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We swore to stay away from Chinese food while we were down in the Bay Area since the stuff we get at home in Vancouver is pretty much the gold standard in North American (in our opinion). However, it is difficult to stay away as we crave comfort food and often get tired from eating non-Asian cuisine. So when we had to take out my cousin for dinner since she hosted us for 3 days, we chose a Shanghainese joint out in Fremont. Besides, I think we used up all of their toilet paper and bottled water... LOL. The whole gang ended up at dinner including her sister with husband and kids as well as their parents. For that reason, we ordered a lot of food!
Some smaller appies hit the table first including the sliced Beef Shank and the Marinated Cucumbers. They warned us that these were small dishes, but for us, they were big enough and well-priced for the portion-size. Firm and pleasantly chewy, the beef shank was still tender and had a nice rebound. It was on the drier side, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. There was enough flavor in the form of soy, star anise and sweetness. They didn't look like much, but the cucumbers were money. Crunchy and bright, they were lightly sweet and mildly salty. They were so good, the kiddies ate them as well. Not my son, but the younger kids at the table.
For me, I had to get the Spicy Tripe and it was a good decision. Sliced thin, but still exhibiting an appealing chewy rebound, the tripe was nicely gelatinized. It was tossed in enough chili oil for some spiciness without being overwhelming. There was an equal amount of sweetness and saltiness as well. We ended up with 5 steamers of the Xiao Long Bao since all of the kiddies love dumplings. These were generally good with a thin dumpling skin and loads of soup on the inside. I found there was a lack of elasticity though as the skin would break too easily. The pork filling was a bit gritty, but still moist and tender. As for the soup, it was sweet with lots of meat flavor.
To get our veggies for the meal and really for our trip as we had been clearly eating too much meat and fried food... So we got the Stir-Fried String Beans, Stir-Fried Ong Choy and Stir-Fried Shanghai Bak Choy. My favourite of the bunch was the string beans since they were oil-blanched just enough that they were cooked, but still remained crunchy. They were also lightly seasoned which was a good thing. The ong choy was crunchy and also lightly salted where the natural flavors were preserved as well as the garlic coming though. As expected, the Shanghai bak choy was more watery due since it lets out moisture when stir-fried. They were still crunchy though.
Onto some carbs, we had the House Special Fried Rice and the Chicken Stir-Fried Noodles. The fried rice was a mix of beef, chicken, shrimp and frozen veggies. I found that it was dry and nutty which meant the rice wasn't too wet to begin with and the wok heat was sufficient for caramelization. The shrimp was cold-water crunchy, but the beef was beyond chewy. I couldn't break it down and had to spit it out. As for the fried noodles, they were pretty good being slippery and al dente while not overly greasy. There was enough wok heat to keep the moisture to a minimum where the dish ate well with tender juilienned pork and crunchy cabbage.
For the kiddies, we got a few orders of the Beef Soup Noodles and they were pretty much forgettable. Let's start with the one positive, the noodles. Much like the stir-fried noodles, these were chewy and al dente. However, the soup was rather bland and it didn't taste like there was any depth to it (ie. meat flavor). Furthermore, the beef was very dry and chewy. It was lean to begin with and the way they prepared it didn't help matters much. On the other hand, the Spicy Beef Soup Noodles was remarkably better. First of all, the soup was impactfully spicy despite lacking body. The noodles were just as good as the previous bowl and the beef tendons were the right texture.
For me, I really wanted to try the Ja Jeun Mein (Noodles with Meat Sauce) and they were respectable. Consisting of the on point noodles as well, the sauce on top was flavorful and rich. There was enough of it to coat the noodles and provide enough seasoning. It was savory with some some sweetness. The cucumbers were fresh and provided a nice crunch. The only thing I could fault the dish was that the sauce was a touch greasy. One item I could've done without was the Spicy Wontons. I thought the filling was terrible being mushy and bland. The sauce itself had a good vinegariness, but it wasn't balanced. There was no spice and not enough soy to counteract the tartness. Overall, I would echo my aunt's assessment of the place, "acceptably average". Does the job, but not particularly memorable.
