China Live

Rating
10/10

Wait
Reserve

Value
$13 per dish

Where
SF

Sesame Soft Serve, Mango Shaved Ice
I’m not sure why China Live removed it from the menu, but they need to bring it back. It’s a delicious, beautiful, and refreshing dessert. The shaved ice is, “Taiwanese ice,” which is an infused mango ice that’s shaved into thin layers giving it a velvety texture. The ice is layered on top of the delicious sesame soft serve and tapioca balls that burst in your mouth. They really need to bring this dish back.

Siu Yuk
The pork skin has a nice crunch and the meat is juicy and tender. The pork is cut into bite size cubes which makes the dish consumed even quicker.

Sichuan Blistered Green & Yellow Wax Beans
The beans have a nice bite and are cooked well, but overall the sauce is a bit sweet for my taste. Overall, it’s a good dish but not as rememberable as the others.

Sheng Jian Bao
A must order. The skin isn’t thick on the Bao, so it doesn’t feel like you’re biting into a loaf bread. The bottom is pan-fried to create a nice crisp crust to give the Bao a bit of structural rigidity for the soup and meat inside. The meat literally melts in your mouth, which then is washed down by the pork soup inside. It’s an amazing dish of porky goodness.

Taiwan “27 Spice’ Braised Beef Noodle Soup
A solid beef noodle soup. I’m not sure I can taste 27 spices, but the broth is delicious with great depth. The beef is tender with a mixture of tendon and regular cuts. The relish garnish on top is a nice light complement to the meaty and savory broth. If there is a bit more spice or a kick I believe it would take this dish to the next level.

Basket of Fried Scallion Bread
Imagine a scallion pancake and “mantou” had a kid – this is what the dish would be. It’s flaky and crunchy like a scallion pancake but fluffy and dense like the mantou. This is a great reinterpretation of two classic Chinese dishes.

Lu Rou Fan Braised Minced Pork Rice Bowl with Egg
A must order. The dish is served with each of the components separated which needs to be mixed together on the plate. The “Lou Rou” is bursting with flavor and the spices are well balanced. A nice compliment to the savory dish, is moments of sour and crunchiness from the pickled relish. I’m a bit disappointed that you have to order the egg separately, however, the egg adds a richness and creamy texture to the whole dish.

China Live is a pioneering destination for the Asian community – imagine the Asian version of Eataly. It brings a mixture of a restaurant, a cocktail bar, a tea stop, and a retail store that supports Chinese designers. China Live concept is to foster an environment that elevates Chinese culture and food to the same level of perception of that of Western cuisine. Why is it acceptable that French and Italian food can be expensive but not Chinese food? What better place to do that in the heart of China Town.

China Live takes traditional street Chinese/Taiwanese dishes and modernizes them into interesting but familiar flavors. Each dish has the right amount of experimentation with a strong foundation of simply being delicious. The dishes on the menu are readily accessible for everyone with a few that could be considered “acquired taste.”

Much like their food, China Live’s interior is modern and hip but with touches of traditional elements. It’s balanced mixture of concrete ceilings stamped with Mandarin characters, contrasted by porcelain cladded walls, copper counter tops, and designer wooden furniture. It’s definitely a much different restaurant than their surrounding neighbors.

I admire China Live in their mission to not just create a restaurant but a destination. A destination that challenges the antiquated Western perception of Chinese culture – where Chinese food has to be cheap or the Chinese restaurant has to be raggedy. As China Live continues to expand, I hope they are able to also bring their community with them.

Website – https://chinalivesf.com

HotStar Chicken

Rating
10/10

Wait
5 Minutes

Value
$3 per dish

Where
Taipei

Large Fried Chicken
The original gigantic fried chicken snack. Imagine a chicken pounded to about a 1/4″ thick and 1′ in diameter. What’s makes the fried chicken great is the unique breading which is crunchy, light, and fluffy. The seasoning is on point and I opted for the spice powder which adds a nice kick. The only issue I have with the fried chicken is the bones are still intact – and boy are there a lot of bones. I believe without the bones the meal would be a lot cleaner and easier to eat towards the end.

