Saigon Drip Cafe

You'd think that heading into Downtown Seattle, in particular Pioneer Square, on the Sunday of the NFC Championship would be a great plan right (yes, they already won the Superbowl...)?  Well, we had a date with Saigon Drip Cafe blocks away from Lumen Field.  But there we were, amongst the sea of Seahawk fans decked out in their blue and green.  But we were about to see it was worth the trouble!  Go Seahawks!

We got to the main event with the Ribeye Hot Pot (or Bún Bò Huế for 2).  This featured a heated hot pot with a rich and savory broth that had brininess and definite spiciness.  We found 2 large beef ribs with tender meat that included 6 ounces of shaved ribeye.  There was a wealth of meat and also some pork's blood.  By having the noodles on the side, it ensured that they stayed al dente with a wonderful elasticity.  The usual compliments such as cabbage, banana blossoms, basil, lime and chilis were there to customize your bowl.  This was a lot of food and could feed more than 2 people if you ordered some other dishes.

Some of those other dishes included their Pho with steak, meatball and brisket.  Again, this was fully-loaded as the picture suggests.   I found the amount of meat to be generous.  There was enough all the way to the last bunch of noodles.  The meat was sliced thin and extremely tender.  Noodles were al dente despite sitting in the hot broth while we took pictures.  About that broth, it was clean and not overly salty.  Therefore, the natural meat flavors were present.  Solid bowl of Pho.

We also got their Vermicelli Bowl with Pork.  Staying with the theme of large portions, this was loaded with tender and charred pieces of marinated pork.  Lots of caramelized sweetness and definitely savoriness.  It came with a crispy spring roll that was stuffed with tender pork that was well-seasoned.  The rice was fluffy while still firm at the same time.  Perfect for accepting the nước chấm.

They have a section of the menu dedicated to Bánh Mì and we chose to try the Bánh Mì Drip featuring a boatload of beef brisket.  There was so much of it that we could barely keep it all in the baguette.  It was tender, saucy and full of umami.  The bread was light and crispy while the side of bone marrow soup could be used as a dip.  However, I didn't do that as there was plenty of moisture already.

Of course we couldn't forget about the drinks too right?  We went for the Cafe Sua Da & Salted Foam as well as the Cafe Sua Da & Durian.  I found the coffee itself to be rich and aromatic as Vietnamese coffee is typically like.  The salted foam added some creaminess and further intensified the flavors.  Absolutely loved the durian as it was definitely funky, but just enough to give the coffee some extra without being overwhelming.  Overall, some solid eats at Saigon Drip Cafe and served in large portions too.  Great place to grab a quite bite on your way to the game!

 

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

 

The Good:

- Solid eats and drinks

- Large portions

- Reasonable pricing

 

The Bad:

- Limited seating other than 2 large tables

 

Shinya Shokudō

As many times I've been in the Seattle/Bellevue area, I do not recall ever doing something late night.  That would include activities in addition to eats.  This was about to change as Jackie and I were checking out some Japanese Izakaya at Shinya Shokudō.  Located right in the heart of Bellevue, it is open late until 1:00pm and offers up a full menu of share plates and also an array of drinks.  

About those drinks, we had a few of them including the Chillchee, Osmanthus Breeze and Shinya Choco Cloud.  Definitely on the sweeter end of the cocktail spectrum with these, but at the same time, they didn't skimp with the alcohol.  Hence, it still packed quite a wallop.  I loved the Chillchee the most as I love lychee and that definitely came through.  I thought the Shinya Choco Cloud was more of a boozy milkshake.

We a great selection of chicken parts (mostly offal) in the Tori Horumon Combo.  We got 2 each of the cartilage, heart, upper heart, gizzard and liver.  This was more about textures than anything else.  There was the crunch from the cartilage, chewy bounciness of the hearts and gizzards while we had the creaminess of the liver.  They were lightly grilled where we had some smokiness.  I would've liked a bit more char on everything but the liver.

To compliment our first set of grilled skewers, we added the Seafood Combo consisting 2 each of Shrimp, Salmon, Hokkaido Scallops and Eel.  I thought the shrimp were perfect being bouncy and still juicy.  Although not looking like it, the salmon was fairly moist.  Couldn't say the same about the scallops as they were overdone.  Eel was perfectly buttery and smoky.

To get a taste of some appies without ordering every one of them, we opted for the Small Dish Set.  This featured Chicken Karaage, Tamagoyaki, Salmon Sashimi, Takoyaki, Wakame Salad and Hotate.  Nothing particularly amiss with this as things were pretty standard and serviceable.  I did think the salmon and hotate were texturally on point and tasted fresh.

On that note, it wasn't a surprise that the Chirashi Don was good since it featured the same salmon and scallop sashimi.  It also added salmon toro to add a rich butteriness to the bowl.  A big dollop of ikura provided pops of briny sweetness.  That same ikura was great with sweet and creamy Hokkaido uni in the Temaki.  The Foie Gras Temaki was rich and buttery but nicely tempered by the chewy sushi rice.

Honestly, we weren't going to order the Spicy Vegan Ramen, but it came highly-recommended.  Well, I do have to say it was pretty darn hot!  Yah, it was spicy and kept my tongue busy for awhile.  Now I like spice, so it didn't bother me.  That was probably the best part because there was not meat for me.  LOL.  Noodles were al dente while bamboo shoots, corn and tofu were there to compliment.

Not that we didn't have enough food already, but we also had the Curry Katsu Omurice.  This was a fairly large dish with plenty of rice underneath a thin blanket of egg.  I would've liked it less cooked but it worked for this application as there was plenty of moisture from the earthy and sweet curry.  The pork cutlet on top was lean, but still tender with a crispy panko crust.

One of the best deals we found on the menu was the Sukiyaki for $20.00.  Served in a small hot pot on a butane burner, we found sliced beef roll with vegetables, mushrooms, tofu and shrimp.  We added udon for an extra charge.  Nothing complex about this dish, but it was a lot of food cooked in a rich soy dashi broth.  Beef was buttery tender while the shrimp had a meaty snap texture.

We had one more rice dish in the Unagi Don, that featured 2 large pieces of soft and buttery glazed unagi.  Rice was chewy and dry enough to withstand the moisture from the eel.  Again, for $21.00, this wasn't bad for so much unagi.  Overall, our experience at Shinya Shokudō was good considering the portions sizes and reasonable pricing.  I wouldn't classify it as a classic Izakaya as the menu trends more towards bigger dishes and Kushiyaki.  But it is good for what it is and is open until 1:00am to satisfy your late night cravings.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Ample portions

- Inexpensive

- Decent eats

The Bad:

- Not really an Izakaya in the authentic sense, but it is good for what it is

- More aggressive char on some of the skewers

Ā Mā Chicken Rice

Ah yes, Hainanese Chicken aka Chicken Rice is a dish that is popular in most parts of Asia.  It originated, as the name implies, in the Hainan Province of China.  Through travel, it has spread across SE Asia and has morphed into different versions.  Yet, the basic premise is the same, poached chicken served with chicken oil rice and all the condiments (which are similar or different depending on the location).  It seems like a simple dish, but as you know, those are the type of things that you can easily mess up.  Our latest food adventures has brought us to Ā Mā Chicken Rice in Redmond.  This is a Cambodian restaurant and hence this is the version of chicken rice that we got to try (among other things).

So let's get right to it with the Chicken Rice accompanied by the aforementioned chicken oil rice, sweet chili sauce and what I like to call "crack sauce" made of fermented soybean, sugar and ginger.  Very reminiscent of Nong's Khao Man Gai in Portland (albeit the Thai version).  At the table, there was also the classic ginger & scallion condiment as well as chili crunch.  I found the chicken oil rice to be super delicious with enough seasoning and aromatics for impact.   The rice itself was not mushy while not being hard either.  The dark meat chicken was buttery and succulent while flavourful on its own.  Best thing to dip the chicken into was the crack sauce as it was a bit of everything with some spice.  However, the ginger & scallion condiment was a classic match too, especially since it was mostly ginger.

