Full House Dumpling

Originally, we were going to hit up some eats in Berkeley once we made it to the Bay Area.  However, with an SUV full of our precious belongings, we weren't too confident in leaving it parked for a few hours on the street.  Hence, we decided to head straight to my aunt's house in Fremont.  That way, we could drop off our valuables and then go for some eats.  As always, we ended up going for Chinese in the form of Full House Dumpling (at least we weren't going to eat here 3x straight like Pearl Bay).

The thing to get here is, of course, the dumplings.  Specifically, we are talking about their Xiao Long Bao (Juicy Pork Dumplings).  We got both the regular ones and the Crab Xiao Long Bao.  I thought these were excellent featuring fairly thin dumpling skin that had some elasticity.  There was plenty of soup to be found inside which was clean and sweet.  I thought the essence of crab was apparent.  The pork filling for both was tender and moist while not crumbly.

Sticking with dumplings, we also ordered the Shrimp Pork Siu Mai.  Somehow I was thinking Din Tai Fung when I saw this on the menu.  However, it really was just Cantonese-style shrimp siu mai.  So no, these were not XLBs with a shrimp plugging up an open top (maybe it was something else on this menu).  These were okay with a fairly loose, yet tender pork filling.  There was a bit too much green onion in it, which didn't make much sense.  The shrimp had a nice sweet snap though.

Moving away from dumplings, we tried their Water-Boiled Fish served in a clay pot.  Typically, this is a Szechuan dish, but it appears the Full House serves a variety of Chinese cuisines (including their main focus - Taiwanese).  Although not particularly Szechuan-like, their version was quite delicious regardless.  It had good spice while not being burning hot.  There was no shortage of tender fish fillets (probably basa) that were flaky.  

One of the more under-the-radar items was the Salted Egg Yolk Silken Tofu.  Each cube of tofu was fried just enough to retain its shape while still being silky in texture.  It was carefully wok-tossed (so nothing broke apart) in salted egg yolk, garlic, green onions and peppers.  Although not really all that salty, the aroma and essence of salted egg yolk did come through.  The nuttiness and also the rest of the ingredients were evident.

I wasn't really sure why I was ordering Spicy Stir-Fried Cabbage but it was a pretty solid dish.  Despite some moisture at the bottom of the plate, there was still decent caramelization due to ample "wok hei".  Hence, the spice from the chilis did announce itself throughout the dish.  However, there was still the natural sweetness of the cabbage coming through.  Also, the cabbage was still crunchy despite being cooked through.

One of the more average items was the Braised Beef Noodles.  Now by looks alone, this was quite good with lots of braised beef and wide thick noodles.  Indeed the noodles were al dente and well-portioned.  However, the beef was a bit chewy and lacking impact.  The soup itself was a bit too mild for my liking as it lacked depth and was rather one note.  Possibly if this was the spicy version, it would've been better.

Now on the other hand, the Garlic Pork was very impactful.  That garlic sauce on top was potent and I wouldn't go near anyone with that garlic breath after eating it.  I personally thought it was fantastic despite some thinking it was too garlicky.  There was enough salt and sweetness to make the sauce complete.  As for the sliced pork belly, it was a touch chewy given that there was a decent amount of fat.  However, it was still easy to eat.

I'm not particularly fond of the Green Onion Pancake, but Viv loves it, so yes we had that too.  Turns out that she should've not ordered it because it was also rather average.  On the positive side, it as nicely browned with a crispy exterior.  There was also a balanced amount of green onion.  However, the pancake itself was rather dense and chewy.  Furthermore, it was pretty much soaked with oil, so every bite was far too greasy.  

For no other reason than we didn't have any rice dishes, we ordered the Shrimp Fried Rice.  I would say this was an okay plate of fried rice.  There was decent caramelization, but the rice itself was more fluffy than nutty and chewy.  It was also rather bland needing salt.  At the very least, the shrimp were done right with a sweet snap.  Overall, the food at Full House was decent with some highlights, in particular, the soup dumplings.  Stick with those and you can't go wrong.

