I decided this would be the perfect time to try my aunt’s roast pork recipe. I went to Drewes and ordered 3 lbs pork belly skin on! The butcher said someone would call when it was in. I got that call two days later.

The fresh pork belly was from Niman Ranch.

The butcher’s cut turned out to be over 3lbs. All good.

This is one big piece of meat.

The pork belly skin side up. It was folded over at one end so wasn’t the most even of cuts.

Pat dry skin with paper towel. Man, the shape of the skin looks really weird.

I pulled and tugged and finally got the pork belly looking more or less nice and uniform.

Next step “Using a fork with 10 close-set, sharp tines, or a similar metal piercing instrument, pierce the skin rind vigorously and repeatedly, for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is entirely covered with fine holes”. Hmmm. I have many forks. Will one of these do? I should have shot video to illustrate but my fork didn’t make a dent in the skin. I tried to pierce it like I was trying to kill something. No dice.

Undaunted, I got serious and busted out a bigger fork. I will not be defeated.

This fork did the trick. I don’t know if the holes made count as “fine holes” as described in the instructions but it would have to do. I started developing calluses on my hand after about 10 minutes. I switched it up and found a pair of gloves.

I tried to evenly distribute the holes and cover the entire skin rind. The gloves were too slippery and uncomfortable. I stopped at the 15 minute mark.

Prepare the marinade. Mix salt, sugar, ground yellow bean sauce, hoisin sauce, thin soy sauce, and five-spice powder together in a small bowl.

All this time I was thinking about step #6 which said “Using 2 butcher’s meat hooks, hang the pork up in a windy place for about 8 hours, or overnight”. How am I going to hang this belly? Maybe we could use a coat hanger and hook the belly! On second thought, scratch that. How about a coat hanger that has those clips on them to hold up pants? Uh, don’t think so.

Anna had the best idea which was to poke a hole in the meat and then string the meat up to hang. I probably wouldn’t do this if presentation counted though. I took out the carving knife and started working.

Rub salt all over the skin.

Make horizontal cuts on the flesh side about 1″ apart and 1/2″ deep.

Smear marinade on the flesh side. Avoid smearing marinade along the sides of the pork. It’ll burn when roasted.

Where the heck am I going to hang this? Here’s the answer.

I think we need a wide angle shot of this.

One word.

G-H-E-T-T-O.

Good night pork. See you in the morning.

Morning came a bit earlier than hoped.

I decided to roast this and have it for breakfast. I cut the string and let the pork belly down gently. It did look noticeably drier.

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Place the pork, skin side up, on a rack in the top half of the oven over a pan of hot water to catch drippings. Roast for 15 minutes and then reduce oven to 375F for about 1 hour.

Once time is up remove pork from oven. At first it looked pretty good but then I noticed was that there was a pool of fat on top! I’m thinking I didn’t pierce the skin with enough fine holes?

I drained the fat off the skin and placed on cutting board.

I cut a piece off and ate it…all. I thought taste-wise it was excellent. Nothing like the saltiness you tend to get when going to a Chinese BBQ.

The meat was super moist.

The only disappointment was that the skin was not excellent crackling. There were certain sections of the roast pork that had it but unfortunately that was few and far between. I’m still thinking it was the lack of fine hole coverage?

I will definitely do this recipe again but will try to improve upon a few things to see if I can get that distinctive cracking!

I was going to include two other recipes in this blog post where I used the roast pork made here to create two additional dishes. However, I think I’ll cover them in a separate post if for no other reason I want to get this published!

The first recipe I actually made up and it is a stir-fry of sliced roast pork, spinach, and carrots which I thought was pretty good. The other was a steamed shrimp paste-based roast pork recipe that my mum gave me a long time ago. It’s excellent.

During my short stay I was able to check a few new places to eat as well as hit some old standbys. Where to start?

Well when we arrived at HNL we were all extremely tired. Why? We were supposed to get up at 5am which was already an ungodly hour to get ready and catch our 8:40am flight. But Anna got up early at 3am to finish packing which set off a chain reaction. Emma decided to get up to see what going on. She did the 3 year old thing which is go see what her sleeping soundly sister was doing in her crib.

Next thing I know there is screaming and crying which woke me up. I checked the clock. 3:20am. I thought I was dreaming. No, I hoped I was dreaming. Kids are watching Curious George and it’s 3:30am. Early start to the day. Yawn.

Anna’s parents met us at the airport and brought Zippy’s to help sooth a tired body. Chili and rice. Fried Chicken.

After checking into the hotel and getting settled in we decided to do takeout from the nearby Ramen Nakamura. I had a heard good things about the place and seen lineups every time I drove by.

Since I went around 5pm the place was pretty empty so I was able to place my order right away.

After taking a look at the menu on the wall, I opted for oxtail combo (fried rice and gyoza) and tonkatsu ramen.

The bill was over $30 which was a bit shocking but I guess I did get the combo. Normally I wouldn’t have but thought the kids would want some options. Good thing I had cash though.

The order was ready in about 10 minutes. I noticed they kept the noodles separate from the soup (good). I headed back to the hotel room.

Unfortunately, the tonkatsu ramen soup was super salty to the point it was inedible.

The oxtail ramen was a bit better. There was dipping sauce for the oxtail which was good since by itself I found it kind of dry and tasteless.

Anna liked the fried rice. Gyoza was nothing special.

Kids either weren’t hungry or also didn’t really enjoy the meal. Off they went to bathe leaving a lot of food behind while I had the task of throwing away $30 worth of food (the Chinese in me started to sweat) or eating what I could. It did not hit the spot. Not a good start to eating in Honolulu.

The next day we thought we’d try Diamond Head Market & Grill. It wasn’t really on my “places to hit” list but we had driven by it in the morning on the way to Kahala Mall so it was top of mind.

There’s a takeout window and right beside is a small market which had all sorts of baked goods, drinks, and a selection of deli items.

I ordered the mix plate (teri chicken, char siu pork, hamburger patty, rice & toss salad), a coke, and fries (Emma wanted some). While waiting for my order I saw they had plantation iced tea which I should have got instead of the coke. Darn.

The place was hopping so our wait was kind of long. I had a chance to go with Emma into the bakery, back out, and then back into the bakery to look around before coming out and waiting a few more minutes before the order was ready.

We had planned to eat this back at the hotel as the kids had to nap plus a bit more relaxing than eating in the car.

By the time we got back, the fries were only lukewarm and kind of soaked in oil. I ate like one. Hard to judge if these were good or not. The mix plate didn’t do it for me at all. It had that grilled taste which was good but I just wasn’t into it. Didn’t like the teri chicken, patty, or salad. The cha siu was ok. Did I order the wrong thing?

At least the view was nice and sun was shining bright.

That evening we headed to Hot Pot Heaven for a family dinner.

The place is at McCully Shopping Center which is s short drive from Waikiki. Word of warning. The parking lot sucks. Spots are super tight. Lanes are narrow. It’s always packed. And the lot itself is small although I believe there’s an underground garage.

The way it works here is you choose the type of broth you want. You can even do half and half. Then you go to the fridge and choose the items you want to cook and eat. The only thing you have to order is the meat – thin slices of chicken, beef, or beef tongue (if I remember correctly). There’s also a small condiments area where  you can create your own dipping sauce.

For our table we went with the seafood broth (a bit spicy) and mushroom broth. We also ordered one plate of chicken and beef.

The fridge was stocked with tofu, fresh veggies, seafood, and noodles.

Once you are done, the waiter will count up the plates (different colors indicate price) in order to figure out the bill. It was the first time I’ve had hot pot this way so it was interesting to see how it worked. I enjoyed the meal and was plenty full.

The next morning we had a date with Mickey Mouse and friends at the new Aulani Disney Resort. We had reserved the character breakfast for 9:30am but wanted to get there a bit early. Once we got there, there is valet service ($32) which is free if you get validation. The restaurant is downstairs where you get a chance to meet Mickey Mouse before sitting down.

Someone has spotted Mickey Mouse!

The breakfast is a buffet. It’s nothing to write home about. There’s an area tailored towards the kids with things like mickey mouse shaped waffles. The best thing was the fruit, yogurt, and granola. That in itself says it all.

Then again, you really aren’t there to eat. The look of excitement on the kids faces was worth the price (which is $32 per adult; $18 per child (3 and up)).

After the breakfast we decided to walk the ground and go swimming in the lagoon.

Once we finished up swimming, we headed out a little after 1pm. We thought the kids would fall asleep in the car so diverted from H1 to Nimitz to pick up some gourmet plate lunches at Kahai Street Kitchen. First time there. It’s across the street from Ethel’s Grill. This place rocks.

Most of the items were already sold out by the time we got there.

