A couple of nights ago I made the Lomo de Cerdo al horno con Cebolla & Puerros recipe from the Delicioso Spanish cookbook. It's a very simple recipe from Catalunia, but unfortunatelly it wasn't very good. The pork loin, roasted surrounded by onions and with some white wine, wasn't very flavorful and it was a bit dry. The mixed onions were delicious, however. Still, I won't be making it again.

Last night we went to our friend Regina's house for dinner. I had gotten her the Les Halles cookbook for Christmas and she made a meal out of that. The main dish was "pot au feu". She had been hesitant to make it as the concept (boiling meats and vegetables together) just didn't sound good. But many people have told her how much they loved the dish so we figured there might be something to it and it was worth trying.

It turned out to be pretty much what we expected, boiled meat and vegetables in a thin broth. It reminded me very much of Argentine puchero, which is pretty much the same thing with a less sophisticated name. The meat was very tender (of course) but pretty insipid, though it was helped by mustard. Iggy liked it, though, probably because he grew up eating boiled foods so there was a comfort element on that. And indeed, my mom used to make puchero for my sister quite often, so she, at least, likes it. The rest of us will skip it next time.

Lola also made some pot-au-creme for dessert and I thought these were really yummy, though they didn't seem to like them as much. To each their own.

Yesterday for lunch we were in the mood for Dim Sum, but the parking lot at Oriental Tea House, where we wanted to go, was soooo full that we didn't dare try to get a table. Instead we decided to drive on MacArthur Ave. and try whatever we found. That turned out to be a shack called "Giant" that offers burgers, hoagies, sandwiches and shakes.

I went for the chicken hoagie (~$4.50) and Mike decided on the hot links hoagie (~$4.50 too). We both got cokes which were overpriced at $1.20 for a 16 oz fountain one.

The hoagies were OK, I didn't like the taste of the chicken in mine (it tasted like canned, though not quite) but its taste was overwhelmed by the sauce, cheese, onions and tomatoes. In all, it was tasty enough though too rich to eat it all. Mike was disappointed that his hoagie, which was supposed to have cheese, onions and mushrooms, came instead with lettuce tomato and onion (no cheese or mushrooms). He did like the links, though, which were nice and spicy.

Giant is just a shack with a take out window overlooking the parking lot. They have a small counter inside with bar stools if you want to eat there, however.

They didn't have a take out menu and I can't tell you exactly where it is - it's not even clear to me in which city it is, as it's located in the 1/2 block between the "Welcome to Oakland" and "Welcome to San Leandro" signs. I can say that it's on northeast side of MacArthur, northwest of Oriental Tea House, on the same side of the block.

Update December 2010.

Planet Coffee has been sold twice since our 2004 update, the last time a couple of months ago. I haven't checked it out since but I'll try to stop by sometime.

Update December 2004. We went back to Planet Coffee for Vietnamese Sandwiches a few weeks ago and this time we were not impressed by their Vietnamese Sandwiches. There was so little meat vis a vis the bread and veggies. The bread was also over-toasted. In all, I don't think we'll try it again.

Planet Coffee is a cafe in downtown San Leandro. Though we've lived in the city for 4 1/2 years, today was the first time we went in.

As a college student I *loved* cafes and used to hang out in them all the time. Mike, however, dislikes them so we've pretty much avoided them after we got married. It doesn't help that most cafes around here close early - Planet Coffee is closed by 5 PM so it's not as if we could go there and hang out in the evenings.

I became interested in trying it, however, when I saw and ad in the local paper that mentioned that it was under new management and that it was now serving Vietnamese sandwiches for lunch. I had heard that Vietnamese sandwiches were delicious and cheap, and I certainly wanted to try them.

The opportunity finally came today when Mike was over for lunch and there were no leftovers to share. We decided to stop by Planet Coffee after picking Mika up from school and we had a very nice lunch.

The cafe is actually larger than I'd imagined given its narrow facade. It's nicely appointed, with a mural of a European open-air cafe by a lake and nice, bright paintings of Vietnamese scenes. At 1-1:30 PM there was nobody there but us and a couple of people who came to get pick-up. In other words, we could eat lunch without Mika bothering anyone.

