Visiting a farmers market is always fun, you get to see/buy fresh veggies, fruits, flowers, drinks, etc., etc. Even if you don’t buy anything, it is fun to walk around the farmers market (to me).
We visited the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market, right behind the Ferry Plaza for some lunch and sweets. There are some really great food option in the inside of Ferry Plaza, but when there are something that is seasonal happening, we prefer to try those options rather than a store/restaurant that will most likely be there inside the Ferry Plaza for a while.
We started with breakfast item, Donuts Muffin ($2) from Downtown Bakery & Creamery. It sounded great, looked a bit sad in the cardboard box, but looked really tempting. So, we decided to give it a try, and its good to have a little something in our stomach while we walk around the market. It was basically donut dough baked in a muffin pan, and coated with cinnamon and sugar. It was nice, moist, and tasty, but it was not that special, it was “ok” but not so memorable.
Next, we walked some more, looking for more “lunch” item. We found some Asian fare under the tent, Namu Street Food. It seemed like they are Korean food vendor, offering Korean food, and their twist on Japanese food. We ordered Garlic Chicken Omurice ($9), which is a typical Japanese dish. It came with garlic & ginger chicken fried rice, wrapped in thin egg crepe, topped with sweet soy and ketchup, side of garlic home fries. Since it was a Japanese dish made by non-Japanese, it was not a typical (real) Omurice, so I was disappointed. It didn’t taste like the Omurice I know and love… The rice didn’t have much flavor, it needed some kind of seasoning. In the traditional recipe, the rice is flavored with ketchup, so maybe that is what my taste buds were looking for. My husband, however, thought it was pretty good. I would say, their garlic home fries were really great! It was packed with flavor, potatoes were cooked perfectly, and really addictive.
We needed more than just one Omurice that we shared. Luckily, there are several more options of good, solid food at this farmers market. There were some tents with long lines, but I am not a fan of long lines. Another thing I have learnt from my experience is that people like to get into a line when they see one, without knowing much about what they are lining up for. And after waiting for long time, they get something that really didn’t worth all that wait… So, I walked over to another tent with no line, where they had very interesting Grilled Cheese Sandwich menu, at The Farmer’s Wife. From all the tasty looking menu, we chose Fennel Sausage, Avocado & Sauerkraut sandwich ($16), without avocado (I am not a fan of avocado). It came with a very fresh salad, and a plump strawberry. They gave us some nice thick cut tomato slices instead of avocado, which was really sweet. This grilled sandwich, I tell you, was FANTASTIC!!! It was one of the best sandwiches I have ever tasted. My husband, who was more interested in getting something from the tent with looooong line, was so happy that he agreed to get sandwich from The Farmer’s Wife. It was juicy, super flavorful, fresh, just an amazing sandwich. The bread was grilled perfectly, without it being to dry or too hard. The fennel sausage was excellent, they really know how to make great an awesome sandwich.
After the great lunch, we needed some desserts. Luckily for us, we found Marla Bakery nearby. There were some bagels, cookies, macarons, etc. We got one with Coco Nibs with Basil Chocolate Ganache, and another one with Buttercream with Crème fraîche (I believe they were $2.50 each). The Coco Nibs one was very rich with strong coco flavor, with deep, dark chocolate taste. It was ok, not really memorable. But then the Buttercream one, it was really nice. The elegant flavor with rich, creamy filling, very tasty!
When you are visiting SF, check out their farmer’s market schedule, where you can get several food/sweets from different vendors all at one spot! And if you find a great place, you can visit their store/restaurant later for more delicious food!
Ferry Plaza Farmers Market – 1 Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA 94111