I went with the BBQ Pork Ribs and the Kahai Street Kitchen Combo (sweet and sour ribs and chicken katsu). I’ll let the pictures do the talking but it was damn good. Note that the mac salad was mac potato salad. Also got brown rice.

During the rest of our time there, we went to Asia Manoa (Chinese) and Harbor Village Cuisine (more Chinese) in Hawaii Kai. I also squeezed in Leonard’s for malasada’s (tried the haupia custard for the first time but still preferred original) and Waiola Shave Ice.

Overall a fun albeit short trip!

Ramen Nakamura

2141 Kalakaua Avenue # 1  

Honolulu, HI 96815

(808) 922-7960

Diamond Head Market & Grill

3158 Monsarrat Ave.

Honolulu, HI 96815

(808) 732-0077

Hot Pot Heaven

(808) 941-1115

 Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa

Ko Olina, Hawai’i

92-1185 Ali’inui Drive

Kapolei, HI 96707

(714) 520-7001

Kahai Street Kitchen

237 Kalihi Street

Honolulu, HI 96819

(808) 922-7960

A few co-workers wanted to hit ramen for lunch but I was a bit busy with a few things at work so declined. However, I was curious where they were going given there are no decent ramen places near work. So I asked. And when they said, “Ramen Underground”, I was in.

It’s located along a strip of Kearny Street that has seen its share of places open and close in the past several years. I had heard of Ramen Underground from my wife who thought it was pretty decent.

We got super lucky when we arrived as there was some bar seating with our name on it. Literally two minutes after we sat down, there was a huge crowd outside. The place is pretty small with a few tables and the bar seating. Oh it’s cash only too.

The way it works is you pick the type of ramen you want and any additional toppings. They mention there is no msg in soup. The basic ramen comes with green onions and ONE slice of cha siu. One piece? Seemed weird for some reason. Guess I’ve never seen it like that before.

The waitress mentioned spicy miso was the most popular so who was I too argue? I added dumplings (you get two) and vegetables (which turned out to be fresh spinach) as extras.

While waiting I noticed the menu was on the wall as well. Notice you can add MSG for $1.

I think we maybe waited about 10 minutes for our ramen to come? Anyways, here’s it is.

Here’s mine. Notice my spoon is different than my co-workers above. Bowl different too.

The noodles had that slight chew and were more spaghetti like than other places. It was spicy but not torturous. I found the cha siu a bit salty for my taste. Decent sized piece though. The dumplings were fine.

All in all very decent and probably the best I’ve had in the city to-date (although that’s not saying much). I still prefer Santa Ramen and Ramen Halu but, of course, those are far away outside the city! One of my co-workers mentioned Ramen Dojo as one of her favorites which took the space of Santa Ramen when they moved further down the Hwy 101. Still on my list to try.

Good lunch. Good company. Ramen fix fulfilled.

Ramen Underground

355 Kearny St
(between Bush St & Pine St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
 

I’ve been dying for dungeness crab ever since the local crab season started back at the end of November. The opportunity presented itself NYE so took full advantage of it.

I hadn’t been to PPQ forever so was excited to try it again. Parking in this neighborhood is a nightmare so I was driving around and around. I finally found a spot on California at 25th. Not too far. I had dropped off Anna and my brother at the restaurant to get a number. We were told the wait was an hour but in the end it as maybe 15-20 minutes? Next time, I’ll make a reservation.

The place was pretty busy with people in bibs and crabs everywhere.

The menu had a few set options – for 2, 4 or more people.

There were three of us so, of course, we went for the set dinner for 4!

We started off with some beers.

Getting prepared.

They must have had a deal on these bibs. Lobster image???

The cabbage salad with chicken. Very tasty.

Mix it up good.

Deep fried soft shell crab were decent sizes. Got two.

Sea bass anyone? It was not bad but the texture was the first thing that I noticed. I wouldn’t say rubbery (probably too strong a word) but had this texture that I wasn’t expecting. Not sure if this is just how the fish is.

I like garlic noodles and crab. Goes together so well. The crab was a decent size. I’d guess between 2-2.5lbs. Not much artery clogging (but delicious) tomalley.

Spoon that crab sauce over my noodles!

It was called smoky pork on the set menu and sizzling pork on the a la carte part of the menu. Whatever it was called it was good. Maybe not as moist as I would have liked though.

Braised string beans for my veggies. I’ve had better but this night wasn’t about the green stuff.

