The Happy Crane. San Francisco. California. 9-11.2025.

The reason why it took me so long to put this up for The Happy Crane is because I wanted to go back multiple times and give you a full review with consistency in mind. Now that I have gone 3 times in 3 months and had almost the entire menu, I can now speak thoroughly regarding this new coveted Hayes Valley reservation.

The Happy Crane has been one of the most hyped and anticipated openings in San Francisco this year, and for good reasons. Getting a reservation here is exceptionally difficult. You will have to try your luck when as they drop for the date you want. Walk ins are only one side of the bar and about 7 seats only.

Upon my first time, I went in a group of 5 with a pescatarian. While this restaurant may have enough for pescatarians, I would say that the stars of their menu are meat centric. Like most Cantonese cuisine, it is very shrimp and pork centric and Chef James Yuen Leong Parry embodies that tradition. Chef Parry has been at Benu before he left for Palette Tea House before opening The Happy Crane. Interestingly, he has also had experience in fine dining in Hong Kong and Tokyo prior to Benu. Being a Hong Kong Brit myself that craves food from the motherland, in addition to my storied palette, he had a tough critic to please in me. However, I was pleasantly surprised for my first visit. The meal, including dessert, was perfection and my guests all agreed.  The stand out dishes were firecracker shrimp, XO little fry king, maitake biang biang, fragrant fish. We were pleased with all the desserts as it was fig season (see second visit below).

hawthorne berry oyster
oyster of the day, hawthorne mignonette 

ginger scallion scallop
scalded chives, jicama, salted radish 

smacked cucumber & smoked figs
chinkiang balsamic, avocado, cherry tomatoes 

doupi tofu salad
roasted bell pepper sauce, sakura shrimp 

beef shin & artichoke
master stock, celtuce, house chili vinaigrette 

firecracker shrimp
nori, shiso, mala glaze 

sugarsnap pea dumpling
shiitake, summer squash, pea foam 

golden coin
coppa, rose wine chicken liver mousse, house bao 

crab rice roll
fresh milled rice roll, shaoxing crab butter, trout roe 

oyster pancake
fermented chili sauce, chaozhou ramp dip 

XO little fry king
monterey abalone, bay shrimp and scallop, jimmy nardello 

salted egg yolk squash
butternut and summer squash, makrut lime 

chasiu iberico pork jowl
lime ginger compressed apple, scallion rice 

maitake biang biang
house pulled noodle, roasted maitake, xinjiang spices 

fish fragrant fish
lingcod, eggplant roasted, celtuce, yam leaves 

mango sago sorbet
kaoliang, passionfruit 

fig and oolong tart
peach compote, lime 

mochi rocher
cinnamon chocolate, hazelnut























My second visit was a somewhat different story. We were a group of 4 with a lot of Michelin Star cred amongst the table including a critic. Naturally we had a lot more notes and not all of them good. Restaurants: We are available for hire if you need honest feedback for your restaurant (front of house, design, flow, kitchen, service and menu included). Overall, there were inconsistency issues from my first visit to this time and I can say with certainty that the savories are much stronger than dessert. And if you are a non drinker like me, please skip the Flying Nimbus (which we sent back after we all had a taste of this bizarre drink). One of the chefs at my table was hilariously at the restaurant the night before and had ordered different things. According to him they clearly ordered incorrectly the previous night and that we did much better. Interesting... We all thought the golden coin was the most interesting with the oyster pancake a close second. While we all liked the XO little fry king, there being only 3 tiny slices of abalone confused us. I am allergic to crab, but the rest of the table was unimpressed by the rice roll in the crab rice roll as it was far too soggy and too little crab. However, the chasiu iberico pork jowl was the redemption dish for us all. 2 of us are from Hong Kong so we knew upon first bite that this is the star of the menu. I haven't been able to get chasiu made from the pork jowl here since my move. Do yourself a favor and make sure to order this dish when you go here. The tenderness of the pork jowl is what makes this great, balanced with fennel and pickled apple on top served with scallion rice was excellent.

Dessert is when this meal fell apart. We only ordered the mango sago sorbet and the fig and oolong tart. Mind you, we were a table of sweet tooths, the tart was so strange that it literally ruined the entire meal for all of us. We all knew the second it came out that it was going to be a challenge by the look of the figs. Why on earth would any chef send produce out that is out of season and not in their prime is beyond me. We were baffled by the look of the figs, but that was just the beginning of our enigma. Upon tasting the filling, it was incorrectly done. For me, who had the tart correctly and in season the month before, I was traumatized by how bad it had become. So if you see the tart on the menu, I would skip it until it's proper fig season. Let this be a cautionary tale to chefs that are not pastry chefs: the last bites can seal the fate of your meal and ruin a perfectly great meal. If you had a pastry chef consult for your dessert menu, please for the love of God make it properly. AHEM.



















My third visit a month later was another party of 5, and we opted for the Happy as a Crane tasting menu at $120 each. It was too much food for the 5 of us as we were given 2 of most dishes. If you have hearty eaters, this may be the way to go. But if you are not, you will have a lot of leftovers. The only new dish that I had from the tasting menu was beef shin & artichoke, which was excellent. The umami from the golden coin may be too much for some palettes. Please for the love of all that is holy why you serve me out of season figs again? But at least the filling was done right this time but the out of season figs make no sense. Alas, I was extremely happy with my savory leftovers the next day. 

Maruwu Seicha + Turtle Tower + Stay Sweet + Four Kings + Butter & Crumble + Shoji + Tiny Croissanterie + Sisterita + Rintaro + Dalida + Big Face + La Taqueria. San Francisco. Calfornia. 5.9.2025-7.18.2025.

Been walking around and giving myself assignments and checking out some new and old places in addition to pop ups. It helps when the sun is out longer. That's for sure. 

Matcha chain Maruwu Seicha had their Shizuoka White Peach matcha as their summer special. Naturally I had to try it. While I liked the drink, I preferred the soft serve. Perhaps I am biased as I love soft serve, but I also thought the balance of the flavors were better in the soft serve.



I made it to the reopened Turtle Tower in Financial District one day to meet a friend for lunch. He got the classic pho, while I did not. I have to admit, that was a chump move on my part. It might have been a bit warm that day, hence my ill decision. Because noodle soup is ALWAYS my comfort food. Definitely get the pho if you go.



I busted a move and went to a Stay Sweet pop-up to get some chocolate bars, which ended up being ALL his chocolate bars. I mean, if I have to taste everything and write about it, then I have to be thorough! Stay Sweet is ex-fine dining pastry chef Mark Lieuw's conception. Mark's CV includes Eleven Madison Park, Atelier Crenn, Saison, etc. He is now focused on making seasonal chocolate bars for your enjoyment. I love hojicha and when I saw that he had a hojicha bar I had to go immediately. There is definitely something for everyone there. Unless you are allergic to chocolate, of course. While I do find all the pastry pop-ups overwhelming, especially since many of the fine dining pastry chefs have started their own since Covid. I do find myself a repeat customer, as I love these bars. Also, these bars are ~$12 each to be wallet friendly for a high end sweet treat. I have yet tried the new menu, but seeing that he has a new hojicha bar out this weekend, I may have to make a reappearance. I also love giving these away as gifts and I like saying hi to Mark when I go. He also ships if you are unable to attend Mark's pop-ups. Like all great Asian inspired desserts, these are not too sweet, which is expected of Mark's repertoire.

Black Sesame
black sesame coated rice krispies cup
black sesame crunch 

Karl the Fog
black tea caramel
coffee dark chocolate ganache 

Shiitake Mushroom Caramel
shiitake mushroom-infused caramel
dark chocolate ganache 

Golden Sesame

golden sesame praline

arare rice crackers

Coconut Pandan
coconut pandan ganache 

Hojicha Oat
vegan hojicha oat chocolate
toasted japanese brown rice french sea salt

Dan Tat oat chocolate "tart" shell
salted egg yolk ganache



Caught up with Allison (Camino) at Soochie.



