It maybe a shack but the taste is far from small. Little Uncle serves up a street style Thai experience on the eastside of Capitol Hill. The menu consists of the staples Tofu Phad Thai, Kao Soi (curry noodle soup), Braise Beef Cheek buns, and a rotating special. Outdoor seating is limited but if it were a nice hot day, even sitting on the sidewalk would be popular option.

I’m down with Little Uncle. The Tofu Phad Thai was impressive with a nice blend of spice and sauce. The curry noodle soup was bursting with flavor and very satisfying. The beef cheek buns were good but I was expecting a little more. I know these pictures are from the colder months of Seattle but the Little Uncle experience is enjoyable in all weather. Also, I hear there’s a Dungeness crab special that I’ll definitely be back for.

Traditional Korean music from Morning Star Cultural Center

Cooking demonstration from Chef Heong Soon Park of Chan

Bird nest salad and spicy pumpkin jook

Citrus kimchi galbi (short ribs)

Creme filled pear

Earlier this month the team was invited to the 1^st Seattle Korean Food Festival. The event was put on by the Seattle Korean Consulate to help showcase local Korean cuisine. The program included food from the winners of the Korean Food competition that took place among the local culinary programs, Le Cordon Bleu, the Art Institutes of Seattle, South Seattle Community College, and Lake Washington Institute. The winners were judged on their creative and modern interpretations of Korean cuisine.

The judges of the competition were renowned members of the Seattle food community, Chef Rachel Yang of Revel, Chef Heong Soon Park of Chan, and food critique Hanna Raskin. The winning team, Le Cordon Blue, served a tasty three-course meal that included a bird’s nest salad with spicy pumpkin jook appetizer, citrus kimchi galbi (short ribs) entrée, and a crème filled roasted pear dessert. The food was delicious and it’s good to see programs like this help inspire a young generation of chefs in Seattle. 

Monkey bread with bbq pork

Short rib burger

Ramen with pork belly and egg

Short rib rice bowl

I love Revel so much that I had to do a follow-up brunch post. Revel embodies hip Korean-inspired street food, harmonized with French and American cooking techniques. Revel uses both high quality and original Asian ingredients to create artwork. The flavors are so creative that you can taste every minute detail, yet it maintains its authenticity.  In my opinion, that is what separates progressive Asian-inspired cuisine from mediocre fusion. 

Just like my previous dinner experiences, the brunch at Revel was incredible.  We started off with the monkey bread, which is maple sweet bread with cha siu (bbq pork). If you want to taste the premium Chinese bbq pork bun - this is it. I ordered the short rib burger with house-cured bacon where I savored every bite and didn’t want it to end. It is perhaps one of the best burgers in Seattle. My buddies ordered the ramen with pork belly and the short rib rice bowl. The ramen was pretty tasty, but I’ve found that the other dishes outperform the rice bowls.

Per Details Magazine, Revel is among the restaurants that are part of the “Asian-Food Revolution”. For me, going to a next-level Asian-inspired restaurant such as Revel, Momofuku, or Pok Pok, is like going to a food blogger’s Disneyland. Just like a kid, I get really excited, eat everything on the menu, and I won’t stop talking about it. Revel is the #1 recommended FH206 food pick in Seattle.

Space Needle in the backdrop

Xplosive

Steak Bun Bowl

Chicken Adobe Banh Mi

Karaoke - sweet rice balls

Shawarma 

grubbin’

Ice cream sandwich

The Mobile Food Rodeo is the bi-annual round up of all the Seattle food trucks into one location for your food herding convenience.  This past weekend the event took place in my hood, South Lake Union.  Literally steps from my dwelling.

We made it a priority to check out Xplosive Food Truck since there was a lot of buzz for its unique Vietnamese Filipino fusion menu.  I grew up on both Vietnamese and Filipino (friends’ family parties) cuisines, so I was excited.  When all is ate and done, the food fell pretty short of expectations.  The flaws were due to poor execution as they forgot the pickled carrots and daikon in the Chicken Adobe Banh Mi and overcooked the vermicelli rice noodles which made the Steak Bun Bowl soggy.  However their dessert, the Karaoke sweet rice balls were pretty good.  I will probably give Xplosive another try down the road after they work out the kinks.

The other places we went were to Hallava Falafel and Sweet Wheels.  Hallava Falafel probably has the best Shawama in Seattle.  The sandwich is loaded with flavor, veggies, and freshness.  The ice cream cookie sandwich at Sweet Wheels was pretty disappointing so not a fan.

In all, I always enjoy the Mobile Rodeo Events.  Where else can you herd a whole bunch of street truck food?

Rolling with the homie Kevin Chou as we backpacked through the urban jungle

Highly anticipated pork belly buns

Duck wontons “Shut it down”

Spicy pork sausage and rice cakes

Infamous duck with rice

I have literally been waiting years to go to New York and walk into the Momofuku institution.  As with any other Asian food enthusiast, I copped the book, follow the twitter, and read the articles.  The anticipation to go here felt like waiting until Christmas to receive a Super Nintendo.  Lo and behold, this past summer I finally got my wish.  

The Momofuku of choice was the Ssam bar since they offered the most variety.  Right when you walk in, you can feel the New York urban cool.  The decor has a modern feel as it’s decked out in wood panel and a few John McEnroe posters.  The staff is hip and the crowd is a pleaser.  

For our order, there is no doubt we got the pork belly buns and duck with rice.  We  supplemented these staples with duck wontons and spicy sausage with rice cake.  The outcome was true happiness.

