Adam "Kulinary Koala" B.'s Profile
Date
Vegans, vegetarians and those who let religion dictate their dinner plate have no clue what they're missing! Bacon is essentially the poor man's foie gras, so fatty and so delicious. I'm very much blinded by unconditional love that long waits and screwed up orders can't even sully my impression of this truck.
Bouquet: This is pure marketing. A half dozen flat, crispy bacon strips presented in a paper cone like a floral arrangement. It's fun to walk around with and watch people's jealousy, but the novelty is really a one-time only affair.
The Triple B Taco: Gotta love butt, belly and bacon! It was like a carnitas taco with bacon on top; I couldn't really tell the butt and the belly apart since they both seemed soft. Tasty, but could have used some more toppings since the meat aspect was so intense.
Fries: I ordered and was charged for the Spicy Belly Fries, but got the regular fries. They were ok, big salt chunks and some herbs. Maybe next time they'll get my order right and I can taste something more exciting...
Chocolate Dipper Bacon w/ Toffee: AMAZING! Way better than those bacon candy bars with old bac-os inside! Loved the crunchy toffee which gave yet another texture contrast to the bacon strip and dark chocolate shell.
Bouquet: This is pure marketing. A half dozen flat, crispy bacon strips presented in a paper cone like a floral arrangement. It's fun to walk around with and watch people's jealousy, but the novelty is really a one-time only affair.
The Triple B Taco: Gotta love butt, belly and bacon! It was like a carnitas taco with bacon on top; I couldn't really tell the butt and the belly apart since they both seemed soft. Tasty, but could have used some more toppings since the meat aspect was so intense.
Fries: I ordered and was charged for the Spicy Belly Fries, but got the regular fries. They were ok, big salt chunks and some herbs. Maybe next time they'll get my order right and I can taste something more exciting...
Chocolate Dipper Bacon w/ Toffee: AMAZING! Way better than those bacon candy bars with old bac-os inside! Loved the crunchy toffee which gave yet another texture contrast to the bacon strip and dark chocolate shell.
Zähringerstrasse 16
8001 Zürich
Switzerland
+41 44 251 41 30
8001 Zürich
Switzerland
+41 44 251 41 30
Raclette Stube
Categories:
Food,
Hotels & Travel
Neighborhood: Kreis 1
Maybe it's an American thing, but when I visit Switzerland I'm really not in the mood for kebabs, Mongolian BBQ, sushi, Thai, pizza or British pub food. And though I love the advice of locals, I'm also not feeling the need to follow a recommendation 20-30 minutes into a random residential area with not much else of note besides a local co-worker's favorite place. So Raclette Stube fit the bill, seeming the least touristy of the cheese options in Kreis 1.
Raclette: On my first visit, I had to get the namesake. I was kindly given a quick tour of the magic happening after I tried to not-so-slyly peer into the kitchen. No idyllic fireplace melting the cheese, but rather huge broilers the same length as the diameter of the raclette wheel. This produces a cheese scrapping that can have a layer of burnt goodness on top, but soft gooeyness underneath. Way better than those home machines with shallow pans that causes the whole cheese portion to crisp solid when you try for a slight sear. The accouterments were simple: boiled fingerling potatoes, pickled pearl onions, pickled gherkins and pickled baby corn. The key to consuming a lot of raclette is only to add a few crumbs of those accouterments for flavor while reserving most of your stomach space for the cheese in each round.
Fondue: After a week of corporate meetings and corporate dinners, I decided to treat myself to a second visit. This time I had the half-and-half fondue of Gruyère and Vacherin with some Kirsch blended in. Once again minimalist accouterments: bread cubes and boiled fingerling potatoes. I figured that it was a good thing that they focused their attention on the fondue rather than an elaborate dipping selection. So creamy. So cheesy. So delish. I really enjoyed the purity compared to all those finagled spice and non-Swiss cheese blends you get in the States.
