Tag Archives: Vietnamese

Willis Ranch lemongrass pork – Out The Door

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Willis Ranch lemongrass pork OTD

Over broken rice, pickled vegetables, pork and crab quiche, spicy soy. $15
Out The Door, San Francisco

The pork had a great flavor, but DAMN it was salty! When I say something wa salty, then it must have been super salty because I’m a frickin’ salt monster! Thank god there was a pile of rice there to cut some of the saltiness. I loved the beautiful pickled radishes.

Pork and crab quiche OTD

Pork and crab quiche with cellophane noodles. This quiche was actually better than the pork even though it was just a garnish. It had a great crab flavor. SO nommy!

Roasted pork banh mi – Saigon Sandwich

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Project 365: Day 19

I wasn’t feeling well this morning so I stayed in bed for most of the morning, then drove to the Little Saigon area in the Tenderloin to grab some banh mi. They were SO good. I proceeded to catch up of DVR all day and just generally relax so I could start feeling better. The last thing I need is to get sick right now. I need to remain healthy so I can get in great shape for the cruise, lol!

That and T-Head is taking me to Locanda tonight for a late birthday dinner. I’ve been wanting to try that place, but I know that it’s one of those super dark restaurants that you can barely see what your eating. I’ve mentioned this before, but I hate that! Isn’t part of enjoying your food is being able to see it! I ate at Bar Tartine which is near Locanda and that place was almost pitch black, argh! At least the food at Locanda should be very good. That’s what the reviews say anyway. I’ll be the judge of that!

Roasted pork banh me Saigon Sandwich

Vietnamese sandwich with sliced roast pork, pickled carrots and onions, jalapenos, cilantro and mayonnaise on a toasted roll. $3.50
Saigon Sandwich, San Francisco

I can understand why this is on the 7×7 Big Eat SF list. It’s super tasty and ONLY $3.50. I wasn’t too hungry but it’s a decent sized sandwich and I couldn’t finish it. The pork was very tender and flavorful and all the pickled vegetables, jalapenos and cilantro stuffed inside made it a very hearty meal. A winner!

7×7 Magazine’s The Big Eat San Francisco: 100 Things to Eat + Drink Before You Die – 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014

Banh hoi with grilled prawns and pork – Hometown Noodle 2

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Project 365: Day 6

Went to try this Vietnamese restaurant for lunch because this was the last day of their Grand Opening special. Free soda and 20% off the entire bill. Heck yeah! I guess this is their second location – the original restaurant is down in Redwood City. The food was pretty good and the lady was super nice, but a little slow and forgetful.

Can’t wait to bike to work tomorrow! I love the early morning cardio. My legs are still a little sore from squats at the gym yesterday. Rapunzel, Papa Chang and I are also gonna go for a quick ride during our lunch break. We’re gonna rule the road, lol!

Banh hoi with grilled prawns and pork Hometown Noodle 2

Banh hoi tom heo nuong. “Banh Hoi” is made by packing thin rice noodles together tightly into patties, then cut into squares. Banh hoi is combined with mint leaves, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, radish, cilantro, green onions, and ground peanuts. Served with house special fish sauce. $9.95
Hometown Noodle 2, San Bruno CA

This was very tasty, but you really can’t go wrong with Vietnamese food – the flavors are bright and refreshing. Both the pork and prawns were tender and flavorful. I really like the compressed vermicelli noodles! I don’t think I’ve had them like that before. I made one lettuce roll, but it was too messy so I ended up just dumping the fish sauce (and some chili oil) over the whole plate and using chopsticks to eat everything. I’m a simple man!

Caramelized catfish claypot – The Slanted Door

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Caramelized catfish claypot The Slanted Door

Served with cilantro, ginger, thai chilies, and onions.  $15
The Slanted Door, San Francisco

This was my absolute favorite dish at The Slanted Door!  I remember ordering this back in the day when the restaurant was still in its small space on Valencia Street.  I loved it then and I still love it today.  It has such a deep, rich flavor and the catfish is so tender and fall-apart flakey.  The sauce is SO amazing with the caramelized onions.  The catfish slices do have a lot of bones in them so be careful!  I’m used to fish bones, and I actually like that they’re there because they add more flavor to the dish.  Beautiful and delicious!!!

