Hey hey hey! Good Lord, what a week it has been! I’m mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. I know, boohoo for Jo, but then again, sometimes exhaustion is a good thing. It lets me know that I actually did something in my life! Let’s proceed, shall we?
What Jo Did Since the Last Post (and Probably Stuff Before the Last Post):
One awesome event was the Foodbuzz dinner on Tuesday, January 8th, which I am going to dub as an “Eat and Greet.” A few of the Bay Area featured publishers and the Foodbuzz team met at The Slanted Door (I know, right?!). Great food, great wine (I didn’t drink much. I‘m trying to be good.), and wonderful company. I cannot wait until the next one! Read about it here.
My soulsista BanYo had his birthday dinner at The Foreign Cinema on January 15, which was a week and a day after his real birthday. We strategically reserved it for the first day of Dining About Town, which I am sure you foodies know well about. My first time to The Foreign Cinema, so I was beyond giddy. Read about it here.
I was HELLA craving curry. Fo real, fo real. I am so lucky to work just 5 blocks up from Japantown. So after some overtime on a Saturday afternoon, I decided to hit up On the Bridge to reminisce on a memorable night I had there with my girls from high school. Read more here.
New Event:
Going to Thahn Long in the first week of February for my first business meeting! I cannot wait to get my hands soaked in crab juice, garlic, and butter! How on Earth will I be able to take pictures without getting my camera greasy? Ha! We’ll find out!
Conclusion:
January has been very good to me as far as going to new places to eat. February is also going to bring a lot of goodies! Stay tuned and thanks for dropping by!
Yours,
Jo
Saturday, January 26, 2008
The Slanted Door - “Hi, I’m Jo! Nice to Meet You!”
Restaurant: The Slanted Door
Address: 1 Ferry Building #3, The Embarcadero, SF
Cuisine: New Vietnamese
Date Last Visited: January 8, 2008
Dining Partners: My Foodbuzz Folk
The Slanted Door. The #1 restaurant on OpenTable. The restaurant that is always recommended when someone asks, “Where do I go for dinner if I am in San Francisco?” The restaurant that is so friggin’ hard to get into if you do not have a hook up. The Slanted Door. Some people think that it is overrated and overpriced. Some people think it’s beautiful, delicious, hip, and a place not to be missed. What was I going to think? Read on to find out.
I had dinner with my Foodbuzz folk on a gloomy Tuesday evening. The sky was grey when I got to the City and the air was so cold. Blah. I neglected to eat anything that day in preparation for the meal. In the morning, I had half a mug of hot green tea and a fork-twirl of My Sweety K’s chicken noodles in a cup and in the afternoon prior to leaving the city, I had a piece of Ghirardelli milk chocolate. By the time I got there, I was ready to G-R-U-B. I was there promptly at 5:55 and I checked-in. The hostess said I was the first one to check in. Ha! How hilarious. That made me feel like a square for some reason. Anyhow, I chilled outside, watched the water, and made a few panic-induced phone calls because waiting around like a loner with nothing to do made me feel like I had a fat “L” on my forehead. After a few minutes, I walked in and the hostess said that they were already seated. Great! Now I’m the loser who is late. Geez.
I got to the table and sheepishly I say, “Hi, I’m Joanne…” Wow, everyone was so warm. Awesome, I knew this would be a great dinner. After the introductions, my stomach was yearning for food and Piece of Asch hooked it up! He had some connections. Good connections. Fo’ real. Now let’s get to the grub! You will notice that some of the dishes have a couple pics to go with them. The first of the pictures is one I took with my “ghettro” camera phone (on night mode with no flash) because the camera I brought unfortunately had a dead battery and the other photo (of much nicer quality) was taken by eatingplum on a much nicer camera.
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The first dish was the grapefruit and jicama salad with red cabbage and candied pecans. I do not usually do the red cabbage, but I dug this. Before I knew it, I killed my portion. There were wonderfully juicy wedges of grapefruit on top and the salad consisted of julienned jicama, red cabbage, cilantro, and candied pecans. It was on the sweet side, it was on the spicy side, and above all it was on the delicious side. If I was given the menu and was asked to pick out an appetizer, this would not have been my first choice, but now that I have tried it, I would order it.
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The second were the New Zealand cockles with thai basil, crispy pork belly and fresh chilies. Good Lord have mercy. Tell me why by the time I was done with my apps, I had 6 or 8 shells on my plate. If I had the clamshell receptacle next to me, I would not have looked like a total glutton. These were so good. The clamshells were sweet and tender. The spiciness of the ginger and chili-infused broth paired so well with those little guys. The aroma of ginger (especially in a broth) fondly reminds me of Inang. She put ginger in almost everything. =) I loved the addition of the pork belly. If someone asked me, “What do you think they eat in Heaven?” I would say, “Freshly baked Toll House cookies, steamed jasmine rice, and crispy pork belly.”
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Crispy Rice Cakes with Maine Sweet Shrimp, Mung Beans and Scallion Oil. These were an apparent “hook-up.” Good Lord have mercy part 2! I only had half of one, but they should have given me a whole plate of these for myself. The texture on the outside was crispy, though a bit greasy. I tasted a bit of shrimp, but other than that there are no words. I would go back just for those, but I don’t know if they are on the regular menu. =(
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Then there were the barbecued Niman Ranch pork ribs with honey-hoisin sauce. I love ribs. Who doesn’t? The meat was so tender and the sauce was BOMB. Sweet ribs are my favorite ribs, so this was lip-smackin’ delicious. Again, I wouldn’t mind eating these all day.
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How can you have a Vietnamese meal without crispy imperial rolls with shrimp, pork, glass noodles and peanuts? These are a classic Vietnamese specialty and I ain’t mad at them. We had both the rolls for carnivores and one for herbivores. I only sampled the pork ones because I ain’t no vegetarian, but I’m pretty sure they were tasty. They come with lettuce and noodles, but I prefer the rolls straight up.
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I was most excited about the cellophane noodles with fresh Dungeness crab meat. Why? Well, I’ve been cellophane noodles in the Filipino-style for the most part, so I wanted to try it out in a different execution. The concept was so simple: noodles and crab, and the flavor was subtle. There were big chunks of sweet crab in it which was enjoyed.
________________________________________________________
Meyer Ranch shaking beef cubed filet mignon with garlic, watercress and red onions. Okay, not the best picture, but just deal. =) Was it beef? Yes. It was real tender and cooked to a perfect doneness where the middle was a pretty pink. Was it shaking? Kinda. I liked the flavor with the watercress and onions, but I wasn’t shaking in a climactic frenzy. It is so simple, so much so that I almost was not that impressed. I make a Filipino dish called “bistek” with almost the same ingredients, so I just thought this was okay. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but maybe for someone who hasn’t had this combination of flavors and textures.
