Asian Food Fanatic

Southland Flavor Cafe

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 02:29:00 +0000

My wife is not easily impressed with restaurants. It takes an exceptional one to gain her accolades. So when she enthusiastically endorses a restaurant as having authentic Taiwanese taste (she herself hails from Taiwan), I have to respect the place for measuring up to her exacting standards. One of these rare places is the Southland Flavor Cafe in Cupertino, CA.

We sauntered in one afternoon and found business to be brisk as always.

We started off with a Taiwanese favorite: stinky tofu. My wife first introduced me to this pungent dish years ago while we were still dating. And although we have (well, mostly she has) eaten it many times since then, I still don't understand the appeal of this unusual dish.

Stinky tofu truly lives up to its name. Know anyone with stinky feet? I mean REALLY foul-smelling ones that cause you to choke, gag, retch, and cover your nose, mouth and other vulnerable body parts as you fall to the ground, convulsing in the fetal position? Well, that's pretty much what it smells like, except you didn't have to put that person's feet in your mouth (well, if you did, shame on you!)

Despite its "aroma", stinky tofu is one of the most popular snacks in Taiwan. So what does it taste like? It doesn't taste bad, actually. But I don't find anything really special about it, either. To me, once one gets past the smell, it doesn't really offer anything different than regular tofu.

However, my wife disagrees and gives Southland Flavor Cafe's stinky tofu two thumbs up. Well, all I can say is bon appetit my love, knock yourself out.

Fortunately, the other dishes we ordered justified my wife's praise for this place. Like the pork potage soup, which featured generous chunks of tender pork immersed in a refreshing broth, spiced up with a tinge of satay sauce.

We had a plateful of on choy - fresh and crunchy.

The sauteed beef special was also quite good.

It's these other dishes that explain to me why this place is one of my wife's favorites. It has also become one of mine, and I look forward to our next visit there. I just won't be going there to eat stinky tofu.

I'll leave that to my wife.

Harumi Sushi

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:29:00 +0000

(Author's note: I wrote this article about 5 months ago when Harumi Sushi just opened. I was preparing to post the article on this blog, when things got insanely busy for me at work, and my job (I'm an IT worker in a major software firm) just consumed my life for the next several months.

Now that things have calmed down a bit at work (well, for now at least), I revisited this article and realize it is somewhat dated.

Nevertheless, I had a positive experience at Harumi Sushi and I still wish to give them props and recognition. So here are my impressions of Harumi Sushi from several months ago. Enjoy!)

The Daiso store in Cupertino, CA carries a mind-boggling variety of irresistibly cute little knick-knacks from Japan. Which is why my wife can't resist going there, often dragging me along to help carry all the stuff she scoops up. It was after trawling around the Daiso store recently that we stumbled upon a newly opened sushi restaurant in its vicinity: Harumi Sushi.

Harumi Sushi's interior looks slick, clean, and new.

The menu hanging above the bar grabbed my attention because of one of its offerings - Monkey Brain. Could it be THE Monkey Brain, the unusual dish that I've heard so much about?

You see, I've heard tales of special restaurants in Asia that literally serve the grey matter of small, hairy primates. Could this item on Harumi Sushi's menu be the same thing?? My inquiring mind was dying to know...

I asked our waitress about it and she laughingly told me that no, it's not really monkey brains. The main ingredient of this exotic-sounding dish is actually mushrooms.

Okay, with that little detail out of the way, we decided to go with Harumi's more pedestrian-sounding fare. My wife got the assorted maki rolls combo plate:

I got a beef teriyaki bento:

It was all good stuff. The maki rolls were fresh and had a subtle, pleasant seasoning. The beef was tender and tasty. Plus, we got a 30% discount on the rolls thanks to Harumi Sushi's grand opening promo. Our dining experience was a pleasant one and we look forward to visiting this place again next time my wife feels the urge to raid the aisles at Daiso.

Best of all, no monkeys were harmed in the process of writing this article.

Vung Tau Milpitas

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 01:39:00 +0000

Every Vietnamese person I know touts this restaurant as the place to experience real Vietnamese food. I can easily see where the illustrious reputation comes from. After repeated visits (and many more future visits planned), Vung Tau is hands-down my favorite Vietnamese restaurant.

So it was with great excitement that I introduced my Japanese friends (the same ones who taught me to make temaki sushi) to the pleasures of Vung Tau. We started off with some spicy tofu, which was delightfully fresh, with just the right level of spiciness:

The seafood soup was equally good, with very fresh ingredients and a stimulating tang:

We tried the catfish stew, a dish enthusiastically recommended by a Vietnamese colleague whom I hold in high esteem. The dish did not disappoint, as the meat was tender, and the sauce rich and tasty:

For me however, the absolute star of the show was the grilled beef rolls stuffed with onions. This is the dish that keeps me coming back to Vung Tau. The thin slices of beef are grilled to a perfect crisp tastiness, with the onion strips adding a subtle kick:

The verdict from our Japanese friends? I got an email calling Vung Tau "the BEST Vietnamese restaurant!" (capitalization and exclamation point theirs)

I couldn't agree more.