The Good:
- Acceptably-average
- Okay portions
The Bad:
- A little pricey for this class of restaurant
- Service is spotty
Usually, when one thinks of Burmese food and the Bay Area, the name Burma Superstar is always the obvious choice. Make no mistake, I really do want to visit the place and maybe one day I will. It just hasn't been convenient for us to do so. But back to my point, no one thinks of Mingala Restaurant located in Fremont (except those who live there...). It was somewhat of a random choice by my uncle when we all met up for dinner. Looking over the menu, it seemed more like a mish mash of Burmese, Thai and Malay dishes.
As such, we got a little of everything to start including the Laphat Thoke (Burmese Tea Leaf Salad) consisting of tea leaves, fried lentils, peanuts, chili, tomatoes, cabbage, sesame seeds and dried shrimp. Okay, I'm not a tea leaf salad expert, but I found this one a bit bland and lacking in crunch. With that being said, it wasn't bad though. There was still some tea leaf essence to go with the brininess of the dried shrimp. Next, I sampled the Pork Rib Soup which was lightly seasoned, but was meaty due to the tender pork ribs and also Earthy due to the shiitake mushrooms.
Moving onto the Roti Pratha, I found it to be a little dense, but this type of roti tends to be that way. Maybe, they could've spun it looser or with more space between sections. It could've been crispier and less greasy as well. The side of curry sauce was mild, yet aromatic and successfully flavored the roti. One of my favourite dishes was the Belachan Ong Choy with dried shrimp paste, garlic and ginger. There was plenty of wok heat that lead to the caramelization of the ingredients. This meant the brininess of the shrimp paste was super impactful as well as the garlic and ginger. Furthermore, there was a smoky sweetness from the stir-fry.
For the kiddies and carb-lovers, we had the Pad Thai prepared with shrimp. This was average in my books due to the omission of pickled turnip and pressed tofu. I found the flavours to be one note with a slight tang and mostly sweetness. There was a lack of smokiness from intense wok heat and the aggressive tartness from tamarind. Textures were on point though with chewy noodles and crunchy sprouts and meaty shrimp. Looking rather dark, the Hokkien Noodles were doused in an alarming amount of dark soy. However, the dish ate a lot better than it appeared with muted sweetness and surprisingly mild saltiness. The dish was a bit wet where the noodles were soft though.
Our last 2 dishes were the Hainanese Chicken and Ying Yang Noodles. The chicken was a bit more firm that I would've liked, but it was still tender and succulent. It was mildly seasoned where the condiments did their thing. As for the noodles, they were saucy as expected with creamy egg sauce along with shrimp, squid, chicken and choy sum. Despite the mess of moisture, the noodles were still fine while the ingredients were properly prepared. In general, the meal as a whole was pleasant, yet could've used some tweaks here and there. Whatever the case, Mingala does the job as a neighbourhood restaurant.
The Good:
- Lots of choice on the menu
- Fairly good service
- Well-priced
The Bad:
- A bit disjointed without a focus
Having just left Fremont on our way to Monterey, the words "I'm hungry" was said in unison from the back seat. For the love of... Then why did they not eat enough food before we left??? Fine. We would have to stop for food. With no real plan, we reached into the altered sched to find the only thing nearby was The Counter in San Jose. Located in the swank shopping district, this location of The Counter is part of a chain that serves up gourmet burgers offering up options for customizing your own.
We were pressed for time so I didn't bother choosing my own toppings and went for the 1/3rd pound Counter Burger consisting of hormone + antibiotic free beef, sharp provolone, crispy onion strings, lettuce blend, sautéed mushrooms, ripened red tomato and sun-dried tomato vinaigrette on a brioche bun. The first thing I noticed after an initial bite was the meatiness of the medium-rare patty. It was firm, yet not dry exhibiting a whole lot of beef flavor and appealing texture. The crispy onions added both crunch and flavor. I thought the toasted brioche was firm enough to stand up to the ingredients while not being overly dry. Viv decided to try the Southwestern Burger in a Bowl that was essentially a salad topped by a 1/3rd pound patty. It included hormone + antibiotic free beef, lettuce blend, tillamook cheddar, fresh jalapeños, roasted corn, black bean salsa, roasted green chiles and scallions with creamy Caesar. This was a spicy concoction with the burst of sweetness from the roasted corn. Definitely a low-carb option.
