Rip Van Wafels

Update Review April 2019

Ok, I finally found a stroopwafel I really loved!

It hails from Rip Van Wafel, a San Francisco based company that I have reviewed before.  However, in my previous attempts, I either 1) failed to consume them properly or 2) just didn't really care for them.  I finally succeeded, after not trying them for 5 years.

"A chewy, syrup filling, sandwiched between two thin crisp cookie wafers. Carefully pressed on a traditional Dutch iron to less than 1/4 inch for a perfect mouth feel."

Rip Van Wafel has expanded their product line considerably in their successful past few years, now offering low sugar versions, high protein ones, and minis too, but all still based around stroopwafels.  They also added a slew of flavors.  Which, for me, was key: finding an awesome flavor.

The other key for me is *not* serving it in a traditional style of heating over a cup of steaming coffee, and not dunking it in my coffee.   Of course that is just one way to enjoy them, and their individually wrapped grab-n-go nature makes them easy to just grab as a snack, post-workout treat, dessert, etc.

Chocolate Brownie.

Ok, don't mind the broken wafel.  I really didn't plan to review this (it came in a snack box and a friend who doesn't eat chocolate gave it to me).

Like the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt I had last time, and their popular Cookies & Cream version, this one had a chocolate wafel.  It also had chocolate caramel inside.  And somehow ... tasted *exactly like a brownie*.  The flavor was great.  

I consumed it just at room temperature, breaking off chunks, and dunking it into thick sweetened whipped cream (I love whipped cream on brownies to compliment the rich dark chocolate - or warm with ice cream, but putting whipped cream on this wouldn't really work, since you need to break it apart).  The crispy texture, and chewy caramel, and creamy thick cream I used just worked together great.  Fun to eat, and really just quite tasty.  Cocoa powder, brown sugar, and molasses, and perhaps a backdrop of the chickpea flour, just created a really rich brownie flavor somehow.

I really enjoyed it this way, and would gladly get another.

This is also available in a low sugar recipe with only 3 grams of sugar (uses monkfruit extract for sweetness).

Update Review, November 2015

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  In my original review, I said I was done trying these things.  But ... they expanded the product line to not just include the 'traditional' stroopwafel I had before, but they now have one with a coconut filling, a more wholesome one with oats and honey, and, something a bit more up my alley: chocolate.  So, I tried again.  Oops.

Dark Chocolate Sea Salt.

"Bold dark chocolate with a hint of salt."

I wanted to tell you all about this.  But ... it went exactly the same was as attempt #1 before.  I placed it over my cup as instructed, turned my head for about 2 minutes, and ... then it was gone.  Doh.  Collapsed into my coffee.

I can't tell you anything about this product.  What I can tell you is that coffee, with little disintegrated bits of wafel floating in it, is really not very good.

Original Review, April 2015

Yesterday I reviewed real waffles, so today, for "snack foods Friday", I turn to packaged "wafels" instead, by Rip van Wafels.

Rip van Wafels is a local San Francisco business, sold at many coffee shops around town, but the treats are Amsterdam style, designed to just be consumed with your drink.

Unfortunately, due to user error on my part, which you'll read about below, I didn't actually get to enjoy one of these.  Whoops!

Individual Packaged Wafel.

The packaging has clear instructions.  You are to take your wafel-cookie, place it on top of your coffee/tea/hot chocolate/hot cider/etc, and wait.  Patiently.  And wait some more.  They sorta insist that you wait.  They promise it will be worth it, while the caramel inside melts due to the steam from your warm drink.

Perfectly sized to fit on top of cup. 

So I waited.

Well, please, I am me, so of course first I had a tiny bite.  The cookie part reminded me of a sugar cone from a Drumstick, a bit soggy-like.  Hmm.

So I waited, as instructed.  While I waited, I went to read the web site to learn more about the product.  I also saw that I could dip it if I preferred.  So, I eagerly turned to my cup to try dipping it.

And ... my stroopwafel wasn't there.  Wat? Did I move it?  I looked around frantically.  No, I swear, I left it on top of my cup.  Then it dawned on me.  It fell in!

