Authentic Balinese at Bumbu Bali

Another trip to Bumbu Bali in Tanjung Benoa after a four-year hiatus, and it's still just as good as I remember. I won't say much since what I wrote before still holds, except that there's love in this food. And it's all about the grill: the satays are amazeballs as is the chicken in roasted coconut sauce.

Needless to say, we didn't go hungry. Bumbu Bali likes to load its trays with a ton of bells and whistles to the point where you're rolling out the door, and almost regretting ordering all of the food you've gobbled up. Almost ... but not quite.

Lunch by the Sea at La Lucciola

When I read that beachside bistro La Lucciola in Seminyak, Bali, had amazing views of the ocean from its second floor, I decided this would be the perfect place for a mid-day repast. And indeed it was.

 Not only did the view take our breath away (see below), but the food—"a creative fusion of international fare with an accent on seafood," according to Lonely Planet—was some of the best we had on holiday.

 

The tuna crudo with its drizzle of basil oil and generous garland of sharp watercress, licorice-y fennel and sweet-and-sour pomelo tasted faintly of the sea and melted like butter in our mouths.

 

The blush-toned baby chicken was so tender and moist, it fell away with just a little push of the butter knife. The French green beans were sauteed to a lovely crisp-tender and perfectly complemented the chick as well as the creamy richness of the pillowy bed of polenta sitting in its savory pool of jus, all of which came draped in a vibrant pesto sauce.

 

My tangy and garlicky seafood risotto came chock full of the tenderest calamari, octopus and local fish. Creamy and smooth—with just the right amount of liquid, the risotto was a winner. La Lucciola's cooks clearly know what they're doing.

We couldn't leave without getting in a bit of dessert, especially when La Lucciola was pushing a luscious coconut tart topped with coconut ice cream and fresh chunks of mango. Wow.

Oh yes, this was the view we enjoyed. So while we devoured La Lucciola's amazing food, we also ate up the awesome spectacle of Seminyak beach stretching out before us. Love Bali.

Best in Class: Bulgari

Bulgari's pina colada was by far the best pineapple-coconutty beverage I had the great fortune of ordering while in Bali. Thank you, AB, for suggesting we drop in for a drink. 

Though an overnight stay was mos def too rich for our blood, a late afternoon refreshment (just one) did work within our budget. And the killer views were certainly worth the $13 per drink price tag.

The "world famous" pina colada at Poppies Restaurant in Kuta, Bali, gets an honorable mention—for the coconut carved in the shape of a barong (aka lion's head) that the frothy fruity drink came served in, not to mention the extremely modest fee.

Numero Uno: El Tonayense Tacos

I'm seriously over the moon when the El Tonayense truck cruises on over to the Wharf and decides to park right next to the office. It's a rare occasion indeed; it's only happened twice in the past 6 months. But when it does, you better be sure I'm making a beeline for the black-and-gold roach coach, and I make sure to get out there well before noon (read: before the huge line forms and snakes down the street).

Why am I thrilled with El Tonayense? Well, for a mere $2 each, you can get tacos generously filled with well-seasoned, moist and flavorful grilled meat—I'm partial to the al pastor (spit-grilled pork), though the chicken's also deelish. All of 'em come with a smattering of onions and cilantro, along with a dousing of zesty hot sauce. I asked for spicy pickles on the side, and they piled 'em on. A most excellent and inexpensive noonday meal.

Newsflash: Ramen Has Arrived at Ken Ken

... and in San Francisco, in general. You can get a piping hot bowl of porky goodness (yes, I'm partial to the pig) chock full of bouncy, springy home-made Japanese noodles in a number of neighborhoods in the city: the Inner Sunset, Inner Rich and the Mission, which Ken Ken Ramen calls home. It's something I've been waiting for—and lamenting the lack of—since I moved back from NYC (at the end of '06), where good ramen can be had in nearly every neighborhood from Hell's Kitchen on down.  Oh sure, San Mateo had and still has some great ramen eateries, Himawari among them. But SF sadly came up short ... until now.

Ken Ken Ramen had been on my list of places to try, ever since I'd read the pop-up had found a permanent residence in the Mission about 7 months ago. As we dropped in on a Wednesday, we took advantage of that night's special: the tonkatsu ramen, touted as "the king of broths ... a milky porky wonder." Ahhh, yes, it certainly is. Filled with braised pork, nori, pickled ginger, a soft-boiled egg, and scallions, it ranks right up there as one of my fave kinds of comfort food.

Doing it Up at Burritt Room and Tavern

I managed to catch the tail end of Dine About Town, squeezing in a visit to Charlie Palmer's newish Burritt Room & Tavern just a stone's throw from Union Square. Where many SF restaurants seem half-hearted about their participation in the two-week period where a set lunch and/or dinner menu are offered at a fixed price, Burritt Room & Tavern does it up right. JL and I happily browsed the selections for each of the three dinner courses, and this is what I chose:

Sweet corn chowder screaming of summer with a tiny crown of roasted fingerling potatoes, crispy bacon, sweet sorrel leaves, plus a drizzle of truffle honey.

Marinated strip steak grilled to a gorgeous medium rare accompanied by a mound of creamy potato puree, tangy piquillo pepper coulis, shallot confit, bone marrow butter and sauteed spinach. I practically licked the plate clean; it was that good.

