyard

A short drive along Oakville Cross Road, where Silver Oak Cellars is located, takes you to Silverado Trail a scenic stretch of road where you find many of the famous and so famous vineyards. Having shared a tasting between the two of them at Silver Oak, they decided its time to line their stomach with some grease and protein before going to the next winery for tasting. They stopped by Oakville Grocery to look for their lunch. Oakville Grocery is nothing like your everyday grocery but more like a delicatessen where you find expensive dressing oils, delicate seasonings and table wines. The closest comparable in Hong Kong is Olivers in Prince's Building in Central.

They shared a beef-and-cheese chimichanga in the Audi Q7 and then headed for the next stop. Joseph Phelps Vineyard. It sits right at one of the junctions along Silverado Trail and comes highly recommended by some Californian wine cognoscente.

The tasting was casual. Six different wines were introduced, while you enjoyed the expansive view of the vineyards and the magnificent weather. No wonder, they got hooked on to buying 10 bottles of red wine which they ended up lugging around the rest of their trip.

Wine Country - Silver Oak Cellars

There are more than 400 wineries within the Napa area and you won't go to all of them. Even if you want to, you might not get access to some of them. Mum tried to arrange visits to both Harlan Estate and Grace Family before the trip and got turned down by both. But why is Silver Oak Cellars worth writing about? They know the name and have a few bottles of its wine in their Eurocave. It was the first winery, they visited in Napa Valley. And above all, they sell dog clothes and leashes. Of course we get our fair share of souvenirs wherever they go on holidays.

Wine Country - First meal, the French Laundry

Unlike the first meal in downtown San Francisco, their first meal in the wine country was much anticipated and the table was reserved 6 weeks in advance. And above all, strict dress code is enforced in the restaurant. If not for the suit jackets they have on loan, dad would have to bring one specially from Hong Kong.

The French Laundry sits at a quiet corner of a residential area along a quiet stretch of Washington Street. I will spare you with all the accolades but you can find it all in the attached link. Due to planning restrictions in the surrounding residential area, the restaurant's sign is inconspicuous and one would probably miss driving by. Despite the manic rush, mum and dad managed to get there on time. The restaurant's decor tried to impart a cozy ambience
but the formal greetings at the door took some of the warmth and ease away from the coziness. The jacket imposed by the dress code didn't help matters for dad.

The French Laundry serves 2 different fixed price menus of US$240 per person (service inclusive), one of them being the vegetarian. The two carnivores never considered turning vegetarian, especially not at this night. One wouldn't expect anything less than perfection in terms of presentation and flavors from each dish and it managed to live up to expectation with some sparkling display of cooking. Even so, the meal was missing the "wow" factor for them. Something that really challenges your taste buds and makes you remember for much longer than just the course of the meal.

Maybe having been to Per Se before took some of the novelty out, as both restaurants share some of the same signature dishes. The canapes, "Cornets" - Salmon tartare with sweet red onion creme fraiche, and the appetizer, "Oysters and Pearls" - Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysers and White Sturgeon Caviar were both delicious and delivered intense flavors in two small packages. But they had the same signature dishes in Per Se just under 2 years ago.

Still it was a superb meal with some of the best beef (Snake River Farms whose cattle are crosses between Japanese Wagyu and US Black Angus) cooked to perfection and fish seared with a delicious crispy skin.

Another highlight of the night was mum continued her streak of encountering foreign bodies in Michelin top rated restaurants. The culprit was a small piece of black fiber. The prize for finding that in her dessert was she got a new one made at once and dad got a different one, since he finished his already and Guillaume, the waiter, didn't want mum to eat alone and dad to eat the same dessert twice!!

The final, final dessert was a doughnut and espresso semi-freddo, which had great presentation, but it was a bit too sweet for their liking. It's an all American dessert after all.

Wine Country - mad rush before dinner

The drive from Big Sur back to the Wine country was a long one and it didn't help that traffic out of San Francisco downtown towards the north was exceptionally bad. For someone who have been blessed with smooth traffic in the previous few days, it was painful. All the more so, when you were stuck waiting anxiously for the next exit with public bathroom facilities. To top it all off, a table was reserved in a restaurant which was supposedly impossible.

Without arranging any accommodation, they knocked on the door of Lavender in Yountville. Having read some brief commentary in the 2008 Michelin guide, this looked like a winner. And it was indeed the choice of countless other travelers. No vacancy for the night and in fact nothing for the previous and coming 2 weeks. The lady behind the counter was particularly helpful. Not only did she insist that mum and dad have a few of the wine and cheeses on display for the hotel's guest, she even called around to find them a room. It was almost 6 o'clock and the dinner booking was at 7:30.

