Pan Grill Sandwich Shop

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For the most part pop ups and Asian fusion doesn't really get me excited like it used to, but Pan Grill has that old feeling come back again.  This very tiny pop up inside Butterfly on the Embarcadero is an awesome little treat amongst all a somewhat touristy area.  While it doesn't have any seating inside, there are plenty of places to sit by the water to enjoy their food.

One of the things that brought me here was their own housemade buns.  Not just any old bun, its like a baked chao siu bao bun so soft and fluffy with a just a hint of sweetness.  I did wish there was a little honey or sweet glaze on top like the baked chao siu bao buns I love so much.  The menu here is a headscratcher with so many things you want to try, you have to just pick a couple and then vow you'll be back to try the rest.

The yuzu lemonade was perfectly balanced and refreshing with just the right hint of citrus flavor.

While everything I had here was pretty tasty, the best by far were the yaki tots.  Essentially mini yaki onigiris shaped like slightly bigger than average tater tots, these super crunchy chunks of rice were one of those things that you eat and think genius.  Along with a spicy sauce drizzle, that seems to be made out of sriarcha, I would definitely come back again for just these.  Although I did order the additional tuna poke to be added onto this, its much better without it.

The yaki onigiri was just as crunchy as the yaki tots, maybe even more so.  Rather than the typical grilliing of the rice ball, it seems that they were actually deep fried so the outside crust is extra crisp.  Its a little hard to break off a piece, but once you do you can't stop eating away at them.

With all the choices of sandwiches, its hard to pick a couple to try.  The potato croquette was made with a sweet potato filing so it was pretty sweet.  Overall, this sandwich was a little too sweet tasting for me with the sweet bun and then the sweet potato curry.  Its was good, but it also needed some more crunchy texture since the sweet potato filling and the bread were so soft.

The hangar steak niku also had a sweetness from the glaze.  Its been a while since I had meat so tender and juicy.  In each bite, the meat practically melts in your mouth.  Out of the two, I think this one was my favorite. 

  

Address:                 Pan Grill Sandwich Shop
                                Pier 33
                                San Francisco, CA
   

Type:                       Japanese

Popular chomps:     yaki tot
                                 hangar steak niku sandwich
                                 kim chi pulled pork sandwich
                                 curry potato croquette sandwich

Chomp worthy:        yaki tot

Ramen Yamadaya

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San Francisco must have heard my whining and whimpering of more ramen spots in the city because Ramen Yamadaya is one of the many upcoming ramen restaurants opening here in SF.  The interior is a little odd to say the least, but once you get over that, its a nice option to have for those chilly SF nights.

A side order of yamadaya topping comes with wood ear fungus, bamboo shoots, green onions, pork belly, egg, and slices of seaweed.

The yamadaya ramen has a nice salty, fatty taste to it.  Not the best bowl of ramen, but its definitely a better version of the whats available in the city now.  One odd thing about this bowl of ramen is the noticeably thinner noodles.  The jury is still out on if I like the thickness of the noodles, but it does slurp well.

Tsukemen has been gaining popularity here in the city and its nice to know that its available here if you dare to try the dipping style ramen.  I love how there are slices of fatty pork soaking in the dipping broth.  I've noticed for tsukemen there are two groups that exist - those that absolutely love it (Chef David Chang falls into this category) and those that eek out an "eh" when they have it.  I'm part of the latter.  While I do enjoy a good bowl of a ramen, I've never had a tsukemen that's worth the extra dipping effort.

Address:                  Ramen Yamadaya
                                 1728 Buchanan St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                        ramen/Japanese

Popular chomps:      yamadaya ramen
                                  tonkatsu kotteri ramen
                                  tsukemen

Chomp worthy:         yamadaya ramen  

Maruya

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Maruya is a very needed sushi restaurant in San Francisco.  I can probably only name a handful of restaurants that does what Maruya does (Kappa is one of them) - omakase with both cooked dishes and fresh sushi.  Each dish is simple and seasonal.  While you can order just sushi, its a restaurant where the omakase should be ordered.  They offer two omakases - Masa's Course ($85) and Hide's Course ( A.Q).  Not knowing what to expect, I went with Masa's Course. 

