Asian Food and Cooking

Go, Fish!

Two-Week Cherry Blossom Festival Starts Saturday in Japantown

Luis ChongOkinawa soba, annual feature of Japantown's Cherry Blossom Festival.​Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival Where: Japantown, Post and Buchanan Streets When: Sat.-Sun., Apr. 9-10, and 16-17; grand parade and anime costume awards on Sun., Apr. 17 Cost: Free; donations accepted ... More >>

Out with the Kids: Sushi at ICHI

Alex HochmanWho cares if she'll never earn an athletic scholarship? She eats shrimp heads, dammit!​In my twisted little food-obsessed world, my daughters' sushi-eating exploits are just as important, if not more, than their academic achievements or athletic prowess. Your son scored two goals t ... More >>

Sushirrito and Tataki South Remake Japanese Cuisine for American Appetites

Sushi Evolution: An Interview with Trevor Corson

Matt CarrTrevor Corson.​As I was preparing for this week's review of two American-style sushi restaurants, I called up Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi. In his book, Corson discusses sushi's origins as a method of pickling fish in fermented rice, its evolution into a common street food ... More >>

Kasumi and Chotto: Predictable Japanese Food Gets Playful

What Exactly Is an Izakaya? An Interview with Umamimart's Yoko Kumano

jetalone/FlickrAn izakaya in Tokyo.​The more restaurants calling themselves "izakaya" that I eat at in the Bay Area, the more I'm convinced that the title simply indicates a new style of American Japanese neighborhood restaurant. That's no diss, mind you, and I'm delighted with the creativity that ... More >>

Sushi Somewhere Finds a Place at The Corner

Luis ChongSomewhere Sushi's caterpillar roll, $9.95, and tamago nigiri, $2.75.​Wednesday night SFoodie stopped by The Corner to check out the new lineup of rotating pop-ups. In the kitchen was Sushi Somewhere, a new roaming sushi maker. This might seem like déjà vu for Mission locals famili ... More >>

Get Your Ass to San Mateo for: Chuka Ryori Cuisine at Yu-Raku

Luis ChongYu-Raku is the Bay Area's second eatery specializing in Chuka Ryori, Japanese-style Chinese food.​A new series that urges SFoodie readers to get their butts out of the Mission. For a couple hours anyway. It may sound strange, but Japanese-style Chinese food (known as "Chuka Ryori") ... More >>

Delica's Master Sushi Classes

foodlibrarian.blogspot.comDelica's roast beef nigiri.​Mikiko Ando, executive sushi chef of Delica Sushi Bar, has devised three hands-on courses to unleash the culinary warrior you didn't know is lurking inside. Sushi 101 (Jan. 29) explores various forms of maki and hand rolls; Sushi 102 (Feb. ... More >>

Critic's Notes: Four Restaurants I Decided Not to Review

Vivian H./YelpSalt and pepper prawns at Brother Seafood Restaurant.​The past year has seen so many high-profile, creative restaurants open that it's been a great time to be a restaurant critic in San Francisco. But there's as much sifting to do as writing. Over the past few months, I've eaten my w ... More >>

Tandoori Oven, Daly City's First Indian Restaurant

Luis ChongChicken tikka masala dinner at Tandoori Oven.​South Bay chain Tandoori Oven decided to go north for its fifth location, the first Indian tandoori restaurant in Daly City. Less than 2 weeks old, Tandoori Oven took over the space from late-night burger joint Slider USA after 3 months ... More >>

The cult of tonkotsu ramen is taking over San Francisco

Ippuku uses every part of the chicken to its best effect

Rice Ball Trio from Onigilly

John BirdsallLunch Set: chicken, eggplant, and hijiki onigiri, with daikon pickle and edamame, $7.​Thursday, September 30, 2010 Young dudes Kan Hasegawa and Koji Kanematsu noted Americans' bottomless appetite for the rainbow roll, but wondered why onigiri ― seaweed-wrapped rice balls fused ... More >>

Let's Roll Ditches Roll-Your-Own Sushi Concept ― for Tonkatsu

Tamara Palmer​Let's Roll, a newcomer to Irving Street's bustling snack strip that billed itself as a a roll-your-own sushi bar back in August, has now opened. Only now, it's a tonkatsu (breaded and fried cutlet) house. The sign out front reflects the change. Tamara PalmerThe storefront back i ... More >>

At Viva Goa, authenticity sometimes trumps taste

Mission Chinese Food offers a Matrix mind-twister of a meal

Saiwaii, Newest Arrival in S.F.'s Year of Ramen

Luis ChongSaiwaii's tonkotsu ramen with chasu and kakuni, braised pork belly.​South Bay restaurants have dominated the trend, but 2010 appears to be the year of ramen for San Francisco, as new shops continue to pop up around the city. SFoodie was among the first to spot Saiwaii, a new ramen co ... More >>