Raclette: On my first visit, I had to get the namesake. I was kindly given a quick tour of the magic happening after I tried to not-so-slyly peer into the kitchen. No idyllic fireplace melting the cheese, but rather huge broilers the same length as the diameter of the raclette wheel. This produces a cheese scrapping that can have a layer of burnt goodness on top, but soft gooeyness underneath. Way better than those home machines with shallow pans that causes the whole cheese portion to crisp solid when you try for a slight sear. The accouterments were simple: boiled fingerling potatoes, pickled pearl onions, pickled gherkins and pickled baby corn. The key to consuming a lot of raclette is only to add a few crumbs of those accouterments for flavor while reserving most of your stomach space for the cheese in each round.
Fondue: After a week of corporate meetings and corporate dinners, I decided to treat myself to a second visit. This time I had the half-and-half fondue of Gruyère and Vacherin with some Kirsch blended in. Once again minimalist accouterments: bread cubes and boiled fingerling potatoes. I figured that it was a good thing that they focused their attention on the fondue rather than an elaborate dipping selection. So creamy. So cheesy. So delish. I really enjoyed the purity compared to all those finagled spice and non-Swiss cheese blends you get in the States.
Chicken & Waffles are so overrated! I'm loving this slight modification now being Chicken & Donuts. There is the same doughy, sweet, gooey contrast but you can eat the whole thing without a knife and fork... which is necessary since you'll likely be eating on the street.
Fried Chicken: An erratic crust of flaky goodness with some kick underneath the skin (sriracha?). I like how it was not one uniform layer of batter, but rather a stochastic piling. I'd even venture to say it is better than Little Skillet, but I might be biased since I love spicy.
Donuts: These definitely are not your run-of-the-mill Happy Donuts. They are extremely fluffy because the glaze is added to order giving no time to get soggy. The glaze itself is like a brown sugar syrup rather than those strange white skin glazes that look like someone's been in the sun too long.
Arki Sandwich: I got this for diversity since I wanted to try something besides the signature dish. If you can only get one item, I'd recommend skipping this and getting the chicken & donuts for sure. This sandwich was subtle. Buttery mashed potatoes instead of mayonnaise and a fried chicken cutlet on a ciabatta roll with a spattering of cucumbers. Though I like mashed potatoes on a sandwich, I felt they skimped on the chicken a bit as there were some bits with barely a fried morsel mixed in with the taters. The cucumbers were very bland and boring, they should have totally jumped on the do-it-your-self pickle craze to add a tart contrast.
Fried Chicken: An erratic crust of flaky goodness with some kick underneath the skin (sriracha?). I like how it was not one uniform layer of batter, but rather a stochastic piling. I'd even venture to say it is better than Little Skillet, but I might be biased since I love spicy.
Donuts: These definitely are not your run-of-the-mill Happy Donuts. They are extremely fluffy because the glaze is added to order giving no time to get soggy. The glaze itself is like a brown sugar syrup rather than those strange white skin glazes that look like someone's been in the sun too long.
Arki Sandwich: I got this for diversity since I wanted to try something besides the signature dish. If you can only get one item, I'd recommend skipping this and getting the chicken & donuts for sure. This sandwich was subtle. Buttery mashed potatoes instead of mayonnaise and a fried chicken cutlet on a ciabatta roll with a spattering of cucumbers. Though I like mashed potatoes on a sandwich, I felt they skimped on the chicken a bit as there were some bits with barely a fried morsel mixed in with the taters. The cucumbers were very bland and boring, they should have totally jumped on the do-it-your-self pickle craze to add a tart contrast.
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 608-5048
(415) 608-5048
Senor Sisig
Categories:
Filipino,
Food Stands
Neighborhoods: Lower Pac Heights, Pacific Heights
I rarely update reviews, mainly because I eat out a lot and one review per restaurant is more than enough as it is. However, I have a special affinity for street food so figured a positive change is worth note. Of course, please note I focused on the tacos so I could taste each filling in the highest protein-to-starch ratio.
Tofu Sisig Taco: Biggest improvement! They deep fried the tofu now so those little morsels actually had flavor and could absorb the spices.