I must have waited too long, so it got too limp, and collapsed into the cup.  I fished it out, hopeful that it was salvageable, but it was a lost cause.  Just a soggy mess.

I can't tell you anything more about this product, since I clearly failed at eating it.  Whoops :(

Attempt #2.

Curiosity got the better of me, so I tried another.  This time I perched it on the edge, just like in the pitcher, rather than fully covering the top of the cup.

And I waited.  And waited.  It never really got soft.  I mean, it got a bit softer, but certainly not as I expected given the description that the caramel was supposed to get soft and melty inside.  I waited longer.  Now my coffee was just getting cold.  Grumpy cat.

Since I didn't really like it when it was just at this temperature, I ended up mostly dunking it into the coffee instead, sorta like it was biscotti.  This was ... ok, but really not great.

If I were to acquire another one, I'd want to just use it with ice cream, rather than coffee.  I think it would make a great ice cream sandwich, or, even just break it up and mix it into ice cream.  But as a side with my coffee? Not really doing it for me ...

Attempt #3.

I gave it another valiant effort.  Went back to a coffee cup where it fit perfectly.  And waited.

It never really got soft.  The caramel never got gooey.  My coffee got cold.

Even dunked in my coffee I didn't care for it.

I'm done trying these!

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Waffling / Grilling Leftovers: Spicy Dumplings

Yup, another installment of Waffling Leftovers, my never ending quest to put random leftovers into a waffle iron, and see what happens (you can read all about my previous adventures here!).  

To be fair, in this case, I used panini plates rather than waffle plates, only out of laziness: they were in the Griddler, and I was too lazy to swap them out.  This would work equally well with waffle plates, no question.

Leftover Dumpling Transformation!

This one was inspired by some leftover spicy dumplings, that were fabulous, but seemed like I'd do an injustice to try to reheat in any "normal" way.

So clearly, the grill/waffle iron came out.

Leftover Spicy Pork Dumplings: Will it waffle (er, panini)?   ZOMG YES.  Huge success.

The Original: Z & Y Spicy Pork Dumplings.

The original dish was the spicy pork dumplings from Z & Y (full review coming soon!).  They were piping hot, juicy, loaded with pork filling, and oh-so-spicy.  They were fabulous.

The Leftovers: Spicy Pork Dumplings.

But I didn't finish the order, and had two left.

Of course, I could just throw them in the microwave to reheat, or a pan, but ... I honestly didn't think it would do the dumplings justice.  They really were fabulous.  I tried a bite cold, and, yeah, not fabulous.

Leftover Pork Dumpling: Onto the Grill!

Luckily, my Griddler was just a step away, and I quickly switched it on.  I noticed as it was pre-heating that it had the panini plates, not the waffle plates in it, but I decided I didn't care.  Panini-pressed would work fine.

I set the temperature at 400*, and once up to temp, threw one in.

Leftover Pork Dumpling: A Few Minutes In ...

I opened the lid after a few minutes to the dumpling rip in half as I opened it.  Doh.  Not what I was expecting, but I didn't think it would be a problem.

I closed the lid, and got to prepping the rest of my dish.

Leftover Pork Dumplings: Getting Crispy!

A few more minutes was all it took to crisp up beautifully.

Sure, I didn't have a connected dumpling anymore, but did it really matter?  I doubted it.

My Creation! 

Griddled leftover spicy pork dumplings over steamed romaine / cabbage / spanish onion / cauliflower stem with spicy chili sauce / soy / ume vinegar.

I was beyond thrilled with what I put together.

While the dumplings were grilling, I threw chunks of Spanish onion and cauliflower stem into a pan to steam a bit, added cabbage and romaine, and all the rest of the chili oil sauce that came with the dumplings.  The spicy chili oil was crazy spicy though (Z & Y does NOT mess around, legit szechuan food!), so I added soy sauce and ume vinegar to balance it out.

The end result was fabulous.  I did love the dumplings originally, but they were fairly magical this way.  So very, very crispy.  The entire surface area of the dumpling was in contact with the grill, on both sides, so, crispy perfection.  Better than regular pan fried dumplings.  The juicy greens, the chunks of radish, and the crispy dumplings were all beautifully complimentary textures.  And the spicy sauce ... swoon.

