(San Francisco)
I don’t recall exactly how I heard about this place, but I knew they were opening up a location in SF soon, and I heard that they were going to have a popup. I love lobster, so I knew I had to try it out! Not to mention, I heard about how popular Luke’s Lobster is in Japan. Their popup was located inside Black Hammer Brewery, and I think it was only for a day or two. I’ve been to the SOMA location a few more times after that, and it did not disappoint. The food and service are great! It does seem like their winter specials have been around since mid-January, so it might not be here for much longer.
- Lobster Roll: Initially, I got one lobster roll to try, but after I had the first one, I knew I had to get another one. I haven’t had that many lobster rolls, and I never really liked the bread that it was paired with until I came here. The buttered bun they use is one of the reasons I think makes the lobster roll so outstanding. I also like how they don’t mix their lobster with fill-ins. Although the portions are a bit small for how much it costs ($17), they claim to have a quarter pound of seafood in each roll and it’s only 300 calories! They lowered the price of their lobster roll to $16 last October, but it seems like they raised it back to $17 when I went this month. If you want more lobster, they have jumbo rolls that have 50% more seafood, and it costs $23.
- Luke’s Trio: The trio consists of 1/2 of the crab, shrimp, and lobster, so you can get this if you want to sample each of the rolls. I calculated the price and it’s $0.50 cheaper than if you were to get half individually, so if you want to try all three, it’s not too bad. Out of the three, I definitely still like the lobster the most. The shrimp was nothing special or maybe I just prefer the full size ones. Similarly, the crab was not bad, but I prefer the whole pieces of lobster. The bread is the same for all three rolls, so they were all very buttery and delicious.
- White Truffle Lobster Roll (SEASONAL): I saw this on their winter specials, and I knew I had to try it. For just an extra dollar, you get melted urbani truffle butter. I was very surprised by how strong the truffle taste was in each and every bite! Moreover, this has the same amount of calories as their regular lobster roll, so I guess that means truffle doesn’t have any extra calories 🙂 I am not sure how much longer this will be around for, so get it before it’s gone!
Luke’s Trio 
White Truffle Lobster Roll
This is the best lobster roll place I’ve ever had. I’ve only been to LobsterMe (SF Westfield mall) and New England Lobster Market and Eatery (Burlingame) in the bay area. LobsterMe was not good at all, and I definitely wouldn’t go back. It comes with coleslaw and fries, but I substituted the fries for their clam chowder for an extra dollar. The chowder wasn’t bad, but their lobster had a lot of fillings and I didn’t like the bread at all. New England Lobster Market and Eatery is even pricier than Luke’s Lobster. It costs $24.50 for the same amount of seafood but it’s served with chips and coleslaw. There’s no option to not get the sides for a cheaper roll.
Website
Matcha Brownies
I made this for St. Patrick’s Day since matcha matches perfectly with the green theme. I wouldn’t call these brownies though because I feel like the texture is more similar to a cake texture and slightly crumbly, kind of like a shortbread cake. The owner of this recipe did mention that it would be more accurate to refer to them as matcha blondies.
I followed the recipe, but I made a few adjustments. To help bring out the matcha flavor, I added 2 extra tbsp of matcha powder and I used half the amount of sugar (1/2 cup). In addition, I also added white chocolate chips to make up for the sugar and give it some crunch. Not to mention, white chocolate always pairs well with matcha. Last but not least, don’t forget the powdered sugar! It makes a huge difference as you can see from my pictures.
Let me know what you think of the recipe in the comments below 🙂
Ramen Nagi
(Palo Alto/Cupertino)
Ramen Nagi is my FAVORITE ramen place in the bay area. Typically, if the ramen is good I won’t say much about the broth, but this place has excelled in every aspect. I wasn’t expecting much initially since there tends to be hype at first but it dies later on. Moreover, I’ve been to places where I’ve waited a while and the food wasn’t amazing. HOWEVER, the broth, noodle, toppings, and sides blew me away! It could be due to the fact that you actually get to choose exactly how you want everything so it’s more accustomed to each person’s taste, but that’s just what makes it so great 🙂 They have a location in downtown Palo Alto and recently opened another one inside the Westfield Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara.
I tend to go for less salt, normal oil and garlic, thick noodles, and pork belly. The noodles have come out with the perfect texture every time I’ve eaten there. I like thick noodles since it tends to be chewier, whereas thin noodles are crunchier. Additionally, I prefer the pork belly over the chashu because it’s so soft and tender. Not to mention, most ramen places offer chashu so pork belly is more unique. Another special feature of this place is the side condiments they offer! I’ve never been to any other place (even in Japan) that offers bean sprouts, pickled veggies, hand-grounded sesame seeds. The bean sprouts are seasoned with sesame oil and sesame seeds, so it’s very flavorful. The pickled veggies aren’t bad either for someone like myself who doesn’t like pickled anything. I’d give them all a try!
- Red King: This one’s my go-to because the broth is actually spicy! I even get to make it up to 10x spicier 😀 I’ve tried it before, but I like to stick to 8x, so I don’t have a tough time later. The one part I’m not the biggest fan of is the minced meat. It’s quite sweet and similar to the ones you get with tantanmen. However, the overall ramen dish is very flavorful.
