Chicken feet in black bean sauce – Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant

Posted on September 26, 2012 by vicentesf

Chicken feet in black bean sauce - Tai Wu Mr. Fong's Restaurant
David wouldn’t eat any of these, so I was left with the chore. I guess I thought that I liked chicken feet from childhood, but maybe I was wrong. These were a hard to eat and too sweet and mushy for my taste. They were all skin and bones and I couldn’t finish them. Perhaps if they were piping hot I could have conquered, hehe! $3.60
Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant, Daly City CA

White flowers of the Globe Lily or Fairy Lantern (Calochortus albus, Liliaceae). These looked like they were on their way out, but I was glad to have caught them before the season was over.

Shrimp noodle rolls – Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant

Posted on September 25, 2012 by vicentesf

Thick rice noodles filled with shrimp and served with sweet soy sauce. These are yummy! $4.50
Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant, Daly City CA

View of the Pacific Ocean from Skyline College, College Road. The community college has a great vista where you can park and look out onto the ocean.

Siu mai – Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant

Posted on September 24, 2012 by vicentesf

Siu mai - Tai Wu Mr. Fong's Restaurant
Pork dumplings. These are a standard dim sum offering and I always seem to order them as a comparative measure. These weren’t too fatty and were of better quality than some other dim sum places.
Tai Wu Mr. Fong’s Restaurant, Daly City CA

Indian paintbrush (Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae)
Orange Indian paintbrush flowers (Castilleja sp., Orobanchaceae). We walked some hill trails near the restaurant and were treated to some spectacular wildflowers!

Egg custard tart – Golden Gate Bakery

Posted on February 9, 2012 by vicentesf

Buttery, flaky tart shell filled with warm, creamy egg custard.
Golden Gate Bakery, San Francisco

It took me 3+ months and four visits to finally get these! The first time I went, there was a festival going on and I waited in line but all they were selling (or I thought) were mooncakes! I got a pineapple mooncake and left but immediately saw that other people were ordering these from the back area. Argh! There was NO way I was going to wait in that long line again! The second couple of times the bakery was closed because they were on vacation. That’s all the sign said! It didn’t say when they were coming back either, lame! Finally, on the fourth trip I was able to snag a couple of these and there wasn’t even a line, score!

These egg custard tarts were worth it! They are probably the best egg tarts I’ve had! I’m not even a fan of these, but I really like Golden Gate Bakery’s version. The crust is super buttery and flaky, very different from others I’ve tried. And the egg custard filling is amazing! These tarts are larger than most so there’s a LOT of filling but I didn’t mind because it tasted so good.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013

Sesame ball – Yank Sing

Posted on January 21, 2012 by vicentesf

Not quite sure what the dough is made out of in this sesame ball, but it’s definitely covered in sesame seeds and deep fried. $1.10
Yank Sing, San Francisco

I totally lucked out when I went to get this because I had to wait a couple minutes and they were straight out of the oven. I don’t know if it’s because they were so fresh or if Yank Sing truly does make the best sesame balls, but these frickin’ ROCKED!

Inside of the sesame ball. I took this pic before I actually reached the dark doughy part in the middle.

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012

Cilantro fish fillet rice noodle rolls – Grand Palace Restaurant

Posted on January 7, 2012 by vicentesf

Fried fish fillet and cilantro wrapped in a sheet of rice noodle and topped with more chopped cilantro and sweet soy sauce. $3.95
Grand Palace Restaurant, South San Francisco

I really liked this dish! I was surprised that you could actually distinguish the fish fillet inside. I assumed they would chop the fish into little pieces, but the fillets were whole and intact! The rice noodles were steamed perfectly and I loved their texture. Put cilantro on anything and it’s usually good! I’ve never understood why some people can’t stand the taste of cilantro – they’re missing out.

Steamed phoenix scallop dumplings – Grand Palace Restaurant

Posted on January 6, 2012 by vicentesf

Steamed dumplings filled with shrimp and scallops. $3.20
Grand Palace Restaurant, South San Francisco

I think these are called phoenix dumplings because it’s supposed to look like a phoenix’s eye when you look down at the dumpling from above. It’s a bit of a stretch, but I get it. I’m not sure that the stringy starchy stuff is that they put on top. Maybe some kind of then noodles? These were delicious though with large chunks of shrimp and scallops inside!

Clams with black bean sauce – Grand Palace Restaurant

Posted on January 6, 2012 by vicentesf

Wok sauteed clams with chopped onions, red and green bell peppers in a black been sauce. $5.85
Grand Palace Restaurant, South San Francisco

These weren’t all that good. I think they were overcooked or something. The clams were tough and chewy and the whole dish didn’t taste particularly special. It looks like a lot of food, but the clams they use have really thick shells which makes up most of the volume. Don’t think I’ll be ordering these again.

Scallop and garlic dumplings – Hung To Seafood

Posted on December 25, 2011 by vicentesf

4 pieces of steamed dumplings filled with chopped scallops and garlic. $3.60
Hung To Seafood, South San Francisco

These delicate dumplings were pretty and pretty tasty! Again, the large pieces of scallops were a nice touch. Another winner from Hung To Seafood!

Crispy lobster turnovers – Hung To Seafood

Posted on December 24, 2011 by vicentesf

4 large pieces of deep fried turnovers filled with lobster and garlic chives, served with salad sauce. $4.20
Hung To Seafood, South San Francisco

I didn’t know what to expect when I ordered this, but I was pleasantly surprised. The pieces were huge and I love the large chunks of lobster inside. I will defnitely order these again! Not sure if the salad sauce really added to the dumplings though.

Baked bbq pork buns – Hung To Seafood

Posted on December 24, 2011 by vicentesf

3 buns filled with tender bbq pork and coated with a sweet glaze. $2.50
Hung To Seafood, South San Francisco

This is definite comfort food, noms! And you get three of these delicious buns for so little! These buns cover most craving bases – carbs, bbq meat, salty umami, and sweet. I just recently discovered Hung To Seafood Restaurant and it’s definitely going on my great food-great value list.

BBQ pork spareribs – Ton Kiang

Posted on October 10, 2011 by vicentesf

You can’t really mess up Chinese bbq pork spareribs, right? I mean all you have to do is marinate it, cook it, and voila – deliciousness! Not so. You certainly can make them really boring and forgettable. And Ton Kiang succeeds in doing this, sorry. There was very little flavor in these ribs, and even the fat was somehow bland if that’s possible. This is also one of their larger dishes you it’s gonna cost you more $$. Take my advice, don’t pull this one off the roving trays.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco