My Tofu House

I was so happy to eat Korean food tonight. It really felt like forever since I've had my mom's cooking and I've been missing it so much. It was raining on this particular day and comfort food was exactly what I needed. We went to My Tofu House and considering the abundance of asian restaurants lining the streets, there were quite a lot of people in the restaurant and soon, even a wait list was going. The menu is short and I liked that the restaurant doesn't specialize in Korean bbq because it seems that the general public thinks that all Korean food is bbq and there's so much more to the cuisine than that.

Since the restaurant is named My Tofu House, it felt only appropriate to order the tofu stew. The one we ordered had dumplings and rice cakes in it which I'd never thought was possible and it was so good! I'm going to have to make this version at home. We also ordered the classic stone pot bibimbap. With all of the side dishes, grilled fish, and almost too much rice, there was plenty of food for two. I left satisfied and found a hidden Korean supermarket gem right next door too!

Recipe: Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh

I've wanted to make this recipe since it first appeared on 101 Cookbooks in 2009. That's more than 5 years ago! One of the reasons it's taken me so long to make this recipe is because I actually like to eat raw tempeh. I like the true nutty flavor! One of my favorite ways to eat tempeh in the past has been to make a tempeh, sharp white cheddar cheese, and blueberry jam sandwich. It sounds like an odd combination I know but it's surprisingly really good... Also I just never buy oranges on my own and to be honest the only reason I made this recipe now is because I had an overabundance of oranges sitting in my fridge that needed to be eaten.

I stuck fairly close to the original recipe except that I used curry powder instead of ground coriander and left out the cilantro. Despite the changes to the original recipe, the result was still fantastic. The tempeh glaze is a bit sweet and quite citrusy but served over a lightly dressed salad or over brown rice, it ends up balancing well.

Orange Pan-Glazed Tempeh
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks
Serves 2

Ingredients
3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (3-4 large juicy oranges)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
2 tsp soy sauce
1½ tbsp mirin
2 tsp maple syrup
½ tsp curry powder
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 8-oz tempeh
2 tbsp olive oil
½ lime juice
handful of cilantro leaves (optional)

Instructions
Put the orange juice in a small bowl. Add the ginger, soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup, curry powder, and garlic. Mix together and set aside.
Cut the tempeh into half widthwise and into triangles (yields ~16 pieces).
Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the tempeh and fry for 5 minutes, or until golden underneath.
Turn and cook the other side for another 5 minutes, or until golden.
Pour the orange juice mixture into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced to a lovely thick glaze.
Turn the tempeh once more during this time and spoon the sauce over the tempeh from time to time.
Serve the tempeh drizzled with any remaining sauce and a squeeze of lime, with the cilantro scattered on top. Serve tempeh over brown rice or salad.

Recipe: Grilled 5-Spice Chicken

I've been really into Vietnamese food lately, particularly the grilled meat and rice plates I've been having at restaurants. The meats are incredibly smoky and the pickled vegetables served alongside add a refreshing crunch that balances everything out. The following recipe uses 5-spice powder, which I picked up at a specialty spice shop but can easily be found in Asian grocery stores. I chose to have the chicken on top of a romaine lettuce salad with avocado and roasted broccoli, all lightly dressed with just olive oil, lemon juice, and salt & pepper in order to use up some leftover vegetables in my fridge and to also balance out the strong flavors of the chicken. This is now my go-to recipe for making a Vietnamese inspired grilled chicken and maybe next time I'll try eating it with coconut rice and pickled vegetables.

Grilled 5-Spice Chicken
Adapted from Epicurious
Serves 4

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp minced ginger
3 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder
½ tbsp sea salt
½ cup soy-lime dipping sauce

Soy-Lime Dipping Sauce
1 clove garlic
2 fresh thai bird chilies
2½ tbsp sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 ½ tbsp lemon juice
¼ cup water, or to taste

Instructions
In a bowl, combine the oil, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sugar, five-spice powder, and salt.
Stir well to blend. Add the chicken and turn several times to coat evenly.
Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Preheat a grill or skillet to medium heat and cook the chicken 10 minutes, then turn over and cook other side until the chicken is cooked.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter or serve on individual plates with rice or atop salad with the dipping sauce.

Cream Cheese and Smoked Salmon Bagel

Ever since returning from NYC back in February, I've been craving a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. While I can't completely recreate the epic bagel sandwich of Russ & Daughters, I'm okay with that fact and did my best.

I went to Bi-Rite Market and bought a small tub of Sierra Nevada Cheese Company's cream cheese (truly the best!) and a package of smoked sockeye salmon from Trader Joe's. I toasted up an everything bagel, schmeared a thick layer of cream cheese, and placed a few slices of smoked salmon on top. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I ate this 3 times in one day. Now I just need to get some tomato slices, red onion, and capers to take it over the top.