The Good:

- Soup dumplings are legit

- Reasonable-pricing

- Spacious seating

The Bad:

- Other dishes are hit and miss

- Service is hit and miss

Parasio Mexican

Making our way from Portland to Ashland (just past Medford) was quite the drive as it pushed almost 5 hours.  However, we wanted to get as close to the California border as possible.  Unlike my usual M.O. in collecting Marriott Bonvoy nights, I decided to stay at the Holiday Inn instead.  As such, there was a Mexican restaurant right next to it called El Paraiso.  Normally, I'm not one to hit up a place without any prior research, but we were tired and I just wanted nourishment.  So across the parking lot we went...

We started off with some complimentary tortilla chips with pico de gallo.  Yet, for me, that was not enough as I ordered the Queso Dip as well.  Yes, this also included the same fresh tortilla chips.  Eating them plain was already great as they were light and crispy.  However, dipping it into the pico de gallo and in this case, the queso, was even better.  At first, the dip was rather thin and milky.  However, as it cooled, it thickened and was a good compliment to the chips.  It was cheesy and not overly salty.

Not knowing that their portions are big enough to feed a football team, my son selected the Enchiladas Trio with one chile verde pork, one shredded beef and one crema blanca chicken.  Yah, look a the size of the plate!  Suffice to say he didn't finish this, but he came close (growing teenagers!).  His favourite was the chicken and beef as they were tender and there was plenty of it within the soft shells.  Good variety of flavours too.

For my daughter, she went for the Taquitos Plate consisting of 3 fried corn tortillas filled with shredded beef topped with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, cotija cheese, tomatoes and onions.  She enjoyed these as they were filled with the same tender beef.  The fresh guacamole was a bit mild, but it was still good.  She liked the smooth refried beans on the side topped with shredded cheese.

Viv went for the Baja Fish Tacos with her choice of crispy fish.  It was dressed with cilantro, cabbage, chipotle ranch, cotija cheese, pico de gallo and lime.  These were decent with flaky fish that sported a crispy coating.  I would've liked to see bigger pieces of fish though.  The other ingredients meshed well with the fish providing crunchy, freshness and acidity.  Again, this was served with refried beans and rice.

For myself, I had the Macho Burrito with my choice of shredded beef, beans and rice topped with red sauce, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and cotija cheese. This was absolutely massive!  I didn't finish it but I did like it.  There was plenty of beef inside with a good ratio to the beans and rice.  Loved the red sauce as it was flavorful with only a hint of spice.  Now you might be wondering why I am so positive about seemingly standard Mexican fare?  Well, I've had authentic Mexican food in Mexico and great Mexican eats in Socal.  The food I had at El Parasio isn't it.  However, it is good for what it is and well-priced.  We enjoyed our dinner and I would say it is a good spot to grab a dinner if you were on your way down I-5.

The Good:
- Large portions
- Well-priced
- Decent

The Bad:
- Not the best Mexican I've had, but good for where it is 

 

Life Of Pie

Here we are, 3 years later,  doing a similar road trip from 2019.  Little did we know that that would be that last trip we'd take up until now.  So our first leg took us through Portland, but we only stopped for lunch.  Since it was our first day, we had the energy to make it all the way to Ashland for our first pit stop.  Upon a friend's recommendation, we stopped at Life of Pie (nice take on the name of the movie) for some Neapolitan style pizza.

Before that, we got some greens into our meal (at least the adults) with the Kale & Arugula Salad.  This was dressed with a honey-lemon vinaigrette and tossed with toasted breadcrumbs.  On top, there was a some freshly grated parm.  I found the dressing sweet with plenty of acidity.  There was brightness to go with the pepperiness of the arugula.  Loved the crunch from the breadcrumbs as it added texture to each bite.  Finally, the parm did its nutty salty thing.

For the kids, they scoffed at the greens and started things off with the Fried Ravioli filled with mozzarella.  These were very tasty and well-prepared.  Each ravioli was crunchy, but not so much so that they were tough.  In fact, they were light, crispy and nicely spiced.  Inside, there was plenty of stringy mozzarella.  I thought the marinara was tangy and light, but it would've been better if they didn't serve it cold.

