Dol Ho

Although completely unplanned, my first morning meal in San Francisco was in China Town at my friend’s favorite Dim Sum restaurant, Dol Ho. Unfortunately, I don’t know Dim Sum well. But, I do know that I did enjoy this Dim Sum.

Having spent a good hour traveling, I was ravenously hungry. So I didn’t really write down the names of everything we had at our table. I know we had a lot of shrimp dishes though. My table did agree that the vegetable dumpling was the best.

Below on this dish is a fried shrimp ball (left) and some sort of eggplant shrimp cheese delightfulness. I love eggplant, period. So to add two other great ingredients: cheese and shrimp. It’s a trifecta of perfect.

Dol Ho
808 Pacific Ave
(at Stockton St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 392-2828

Asahi Ramen

I am not a big noodle/pasta eater. It just isn’t something I ever think about making or eating even though it is so easy, yummy, and inexpensive. I also never lived the cup o’ noodles / packaged noodles lifestyle that is popular in college. So when my boyfriend recommended going to Asahi Ramen restaurant many months ago, I was intrigued. We fortunately were able to be seated immediately after we walked into the small and busy restaurant. A polite waitress came over to our table and dropped off complimentary tsukemono (pickled cucumbers) and took our drink order.

I naively found the menu to be comprehensive for a restaurant that is all about noodles; I never had thought about the different ramen combinations available by mixing and matching different broths and toppings. All these choices made it hard for me because I wanted to try everything. Feeling as if I needed something more filling than “soup,” I ended up not ordering typical ramen and instead ordered the soupless Yakisoba (pan fried noodle dish with vegetables and chicken). When it came to the table, hungry eyes from a table nearby spotted my dish and contacted their waitress immediately to change their order to “what she has.” These noodles were everything I wanted that night: tasty and filling. It was also a large amount of food for a small amount of money ($8).

In a battle between eyes and stomach, I had also ordered Gyoza, pan fried potstickers, for the table ($3.50). Potstickers are also a dish that I never really have eaten much of in life. These have changed my ways, I now love potstickers. And they are the best I have tried, even though I have a limited potsticker experience.

It was a wonderful feast of food. I have been back to Asahi quite a few times since this recorded visit. Sadly, I never have taken a picture of their ramen, which I find to be just as wonderful as the soupless noodles. I am constantly changing my ramen order and don’t have a favorite merely because everything I order has been good. However, I usually add in wontons as an extra topping (for $2.25 extra) because it is the same dough used for the potstickers. I recommend! They do use MSG, unless you make it clear in your order that you do not want that in your meal. Helpful tips: It is usually always crowded during dinner “rush”, they only accept cash, and they are closed on Thursdays.

Asahi Ramen
2027 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 479-2231