Apparently, September is the harvest and grape crushing season for Napa, so even though business has slowed down, there were no shortage of travelers. After calling a few places, the lady (perhaps they will remember her name one day and you see the importance of keeping a travel notebook) managed to find them a last-minute room in Napa Valley Lodge at a good discount.

Big Sur - Coastline and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

As you drive towards the south along the coastline of Big Sur, you will be truly wowed by mother-nature. The height of the coastal mountain means you get a vantage not normally seen in other coastal region. People stop whenever they find a chance to take in the view and take pictures. Mum and dad thought the coastal scenery they saw in New Zealand was good, but this is better. Truly breathtaking!

They drove as far down as the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park where they saw one of the few waterfalls which plunge directly into the ocean on the Pacific coast. Neither of them has seen anything like it before and well worth the trip down.

Big Sur - waking up in the forest

Not quite, there's still a roof over the head. Unlike Moses, the beagle who got lost after being unleash in Tai Tam country park for 2 nights earlier this week.

After seeing a few places with the "No Vacancies" sign out, they went to Big Sur Lodge. Basically these are lodges with simple amenities located right in the midst of a national park. The night sky was fully lit by twinkling stars which you won't get tired of watching coming from this part of the world where you can literally count the number of stars that you can see.

The air was fresh and crisp in the morning as you would expect staying where they were. They spent the first half trekking the nearby woods and went up to Pfeiffer Falls. By no means spectacular, but it's well worth the detour if just to get more fresh air into the lungs.

Big Sur - where are we going to sleep tonight?

After the serene 17 Mile Drive, they headed south to Big Sur to see some of the most spectacular, breathtaking coastline and terrain in their life. The stunning views are beyond words and a few photos are probably not going to do justice. You will know why it's called the "Big South" when you drive along the mountain right by the coast.

Other than the few days they spent in downtown San Francisco, mum and dad didn't book any hotels during the time when they had the rental car. Relying on a believe that times are not that great and there bound to be plenty of vacancies, especially in more remote areas during weekdays. In the most part, the scheme has worked really well saving a decent amount on accommodation by getting last minute rates which can sometimes be 30~40% cheaper.

But Big Sur appears to run on a different schedule to other places. A lot of the cheaper places were full and have been full for a good few months. Of course, there is the option to splash out and stay in Post Ranch. But both mum and dad didn't feel like they were particularly welcome at the reception. They also considered having dinner at the 1 Michelin star Sierra Mar. Despite the spectacular view of the restaurant, they couldn't summon their appetite and somewhat put off by the attitude of the staff there....... Guess that's what you would call corporate culture.

One of the places that mum wanted to stay in was Deetjens and needless to say it was full as well. But they did the next best thing. Dinner was served in a historic house with rustic decor and the food was delicious. After dinner, they went back on the journey in search of accommodation for the night upon the recommendation from the helpful folks at Deetjens. http://www.deetjens.com/home.htm


It was getting dark and perhaps they were getting tired. Natural instincts took over. For the first and only one time, they drove on the wrong side of the road!!! Eeke!! It was lucky that the car headed the other way wasn't speeding and it was kind enough to move to the shoulder on the side. Phew!!

17 Mile Drive - Cypress Trees

One type of tree is especially prevalent in the 17 Mile Drive area. It is the Cypress tree. The most famous among them is the Lone Cypress which sits on top of some barren rock and the official symbol of Pebble Beach. Some lawyer actually went as far as trademarking the tree against any commercial use. As you would say, only in America!!

And not far from the Lone Cypress you can see another bunch of cypress trees in another state of life, or more appropriately death. Among all these white-washed dead woods, there's one which has been coined the name of "Ghost tree". Check out the panoramic photo below for a closer look.



The Ghost tree of 17 miles drive, Monterey in USA

17 Mile Drive - Pebble Beach

Just a short drive from Carmel is the scenic road of 17 Mile Drive. Along the road you see wildlife, flora an fauna, jagged coastlines and some world famous golf courses, all for the cost of US$10 entry fee to get into this gated community.

Mum and dad didn't bring their golf gear, too much of a drag to bring half way across the globe to play a game. But if you don't mind forking out over US$500 to play a round in the Pebble Beach golf links, you probably don't mind buying another set of clubs to play there. Perhaps, one day if they become better at the game, they might go play there. If you just want to marvel at the some of the greens and fairways of these courses, you can get within an eye-shot along the drive or you can actually walk on the vernal lawn right next to the courses. One of the most famous is the 18th hole on the Pebble Beach Golf Links. Wildlife does indeed mix in with the golf courses. You don't see a lot of deers grazing next to a golf course bunker.