Onto the pies, we started with the classic Margherita with mozzarella, marinara and fresh basil.  Having the basic baseline pizza is always a good idea to get a true taste of the sauce as well as how the crust is meant to be.  This was very good with a nicely leoparded bottom where the dough was adequately seasoned and nutty.  I found the crust to be uniformly crispy giving way to a tender center.  Nice chewiness beyond the crunch too.  As expected, the torn basil on top was added afterwards and provided a bright herbaceous flavour.

Onto something that was much more zesty, we had the Fennel Sausage with Mama Lil's Peppers.  This pizza featured even more leoparding which meant there was additional smokiness.  The most dominant flavor was the sweet, tangy and slightly spicy peppers.  There was no mild moments with each bite.  However, I could still taste the fennel and the meatiness of the sausage.  Nice stringy mozzarella and tangy marinara rounded things out.

Our last pizza was different in the Seasonal Mushrooms with pecorino romano and a truffle EVOO base.  Without an actual sauce on the pizza, this ate much more crunchy with even the center being as such.  Didn't mind it one bit as the nuttiness went well with the truffle and earthiness of the ample mushrooms.  This was probably our favourite of the 3 we ordered.  However, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices as the dough is great with proper seasoning as well as leoparding.  Prices are reasonable too.  If you are in Portland, go check it out!

The Good:
- Well-priced
- Good dough and subsequent crust
- Simple, focused menu

The Bad:
- Maybe heat up the sauce for the fried raviolis

 

Pearl Bay Restaurant (Dim Sum Service)

Yes, back-to-back posts on Pearl Bay in Fremont because well, we only ate at one restaurant while we were here for 2 days.  Actually, we weren't supposed to go here for Dim Sum before our flight since we didn't have that much time.  However, I was alerted that our flight was delayed by an hour, hence, let's go for Dim Sum!  Of course during our meal, I got a notification that our flight was on time once again and that sent us scrambling to the airport.  Then we discovered it was delayed by 2 hours.  Sigh...  At least we got some good food prior.

About that food, we started strong with the classic Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumplings).  Interesting that they steamed the dumplings with the tobiko.  For visuals, I much prefer they add it on raw after the fact.  But that is nitpicking as the dumplings were pretty good.  Texturally, the pork filling was buttery, airy and bouncy.  Furthermore, these were pretty juicy, so they were bursting with moisture.  Seasoning was on the milder side, but it wasn't bland.

With a brush of gold, the Ha Gau (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling) were also good.  It featured a medium-thick and somewhat translucent dumpling wrapper.  It had plenty of elasticity, yet was a bit on the firmer side.  Inside, the whole shrimp filling was moist with the desired snap texture.  There was enough pork fat mixed in to give it some aroma in addition to the other seasonings.  There was a nice natural sweetness to the shrimp.

Over to one of my must order dishes for Dim Sum - the Bean Curd Skin Roll.  I just love the chewy, yet tender texture of the fried, then steamed bean curd skin.  This one was perfect with an initial chewiness giving way to soft layers of bean curd skin.  The filling was a good mixture of tenderized pork and crunchy wood ear mushroom.  Although the sauce was a bit watered down (could've used more starch), it was flavorful and not in overabundance.

Maybe a bit too pale and inundated with too much green onion, the Beef Meatballs ate better than they appeared.  Besides, the color could be corrected with just a bit more dark soy.  In terms of texture, the beef was processed enough to whip in air to create that classic light rebound texture.  As mentioned, the plethora of green onions did dominate the flavor profile.  However, when dunked into Worcestershire, it was quickly erased.

Even though the Steamed Chicken Feet could've been fried longer during the preparation process, it still was quite good.  Usually, the skin would have a bit more resistance, but that wasn't a big issue.  The chicken feet were super plump and steamed just enough. Hence, the skin, fat and cartilage were super tender and moist.  I could eat off all of it clean from the bone.  It was also seasoned well with equal parts sweet, savory and spice.

I personally love the Deep Fried Taro Dumplings even though they are some of the greasiest items on a Dim Sum menu.  However, these were easy on the grease even though the mashed taro underneath soaks up a good amount of oil.  Therefore, the dumplings were crispy on the outside yielding to soft creamy mashed taro underneath.  The filling was featured tender ground pork that was mildly seasoned.

