vietnamese turo-turo

"turo" means point in tagalog; in manila where cafeteria-like dining places abound with ready-made food, all the customer needs is to point and the server scoops his order on the spot. turo-turo is what they call these places, and in salt lake i found a turo-turo, vietnamese version!

the one thing i like about vietnamese food is it tastes a lot like filipino (slang: pinoy) food. no we don't have pho, we have beef soup that doesn't have noodle though. as i browsed through the vietnamese turo-turo i find familiar ingredients and though their dishes may not have been cooked exactly the same way as in the philippines they are a lot similar. when i am homesickly for pinoy food and can't find a pinoy resto all i have to do is look for a vietnamese one. if not, chinese comes next.

vietnamese food categories are a lot like pinoy: they have the main dishes which you eat with rice (typically meat or fish with veggies), noodle dishes, a variety of spring rolls, a variety of rice cakes, a variety of sausages, a variety of sweet desserts having coconut or coconut milk. i might add their barbecue's taste a lot like pinoy barbecue! really, if i didn't know this was a vietnamese place i would have thought these were just dishes in a different part of the philippines i haven't been to.

vietnamese dessert w/ ice and coconut milk; behind it are some rice cake varieties

location: 3100 S Redwood Road; there are no seats so this is strictly to-go. for $5 you get rice and 2 dishes.

cauliflower soup with fried oyster

just wanted soup for a change. i like cream-based soup; i never had tomato-based soup that made me crave.

sawadee's po tak (thai)

sawadee (thai restaurant) serves one of the best seafood soup dishes in town, po tak. although sawadee easily competes for the best-tasting resto in SLC i think their dishes are somewhat americanized. it's cause every meat or fish they serve is served as fillet, no bones, which is not true in other thai resto's. that doesn't detract from the quality, service and taste though (hmmm, gotta elaborate more later which to try and avoid). but i still want to try authentic street food in thailand and compare...

i tried to make po tak sometime ago, and fortunately found this recipe online. it was yummm and tasted just like sawadee's! (with a little tweaking on the measurements)

Sawadee Thai Restaurant, 754 East South Temple, tel# 801-EAT-THAI

tahong tonight

i often make tahong (mussels) for dinner because they're easy to defrost. cooking it the traditional way, or should i say the way i learned to cook it at home, i put in a little twist. i add in a different spice each time. tonight it was basil (found out it doesn't go well with the ampalaya leaves). the extra shrimp also wasn't a bad idea although it didn't add much to the taste since it has been shelled and headless. i prefer the head-on shrimp for a really tasty soup....

last time it was just the traditional sautee with ginger, garlic, tomato and some green onions plus lime leaves! add the mussels, patis (fish sauce), spinach leaves and some green chilies--that was yumm (at least the friends loved it). i think i learned what not to do tonight :)

koko kitchen (japanese)

if homey is what you want, koko kitchen is it. family-owned and family-serviced (the mom takes the cashier), this restaurant is located in a quiet corner on 300E and 700S. restaurant? it's more like an exalted cafeteria, but this is not meant to be an insult at all, it's just because cafeteria gives one more of the relaxed aura than a restaurant does. the food is ok, but good enough for the price. i only had the combo once (pictured), never had their sushi. i would say it's more home-cooked than any other because their recipes aren't 'strict'--tis is the only place where i found unexpected veggies in my miso soup. i would come here when i'm in my walking shorts on a rainy afternoon, and i did, to find out ten other people had the same idea in that small cozy place. apparently it's a village favorite.

address/tel#: 702 South 300 East, (801) 364-4888

shanghai pavilion [chinese, manhattan]

so i went to the met museum in manhattan and when i was ready for lunch, i figured i'd dine there to save time but the in-house restaurant was a li'l pricy so i ventured outside. i wasn't expecting a cheap lunch but i happened to ask a local who pointed me to shanghai pavilion (this one had a combo lunch for $7).

one of the things i like to order in chinese resto's are the duck, to get variety from chicken or pork. when i'm dining with my mom she usually would stop me from ordering duck because she says the meat is stenchy. i wish she were there when i ordered this cause it was done perfectly! fried salted duck, the texture was soft inside but crunchy outside. not any bit stinky. their cook surely knows how to fry duck.

ok having said that, the egg drop soup was a bit mmm... burnt i guess. it wasn't the best, but i would try their other dishes if i were in the Met again. oh and the only thing, they served the fried duck over fresh cut cold lettuce which if you chew them together the taste of the duck weakens a little bit (because lettuce is watery right, and the rice weakens it a little bit more). i wish they had served some gravy or sauce with it.


