De Afghanan

Did you know that Fremont, CA has the largest concentration of Afghan people in the US? Heck, I didn't know that, especially since I live in Vancouver, B.C.! We only have like 3 Afghan restaurants! As such, we took up my uncle's suggestion that we eat at one of the many authentic Afghan restaurants in town. His preference was De Afghanan, rather than the more well-known Salang Pass across the street. We actually ended up driving past the place because of its inset front entrance. I guessed using the GPS would've been a better idea? Geez, I visit Fremont every 2 years, I really thought I could do this freestyle. I guess it is a guy thing... Anyways, we were a fairly large group and the staff rearranged some tables to accommodate us. They were friendly and helpful throughout dinner.

As for the food, we were presented with some Afghan Bread to start. I'm sorry to say that the bread was terrible. It had the texture of day-old pita bread that had been sitting out on the counter. It was really chewy and some parts were practically impossible to break down. I've had much better Afghan bread before. Fortunately, it got better when we were presented with the Mantu. These fluffy dumplings were filled with a tasty filling which featured moist ground beef and sweet onions. The sprinkling of corn niblets provided a nice sweetness and crunch. The dumpling skin was thin and super easy to eat. There was just enough yogurt and sauce for flavour and moisture.

Next up, we had a really large plate of Bolani, which are leek & potato pastries baked on a flat pan and served with yogurt and cilantro chutney. These were pretty good with a nice golden crispy exterior yielding to a soft center. There was an underlying spiciness to it and when combined with the soothing yogurt chutney, the flavours were harmonious. Moving along, the Bodinjon arrived. What amounted to essentially roasted slices of eggplant topped with garlic yogurt and mint, it was enjoyable to eat. As simple as it appeared, the eggplant was moist without being mushy while the flavours were mild and pleasant. A squeeze of lime seemed to liven things up a bit.

Onto the mains, I attacked the Qabili Pallow first. Hey, I just can't resist lamb shank! The lamb shank was pretty large and beautifully prepared, the meat was super moist and tender while not being all that gamy. It was buried beneath basmati rice, julienned carrots and raisins. I've had this dish several times before and this one is the best by far. In addition to the beautiful lamb shank, the rice was flavourful with the desirable texture that rode a balance between soft and chewy. The raisins really brought everything together as they were plump and sweet.

Continuing on the lamb theme, we had the Lamb Kabob which featured grilled lamb chunks, basmati rice and a small salad. I liked how there was a fair amount of charring on the outside which added both flavour and texture in the form of smokiness and crunch. The lamb itself was moist and tender with very little gaminess. In addition to this, we had ordered beef and chicken kabobs as well, but to keep it simple, I'm only posting a picture of the Combination Kabob which included both of those as well as Chapli (beef patty mixed with green onion, eggs and spices). The beef kabobs were on par with the lamb being moist and tender. Once again, the charring on the outside helped heighten the flavours. As for the chicken, it was pretty moist for breast meat and as evidenced in the picture, the spots of charring were welcomed. The chapli was rather dry and flat. I realized that it should be flat, but this version was far too thin and it became more of a meat crisp than anything.

Nearing the end of the meal, we had plenty of leftovers. The food, in general, was prepared nicely (excluding the bread and the chapli). The experience was further enhanced by the friendly and efficient staff. If De Afghanan is any indication, I guess the next time we're in Fremont, we need to hit up the other Afghan restaurants.

The Good:
- Well-prepared meats
- Good service
- Filling

The Bad:
- It could've been a one-off, but the bread was awful
- It gets quite warm inside

Naglee Park Garage

On the day of my cousin's wedding, I thought it would be a good idea to get some breaky since we weren't supposed to be at the church until 2:00pm. So we drove down I-880 into San Jose on another Triple D's food adventure. We pulled up to Naglee Park Garage to find out... it was closed! Epic fail... Since we had to go to the mall anyways, we resorted to... wait for it... food court fare. Yes, some Chinese and Japanese food. Well, at least we thought it was Chinese and Japanese food... Fate would have it, the wedding reception ended up to be only 2 blocks away at the San Jose Women's Club. The significance? We could drop by Naglee to find out exactly when they would be open the next day. That's right, we were determined to eat there!