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Brick Oven Roasted Whole Fish w/ Spicy Gingered Fish Sauce. I’m going to have to admit. When I see a whole fish, I get scared. Call me lazy, but I would rather have a fish de-boned and filleted for me. I know, you’re probably thinking I’m spoiled and whatnot, but when I was a kid, I had to pick out the bones out of fish myself, but I had a bunch of times where I had one caught in my throat. Not nice. So since then, I’ve been afraid to order fish with bones. I wasn’t going to let this pass me by on this night though. It looked too good. I think what I liked most was the skin believe it or not. I enjoyed the charred flavor from the roasting and the sauce was awesome. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t shy away from bone-in fish anymore.
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Catalan Farm Broccoli w/ Honshimeji Mushrooms and Pressed Tofu. I love me my broccoli and this was a great example. I wouldn’t call it mind-blowing, but it was very tasty, and a great addition to an otherwise meat-dominated meal.
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Who would have thought we would have brownies, macaroons, and mini cheesecakes topped with lemon curd at a nouveau Vietnamese restaurant? It was a huge mistake to put these in front of me. Seriously. If I were with people I had known for years, I would have scarfed them all down, but I had just met these folks and I wasn’t about to embarrass myself.
________________________________________________________
And I ended the night with a nice pot of hot green tea. I made a resolution to drink less soda and to drink more tea. I think I’m doing good on that resolution. What a perfect way to wind down the evening. The food was great, and I really want to come back with friends and maybe mingle over some cocktails at the lounge. I do have to say that it is a bit too noisy. I had to kind of scream to the people at the table just to speak to them. Other than that, it was such a great opportunity to meet SF Bay Area foodies like myself and I cannot wait to get together with them again. The Slanted Door brings a smile to my face. That’s another “check” on my “Restaurants I Want to Visit Before I Turn 30” list.
Address: 1 Ferry Building #3, The Embarcadero, SF
Cuisine: New Vietnamese
Date Last Visited: January 8, 2008
Dining Partners: My Foodbuzz Folk
The Slanted Door. The #1 restaurant on OpenTable. The restaurant that is always recommended when someone asks, “Where do I go for dinner if I am in San Francisco?” The restaurant that is so friggin’ hard to get into if you do not have a hook up. The Slanted Door. Some people think that it is overrated and overpriced. Some people think it’s beautiful, delicious, hip, and a place not to be missed. What was I going to think? Read on to find out.
I had dinner with my Foodbuzz folk on a gloomy Tuesday evening. The sky was grey when I got to the City and the air was so cold. Blah. I neglected to eat anything that day in preparation for the meal. In the morning, I had half a mug of hot green tea and a fork-twirl of My Sweety K’s chicken noodles in a cup and in the afternoon prior to leaving the city, I had a piece of Ghirardelli milk chocolate. By the time I got there, I was ready to G-R-U-B. I was there promptly at 5:55 and I checked-in. The hostess said I was the first one to check in. Ha! How hilarious. That made me feel like a square for some reason. Anyhow, I chilled outside, watched the water, and made a few panic-induced phone calls because waiting around like a loner with nothing to do made me feel like I had a fat “L” on my forehead. After a few minutes, I walked in and the hostess said that they were already seated. Great! Now I’m the loser who is late. Geez.
I got to the table and sheepishly I say, “Hi, I’m Joanne…” Wow, everyone was so warm. Awesome, I knew this would be a great dinner. After the introductions, my stomach was yearning for food and Piece of Asch hooked it up! He had some connections. Good connections. Fo’ real. Now let’s get to the grub! You will notice that some of the dishes have a couple pics to go with them. The first of the pictures is one I took with my “ghettro” camera phone (on night mode with no flash) because the camera I brought unfortunately had a dead battery and the other photo (of much nicer quality) was taken by eatingplum on a much nicer camera.
________________________________________________________
The first dish was the grapefruit and jicama salad with red cabbage and candied pecans. I do not usually do the red cabbage, but I dug this. Before I knew it, I killed my portion. There were wonderfully juicy wedges of grapefruit on top and the salad consisted of julienned jicama, red cabbage, cilantro, and candied pecans. It was on the sweet side, it was on the spicy side, and above all it was on the delicious side. If I was given the menu and was asked to pick out an appetizer, this would not have been my first choice, but now that I have tried it, I would order it.
________________________________________________________
The second were the New Zealand cockles with thai basil, crispy pork belly and fresh chilies. Good Lord have mercy. Tell me why by the time I was done with my apps, I had 6 or 8 shells on my plate. If I had the clamshell receptacle next to me, I would not have looked like a total glutton. These were so good. The clamshells were sweet and tender. The spiciness of the ginger and chili-infused broth paired so well with those little guys. The aroma of ginger (especially in a broth) fondly reminds me of Inang. She put ginger in almost everything. =) I loved the addition of the pork belly. If someone asked me, “What do you think they eat in Heaven?” I would say, “Freshly baked Toll House cookies, steamed jasmine rice, and crispy pork belly.”
_______________________________________________________
Crispy Rice Cakes with Maine Sweet Shrimp, Mung Beans and Scallion Oil. These were an apparent “hook-up.” Good Lord have mercy part 2! I only had half of one, but they should have given me a whole plate of these for myself. The texture on the outside was crispy, though a bit greasy. I tasted a bit of shrimp, but other than that there are no words. I would go back just for those, but I don’t know if they are on the regular menu. =(
________________________________________________________
Then there were the barbecued Niman Ranch pork ribs with honey-hoisin sauce. I love ribs. Who doesn’t? The meat was so tender and the sauce was BOMB. Sweet ribs are my favorite ribs, so this was lip-smackin’ delicious. Again, I wouldn’t mind eating these all day.
________________________________________________________
How can you have a Vietnamese meal without crispy imperial rolls with shrimp, pork, glass noodles and peanuts? These are a classic Vietnamese specialty and I ain’t mad at them. We had both the rolls for carnivores and one for herbivores. I only sampled the pork ones because I ain’t no vegetarian, but I’m pretty sure they were tasty. They come with lettuce and noodles, but I prefer the rolls straight up.
________________________________________________________
I was most excited about the cellophane noodles with fresh Dungeness crab meat. Why? Well, I’ve been cellophane noodles in the Filipino-style for the most part, so I wanted to try it out in a different execution. The concept was so simple: noodles and crab, and the flavor was subtle. There were big chunks of sweet crab in it which was enjoyed.
________________________________________________________
Meyer Ranch shaking beef cubed filet mignon with garlic, watercress and red onions. Okay, not the best picture, but just deal. =) Was it beef? Yes. It was real tender and cooked to a perfect doneness where the middle was a pretty pink. Was it shaking? Kinda. I liked the flavor with the watercress and onions, but I wasn’t shaking in a climactic frenzy. It is so simple, so much so that I almost was not that impressed. I make a Filipino dish called “bistek” with almost the same ingredients, so I just thought this was okay. Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but maybe for someone who hasn’t had this combination of flavors and textures.
________________________________________________________
Brick Oven Roasted Whole Fish w/ Spicy Gingered Fish Sauce. I’m going to have to admit. When I see a whole fish, I get scared. Call me lazy, but I would rather have a fish de-boned and filleted for me. I know, you’re probably thinking I’m spoiled and whatnot, but when I was a kid, I had to pick out the bones out of fish myself, but I had a bunch of times where I had one caught in my throat. Not nice. So since then, I’ve been afraid to order fish with bones. I wasn’t going to let this pass me by on this night though. It looked too good. I think what I liked most was the skin believe it or not. I enjoyed the charred flavor from the roasting and the sauce was awesome. Okay, maybe I shouldn’t shy away from bone-in fish anymore.
________________________________________________________
Catalan Farm Broccoli w/ Honshimeji Mushrooms and Pressed Tofu. I love me my broccoli and this was a great example. I wouldn’t call it mind-blowing, but it was very tasty, and a great addition to an otherwise meat-dominated meal.
________________________________________________________
Who would have thought we would have brownies, macaroons, and mini cheesecakes topped with lemon curd at a nouveau Vietnamese restaurant? It was a huge mistake to put these in front of me. Seriously. If I were with people I had known for years, I would have scarfed them all down, but I had just met these folks and I wasn’t about to embarrass myself.
________________________________________________________
And I ended the night with a nice pot of hot green tea. I made a resolution to drink less soda and to drink more tea. I think I’m doing good on that resolution. What a perfect way to wind down the evening. The food was great, and I really want to come back with friends and maybe mingle over some cocktails at the lounge. I do have to say that it is a bit too noisy. I had to kind of scream to the people at the table just to speak to them. Other than that, it was such a great opportunity to meet SF Bay Area foodies like myself and I cannot wait to get together with them again. The Slanted Door brings a smile to my face. That’s another “check” on my “Restaurants I Want to Visit Before I Turn 30” list.
Foreign Cinema - Happy Birthday, BanYo!
Restaurant: Foreign Cinema
Address: 2534 Mission Street b/t 21st and 22nd, The Mission, SF
Cuisine: French, New American
Date Last Visited: January 15, 2008
Dining Partners: Ate Di, BanYo, and Miko
So my soul-sistah BanYo was celebrating his 24th birthday. Good Lord are we THAT old already? A week prior, BanYo, Ate Di, and I were on three-way (because us girls do that) to decide where we were going to eat for dinner. We literally went through every restaurant on the Dining About Town (DAT) website. Ate Di and I had always wanted to try out Foreign Cinema, and since Miko lives literally a block and a half away (you lucky man you), this was a great chance to.
Now let me tell you how excited Ate Di and I were when we made our way to the hostess. Love at first sight! It seriously reminds me of a movie theater: you have to walk down a long hallway to get to your movie, and that’s what you have to do here. The hostess table is almost like a ticket agent or ticket collector before you can go in. Very cute.
Our hostess explained that it would be a little while before we were to be seated since not all of the menus were printed out. It was fine with us, so we went to the bar for a drink. I love the décor with the candles lighting the way...So romantical.
While we walked to the bar, I kept saying, “I love it! I love it! I love it!” I just loved the big fireplace and vibe of the whole place. I was having a simultaneous mental and gastronomical orgasm.
BanYo got a glass of champagne and I got my usual b!tch drink, a midori sour. This has been my “usual” ever since My Sweety K introduced them to me back at our Ritz stay 4 years ago:
And a few minutes later, we were seated outside in the courtyard. C’mon, how can you NOT sit outside at Foreign Cinema? It was a bit chilly out in the streets, but good thing they had their heat lamps going.
They started the movie a few minutes after we sat down, but I forgot what it was. All I remember was that it was in Italian.
Then it was time to eat! We got some bread and butter. Tell me why we asked for this tow more times after we finished this one. Hey, we like bread! As far as ordering, I went for the DAT menu for 32 bucks. Everyone else ordered regular items. I’ll indicate which items are DAT items with the a la carte prices.
Sonoma foie gras torchon, tamarind onion chutney (Urban Picnic - $15). The only other time that I had had a bite of foie gras was in July of 2007 at Michael Mina. I’m not a liver-girl, but I found it quite tasty. Maybe it’s just cow liver that I am afraid of, but fat goose liver is all good. The sliced foie gras sat on very thin toasts and a tangy sauce was drizzled on top. Good Lord have mercy, was this foie gras rich! It was like eating a pat of butter, but not. =) I don’t know how else to describe it other than BUTTERY. The little salad in the middle went well with each bite. For me, I wouldn’t order it for myself, so sharing is okay because it’s just too rich for my tongue. I’m a simple gal. ;)
Grilled sea scallops, roasted potatoes, red curry sauce, pappadom, cilantro (Premieres - $12): this was a favorite. We ordered with the intention to share or to at least give each other a bite. Yeah, the bad part about this dish was that there were only two scallops, so we had half a scallop each. But damn was my scallop so sweet and succulent. They were cooked perfectly. Or should I say, “barely cooked perfectly.” The outside was charred from the grilling, but the inside was still a bit rare. So good. The roasted potatoes swam in the creamy and slightly spicy red curry sauce. That sauce was so good. We ended up dipping our bread in it to sop it up. This was good sauce, so there was no way we were going to put it to waste. That chip looking thing, the pappadom, that sat in the middle of the scallops was something we were unfamiliar with. I thought it tasted like a shrimp chip, but after further research after dinner (actually while I am typing this), I found out that it is an Indian flatbread that is typically made with lentils or chickpeas. I do not know what this particular wafer was made with, but it was okay. I’m not a huge fan of shrimp chips in the first place, so this was just okay. But overall, this is a dish we wished was bigger.
