Recently in Food Category

Since when did 20:00 become "late" for a meal??

The last time I experienced this was when I was 10 years old OR...whenever I'm home in San Francisco.

I mean, there's clues abounds. The dearth of good late night (or horrible) late night places to eat. When even dives like the Grubstake have queues on the deck, down the stairs and onto the Pine street sidewalk, replete with bums and gusty westerly winds. Its 4-star rating on Yelp BTW is for being open late more than anything else.

I guess it's this. Either its "ignorance is bliss" or I'm not dead old enough to be here in ess eff. For the former, since I've been to a lot of Asia, LA and New York, I've gotten used to living life and being sociable. If I never left San Francisco, I may have thought that running home before the sun went down and not staying out past 20:00 was normal too. For the latter, it seems like people can be full of life when they're elsewhere. Once they're in SF however, they mutate into TV watching homebodies with no souls. Bah!

This blows! Time to get back to Asia! Anyone hiring out there?

Actually, that sounds like a Stephen Chow movie. Like God of Cooking. But unlike his movies, Won Ton King is a serious thing...

Serious Wontonmein. Seriously good...

San Francisco, which is still lacking good quality ramen, also lacks good proper Hong Kong style wontonmein. Well, it did until King Won Ton opened in the Sunset. When you first walk into the restaurant, you see a photo of a bamboo pole and noodle dough. They say that they make their noodles by using the pole, much like the celebrated shops in Hong Kong and Macau. The noodles come out springy and delicious. Besides the noodles, the rest of the restaurant also reminds one of Hong Kong. The entire place is fluorescent lit, the menu is on colored copy paper and the service is brusque and curt.

In other words, just like Hong Kong!! YAY!

The one area that's hit or miss is the wontons. On my first visit, the wontons were almost good enough for me to reduce my HKG trips to annual instead of biannual. The prawns tasted fresh. My second trip, the wontons weren't quite as tasty (frozen?) but the beef stew was very good. It practically fell apart when it was lifted from the bowl with chopsticks.

Mmmm...beef stew. With mein. And wontons!

So, what's the verdict? Is it the best in San Francisco? I think so. What to order? Anything that has the mein in it. But i'd go for any of the wontonmein variants. Order some Gai Lon and get some dong ling cha. Try to imagine being in Central just getting off of work. The illusion almost works until you receive your bill, which may as well be in Central because for what you're eating, it's expensive. It's a cheap meal here in SFO but it costs a lot more than it does in Central...

Guess I'll be still be traveling biannually to HKG, but Won Ton King will make the months I'm stuck here bearable. Like right now.

Won Ton King
1936 Irving Street (between 20th & 21st Aves)
San Francisco CA 94122
+14156829813

The day before a trip, it's good to have a proper brekkie before having your body all messed up by time change, jet lag and horrible airplane food.

Stack of pancakes at Stacks!

Of course for some people, this is the first real meal after time change, jet lag and horrible airplane food...

Don't let that charming face fool ya; she really liked the banana pancakes there!

Personally, I think, "not enough coffee"!

I mean, this is how I am after I take a shower!!

One of the "secret" amenities of Singapore Changi Airport are the Hawker Centres hidden away in each terminal; in the basement of Terminal 1 and on a secret mezzanine level between 3 and 4 in Terminal 2. Went to Terminal 1's today.

Except it's not a "hawker centre" but rather a "staff canteen". Doesn't sound as cool, does it? I guess it's not a true "hawker centre" because they're open only to 2100 on the weekends and 2000 on weeknights so it won't become a hangout? It's impeccably clean AND has great air-con.

Did I mention that's it really big AND they sell magazines and convenience items too?

I found an outpost of my favourite beehoon beef noodle place that I found at Harbourfront Food Centre on my last visit, so I had to have a bowl!

All "beefed" up and halal too!

The pictures don't adequately show how big this place is. There are two walls full of food stalls and there's patio seating outside too. It's not listed on the Changi Airport website but if you ask any of the staff, they can point you in the right direction. Or you can take the lift and get off where it says "Food Center Level 1". Apparently, I was told that Terminal 2 has better food! Will find out on Monday next week...

Here's the view from my seat

Terminal 1 Staff Canteen
First Floor
Singapore Changi Airport

In Pulp Fiction, one of my favourite movies of all time, there's an extended scene with the devil's helpers, a mysterious case, lots of guns (but no shotguns) and a miracle. There's also a burger from Big Kahuna Burger, "that haw-aii-aan burger joint". All of those other things aside, Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) was very impressed with the tastiness of the Big Kahuna Burger.

Now that's a tasty burger!

Of course, there are others who like tasty burgers too! Like certain hotel empire heiresses (yum!)...