It brought me great joy, and the grilled dumplings were definitely a staring component.  I'm sure waffling would work well too, with more contrast of some crispy bits and some not, but this was excellent as is.  Absolutely would do again.

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Aqua S, Sydney

Final Review, 2018/2019 Visits

Sadness, sadness, sadness.

My favorite soft serve in Sydney, Aqua S, has closed their Sydney location, the one that was just a few blocks from the hotel I stay at regularly.  It has been replaced by trendy drink shop, that does have some soft serve, but, not the same.

Luckily, for those of you not in Sydney, Aqua S remains a strong brand, with locations worldwide now (I visited in Singapore actually!), and I highly, highly recommend.  The creamiest soft serve you'll find, and really unique flavors.

If this is your first read of my accolades, you may wish to start with my original review from 2015 and update 2016 review.

Taro Milk Tea (top), Sea Salt (bottom), Popping Candy. $6.

On this visit, my flavor choices were Rose Watermelon (ahh! Death!), Taro Milk Tea, and the signature blue Sea Salt.  I did consider not getting ice cream for safety reasons, after I confirmed that the watermelon rose flavor had real watermelon in it, and I really should have been worried about cross contamination, but ... taro is one of my favorite flavors, and Aqua S is one of my favorite soft serve ice cream shops, so, uh, I risked it.  Don't tell my mom.

So, taro it was.  But I wanted to hedge my bets, and get sea salt too.

Unlike last year, when the options of having two flavors in a cone/cup stacked one on top of the other was absolutely not allowed, this was now an acceptable thing.  I opted to go this route, just in case I didn't like the taro for some crazy reason, I could knock it off the cone, and at least enjoy the sea salt.

The taro however was great, so, it would have been fine to get a cone of just taro, or swirled with sea salt.  It was creamy, decent taro flavor, and it melted beautifully in the sun.

The sea salt I can't imagine a full cone of, as it is quite sweet, but, the flavor is certainly unique, and it too was quite creamy.

Credit cards had a $6 minimum, and since the ice cream was $4.50, this meant I needed to get a topping.  The toppings at Aqua S are always a bit odd ... I love caramel corn, but it doesn't work great on a ice cream.  Same with torched marshmallow, a great item, but, on my ice cream? Mochi did sound good, but is only available in cups, and I wanted to lick from a cone.  So, popping candy it was, even though I knew that was a ridiculous non-value.

As I expected, the tiny tiny quantity of popping candy was clearly not worth $1.50, but I did like the pop it added.  I really just want sprinkles, or anything else crunchy on the outside!

Overall, it was good, very creamy, good flavors, but didn't excite me as much as it had previously.

Elderflower Blueberry & Sea Salt / Popping Candy / Caramel Corn. $7.55.

I tried the elderflower blueberry on its own first and found it far too sweet and floral, and ... not tasting like blueberry at all.  But I disliked the other special even more (a too spiced chai tea flavor).  I almost left, and went elsewhere for ... something else.  I knew there was no other ice cream nearby that I wanted (sorry Oh, Matcha!, but your soft serve is lackluster ...).

But I really wanted soft serve, and I do adore the amazing consistency of Aqua S soft serve.  So I stayed.  I almost just went for plain sea salt, but at least minute, decided on a twist with the elderflower blueberry.

The consistency was again perfection.  Really just so smooth, so creamy, just, perfect soft serve ice cream.  It melted nicely.  I love their ice cream, really.

The sea salt was sweet and salty, a nice flavor, as always.  The elderflower blueberry was definitely tempered by the swirl, but I still don't think it tastes like blueberry at all, and I think I would have liked the sea salt by itself more.

My toppings were a success though.  The caramel corn, while a bit hard to actually eat off a cone, was really good caramel corn.  Fresh, super sweet, very crave-able.  Honestly, I'd buy a cup of just that if I could!  I think if it was hot and sunny the caramel corn would be a disaster though ... you can't lick your cone with it in the way, and you'd have to frantically just bite it all off.  But for not too hot days, it works, and I did love it.  Worth the $1.50.

