We decided to pop over to Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant that is located in the same mall as Pho So 1. Sam Woo serves Cantonese BBQ items such as roast duck, soy sauce chicken, rice and noodles and of course, BBQ offal such as intestines, heart and stomach.
In the same complex is 99 Ranch Market which is an Asian market that sells just about anything at very good prices, especially the produce. It is a tradition for my father and I to sit at the table, crack open a crab and slowly work our way through the crevices. Therefore, my mom purchased two fresh crabs for us.

It's hard to find durian in the U.S. so when I saw the shake on the menu, I ordered one immediately. The drink was thick, creamy, sweet and had that distinct durian flavor.
Up next, our food from Sam Woo.
DISCLAIMER: Don't look any further if you don't like the sight of offal.
Chicken feet, another Asian delicacy. Chicken feet is basically all skin, bones and cartilage. This version was stewed in sauce so it was very tender. It takes skill to eat this. You put a piece in your mouth, then separate the skin from the bones and spit out the clean bones. Repeat.
While we were eating the pho and offal, my mom prepared the crabs by boiling them. They were two pounds each, alive and kicking.
Dad, performing surgery on the crab. He's an expert at this.
The meat was tender, sweet and did not have a fishy smell. This is an indicator of a fresh crab. There was also ample crab mustard or the greenish yellowish substance in the shell, which I happily gobbled up. Eating crab in its shell also requires skill and it takes patience to slowly dig out each scrumptious meat from the crab chambers. But oh, it always tastes so good when you have to work for it.
To end the meal, I needed something sweet. While at 99 Ranch Market, I noticed that mooncakes were on sale so I bought a tin box of it. The box includes four cakes. Mooncakes are Chinese cakes that are eaten during the Moon Festival in the Fall. The story goes: The Chinese were staging a coup against the Mongols and in order to communicate internally without tipping off their enemies, the Chinese hid notes in the cakes. The cakes are made of a paste (most commonly lotus) and sometimes contain a salted yolk. Other fillings include bean and taro. The crust is typically a chewy layer.The mooncake was scrumptious. The salty yolk and the sweet paste worked well together. The cake is rather dense so even half can often times be sufficient.
Everything that I had was delicious and not something that I would eat with most of my friends, who would shudder at the sight of stomach and intestines. My parents are the perfect eating companions for offal. They love it too, and they won't judge.
Hits: durian shake, pho, offal, mooncakes, parents
Misses: nothing!
Rate: ****
Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant
6450 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite G
Van Nuys, CA 91411
(818) 988-6813
Pho So 1
6450 Sepulveda Blvd., Suite C-D
Van Nuys, CA 91411
(818) 989-6377
No comments:
Post a Comment