You need to combat not only the bunkers, traps and cliffs, playing golf in any of the courses along the 17 Mile Drive, sometimes requires superman's eye sight. Fog often engulfs the whole area making it impossible to tell where your golf ball is even after a perfect tee shot. But this didn't stop all the retirees who were playing at the time. I know they have GPS guided golf-carts, but I didn't know they have GPS guided golf-balls.

Carmel-by-the-sea - Simply irresistable

On the third day's morning, mum and dad went to pick up their rental car to start their journey south of San Francisco heading for Carmel-by-the-sea, or simply Carmel. The car was an Audi Q7 SUV. They look awfully big when you see them in Hong Kong car-parks but they look just about the right size in California. The first complain they had was the slowness of the GPS and the keys are not the most intuitive. Guess it's all a case of getting used to.

Carmel is a small town pack full of little shops, restaurants and hotels. A stroll through the whole town would probably take you just over half-a-day. The word that mum like to describe these sort of places is quaint. This town is particularly dog friendly and you can see our brothers everywhere quietly waiting for a chance to grab a few hearty treats. Unlike Hong Kong, a lot of these hotels, shops and restaurants readily admit guests with dogs. Meanwhile, you are not supposed to wear high heels without a permit, in case you hurt yourself.
http://www.diggidydogcarmel.com/

San Francisco - Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge

For the athletically challenged mum and dad, the ride from downtown to the start of Golden Gate bridge was a big deal. Especially the steep slope just before the entrance. Dad managed to paddled his way up, but his heart was in danger of jumping out........ The ride across the bridge was relatively easy and definitely a worthwhile experience. As they were trying to find the turning into Sausalito, a more experience biker said "It's all down hill from here." Indeed, it was and certainly the most effortless part of the journey including the ferry ride from Sausalito to the Ferry Building.

The bike journey also gives you a few different views of the famous Alcatraz. Mum and dad only saw it from afar and decided not to venture there.

San Francisco - Ferry Building

The second day morning with a stomach-full of heavy duty American breakfast from the hotel, they set out to burn some calories by riding a bike from San Francisco to Sausalito through the Golden Gate bridge. Whenever there's a chance of going to a local farmer's market, mum will jump on it. By chance, there's one next to the Ferry Building in the morning. The market was jam-packed with people and everything looked so fresh. Even the bull dog wanted a piece of the action. The bottle of pomegranate juice was so unbelievably delicious that they decided to take a picture of the empty bottle. After you tasted the strawberries there, you will find it hard to go back to the ones you get in Hong Kong.

San Francisco - First day and first meal

The timing for the flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco must be one of the best. You hop on the plane early afternoon and you get there in the afternoon on the very same day. If we ever get time warp, this surely feels like it. Downtown is just a short taxi ride away from the airport and the fare costs less than US$50.

After they settled in to their hotel room, mum and dad started their walking tour of downtown San Francisco. The first destination is the "crookedest" street, Lombard street, via Chinatown.

Chinatown is filled with shop after shop selling American ginseng in all sort of sizes and of course plenty of Chinese restaurants. The area feels like Hong Kong in the 60s and 70s. And as mum and dad found out later, there are plenty of places where you can use Cantonese to communicate even outside Chinatown. Plenty of local shops have Cantonese speaking people behind the counter and a lot of the cable car drivers speak Cantonese as well.

San Francisco downtown is a bit like a department store of different ethnic cultures. You walk past the China section to go into a small section which feels Italian. And on the other side past Union Square, you get Japantown as well.

The trek up to the crooked part of Lombard street is a long steep one. If you prefer an easier time, take the cable car up instead as the Powell-Hyde Cable car line takes you all the way from the crossing of Powell and California to the crooked part of Lombard. Also if you use a GPS, make sure you key in 2000 Lombard street instead of 1 Lombard street which will take you to the other end with not a lot to see.

When you see the "crookedest" street, you realize why it's such a tourist trap. Not only do you see the tight hair-pin turns on a steep slope, the surrounding flora and houses also please the eyes.

You might have seen a lot of pictures showing the whole stretch of the "crookedest" street, but none of them are taken from the surrounding area. You need to take one from afar to capture the whole thing.

The long steep road from Lombard street down via Hyde street take you to Fisherman's Wharf where if you are a fan of Dungeness crab, you won't be disappointed. Street stalls and restaurants are serving the crab in one style or another. Probably too much of a challenge for mum and dad on the first day. They decided to grab a light meal in Boudin near Fisherman's Wharf. Clam chowder and a crab cake sandwich - yummy!! You should see the video showing the production line of this meal. http://www.boudinbakery.com/

After dinner at Fisherman's Wharf, they strolled along the bay where street artists performed with the sun setting behind them.........

