Page 172 - HH Jan 2023-Dec 2024

Napa, which is north of San Francisco in California, is known for hundreds of hillside vineyards in the Napa Valley wine region.
shops, grocery stores and fish fishermen in San Francisco. This
mongers sell some top quality fish was a divine sitting by the water,
and shellfish. It was surely a treat eating the soup and enjoying the
seeing fishes like idiot fish, sturgeon, Mediterranean style of weather.
lobster, eel and loads more. One thing that I can never get
To be honest, I was given a long over is the sourdough bread and the
list of restaurants to eat. I ate in iconic bakeries. One must check out
most of them and totally loved Tartine Bakery, Tartine
them. It was great to see Indian Manufactory and the Mill for their
chefs doing so well and their outstanding bread and pastries.
restaurants making waves in the One of my favourite meals on my
culinary map of San Francisco. trip was at State Bird Provisions.
Rooh by Chef Sujan Sarkar and I was fortunate to get a seat as the
Campton Place by Chef Srijith restaurant as it is always booked for
Gopinathan are a must visit. The weeks. The food is ordered in one of
Nuevo Cali-Indian menus feature two ways: from a brief list of
Californian produce with a “commandables,” (à la carte) or
jugalbandi of Indian spices, aromas, I spent a day walking around, exploring some great from a dim sum-type system, in
smoke and fire. I simply loved the spots for coffee, wine tasting and some fab eateries. which a roving platoon of carts and
menu and its execution. At the end trays bears numerous smallish dishes.
of the day, I always say “produce is king.” It makes it or it Small bowls of kennebec potato chips with even smaller
breaks it. bowls of smoked trout crème fraîche, oysters garnished
My local friend there took me to Sausalito, just north of with shreds of fermented daikon and brightened with
the Golden Gate Bridge. It is a steep hillside covered in splashes of the radishes brine, fried pierogi-like dumplings
chaparral and eucalyptus drops from Highway 101 which filled with duck neck and braised in sauerkraut and riesling
leads to a flat, sunny shoreline, two miles long and a couple is served.
of blocks wide facing the bay. Though you could easily make a full meal from these
The day-trippers from San Francisco walk or cycle over small plates, during our visit, we ordered a couple of the
the bridge or arrive by ferry. When you are there, sit and “commandables.” We were served an intensely crispy
have a coffee at a café on the charming main street of griddle-fried trout fillet dressed with brown butter and
Bridgeway, and look back across the Bay at the city centre seasoned with garum (a sauce made from fermented fish)
skyline. and toasted hazelnuts. My favourite was the quail which
My heart was all set to eat cioppino de pesce, which is a was deep-fried and crunchy, savoury and spicy and crust
hearty seafood broth with crab, mussels, squid, red snapper nicely complementing the little bird’s subtle gaminess.
with tomatoes, fennel and fresh herbs. Cioppino is a fish Say no more … meals or memories, for me never die or
stew which originated with Portuguese and Italian fade away!

172 DECEMBER 2023-JANUARY 2024 hospitality horizon www.hospitality-horizon.com