Zaab Northeastern Thai Brings 'Tasty' to Clement

Luis Chong​There's a new Thai place on Clement Street. Two-week-old Zaab replaced the Golden Deer, a Vietnamese restaurant that was often empty, and whose only virtue seemed to be that it stayed open until 2 a.m. on weekends. Zaab means "tasty" in the northeastern Thai dialect (it's unrela ... More >>

Ajisen's Kumamoto-Style Ramen Is Really Good

Luis ChongAjisen's premium pork ramen.​We ventured into the just-opened Westfield San Francisco Centre branch of Japanese fast-food chain Ajisen Ramen yesterday. It's been more than a decade since a branch of Japan's Yoshinoya came to the city and failed, so we were curious about San Francisco ... More >>

Whole Foods Unveils S.F. Street-Food Line: Sauces from Magic Curry Kart

Tamara PalmerJars of red Magic Curry Paste on Whole Foods' shelves.​Fifteen months after mobile vendor Magic Curry Kart took to the streets, proprietor Brian Kimball has landed Magic Curry branded products in all four San Francisco Whole Foods locations. In June, Whole Foods' Northern Califo ... More >>

TaKorea: Late-Night Korean Tacos in SOMA

TaKoreaThe Korean-fusion truck serves three kinds of tacos; recipes for marinades and kimchi come from the 28-year-old owner's family.​It wasn't dreams of riches or an urge for culinary self-expression that nudged Mr. Cho to launch the food truck he calls TaKorea. It was how shitty he felt aft ... More >>

Ginji Izakaya Coming to San Mateo's J-Food Zone

Luis ChongThe site's a former flooring store in the heart of the Peninsula's Japanese-cuisine ghetto.​There's no end in sight for San Mateo's glut of J-food ― not that we're complaining. The Peninsula city is about to get yet another izakaya restaurant, this one named Ginji, presumably after ... More >>

We translate Chabaa Thai's ethnic Isaan food

Kalguksu at Muguboka

Jonathan KauffmanKalguksu (plus one million side dishes, $9.95).​ Monday, July 19, 2010Muguboka, which the Weekly reviewed last fall, is yet another of that class of Korean restaurants in America that advertises its barbecue but specializes in everything else: black-goat stew bubbling in a wok big ... More >>

Learning Indian with Soul Cocina's Roger Feely

Jun BelenRoger Feely.​What's the coolest way in the city to learn how to make saag paneer? Through Soul Cocina's Roger Feely cooking classes at Jharna's Kitchen, without a doubt. Jun Belen​Last weekend we donned our aprons, rolled up our sleeves, and, for $50, joined an intimate clas ... More >>

Naked Fish: Bargain Sushi, Cheap Beer in the Marina

jen d./YelpMan does not happy hour by $3 beers alone.​The place: Naked Fish, 2084 Chestnut (at Steiner), 771-1168 The hours: Mon.-Thurs., 4:30-6:30 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 4:30-6 p.m. The deals: $1.50 nigiri sushi, $2 hand rolls, $3 maki rolls, $5 sashimi/gyoza/oysters/yakitori/tempura/soft-shell ... More >>

To Hyang: With traditional Korean, it's all about the sauce

Forget the Bistro. The Most Personal Cooking in Town is at To Hyang

A W./YelpEven the panchan sparkle.​Quick: Name the most deeply felt, auteur-driven, DIY-committed restaurant you can think of. Canteen? Nope. Commis? #fail. French Laundry? Please. Try a 30-seat Korean place in the Inner Richmond called To Hyang. In today's "Eat" column, SF Weekly food criti ... More >>

Don't Sound Like a Tool: How to Pronounce Korean Dishes

​Don't Sound Like a Tool is SFoodie's series of audio pronunciation guides to sort-of-common-but-not-obvious words we keep encountering on wine lists and menus. No more shame, no more pointing, no more godawful imitations of a language you don't speak.Ordering off a Korean menu can pose quite ... More >>

What to Have for Lunch: Tonkatsu Slider from ICHI Lucky Cat Deli

Tamara PalmerPork tonkatsu slider ($4).​Thurs., May 13, 2010 Genevieve Y./Yelp​Part of a new collective of businesses in one small building, ICHI Lucky Cat Deli brings a super-affordable sushi spot to lunchtime in Bernal Heights; most five-piece rolls are under $5, and sashimi goes for ... More >>

Ruchi, southern homestyle cooking. Southern Indian, that is

Jonathan Kauffman Finds Thali Pleasures at Ruchi, South Park's South Indian Gem

John BirdsallRuchi's masala dosa.​Remember the thrill of discovering that Indian food isn't some murky repertoire of indistinguishable, ghee-drenched curries, inevitably served up with naan and cucumber raita? For most of us, Udupi Palace might have been a liminal zone of paper dosas and idli ... More >>

The Happiest Hours

We do the legwork to find you 30 of the most satisfying places to sip and snack.