Cellophane noodles with crab – The Slanted Door

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Cellophane noodles with crab The Slanted Door

With green onion, fresh dungeness crab meat, and garnished with cilantro.  $19
The Slanted Door, San Francisco

This has got to be one of The Slanted Door’s most popular dishes.  It’s absolutely delicious and the flavors are amazing.  Even the noodles have absorbed a great seafood/crab flavor.  There are large chunks of dungeness crab hidden throughout the pile of clear, al dente noodles.

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

Slanted Door & Vegetarian spring rolls – The Slanted Door

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Slanted Door and Vegetarian spring rolls

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.

Vietnamese coffee – The Slanted Door

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Vietnamese coffee The Slanted Door

I decided to have a hot Vietnamese coffee during this meal, foregoing the iced version.  This was definitely a swankier version from the ones you get at your corner Pho shop.  The metal filter wasn’t beat up and they provide a pottery dish to place it on.  What I didn’t like was that the coffee had already finished dripping through the filter before it got to my table.  Part of the fun is watching it drip down.  The expeditor also stirred in the condense milk for me!  I appreciated the service but I would have preferred to do it myself.  😦  These are minor complaints though since the coffee was delicious!  $4
The Slanted Door, San Francisco

Prather Ranch beef carpaccio – The Slanted Door

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Prather Ranch beef carpaccio The Slanted Door

Served with roasted peanuts, rau ram (Vietnamese coriander), fresh lime juice and rice crackers with black sesame.  $12
The Slanted Door, San Francisco

This dish was tasty and very fun to eat!  The large rice crackers were great to break apart and eat with the beef.  They provided a nice crunch and didn’t take away from the carpaccio flavor.  I loved how they dressed the beef.  I don’t think I’ve ever had rau ram in this way.  I couldn’t quite tell what it was while I was eating it.  It didn’t have a lot of flavor, maybe a slight bitterness, but it was a pretty sturdy leaf.  I loved the texture combined with the roasted peanuts.  The color of the carpaccio was a little off-putting because the lime juice had begun to cook the beef and made it a weird grey flesh color.  Regardless, it tasted amazing!  Noms!

Rau rum (Persicaria odorata) is commonly called Vietnamese coriander, Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese cilantro, Cambodian mint, and hot mint.

Bun cha ha noi – Turtle Tower Restaurant

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Bun cha ha noi Turtle Tower Restaurant

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!

Pho ga – Turtle Tower Restaurant

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Pho ga Turtle Tower Restaurant

Chicken and rice noodles in a rich broth with cilantro, chopped green onions, and accompanied with sliced jalapeno peppers and lemon wedges. $6.20 small
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco

This chicken pho was really different from others I’ve tried.  The most obvious difference was the wide, thick noodles they use.  It also wasn’t served with a side of sprouts and sprigs of thai basil.  That said, I think it was absolutely delicious!  The broth was frickin’ amazing – so rich and complex.  I actually enjoyed that they kept the skin on the chicken pieces.  It seemed more authentic and definitely added more flavor.

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

Tsing Tao beer Turtle Tower Restaurant

Tsing Tao beer. $3.45
I totally forgot aobut Tsing Tao beer!  I’ve been spending too much time at sushi joints so I needed a good Vietnamese fix.  🙂

Vietnamese iced coffee – Turtle Tower Restaurant

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Vietnamese iced coffee Turtle Tower Restaurant

Filtered coffee with condensed milk.  $2.95
Turtle Tower Restaurant, San Francisco

I love Vietnamese iced coffee!  I can’t have it often because I feel so guilty consuming that much condensed milk, but it’s a nice treat when I do.  Turtle Tower does it right!  They bring it out to your table to drip through a dented filter while you eat your meal.  Afterward, all the coffee has dripped through and you can stir to mix in the condensed milk.  Pour it over the ice and you have the perfect after-meal sweet treat!  The coffee is dark and rich, nicely balanced by the sweet milk, and its slight bitterness is diluted by the partially melted ice cubes – lol!

Vietnamese iced coffee Turtle Tower Restaurant