Pork Sisig Taco: Way better than the togilog pork I had earlier. I guess if you're going to order from a truck named Señor Sisg, it's probably best to actually get the sisig. Like Mexican al pastor, but with an even better spice mixture.
Chicken Sisig Taco:The only highlight from my initial visit is still good.
Sansrival Ice Cream: So many food trucks miss the opportunity to present a tasty and unique dessert option. Not here. Buttery goodness ice cream base with cashew meringue bits mixed it. Loved the texture contrast, more ice creameries should do this.
Tofu Sisig Taco: Biggest improvement! They deep fried the tofu now so those little morsels actually had flavor and could absorb the spices.
Pork Sisig Taco: Way better than the togilog pork I had earlier. I guess if you're going to order from a truck named Señor Sisg, it's probably best to actually get the sisig. Like Mexican al pastor, but with an even better spice mixture.
Chicken Sisig Taco:The only highlight from my initial visit is still good.
Sansrival Ice Cream: So many food trucks miss the opportunity to present a tasty and unique dessert option. Not here. Buttery goodness ice cream base with cashew meringue bits mixed it. Loved the texture contrast, more ice creameries should do this.
1 Previous Review:
-
1/29/2011
I love me some street food. I'll twitter, facebook, yelp and brave long lines to try something new and buzz worthy. I had really good experiences with Indian Burritos, Sushi Burritos and Korean Burritos in the past that I felt Filipino was the next must. I found the food from this cart to be very bland and paling in comparison to the secret Adobo Burrito at Papalote. Sad since I expected more from all the hype...
Togilog Burrito: This was a special with the main ingredient being sweet pork. The pork chunks were large, fatty and chewy. They reminded me of the inside of a sausage, but I think they were actually cut straight from the pig somewhere. There was supposed to be garlic rice, but it tasted like bland rice cooker rice. The tomato slices inside tasted bitter, which makes sense since they are out of season. The egg didn't add much taste either. The menu said it came with a side of vinegar, but I had to ask for it since they initially forgot.
Sisig Chicken w/ Steamed Rice: The chicken was probably the highlight of my sisig experience. Salty and sour. Tiny chunks that were well done, firm and a tad dry. Unfortunately the rice was very boring, another rice cooker bland scoop. Wish there was some sort of sauce to help add flavor.
Sisig Fries w/ Tofu: Reminded me of "The Works" nachos you'd get at a bowling alley, but on top of soggy fries: nacho cheese product, canned-style jalapeño and guacamole that wasn't so fresh. Decided to try the tofu since I had pork and chicken in other dishes. It was so bad, I bet it could turn a vegan into a carnivore! Like the firm tofu you can get at Safeway with some light spices that added color, but not flavor. If only it had half the flavor of the sisig chicken it would have been tolerable...
422 Haight St
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 834-5001
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 834-5001
Wing Wings
Category:
Chicken Wings
Neighborhoods: Lower Haight, Hayes Valley
Variety wins over fundamentals here. Not going to try and compare these to famous Korean fried chicken outfits or Buffalo wings back in NY since you can't expect perfection from a joint that serves until 2AM in San Francisco. In fact the actual wings are of varying fried quality, some crisp without any need for breading and others way too soft. What counts are all the unique sauces and toppings; bound to find some to please your palate. Unfortunately the workers are real pains about mixing up flavors in large orders which is stupid on their part because a first experience with just one sauce that happens to be icky can turn off a customer for life. I tried five with the results of loving one, liking two, tolerating one and hating one. Didn't appreciate paying a $7 premium for the variety, compare 5 orders of 5 wings at $6/order (=$30) versus 1 order of 25 wings for $23.
Wing Wing: Probably the best flavor here. Sweet and salty. Not very viscous, which is a nice contrast to many of the other sauces.
Angry Korean: Intense. Basically a lot of that soy bean paste hot sauce restaurants usually put on bibimbap. Good for a few, but I can't see getting a large batch of these.
Orange Miso: Most unique flavor. More miso than orange, wish the orange part was more pronounced.