HotStar is the original maker of the Large Fried Chicken. The stalls are easily noticeable with its baby blue signage. The Large Fried Chicken has become one of the most popular snacks in Shilin Night Market, with massive lines to prove it. They have a couple spots scattered around the market so it’s worth a walk around to find the shorter line. However, the line moves quickly and the ordering regiment is efficient. And for only $70NT ($2 USD), it’s definitely worth the wait as one piece is enough for a meal.

Website – http://www.hot-star.tw/

AFURI Ramen

Rating
9.5/10

Wait
5 Minutes

Value
$14 per dish

Where
Portland

Tonkotsu Shio
Creamy and decadent are just some of the words that can describe this dish – imagine Shin Ramen Black but x1,000,000. The pork broth has a richness and depth which makes every sip sinful. The noodles are think and cooked to have the “QQ” texture. The Chasu is thinly sliced so that it will melt in your mouth. The soft boiled tea egg is cooked perfectly with the yolk slightly runny. I can go on and on about each component of the dish, but it’s better if you just order it.

Buta Gyoza
I’m a huge proponent of thin skin dumplings and Afuri has some of the thinnest skins. Not only are the skins thin, Afuri is still able to get that nice crunchy layer. The most interesting thing about the dish is probably the presentation as it’s is served in a pin wheel fashion, bottom side up.

What I’ve learned from my brief stay is Portland is that the city does beer, coffee, and Asian food very well. Being a cold and rainy day, ramen definitely came to our mind. Afuri being close by, we decided to try it out. Straightaway, Afuri is not a esoteric ramen joint where there is only Japanese staff, this is more of the millennial hipster place with full sleeve tattoos, Scandanavaian-esque interior, and Western staff. Albeit Afuri checks all the marks for being trendy, the food is amazing.

Afuri space is minimal and stark. It follows the adaptive reuse design trend which combines exposing the old structure of the building and contrasts it with clean minimal wood furniture. In this case, the wood furniture are the large communal wood tables. It’s notable that the seating arrangements at Afuri are either counter/bar seating or “beer hall” style tables. A great feature of the space are the large windows, absence of walls (open kitchen), and high ceilings which make the space feel much larger than it is.

When it comes to ramen, I’m all about the broth and noodles. Afuri has some of the most interesting and flavorful broths and the most “QQ” noodles. Reading the “About” section of Afuri, they pride there selection to open in Portland due to the “soft water” and the ecosystem being similar to that of the Afuri mountain in Japan. I usually take these self written theses with a grain of salt, but if “soft water” makes Ramen taste this good, I’m on the “soft water” band wagon.

Afuri is some of the best ramen I have ever had. My consensus is the “Portlanders” who rate this place low just tells me that this city must have some of the highest expectations when it comes to food. This tempts me to come back and visit Portland to explore more of the scene.

Website – https://afuri.us

Taiwan Bento

Rating
8.5/10

Wait
5 Minutes

Value
$11 per dish

Where
SF

Beef Noodle Soup
For me the broth is the most important part of the Beef Noodle Soup. Taiwan Bento’s broth has depth and a rich flavor with a note of sweetness from the relish. The noodles are medium thickness and cooked to the perfect “QQ” consistency. To nitpick, it would be awesome if some pieces of beef tendon could be thrown into the mix.

Braised Pork Bento
A must order if you love pork belly. The pork belly consistency is perfect, the flavors are complex with savory mixed with a touch of sweetness, and the portions are quite generous. A nice addition to the braised pork is the cilantro garnish, which makes the overall dish feel a bit light and refreshing. The only random thing about the bento box is the edamame, not to sure why it’s added.

When someone mentions a Taiwanese restaurant, you can count on me being there ASAP. We quickly headed over to the East Bay, and to our excitement Taiwan Bento serves up classic Taiwanese dishes. The menu has a good mixture of street market food like the Taiwanese Sausage, traditional dishes like Beef Noodle Soup, and the all to known Taiwanese soft drink Apple Sidra.

What is quite noticeable about Taiwan Bento is how quick the service is. We probably received our order of Braised Pork Bento and Beef Noodle Soup within 5 minutes of ordering. Although we came on a weekend, I can imagine during a lunch rush hour the fast service can be a godsend. Don’t let the “quick service” deter you because the food is delicious. It hits all the right spots with flavor, generous portions, and affordable prices.