Tagging along was Rice-O-Ronnie who really wanted to try the place out since she loves Triple D's. Funny how someone from out-of-town finally brought her here. Looking over the menu, the Leek & Sausage Bake caught my eye. When it arrived, it looked like a frittata with stuff baked on top. The egg was crispy while soft in the middle. The general texture was a bit chewy and the whole thing was kinda greasy. There was plenty of sausage, leeks, cherry tomatoes, onions and goat cheese on top to make this a filling meal. It was very mild tasting though. The accompanying potato wedges and their famous house-made ketchup lived up to hype as they were very good. Although the ketchup didn't have much zing, it tasted fresh and tomatoey.

Viv ended up with the Tri-Tip Hash with 2 perfectly poached eggs on top. A rich, peppery Hollandaise sauce completed the dish. It could've stood for more lemon as it was mostly smooth and one-note in flavour. The tri-tip sausage was moist and tasty, but there wasn't enough of it. Rice-O-Ronnie went for the Bacon & Spinach Egg Lasagne. As the name suggests, it was a layers of fluffy egg with bacon and spinach in between. It was finished off with cheese on top. This wasn't bad per se, but could've been a whole lot more if there was some sauce with a kick or something. It ended up to be quite bland with chewy bacon. Despite this, we felt the food as a whole warranted another visit for dinner. I guess that would happen the next time I'm in the Bay Area.

The Good:
- Decent portions
- Interesting ideas
- Triple-D's effect

The Bad:
- Good, but suffers from the Triple-D's hype
- Parking is at a premium

Crawdaddy

With the sting of my visit to Crawfish King fresh in my mind, you'd think I'd avoid all things crawfish for awhile right? Wrong. On our recent visit to San Jose for my cousin's wedding, I made it my mission to test out a similar Southern boil just to make some comparisons. Naturally, with one being in Vancouver and the other being in San Jose, it would not be exactly fair. However, it would at the very least give me a sense if the stuff at Crawfish King was bad... or really bad... So let me set this up: both have as similar menu and both are Vietnamese-run. We met up with Cable Car Guy and AZee which gave us 2 other opinions and some eating assistance.

With AZee expecting twins, she decided to opt out of the shellfish fest and decided to try their Chicken Strips and Cajun Fries. This was a large portion for the price with moist, tender chicken strips. The cajun fries were crisp with lots of spicy seasoning salt. As boring as this might've sounded, it was actually quite good. Now onto the main event - the Crawfish. They had a special where if one orders 4 lbs. of crawfish, they throw in another 1 lb. So we essentially got 5lbs. of crawfish for $44.00. I'm not sure if they were generous with their measurements, but it sure seemed like more than 5lbs. In addition, we added 4 corn and 3 sausages for 60 cents each. Not wanting to blow our tastebuds, we went for mild. Okay, for mild, this was pretty spicy. Not sure if they made a mistake, but we liked it. Notice that the crawfish were not covered in grease like Crawfish King. The crawfish were mostly large and cooked nicely. The corn was really half of a cob while the sausage was of a decent size (that sounds wrong doesn't it???).

Overall, it was a good experience where the service was friendly and attentive. Our water glasses were never empty while we were asked about the food at least twice. Let's see here... Good food, reasonable prices and attentive service - a pretty good combination right? Seems like Crawfish King needs to learn a thing or two. And yes, it is not a completely fair comparison, but at the very least, I've seen something done the right way which further exemplifies how bad Crawfish King really is. As for the locals, Cable Car Guy thought Crawdaddy was better than the Boiling Crab as it provided better value.

