My Dining Journal
All my restaurant activity, searchable by restaurant.
Gochi Japanese Fusion Tapas
Cupertino, CA
Gotta getcha Gochi
First off, make a reservation! This place can get crowded.
Also, the seating is mainly tatami style. Which surprised me since I figured it was a fusion restaurant, that it would be less traditional. But it has a clean, minimalist atmosphere.
We were seated in one of the tatami booths, after a 30+ minute wait (we didn’t make reservations). However, during our wait we got a chance to peruse the menu.
There is a lot on the menu. We tried to get one dish from each category, but there weren’t enough of us to eat all of it. So the waitress was very helpful in giving her opinions on what we ordered. Although it did take awhile to flag her down to take our order.
The dishes came out fairly quickly and all were delicious. I’d give it 5 stars, but they need to improve their service quality. We always needed to flag down a waitress to refill our water and tea.
Dishes Tried:
Agedashi Tofu
Could’ve used more dashi sauce, but still yummy!
Onigiri with Tuna Mayo
A crispy rice ball with tuna mayo was one of my favorites!
Citizen Cake (CLOSED)
San Francisco, CA
Impressive citizen
Citizen Cake is a cute little restaurant/bakery in Hayes Valley. We came here on a Sunday, and it was quite busy, with people going to the performance halls for matinee showings.
We came during brunch on a sunny day, which was nice since it’s a corner restaurant with lots of uncovered windows. It’s also a nice place to sit and people watch. Both in the restaurant and at the passersby.
The menu is quite unique. It’s not just scrambled eggs and ham. But beware, because I wanted to try the desserts but came out too full from my salad.
Portions aren’t huge, but I’d say a good size for brunch. If it were dinner though, I’d think the sizes were too small.
Overall a good experience. I’d like to go back again to try the desserts though.
Dishes Tried:
Warm spinach salad with poached egg
I’m a big fan of spinach salads, and this one came with chunks of bacon! I thought the bacon was a bit salty, but overall the salad was a good one.
Ann's Kitchen
Berkeley, CA
Ann likes me fat
Oh I remember those lazy sundays in college, when you’d wake up late and hungry. There’s nothing like a short walk to Ann’s kitchen to fill you up.
There really isn’t much to the place. The decor is minimal, and the place isn’t the cleanest, and I also remember seeing jugs of oil in the kitchen. Mmm.
But the food here is good, like the huge pancakes and greasy homefries. The portions are big.
If you want a more high class brunch place, walk over to La Note. But you’ll feel at home at Ann’s with sweats on. And the food will make you full and happy.
Il Postale
Sunnyvale, CA
You've got postale
Il Postale is a cute little Italian restaurant in downtown Sunnyvale. It’s cozy, with friendly service and a heated outdoor patio.
I’ve only come here for lunches, and only ordered sandwiches. The sandwiches are under $11, but they come with a salad or fries and are pretty filling. The entrees run for a bit more, but not by much.
I usually order the crab cake sandwich, which I love here. It comes with a pasta salad, but I’ll either substitute it for fries (which are thin cut and yummy!) or a house salad. This salad comes in a light vinaigrette with fresh, dark, leafy greens.
I’d like to try this place out for dinner, and try the risotto, next time.
Dishes Tried:
Crab Cake Sandwich
My favorite!
Italian Sausage Sandwich
A little too much meat for me, and I wish the sausages were spicy. Would’ve made it tastier.
New Krung Thai Restaurant
San Jose, CA
Krung is king
If you like Thai food, you’ll love this place. There is a large selection, and the food comes pretty quick!
For lunch they have lunch specials which come with soup. These are good portions for the price. They also offer their regular entrees.
I like to come here with a big group of people, which they can accomodate. Then you can order lots of different plates to share.
Service can be spotty, and it’s pretty much always crowded. But if you’re patient, then the food is worth it. Sometimes if I’m too hungry, I’ll go to the other Krung Thai near 280. Although I think the ‘new’ one is better.
Oh and don’t forget to save room for dessert!