Temaki Sushi

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:50:00 +0000

One of the really cool things about living in the Bay Area is that one gets to meet people from many different parts of the world, and learn about their unique language, customs, culture, and of course... their food!

We are very fortunate to have some very good Japanese friends, who invited us to their home for a roll-your-own-sushi party. They taught us how to make temaki-sushi (hand-rolled sushi). It's easy, fun, and very delicious!

To start, we laid out all the ingredients on the dinner table. There were the mandatory thin sheets of nori (seaweed) which serves as the outer wrapping of the sushi. And then there was a wide assortment of fish, vegetables, egg, tofu, and rice to act as filling.

To create your own sushi, simply take a sheet of nori and add a little bit of rice plus your desired filling. It is very tempting at this point to really load up on the filling. But as we soon learned the hard way, this is not a good strategy...

The next step is to simply roll up the seaweed into a conical shape (or in my case, as close to a conical shape as I can get ;-) and presto! - you've got sushi! If one got too carried away in the previous step and used too much filling, then it will be very hard to roll the sushi without the contents spilling (maybe even squirting ;-) all over the place.

After a few embarrassing attempts I kinda got the hang of it:

From there it's simply a matter of chomping away at your creation until it's gone...

We also enjoyed some great home-made miso soup:

Our friends told us that kids in Japan love temaki sushi not only because it's delicious, but also because of the extra added fun factor of rolling one's own sushi. Judging from our own temaki sushi experience, looks like that statement holds true for us "big kids" as well.

(You can find more recipes using nori - the seaweed used to make sushi - at Foodista.com. Just click on the image below:)

Jollibee Milpitas

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:36:00 +0000

It was with great excitement and anticipation that I awaited the opening of Jollibee right here in my town of Milpitas. So naturally, I was deliriously overjoyed when it finally opened in the Great Mall, which is very close to where I live. At last, I get to enjoy a taste of the Philippines' most popular and beloved fast food chain as often as I please!

I headed over there soon after the grand opening, and saw that their business was going briskly:

I was greeted by a familiar sight - the Jollibee mascot cheerfully welcoming customers:

The convenient location really comes in handy during times when I want some quick take-out food (which saves my lazy ass from having to cook ;-) On this particular occasion, I bought a mini-feast for myself comprised first and foremost, by the venerable Jollibee Yumburger:

The Yumburger is the product that skyrocketed Jollibee to the top of the Philippine restaurant food chain. It has a unique flavor that appeals to the Asian (and in particular, Filipino) palate. I remember many years ago Jollibee ran an ad campaign touting their burgers as "not bland like those other burgers" - a slogan that reflects the Filipino perception of foreign burgers like McDonald's. The ad campaign worked because it echoed the sentiments of Filipino consumers, and Jollibee went on to totally trounce all other burger chains in the Philippines.

In addition to the yummy Yumburger I got their tasty palabok (a Filipino noodle dish):

...and also their deep-fried Chicken Joy:

Happily, I found that everything tastes the same as it does in the good ol' Philippines. I'm happy now. My favorite Filipino fast food chain has come to my town, it tastes great, I get to enjoy it as much as I please, and all is right in the world...

Thanksgiving in the Philippines - Part 3 (Conclusion)

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 17:09:00 +0000

(This is a continuation of my earlier post about our Thanksgiving holiday vacation in the Philippines)

For me, one of the great joys of visiting the Philippines is to eat at my favorite Filipino restaurants over there. And we certainly did that (a lot!) One of the most memorable such experiences was at the Krocodile Grille at the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City.

In keeping with their name, the Krocodile Grille has toy crocodiles of various shapes and sizes scattered throughout the premises. One branch that I've been to even had a live (baby) crocodile.

We feasted on goodies such as deep fried balut (duck egg):

...pinakbet (a vegetable stew seasoned with shrimp paste):

...inihaw na liempo (grilled pork belly):

...chicken sisig (finely chopped bits of chicken, fried and served on a sizzling plate):

...tinumok (fish wrapped in sweet potato leaves, seasoned with coconut milk):

...crispy tadyang (deep fried beef ribs):

Of course, for me, no trip to the Philippines is complete without a visit to Jollibee. We went to the one in Greenhills, San Juan...

... where I enjoyed their longganisa (Filipino sausage) breakfast:

...and their awesome peach mango pie with its thin, crispy crust and tender, creamy filling:

Another mandatory trip was to one of my favorite restaurants - Max's restaurant in the SM City Mall in Santa Mesa, Manila:

...where we enjoyed their great barbecued and fried chicken platters:

Well, there you have it. Those were the culinary highlights of our trip. It was great fun and I fondly look forward to our next visit to one of the loveliest and friendliest places in the world.

Thanksgiving in the Philippines - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 04:51:00 +0000

(This is a continuation of my earlier post about our Thanksgiving holiday vacation in the Philippines)

When we were in the States, I kept telling my wife about the absolutely divine paella (a savory dish made of rice, meat, and seafood) that they make in the Philippines. Paella is not a dish native to the Philippines, but arose from the pervasive Spanish influence in Philippine culture (the Philippines was a colony of Spain for over 300 years).

