Food & Drink Journal

In Situ (San Francisco, CA)

2019-08-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Finally got to visit In Situ, which is known to serve popular dishes from chefs and restaurants around the world. Hat tip to G, who did a great job ordering!

Dadinhos de Tapioca (Tapioca and Cheese Fritters)
From: Rodrigo Oliveira, Mocotó, Sao Paulo, Brazil (2005)

Tomato Velvet and Shrimp
From: Carme Ruscalleda, Sant Pau, Sant Pol de Mar, Spain (2001)

Merluzzo al "Bagnet Ross" (Cod in a Red Bath)
From: Enrico Crippa, Piazza Duomo, Alba, Italy (2015)

In Situ's "Canned" Soup (Shiitake and Pea Leaf Dumplings, Vegetable Broth)
Inspired by: Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans (1962)

Taishoken (San Mateo, CA)

2019-08-02T23:19:00.003-07:00

Another great recommendation by E&B, who discovered this place. Apparently, they were walking through downtown San Mateo and noticed this new restaurant with lines snaking out the door. The tokusei tsukumen had dipping soup that was very flavorful and noodles that were pleasantly firm. Dashi was available at the end of the meal to water down dipping soup that remained.

Tokusei Tsukemen (tsukemen with soft boiled egg and sous vide Berkshire pork chashu)

Willi's Seafood & Raw Bar (Healdsburg, CA)

2019-07-06T22:05:00.000-07:00

This place has a modern take on fresh seafood dishes; the food was very tasty, yet not too heavy. Thanks for the great find, G!

Hamachi Ceviche with Rocoto Chili, Lime Juice, Pepitas

Uni Toast, Whipped Butter, Trout Roe

Uni & Dungeness Crab "Orzotto"

Maum (Palo Alto, CA)

2018-08-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

A big thank you to S&A for inviting me to your amazing birthday dinner!

Caviar on Potato Cream, with a Biscuit

Tomato with Cucumber and Kelp

"Soondubu" with Alliums and Tofu Skin

Sablefish and Abalone with Gochujang

Duck "Ddukgalbi" with Scallion Salad

Galbi with Ssam

Oxtail Rice

Buttermilk on Strawberry Sorbet (with Albino Strawberries)

Barley and Buckwheat Ice Cream (and Birthday Cake of S)

Fresh Cantaloupe

Orion Choco Pie

Koi Palace (Milpitas, CA)

2018-04-15T17:39:00.000-07:00

Happened to be in the area, so decided to try the South Bay branch of Koi Palace -- found the dim sum pretty good. Tip: if you have a small party, consider sitting at the bar.

Spinach and Shrimp Dumpling Topped with XO Sauce (翡翠XO菠菜鲜虾饺)

Vegetable and Pork Tofu Skin Wrap in Oyster Sauce (蠔皇鲜竹卷)

Crispy Tofu with Garlic and Herbs (金沙豆腐)

Steamed Chinese Sausage Roll (玫瑰黑毛猪腊肠)

Peking Duck Spring Roll (脆皮北京鸭春卷)

Chian Tang Tsuen (Taipei, Taiwan) / 钱唐村 (台湾台北)

2018-03-31T22:45:00.000-07:00

Visited a family-owned restaurant in Taipei that serves very good food from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region.

Tofu with Crab Meat Sauce (蟹粉豆腐)

Sautéed Eel (清炒鳝糊)

Dry-Fried Fresh Bamboo Shoots (干扁鲜笋)

Fermented Tofu (臭豆腐)

Chestnut Chicken (栗子烧鸡)

Amour Amour (San Mateo, CA)

2016-02-16T19:45:00.000-08:00

Thanks to E&B for picking this place, which is a real neighborhood gem in San Mateo.

Tartufata (Champignon mushroom, Tuscan summer truffles, burrata cheese, truffle oil, and baguette)

Organic Pork Belly (slow-braised, with leek, garlic, ginger, and red wine)

Oregano Octopus (lightly blanched, with lemon, olive, herbes de provence, ginger, and oregano aioli)

Truffles, Burrata and Serrano Ham

Seared Scallops (with lychee-coconut sauce, cilantro, tobiko, and coconut flakes)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ad Hoc (Yountville, CA)

2016-02-15T19:51:00.000-08:00

We had an early dinner at At Hoc to enjoy some comfort food and recharge before heading back down. The salad was fresh and crunchy, while the fried chicken was very tasty. The desserts (cheese and pudding) were great, too.

Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad (with endive, arugula, cerignola olives, pickled red onions, poached sultanas, and curry vinaigrette)

Buttermilk Fried Chicken

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Anson Mills Polenta

Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam Cheese (with orange marmalade and mixed nuts)

Cookies and Cream Pudding (with chocolate sauce and whipped chantilly)

Anderson Valley White Apron Ale (Belgian pale ale)

Bistro Jeanty (Yountville, CA)

2016-02-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Went to Bistro Jeanty after a morning of wine tasting. The food was rich, delicious, and very filling. Special thanks to J for the amazing lunch order!

Crispy Pig's Foot

Escargots (with garlic pastis butter)

Epaule de Porc (slow-roasted pork shoulder with butternut squash gratin, brussels sprouts, and lardons)

Creme de Tomate en Croute (cream of tomato soup in bread)

Tito Rad's Grill (Woodside, NY)

2016-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to JL for recommending this authentic Filipino restaurant in Queens! We tried a number of traditional dishes, all of which were pretty good. (If taking public transportation, this place is very close to the 46 St. and 52 St. stations served by the local 7 train.)

Lumpiang Shanghai (fried spring rolls made from vegetable, ground pork, and shrimp; served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce)

Inihaw na Tuna Belly (grilled tuna belly)

Barbeque Chicken

Crispy Pata (deep fried pork knuckles with ginger and garlic)

Pancit Palabok (rice noodles with shrimp sauce served with bacon, shrimp, crushed pork rinds, and hard boiled egg)

Ginataang Sitaw, Calabasa at Okra (sauteed string beans, squash, okra, shrimp, and pork served in coconut milk)

Tito's Delight (leche flan, ube, cassava cake)

Boiling Point (Pasadena, CA)

2016-01-10T14:09:00.000-08:00

Went to a Taiwanese hot pot restaurant for lunch while in Pasadena (Old Town). Note that the Taiwan Spicy Hot Pot only comes in the "flaming" level of spice, so consider yourself warned. To go with your meal, tea/milk can also be ordered at a discount from their sister shop Jin next door (hint: ordering milk helps with the spicier soup bases).

Taiwanese Spicy Hot Pot

Kinjiro (Los Angeles, CA)

2016-01-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

Joined some friends for a birthday dinner (tasting menu) in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles. The food was great (special mention to the uni, beef, and cod)! There was also a wide selection of sake on the menu. Definitely a neighborhood gem.

Uni, Scallop Blue Crab with House-made Ponzu Jelly

Kinjiro Ceviche (includes Octopus, Shrimp, Snapper, Scallops, Mango)

Kinjiro Japanese Wagyu Carpaccio with Arima Sansho

Seared Uni (Santa Barbara Sea Urchin)

Warm Organic Baby Spinach & Organic Mushroom Salad

Kinjiro Free-range Chicken Maki-age (Fried Chicken)

Thick-cut Prime Beef Tongue

Australian Wagyu Chuck Rib Kalbi

Black Cod with Saikyo Miso

Steamed Manila Clams (with Ginger)

Kinjiro Agedashi Homemade Tofu

Kinjiro Squid Ink Udon

Fely J's (Makati, Philippines)

2016-01-02T04:41:00.000-08:00

A recommended Filipino restaurant in Makati's Greenbelt complex (2/F, Greenbelt 5).

Sizzling Sisig (tender pig's minced cheeks, sauteed in spices and served in a sizzling plate)

Fried Calamari

KKK (Kare-Kare Klab: ox tripe, ox tail, and vegetables stewed in peanut sauce served with sauteed bagoong)

Gising Gising (kangkong stems stewed with shrimp in coconut cream)

Crispy Patang Bawang (deep-fried pork leg)

Tilapia with Sweet Plum Sauce

Lola Ising's Adobo (crisp pork adobo with garlic)

Bam-I (Iloilo-style sauteed pork, seafood, and vegetables with miki and sotanghon noodles)

Usagi (San Mateo, CA)

2015-10-18T15:45:00.002-07:00

This restaurant is a little off from the main downtown area of San Mateo, but is pretty good for Japanese comfort food.