Peking Duck Worth Leaving Town For

Please don't call it "quack." ​The idea of San Franciscans skipping town for the singular purpose of eating Chinese food is a little silly ― like Canadians driving to Phoenix to go skiing. From Shanghai soup dumplings to Islamic hot pots, this city's offerings stretch far beyond the battered ... More >>

What Makes Namu's Okonomiyaki at Ferry Plaza So Likable

J. BirdsallNamu's version of the homely Japanese snack skews Korean.​Okonomiyaki incorporates the Japanese words okonomi, which means "what you like," and yaki ("grilled"). We do like okonomiyaki a lot, grilled ― on a bus, on a train, in the sun, and in the rain, typically during or immediat ... More >>

Quail That Take Flight: Your SFoodie Lunch Planner

J. BirdsallPad ped nok (stir-fried quail) at Lers Ros Thai.​Fri., March 12, 2010 If tiny birds have to die, it's better they should end up in the Tenderloin, where the Thai cooks at Lers Ros can turn them into pad ped nok (menu item no. 104). The quails' little joints yield plump flesh on mos ... More >>

Jonathan Kauffman's Tips for Venturing Beyond Korean Snack Food

hyperbolation/FlickrLunch at Han Il Kwan.​You have questions about restaurants, dining, food, drinks that you can't figure out or are too shy to ask? I have answers ― or know people who do.Under the SFoodie teaser to this week's review of Korean snack food joints around San Francisco, Urbanstoma ... More >>

Korea Attacks! Korean junk food has established a tasty foothold

House-Made Kimchi from Rhea's Deli Perfect for DIY Korean

Made by the Korean grandmother you wish you had.​Kimchi burgers, kimchi quesadillas, and kimchi fried rice only sound surreal to people who haven't tried them. Speaking as a man with three different types of kimchi in his refrigerator, kimchi works better as a universal condiment than ketchup or s ... More >>

Izakaya Sozai's Tonkotsu Ramen is the City's Best

L.ChongCollagen-rich tendons turn the broth milky.​There are many ramen styles in Japan ― one of our favorites is tonkotsu ramen, a broth made from pork bones and collagen-rich tendons, cooked for days to produce a very tasty cloudy white soup. (Don't confuse it with tonkatsu, the breaded an ... More >>

The Outer Mission's Under-the-Radar Banh Mi

M. LaddChicken banh mi: Mellow hints of five spice.​While the Vietnamese restaurant Lotus Garden (3216 Mission at Fair) can be a fine spot for tea and a hot bowl of pho, it didn't really offer on-the-go lunch options. So owner Kathy Tang quietly started selling takeout-only banh late last year ... More >>

SFoodie's 92: Indian Pizza from Zante

That's not pesto on that there slice.​ As a windup to the Weekly's Best of S.F. 2010 on May 19, we've teased out 92 of our favorite local dishes that taste like here, a different one each day. Tweet your own nominations ― extra points for pics ― to @SFoodie. Number 87: Indian pizza from Zant ... More >>

Nombe brings street food indoors, with mixed success

Foodie Confession: The Smells from Aslam's Rasoi on Valencia Finally Got to Us

DrewMacKenzie.com/FlickrWhat was keeping us away all this time?​We have walked down Valencia a lot over the years and inhaled a variety of good smells curling from the stoves of the strip's eateries, like hissing vats of chile verde and burritos meeting grills for quick sizzles. Between 22nd a ... More >>

Feasting Out: Traditional Sake-Drenched Japanese New Year's Eve at Nombe

​Where: Nombe 2491 Mission (at 21st St.), 681-7150 When: Thurs., Dec. 31 Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. for regular seating; separate New Year's Eve party from 10 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The deal: Japanese izakaya pub food, drinks, and music. Regular seating until 8 p.m. with toshikoshi soba available; from ... More >>

Yoshi's Chef Rolls with Soy Crêpes, Non-Fishy Alternatives to Nori

C. AlburgerThe Caliente roll at Yoshi's: If you're from Japan, avert your eyes.​Sho Kamio -- chef of Yoshi's San Francisco (1330 Fillmore at Eddy) -- is firmly grounded in Japanese training, but he's not afraid of roll play. Exhibit A: one of Sho's ongoing dalliances, the paperlike soy crêpes ... More >>

Nombe's Street-Food Ramen Expands the Mission's Late-Night Offerings

Luis ChongSaturday's street-food serving of chashu kimchi ramen: Better than homemade.​If you find yourself hungry in the Mission after midnight on a Saturday ― just like we were last weekend ― your options are no longer limited to a few taquerias. Now you can add ramen to your short list ... More >>