Because of that strong Spanish influence, there are a good number of fine restaurants in the Philippines that specialize in Spanish-Filipino cuisine. One of the most memorable of these (whose delicious paella has delighted me since my boyhood) is the Alba Restaurant in Quezon City.

We went for the lunch buffet, which offered numerous scrumptious dishes like: Callos Madrilena (beef tripe in tomato sauce), Costillas de Vaca (beef spare ribs), Pescado Polaris (fish with garlic & chili sauce), and many, many more...

To discourage waste, this restaurant has a "no leftovers" policy - which means they will charge an additional 500 pesos (about 10 US dollars) per table if diners don't finish off everything they put on their plates. There is an ominous-looking sign stating this policy right next to the platter of delicious Cochinillo (roast suckling pig). Click on the picture below to enlarge:

All the above dishes are great. But for me, the real star of the show is the splendid paella, which I've been hankering for while I was in the US. The fragrant aroma and zesty tang of the seasoned rice, combined with the fresh, tasty seafood, was every bit as heavenly as I remembered it to be (and my wife agreed that I wasn't exaggerating in my praise for Alba's paella):

All these great ingredients allowed us to whip up our own lavish concoctions:

As a perfect finish to this great ensemble, we had some refreshing dessert. Pictured below - leche flan (custard), canonigo (meringue), and chocolate cake:

I left Alba feeling deeply satisfied. An experience that I had been looking forward to for a long time, had come to reality and totally lived up to my expectaions. Aahh, what a feeling ... ;-)

(To be continued)

Thanksgiving in the Philippines - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 04:26:00 +0000

My wife and I had the good fortune of visiting the Philippines during the Thanksgiving holidays. We had a jolly good time reconnecting with family and friends in Manila, shopping, sightseeing, and of course, indulging in some seriously good eating along the way.

One of the first places we visited shortly after arriving in Manila was the SM City Mall in Santa Mesa, Manila. This was one of my favorite places to hang out back when I still lived in the good ol' Philippines. Just a 5 minute drive from our house, it's a very convenient and comfortable place to shop, watch movies, eat, and just relax while escaping the hot and humid weather in Manila.

The gay (meaning happy, not homosexual ;-) Christmas lights and decorations, and throngs of people scurrying about, told me for sure that the Christmas shopping season was in full swing at the mall. (With over 80% of Filipinos following the Roman Catholic faith, Christmas is the most anticipated and beloved celebration of the year in the Philippines.)

We experienced the exceptional warmth, friendliness, and hospitality of the Filipino people while shopping at the mall (and everywhere else we went, for that matter), where we received excellent customer service. There were some good bargains to be had, too. My wife bought a very nice pair of jeans for 900 pesos (about 18 US dollars). The same thing would probably cost over $35 in the States.

After a full day of shopping, my mom suggested that we have dinner at one of her favorite Chinese restaurants - Luk Foo in Quezon City. So off we went.

We enjoyed delectable morsels like barbecued pork:

...and roasted duck (my mom's favorite!):

...fish fillet with sweet and sour sauce:

...fried prawns:

...and some xiu mai (pork dumplings) thrown in for good measure:

After our appetites were sated, we headed home for some much needed rest.

(To be continued)

Mitsuwa Marketplace

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 18:22:00 +0000

There's a small slice of Japan in San Jose, on the corner of Saratoga and Moorpark Avenues (just off the I-280 freeway). There one finds a little mall that features a variety of shops that specialize in Japanese goods - like the Kinokuniya bookstore and the Mitsuwa Marketplace, as well as Japanese restaurants, and a Japanese video store.

I would sometimes spend many blissful hours immersed in the endless rows of manga (Japanese comics) and anime (Japanese cartoons) DVD's at Kinokuniya, and then swing by the food court at Mitsuwa for a quick bowl of udon (thick wheat noodles) or some other Japanese treat.

To me that's where the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court shines - as a convenient place to stop by for a quick, inexpensive bite of something authentically Japanese, whenever cravings for such goodies occur. It was precisely those cravings that drove us to Mitsuwa's food court for a quick lunch one fine afternoon.

Those in a big hurry can grab a bento (boxed lunch containing rice and meat), stick it in a microwave, and be on their way in snap.

Others who prefer a more leisurely pace can get something cooked to order by Miyabi-Tei (the food court's vendor). The choices include: ramen (a Japanese noodle dish of Chinese origin), donburi (a big rice bowl topped with meat), tonkatsu (breaded deep fried pork cutlet), kare raisu (curry rice) and many others.

We definitely belonged to the more leisurely category. I haven't had udon in a while and was hankering for those thick, chewy noodles immersed in savory broth, so I ordered a bowl of beef udon:

For me the real heart and soul of udon is the broth, and although Mitsuwa's broth was not as flavorful as that of other places, it was still okay. "What do you expect? This is fast food. It's good enough for that price" my wife astutely pointed out.

My wife had a box of assorted sushi. It was so-so. The rice wasn't as soft and fluffy as we would've liked but the overall result was still okay. My wife's earlier words rang true once again: "What do you expect?..."

