SQ32 SIN-SFO Non-stop on SIA's A350-900WXB, Comparing 1-stop vs Non-stop, & SF Dining

[yflyer]

While Santa Clara and San Jose are quite built up, with many low rise office complexes and residential developments, there is still a lot of open space, and many walking/biking trails...



Just behind the Hyatt Regency was the San Tomas Aquino / Saratoga Creek Trail...



...which was perfect for after-work runs...







Past of the trail actually runs under US Highway 101...



The run also took me past the Levis' Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers.



This is a huge stadium. Not only do they play American Football there, the stadium also host concerts (Katy Perry was due to perform on May 11&12)...

And apparently they also hold occasional soccer games there...

[yflyer]

On a free evening in Santa Clara, I headed to St Pedro Square in nearby San Jose for dinner at a Mexican restaurant Olla...





This was a casual place, with a fairly traditional menu...



I am quite a newbie to Mexican food, so I would stick to the basics today...

But first, drinks...



I kicked things off with a tasting flight of mezcal...



..three tastes of different mezcals, accompanied by a non-alcoholic chaser...

Wow, this was strong stuff...

[yflyer]

My food courses arrived almost all at once...

Traditional white fish ceviche...



Pozole - Pork shoulder soup...



This was a very hearty soup that was practically a meal in itself...

"What kind of tacos would you recommend?", I had earlier asked my waitress when she took my order....

"Try the Pork!" she replied...



The Al Pastor achiote marinated pork tacos looked delicious...but as I said, I was a newbie when it came to Mexican food? How did one eat this?

At this point I turned to Google...



This was one suggested approach: I folded it and took a bite....very good...



By then I had only space for a Margarita for dessert...

[yflyer]

Before heading back to San Francisco, my colleagues and I sampled the beer at Faultline Brewing Company in Sunnyvale...





On this occasion, on yet another day with perfect weather, we sat at an outside table close to a duck pond...





...where I sampled, first, their FSB - Faultline Special Bitter, a very smooth and creamy nitrogen pour...





...and then their IPA, which was crisp and refreshing...



...both of which were satisfying in very different ways.

Quite a variety of different pours available at this brewery. I especially liked the fact that the beer came in 4 different sizes, including a sample size, which meant I could have tried everything on the menu and still walked out of the establishment on my own two feet...



A very pleasant way to spend some time after hours...

[yflyer]

Saturday, the 5th of May, was the day of a Mexican Celebration, "Cinco de Mayo", the origins of which are very well documented, yet not well known to many in the USA, as this CNN article tries to explain.

On that day, I was back in San Francisco, staying once again at the Marriott Union Square.

Apart from the Mexican flag flying outside the Westin St Francis at Union Square, there was no indication that Cinco de Mayo was being celebrated in this part of the city.



But of course, celebrations were taking place in other parts of San Francisco, including the Mission District, where a large stretch of Valencia Street was closed for a street party and festival.

I took the BART there for a look...







It was lively but not too chaotic, with many families out enjoying the festivities...







The longest lines were for beer and food...



My first introduction to the Chelada, similar to a Bloody Mary, mixed with beer...



There were other delights, including barbequed turkey legs...



...and other mouthwatering treats...



I was warned by at least 3 different people that their would be many inebriated revellers around that day, but no-one I encountered when I was there seemed overly exuberant or intoxicated...this seemed to be a very family oriented celebration...or perhaps it was still early in the day.

I was told that Cinco de Mayo was a much bigger celebration in LA, with its closer proximity to Mexico. Here in San Francisco, while bars and restaurants had promotions and specials, this event probably passed unnoticed in most parts of the city. If anyone wanted to soak in some Cinco de Mayo atmosphere in SF, this street festival celebration on Valencia Street, in the Mission District appeared to be the place to be.

[yflyer]

That evening, I headed to "The Progress" for dinner, before my flight home on SQ1.

"The Progress" serves an innovative, modern menu in a warmly beautiful setting...



While the large platters were meant for sharing, the selection of small plates was perfect for a single diner...






But first, I spent some time at the bar while waiting for my table to be ready...



I was thirsty, having just had gone for another long run across the Golden Gate Bridge before showering and checking out of the hotel, and decided on a Sunny Jim cocktail...a refreshing combination of gin, pineapple, vanilla, kaffir lime and soda water...



That really hit the spot, and so did the Black Butter Bourbon Manhattan I tried next...



At the table, I marked my selections on the menu...at "The Progress", to order, you shaded the circles on the menu with a 2B pencil, just like sitting for a school examination in Singapore...I tried to suppress memories of school exam stress and focused on picking out dishes to eat...



A glass of Riesling to start...





...and then the sturgeon caviar potato cloud...



Under the foam, a generous and delicious portion of caviar...



What a brilliant dish...

[yflyer]

Next, a pair of ultra-fresh oysters...



...one of the few times I have enjoyed oysters without the need for lemon or tabasco sauce...