Dry Rub: Essentially plain since the rub had little flavor. Good if you want to experiment with the ginger jalapeño or habanero sauces on the table, but very lackluster by itself.
Buffalo (Hot): Tasted more vinegary than other wings, they probably need a higher butter ratio in the sauce. Not terribly hot for hot. Can easily give this place a bad name if it's the only flavor you try.
Pickles: Plentiful portion, but I wasn't digging the sweet factor. Couldn't they just do dill?
Biscuit: YUCK! It was more like a dense dinner roll. Not terribly buttery and served colder than room temperature.
Wing Wing: Probably the best flavor here. Sweet and salty. Not very viscous, which is a nice contrast to many of the other sauces.
Angry Korean: Intense. Basically a lot of that soy bean paste hot sauce restaurants usually put on bibimbap. Good for a few, but I can't see getting a large batch of these.
Orange Miso: Most unique flavor. More miso than orange, wish the orange part was more pronounced.
Dry Rub: Essentially plain since the rub had little flavor. Good if you want to experiment with the ginger jalapeño or habanero sauces on the table, but very lackluster by itself.
Buffalo (Hot): Tasted more vinegary than other wings, they probably need a higher butter ratio in the sauce. Not terribly hot for hot. Can easily give this place a bad name if it's the only flavor you try.
Pickles: Plentiful portion, but I wasn't digging the sweet factor. Couldn't they just do dill?
Biscuit: YUCK! It was more like a dense dinner roll. Not terribly buttery and served colder than room temperature.
2201 Union St
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 440-7833
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 440-7833
The Puff Truck
Categories:
Desserts,
Street Vendors
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
If you're a fatty and/or poor, you might not like this place because they don't give you 1,000+ calorie Cheesecake Factory portions at Mickey D prices. However, if you want to treat yourself with a few bites of divine creamy goodness in a portion that won't obliterate your hips, then this is the truck for you! Different (in a good way) from the other cream puff competition, The Puff Truck wins on the creamy dimension but could improve on the flaky factor.
Chocolate Filled with Chocolate Coating: Since cream pufferies aren't the norm, I have to use the Beard Papa as the benchmark (a Japanese chain that decided they wanted to make French cream puffs). Puff Truck's filling is less like the competition's firm custard and more the texture of almost melted chocolate ice cream. I really enjoyed this because it tasted very creamy and not so eggy. The chocolate flavoring of the cream was also like melted chocolate ice cream, which is another plus. The puffs were chewier than Beard Papa's flakier exterior. Probably due to the fact that these guys can't continuously cook fresh puffs on the truck, so Beard Papa wins on that dimension. The chocolate coating was very generous and tasted bittersweet, which is fine given how sweet the filling was. Since the choux is on the chewier side, the thicker topping pairs very well.
Chocolate Filled with Chocolate Coating: Since cream pufferies aren't the norm, I have to use the Beard Papa as the benchmark (a Japanese chain that decided they wanted to make French cream puffs). Puff Truck's filling is less like the competition's firm custard and more the texture of almost melted chocolate ice cream. I really enjoyed this because it tasted very creamy and not so eggy. The chocolate flavoring of the cream was also like melted chocolate ice cream, which is another plus. The puffs were chewier than Beard Papa's flakier exterior. Probably due to the fact that these guys can't continuously cook fresh puffs on the truck, so Beard Papa wins on that dimension. The chocolate coating was very generous and tasted bittersweet, which is fine given how sweet the filling was. Since the choux is on the chewier side, the thicker topping pairs very well.
How could I have spent all those years eating pasty bean filled mochi imported from a foreign factory which manufactured them months before my consumption? Simply Mochi is anything but simple! Screw azuki, I'm talking about S'mores and Strawberry Cheesecake! And not some synthetic lab made strawberry flavors like in all those weird Japanese chocolate bars, but the real deal made fresh locally by hand. My only complaint is that she needs to work on distribution. Get placement in some local coffee shops because ordering at least a dozen online and scheduling delivery or pick up takes too much planning. I'd just like a spontaneous 1 or 2 when the urge hits me.
