BART Grocery

 

As I have mentioned before in previous blog posts, I love food places in locations that weren’t originally created as a restaurant. These type of gems commonly have food that taste better and are more affordable in comparison to typical food joints. BART Grocery is an example of one those types of gems.

BART Grocery is a small Korean market shop located in Daly City, California near Daly City BART Station. It is a really small place and can commonly be driven by without being noticed. However, through word of mouth many locals and college students know about this spot. Apparently, all their dishes are freshly cooked in the market and is a type of place that has customers returning more for their food rather than their market supplies.

 

To be honest, most of this market is a kitchen. When entering, I was kind of surprised they decided to give the store name the word ‘Grocery’ because when you come inside all you generally focus on is their kitchen. They do sell some stuff like can foods, drinks, toiletries, etc., but I didn’t really see any produce.

 

Either way, it didn’t matter to me. I mostly came here for their Korean food, not their supplies.

 

For their prices, they aren’t bad. I’ve been in Korean places that had either similar pricing or were more expensive. However, the difference between these prices in comparison to others is this place gives you more food than they should. Therefore, you get more bang for your buck when ordering here.

 

In this photo is their, Bulgogi BBQ Plate. My girlfriend ordered this and she was really pleased. Usually when we order bulgogi, we commonly receive it in a bowl or stone pot. However, by being able to receive through in a to-go box, we were able to get more food than usual. As you can tell there are veggies, rice, beef, and noodles in the box. With that combination, you can easily be full within eating half of the box. Regardless of the size, it was very good. I, generally, enjoyed it for the bulgogi because I felt very juicy yet still had a great texture when biting through it.

In addition to the bulgogi, you are given a complimentary side of salad. I didn’t eat this so I do not really have an opinion about it, but I did think this was a nice addition.

 

For my dish, I ordered their signature Kimchi Fried Rice. I am a huge Kimchi Fried Rice fan so I had to order this. To my delight, I was not disappointed. I feel they were able to mix the kimchi in the rice very nicely. I, personally, did not feel some parts of the food were bland. Instead, I felt each scoop of rice got their fair share of being mixed with the kimchi. As for the egg, it was very good. I personally would have loved two eggs, but I am just greedy. Either way, it was good being able to poke it and smear it throughout the food. Would definitely recommend this if you are wanting to try their dishes.

Overall, I really like this hidden gem. If I didn’t hear about this place through word of mouth, I think I would never have step foot in here. Thankfully, I did and highly recommend others to also.

Lastly if you do decide to come here, make sure to not visit on the 2nd or 4th Sunday of the month. They close on those dates.

Later Days…

108 Los Olivos Ave
Daly City, CA 94014

Mon-Fri 10 am – 9 pm

Sat 9:30 am – 9 pm

Sun 12:30 pm – 7 pm

 

 

HRD Coffee Shop

A few weeks ago, one of my buddies showed me a video of a restaurant called HRD Coffee Shop that was featured on The Food Network’s ‘Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives’. Commonly, I do not watch this channel anymore due to having little interest in many of their shows now. However, one show I still enjoy is ‘Diner, Drive-ins, and Dives’. In reality, Guy Fieri is a local celebrity in my county and I always look forward to his Bay Area recommendations. If you want to see the video before continuing, here it is:

As for the location, the restaurant is located a few blocks from the San Francisco Giant’s AT&T Park. Consequently, due to the proximity the Coffee Shop is very much filled with Giant fans. It was very nice to see especially since I am from the Bay and root for all Bay Area teams. Consequently, if you are a Dodger fan just be aware you will be going on enemy grounds.

When entering the shop, you are able to see their menu in huge print at their register. This makes it easy for individuals who have no clue what to order yet, but still have to wait in line.

From the looks of the interior, the coffee shop isn’t very big. Inside there are plenty of stools and about four to six tables for groups in the back of the restaurant. Even though this may be a complaint to some, eaters need to remember this coffee shop isn’t your typical sit and lounge type of restaurant. Instead it is just an order, sit-down, eat, then-go-kind-of-place. Generally, it is a Diner Dash type of environment, if I had to make a comparison.

For my girlfriend’s dish, she ordered their Spicy Kimchi Pork Tacos. Originally it comes with pineapples, but she decided to not include them. Overall, she really enjoyed them. I had some too and was surprised how big they were. They gave three tacos and made sure they were packed with kimchi and meat. Definitely a good bang for your buck.

As for my dish, I ordered their Spicy Pork Kimchee Burrito. Basically, this was the same dish as the tacos, but the only difference was the rice. Personally, I enjoyed this more due to the addition of having rice with my kimchi. I feel kimchi and rice is always the love making combo you need so it was great to have it in this burrito. The pork was also very good. Similarly, to the tacos they included a lot of it. Therefore, you get a very packed burrito. If I had to make a recommendation, this would be my top one for first-time customers.

Before finishing this post, I want to shine the spot light on their hot sauce. Basically, I just want to make sure eaters try this if they are a hot sauce fan. These are homemade and actually spicy. Commonly, homemade hot sauces never do it for me. This place, however, actually stayed true to the word “hot” and gave a great kick. I was downing this sauce like Tapatio. As a result, give this sauce a try if you decide to come out here.

