Pinoy chef does us proud in San Francisco

When out of the country, I like trying out Filipino restaurants and supporting them.  After all, we need to patronize our very own.  It’s very tough for Filipino restaurants to survive internationally.  There are a few that open but close after a while.  I feel it is because there are not enough Filipinos who live in the area that patronize them and we just lack the right perception to get the locals attracted to our cuisine.  My wish is that our cuisine be recognized all over the world because we have many talented chefs and great dishes to offer.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, there is one called The Attic on B Street, San Mateo.  We went for lunch but apparently they are open only from happy hour onwards. 

We asked our server if the owner was Filipino and when he said yes, we asked if we could meet him and he was kind enough to come out and sit with us.

Chef and restaurant owner Tim Luym is a Filipino from one of the oldest business families in Cebu.

It was while Tim was working in the information technology field that he felt the need for a career change — either to film or food.  Since there were no good film schools in California, he chose to do food and studied at the California Culinary Academy (CCA).  He worked at Charles Nob Hill under one of the top chefs during that time, Melissa Perello, which gave him good experience in fine dining. 

In 2006, some of his friends asked him to partner with them to open Poleng Lounge in San Francisco City.  Tim was a DJ and chef, so it was an opportunity for him. In the first three months of business, they knew they were not going to make it.  They were getting 14 covers a night.  Two weeks later, the 14 covers a night jumped to 60.  Food critic Michael Bauer had written a review of Poleng and that changed the fate of the place. The 60 covers became 100, and all of a sudden, Poleng was one of the happening places in downtown San Francisco. 

The place closed after four years due to some issues with partners and other internal problems, but three months after, a place on B Street, San Mateo, opened up and some friends asked him to partner with them to open The Attic.   

I perceive Tim to be a risk taker and a very adventurous guy.   I hope that he will continue to promote Filipino cuisine in San Francisco.

Tim and his partners did the interiors themselves.  Everything inside the restaurant is used.  They went all around — antique stores, estate sales, and garage sales — just put all the things together and it creates such a nice ambience for the restaurant. 

The Attic serves pan-Asiatic food.  Tim says that it is hard to say Filipino food in California and they just end up closing.  So I am glad that the Attic has survived for two years already. The place has a restaurant on the second floor and a bar on the ground floor and basement. 

The food is very good and the servings are very generous for the price.  The sisig is not as authentic as we know it because they have to adjust the ingredients to cater to the American market, so this sisig is very meaty compared to the one we are used to.  At Poleng, they used to have a secret menu where you could order the authentic version of the Filipino dishes. 

Adobo Chicken Lollipop is one of their bestsellers. Another dish, Death by Pork, which serves four to six persons for $39, includes house-made sinigang chicharones (pork rinds), spiced vinegar dip, lechon kawali with ‘Mang Tomas’ sauce, crispy pata, and garlic-soy vinegar dip.  You can add sisig for $10.

Tim also has a food truck called Frozen Kuhsterd, offering custard in a soft-serve version.  Their unique food offering has made it the highest-rated food truck in San Francisco. 

“Our flavors, sundaes and sandwiches are inspired from our own ethnic backgrounds and foods that we’ve eaten around the world: Cinnamon Toast Crunch (cereal milk), White Coffee, Thai Latte, Matcha Affogato with Ube, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Saikyo Miso, Sweet Corn, Salt and Pepper Potato Chip, Bingka (bibingka) Bites, Polvoron, Kettle Popcorn, and many more! SFist Lists awarded Frozen Kuhsterd as one of the 12 Best Food Trucks.

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The Attic is located at 234 South B Street, San Mateo, California. For more information, visit http://atticrestaurant.comicrestaurant.com. To follow the food truck, visit http://frozenkuhsterd.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FrozenKuhsterd.

A drive to Half Moon Bay

When visiting San Francisco, there is so much more to see aside from downtown San Francisco.  The Bay Area is beautiful and there are other places to explore nearby within two hours of driving.  We love staying in the Bay area because it is peaceful, non-stressful and much more relaxing.  This trip we drove to Half Moon Bay for the first time.  Just like anything else, weekdays are less congested because you know everyone will drive up over the weekend. 

We enjoyed the drive very much because it was not so far away; within 30 minutes we were there.  And not only is it near but there are many things to see on the way.  Every time we go on road trips, I use that time to appreciate the beautiful scenery and natural wonders that God created.  I never use my phone or laptops anymore during road trips.

Don’t miss this row of trees.  Going there look to the left and coming back, look right.  

Tree farms have hundreds of fresh Christmas trees and you can choose your own tree and buy it and bring it home.

There are other things for sale on the way, and every year during Halloween, they have an Art and Pumpkin Festival.  They have a weigh-off, pumpkin carving and pumpkin pie-eating contests, arts and crafts, food and entertainment, costume and pumpkin parades and many more activities for the whole family. 

They display their pumpkins, which come from their farms around 15 minutes away.  It’s so amazing to see them all lined up and you can, of course, buy pumpkins. There is also Lemos Farm, which is popular among the kids.  It’s a little outdoor amusement place for the kids to have pony and train rides, a petting zoo, laser tag and it’s a place where you can celebrate your own party, have a school field trip or company picnics.  During Halloween it becomes Halloween On the Farm with a famous Scare Zone and during winter, the farm transforms into a Christmas wonderland.

There are also many good places to eat in Half Moon Bay.  A few friends recommended Flying Fish and Pasta Moon, though we went to the Ritz-Carlton because we heard it was spectacular!

And it is. It’s right by the bay and it is amazing.  I took the photos from their website since I was not able to capture these types of photos. They have a golf course and it is a beautiful venue for a wedding.

We had a nice lunch by the conservatory facing the bay.  It was a very fun and relaxing day trip.  Thanks to my friend, June, for suggesting this.  She told us that there are many more beaches in the area and you can just bring your picnic mats and food.  I will make sure we do that next time!