S'mores: The marshmallows were soft and fluffy, definitely not the overly chewy Jet-Puffed variety from Safeway. Chocolate was like a ganache since melted Hershey's is an impossibility for the inside of a mochi. It was light on the graham cracker, which is fine, because the rice casing added enough starchy contrast to the gooey insides. Indulgent classic with a chewy twist!
Strawberry Cheesecake: A creamy strawberry filling that is better than the typical clumpy cheesecake! Once again, there was apparently graham cracker crumble but I did not taste it nor miss it. Something about fresh fruit inside mochi really makes you appreciate the artisan care put into these treats.
S'mores: The marshmallows were soft and fluffy, definitely not the overly chewy Jet-Puffed variety from Safeway. Chocolate was like a ganache since melted Hershey's is an impossibility for the inside of a mochi. It was light on the graham cracker, which is fine, because the rice casing added enough starchy contrast to the gooey insides. Indulgent classic with a chewy twist!
Strawberry Cheesecake: A creamy strawberry filling that is better than the typical clumpy cheesecake! Once again, there was apparently graham cracker crumble but I did not taste it nor miss it. Something about fresh fruit inside mochi really makes you appreciate the artisan care put into these treats.
690 Sacramento St
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 391-7195
San Francisco, CA 94111
(415) 391-7195
Restaurant Ducroix
Category:
French
Neighborhood: Financial District
I really wanted to like this place because it felt so quaint and it wasn't yet another Chinese restaurant or FiDi fast food factory. It reminded me of Bar Jules until I tasted the food, which was more like L'Olivier. It's still better than yet another tossed-to-order organic salad with overpriced $5 tuna add-ons served in a plastic to-go shells. It'd be a good place to go with co-workers when you want to mix up the lunchtime routine, but nothing to veer out of your way for.
Onion Soup: Because calling it French Onion Soup at a French restaurant is simply as redundant as Chai Tea. The broth was very creamy, perhaps they used more butter to sauté the onions than is standard? Nice ratio of cheese. The bread was a bit too chewy though, hard to break apart and get a manageable piece on my spoon. Really liked the broth so I can overlook the bread faux pas.
Escargot: Prepared per standard with lots of butter and garlic. Yummy as expected, always a reliable appetizer.
Merguez: Two long, thin spicy sausages placed over buttery mashed potatoes. Looked very bangers & mash like, but the lamb based meat tasted extremely gamy. I liked the sausage and liked the potatoes separately, but it just didn't seem to go well together. Probably because there was no juice oozing out of the meat to infiltrate the taters and there was no gravy provided either.
Coq au Vin: The sauce was nice, reminded me of bœuf bourguignon broth. The chicken leg & thigh had a very soggy skin. They should have crisped it a bit because it only got soggier in the wine sauce. It was served with linguine (the dried box kind) and some plain veggies. A strange pairing, the mashed potatoes probably would have suited this dish better.
Onion Soup: Because calling it French Onion Soup at a French restaurant is simply as redundant as Chai Tea. The broth was very creamy, perhaps they used more butter to sauté the onions than is standard? Nice ratio of cheese. The bread was a bit too chewy though, hard to break apart and get a manageable piece on my spoon. Really liked the broth so I can overlook the bread faux pas.
Escargot: Prepared per standard with lots of butter and garlic. Yummy as expected, always a reliable appetizer.
Merguez: Two long, thin spicy sausages placed over buttery mashed potatoes. Looked very bangers & mash like, but the lamb based meat tasted extremely gamy. I liked the sausage and liked the potatoes separately, but it just didn't seem to go well together. Probably because there was no juice oozing out of the meat to infiltrate the taters and there was no gravy provided either.
Coq au Vin: The sauce was nice, reminded me of bœuf bourguignon broth. The chicken leg & thigh had a very soggy skin. They should have crisped it a bit because it only got soggier in the wine sauce. It was served with linguine (the dried box kind) and some plain veggies. A strange pairing, the mashed potatoes probably would have suited this dish better.
