We woke up way too early this day. Mostly out of habit, but I blame jetlag (the hour difference, such a killer you know). Our plan for the day was to check out the iconic Pike Place Market, followed by Chinatown, and Din Tai Fung for dinner. Get ready for a full day of eating!
On our way to the market, we stopped at Olympia Coffee, a local coffee chain. Their newest location in downtown Seattle occupies the lobby of a bank building. It's grand and beautiful, with high ceilings and spacious seating. It would make such a great work or study spot.
LT and KT both got a machiatto ($4.60) with oat milk (+$0.85). I don't drink coffee, but this was quite acidic. After finishing their drinks, we made our way over to Pike Place.
Pike Place Market is a food paradise. I could very easily spend the whole day here. Before the trip, I had studied the food vendors intensively and made ourselves our very own food crawl.
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First bite of the day was the smoked salmon pâté piroshky ($8.00) from Piroshky Piroshky. Piroshky are traditional buns from Eastern Europe. They're often stuffed with fillings and can be both savoury and sweet. We chose one of their best sellers, the smoked salmon, because when in Seattle...
The piroshky was adorably shaped like a fish. It had a blend of smoked salmon, cream cheese, dill, and onion. The dough was soft and tender, with a light crust. The filling was smoky and creamy. I normally don't like dill but this had the perfect amount along with salt and garlic.
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Fun fact, the first Starbucks opened in Pike Place Market in 1971. This is technically not the original location of the cafe, but you'll always find a long line outside. Guys... it's Starbucks.
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I am jealous of Seattleites! Such beautiful produce and seafood!
Unless you're lactose intolerant, a must visit is Beecher's Handmade Cheese. The store is divided in half, their production facility on one side and their retail cafe on the other. It's quite neat seeing how your food is made while you're literally eating it.
Beecher's sells grilled cheese sandwiches and mac & cheese ($8.99), which they proudly call the 'world's best'. They use a blend of their flagship cheese and Monterey Jack. The sauce is creamy and velvety, with a bit of sharpness to it. It's super rich and decadent, so a few bites was enough for me. I don't know if it's the world's best, but it is very good mac & cheese.
The sibs were craving raw oysters, so we got a half dozen ($14.99) from Jack's Fish Spot. It's a seafood counter but they also sell prepared food in the back. Think fish & chips, fish tacos, and chowders. The oysters were shucked on the spot and served with lemon and house made cocktail sauce. They tasted fresh with no fishiness.
My favourite bite of the market goes to Pike Place Chowder. They're another popular stall with a long line but you can "skip" it by ordering online and picking it up from their back window.
Their menu consists of eight different types of chowder, but we just got their small New England clam chowder ($9.95). This is their award-winning recipe that includes clams, bacon, onions, potatoes, cream, and a secret blend of herbs and spices. It's served with some oyster crackers and a slice of sourdough bread. So creamy. So chunky. So good.
To wash it down, we went next door to Rachel's Ginger Beer. They had so many delicious sounding flavours including blood orange, white peach, and pink guava. We tried the caramelized pineapple ($6.00). There was a light ginger note, but it was mostly lemony and fruity. Really refreshing.
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Another famous landmark: the gum wall. I'm not even sure how it started but the whole alley is covered with people's used chewing gum. As someone who works in mouths all day, nothing really phases me anymore but it is quite disgusting if you think about it. The walls are cleaned and power washed periodically, hence why the walls were a bit more bare during our visit. Also, can someone tell me, who is Kaz?
This is the newly opened Overlook Walk at the market. It used to be freeways, but they've converted the roads to be a pedestrian walkway, connecting Pike Place to the waterfront. It's quite a nice, leisurely stroll.
Our last food at the market (I promise) was the lobster roll flight ($42.00) from Luke's Lobster. This is a chain, with locations all around the states, but it came highly recommended to me by a client. The lobster roll sampler had three different types of butter: lemon butter, spicy honey butter, and truffle butter. It also comes with a side of chips, a pickle, and a soft drink. I've never had a lobster roll with such big chunks of meat before. Look at the size of the claws! My favourite was a tie between the lemon butter and truffle, but you really can't go wrong.
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An obligatory trip to Target. Also, can Chobani come to Canada already?
After resting at the hotel for a bit, we took an Uber over to Chinatown. In a stroke of luck, we were able to catch some lion dancing outside a few restaurants and businesses.
We made a stop at Fuji Bakery, a Japanese-French bakery known for their croissants and malasadas. We picked up some pastries with the intent to eat them for breakfast the next day.
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We also visited Uwajimaya, an Asian supermarket on steroids. I was overwhelmed in the best way.
We got some onigiri and musubi, also for breakfast the next day.
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Dinner this night was at Din Tai Fung. It's a Taiwanese restaurant chain that's gotten quite the resurgence from social media. I first tried Din Tai Fung in Hong Kong, but it's been a minute.
The restaurant is located on the top floor of a quiet shopping mall. One of the hallmarks of Din Tai Fung is the window where you can watch their chefs roll and fold each dumpling by hand.
The famous cucumber salad ($8.00) is the perfect appetizer to whet your appetite. Uniform cuts of Persian cucumber are dressed in a blend of sesame oil and chili oil. It's light, crisp, and really refreshing.
It's sometimes a struggle to eat enough veggies while on vacation, so we were happy to order the string beans with garlic ($15.00). These were crisp but tender, with lots of minced garlic. Good, but nothing amazing.
No visit to Din Tai Fung is complete without their signature xiao long bao ($16.50). We went with the classic Kurobuta pork version, but they also have one with crab and pork and one with chicken. Each basket comes with 10 dumplings, each expertly folded and crafted with precision. The skin is thin and delicate, but sturdy enough to hold the broth inside. I thought the flavour was decent. It was clean and not greasy.
The shrimp and Kurobuta pork pot stickers ($12.50) were cool to look at and fun to break. They had a crisp, wispy shell, paired with a thick and vinegary sauce.
We also tried the shrimp and Kurobuta pork spicy wontons ($15.00). These had a decent amount of filling, but the star of this dish is definitely the sauce. It has a small kick but isn't overly spicy. Pro-tip: keep the leftover sauce and mix it in your fried rice!
For a carby dish, we chose the pork chop fried rice ($18.50). I actually loved this more than I thought I would. The fried rice was done well, good wok hei with lots of egg and green onion. It's topped off with a Shanghainese-style fried pork cutlet. The pork was juicy and tender and seasoned really nicely.
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Whatever you do, don't skip out dessert! The chocolate and mochi xiao long bao ($10.00) is such an innovative dish. They take a chocolate truffle and wrap it in a thin layer of mochi and their dumpling skin. When you bite into it, the chocolate is all melty and lava-like. You also have to order a side of their sea salt cream ($1.00). It's non-negotiable. It's a whipped cream that has this salted caramel-like quality to it. It tempers but also elevates the decadence of the chocolate. I could've licked the whole bowl clean. I almost did.
The most perfect day in Seattle, fin!
- CT