I've had shishito peppers many times before, but this is one of the few times where it wasn't heavily grilled.  Without the smokiness, the taste of the shishito peppers are very subtle.  Along with bonito flakes and dashi, its a very lightly balanced dish.

Left to right: ankimo (monkfish liver); chestnut, ginko nuts, and mountain berry; tofu topped with uni.  The presentation is beautiful here and they really do try to use ingredients that celebrate the season.  Its rare to have good ankimo in the Bay Area, but this one was rich and creamy.  Its not my first mountain berry so I was well aware of the tiny seed inside the red spiky fruit, but without a warning from the server I can see that being a possible surprise.  At first, the berry seems too sweet and oddly placed, but after the taste seeps in, you can see that it pairs well with the subtle sweetness of the ankimo as well as the tofu and uni.

First glance this white mount looked like a potato, but its actually a tomato.  A gentle scraping the tomato and a spoonful of broth releases an unexpected spoonful of sweetness from the "tomato soup".

Along with the gorgeous presentation the appearance of a grilled course made this omakase almost like a casual kaiseki.  The lightly grilled and salted arctic char gave way to a well cooked fish that flaked off in perfect pieces.

While omakase seems to be the most obvious choice in a restaurant like this, a lot of people still came here just for the sashimi and sushi.  The sashimi course of the omakase made this a well noted sashimi option when getting my otherwise expensive sashimi fix in the city.  Top; clockwise;  ahi tuna (maguro), hamachi, halibut (hirame).  Each slice of fish was firm and fresh.

Left to right:  amberjack and blue nose.  While most of the nigiri courses were better than what you can normally find in the city, I found the sashimi course much more satisfying and tasty.

Fatty and flavorful, both the chu toro (left) and salmon (right) checked both boxes.

Left to right:  saba, aji. 

Left to right: ika (squid), uni.  While the uni was fresh and smooth, I wasn't too impressed with the ika (squid).  Usually, I love a good ika, but this one was much too chewy and hard to eat.

Its fall so its no surprise that nameko mushrooms are making a strong appearance in at least one dish of this omakase.  The small mushrooms really bring out the earthiness of the otherwise simple miso soup.

The yuzu lemonade ended the night with a bright, fresh flavor.

    

Address:                  Maruya
                                 2931 16th St.
                                 San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                        Japanese

Popular chomps:      omakase

Chomp worthy:         omakase

Raku

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Raku is another Las Vegas restaurant that I had heard rave reviews over and over throughout the years, but after a couple glances at the menu I never found it that enticing.  The menu is similar to a Japanese izakaya style menu with a slightly fusion twist, but my absolute favorite izakaya in Las Vegas is Ichiza (see post HERE), which I highly highly recommend.  I put this one on the food list this time around to finally see what the fuss was about.

The poached egg with unit and ikura was my absolute favorite dish of the meal and had I know I would be disappointed in the meal I would have ordered two of these dishes to satisfy myself.  This dish is so well composed with bits of creaminess, crunchy, salty, and slimy. 

All the item came out super fast, which I found to be a little off putting.  Since I believe grilled items are meant to be eaten hot and the Las Vegas winter was fairy cold, it cause me to eat twice as fast and possibly not enjoy my meal as much.  First out was the grilled chicken skewer wrapped in crispy skin.  The skin could have used a little more crispiness and the chicken was fairly dry.

While the wasabi sauce gave the kobe beef a nice kick, the meat was much too overcooked.

The pork belly skewer was one of the better skewers with juicy chunks of fatty pork.

I had high hopes for this kobe beef with fried garlic.  The meat was cooked too well and dried out the otherwise tender beef.

With San Francisco's foie gras ban still in full force, I like to indulge in foie gras when I can.  The grilled foie gras with soy sauce glaze was a rather large piece of foie and it was a bit of a foie overload for someone who hasn't had foie in a while.  Rich and decadent, foie was just as creamy and sinful as I remembered. 

Foie chawanmushi with seared duck.  I love a good chawanmushi.  However, this egg custard was a bit overcooked. 

The chicken meatball is another house favorite at Raku.  Minced chicken is lumped onto a stick and then grilled.  Again, the chicken was a little too dry.