Wild strawberry soup surrounding a soft cube of Greek yogurt panna cotta, sprinkled with a bit of hazelnut brittle and a tiny drizzle of honey balsamic glaze.

Burritt Room & Tavern is a keeper.

A Hankering for Shanghai Dumpling King

I decided to give Shanghai Dumpling King another go, and turns out, the 2nd time round was better than the 1st. The soup dumplings seemed fresher, juicier and springier. And the pork chives were delicious as usual. So, we went back a 3rd time and inhaled another load of dumplings, along with the Shanghai-style stir-fried noodles and the braised string beans. Mmmm ... tasty.

Snackalicious at Two Sisters Bar and Books

Thanks to AB for introducing me to relative newcomer Two Sisters Bar and Books, a cozy little wine bar with ever so tasty snacks that's taken over the old Frjtz location in Hayes Valley.

According to the website, "Two Sisters Bar and Books was born on a train, as my sister and I traveled between Krakow and Warsaw. It was inspired by: an English language bookstore in Krakow; a quintessential coffeehouse in Vienna; a neighborhood bar in Paris; the young, urban, restaurant scene in Brooklyn; and our Northern California roots."

I like it. A lot.

The luscious deviled eggs had a nice pop with its accompaniment of lemon zest, cream, fried capers and black truffle. We liked them so much, we ordered another round.

 

I was also super happy with the“bar” mac n’ cheese which came bathed in an uber creamy and zesty mustard/ale/cheddar sauce and then topped with a whole lot of crispy salty pretzel bits. A definite go-to for when I'm hanging out or browsing the shops in my fave SF neighborhood.

Yummy Yummy is ... yes ... Yummy

Yummy Yummy Vietnamese Restaurant saved our Friday night when a bunch of us met up in the Inner Sunset to get down and dig in at next-door neighbor San Tung. But as we started poring over San Tung's menu and salivating with talk of the dry fried chicken wings, black bean noodles and the dry sautéed string beans, the lights went out. In the entire restaurant. Doh. We were SOL.

Temporarily, that is. Because, after ditching the defunct San Tung and walking around to a couple of other eateries, we finally landed at Yummy Yummy, which puts out an insanely addictive garlicky-chile basted whole crab, not to mention some really wicked good bowls of piping hot pho and bun.

My go-to bowl is #3—the pho tai, or beef noodle soup with rare steak.

But this night I decided I wanted to turn up the heat and chose #9—the bun bo hue, or spicy beef and pork noodle soup.  

#9 looks a lot spicier than it is, though the heat did keep building as I slurped on my noodles and guzzled down the succulent and savory chile-laden broth. No matter. A frosty mug of Tiger beer helped cool things down. 

Love Yummy Yummy. 

Sunday Supper at Southpaw BBQ

It's a real shame I couldn't stomach the protein at Southpaw BBQ and Southern Cooking. Not because it wasn't any good, but because I'd picked up an awful bug a few days prior that had me sticking to a measly diet of rice, bread and more bread, and pretty much nothing else for days.

Fortunately, by the time we got to Southpaw, I was able to handle a bit of veg, so ordered up a green salad along with the super fresh and available-for-a-limited-time-only grilled ramps (aka wild leeks or spring onions) accompanied by a dollop of grits, pickled veg, and ... sigh ... more bread.
 

Of course, I couldn't help but sneak a tiny taste off of JP's plate, piled high as it was with big hunky pieces of sauce-laden, smoked and pulled pork shoulder. Unfortunately, the hush puppies were a bit leaden and doughy, though the vinegar-braised collard greens were mighty fine. DP wanted more of a ham hock flavor, but I was happy with its bright tangy profile. Definitely plan to go back when stomach is back in working order to judge for myself whether the ribs rank up there with my own rendition.

Razzle Dazzle at Ragazza

It's been way too long since my first and only visit to Western Addition pizza place Ragazza. And of course I'm underplaying its worth by simply calling it a pizza place. Sister to Glen Park's Gialina (which several food enthusiasts—especially in the way of Italian pie—swear puts out the best pizza in town), Ragazza indeed rivals some of the best dough slingers and pie purveyors in SF.

And it's not just its Neapolitan-style chewy-crisp thin-crust 'zas that will rock your world. Ragazza's big and beautiful all-that-is-good-with-the-world-that-is-California-local-and-seasonal salads like the wild arugula tossed with big hunks of roasted beets, fresh fennel, gobs of Cypress Grove goat cheese and crunchy pistachios will make converts of anyone who may doubt the merits of fresh veg.

We were in the mood for more fresh veg, so easily settled on the savory roasted cauliflower with sweet red onion, fava leaves, fresh thyme and smoked mozzarella.

And because our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, we went ahead and ordered the uber rich local asparagus with preserved lemon, leeks, green garlic and creamy ricotta pie. Honestly, it's impossible to exhibit any self-control when the splendiferous odors of crisping dough and roasting veg come wafting from the open kitchen into the airy dining room. And why try? Ragazza is well worth the splurge.

I Like Mission Pie

"Mission Pie is a corner cafe, bakery and neighborhood gathering place."  It's also got a way with pie—and well it should considering its name. This here's the frangipane pear pie a la mode with the pear-rhubarb bringing up the rear. A mighty fine crumbly crust houses a luscious, fruit-laden interior, making these the perfect option for anyone with a sweet-tooth hankering.
 

Yay pie.