Still feeling hungry after my bowl of udon, I got an order of takoyaki (octopus balls). The outer portion of each ball was very soft and reminded me of marshmallows. Chewing diligently to the core of each ball revealed only a very small fragment of actual octopus meat, which kinda left me wanting more. (Everyone say it with me now: "What do you expect?...")

The most delightful part of the meal was an Okinawan dessert known as sata andagi, which are deep fried balls composed of egg, flour, and brown sugar. These were really delicious as the crust was delightully crunchy and the inside had a light, refreshing sweetness.

The sata andagi is made by the mom of one of the Miyabi-Tei employees, and only a limited quantity is sold each day. On a subsequent visit to Mitsuwa, we were not able to buy more sata andagi as it was sold out (reminds me of that time-honored marketing slogan: "Hurry, while supplies last!") People know a good thing when they taste it.

Joy Luck Place

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:35:00 +0000

A friend of ours swears by this place so we immediately said "Yes!" to his invitation to have dinner at the Joy Luck Place in Cupertino.

I've heard a theory that says that the best Chinese restaurants are the dingy, hole-in-the-wall places that are dirty and run-down inside. The Joy Luck Place definitely goes against this theory as it offers great food in a clean, well-lit, spacious and classy setting.

While waiting for our orders to arrive we enjoyed some appetizer peanuts, which were quite tasty:

I checked out their fish tanks and found some fine-looking specimens:

Soon our food arrived. We started off with braised scallop and vermicelli (thin rice noodles) soup. I greatly enjoyed its light, refreshing flavor:

Next came the sauteed snow pea shoots, which were fresh and crunchy:

We had some crispy and delicious fried shrimp:

Our meal reached a climax with the absolutely gorgeous Peking roast duck, whose perfectly glazed, crispy, thin golden brown skin was a joy to bite into:

The duck came with some very soft and sweet buns, with which we made little Peking duck sandwiches:

I can understand our friend's unreserved enthusiasm for this place. By the end of the meal we were converts too.

Amen ;-)

Seattle Foodie Moments

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:35:00 +0000

My wife and I recently spent a fun and relaxing weekend in Seattle, where we enjoyed many interesting sights, sounds, and activities. We visited many of the tourist hotspots, like the Pike Place Market, Space Needle, Museum of Flight, Pacific Science Center, and more! Along the way, we indulged in our beloved hobby - eating - and collected some fond foodie memories. Here are a few of our favorite foodie moments from Seattle.

Since my wife is a rabid fan of Starbucks, it was absolutely mandatory that we visit the original Starbucks store, located in the world-famous Pike Place Market. Upon arriving at Starbucks, we encountered a group of very talented street performers standing right by the entrance, who regaled visitors and passers-by with their spirited a capella renditions of old R&B classics, such as "Cupid" by the Spinners:

Inside Starbucks, we ooh'd and aah'd at the renowned pig made out of coffee beans:

We found our way to the Pike Place Fish Market. This market is famous for its "flying fish", which refers to the way employees pass fish to each other by throwing them (sometimes at distances of over 20 feet) rather than just handing them off. Customers are often invited to try their hand at catching a flying fish. The young lady below (wearing a black T-shirt) gamely tried, but was unsuccessful. "But I caught a fin!" she said.

Seattle's Museum of Flight features some truly marvelous flying machines, such as the ones shown below...

...but one exhibit really caught our attention, and that was the space food consumed by the early astronauts and cosmonauts:

The Soviet cosmonauts ate canned foods and vegetable paste which they squeezed out of tubes (not the most appetizing menu):

The US astronauts didn't fare much better, as they also had to eat out of tubes:

We had to get our Asian food fix somehow, so we headed off to the Great Wall Asian Mall:

Inside the mall we found this charming little model of the Taj Mahal:

And we also found a place that's a very familiar sight to us - 99 Ranch Market. 99 Ranch Market is an Asian supermarket chain that is very popular in our home, the San Francisco Bay Area. We buy a lot of Asian foods there including Filipino longganisa sausages and Vietnamese pho noodles. We were pleased (but not entirely surprised) to see that they had established a presence in Seattle as well:

There are quite a number of Asian restaurants in the mall. After looking around, we decided to go with the Edokko Japanese Restaurant.

We ordered bento (combination of meat, vegetables, and rice served in a box). My bento had beef and tempura while my wife had chicken and sashimi. The meal was okay, but nothing really special.

We weren't the only foodies gorging ourselves in Seattle. At the butterfly habitat of the Pacific Science Center (right next to the iconic Space Needle), we saw a bunch of hungry butterflies going absolutely gaga over some rather nasty-looking bananas - while ignoring the perfectly good orange right next to them. Oh well, as long as they're happy...

Tanto

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:22:00 +0000

While I was searching around for a good Japanese restaurant, one place stood out by being unanimously recommended by every Japanese person I know: Tanto in Sunnyvale. So I was pretty excited to join a group of friends for dinner there.

Inside, I immediately felt comfy with the hip and cozy interiors:

Next came a parade of delectable dishes. We started off our feast with some tuna sashimi, which was excellent. The meat was fresh and tender with absolutely no fishy smell:

We also had buta kimuchi (pork with kimchi). Being the wimp that I am when it comes to spicy foods, I appreciated the fact that the kimchi had just the right level of spiciness - mild yet zesty:

Other lovely morsels we enjoyed were...