The popping candy might not have really been worth $1.50 ... there wasn't much of it at all, but I did like it when I got a pop.

The cone was a dark color for photogenic purposes I think, it tasted plain, and wasn't a very good cone.

Overall, I was happy enough with this treat, although certainly not my first choice of flavors.

Mixed Berry (top) / Slime Brulee (bottom) with Popping Candy & Caramel Corn. (October 2019). $7.55.

For Halloween, Aqua S went "spooky" with one of the flavors.  My options were mixed berry (ok, that isn't the spooky one) and "Slime Brulee" ... which is really just crème brûlée flavored, but it is green.  Given my love of crème brûlée, I was super excited to try it, but I'm very glad I asked to sample it first.  

Slime Brulee was sweet.  Very, very, very sweet.  It did taste like crème brûlée, very custard-like, but, it was so very sweet.  I knew instantly that a full cone of it would be too much, but I did like it.

My option of course was to swirl it with sea salt, the always available flavor, but I didn't think that would actually improve things.  So I went for the Mixed Berry on top, and the Slime Brulee on the bottom, knowing the top flavor would likely be the more generous serve.

I really did like Mixed Berry.  It wasn't any distinct berry flavor, certainly not strawberry, not blueberry, more like raspberry.  It was clearly fruity, but not too fruity, and not too sweet.  I dislike fruity ice cream normally, strawberry ice cream is the bottom of the barrel for me, and most other fruity flavors of froyo or ice cream I am never excited for, but ... I grew up in the land of Black Raspberry soft serve, and this instantly reminded me of that.  In New Hampshire, where I lived, black raspberry was always the third flavor at a ice cream shop: vanilla, chocolate, and black raspberry.  Most places had 2 machines, and the 4th flavor rotated, but black raspberry was just as common as vanilla or chocolate.  I thought this was normal, until I moved out of the area, and realized black raspberry isn't actually everywhere.

Anyway, the mixed berry flavor really delighted me, and it was basically like a far better version of my childhood.  

Both the slime brulee and mixed berry were perfectly creamy, rich, premium ice cream.  Aqua S really truly just makes excellent ice cream.

As always, I was a bit let down by the topping choices: still just caramel corn, popping candy, torched marshmallow, fairy floss, or mochi (if you get a cup only).  I love caramel corn, but on a cone it is just odd.  I still got it, and just went in with a plan - I asked for a spoon, had my own cup with me, and knocked the popcorn off immediately, into the cup.  I ate it *after* the cone, and loved it.

The popping candy was awesome as usual, really, just so much fun, and I prefer it over classic sprinkles.  I went prepared with extra sprinkles and a crumble topping to add on as I went, since I knew they never really apply that much.

I'd get this again, likely just the mixed berry (maybe with sea salt), with just popping candy, and my own extra toppings.

[ No photo ]

Other flavors sampled.

• Honey Citrus Grapefruit: I was fairly certain that I would not like this flavor, but I tried it anyway, since it was the only flavor, besides a chocolate based on, when I visited. And ... yeah, this is not for me.  It was tart, it was more like sorbet than ice cream, and just not my thing at all.
• Elderflower Blueberry: Another rotation where my options weren't exactly ones I was excited for, but still, I tried.  The elderflower made this a bit too sweet for me, and, well, floral.  Just not my thing.  It also didn't really taste like blueberry.
• Chai Tea: Too aggressively spiced, definitely not my thing.

Update Review, December 2016 Visits

Last year, I went to Aqua S for the first time, and learned why Aqua S had so much hype.  Yes, their brilliant blue soft serve, and ridiculous toppings ARE instagram sensations, but, also, the soft serve ice cream is really, really good.

I couldn't wait to return during my visit to Sydney this year.

Popup Setup.

Amazingly, my first weekend in Sydney, I ran into Aqua S, unintentionally, not at their own store.  They were at the Gap store, at the Westfield mall, doing a special popup event.

