Ramen popup @ Hopscotch

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Every Friday starting at 11p (that usually runs until 2a!),  Hopscotch does a ramen pop up, which isn't far off from their normal dining fare.  With only a handful of tables and some bar seating, there is a small wait for a table here.

The diner-esque feel with the high stools on the counter to the checkered floors sort of reminds me of Nombe in the city.

There are only a few options for appetizers on the menu:  panko potato korokke, seaweed salad, kimchee, and edamame.  The only thing that looked interesting was the potato korokke.  I'm no stranger to these deep fried balls of potato, but this one didn't have much flavor.

I was a little bummed that there was no tonkatsu ramen on the menu.  The only ramen choices were: shoyu, miso, and veggie.  I'm a little doubtful on how flavorful veggie shoyu can be so the other two ramens were the main choices of the night.  The shoyu ramen comes with jidori egg, nori, negi (green onion), bean sprout, bamboo shoots, and bok choy.  For additional $4, you can add chasu pork belly, spicy braised beef tongue,  jidori egg ($3), and extra noodles ($2).  The noodles are cooked al dente, which is a good thing.  The egg surprisingly came with three halves, which made me wonder what happens when they end up with an odd number of bowls.  The broth was too light and lacked any depth in flavor, but the pork belly was decent.  Not exactly the style of pork that is usually served in ramen.

The miso ramen uses a pork broth with braised pork chili paste and sliced chasu pork belly.  Spicy braised pork tongue was added to this bowl, but didn't look or taste like I expected it to.  The pork tongue was shredded up and very salty.  With all the pork and beef ingredients, I was surprised that this bowl was also quite flavorless.

The dessert was probably the best thing of the whole meal, but that doesn't say much.  The matcha (green tea) ice cream showed no restraint with the bitterness, which I loved.  Also, usually not a fan of red bean, but the hard, sweet red beans (azuki) was a nice contrast to the creamy ice cream.

Address:                 Ramen popup @ Hopscotch 
                                1915 San Pablo Ave.
                                Oakland, Ca
 

Type:                       American

Popular chomps:     shoya ramen
                                 miso ramen
                                 matcha ice cream 

Chomp worthy:        nothing     

Frozen Kuhsterd

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Frozen Kuhsterd is another one of those food trucks that I've been absolutely dying to eat at.  Supposedly, they make an appearance at the SOMA food truck park, but I've never been lucky enough to come across it there. 

The frozen custard comes in a variety of flavors and change frequently.  Cinnamon Toast Crunch (Cereal Milk) was smooth and creamy, like a proper frozen custard should be.  It tastes just like the leftover milk in the cereal bowl with punches of cinnamon and sugar soaked in.  With a scoop of frozen custard, you can choose 1 topping, which I appropriately choose cinnamon toast crunch.  There's nothing like some cereal milk ice cream topped with cinnamon toast crunch cereal to bring back memories of your childhood.

Originally, I had promised myself only the frozen custard, but got totally sold when I saw the frozen custard sandwich made with Dynamo Donuts.  Maple bacon donut sandwiched between a scoop of cereal milk ice cream and, for more added crunch, cinnamon toast crunch cereal bits.  Salty, sweet, and crunchy, all components to make a perfect dessert.

    

Address:                   Frozen Kuhsterd
                                  various locations
                                  San Francisco/Bay Area
 

Type:                         food truck/ice cream/dessert

Popular chomps:       cinnamon toast crunch
                                   Thai tea custard
                                   black sesame

                                   soju soaked boba topping

Chomp worthy:         cinnamon toast crunch      

Ngoc Mai

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San Francisco seems to be full of Vietnamese places that serve mostly pho, but if you dig a little deeper, you can find some other good Vietnamese soup spots.

Banh xeo is a literally translated to "sizzling cake", which derives from the noise made from the rice batter being poured onto the hot skillet.  The crepe is made from rice flour, water, turmeric powder, bean sprouts, slices of pork, and shrimp.  The banh xeo here has a good crispy shell and is served with various leafy greens to use as wrappers.  Most banh xeo I've had is more on the oily side, but Ngoc Mai's is ultra crisp and not greasy at all.

The bun bo hue comes in two sizes and their small size is as big as a regular bowl in other restaurants.  Hot and steamy, but not as spicy I prefer it, this bowl of bun bo hue is one of better ones in the city. 