For the kiddies, my son had the Mini Cheeseburgers with shoestring fries. The thin fries were appealingly crispy while not completely devoid of potatoness. They were well-salted and good on their own. As for his cheeseburgers, the meat was again, not overdone and he dusted them off quickly. Going down her own road (like she often does), my daughter had the Grilled Cheese and Ham with skinny fries. Not particularly seared long enough on the flattop, the bread was naturally a touch soft, but there was lots of ham and cheese. It didn't help improve the texture, however, it did make the sandwich hearty. From the items we tried at The Counter, the food was decent and generally enjoyable. I wouldn't classify anything as ground-breaking, but the many options allow people to customize their meal.
The Good:
- Lots of options
- Low carb, gluten free salad option
- Decent eats
The Bad:
- A little pricey
Continuing on with the "let's not be typical and eat Chinese food" quest, I thought hard about where we were going to eat after my Uncle wanted to treat us back for the meal at Boiling Crab. Suddenly it occurred to me - let's do BBQ! So off we headed over to Sam's BBQ in San Jose for some finger lickin' eats. It was nice to be at a place where it was casual and fun, especially with the impending 5 courses of meat. Such a change from the 10 courses of Chinese food. Yah, #firstworldproblems...
Fortunately for us, we were able to make a reservation since we were a large party. Funny that when we got there, a lady was sitting at our table and refused to budge. She wondered why we needed 2 tables. Um... 8 people cannot fit into one table! Anyways... Before the carnivore feast was about to begin, the Steak Fries made their appearance. These were thick, crunchy yet lacking in potatoness. My kids seemed to like them, so what do I know? Next up was a generous portion of Hush Puppies. These had a firm crunch from the cornmeal which I personally liked. Inside, it was dense, yet not heavy as it was moist. The side of honey butter helped soften things up even more so (as well as adding an aromatic sweetness).
I gave the Beef Ribs a sample and they were meaty with a "steak-like" texture. So it wasn't exactly falling off the bone (it's smoked so it shouldn't be), but that didn't mean it was difficult to eat either. It exhibited a nice even smoke ring that gave the meat depth of flavor. The BBQ sauce was a nice mix including enough smoke and sweetness. As for the Baby Back Ribs, they were ginormous with lots of meat that didn't suffer much shrinkage from smoking. Again, this type of BBQ would not yield fall-off-the-bone ribs necessarily since they marinate and the smoke it from raw (then put on the BBQ). Unlike being par-boiled (that would make BBQ purists cry), these ribs were meaty and full of natural flavour including the smoke and sweet BBQ sauce.
Moving on, we also got a pound of the Smoked Brisket which also had a flavorful smoke ring as well. Due to the cut (at the end of the brisket), the meat was on the drier side. With that being said, it wasn't chewy as the meat had tenderized from the 14 hours of smoking. It did have a nice bark that added a richness to the meat. I wasn't a huge fan of the BBQ Pork though as it was not exactly that tender. As you can see in the picture, it wasn't dry per se and indeed it wasn't lean either. But possibly due to the thickness of the meat, the center portion was chewy and a little bland. Again, there was a nice exterior bark and smoke ring. If I ate those pieces alone, it was okay.
Last meat option was 1/2 Sam's Salsa Chicken. Sporting a beautiful deep brown smoked exterior, the skin was completely rendered. Although no one would ever claim the meat was juicy, it wasn't too dry either. Even the breast meat was completely edible without chewy parts. Flavorwise, it was of course smoky, but I didn't get a whole lot of salsa though. For our sides, we had Potato Salad, Garlic Bread, Coleslaw and Chili Beans. The potato salad was the typical mashed potato-type with onions, celery and mustard. Coleslaw was good with a fresh crunch and zip. The chili beans were more like baked beans with some spice. Overall, the stuff at Sam's was decent and generally a good value. No one should be longing for any meat after a meal here. One word of caution to those who like chain restaurant BBQ food, you won't find it at Sam's. They smoke everything from raw where it retains its natural flavors and takes on a rich smoke. No parboiled stuff here.