- Black King: The squid ink is very apparent in this dish as you can tell by the dark black color it gives off. You can make this spicy as well, but it’s definitely not as spicy as the red king. The minced meat in this one isn’t sweet, so the squid ink and garlic flavor are very apparent in it.
Red King 
Black King
The last time I went they noticed both my friend and I wore white clothing, so they even gave us a bib like the ones at the boiling crab. I didn’t know they offered those, but they’re super helpful since the soup tends to splash and you have oil stains on your clothes before you know it :/ It’s definitely worth making a trip out here, but be prepared for a wait! I’d recommend going after 2pm on the weekdays and after 8pm on the weekends for a shorter wait.
Website
Me & Tasty
(San Francisco)
Me & Tasty is probably my FAVORITE brunch place in SF. They haven’t been opened for very long, compared to more popular places in the city, and they’re one of the few Thai fusion brunches in the city. They’re tucked away in the Castro, close to Market St, and they have two floors. I’m honestly surprised that the waits here aren’t out the door given that they have actually been featured on INSIDER for their charcoal pancakes. That works better in my favor though 😀 I love almost everything on their brunch menu, but you have to get the following:
- Crab Benny: My go-to at every brunch place is always eggs benedict, and I have to say that this one is my favorite by far. The bread, sauce, and crab is just perfect. They even give salad and bread on the side! I typically don’t eat the extra toast since it’s too filling, but the marmalade it comes with is soooooo good. In the recent times that I have gone, it doesn’t seem like they offer this with the benedict anymore but they do for their omelettes and scrambles. (ask in case)
- Monkey French Toast (also available as a side): I always like to try the french toast when I first visit a brunch place, and this one has the right chew and it melts right in your mouth. Not to mention, their salted caramel coconut sauce is amazing!
- Charcoal Pancake (also available as a side): Charcoal doesn’t taste like much, but the mascaparone cream it comes with is sooooo good. Not to mention, the pancakes are soft and fluffy.
- Chicken and (charcoal) Waffle: This item was added to the menu later, but it doesn’t fail in comparison to the other items they offer. Since I don’t like chicken and waffle eaten together, I ate them separately but they both tasted delicious. The charcoal waffle wasn’t bad, but pretty similar to any other waffle. The star of the dish was definitely the fried chicken. It was humongous and so crispy!
Crab Benny 
Monkey French Toast 
Charcoal Pancake 
Fried Chicken and Waffle
I’ve also tried the following and I think they’re good but not a must-get:
- Avocado Toast: Not your typical avocado toast! This one uses two types of avocado: smashed and fried. The fried avocado was pretty good, and I thought it was interesting that they used asparagus. However, I wasn’t the hugest fan of the bread and didn’t feel like everything paired well together :/
- Rainbow Cheese Toast: The grilled cheese itself isn’t anything special, but the aesthetics definitely are. The colors of the rainbow make this worth getting if you want an amazing photo.
- Butterfly Pea Lemonade: Butterfly pea itself doesn’t taste like much so many tend to pair it with lemonade. It pretty much tastes like any other lemonade but the color, usually blue or purple, that the butterfly pea creates is very pretty. I probably wouldn’t get it again given that it’s $5, but if you want it for the ‘gram, by all means 🙂
Avocado Toast 
Rainbow Cheese Toast 
Butterfly Pea Lemonade
Website
Urban Ritual
(San Francisco)
Urban Ritual is my FAVORITE place for tea/boba! They have great specialty drinks that you can’t find anywhere else, and their drinks are made very well. I haven’t tried everything on their menu, but below are some of my favorites:
- Matcha Latte (Iced): Classic matcha latte with the shot poured on top of the milk. They use a decent amount of matcha so I can taste the bitterness of the matcha! Bonus: get this with oat milk 🙂
- White Grape Yuzu: This drink is definitely one that you won’t find anywhere else! Yuzu is a rare find and it pairs fantastically with their white grape oolong tea. Super refreshing and you get pieces of yuzu I always ask for extra! 😀
- Forever Young: Another drink that you can’t find anywhere else is their non-alcoholic sangria! It’s on the tartier side, so if you like your drinks sweet, I’d get a little more sugar. The fresh berries add a great touch to this drink.
- Hojicha Latte (Hot) SEASONAL: I had this for the first time last fall, and it was seasonal then, but they’ve also made a hot chocolate version so it might be here to stay! I personally prefer the hot hojicha latte because I think that brings out more of the flavor. This is definitely the strongest and best hojicha latte I’ve ever had! Besides this place, there are only two other places in the city that offer this drink: Stonemill and Maiko.
Matcha Latte 
White Grape Yuzu 
Forever Young
Toppings (FREE if you check-in):
- Honey Boba: not the best I’ve had, but pretty good
- Aloe Vera: this pairs well with their white grape yuzu
- Creme Brulee: this is similar to getting pudding in your drink but it’s very sweet and has a creamier texture
They also offer mochi muffins and custard cakes from Third Culture Bakery.
Website
Tina’s Hungry Finally Live!
Hi everyone! I’m so excited to finally launch my personal blog. I was born and raised in San Francisco, so I’ve definitely had my fair share of food in the city and in the bay area. I really hope that you enjoy reading them as much as I do writing them. I will be posting about my favorite restaurants, recent reviews, travel experiences. and my baking adventures. If you have any questions or feedback, I’d love to hear them!