Another non-pho option at Ngoc Mai is bun rieu.  The thin noodle in the crab and tomato soup didn't have enough crab meat, much less fresh crab meat.  Its better at Kim Son (see post HERE). 

      

Address:                    Ngoc Mai
                                   547 Hyde St.
                                   San Francisco, CA
 

Type:                         Vietnamese/soup

Popular chomps:        bun bo hue
                                    banh xeo    

Chomp worthy:           banh xeo

Front Cafe

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Front Cafe is minimalistic coffee finally done somewhere other than the Mission or SOMA.  On a sunny day, they put picnic tables outside.  It makes a great place to sit and bask in the sun with some coffee.

The cold brew coffee here doesn't come cheap.  At $4.75, this cold brewed coffee is pour over a big block of ice and served in a mason jar (I'm a sucker for drinks served in mason jars).  The price of the coffee includes the $1 cost for the mason jar, so if you bring it back you get a $1 off the coffee so really the price isn't too bad.  The coffee is cold and smooth with a bite to it. 

Address:                  Front Cafe
                                 150 Mississippi St.
                                 San Francisco, CA 
 

Type:                        coffee

Popular chomps:      cold brewed coffee
 

Chomp worthy:        cold brewed coffee

Banh Mi My Tho

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After my recent trip to Vietnam where I had the most amazing banh mi, I've been even more determined to find something similar in this country.  Banh Mi My Tho seems to be quite popular in SoCal.  Tiny, discretely placed in a strip mall, and very cheap.  With these checked off, it passed my first test.

All the sandwiches are less than $3 here.  Besides sandwiches, they also sell com tam (broken rice), bun (vermicelli), and banh uot (rice sheet noodles). 

First and foremost, the bread.  The long, thin baguette is similar to Lee's Sandwiches.  The bread lacks any crustiness or flavor.  The meat in the dac biet (combination), however, was delicious.  Flavorful and thinly sliced.  Still, the price and the meat doesn't make up for the bread.  Banh Mi Ba Le (see post HERE) still beats this spot.

The inside of the dac biet.  Way too much bread.

    

Address:                 Banh Mi My Tho
                                304 W. Valley Blvd
                                Alhambra, CA 
 

Type:                       Vietnamese/sandwiches

Popular chomps:      #1 - banh mi thit ngoi
                                  #2 - banh mi dac biet
                                  #3 - banh mi thit nuong         

Chomp worthy:          nothing   

The Donut Man

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The Donut Man is this little hut located on Route 66 in the middle of nowhere.  Driving up to this tiny donut cottage, you can smell the fresh donuts.

Open 24 hours and cash only, the donut man is mostly known for their fruit filled donuts.  They aren't your ordinary fruit filled donuts.  The donuts are filled with actual fruit!  Their two most popular are peach and strawberry, which vary depending on the fruit season.  This time (March) around only strawberry was available.

Other fruit filled donuts, like apple and lemon, are available all year round.

The apple filling of the apple donut looked like preserved diced up apples in a thick, sweet syrup. 

The lemon filled was more of a thick lemon custard.  More on the sweet side than on the tart side.

The strawberry donut was my sole reason for coming to this place.  Giant strawberries beautifully placed inside of a donut cut almost in half.  It's hard to really taste the sweetness of the actual strawberry since its doused in a glaze, but it was still yummy.  Obviously, you have to eat some of the strawberries before really sinking your teeth into this strawberry donut sandwich. 

The tiger tail was a cute twist on a twist.  A thin chocolate "stripe"was mixed into a regular glazed twist.   A unique idea, but I couldn't taste much of the chocolate flavor.

The twist, which has always been my main go to when ordering a donut as a kid.  As with all the other donuts, the donuts here are on the chewy side versus having a fluffy texture, which I prefer.

  

Address:                 The Donut Man
                                915 E. Rt 66
                                Glendora, CA

Type:                       donut/dessert

Popular chomps:     strawberry donut (seasonal)
                                 peach donut (seasonal)
                                 tiger tail    

Chomp worthy:        strawberry donut        

Din Tai Fong

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Din Tai Fong is Taiwan's award winning dumplings house that has two LA locations, but none in SF.  Actually, only one location if you count that the store fronts are located right behind each other.  Supposedly the lines can get ridiculously long, but an hour after opening on a Saturday, I didn't see any lines.