Corn Soup or Salad (comes with main course)

Spicy Cod Roe Cream Pasta

Beef Curry Rice with Pork Cutlet

Chicken Curry

Little Shanghai Restaurant (San Mateo, CA)

2015-10-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasant surprise to find this Shanghainese restaurant in San Mateo. Most of the food seemed pretty authentic, although the soup dumplings were a little dry inside (will try these again in the future before passing final judgment).

Stir-Fried Shrimp (水晶虾仁)

Pork Wrapped with Stir-Fried Tofu (红烧豆腐包)

Soup Dumplings (小笼包)

China Stix Restaurant (Santa Clara, CA)

2015-09-20T14:01:00.000-07:00

Another go-to dimsum place in the South Bay.

Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (烧卖); Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺); Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg (皮蛋豆腐); Chicken Feet (凤爪)

Beef Tripe (牛肚); Rice Rolls with Shrimp (虾肠粉)

Beef Ball (牛肉丸); Fried Turnip Cake (萝卜糕)

El Techo de Lolinda (San Francisco, CA)

2015-01-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Having previously gone to this place for evening cocktails, I decided to try their brunch and see how things look like during the day. It turned out to be a good choice: the food was great, and the views were still spectacular.

Chorizo Scramble (Scrambled Eggs, Roasted Vegetables, Chorizo, Avocado, Potatoes, Chipotle, Brioche)

Guacamole (with Cotija, Tortilla Chips)

Wu Hua Ma (Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan) / 五花马 (台湾桃园机场)

2015-01-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

Was feeling hungry at the airport, so tried a restaurant at the food court of Terminal 2 (after security). Pretty good value!

Beef Noodles (with Tendon) Set Menu (半筋半肉牛肉面定食)

Jin Fu (Tainan, Taiwan) / 进福 (台湾台南)

2015-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

Sampled yet another local dish before we concluded our trip to Tainan. The broth/sauce is pretty rich.

Eel Noodles (鳝鱼意面)

Garden Night Market (Tainan, Taiwan) / 花园夜市 (台湾台南)

2015-01-01T03:13:00.000-08:00

If it's already nighttime and you still haven't had your fill of local snacks...

Crispy Fried Spareribs (香酥排骨)

Stinky Tofu Sausage (臭豆腐香肠)

Takoyaki (章鱼小丸子)

Fu Cheng Beef Soup (Tainan, Taiwan) / 府城牛肉汤 (台湾台南)

2015-01-01T02:11:00.000-08:00

Might as well try a bowl of freshly prepared beef soup while in town.

Beef Soup (牛肉汤)

Chih Kan Peddler's Noodle (Tainan, Taiwan) / 赤崁担仔面 (台湾台南)

2014-12-31T22:07:00.000-08:00

A good place to sample small portions of many Tainan delicacies, all under one roof.

Pork with Garlic Sauce (蒜泥白肉)

Pork Knuckle (赤崁招牌精炖猪脚)

Tan Zae Noodles (传统担仔面)

Pan-Fried Traditional Sausage (古早手工香肠)

Traditional Rice Cake (庙口米糕)

Tainan Rice Cake in Bowl (台南碗粿)

Fried Shrimp Roll (黄金炸虾卷)

Oyster Omelet (安平蚵仔煎)

Steamed Milkfish with Broad Bean Paste (老豆瓣蒸虱目鱼肚)

Pan-Fried Milkfish Stomach (香煎虱目鱼肚)

Tainan Style Shrimp Meatballs (清蒸肉圆)

Steamed Taro Cake (庙口芋粿) -- in bottom left corner

Fried Seafood Stuffed Toast (府城棺材板)

Traditional Seafood Soup (安平鼎邊趖)

Handmade Tofu Pudding (手工豆花)

Almond Ice Shavings (Tainan, Taiwan) / 体育公园杏仁豆腐冰 (台湾台南)

2014-12-31T19:11:00.000-08:00

Great dessert place in Tainan.

Almond Tofu Ice with Red Bean (杏仁豆腐冰加红豆)

Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle Ximending (Taipei, Taiwan) / 阿宗面线西门町 (台湾台北市)

2014-12-31T06:15:00.000-08:00

Worth a stop when craving a late-night snack in Taipei.

Flour-Rice Noodle (大肠面线)

Ri Xing Beef Noodles (Keelung, Taiwan) / 日兴牛肉面店 (台湾基隆市)

2014-12-31T02:46:00.000-08:00

We had time to spare after roaming the night market, so went to this place for a quick bite. Pretty decent hole-in-the-wall restaurant.

Beef Noodles (牛肉面)