Charles Phan's The Slanted Door

San Francisco has many iconic restaurants that define the city and show the world how San Franciscans know what good food is about.  The Slanted Door is one of those restaurants.

From its roots in the Mission District to its rise of fame thanks to Bill and Chelsea Clinton, The Slanted Door has come a long way and continues to thrive with locals and tourists.  The Ferry Building is now the perfect setting for this world class restaurant.

The food is pricey, especially for Vietnamese food.  But, you get quality, presentation, atmosphere, service, and that Charles Phan branding.  And the food is so good and memorable, you'll want to go back.

While you're at the Ferry Building, check out his Out the Door operation and his little market place behind the restaurant.  I have huge respect and admiration for chefs that are also businessmen, and Phan has truly become a San Francisco success.

If you can't see the slide show here, check out my Flickr album: Slanted Door

Banh Mi Craving Satisfied

One of my favorite sandwiches ever is the Vietnamese banh mi sandwich.  Crunchy, light, airy Vietnamese style French baguette sandwiching meats, pickled vegetables, and herbs.  It's filling and fresh with a great blend of flavors in every bite.

If I'm near the East Bay at lunch, Milpitas has some great banh mi choices.  Dakao 2 (because there are other Dakaos in San Jose) has some excellent banh mi and other classic Vietnamese choices.  My banh mi craving was completely satisfied after one sandwich.  The bread was light and crunchy, and the filling was just right in quantity and balance of tastes.

Along with the sandwich, we also ordered the traditional fresh and fried rolls.  Both excellent and freshly made for the day.  The atmosphere is rugged and casual, while the service is excellent and friendly.  I'm definitely coming back here the next time I'm in town.

Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

If you can't see the slideshow, check out my Flickr album: Dakao

Neighborhood Eats: Ba Noi

When you're at home, there are some nights when you don't want to eat in - the cooking and the clean up takes a certain mood. And there are also those nights when you want to eat out, but you don't want to go too far. The solution: neighborhood eats.

Ba Noi is one of those neighborhood restaurants that's cozy and serves up comforting Vietnamese cuisine. I love that Vietnamese cuisine, like Thai cuisine, has sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavors in most of their dishes. These flavors really add complexity to any dish that makes you want to eat more and more. There's something about Thai and Vietnamese cuisine that satisfies you and doesn't make you feel grossly full.


Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Ba Noi

Banhi Mi for Lunch!

Instead of craving for burritos and deli sandwiches, this time I was really craving for banh mi - Vietnamese sandwiches. That light and crispy Vietnamese-French bread, with the fillings contrasting with pickles and jalapenos. Vietnamese sandwiches are seriously one of the best sandwiches in the world.

When I'm back in the states, especially the Bay Area, I tend to search for eats on Yelp. According to Yelp, the better banh mi near the Peninsula was in Sunnyvale at Cam Hung. Four solid stars. Usually, that means it's pretty good. Unfortunately, the four stars didn't ring true here. The bread wasn't crispy at all, and the fillings were really dry.

That made me want to drive farther to get the really good quality banh mi. Milpitas and San Jose are the cities to go to for quality and authentic banh mi. Huong Lan serves up some really good sandwiches that totally fulfilled my craving. The grilled pork was tasty, the sardines were good, and the classic ham, pate, and headcheese keeps you coming back for more.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Banh Mi

Modern Vietnamese at Xanh

When I first moved to Asia last year, I would find myself really craving for Mexican food. My cravings for foods that I grew up with change each time I revisited the states. Mexican, burgers, pizza, ramen, and so on. This time around, I had a craving for Vietnamese cuisine.

Because I come from a family that doesn't plan ahead and doesn't really make reservations until the day of, we weren't able to land a table in Slanted Door. That is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant (Out the Door, included) in San Francisco.

So instead, we revisited Xanh, a Vietnamese restaurant in the Bay Area. We first went to Xanh when it first opened years ago. When they moved locations, across the street, we never had a chance to try it out again. The newer location is nicely set up with a few dining areas and a bar/lounge.

The food has modern presentations, while enjoying it all family style. Overall, the food is enjoyable. But, when you expect Slanted Door quality, it's kind of disappointing. I found myself constantly thinking, "This is okay but Slanted Door does it so much better." I definitely need to book ahead at Slanted Door the next time I'm in the Bay Area.


