San Francisco's Pier Side (Farmer's Market and Fisherman's Wharf) - Pt. 1

We visited the pier side on a Saturday and luckily for us, the weather was perfect, with close to no clouds found among the blue sky and a shining sun to keep us warm from the typical wind that is synonymous with San Francisco. It seems we chose the right day to do all of our outdoor activities. We begun our day by parking at the Golden Gateway Garage (268 Clay Street, San Francisco, CA 94111), which is mere 7 minutes walk from the Ferry Plaza building. For those who are planning to visit by means of driving, Golden Gateway Garage costs only $3 for the entire day if you receive validation from participating merchants (we received our validation at parking booths found at the Farmer's Market).

Our first stop was at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. Because we visited on a Saturday (hours are 8AM-2PM on Saturdays), it was a lot more lively (something I love to see and be a part of when I'm on vacation, since it gives off a warm and exciting atmosphere), where almost all vendors were seen to be operating.

Fresh fruits and veggies that are bigger than the ones found at your local supermarkets are always so damn luring.

Cheddar Cauliflower!! (I only wish we could've brought one home)

Blue Bottle Coffee

I found Blue Bottle Coffee all over the Farmer's Market. As I was exploring the market, I found two Blue Bottle Coffee kiosks along with a whole store front inside the Ferry Plaza building. I was super excited to try this because it was highly recommended by a friend. I was so glad I did. It has a high resemblance to Phil and Sebastian Coffee back home. I ordered at one of their kiosks (as pictured above), and I could see the care and thoughtfulness that my barista spent on the drinks as each one was carefully executed. I ordered their latte and boy, was it a smooth delight for my taste buds! It was a delicious drink that was delivered at the right temperature, hot enough to suit my preferences but warm enough to drink right away.

No such thing as too much 'shrooms!

After walking through my first round around the market, my stomach was starting to give me suggestive reminders that it was time to eat something. This was when I was began eyeing Mariposa Artisan-Crafted and Gluten-Free Bakeshop.

I've never tried gluten free food products before, since I was raised on carbs and am, thankfully, nowhere near being celiac. The idea of trying gluten free foods intrigued me but was never on my "must-eat list" (I just loveeee carbs that much), but I thought why not? All of their pastries and baked goods looked so delicious behind their glass barricades.

I chose to try their ham and cheese quiche, which was warmed up to my liking. As someone who has had no gluten free experience, it was honestly very difficult for me to differentiate the gluten free quiche that I was eating with any other regular quiche - it was just THAT good. There might have been just a very slight difference, and by slight, I mean a very teensy weensy itty bitty difference, and it was that the outer layer of the pastry pocket was not as soft as it would've been than if it were made out of flour. But other than that, this gluten free quiche is as good as identical to any other flour based quiches I've ever had. If all gluten free items tastes as good as this quiche, I wouldn't mind trying out more gluten free foods in the future (since I wouldn't feel like I'm missing out on carbs). So for all your GF eaters out there, I would definitely recommend checking Mariposa out if you are ever in the area!

The enormously long line formed at the Blue Bottle Coffee shop found within the Ferry Plaza building. The pro of a long line is that it confirms a store's reputation, while the con is that you have to wait.

Organic Donuts (interesting flavours available such as match green tea, whiskey tangerine fig, orange creamsicle, and mexican hot chocolate)

An abundance of baby potatoes were placed strategically underneath the rows of rotisserie so that the juice from the meat (read: meat sweat, literally) would drip onto the potatoes, thereby giving it its rich and moist flavour.

Next up was Roli Roti Gourmet Rotisserie, where we ordered a Gourmet Porchetta Sandwich to share. The porchetta was extremely moist and tender, with just the right amount of fat, whilst being served with a crispy skin that added a satisfying crunch. What prevented the porchetta from being overkill was the generous amount of fresh arugula that was stuffed into the sandwich. In my opinion, the winning point was the pairing of the arugula with the porchetta. On a bias point of view, I love arugula to begin with, and on a non-bias point of view, the neutral taste of the arugula helped tone down the heavy richness of the porchetta.

On another strip of the farmer's market, merchandises were being sold. I thought these handcrafted nightlights were quite pretty.

With a happy belly, we left the farmer's market and begun to walk along the river front, exploring the piers ahead of us.

Musée Mécanique is found in Fisherman's Wharf at Pier 45. Inside contains many nostalgic and vintage arcade games. Go with some loose change to re-play some old time favourites, or just take a stroll within to spark some fond childhood memories.

We saw these delicious looking lobster sandwiches at a nearby stand, but our digestive system had not fully kicked in yet. Our stomachs were no where close to being able to withstand this type of joy :( 

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And with that ends Part One of this very long post. If you've noticed, besides from talking about my usual food experiences, I also tried to incorporate some travel details. I hope you'll find it interesting and/or useful if you plan on visiting San Francisco. If you have any comments and suggestions for improvement, it'll be greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading! I'll be posing up Part Two shortly, so stay tune!