There's a video that goes with this pic. Click here.

But an aside...we're not here to talk about heiress socialites and their cutting edge adverts/PR stunts. You DID notice they were advertising a burger in that last video, right? Let's look at Goodburger, a restaurant I literally found waiting for me after I left the MOMA around lunchtime.

I like to think Jules (or even Paris) would approve.

Goodburger
636 Lexington Ave (54th & Lex)
New York NY 10022
212-838-6000
www.goodburgerny.com

Hey y'all! I'm having pho for a late lunch.

Here's the view out the window.

Here's the pho:

It wasn't too bad. The broth was a bit more "beefy" than what I'm used to. Not as "zingy". The noodles were the flat vermicelli type. The beef was well done compared to the self cooking rare beef strips that come with the steaming hot broth. Not bad for a first meal.

Here's the place. More later!

I've got four frens that all turned 40 within the month of March. Typically, for most people, that's a cause for self-reflection and the beginning of the mid-life crisis (for any wisecrackers out there, there's no Porsche in my future). Here in the reality-distortion field that is San Francisco, it's just another special occasion, to rally the troops and to eat and drink well!

The pre-party began on Friday night where six of us assembled at the party venue for wine and steak. Bone in Rib-Eye! And some very fine reds. And last minute party-planning.

Hellboy cuts return! MMMMMMMEAT

After a salt and pepper rub and a thin coat of olive oil, off it goes into the All-Clad!

This is where wine, mushrooms and jus go. Reduction!

Dinner!

The next night's highlights (besides the attendees) included a BV Tapestry Flight. Bottles from 1996-2003 were to be opened and tasted. We opened. And tasted.

Part of Saturday's flight

The wine flowed...

...and was drank

Good wine and happy people

Just so you don't get the wrong idea about these parties, they ARE family friendly. For the first two hours.

Jeon and Son, Solicitors

Christine and a new fren (so shy lah)

This is more par for the course!

Kawaii ne? She wants to learn how to ride a motorcycle. Good for her!

From the left, David, Garren, Wal, Mark. March brats.

Typically, you knew the evening was winding down when karaoke began.

I'm singing i'm singing

Actually, our parties end like this, in a mugging!

When the evening started, this was empty

Unlike the previous parties, this was quite tame. Only about 2/3 of the usual suspects showed up, there was actually more wine at the end of the party than at the beginning and no one wound up barfing in front of the house. Also, there was no X-rated kissing and cleanup was almost Japanese in efficiency. Hopefully, since cleanup was easy this time, there'll be another party here soon!

Definitely! This was the meal this evening at the California Culinary Academy. They have a restaurant where you can dine while the chefs in training "practice" on you. When I say "practice", I mean cook for you. Look out! Food ahead!

This was so good, I forgot to take a pic of it before I started eating!

It was a medium/medium rare NY steak and lobster tail with a hunka smashed potatoes in the middle. Looks pretty too.

Dessert was a combo plate. Looks good and devoured quickly.

Oh yeah, there was rabbit food at the beginning, but since I wanted to rave about how good the meal was, I left this first part for last.

Rabbit food, how exciting...I mean HOW EXCITING!!

California Culinary Academy
625 Polk Street
San Francisco CA 94102

In event planning, the devil's in the details. Such as it was with my friend's 40th Birthday Party. Mark's not one to do things on a small scale. And his party (planned by his wife, Angie) was planned very well. How?

First, there was a pre-party.

Kinda like kissing the ring, except these are balls!

Watching Cars with a good red wine

First taste! Mmmmmm.

Two guys and a lotta gals!

About 20 of use met at his house and proceeded to down 9 bottles of wine in three hours along with hoity-toity snacks to go with the wine including:

Totino's Pizza Rolls
Jalapeno Cheese Poppers
Meatballs
Blondies
Spicy sausage wrapped in bacon
Mashed potatoes (?)

Perfect snacks to complement a 2001 Whitehall Lane...

Freshly killed mashed potatoes...

Next, we all carpooled (except for the birthday couple and 10 select guests) to dinner in Palo Alto where we proceeded to be loud, silly and downing 11 more bottles of wine which was brought from the house.

As the evening went on, the crowd got sillier.

This be the G-rated version!! WAHAHAH

Even the birthday "cake" wasn't free of silliness!

Looks like they're fighting over who gets to eat it first...

She won that contest...

That's a lotta empties...

After dinner, we continued our festivities at Blue Chalk and then ended with a nightcap back at the house. That was fine, until the karaoke was fired up. I endured k-tv until 0330 when I declared it was time to leave. And that's why I got home at 0430 this AM!

This was Coy at 0330. Crashed and burned