...tori kara-age (deep fried chicken nuggets):

...dashimaki tamago (rolled egg omelet):

...kushi katsu (deep fried pork on skewers):

...yaki nigiri (grilled rice balls). I adore this dish. The crisp, crunchy, tasty rice ball exterior is a joy to bite into, revealing the delightful insides which have a soft texture and flavor:

...ebi shinjo (deep fried shrimp balls):

...salmon and ikura (salmon eggs) salad:

It was really cool to go there with a good-sized group of people (there were 6 of us), because it allowed us to order more dishes and enjoy a wider variety of Tanto's delicious treats. I'll try to assemble an even larger group next time ;-)

7-Eleven in Taiwan

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:52:00 +0000

In my previous post I named 7-Eleven as the last place where I would want to buy anything (particularly food). For me 7-Eleven is the store of last resort - it's a place that I would visit only when every other store is closed.

However, according to my Taiwanese friends (which includes my Taiwanese wife), in Taiwan 7-Eleven is the first place they would go to for their shopping and food needs. 7-Eleven is hugely popular in Taiwan, and during my visit to Taiwan I found out why:

The stores are very clean and well-lit, with attractive interior decor and pleasant background music. They offer very fresh and tasty food items like bento (boxed lunches), sandwiches, noodles, pastries and desserts. They also have a multitude of really cute and fun toys for kids, which is why kids in Taiwan get excited at the idea of visiting 7-Eleven! In contrast, when was the last time you saw an American kid go ga-ga over 7-Eleven?

It's all in the way the 7-Eleven stores are managed and marketed over there.

Cafe Won Kee

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 16:28:00 +0000

There are places where I go to eat not because I like the food, but simply out of convenience. 7-Eleven is a prime example - although I think their sandwiches are appalling, when my IT job causes me to stagger out of the office at 3am feeling ravenously hungry, it's off to 7-Eleven I go. On such occasions, I wistfully wonder if good food and convenience are mutually exclusive. Fortunately, there are places where one can have both - Cafe Won Kee Chinese restaurant in Milpitas is such a place.

I find Won Kee to be very convenient because their service is really fast and they don't take an afternoon break between lunch and dinnertime. It's one of my favorite places to go for a quick lunch after 3pm, when most other restaurants are closed. On top of the convenience, the food is quite good too. I usually go for one of the rice plates - which are large, tasty, and served steaming hot (usually arriving within a few minutes after I order). Among my favorites are:

Beef with tender greens:

Beef with egg:

My wife likes the spicy beef noodles:

My wife and I were intrigued when we saw that they offered snake soup, so we decided to give it a try:

The snake kinda tastes like chicken, although it was hard to really taste the snake meat since the soup contained too much ginger, which overpowered the flavor of all the other ingredients.

I'm also a big fan of their roasted duck. I brought one of these birds to a potluck and it got rave reviews.

It's also fun to meet the aquatic life that lurk in the fish tanks at Won Kee, like this handsome fellow:

The Occasional Burger

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:21:00 +0000

Just because I'm an Asian Food Fanatic, doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good, juicy burger and fries every now and then. I particularly like Red Robin's "Royal Red Robin" burger which has bacon, eggs, cheese, and lettuce - everything a growing boy (like me?) needs. It's like a hearty breakfast on a bun, and makes for a nice brunch.

As I gorged myself on my huge burger, my wife enjoyed her grilled chicken platter, which was pretty good too.

Pho 909

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 15:49:00 +0000

I first tried this place years ago and was very impressed with their pho bo (beef noodle soup). At that time, I was thoroughly fixated on pho so I never tried the dish that this place is really famous for - which is banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe). Well, my wife and I recently decided that it was time to correct this gross omission.

For starters, we got a huge plate of lettuce and mint leaves, along with a side of fish sauce.

The main dishes quickly followed. We ordered 2 banh xeo - one pork and one chicken.

Since this was our first banh xeo experience, we didn't know the proper procedure for eating banh xeo. So we asked our waiter, who patiently instructed us to wrap the banh xeo contents in the lettuce and mint leaves and dip it in fish sauce. He was probably thinking what morons we were, but was kind enough not to show it ;-)

We actually didn't need to ask, since practically everyone who comes to this place orders banh xeo. All we really needed to do was just observe the people around us, but we just had to make sure... ;-)

Our favorite part of the banh xeo was the light, crispy, golden crust - which was a pleasure to bite into. As for the filling, we found the chicken to be rather dry and bland. The pork was about the same, although slightly more flavorful. The bean sprouts and shrimp were quite fresh, but seemed to share the same blandness as the other ingredients.

After using the leaves to wrap the ingredients, the fish sauce really helped to liven up the whole ensemble. Plus it was kinda fun eating with our hands ;-)

Although this place is quite popular and attracts a LOT of Vietnamese customers, all of whom order the banh xeo, we decided the banh xeo wasn't for us, but that maybe we'd come back for the pho.