Cafe Sophie

I've been on the lookout for a good study cafe and I finally found a go-to spot! It seems like a lot of the cafes in San Francisco are always buzzing with people, which really defeats the purpose of me trying to study there because I'm way too engrossed in people watching. Cafe Sophie though is quiet and had lots of open tables inside and out. I ordered a pot of loose leaf Genmaicha and read my book while trying not to gape at the incredibly long line of people a few doors down at Ike's Place.

The Corner Store Part 5

Though I've been to The Corner Store plenty of times for dinner, I've never made it there for brunch until today. I underestimated the popularity of their weekend mornings though because it was hopping today and for the first time ever, there was a wait for tables.

My friend raved about their biscuits and although I've never given biscuits a second thought, turns out it was because I've never had a proper biscuit. I ordered The Biscuit Stack with bacon and a sunny side egg and it was amazing. I asked for the cheddar & thyme mornay sauce on the side to keep the dish lighter and good thing I did because the dish didn't really need it.

The Biscuit Stack with sunny side egg, bacon, cheddar & thyme mornay; Home Fries

Central Kitchen

We made a dinner reservation day-of for 8:30pm at Central Kitchen. The first thing I noted upon entering the restaurant was how much I loved the ambiance. It was warm, cozy, and dimly lit with candles at each table.

We went family style and shared each dish, along with a bottle of syrah:
Pork & Rabbit Terrine with porcini & kraut (interesting)
Kampachi with kumquat, fennel, poppy seed & chili
Seaweed Pasta Chitarra with uni, mussels, chili & bottarga (my favorite)
Charred Asparagus with coffee, egg & bone marrow vinaigrette (first time having bone marrow!)
Black Cod with porcini, artichoke, potato & green garlic
Buttermilk Sorbet with guava, caramel & ginger powder

Kampachi with kumquat, fennel, poppy seed & chili

Charred Asparagus with coffee, egg & bone marrow vinaigrette

Black Cod with porcini, artichoke, potato & green garlic

Bisou

Went to Bisou for dinner tonight! This restaurant has been on my radar for a while because I wanted to try French food. We didn't have reservations but were seated right away at a tucked in bar table at the back of the restaurant.

We started with the Kobe Steak Tartare, which the waiter mixed up for us tableside. The tartare came with a side of potato chips to scoop it up with. I went the classic Julia Child route and ordered the Boeu Bourguignon. It was my first time having this dish and it was super rich and flavorful. I could tell the meat had been cooking for a long time because of how tender it was. I also had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc to keep it classy haha.

Boeuf Bourguignon: 24 hours marinated beef cheeks, button mushrooms, carrots, bacon and mash potatoes

Recipe: Chobani Hummus + Za'atar

I made a copycat recipe and it was fantastic. When I visited Chobani SoHo back in February, I tried the Hummus + Za'atar with pita chips and I've been obsessed with the flavor since then. Finding za'atar in grocery stores was more difficult than I thought so I instead went to a newly opened spice shop in SF so I could follow the recipe at home. So easy and so good there's no need to miss the real deal all the way in New York. 

Chobani Hummus + Za'atar

Serves 2

Ingredients

½ cup plain Chobani

2½ tbsp hummus

7 pieces chickpeas (I personally like to add a lot more than just 7)

½ tsp za'atar

1½ tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 pinch lemon zest or lemon juice

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch black pepper

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together well and serve with pita chips or crackers.

Lers Ros Thai

In honor of Wes Anderson's new film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, the Roxie Theater was playing some of Wes Anderson's movies each night. I've been really digging Wes Anderson films lately so I jumped at the chance to see The Darjeeling Limited at the Roxie Theater tonight. Before the 7pm screening, my friend and I enjoyed an early dinner next door at Lers Ros Thai. There are several other locations in the city and it's been one of the restaurants I've been meaning to try.

The menu is super extensive with alligator, rabbit, and frog dishes. I wanted to be adventurous but... I went with the Khao Kha Moo, which is braised pork leg over rice. The meat was really rich so the pickled vegetables and fresh cucumber really balanced it out. I'll have to come again to try some other dishes on the menu.

Recipe: Avocado Chickpea Salad

The weather in San Francisco the past few weeks has been absolutely ideal and reminded me so much of being back home in southern California. When the weather is warm, I find myself craving fresh and light meals. This salad is has all of my favorite ingredients!