Warm duck breast salad, watercress, fennel sauce, sour cherries, rich pate toast (Premieres - $11). I am so jealous that Ate Di had this as her first course. I love duck, and again the last time that I had some really good duck was at Michael Mina. This was actually very similar to the course I had there. The duck breast was nice and fatty. I love that about duck. I liked how the tartness of the cherries cut through the slight gaminess of the duck meat. All in all, great dish. Yeah, I was feeling a little jealous. =) The duck also came with a pate toast. Yeah, I was reluctant to try it, and after a small bite I found it to be well, livery? Like I said, I’m not a liver girl, so the toast was alright.
Soup: escarole and onion with croutons, gruyere, & harissa (Premieres - $7.5 - DAT) My soup. All this week, I felt like crap because I came down with a cold, a really bad cough, and plain brain exhaustion from work. I haven’t worked in a while, so getting back in the money-chasing groove is still a little rough. It’s getting better each day, though. Anyway, I felt really under the weather, so I thought that soup would help warm me up. It’s a basic broth with the escarole and croutons swimming in it. It did remind me of a soup we have in Filipino cuisine called nilaga, so it was not mind-blowing like it was a soup I never had before. I thought that it was going to look like a French onion soup with the soup in a cup, with a piece of bread and melted cheese on top, but not so. It was just okay for me. By the time it got to me, the croutons were real soggy, but eh. Just okay.
Fried paprika-curry chicken: spiced cauliflower, caviar French lentils, kishmish (Features - $20 - DAT). Why did Ate Di make me so jealous all night? Her plate of chicken was huge. Two pieces of perfectly fried chicken with reconstituted raisins on top. They sat on some cauliflower and lentils and kishmish? What on Earth is kishmish? Turns out that kishmish are a fancy way of saying “raisins” which I already touched on. I got to sample the chicken and it was delicious. The coating was not greasy, perfectly crisp and scented with the paprika and curry. It was not too strong, which was fine. What I loved about the chicken was that it was so moist. You really are lucky when you find a fried chicken with moist meat and a crispy coating. This is a grand example. Ate Di! I wanted more, but I didn’t want to look like a baboy (pig). Ha!
Moroccan pork tenderloin, couscous, braised turnips, fig sauce, mint, pistachios (Features - $25 - DAT). Speaking of baboy…this was my pork tenderloin. I wanted to get this because 1) it was one of the choices for the DAT and 2) I haven’t had Moroccan in a while. The meat was tender and cooked flawlessly. Sometimes pork can get rubbery and tough when you treat it bad, but the chef has done right here. I liked the little salad on top, but the couscous was a bit off to me. I don’t know what was about it, but it tasted putrid to me. I know that it’s a horrible thing to say, but I had only two bites and ignored it for the remainder of the meal. Ate Di and BanYo said they liked it, I was not a fan. Aside from that, the Moroccan flavors really came through. There was sweetness from the fig sauce and a freshness of the mint. The pistachios added earthiness and crunch. I was not really into the braised turnips either, but other than that this dish was good.
Tolenas Farm’s quail w/ quinoa stuffing: apple-celery root puree, red endive, foie gras butter (Features - $25). This was BanYo’s quail. This was only the second time I have had it, but I would have it again because of this version. He gave me two little drumsticks and they were so tasty. I loved the caramalized skin and the tenderness of the meat. He gave me his endive because he’s doesn’t roll with endive, but I found them delicious. We should have traded: my couscous for his endive. I tried the apple-celery root puree (which I thought were potato mashers), and it was not as starchy as I thought it would be. Not bad, though. Talk about decadence with the foie gras butter! I should have stolen that from him. Good choice, BanYo!
Grilled bavette steak, hedgehog mushrooms, roasted sun chokes, fingerlings, cilantro salsa (Features - $28). This was Miko’s steak. Yeah, I was jealous of this one, too. CILANTRO SALSA? Betchabygollywow! I love cilantro and how verdant it is. I love how pink the steak was. Miko and I like it pink. (And Ate Di likes raw meat more than gay guys. Inside joke during dinner. Haha! Not meant to be offensive.) Miko, great choice. You really can’t go wrong with a medium rare steak with potatoes and cilantro. Are you kidding me? If Miko wasn’t there, I probably would have ganked that.
Dessert time! Gateau au chocolat, peanut butter truffle, huckleberry sauce, walnut praline (Desserts - $7.75). Miko’s dessert was so good. Gateau au chocolat means chocolate cake, so I thought a hunk of birthday sheet cake would come out, but NOOO, never at Foreign Cinema. It was smooth, more like a mousse cake. Chocoholic alert! You should jump on this cake if you get a chance.
Chocolate pot de crème with crincle cookie (Desserts - $6.5). This was my choice because it was the first on the dessert menu and it sounded way too good. I appreciated the whipped cream on top and the chewy, fudgey cookie on the side, but I found the chocolate pot de crème to be a bit too “dark.” I’m more of a white chocolate/cream girl, but good thing Ate Di is a dark chocolate girl, so we traded.
Chamomile citrus crème brulee with shortbread cookie (Desserts - $7). This was her crème brulee which I traded my pot de crème for. She said she wasn’t too crazy about it, but I liked it more than my own dessert, so it worked out. There was a sugar shell, of course, but I found the layer to be too thick and burnt-tasting. But underneath that was a luscious custard with a floral taste and tangy bite. Hey, why didn’t I get this in the first place? I wasn’t thinking. The shortbread cookie was just that. A shortbread cookie. Interesting take on the traditional crème brulee. Don’t you love the little Foreign Cinema tag underneath? It’s there just in case you forget where you were. I needed it because it was almost hard to believe that were in the middle of the Mission.
Happy 24th Birthday, BanYo!
Affogato: mocha ice cream with cardamom, mint, and a shot of espresso (Desserts - $6) I had a small spoonful of this and the mocha ice cream was really good, but I thought that the espresso was a bit too strong for me. Hey! Disclaimer: I am a white-chocolate-mocha-frap-double-blended-with-whip-and-caramel-on-top type of a girl. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, so the espresso is probably perfect for espresso aficionados.
Now let me tell you about our server Jennifer. She was AWESOME. She brought out BanYo’s dessert with the candle and starting singing “Happy Birthday” without us having to tell her. She was very engaging, helpful with the menu, and so very sweet. She gave us these CD’s as parting gifts. Do they do this for everyone or were we truly special? She also gave us this:
The night’s menu signed by Chef John Clark himself. C’mon, you have to admit that’s pretty awesome. Jennifer didn’t have to do it, but when I asked her if was able to keep one of the menus, she went back to the kitchen and had a few of them signed for my partners and I. Mahalo Jennifer!
