Off the bucket list...Balompie Cafe 3: Pupusas

The list known as Big Eat 2012, featured in the March issue of San Francisco's lifestyle magazine, 7x7: http://www.7x7.com/eat-drink/big-eat-2012-list...

quite aptly called, 100 Things To Eat Before You Die. It's a mix of the old faithfuls and new faithfuls: Prime Rib at the historic House of Prime Rib to the Salted Cod Rice at a more recent hotspot Mission Chinese Food.

Being the ambitious foodie that I am, I aim to tackle this list before the year's end. So far, I've made it through 11, 9 of which I had before knowing of the list's existence.

I've known about pupusas. For some reason, I never had and them. Which was stupid. Because they're simply amazing.

At Balompie Cafe 3 in Bernal Heights, on the corner of Mission and Richland, I ordered out two pupusas – Queso, and Chicharrón y Queso ($1.95 each if taken out, $2.50 if dined in). My car was bathed with a pancakey tortilla scent that made me salivate all the way home...

My order, totaling $4.23, came with a side of curtido – a Salvadoran pickled cabbage mix with onions, carrots, and a hint of lemon juice with a dash of cilantro. It also was accompanied by a mild, watery tomato salsa.

The pupusa itself is a thick, hand-made corn tortilla made with masa de maiz (maize flour dough), giving it its density. The cheese is quesillo, a soft white cheese found in South America and can be ordered with ground, paste-like pork, or spinach or zucchini – although Queso and Chicharrón y Queso are the most popular.

One thing I know for sure is that I'll definitely be coming back for more..

Location:

Balompie #3

3801 Mission Street, San Francisco

11am-10pm

Closed Tuesdays

Saturday / Sunday: 9am-10pm

Balompie Cafe

3349 18^th Street, San Francisco

8am-9:30pm Everyday

Burrito, Sweat, and Tears: Chicken Tikka Masala Burrito at Curry Up Now

Chicken tikka masala in a burrito. What a genius concept. I credit my wonderful coworker Margaux for introducing me to Curry Up Now, a restaurant (and food truck) based in San Mateo. 

Chicken Tikka Masala Burrito, as big as your face = $8

They have a convenient online ordering service that lets you pay and know exactly what time it will be ready, which is what I did, and it turned out great. This is a good option especially around the worker bee lunch hour. The place was bustling when we picked up our order! 

 The above picture was taken at my desk, after a couple of bites into it. It is PACKED with rice, chickpeas, onion, and delectable bits of chicken slathered in spicy sauce. Oh it is SPICY. And I chose to get their medium heat sauce too. I can only imagine what the two higher levels are like. I was literally sweating, sniffling, and tearing up...to the point of which I only consumed 1/3 of it. It was intense. I shoved the rest in a UPS shipping label bag as that was the closest and best resource, wrote my name on a post-it, stuck it on there and put it in the fridge -- as if anyone else in the office would even want to know what it is -- but I did not want to risk the theft of such amazingness. 

My coworker later said, "I'm glad you didn't accidentally ship it with your book swaps to Pearson." 

I bet they'd be thankful. 

So I finished it off for dinner... and after the last, amazing bite that I savored -- I was honestly looking forward to the next time I'd have another.


I'd like try their Deconstructed Samosa, which is exactly what it is. A huge samosa smashed and taken apart, topped with a spicy sauce and sprinkled with mini samosas.

Location:

129 South B Street 

San Mateo

11am-9pm Mon-Thurs

11am-10pm Fri/Sat

11:30am-9pm Sun

Back to Back, A Perfect Combo: Lers Ros Thai and Smitten Ice Cream – Gems of the Hayes Valley

And the never-ending foodie adventures continue with my family. This weekend in particular we checked out the Hayes Valley – a district of the city I had never hung around – but now have every excuse to do so. The perfect weather this past weekend definitely helped the cause. It's a part of town filled with twenty-somethings, thirty-somethings, and families alike. Hayes Street is lined with cute boutiques A tiny, grassy square off is bordered by a biergarten (what!), a confisserie with dainty candy treats on display, and...Smitten Ice Cream. More on that later, as I want to walk you through the decadent day as it occurred.

We went to Lers Ros Thai for lunch. It's not your average Thai restaurant by looking at its facade – it's modern, sleek, and seems to be furnished by Ikea – you sit on clear plastic chairs. I know what you might be thinking: From these aesthetics alone, how could this somewhat pretentious setting bear amazing, authentic food? 

 

Well, quite simply, it does.

Don't get me wrong, the prices exceed say, King of Thai, by a couple dollars – not a bad thing.

The service is prompt and quick, as most experiences I've had at Thai restaurants have been.

Everything blew me away: 

Pad Thai ($8.95)

 

 

 

A usual, predictable choice – but I don't care. I love it. Here, it's perfect. The texture is where it should be – I've had some before where the noodles were just too soggy and it was like I was eating Pad Thai spaghetti. 

Kang Daeng ($10.95)

 

This is a wonderfully spicy Thai curry with Thai eggplant, Bamboo shoot, bell peppers, and sliced meat of your choice – we had chicken. The bowl that it's served in can be rather deceiving, but it was able to perfectly fill 4 people. The sauce is addictive and I couldn't help but slather it on my rice, as I did so many times when I made green curry during my days as an expat in France. It's well-balanced and incredibly satisfying. 

Pad Kra Prow Moo Krob

($10.95)

This is where the Filipino in me salivates. For those of you who are familiar with Philippine cuisine, one of our star players is Lechon Kawali – chopped stir-fried or broiled pork belly. In this Thai dish, it's mixed with basil leaves and in that “Pad Kra” kind of way. I typically have this with minced beef but who knew it would be great with a dish that I've had all my life? Pretty awesome, I must say.

Nuer Yang ($10.95)

This is broiled top-sirloin beef, sliced and served with lime juice. As simple as it sounds, it actually tastes quite unique – I don't know how else to describe it – but there must be something in the marinade that makes it taste so magical. There's definitely some citrus action going on, as it tastes very tangy and fresh.

Of course with our mouths inflamed, we were in the mood for some ice cream. Luckily, down a couple blocks from Lers Ros after a sharp turn to the left next to the aforementioned park, sits Smitten Ice Cream. A modern-day ice cream stand. It's ice cream made to order and instantly frozen with liquid nitrogen. 

The result of this method is creamier ice cream: 

 

All the flavors are great, but my favorite would have to chocolate as chocolate is my favorite thing ever.

Locations:

 

Lers Ros Thai

307 Hayes Street, San Francisco

between Franklin and Gough

Open Daily 10am-11pm

Smitten Ice Cream

432 Octavia Street, San Francisco

Open Everyday from 12pm-9pm, until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays