Yogurtsoda

Posted on February 3, 2013

San Francisco’s North Beach is just about the last place in the city I’d go looking for good ramen, but lo and behold, there it is. Tucked in between Broadway Street’s seedy strip clubs and hole in the wall pizza joints, Kirmachi Ramen is an oasis of fresh, chewy noodles and hearty, flavorful broth.

The menu at Kirimachi Ramen is limited, but the focus here is on quality, not quantity. My favorite is the tonkotsu ramen, which comes in a lighter broth than what I’m used to for tonkotsu, and that’s a good thing. I can eat the whole bowl and not feel like I overdid it afterwards. The tonkotsu ramen comes with the standard bean sprouts, pork meat, fish cake, and green onion toppings, and a perfectly cooked oh-so-slightly-runny boiled egg.

Kirimachi may be the lone ramen shop in it’s neighborhood, but don’t be fooled. It’s among the best ramen in the city.

Posted on December 28, 2012

Lers Ros Thai is arguably the most popular Thai restaurant in San Francisco. With two locations, both feature an impressive menu with dishes you’d be hard pressed to find at Thai spots more suited to American palates. The Tenderloin location is their original outpost, but I visited their Hayes Valley restaurant on my first visit. I was going to see chef David Chang speak at the nearby Herbst Theatre with my friend Penny afterwards, and what better to whet my appetite with than spicy, herby Thai food?

We started with the garlic quail. Deep-fried and flecked with loads of garlic, this was delicious. The sweet chili sauce on the side tempered the meat’s rich flavor and left us hungry for more.

As an entree, we shared an order of red curry with roasted duck. The curry was served with chunks of tomato and pineapple, lending a sweet note to an otherwise fiery dish. The duck itself was good, albeit the roasted flavor wasn’t as strong as I was hoping for.

Lastly, we split a plate of stir-fried beef with chili paste, young peppercorn, and galangal. Also spicy and rich, this dish may have been my favorite. Galangal is like ginger times ten: powerful, peppery, and slightly sweet. Oh, and note to self: do not attempt to eat the peppercorns.

The menu is long, the ambiance is modern, and the service is friendly at Lers Ros Thai. I can’t help but wonder how it compares to the original location in the Tenderloin. Guess I know where I’m going for my next Thai food jaunt.

Posted on November 24, 2012

Here’s a pro-tip: Always go to ABC Cafe with Chinese-speaking friends. Located in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown, this casual Hong Kong-style ABC Cafe has become one of my favorite haunts for a quick lunch, but not without some help. On my first visit, I shared a meal with my friend Karen, who helped me navigate in Cantonese and narrow down what is otherwise an overwhelming menu.

I ordered the shui kau lo mein, a filling dish of shrimp, meat, and wood ear mushroom dumplings, chewy noodles, and steamed vegetables. Shui kau have since become one one of my favorite kinds of dumplings, and I’ve had them at ABC Cafe in noodle soup form, too.

Curiosity got the best of me, so I also ordered a cup of yuanyang, a hot drink that’s part milk tea, part coffee. The combination might sound, uh, unique, but I loved it. Served with a dollop of condensed milk, it was the perfect beverage for a foggy San Francisco afternoon.

ABC Cafe is nearly always busy, but the wait is short and the ambiance is super casual. Go here if you want a taste of Hong Kong without having to hop on a plane.