Wow Thanks for all the recommendations everyone! This is great. Lunch or dinner for the adults. Zoo for the kids. Everyone is happy. I will research more into the recs.
I haven’t tried kamayan before, but everytime I read about kamayan the image of my kids eating ‘kamayan’ at every meal comes into mind. And they make a great mess every time so I am kinda hesitant (mental scars). How well does scooping up rice and juicy stuff from the leaves work in practice?
[quote=“Souperman, post:2, topic:6917”]
Sungari Dumpling House (far northern Chinese)[/quote]
What kind of dumpling do you like? How do they compare to places like the dumpling places in the Sunset?
I didn’t even know there’s a market there. Maybe I will combine my weekly market run with any zoo/ eating trip.
What are the more challenging dishes you are thinking about? We’ve been there a few times. We tend to gravitate to the noodle dishes since it seems to shine a little more. But would love to explore the menu more.
Do you mean these at the edge of the sidewalk? or the ones on the opposite corner of the intersection? I thought they don’t do takeouts during weekend lunch service? which annoys me because the wait is impossible at 2 hours and more and no reservations.
We do that too. We eat somewhere else (on the weekends), then come here and buy a box of pastries, then finish them off in the zoo. And I agree with your observation- they take forever. Last week we got a loaf to go also.
I actually favor the rustic noodles at Sungari. Try the “Shanghai” stir fried noodles (actually like nothing I’ve had in Shanghai) or the “Northern Noodles,” their version of zha jiang mian. I also like the wontons in chili oil. Despite the name, they don’t have that big a dumpling selection.
All of the Filipino places were closed yesterday, as were most of the others, so we ended up in Dumpling Kitchen. Dumpling Kitchen has a curious pan fried dumpling/ bun technique. We ordered them two visits in a row. Both times the meat right in the middle came out raw and we had to ask them to cook some more. They were good though once they were cooked through. But I guess is that their default cook time may be just a little short so the same phenomenon repeated.
The XLB was a bit inconsistent. On the last visit it was great. Yesterday the skin and the meatball was mushy. Seems like the XLB was a bit old.
Since I moved to the East Bay I only get to Little Yangon every other year or so, and it seems quite different to me each time. Sometimes vastly superior to other Bay Area Burmese and other times just okay. In fact, the online menu seems to have changed during the months I forgot about this post and left it in my drafts.
Two of the more interesting dishes I’ve had there were pickled shrimp, which I don’t currently see on the menu, and shrimp and sour leaf, currently on the menu as chin baung jaw, with bamboo shoots. This had a strong shrimp paste funk, but was quie tasty. They also have some salads less represented at other restaurants, like the yellow tofu and tamarind. And sometimes you can buy packets of fermented tea leaves and accompanying fried items to make your own at home.
As part of a last minute and impromptu excursion, we found ourselves for the first time at the zoo after months of absence. Quickly going through the recs on this thread- Maneelap Srimongkoun seems like gone for good. Yelpers said there is a for sale sign on the exterior. Pampanguena Cuisine is closed for their annual family vacation (good for them). I settled on Win’s on Taraval that @chocolatetartguy recommended for their duck. When I saw the exterior, I was pretty sure that Win’s was one of my first (if not the first) meals after moving to SF Bay Area permanently many years ago. In fact, its just half a block from my first place. I even showed my kids the exterior my old place after parking four houses from it. LOL. We all enjoyed the meal and I will write up a report soon.
Curious- has any one been to Vanida Thai or Sunset Best Seafood, near Win’s and Hong’s (szechuan)?
ETA: Also drove by the Armenian Community Center Hall. Has anyone eaten there?
I just got a zoo membership, so I’m glad you started this thread!
Kukje market in Daly city was ideal for packing a picnic for our first visit… Lots of good banchan. I haven’t stumbled upon any remarkable hot items, though there is a wide selection, but it’s likely better than the garbage at the zoo.