A Taste of Olea

On Easter Sunday, after hearing mass at the Cathedral of St. Mary the Assumption, we struggled at where to go for brunch, or lunch, for that matter. My wife and I were not too familiar with San Francisco and the neighborhood we were at, so we had to rely on the next best thing -- the cellphone.

With the help of Yelp, we managed to narrow down the selection to one that offered brunch, then eventually, by the number of stars a restaurant received. There were a few. But one sort of stuck out. So we placed our bet on Olea, in the Nob Hill district.

From the cathedral, Olea was about a mile and a half away. We didn't know what to expect, so when we saw alot of people standing outside, we had a feeling that we made the right choice. It meant the food is probably good.

Challah Toast

The place stood at the corner of California and Larkin. It was small. Really small and quaint. No wonder there were alot of people outside. It just couldn't accommodate everyone at the same time. We were able to find parking across the street, but it meant feeding the meter, frequently.

The wait was long. I think we waited for close to an hour. And while we waited, it rained, and rained. But this didn't stop people from coming. After a while, they had to stop accepting any more sign-ups because they had to close at 2:30pm.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

By the time we got in, it was past 2pm. While we waited, we had a chance to check out the menu, plus got recommendations from the manager (or maybe owner) as well. As soon as we got seated, we placed our orders, and just waited.

The manager suggested 4 popular dishes, which we all tried. My son had their version of a french toast, which was actually challah custard toast with korintji cinnamon sugar topped with fresh mc ginnis farm berries and drizzled with real maple syrup, while my wife at an omelette with fresh crabs and greens. I chose the slowly braised marinated pulled pork sandwich with green cabbage, cilantro and yellow carrot slaw, with a side of fries. And the dish we shared was the straus family farms yogurt with a sprinkle of locally made granola, roasted hawaiian pineapple and berries, and drizzled with organic agave honey. Yum !!!

Yogurt

The challah toast was super light and airy. Despite the sweetness from the maple syrup, you wouldn't consider it sinful. If my son didn't choose it, I would. The omelette with crab was a special for Easter. It was light, fresh, and the side of greens gave the dish a refreshing, earthy look and taste to it.

Orange Juice & Coffee

I'm not a big fan of pulled pork, but I tried it nonetheless. And I'm glad I did. The flavor was rich, but no overpowering. It had a little tangy bite, just enough to give a distinct taste. And the cabbage and slaw balanced it all out. Continuing with the freshness of their dishes, the yogurt was light and quite hearty, with the granola providing the right texture and crunch. The fresh fruits simply made it even more refreshing.

My wife had a mimosa, while my son had freshly-squeezed orange juice. The only disappointment for me was the coffee. They had blue bottle french pressed coffee, which I thought wasn't strong enough for my taste. If you are looking for a dark, bold blend, this certainly wasn't it.

Olea also serves dinner, and from their menu, it looks intriguing and delicious. It's something we could probably try. And their prices a quite reasonable, too.

If you are in the neighborhood, give them a visit. You won't be disappointed.