In conclusion, I would like to say that I am so happy that I celebrated with my best friends here. I find myself so lucky to have friends with the same food interests as I do. As far as the bill went, it was just over $225 for the four of us, excluding tax and tip. Though I ordered from the DAT selections, I was charged full price. I guess the entire table has to do DAT to get the savings. Eh, it’s okay. By the end of the meal, I was so tickled that I really didn’t even care. Foreign Cinema is like an oasis in a wasteland called The Mission Desert. I forgot where I was for a few minutes. The Mission? Miko, who lives two blocks down, said that he could hardly believe it himself. We have to give the Mission some credit though. I have eaten some of the best food I have ever tasted here (Farina, Bi-Rite, Tartine, etc.) and I am so pleased that it is incredibly rich with culinary diversity. That is why I am so jealous of Miko. Walking down the street back to his apartment and passing the bacon-hot-dog vendors on the corner, I told him that I wished I lived here. Call me crazy, but it’s the truth!
Address: 2534 Mission Street b/t 21st and 22nd, The Mission, SF
Cuisine: French, New American
Date Last Visited: January 15, 2008
Dining Partners: Ate Di, BanYo, and Miko
So my soul-sistah BanYo was celebrating his 24th birthday. Good Lord are we THAT old already? A week prior, BanYo, Ate Di, and I were on three-way (because us girls do that) to decide where we were going to eat for dinner. We literally went through every restaurant on the Dining About Town (DAT) website. Ate Di and I had always wanted to try out Foreign Cinema, and since Miko lives literally a block and a half away (you lucky man you), this was a great chance to.
Now let me tell you how excited Ate Di and I were when we made our way to the hostess. Love at first sight! It seriously reminds me of a movie theater: you have to walk down a long hallway to get to your movie, and that’s what you have to do here. The hostess table is almost like a ticket agent or ticket collector before you can go in. Very cute.
Our hostess explained that it would be a little while before we were to be seated since not all of the menus were printed out. It was fine with us, so we went to the bar for a drink. I love the décor with the candles lighting the way...So romantical.
While we walked to the bar, I kept saying, “I love it! I love it! I love it!” I just loved the big fireplace and vibe of the whole place. I was having a simultaneous mental and gastronomical orgasm.
BanYo got a glass of champagne and I got my usual b!tch drink, a midori sour. This has been my “usual” ever since My Sweety K introduced them to me back at our Ritz stay 4 years ago:
And a few minutes later, we were seated outside in the courtyard. C’mon, how can you NOT sit outside at Foreign Cinema? It was a bit chilly out in the streets, but good thing they had their heat lamps going.
They started the movie a few minutes after we sat down, but I forgot what it was. All I remember was that it was in Italian.
Then it was time to eat! We got some bread and butter. Tell me why we asked for this tow more times after we finished this one. Hey, we like bread! As far as ordering, I went for the DAT menu for 32 bucks. Everyone else ordered regular items. I’ll indicate which items are DAT items with the a la carte prices.
Sonoma foie gras torchon, tamarind onion chutney (Urban Picnic - $15). The only other time that I had had a bite of foie gras was in July of 2007 at Michael Mina. I’m not a liver-girl, but I found it quite tasty. Maybe it’s just cow liver that I am afraid of, but fat goose liver is all good. The sliced foie gras sat on very thin toasts and a tangy sauce was drizzled on top. Good Lord have mercy, was this foie gras rich! It was like eating a pat of butter, but not. =) I don’t know how else to describe it other than BUTTERY. The little salad in the middle went well with each bite. For me, I wouldn’t order it for myself, so sharing is okay because it’s just too rich for my tongue. I’m a simple gal. ;)
Grilled sea scallops, roasted potatoes, red curry sauce, pappadom, cilantro (Premieres - $12): this was a favorite. We ordered with the intention to share or to at least give each other a bite. Yeah, the bad part about this dish was that there were only two scallops, so we had half a scallop each. But damn was my scallop so sweet and succulent. They were cooked perfectly. Or should I say, “barely cooked perfectly.” The outside was charred from the grilling, but the inside was still a bit rare. So good. The roasted potatoes swam in the creamy and slightly spicy red curry sauce. That sauce was so good. We ended up dipping our bread in it to sop it up. This was good sauce, so there was no way we were going to put it to waste. That chip looking thing, the pappadom, that sat in the middle of the scallops was something we were unfamiliar with. I thought it tasted like a shrimp chip, but after further research after dinner (actually while I am typing this), I found out that it is an Indian flatbread that is typically made with lentils or chickpeas. I do not know what this particular wafer was made with, but it was okay. I’m not a huge fan of shrimp chips in the first place, so this was just okay. But overall, this is a dish we wished was bigger.
Warm duck breast salad, watercress, fennel sauce, sour cherries, rich pate toast (Premieres - $11). I am so jealous that Ate Di had this as her first course. I love duck, and again the last time that I had some really good duck was at Michael Mina. This was actually very similar to the course I had there. The duck breast was nice and fatty. I love that about duck. I liked how the tartness of the cherries cut through the slight gaminess of the duck meat. All in all, great dish. Yeah, I was feeling a little jealous. =) The duck also came with a pate toast. Yeah, I was reluctant to try it, and after a small bite I found it to be well, livery? Like I said, I’m not a liver girl, so the toast was alright.
Soup: escarole and onion with croutons, gruyere, & harissa (Premieres - $7.5 - DAT) My soup. All this week, I felt like crap because I came down with a cold, a really bad cough, and plain brain exhaustion from work. I haven’t worked in a while, so getting back in the money-chasing groove is still a little rough. It’s getting better each day, though. Anyway, I felt really under the weather, so I thought that soup would help warm me up. It’s a basic broth with the escarole and croutons swimming in it. It did remind me of a soup we have in Filipino cuisine called nilaga, so it was not mind-blowing like it was a soup I never had before. I thought that it was going to look like a French onion soup with the soup in a cup, with a piece of bread and melted cheese on top, but not so. It was just okay for me. By the time it got to me, the croutons were real soggy, but eh. Just okay.
Fried paprika-curry chicken: spiced cauliflower, caviar French lentils, kishmish (Features - $20 - DAT). Why did Ate Di make me so jealous all night? Her plate of chicken was huge. Two pieces of perfectly fried chicken with reconstituted raisins on top. They sat on some cauliflower and lentils and kishmish? What on Earth is kishmish? Turns out that kishmish are a fancy way of saying “raisins” which I already touched on. I got to sample the chicken and it was delicious. The coating was not greasy, perfectly crisp and scented with the paprika and curry. It was not too strong, which was fine. What I loved about the chicken was that it was so moist. You really are lucky when you find a fried chicken with moist meat and a crispy coating. This is a grand example. Ate Di! I wanted more, but I didn’t want to look like a baboy (pig). Ha!