We finished off our dinner with some deep fried banana with ice cream.  A scoop of mango and coconut ice cream hit the spot.

All in all a very satisfying meal.

PPQ Dungeness Island

2332 Clement St
(between 24th Ave & 25th Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94121

I had drinks tonight at 620 Jones and decided to stop by to try Kare-Ken. No one was there when I arrived a little after 9pm.

What to order?

I struck up a conversation with one of the owners (who was very nice) and he suggested one of the katsu curries or maybe the dry beef. Sounded good to me so I ordered one of each. He asked mild, spicy or extra-spicy. I went spicy.

I asked him how business was since they’d opened and he said pretty steady so far. Would be it a good idea to call in an order and pick up (given the limited seating) and he said yes, a lot of people were doing that. Once an order was called in, it would only take 5-10 minutes.

I didn’t really much attention while waiting for my order but after I got home was wondering if they freshly fried up the katsu and onion rings.

For takeout orders, the curry was piping hot and came in a separate container. The Katsu was pretty meaty and fried nicely.The curry was a little sweeter than I’ve normally had it. Good though. Oh and it was SPICY. I think next time I’m going to tuck my tail between my legs,  go into the corner and order mild.

The tiny restaurant is located in the heart of the tenderloin and parking can be difficult. But I think I’ll have to risk it and come back to try this place a few more times.

Kare-Ken

552 Jones St
(between Ofarrell St & Geary St)
San Francisco, CA 94102

(415) 292-5273

Anna’s cousin mentioned Ethel’s Grill. My friend mentioned Ethel’s Grill. I had to go to Ethel’s Grill.

It’s located west about a 15-20 minute drive from Waikiki and is near the Honolulu Airport. The area is pretty industrial with not much around except for the restaurant. However, across the street is another plate lunch place I want to try called Kahai Street Kitchen which is supposed to be excellent (thanks for the tip Janson!). Actually I had called them the day before after the kids had gone down for a nap in the hotel to see if I could go pick up something. They answered the phone but unfortunately it was 2pm and they close daily at 1:30pm.

We had texted our cousin Janson to see if wanted to join us and luckily he was free! He had to wait a bit for us as we got there a bit late. There wasn’t much parking around but I think Jason talked to the owner who said we could park in front of this chain link fence almost directly outside the restaurant.

The restaurant does have some parking in a residential garage but it was full.

It was a hot day and there wasn’t any shade from the heat as we waited for a seat. We had just missed a table because we were late!I think it was a good 15-20 minutes we had to wait and some people had to get some water in them!

Is our table ready yet?

While waiting, a bunch of workers asked us if we were waiting for a table and when we said yes, they turned around and left. Guess they knew the wait could be long.

Finally we got a table and Ethel (I think it was her!?) came out to get us.

The place was full and I was ready to eat!

The first thing I spied was the hanging menu.

Between all of us we ordered the Mochiko Chicken, Garlic Chicken and Japanese Hamburger Steak. We also had to have Ethel’s Famous Tataki Sashimi (side order portion – good deal at $5).

Each of the meals came with a miso soup, green salad, and ice tea or punch.

Here’s the punch.

Ice tea anyone?

Green salad with tasty dressing.

Miso soup. Average.

I liked the tataki sashimi (although I thought the tataki sashimi I had at Guu in Vancouver was better overall).

I loved the main dishes with my order of preference being mochiko chicken, garlic chicken, and hamburger steak. Good portions. Well made plate lunches.

Some people thought the garlic chicken was a bit sweet (they use maple syrup) but I thought it was just right.

Overall I loved this place and will head back here on my next trip to Hawaii.

Ethel’s Grill

(808) 847-6467

We made a quick decision to head over to the nearby Guu Garlic which we love but hadn’t been too in years.

Guu Garlic opened in 2001 and was one of the pioneers serving this type of food. The first time we ate at Guu was back in 2003 or 2004 and, Anna and I were like, this place would be awesome in SF. There’s nothing like it! And even today, there’s nothing in SF that compares to Guu in my mind. Or for that matter some of the others like Hapa Izakaya (another of the originals) just up the street on Robson.

It was busy inside, lots of energy, and very loud with the waiters and cooks shouting who knows what.  People were downing beer and sake and the food looked great. The hostess said we could either wait 20 minutes for a seat inside or get seated immediately outside.

We opted for outside even though we’d be away from the action.

