It says tomato sauce but I asked for specifics...it has lots of butter in it...heavenly. also tiny bit of jalapeño, and few other things i will try to remember ..?reminded me of Marcella Hazen's red sauce with butter..so rich..we wanted to dive in and lick the plate..

Trust me. I know. A great piece of char-siu is similar. There is some fatty bits that have to be marbled into the pork, otherwise it is just meh...

Yes, couldn't agree more! In my view, this is as good as any meat when prepared properly, and I always request they find me the fattiest one available.

Schüblig

Not sure where you are (mobile version of FT is bad) but I always ask for half and half... The fatty versions around here tend to be too fatty. Probably meant for bacon but sold to the hawker here... I'd say 60-70% fat...

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Homemade rou jia mo (肉夹馍) and bitter melon with egg.

I used to have mixed feelings about bitter melon.

ramenwell, San Francisco ca carryout:

mushroom ramen (hold everything but noodles & broth)
mushroom ramen (hold everything but noodles & broth - spice level 2)
chicken ramen
pork ramen - spice level 6
chicken katsu
dumplings
Side egg noodles
side broth

DOLE WHIP!!!!! Omg


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These days, there a place in SF's Chinatown and on Clement that I like, and usually pick them up from there when the mood strikes. Of course, I always have them whenever I'm in HK & Singapore. I've never gotten a piece too fatty or appeared that it was meant for bacon, and often find it not fat enough. Like I said, I really really like fat!

RE: bitter melon - definitely an acquired taste, but, while it had taken some time, it's sort of grown on me, like those black eggs in congee.

Gaobest - those chicken things look really tasty. I've yet to try that place, and should place it on my to-do list.

I rarely do takeout but I knew there was nothing in the house so I stopped on my way home from the airport. It was a little bit spicy for me but delicious.
Hand made paccheri pasta with spicy pork sausage ragu, fennel, sage, pecorino
Griddled broccolini w/whipped ricotta, oregano, chili and breadcrumbs
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I didn’t actually try the chicken katsu and my spouse thought that it was really good. Ramenwell is a very new discovery and they’ve been there for 3 years. Driving there to fetch, we saw a lot of nice city action. Loads of kids of all ages out and about. Huge line for La Taqueria (Nate Silver from nyt once called it “the best” taqueria in USA). Good Friday night action.

Glad you safely got out of Vegas! Gorgeous carryout. You deserve it!

I never had char siu while in HK, but I try to avoid it when in Singapore. The ones in Singapore in general are usually like cardboard... but there is a place at Old Airport Road hawker center that is supposed to be good (Roast Paradise). There are a few others but that one has been heavily promoted.

As for bitter melon, if you wash them in salt water, the bitterness is drawn out. Then stir fry it with egg and wood ear mushroom...

You obviously have not visited the right places in Singapore ‼️

Do pm me ;)

Bitter gourd , usually avoided ..

Because I rarely eat Chinese bbq these days, it’s always good when I do have it, no matter where in Sf I am. I had it in early 2020 in the Bayview Chinatown - San Bruno Avenue. I have only had it in japanese ramen this year, including tonight, and it was fabulous.
bitter melon is definitely acquired ala foie gras, drunken live shrimp, snake, matcha soft serve, horse… it’s not usually available just anywhere and it’s not a typical dish. I still haven’t had cheval or Chow. Zero desire and interest. Anyway bitter melon is something I would have at restaurants, cooked with black bean sauce.

I also still haven’t had Goose anywhere And I would like it at a Chinese bbq place. One day. Still zero rush.

so yes - Ramenwell. It’s great. We will return for more carryout. I’m very impressed. Their pork ramen is great. You liked the chicken katsu and my spouse liked it much. I eschewed it only because I had more than enough to eat.

Now why would we want to wash out the bitter? :-) that’s the whole joy of bitter melon. it’s like letting ice cream melt so that it isn’t so cold. :-)

Lol. I get decent enough char siu here so it's not a big high up on my list of things to get. I'm usually looking for stuff I can't make, find or buy over here... So orh-luack as an example. (mainly because I have failed at making it so many times)... or rojak (can't find hae ko here). I've got a list of places I want to visit when I'm over there next time. Tempted with the VTL, but I have commitments and need to wait for the SG numbers to go down first.

Bitter melon is quite common in canto-cuisine dishes. As you mentioned, usually with black bean sauce, but helpful with soups and anything "heaty" (bitter melon is considered a "cooling" ingredient in chinese medicine). Steaming them is often nice as well (segment them, hollow them out, put in a mix of pork and fish meat)

I wouldn't expect snake to be common in SFO, but you're likely to find it further north as a soup or ingredient in congee. Just be careful as some places mix it in with lots of chicken meat as it's cheaper (at least before the supply crunch)

It depends on how bitter the eaters can handle. Not everyone likes the bitterness so they temper it down by drawing some of it out. The salt also enhances the flavour a bit. They also freeze better IME. If you stick a bitter melon in the refrigerator for too long they start to spoil rapidly (turn yellow). My parents used to grow bitter melon and often we've have way too much (even after gifting lots)...

My first taste, I absolutely hated it, and vowed to never ever eat it again. Over the years, I suppose, when you work and live somewhere, some of the local customs, habits and superstitions rub off on you; I just kept hearing people around saying, "the stuff you eat, you better start eating some stuff to cool you down." So, I sort resorted to, as I had as a kid, pinched my nose and ate my veggies, however much I disliked them. It just strikes me as unfair since all the good tasting stuff seems to heat you up, not cool you down.

I've acquired a taste for it over the many long years, I suppose. However, I still wouldn't sit down and look forward to eating a plate of it, but I was always one of those who naturally never liked the taste of veggies. I read an article or someone tried to posit that I was a supertaster, or something along those lines.