Travel is something that I have always cherished. Growing up I was always traveling, whether it was to the coast for the weekend, different states for dad’s business trips, or to Mexico. Fortunately for me my dad provided me with so much opportunity when it came to travel, unfortunately everyone grows up, and to me that means I have to provide myself with my own opportunities. Being so young and living on my own travel is hard to come by, it is especially difficult to be able to take time off work since I want to maintain my job as well as have enough money to survive. It is always amazing when I can get something to work out. I was incredibly lucky this last weekend to be able to take some time off to visit my friend down in Concord, California. My friend/sister from another mister/mentor/life advice guru, Melissa, just moved from Utah to California with her boyfriend, “Mr. Amazing” and had been asking when I could come visit. I had been upset for the beginning of my summer because I had it in my head I wouldn’t be able to take any vacations since my coworkers had all requested a lot of time off.
It actually took me being really down one morning, sitting in my kitchen, talking to my roommate about how upset I was, to just buy the tickets. I couldn’t believe how easy it really was! All it took was a text from Melissa to confirm the dates and incredibly cheap airfare from Allegiant Air and I had my weekend getaway to California planned! I packed pretty light, I had my camera, a bikini, some sundresses and an empty stomach. Good thing too since I ate enough food for three people my whole trip!
I arrived in Oakland around 4 pm. After an excruciatingly long car ride from the airport, due to traffic, we all rushed to get cleaned up for her mom’s birthday dinner, only to get back into the car for another hour. The restaurant we went to was called Mango Garden and it was tucked away in a strip mall. The outside wasn’t especially esthetically pleasing, except for what looked like a hand painted sign that hung above the entrance.
Working in a Thai restaurant I was skeptical about what I was going to find on the menu, and eager to try something new. I was introduced to Melissa’s cousin Jamie, and her Aunt Lita, who found the restaurant and suggested we try it. I was overwhelmed by all of the options on the menu, and I was excited that most of them seemed to be new dishes that I hadn’t heard of before. Each of us finally ordered, but when we got our food we were in for a big surprise. Apparently Aunt Lita had ordered a bunch of food before we arrived, and didn’t tell us! So we got each of our individual dishes on top of what she had ordered. We had enough food to feed an army (or so it seemed)! We ended up sharing everything we had, lucky for me since EVERYTHING looked incredible. The presentation of the food was more than perfect, each dish carefully plated, most of the time using fruit shells as a decorative bowl. Our menu looked like this;
Tom Yum Soup
Pineapple Fried Rice (served in a pineapple!)
Mango Shrimp (served in mango!!)
Black Pepper Chicken
Sizzling Panang Curry Shrimp
Roti Prata (Indian bread with a curry dipping sauce-AMAZING)
Veggie Egg Rolls
Green Papaya Salad
Siam Prawns
A whole crab that wasn’t on the menu
A noodle dish (I wish I could remember which one it was!)
We also had a dessert that was made with mango ice cream and sprinkled with chopped mango and mixed fruit jellies.
The food was absolutely incredible and I ate more than I thought possible. I wasn’t disappointed with a single thing that I had. Even the Thai Iced Tea I had was to die for. I left very satisfied, and fell asleep the minute my face hit the pillow of my blow up mattress.
Day two was for eating. Which I didn’t think was going to be possible due to the previous night’s dinner. We were up early to make the drive from Concord to San Francisco to explore the Ferry Building Plaza Farmers Market. Our first stop was Blue Bottle Coffee Company for a cup of strong drip coffee.
Our coffee being made.
From there our noses took us to a little booth that was serving up breakfast. Melissa, her mom and I split one of their entrees. The dish was about a quarter of a French baguette that was sliced open, like a sandwich, and topped with cheesy scrambled eggs, local and organic bacon, and fresh sliced tomatoes. The eggs were perfectly done, not too runny and not dry, they melted in my mouth. The bacon was also cooked to perfection, crispy enough but not so crispy that I was left with cuts
Breakfast
on my gums. Let’s not even start on the bread, it was perfectly spongy and moist, with a crust that was the right amount of crunchy.
