Usagi (San Mateo, CA)

This restaurant is a little off from the main downtown area of San Mateo, but is pretty good for Japanese comfort food.

Corn Soup or Salad (comes with main course)


Spicy Cod Roe Cream Pasta


Beef Curry Rice with Pork Cutlet


Chicken Curry

Little Shanghai Restaurant (San Mateo, CA)

It was a pleasant surprise to find this Shanghainese restaurant in San Mateo.  Most of the food seemed pretty authentic, although the soup dumplings were a little dry inside (will try these again in the future before passing final judgment).

Stir-Fried Shrimp (水晶虾仁)


Pork Wrapped with Stir-Fried Tofu (红烧豆腐包)


Soup Dumplings (小笼包)

China Stix Restaurant (Santa Clara, CA)

Another go-to dimsum place in the South Bay.

Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (烧卖); Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺); Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg (皮蛋豆腐); Chicken Feet (凤爪)


Beef Tripe (牛肚); Rice Rolls with Shrimp (虾肠粉)


Beef Ball (牛肉丸); Fried Turnip Cake (萝卜糕)

El Techo de Lolinda (San Francisco, CA)

Having previously gone to this place for evening cocktails, I decided to try their brunch and see how things look like during the day.  It turned out to be a good choice: the food was great, and the views were still spectacular.

Chorizo Scramble (Scrambled Eggs, Roasted Vegetables, Chorizo, Avocado, Potatoes, Chipotle, Brioche)


Guacamole (with Cotija, Tortilla Chips)

Wu Hua Ma (Taoyuan Airport, Taiwan) / 五花马 (台湾桃园机场)

Was feeling hungry at the airport, so tried a restaurant at the food court of Terminal 2 (after security).  Pretty good value!

Beef Noodles (with Tendon) Set Menu (半筋半肉牛肉面定食)

Jin Fu (Tainan, Taiwan) / 进福 (台湾台南)

Sampled yet another local dish before we concluded our trip to Tainan.  The broth/sauce is pretty rich.

Eel Noodles (鳝鱼意面)

Garden Night Market (Tainan, Taiwan) / 花园夜市 (台湾台南)

If it's already nighttime and you still haven't had your fill of local snacks...

Crispy Fried Spareribs (香酥排骨)


Stinky Tofu Sausage (臭豆腐香肠)


Takoyaki (章鱼小丸子)

Fu Cheng Beef Soup (Tainan, Taiwan) / 府城牛肉汤 (台湾台南)

Might as well try a bowl of freshly prepared beef soup while in town.

Beef Soup (牛肉汤)