Saigon Wraps / Powderface / Taqueria San Jose / Cam Huong
Oakland, CA
Took my mom to a dental consulation in Oakland on Friday. Actually, the dental office is in the new Fruitvale Transit Village which is oh-so-conveniently located at the Fruitvale BART station. I've been meaning to explore the Fruitvale neighborhood after I read a few taco crawl threads on Chowhound. Only the convenience store, Powderface, and Saigon Wraps were open (food-related anyhow).
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Saigon Wraps
I was hungry after my morning workout so I persuaded my mom and aunt to stop in Saigon Wraps to escape the cold, wet, and windy weather. I ordered a combination pork sandwich ($2.50) - my usual and default for tasting.
What I look for in a combination pork sandwich (sometimes referred to as bánh mì dāc bịêt) -and my ideal: nice crusty French roll or baguette (can be rice flour based), "fancy pork" (whitish pork loaf), pâté, headcheese, some sort of ham, other sorts of piggy products, onions, pickled daikon and carrot, cilantro (yuck), mayo, thinly sliced cucumbers, and jalapenos. I guess the headcheese I compare all head cheeses to is the one they have at Little Paris in San Francisco - where I had my first encounters with banh mi as a kid. I love cartilage and peppercorns. Heh heh. Fresh or homemade mayo is ideal as I hate mayo otherwise. I really like the daikon and carrots slightly pickled and not too finely julienned for some tart crunchiness. I pick out the onions and cilantro since I'm not a huge fan of either though I love em in tacos. Oh, and not a fan of premade combo sandwiches which some proprietors have on hand during the lunch rush and pop in a toaster oven. For me, part of the allure of banh mi is the hot/warm crusty exterior, soft fluffy bready interior, the interplay of the flavors and textures of the cooler meats and garnishes. Spicy, tangy, savory, sweet, herby all in one dee-licious package.
The Saigon Wrap sandwich has pretty much all the basic elements I like in a combo porky sandwich. However, the roll was not particularly fresh nor toasted enough. There was too much (good) mayonnaise which ended up overpowering the sandwich and made the sandwich a bit on the mushy side with the pâté. I couldn't discern the different meats in a bite - sad when I can't detect the bouncy "fancy pork." The jalapeno was nice and spicy but the daikon and carrot pickles were not as marinated as I'd like them to be though they were IMO, the perfect sized cuts. Overall, I'd hand this Saigon Wrap's combination pork sandwich a 6.5/10. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but it's satisfy my craving if I were ever again in that area.
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Powderface
After deeming the tiny Saigon Wraps shop too chilly to hang around in, we set out to explore what else was at this plaza. I spotted Powderface and was curious to see what this store was about. Initally, I thought it was some sort of cosmetics shop (come on, powderface!). Boy, was I glad to see it was a coffeeshop serving beignets! One of these days, I'm gonna get to New Orleans but for now, these treats in Oakland will do.
I immediately order a set of beignets (3 for $2.90) and waited about 10 minutes for my order. Apparently, something happened to my order, but the kind ladies promptly fried me up a new batch of hole-less powdered-sugar-covered dough pillows. Oh...yummilicious!!! My aunt and I dug into these wonderfully piping hot donuts. (Mom had to sit out since she had a dental appointment.) Aunt S said these reminded her of Chinese you za gwai/you tiao but with powdered sugar. Yum yum...bad for diet, but oh well. =D
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Taqueria San Jose
After Mom's dental appointment, we set out to check out the Mexican food on International Blvd. I had two street parking spaces swiped from me...damn illegal u-turns!!! *shakes fist angrily* I found parking 30 seconds later, so all was good. After walking down a block or so, pausing at La Torta Loca and at apparently unmanned fruit carts, we walked into Taqueria San Jose. My mom and I had been impressed by the location in San Francisco's Mission district - she still raves about the grilled green onions she had with a plate. This time, we ordered 1 carnitas taco, 1 al pastor taco, 1 carne asada taco, 1 pollo taco ($1.70 each), 1 carne asada super burrito ($3.95...yowza!), 1 ceviche tostada ($2.75?), and 1 large strawberry agua fresca ($2). Holy moly was that agua fresca GI-normous. I had run out to feed the meter and the food had arrived by the time I returned. No pics since mom and aunt were already digging in.