ABC Seafood

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:01:00 +0000

I have no idea how this place got the name ABC, since its Chinese name translates to "Palace of the Wealthy". I guess ABC rolls off the tongue more easily (it's easier to spell, too ;-) Anyhoo, I couldn't care less if it was named ABC, 1-2-3, or Do-Re-Mi (there's actually a Chinese restaurant in Milpitas called Do-Re-Mi, but that's another blog post - and what's with all these weird Chinese restaurant names anyway? ;-) This place serves good dim sum, and that's all that matters.

And it was the dim sum that lured us to ABC for our recent visit. We started off with shark fin dumpling soup. The broth was warm and soothing, and the plump, succulent dumpling's tender meat did not disappoint. We liked the fact that there were generous quantities of shark fin strands in both the dumpling and the broth.

Next came the deep fried lobster dumplings. The crispy golden skin had a nice, satisfyingly crunchy texture. And the meat inside was fresh and sweet. A mayonnaise dipping sauce was provided that goes very well with the dumplings.

And then came the siu mai (pork dumplings). For some reason the texture and color of the meat inside had us wondering whether it was pork or chicken. Whatever it was, the end result was good as the dumplings were tender and tasty.

We also had shrimp and mango rolls. The sweetness of the mango added a nice livening touch to the shrimp and vegetable filling.

I always like to add kai lan (Chinese broccoli) to a dim sum meal because it fills me up and I feel that it makes for a more balanced, healthy meal. Besides, my Mom trained me very well to always eat my veggies (nice work, Mom! ;-) The broccoli was firm and crunchy, the way I like it.

Good stuff like this keeps me coming back to ABC, plus the name's easy to remember ;-)

Darda Seafood

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 04:20:00 +0000

A Chinese restaurant without pork? Yes, it does exist - the Darda Seafood restaurant in Milpitas offers Chinese Islamic-style cuisine. Islam has a long history in China, and there is a large Muslim community in China today (particularly in China's northwest region). From this tradition comes the cuisine showcased at Darda.

This place is super-popular, and one almost inevitably has to wait in a long line during weekends at dinnertime. That's exactly what we did, and during our wait I found myself fascinated by this sign above the door. I wondered "What language is this? Is it Arabic? What does it mean? Are these passages from the Koran?" If anyone out there knows, kindly enlighten me.

When we finally got inside, we saw that the place was just packed with people and abuzz with activity.

Another sign caught my attention. Again, if anyone out there knows what language this is and what it means, I would appreciate it if you would kindly let me know.

We started our meal with some seafood soup. The soup was very light and refreshing and featured very fresh ingredients of shrimp, crab, squid, chicken, vegetables, and more.

Next came the lamb stew. The lamb was quite tasty and chewy, with a distinctive and pleasing aroma.

We also enjoyed mushu tofu with egg topping...

...and bread topped with sesame seeds and stuffed with a green onion filling. I particularly enjoyed this bread, because of its crunchy and chewy texture, as well as its light aroma and flavor.

It may take some patience getting a table at Darda, but it's well worth the wait.

Picking Loquats

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 16:40:00 +0000

A friend of ours has loquat (known as pi pa in Chinese) trees in her back yard. When the trees recently bore fruit, she invited us to come over and pick some.

We would either snag the fruit with a hook mounted on a long pole, or climb up a ladder to grab the lower-hanging fruits by hand.

It was a lot of fun, and it also gave me an opportunity to practice using my Nikon D80 (with which these photos were taken).

Along the way, we met this tiny loquat connoisseur, jealously guarding her prize. This led us to conclude that "this particular loquat must be a very sweet one".

Afterwards, we enjoyed the fruits (literally) of our labor by feasting on the sweet loquats. It was a fun and relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Huong Lan Sandwiches

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0000

Huong Lan Sandwiches in Milpitas is my favorite place to get Vietnamese banh mi (baguette sandwiches). To me, their banh mi is a fast, cheap, convenient, and very tasty snack, which can also serve as lunch or dinner (in which case I'll eat 2 of them).

I always order the #7 sandwich, which contains pork filling. The bread is crisp on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside. The roasted pork comes in generous amounts, and is very tender and tasty. The accompanying ingredients of pickled carrot and radish, cilantro, and peppers combine with the meat to create a unique symphony of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy tastes - deliciously orchestrated and in perfect balance.

They also have a lot of delightful Vietnamese sweets that make for a perfect dessert after enjoying the sandwiches. Like these rice cakes flavored with green beans and banana:

My wife and I like to bring home these sandwiches and munch on them leisurely, as we snuggle closely together while watching movies from Netflix...now that's nice ;-)

Celebrating the Birth of Buddha

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:33:00 +0000

We recently visited our favorite Buddhist temple in San Jose, where they held a special event celebrating the birth of Buddha. For this occasion, a special glass container was displayed in front of the image of Buddha. Inside the container was a precious relic - a tiny fragment of Buddha's bones.

The monks at the temple explained to me that before he died, Buddha wished for parts of his body to remain intact even after his death. This was to help people remember him and his teachings. His wish came true, resulting in tiny bone fragments that remained even after his body was cremated. The relic on display at the temple was one of those fragments.