Raku is well known for their housemade tofu.  It comes both steamed as well as fried.  The fried version (agadashi) is lightly fried and topped with ikura (salmon roe) and shredded dried seaweed.  The tofu is creamy and light, but being from the Bay Area I'm already spoiled by many restaurants that make their own tofu so I didn't find the tofu here extraordinarily spectacular.

Address:                     Raku
                                    5030 Spring Mountain Rd.
                                    Las Vegas, NV 
 

Type:                           Japanese

Popular chomps:         foie gras with glazed soy sauce
                                     freshly made tofu
                                     agadashi
                                     foie gras chawanmushi
                                     poached egg with sea urchin and salmon roe

                                     kobe beef with garlic

Chomp worthy:            poached egg with sea urchin and salmon roe   

Sweets Raku

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Sweet Raku is very similar to New York's Chikalicious (see post HERE).  The concept is built off a restaurant that serves only desserts and focuses on a tasting menu of desserts that changes frequently.  Similar to Chikalicious, they don't take reservations and seat on a first come first serve basis.  I only noticed a line after 9p. 

The restaurant is mostly counter seating so you can watch desserts being plated as you enjoy your food.

This restaurant is so cute and whimsical.  Each menu is served to you on a plate.

Both the sugar menu holder as well as the menu are edible.  After choosing your dessert course, a raspberry dipping sauce is poured on your plate for you to dip your menu in to eat.  The raspberry sauce is so delicious.  You can really taste the freshness of the fruit.  The menu doesn't have much taste, but it is fun to eat.

The first course starts off with a mango sorbet and mint jelly. 

One of the dessert options was the Angel Cream, which is made up of fromage and pears.  The dessert is just as light and fluffy as it looks.  Each spoonful just melts in your mouth like powdered snow.

Another dessert option is the Marriage which is a mix of strawberry and banana.  Bits of strawberry and banana flavors are hidden all over the plate for a not too sweet dessert.

The petit four course is a chocolate cake surrounded by passion fruit marshmallow, raspberry marshmallow, and alcohol infused raisins.  The tartness of the marshmallow and raisins cut through the chocolate very nicely.

Ordinarily, a chocolate molten lava cake would be too rich for me, but the chocolate choice they use is not sweet at all.  Instead, its a very intense chocolate taste surrounded by a moist chocolate cake.

  

Address:                    Sweets Raku
                                   5040 Spring Mountain Rd. Ste 3
                                   Las Vegas, NV
 

Type:                         desserts

Popular chomps:       prix fixe menu

Chomp worthy:          prix fixe menu     

Monta Ramen

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Even though I had eaten at a lot of places on this Vegas trip, most of them (Raku, Sweets Raku, Kabuto) just so happened to be located in the same plaza.  Monta Ramen is located just a couple doors down from Raku.  Not to be a spoiler to this post, but out of a pretty great lineup of restaurants in this plaza this was probably my least favorite meal of the trip.
Due to the multiple visits to this plaza, I had my eye on the huge lines every time I ate at a restaurant in this plaza so I knew I had to head out here before the restaurant opened to secure a spot in this tiny restaurant.  The line wasn't too bad.  Arriving 15 minutes before the restaurant opens will secure you a pretty good seat in the first seating.  Both the wait and the menu reminded me a lot of Los Angeles's Daikokuya (see post HERE). 

The kimchi fried rice only comes in one size.  Its a shareable size if you decide to eat ramen as well as a rice dish.  There are small bits of pickled vegetables amongst the mound of rice.  Its not really a Korean style kimchi fried rice as you can tell from the color (the korean style is more red in color from much more kimchi as well as a fried egg on top).  The kimchi taste is very light.   

The only other pork bowl I've had is the absolutely #1 fantastic one at Daikokuya so this one obviously pales in comparison.  If you've never had Daikokuya's version then this can make for a decent pork bowl, but side by side to Daikokuya's its missing the sweet sauce that ties it all together.  Also, there is a noticeably skimpy portion of meat in the bowl.