There were two trays of freshly fried tortilla chips under heat lamps and at least 3 salsas. I didn't get to check it out as my mom had done the honors and filled generous plastic cups full of salsa. OMG...this Taqueria San Jose's salsa verde is the salsa verde of my dreams!!! I think it was slightly thickened with avocados as it was a bit creamy and had a very very welcome kick of heat. I don't remember having this salsa at the SF location nor were the chips from the SF location fresh. In fact, the SF chips probably came out of a bag...meh.
See, my mom is a carne asada fan and normally wouldn't order the various pork products. I think Taqueria San Jose's carnitas made her a convert. She only gave me a teeny piece of meat to try (grr) but that one sliver of meat was so succulent and flavorful. Aunt S is not a non-Asian food fan and has a teeny appetite so all she had was 1/2 of the carne asada taco. Mom had the other half and said the meat was dry and flavorless (told ya!). Mom also ate the pollo taco...the chicken looked braised or simmered with a tomato-based sauce. I had a larger chunk of chicken and really liked the moist, tender, succulent chicken. It's definitely home-cooking-like chicken the way my family makes - velvety and silky. MUCH better than the plain but moist pollo taco I had at the SF branch. My ceviche tostada was a bit bland - no spiciness and little citrusy notes. The seafood mix looked a bit like tuna salad...not the most appetizing. My al pastor taco was very juicy and flavorful too. I'm an al pastor noob, but this was the easily best out of the 3 tacos I've had (Taqueria La Morena (SSF), Taqueria San Jose - SF (#1?), El Grullense (Redwood City across from Costco). A bit greasy, but oh so goooood.
We were stuffed to the gills at this point, so I saved the huge $4.00 super burrito for my dad. Above is a pic of the professionally foil-wrapped and rolled burrito and an open container of that wonderful salsa verde. Don't mind that over-ripe banana in the upper right corner. =X
Cross-section of the burrito. At this point, couldn't tell whether the tortilla was grilled or steamed. Definitely not as impressive cold a few hours later.
I forgot to mention, as I was at the register placing my order, I noticed a freshly deep-fried tilapia platter ($7.95?). It looked really good with rice and beans. As were were leaving the restaurant, my mom started exclaiming excitedly over the tilapia platter. It looked really good but my mom was a bit shocked at the price - she's used to the Asian markets' lower price for fried tilapia.
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Cam Huong
With every trip to Oakland, my mom and I make it a point to visit Cam Huong. Everyone has their favorite banh mi, but ours is the chicken banh mi. The marinade and grilling/roasting of chicken legs (dark meat, woo hoo) makes this one seriously delicious and moist sandwich. In fact, Cam Huong is hands down my favorite for chicken banh mi. They had been our favorite for chicken for years but one experience last year sealed the deal. My mom and I were in Oakland's Chinatown for some reason or another and decided to bring home some bbq/grilled/roasted/whatever chicken sandwiches. It was one of those rare instances where the small shop was relatively empty. We were standing around waiting for our order when a lady brought out a huge tray of freshly bbq'ed giant chicken legs. Perfectly browned with nice amount of charring and this amazing lemongrassy aroma, another lady proceeded to grab a few legs, hack off the meat, and stuff each sandwich with the equivalent of one whole chicken leg's worth o'meat. *sniffle* It brings a tear to my eye every time I dream about that chicken banh mi.
Yesterday was a bit more hectic but the sandwiches ($2.50) were no less impressive. This time, I ordered two chicken legs as well ($1.75 each). No photo again, since we, um, scarfed them down quick. We were really waddling around then! Balance of flavors, moist chicken, jalapenos, light mayo, nice carrot and daikon pickles, cilantro and onion...mmm...that chicken.
