VH Noodle House
3288 Pierce St
Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 527-3788
Categories: Vietnamese, Chinese
There's a certain "je ne sais quoi" factor when it comes to good Asian noodle soups. No matter if I eat Vietnamese pho or Hong Kong style wonton noodle soups or a steamy bowl of shiyo based cha su ramen or Taiwanese beef noodle soup or Singaporean curry laksa, the mystery behind the combination of what goes into a good noodle soup to make it GOOD is still elusive (thanks, Tien!).
It's never simply one element. Perhaps it's the marriage of broth, fresh noodles and spices that determine the penultimate in the bowl. Or, it may be as simple as just the right sprinkling of spices and the ever present MSG that is dominant in Asian cuisine. OR, it may be the time taken to extract the flavor from the beef or pork or chicken bones for the broth, the lovely savory broth that makes me cry happy tears.
My quest for the perfect bowl brought me to VH last weekend, when the bf and I found ourselves hungry, with little time to spare, and a freshly killed whole red snapper in rigor mortis, warming in the trunk of our car awaiting its fate in the deep fryer for a proper supper later in the evening.
I looked into the neighboring pho restaurant with only a few diners scattered through their large dining room and made a bee line for VH, which was still crowded at 3pm. Now, as a child following around my mother on weekends in Oakland's Chinatown, I've eaten many many bowls of the teo chew style rice noodle soups at their original location. In fact, this is the ONLY place my mother will order stir-fried pork kidneys with ginger and scallions. Chaozhou people have settled in various parts of China and Southeast Asia and their cuisine has influenced various cultures throughout. I grew up with the flavors from my maternal Chaozhou side of the family, and it reminds me of home.
VH cooks the kidneys to perfection, with a slight snap, never overcooking (which can make it lifeless and rubbery) and never tasting like an iron supplement just melted in your mouth before you could get some water to flush it down. Bleurgh. We still haven't figured out how they get the kidneys so tasty, but it may be the amount of heat and cooking time that you can only replicate on a chef's grade stove.
The restaurant in Richmond provides better ambiance and the staff are friendlier than the original establishment in Oakland's Chinatown. Diners are also given the option of what type of noodles to order for their soup, which is a nice step up.
The bf ordered a pork meatball rice noodle soup with round rice noodles. I ordered the traditional teo chew noodle soup with small flat rice noodles. Both were heaven in a bowl. The broth was incredibly flavorful and clear, and I scooped heaping spoonfuls of my favorite ingredients like ground pork, lean pork, chicken, pork meatballs and the famed kidneys into my soup spoon.
We ate in silence, with only the slurping of noodles and a few "yums" and "wows" interspersed in our psychic conversation of agreement that this noodle house is now in the top 10 of our favorite go-to places for a cheap meal in a bowl.
Our server forgot to bring a thai iced tea until the end of the meal, but by then, we could forgive a lot more than a dinky beverage.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Formosa Bento House
Formosa Bento House
2660 Broadway St
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 568-1782
Categories: Taiwanese, Japanese
I just got back from having the beef noodle soup for lunch, and it was well worth the 20 minute car ride each way from my office in driving rain, wet feet/shoes and all around crappy day.
This large bowl of fresh ramen-style noodles was brimming with tender brisket slices and chunks of soft, lean beef and topped with a little mountain of baby bok choy and spinach. They gave a little ramikin of pickled mustard greens on the side, and had their own housemade chili paste that was good enough to be bottled and sold. The beef broth was deep, rich and dark.
I am not a big lunch eater, but I ate that entire hearty, steamy bowl of goodness. The owners are very friendly Taiwanese folks from Ilan county and the cafe/restaurant is extremely clean. The service is attentive and straightforward.
However, the draw is their true-to-form, homestyle, Taiwanese "Hong Shao" Beef Noodle Soup. Each bite was like sitting at my mother's dining table or on the rickety stool and formica table at the famous noodle shop in the alleyway behind my grandparents' home in Taipei.
They serve traditional "Bian Dang" (Taiwanese/Japanese style bento boxes) with all the goodness you find on a street corner in Taiwan.
Go here for the noodles, fresh out of the kitchen. If you want take away, I'd suggest one of the fried bento packages.
I'm coming back and I'm bringing an army of hungry people with me!
2660 Broadway St
Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 568-1782
Categories: Taiwanese, Japanese
I just got back from having the beef noodle soup for lunch, and it was well worth the 20 minute car ride each way from my office in driving rain, wet feet/shoes and all around crappy day.
This large bowl of fresh ramen-style noodles was brimming with tender brisket slices and chunks of soft, lean beef and topped with a little mountain of baby bok choy and spinach. They gave a little ramikin of pickled mustard greens on the side, and had their own housemade chili paste that was good enough to be bottled and sold. The beef broth was deep, rich and dark.
