#catwusfav

[imlovinin]

Scramblz

Verdict: Fun, yummy breakfast/brunch restaurant. Reasonably priced (between $10-15) with an amazingly extensive sides menu. 4/5

Also: They often have deals on LivingSocial. That's how I found them! :)

We got a scramble and eggs benedict. The scramble was delicious and hearty, and comes with 2 sides. The eggs benedict was a disappointment--it was the saddest smallest thing I've ever seen. It was yummy, but there are plenty of much better options on the menu (like the omelettes and scramble).

The fun part is choosing the sides. Each dish comes with 1-2 sides and the sides range from the healthy (fresh fruit, granola, yogurt, oatmeal, etc.) to the unhealthy (bread pudding, chocolate crepes, strawberries in creme...note, all three are shown in the picture above). 

No matter what, I don't care if you're on a diet or have diabetic, get the bread pudding. It is to die for. Drenched in caramel-y sauce with a healthy ratio of bread and chocolate, the waitress recommended it and for that I should've tipped more generously :P

The chocolate crepe was anticlimactic, just an average crepe with hershey's chocolate, but the strawberries and creme was great. With the fresh fruit and light creme, it seemed almost healthy :)

[imlovinin]

Shana Thai

Verdict: My favorite Thai restaurant in the area. Great setting, reasonable prices, delicious food! 5/5

Also: It's located on Moffett Boulevard, aka the not-downtown side of Castro. It's seems a little sketchy, but trust me, this place is worth it :)

First off, the atmosphere of this restaurant is really nice. It it beautifully decorated and has candles; it's the perfect spot for a friendly date or nice dinner with friends and family, yet the prices are all around $10. How can you top that?

Also, the restaurant is pretty big so even if there is a lot of people, the wait is never long.

Now for the food.

I love how they let you choose the meat--you can get it vegetarian (tofu + extra veggies), chicken, or pork for $10. We couldn't decide half the time and we discovered that they can do chicken AND pork in a dish! Yay for indecisive people.

Their pumpkin curry is really good (Yelp agrees), but I have to say my favorite is the pra nam. The sauce reminded me of a thicker curry and it came with a lot of veggies (spinach, broccoli, and cabbage), which at first put me off until I tried it. Mm Pra Nam. The "from wok" section of the menu is all a win/win, although the garlic sauce chicken wasn't a stir-fry like I expected; it was garlic chicken on a bed of lettuce. It was really salty, but once you get over that, the flavor is delicious!

The noodles are good but nothing spectacular, and the crying tiger beef is bland--you have to add your own sauce, and you don't get much meat for you money. 

The portions run a bit small, but it is well worth the money!

[imlovinin]

Tartine Bakery

Verdict: THE best bakery in SF. 5/5

Also: It's hours vary with each day so just be sure to check when it's open.

Also: There's always a line. Even at 7:30am. If that's any indication of how amazing the food is here...

This is THE best bakery in SF. If you don't believe me, ask the line that forms at 7:30am on a weekday--that should speak for itself.

I haven't tried their cafe food or bread, but I've had just about every dessert.

While Tartine's bread pudding has rave reviews, it was a too mushy and soggy for me, but then again, that's bread pudding for you!

If you have a sweet tooth, order the morning bun, a sugar-y overload of cinnamon, in the best possible way. It's dense, but flaky and there's a bit of orange flavor in addition to the cinnamon sugar. Mmmmm.

The tarts (hello, TART-ine) are my favorite though. I've had the:

frangipane (my favorite--it's not too sweet but still indulgent)

coconut cream (good for the coconut lover, aka not me...)

lemon (just the right amount of tart)

chocolate hazelnut (a bit too dense and chocolate-y for me)

banana cream tart (delicious!)

All of them were amazing in their own way, depending on what you like. The chocolate coated crust of the cream tarts almost blew my mind and it prevents the crust from getting soggy--brilliant! They are expensive ($6-7 for a 4" tart), but they are the best of the best. Come with a friend and share so you can try as many different slices of heaven as possible.

While there's always a line out the door, it moves reasonably quickly, and it gives you time to ogle at all the baked goods at the counter and make your final decision. Fortunately, it's almost impossible to go wrong!

[imlovinin]

Cam Hung

Verdict: Cheap, yummy, fast (if you're not caught in the lunch rush...) food. 5/5 *good deal*

Also: Cash only!

Also: They sell some packaged goods, like these thin white cakes with mung bean paste that I used to drive 30 minutes to Lion supermarket to find. YES! (banh ni dau xanh...mung bean cake?)

I got the grilled chicken (I know, you don't get that at viet places, but Yelp strongly recommended it) and it was really good! The bread/baguette roll was the perfect texture: it had a nice crunch when you bit into it but not enough to cut your mouth, and the inside was light and fluffy. Mmmmm!

[imlovinin]

Oren's Hummus Shop

Verdict: Really good Israeli food. No more needs to be said. 5/5

Also: It's location on University Ave means it can get really busy and have a significant wait, but it's worth it. 

I've had Mediterranean food and although I like it, I was never a huge fan, so I was skeptical coming here. But I was blown away.

First of all, I didn't think you could have an entire meal of hummus. But the hummus here is so good I stand corrected. The hummus comes with different toppings; we got the original which has lemon-y olive oil and sauces that all go together very well. I could've licked the dish clean. I also like how they offer whole wheat and regular pita, and you can have some of both!

Each table comes with a complimentary dish of pickled cabbage.

I ordered the Shakshuka, which is poached egg in a tomato based broth. It was delicious, although by the end I was getting tired of tomato :P My brother got the Mozy Rice Bowl which I tried and wish I ordered--it was so good! Seasoned rice and grilled chicken mmm. It tastes almost like an Asian rice bowl, so of course, that appeals to me :P The portions looked small, but once you start eating you realize it's very filling.

I recommend coming with multiple people and sharing dishes. Especially the hummus! According to their walls, their hummus is also very healthy. Yay!

I am the worst person to judge if Oren's is authentic, but my friend's boss is Israeli and says this is incredibly authentic. So believe at your own will, but come try this place out!