They had two soft serve machines set up on the counter.  I have no idea if these are the same grade as what they use at the shop, but it was a pretty impressive mobile setup.

Made to order!

At the popup, they had only one flavor, the signature sea salt soft serve, and two toppings (colorful popping candy and torched marshmallows, which, they torched to order).

I got it all.

Small Sea Salt ($4) + Popping Candy + Torched Marshmallow ($2.80) = $6.80

The sea salt had a good flavor, slightly salty, sweet.  But it wasn't nearly as creamy as I remembered, a bit icy even.  I wonder if this was just because of the popup machines?

The popping candy was again fun, more fun than sprinkles, and served about the same purpose.

The toasted marshmallow I had not had before, even though people Instagram it all the time.  It was ... well, a toasted large round marshmallow.  It was good, but, I couldn't help but wonder why I was supposed to want it with my ice cream.  It was served on a white chocolate cookie stick (Pocky?).

Overall, I enjoyed my ice cream, but it wasn't the sort of thing I'd go rushing back for.

Matcha Latte (bottom) + Rose (top) ($4) with Popping Candy ($1.50).

Aqua S rotates their flavors every two weeks now.  On this visit, the flavors were matcha latte and rose, in addition to the menu constant sea salt.  So options were: matcha latte, rose, or sea salt, all on their own, or matcha + sea salt swirl, rose + sea salt swirl.  I was immediately torn by indecision.

I knew I liked the rose before when Ojan got it, so that alone, or swirled with sea salt, was certainly a contender.  But I love matcha.  But I was also worried the matcha would be too strong on its own, and wanted to swirl it with sea salt.  So I wasn't actually indecisive.  I knew what I wanted: matcha swirl with sea salt on the bottom, rose on top.  Which is what I ordered, only to be rejected.  "Sorry, only two flavors" she said.

I understand the two flavors policy ... in that I couldn't get say, matcha, rose, and sea salt as three separate layers.  But the swirl comes out of a single machine, just like a single flavor.  I could get matcha without the sea salt on the bottom and rose on top, no problem.  How was it actually different to get the swirl than a single flavor?  I asked again, saying, "but the swirl is just one lever anyway" or something like that.  Still a hard no.

I asked if the matcha was very strong, and she said yes.  She said it was very bitter and was best swirled with sea salt.  But I couldn't get that, and rose.  Sigh.  She also wouldn't let me sample either flavor.  They do not allow any samples.

In the end, I opted for the matcha and rose, not swirled since they can't swirl.

The rose was lovely.  Such a subtle, beautiful flavor.  It was a bit intense on its own, and might have been a bit better swirled with sea salt, but it was still fabulous.  And, as with my first visit, it was just incredibly creamy and melted perfectly.  I loved it.

The popping candy was again a fun topping.  Like sprinkles, but, actually fun.  I really, really enjoyed my ice cream.

And then I reached the matcha layer.  To say it was bitter is an understatement.  It was *crazy* bitter.  Now, I love matcha, and this was a great matcha flavor.  But ... it was just not at all sweet, and not what I wanted, particularly not after the sweet rose flavor.  Really, this needed to be swirled.  As I had wanted.

I kept trying to like it, but couldn't.  I ended up throwing away the bottom of my cone, as I just couldn't bring myself eat it.

Just like that matcha, I was bitter.  I knew it would be better swirled, and I still really don't understand why it wasn't allowed.  Grumble.  Policies.  But I'll still go back.

Original Review, 2015 Visits

Aqua S is an ice cream shop in Sydney, named for their signature flavor: Sea Salt, which is ... aqua blue.  Yes, the sea salt ice cream is blue.  This might set the scene a bit for what is to follow.

Aqua S opened during my last visit to Sydney, and was a serious rage at the time.  Lines out the door and down the hall.  So much hype.  So much Instagramming.  Why?  Well, they created a product that was extremely novel and photogenic, and thus, social media went crazy.  Baby blue soft serve, in black cones, surrounded by a cloud of cotton candy, garnished with caramel corn.  Yes, seriously.  I walked by a few times (including when I got matcha ice cream across the hall at Chanoma), and I was tempted to swing through myself, but, figured it was all hype.  Something that over the top can't be good, right?

