bong su

The mouth-watering smells that float up to our apartment from Bong Su every night had us thinking...why hadn't we eaten there yet?? So Mr.S and I scrambled downstairs last week for a little Vietnamese pick-me-up of "shaking beef", and all kinds of delicious fare.

Bong Su feels like a lounge; there was no shortage of servers and hostesses walking around in backless tops. (I felt overdressed in a sweater and jeans!) It was a predominantly older crowd that night...a possible sign of wisdom and experience when it comes to knowing good food? Who knows, but I was ready to dig into one of the restaurant's famous appetizers, the Duck Mustard Wraps.


For an app, these rolls were a hefty size, filled with lean and flavorful shredded duck meat, alongside strips of mango and cucumber. And all wrapped up neatly in a leaf of mustard green.

It was served chilled, but now I'm wondering if it would have been better warm... The dipping sauce was certainly a crowd pleaser.

Mr.S's Hoi An Chicken arrived much to my confusion. It looked like a chicken melt (with cheese) which upon tasting, we found it to be a delicious coconut sauce. The mashed plantains were greasy, but had great flavor.


I came for the Shaking Beef, to compare it with the version at the Slanted Door.

Verdict? Definitely less sweet and the portion was more generous here. The flavor was spot on. What it lacked was the char on the meat, that crispy caramelization that occurs when meat hit an insanely hot wok. The version at the SD had this which imparted a great smoky flavor to the dish. Here, I really enjoyed the heavy seasoning on the beef, especially the black pepper, fish sauce and lime juice.

Bong Su's a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for. All the dishes are served family style, so there's no room to skimp. And the flavors are a homerun. Before I forget... my Mekong Martini sealed the deal for me. It was playful, delicious, and not overly sweet like many Jolly Rancher-style cocktails are now. It was a combination of lychee vodka, mango puree, pandan syrup, and what do you think is there a the bottom of the glass?

That's right, boba! Black tea tapioca pearls.

I'd come back for this alone....

the elusive sticky bun

Yes, this sticky bun was 1)sticky and 2)came in the form of a bun, but any reasonable breakfast pastry eating person knows that a good sticky bun is, but not limited to, all these things. They should also be large (in my opinion), somewhat soft yet chewy, and slathered in gooey caramel. My favorite are the ones that use a flaky croissant dough instead of a yeasted bread dough, but that's sometimes hard to find.


I dropped by Citizen Cake patisserie this morning for some sweet treats after brunching at Absinthe in Hayes. I suppose my first deterrent should have been the sheer size of the sticky bun. It was puny, but my craving was anything less, so I gave in and bought one. (It was about the size of a tennis ball.) I have to say, it was an overall disappointing experience. The dough was overly dense and meaty, like it hadn't risen properly, and maybe had just been sitting there all night and morning. The caramel was nice and sticky and rich. However, it left me wanting more. (My fingers were no where near sticky and messy enough after eating it!) At $3 a pop, I felt a bit pastry-cheated. Even my cherry ginger scone, at $3, was on the underdeveloped side.

Lately, I've been finding that the sticky buns and cinnamon rolls at Whole Foods are quite tasty. At only $2.19 apiece, they're right up my alley.

chocolate fungus

Mr.S and I breezed through Westfield shopping center, but not without a stop at the Sanrio store, and the specialty chocolaterie, CocoaBella. This lovable little chocolate mushroom is made of Michel Cluizel chocolate and hazelnut praline. Almost too adorable to eat, but it didn't take much to convince me....

CocoaBella Chocolates
2102 Union Street
San Francisco, Ca 94123

dessert update!

Mr.S and I don't usually order dessert when out. We are more appetizers folk. By the end of dinner, we hardly have room for the now-all-too-common chocolate pot-de-creme that sits as the first option on dessert menus all across the U.S. On a whim, after our entrees this past weekend while dining at Bong Su, we decided to rediscover our sweet tooths. And we were not disappointed.

Suffice it to say, we were more than impressed with the novelty, pairing, and flavors of this truly excellent dessert. A quenelle of toasted rice rice cream sat atop a sesame shortbread, with candied pralines, and served with a side of stone-fruit salad and toasted pinenuts. All this finished off with a drizzle of dulce de leche. Damn. Just writing that felt good.

The toasted rice ice cream was ingenious. It was mildly reminiscent of Korean toasted barley tea and rice pudding. The seasonality of the ripe plums and pluots was a wonderful addition. The perfect ending.

mad for avocado

I oftentimes wish avocado didn't have that large pit in the center... what a waste of space, that cavernous hole can easily be replaced by more fleshy, sweet meat. I love avocado; it's nature's butter- mild, grassy and sweet, and when ripe, perfectly creamy and silky. I've capitalized on these prized qualities in recipes for avocado pound cake and avocado ice cream, which were no doubt very interesting, yet delicious, concoctions.