From there we decided to walk around, but we couldn’t go five feet without stopping for samples or quick snacks. We stopped at Farmhouse Culture to try some of their sauerkraut. I tried a sample of the smoked jalapeño kraut and was blown away. It was so crunchy and had a hint of spice and smoke that took over my mouth as I continued to chew.
Right next door was a stand that sold meats and jerky, called Fatted Calf. We bought a bit of their jerky and once again I was amazed at the flavor. I could taste how freshly made the jerky was, and there was no hint of chemical flavor whatsoever.
We then moved onto a booth selling insects to eat. I was repulsed, but Justin (aka “Mr. Amazing” to Melissa) was brave enough to sample one of the worms.
Justin trying one of the bugs.
From there we wandered around, I was lost in all of the color and smells that surrounded me. As I stopped at each booth the only sound coming from me was the rapid clicking of my shutter releasing.
We walked around inside the building, stopping to try a BBQ pork Bao bun and fresh oysters along the way.
Once we decided we had a good taste of the Farmer’s Marker, we walked down to Pier 39 to try to find some lunch. Turns out that was an impossible idea, each restaurant there was way overpriced and had an hour long wait just to sit down! We decided to head back and eat at a little café, Pier 23 Café, we saw on the walk over. They seated us almost immediately after we showed up. We sat right on the water and enjoyed a lunch that included clam chowder, ceviche, and tuna poke tostadas.
Tuna Poke Tostadas
As we finished lunch it was time to make our way back to the car to get Melissa’s mom to the airport. Walking around the city was amazing, I was enthralled with all of the street performers, colorful people, and food there was to see.
From the airport Justin, Melissa, and I decided to adventure along the coastline. We drove up HWY 1 and stopped to take pictures and sight see. 
Incredibly enough, we got hungry again. Justin had heard of a BBQ joint that had been featured on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives and we decided to attempt to find it. Despite its fame, I was skeptical. We pulled up to an orange run down train car with a banner sign on it saying “Gorilla Barbeque”.
It was clean enough, but how great could BBQ be coming from an old train car? Well let me tell you how great. It was fantastic, amazing, perfect, delicious, the best ribs and BBQ sauce I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. I felt like I could literally swim in a vat of that sauce and be happy for the rest of my life. The rib meat was falling off of the bone, thoroughly satisfying my taste buds. I was as happy as a BBQ sauce smothered clam.
Rib perfection
The whole meal
Happiness that came from this food.
Once we got home the rest of the night was spent on the couch watching Desperate Housewives, trying to digest all of the impeccable food we had that day.
My last full day there was spent eating leftovers for breakfast, reading by the pool, swimming and sunbathing. We went into Walnut Creek so I could treat Melissa and Justin to dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant called Silk Road. We sat out in their outdoor covered seating. It was comfortably small. Our meal started with a flatbread that was served with dip that was made of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, veggies and herbs. It was the perfect light appetizer. Melissa stuck to a simple spinach salad, Justin ordered their Gyro sandwich, and I ordered their lamb kabob with saffron rice and veggies. Each item was cooked to perfection. The dinner was light and left me feeling full but not stuffed. It was a nice change of pace from our other food encounters. After a quick walk around the town we headed back home to watch a movie and get some sleep.
This trip was an experience I won’t forget. I was honestly so nervous about going. I was nervous for a few reasons; I hadn’t flown alone since I was thirteen, I hadn’t spent a lot of time with Justin or Melissa’s family, I was going somewhere I had never been before, and I had no idea what to expect out of this trip. Since coming home, all I want to do is plan my next trip back. Everything about my mini vacation inspired me. It gave me cooking ideas, a new view on my photography and much much more. I found a quote by Ella Maillart that truly spoke to me about this trip, “You do not travel if you fear the unknown. You travel for the unknown that reveals you within yourself”. I think despite being nervous I came back from this vacation a better person because I came home with a new burning desire to follow my passion for food and photography. I can’t wait to go back and try more of the food that I saw, and get the chance to do so again with such good people. My adventurous heart is happy and full of love, and my belly is satisfied but hungry for more.
Chanda Bakes 