I get hungry just looking back at this photo. Pan friend pork buns are SO yummy, regardless of what my friend said about how they’re made. Let’s just say their not diet approved. I don’t care! I’ll sacrifice my waistline any day to eat these amazingly flavorful buns. Great job XLB Kitchen! 6 pieces for $5.95
Xiao Long Bao Kitchen, South San Francisco
Ramen in a soy broth with 4 pieces of BBQ pork, bamboo shoots, seaweed, and scallions. $11
Katana-Ya, San Francisco
This char siu ramen is on the 7×7 Big Eat List 2011, but frankly, I wasn’t impressed. Perhaps I’m just not a ramen expert, but the I didn’t find anything exceptional about it. My favorite part was the bamboo shoots and the pork was pretty tender, but I think the soup was too rich for my taste.
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Slowly smoked and finished with their house BBQ sauce. Ordered with mac and cheese, baked beans with pork, and cornbread. $13.95
Smokin’ Warehouse Barbecue, San Francisco
I love BBQ, that this was some pretty good BBQ ribs. It had a great smoky flavor and it was SO tender. The macaroni and cheese was such a guilty pleasure. It had the color and texture reminiscent of those from elementary school cafeterias. And that’s not a complaint! It was so yummy!
Diet coke.
Slanted Door spring rolls (foreground): shrimp, pork, mint, lettuce, vermicelli noodles.
Vegetarian spring rolls (background): tofu, shiitakes, cabbage, mint, lettuce, vermicelli noodles.
Served with peanut sauce. $10 for a half and half order
The Slanted Door, San Francisco
These were so good and refreshing. When we were ordering I only wanted the Slanted Door spring rolls, but the waiter suggested that we get half and half. I’m so glad we did because the Vegetarian spring rolls were amazing. I actually liked them better, hehe. The Vegetarian rolls had more flavor, mostly from the shiitake mushrooms. I did like how there was a thin slice of pork rolled throughout the Slanted Door rolls. The peanut sauce was different from others I’ve tried. It almost had mayo texture and flavor in it, very creamy. I wasn’t a fan at first, but it grew on me.
Grilled pork patty and sliced pork with sliced carrots and fennel bulb(?), vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, and cilantro. $8.20
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco
I’ve never had this before, but it was really good! I think this was the only non-pho dish ordered in the entire restaurant. Seriously, lol! I wanted to try something new and this fit the bill. The grilled pork slices were yummy. These were cut thicker than at other Vietnamese places. The pork patties were flavorful, but way too fatty for my taste. They left that gross fatty film in your mouth. The sweet, fish saucey liquid that it came in was delicious. The fresh herbs were great and really made the Vietnamese flavor. I wasn’t really sure how to eat this so I made things up! I first wrapped everything in some of the lettuce, but that proved too messy. I ended up using a small bowl to mix everything in small batches, poured some sauce over it and enjoyed!
With pasilla peppers, pulled pork, corn relish, jack cheese, and chipotle crema. Served with potatoes and wheat toast. $12.75
Ella’s – San Francisco
I thought this omelette was OK. The filling was really runny so that turned me off from the start. The egg also had a weird, plastic-y texture. There is no arguing that you get your money’s worth though – it was gigantic! It tasted fine, but I wish that the flavors had more punch. The whole thing tasted somewhat bland. The potatoes were just OK, too. I definitely had to used some ketchup to add more flavor. I have to say that my favorite part of my order was the thick wheat bread that came with it. Is that sad?
Cup of regular coffee. $2.50
Deep fried pork skins seasoned with chili, sugar and salt. $3.50
4505 Meats, San Francisco
WOW, these things are SO flavorful and addicting! I grew up in a traditional Filipino household so I’ve had my share of chicharrones, but these are like none I’ve ever tasted. They are so light and pillowy and they practically melt in your mouth to form a sticky, caramelly substance that you have to pick out from between your teeth. Absolutely amazing! I quickly ate an entire bag in one sitting and could have easily devoured a couple more bags afterward. I can taste them in my mouth as I write this – they’re THAT good!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010
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
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Steamed bean curd skins stuffed with what tasted like a meat and shrimp mixture, in a brown sauce and topped with chopped green onions.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco
This was one of the few successes during my visit to ton Kiang. It was very tasty and the 3 pieces were decently sized. I’m not sure what the oily brown sauce was, but it had a nice mild flavor. I loved the texture of the soft, filmy tofu skin surrounding the dense meat filling. I don’t know if these skins were store bought, but I would love to see how they are made by hand. It looks pretty cool from what I’ve seen online!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Thick corn tortillas filled with minced ground pork and cheese filling. $5 for two.
Balompie Cafe, San Francisco
$5 for two large pupusas – SCORE! Even less if you order them to go. I’ve only recently discovered this delicious and addictive, traditional Salvadoran dish. Where have I been, right!? These things are so warm and comforting and they can be filled with so many things. I always seem to order a meat and cheese combination. These pupusas (shown above) were very good and quite large for the price. I also tried their fish and shrimp pupusa, but didn’t enjoy it as much. It had a strong, artificial seafood flavor and aftertaste. Regardless, I would definitely recommend Balompie Cafe for yummy pupusas!
The pupusas are served with pickled vegetables and a traditional curtido. The pickled vegetables were scrumptious! The curtido consists of a lightly fermented cabbage slaw with chilis and vinegar, and a watery tomato salsa. I couldn’t help but drown my pupusas with the curtido, lol! No sense in wasting food!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
Steamed Shanghai meat (pork) and soup dumplings.
Ton Kiang, San Francisco
Are you kidding me?! This has got to be one of the worst Shanghai soup dumplings I’ve ever tried. I remember someone once saying that they didn’t like it when xiao long bao are steamed in foil cups, and now I know why! This dumplings were so dry and barely had any soup inside. The wrappers were thick and gummy, and the metallic reflection of the foil seemed sad compare to the beautiful, transulent green of a napa cabbage leaf or even a parchment round. If you want to try Shanghai soup dumplings for the first time, do not go to Ton Kiang!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012
Roasted pulled pork with pinto beans, salsa and wrapped in flour tortillas. $3.50 each
La Taqueria, San Francisco
My apologies, but this place is SO over rated and over priced! The tacos may be large, but they were bland and the juice from the salsa (seemed to be used as filler) kept dripping down my arm. It baffles me how these tacos made it on the 7×7 Big Eat 2011 list but then again, so did dim sum at Ton Kiang! Both are disappointing and not worth a special trek to try them. I honestly think that any taco truck in the Mission has better carnitas tacos and they’ll be cheaper too. You’ve been warned, lol!
7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2011, 2012, 2013
Vittle Monster 