I had a VIP in town from New York, so I had to take her to Four Kings. Luckily for me, they had new specials, and we got a nice variety. What didn't we get? Ok, we did not get the squab this time. The Chong Qing Hawt Fried Rabbit was incredible and blew our minds. It's deep fried with a spicy mayo sauce with honey. If that is on the specials menu, be sure to check it out. My musts are the mapo spaghetti, green beans and the eggplant (both my favorites in town). Sadly the Hokkien fried rice was no longer on the menu, another one of my musts if you see it.







I returned to Butter & Crumble for a follow up. That line: just no. Do yourselves a favor and pre-order each Tuesday for pick up instead. It used to be an hour and now it's at least double that even on a weekday. I don't do lines, the only one I make an exception for in town (for now) is Four Kings because unless you planned well in advance and you get lucky with their reservation, you have to get a table in line. 2 hours for pastries is just ridiculous. While I choose carefully what I line up for in Tokyo, this is a hard no here. Because the quality of what you get in Tokyo is THAT much higher and garner the long line for it. Here, not so much. I got an assortment of pastries that were sweet and some savory with a s'mores mocha. Overall, while they are tasty, they are a bit too sweet for me, including the savory. Definitely not something you can have too much of nor too often.





I have gone to Cafe Shoji for its soft opening, on their first weekend opening to sit outside at their patio, had dinner at the bar when it turns to Bar Shoji, and returned again to sit at the bar counter for their famed matcha einspämnner. If you would like to enjoy your cafe beverage there, it would be wise to make a reservation via Open Table here. I often do it when I decide to head there while nearby. That way, you can guarantee a seat inside. You may also be able to snag a spot in their patio if you do not. It's lovely to sit outside when the sun is out. It's covered so you re shielded from the elements. And on weekends, they often have pop ups in addition for you to check out. I always get their matcha einspämnner and I wonder if they will make a hojicha einspämnner. I now realize why the bill is so high when I do get the matcha einspämnner. As I was preparing my quarterly receipt just now for my accountant I realized why it's so expensive: it's because it includes the 5% SF Restaurant Mandate in the bill. Clearly, we typically do not pay this line item at cafes and since Shoji is a restaurant, that is automatically added.

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My first pop up experience at Shoji was Tiny Croissanterie with their French Asian pastries. I got their yuzu ham & cheese, caramel miso glaze scallion and sausage, yuzu ham & cheese, black sesame praline.  My favorites were the caramel miso glaze scallion and sausage and their black sesame praline.  I see that they also sometimes make a pistachio and Dubai chocolate croissants.





I took my sweet time in grabbing dinner at Bar Shoji as I went to Japan this past spring and I needed time before I pay SF prices for Japanese food because both quality and price is always a shock after my return home. I went in for a solo early dinner on a Friday night at the Bar. Please note that if you are making a reservation for dinner at Shoji it's under Bar Shoji on Open Table. The bar counter was entirely filled with regulars. While I typically only have 10 drinks a year, and 90% of them with my musician friends when they are touring in town, I did find myself ordering the yuzu sake to go with my unidon. I did not pay extra for the Hokkaido uni as I had premium uni at Tsukiji at cost and it was already spendy. I also opted for the hojicha affogato for dessert to finish. Overall, if you want a high end bar menu with great cocktails in a nice space downtown, Shoji is a great option. It is also open late until midnight. It has a simple food menu that is top tier and a great selection of cocktails. However, I did spend $110 for my 3 items tip included.