The Good:
- Reasonable pricing
- Pretty good service
- Enjoyable eats

The Bad:
- Usually a lineup
- It gets quite messy (I didn't mind it though)

In-N-Out (Gilroy)

Last year when we arrived in San Diego at midnight, guess where we went right after leaving the airport? The hotel? Nope. McD's? Uh no. We went to In-N-Out of course! Hey who cares about sleep! And the kiddies? Nah, we're on vacation, they could sleep in until whenever. Besides, they'll be happy with the stuff we got from In-N-Out anyways. This time around, within a few hours of landing at San Jose International, we headed out to Gilroy for some outlet shopping. As I was enjoying my free internet from Starbucks (that's what I do on every trip), the familiar yellow and red of In-N-Out caught my eye. There it was. The thought of a double-double staring me right in the face. What should I do? I wasn't particularly hungry, but it's In-N-Out for heaven's sake! I tweeted my predicament out and I really had no choice - go and have a Double-Double Animal-Style with some fries.

For those unfamiliar, Animal-Style is on the (not-so-secret) secret menu where you can add lettuce, tomato, extra sauce, pickles and sauteed onions to anything (even the fries). So why do I flock to In-N-Out whenever there is one nearby? Well, for the price, it is a pretty darn good freshly made burger. There are better out there, but not at that price. As for the Fries, they are fresh cut and only slightly crispy. For those who like it crunchy, ask them to fry them longer. I personally don't like it Animal-Style because it just gets soggy. Once again, a satisfying meal at In-N-Out. I will miss you until the next time...

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Everything is fresh and freshly-made
- Focused menu

The Bad:
- Long lineups every time anytime (but it goes fast)

Falafel Drive-In

It had to happen. Blame it on Murphy's Law. After we picked up our rental car, the GPS we brought with us refused to work. Great. I guess we had to rely on our own devices. Without knowing where we were really going, we did what any dedicated food-crazed person would do - keep forging ahead! There is not much that could dissuade us from good eats. No, not a leisurely stroll through the TL in San Francisco nor going for some authentic Mexican fare in San Diego. The destination this time was another Triple D special - Falafel Drive-In located in San Jose. I know, I know, not all of Guy Fieri's suggestions are necessarily good, but some do hit the mark. For us, we did hit the mark and made it sans GPS. In fact, we arrived a bit early and had to wait for the place to open.

We got a few items and started with the Babaganouj. I really liked the texture as it was smooth with the occasional chunk of soft eggplant. In terms of flavour, we thought it was far too tart. We couldn't get the tartness off our tongue even with the addition of olive oil and their fabulous hot sauce. The portion size was pretty good where we still had a lot leftover even after using up our pita bread. For our second item, we had the small Gyro which was stuffed with spiced steak, crisp lettuce, tomatoes and tahini. The meat was moist and quite flavourful, however, the predominant sauce was the mild-tasting tahini. This definitely needed a splash of their hot sauce. With that slathered all over the gyro, then flavours came out. Now let's get real, we didn't come here for the Babaganouj nor a Gyro! We were here for some falafel action...

So we got a small Falafel Pita, which was really not all that modest in size. In fact, there was plenty of crunchy falafels hiding beneath the lettuce. These were moist in the middle with a pleasant herby taste. Once again, the hot sauce really amped up the flavours. So in the words of Guy Fieri, the falafels were money. Really good textural contrast between the exterior crunch and fluffy inside. As for the other stuff? Meh. It was alright. Come for the falafels only.

The Good:
- Falafels have great texture inside and out
- Not expensive
- Hot sauce works with everything

The Bad:
- Everything else is kinda average
- It's all outdoor seating (if that matters to you)

Paseo

With a 6:45am flight from SeaTac, we were originally planning to drive down at 2:00am. Uh... No. Not only was it a concern we'd fall asleep at the wheel, it also meant nothing to eat that early in the morning (other than places I didn't want to eat at)! Therefore, we decided it would be a good idea to stay over the night before at a hotel where we could also ditch our car. More importantly, we could grab some eats that night as well. Pressed for time, we ended up at a Seattle favourite - Paseo. I know, I know... We were a little late to the party as this place has been blogged to death. Yet, I had to try the place eventually right?