I am not a big lunch eater, but I ate that entire hearty, steamy bowl of goodness. The owners are very friendly Taiwanese folks from Ilan county and the cafe/restaurant is extremely clean. The service is attentive and straightforward.
However, the draw is their true-to-form, homestyle, Taiwanese "Hong Shao" Beef Noodle Soup. Each bite was like sitting at my mother's dining table or on the rickety stool and formica table at the famous noodle shop in the alleyway behind my grandparents' home in Taipei.
They serve traditional "Bian Dang" (Taiwanese/Japanese style bento boxes) with all the goodness you find on a street corner in Taiwan.
Go here for the noodles, fresh out of the kitchen. If you want take away, I'd suggest one of the fried bento packages.
I'm coming back and I'm bringing an army of hungry people with me!
Sichuan Fortune House
Sichuan Fortune House
41 Woodsworth Ln
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(925) 686-9828
Category: Chinese
Even though the service still needs some work and the decor is lifted outta some Big Trouble in Little China design set, I am giving Sichuan Fortune House 5 big stars.
Want authentic Sichuan Chinese food, literally, the kind they make out of Chongqing, China? This is the place to get it.
I've been on a vegan/raw diet for most of the week, allowing myself one meal out of the week to eat meat, and it was worth it spending my week's allocation at this restaurant.
My family and I had:
Dan Dan Noodles - Excellent! I would go back in a heartbeat to eat this dish alone. The noodles were extremely fresh and toothsome. The sauce was traditional, with the right amount of "ma" (numbing spice) to it
Twice Fried Beef - Again, traditionally made, albeit on the salty side. Make sure to order some steamed rice to eat with it
Pig's instestine/pork blood/pickled vegetable stew - Very saucy and spicy with balanced flavors
Onion pancake - had better, a bit chewy and tough, but went well with the other entrees
Pig's ears with scallions and chili oil - Nice cold appetizer dish with the pig's ears sliced oh-so-thin
Lamb and pickled cabbage soup - Nice version of this northern style soup, could have used a little more lamb flavor, but I enjoyed the pickled cabbage
They give you a little appetizer dish of honeyed peanuts and pickled vegetables. The bill came to $50+. It's great to find such authenticity in Contra Costa County.
p.s. Don't listen to other Yelpers when they claim this isn't spicy, authentic or good. They just don't know what they're talking about. Complexity and balance in spices (not just in-your-face spicy) is what Sichuan food is all about.
41 Woodsworth Ln
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
(925) 686-9828
Category: Chinese
Even though the service still needs some work and the decor is lifted outta some Big Trouble in Little China design set, I am giving Sichuan Fortune House 5 big stars.
Want authentic Sichuan Chinese food, literally, the kind they make out of Chongqing, China? This is the place to get it.
I've been on a vegan/raw diet for most of the week, allowing myself one meal out of the week to eat meat, and it was worth it spending my week's allocation at this restaurant.
My family and I had:
Dan Dan Noodles - Excellent! I would go back in a heartbeat to eat this dish alone. The noodles were extremely fresh and toothsome. The sauce was traditional, with the right amount of "ma" (numbing spice) to it
Twice Fried Beef - Again, traditionally made, albeit on the salty side. Make sure to order some steamed rice to eat with it
Pig's instestine/pork blood/pickled vegetable stew - Very saucy and spicy with balanced flavors
Onion pancake - had better, a bit chewy and tough, but went well with the other entrees
Pig's ears with scallions and chili oil - Nice cold appetizer dish with the pig's ears sliced oh-so-thin
Lamb and pickled cabbage soup - Nice version of this northern style soup, could have used a little more lamb flavor, but I enjoyed the pickled cabbage
They give you a little appetizer dish of honeyed peanuts and pickled vegetables. The bill came to $50+. It's great to find such authenticity in Contra Costa County.
p.s. Don't listen to other Yelpers when they claim this isn't spicy, authentic or good. They just don't know what they're talking about. Complexity and balance in spices (not just in-your-face spicy) is what Sichuan food is all about.
Hakka Restaurant
Hakka Restaurant
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
4401 Cabrillo St
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 876-6898
"THIS IS SO GOOD"
I kept saying that line over and over again while eating. I don't think I even took breaths or breaks between bites. I just gorged myself on some excellent Hakka cuisine.
Soup:
Lao Huo Tang (Old Fire House Soup)
Cantonese folks like to make this deep, savory broth from scraps of bone, meats and herbs and render it all day. The broth is a much more flavorful pork version of the broth you get in pho, with mellow Chinese herbs and even red bean.
Entrees:
Stewed pork belly slices with preserved vegetable and iceberg lettuce. The pork belly was incredible, stewed to almost falling apart, and the flavor from the preserved vegetables infused the pork and sauce completely.
