I love Vietnamese restaurants. Five-spice chicken, marinated, seared and rich in its juices atop a bed of fragrant Jasmine rice, hot crisp egg rolls, golden with tiny blisters outside and stuffed with minced mushrooms, carrots and pork inside, and fresh-pressed, lightly sweetened soymilk compose one of my perfect Vietnamese dinners.
Pho ga is my absolute favorite – the chicken soup that soothes the soul. Bits of green onion and fried garlic and onion, floating and egg noodles that are still a little tightly wrapped around itself in a bunch when brought out to the table to give such a delicious al dente bite – my stomach and mouth craves this at least twice a month. I love the yellow, clear broth that is slightly sweet through its hours of simmering slivers of onion, coriander and green onion. Tender pieces of chicken breast adds the balance to the chewy noodles, crisp mung bean sprouts and fragrant basil that I like to stir into each bowl.
Last month, after a full day of foodie delight: a food justice organization fundraiser, an afternoon at the SF Ferry Building, and Beard Papa cream puffs at the nearby mall, some friends and I finished off our day at a hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese establishment in the Tenderloin. We entered the restaurant, were led up some stairs at the back of the building to a room that looked like it had fire hazard violations written all over it. Lo and behold, we found out that Julia Child was once patron! What was even more amusing was an item on the menu:
We wanted to order the Ten Things Mixed up in the Pot just for the fun of it but decided to leave that for the next visit. I ordered my perennial favorite and unfortunately, the Pho ga was not all that I would like Pho ga to aspire to be. However the ginger fish lived up to its place on the front with Ms. Child, the banh xeo (Vietnamese crepe, also known as Golden Moon Pie) was full of freshness was very filling, and shrimp fried rice was delicate and flavorful. We had a great time singing to some Musak/80s Karaoke-ish songs that started up towards the end of our dinner. It was a great way to end a full day of food and friendship.
Today, I went to a little place on 8th and Webster in downtown to celebrate with my friend the passing of her oral exams. Et has been on the scholarly path, researching Filipin@ diaspora and transnationalism. It was amazing hearing her story of going through the oral exam process and the eventual kudos and kisses her professor colleagues gave her at the end for rocking the exam. GO ET!!!
Tomorrow I am set to attend a “grub” houseparty at the Healthy Oakland office for People’s Grocery. Free cooking demos, healthy eating and good company. What better way to spend your Friday night?!