We ended up with two types of Rice Noodle Rolls including prawn and mixed mushroom.  I was impressed at how thin the rice noodle sheets were and that they didn't tear.  That was because the elasticity kept it from doing so.  Although, the rice noodle sheets were still soft and delicate.  The large prawns were meaty and had a buttery snap.  For the mushroom, there was plenty of it and I didn't even miss the meat.

Another Dim Sum staple is the Steamed Pork Spareribs with black beans.  This one also contained peppers which added another layer of flavor to compliment the salty black beans.  Most of the pork rib pieces were meaty and lacking in cartilage and fat.  The meat had been tenderized enough so it was easy to chew while still retaining a good meaty bite.  As you can see, it was also a good portion size.

Probably the best dish of the meal was the surprising Pan-Fried Taro Cake.  The considerable amount of shredded taro added both aroma and texture to the cake.  Usually, there is much more pudding cake than taro.  Also, the way they fried it up made it extra tasty and texturally appealing.  As you can clearly see, the exterior was beautifully browned and subsequently crunchy and nutty.

So of course I had to dabble in the offal because that is my favorite part of Dim Sum!  Hence, we ordered the Steamed Beef Belly with Satay Sauce.  Not only was this stacked full of tripe, the dish was also on point.  The large strips of tripe were super tender and soft with a slight chew.  The texture couldn't have been any better.  As for the satay sauce, it was sweet and salty with a bit of background spice.

So the fried rice we had for dinner at Pearl Bay was pretty darn good, but the Wok-Fried Vermicelli with with dried scallop, crab and egg whites was even better.  Loved how they separated the whites from the yolks, nice texture and color contrast.  The noodles were chewy and caramelized while the plethora of ingredients made this hearty with lots of texture.  Loved the addition of pine nuts as there was more aroma.

Typically, when on thinks about BBQ Pork Pineapple Buns, there is actually no pineapple in them.  Rather, the topping looks like a pineapple, hence the name.  However, they buck the trend here and add actual pineapple into the BBQ pork filling.  As a result, there was added natural sweetness to the pork inside.  The bun itself was soft and fluffy while the topping was crunchy, sweet and aromatic.

The Black Steamed Buns with salted egg yolk filling were striking with its color and also the gold streak on top.  It ate well too with a soft airy bun that didn't taste like the exterior color.  Inside, the liquid sweetened salted egg yolk center was nutty and sweet with only the slightest amount of saltiness.  It flowed up quickly, so one must eat this carefully or otherwise it will be all over the table or the person eating it. 

Lastly, we had the Coconut Pudding Bunnies.  These were cute and I really didn't want to eat them!  They were quite creamy and only mildly sweet.  Lots of coconut aroma and the gelatin wasn't overused.  So as I mentioned in my previous post, I'm from Vancouver, so I'm pretty picky when it comes to Dim Sum.  However, Pearl Bay does a good job and I enjoyed my meal.  Definitely better than the ol' spots such as Mayflower and Koi Palace in my opinion.

The Good:
- Solid food
- Well-portioned
- Decent service

The Bad:
- Still don't like that video wall 

 

Pearl Bay Restaurant (Dinner Service)

So I wasn't really supposed to be in the Bay Area so soon...  I was scheduled to drive down in August on my way down the coast to visit with some family and also grab some eats.  However, my aunt passed and I hopped on a flight down to SFO for a quick few days.  Naturally being a somber time, I didn't bring my camera with me because it wasn't that type of trip.  But of course we still needed to eat food and ended up dining at the Pearl Bay for all 3 meals.  So this post is an amalgamation of 2 dinners and taken with pics taken with my phone.

We started both meals with the House Special Steamed Chicken served with ginger scallion condiment.  The large chicken was prepared quite well where the skin was nicely gelatinized and the texture was not flabby.  Since the chicken was of the free-range variety, the meat was leaner and hence less juicy.  However, that didn't mean it wasn't tender though.  Of course the dark meat was more tender than the white meat, but not by much.  Loved how there was a balanced amount of ginger to scallion in the condiment.