There's a lot of things on the menu, but everyone comes here for the soup dumplings or as they are known on the menu here - juicy pork dumplings.  These plump dumplings are made fresh in the restaurant and then steamed to create a tiny package of steamy, soupy goodness.  Not sure if it was because I came on a Saturday around opening and the dumplings were possibly made in batches the night before to tide over the lunch rush, but these dumplings were so dry.  The skin was paper thin and held well when plucked from the steamers, but even looking closely at the wrapper, you could see its dryness.  The dry skin was just the first issue of this disappointing dish.  There was no heavy sagging of the soup in the dumpling when picked up, which only foreshadowed what was to come.  The first bite confirmed a dry center.  Possibly one of the most disappointing dumplings I've had in a long time.       

Unlike most places that give you a dish of prepoured vinegar and ginger, Din Tai Fong has a self serve bottle on the side of the table.  It makes me think that people eat alot of dumplings here!

The Chinese green beans stir fried in garlic were flavorful, but deemed way too greasy to finish.

Similar shape and size to the juicy pork dumplings, but these crab and pork dumplings were juicier.  Too much crab flavor, as if that is possible, but it didn't taste or smell fresh. 

     

Address:                   Din Tai Fong
                                  1108 S. Baldwin Ave.
                                  Arcadia, CA 
 

Type:                        Chinese/Taiwanese

Popular chomps:       xiao long bao/juicy pork dumping

Chomp worthy:          nothing    

Bhan Kanom Thai

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Thai snacks and desserts are made fresh at Bhan Kanom Thai.  Plus they are open till midnight!  Unfortunately, the Bay Area doesn't have anything close to this unless you count Sundays at the Thai Temples (see post HERE). 

I love all things coconut and Thai snacks do not disappoint with the coconut flavoring.  The kanom krok are tiny glutenous mini spheres with a coconut pudding center.  My favorite dessert of my sweet treat haul.

Pan chi aka taro cakes.  These purple tinged mini cakes are made specially for coconut lovers.  Made with shredded coconut, taro, and flecks of yellow corn, this sweet, chewy snack is griddle to create a thin crust, almost like mini latkes.

Kanom bueang look like mini tacos.  They have a sweet flavor and a salty flavor.  The sweet flavor has a persimmon center and the salty has a shrimp flavor.  To me, it looks better than it tastes, but for a couple dollars its worth a taste.

   

Address:                  Bhan Kanom Thai
                                 5271 Hollywood Blvd.
                                 Los Angeles, CA

Type:                       Thai/bakery

Popular chomps:     kanom krok
                                 pang chi
                                 kanom buang (crispy pancake)
                                 mango with sticky rice 

Chomp worthy:        kanom krok      

The Original HoyKa Hollywood

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With my trip to Thailand last November still lingering in my mind, I was feening some good Thai food.  All my trips to LA and I've never explored Thai Town, which consumes a massive number of blocks in Hollywood.  My original Thai restaurant choice of the night closed their doors on me 30 minutes before closing time so thank goodness The Original HoyKa Hollywood was close by.
One thing that is lacking in Bay Area Thai food is the SPICYNESS!  I'd heard from multiple sources that Thai food in LA does not mess around.  Challenge accepted!

The metal tin box that holds all the utensils reminded me of Thailand.

Just in case of things were too spicy, I armed myself with Thai Ice Tea to soothe any extra spiciness.  I rarely get Thai Ice Tea, but this one was sweet without being too sweet.  Delicious.

Crispy pork with Chinese broccoli over rice.  I added an egg, which ended up not being runny enough for my taste.  The pork was flavorful, but some pieces were a bit too tough.  I've had better.

All the dishes I ordered were medium spicy, but the spice level was a good "hot".  Spicy enough to sting your mouth, but I could still enjoy the flavors of the food.  Although I didn't use any tissues to blow my nose so maybe I venture another spicy level up next time.  Still a lot spicier than most places that I order "Thai spicy".

A lot of people seem to really like the namesake soup here - the HoyKa noodle soup.  A choice of either chicken or pork, (in this case it was chicken), sliced chicken, and fishballs.  The broth was lighter and delicate with a surprisingly, sweet flavor.