address: 1378 3rd Avenue, New York, NY  - (212) 585-3388

bamboo grill [filipino, new jersey]

so one thing i miss in salt lake is pinoy (filipino) food, cause there are just not many pinoy restaurants here (namely one). i got to have sisig again last weekend after more than 3 years! ... in new jersey. i can't believe there were 3 pinoy restaurants in one street alone in that area. sisig is (usually) pig's ear, and it's called 'sizzling sisig' cause it's served while it still sizzles on a metal plate. i wasn't disappointed, this one was yummmmm....

bamboo grill in bergenfield, new jersey is truly authentic filipino food and i recommend it. it's a tiny restaurant with only a few tables but they have a good variety of filipino food, and the price is great! i saw their fresh lumpia and although i didn't taste it, the presentation was great (it was huge). the halo-halo was ok. it's not far from manhattan so if ever you do get to visit new yohhk city, stop by!

address: 54 South Washington Avenue, Bergenfield, NJ‎ - (201) 384-5951‎

matsu sushi (japanese)

ever craved for a rockstar or a playboy? try matsu sushi, and you will... of all the restaurants i go to i wonder why not so many people come here compared to others. the price is comparable to other japanese, and the lunch bento (or combo meal) is simply superb in the value vs. price category! you know that their vegetable tempura's were carefully cut and prepared by good chefs. (i had been to some japanese restaurants where it seems like they just threw in and cut whatever veggies were in their kitchen). they're just the right size and crunch, not soggy nor too oily, and i can say the same about their shrimp tempura's, sushi, and entree's (except for one time i ordered a to go and the rice was flooded w/ teriyaki sauce). i also tried another japanese resto that had all-you-can-eat that was cheaper, matsu's is only $5 more, but don't save on that price difference, you'll get a lot more in taste and satisfaction; every sushi i have had in this place has been consistent. i've also been to a much more expensive japanese resto in town, nope, you don't need to spend the extra dollars for a good japanese meal or dining experience. if ever you go for lunch, try the bento or luxury bento. for all-you-can-eat sushi, try playboy and las vegas.

info: Matsu Sushi Grill, 4760 South 900 East
service: professional and friendly, the servers wear black uniform

ambience/location: the building has nice architecture, there is some kind of open attic-like area, a small fireplace area, or you can dine outside right by a flowing river =)

would i go back: YES! best value vs. price among japanese resto's (highly recommended!)

others: this place is good for casual/business/formal (at night) dining experience. if you want good ambience for your date, request to sit by the fireplace.

website: http://matsusushigrill.com/ (some prices are not updated, they're $1 or 2 more)

for coconut lovers!

one of the things i miss from manila are fresh coconuts peeled and prepared by coconut vendors on the spot. 'manong tindero' (manong - older brother, tindero - vendor) will carefully choose the best one among hundreds on his cart. he will flick his finger on the coconut and listen for the hollowness to tell whether the flesh is thick or thin or if it contains plenty of juice or not. this skill is important since the buyer will usually ask for whether she wants something for snack, to put on a salad, or prefer the thin soft coconut flesh just like i do.

so anyway i have tried a variety of coconuts imported to salt lake city, fresh and canned; i tried this frozen young coconut today though and it was sweet enough for me (at least better than others i've tried). the label says its juice is 100% coconut juice.

it's a good dessert or snack :)

frozen young coconut

tandoor all-you-can-eat buffet (indian)

such a happy thing to discover this indian buffet, for $10 it was well worth all you can eat. i've been there for dinner and although the food was great (i had lamb curry), you don't need to have their more expensive items to truly get a taste of what they have (but recommended if you're in for a good restaurant dinner).

as you stand to take your first plate they prepare for you this garlic naan, and although i have tasted only a few naan's before, this one was exceptional, something to go back for! there's something about the roasted fresh garlic and some mild herb, this one alone is meal!

they offer much more dishes than what i have in my plate, but i really like the chicken tikka masala (orange thing), so i didn't bother for more. they offer vegetarian and some chicken dishes.

this resto surely doesn't water down their recipe, this mango ice cream dessert is made of fresh mango, very thick and very rich! yummm ... surely this isn't powdered mango folks, this is the real thing. oh by the way, they change their lunch menu everyday so i can't promise you'll find this thing when you get there!

an indian guy i know said that in india, they eat natural food and you always know what you're taking in, unlike in america foods are processed and you have to read the label to know what's in it :)

lamb curry

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info: Tandoor Indian Grill, 3300S 733E, Salt Lake City
service: friendly, the servers are dressed casually (no uniform)
ambience/location: there is some effort on design but they could use some professional help
would i go back: YES! on lunchtime. it's all about the food--value for the price!
others: this place is good for casual/business dining experience.