It had rained all day so was a bit cool but with the heat lamps it was quite pleasant. It definitely was quieter outside with only a few tables occupied. But if I wanted to see the action inside I just had to look through the window.

There was the regular menu and the daily menu. Both looked great and we tried to order a variety of things (as much as you could with only two people!).

The menu was split by  categories.

We really liked our waitress. She was friendly and was able to help us figure out what to order including suggesting one item that wasn’t on the menu that evening. We told her that this place would do really well in the States and specifically the Bay Area.

The waitress told us the owner actually wants to expand to the States but is having some issues “since he’s not American”. Not sure what those issues would be but he needs to solve them!

And now onto the food. We started with assorted oden and chose tofu, beef tendon, yam cake, fish cake, egg, and puffed fish cake. It was delicious!

Next came the mussels which came in a tasty broth and were plentiful.

And the mussels were big. How big? Take a look.

We ordered tuna tataki. Excellent!

When we sat down, the first thing that caught my eye on the menu was the baked oyster with spicy cod roe and this mayo cream sauce topped with cheese. This came next. I should have ordered a second one.

The waitress recommended this off the menu item called Tuna Yukke which was great. I can’t remember all the ingredients but chopped tuna, edamame, lotus root, sprouts, and garlic chips come to mind.

Although I was feeling pretty satisfied I wanted to order one more dish. We decided on chicken wings which were good but I saw a pan-fried udon dish going to another table and then thought, darn, should have ordered that instead!

I washed everything down with a large glass of beer and happily paid the bill (which I thought was a deal!) before heading off to Bella Gelateria for awesome gelato.

Guu Garlic

1698 Robson St
Vancouver, BC

(604) 685-8678

The only good thing was we’d be very close to a plate lunch place I wanted to try called He’eia Kea Pier General Store & Deli. We took the Pali Hwy  and then Kamehameha Hwy into Kaneohe. We were meeting Anna’s sister and kids and got their early which gave us a chance to try to find my lunch place. I wasn’t sure exactly where this place was except it was at a pier.

We were on the right track as we passed by a sign for the lunch place. But we were going too fast so wasn’t able to read it completely but I think it said “Closed on Monday”. No matter, the road took us from driving on the hwy with strip malls and businesses on both sides to a more pleasant ride with nice homes and views of the ocean.

We finally found the pier and headed towards the restaurant. Unfortunately, what I read on the sign about being closed on Mondays was correct. Bummer.

We ended up heading back to the mall and doing a spin on the train (not bad for $3). I was determined to try a new place in this neck of the woods so texted my friend Paul who lives on Oahu and eats at more restaurants on the island than I can keep up with! Among his suggestions was a place called Dean’s Drive Inn. The exact words were “Dean’s Drive Inn – gotta hit that!”. So we did.

As I was looking for the place I had pictured in my head a run down building serving excellent plate lunches. Not sure why. I got the building wrong but the plate lunches were definitely excellent!

The place was housed in a newish looking small strip mall.

The place itself was very small. It had 3 or 4 tables and the counter was front and center when you opened the door.

There was a friendly lady (I think owner’s wife?) who waited patiently while we took a look at the menu.

All the reviews said to try the Teri Beef Steak plate lunch so we ordered that and the Island Ahi Belly to share among the four of us. I must admin they were both awesome. Normally teri beef would be these dried out pieces of tasteless meat as part of a combo dinner. But here they were nice moist chunks of beef covered in sauce.

The Ahi Belly was great too. I had a choice of shoyu ginger and furikake or butter and capers. Shoyu ginger all the way! I was tempted to also order the ahi cakes which I heard were a must try but too. much. food. Next time.

If this place was on the other side of the island, it’d be packed all the time. Paul actually told me that he’d eat here more often but says sometimes they have weird hours where they won’t be open when you’d think they’d be open. Something about being related to 7th day Adventist? No matter. Friendly service with gourmet plate lunches. What more could you ask for? This place is a winner.

Hmmm … I’ll have to figure out a way to go to this place AND He’eia Kea Pier General Store & Deli all in one visit. Maybe we can do the train ride in between. That way everyone is happy!

Dean’s Drive Inn

I’m finally getting around to blogging about my late September trip to Hawaii which was awesome.

First off, every day we were there it was 86F with one day almost hitting 90F. Sunny. Blue water. Beach. Humid. Hot. Real Hot. Loved it. And so did the family. We got in around noon which is perfect because we still have the rest of the day to enjoy. We usually head somewhere for lunch.

