The rich curry duck vermicelli soup at Le Soleil’s Tuezday Noodz Day. (tablehopper.com)
This week, learn where can get your carbs on—at Breadbelly’s Asian-American bread delivery and pop-ups, and Tuezday Noodz Day at Le Soleil—and get tickets for OysterFest at Waterbar, and Sake Day before it sells out!
Don’t Miss This Pop-Up’s Asian-American Breads and Pastries
Can you even imagine having a box of fresh-baked and tasty Asian-American breads and treats arrive at your front door on a weekend morning, just as you’re waking up? And what if they were made by alums of top SF kitchens, like Atelier Crenn, Coi, and Hakkasan? I know, magic.
A sampling of baked goods in the Pastry Box from Breadbelly. (tablehopper.com)
A couple weeks ago, I had a pastry box delivered for $25 (plus tax), and it was stuffed with a savory ham and cheese ensaymada (a tasty spin on the Filipino brioche treat with ham inside, topped with pecorino and buttercream/sugar), Ovaltine coffee cake, spongy castella cake, brown butter and peanut mochi, piaya, a Filipino street treat which was new to me: an unleavened flatbread filled with muscovado sugar (that was brought from an auntie direct from the Philippines!), banana and macadamia loaf, and soba koh chocolate chip cookies (made with buckwheat).
The trio (Clement Hsu, Katherine Campecino, and James Wong) have been baking out of Sababa in the Financial District, and are preparing to open their own Asian-American bakery in the former Heartbaker in the Inner Richmond in the fall (1408 Clement St.). They will be offering a café-style setting for coffee and pastry, both savory and sweet. A solid brunch will also be a part of the plan, and beer and wine and dinner are all being discussed. They’re looking forward to creating a comfortable neighborhood spot.
The ham and cheese ensaymada from Breadbelly is something you’ll want to chase down. (tablehopper.com)
In the meantime, you can order delivery or visit their bake sale and brunch pop-ups! The treats are always rotating; you can see what they’re making next on their Instagram at @breadbellysf, like kaya toast with pandan. They’re exploring their interpretation of Asian-American baked goods, from nostalgic Chinese and Filipino treats to using Korean techniques for puffing the buckwheat. And great news: they’re starting East Bay delivery too!
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As for their brunch pop-ups, you can try some of their dishes like soufflé pancakes! (They have been collaborating with former colleague Mark Liberman, formerly of AQ.)
Here are upcoming dates for their bake sales (where you can pick up freshly baked goods) and brunches:
Saturday 8/18: Bake Sale at Andytown's Roastery (3016 Taraval St.)
Saturday 8/25: Breadbelly Brunch at The Board (1077 Mission St.)
They are already filling up with orders for delivery in September, so don’t delay (email clem@breadbellysf.com):
Noodle soups can be an obsession for many, from Vietnamese pho to Thai tom yum to Chinese wonton noodle soup to Japanese ramen. And in foggy San Francisco, we can enjoy them year-round. So what if I told you there was a noodle pop-up focused on offering almost 10 different kinds of noodle soups from all over the world? At the family-run Le Soleil in the Inner Richmond, Tuesday lunch becomes Tuezday Noodz Day, served from 11:30am–3:30pm or so.
You’ll find black garlic turmeric noodles from Vietnam with pork belly, egg, prawn, cilantro, and scallion ($13), or a rich curry duck vermicelli ($13), a crossover with a curry dish they serve at Le Soleil, with carrot, potato, onion, bean sprout, basil, shallot, basil, chile, lemon, and a curry duck leg resting on top.
Warm up your body (and your face) with the Sichuan sole ramen at Tuezday Noodz Day. (tablehopper.com)
The last vestiges of my cold were cleared away with the Sichuan sole ramen ($13), a variation of the classic Sichuan dish of tender boiled fish in chile oil, but the soup version here with ramen noodles also featured pickled mustard greens (a favorite of mine, so tangy), plus bean sprouts, scallion, shallot, and chile oil (bring on the numbing ma-la sensation!). I’m coming back for their Hainan chicken pho and Teochew dry noodles.
There are also some Vietnamese starters you don’t want to pass up, including the banh cuon ($13), a special dish they only make for Tuesday lunch: tender steamed rice noodle rolls filled with pork and wood ear mushrooms, topped with fried shallots, bean sprouts, lettuce, and chile nuoc nam on the side.
Don’t miss the banh cuon, a special dish only on Tuezday Noodz Day. (tablehopper.com)
Vietnamese coffee will perk you out of your food coma at the end of the meal, these bowls are bountiful.
The Noodz pop-up is an experiment from the owner’s daughter, Bianca Wong, who collaborates with her father Dennis on the menu. She also has two sisters and a brother-in-law helping with the pop-up. Since Le Soleil is closed on Tuesdays, the sisters thought it would be fun to try something new and focus on contemporary Asian noodles. They source a number of their noodles from their dad’s friend who has a local noodle factory—Le Soleil has been open since 1993, so Pops has the connections. Tuezday Noodz Day has been running since January—come by for this multi-generational pop-up and start working your way through the menu.
OysterFest will be an oyster-lover’s paradise on the patio at Waterbar. (Waterbar)
Oyster lovers, don’t miss Waterbar’s annual OysterFest on Sunday, August 26. Waterbar is known for having one of the largest (and most sustainable) oyster selections in the city, so you can imagine their tenth annual OysterFest party is going to be abundant. Just to give you an idea, more than 5,000 oysters were served during OysterFest 2017.
This outdoor party will feature small bites from oyster lovin’ restaurants and farms, including Waterbar (of course), neighboring EPIC Steak, Farallon, Homestead, Dobbs Ferry, Leo’s, and more. A selection of local wines and microbrews (including Bare Bottle and Trumer Pils) will be served. There will also be live music, some contests (including oyster shucking), and you can’t beat that view from the bayside patio.
Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit The San Francisco Surfrider Foundation, which is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans and beaches. Last year, OysterFest raised $20,000!
Explore and taste special sakes that aren’t available in the U.S. at Sake Day. (Sake Day)
Anyone who loves or wants to learn more about sake will want to get tickets to Sake Day 2018 on Saturday, September 29 at Hotel Kabuki. Beau Timken (sake enthusiast, evangelist, educator, and owner of True Sake) started the tasting event in 2004, a celebration of Nihonshu no Hi, or the Day of Sake (celebrated in Japan on October 1).
Sake brewery owners travel from Japan to be there, as well as sake importers, distributors, and craft brewers, who all pour their best sakes and want to educate guests as much as possible. Guests can try over 200 different sakes at this event. Most are produced in Japan and some are not even available in the U.S., so you will only be able to taste them here. A vast majority of the sake at Sake Day will be available for purchase at the event, and free delivery (California only) is available for all event-day purchases.
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You can see why this event is known to sell out, so get your ticket soon. Proceeds benefit the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC).