At the Farmer's Market over the weekend, at the Ferry Building, I picked up these 2- the one on the left is a Bacon avocado (small for 75 cents), not yet at its full maturity, and a standard sweet Haas avocado ($2) on the right. I let the Bacon ripe up for 3 days on my counter, squeezing it everyday to test for doneness. The meat was a surprising pale green color, unlike the bright yellow of the Haas. More surprising though, was the taste. It was incredibly delicate and very sweet and light on the palate, with no sacrifice in oil content.

This may just be my new favorite fruit.

takoyaki

Mmm, octopus balls. No, not literally, but yes, literally. These little puffs are made of eggy batter and pieces of octopus. These takoyaki are a Japanese streetfood mainstay, grilled in special cast iron molds. Side one is cooked to a golden crispy brown, then flipped with a wooden skewer, letting side two cook to the same doneness. They're served in paper trays, doused with mayonnaise (or Kewpie), a sweet and savory sauce (like teriyaki), and sprinkled with tempura crumbs, dried fish shavings, and dried seaweed.

I picked up a tray of 8, to go, from Nijiya Market in Japantown for $2.99. Unsurprisingly, they definitely skimped on the octopus. But the batter was delicious and savory. Not a bad deal though, for just three bucks, I got a delicious streetfood lunch.

bigilla

In Malta, I tasted a delicious bean dip that is called bigilla. We had it every morning, slathered on fresh baked bread, with sausages and assorted sheep's milk cheeses. Bigilla is traditionally made with dried broad beans, but there are variations of the dip that use fresh fava beans. It's a staple in Maltese country cooking, but in recent years has made a comeback in mainstream and contemporary Maltese cuisine.

In trying to keep with authenticity, be sure to use plenty of fresh garlic, good olive oil, and the dried mint.

Try this as a dip with raw veggies, or a spread for sandwiches and wraps.

Bigilla (Maltese Bean Dip)
yields 1 cup

1 cup dried broad beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
dried marjoram, mint, and parsley (mixture)
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Soak the broad beans in cold water overnight. The following morning, cover the beans with salted water in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender, about 1 to 1.5 hours. Drain, and remove as much of the skins as possible.

2. Coarsely mash the beans, and stir in the remaining ingredients. Serve with bread or crackers.

blue bottle coffee

We walked over to the Ferry Building Farmer's Market this morning, unbenownstly unprepared, with only one cloth bag in hand, ready to face the seductive lures of summer ripe peaches, flour-dusted golden loaves, and deeply violet-hued fingerlings. On top of all these temptations, Mr.S and I, for the almighty love of the bean (the coffee bean, that is), stood in line for over 30 minutes at the Blue Bottle Coffee Company cart. Throughout our wait, I looked at the people around me, standing around patiently for $3 cups of lattes and $2 cups of made-to-order drip coffee. I couldn't help but wonder, is this all really worth it? Is the length of a line directly proportional to the quality of the product being waited on to be consumed? Why were we punishing ourselves by standing on a queue that had hardly budged in 20 minutes? Ahh, too many questions from a caffeine-starved brain...

When Mr.S handed over my cappuccino, I yelped (yes, like a terrier) a small "Oh!" of pleasant surprise at the brilliant coffee art.

And then I sipped. Very nutty, pleasant and smooth were some of the first thoughts that came to mind. All of Blue Bottle's espresso drinks use a ristretto, double shot and steamed Clover milk. The had nuances of hazelnuts and a subtle sweetness that was enhanced by the milk. I reveled in my delightful morning cup while snacking on their complimentary almond macarons (flavors vary weekly).

We watched the barista for awhile as he prepared custom made drip coffee for customers. He reminded me of a DJ, spinning, with all his tech-y equipment and layout.
He uses a filter drip system, a rather rudimentary one in this case of paper filters and cups, to essentially make coffee extractions. (The original technique uses bunsen burners, glass tubes and flasks for an extremely scientific and exacting process.) The grind and weight of the beans, volume of water, temperature of water, timing of extraction are all key components to a single cup of brew. No wonder people are consistently lining up week after week. This is definitely not your cup of Sanka.

Currently Blue Bottle operates a small cafe on Mint Street over Mission and 5th, as well as a kiosk in Hayes Valley. And of course you can find them Saturday mornings at the Farmer's Market, just be prepared for long lines. (Bring a book!)

cream top

Some people don't care for the cream top at the surface of bottled milk. I will never understand these people. It is the natural milkfat that floats to the top of more natural milk products that have only been partially homogenized. And um, it's really fricking good. It's like eating cream. Essentially, that's exactly what it is. Eating cream. I wish someone would just skim off the cream top, package it, and sell containers of this. I would undoubtedly be a repeat customer.

I bought a quart of Strauss Creamery 2% milk today, gently popped the top open, as to not disturb the cream on top, and dug in with a spoon. Yes, I know this was a bit decadent, but you really only get one chance to do this per bottle... You know you do it too.

egg custard tarts

I ran some errands in Chinatown today, and as a reward, treated myself to a box of dan ta, or egg custard tarts. These were my favorite Chinese dessert as a kid. The custard is a brilliant shade of yellow... creamy and subtly sweet. I prefer the bright yellow ones, a sign of a healthy dose of yolks used.