This time we decided to meet my wife’s family at Zippy’s. I know it’s a chain but it’s probably the only chain I love. I don’t know why. My favorites are the fried chicken and chili over rice. So I ordered both.

After lunch we headed down to Waikiki to check into the Sheraton Waikiki. We were going to be splitting our time between this hotel and the Royal Hawaiian. They are adjacent to each other so the move between the two is pretty easy. The other benefit is the Sheraton Waikiki has this sweet pool with slides and two jacuzzis and if you stay at the Royal, you can still use the pool.

We hit the pool for the rest of the afternoon!

Everyone was pretty tired by dinner time so we decided to do takeout. But from where? I try to avoid anything I can get on the mainland if possible – Starbucks, Cheesecake factory, California Pizza Kitchen, etc.

I decided to try FATTY’S Chinese Kitchen which I heard was the go-to place in Waikiki. We’ve been staying at the Sheraton/Westin hotels in Waikiki for a number of years now and can’t believe I never knew about this place. I didn’t really expect much in terms of the food quality but if it was decent then at least we’d have a Chinese food option within walking distance.

I knew the restaurant was near the Miramar hotel and by the International Market Place. With that, I headed out to find it.

After walking down Kalakaua Avenue I turned and weaved my way though the International Market Place until it appeared.

Based on reviews I had read, I was half expecting there to be a huge lineup but maybe it was because I was there a bit earlier around 5:30pm. Instead there was one guy in front of me. The place is tiny with some bar stool seating and I think maybe a table or two but not much else.You basically take one giant step in the front door and you are at the cash register.

The heat from the kitchen combined with the humid hot weather made it very uncomfortable to step into the place I don’t know how these people could eat in there. While waiting I took a look at the menu posted on the door. These days I have to take into consideration what the kids will eat (spicy? – out. noodles? – in) so it sometimes messes with my true wants.

I also looked at the 1,2,3 choice menu. It reminded me too much of Panda Express so decided to pass on that.

And if for some reason I didn’t pass based on looking at the menu this would do it. Not that the food looked bad or anything but again it just reminded me of how Panda Express would dish it out.

Once it was my turn I decided on the Malay Noodles (spicy – yes) and the Shanghai Noodles (for the kids). The total bill was $17.50 before tax which I thought was kind of steep for Chinese noodles.

The wait wasn’t too long, maybe 10 minutes or so.

I thought the portions were more than decent. As for the food, it was ok. I probably liked the Malay Noodles better than the Shanghai Noodles. Would I go back again? I would. It’s convenient and close to the hotels we stay at.

FATTY’S Chinese Kitchen

2345 Kuhio Avenue
Honolulu, HI 96815

 (808) 922-9600     

Freedom. I had a free Thursday which was made even better because it was super warm and sunny out. I had arranged to meet my friend for lunch at 12:15pm in front of HRD Cafe. I got there a few minutes before and was braced for a huge line based on reviews I had read. There was a line but surprisingly not that long.

Unfortunately my friend was stuck at work so I waited … and waited … and waited some more. During this time, I had stepped out of line and watched it grown and shrink many times over. From the looks of it, it attracted workers from all around the neighborhood. I think Little Skillet was nearby as well as I saw people with fried chicken and waffle takeout.

I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood as well since it was getting hot standing there. After a little over an hour of waiting, my friend finally came by and promptly told me she had to go back to work to deal with a fire drill!

I was famished and got in line. As I was waiting, I took a look at the menu which covered everything from breakfast items, sandwiches, burgers, subs, noodles,  and rice dishes. I debated between a number of dishes: Korean Kimchee Burrito, Korean pork chop, or short rib bibimbap. At this point, it really didn’t matter what since my stomach was eating itself.

Once I got close enough to order, I could see all the cooks and order takers hard at work.

I decided to get the burrito since I had heard so much about it. The order guy was very nice…and very sweaty. The restaurant was pretty hot inside and I think if I had decided to eat there I would have smelled like HRD food.

I waited maybe five minutes before my order was ready and then headed home. Was it worth the wait? It was pretty tasty and I used up all the hot sauce. I’d go check it out again and try some of the other dishes.

This was great start to my eating fest to come as I was headed to Hawaii with the family the next day to visit relatives! Stay tuned. Many Oahu blog posts to come…I’m hungry just thinking about it.

HRD Cafe

521 3rd St
Ste A
(between Bryant St & Taber Aly)
San Francisco, CA 94107