Place your cursor above "Notes" below to read the captions for each photo.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Xanh

Asian Burgers at Bachi Burger in Las Vegas

Asian fusion can totally be overused and overrated. But when it's done well, it's still a pretty awesome concept.

Bachi Burger, located off The Strip in Las Vegas, executes some awesome Asian fusion burgers. They combine a classic Asian staple into a burger. The flavors are authentic and, at the same time, you're also enjoying a quality burger.

The only critique I have is that the bun is too soft. The bottom bun gets so smashed from the weight of the burger. With only your first bite, the bun is already getting to be paper thin. Some people like that, but maybe they should also provide bun options for those that want wheat or heftier breads for their burgers.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read a little more about each picture.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album.

Banh Mi Saigon in New York City

Going to college in the South Bay of the Bay Area (in Northern California) exposed to me even more Asian eats, particularly banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches). The combination of that crispy French bread with pate, meats, and fresh and pickled vegetables is so refreshing! These sandwiches are way better than regular American sandwiches. They are lighter and there are so many textures and flavors going on.

After an afternoon of walking around Midtown and then down to the East Village, my brothers and I walked through Chinatown and Little Italy in search of a satisfying banh mi. Thanks to Yelp, we found Banh Mi Saigon. A great find! Their banh mi is one of the better ones I've eaten, and that includes those I ate in Vietnam. It's a very casual place - just order at the counter and the food comes in brown paper bags. You can eat the sandwiches there or take it home - and they keep nicely so you can eat it an anytime of the day.

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read a little more about the food photos.

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.

Starting Off Restaurant Week with Spices

Many cities around the world these days have "Restaurant Weeks" which typically lower the prices of dining to encourage locals and tourists to dine out. If I'm in a city which hosts Restaurant Week, I always try to take advantage of it and eat out as often as I can in that one week. It's a great way to try new restaurants, too!

Restaurant Week was hosted here in Manila. It was an even better deal than those in the states because it had a Wine and Dine theme thanks to Wine Depot. For 999PHP or less (that's under $23 USD), you can enjoy a three course meal with at least one glass of wine!

We went to four restaurants in the course of the week. The first was Spices at the Peninsula Hotel in Makati. It was a great start to the week. The food was memorable and the three wines were generously poured!

Place your cursor above "Notes" to read more about each picture.

Check out my Flickr album if you can't see the slideshow here.

Mekong Delta Tour: Day Three - Lunch at the Rest Stop

On the drive to the airport, we stopped by the Mekong Rest Stop for lunch.  What a cool place!  The landscaping and atmosphere is such a getaway.  We were treated to a variety of small plates for lunch, and after lunch we enjoyed walking around the property.

Here is a slide show of pictures of the outdoor cooking and of the landscaping:

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

The Inside
Open air and a high ceiling. I loved eating in this setting.

Salt & Pepper & Lime

Fish Sauce
Diluted with water, garlic, sugar, and chilis.

Fish Sauce

Fresh Sugarcane Juice
With Calamansi. The juice itself is really sweet from the natural sugar, but the acidity of the calamansi cuts the sweetness nicely.

Fresh Spring Roll
A soft rice paper filled with shrimp, pork, basil, and rice noodles.

Mekong Pancake
A smaller version of the traditional Vietnamese pancakes.

Grilled Pork on the Stick

Fried Ball Sticky Rice
The server was too quick to cut the ball when it arrived at our table. But, what a cool presentation! Check out the first two pictures on the slide show above to see how they cooked this. It was like eating fried mochi - yum!

White Fish with Dragon Fruit
A stew with white fish, dragon fruit, and potatoes. Interesting.

My Tho Noodle Soup
Pork with Rice Noodles

Fresh Fruits
Watermelon and Pineapple to end the meal.

Mekong Delta Tour: Day Three - Roadside Food Stop

Following our market tour in Can Tho we were set to drive back to Ho Chi Minh City to catch our flight out of Vietnam. It would be a 4 hour drive back, and we would stop by for lunch halfway. Since lunch was still 2 hours away, my best friend needed to eat more before we left Can Tho (I passed on this meal because I was saving my appetite for our last lunch). So our tour guide and driver stopped by a local road side "fast food" restaurant. I love that fast food is still freshly prepared.