For those who wanted something a bit different, yet still technically qualify as chicken rice is the Crispy Chicken Rice.  So the rice for this was exactly like the previous dish, therefore it was an excellent base to start with.  On top, there was a considerable amount of deep-fried chicken breast.  As much as it was white meat, it was still tender and almost juicy.  On the outside, it was plenty crispy with a fairly thick coating.  To compliment the fried chicken, I thought the fermented soybean sauce to be the best match.  It really brought the chicken to life with sweet and savoury elements.

Another dish we had which was on point was the Phnom Penh Noodles.  If you have ever been to Phnom Penh in Vancouver, you will be very familiar with this dish.  It comes in both dry and soup form, where we tried both.  I personally love the Dry Phnom Penh Noodles myself as the flavors are more concentrated.  Consisting of rice noodles mixed with a sweetened soy sauce, the bowl was full of liver, ground pork, shrimp, green onions and fried shallots.

The soup version of the Phnom Penh Noodles sports the basically the same ingredients except instead of the soy mix, everything sat in a hot broth.  I felt the broth was clean, sweet, a bit meaty and slightly briny.  Noodles were still al dente despite sitting in the hot broth.  It soaked up some of the flavors and tasted good on its own.  However, I enjoyed using the chili crunch to amp things up a bit.

Other than the chicken rice, the other best dish of the meal was the Ā Mā Dried Noodles.  These had thinner and firmer egg noodles that were topped with ground pork and dried shrimp, dried mushrooms and a piece of that fried chicken.  This was so savory and full of umami.  Noodles had a nice elasticity and chew to them.  Overall, the food at Ā Mā Chicken Rice is delicious and well-prepared.  Portions are good and the prices are reasonable.  Great for a casual meal any day of the week.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Delicious

- Reasonable pricing

- Ample portions

The Bad:

- Super busy and a wait for a table is normal

- Tight seating

Ginger & Scallion

You might be wondering why a restaurant that specializes in Khao Soi goes by the name "Ginger & Scallion".  Well, it is run by the same people when it was Ginger & Scallion but they decided to pivot from doing Chicken Rice (hence the ginger and scallion name, which is a condiment associated with the dish) to Khao Soi.  They just wanted to do something different even though their Chicken Rice was wildly popular and the place was packed.  Jackie and I have tried their Chicken Rice before and although we are sad to see it go, we were super excited to try their Khao Soi.

Before we got to that, we tried their house made Thai Sausage.  This was really good as the texture was so natural and meaty.  As much as it was moist and juicy, it was not overly fatty.  Hence, the chew was consistent in terms of being tender with some firmness.  Flavor was good with hits of tanginess and rich fermented notes.   This was served with the typical raw cabbage, ginger, cilantro and chilis.

Onto the Khao Soi, we went for a few beef offerings including the Beef Tenderloin.  As you can see, the beef was prepared to a perfect rare.  I thought it was tender enough, but in comparison to the other 2 beef options we ordered, it wasn't fatty.  In addition to the rich and flavorful broth, we found green onions, cilantro, red onion, crispy shallots, pickled vegetables and crispy noodles (also chewy wide egg noodles hidden within).

On that note, the other beef options we had were the Miyazaki A5 Picanha and American Wagyu.  Although I found the Picanha to be the most buttery, it could've used just a touch more cooking so that the fats would be activated.  With more rendering, it would've been even more tender.  It was still delicious though with rich meatiness to go with the rich broth that was thick and aromatic.  Even though Khao Soi isn't supposed to be spicy, I would've liked just a touch more heat.  Mind you, there was some chili crunch on the side, so we could customize our broth anyways!

My favorite beef for the Khoi Soi was the American Wagyu Steak as it was less fatty than the Miyazaki A5.  Since it was medium-rare to rare, less fat meant that it didn't need to render as much.  Hence, it was super soft and succulent.  Nice meatiness from the fat and it was less heavy.  Since the broth was already so rich, the meat went better than the A5.

Our last 2 bowls consisted of Seared Duck and Oxtail.  Personally, I would've liked to see more rendered skin for the duck (or a breed that has less fat).  However, the duck was still beautifully cooked and tender.  As for the oxtail, we had 2 large pieces that had fall-off-the-bone meat that was gelatinous and buttery soft.  Once again, there was wealth of natural beef flavour.

