4.8.2019. Gjelina. Venice. California.

In between a tech scout, we were able to squeeze in a lunch at Gjelina since we were already in Venice. It was the first day of their zucchini flower pizza and it was phenomenal. If you are in Venice this season, check it out before it's gone.

Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291
310.450.1429

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The first day of the zucchini flower pizza at @gjelinarestaurant.

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Apr 8, 2019 at 1:27pm PDT

3.27.2019. Peter Murphy: A Tribute to David Bowie. The Chapel. San Francisco. California.

Peter Murphy was supposed to do his month long residency 2 years ago at The Chapel. Sadly due to visa issues, he has not been able to do it until this year. Lucky for me, I was able to score tickets to his first time ever David Bowie Tribute. It was out of this world good as you would imagine. Life on mars good even. Then I was educated to the fact that Dandelion Chocolate across the street closes at 11PM and that was where I got my much needed caffeine before the show since I had been up since 5AM that morning delivering videos for work. Then I saw Peter Murphy do Bauhaus with Davey J on Friday too.

The Chapel
777 Valencia St
San Francisco, CA 94110
415.551.5157

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Finally. A proper Bowie tribute. Thank you @petermurphyofficial ! 🖤⚡️🖤⚡️🖤

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Mar 28, 2019 at 8:03am PDT

3.11.2019. Bestia. Los Angeles. California.

Bestia has been on my hit list for LA for a while now. Except I never have time since it's typically a fly by when I go to LA for a shoot. This time, we did a group dinner there before the shoot. It was an exceptional meal and the roasted bone marrow is to die for and the general favorite of the entire table. Naturally, we also ordered all the desserts since there were 6 of us.

Bestia
2121 E 7th Pl
Los Angeles, CA 90021
213.514.5724


Lobster Crostino.

squid ink aioli. pickled chilies. opal basil. citrus.

Kohlrabi & Apple. 

persian cucumber. tarragon. dill. trout roe. scarlet frill. nigella seed.

Roasted Marrow Bone. 

spinach gnocchetti. crispy breadcrumbs. aged balsamic.

Margherita Pizza. 

san marzano tomatoes. mozzarella. basil. olive oil. sea salt.

Pici al Sugo di Agnello. 

lamb ragu. saffron. capra sarda. breadcrumbs.

Double Tomahawk Pork Chop. 

herb salt. red endive. toasted sesame. meyer lemon. honey.

Bar au Chocolat Bittersweet Chocolate Budino Tart. 

salted caramel. cacao crust. olive oil. sea salt.

Butterscotch Coconut Tart. 

fresh coconut sorbetto.

Frozen Meyer Lemon Meringue Tartlet. 

graham cracker crust. finger lime. lime zest.

Rhubarb & Frangipane Crostata with Raspberry Glaze. 

housemade buttermilk ricotta ice cream.

Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta. 

gaviota strawberries. blood orange-honey syrup. meyer lemon cookies.

Coffee & Donuts. 

spiced chestnut zeppole. whipped cream. coffee ice cream.

3.10.2019-3.13.2019. Ace Hotel. Los Angeles. California.

I stayed at the Ace Hotel Downtown LA for this shoot last time as we were shooting near Downtown LA. It's as what you would expect from Ace Hotels: well designed rooms and very comfortable for the price point with a great cafe/restaurant downstairs. It also has a great roof top bar as well.

Ace Hotel Downtown LA
929 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90015
213.623.3233

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This week’s office.

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Mar 10, 2019 at 4:54pm PDT

3.10.2019 + 4.72019. Park's BBQ. Los Angeles. California.

My friend Joel brought me to Park's BBQ back in March when I was in LA for a shoot. Last time I was shooting in downtown LA, we went to a different Korean BBQ restaurant every night. Then I did a juice cleanse when I got home. Park's is now my new favorite Korean BBQ restaurant in LA. So much so that I had to go again last week when I went down to LA for another shoot. The meat is extremely high quality and the gal-bi is a must. Even all the banchan (side dishes) is top quality and extremely interesting. I will come back to try the wagyu! So stay tuned for that.

Park's BBQ
955 S Vermont Ave G
Los Angeles, CA 90006
213.380.1717

3.10.2019. Runyon Canyon. Los Angeles. California.

Because before you eat a ton of Korean BBQ, you hike first. I had no idea Runyon was so steep! And I am extremely active. Since it had been raining in LA, we got a bunch of dramatic clouds and a lot more greenery than your average LA brownness.