Avocado Chickpea Salad
Inspired by Naturally Ella
Serves 2

Ingredients
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 ripe avocado, cubed
1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup cooked brown rice (optional)

Dressing
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp honey
pinch salt & pepper

Instructions
In a large bowl, toss together shredded lettuce, avocado, chickpeas, and cooked rice (optional).
In a separate small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
Pour over the salad and toss until salad is coated.

Yosemite National Park

What a fantastic weekend at Yosemite National Park! I haven't been to Yosemite since I was a kid and have almost no recollection of even being there. But now that I'm in the Bay Area and it's just a few hours away, I jumped at the chance to go! It took longer than expected to arrive in Yosemite because of traffic and a bunny incident but we made it! We stayed two nights at Curry Village and I was so thankful for the heated tents.

The next morning we hiked the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. The hardest hike I've ever done was a few years back in Maine and while that's still the case, the Upper Falls hike was not easy. The hike was an uphill climb and there were moments when I didn't think I could make it all the way up! The hot weather also threw me for a loop because I had thought it would be super cold so I wore too many layers. After around 3 hours, we finally made it to the top and the view up top was definitely worth the blood, sweat, and tears. We went a little further to check out Yosemite Point and then made the 3 hour hike down the mountain.

Upper Yosemite Falls Lookout

Yosemite Point

After making it back down, we celebrated with dinner at the Mountain Room Restaurant. All I wanted during the hike was an ice cold beer so I guzzled a Coronoa and ordered the Braised Lamb & Gnocchi Sauté with root vegetables. It was very rich and delicious. Afterwards, we relaxed in the Curry Village Lodge, played Dixit, and fell asleep super early. Fun!

Braised Lamb & Gnocchi Sauté with carrots and parsnips

The next morning we got breakfast at the food court and kept it low-key. We saw the Lower Yosemite Falls and did a walk through the John Muir Trail to reach Mirror Lake.

We made good time coming back into San Francisco and it was all around a great trip. I'm so happy I went because it was nice to be outdoors all weekend and I'm thankful for the good weather.

ICHI Sushi + NI Bar

Originally just ICHI Sushi, the restaurant expanded and re-opened with a new name, ICHI Sushi + NI Bar. I made reservations about a week in advance and called ahead to request seats at the bar because I like watching the sushi chefs at work.

We started with four Kusshi oysters, which were extremely cold and fresh. We ordered a variety of different nigiris: maguro zuke (marinated tuna), shiro toro (albacore tuna belly), ikura (salmon roe), japanese uni hokkaido, and hotategai hokkaido scallop. I've never had scallop nigiri before and it was my favorite of the night. Like the mural on the wall boldly states, there was no need for soy sauce because each nigiri is seasoned by the chef. I have to admit though that some pieces were heavy on the wasabi and made my eyes water. But I could really tell that the ingredients were fresh and well prepared.

We also tried the hot beef tataki dish and the wagyu beef was so tender and went well with the white ponzu sauce. The cold somen with shiso and crab was unique because of the shiso pesto and was reminiscent of an Italian dish. Overall, ICHI is a solid restaurant but I do think that the prices are a bit steep. Also Bernal Heights is a bit far from where I live so not sure I would make the special trip out to come again. But no regrets tonight because I've heard such great things about the restaurant and I'm always happy to try new places.

Kusshi Oysters

Ikura Nigiri

Japanese Uni Hokkaido

Beef Tataki: japanese wagyu beef, radish kimchee, white ponzu, crispy burdock root

cold somen with shiso: thin wheat noodles, shiso pesto, citrus, crab

Mission Bowling Club Part 1

Had a fun gathering for a friend's birthday at Mission Bowling Club! I've never been before and was surprised to see a large number of people just there for the food. The place is smaller than I'd thought and there seems to only be six bowling lanes.

I started off with a Michelada, which I've never had before and ZOMG it was so delicious. I definitely had to pace myself so I didn't end up guzzling the whole drink at once. I'm a big Modelo fan so big two thumbs up. The salted rim was key.

For brunch I was craving eggs so I ordered the Chilaquiles, which I have become enamored with. I thought about getting the burger because I've heard it was one of the best in SF but I just couldn't stomach the thought of a giant burger right then. A few friends ordered the burger though and it looked super impressive. I took a bite of the burger and while it was pretty good, I wasn't that excited about it.

The birthday girl got cupcakes from Kara's Cupcakes and I tried the Guinness Chocolate Stout with Bailey's Buttercream and wowowow, it was super rich. Food coma.

Monda Michelada: del maguey y mezcal vida, tomato juice, and negra modelo

Chilaquiles: scrambled eggs, salsa, guacamole, cotija, scallion crema, home fries