The Good:
- Well-priced
- You won't leave hungry
- Casual, relaxed atmosphere
The Bad:
- Due to the cooking method, the meats will not fall-off-the-bone (if you want that style...)
- Pretty darn busy (good for them)
Seeing how my aunt and uncle were so gracious enough to let Viv and I stay at their place while in the Bay Area, we thought that treating them to a meal was in order. But where? No, I was not going back to Mayflower, despite his love for the place. This time, I really wanted something different. Okay, they like seafood... and aren't afraid to eat with their hands... Bingo! The Boiling Crab! Ever since my meal at Crawdaddy, I wanted to check out the "more well-known" spot in San Jose.
Before we got to the seafood, we started with an order of their Yam Fries. Yes, I know yam fries are as exciting as a late-night infommercial (do people watch those anymore? GLH anyone?), but these were good. They were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They weren't overly greasy either. The kiddies didn't partake in the seafood feast, so we got them a basket of Chicken Strips and Fries. Well, remember what I said about the late-night infommercial? Basically, these did the job with large pieces that featured moist white meat coated with a crunchy batter. The fries were equally crunchy too.
For the boil, we got Crawfish, Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Corn, Potatoes and Sausage (in the Whole Sha-Bang Sauce in mild). For good measure, we added a whole crab and lobster. We felt that the clams and mussels were money as they were plump and properly cooked. There was definitely enough meat to fill each shell, where the whole sha-bang sauce clung onto each piece. It was still spicy (even though we asked for mild) and full of garlic which was accented nicely by the limes with salt & pepper. The frozen white shrimp were pretty typical while the crawfish could've been more fresh as some were mushy. The crab was on point with fluffy meat. The lobster was a tad overcooked where it started to become rubbery. I liked the meaty sausage as there was just enough fat and spice. The medium-sized potatoes were done right while the corn could've used less time. If I had to compare, The Boiling Crab has offered up the best seafood boil that I have tried. The combination of fresh seafood and flavorful sauce made me wanting for more.
The Good:
- Fun eating
- Whole ShaBang spicy and impactful
- We got fresh seafood (even the crab and lobster)
The Bad:
- Will never be a "cheap" meal
- Very messy, if you don't like that
How hard is it to find late night desserts in the Bay Area? Well apparently it was not as easy it is appeared when we were driving from place-to-place in search of sit down sweets. In fact, one of the top-rated places according to Yelp! was more of a grocery store than anything else. With 2 complaining kiddies in tow, it was probably a good idea to find a place with a table. Hence, we drove all-the-way back to Fremont (where we were staying) and settled on Snowflake Teahouse or was it Sno-Crave? Kinda confusing...
Since my daughter is a Macaron aficionado (at 6 years old...), we got a few. At first glance, they looked remarkably legit despite my obvious trepidation. Texturally, they, were crispy on the outside and a dense chewy on the inside. I found the meringue to be too sweet while the filling compounded the problem. This was especially true with the strawberry as it was like pure jam. For our Dark Chocolate Shaved Ice, it reminded me of watered-down frozen chocolate milk. Now that was not necessarily a jab. Rather, it was actually quite smooth and almost creamy for an ice. It was not overly sweet. It tasted a bit like a weak Fudgsicle.
Laslty, we had the Strawberry crepe which was filled with Nutella and strawberry ice cream topped with sweetened fresh strawberries. Naturally, this was a pretty sweet creation. The strawberries were fresh and ripe while the crepe was thin and chewy. As much as the individual ingredients were good, everything added up just became overly sugary. In the end, Snowflake did the job in terms of offering up late night dessert. Nothing amazing, but serviceable nonetheless...