The Buddhist devotees at the temple took this opportunity to examine the relic up close and give respect to Buddha. We did the same. However, at the request of the monks, we did not take any photos of the relic.

After taking a look at the relic, I engaged in an enlightening conversation with the temple's head monk, who is very friendly and knowledgeable. Among other things, he explained to me the Buddhist concept of God - which is very different from what I was taught, having been raised as a Catholic.

I also enjoyed a discussion with one of the devotees about how Buddhism has branched into different paths - some of which emphasize deep study and understanding of Buddha's teachings, while others emphasize more practical aspects such as doing good deeds.

Later that afternoon we were treated to some snacks and refreshments. Since the monks and devotees at the temple mostly come from Sri Lanka, we had a tasty Sri Lankan snack called kadala. It is a mixture of garbanzo beans, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and coconut. It is pleasantly spicy and chewy, and is served in paper cones:

We also enjoyed a delicious drink made of rose syrup, basil seeds, pineapple, and water. Served chilled, it was very refreshing - a perfect drink for a hot afternoon:

I am glad we made this visit to the temple. I gained a deeper understanding of Buddhism, and feel eager to learn more about it. We also got to experience a very tiny (but tasty) sample of Sri Lankan cuisine.

Tofu House in Milpitas

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 31 May 2008 19:09:00 +0000

This is another one of our favorite local eateries. We keep coming back here to relish their delicious, smoldering hot tofu soup (served in a stone bowl) and Korean barbecued beef. This place is really popular, as is its sister store in Santa Clara. However, our Korean friends recommended this store to us over the one in Santa Clara.

Our lunch started with a simple salad, which was very fresh, with a light, refreshing dressing that was topped with peanut, sesame seeds and tofu.

Next came an assortment of small dishes consisting of tofu, bean sprouts, seaweed, and of course, kimchi. We especially liked the kimchi because it was crisp, crunchy, and not too spicy.

Now for the main attraction: A scalding hot bowl of seafood tofu soup, filled with thick, hearty chunks of tofu, shrimp, and oysters, topped off with a raw egg and some seaweed. We found the tofu to be soft and flavorful with a tinge of mild spiciness to it. The soup had just the right mix of salty and spicy tastes, punctuated by the aroma of seafood.

The barbecued beef was also good, as usual. The thin, tender slices of beef have a light, citrusy sweetness. And the accompanying onions and sesame seeds are a delight to bite into together with the beef, as they add a nice kick.

The beef comes on a sizzling hot steel plate, and there is a LOT of it - more than enough for 2 persons. However, being the carnivore that I am, I devoured most of it (pausing briefly between mouthfuls to let my wife get a few bites in ;-)

Tofu House
231 W Calaveras Blvd
Milpitas, CA 95035

Chez Sovan

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Fri, 23 May 2008 16:15:00 +0000

I was thrilled when a Cambodian friend recommended this place to me. While other types of Asian restaurants (like Chinese and Vietnamese) thrive in great numbers in the Bay Area, Cambodian food is kind of a rare treat. So my wife and I decided that a visit to Chez Sovan Cambodian Restaurant in Campbell was absolutely mandatory.

As we looked around inside, we were fascinated by a small collection of items representing Cambodian history and culture:

The relief on the wall also caught our attention:

Even the restroom has some attractive pictures on the wall, like the one below. This is the first time I've ever taken pictures inside the men's room of a restaurant!

When our orders arrived, I said "All right, enough looking around. It's time to EAT!" Following my friend's recommendation, we had the beef skewers. The meat had an inviting aroma, and was deliciously tender yet chewy, with a sweetish taste to it.

...the beef skewers also came with a side dish of shredded papaya and carrot, seasoned with a sweet-sour flavor.

We also had amok, which consists of catfish seasoned with lemongrass, wrapped in a banana leaf. I particularly enjoyed this dish, as the delectable catfish seemed to melt in my mouth to release a light, citrusy tang.

The chicken curry was also very good. The chicken was soft and tender, and the curry sauce possessed the rich sweetness of coconut milk, laced with a subtle tinge of spiciness coming from the curry - a very pleasant combination!

The staff was quite pleasant and friendly. I delighted our waitress by saying a few words in Cambodian, which I learned from my Cambodian friend. The word "okun", meaning thank you, was especially well received.

There is still so much more on the menu that we left unexplored. Next time we plan to bring a big group of friends over so that we can order more dishes and more deeply explore the pleasures of Cambodian cuisine.