On my recent visit in February, the hype had worn down, but, reviews were still very positive.  People comment constantly on how creamy the ice cream is.  I grew up in the land of soft serve ice cream, so, I'm always on the lookout for good soft serve (NOT froyo, ice cream!).  So, ridiculous toppings and colors aside, it went on my list of possible places to try.

A few days into my trip I looked up Aqua S's weekly special flavors, and it was a done deal: taro and rose.  I adore taro.   I had to visit, no question.  I dragged Ojan with me.

Somehow, even on a 95 degree Sunday, at 2:30pm, there was hardly any line.  The ice cream was great, and I'll certainly be returning.

Aqua S Interior.

The small shop is decorated in ... aqua.  Aqua, aqua, everywhere.  There are a few tiny tables, but even on a non-busy day, they were all full (except the one pictured here, which was filled moments later).  Most patrons take their ice cream and wander through Regent Place, where it is located, and show off their ice cream for basically everyone else walking by to gawk at.

And gawk they do.  For good reason.

Popcorn Machine, Fairy Floss Machine (cotton candy).

The menu at Aqua S is not extensive.  Only 3 flavors of ice cream, one of which is always the signature Sea Salt, and two other flavors change every two weeks.  You can swirl either of the weekly flavors with sea salt, but not each other.  Cup or cone.  One size.  And then, 4 toppings to pick from ($1.50 extra).

Topping choices are ... interesting.  No sprinkles, no chocolate dip.  Instead, they have fairy floss (cotton candy), sweet popcorn, popping candy, and ... grilled marshmallow.  Yeah.  If you opt for the fairy floss, it forms a halo around the cone.  It looks ridiculous, and I don't think makes any sense.  How would you possibly eat that?

Anyway, right behind the counter is a fairy floss machine, making it to order, and a popcorn machine filled with the sweet popcorn.

Grilled Marshmallow and Popping Candy Station.

At the counter in front is the popping candy and grilled marshmallow station.  The marshmallows are on sticks, and then just stuck into your ice cream, which also doesn't really make sense to me.

Taro, with Sweet Popcorn, and (Free!) Valentine's Day Pearl Balls.  $5.50.

I obviously went for the taro.  I added the sweet popcorn because I love caramel corn, and, the bonus free topping of silver balls, which are not normally available.  This was a special for Valentine's Day.

I kinda laughed when I got my cone though.  It looked good, but ... uh, how do you eat popcorn off a cone?  I picked off a kernel, and then realized the bigger problem.  My cone was melting fast, and I had no ability to lick around it to save it.  Within moments I was going to have ice cream dripping down my arm.  Uh-oh.

So, I set about eating the caramel corn first, picking it off as fast as possible.  But ... it wasn't actually good.  It tasted stale.  I didn't actually want it.  So, I just picked it off and ditched it.  Then I could lick around my cone, save it from melting, and enjoy it.  Phew.  A stressful moment was had though, I assure you.

Ok, so, sweet caramel corn?  Not recommended as an ice cream topping.  The pearl balls were fine.

As for the ice cream, I didn't actually taste a ton of taro.  But it was the creamiest, smoothest, soft serve I've probably ever had.  It was really just absolute perfect consistency.  Not icy, not over churned.  Just, perfect.  And it melted beautifully, albeit rapidly, in the 95 degree heat.

The cone was black, but tasted the same as any other sugar cone.  I was hoping it was chocolate.

So, overall, well, it was damn good soft serve.  I'd get it again, but obviously leave off the popcorn.  $5.50 for a cone though ... a bit steep (but it was only $4 without the topping).

Rose and Sea Salt Swirl, with Popping Candy, and (Free!) Valentine's Day Pearl Balls. $5.50.

Ojan opted for the signature sea salt and rose, swirled, with popping candy.  His was beautiful, the aqua blue sea salt and the pretty pink rose were both stunning, it was covered in colorful candy, and had some bling from the pearls.