Moroccan pork tenderloin, couscous, braised turnips, fig sauce, mint, pistachios (Features - $25 - DAT). Speaking of baboy…this was my pork tenderloin. I wanted to get this because 1) it was one of the choices for the DAT and 2) I haven’t had Moroccan in a while. The meat was tender and cooked flawlessly. Sometimes pork can get rubbery and tough when you treat it bad, but the chef has done right here. I liked the little salad on top, but the couscous was a bit off to me. I don’t know what was about it, but it tasted putrid to me. I know that it’s a horrible thing to say, but I had only two bites and ignored it for the remainder of the meal. Ate Di and BanYo said they liked it, I was not a fan. Aside from that, the Moroccan flavors really came through. There was sweetness from the fig sauce and a freshness of the mint. The pistachios added earthiness and crunch. I was not really into the braised turnips either, but other than that this dish was good.
Tolenas Farm’s quail w/ quinoa stuffing: apple-celery root puree, red endive, foie gras butter (Features - $25). This was BanYo’s quail. This was only the second time I have had it, but I would have it again because of this version. He gave me two little drumsticks and they were so tasty. I loved the caramalized skin and the tenderness of the meat. He gave me his endive because he’s doesn’t roll with endive, but I found them delicious. We should have traded: my couscous for his endive. I tried the apple-celery root puree (which I thought were potato mashers), and it was not as starchy as I thought it would be. Not bad, though. Talk about decadence with the foie gras butter! I should have stolen that from him. Good choice, BanYo!
Grilled bavette steak, hedgehog mushrooms, roasted sun chokes, fingerlings, cilantro salsa (Features - $28). This was Miko’s steak. Yeah, I was jealous of this one, too. CILANTRO SALSA? Betchabygollywow! I love cilantro and how verdant it is. I love how pink the steak was. Miko and I like it pink. (And Ate Di likes raw meat more than gay guys. Inside joke during dinner. Haha! Not meant to be offensive.) Miko, great choice. You really can’t go wrong with a medium rare steak with potatoes and cilantro. Are you kidding me? If Miko wasn’t there, I probably would have ganked that.
Dessert time! Gateau au chocolat, peanut butter truffle, huckleberry sauce, walnut praline (Desserts - $7.75). Miko’s dessert was so good. Gateau au chocolat means chocolate cake, so I thought a hunk of birthday sheet cake would come out, but NOOO, never at Foreign Cinema. It was smooth, more like a mousse cake. Chocoholic alert! You should jump on this cake if you get a chance.
Chocolate pot de crème with crincle cookie (Desserts - $6.5). This was my choice because it was the first on the dessert menu and it sounded way too good. I appreciated the whipped cream on top and the chewy, fudgey cookie on the side, but I found the chocolate pot de crème to be a bit too “dark.” I’m more of a white chocolate/cream girl, but good thing Ate Di is a dark chocolate girl, so we traded.
Chamomile citrus crème brulee with shortbread cookie (Desserts - $7). This was her crème brulee which I traded my pot de crème for. She said she wasn’t too crazy about it, but I liked it more than my own dessert, so it worked out. There was a sugar shell, of course, but I found the layer to be too thick and burnt-tasting. But underneath that was a luscious custard with a floral taste and tangy bite. Hey, why didn’t I get this in the first place? I wasn’t thinking. The shortbread cookie was just that. A shortbread cookie. Interesting take on the traditional crème brulee. Don’t you love the little Foreign Cinema tag underneath? It’s there just in case you forget where you were. I needed it because it was almost hard to believe that were in the middle of the Mission.
Happy 24th Birthday, BanYo!
Affogato: mocha ice cream with cardamom, mint, and a shot of espresso (Desserts - $6) I had a small spoonful of this and the mocha ice cream was really good, but I thought that the espresso was a bit too strong for me. Hey! Disclaimer: I am a white-chocolate-mocha-frap-double-blended-with-whip-and-caramel-on-top type of a girl. I have a MAJOR sweet tooth, so the espresso is probably perfect for espresso aficionados.
Now let me tell you about our server Jennifer. She was AWESOME. She brought out BanYo’s dessert with the candle and starting singing “Happy Birthday” without us having to tell her. She was very engaging, helpful with the menu, and so very sweet. She gave us these CD’s as parting gifts. Do they do this for everyone or were we truly special? She also gave us this:
The night’s menu signed by Chef John Clark himself. C’mon, you have to admit that’s pretty awesome. Jennifer didn’t have to do it, but when I asked her if was able to keep one of the menus, she went back to the kitchen and had a few of them signed for my partners and I. Mahalo Jennifer!
In conclusion, I would like to say that I am so happy that I celebrated with my best friends here. I find myself so lucky to have friends with the same food interests as I do. As far as the bill went, it was just over $225 for the four of us, excluding tax and tip. Though I ordered from the DAT selections, I was charged full price. I guess the entire table has to do DAT to get the savings. Eh, it’s okay. By the end of the meal, I was so tickled that I really didn’t even care. Foreign Cinema is like an oasis in a wasteland called The Mission Desert. I forgot where I was for a few minutes. The Mission? Miko, who lives two blocks down, said that he could hardly believe it himself. We have to give the Mission some credit though. I have eaten some of the best food I have ever tasted here (Farina, Bi-Rite, Tartine, etc.) and I am so pleased that it is incredibly rich with culinary diversity. That is why I am so jealous of Miko. Walking down the street back to his apartment and passing the bacon-hot-dog vendors on the corner, I told him that I wished I lived here. Call me crazy, but it’s the truth!
On the Bridge - "Bomb-Ass Curry"
Restaurant: On the Bridge
Address: 1581 Webster Street # 206, Japan Center, Pac Heights, SF
Cuisine: Yoshoku-Style Japanese
Date Last Visited: January 19, 2008
Disclaimer: The actual restaurant report is preceded by a story. If you would like to go directly to the report, scroll down until to hit the first image of the “On the Bridge” sign. Thanks.
The first time came here was on St. Patty’s Day of 2001. At that time, there was a Filipino-American movie by the name of “The Debut” that came out and every Fil-Am and their mama were so excited to see it. Since I am a Fil-Am, I was excited, too. I went to the Kabuki in J-Town with my girls “sxy_saladbar” and “swtprincess54” (gotta love the screen names circa 2000) to watch it, and it was an opportune time to do so because March 16th of that year was my 17th birthday and the movie was playing at the Kabuki for the annual San Francisco Asian American Film Festival.