In conclusion, try this place out if you love Korean food, burritos, or breakfast. This place will definitely meet one or all of your needs.

Later Days…

Mon-Fri 8:30 am – 3 pm

Sat 9 am – 2 pm

521 3rd St
Ste A
San Francisco, CA 94107

CLICK ME! I AM THEIR WEB SITE! OUR KOREAN BURRITOS GOT GIRTH!

Kukje International Tofu House

Whenever I hear about a restaurant being within a store, market, liquor store, or any related location, I know it is a must visit. Through my food adventures, most of my best experiences have been at food joints within a building not intentionally built for food service. One example is Kukje’s International Tofu House in Daly City, California.

This little hot spot, is a restaurant served in a typical Asian Market. This market has your typical vegetables, snacks, fish…. and a Korean restaurant at the corner of the building.

If you are clueless about this spot, it may be confusing at first finding their location. However, it is pretty simple to get to. Generally, it is at a corner of the store next to the registers. If you see this sign, you are at the right place.

Once you come to the entry way, you are basically treated as if you are entering a normal restaurant except it is in a market. Some who are new to this may be confused, but if you forget the market part then it will feel like any other restaurant.

Overall, their menu is focused on bibimbob, Korean BBQ, sushi, and many other Korean related dishes. The great thing about this place  though is they serve you a free package of complimentary side dishes.

Another free service they provide is their hot tea. To be honest, I have no clue what type of drink this is, but it is really delicious. If I were to describe it though, the drink generally tastes like tea with sesame seeds. Honestly, this drink is probably one of the biggest reasons why I am always coming back.

As for dishes, the popular ones I frequently order are their BBQ beef and vegetable stoneware bibimbob, boneless wings, and dragon rolls.

Overall, their bibimbob is very satisfying. All of their bibimbob dishes are cooked and served in stoneware bowls. This is good if you like this dish because it allows the food to stay warm and make the rice crispy. Another highlight about this dish from Kukje is their knowledge of not overpowering one ingredient over the other. They combine enough of each part where it doesn’t feel like I am only getting eggs or meat. I am, honestly, able to taste the mixture of vegetables, beef, rice, eggs, and seaweed in every bite. This is big plus because some restaurants make the common mistake of putting too much of one ingredient where it doesn’t taste like bibimbob, but instead something else.

As for their boneless wings, they are very sweet and soft. In reality, I am not big on eating meat with bones. I am just spoiled and rather prefer them boneless. However, sometimes when I order these they commonly turn out bland and boring. These, however, are very good and a well complimentary side with any of your main plates.

And lastly, the dragon roll. This is probably one of the most saucy dragon rolls I have ever had. This isn’t bad, but I think this is a good mix to have with rice and shrimp tempura. It is able to add moisture for the other parts of the sushi that would normally be dry. Overall, I would probably rank this dragon roll one of my top favorite from sushi places. Consequently, this is a good dish to try if you decide to order sushi at this restaurant.

In conclusion, this is a great place to come to with a big group. They serve dishes that should meet everyone’s satisfaction. They also serve complimentary side dishes so if you don’t want to order too much yet still get full. This is not a bad spot to stop at. Therefore, check this place out because even though it is in a market, it is definitely worth experiencing.

Later Days…

2350 Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015

Wako Honey Pig

I love eating Korean BBQ. I do not eat it too often due to watching my diet, but whenever I am on vacation… this is my top place to binge on. As for my vacation a month ago, my group decided to try a place called Wako Honey Pig in Buena Park, CA.

If you are a reader from the East Coast of the USA, you probably heard of Honey Pig before. If you are not from there, Honey Pig is a popular Korean BBQ restaurant on the East Coast. These places serve/cook the food for you and are cooked on a huge grill.

Well, Wako Honey Pig is exactly the same except for one thing. In addition to cooking and the grill, your meals also come with a complimentary side of sprouts, kimchi and other vegetables. Basically, giving you the typical sides of a Korean restaurant, but on a grill.

In my opinion, this simple difference makes this place better than the East Coast Honey Pigs. I know this is saying a lot because the ones on the East Coast are really good. However, I think this honestly adds a lot more to the meal and helps the eater get full.

Additionally, not only do they give you these sides, but they also combine your leftovers at the end of your meal in order to create fried rice. Therefore you are made sure to become ultra full at the end.

As a result, I have to recommend this place to any Korean BBQ lover or eater who has experienced Honey Pig from the East Coast. You will not be disappointed if coming in a group. The price may be a tad high for a Korean BBQ place, but you will be made sure to have a fulfilling time.

Later Days…

7212 Orangethorpe Ave
Ste 1
Buena Park, CA 90621

Mon-Sun 11 am – 11 pm

CLICK ME, I AM THEIR WEB SITE. I LIKE LEE HYORI!

Art’s Cafe

I’ve been meaning to write about this place for awhile now, but in these past two weeks I have been fighting a very ugly cold/fever. Now that I am about 90% better, I can finally write a review about one of these small gems in the Inner Sunset district of San Francisco, CA.