I missed out on eating boat noodles in Thailand, but I've been seeking it out lately.  The one thing that distinguishes it from any other Thai soup is the blood.  The murky, almost irony color, in the broth is made from blood.  A little funky, but definitely delicious.  You don't really taste the blood, but you do notice that the soup has a slightly heavier when you are slurping it.  Mixed with pork slices, fish balls, bean sprouts, and thin noodles, this soup is slurpworthy.  

Not only is the spice level pretty legit here, but the price is ridiculously cheap.  A small bowl of soup is only $3.50.

  

Address:                 The Original HoyKa Hollywood
                                5401 Hollywood Blvd
                                Los Angeles, CA
 

Type:                       Thai

Popular chomps:     HoyKa noodle soup
                                 boat noodles
                                 crispy pork ka prao with fried egg over rice

Chomp worthy:        boat noodles
                                 HoyKa noodle soup
                                 crispy pork ka prao with fried egg over rice      

Langer's Deli

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The corner that Langer's is on reminds me a lot of SF from the screaming bums to the guy who asked me if I need a fake ID.  Even in a questionable area, people still lined up for a seat at this historical eating institution.

Served up with a pickle, the hot pastrami (#19) at Langer's is their most famous sandwich.  Supposely, only Langer's and Katz are the only two delis in America to serve hand cut pastrami slices in their sandwiches.  Had I known that I could order half sandwiches, I would have ordered their corned beef sandwich, which many consider even better than their pastrami.

This sandwich has to be one of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life.  I've had Katz's version and while I think its a good sandwich, I prefer Langer's.  Everything about this sandwich is pure perfection.  Succulent and savory meat that doesn't have the usual over saltiness that I find in most pastramis.  The crunchy coleslaw has the lightest touch of mayo and offers the perfect contrast to the soft bread.  Besides how awesome the pastrami is, the bread is just amazing.  The freshly baked bread is nutty and fluffy with just the right amount of thickness.  Usually crust is an afterthought for me, but, wow, the crust has a crisp, but soft texture that's indescribably delicious. 

Address:                   Langer's Deli
                                  704 S. Alvarado St.
                                  Los Angeles, CA
 

Type:                         deli

Popular chomps:      #19 - pastrami on rye
                                  matzo ball soup
                                  #88 - corned beef
                                 

Chomp worthy:         #19 - pastrami on rye    

Diddy Riese Cookies

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Diddy Riese is LA's version of the Bay Area's CREAM (see post HERE).  The $1.75 ice cream sandwich is a UCLA favorite and there is a consistent line out the door even at midnight.

Diddy Riese has other sweet options like sundaes and Hawaiian shaved ice, but majority of the orders are for the ice cream sandwiches.

The ice cream sandwich cookie choices are:  choc chip w/walnuts, white choc macadamia nut, peanut butter, double chocolate chip,white chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin nut, chocolate w/white choc, sugar cinnamon, candy, chocolate chip.  After choosing a combination of two freshly baked cookies, then you have a choice of Dreyers ice cream flavors: vanilla bean, cookie dough, rocky road, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, chocolate, espresso chip, butter pecan, strawberry cheesecake chunk, peanut butter cup, chocolate chip, cookies & cream.

The warm cookies at CREAM made for a messy ice cream sandwich, but at Diddy Riese each sandwich is neatly placed in a cup for easy eating.  Even though my inner go green mentality knew these cups were wasteful, I really liked eating my ice cream cookie like that.  It gave me the option to either scoop up the ice cream with a spoon or bite into it when I felt like it.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwich with double chocolate chip cookie and chocolate chip with walnuts.  CREAM has better flavors, but the ice cream quality and taste is lacking.  Since Diddy Riese uses Dreyer's ice cream, the ice cream sandwiches taste better than CREAM.  The cookies are nothing special, but the $1.75 price tag makes it a popular treat.

Ice cream sandwich with strawberry cheesecake ice cream and snickerdoodle and double chocolate chip cookies.  The cookies are soft, but lacking any real flavor.  Overall, they are a decent snack if you are in the area.  My dream ice cream sandwich is probably Anthony's Cookies (see post HERE) with some Bi-Rite ice cream (see post HERE), which would probably cost upwards of $7.  A girl can wish, can't she? 

Address:                  Diddy Riese Cookies
                                 926 Braxton Ave.
                                 Los Angeles, CA 
 

Type:                        ice cream

Popular chomps:      snickerdoodle
                                  mint chocolate chip ice cream

Chomp worthy:         snickerdoodle