My quick trip to Asia re-introduced me to the myriad of milk/boba tea options that are usually not available in San Francisco. I'm counting the reformulation of Sharetea, as my readers know is my favorite milk tea, particularly the Asian version. Speaking of which, I was greatly delighted when I discovered Sharetea's milk tea on my first Air Asia flight from Jakarta to Singapore (just short of a week before the Air Asia flight went missing from Surabaya to Singapore. As always, I do thank God each day I am still alive because I've had my share of close calls during my travels over the years. Flying in the middle of a storm ain't my cup of tea, literally. I pray for those passengers aboard the missing plane).

Super cute customized Sharetea packaging for Air Asia. Kudos to this airline for knowing what passengers want.

Gong Cha green tea latte in Singapore. They have a healthier red bean as an add-on instead of the glutinous boba.

Serenitea's winterfrost: Not as good as Sharetea's wintermelon salty crema though.

Philippines' Cobo is frustratingly a rip off :(

Onward we go to the Year of the Sheep/Green Sheep/Wooden Ram/Goat. My horoscope tells me that I'll have more *ferocious* adventures to come. 

2015 on the horizon

Tis the season to be jolly and glutony at its peak! Presenting a 'healthier' version of the famous roasted pig from Cebu, lechon-shaped bread! It is also something I can eat.

This year, San Francisco saw a few restaurants getting their first ever Michelin stars, namely Kusakabe, Maruya and State Bird Provisions. Rightfully so, Kusakabe excels because of its consistency, while State Bird's unique take on San Franciscan dimsum attracts two to three hour wait. Benu and Saison also proved that San Francisco is a force to be reckoned with in the dining scene compared to the wine country, Napa Valley, when they earned the city's first three-star Michelin, the highest distinction of them all. Rightfully so, Benu upped the ante on every dish of the Chef's tasting menu and ended with a big bang on their mind-boggling dessert finale, fresh and dried yuba with white chocolate. I continue to daydream about it.

Benu's finale!

Speaking of dreams, I was also on the hunt for the best fatty tuna in town. Kusakabe also finished strong on their omakase by offering fatty tuna as a meal ender, while new kid-on-the-block Pabu and old-timer, Sushi Sam's Edomata in San Mateo, also put their own spin on the fattiest and most prized part of the tuna or "toro" in Japanese. I am not yet done dreaming about the heavenly fatty tuna so I will continue my hunt next year.

Kusakabe's fatty tuna finale!

After my adventure at Kusakabe and Sushi Sam's Edomata, my fascination with fatty tuna continues at Pabu in the Financial District.

Pabu's izakaya menu, which I opted for instead of the chef's omakase meal, offered a different take of robatayaki, such as the chicken meatball skewers that I was able to dip in egg yolk. Gooey, juicy and savory all at the same time.

Chicken meatball with egg yolk

Be prepared to listen to the waitstaff's long explanation about the menu. Because of the array of izakaya choices and the long list on the omakase/chef's tasting menu, it took awhile before my dining buddies and I were able to decided what to order. I also made the mistake of ordering fatty tuna as a sushi rather than in sashimi form. I was not able to taste the tuna in larger chunks and quickly got filled up because of the sushi rice :(

Cocktails at Pabu while waiting for my dining buddies

Tip: There is a separate bar area where they serve signature and whiskey cocktails that will surely tickle your senses, especially after a hard day's work. I was particularly hooked on the Citrus cocktail with a kick of lavender-wasabi salt plus fresh grapefruit. There goes my fruit intake of the day.

... Now back to dreaming about fatty tuna. Itadakimasu!

My friend's fresh sashimi

Roll #1

Monterey Squid Okonomiyaki I wasn't able to try this because it has meat in it but my friends loved this okonomiyaki with pork belly!

Simple sushi with fatty tuna.

Toro- bluefin fatty tuna. The star of the Kusakabe show! I dream of it all the time. No kidding.

Started off with welcoming tea: kombu cha, kelp tea

I'm on a roll visiting newly Michelin rated restaurants in the city. After Benu and State Bird Provisions, I found myself at one out of two Japanese Michelin star in the city. Honestly, I was on a hunt for fatty tuna after dreaming about Sushi Sam's Edomata melt-in-your-mouth fatty tuna. It was the omasake's final dish, ensuring that the Kusakabe experience ended with a big bang. Indeed, it did.

The moment I stepped into the simply decorated establishment, I told the host that one of my dining buddies bailed out on me just a few hours before. He was polite enough not to bill me for not canceling 24 hours beforehand. Thanks! That set a positive tone of my highly meticulous meal served with precision. Gotta give it to the Japanese who have exquisite taste in fresh seafood and making everything so beautiful. Ironically, I watched the movie, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, before my epic meal at Kusakabe so I was definitely dreaming about fatty tuna for many days.

The additional desserts were superb. The green tea affogato and chestnut creme brulee were both distinctively Japanese and not heavy on the tummy. My sister, the pastry chef, and I gave them a two thumbs up!

Sushi prelude: zuke chutoro, lightly seared bluefin medium fatty tuna cured in soy sauce; 2 kinds of seasonal sushi of the day

Chef's sashimi nestled in shaved ice with fresh wasabi and yuzu onion sauce. Fresh wasabi is a cut above the packaged version.

Kamo-dango, duck miso soup with Mitsuba leaf. A different take of miso soup.

Shigoku oyster with french Daurenki Caviar and 4 kinds of Chef's assorted Le petite plates. I was most excited about the oyster but everything for left to right left me speechless.

Caviar on oyseters, why not?

Simply full of bursting flavors.

Must watch Jiro Dreams of Sushi on how complicated this egg is made.

"Kinki" big hand snapper, "Mizoreni" with "Matsutake" mushroom.

Seasonal sushi: Kan buri/wild winter yellowtail, Kohada/gizzard shad, Ivory King/Alaskan white king salmon with Oboru Konbu and dill. Thank you to my waitstaff who patiently explained to me three times what all these were :)

Plus desserts- match affogato. Better than coffee affogato. Distinctively Japanese. I will try to recreate this at home.

Chestnuts gave this creme brulee a different, yummy twist.

The dimsum cart

Oyster with kimchi. Gulp!

Salmon tartare with sesame.

Shrimps.

Lamb dumpling

I forget what this is but it was my buddy's vegetarian dish.

Beets

Small pancakes with fennel

Cauliflower

Pomegranate and lime granita. Palette cleanser of the night.

I got fussy and asked for no strawberries on my ice cream sandwich so they gave me this instead :)

Must get more oysters next time!

Are you done yet with multiple gatherings on the same day? I know I am. I'm pooped out from eating too much on a given day. Now, I'm looking forward to going on a clean, healthy diet and the idea of sun, shine and sand courtesy of my mother (is)land very very soon. 

Turkey #1

Shrimp with angel hair pasta

Spot the leche flan with turkey #2!

On the bottom right is the melt-in-your-mouth fatty tuna.

Blue shrimp on the bottom left.

A good end to a divine omakase meal.