And then, an absolutely delicious veal tartar...



"What wine would you recommend next?", I asked E, my waitress: she was a bespectacled, almost geeky, young lady, with a warm, friendly and very assured manner. She was new to the restaurant, but seemed to be familiar with every dish and wine on the menu...

"I recommend the Gotsa Chinuri, from Georgia, which is skin fermented..." she said...



A distinctive, and very delicious wine...



My final course was the grilled Monterey Bay abalone...



This was a wonderful way to end the meal...the abalone had just the right texture -- not too soft, not too chewy, and very deep flavour.

After that, the dessert menu was presented...



A shot of peanut milk was all I had space for...



A very satisfying dinner in a remarkable restaurant...

That was my last evening in San Francisco. It was now 11.15pm -- time to head straight to SFO to catch SQ1 back to Singapore...

But that wasn't all that I ate on this trip.

The day before, on Friday evening, I headed for dinner with HUGE AL...

To be continued!

[SQfanatic]

I really enjoyed the pictures you put of SF and also the San Jose area. As a Bay Area native it might surprise you that I have never been on these trails but have driven around those areas. Glad you got to enjoy your trip and looking forward to your TR of SQ1. Keep up the amazing work.

[Buster CT1K]

What a wonderful trip report! I look forward to the continuation.

[yflyer]

I really enjoyed the pictures you put of SF and also the San Jose area. As a Bay Area native it might surprise you that I have never been on these trails but have driven around those areas. Glad you got to enjoy your trip and looking forward to your TR of SQ1. Keep up the amazing work.

Thanks, SQfanatic! Then you owe it to yourself to go for a walk or a cycle ride on these great trails!

What a wonderful trip report! I look forward to the continuation.

Thanks, Buster CT1K!

[Jumbojet Lover]

Thanks, 9V-SIA! Best way to get from SIN to SFO at the moment, in my opinion!

Not a tall order if the competition for a non-stop is United

I do hope the current A350 remains on the route though, with the A350-900ULR used to launch a new North American destination

Really great photos by the way! If you don't mind me asking, what camera and lens do you use?

[yflyer]

Not a tall order if the competition for a non-stop is United

I do hope the current A350 remains on the route though, with the A350-900ULR used to launch a new North American destination

I hope so too...they need to have Y on this sector, otherwise all that non-stop business will go to United...

Really great photos by the way! If you don't mind me asking, what camera and lens do you use?

Thanks, Jumbojet Lover! Every photo in this TR was taken with an iPhone X...aside from the fact that it does not have a telephoto lens, the camera on this phone is amazingly capable!

[SQueeze]

Very nice and beautiful coverage of the Bay Area.

My only issue with this flight is I think I wouldn’t be able to sleep on it due to the Long daytime duration as per the time of origin. And by the time it lands, there is a full day ahead, similar to Europe-Singapore red eyes.

I prefer afternoon departures for eastbound departures.

Looking forward to the one-stop report. That’s coming soon?

[yflyer]

Very nice and beautiful coverage of the Bay Area.

Thanks, SQueeze!

My only issue with this flight is I think I wouldn’t be able to sleep on it due to the Long daytime duration as per the time of origin.

I find it isn't too bad, in that on the daytime sector, you can watch the IFE or use the computer, rather than sleep. And when you arrive in the morning, assuming there is a hotel bed waiting, you can nap for a few hours before heading out.

Looking forward to the one-stop report. That’s coming soon?

Coming up shortly!

[yflyer]

Continuing with the TR…

On Friday evening, the day before my flight home on SQ1, I headed for dinner with HUGE AL.

As mentioned at the start of this TR, we had an agreed date and time, but not a place. What exactly did HUGE AL have up his sleeve?

HUGE AL and I caught an Uber from Union Square in SF to our restaurant.

Getting out of our Uber car, I found myself at the southern end of Mission Street, outside Francisca’s, in San Francisco's Mission District.



HUGE AL went in first, while I took a picture of the restaurant building, before heading inside myself. It was before 6pm, still early in the evening, and things were just getting started in the restaurant…



Inside, HUGE AL was already chatting with chef Manny Torres Giminez and his lovely wife, Katerina.

Manny hails from Venezuela, and had spent many years in the Bay area, working in many well known establishments, including SPQR, it turns out, before striking out on his own, preparing his unique style of American/Italian/Venezuelan cuisine.

Katerina directed us to seats at the counter…

“I hope you are hungry!” Manny said, welcoming us to the table…



The menu was on the counter, and it looked mouth-watering….



…but I would not have the opportunity to choose…Manny had built up a reputation for his tasting menus, and this menu highlighted a cult member’s chef choice: 4 courses, served family style as the first option…(How could I join this cult, I wondered)…

I have no idea what HUGE AL or Manny had agreed on, but the menu was set aside, and no order was taken. And we had way more than 4 courses…

That evening, we left it all to Manny…