To go with our Khao Soi, we had a Thai Iced Tea which was creamy and aromatic while being just sweet enough.  For dessert, we sampled a Passionfruit Pie from San Bartolo Bake Shop.  Tangy, sweet and refreshing, this helped level off all the yummy richness.  Overall, a solid experience and definitely filling despite not looking like a huge portion.  Plenty of meat and al dente noodles within that flavorful and aromatic broth.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Rich aromatic broth

- Excellent meat choices

- Filling, despite not looking like it

The Bad:

- Duck fat could've been rendered a bit more

Thai Lucine

It seems like I am doing a lot of Thai food wherever I go.  It is especially true when I'm south of the border as the Thai food game in Seattle and especially in Portland are on point.  One of the newest in the Emerald City is Thai Lucine, which is a quick-service concept that offers traditional Thai favorites for dine-in and take-out.  Prices are reasonable and portions are generous.  Jackie and I checked it out on a Sunny, but cold January afternoon. 

Being a quick-service restaurant, the food is prepared fast and served in to-go packaging.  The place is certainly nice enough to dine-in, but for those who need to be on the go, Thai Lucine fits that bill.  We started things off with the Laab Stix.  Crispy with a tender meat filling, these fulfilled the promise of laab flavours with tanginess and some spice.  We found some jimjew sauce on the side.

One of their best deals is their Dinner Set for $19.99 that includes Thai Clear Soup, Chicken Pad See Ew and Lime Chili Wings.  We watched our noodles being wok fried and were not surprised at caramelized and smoky flavors from the wok hei.  Those wings were large and plenty juicy.  Batter was crunchy and we did get some tang from the lime.  Soup was clean and really nice for a cold day.

We tried one of their salads in the Thai Chili-Lime Dressing Salad with shrimp.  Consisting of a mixture of spring mix and other veggies, the salad was topped with quinoa and plenty of shrimp.  This was a refreshing salad as the dressing was tangy and sweet with just a touch of spice.  Loved the shrimp as they were buttery with a crunch.  Served in a to-go cup, the Tom Yum Soup was packed with big slices of chicken.  The broth itself was classic hot and sour with plenty of aromatics from lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and galangal.  Really great for on the go, instead of a coffee.

Continuing with shrimp, we had the Pad Kee Mao with that particular protein.  This was full of wok hei as you can see clearly in the picture.  Good sear on the ingredients with caramelized flavors and smokiness.  The noodles had a pleasant chewiness while the seasoning was on point with a decent spice level.  This was tempered by the sweetness of palm sugar.

Equally delicious, the Thai Fried Rice with Beef was also full of smokiness from the fiery wok fry.  Each grain of rice was discernible and not clumpy.  There was a good chewiness to the rice and aromatic nuttiness.  Once again, the seasoning was there providing enough flavor without being salty.  There was plenty of tender slices of beef as well.

Going for one of their wraps as well, we had the Keow Waan Wrap with Beef.  Sporting a wealth of tender beef, the wrap also contained veggies, almonds, pumpkin seeds and of course, Thai green curry dressing.  Loved the spice level as well as the generous amount of tender beef.  The greens really complimented the whole thing by keeping things from being heavy. 

We also had some drinks to compliment our food in the Thai Iced Tea, Thai Pink Milk and Cold Brew Coffee.  With balanced sweetness, the Thai Iced Tea was creamy and full-bodied.  The creamy Thai Pink Milk was rather sweet, but helped cool down some of the spices.  Cold Brew was strong and great for people who like black coffee.  Overall, a solid experience at Thai Lucine.  Great quick service spot with generous portions at reasonable prices.  They carry 5 homemade sauces that were great with our food.  I particularly enjoyed the Massaman sauce, so aromatic and flavorful.  Pro tip, get their membership and enjoy a BOGO (buy one, get one of any soup, salad, wrap or entree.  Also every $15 spent, you get 1 stamp.  Collect 5 stamps for 1 free appie and 10 stamps for free wrap or salad.  Until April 30th, 2026, you can get 10% off if you use the code "sherman10" at checkout!