The sea salt really didn't taste like much to me, it was sweet, but honestly, I didn't taste any salt.  The rose however was really quite good, which shocked me, as rose is not really a flavor I normally go for.  But it was sweet, subtle, and really, really quite good.

While many of the toppings at Aqua S are totally impractical, it turns out, popping candy really is quite fun, and just as easy to deal with on a cone as sprinkles.  However, $1.50 for a little sprinkle of popping candy seemed ... excessive.

His was also a perfect consistency, really quite good ice cream, and I'd gladly get the rose again, although I wish I could swirl it with taro.

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Extreme Pizza

Yes, I'm reviewing a chain pizza joint.  And not talking about their pizza.  Let's just get past that to start.

I had no intention really of reviewing Extreme Pizza, but, well, I was impressed.

Extreme Pizza is a pizza franchise, that did start in San Francisco (only back in 1994).  Their model focuses on efficiency and throughput, known for a bake time of only 4 minutes for a full pie, but while offering a "unique premium menu" with "high end" and "exotic" ingredients.  However, this is nothing like the pizza places in Sydney that offer alligator, kangaroo, etc, and nothing like the pizza place where I went to grad school that had things like ravioli on top.  They *do* have far more unique toppings than your average pizza shop, no question.  And of course, plenty for vegans and gluten-free diners too.

Apparently they are successful though, awarded “Best Pizza Coast to Coast“ (by ... someone?), and have spread nationwide, mostly on the coasts.  The locations in my area get decent reviews, and shockingly many mentions of excellent service.  And excellent salads.  Which is what drew me in.

It was many weeks in to COVID-19 staying at home, and I just wanted to pick up a salad while I was out running errands.  Remembering randomly reading reviews of Extreme Pizza's salads, I decided to give them a try.  I had *zero* expectations.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes ...

• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]

I ordered on delivery.com, it was easy, my order was prepared quickly, and, yes, as the Yelpers all say, the staff really, truly was quite friendly.  I was very pleased with my entire experience, and hope to return sometime to try more items (perhaps pizza, definitely some of their desserts ...)

Setting

Extreme Pizza has several locations in San Francisco, including nicer areas like Pacific Heights and the Marina, but I visited the Soma location, right near 6th Street.  It did have a nice park right across the street, but, walk in nearly any direction and ... yeah, it is 6th Street.

Folsom Street Entrance.

Does this Extreme Pizza storefront have curb appeal?  Nah.  This ... is the 'hood.  Inside was much nicer.

Covid-19 "Seating".

Since this visit was during Covid-19 days, the restaurant was closed for dine-in, all chairs up on tehe tables, but I was impressed with the space, it had a nice feel to it, lots of wood, elements of a ski lodge, with Adirondack chairs (not pictured here) on one side too.  It looked fairly spacious, far bigger than I expected.

They also had a reasonably clean bathroom (key required).

Ordering Counter.

The ordering area was well laid out, large menu boards on the wall, cookies on display, and I appreciated the clear showing of pizza sizes available as well.  On the side, not in the frame here, was a self-serve cooler for beverages and grab n go salads.

Food

Extreme Pizza is, obviously, a pizza shop, with pizzas offered in 5 sizes (Individual 8", medium 12", large 14", X-Large 16", and Huge 18"), with 3 different crust options (regular, wheat, or vegan gluten-free).  They have a large line up of "Gourmet Signature Pizzas" that really do have fun names, some again showing off the ski lodge feel (e.g. "The Bunny Slop", "Yard Sale", "The Boar'der") and all far, far more creative than you standard slice shop.   You can build your own from a plethora of toppings as well, and, I mean it when I say they have a lot of toppings: Starting with sauces, you have 14 choices, running the gammut from basic tomato, pesto, sweet bbq, tangy ranch, buffalo wingand Alfredo, that you might find at other places, but also there are choices like Tandoori, spicy hoisin, even ... hummus.  Cheeses are equally full of options, 12 total, multiple vegan options, plus every standard cheese you can imagine, and fun ones like mascarpone and ghost pepper.  Move on to spices (5), meats (12, including 3 types of chicken - bbq, thai, or just grilled), fruits & nuts (7), and of course, fresh veggies (20 - do you want your onions caramelized? Or just raw red? Or how about green?  What about your tomatoes? Heirloom, vine-ripe, or sun-dried?).  Incredible line up.