That's it for now...off daydreaming about those chicken legs...*drool*
Took my mom to a dental consulation in Oakland on Friday. Actually, the dental office is in the new Fruitvale Transit Village which is oh-so-conveniently located at the Fruitvale BART station. I've been meaning to explore the Fruitvale neighborhood after I read a few taco crawl threads on Chowhound. Only the convenience store, Powderface, and Saigon Wraps were open (food-related anyhow).
_________________________________________________________________________
Saigon Wraps
I was hungry after my morning workout so I persuaded my mom and aunt to stop in Saigon Wraps to escape the cold, wet, and windy weather. I ordered a combination pork sandwich ($2.50) - my usual and default for tasting.
What I look for in a combination pork sandwich (sometimes referred to as bánh mì dāc bịêt) -and my ideal: nice crusty French roll or baguette (can be rice flour based), "fancy pork" (whitish pork loaf), pâté, headcheese, some sort of ham, other sorts of piggy products, onions, pickled daikon and carrot, cilantro (yuck), mayo, thinly sliced cucumbers, and jalapenos. I guess the headcheese I compare all head cheeses to is the one they have at Little Paris in San Francisco - where I had my first encounters with banh mi as a kid. I love cartilage and peppercorns. Heh heh. Fresh or homemade mayo is ideal as I hate mayo otherwise. I really like the daikon and carrots slightly pickled and not too finely julienned for some tart crunchiness. I pick out the onions and cilantro since I'm not a huge fan of either though I love em in tacos. Oh, and not a fan of premade combo sandwiches which some proprietors have on hand during the lunch rush and pop in a toaster oven. For me, part of the allure of banh mi is the hot/warm crusty exterior, soft fluffy bready interior, the interplay of the flavors and textures of the cooler meats and garnishes. Spicy, tangy, savory, sweet, herby all in one dee-licious package.The Saigon Wrap sandwich has pretty much all the basic elements I like in a combo porky sandwich. However, the roll was not particularly fresh nor toasted enough. There was too much (good) mayonnaise which ended up overpowering the sandwich and made the sandwich a bit on the mushy side with the pâté. I couldn't discern the different meats in a bite - sad when I can't detect the bouncy "fancy pork." The jalapeno was nice and spicy but the daikon and carrot pickles were not as marinated as I'd like them to be though they were IMO, the perfect sized cuts. Overall, I'd hand this Saigon Wrap's combination pork sandwich a 6.5/10. I wouldn't go out of my way for it, but it's satisfy my craving if I were ever again in that area.
_________________________________________________________________________
Powderface
After deeming the tiny Saigon Wraps shop too chilly to hang around in, we set out to explore what else was at this plaza. I spotted Powderface and was curious to see what this store was about. Initally, I thought it was some sort of cosmetics shop (come on, powderface!). Boy, was I glad to see it was a coffeeshop serving beignets! One of these days, I'm gonna get to New Orleans but for now, these treats in Oakland will do.
I immediately order a set of beignets (3 for $2.90) and waited about 10 minutes for my order. Apparently, something happened to my order, but the kind ladies promptly fried me up a new batch of hole-less powdered-sugar-covered dough pillows. Oh...yummilicious!!! My aunt and I dug into these wonderfully piping hot donuts. (Mom had to sit out since she had a dental appointment.) Aunt S said these reminded her of Chinese you za gwai/you tiao but with powdered sugar. Yum yum...bad for diet, but oh well. =D
_________________________________________________________________________
Taqueria San Jose
After Mom's dental appointment, we set out to check out the Mexican food on International Blvd. I had two street parking spaces swiped from me...damn illegal u-turns!!! *shakes fist angrily* I found parking 30 seconds later, so all was good. After walking down a block or so, pausing at La Torta Loca and at apparently unmanned fruit carts, we walked into Taqueria San Jose. My mom and I had been impressed by the location in San Francisco's Mission district - she still raves about the grilled green onions she had with a plate. This time, we ordered 1 carnitas taco, 1 al pastor taco, 1 carne asada taco, 1 pollo taco ($1.70 each), 1 carne asada super burrito ($3.95...yowza!), 1 ceviche tostada ($2.75?), and 1 large strawberry agua fresca ($2). Holy moly was that agua fresca GI-normous. I had run out to feed the meter and the food had arrived by the time I returned. No pics since mom and aunt were already digging in.