Anyway, imagine three teenage girls (who know nothing about the MUNI lines, mind you) trying to make their way to the Kabuki and finding out that all tickets were sold out. Yeah, every Fil-Am and their mama got tickets before we did. God, was I disappointed. We ended up buying tickets to another movie. Boo.
Before our replacement movie was going to start, sxy_saladbar, swtprincess54 and I snuck up the stairs to the third floor of the theater where the special screening of “The Debut” was going to be take place. We got up there and one of the check-in guys looked real familiar. No seriously, he looked familiar. I only realized later on that he was the old brother of my dear friend Lopes. Anyway, after a little bit of chit-chat, we told him that we did not get tickets but we still wanted to meet the cast. Lopes’ big bro said, “Hey, there’s the producer!” Basically, he hooked us up with meeting the producer and director of the movie. We were given movie posters and took pictures with them. As a 17-year-old, I was beyond happy. So after that, we went to watch the movie. But then again, sxy_saladbar and I snuck away and saw the director as we were trying to sneak back up into the special screening. He proceeded to go down the escalator to the lobby and beckoned us to go down as well. “Great,” I thought, “He’s going to report us to security and we’re going to get kicked out.” And what a surprise I had when we got down there.
He led us straight to the Basco Brothers (the stars of the movie)! Ahhhh! Dante (Rufio from the movie “Hook”), Dion, Derek, and Darion! Hey, I was 17, and those were the hottest Fil-Ams at that time, so I was so so happy. They signed our posters and took pictures with us. Oh, I was so star-struck. What a great thing to bring to school and to show-off to the other girls in class to make them jealous. Ha! I think I still have that autographed poster somewhere in my room. I’m such a pack-rat, I keep everything. Anyway, that made my birthday. The Basco Brothers were the perfect birthday present. *siiiiiiiiiigh*
What the hell does this have anything to do with On the Bridge? Well, after we met the Basco Brothers and watched our replacement movie, we were starving and ended up at On the Bridge. Each of us had curry: I had the chicken, swtprincess54 had beef, and sxy_saladbar had shrimp. I remember enjoying it, so I thought it would be nice to go back and treat myself to some curry!
Fast forward seven years later to today and I am working overtime in Pacific Heights. After a few short hours, I am craving curry. So I hitched a ride with my manager and I was there in under five minutes from my workplace.
On the Bridge is Yoshoku-style, meaning Western-style food cooked by Japanese chefs. So you won’t find sushi, teriyaki, or more traditional Japanese food here. Believe it or not, you are going to get pasta with fish roe, pizzas with Japanese veggies, Hamburg steak, basically things you would find in the Cooking Mama game. Come to think about it, On the Bridge is a real-life version of Cooking Mama. Okay, here is a challenge for you people. Play Cooking Mama and then go to On the Bridge and see how many items in the game are on the restaurant’s menu.
The place is really quirky. There are anime posters on the wall, pink chairs, Japanese stuffed toys by the window, and Manga books along the wall for you to read while you are waiting for you food. If you haven’t gotten it by now, On the Bridge actually is “on the bridge” that crosses Webster Street and connects the two main malls in J-Town. It’s neat to know that cars are passing right under me.
This is the counter where swtprincess54, sxy_saladbar, and I had our curries after watching the movie. And below is the anime poster above the table where I sat during my latest visit.
Now time for kare raisu!!! There are several ways for you to order your curry. First you have to choose your degree of spiciness from “mild” to “XXX-spicy.” I always go for mild because I really do not want to burn off all my taste buds.
You can order it right off the menu (chicken, seafood, beef, veggie, etc.) or you can make your own custom curries (the following was taken from On the Bridge's Website)
Create Your Own Original Curry Dish!
Curry Sauce & Rice $5.95
How Spicy Can You Take It ? Mild, Medium, Spicy
X-Spicy (Add $0.45) XX-Spicy (Add $0.75) XXX-Spicy (Add $0.95)
Each Item $0.50
Cooked Whole Garlic (3 pcs)
(soaked in Virgin olive oil)
Broccoli (1 oz)
Onion (1 oz)
Tomato (1 oz)
Carrot (1 oz)
Bell Pepper (1 oz)
Egg Plant (1 oz)
Grinded Garlic (1 tsp)
Spinach (1 oz)
Shredded Cheese (1/2 oz)
Natto (1 oz)
Each Item $0.99
Mini Sausage (5 pcs)
Chicken (2 oz)
Ham (1 Large Slice)
Mixi Vegie (Broccoli, Carrot, Green Bean, Squash) (1 oz)
Egg (Raw or Cooked)
Tofu (1/4 of a box)
Mushroom (1 oz)
Each Item $1.25
Calamari (1.5 oz)
Scallop (2 pcs)
Green Mussel (1 oz)
Sea Chicken Tuna (1 oz)
Fukujinzuke (1 oz)
Rakyo (2 oz)
Sakura Ebi - Mini Shrimp
Shrimp (2 pcs)
Corn Cream Croquette
I just went for the regular chicken curry right off the menu. I really didn’t need to customize anything because I wanted to have exactly what I had many years ago. It was exactly how I remembered it. The rice was on a regular plate and the curry itself was served in a little gravy boat. The sauce was thick and there were big chunks of chicken. Another reason why I opted not to get the custom curry was that there are already potato and carrots in the sauce. A nice dice of fresh tomato garnished the top to add some vibrancy to an otherwise blah-colored sauce. For me, I would have rather skipped on the tomatoes. If I have to have my tomatoes uncooked, I’d want them cold. They were warm and unappetizing to me. But I dealt with it because the curry was what swtprincess54 said “bomb-ass.”
I really cannot wait to go back to On the Bridge for other Yoshoku specialties. I’ve been there four times already in the last seven years, and I’ve sampled the pizza toast, katsu don bowl, and curry so far. I’ve read that this is the only place in the Bay where you can get Yoshoku-style Japanese, so I feel lucky to have it so close to work. Some of the dishes sound a little weird to me, like pasta with roe, but who knows, maybe it tastes good? We’ll see. =) Cute and quirky this place is. Kinda like me. Hahaha! Sike.
Address: 1581 Webster Street # 206, Japan Center, Pac Heights, SF
Cuisine: Yoshoku-Style Japanese
Date Last Visited: January 19, 2008
Disclaimer: The actual restaurant report is preceded by a story. If you would like to go directly to the report, scroll down until to hit the first image of the “On the Bridge” sign. Thanks.