The Good:
- Okay pricing
- Okay portion size
- Open late
The Bad:
- Everything was a bit too sweet and lacking finesse
As if dining at Mayflower for Dim Sum wasn't enough for one day, we returned for dinner only a mere 5 hours later. I think my uncle likes the place... it's just a hunch... I guess we should've just pitched a tent outside so we didn't have to leave. Um... No, not really, it was too hot anyways. The real reason behind returning was that it would be central to all of the people making it out for dinner. I guess my family does love me as they all showed up! Maybe a trip to Bay Area every 1.8 years isn't enough!
Anyways, we ended up with an interesting array of dishes beginning with the Appetizer Platter consisting of mini-octopus, BBQ pork, jellyfish and sliced beef shank. The octopus was sweet with a light snap while the jellyfish was overly sweet, yet exhibited a nice crunch. Also sweet, the BBQ pork was lean and tender. As for the beef shank, it was soft with a herbal liquorice taste (probably from the star anise and five spice). Served in a whole wintermelon, the Wintermelon Soup consisted of crab, BBQ duck, shiitake, Virginia ham and gai lan stalks. The broth was sweet with an Earthy shiitake essence. The star of the show was the large whole leg pieces of fluffy crab.
Moving on, we had the Stir-Fried Snap Peas with clams and scallops. As evidenced by the glossy sheen, this was a bit greasy albeit the beneficiary of a scorching wok toss. Although the clams were sweet and tender with a slight chew, the scallops were completely overdone. The sweetness of the crunchy snap peas was balanced off by the spicy and savory black bean sauce. Up next was an interesting dish being the Wasabi Beef with silken tofu. I gotta admit this was a weird concoction where the hit of wasabi was definitely discernible. Although the beef was tender, the wasabi and the red onion didn't do it for me.
Trying to fulfill the main meat groups, we continued on with the Crispy Chicken with fried garlic. With a rich golden hue, the skin was nicely rendered and crispy. The fried garlic was aromatic while not bitter. However, all these positives were outweighed by the completely dry, overcooked meat (including the dark meat). Next, we had the Steamed Whole Fish, which could've been perch. I say this because no one told me what it was! Anyways, it was steamed just right being flaky and buttery soft. There was just enough ginger and onion for the aroma without overwhelming the fish.
I've had salted egg yolk crusted crab before where I was only mildly impressed. But the Golden Lobster coated with the aforementioned salted egg yolk was executed nicely. There was just enough that we knew it was there without overwhelming the sweet lobster meat (which was a little overdone though). Best of all, the fried pumpkin underneath was coated with the same egg yolk and it was addictively good. Finally with a veggie dish, we had the Gai Lan with bean curd sheets and wolfberries. The gai lan was vibrantly green and crunchy which was a nice contrast to the soft and chewy bean curd sheets. Despite the abundance of liquid on the plate, there was sufficient seasoning.
We ended off the meal with Fried Rice with dried scallops, gai lan stalks and egg whites before moving onto dessert. I found the rice to be a bit too moist where it didn't have that trademark nuttiness. Furthermore, it needed more oil and seasoning as it was pretty bland. For our first round of desserts, we were presented with the Sweet Red Bean Soup, Cookies and Steamed Tapioca Red Bean Cakes. Since I deteste red bean soup, I didn't have any, but I did try the other 2 and I liked the red bean cakes as they were soft and only
semi-sweet. I didn't like the cookies though as they were crumbly and dry. Lastly, we had the Baked Tapioca Pudding Dessert filled with sweet lotus paste. This was pretty average as it wasn't served all-that-hot temperature-wise. It was on the sweeter side where it wasn't moist enough. As you can probably guess, the food was okay with only a few highlights. Nothing to write home about, but did the job more-or-less.
