A Great Deal on Jalapeno and Cheese Focaccia at SF Taraval Safeway!

At a Safeway on Taraval Street in San Francisco is the best jalapeno and cheese focaccia that is baked fresh onsite every morning. For only 45 cents each I get a pretty big sized focaccia loaded with lots of melted cheddar cheese and a good amount of spicyness. I would say it is half the size of a regular plate if not sometimes made bigger. The 45 cent price is only for those with Safeway club cards otherwise the regular pricing would be around 89 cents. The jalapeno and cheese focaccia is not only a great deal at this price, but can also be addictive and it is very filling.  

Trying a recipe for rice burgers!

Yesterday I was inspired from watching Cooking with Dog’s video recipe on how to make rice burgers from Youtube to try it myself because it looked very delicious. I thought the use of rice formed into a hamburger bread slice was creative and it was something I did not know about before. Some of the ingredients I substituted due to me not finding all of them at the local grocery store (corn starch instead of potato starch, ground beef instead of sliced beef and adding sautéed spinach and mushroom for toppings). Another thing is I did not have the same mold as chef so I used two same sized circular plastic containers to shape the rice and grounded beef patty. Below are some pictures I took of my process of me making a rice burger, and an alternate version of the recipe too.

Adding medium grain fresh steamed rice with a bit of cornstarch mixed in to the substituted mold

One of the just made rice disc

Using a pastry brush to baste the rice disc with soy sauce

Pan toasting the rice disc on both sides

Forming the hamburger patty

Cooking the hamburger patty

Sauteed baby spinach and sliced button mushrooms for added texture

Assembling the burger

Adding the cooked spinach and mushrooms

Finished view

I had lots of fun making the rice burgers and the end tasting result was that it was so delicious! 

Rice Burger Recipe:

Steamed medium or short grain rice
1 tsp Corn Starch

Garlic Salt

Pepper

Ground beef
Soy Sauce

Vegetable Oil

Optional:

Spinach

Sliced Mushrooms

Have a pan of some oil ready on medium high heat. Take 4 to 5 big spoonfuls of rice and put into mold. Add 1 tsp of corn starch, mix in with hot or warm steamed rice. Use another same sized container and press down firmly on rice mixture. Gently pop out the rice disc and place on heated pan. Brush on some regular soy sauce on one side or both and lightly pan fry for 2-3 minutes each side. Once done pan frying place rice discs on a plate to cool. 

For the ground beef add 4-5 spoonfuls into a mold. Mix in garlic salt and some pepper up to taste. Once hamburger patty is formed, pan fry both sides or until fully cooked through. Sautee two big handfuls of spinach and some sliced mushrooms in pan after. 

Place the hamburger patty onto one of the rice discs, add the spinach and the mushrooms then top with the second rice disc. Can cut into halves to make eating the rice burger easier. Enjoy!

Deliciousness at Cam Hong in El Sobrante!

Cam Hong is a small restaurant in El Sobrante with outdoor patio seating that serves great Vietnamese food. Recently they also started selling made to order seafood by the pound. It is located along the San Pablo Dam Road and it is a local gem. I have been to Cam Hong almost ten times, and their food for the most part has been consistently good in terms of taste and portions. When I finally had some free time I visited them to try their new seafood menu and order an entrée to go.

The first thing I noticed on their seafood menu was that some of the seafood said market price which kind of confused me. I asked the waiter how much it would be for a pound of snow crab legs which was a little over $34. I also ordered to go some fried oysters and the #38 rice plate (grilled pork chop, shredded pork, egg over steamed rice). For what I paid for the snow crab legs I was expecting a bit more portionwise and in terms of quality. I liked the housemade special sauce that it was cooked in, but just not how the crab meat kept sticking to the inside of the shell. However, the fried oysters were really tasty and well-seasoned with a not too thick crispy coating. 

Snow Crab Legs in house special sweet and slightly spicy sauce, not recommended

Fried Oysters- so yummy!

I would say the best dish I ordered of the three was definitely the #38($8.95). The pork chop was not overly grilled, had a good amount of seasoning, and the portion was good sized too. I also liked how the shredded pork wasn’t too dried out and it gave the dish varied texture along. Both the grilled pork chop and the shredded pork paired well with the huge amount of steamed rice.

#38 highly recommended, so yummy and very filling!

Most of the time when I visit Cam Hong I order their combination bahn mi ($5.75) to go for a quick bite or for when I am taking a lunch break from my studies which is always very tasty and filling. I have also tried their pho (#2 with rare steak, well-done flank, brisket, tendon, tripe, and beef meatballs for $7.95) which was also very good I could not finish a medium sized bowl in one sitting. Another dish I really like from Cam Hong is the #31 (grilled shrimp, pork, and egg roll over rice vermicelli noodles) with an included side of fresh sliced carrots, cucumbers, lettuce and a tangy sauce to mix in so that it becomes an even more filling yet healthy entrée. Each time I have visited the service has been friendly and fast. 

I recommend this place if you’re looking for good Vietnamese food that is also a great value for the pricing around the San Pablo/El Sobrante/Pinole area.

Some great places to visit at Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley!

Earlier this week I ventured to downtown Berkeley to revisit Telegraph Avenue and try new food items from some of the places there I have visited before. There are a wide variety of food places specifically on Berkeley’s Telegraph Avenue such as Blondie’s Pizza, Fat Slice, Eatsa, Koja Kitchen, I.B.’s Hoagies, Muracci’s, Tako Sushi, and much more. The walk up a slight inclining hill to get there from Downtown Berkeley station takes about ten minutes, but it is so worth going.

This time I first stopped by Tea1. I had been curious about trying their ice cream boba milk tea for over a month and I finally had some spare funds to do so. I purchased the drink in one of their reusable huge glass mason jars for an extra $1 and some change. Every time I bring back the mason jar I get 10 cents off the next drink. The flavor of the milk tea and the boba pearls was not overly sweetened it actually had a nice balance of sugar and bitterness that wasn’t overpowering. The scoops of ice cream in the drink also had a light vanilla flavor that complemented the milk tea and the service was fast and very friendly.

Ice Cream Milk Tea with boba!

My second stop was Thai Noodle 2 where I ordered their fried calamari appetizer and duck fried rice to go as it was getting late. I was surprised at the big sized portions of roasted duck in the tasty fried rice for $9.75. I would definitely return a third time to try something else I have not had yet from their menu. 

Duck thai fried rice, a huge portion to go for only $9.75

On my way walking towards back towards the train station I noticed how there was not any line in front of CREAM, a custom build your own ice cream sandwich shop that I heard lots of good things about but didn’t want to wait in their usually massive line for. As soon as I went inside I was warmly greeted and the first thing I noticed was their regular cookie sandwich for only $2.99. I was asked which cookie I wanted from their long list of many varieties such as chocolate chip, oatmeal, snickerdoodle, etc. I chose macadamia nut (my favorite) with pistachio ice cream as the filling. The cookie itself was probably one of the best versions of macadamia nut I had ever tried as it was very buttery and the bits of the macadamia nut were well toasted and had a good flavor. I also liked the pistachio ice cream’s light and balanced flavor that was not too sugary at all. It made me understand why CREAM usually has a long line, and I would love to revisit them and try other variations of their custom made ice cream sandwiches!

Macadamia Nut with Pistachio ice cream sandwich. So yummy!

Living far away from my hometown of San Francisco I really like visiting Berkeley whenever I can not only because it has many great food places, but for how it is a lively and vibrant college town with a lot of interesting things always going on. There are lots of shops and since there are lots of college students around the Downtown Berkeley/Telegraph Avenue area it also has many great and affordable food options.