We had a vegetable that I've never seen or tried before - Squash Shoots.  Think pea shoots, but without the leaves.  This was wok-fried with consomme, fried garlic and Virginia ham.  Hence, we had the combination of subtle sweetness from the broth, aromatics and nuttiness from the fried garlic and the meaty saltiness of the ham.  As for the squash shoots, they appeared to be tough, yet that was far from the case.  They were tender and texturally appealing.

One of my favourite dishes was the House Special Rice that had everything but the kitchen sink in it.  In addition to the usual jasmine rice, we found wild rice instead.  In addition, there was shrimp, separate egg whites and egg yolks, tobiko, fried shallots and green onion.  There must've been some other ingredients too that I have missed.  The result was a study of textures that were layered with each bite.  We had this for both dinners.

A dish full of textures was the Stir-Fried Chive, Dried Squid, Taro and Dried Fish.  Cut up into bite-sized pieces, the squid was tender in a chewy-kind-of-way, if that makes sense.  Dried squid has this firm bite that is very different than the spongier fresh squid.  Add in the crunch and vibrancy of the chives and the starchiness of the taro, the mouth feel was appealing.  Moreover, the addition of dried fish added some brininess.

Something that was unique had to be the Singapore Style Oxtail served with deep fried mantou.  This curry might've looked spicy due to the oil on top, but in the end, it was quite mild and creamy.  What I particularly enjoyed about the hot pot was the plethora of silky eggs strewn throughout.  The sauce went really well with rice with an intense sweetness.  As for the oxtail, it was a bit underdone and could've been more tender.

On the following night, we ordered more dishes due to the fact we had a bigger group.  A classic dish was the Stir-Fried Water Spinach with fermented bean curd.  As you can see, they did a good job minimizing the water at the bottom of the plate.  Usually water spinach lets off a considerable amount of moisture.  It was prepared properly where the hollow stems were crunchy while cooked through.  Although the dish wasn't lacking flavour, I would've liked to see more fermented bean curd.

For the kiddies, we got a couple orders of the Peking Pork Chops.  This turned out to be a fantastic idea since the adults enjoyed the dish just as much as the kids!  Each piece of pork was large in size and completely tenderized having a nice rebound texture.  They were fried crispy and in fact, they remained as such even though they were coated in sauce.  About that sauce, it was just enough to cling onto the pork.  Good balance of tanginess with sweetness.

Another interesting item was the Tender Beef Cubes with Japanese Tofu and honey sauce.  Again, lots of different textures at play here including the meaty, yet tender chunks of beef, crunchy veggies and the delicate silkiness of the tofu.  Better yet, the tofu was fried perfectly where the outside was lightly crispy.  However, the thing that really put this dish over the top was the intense flavour of the beef.  It was impactful being sweet and savoury.

Continuing on flavourful dishes, we had the Beef Short Ribs with garlic and black vinegar sauce.  The fatty short ribs were tender and had that unmistakable chewiness (in a good way).  The flavours had penetrated the meat and also caramelized on the outside.  Hence, there was plenty of depth and impact.  Nice aromatic sweetness.  The accompanying veggies were vibrant and crunchy.

Onto a dish that was a mix of items in the Wok-Fried Sliced Lotus Root, fish cake, wood ear mushroom and snap peas.  There was plenty of "wok hei" (wok heat that caramelizes the food) whereby the items were fully cooked yet still maintaining their texture such as the crunch of the lotus root and snap peas.  Loved the fish cake as it was squishy in a good way.  Just enough glaze clinging onto the food to provide a savory umaminess.

A super home-style dish was the Steamed Pork Cake with salted fish.  The trick here is to have the fattiest pork possible so that the meat cake is buttery tender.  It was definitely that here, but the chunks of fat were far too large, so it was not that appealing.  If they had diced it into finer pieces, it would've rendered better.  It did taste good with all the goodness of salted fish.  All-in-all, I was quite impressed with the food at Pearl Bay.  Since I'm from Vancouver, where arguably we find the best Cantonese food in North America (if not the world), it is a real compliment to this restaurant in Fremont.  2 solid dinners so far and Dim Sum on deck...

The Good:
- Good use of wok heat where food has caramelization and impactful flavours
- Decent service
- Decent portions

The Bad:
- That video wall is distracting