Dishes Tried:
Fried Banana Ice Cream
Large pieces of banana fried just right, and comes with coconut ice cream. Yums.
Sweet Sticky Rice with Mango
Soft mangoes with warm, sweet rice is a divine combo.
Tofu Khee Mao
Fried pieces of tofu with lots of garlic. Don’t forget your breath mint.
Osteria
Palo Alto, CA
Friendly and fresh
Everytime I pass by this restaurant, it’s always crowded. I finally got to try it, but it closed in 10 minutes. The host was already grabbing menus when we walked in, and seated us right away.
We got bread and butter, but the bread was cold and the butter was hard. I decided on the linguine and porcini mushroom dish. It came piping hot, and the pasta wasn’t too soft. Just perfect. Osteria also makes their pasta fresh, and you can taste it.
The staff didn’t rush us at all, even though we were the last ones there. Still, we made our dinner quick.
I hope to try some of their other dishes. The menu had a lot of variety.
Straits Cafe - Santana Row
San Jose, CA
Straits disappoints
I must say that Straits has a nice, happening bar area for Santana Row-ers. However, I wouldn’t recommend this place for dinner.
The portions were small and the food didn’t live up to expectations. I did like the bowls that the noodles were served in, though. That’s about it.
I’d only come here for the bar. There’s usually a DJ here on weekend nights also.
Satura Cakes
Palo Alto, CA
Rich cakes for rich people
This is a cute little bakery in Palo Alto. The cakes are presented well and the cafe is well-kept. Everything looks so pretty and yummy, but then you look at the prices and go oh my!
I ventured for the strawberry tiramisu and a latte. The tiramisu came in an oval shaped bowl, with strawberries on top. It didn’t taste like tiramisu, but more like a strawberry shortcake. Even though I was full, I wish there was more! Especially after shelling out $5 for it!
Next time I go I’ll try the cream puffs. They looked good.
Dishes Tried:
Small latte
Strawberry Tiramisu
Cute presentation and very tasty, but small for the price!
Sushi YA Restaurant
Palo Alto, CA
Okay-la for sushi ya
This small Japanese restaurant is hidden along University. It has just a few tables, and a small sushi bar.
The menu is fairly standard fare, with some specialties. We decided on some sushi, chicken karaage, and agedashi tofu.
The sushi rolls were fairly small, but the spicy sauce was good. The tofu was firm, but cold and barely fried! It was quite disappointing. I was happy with the chicken karaage. It came hot and not too oily.
All in all, it’s an okay restaurant. Nothing too impressive, but it’s a cozy place for a quick meal.
Dishes Tried:
Chicken Karaage
Yummy and hot bite-size pieces of fried chicken.
Spicy Scallop Roll
Good spicy sauce, but small rolls.
Spicy Yellowtail Roll
Same spicy sauce as the scalllop roll. But again, small rolls.
Agedashi Tofu
Tofu itself was nice and firm, but it wasn’t hot inside!
Hahn's Hibachi
Palo Alto, CA
Quiet place off busy University
I’ve been to the Hahn’s Hibachi long ago in Jack London Square. And I remembered that place giving lots of meat and being super good.
I was slightly disappointed in the Palo Alto location. I think the menus may be different. The food was only okay, and I could’ve used more meat.
Service was quite friendly though, and it’s a small, fairly quiet place. We went there on a Friday night and had a little bit of a wait, but the host was very friendly and gave us updates on our wait time.
I did enjoy my order of chap chae though. Good portions, although I was craving me some meat.
Dishes Tried:
Chap Chae
I usually find this dish in the appetizer section selling for a lot more. But this dish was a good portion for the price.
Search My Journal
Filter
On the Map
Keep track of your dining experiences with Menuism!
- Remember your favorite restaurants by saving it to your personal dining journal.
- Read and write reviews on individual dishes, and upload your food photos for all to see.
- Interact with local foodies with comments and Menuism mail.
- View top rated dishes and online restaurant menus (we're the web's largest menu aggregator).
or
Have a Menuism account? Sign in first to link it.