Then they arrived at their final tourist trap of the day, Pier 39. In addition to souvenir shops of all variety, its major claim of fame is a resident population of sea lions. Despite their names, they are more like dogs and they can't seem to stop "barking".

San Francisco - Wine Country

Northern California is famous for its wine production. Wine tasting is an important item for a lot of travelers but less so for mum and dad, as they can never night from day after a few drinks. Unlike New Zealand where most of the wine cellars offer free tasting, the wine cellars around Napa all charges a fee and that can range from US$15 to US$ 30 for a simple tasting and US$45 or more for an elaborate sit down tasting. Given their capacity for alcohol, they only did tasting in 3 different wineries, Joseph Phelps, Silver Oak and Chateau St Jeans but they have visited a lot more wineries.

San Francisco - Yountvile, a city block of Michelin stars

Cuisine has always been a big theme for mum and dad's travel. They have gorged themselves a total of 8 stars during this trip. Unlike the Michelin stars awarded to restaurants in Hong Kong, these restaurants really deserve their ratings and we will go through them one by one. They started their star quest with the French Laundry (TFL as it is known within the Thomas Keller's family of restaurants) in Yountville, perhaps the highest concentration of Michelin stars along a small stretch of a road. Other than TFL, Bouchon, another Thomas Keller's restaurant and Bistro Jeanty both have 1 star and they are all along the same stretch of the road. The 2 nights they spent in Yountville, they tried TFL and Bistro Jeanty. They only made a quick stop at Bouchon Bakery for a quick lunch. Perhaps they would try Bouchon another time.
http://www.frenchlaundry.com/
http://www.bistrojeanty.com/
http://www.bouchonbistro.com/
http://www.bouchonbakery.com/

San Francisco - The Weather

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."
- source unknown, often mistakenly attributed to Mark Twain.

This seriously sounds like a wisecrack until you stand holding on to the handle bar of the ubiquitous cable car at night while wintry gust keep blowing on your hand. The temperature difference between night and day in San Francisco city area is enormous especially when you include the wind chill factor. Outside the city area, you can get scorching sun during the afternoon but you then need to wear a jacket at night. Last week the wine country was bit by heat wave and temperatures got up to 100F (38C if you are used to Celsius). So the single most important thing when you pack your luggage for a trip to San Francisco, get your long sleeves, short sleeves, shorts, pants and a windbreaker. They all come in handy when you are there. Of course, you can use this as an excuse to buy an extra souvenir there.

San Francisco - The Magic of Holidays

Anyone who's been on holiday recently will tell you everything look special. Even the fire engine down the road looks brighter. If you haven't had this feeling during your last trip, you should reconsider where you go next. Mum and dad just went to San Francisco and took a lot of pictures and of course some mandatory souvenirs for us. Let us share with you some of their pictures and experience. And we will keep the treats and leashes.

You just can't be too careful

Mum and dad took a short trip in Singapore last weekend. As usual, they devoured everything that they could get their hands on in the different hawker centers while we stayed quietly at home waiting for our next meal worrying about them. You might think, "What's there to worry about?"

That my friend is where you are wrong. The world is never as safe as it seems. And you would probably feel safe surrounded by man in uniforms. 12 staff members of the airport security in Hong Kong were arrested yesterday in relation to multiple theft cases from bags of traveling passengers. It was only discovered when a female US traveler realize that she has lost US$ 1,000 from her wallet after passing the security checkpoints in Hong Kong. More people are likely to be arrested shortly regarding this theft ring.

In Thailand, losing just US$1,000 might be your lucky day. Take a look at some of the news weblinks below.
Tourists warned of Thailand airport scam - BBC
Attention airport shoppers - Newser

To summarise, if you browse at the King Power duty free shops in Bangkok airport, you might be scammed into paying more than US$10,000 by uniformed officers on trump up charges in exchange for your freedom. Of course the details would be different from one case to another. We know mum and dad like browsing in those shops and their recent experience with uniformed officers in the land of smiles was less than impressed to say the least. With these reports, guess they will stay at home more often. Yahoo!!

Cholesterol 膽固醇 - healthy Chinese soup recipe 神奇驗方

While going through the hard drive, this recipe jumped out. The ingredients look easy and innocuous enough, perhaps it's worth trying. Lets have a look.

Ingredients (1 tael ~= 37g) Black fungus (it specifies the white-backed variety but that shouldn't be crucial) - 2 taels Lean pork meat - 2 taels Red dates - 5 pieces Ginger - 2 slices To cook Soak the black fungus completely, then boil all the ingredients for 1 hour with water to get 2 cupful of soup at the end.

Drink every morning for 25 days (the residual can also be eaten as you like) and then test for your cholesterol level.