Q Specialty Coffee + Kissaten Hifi + Mister Jiu's + Sisterita + Rintaro. San Francisco. California. 6.28.2026-7.13.2026.

I am an avid lover of hojicha, not matcha. Hojicha is roasted matcha, and I find the flavor so earthy and interesting, with depth like a fine whiskey. While there has been a huge matcha insurgent in cafe culture in the recent years, not everyone have hojicha drinks on their menus. So I tend to note everyone that does, in addition to hojicha flavored desserts. After compiling a few cafes with hojicha offerings, I recruited my hojicha loving friend Jen for a field trip to Q Specialty Coffee. While there were a few hojicha offerings that caught my eye, I settled on the yuzu matcha air cream cloud, because I cannot say no to yuzu and a creamy cloud of yuzu matcha was difficult to resist. Someone please make a hojicha brain cloud as soon as humanly possible. Jen got the hojicha strawberry cloud and we even split a Dubai chocolate mille crepe, as we were going on a massive walk afterwards. It was all excellent and I look forward to the next time I go and get an actual hojicha drink. They are also opening downtown, which can be dangerous for me.





While on my way to Monet in Venice at the de Young one weekend, I decided to drop by Kissaten Hi-Fi to try a hojicha drink from my self given assignment. Loved the neighborhood cafe vibe. It's tiny and charming. I was delighted that they had a hojicha einspänner. They even convinced me to try it with koatji (fermented oat milk). While the flavor was great it was FAR from an einspänner due to the use of koatji as it felt more like a latte. Someone really need to make a proper hojicha einspänner stat.



Olivia Bee was in town and we were able to have a girl's night out at Mister Jiu's. Since we both like to taste different things and she doesn't come too often, we ordered more than a normal 2 person should. Do you blame us though? She loved the wagyu fried rice so much that she ate the leftovers the next day cold from her hotel room. Ha. 

Salt & Vinegar Shrimp Chips
king salmon rangoon dip

Cumin Lamb Wontons
black garlic, chili

Wagyu Steak Fried Rice
broccoli, crispy shallots, cured beef heart

Kibo Farm Gai Lan
oyster, garlic

Sizzled Petrale Sole
scallop mousse, fermented black bean, ginger-scallion

Chrysanthemum Ice Milk
chrysanthemum granita, lemon zest, and sea coconut









After dinner, I had to bring her upstairs to Moongate Lounge so she can admire Anna Lee's thoughtful design.



Sisterita remains one of my favorite brunch spots in the Financial District. It is a Thai fusion brunch with interesting and filling offerings. I always get the Alcatraz Escape omelet (it's the tom yum that really seals the deal), and Nancy ordered the Florentine Benedict with the French onion soup and we shared everything. Trust in the Alcatraz Escape.





For Mark's birthday, he picked Rintaro. We happened to go on a day Sylvan was there and he told me how they were preparing the upstairs for a private dining area, which is exciting. Speaking of hojicha desserts, their hojicha panna cotta remains the best hojicha dessert I have had in the Bay Area still. It also appears that I have a regular table there. Thanks for always feeding me and my guests so well!

Honmaguro Ni Shu no Sashimi
San Diego bluefin tuna and Baja bluefin tuna chutoro with wasabi leaf pickle and Half Moon Bay wasabi

Gindara no Sunomono
Saikyo miso-cured Ft. Bragg black cod with Hikari Farm cucumbers in sweet vinegar

Yosedofu
Housemade silken tofu with Meiji soy milk, freshly shaved katsuobushi, ginger, scallion and shiitake shoyu

Hanetsuki Gyoza
Becker Lane Berkshire pork gyoza with chicken foot jelly and "wings"

Chiizu Tori Katsu
Chicken and Cowgirl Creamery Wagon Wheel cheese katsu with Acme panko and snowy cabbage

Eringi
King trumpet mushrooms

Momo Sansho
Chicken thigh

Kama Tama Udon Rintaro hand-rolled udon “carbonara” with a raw egg yolk, butter, ginger, scallion and freshly-shaved katsuobushi 

Hojicha Panna Cotta

Momotaro Parfait 

Masumoto Farm Sun Crest peaches and jellies, raspberry-blackberry sauce