Even though the menu says that Monta offers miso, shoyu, and tokotsu ramen, they actually offer a spicy tonkotsu ramen as well as a kuro (black garlic) ramen.  I opted for the traditional tonkotsu ramen.  The bowl comes with noodles, bamboo shoots, 2 slices of pork, green onions, wood ear, but surprisingly no egg so obviously I had to add the egg to make a proper ramen bowl.  Another odd thing about this bowl is the noodles are really thin.  Almost like Chinese chow mein noodles found in won ton soup, which threw me off a bit.  While the broth does have a fatty pork flavor, it doesn't have that complexity of a good tonkotsu ramen broth.  Better than the most bowls in the San Francisco, but not in LA or the South Bay area. 

Address:                 Monta Ramen
                                5030 Spring Mountain Rd. Ste 6
                                Las Vegas, NV
 

Type:                      Japanese/ramen

Popular chomps:    tonkotsu ramen 
                                kimchi fried rice
                                pork bowl 

Chomp worthy:       nothing       

Kabuto

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I don't eat sushi as much as I would like to in San Francisco because the quality of sushi there is really upsetting.  I can probably name about five restaurants in the Bay Area that serves good sushi.  That being said, I do try to eat my fair share of sushi when I'm in the LA area, but surprisingly I've found that Las Vegas has better sushi than San Francisco.  Out of all my food lineups on this Las Vegas trip, Kabuto was the one I was most excited about.  They offer 3 choices of omakase  - $45, $85, $120.  All three come with a mixture of sushi and cooked dishes.  This ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip and some of the best omakase I've had in a long time.  Had I not had a full food lineup going on, I would have loved to try the $120 omakase.   

To start off the $85 omakase, a small glass of Fuji apple sake mixed with crushed iced was given.  I've never had sake so juicy.  It replicated the taste of a sweet, juicy apple almost exactly.  Refreshing and fruity.

Chunks of super red blue fin tuna and slices of Japanese cucumber and seaweed were the amuse bouche.  After visiting Japan, I rarely eat tuna because I've found the taste to be more watery and bland, but the tuna here was superb.  Fresh and full of flavor plus the texture was meaty and not mushy. 

From left; clockwise: blue fin tuna, ocean trout, oyster, and clam.  Every piece of seafood was super fresh.  Delicious.

Left to right:  Striped pig (a whitefish) topped with a sweet miso, kobe beef with yuzu, and grilled snapper.

Japanese sea bass.

Blue fin tuna.

Oki aji.

chu toro (medium fat).  Although the omakase comes with the chef's choice of sushi, you can opt to add more sushi after its completed.

Minced blue fin tuna atop lightly seasoned rice.  I adore the amount of wasabi they use for all their sushi.  While it doesn't seem like much, its just the perfect amount to compliment the fish.

Ikura is another sushi item that doesn't get me very excited.  I usually find the saltiness of the salmon roe to be to overpowering when it comes to most ikura sushi.  However, this small shot glass sized container filled with rice and topped with ikura was so well put together I couldn't help, but gobble it up.  The ikura to rice ratio was so balance that even the last spoonful had the perfect amount of ikura and rice.

super custardy smooth and fresh uni.

Its rare for me to see tamago (egg) made in house so when I do see it I have to gawk at it for a bit to appreciate this sweet eggy delicacy. 

A handroll (temaki) or a maki (roll) signals the end of the omakase is coming.  Here its a tuna handroll.  This simplistic roll is not to be taken lightly.  The sophisticated flavors of the rich tasting tuna, perfectly seasoned rice and the roasted seaweed makes it one of the best and most memorable dishes of the omakase.

The soup course has a choice between a fish miso or a mushroom miso.  A lot of focus goes into eating the fish miso soup since the white fish has a bunch of tiny bones.

November is the season of mushrooms so its no surprise that one of the miso soup choices is a mushroom miso.  Small button shaped mushrooms and wakame (seaweed) float through the subtly soothing miso soup.

Housemade salted caramel vanilla ice cream.  The flavor of this ice cream was much different than any other salted caramel ice cream I've had.  It was much more vanilla tasting than salted caramel.

The green tea tiramisu was light and airy.  A subtle sweet way to end an omakase.

Address:                      Kabuto
                                     5040 Spring Mountain Rd.
                                     Las Vegas, NV
   

Type:                            Japanese

Popular chomps:         omakase
 

Chomp worthy:            omakase