PHO - nominal!

I've been on a pho binge for a while, trying to find the best pho place in the Bay. While doing this, I realized that there are so many different types of pho that I didn't know about - "regular" southern pho, northern pho, and also something called pho bo kho!

"Regular" southern pho is the type of pho you can find at most places. It is served with options of rare beef, flank, tendon, beef balls, etc, and comes in a beef broth. The noodles are skinny & light. You can add your own siracha and plum sauce to it. It also comes with bean sprouts, lemon, cilantro, and peppers. One of my to-go spots to eat normal pho is PPQ located on Clement & 24th Ave. Yes, the same place that is known for their garlic crab & noodles.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of pho from PPQ but here is regular pho from Golden Flower in Chinatown.

"Northern" type of pho restaurants are known for their chicken pho. It is served in a chicken broth and comes with big chunks of chicken in it. The noodles are wider & flatter than the normal southern pho noodles. Sometimes they bring out cilantro and bean sprouts you can add to it, but it does not come with any siracha or plum sauce. To me, the taste is perfect as is & does not need any more additional flavoring. The broth is lighter & has less MSG in it, so you don't feel as bloated & dehydrated after. Turtle Tower, located in the Outer Richmond and Civic Center/Tenderloin areas have really good northern pho.

And the third type of pho that I enjoy eating is called pho bo kho, also known as beef stew pho. You can find this type of pho at some, but not all southern pho restaurants. It comes with the normal skinnier noodles, but with a red, tomato, stew broth. It's a little thicker than the normal beef & chicken broths. It's served with chunks of beef, tendon, and carrots on it. The flavor is amazing...both salty & sweet. There are a few good places I've tried that have this type of food. One in San Jose called City Restaurant, one in SF Chinatown called Golden King, and my favorite one in the Sunset called Pho Huynh Hiep 2.

Please see my Yelp List of pho places for more suggestions on where to go!

Bin 38

Just another wine/cheese bar. But this one serves food :) Complete with appetizers, dinner, and dessert! Bin 38 is located in the Marin district of San Francisco and although it's so hard to find parking in this area, this restaurant is definitely worth a try!

fried chickpeas with onions

mussels with french fries with a lobster bisque sauce

boar pasta with poached egg and parmesan cheese

dessert! cheese plate (3 cow's milk)

Chez Papa Bistrot

French is one of my favorite types of food & Chez Papa Bistrot is 5 stars in my eyes. Located in Portrero Hill, this is a tiny restaurant that serves exquisite, quality goodness. I ordered 4 appetizers & loved them all!

lyonnaise salad, poached egg, yukon potatoes, bacon, smoked duck, sherry vinaigrette 

roasted bone marrow, garlic confit, parsley, caper, cornichon salad - seriously, one of the BEST THINGS I ever ate in my life! scoop it with a spoon & eat it with crostinis.

escargot, parsley, garlic butter

les moules (mussels), mushrooms, leeks, white wine, cream - served with french fries to dip

Mission Cheese

A few months ago, San Francisco opened up a cheese bar in the Mission district called Mission Cheese! Right up my alley! You can order, taste, & buy many many different types of cheese from cow, goat, & sheep's milk. They also offer other types of bites, including cheese sandwiches and mac & cheese. And wine & beer.

cheese board with anis goat cheese, aged cheddar, and sheep bleu ($10)

cheese board accompaniments - toastets, prunes, figs, apricots, olives

burrata grilled sandwich with tomatoes & green salad ($10)

mac & cheese - amazing bread crumb croutons! ($10)

Outerlands in Outer Sunset

Out in outer sunset district of San Francisco lays a random, hipster, skaterish, surfer-like restaurant called Outerlands. Even though the wait is pretty outrageous like any other fabulous brunch place, they do serve delectable food. The sandos are to-die-for, made from their fresh, HUGE, homemade sourdough bread. Two people can split one sando since it is so big & filling. But of course, I couldn't resist & had to have my own.

grilled cheese sandwich with veggie bisque

open face sandwich with mushrooms, spinach, cheese, & topped with 2 fried eggs; served with a vinaigrette salad 

Shanghai Dumpling King

Shanghai dumplings are one of my favorites at dimsum. It's filled with pork & a delicious soup. It's often served with a vinegar, shoyu sauce & eaten with a spoon to avoid the broth spilling all over. There's a place in San Francisco called Shanghai Dumpling King that specializes in these delicious dumplings. They also serve other types of dumplings & dishes. Everything is so affordable. The shanghai dumplings were 10 for ~$5.50. Three of us ordered 30 dumplings & 2 dishes, all for $12 per person, including tax & tip.

infamous shanghai dumplings

spicy chive/pork dumplings - really good too. also had a soup inside.

veggie/pork dumplings. was okay, pretty bland compared to the other two.

braised stringbeans with garlic & onions

preserved egg tofu (cold)

crab/pork dumplings ($8.95) - more expensive & only got 8 instead of 10. regular shanghai dumplings more worth it because you could barely taste the crab.

shanghai noodles

Limon Rotisserie

For a couple years now, I've heard many great things about the Limon restaurants in the Mission district of SF. Peruvian-style food, small dishes, served family style. The rotisserie is especially known for their chicken (kind of like huli huli chicken in Hawaii, but better). I was very impressed with the food, affordable pricing ($20 each including drinks, party of 8), & ambiance.

cevicheria - fish marinated with leche de tigre (citrus based), served with big corn kernals

carne (sirloin, eggs, & raisins), pollo (roasted chicken & olives), & veggie (mushroom, spinach, cheese) empanadas

yuca fries

dipping sauces (for everything)

tacu-tacu - mashed up rice & beans

infamous rotisserie chicken

ensalada rusa (root veggies including beets, peas, green beans, tossed with a zesty mustard dressing)