Scenes From a Taiwanese Night Market - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Tue, 20 May 2008 16:12:00 +0000

(This is a continuation of my earlier post about the Night Market in Hualien, Taiwan)

The pervasive influence of Japanese culture in Taiwan manifests itself even in the Night Market, where one finds such goodies as sushi:

...and takoyaki (Japanese fried octopus dumplings):

The takoyaki comes in a variety of flavors: curry, cheese, pepper, wasabi, and more. In addition, this lady also sells "Dragon-Phoenix Legs", which are deep fried chunks of meat mounted on skewers (located to the masked lady's left in the photo below). We found it amusing that the sign on this stall proudly announces "one box of takoyaki for $35 (Taiwanese dollars), 3 boxes for $105". Either the owner of this business has a penchant for stating the obvious, or a lot of their customers must be math-challenged ;-) Also, the octopus on the sign is missing 2 legs:

Some Western influence is also present, as shown by this Taiwanese rendition of the French crepe, which is filled with beef, vegetables, and cheese:

...and this steak-noodle-egg combo (which costs less than 3 US dollars):

Some stalls specialize in a particular type of dish, such as this fellow who makes fishball soup:

...and this stall that specializes in stews. One collects the ingredients one likes (from the array of meat, vegetables, tofu, noodles, and more), puts them in a plastic basket (taken from the stack of baskets on the counter), and hands them over to be magically transformed into one's very own delightful, personalized concoction. If one looks closely at the upper right hand corner of this stall's sign (click the picture below to enlarge), one can see the signature of Ma Ying-jeou, the President of Taiwan:

For dessert, one can have sugar-coated fruits on skewers. (The strawberry ones are my wife's favorite. A variety of other choices are available, such as plum and pear):

...and then cool down with some fruit juice or a grass jelly beverage from this stall whose sign unabashedly declares "Good Beyond Words":

So far, I've only scratched the surface of the pleasures of Hualien's Night Market. Also, the Night Market in Hualien is dwarfed by that of Taipei, which I have yet to explore so...

I can't wait for our next trip to Taiwan!

Scenes From a Taiwanese Night Market - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (AsianFoodFanatic) — Sat, 10 May 2008 19:13:00 +0000

Hualien is a scenic little city in Taiwan which is a top tourist destination for both Taiwanese and foreigners alike. Visitors are drawn to its beautiful scenery and peaceful, idyllic atmosphere. The famous Taroko Gorge, which was named by Virgin Travel Insurance as one of the world's Top Ten Must-See Sights (and served as a backdrop for the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), also beckons nearby.

Luckily for me, my wonderful wife hails from this charming city. So it was a natural destination for us during our recent visit to Taiwan. Hualien, just like the rest of Taiwan, is rife with culinary adventures just waiting to happen. And one of the most exciting and dynamic of these is the Night Market, which lies just a few blocks from our home in Hualien.

The Night Market is a collection of myriad little stalls that sell a mind-boggling array of food, beverages, snacks, desserts and more. Its diverse offerings range from noodles and rice plates, to sushi and takoyaki, to steak and sandwiches. The Night Market derives its name from the fact that it is open till the wee hours of the morning and seems to be most alive and abuzz with energy after the sun goes down. Throngs of people descend upon this tiny space night after night, and it gets especially crowded during weekends.

Exotic food choices lurk in every corner. In the photo above, the sign in the middle of the picture (click the photo to enlarge) reads "Medicinal Stew" and refers to this stall's specialty: pork spare ribs boiled in a concoction of Chinese medicinal herbs. The resulting dish is supposed to be very good for health. In the photo below (click to enlarge) the small white sign with red Chinese characters in the middle of the picture advertises "Salty Water Chicken", a boiled chicken dish whose unique feature is that it is made from "eunuch chickens" (that's right, male chickens that had their little jewels snipped off at a young age). The eunuch chicken's meat is sought after because of its texture - tender, but not soft; firm, but not tough.

Tung Shan Duck Head

Some of these little stalls are spectacularly successful and always have long lines of people eagerly waiting to grab their goodies. Like this one whose sign boldy reads "Tung Shan Duck Head" (although it is not visible in this picture below, the people on the left of this photo are actually the beginning of a long queue):

This stall's specialty is - you guessed it - deep fried duck head (from which one eats the brains and eyes). But there's more on the menu than just duck head. Practically every part of the duck is put to some profitable use. In the photo below (click to enlarge), the row of food closest to the masked duo provides a selection of: duck head, head plus neck, or neck only. In the foreground we see (starting from the right) fish cakes, duck blood cakes (those are the brown brick-like things; they are made from sweet rice mixed with duck blood), duck gizzard skewers, tofu, duck heart skewers, duck feet, quail egg skewers, duck wings, and duck intestine skewers:

From the wide variety of offerings available, people pick up their selected items with tongs, drop them into their little red plastic baskets, and then hand them over to the masked lady (on the right side of the picture below), who deep-fries them in a big pot:

I've heard rumors that the owner of this business (the masked man pictured above), owing to the huge popularity and success of this operation, lives in a mansion and drives an expensive luxury car. (I hope the Taiwanese tax collectors aren't reading this ;-)

Barbecue Skewers

Another standout in this raucous sea of food hawkers is this stall that specializes in barbecue skewers:

This stall gets huge amounts of customer traffic and seems very popular with the younger crowd:

Among various types of barbecue skewers available are (click the photo below to enlarge) tofu, pork, chicken, beef, fishballs, hotdogs, and (in the far left of the photo below) squid. The squid skewers are my wife's favorite. If one enlarges the photo below one can see that the squid skewers come in 2 sizes: large and small. My wife astutely pointed out that the large squid are nearly twice as big as the small ones, but they differ in price by only 10 Taiwanese dollars ($70 vs. $60), so one would have to be a real sucker to buy one of the small ones:

(to be continued...)