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Hollywood. Thanks for the much needed sunshine and great friends! 🌞

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Mar 13, 2019 at 11:51am PDT

2.21.2019 + 3.28.2019. Dartealing. San Francisco. California.

It's been a minute. That's because I have been very busy work wise and working 60-80 hours a week for about 2 months now. This weekend will be the first in 2 months where I do not have to work. But as you suspect, I have been getting up to some food and travel adventures for work. So here are a few highlights. I hope you will find something good for inspiration.

I probably high tea more often than your average person, but then again, I am English. So I would say I high tea a proper amount. Since I have been freelancing in SOMA, I have gone to Dartealing twice in the past months. It's very charming and the food is great. The decor is also very quaint. I typically opt for the Hand of the King Tea Service here with a black tea as I like savory with my sweet.

Dartealing
470 3rd St
San Francisco, CA 94107
415.644.0142

2.6.2019. Hitachino Beer & Wagyu. San Francisco. California.

I finally made it to Hitachino Beer & Wagyu. They also switched form a prix fixe menu to a la carte in the new year. Be sure to order some A5 grade Wagyu from Japan from his menu.

Hitachino Beer & Wagyu
639 Post St
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.624.3580

octopus - wasabi, cucumber, tomato
wagyu steamed soup dumpling
vegetarian skewer set
hitachi wagyu nigiri
tantanmen spicy sesame ramen, wagyu, coconut, spinach
wagyu burger
matcha mochi ice cream

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This week I finally ate at @hitachinosf. They are now a la carte instead of prix fixe. We definitely had a fair amount of Wagyu for dinner. This is the Hitachi Wagyu nigiri with A5 Wagyu from Japan. I would also recommend their Wagyu steamed soup dumpling and the Wagyu burger.

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Feb 8, 2019 at 11:45am PST

1.27.2019. Restoration Hardware + French Laundry garden + Bouchon + Scribe Winery. Yountville + Sonoma. California.

My friend and I decided to make a run for up north for some fresh air and a change of scenery. So we went up to Yountville for breakfast at Restoration Hardware. When did Yountville turned so Beverly Hills? The old country charm was lacking along with the French Laundry remodel. I was just glad I was able to go there in its original best in the world glory back in 2007.







Then we walked around town and went by the French Laundry garden and said hello to the chickens.



And bought some pastries at Bouchon.



I climbed a tree.



Then we drove to my friend's winery Scribe in Sonoma. We needed some non Beverly Hills time after Yountville. It's now a running joke that every time I pop in my friends Adam and Andrew are not there.

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Lazy Sunday at @scribewinery.

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Jan 27, 2019 at 4:16pm PST

I climbed onto another tree.

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I took a nice long break after some big productions and now I am ready to go back to work. Please contact me if you or anyone you know have any needs for a producer for stills, video, or experiential. I updated my site with a ton of new work. Link in profile and I look forward to working with you! 📷 @reneeeener

A post shared by Amy Yvonne Yu (@amyyvonneyu) on Jan 31, 2019 at 11:26am PST

1.26.2019. Iyasare. Berkeley. California.

Full disclosure: I am rarely in the East Bay. I was in Emeryville for the Ciel opening party and ran into friends and we decided to grab a bite together. We ended up at Iyasare, which is owned by my friend Sho. Hilariously, this was my first time there since I rarely make East Bay appearances. Iyasare is a beautiful space and Sho serves izakaya style dishes with California influence. It was a lovely meal and I would highly recommend it.

Iyasare
1830 Fourth St
Berkeley, CA 94710
510.845.8100

poppo yaki - whole grilled squid, tempura tentacles, mentaiko aoli
niji-kabu - roasted beets, yuzu kosho, smoked tofu, citrus supreme, gobo
zakuro-hamachi - dash-cured yellowtail, pomegranate, white soy blood-orange ponzu, spaghetti squash salad
fuyu salad - roasted sun chokes, endive okra pomegranate, celery root puree, garlic ponzu
japanese uni gnocchi - housemade squid ink gnocchi pasta, ash-cured egg yolk, sea urchin cream sauce
frozen chestnut custard - kinako caramel, flourless chocolate cake crumble, chestnut brittle