Cassava vermicelli soup with crab meat – Nha Hang Ngon

Cassava vermicelli soup with crab meat - Nha Hang Ngon
Mien cua. With onions and cilantro, served with assorted greens. 60,000 VND
Nha Hang Ngon, Ho Chi Minh City VIETNAM

This soup was really good! The crab meat was actually dried crab meat which was a letdown for me. I don’t mind the flavor and texture of dried crab meat, but I was looking forward to fresh tender crab instead. Again, the amount and variety of greens they give you for your soups is SO awesome in Vietnam!

Soup additions - Nha Hang Ngon
Assorted greens, sprouts, limes, and chilies for the soup.

Food preparation tables - Nha Hang Ngon
Food preparation tables along the side of the restaurant.

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Hue spicy noodle soup – PPQ Beef Noodle House

Hue spicy noodle soup - PPQ Beef Noodle House
Bun bo hue. Beef shank, pork hock, fancy pork and tendon in spicy lemongrass beef broth with round noodles. Accompanied by sprouts, lemon, jalapeno, basil, onions and cilantro. Medium $8
PPQ Beef Noodle House, San Francisco CA

Wow, this was really good! I loved the spicy broth and the mixture of ingredients. The last hue soup I experienced had blood cubes in it which is probably more authentic (I’m guessing), but I liked this version better. Blood cubes are a bit too rich more my taste. This broth had a deep, rich flavor that was brightened up a bit by the lemongrass. I could eat this for days!

Bon Tempe Lake
Bon Tempe Lake.

Shredded chicken noodle soup – PPQ Beef Noodle House

Shredded chicken noodle soup - PPQ Beef Noodle House
Pho ga xe phay. Hand pulled chicken in chicken broth with flat noodles. Accompanied by sprouts, lemon, jalapeno, basil, onions and cilantro. Medium $7.75
PPQ Beef Noodle House, San Francisco CA

This place was packed when we ate here and I could see why. The food is pretty good and the prices are great. The service is friendly enough but sometimes a little confused because the large volume of tables constantly turning. It’s all about the broth for me when eating pho, and this place has good broth. The flavor could have been a little deeper, but that’s easily compensated for by adding some spicy condiments. Yum!

Soup add ons - PPQ Beef Noodle House
Soup add-ons.

Thread agave
Thread agave (Agave filifera, Asparagaceae), West Field Road.

BBQ Gulf shrimp – Town Hall

BBQ Gulf shrimp - Town Hall
Worcestershire sauce, scallions, sprouts, garlic herb toast. $15
Town Hall, San Francisco CA

This tasted good, perhaps way too salty, but it still had great flavors. You would think that a nicer place like Town Hall would know better than to over-season their food, but maybe they were having an off night. Nicely cooked shrimp has to be one of my favorite things especially with the heads attached. I’ve always been surprised at how many people won’t try sucking out the heads because they’re afraid or disgusted. But that’s where all the favorite is! Mmm, shrimp heads are SO amazing, NOMS!

Game still life
Game still life, de Young Museum.

Pickled egg and anchovy – Roxy’s Cafe

Pickled egg and anchovy - Roxy's Cafe
Shishito pepper, bulgur wheat, sprouts. 10-course chef’s tasting menu $75
Roxy’s Cafe, San Francisco CA

Mmm, I love pickled food items! I really enjoyed all the flavors in this dish. The bulgur wheat was a little hard to chew, but I liked that its mellow flavor helped to tone down the acidity of the pickled egg and anchovy. And of course you all know that I love shishito peppers! I’m not quite sure what the pale condiment was because it had a very subtle taste that I couldn’t figure out. This dish was beautiful and tasty!

Holocaust Memorial
Holocaust Memorial by George Segal, California Palace of the Legion of Honor.