As you would expect, Planet Coffee has a typical cafe menu with a wide variety of coffees (they also sell coffee beans by the pound) as well as hot and cold drinks (smoothies, frappes and fresh juices). They serve breakfast (mostly eggs & bread concoctions) and a wide variety of salads and sandwiches for lunch. In addition to the Vietnamese sandwiches they have traditional American sandwiches (all around $5).

But we were there for the Vietnamese sandwiches and that's what we got. They have six different ones with different combinations of ham, head cheese, pork salame, grilled pork, grilled chicken and BBQ pork. They cost $2.75 for a small and $4.95 for a large, which includes a small side of potato salad. The sandwiches come with pate, pickled carrot & daikon, pepper, cucumber and cilantro. Mike decided on the large grilled pork and I had the small grilled chicken. They were both very good. We liked the contrast of textures and tastes between the meats and the crunchy veggies and the tastes all came together very nicely. We both liked the sweet grilled pork better than the chicken, and we both felt that the sandwiches needed morer meat. They were too bready as they were. Still, we very much enjoyed them. We felt that the small sandwich was a better value than the large sandwich, as there wasn't such a big difference in size between them.

In all, we'll likely go back to Planet Coffee for more Vietnamese sandwiches.

Planet Coffee
1423 East 14th St.
San Leandro, CA
510-351-5527
M-F 6am-5pm, Sa 6am-4pm

Last night we went to Battambang for dinner, it has been our favorite Cambodian restaurant since we discovered it about five years ago. The tiny restaurant is cute and with its dark yellow walls and framed paintings of Cambodian river scenes it could even be considered elegant if it wasn't so crowded. But crowded it is - there is barely any room for patrons to walk, and unless you're lucky you may have to share a long table with another party. Even then, expect a wait if you arrive for dinner after 7 PM.

Fortunately, we got there a few minutes later so we were sat immediately. The menu hadn't changed much since our last visit. It still includes a very long selection of appetizers, soups, curries and meat and vegetable dishes. Appetizers and soups average $6-10, while main dishes are $7-15 (most are $7-8). Portions are on the small side, plan on getting an appetizer at least to share or ordering rice ($1 per person).

We started with an order of lawt, "crispy Cambodian style srping rolls with ground pork, bean thread, onion and ground peanuts", served with a pickle and vinegar sauce ($6). The bite-size spring rolls where crispy and flavorful and quite good with the sweet & vinegary sauce. I'd order them again.

We then had one of our favorites, the sach ko chomkak, a "char-broiled beef shish kebab marinated with lemon grass, spices and ground peanuts served with pickle and lime sauce" ($8). The three kebabs were tender and delicious, they have a clear char-broiled taste and their flavor is only enhanced by the sauce. My only gripe is that there wasn't enough sauce to soak all the rice we ordered - next time I'll order extra.

We also ordered the Battambang Noodles, "pan-fried soft rice noodles with chicken, egg, bean sprouts, green onion, ground chili and peanuts in tamarind sauce" ($7). This dish is reminiscent of Pad Thai, though I didn't find it as flavorful or delicious. I did, however, appreciate how tender both the noodles and the bean sprouts are (I don't like crunchy vegetables). It's also one of those dishes that you start eating and can't get enough of. I'd order it again.

Service was good, though rushed, by the two lone waitresses who had to take care of the whole restaurant. One of them apologized for it, but it was actually better than in other occasions.

You can read my old review of Battmbang here

We went to the New Zealander in Alameda Thursday night. They have a short menu with a couple of sandwiches, burgers and meat entrees, but the main attraction - and what the waitress recommended - were the pies. I got a steak and cheese one and DH got the minted lamb one. They were both pretty good, the meats were tender and flavorful and the pastry was nice. Our main complaint was the size. They were too big as appetizers and too small for a main entree. You can get them with a soup or salad for $2 more, but we're not really soup/salad people so it didn't work well for us. Maybe next time we'll just get 3 pies to share between the two of us.