Although the food is amazing, the overall space is a bit lacking. The space is lofted and if you’re sitting on the second floor and look down, you can see gigantic cobwebs between each of the beams. It seems as if they have never cleaned or dusted the space. Also, the area where the trays and dishes are returned seem to pile up and become a unsightly mess. It’s understandable that Taiwan Bento is a fast-casual take out joint, and also that not everyone has the luxury or budget to create an impressive space. However, simple things like keeping the space clean and managing the trash can have a significant impact on the dining experience.

Overall, Taiwan Bento is a great restaurant with good tasting traditional Taiwanese food. I can’t wait to find another excuse to head back to the East Bay to try the other items on the menu. Hopefully by then, Taiwan Bento spruces up the interior a bit.

Website – http://www.taiwanbento.us

Marafuku Ramen

Rating
7/10

Wait
45 Minutes

Value
$12 per dish

Where
SF

Hakata Tonkotsu
Not a huge fan. The flavor of the broth is not very strong/deep – it tastes a bit watered down. You’re only given two/three thin slices of pork and the pork is not very tender or flavorful. I feel the addition of the bean sprouts and mushrooms did not compliment the ramen very well. However, the thin noodles were cooked well and probably the best part of the dish.

Mentaiko
The sole reason I would come back to Marafuku Ramen is for the Mentaiko. It’s a deceivingly simple dish with lots of flavors. The cod roe is a bit spicy, salty, crunchy from the sesame seeds, and bursting with cod roe goodness. All together, the bowl is extremely light and refreshing.

Having never tried a Hakata style ramen, I was eager to give Marafuku Ramen a try. Tucked away in the corner of the Japantown mall, it’s easy to spot Marafuku Ramen as there is usually a large crowd of people hovering around the entrance. The wait is about 30-45 minutes, however, it’s not so bad as there is a lot of shops around to kill the time.

Marafuku Ramen is a sleek and stylish ramen joint. The space is definitely hip with a grey scale tone which accents the interesting uses of darks woods. There is an interesting O shaped communal bench seating in the center of the restaurant, with back lit glass as the seats. There’s a lot of elements going on in such a small place but it’s never too distracting.

Hakata style is not my preference when it comes ramen. It’s hard to justify the long wait when the ramen just isn’t that good. However, I would come back to Marafuku Ramen just for the Mentaiko.

Website – https://www.marufukuramen.com

Hardwater

Rating
8/10

Wait
None

Value
$15 per dish

Where
SF

Spicy Nashville Style
This isn’t the best fried chicken and corn cake, but it is a solid dish. The fried chicken isn’t that crunchy but it does have nice subtle spicy flavor. The corn cake is the definitely the star of this dish.

Bourbon Lift
A must order. Essentially an alcoholic version of a Snow Plover*. Beyond tasting delicious, the presentation of the Bourbon Lift is also very striking. There’s a large layer of foam “lifting” from the rim of a glass, with only a small metal straw sticking through the foam.

Hard Water is one of the cooler places along the Embarcadero. It feels like a place where the hip bougie sailors would go to drink and snack on some upscale home cooking. Beyond the food, the most striking feature is the interior which is a good example of adaptive reuse, the art of repurposing an old space into a new function. There is a good balance between the modern finishes and the various accenting nautical elements. Hard Water feels hip and trendy but not out of context.

Right when you enter, you’ll be confronted by a wall of whiskey. A very large wall as the ceiling are quite high. Your eyes will pan across the sea of whiskey bottles and it’ll eventually settle, dead center, on an amazing horseshoe shaped marble bar. Hanging above the bar, a sizable light pendant has been made by repurposing a mooring buoy. As you scan the rest of the space, you’ll notice that there is only bar type seating. By now the concept is understandable, Hard Water is a place to drink and the U-shaped marble bar is the “fashion catwalk” for the whiskey.

The whiskey list is extensive and exotic. I didn’t try any whiskey but did scan over the list and noticed quite a few good selections. Instead, I ordered cocktails which were delicious. It’s worth noting that there is only a handful of cocktails on the menu.

Hard Water is a great whiskey bar. It breaks away from the old idea of whiskey bars being filled with cigar smoke, dim lighting, and leather chairs. If you’re looking for an unique space that serves stiff drinks and small bites, you can’t go wrong with Hard Water.

Website – https://www.hardwaterbar.com