Share Tea and Berkeley

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Annie standing at the gates of Berkeley.

After dinner at Homeroom, we drove over to Berkeley to grab some boba at Share Tea. Julia was on a mission to try out everything during her time in California.

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The entrance of Share Tea.

You’ll notice that this place was flooded with asian students. How come we didn’t have this kind of stuff when I was in college. 😩

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Winter Mellon tea.

If you go to Share Tea, I recommend getting, “Winter mellon, with crema, 0% sugar”. This is what I got.

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Julia and Annie enjoying their boba run.

I’m digging the vibe of this area. People seem to be positive and laid back.

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Berkeley was literally across the street.

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Annie and Julia posing in front of a statue.

Homeroom Mac + Cheese, in Oakland

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A giant bowl of Jalapeño Mac and Cheese.😏

Julia wanted to try out a new restaurant, so we drove over to Oakland to eat at Homeroom. They’re known for their Mac and Cheese, and one of my friends (Rebekah) recommended it to me a few months ago.

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Annie puts our name down to get a table.

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Homeroom entrance, with plenty of seating.

While we both had experience in the industry. Erin had worked in restaurant kitchens before becoming a lawyer, and Allison was a server before she entered corporate marketing. Nothing had prepared us for the year it took to launch Homeroom. –Homeroom Story

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Julia taking a photo of her Garlic Mac and Cheese dish.

If you decide to go here, you should definitely order the Garlic Mac and Cheese… and be prepared for a huge portions. We had left-overs for days. One dish was certainly enough for two people.

I would say that this place is for hard core mac and cheese lovers. If you only like mac and cheese exclusively as a side dish, Homeroom may not be for you.

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Julia and Annie enjoying their experience trying new restaurants in SF.

For the record, Julia really liked this place. Annie felt like it was way too much Mac and Cheese. For me personally, I think the Mac and Cheese was good, but needed more salt. The dish with bacon was actually pretty tasty… but I agree with Annie, it was a little heavy.

Nonetheless, delicious!

Dragon’s Breath Dessert in Japan Town

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Julia demonstrating her dragon breath skills.

On our tour of SF, we stopped by Japan Town and tried out the dragon breath dessert from Chocolate Chair. It’s definitely a gimmick, but everyone should try it out at least once.

The colourful dessert is made up of liquid nitrogen coated ice cream cereal balls.

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Annie anticipating her first taste of dragon’s breath.

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Annie’s dragon’s breath game needs work.

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Dragon’s breath dessert, freezing everything it touches.

It just tastes like cereal. The best way to create the smoke is to take 2 or 3 balls and chew them quickly while breathing out.

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Liquid nitrogen being poured into the mixer.

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Japan Town Peace Pagoda.

A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. –Wikipedia

After walking around in Japan Town, we headed back to the apartment. For some reason SF was hot as balls, and everyone was drained.

Dragon Beaux, The Finest Dim Sum in SF

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Crispy roasted pork with two sauces. This is the bar.

It’s been a couple days since I’ve blogged, so there’s a ton to catch up on. I have plenty of content to post—stay tuned this week… there’s some good stuff to share.

On our last episode…

The last time I went to Dragon Beaux, it was with Sol and some of his friends. I posted pictures on instagram, and I think it sparked Annie’s interest. I can certainly say that this is probably one of the best places for dim sum, if you’re willing to pay. We ended up spending about $30 per person.

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Annie and Julia excited to try Dragon Beaux for the first time.

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Fried taro.

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Taro bun.

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Assorted Shanghai soup dumplings.

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Siu mai.

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Spare ribs in black bean sauce.

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Shrimp crepes.

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Fried meat dumpling.

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Zha leung.

This was probably one of the best dishes that we didn’t expect. It’s called zha leung with shrimp.

Zhaliang (炸兩) is a kind of food in Cantonese cuisine of China. It is made by tightly wrapping rice noodle roll around youtiao (fried dough). It is most popular in the Guangdong province of southern China, as well as in Hong Kong. –Wikipedia

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Fried rice.

This was actually mediochre. Avoid the main entrées and save your stomach exclusively for the dim sum.

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Finishing up dim sum. Jake pictured on the left.

Again, this place isn’t the cheapest, but it represents a pretty high bar for dim sum. I highly recommend it, and make sure to go with more people so you can order a larger variety of things to try.

Shopping for a Jacket at Uniqlo and Eating Corn Dogs

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Uniqlo in San Francisco.

I never heard of this store until Annie and Julia told me about it. Their clothing is a rare combination of sportiness, utility, style, quality and value.

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Poofy vests and jackets that can be compressed into tiny bags the size of your fist for storage.

Uniqlo has failed in previous expansion binges. In 2001, the retailer set its sights on capturing customers in the United States and the United Kingdom, but a year-and-a-half of dismal sales later, it shut the doors on most of the new stores. –Huffington Post

Apparently, the CEO tried launching his company several times with different magnitudes of failure. Now Uniqlo is on its way to the top. Seriously, the quality is up there with North Face, but for 1/3 the cost. You can read more about the company here.

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I’m definitely going to shop here once I need to update my cloths. I’m really digging the style and practicality… and most of all, the price!

After a little shopping, we went to grab some fresh corn dogs. Yes, there is a restaurant called Hot Dog on a Stick, and it’s amazing. You’ve got to try it out—you have no idea what you’re missing.

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Apple Store in the mall.

No mall visit would be complete without visiting the Apple store.

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New Apple Watch Nike Bands.

I’m really liking the watch bands made by Nike. I’m not sure if you can order them separately, but they look aiiiiiiight!

Dinner at Dumpling Kitchen

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The signature Shanghai soup dumplings, served at Dumpling Kitchen.

Annie, Julia and I went to the Dumpling Kitchen to enjoy their most consistently delicious soup dumplings.

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Shanghai style noodles with chicken.

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Veggies.

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Beef in black bean sauce.

I’ve tried a lot of things at this restaurant, and I would say that this is probably one of their better dishes. If you go there, definitely order their beef with black bean sauce.

After Dumpling Kitchen, we made our way to Super Cue to get some boba. My personal favorite is their mango with pana cotta—it’s the perfect dessert to follow any meal. Julia claimed that Super Cue has the best tapioca pearls. ^_^

Anyway, this is an excellent combo between price and value (especially in SF).