After many weeks of being deprived from brunch, I mustered up the effort to drag my two friends, Faith and Nhi with me to the Mission district to find a restaurant to eat at. Sadly, school has taken a toll on my free time, so I didn’t have much time to go out to eat brunch in what feels to be eons ago. But only roughly 17 weeks until summer, amirite guys?
Anyways, my friends and I took advantage of our long weekend to indulge ourselves with delicious food. It was a tough to pinpoint where to get brunch in the Mission, for this district is essentially a brunch lover’s paradise. After much speculation, we decided to go to a trendy restaurant on Valencia street called Radish. This brunch joint is conveniently next to Boba Guys, which is a plus — given that boba circulates my life.
Impressions:
Everything in this quaint restaurant screams hip with their rustic outdoor seating, vibrant paintings, and Instagram-worthy ensemble. I love how their freshly-picked flowers and colorful paintings contrast the neutral toned seating. The overall atmosphere is simultaneously friendly and relaxing. When I went on a Tuesday morning, it was fairly empty and I didn’t have to wait to be seated. However, another time on a Friday, the restaurant was crowded and the wait time was close to 20 minutes.
The Food:
Once obtaining our long-awaited meal, we were enchanted by the presentation and smell of it. While both Faith and Nhi decided to get the restaurant’s eggs benedict — the Biscuit Benny, Faith substituted the ham in the eggs benedict for bacon and chose fruit as her side whereas Nhi decided to get the potato hash. Let me just say this: the potatoes were cooked to perfection. The skin was crisp and crunchy, while the insides were soft and light. Another highlight was the bacon in the benedict because the salty, crispiness of it complemented the runny texture of the hollandaise sauce.
Moreover, the array of fruit from Faith’s dish was fresh and nutritious. Furthermore, the hero of the meal: the poached eggs on both plates were faultless as the egg whites were cooked to fluffy perfection and the runny yolk came streaming down as it was cut.
On the other hand, I decided to get the french toast in baguette form since I haven’t tried their sweet breakfast foods yet. The presentation of the toast was beautiful as the light colors of the food matched the bright and airy atmosphere. Initially the dish was extremely enjoyable, but as I continued, my palate was unable to take the high level of sweetness. The strawberries went well with the toast but I wished that they had added more to balance out the sweetness of the toast. Also, the dollop of whipped cream they gave on the side was fresh and delightful.
Takeaway:
Although my experience at Radish was relatively pleasant, I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there. The downside of my experience was the rather long wait for the food while the restaurant was still somewhat empty. If you’re ever in the Mission district and have spare time, give this restaurant a try if you’re craving brunch! Furthermore, I definitely recommend that you try the Biscuit Benny if you do go. The delicious food, beautiful decor, and friendly workers make a wonderful start to your day!