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Good wok hei and caramelization of flavors

- Reasonable pricing

- Generous portions

The Bad:

- Since it is mainly a takeout operation, you won't have proper plates or bowls when dining in

- Parking is a bit difficult in the area

International Lobster Rolls

I love Lobster Rolls, full stop.  When I was travelling around the East Coast many years ago, I went nuts and had them whenever I could get my hands on some.  This included the popular chain Luke's Lobster as well as the famed Neptune Oyster in Boston with their buttered Connecticut-style roll.  Well, we are able to get some renditions in Vancouver, B.C., but they are pretty expensive and not particularly stuffed with enough lobster.  However, I think we might've found one of the better places along the West Coast in International Lobster Rolls in Seattle. 

Before I get to the Lobster Rolls, we had some smaller items including the Lobster Bisque.  This was quite a rich and creamy version with big pieces of claw meat.  They didn't skimp on the lobster and that helped with the overall lobster flavor as well as texture.  The bisque itself had plenty of lobster essence and sweetness.  My only wish would be it to be a little less thick.

We also had the Lobster & Crab Bombs that were bonded with cream cheese.  I'm normally not a huge cream cheese fan when it comes to anything like this, but I didn't mind these.  Definitely creamy and briny with a uniformly crispy exterior.   There was enough seafood in there for texture and flavor.  We found little fluffy nuggets of crab and bouncy pieces of lobster. Nice little bites.

The Crab Fries were a real treat as it was topped with a considerable amount of fluffy and sweet crab.  Crispy with soft potato filling, the fries themselves were infused with the crab flavor.  However, the trick here was to take a fry, dip it into the side of mayo and then pick up pieces of crab.  That one bite was delicious and addictive.  We got a non-seafood item in the Wings in both Butter Fish Sauce and Cajun Mango.  Wings were lightly coated and sported rendered skin.  Meat in the middle was tender, yet not overly juicy (worked well with the flavours here).  The butter fish sauce was salty, fishy (in a good way) and of course buttery.  Classic flavor.  Sweet and spicy, the Cajun Mango was actually my favorite.  It had a slow-rumbling kick.

What makes their lobster rolls different, among other things, is that they have unique international flavors for their lobster rolls.  However, to get a baseline, we went for the classic Connecticut Lobster Roll to start.  This featured a roll that was sturdy and not too soft which meant everything stayed together.  Also, unlike the split brioche bread found at Luke's, the lobster filling went from top to bottom evenly.  There was more then enough knuckle and claw meat to satisfy every bite into the roll.  As a binder, we had chopped body meat mixed in.  With only melted butter as the main condiment, the natural sweetness of the lobster came through.

Their best selling lobster roll is the Garlic Parmesan and after one bite, it was obvious as to why.  beyond the creaminess of the mayo, the hits of garlic and nutty parmesan helped give this roll considerable impact.  With that being said, the lobster still stood out with that unmistakable briny sweetness.  Furthermore, the texture was just right with a fluffy bounce and with the claw meat, some firmer parts.  Loved that there wasn't an excess of mayo in this, which could make it considerably more heavy.

Pairing truffle and lobster could be seen as a natural combo made in heaven.  That was the case with the Truffle Lobster Roll.  Also modestly tossed with mayo, the lobster mix was great to eat on its own where the aromatics and woodsiness of the truffle being impactful.  Once again, there was great consideration to the main ingredient.  Yes, the lobster essence was still completely on display but only complimented by the truffle.

Probably the most interesting roll was the Honey Walnut, reminiscent of the Chinese dish made with fried battered prawns.  It wasn't as if the creation wasn't tasty.  It was indeed that with the unmistakable sweetness of the honey mayo.  We just felt that it was less impactful than the others as it was a bit one note and the sweetness competed with the sweetness of the lobster.  Overall, the Lobster Rolls at International Lobster Rolls were fully stuffed and worth every penny.  Loved their firmer rolls that kept everything together while allowing more lobster to stuffed inside.  I would totally go back when I'm in Seattle.

*All food and beverages were complimentary for this blog post*

The Good:

- Fully-stuffed lobster rolls

- Well-priced

- A wide selection of international flavors

The Bad:

- Parking in the area is difficult

- Loved the flavour of the lobster bisque but it could've been less thick