Issue #13 January: The Year of the Snake Brings Wisdom and Resilience 🐍

Plus the messy joy of eating with your hands, Beyoncé’s hair care line, and highlights from Sea Ranch, CA

Happy Lunar New Year! 🧧 And happy one-year anniversary to my newsletter. Thank you all so much for continuing to read. 🙏 January is my birthday month and while it was filled with many tasty celebrations, it has also been the longest month and I’m glad it’s finally over. Here’s hoping February is brighter. I wish you all an auspicious 2025. ♥️

Eat 😋 

Abacá (Fisherman’s Wharf, SF)

My friends and I had the most amazing birthday feast here. Abacá is a contemporary Filipino-Californian restaurant, honoring family recipes while highlighting seasonal ingredients in a colorful atmosphere. I felt immediately relaxed as I sat down at our table covered in banana leaves and sipped on an ube colada. 🍹 We were about to enjoy a Kamayan dinner, which translates to “eating with your hands.” Two servers carried out a giant tray covered with the most beautiful and delicious assortment of skewers, lumpia, mussels, prawns, cornish hen, a whole belt fish, BBQ ribs, pork belly, grilled veggies, coconut rice, and fruits. Then more trays appeared with ube sticky rice and banana donuts for dessert. We did our best not to get covered in fish bones by the end of the meal and our server even complimented us on our cleanliness. 😆 This might just be the best way to celebrate a birthday with pamilya.

Pasta Supply Co (Inner Richmond and Mission, SF)

This is my favorite pasta shop. I come here almost every week to grab fresh pasta and sauce to-go for an easy weeknight meal. My favorites are the seasonal filled pastas like the artichoke mezzaluna, sweet corn ravioli, squash plumpers, and green garlic + duck fat potato ravioli. They also serve sit-down lunch and dinner, which features more items in addition to pastas like salads, meatballs, and dessert. On New Year’s Day (my birthday), they served an extra special menu with waffles 🧇 and hot dog carbonara 🌭. I repped my PASTA hat in honor.

Sobakasu (Japantown, SF)

As I wrote in my last newsletter, there’s nothing more Japanese than standing in line for hours for noodles. 🍜 And so I tried to recreate the feeling of being in Japan by doing this exact thing here in SF. Sobakatsu is a tiny new shop at the edge of Japantown serving soba noodles made of organic buckwheat flour from Maine (who knew?). The shop is self-serve. You wait in line, order from a tablet, seat yourself, pick up your food, clean up your table after eating, and return the tray. The two chefs behind the counter are solely dedicated to making perfect chewy noodles, fresh fishcakes, and delicate tempura. Don’t miss the warabimochi for dessert! Was it worth the wait? Yes, if you haven't experienced authentic soba before. No, if you already have a Japan trip planned in the near future. Another option is to go off hours like 3pm on a random Tuesday to avoid a long wait.

Shop 🛍️

Cécred Hair Care

It’s no secret how much I love Beyoncé and will happily consume anything she makes. This is why I’ve waited several months after trying different products from her hair care line, Cécred, before recommending them. Cécred is the real deal. I’ve been using the hydrating shampoo and conditioner, the clarifying shampoo & scrub, and the restoring hair & edge drops for about three months now and my hair and scalp health has drastically improved. I used to have an itchy, oily scalp and so much hair fallout, I was certain I’d be bald before retirement. Now my hair is softer and healthier and my scalp is less oily and flaky. My bathroom floor is also no longer covered in hair after I brush it. I even have new baby hairs growing along my hairline thanks to the drops. The products smell incredible and I just love knowing Beyoncé and I have something in common. 🥰 (For reference, I have straight, medium thick hair that I occasionally color.)

See 🖼️

Institute of Contemporary Art SF (ICA SF) (Fidi, SF)

ICA SF is a free, non-collecting art museum that features contemporary artists from all over the world. It was founded in 2022 in the Dogpatch and recently moved to a new airy space in The Cube building in FiDi. This was also where the SF Art Week Kickoff Party 🎊 was held to much excitement. I played Anthony Akinbola’s claw machine “Fantasy World” with eager hopes, but unfortunately, I lost to the house as I always do. 😞

Watch 📺

Severance Season 2 (Apple TV)

After three long years, everyone’s favorite workplace drama is back and somehow this season is even creepier? The best quote from Episode 1 was “Why are you a child?” referring to Ms. Huang, Lumon’s newest supervisor who is in fact a child. For those who haven’t seen the show yet, it’s about a group of office workers at a mysterious company called Lumon Industries who have undergone surgeries to sever memories of their work lives (Innie) from their outside personal lives (Outie). It’s a mesmerizing show with complex characters, stunning cinematography, brillant set design, and witty dialogue. Your Sunday Scaries will never be the same! 😱

Read 📖

Be Ready When Luck Happens (Ina Garten)

Food memoirs are probably my favorite type of memoir. I’ve always enjoyed watching Ina Garten on her Barefoot Contessa cooking show. She taught me the best way to scoop cookie dough onto a sheet pan was to use an ice cream scooper. Even though she made cooking look so easy breezy on her show, I learned that she actually never even wanted to be on TV or had any formal culinary education. Her entire food career began when she was frustrated by her policy job in Washington DC and on a whim, purchased a specialty food store called Barefoot Contessa in the Hamptons. Her story is fascinating and shows how hard work, a supportive partner, a bit of luck, and a giant cosmo 🍹 can change your life.

Visit 🚗

Sea Ranch, CA

This may be a bold statement, but I think Sea Ranch is the most beautiful place in California. The kind of beauty that goes beyond pretty sunsets and blue oceans (though Sea Ranch has plenty of those). It’s the kind of beauty that's so breathtaking, the only response is to cry. Developed in the 1960s by a group of architects, designers, and ecologists, this utopian community stretches along 10 miles of scenic California coastline. The goal was to build a community that reflected the natural landscape, inspiring all the timber buildings with sloping roofs. Residents even today have to abide by strict design rules governed by the Sea Ranch Association. My favorite rule is no mailboxes because let’s be honest, they’re quite ugly. Instead residents pick up their mail at the Sea Ranch Lodge, which is both a hotel and a community gathering center. Rooms are expertly designed to allow visitors to feel closer to nature. Their Dining Room offers delicious seasonal cuisine both onsite and in-room and there’s also a bar and cafe to enjoy. Sea Ranch highlights to explore include stunning beaches, the Sea Ranch Chapel, rec centers, and the Golf Link if you golf. ⛳ Some great nearby food spots are Two Fish Baking for breakfast and pastries (don’t miss the biscuits!), Surf Market for grab-and-go sandos and picnic provisions, and Trinks Cafe for casual breakfast and lunch with a view. 🥪

FAQ ❓

Q: Where’s the best place to get dim sum? 🥟

A: There’s plenty of delicious dim sum restaurants in SF and the Bay Area so it really depends on what vibe you’re going for. The most authentic dim sum experience similar to places you’d find in Asia and probably my favorite is Koi Palace. The same owners also opened the very popular Dragon Beaux in SF. For the best water views, go to HK East Ocean Seafood or Grand Harbor Seafood. For bridge views, Harborview is the spot, especially on a sunny day out on their patio. The SF classic, Yank Sing, is great for first-timers, a business lunch, or those who want the cart experience. For a more no-frills vibe, Hong Kong Lounge is a local staple. If you want to stay in Chinatown, the newish City View location is worth checking out.