Monday, August 22, 2011

My Favorite Things

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Veggie burrito from La Taq, a Sunday tradition; MCF/San Tung sustenance for impromptu 90s R&B karaoke sesh with a few people I love

Yes, all this and more was consumed in the last few weeks. I must say, I really love SF and the east bay. These are a few of my favorite things.

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Grilled cheese at Outerlands; chilaquiles from Primavera; pork chop at Nopa

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Little star and Cheeseboard

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4505 special at the Thursday FB market - that day was fried bologna with bacon and the first time I couldn't finish (I had Teresa act as notary before I even took a bite); In-N-Out

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Banana cream pie from Nation's is so perfectly imperfect - beats fancy versions any day. Fresh strawberry mochi from Benkyodo, bun sampler from Sandbox, and finally tried the popular Kika's.

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Post-Intermezzo Strada: cup of nostalgia while doing the Daily Cal crossword. This was the first time I had non-third-wave-coffee in a really long time, and it made me appreciate good coffee that much more. I've been finding myself in SOMA quite often lately, meaning many a visit to Sightglass. Btw, Blue Bottle is going downhill and I had a watery cap with weak foam at Four Barrel yesterday. No one is immune, no one is the best!

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

On Nhau

Somehow I found myself nhau-ing just about every night I was in Saigon. "You must've been hanging with a lot of dudes" my friend assumed, and right he was! I was unaware of the social significance of this primarily male custom at the time, but I found this interesting article through the interwebs. That might explain the stares, actually. Onward!

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It took some getting used to the giant blocks of ice in my Tiger beer, let alone the fact that they kept giving me (and only me) straws. I guess it's the feminine way to nhau

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Duck tongue and curried frog legs at Xua va Nay in Saigon

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Clams with lemongrass

Some non-nhau food in Vietnam:
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Before and after - the tail was a hot commodity

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Bun cha in Hanoi

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Cha ca la vong in Hanoi

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Wraps and rice noodles (can't remember the names of anything - I'm terrible I know) at Quan An Ngon in Saigon

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Monday, August 15, 2011

Singapore Sling

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Chicken rice and steamed egg at Sin Swee Kee. Hainanese style steamed chicken, tons of flavor in the rice itself.

I pretty much love all things curry, so it's no surprise that I love the Malay influences in Singaporean cuisine. There isn't much available in the bay area, so I was super excited to eat my way around town and finally have the real thing! Time was limited so I wasn't able to try much actual Malay or Peranakan cuisine, but I definitely had some delicious local food!

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Murtabak at Zam Zam, quite possibly one of the most delicious things I tried in Asia

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Roti stuffed with meat and served with curry sauce. How can that ever be a bad thing?

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Laksa at Maxwell (L) and at a food market around Clarke Quay (R). Did not get a chance to try the OG katong laksa unfortunately

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Stingray, satay, and fried oyster pancake (better than the Taiwanese kind I thought) at Chomp Chomp

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Maxwell hawker center

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Rojak (Maxwell) and popiah (Newton)

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The most delicious black pepper crab from First Grade Seafood Palace

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The damage

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The ubiquitous sugar cane drink at Chomp Chomp; a kalamansi limeade from Mr. Prata (don't remember what it was called)

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Saturday, August 13, 2011

On the Street

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Bangkok


Thai tea, lime, and ice. So simple, SO DELICIOUS


Tom yummmmm noodle soup with crispy pork in Chiang Mai

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Grilled fish in Cambodia; Amphawa floating night market

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Amphawa floating night market

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Amphawa floating night market - grilling on the boat


Khanom krog in Chiang Mai; zwa bing at Shida night market in Taipei

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Pad thai wrapped in egg at Or Tor Kor in Bangkok; soup fixins in Hanoi; gua bao in Taipei

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I don't remember what this was called in Vietnamese, but it's like the Chinese rice noodle (Hanoi)
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Hanoi

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Noodle soup in Saigon

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