Foie gras cuit au torchon – L’Epigramme

Foie gras cuit au torchon - L'Epigramme
Duck liver cooked “in a towel” (usually shaped into a log shape using cheesecloth or plastic wrap), watermelon gelee, sprouts (+3€ supplemental). Entree/Plat/Dessert option 28€
L’Epigramme, Paris FR

Like I said in a previous post, this was our favorite meal/restaurant during our trip. The place is actually really small without any sidewalk tables, but I think they can seat a few people outside in their adjacent patio. There seemed to be 5 people working here – an older man and woman along with a younger lady worked the front, and two guys worked the small kitchen which was visible from the small dining room.

The woman (probably in her 40’s?) was our waitress and she was amazing! She knew just a little more English than we knew French (which is barely anything), but she did a great job explaining all the menu items through gestures and broken English phrases, bless her! There were no paper menus, but a 3-foot tall dry erase board that she brought to the table for us to look at. Later, she had to grab the other dry erase board hanging outside the front door because there were more tables ordering. It thought that was charming. 🙂

Foie gras cuit au torchon - L'Epigramme
I’m sorry to all the animal activists, but I had to order foie gras since it’s banned in California. Ok, I’m not actually sorry, hehe. I love this stuff! What I do feel bad about was having to eat this entire thing on my own because my dining partner doesn’t like foie gras. But I was NOT about to let a good thing go to waste! It was absolutely delicious, but way too much for just one person. I thought the presentation was beautiful and the little watermelon gelee logs were super cute.

Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe, Place Charles de Gaulle. This triumphal arch commemorates the soldiers from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. It’s a pretty magnificent sight to see!

Korean bbq skirt steak salad – The Tropicale

Korean bbq skirt steak salad - The Tropicale
With peanut ginger vinaigrette, napa cabbage, bean sprouts, taro root chips, carrots and scallions. $21
The Tropicale, Palm Springs CA

The flavors in this dish were great, but the skirt steak was overcooked and super charred. It’s not fun eating a stick of black ash. 😦

Noodle soup #10 – Pho Big Bowl

Noodle soup #10 - Pho Big Bowl
Pho tai chin nam. Eye round steak, brisket and well-done flank, served with thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeno and lemon. Medium $5.75
Pho Big Bowl, Seattle WA

Soup additions - Pho Big Bowl
There’s something very comforting about pho. The rich beef broth is usually so flavorful and completely warms your body. Mix in a little heat, sour, and umami and you have a winning combination! Mmm.

Seattle rain aftermath
Seattle rain aftermath, Ballard.

Chicken lettuce wraps – Lulu California Bistro

Chicken lettuce wraps - Lulu California Bistro
Minced chicken, water chestnut, crispy noodles, and sprouts served with lettuce wraps. Happy hour $7.49
Lulu California Bistro, Palm Springs CA

This wasn’t the best chicken lettuce wrap I’ve ever had. In fact, it was just marginal. But the price was great and the fun, hip atmosphere at Lulu helps to make up for the mediocre food.

Driving towards Morongo Valley
Driving towards Morongo Valley, Twentynine Palms Highway.

Bun cha cio – Little Saigon

Bun cha cio - Little Saigon
Imperial rolls (deep fried stuffed with minced pork, taro root and carrot) with rice noodles. Served with shredded lettuce, carrot, mint, bean sprouts, green onions, peanut, and house fish sauce. $6.75
Little Saigon, South San Francisco CA

Mmm, I love Vietnamese imperial rolls! I enjoy the crispy, almost hard texture of its fried wrapper and the salty fish sauce that it always comes with. Almost as good as lumpia, hehe.

South San Francisco Bart Station artwork
Artwork at the South San Francisco Bart Station.

Goi cuon – Zadin

Goi cuon - Zadin
Summer rolls. Steamed shrimp and pork, rice vermicelli, bean sprouts, red leaf lettuce, cilantro and mint wrapped in rice paper served with peanut sauce. $8.50
Zadin, San Francisco CA

Being the little piggy that I am, I enjoyed that these summer rolls came with both shrimp and pork inside! In gnereal, I’d also have to say that I was impressed with all their sauces. Go Zadin!

Marble stairs, US Customhouse
Marble stairs, US Customhouse, Battery Street.