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Food Porn Friday

Food Porn Friday | San Francisco Eats | Part I

I used to dream of living by the bay.

The weather, the scene, the culture, the cuisine, there’s something so mysterious about a city constantly blanketed in fog. It’s a new experience every time I visit and this trip proved to reveal all the ten thousand and one reasons why I left my heart in San Francisco. Well, my heart and my appetite y’all…same ish, different beat, right?
Since I promised MAJOR food porn, I’ll be breaking down SF eats into 2 parts to show y’all the multicultural side of things. Let’s start with Asia minor shall we?

R & G Lounge

631 Kearny St. | San Francisco, CA | (415) 982-7877

Claim to Fame

This Cantonese-style cuisine has been heralded by local foodies and travelers alike as the BEST Chinese food in all the land, even earning Michelin guide recognition as one of Michael Mina’s favorite places to eat. From the sight of this gorgeous juicy crab above, can you blame them? Their signature famous live crab is first lightly battered with a salt and pepper crust then deep-fried to golden perfection. The crunchy is akin to Japanese-style tempura save for the fact that it’s wayyyyy less greasy than most and jam-packed with such an authentic flavor profile you’d almost forget the best part of this dish was the crab meat! Or the skin, I’m compelled to argue for both camps, actually. Incredibly craveable, I’m trying to book my next weekend trip around this dang crab!
MUST GET: Three Treasures with Black Bean Sauce
Bean curd, eggplant, and hot peppers stuffed with shrimp meat in black bean sauce. I am a bonafide Chinese-bred, Vietnamese-raised child of Chinese cuisine and I have NEVER experienced fried eggplant so ingeniously created. The stuffed shrimp meat has this creamy, stringy texture that complements the veggies so well. It’s exactly what eggplant should taste like if it were a meat product. So dang delish haven’t gotten it out of my mind since! It’s really one of those dishes that stay with you for life to make all other stir-fried veggies PALE in comparison. Before you die, you have to try!
Geoduck Sashimi, Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice, Spicy Hot and Sour Soup, Peking Duck, Rice Noodle with beef, and Stir-Fried Bean shoots in garlic sauce.

 Burma Superstar

309 Clement St. | San Francisco, CA 94118  | (415) 387-2147

The Vibe

I’ve blogged about this local FAVE before HERE when I visited the bay area last May with my posse. My first experience in Oakland was incredible. We raved and raved about the unique ingredients, the contemporary décor, the trendy clientele, just about everything since the ambience was really pitch perfect for our large party. Fast forward some 18 months later and now I need to backtrack y’all. Once the atmosphere’s been compromised, so have my accommodating taste buds.

The Verdict

This time we visited their teensy little SF location on Clement right the afternoon siesta and I have to admit I was grossly disappointed. Having opened in ’92, the venue was a bit dingy and very Mom-and-Pop compared to their new and improved Telegraph location. Gone are the gleaming service counters, the vaulted ceilings, and the industrial-chic décor…what’s left is the food. No bells and whistles, no service with a smile, no “thank you, come again!” If the cuisine is clearly Burma’s superstar, then the clientele must be their second class citizen. I mean no ice in my water man, what gives??? I’m not completely biased against outdated interior design; I still really do enjoy their food. But only on the other side of the bay y’all. You can read all about it HERE.

 Osha Thai Noodle Cafe

696 Geary Street | San Francisco, CA 94102 | (415) 673-2368

The Vibe

Like Denny’s, but Thai-style. Total midnight munchies for the inner party girl in you. What I CRAVE after a night of dancing, drinking and debauchery. Super cheap, super late-night eats for you and 20 of your closest friends. Think sticky-icky Pad Thai (yummm!), crunchy-fried tofu (drools!), and a hot piping bowl of traditional boat noodle (dank!). They are extremely accommodating for large parties and don’t even mind that your bestie’s throwing up in the bin beside your table. Now that’s what I call service y’all! I’m only kidding…she was throwing up in the bathroom beside our table, not the bin ;D With 7 locations sprinkled throughout the city, experience traditional meets new-age Thai right around the corner from your hood!
How’s that for a quickie taste of Asia?!  Which of these top 3 SF eats look most delectable to you?
Chinese? Burmese? Thai? 

Bon Appétit mes amis!

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13 Comments

  13. Nancy D Lee Reply

    You're making me hungry woman!!! Had the crispy crab over Labor Day weekend and been wanting to go back just for it. Searched yelp for anything similar that's local, but no luck. 🙁

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