Thursday, April 19, 2012

OMG... Umami Burger San Francisco...

Umami burger website
Check out the Umami Burger website:  www.umami.com

While we were in San Francisco we ventured (and by ventured, I mean took a very long walk!) to Umami Burger.  Mark had heard really good things about this place and it was near the top of our list of burger joints to suss out.  I can tell you know that we were not disappointed!

My 'Manly burger' at umami burger... Super delicious!
My Manly Burger at Umami.


Umami are known for their unusual takes on the burger.  One of their specialities is a burger that has a bacon wrapped scallop as the patty.  It was amazing to see a huge scallop patty instead of the usual beef version.  I had what is known as the 'Manly burger' which was a beer patty, beer-cheddar cheese, salted onion strings and delicious thick cut bacon. Hmmmm.... drooooolllll....


Marks bacon wrapped scallop burger!
Mark's Scallop and Bacon burger.


Naturally Umami have all these special made secret sauces etc on their burgers which make them super delicious too.  What I loved about them was they pretty much tell you that the burgers are what's on the menu.  You can take something off a burger but not add as they have created, what they believe to be specially balanced combinations of burgers, cheese and their special additions.  I love that they stand behind what they make and seriously, the burgers that we got were so delicious with the perfect balance of cheese, sauce and meat that I would trust to go with what's on the menu!  I can see them rolling their eyes at someone trying to mess with the burger system!

'smushed potatoes' : Dutch cream potatoes cooked, smushed & fried! OMG delicious!
smushed potatoes.


The sides were also amazing.  After a few weeks of living on french fries, I decided to mix it up and go with the Smushed potatoes.  They were whole potatoes cooked, smushed a bit, then fried so they were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.  Kinda like the perfect roasted potato.  It made for a nice change from fries.

Pickle tasting platter
The Pickle Platter!

We also indulged in the Pickle Platter which was a highlight!  It featured a range of pickles, of varying heat and vegetables.  I love pickles so this was a real treat to start off with.  Be warned though, the pickled chilies are HOT!  All of this was washed down with my favourite Portland Maine beer, Allagash.

Umami are a Californian based chain and each restaurant has their own special burgers that they create so if you have the chance to visit a few restaurants, you will get different burger combinations.

Definitely on the list of 'must goes' if you are in San Francisco!  I will be visiting again, next time I'm in the area!

Monday, April 16, 2012

For the Love of a Bloody Mary Oyster Shot!

A dozen bloody Mary oyster shooters!!!!
Bloody Mary Oyster Shooters, a dozen.


As you guys will know, I do love a Bloody Mary.  But what you may not know is that I also love a Bloody Mary style oyster!  While we at the beautiful Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe in Sydney, we totally indulged in a dozen Bloody Mary Oyster shooters.  Oh yeah, we were drinking beer with them too!  Crazy!


Oyster shot
Always combine your Bloody Mary Oyster shooter with a good quality beer!


Like a Bloody Mary, the oyster shooter should use good quality fresh ingredients.  It should also be a bit spicy but not to take away from the fresh oyster too.  And yes, it does have vodka in it like any real Bloody Mary too.  We had a chat to our barman and master of the Bloody Mary Oyster shooters to confirm how he had made them and how much vodka was in the mix.  I think that he was pretty surprised at how quickly we had downed them.  What can I say?  They were delicious and totally hit the spot!  Watch this space for my take on this!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Sometimes, Only a Beer Will Do...

Getting my German shandy on!
Lowenbrau beer with lemonade.


We were in Sydney this weekend to check out the latest Kaldor Art Project with Thomas Demand.  It was amazing but that's a whole other story!  I'm not sure if it was the warm weather, the feeling that we were on vacation, or the fact that we flew up straight after work but this weekend was definitely the weekend of BEER!

@elgatogrande drinking his giant beer!
Mark enjoying a very large Leffe at the Heritage Beer Cafe.


While waiting for our flight, we enjoyed several beers prior.  I think both Mark and I when we arrived at the airport said at the same time "I really need a drink!"  and quite a few were enjoyed!  We continued with the beer theme in Sydney by visiting Lowenbrau in the Rocks.  Although it is quite touristy, I love the beer hall atmosphere and their selection of beers.  They also do several versions of 'shandies' which are pretty refreshing on a hot day.  I had the traditional German wheat beer with lemonade and Mark tried a dark beer with coca cola.  Surprisingly good!

Lowenbrau also do pretty amazing pretzels if your after a delicious salty treat.

mardi beer
In my happy place, big beer and checking twitter... yes,  multi-tasking!


We continued on the beer tour by visiting the Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe a little bit down the road. The building and decor are absolutely beautiful and it was a great way to spend a lazy afternoon.  They also have some delicious food treats and we will definitely be back to try their famous muscles which we could see people devouring.

pretzel
Pretzel at Lowenbrau... with a bite out of it!


So after a weekend of beer, I may check out the Good Beer Week which is coming up in Melbourne in May.  There are lots of great activities and programs for you to sample new brews and also learn a little bit more about the craft. And with this continual unseasonable warm weather that Melbourne is having, lets raise a pint to having more beer!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Happy Easter...

Breakfast
Bacon and egg breakfast tart.


For most of us, Easter is a long weekend.  Lots of relaxing times and catching up with family and friends.  For me its about cooking some delicious treats and staying inside being cozy, watching films and knitting.

Pjs & hand knitted socks: so comfy! I'm in love with a handknitted merino sock!
lounging in my hand knitted socks.


Although Melbourne's weather has been very up and down, I've still gone towards comfort this weekend in my hand knitted socks and tasty simple treats.

My beautiful bunny by artist Matthew Sleeth! I love our studio visits!

So I hope that you have a wonderful Easter and that it is relaxing with loads of tasty treats too!

You may also find this delicious!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...