Cracked and Battered

(San Francisco)

I was super excited to try this brunch place last year because I heard they had matcha french toast, and you know how much I love matcha 😀 However, I couldn’t find it on the menu, so I asked the staff about it. They told me the chef would make it for me! I was ecstatic. The chef mentioned that he didn’t want to put it on the menu yet because he didn’t feel that it was ready. He asked for my opinion, and even gave us hummus! Their menu seems to have changed a lot in the past couple months, so I’m not sure if they’ll still have all the items I mentioned. I do know that they still have their lemon ricotta pancakes, so definitely make sure to get one! Or three…

Oct 2018:

  • Nasi Goreng: If you don’t already know, nasi goreng is Indonesian fried rice. I was really excited about this because it also includes fried chicken! Unfortunately, the fried chicken wasn’t that crunchy, and it was kind of dry. Sadly, the fried egg was the best part because the fried rice was very bland. I don’t recommend this.
  • Matcha French Toast: The matcha flavor wasn’t that strong, but it was one of the best french toast I’ve ever had! The texture was soft and chewy unlike the ones that are thick and bready. I would definitely come back for this, and hopefully, the matcha is more prevalent then!
  • Big Country: I wanted to try the lemon ricotta pancakes, so I was really glad my friend got this. This dish also includes a fried egg, potatoes, and a choice of turkey bacon or turkey sausage. The ricotta pancakes were the best part! It was super fluffy and light. I wish I got the whole serving of it 🙂

Dec 2018:

  • Shakshouka: This was very different from the other shakshouka I’ve had. Usually it comes in a skillet with poached eggs and tomatoes, but this one consisted of three parts: the egg in tomato sauce, pita, and hummus. The sauce had a stronger garlic flavor than tomato, but everyone at the table loved it. Their hummus is made in house and tastes great with the pita. Ask for more if you run out!
  • Hot Chicken and Fries: I decided to give their chicken another chance, since the hot chicken was Nashville style, but I was not impressed. It wasn’t spicy nor crunchy 🙁 In addition, their fries were pretty soggy too. This was worst than the fried chicken I had before.
  • Fried Chicken Benedict: I didn’t expect much from this after the second disappointment from their chicken. Unfortunately, it proved to be true. The potatoes were probably the saddest part given that they seemed to be premature, like they were lazy and decided to not cut, season, nor cook it for longer.

Overall, I would come back because I love the ricotta pancakes and french toast here. Their chicken definitely needs a lot of work, but they do have some amazing dishes. Not to mention, they have yelp waitlist, so that means you don’t have to worry about waiting over an hour there!

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