It was a deliciously lazy Thursday on December the 27th. I had no plans, so decided to spontaneously meet up with A* in the East Bay for some post holiday gluttony. It was bright outside, and crisp and cold, and we decided we wanted something that would warm us up.
We couldn’t decide on whether we wanted brunch food or not, and A* had heard about this new Korean bistro in Berkeley called Spoon and we opted to head there in hopes of finding some warm soon tofu or jook. We sat down and perused the menu and I immediately settled on the rice porridge with mushrooms, quinoa and milk. A* decided she wanted to share the crab pancakes so we decided to start off with that.
The pancakes were warm, chewy, and chock full of fresh, sweet pieces of crab. We devoured this plate almost immediately.
Next, some panchan (side dishes arrived) and we snacked on some sauteed beansprouts and fried tofu.
A bowl of soy sauce and chillies arrived alongside the jook and I stirred it into the hot pot of porridge and let it cool for a bit. The porridge was my favorite part of this meal- it was rich, creamy, and intensely flavored with chili, scallions, mushrooms, broth, and peppers.
After stuffing our faces, we went for a long walk around the Berkeley Marina and decided to conclude our lazy afternoon with some dessert, at Crixa Cakes in South Berkeley. I got a slice of the amaretti, which consisted of decadent layers of sponge cake, mascarpone, amaretti cookies, and hazelnut liqueur.
I know I’m slightly biased because I have suicidal tendencies, but this Amaretti is simply to die for!!!