Tag Archives: Chinese

Ma po tofu – Grand Palace Restaurant

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Project 365: Day 94

Went to the gym with my co-instructor this morning. It was nice to get a good workout in before heading out to downtown Charleston for some real food. I’ve decided that I want to hit Magnolias for a late lunch. I went there last time I was in Charleston so I know that the food and service are good. For dinner, I want to hit The Bar at Husk. The restaurant was recommended by a friend, but they had no availability and I don’t really mind eating at the bar especially when I’m dining by myself.

Ma po tofu Grand Palace Restaurant

Fresh tofu in a spicy sauce, topped with chopped green onions. $8
Grand Palace Restaurant, South San Francisco CA

This was a little spicier than the XLB Kitchen version, but definitely not near as spicy as the Mission Chinese Food version. MCF has forever ruined my taste for non-spicy versions of ma po tofu. Ugh!

Wang’s dumpling combination – Wang’s in the Desert

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Project 365: Day 87

And the rain has come back to the Bay Area! Wow, it was raining cats and dogs this morning. Silverfox and I went to Toast Eatery for breakfast. I accidentally left my cell phone at home and missed Kryan’s international phone call, oops! I’ll have to catch up with him next weekend while I’m in Charleston. Gotsta go into work for a couple of hours today then finish packing for tomorrow. We’re gonna try Jake’s, the new restaurant on Market Street, for dinner tonight. Not looking forward to my early flight tomorrow. 😦

Steamed dim sum platter Wang's in the Desert

Lamb and rosemary – ground lamb with chopped rosemary, garlic and onion. Shichimi spiced beef – Angus beef, water chestnuts, napa cabbage and onion. Curried chicken – ground white meat chicken, mushrooms, onions and ginger (2 pieces each). $10
Wang’s in the Desert, Palm Springs CA

Ugh! These dumplings were SO dry and the wrappers were kinda rubbery. Don’t the descriptions look great though? Too bad the kitchen couldn’t execute them properly.

Jalapeno calamari – Wang’s in the Desert

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Project 365: Day 86

Omg, this is my last day of work before all my trips in April when I’ll only be back in the office for 2 days! Work was on the slow side today. I’m gonna hit the gym after work then get my hair cut before my work trip. I’ve got to remember to buy more deodorant on my way home, hehe.

Jalapeno calamari Wang's in the Desert

Calamari steak medallions seasoned with garlic, jalapenos, scallions, lemon juice, salt and pepper. $9
Wang’s in the Desert, Palm Springs CA

The thick squid medallions were squishy and had a funky texture – not a fan. I also thought these were gonna be hot and spicy, but they had almost no heat. Very disappointing.

Pan fried seafood pot stickers – Wang’s in the Desert

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Project 365: Day 85

Another ho-hum day at work. I had a great workout afterward, then swung by Dinosaurs for a banh mi sandwich before grabbing the J Muni back home. The prices were SO cheap there that I bought an extra sandwich to bring to lunch tomorrow. They were very tasty! Pics to come once I’m caught up, lol!

Pan fried seafood pot stickers Wang's in the Desert

Shrimp and scallops with water chestnuts and scallions (4 pieces). Served with a ginger soy dipping sauce. $10
Wang’s in the Desert, Palm Springs CA

These pot stickers looked promising on the menu, but they were a little dry and dense. I really wasn’t all that impress with the food at Wang’s overall. Their happy hour is a lot more fun and a better value than their actual dinner.

Baked bbq pork bun – Tung Sing Restaurant

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Project 365: Day 82

It still feels weird to be back to work and not on a warm sunny cruise ship. I’m stressing out already because I just found out that I have to go to Charleston for 2 weeks in both April and June to teach a course. ARGH! I leave in a week and haven’t received much information on the course and logistics. Oh well, gotta make it work! This means that between all my other travel, I’ll only be at the office for 2 days in April. That’s realy weird for me!

Baked bbq pork bun Tung Sing Restaurant

I love bbq pork buns and while this one was quite large, the meat to bun ratio was not what I wanted. It had SO much bun and not enough yummy bbg pork. $1.95
Tung Sing Restaurant, San Francisco

Baked bbq pork bun Tung Sing Restaurant

Sizzling cumin lamb – Mission Chinese Food

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Sizzling cumin lamb Mission Chinese Food

Salt and peppered lamb belly, chili-pickled long beans, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, green onions, bay leaves. $13
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

Wow, the pieces of lamb belly (with bones attached) are SO fatty, but delicious!  I love the flavors of this dish but there are way too many onions! I wish there was more of the long beans actually and that the whole thing was a little spicier.

Sizzling cumin lamb Mission Chinese Food

Hainam chicken rice – Mission Chinese Food

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Hainam chicken rice Mission Chinese Food

Dressed in Shaoxing wine and chicken fat, scrambled egg, roasted peanuts, sliced cucumber, green onion, cilantro. $7
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

Although this rice is probably coated in chicken fat, it somehow still tastes light. The tender cubes of chicken are SO good and the rice is nice and fluffy. The ingredients look pretty simple, but I love the overall flavor of this rice dish.

Hainam chicken rice Mission Chinese Food

Stewed beef tongue and turnips – Mission Chinese Food

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Project 365: Day 55

Not much going on today. Just another day of training at work, hitting the gym afterward and I have to remember to swing by Walgreens for some hairspray. Other than that, I’ll prolly just catch up on DVR. I should start thinking about what I’m going to pack for Ohio. It’s gonna be in the 40’s, EW! It’ll be fun to see Codes though. Not looking forward to all the food and drinks though so close to the cruise, bad timing.

Stewed beef tongue and turnips Mission Chinese Food

Tendon terrine, hot mustard, pickled burdock root, chives. $10
Mission Chinese Food, San Francisco

This soup is very rich and kinda too salty! The beef tongue is fall-apart tender and so tasty as are the root vegetables, but the broth is super soy flavored, smoky, and salty. I’m not sure where the tendon terrine is in there. I would imagine that a tendon terrine with just melt in such a hot soup.

Stewed beef tongue and turnips Mission Chinese Food

Braised eggplant with garlic sauce – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Braised eggplant Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Sauteed eggplants with green onion in a garlic chili sauce. Includes daily soup and steamed rice. Lunch special $6.50
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco CA

I keep repeating this, but I love saucy eggplant dishes from Chinese restaurants. I love the texture and the flavor of this dish. The eggplants were large and chunky and the garlic chili sauce was salty and sweet. Yes please!

Spicy ma po tofu – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Spicy ma po tofu Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Tofu cubes with carrots and peas in a chili sauce. $6.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco CA

Omg, this wasn’t spicy AT ALL! I was so disapointed! And because they lined the container with some kind of fragrant leaf, everything started tasting like it. Yuck, I didn’t like the smell of that leaf and the resulting aftertaste in the food. This dish sucked!

Egg flower soup – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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Egg flower soup Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Hot soup with egg, seaweed, and tofu. Complimentary with lunch special.
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco CA

This was  a new one for me! I’ve never had a Chinese egg drop soup with seaweed in it. It wasn’t bad, but just different. There was nothing else in there – no tofu or vegetables. Kinda weird, but not untasty.

Egg flower soup Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

General Tso’s chicken – Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

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General Tso's chicken Xiao Long Bao Kitchen

Battered and deep fried chicken pieces in a special suace, with carrots and broccoli. Includes daily soup and steamed rice. Lunch special $6.50
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco CA

Mmm. This totally fulfills my random cravings for salty, fatty, deep fried food. This was pretty tasty and the batter to chicken ratio was decent – more chicken than batter per bite. And you can’t beat the price!