The place I am referring to is Art’s Cafe, a small diner located off of Irving Street. To my surprise, I have walked by this place many times when in the area. The location is filled with popular places to eat so without noticing you can simply walk by this mom and pop’s diner by accident within a second.

That being said, this is a very popular place in the morning. I went with my girlfriend and she told me it is run by a Korean family who commonly has line waiting outside to be seated every morning. In reality, their popularity is due to their food and limited amount of seats. Thankfully, the morning we went we were only waiting for about 15-20 minutes.

A positive about this place is when waiting in line, an employee comes out to receive the orders of customers so when they enter their food would be fresh and ready. I appreciated this because it allowed us to be greeted and feel welcomed before even taking a seat.

As you enter, you immediately see how narrow the diner is for the customers and employees. The walk path for the kitchen was honestly so small that the employees would have to suck in their stomachs so the other can walk behind them. Even though this may not be the best spot for claustrophobic individuals, I really enjoyed the environment. It was definitely an old school diner kind of feel and I really liked having the ability to be close to the cooks. It allows us, the customers, to be entertained by being able to witness and smell their fresh dishes being cooked.

For my girlfriend’s meal, she ordered the bacon, eggs, and omelette. I do not remember, which particular omelette she ordered, but I do know by the end she was really full.

[A closer look at the crispy bacon]

As for me, I ordered their beef bibimbap. Like I said earlier, this place is owned by a Korean family so once I saw they had a Korean section on their menu I knew I immediately had to order it.

[Beef Bibimbap]

[Beef Bibimbap with Gochujang Sauce]

My overall thought of it was that it was really good. I actually chowed down really fast in my meal due to the flavors. I think the highlight for me though was their gochujang sauce. I usually use this when eating bibimbap at other places, but for some reason their’s stood out to me. It just tasted really fresh for some reason. As for the other components, I really liked the vegetables and egg. The egg was cooked very nicely so it complimented the rest of the dish really well.

The only complaint I could probably give was the portion was a bit smaller than I hope for it to be. I was still full, but if I compare it to other Korean restaurants their portion seems a bit smaller. However, if you are a person who is managing your portions, this shouldn’t be a big deal.

Oh and lastly, probably their biggest highlight f or me was their strawberry lemonade.

[Sorry for the photo. I accidentally focused the camera on everything, but the drink.]

This was honestly the best part for me. Their strawberry lemonade was freshly blended and tasted really good. You could taste the strawberries and see the seeds on the bottom so it is easy to determine how freshly made it was for the day. It honestly had a thickness to it like a smoothie type drink. Therefore, it was definitely different and complimented well with my meal.

In conclusion, I would definitely come back to this place. If you are old school or wannabe hipster who likes old things then this is a good spot for you. Just make sure to bring your jacket in case you have to wait outside before being seated.

Later Days…

747 Irving Street

San Francisco, CA 94122

CLICK ME, I AM THEIR WEB SITE AND I WILL EAT YOUR HUEVOS.

Tonight Soju Bar

Tonight Soju Bar has become one of my new favorite spots to take my friends in San Francisco when with a large group. Basically, Tonight Soju Bar is a Korean restaurant meant for customers to eat and drink a lot. What is there to dislike? The thing I like most about this place though is their soju and high calorie dishes. If you know me, you know I love them high calories.

Here is an example of one of their well known soju drinks, their watermelon soju:

[You can play with the dry ice and swirl it in your shot glass]

The place does have other flavors of soju like mango and lychee, but people commonly come for the watermelon. I also prefer this over the others because the other drinks come in tea kettles so they do not hold as much as the melon. Plus they give you the leftover soju from the bottle they used, but were unable to put in the melon. Therefore, you do not get jipped.

They also contain your typical Korean beers: OB, Hite, and Cass.

As for the food, they are very good for people who love to be filled to their pant’s waist capacity. I recommend to order dishes that are easily able to be shared with others. Those are the ones that are usually the most stuffing. Also they are the best ones to go with your alcohol and I think that should be your main focus when coming to this place. Here are some of the dishes I have tried thus far in my experiences at Tonight Soju:

[Kimchi Noodles]

[Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps]

[Kimchi Fried Rice]

[Kalbi Short Rib Fries]

[Fried Rice Cake Skewers]

[Corn Cheese]

[Tonight Ramen??? (I forget)]

Overall, a great place to take friends who are visiting, reuniting, or just wanting to get drunk. Just make sure you set reservations before you come because these tables fill up fast. The only best way is to call and reserve a table. I also recommend trying out the dishes I have posted through here. There are way may other dishes, but if you want an easy start off these are not bad.

Address and link to their website:

733 Taraval Street
San Francisco, CA 94116

(415) 564-6400

Sun-Wed: 6pm–12am
Thur-Sat: 6pm–2am

Tonight Soju Website, CLICK ME NOW! BEFORE I EAT YOUR FAMILY AND DOG!

Later Days…

P.S. Do not be surprised when you find them playing awkward Korean music videos.