Wednesday, September 15, 2021
Falafel's Drive In - Middle Eastern, San Jose
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Little Vietnamese Bistro - San Bruno
The first time I visited, I ordered one dish for takeout. After calling in my order, I was able to quickly pay upon arrival, but still had to wait about ten minutes for the food to come out. There were only two people front of the house and the place was about half full. The phone was ringing frequently with more takeout orders and they seemed to struggle a bit with juggling everything which I attributed to their being new.
- Seven Color Rice Plate - If you want to try a variety of items, the 3 color, 5 color, 6 color, or 7 color rice plates are a great way to go. In this 7 color plate, there was egg loaf, shredded pork, pork chop, five spice chicken, egg roll, BBQ prawns, BBQ ribs. While shredded pork is smaller in quantity than the rest, the amount of protein included in this plate is more than generous. Dipping sauce and a few vegetables, cucumber and pickled vegetables, accompany the dish. There really is a ton of meat. Even though I split this dish, it seemed like there was always more meat. I enjoyed the BBQ prawns, pork chop, and egg roll the best. If you haven't tried a Vietnamese egg loaf, it's like a quiche with mung bean noodles and black fungus. Everything is super flavorful and each item is distinct (not all the same sauce or marinade for everything). Fried shallots and green onions top the plate. The amount of rice is also ample. This dish could easily be shared by two light eaters. Very good and great price. $15.95Fast forward to a month later and this time, I came for a dine in experience about 15 minutes after opening. We were promptly seated and after ordering, food came out in a reasonable amount of time. Both dishes arrived together.
- Garlic Noodles with BBQ Pork Chop - Noodles are mixed with minced garlic and sauce and pan fried with sliced onions. Two large pork chops are grilled and top the noodles. The pork chops are slightly sweet. While it's not the loin, the pork is still meaty. I would guess they're shoulder slabs with a bone on the edge. There is a decent amount of fat on the chop, but that probably helps keep the meat moist. Even after the fat has been removed, the portion is generous. Delicious. $12.95- Combination of well-done, rare beef, and beef ball noodle soup - Pictured here is a small sized portion. The bean sprouts were really fresh. Four wedges of lime were included, and two big sprigs of basil. The broth was flavorful and there was a good amount of meat. I also appreciated that the rare beef was still rare upon arrival. The noodles are a bit wider than some of their competition. I didn't notice any cilantro on top of the noodle soup, but there was a good amount of sliced red onion and green onions. Another good sized portion. I would order this again. Small $10.95, Large 13.95Hearty portions and great taste make Little Vietnamese Bistro worth checking out. They offer a beef pho that has a bull pudendum (I don't know what that tastes like and you can look it up to see what that is) as well as a number of vegan dishes.
While they had three people working the front of the house today, they still seem to be working out a lot of the kinks. I noticed that they were pretty patient answering other patrons' questions about the menu. Drinks come quickly, but they did not check on us after the food arrived, and it took me a while to flag them down to get a box for my leftovers and the check even though the restaurant was only half full again. Nevertheless, I expect it will be a regular spot on my rotation.
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Suzanne's Cake and Pastry, Millbrae
Millbrae, CA 94030
(650) 697-4713
Parking: street parking
Hours: Sun, Tues-Fri 8am-4pm, Sat 8am-6pm, Closed Mondays
Last Visited: July 17, 2021
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 4 stars
Price: $
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Love Burn, South San Francisco
(650) 763-1887
Hours: Tues-Sun 11am-9pm
https://www.loveburnchicken.com/
Saturday, June 19, 2021
Gao Viet Kitchen & Bar, San Mateo
(650) 477-2524
Parking: street parking and paid parking lot nearby
Last Visited: June 12, 2021
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Gao Viet Kitchen is a sister restaurant to local favorite, Ben Tre. They offer a diverse menu that has elevated typical Vietnamese dishes that you might find at a pho restaurant like chubby pho (made of 24 hour beef bone marrow broth and filet mignon) and the Phozilla (pho with oxtail, a big beef rib, and available with giant freshwater prawns or a 1.5 pound Maine lobster) while also bringing street favorites like banh cuon (rice noodles rolls filled with pork, mushroom, and more) and banh knot (savory pancakes topped with shrimp), and banh beo (savory steamed rice cake with toppings) to the Peninsula audience.
Vietnamese art lines the stairway and tributes to the family members like grandma and her photograph line the other walls.
Limited seating is available indoors and ample seating is available outside in the converted parking area that is lined with wood shutters to provide some privacy. To avoid the crowds, come right when they open or off hours. Menus are available via the QR code on the table and they are quite thorough with cleaning between patrons.Service when they're with you is great, but it does take a bit of time to get someone to come take an order or to be checked on since the restaurant got packed not long after opening and there are many people ordering takeout. In summary, I will probably come back to try out other menu items like the street dishes and likely would skip the pork belly.
Sunday, May 23, 2021
Vision Dumpling New Golden Wok - Chinese, South San Francisco
(650) 588 6858
Parking: street parking and public lot nearby
Hours: Daily 11am-9pm
Last Visited: May 22, 2021
Atmosphere: Takeout only during shelter in place
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
I think I may have found my new neighborhood Chinese food joint. I'm hesitating to give it a higher rating at the moment until I get a chance to come back and see how consistent they are, but the fact that they offer both styles of Chinese cooking will satisfy the tastebuds of this family for sure and gives us options without having to go to multiple places.
For now, there's a groupon offer that's available. I immediately bought two more after this meal because I know I'm coming back to try more of their dishes!
Welcome to the neighborhood, Vision Dumpling New Golden Wok!
Saturday, April 24, 2021
Dim Sum Club, Chinese - San Francisco
(415) 592-8938
Parking: Street parking
Hours: 11am-3pm, 5pm-9pm Daily
Last Visited: April 24, 2021
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$
Depending on the table, some have disposable plastic tablecloths while others have regular linen cloths. Paper placemats are also in use. One thing about the tea that I liked is that they use a strainer inside the tea pot, so you don't get leaves when you pour out the tea.
Saturday, April 10, 2021
SSF Chickenbox - Fried Chicken, South San Francisco
Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm
I highly recommend getting the fried chicken and gravy. Fun fact - SSF Chickenbox is affiliated with LoveBurn.
Saturday, January 9, 2021
Mazra - Mediterranean, San Bruno
Last Visited: January 3, 2021
Price: $$