The Food Stop

Cooking and Preparing the Food

Egg Noodle Soup
With pork and fresh herbs

Mekong Delta Tour: Day Two - The Food!

We woke up the next day eager for the continuation of our tour and for more great eats.

Floating Restaurant
This lady was heading towards the floating houses around lunchtime.

Chau Doc Market
From the previous day, our guide learned that we enjoyed visiting local markets. We stopped by the Chau Doc Market before leaving the town. They had a huge variety of goods and they filled the streets.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip. We searched the place to take a picture of local French bread. When we found this location, we took pictures of her and her bread, much to her delight.

Lunch Stop
On the drive down to Can Tho, we stopped by a town halfway along the drive for a traditional Vietnamese hot pot lunch. It was a kind of place that Anthony Bourdain would go to.

Lemon Soda
A nice, cold refreshing glass of lemon juice with soda to contrast the heat of the hot pot.

Vietnamese Hot Pot
The broth is made from fish paste. It was an all seafood pot with white fish, shrimps, and squid. The fresh vegetables provided more flavors, freshness, and crisp textures. We were also given rice noodles instead of rice. I really enjoyed this dish!

Lemongrass and Turmeric Chicken
Aside from our generous serving of hot pot, we were also given this dish. It was nicely seasoned and flavored. A great dish to eat with a bowl of rice.

Coconut Juice Jello
A refreshing and light end to the meal.

Coffee Break
Across the street from our hotel was a restaurant and coffee house, Hop Pho. Since we arrived in the early afternoon, we took an iced coffee break before thinking about dinner. Another successful glass of Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

Nam Bo
This was our last night in Vietnam, so the decision of where to eat for dinner was important to us. We decided on this place because of the atmosphere and the menu. Next door was a restaurant with a similar and cheaper menu, but the atmosphere wasn't as welcoming. Nam Bo is a two story restaurant with a French colonial villa interior. We were fortunate to grab a seat on the outside balcony to enjoy the night time river view. Overall, the meal was so enjoyable and a great last dinner in Vietnam.

The Beer Pairing
Dai Viet Via Den. Vietnamese Black Beer. It's decent. It was a nice change from the lighter beers, but the flavor was still mild. The crispness was refreshing and paired well with the foods.

Sweet and Sour Fish Soup with Tamarind
A delicious warm start to the meal. Sweet and sour soup is another Vietnamese specialty. I loved the okra and the fresh white fish.

Fried Rolls, Can Tho Style
The wrapper made this dish different from the standard rice paper used for fried rolls. Nicely fried and crispy!

Fried Frogs Legs
This was fried like fish and chips. Another fun plate!

Pork in Claypot with Coconut Juice
This was a comfort-dish served with steamed rice.

Vanilla Ice Cream with Baileys

Bananas Flambee
Great presentation! The server poured the liquor into the ladle, then lit it at our table. Fun!

Mekong Delta Tour: Day One - Lunch!

Part of our tour included a full lunch on each day. We didn't know what to expect, so we didn't have high expectations. Wow, we had a great first lunch!

We docked on Phoenix Island and enjoyed lunch on a stilted house.



Fried Fish
Just like what we had at the night market! Another beautifully presented whole fried fish. This time, the lady prepared the dish for us right by our table. She assembled rice paper, fresh vegetables, and the fish into a roll. We dipped each bite into the fish sauce. Delicious!






Chicken Noodle Soup
Just like a classic chicken noodle soup, but with more sweetness in the broth. Comforting!


Freshly Steamed Shrimps
Succulent and meaty! The lady who peeled the shrimps for us only gave the body part and not the head. I had to quickly grab the plate of the shrimp heads - it's the best part!

Banh Xeo
Vietnamese Pancakes. You can really see the French influence in this dish - a Vietnamese style crepe. It's filled with shrimp, pork, green onions, mushrooms, and bean sprouts. I've had this dish in the states, and the batter is usually thick and undercooked. This pancake was thin, light, and crispy!


Sweet Crackers
A light sweet taste for dessert.