Burma Cafe - Daly City

A trip up to Daly City for other things brought me to lunch at Burma Cafe in a seedy looking plaza. Inside the decor is actually very clean and stylish in the sort of Thai/East Asian kind of vibe.

($13) Grapeleaf salad - tossed with raw sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, golden raisins, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, fried garlic, fried split peas, and sweet chili sauce

I wanted to try something other than the tea leaf salad. This grape leaf salad was much milder than the tea leaf salad. It lacked the strong fermented flavor that I enjoy about tea leaf. Otherwise it was very similar. I'm glad I had it but I will stay true to the tea leaf salad.

($13) Catfish chowder - mohinga - ground catfish in a lemongrass soup with rice noodles, eggs, and split pea fritters.
This was an interesting soup. It's flavorful and the lemongrass is very forward. The ground catfish floats all over the soup and is in every bite rather than in balls or clumps. It reminded me of many Vietnamese noodle soups. 

($13) Rainbow salad - rice noodle, wheat noodle, green papaya, crispy tofu, red onion, carrots, and cucumbers. All in a sweet chili sauce.
This was a refreshing salad with slightly warm noodles but mostly a cold dish. The sauce is not spicy, more tangy like fish sauce. Think of it as a deconstructed vermicelli bowl. All good things!

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Don't judge Burma Cafe by the plaza or the exterior. It's clean and stylish inside and the food is good. I have no complaints about the service and liked my experience.

Kukje Supermarket - Daly City

Phil and I have wandered the aisles of Kukje Supermarket in Daly City a few times when we went shopping for themed dinner nights such as the Korean food night. Both times we went, we were lured into the food court within the market by the appeal of Korean food made on the spot, in a Korean market. I've also seen this at the Korean market in Sunnyvale so it must be a typical thing.

First they serve us with hot tea (diluted but that's ok with me) and some side dishes. Kimchi, kimchi cucumbers, spicy fish?, pickled radish, marinated spinach, and pickled radish/carrot mix.

Phil's bento box came with California rolls, teriyaki salmon, rice, and a salad. All of which he enjoyed and ate with gusto.

Jajangmyun. You fooled me thrice. I've had jajangmyun three times in my life. The first time, it was just ok. The second time, it was just ok. But knowing this, I still order it because in my memory, I remember enjoying it. It's not bad actually but I give up about 1/5 of the way in and Phil has to finish for me. Phil really likes this so the third time, he ordered it and I tasted some. Jajangmyun is noodle covered in a black bean sauce. My favorite part is the sliced cucumber on top with the sauce. I've also seen Korean movies where they take the yellow pickled daikon (in first picture) and dip it into this sauce. I tried that and I still don't understand the attraction. Oh wells. This dish is a repeat winner for Phil though.

On impulse, he couldn't resist buying the "Korean churro" from the bakery inside the market. It tastes just like a donut, a little stale maybe because it was end of the day. That was his quota impulse buy for the day.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Going to a Korean market is quite an activity in itself. There are not only aisles of interesting groceries but there is usually a makeup counter, a bakery, a food court, and at some larger stores a cell phone kiosk, a gift center, and a clothing corner. One of the big highlights is the marinated meat and side dish bar where you will find pounds of different types of marinated meat for BBQ grilling and various kimchi side dishes to pair them with. I live a bit far from the two Korean markets I know so trips are rare but thoroughly enjoyed. Compared to other Asian groceries, Korean items are marked up a bit but you won't be able to find them elsewhere. It's also much cleaner and you will find better service than at other Asian markets. I love going to Kukje Market in Daly City and Hankook Market in Sunnyvale.

Kukje on Yelp

Hankook on Yelp