English countryside wedding in Suffolk!

Suffolk wedding food

The “Skelly” wedding was absolutely beautiful! My “adopted” English family is full of ridiculously kind, funny, and wonderful people and I was thrilled to be able to join in their celebration. They held the ceremony and dinner in the couple’s backyard. They had purchased the property a few years prior and had built the luscious garden from scratch. They’d also undertaken the enormous task of restoring their house to its original detailing which included wattle and daub construction. And all this by themselves!

The ceremony was probably the best I’ve ever witnessed. It was small and intimate (I’m used to large, formal Catholic weddings in huges churches with hundreds of people). The wedding was beautifully officiated and everything just seemed SO genuine and heartfelt. I think I cried 5 different times, lol!

Suffolk wedding food
The wedding food was delicious! The majority of the dishes were actually prepared by family and friends. The wedding couple had tasked some individuals to bring certain dishes. Wow, I would not have guessed that the food was homemade! Everything tasted amazing and were beautifully presented. They also had little labels with the dish and the cook’s names in front of each serving plate. It was super cute!

Skelly wedding
So I learned something new. Apparently, the English call large tents marquees. It took me a couple seconds to figure out what they were talking about, lol!

Wedding bar
They converted one of the shed to a little bar. Cute!

Wedding bar
Inside the shed bar.

Wedding kid zone
They also created a play ares for the kids.

Suffolk wedding
Family and friends gather before the ceremony commences.

Grilled baby squid

Grilled baby squid
Served with steamed vegetables.
Sitges ES

Ugh, I can’t remember the name of this restaurant. It was located inland in their downtown area near(ish) the train station. Oh well. The food was pretty good though and the service was excellent. Our waitress was very sweet and helfpful. We sat outside in their back patio area and had a wonderful meal. These baby squid were adorable and tasty too! I would have enjoyed a different side than the steamed veggies though.

Crostini and Luis Canas rioja

Complimentary crostini with roasted peppers and cheese. Luis Canas Crianza 2007, rioja.

Casa Bacardi Sitges
Casa Bacardi Sitges. I thought it was weird to have a large Bacardi tasting room/museum in Sitges, but I’m usually clueless about most things. ๐Ÿ™‚

Green chile chicken pot pie – Chile Pies

Green chile chicken pot pie - Chile Pies
Homemade pie served with green chile gravy, vegetables, cheddar crust, side salad. $8
Chile Pies, San Francisco CA

Green chile chicken pot pie - Chile Pies
Hmm, this wasn’t as good as I remembered. Last time I had the red chile pot pie and while the filling was certainly more flavorful, it was the cheddar crust that had the most impact. The cheddar crust was thick and hearty and kept all the juices inside the pie. This time around, I’m not sure there was even any cheddar on the crust. It was thinner and even soggy on the inside. Definitely not what I wanted to find. ๐Ÿ˜ฆ

Beef dol sot bi bim bap – K-pop

Beef dol sot bi bim bap - K-pop
Rice bowl mixed with cooked vegetables, fried egg, nori and served on a hot stone pot with soup. $14.95
K-pop, San Francisco CA

Mmm, salty beef with rice and a runny egg. Sounds like heaven to me! This is a sizable bowl which is good for the fifteen-buck price tag. Like I’ve said, the food here tends to be on the salty side but the Korean flavors still shine through.

Balancoire scramble – Balancoire

Balancoire scramble - Balancoire
Seasonal veggies, andouille sausage, pepper jack cheese, potatoes, mixed greens. $12
Balancoire, San Francisco CA

I don’t know how this place is as a club, but as a restaurant it SUCKED! Yelp, you failed me on this one. The food was below marginal and the service was cringingly awkward. These scrambled eggs were super runny and overly cheesy. The potatoes were barely cooked and I think the salad had cheap bottled salad dressing on it. I did like the andouille sausage but even they were inconsistently charred and cooked. Boo!

Biscuits - Balancoire
Biscuits. Compimentary
Omg, these were literally jockey pucks. I’m not sure why they even bothered serving them because they felt and tasted like they were over a week old!

Police telephone box
Police telephone box, Marina.

Clam chowder – Barbara’s Fishtrap

Clam chowder - Barbara's Fishtrap
Award winning chowder, fresh made using Barbara’s own secret recipe. Loaded with clams with no MSG or milk products. Bowl $7.95
Barbara’s Fishtrap, Half Moon Bay CA

Clam chowder - Barbara's Fishtrap
This clam chowder was AMAZING! Honestly, it tasted like Thanksgiving. It was thick and flavorful and was packed with clams. (I’m sure it was also very healthy, hehe.)

California wildrose flower
California wildrose flower (Rosa californica, Rosaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.

Kakiage – Izakaya Yuzuki

Kakiage - Izakaya Yuzuki
Shrimp and root vegetable tempura with green tea salt. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA

This dish was very new to me – whole shrimp with shredded root vegetables fried tempura style! I liked the flavors especially with the dipping sauce, but the texture was a little limp and chewy. The pieces looked crispy but they really weren’t. Hmm…

Iochroma purple flowers
Iochroma ‘Royal Queen’ purple flowers (Solanaceae), 18th Street.

Obanzai – Izakaya Yuzuki

Obanzai - Izakaya Yuzuki
Kyoto style cooked local vegetables, served in three different preparations. Tasting menu
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA

I can’t remember all the vegetables in this dish, but on the left are eggplants and on the right are a type of yam. The bowl contains a leafy green. The preparations were delicious and the eggplants were my favorite!

Obanzai - Izakaya Yuzuki
Bowl of leafy greens.

Cupid's Span
Cupid’s Span, 2002, Claes Odlenburg, Coosje van Bruggen. Bow and arrow public sculpture in front of the Bay Bridge.

Chicken katsu and vegetable buns – Izakaya Yuzuki

Chicken katsu and vegetable buns - Izakaya Yuzuki
Sunday special. Fried chicken with marinated vegetables and greens. $10
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco CA

These chicken buns weren’t on the menu, but I saw the table next to us receive an order so I asked if we could get some too. It was their special so that’s why it wasn’t in print. Omg, these were amazing! The chicken was tender and juicy, but the saucey vegetables were the best part. They had SO much flavor!

7ร—7 Magazineโ€™s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die โ€“ 2013

Asahi beer - Izakaya Yuzuki

Asahi beer. $6

Random sidewalk message
“Let your smile change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.” Random sidewalk message, Church Street.

Gyoza – Wasabi Bistro

Gyoza - Wasabi Bistro
Japanese pot stickers with pork and vegetables inside. $5.95
Wasabi Bistro, San Francisco CA

I came here for a random weekday lunch after hitting the gym and it was pretty empty. The food was pretty good though and decently priced. These gyoza were delicious, but I rarely meet a gyoza I don’t like. Hehe.

Edamame - Wasabi Bistro
Edamame. Complimentary

Place setting - Wasabi Bistro
Place setting. Omg, I just noticed that the chopsticks are from a different restaurant. Perhaps the same owner? Tacky…