150. Bay Area - Unique Dim Sum at Tai Wu / 太湖魚翅酒家飲茶 (Bay Area: Daly City)

Many people have said that the best dim sum in America is in San Francisco's Chinatown.  These people don't quite have it right, but they are not far from where the best dim sum actually is.  San Francisco's Chinatown is home to many Chinese from southern China, specifically Canton (Guangdong) Province; there is no doubt about that.  However, the Chinese who reside there are second, third, and even fourth generation Chinese and Chinese-American that may have lost the authentic taste and traditional method of making dim sum.  Better tasting and more authentic flavors of dim sum are made by the Chinese from Hong Kong, and many of the first generation immigrants reside outside of the city.  Daly City in the Peninsula region of the Bay Area is exactly where some of the best dim sum in America is, and that is exactly where my friend Pei took me to eat.

Tai Wu (太湖魚翅酒家), apparently also called Mr. Fong's, offers some unique items that neither San Francisco's Chinatown nor the San Gabriel Valley in LA have.  We didn't order any siumai or hargow, normally staples at any dim sum gathering.  We did, however, order these mini daikon cakes that blew my mind.  The menu reads sauteed turnip cake with XO sauce (XO醬蘿卜糕), but it was so obvious that they were deep fried.  These normally flat and rectangular tiles were made into dice sized cubes, which meant that there was more surface area for crispy, golden goodness.  Holy deliciousness.

We also ordered steamed rice noodles with pork ribs (特式排骨蒸手拉腸).  The rice noodles are generally machine made and then typically rolled around shrimp or chasiu pork, but these were hand pulled rice noodles and then covered with spare ribs in a flavorful black bean sauce.  It was saucy, savory, slightly spicy, and just so delicious.

For dessert, we chomped down on some golden and flaky egg custard tarts (酥皮蛋撻), but Pei pointed me toward these baked "durian" fruit puffs (金枕榴蓮酥).  Why durian is in quotations is beyond me, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.  Though the King of Fruits is known for its utterly unbearable odor, the pastry isn't nearly as smell as one would think.  The "durian" puree inside is smooth, creamy and has a slight hint of pineapple.  Supposedly, this type of Golden Pillow type of durian is the most common of all exported durians from Thailand.  Think about a smooth, ripe avocado blended with tropical taste and fibrous texture of a pineapple... and then enveloped by a crusty pastry.  That is what we had.  Definitely worth a try.


We also ordered the requisite chicken feet (豉汁蒸鳳爪) among other dim sum favorites like baked taro buns (芋泥雪山飽), but the unique dishes are truly extraordinary here.  Next time you look for dim sum in the Bay, check out the Peninsula area rather than heading into the city.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

Tai Wu (Mr. Fong's) Restaurant / 太湖魚翅酒家
950 King Drive
Suite 100
King Plaza Shopping Center
Daly City, CA 94015

ML - 20130905

Post 60: San Francisco - For Love and Adventure

Back in April I headed up to San Francisco to witness Boy and Girl tie the knot.  Boy and Girl's wedding theme was For Love and Adventure, a very fitting theme considering that Boy and Girl love to travel, love food, and of course, love each other very much.  I thought it would be creative to put a little wedding spin on this post and dedicate it to Boy and Girl.  Here are something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue that I came across on my adventure through San Fran. 

Turtle Tower (SF: Civic Center)

Something old - Chicken pho (pho ga long)

It's not that the chicken is stale or that the noodles are old... in fact, the chicken is juicy and tender, and the noodles are picked up by the owner fresh each day.  Chicken pho is old in the sense that it's something familiar, something homey, something comforting.  Speaking of comforting, this big bowl of chicken noodle soup was what cured six Saturday morning hangovers.  And what better way to cure a hangover with a steaming bowl of clear broth made from organic, free range chicken? Only in San Francisco will you find the chicken used in pho to be good not only for man but for the animal as well.  Think chicken pho is good? The server says, "pho ga long is better!" If you're alright with giblets, you'll certainly agree.

Little Delhi (SF: Union Square)

Something new - Badami chicken

The first dish I order at Indian restaurants is usually chicken tikka masala.  The creamy yet spicy curry dish is simply irresistible.  This time, however, I went for something new.  The first dish that I ordered was the house recommended badami chicken, a dish prepared by adding tandoori chicken to creamy curry with ground pistachios and cashews.  Grinding up the pistachios and cashews contribute a depth of flavor to the curry so that it's not just spicy but a bit nutty tasting too.  It went great with the garlic naan, and it tasted even better as a dipping sauce for the samosas too.  Even Kevin, who wanted nothing other than garlic naan, helped himself to a few extra spoonfuls of this exotically fragrance dish.  Badami chicken was definitely something new for me.  If only more Indian restaurants served this dish along with the other items on the menu.

Hong Kong Lounge (SF: Outer Richmond)

Something borrowed - Sticky rice wrapped in lotus leaf (秘制果蒸粽)

I'm not sure what inspired Hong Kong Lounge to create an enormous, eight dollar, Chinese sticky rice wrap at dim sum, but I wouldn't be surprised if they borrowed the idea of super sizing everything from the land that's known for foot-long sandwiches, double-decker burgers, and extra large slurpees.  Often times dishes that are made to gargantuan proportions are somehow neglected if not by health, then by flavor or by lack of quality ingredients.  This sticky rice wrap is not the case.  It's full of savory pork, flavorful Shiitake mushrooms, roasted peanuts, fresh egg yolk, and saucy sticky rice.  Check out how big the wrap is sitting next to the tea cup.  That's some heavy duty Chinese flavor, for real.

