153. Bay Area - HK Style Chinese BBQ at Cooking Papa / 好煮意 香港大排檔 (Bay Area: Santa Clara)

If you are in the Bay, and all you want is some Chinese food, Cooking Papa in either Santa Clara or Foster City is a good choice.  This Hong Kong style restaurant is not really an eye-opening surprise of ridiculous deliciousness.  It is just good food.  It is quick.  It's affordable.  It's no fancy restaurant, and it's no hole-in-the-wall either.  And it satisfies when you are hungry.  It was the first place that I stopped at on what seemed like a never ending journey through Bay Area.

Cooking Papa makes some solid Cantonese BBQ, referring to the roasted chicken, duck, and pork on the menu (or hanging in the window).  Juicy and succulent, our combo platter of roasted duck and pork (燒味雙拼) fit the bill just right.  This, by the way, is different from Peking duck, which is northern style BBQ.  Northern or Peking style roast duck focuses on the crisping of the skin; the meat is usually not as succulent.  On the other hand, southern or Cantonese style roast duck focuses on the tenderness of the meat.  It is usually very juicy, and the skin is usually not as crisp.

The house special pan fried noodle (招牌煎麵) is on the money too.  It is an authentic take on a Hong Kong style chow mein, frying up the yellow noodles until they are crisp all around... and then smothering the top with sauced up scallops, shrimp, pork, mushrooms, and bok choy.  This is one of those dishes that everyone at the table dives into, and each individual douses their portion with extra soy and chili.


What is spectacular about Cooking Papa is the dessert... and not just any dessert.  The Hong Kong style egg puff (鬆化沙翁), which should be ordered at least ten minutes in advance of your desire for dessert, is particularly dramatic.  These egg puffs are somewhat like waffles, only that puffed up hemispheres of batter take the place of the square shaped dips in a typical American waffle.  They typically fit into a paper sleeve to be held while eating on the streets of Hong Kong, but it looks like the Papa injected some Godzilla portioned steroids into these overly gargantuan super sized monstrosities.  Oh, and then Papa dusted it with some powdered sugar.  Cray cray.  The egg puffs are a sweet way to end the meal.

Until next time, let's get S.O.F.A.T.

Cooking Papa / 好煮意
2830 Homestead Rd.
Santa Clara, CA 95051

ML - 20130831

152. Bay Area - Orenchi Ramen and the Amazing Soft Boiled Egg / 俺ん家ラーメン (Bay Area: Santa Clara)

Orenchi Ramen in Santa Clara has the best ramen in the Bay Area hands down.  There.  I said it.  Whether it is the house special with the traditional tonkotsu broth, other variations with a simple salt or shoyu base, or even the dipping tsukemen that is only offered to 15 early bird patrons, any noodle at this Japanese ramen house is sure to please... even if it is over 100 degrees outside.

The texture of the noodle is chewy and elastic, just the way that pulled noodles from Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan should be.  And although I cannot say the noodle has any particular flavor, it is submerged in a broth that is concentrated, almost milky with absolute pork essence.  The soft boiled egg that sits atop the liquid lipid lake is the crown jewel of the bowl.  Typically, ramen from other restaurants comes with just half an egg, but Orenchi grants guests a whole entire egg, the white of which encapsulates the gleaming gold that lies within.

A must try is the french fries okonomiyaki style (お好み焼き風ポテトフライ).  Orenchi substitutes the traditional bottom of an okonomiyaki pancake with good ol' French fries, but the top is still the same... tart Japanese mayonnaise, drizzles of otafuku sauce, some seaweed seasoning, and a generous heap of bonito flakes.  We all love topping our fries off with some greasy goodness (think carne asada fries), so you know that this is a mouthwatering monstrosity. 


With our own bowls of ramen and fries to share, it is hard to order anything else.  We did manage to scarf down some karaage with everything, but there is still an extensive menu that includes takoyaki, potato croquettes, and roasted pork over rice that requires exploring.  But I guess we can save that for our next visit... hopefully not in 100 degree weather.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

Orenchi Ramen
3540 Homestead Rd.
Santa Clara, CA 95051

ML - 20130907