1 Ferry Bldg
San Francisco, CA 94111
San Francisco, CA 94111
Hodo Soy Beanery
Category:
Specialty Food
Neighborhood: Embarcadero
Their pre-made lunch items are more inconsistent than Muni service during rush hour! One was the extreme of vegan elation and the other would turn even Natalie Portman into a carnivore. Perhaps an Oscar worthy picture called "The Black Soy" is in order?
Indian Curry Nugget Wrap: These nuggets were unbelievable. Chewy, scaly outside and firm tofu inside. Infused with curry flavor and curry drippings, not just a light glaze on the outside (I hate when flavored tofu products pull that shizz). I could easily pop these like Precious to a box of McNuggets. Additionally, the wrap itself was brilliant. Kind of a like the inside of a Vietnamese Spring Roll w/ Cilantro wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Like a fresh healthy version of those heavy Indian burritos popping up around town.
Chickenless Salad Sandwich: Chicken salad sandwiches aren't exactly a favorite among omnivores so why try to create an even lesser vegan version? The slices of bread gave whole wheat a bad name. Not sure if it's the style or the staleness, but it was one step removed from cardboard. The inside was bland soyannaise around even blander tofu shards. One bite and I gave up, just ended up eating the curry wrap.
Indian Curry Nugget Wrap: These nuggets were unbelievable. Chewy, scaly outside and firm tofu inside. Infused with curry flavor and curry drippings, not just a light glaze on the outside (I hate when flavored tofu products pull that shizz). I could easily pop these like Precious to a box of McNuggets. Additionally, the wrap itself was brilliant. Kind of a like the inside of a Vietnamese Spring Roll w/ Cilantro wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. Like a fresh healthy version of those heavy Indian burritos popping up around town.
Chickenless Salad Sandwich: Chicken salad sandwiches aren't exactly a favorite among omnivores so why try to create an even lesser vegan version? The slices of bread gave whole wheat a bad name. Not sure if it's the style or the staleness, but it was one step removed from cardboard. The inside was bland soyannaise around even blander tofu shards. One bite and I gave up, just ended up eating the curry wrap.
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Review votes:
387 Useful, 149 Funny, and 152 Cool
Location
San Francisco, CA
Yelping SinceJune 2009
Things I LoveTrying anything new, Creative mixology, Dog friendly joints
Find Me InAnywhere you don't need to cross a bridge or tunnel to get to.
My HometownMiddletown, CT
When I'm Not Yelping...I do esoteric financial stuff but get mistaken by Sur La Table workers as a chef
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI only cook one meal a week and eat out the rest!
The Last Great Book I ReadThe Quants
My Favorite MovieNothing with Jennifer Aniston...
My Last Meal On EarthDoesn't matter so long as it is with my loved ones...
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...I won't touch table bread unless it is warm
Most Recent DiscoveryReasonable Lunch Prix Fixe Menus at Michelin 1-Star Restaurants
Current CrushMexican Food not made by Mexicans (e.g. Indian Burritos)
Roti Prata: A must for me at any Indonesian or Malaysian restaurant I go to. The roti here was a tad thicker than I'm used, but still greasy and flaky enough to satisfy my craving. The curry dip was very disappointing though because it was too watery and had no meat. With a small price difference between an appetizer and an entrée, you're better off ordering a main course curry that comes with a roti instead.
Singapore Satay Chicken: Tough chicken and mild spices make this dish a pass. It seemed like they precooked the chicken a long time back and just reheated it on the grill; there was no juiciness whatsoever.
Beef Rendang: I'm not Indonesian, but I've gone to enough Indonesian restaurants in major cities to know this dish is usually awesome! Here, not so much. The beef is tough like it was cooked quickly instead of slow cooking in that rich coconut based seasoning. It's a shame because the sauce had a lot of nice spices and probably could have imparted a good flavor into the beef had they been more patient.
Garlic Noodles w/ Prawns: Not very garlicky. Seemed more like lo mein.