Interior

Signage

Spicy noodle with beef cheek

Pork belly with thousand year old egg and rice rolls

Salad rice rolls

BBQ beef brisket sandwich (GQ’s best dish in San Francisco)

My mission if I chose to accept was to dine at Mission Chinese Food and take instagram it up.  The mission was gladly accepted however I think we ordered more dishes than two people can handle. 

The Mission Chinese Food menu was like Disneyland! There were so many asian dishes with all my favorite ingredients and sold at reasonable prices. I done lost my figure in an asian foodie’s paradise. The BBQ beef brisket was delicious, slow cooked and flavory to articulate all it’s goodness. The salad rolls, pork belly, and spicy noodle soup were all good as well. The mission very much satisfied. 

On a bonus note, I tweeted that the food hipster had finally embarked on this mission and then chef Danny Bowien came out to chat it up. He appreciated my venture down from Seattle and called in a table for me at my next destination. Too bad I wasn’t picture ready since my glasses were fogged up from the spicy noodle soup. 

Banh Khot aka mini Vietnamese Pancakes

Banh Hoi with Nem noung (meat balls) and pork chops

Com Tom with grilled onions wrapped in beef

You can’t visit the South Bay without having Vietnamese food. San Jose is the second largest Vietnamese population in the US, so you know it has to be good. Per recommendation of miss Instagram Thaoism and Yelpers, we went to Vung Tau for our only Vietnamese meal. Vung Tau is one of San Jose’s longest standing Vietnamese restaurants in rhw community.

The popular dish in Vung Tau, Vietnam, is Banh Khot (mini Vietnamese pancakes with shrimp shavings) and coincidently it is the most popular dish here. The mini cakes are to be wrapped in lettuce and dipped in fish sauce. All I can say is that it’s hella bomb and just like the homeland. The lunch concept at Vung Tau is pretty cool where you get to mix and match your meats (pork chops, grilled pork, grilled beef, pork meatballs, etc) to a rice base carb such com tam, banh hoi, etc.  Pretty awesome concept and a way to load up on your protein.  Overall the food was good, but for dinner I can see the bill racking up.

Off the grid …. not Haightin

OG pink boxes

Pork belly baked bun - the best sandwich in San Francisco

Spicy chicken bun

Coca cola braised pork bun

Bao down when you come to San Francisco. IMO the Chairman Truck is the best food truck in the bay area. I’m a sucker for steamed buns and bigger one for baked…. It must be the hipsterness? Or strong desire for asian food? It’s both!

I must emphasize the pork belly baked bun was one hell of an experience….succulent pork belly with pickled daikon in a soft sweet baked bao bun that had made each bite of this sandwich perfect. I’m getting hungry writing this. The other baos were delicious too and packed with flavor. The food from the Chairman Truck was so good, I would consider leading an investment group to bring this truck to Seattle.

Line

Short rib tacos

Okonomiyake

The Namu Street Food stand is the Nordstrom Rack of Namu Gaji.  The stand is a fraction of the cost with fraction of the menu.  The cuisine is Korean and fused with the other Asian cultures.  We had the short rib tacos and okonomiyake.  They were good choices and had tons of flavor.  However, as another patron walked by with the KFC (Korean Fried Chicken) I saw goodness, spiciness, and delicious!  I guess that’s on my to do list for next time.

Filet Mignon Pho

Oxtail Pho

Kind of looks like Tao

Vitamin Water + G2 Gatorade + Pho = Hangover remedy

Pho real though……and on top of that the choices are either Filet Mignon or Oxtail! After a day of drinking at the pool, hanging out at Thomas Keller’s kitchen, and doing bottle service…. How would I survive the morning and shake this hangover? I have to go find some pho. 

So the options are Zine downstairs with the fine filet mignon but with a filet mignon price tag, or cab it to Chinatown which could essentially be the same price of baller pho.  In Vegas, pool time is money so less time traveling the congested streets means more time drinking domestic beer and YOLOing at the pool. 

The pho at Zine is pretty legit. The broth is balanced and flavorful, the meat is sufficient, and the ingredients are of high quality.  The meal definitely hit the spot and suppressed hungover effect.  However my qualms were the $18 price tag and well done filet mignon. In all, do go to Zine if you want convenient good pho.  

Chef Park doing work in the kitchen

Bulgogi sliders

Bi Bim Bap 

Chicken wings

Nicole Munson, Alix Rose, Jess Estrada

Chef Park chilling with the ladies (Nicole Munson, Stacee Edwards, Chef Park, Eileen Labert, Alix Rose, Terri Ann Johnson, and Keridwyn Deller).

Chan Seattle 

About a week ago, I had the opportunity to check out the Chan Seattle restaurant opening party. And man….was it a party! Who doesn’t love good food and drinks? Chan Seattle is a new korean fusion spot with a focus on local ingredients, located in Pike Place Market on Post. Chef Park whipped up some nice dishes which consisted of bi bim bap, bulgogi sliders, chicken wings, tuna tartare, and ginger creme brulee. I missed out on the tuna tartare and the creme brulee but was told by everyone that they were to die for and went fast. Of the dishes I did try, they were all delicious and had me taking multiple servings. 

In addition to Chan Seattle’s creative menu, they make pretty solid asian inspired curated cocktails which were also served at the party. Midway through the nite I had to go with the traditional OB beer since I love lagers. The event was pretty social and got to hang with @JessEstrada and company. I can’t wait to come back for dinner. Shoutout to Keridwyn Deller for the kind invite.