ExtraCheese's Profile
Chef King San Mateo now Sheep King (Mongolian/maybe hot pot?)
Yeah.. I was wondering the same thing. I guess Little Sheep knocked them out of business.
Btw, Little Sheep's broth tastes like ass.
Archipelago - Burlingame
Hello!
I went and tried Archipelago on Sat. Dec. 1st.
The place makes a great first impression once you get in the door. Tastefully decorated with deep reds and browns, it makes it's intentions known that it wants to be a high-end restaurant. The space is huge but luckily they broke up the restaurant into multiple rooms so it's very quiet and intimate even when it's busy.
The waitstaff is still quite green, but eager to please. If you are picky about these things (I am not), then you might want to wait a couple months. Otherwise, I'd say, "A for effort."
Prices were quite reasonable considering the quality of the ingrediants and the excellent presentation in the plating. Small plates were from 7-10 a piece and the entrees were 19-23 each.
Heres what we ordered:
Spicy Fresh "Kinilaw" w/ Quail Egg's Next and Avocado Mousse - Basically an amberjack ceviche with a delicate avocado sauce. I hoping for a delicately seasoned sashimi dish... instead I got a pop of vinegar and salt. I actually don't eat alot of ceviches and I don't know philipino food. This might be a great example of it. I wouldn't know.
Whole Panko Breaded Sardines w/ Spanish Almond Sauce and Herb Salad - This was fantastic! The panko breading was a very thin crust, fish was fresh and the accompanying almond sauce was very interesting. YMMV on this one, depending how much you like oily fish. I believe they are Japanese "iwashi."
Napa Cabbage Shrouded Sea Bass atop Kaffir Scented Yellow Broken Rice with Thai Curry Cream, Baby Turnits and sweet Pepper Tapenade -
Another winner. Perfectly cooked sweet nappa cabage accented the sea bass very well. The bed of rice with a bit of thai curry was a great accompanyment!
We also had a pana cotta and a cheese cake for dessert, 2 cups of coffee, and a bottle of sparking water.
Bill came out to 74 bucks for 2 people. All in all, this place is a GREAT addition to Burlingame, which is starved for decent restaurants.
Housemade Udon or Soba anywhere?
Yep, going to the Japanese grocery store and making cold zaru udon or soba is SOOO much better than any restaurant around here.
I havent been to Nami Nami, so I'll definitely try it. Thanks!
Housemade Udon or Soba anywhere?
Let's change the question then... where can I get GOOD udon or soba?
Archipelago - Burlingame
I live around the corner. maybe I'll give it a shot. It's so sad to hear the owner of Grandview passed away. :( We used to order delivery from GV all the time. I guess that explains why they abruptly closed their doors.
Sushi Sam's San Mateo - cooked food >>> sushi but poor value
Insightful review. Generally I agree, but there are so few places that actually have great sushi rice in the Bay Area...it's hard to fault just Sam's. Not sure why sushi rice around here is so bad.
I'm just glad they are here trying to do interesting Japanese food. Living in San Mateo, I don't know of another sushi restaurant that puts it all together as well as they do (interesting ingredients, generally well executed small plates, etc).
Btw, the chestnut dessert is a Mont Blanc and I think it is better than Satura's by a good margin. Bravo to the new dessert chef!
In defense of Izakaya Mai, San Mateo
I am one of those people who has never really gotten over the passing of Tombo (the udon shop that was replaced by Mai).
One of the charming things about Tombo was that they had so much integrity. They didn't go out of their way to cater to Americans. They had a modest menu but they executed that menu to perfection.
..then you see Mai come in and it's all flash and superficial. Sure they have 100 things on their menu but half of it is pretty terrible, even many signature izakaya dishes are bad.
I think some of the bad reviews is actually a reaction to the fact that they replaced Tombo.
I haven't tried their Champon, but Oidon, Sushi Sams, and Lakuni are all much better than Mai.
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot coming to San Mateo
I went today. I was *shocked* at how modern and trendy the decor was! From a distance, it could be mistaken for some trendy spot in the mission.
The staff and service was great. Water glass was never empty, only needed to make eye contact to get their attention, etc. We got the half/half broth, I'd say that the broth here is better than Sheep King down on 22nd ave in San Mateo. All the ingredients we got for the hotpot were of excellent quality and pretty well prepared.
I didn't get a chance to try any of the non-hotpot items on the menu, but I definitely plan to go back. Although it is a chain, I think it's a great addition to downtown San Mateo.
Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot coming to San Mateo
wow! thanks for the info. can't wait to try!
Japanese style Fried Rice - Chahan
PIckled Mustard Greens
Kon-na kanji?
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/UsBGSZmfUgz1wV8B0UELJA?select=lFV-AhcoU8mJ7WOQ4v5BQw
Any "Must Eats" in San Mateo?
Second, Annapoorna. Definitely good, if you're looking to expand your horizons beyond chicken tikka.
Japanese style Fried Rice - Chahan
Not in the city, but Oidon in San Mateo (above the japanese grocerie store on 4th ave) has a great fried rice w/ pickles. It's listed on their specials board, not their regular menu.
Havent been up to Tampopo in a while, so I can't compare.
Cheers!
Sushi Grade Fish - peninsula?
I've never heard anyone recommend Takahashi Market! I'll be sure to check it out this week. :)
ISO - Greek owned burger joints in the Bay Area?
Awww.. this post takes me back to highschool.
I guess there isn't a big greek community in the bay?
Looking for the best Chinese Noodle Beef Soup
This topic has been covered fairly extensively already (search for beef noodle soup).
I generally eat at Cupertino Village at A&J's which is a chain from SoCal, I believe.
Carvel [split from San Franscisco board]
Respect to Beard Papa and Krispy Creme, chains that are commited to producing the highest quality product that can be prepared by any min wage automaton.
Korean food on the Peninsula
Resuresting an old post.. Is there any improvement to the Korean food scene on the Peninsula?
All I know of is the recently reviewed place in San Carlos and the BBQ place in San Bruno on El Camino.
Option of 100 posts per page...
I agree.
Overall I think I'll grow to like the new site. Good job!