Apparently we were too late on our visit as they ran out of their most popular sandwich (Caribbean Roast). No matter, we went for the second favourite being the Grilled Pork (cubed pork loin grilled over lava rocks & basted w/ Paseo Marinade until golden brown on a lightly toasted baguette slathered with aioli, fresh cilantro, pickled jalapeños, crisp romaine lettuce & crowned with caramelized onions). The pork was mostly tender except for a part which was dry. Despite this, it wasn't difficult to eat. The same could not be said about the baguette because it was quite hard to a chore to chew. With a good amount of aioli, the darn thing was messy to eat. This was not a bad thing as it added to the experience. The onions were caramelized on the edges only which made them sweet and smoky in parts. The sandwich was good, but not mind-blowing either.

For our second item, we gave the 1/2 Chicken Dinner a go. It included a house salad consisting of romaine lettuce, sliced purple cabbage, pickled julienne cut beets & cilantro sprigs drizzled with house vinaigrette & extra virgin olive oil. Completing the plate was fluffy jasmine rice, vegetarian black beans & seasoned corn on the cob. The dark meat was moist while the white meat was quite dry. The chicken was decently flavourful thanks to the spice rub. However, the star of the place had to be the wonderful black beans. We loved the texture (as it was not too thick nor thin) and there was a depth of flavour. So does Paseo live up to its #1 ranking on Urbanspoon? I'm not sure about that, but it is worth checking out while while in Seattle.

The Good:
- Inexpensive
- Something different

The Bad:
- Not a whole lot of seating, best to get take-out
- Not a whole lot of parking in the area, best to drop someone off to get it

Top King Meat Company

Have you ever heard of the Chinese expression "ga liew"? Literally, it means to add more ingredients. Typically, it can refer to bringing something extra to a meal such as takeout or in most cases - Chinese BBQ. I remember going to family meals where we would bring some BBQ duck. I loved the plum sauce. I would often use one packet for one piece of duck. Yah, I liked the sugar. I was a kid, who could blame me? I just didn't understand why they had to stuff it in with the duck. Made the packet so darn greasy! Fast forward to the present, I grab Chinese BBQ because I'm just plain lazy and don't really want to make a meat dish for dinner. Buy some cooked meat and just water-blanch a bunch of gai lan and voila - dinner! So, continuing on my adventures in Chinese BBQ, I paid a visit to Crystal Mall. Yes, my favourite place besides Richmond... I dropped by Top King BBQ, which I've tried before, but never had the urge to blog about it.

This time, I went for the big 3 which included Roasted Pork. The trick here is to have a crispy skin without being too hard. It was more or less like that. The meat on the other hand was a different story. It wasn't as succulent as the one from HK BBQ Master (but really, what is?). It was a bit too salty in parts too. I decided to get a whole BBQ Duck because it is generally more moist since it wouldn't be hanging in the display drying out (like half of a duck). This would be true in theory if the duck itself was prepared properly in the first place. Unfortunately, we found the meat to be dense and dry (especially the breast meat). Furthermore, the flavour just wasn't there.

Now, we could gladly accept the roast pork and BBQ duck for what they were, but as for the BBQ Pork, this was a complete fail. The meat was marinaded far too much and became more like a ham than BBQ pork. By just looking at the colour of the meat, the red colouring penetrated completely through the meat. Hence, the texture was off as well. Suffice to say, it was salty and lacking in meat flavour. This is the 2nd time we've bought stuff from here and it hasn't been that impressive. I'm quite surprised that it can compete with Delicious BBQ upstairs. I guess the lack of competition nearby helps its cause.

The Good:
- Meat seems to be of good quality
- They're actually quite customer-friendly there

The Bad:
- Stuff is edible, but the BBQ Pork sucks