Fried pumpkin with salt duck egg batter. The "HOLY MOLY THIS IS FREAKING DELICIOUS" dish of the evening. If you can imagine the salty goodness from the egg batter paired with the sweetness of the kabocha pumpkin, cut like steak fries and served piping hot....well....I don't need to say any more.
Stir-fried lily bulb with woodear fungus, peppers, cucmber and asparagus. Light and flavorful, with all of the vegetables cooked halfway retaining their freshness and snap.
Half order of the salt baked chicken. This has been talked about thoroughly in other reviews, but what I love about this dish is how simple it seems, but has such difficult components working sublimely and harmoniously. The chicken meat was juicy and tender. The skin was salty/crispy like roast duck skin. The bird used was lean, flavorful and small, reminiscent of wild chicken or yellow feathered chickens. The dipping sauce didn't overpower the flavor of the chicken meat.
Stir-fried clams with basil. Aromatic and subtle, the sauce is good over steamed rice, and the clams were super plump. I loved that they used serrano chilis as opposed to the more astringent jalapeno to spice it up.
Dessert:
Pumpkin pudding with tapioca pearls. Served warm, with a bright orange glow from the pumpkin, we were stuffed, but couldn't let one drop go to waste. Not overtly sweet, and the tapioca was cooked to perfection.
Total cost: $52 and some change
Takes credit cards. Friday night at 7pm, we didn't have a reservation and were seated immediately. The staff are very friendly and the owner's son was gracious and helpful.
Will be back with family and more friends in tow.
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
4401 Cabrillo St
San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 876-6898
"THIS IS SO GOOD"
I kept saying that line over and over again while eating. I don't think I even took breaths or breaks between bites. I just gorged myself on some excellent Hakka cuisine.
Soup:
Lao Huo Tang (Old Fire House Soup)
Cantonese folks like to make this deep, savory broth from scraps of bone, meats and herbs and render it all day. The broth is a much more flavorful pork version of the broth you get in pho, with mellow Chinese herbs and even red bean.
Entrees:
Stewed pork belly slices with preserved vegetable and iceberg lettuce. The pork belly was incredible, stewed to almost falling apart, and the flavor from the preserved vegetables infused the pork and sauce completely.
Fried pumpkin with salt duck egg batter. The "HOLY MOLY THIS IS FREAKING DELICIOUS" dish of the evening. If you can imagine the salty goodness from the egg batter paired with the sweetness of the kabocha pumpkin, cut like steak fries and served piping hot....well....I don't need to say any more.
Stir-fried lily bulb with woodear fungus, peppers, cucmber and asparagus. Light and flavorful, with all of the vegetables cooked halfway retaining their freshness and snap.
Half order of the salt baked chicken. This has been talked about thoroughly in other reviews, but what I love about this dish is how simple it seems, but has such difficult components working sublimely and harmoniously. The chicken meat was juicy and tender. The skin was salty/crispy like roast duck skin. The bird used was lean, flavorful and small, reminiscent of wild chicken or yellow feathered chickens. The dipping sauce didn't overpower the flavor of the chicken meat.
Stir-fried clams with basil. Aromatic and subtle, the sauce is good over steamed rice, and the clams were super plump. I loved that they used serrano chilis as opposed to the more astringent jalapeno to spice it up.
Dessert:
Pumpkin pudding with tapioca pearls. Served warm, with a bright orange glow from the pumpkin, we were stuffed, but couldn't let one drop go to waste. Not overtly sweet, and the tapioca was cooked to perfection.
Total cost: $52 and some change
Takes credit cards. Friday night at 7pm, we didn't have a reservation and were seated immediately. The staff are very friendly and the owner's son was gracious and helpful.
Will be back with family and more friends in tow.
Saigon Seafood Harbor Restaurant
Saigon Seafood Harbor Restaurant
3150 Pierce St
Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 559-9388
Fantastic.
I wish more people would come here and give the new restaurant a try.
We came here as a party of 6 on a Wednesday night, and spent roughly $200 here, with the restaurant half empty from 6:30pm and into the evening.
Mixed roasted meats appetizer with roasted duck, pork and jellyfish salad
Lao huo tang (complimentary house soup)
Clams with black bean sauce
Garlic roasted crab
Geoduck - two ways (salt and pepper deep-fried, and stir fried with lily flowers and vegetables)
Steamed cod with ginger and scallions
Sauteed mature pea sprouts with garlic
Tsingtao beer
The decor is haute Hong Kong banquet, service is very friendly and knowledgeable. The kitchen is wonderful, good timing of each course and well executed.
I'd come here with large parties or at least 4. Be prepared to spend some money. All seafood we had was fresh and wonderfully prepared.
3150 Pierce St
Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 559-9388
Fantastic.
I wish more people would come here and give the new restaurant a try.
We came here as a party of 6 on a Wednesday night, and spent roughly $200 here, with the restaurant half empty from 6:30pm and into the evening.
Mixed roasted meats appetizer with roasted duck, pork and jellyfish salad
Lao huo tang (complimentary house soup)
Clams with black bean sauce
Garlic roasted crab
Geoduck - two ways (salt and pepper deep-fried, and stir fried with lily flowers and vegetables)
Steamed cod with ginger and scallions
Sauteed mature pea sprouts with garlic
Tsingtao beer
The decor is haute Hong Kong banquet, service is very friendly and knowledgeable. The kitchen is wonderful, good timing of each course and well executed.
I'd come here with large parties or at least 4. Be prepared to spend some money. All seafood we had was fresh and wonderfully prepared.
Beijing Restaurant in San Francisco
Beijing Restaurant
Neighborhood: Mission Terrace
1801 Alemany Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94112
(415) 333-8182
Overall: 4.5 stars
Food: 5 stars
Ambiance: 3 typical Chinese decor with photos on walls
Service: 5 stars, very nice and helpful
You know you're in a Northerner's house when all you hear are rolling RRR's in the spoken Mandarin and you can hear playful bantering in the background.
Although the decor and the physical restaurant itself is rather mundane (red lanterns and red exterior paint) and kitschy (photos of regulars, Yao Ming are taped on walls and flat panel television with Chinese pop concerts in the background), the food is 100% Beijing style.
We ordered only from the "Beijing Specialties" section:
1. Stir-fried Liver in Spicy Garlic Sauce
- the liver was tender and the sauce was pure spicy delight. The gravy would have been excellent over a plate of rice or with a steamed bun.
2. Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs
- The American sweet and sour sauce is laden with ketchup, red food coloring 5 and processed white vinegar. Authentic Chinese sweet and sour is actually a very heavy sauce, traditionally made with black vinegar that is more similar to Worcestershire and reduced with a lot of sugar to a sticky, thick-as-molasses syrup. This sauce is decadent, and drizzled over bite-sized, deep-fried pork meatballs.
3. Chive Dumplings (Jou Cai He Zi)
These are like Chinese empanadas, filled with chives, eggs and garlic wrapped with a flour pastry. The pastry is then pan-fried in hot oil until the skin is bubbling and charred, and the juices from the filling run over your chin as you bite into it.
4. Sour Cabbage and Pork Belly Clay Pot (Suan Cai Bai Rou Sa Guo)
This is the real deal. The cabbage is house-made and the pork is sliced so thin that it disintegrates in your mouth. The broth is rich in pork essence and they give you lots of fen pi (the slippery glass noodles) to slurp down with your soup.
I took my father there to sample the food, and he was very pleased with the meal. This is a great family restaurant, with authentic Beijing-style food at a great price.
Our entire meal came out to $39 and some change, and we had tons of leftovers for the next day.
Neighborhood: Mission Terrace
1801 Alemany Blvd
San Francisco, CA 94112
(415) 333-8182
Overall: 4.5 stars
Food: 5 stars
Ambiance: 3 typical Chinese decor with photos on walls
Service: 5 stars, very nice and helpful
You know you're in a Northerner's house when all you hear are rolling RRR's in the spoken Mandarin and you can hear playful bantering in the background.
Although the decor and the physical restaurant itself is rather mundane (red lanterns and red exterior paint) and kitschy (photos of regulars, Yao Ming are taped on walls and flat panel television with Chinese pop concerts in the background), the food is 100% Beijing style.
We ordered only from the "Beijing Specialties" section:
1. Stir-fried Liver in Spicy Garlic Sauce
- the liver was tender and the sauce was pure spicy delight. The gravy would have been excellent over a plate of rice or with a steamed bun.
2. Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs
- The American sweet and sour sauce is laden with ketchup, red food coloring 5 and processed white vinegar. Authentic Chinese sweet and sour is actually a very heavy sauce, traditionally made with black vinegar that is more similar to Worcestershire and reduced with a lot of sugar to a sticky, thick-as-molasses syrup. This sauce is decadent, and drizzled over bite-sized, deep-fried pork meatballs.
3. Chive Dumplings (Jou Cai He Zi)
These are like Chinese empanadas, filled with chives, eggs and garlic wrapped with a flour pastry. The pastry is then pan-fried in hot oil until the skin is bubbling and charred, and the juices from the filling run over your chin as you bite into it.
4. Sour Cabbage and Pork Belly Clay Pot (Suan Cai Bai Rou Sa Guo)
This is the real deal. The cabbage is house-made and the pork is sliced so thin that it disintegrates in your mouth. The broth is rich in pork essence and they give you lots of fen pi (the slippery glass noodles) to slurp down with your soup.
I took my father there to sample the food, and he was very pleased with the meal. This is a great family restaurant, with authentic Beijing-style food at a great price.
Our entire meal came out to $39 and some change, and we had tons of leftovers for the next day.
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