I had a guest from New York in town and we had a power breakfast at Sisterita in the Financial District. I returned here recently to have breakfast with another friend from the East Coast. It's become my favorite downtown power breakfast meeting spot. I love their Alcatraz Escape omelette and that blew my NY friend away. That tom yum paste really makes that omelette. We also shared their signature French Toast. Their mocktails are amazing if you want to indulge. Now you know where to book when you want to impress your business breakfast/brunch/lunch downtown.

I was supposed to have dinner at Rintaro again with Chef Staffan Terje since he had never been. However, due to his obscenely early food purveyor schedule, we had to cancel a few times. So I made it over myself to give my omiyage to Sylvan and Virginia for always feeding me and catch up. Look at their gorgeous staff meal. Wash them hands!



I went to Dalida for dinner. I love Mediterranean food and Dalida has been high on my list for some time. Took a minute since it's in the Presidio, but I finally gathered a nice group so we can all try it together. Since it was a later dinner, I went for a dreamy sunset stroll in the Presidio.

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Dalida has a big space with multiple rooms. Nice California casual vibe in the Presidio, which I really enjoyed. I had a mocktail and it was amazing. Since we were a larger group, we ordered quite a few things. Clearly we were famished and were craving lamb that night. I would say the breaking bread is a must, in addition to the octopus and sujuk. I enjoyed both of the pastas we got. The "baklava" dessert is more of a deconstructed modern take of a baklava rather than a traditional one, which many at the table struggled with as we were hoping for a baklava. However, the sour cherry cake was the crowd favorite that night for dessert.

Scallops and Rhubarb
strawberry vinegar, Armenian cucumbers, sumac, rhubarb, hazelnut emulsion, oxalis oil

Octopus and Sujuk
thinly sliced octopus, olive-caper dressing, pork sujuk sauce

Breaking Bread
hummus, muhammara, smoked yogurt, pickles, marinated olives, chubby pita

Zeytinyagli Enginar
Aegean-style confit artichokes, feta, orange-dill dressing

Duroc Pork Cheek Souvlaki
crispy potatoes, mustard crème fraîche

Çöp Siş Skewers
short rib & sweetbread kebabs, lavash, sumac onions, ezme sauce

Broiled Cauliflower
harissa spices, dates, rose dukkah

Anatolian Erishte
thick-cut Turkish noodles, forest mushrooms, grilled Nardello peppers, corn, Nicasio reserve

Kayseri Manti
butter-roasted lamb dumplings, garlic yogurt, Urfa-tomato sauce

12-Hour Lamb Shoulder Tandoor
hawaij-spiced keshkek, chickpeas, waij-spiced keshkek, chickpeas, Presidio garden greens

LAYERED ‘BAKLAVA’
Napoleon style baklava, pistachio cremeux, Antep pistachios, raspberry sauce

VISNELI EKMEK TATLISI
sour cherry cake, white chocolate anise cream, boozy tart cherry preserve, caramelized almond liqueur ice cream

CHOCOLATE DATE ROLLET
date-walnut roll cake, walnut crumble, date aigre-doux, saffron ice cream























Jimmy Butler is a coffee fiend. He created Big Face brand to sling his premium coffee. While not a HUGE coffee drinker anymore (except for when I am in Europe for holiday, especially Italy), I had to check it out when he did a Big Face Pop Up with Square in the Mission. I went on a Friday to avoid the crazy line on the weekend. There was still a line, but not too bad. A lot of sneaker heads. I did not spend $100 on the 3 flights of coffee, because one cup is all I should have a day. I got the coconut cloud latte, which is espresso in coconut water. They had other interesting concoctions that were outside of espresso + milk/milk alternatives. They had co-branded goods in addition to canned coffees. The ube oat milk one caught my attention, which I regrettably did not get it. I will say this: yes, this is LEGIT premium coffee. Would love to hear if you got the $100 flight and what you thought of it.

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Since I was already in the Mission, I walked to...



...La Taqueria and got my super carnitas taco and burrito! There is a reason why this is the best burrito and taco in town. And one of my favorite cheap eats.