Equally good is the crust. Somewhat salty, it's similar to a good pie crust. It must be flaky (as a result of lard as one of the key ingredients and very delicate.

These were delicious, from Golden Gate Bakery. They were wrapped up for me still warm, with a buttery flaky crust.

dim sum!

The conveniences of living in a diverse, multicultural city- within half a block from my apartment, there's a cheap Indian chaat eatery, a Thai, Vietnamese, and Cantonese restaurants, a pizza place, a Japanese sushi joint, a Mexican chain restaurant, and of course, a Starbucks. I think I shall never go hungry again.

Lucky for me, the Cantonese dim sum place is one of the higher rated ones in SF. It's appropriately called Canton Dim Sum & Seafood, and though it sits far out of Chinatown, it still manages to draw a significantly authentic Chinese crowd consistently. Little old grandmothers throwing elbows and canes around trying to get a better look at carts full of chicken's feet and shumai- that's what I call a good time, and a safe bet that you're getting the real stuff.

The roast pork was well seasoned, thinly sliced, porky deliciousness. Maybe a bit on the fatty side, but if you're into that, then it's really quite good.


The fried tofu squares with soy sauce and scallions was nicely fried- not at all greasy, but crispy and light. This is a hard dish to mess up.


This was the only dish of the morning that none of us liked- the steamed pork spareribs with black bean sauce. The cuts of meat were way too large (they are usually only bite-size and very tender). And there was hardly any black bean flavor to the sauce (there were carrots though, somewhat odd...). Oh yes, and a grease trap of a dish. Bleh.


One of my favorites: Xia chang feng, or steamed rice roll with shrimp and soy sauce. It was perfect- soft and chewy rice texture, plump shrimp and a savory sauce poured on top.

A vegetarian delight, and another of my favorites of the morning: Su ji dou fu, dried tofu sheets wrapped to form a roll, stuffed with shitake mushrooms. It's brilliantly chewy, and the name translates to "vegetarian chicken tofu" or mock chicken tofu because the texture resembles eating chicken meat. Be aware though, as it may not completely be vegetarian since it's oftentimes braised in chicken or beef stock.
The stir fried pea shoots were a lovely shade of verdant green, and tender but still crisp at the same time. There were also huge chunks of garlic in there too. Mmmm... lethal!


My mum and dad got bowls of congee and silken tofu, both very traditional, though a tad on the bland side for me. The congee had chunks of hundred year old egg and preserved pickles, but was missing the fried red-skin peanuts that is the usual accompaniment. I enjoyed the tofu better, as it was incredibly soft and light, with a delicately sweet broth poured on top.


Though I had to loosen my belt at this point in the meal, I still made room for the steamed shrimp dumplings. Dim sum is not dim sum without shrimp dumplings. They had a good amount of ginger, and the wrappers were nicely chewy (I hate when they are over-steamed and mushy).


Canton's dishes definitely delivered and did not disappoint, with the exception of the spareribs. I found the menu to be slightly pricier than most dim sum places, but they also serve a high quality of dishes, with very fresh ingredients. I will more than likely frequent this restaurant, as I love dim sum carting, and I dim alot! (That'll be my only comedic contribution to this post.)

$1 book project

So... I'm STILL ALIVE and kicking! Just been super busy hopping from place to place... Officially moved into my new apartment in San Francisco last week, and a blustery cold week it was! (I've become quite used to the disgustingly humid summers of the mid-Atlantic now...)

And I'm currently sitting at our diningroom table in Malta, during one last week-long family hurrah before law school starts for me, and before my parents must return to the grind of well, working. We landed in Rome 5 days ago, relaxed for a couple days, drove to Florence and Venice for another 2 days, then flew here to the beautiful (and incredibly sun-drenched) island of Malta.

All this traveling, and moreover, literally gawking at how little an American dollar gets you in Euros these days, has reminded me of the value of a dollar and what it can buy from country to country (apparently not much now all across Europe!). Speaking of dollars and whatnot, I want to bring to everyone's attention the $1 Book Project. It's a compilation of reader-submitted photos of objects, across the world, that are worth exactly 1 US dollar, no more no less. Really amusing entries.

The object of the project, according to the creator:

"The $1 Book Project attempts to prove that the value of an object depends on culture and geographic location. Currently a work in progress, the following images explore the power (or lack thereof) of one American dollar. I asked people to submit a photograph documenting what they bought. They could not spend more than $1. Not a cent over."

So far, I've found a small pack of gum in a nearby Maltese supermarket and some postcards in Venice that cost roughly $1. So it's actually a much more difficult task than it may first seem. There's a link to a currency converter at the site; helpful for international folks. I'm certainly going to keep on searching in the next few days...