There were two trays of freshly fried tortilla chips under heat lamps and at least 3 salsas. I didn't get to check it out as my mom had done the honors and filled generous plastic cups full of salsa. OMG...this Taqueria San Jose's salsa verde is the salsa verde of my dreams!!! I think it was slightly thickened with avocados as it was a bit creamy and had a very very welcome kick of heat. I don't remember having this salsa at the SF location nor were the chips from the SF location fresh. In fact, the SF chips probably came out of a bag...meh.
See, my mom is a carne asada fan and normally wouldn't order the various pork products. I think Taqueria San Jose's carnitas made her a convert. She only gave me a teeny piece of meat to try (grr) but that one sliver of meat was so succulent and flavorful. Aunt S is not a non-Asian food fan and has a teeny appetite so all she had was 1/2 of the carne asada taco. Mom had the other half and said the meat was dry and flavorless (told ya!). Mom also ate the pollo taco...the chicken looked braised or simmered with a tomato-based sauce. I had a larger chunk of chicken and really liked the moist, tender, succulent chicken. It's definitely home-cooking-like chicken the way my family makes - velvety and silky. MUCH better than the plain but moist pollo taco I had at the SF branch. My ceviche tostada was a bit bland - no spiciness and little citrusy notes. The seafood mix looked a bit like tuna salad...not the most appetizing. My al pastor taco was very juicy and flavorful too. I'm an al pastor noob, but this was the easily best out of the 3 tacos I've had (Taqueria La Morena (SSF), Taqueria San Jose - SF (#1?), El Grullense (Redwood City across from Costco). A bit greasy, but oh so goooood.
We were stuffed to the gills at this point, so I saved the huge $4.00 super burrito for my dad. Above is a pic of the professionally foil-wrapped and rolled burrito and an open container of that wonderful salsa verde. Don't mind that over-ripe banana in the upper right corner. =X
Cross-section of the burrito. At this point, couldn't tell whether the tortilla was grilled or steamed. Definitely not as impressive cold a few hours later.I forgot to mention, as I was at the register placing my order, I noticed a freshly deep-fried tilapia platter ($7.95?). It looked really good with rice and beans. As were were leaving the restaurant, my mom started exclaiming excitedly over the tilapia platter. It looked really good but my mom was a bit shocked at the price - she's used to the Asian markets' lower price for fried tilapia.
_________________________________________________________________________
Cam Huong
With every trip to Oakland, my mom and I make it a point to visit Cam Huong. Everyone has their favorite banh mi, but ours is the chicken banh mi. The marinade and grilling/roasting of chicken legs (dark meat, woo hoo) makes this one seriously delicious and moist sandwich. In fact, Cam Huong is hands down my favorite for chicken banh mi. They had been our favorite for chicken for years but one experience last year sealed the deal. My mom and I were in Oakland's Chinatown for some reason or another and decided to bring home some bbq/grilled/roasted/whatever chicken sandwiches. It was one of those rare instances where the small shop was relatively empty. We were standing around waiting for our order when a lady brought out a huge tray of freshly bbq'ed giant chicken legs. Perfectly browned with nice amount of charring and this amazing lemongrassy aroma, another lady proceeded to grab a few legs, hack off the meat, and stuff each sandwich with the equivalent of one whole chicken leg's worth o'meat. *sniffle* It brings a tear to my eye every time I dream about that chicken banh mi.
Yesterday was a bit more hectic but the sandwiches ($2.50) were no less impressive. This time, I ordered two chicken legs as well ($1.75 each). No photo again, since we, um, scarfed them down quick. We were really waddling around then! Balance of flavors, moist chicken, jalapenos, light mayo, nice carrot and daikon pickles, cilantro and onion...mmm...that chicken.
That's it for now...off daydreaming about those chicken legs...*drool*
posted by Manda at
3/04/2006 07:55:00 PM
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