We weren't that impressed with the desserts. I liked the texture of the bread & butter pudding but it didn't have much taste by itself and the sauce was too strong/bitter for my taste. I'd have liked both the pudding & sauce to be sweeter. DH had the French apple tart, which was an almost crustless bunch of cooked apples which he ruled as "interesting". The desserts were large, so by the end of the meal we were full.

DH wants to go back and try other pies. Even though it's a brew pub, it's child friendly so we'll probably go there again with the kids.

A full review will be posted on my website as soon as Mike edits it.

We went to Aziza last night and did the pre-fix 5 course deal ($39 pp).

Most of us had the lentil soup which was good but pedestrian. The soup of the day was Jerusalem artichoke cream and it was sooooo good that it convinced /me/ to try Jerusalem artichokes the next time I can.

The appetizers (Med. spreads, mushroom ravioli, goat cheese and lima beans) were also out of this world. The roasted pepper & pomegranate spread, in particular, was ambrosia. They were soooo good that we're planning a return visit where all we order are appetizers :)

The bastilla was OK, it was a thick chicken pie but not as flavorful and tasty as other bastillas I've had or made. I wouldn't order it again - though it inspired me to make bastilla this week for dinner :)

The main dishes in all were a disappointment. They were good, don't get me wrong, but again we found them pedestrian and boring. I had the squab, which was well cooked and had a lovely sauce, but I've had similar dishes many times. It was also a pretty small portion so I was left hungry afterwards (this, however, may be the pregnancy talking).

My husband & friend both had the Aziza couscous and again they found it kind of bland and boring. Boris thought all the ingredients tasted the same, DH noticed different tastes but pronounced them all mild. The couscous was nice and fluffy - but no different from the couscous I make at home. Regina had the berber vegetable tagine and was also quite disappointed. She liked the couscous it came with a lot, but found the vegetable tagine boring, though she could appreciate the freshness of the veggies. Still, she felt she's had many tastier tagines. All the couscous people couldn't finish their entrees (which was good for me :)

Desserts also failed to awe. I had the ice cream, two /tiny/ ice cream sandwiches that were good and new but soooo tiny - other desserts were twice as big. I loved the hot chocolate pot, it was sooo flavorful and warm, though the accompanying cookie was somewaht salty and kind of weird. Boris thought the creme brulee was just OK - he's a creme brulee afficionado - good, but there are better ones out there, and Regina was initially put off by her huckleberries sorbet but grew to really, really like it.

We loved the room, service was good and I would like to go back there - though only if I can just feast on the appetizers :)

As usual, I'll write a full review and post it on my website at some point.

Mike has sent me a bunch of edited restaurant reviews which I've put up on the website:

Daimo
An upscale Chinese restaurant in San Leandro where the food is not in par with the prices

Dona Tomas
People rave about this upscale Mexican restaurant in Oakland, but we weren't nearly as impressed.

Truly Mediterranean
Neither Lola nor I liked this favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in Berkeley

The New Zealander
We liked the pies at this Alameda brewpub but we wished they'd been bigger!

P.F. Changs
I'd never been to this Chinese chain, but I was very impressed by the food at the Emeryville location.

Neumanali
A great meal at this upscale Hayward restaurant was almost ruined by bad service over dessert

Oriental Tea House - Update
Our favorite Chinese restaurant in San Leandro offers tasty chinese-american food at rock-bottom prices

Vo's - Update
Had a very nice lunch at this great local Vietnamese restaurant

Battambang - Update
Had a delicious dinner at our favorite Cambodian restaurant in Oakland

Aloha Kitchen
Great Hawaiian BBQ for take out in San Leandro - yummm!

Chubby Seafood and Burritos
A new restaurant serving hoagies, burgers, fried fish & burritos. Good fried fish, OK other stuff.

Harry's Hofbrau
Large portions of American favorites in a cafeteria-style restaurant. The food at the San Leandro location was just OK.