The Good:
- Okay service, better than Dim Sum
- Good portion size
- "Okay" eats
The Bad:
- Some execution issues
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We swore to stay away from Chinese food while we were down in the Bay Area since the stuff we get at home in Vancouver is pretty much the gold standard in North American (in our opinion). However, it is difficult to stay away as we crave comfort food and often get tired from eating non-Asian cuisine. So when we had to take out my cousin for dinner since she hosted us for 3 days, we chose a Shanghainese joint out in Fremont. Besides, I think we used up all of their toilet paper and bottled water... LOL. The whole gang ended up at dinner including her sister with husband and kids as well as their parents. For that reason, we ordered a lot of food!
Some smaller appies hit the table first including the sliced Beef Shank and the Marinated Cucumbers. They warned us that these were small dishes, but for us, they were big enough and well-priced for the portion-size. Firm and pleasantly chewy, the beef shank was still tender and had a nice rebound. It was on the drier side, but it wasn't a deal-breaker. There was enough flavor in the form of soy, star anise and sweetness. They didn't look like much, but the cucumbers were money. Crunchy and bright, they were lightly sweet and mildly salty. They were so good, the kiddies ate them as well. Not my son, but the younger kids at the table.
For me, I had to get the Spicy Tripe and it was a good decision. Sliced thin, but still exhibiting an appealing chewy rebound, the tripe was nicely gelatinized. It was tossed in enough chili oil for some spiciness without being overwhelming. There was an equal amount of sweetness and saltiness as well. We ended up with 5 steamers of the Xiao Long Bao since all of the kiddies love dumplings. These were generally good with a thin dumpling skin and loads of soup on the inside. I found there was a lack of elasticity though as the skin would break too easily. The pork filling was a bit gritty, but still moist and tender. As for the soup, it was sweet with lots of meat flavor.
To get our veggies for the meal and really for our trip as we had been clearly eating too much meat and fried food... So we got the Stir-Fried String Beans, Stir-Fried Ong Choy and Stir-Fried Shanghai Bak Choy. My favourite of the bunch was the string beans since they were oil-blanched just enough that they were cooked, but still remained crunchy. They were also lightly seasoned which was a good thing. The ong choy was crunchy and also lightly salted where the natural flavors were preserved as well as the garlic coming though. As expected, the Shanghai bak choy was more watery due since it lets out moisture when stir-fried. They were still crunchy though.
Onto some carbs, we had the House Special Fried Rice and the Chicken Stir-Fried Noodles. The fried rice was a mix of beef, chicken, shrimp and frozen veggies. I found that it was dry and nutty which meant the rice wasn't too wet to begin with and the wok heat was sufficient for caramelization. The shrimp was cold-water crunchy, but the beef was beyond chewy. I couldn't break it down and had to spit it out. As for the fried noodles, they were pretty good being slippery and al dente while not overly greasy. There was enough wok heat to keep the moisture to a minimum where the dish ate well with tender juilienned pork and crunchy cabbage.
For the kiddies, we got a few orders of the Beef Soup Noodles and they were pretty much forgettable. Let's start with the one positive, the noodles. Much like the stir-fried noodles, these were chewy and al dente. However, the soup was rather bland and it didn't taste like there was any depth to it (ie. meat flavor). Furthermore, the beef was very dry and chewy. It was lean to begin with and the way they prepared it didn't help matters much. On the other hand, the Spicy Beef Soup Noodles was remarkably better. First of all, the soup was impactfully spicy despite lacking body. The noodles were just as good as the previous bowl and the beef tendons were the right texture.
For me, I really wanted to try the Ja Jeun Mein (Noodles with Meat Sauce) and they were respectable. Consisting of the on point noodles as well, the sauce on top was flavorful and rich. There was enough of it to coat the noodles and provide enough seasoning. It was savory with some some sweetness. The cucumbers were fresh and provided a nice crunch. The only thing I could fault the dish was that the sauce was a touch greasy. One item I could've done without was the Spicy Wontons. I thought the filling was terrible being mushy and bland. The sauce itself had a good vinegariness, but it wasn't balanced. There was no spice and not enough soy to counteract the tartness. Overall, I would echo my aunt's assessment of the place, "acceptably average". Does the job, but not particularly memorable.