The first time came here was on St. Patty’s Day of 2001. At that time, there was a Filipino-American movie by the name of “The Debut” that came out and every Fil-Am and their mama were so excited to see it. Since I am a Fil-Am, I was excited, too. I went to the Kabuki in J-Town with my girls “sxy_saladbar” and “swtprincess54” (gotta love the screen names circa 2000) to watch it, and it was an opportune time to do so because March 16th of that year was my 17th birthday and the movie was playing at the Kabuki for the annual San Francisco Asian American Film Festival.
Anyway, imagine three teenage girls (who know nothing about the MUNI lines, mind you) trying to make their way to the Kabuki and finding out that all tickets were sold out. Yeah, every Fil-Am and their mama got tickets before we did. God, was I disappointed. We ended up buying tickets to another movie. Boo.
Before our replacement movie was going to start, sxy_saladbar, swtprincess54 and I snuck up the stairs to the third floor of the theater where the special screening of “The Debut” was going to be take place. We got up there and one of the check-in guys looked real familiar. No seriously, he looked familiar. I only realized later on that he was the old brother of my dear friend Lopes. Anyway, after a little bit of chit-chat, we told him that we did not get tickets but we still wanted to meet the cast. Lopes’ big bro said, “Hey, there’s the producer!” Basically, he hooked us up with meeting the producer and director of the movie. We were given movie posters and took pictures with them. As a 17-year-old, I was beyond happy. So after that, we went to watch the movie. But then again, sxy_saladbar and I snuck away and saw the director as we were trying to sneak back up into the special screening. He proceeded to go down the escalator to the lobby and beckoned us to go down as well. “Great,” I thought, “He’s going to report us to security and we’re going to get kicked out.” And what a surprise I had when we got down there.
He led us straight to the Basco Brothers (the stars of the movie)! Ahhhh! Dante (Rufio from the movie “Hook”), Dion, Derek, and Darion! Hey, I was 17, and those were the hottest Fil-Ams at that time, so I was so so happy. They signed our posters and took pictures with us. Oh, I was so star-struck. What a great thing to bring to school and to show-off to the other girls in class to make them jealous. Ha! I think I still have that autographed poster somewhere in my room. I’m such a pack-rat, I keep everything. Anyway, that made my birthday. The Basco Brothers were the perfect birthday present. *siiiiiiiiiigh*
What the hell does this have anything to do with On the Bridge? Well, after we met the Basco Brothers and watched our replacement movie, we were starving and ended up at On the Bridge. Each of us had curry: I had the chicken, swtprincess54 had beef, and sxy_saladbar had shrimp. I remember enjoying it, so I thought it would be nice to go back and treat myself to some curry!
Fast forward seven years later to today and I am working overtime in Pacific Heights. After a few short hours, I am craving curry. So I hitched a ride with my manager and I was there in under five minutes from my workplace.
On the Bridge is Yoshoku-style, meaning Western-style food cooked by Japanese chefs. So you won’t find sushi, teriyaki, or more traditional Japanese food here. Believe it or not, you are going to get pasta with fish roe, pizzas with Japanese veggies, Hamburg steak, basically things you would find in the Cooking Mama game. Come to think about it, On the Bridge is a real-life version of Cooking Mama. Okay, here is a challenge for you people. Play Cooking Mama and then go to On the Bridge and see how many items in the game are on the restaurant’s menu.
The place is really quirky. There are anime posters on the wall, pink chairs, Japanese stuffed toys by the window, and Manga books along the wall for you to read while you are waiting for you food. If you haven’t gotten it by now, On the Bridge actually is “on the bridge” that crosses Webster Street and connects the two main malls in J-Town. It’s neat to know that cars are passing right under me.
This is the counter where swtprincess54, sxy_saladbar, and I had our curries after watching the movie. And below is the anime poster above the table where I sat during my latest visit.
Now time for kare raisu!!! There are several ways for you to order your curry. First you have to choose your degree of spiciness from “mild” to “XXX-spicy.” I always go for mild because I really do not want to burn off all my taste buds.
You can order it right off the menu (chicken, seafood, beef, veggie, etc.) or you can make your own custom curries (the following was taken from On the Bridge's Website)
Curry Sauce & Rice $5.95
How Spicy Can You Take It ? Mild, Medium, Spicy
X-Spicy (Add $0.45) XX-Spicy (Add $0.75) XXX-Spicy (Add $0.95)
Each Item $0.50
Cooked Whole Garlic (3 pcs)
(soaked in Virgin olive oil)
Broccoli (1 oz)
Onion (1 oz)
Tomato (1 oz)
Carrot (1 oz)
Bell Pepper (1 oz)
Egg Plant (1 oz)
Grinded Garlic (1 tsp)
Spinach (1 oz)
Shredded Cheese (1/2 oz)
Natto (1 oz)
Each Item $0.99
Mini Sausage (5 pcs)
Chicken (2 oz)
Ham (1 Large Slice)
Mixi Vegie (Broccoli, Carrot, Green Bean, Squash) (1 oz)
Egg (Raw or Cooked)
Tofu (1/4 of a box)
Mushroom (1 oz)
Each Item $1.25
Calamari (1.5 oz)
Scallop (2 pcs)
Green Mussel (1 oz)
Sea Chicken Tuna (1 oz)
Fukujinzuke (1 oz)
Rakyo (2 oz)
Sakura Ebi - Mini Shrimp
Shrimp (2 pcs)
Corn Cream Croquette
I just went for the regular chicken curry right off the menu. I really didn’t need to customize anything because I wanted to have exactly what I had many years ago. It was exactly how I remembered it. The rice was on a regular plate and the curry itself was served in a little gravy boat. The sauce was thick and there were big chunks of chicken. Another reason why I opted not to get the custom curry was that there are already potato and carrots in the sauce. A nice dice of fresh tomato garnished the top to add some vibrancy to an otherwise blah-colored sauce. For me, I would have rather skipped on the tomatoes. If I have to have my tomatoes uncooked, I’d want them cold. They were warm and unappetizing to me. But I dealt with it because the curry was what swtprincess54 said “bomb-ass.”
I really cannot wait to go back to On the Bridge for other Yoshoku specialties. I’ve been there four times already in the last seven years, and I’ve sampled the pizza toast, katsu don bowl, and curry so far. I’ve read that this is the only place in the Bay where you can get Yoshoku-style Japanese, so I feel lucky to have it so close to work. Some of the dishes sound a little weird to me, like pasta with roe, but who knows, maybe it tastes good? We’ll see. =) Cute and quirky this place is. Kinda like me. Hahaha! Sike.
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