SFO Aviation Museum & Library (SF: San Mateo Co.)

Something blue - Boy and Girl's wedding (SF: SFO Intl Airport)

If I were to really highlight something blue that I ate, it would just be the bleu cheese from the salad at the wedding.  But how far would I get talking about the bleu cheese in a salad? What was truly blue (in color not emotion) was the wedding itself.  From the Pan Am stewardess outfits on display to the creatively packaged Hershey's chocolate bars to the handmade table decorations to the groom's tie and the M&M's, there were vibrant shades of blue everywhere.  A beautiful color... a beautiful wedding theme... a beautiful couple.

Cheers to the happy couple, Moritaka and Cheryl.  I wish you a lifetime of happiness, much love and much adventure! I can't wait to hear more stories of food and travel.  Until next time let's get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20110428-0501

Post 26.3: Vancouver - Day 1 (Breakfast)

Breakfast: From Doughnuts to Dim Sum

I was set on having some delicious dim sum for breakfast on my first full day in Vancouver, so I woke up bright and early and hopped into the apartment's gym for a workout to motivate my metabolism into a manic mode.  I was ready to eat! But alas, dim sum in Canada apparently doesn't get good until close to noon.  So Amanda took me to two pit-stops to pass the time.

Pit-stop 1: Bank of Montreal for some USD-CAD forex (not that exciting)
Pit-stop 2: Tim Hortons, Canada's largest coffee and doughnut chain (much more exciting)

Warming up.

After stretching my stomach with doughnuts, I planned to capitalize on dim sum.

According to Wikipedia (my flawless source of go-to, get-it-quick information) Tim Hortons surpasses McDonald's in fast food sales and knocks Starbucks out of the ballpark in Canadian coffee sales.  Wow, the Canadians must really not like us that much.

The Canadian maple.  The center is filled with maple-flavored custard.

You can't get anymore Canadian than that.

I had noticed the unexpectedly high number of customers at a brightly-lit Tim Hortons on the way back to Burnaby the night before. Either nothing else was open, or this doughnut store is that good. Turns out, it's both. 

Highly patriotic. 

The sprinkles are in the shapes of maple leaves.

Tim Hortons gets pretty creative when it comes to fashioning their doughnuts.  The sprinkles on the Canadian doughnut, made especially for Canada Day (July 1), screamed patriotism with its bright red maple leaves.  I mean, we've got red, white, and blue doughnuts in America... but I've yet to see an Independence Day doughnut with sprinkles in the shape of stars and red and white striped glaze.  Granted, that doughnut would be a lot more complicated to make, but I'm pretty sure Krispy Kreme can manage.

Tim's tiny bits.  I chose at least one each of...

the apple fritter, dutchie, honey dip, sour cream glazed, and chocolate glazed.

The doughnut holes at Tim Hortons (called Timbits) are pretty frickin' creative too.  They don't only have the simple glazed doughnut hole (a few tossed in with each purchase at the local shop in the USA), but they have over a dozen different flavors.  From the apple fritter to the honey dip to the sour cream glazed, it was tough to choose just 10 for my box.

Pretty and porous. 

Amanda pinches the golden inside of a honey dip Timbit.

No worries.  All I needed was a little snack... just a little something to warm my stomach up for... dim sum! So I moved from doughnut holes to dim sum... from one bite-sized item to the next bite-sized item.  Here's a look at the mass of munchies from East No. 1 Seafood Restaurant (第一樓海鮮酒家) that Amanda and I challenged ourselves to:

Har gow (蝦餃).  Steamed shrimp dumplings.

Three jumbo shrimp are encapsulated inside delicate rice paper wrappers.

Siu mai (燒賣).  Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings.

Mini salmon roe grace the top.

Ngow chang (牛腸).  Thick rice noodles wrapped with beef.

It basks in a sweeter but more oily (yet somehow lighter) soy sauce.

 Wu gok (芋頭角).  Deep-fried taro fritter (also a dumpling).

A thousand flaky crunches surround a sweet taro paste and savory ground pork.

Loh bak goh (蘿蔔糕).  Pan-fried turnip cakes.

Spots of Chinese chorizo are lodged intermittently throughout.

Cha siu soh (叉燒酥).  Baked BBQ pork pastries.

The multi-layered flaky crust covering the sweet pork flies when you take a bite.

Ham sui gok (鹹水角).  Literal trans: salty dumplings.

Ground pork and diced mushrooms fill the interior of the football-shaped mochi dumpling.

Vancouver is quickly becoming the new mecca for Chinese food, especially Cantonese cuisine.  Top restaurants in Vancouver have lured the best Chinese chefs from Hong Kong away from their homeland in order to employ them in the highly competitive market of Cantonese cuisine.  As one of the world's most livable cities, Vancouver can be a good enough reason in itself for the chefs to move.  It's no surprise that dim sum all over Vancouver has to be good... or the restaurant is ruined.  Amanda and I continued to see regulars savor their favorite dim sum dishes as dim sum newbies practiced their Cantonese (and their chopsticks).  It's safe to say that East No. 1 Seafood Restaurant has survived the generations and will continue to do so. 

(7 dishes x about 4 per order) / 2 eaters = approximately 14 super big mouthfuls per person.  I was so stuffed, especially because the doughnuts, which I had previously thought would stretch my stomach out, actually cushioned the dim sum as it landed in my stomach.  Eek.  But a successful dim sum brunch, nonetheless.  How much breakfast can I eat? Quite a bit, I guess.

All Romanizations were translated from Cantonese rather than Mandarin to reflect the Cantonese origin of dim sum.

Next post: Lunch!

ML - 20100713/20100702