As I waited for my order, was overwhelmed by how good the pizza smelt.  I am really not a pizza person, but it smelt so very, very good.  I'd honestly consider it sometime ... 

They also have calzones, a slew of subs (hot or cold), and things like wings (plus pizza chips and hummus?), and their version of breadsticks "Extremely Twisted Sticks", which are twisted with Swiss and fontina cheese, coated in garlic and herbs, and served with fun dipping sauces.

And desserts of course, including a sweet version of the twisted sticks too, "Pow Pows", twisted with hazelnut sauce, powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce, a dessert pizza with mascarpone and more, cheesecake (from the Cheesecake Factory no less), and cookies.  I mean, really.

And salads.  Which, sure, every pizza place has some kind of token salad, but they have a full salad menu, 12 different designed salads, all with different bases (not just mixed greens!  They have kale, romaine, arugula, spinach, and more), and, as you'd expect, all sorts of fun toppings.  Available in several sides, side salads, entrees, and larger share style.  Interestingly, no option to build your own, but you can add on basically anything else from the menu.

Spinach Salad (Side) with Mods. $5.25.

"Spinach, fresh mushrooms, caramelized onions, mini heirloom tomatoes, artichoke hearts and candied walnuts." 

Since I couldn't build my own, I selected the one most like what I wanted, and added notes the instructions when ordering online:

"No artichokes please! Could you add anchovies or the crispy Chinese noodles instead?"

I hoped it would be honored.

Since I arrived before it was ready, I was asked which I'd like, or, the cashier said, he'd just add both if I wanted both, no charge.  I obviously said yes.

When my order was handed over, I was blown away by what I saw.  The reviews telling me this place had good salads, well, they looked legit.  It was clearly a fresh salad.

The baby spinach was perfectly crisp.  No wilted piece in sight, no discoloration.  Just, fresh, crisp, quality spinach.  The mushrooms you can't really see here, but they were sliced button mushrooms, pizza toppings, clearly, and it turned out, not really what I wanted (I plucked them off and grilled them later at home and threw them on to another salad), but they were fine, and it was a generous portion.

The caramelized red onions I enjoyed, nice big slices, good flavor, and again, good portion.  The mini heirloom tomatoes were the only real downfall, only 4 halves, and just not particularly good.  They looked fresh though.

I skipped the artichoke hearts, and replaced them with anchovies (because I could!) and the crispy Chinese noodles (not a pizza topping, they but come on the "Flying High Thai Chicken Salad".  The anchovies were fabulous, full fillets, briny, salty, fishy, and, well, they made the salad.  And again, a nice portion size.  The crispy noodles were perfect for crunch.  I'm so thrilled I added them.

And finally, the very best part, the candied walnuts.  Perfectly glazed, sweet walnuts.  Again more crunch, and again a great portion.

The salad was balanced, it had fun things, and really, those walnuts, caramelized onions, anchovies, and crispy noodles were fantastic.

I ordered just the tiny side salad, and found the value high for $5.25, given the fact that it was >50% toppings.  I'm curious how the entree size ($10.25) compares.

Homemade Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette Dressing

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Of course, I also had to select dressings, and I had many options: Homemade Vinaigrette, Homemade Ranch, Homemade Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette, Apple Cider Vinaigrette, Caesar, Low-fat Red Pepper Italian, Sesame Oriental or Bleu Cheese.

I was tempted by the sesame oriental, or just standard Ceasar, but I wanted to try something homemade, and at last minute, swapped out my ranch decision for their lemon thyme vinaigrette.  I'm not a vinaigrette girl, but, it sounded interesting?  (I also had my own honey mustard dressing I adore with me, and I knew it would go great with spinach, onions, tomatoes, and walnuts in particular anyway).

It was ... yup, vinaigrette.  I'm sure fine, but not my thing, so I was glad I had my own.  I'd love to try their homemade ranch next though.

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