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Padi Restaurant Review – San Leandro

November 18, 2013 / / 2 Comments

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

Jan 2014 Update

We returned to Padi tonight with a group of San Leandro friends, including a couple who’d spent months traveling around Indonesia after college (and who actually remembered how to speak some Indonesian!).  While the menu is still limited, this gave us an opportunity to try some dishes we’d missed the time before.  I’m glad we did, for a couple of them ere real winners.

My favorite has to be the Mie Tek Tek Ayam (Fried Noodle w/ Chicken – $9).  The thick soft noodles resembled those in chow mein, but were coated with a sauce that had a lovely, slightly sweet flavor.  The dish was very well balanced and it was a generous portion.  I’d definitely order it again.

I only had a bite of what I believe was the Ayam Balado (Spicy Chili Chicken – $10), bone-in chicken in a heavy dark sauce, but it was delicious. It was, again, slightly sweet but with a deep flavor. I’d like to have more.  The chicken satay was once again a winner, though once again I disliked the peanut sauce, though my daughter liked it.

While it’s not on the menu, the Nasi Goreng (Chicken & shrimp fried rice – $9) was also tasty, though not more than the Chinese version.  My friends all seemed to like the eggplant dish, but I didn’t try it.  The one dish nobody thought much of was the Gado Gado (Indonesian Warm Salad w/ Peanut Sauce – $8).  I’m not surprised, as it was the same sauce that came with the satay.

Service was amazing, with two very attentive waiters who catered our every need.  The owner chef came to our table a few times, and he gave us a complimentary dessert.  My daughter loved the Ketan Hitam (Black glutinous rice pudding with coconut milk – $5) but I wasn’t as fond of it.  It wasn’t too sweet and it just didn’t do it for me. She was happy she could eat my portion.

Padi also sells some Indonesian goodies you can take with you (as well as Indonesian food items to do your own cooking), and Mike bought a container of something that looked like donut holes.  They weren’t quite that, but they were very tasty as well.

In all, it was a great dinner and I’d love to go back soon for more of those noodles!

Original Review – September 2013

I love Indonesian food so I was glad to find that Padi opened a restaurant in unincorporated San Leandro.  This restaurant is by no means perfect, and anywhere but in San Leandro it might not merit much enthusiasm, but there is such a dearth of food variety here that it is more than welcomed.

The restaurant’s main problem is its lack of ambiance.  Now,  I traveled throughout many developing countries on a $15 a day budget and I can find some nostalgia on undecorated dining rooms with formica tables and metal chairs, but only if they come together with dirt cheap food.  Padi’s prices are too high, and they should make more of an effort to spruce the place up.

Having to order at the front, rather than on the table, is also annoying.  You are crowded by the entrance, trying to quickly decide between the limited selections, which makes it less than a relaxing experience.  Given how small the place is, I don’t quite understand why they can’t take orders at the table.

The menu includes a small selection of meat and vegetarian items.  If you want to try them all, you can go for a “mini” rijstaffel for two which includes 12 items for $44.  Unfortunately, they do not serve any breads/pancakes, my favorite Indonesian items.

On the plus side, the food is pretty tasty.  The chicken satay ($10 for 6 skewers) was delicious, with a strong, sweet flavor and a nice peanut sauce.  The ayam madu, or honey grilled chicken ($12), was similar, though it didn’t come in skewers. It was somewhat sweeter and perhaps less balanced.  Both were grilled and had some blackened parts which added to the flavor.

The beef rendang ($11) was also good, though too spicy for the kids (just spicy enough for me). I felt it needed a bit more intensity, however, and this is a dish that would prove boring if it’s all you ordered.

Service was very good and pleasant.  I definitely want to return.

Padi Restaurant & Catering
16695 E 14th St
San Leandro, CA
(510) 244-7667
padibayarea.com
M, W-F 11:30 AM – 3 PM, 4 PM – 8 PM
Sa – Su 10 AM – 8 PM
Closed Tuesdays

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Shami Restaurant Review – San Leandro

November 18, 2013 / / 0 Comments

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

We came upon Shami last July, 2013, while trying to have dinner at the not-yet-open Padi.  It was a positive experience, though the only one who would want to rush back is my 11-yo daughter Mika, she positively LOVED the salad there.

Shami’s menu is pretty limited, all they had when we visited were kebabs and sandwiches, in addition to a few salad and appetizers.  It calls itself a Middle Eastern restaurant, but the owners are Yemeni, as indicated by the posters on the wall and the specific seasonings in the food.  Indeed, we found most dishes to be more spicy than you’d usually find in other Arab cuisines.

I tried both the grilled chicken and the beef kebabs, both were nicely spiced and very tasty.  The chicken was a bit dry, however, and too charred in parts.  The flavors were very homey, there was little sophistication on these dishes.   The yellow rice was perfumed with cinnamon and other spices and was addictive – though a bit too spicy for my youngest daughter.  The meals came with salads, and Mika just adored it.  I can’t say what it was about it – surely the dressing – but she ate every last bit, and has been asking us to take her back since.

The only thing that didn’t prove popular was the felafel. The kids found it too spicy, and since a falafel food poisoning incident 24 years ago, I haven’t been able to eat it.

Platters are about $10, sandwiches I think were $8.

I’d recommend it for when you need a kabab fix.

Shami Restaurant
16490 E 14 St
San Leandro, CA 94578
(510) 258-0000
shami-restaurant.com
M-Su 11 am – 10:30 pm

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

CreAsian – Taste of the Himalayas Restaurant Review – San Leandro

November 18, 2013 / / 0 Comments

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

I haven’t been to dinner to the new Taste of the Himalayas restaurant, which replaces CreAsian, but I did go to its Grand Opening which included a limited free buffet.  From it, I can say that I’m glad to welcome them to San Leandro.

Taste of the Himalayas is a popular Nepali restaurant in Berkeley.  They’ve taken over the old CreAsian space, a much welcome change as far as I’m concerned.  While I liked CreAsian, it was too expensive and the menu never changed.  Alas, they seem to be wary of their new venture in San Leandro, so they are keeping some old CreAsian dishes in the menu and they are mostly concentrating in serving Indian rather than Nepali food.  I imagine that will change as they get more comfortable in San Leandro.

At the Grand Opening they had three meat curries to taste, their chicken curry (normally $14), lamb curry ($14) and the chicken nauni (not yet in the online menu).  The regular curries were OK, the flavors were good and solid, but not compelling.  However the meats themselves were spectacular, the chicken was velvety and the lamb was beyond moist and tender, without being fatty.  These taste like high quality meats.  The chicken nauni, on the other hand, was very, very good (though actually, the sauces mixed together tasted even better).  It was similar to a tikka masala, only the chicken wasn’t smokey (and was moist) and the sauce was less sweet.  Still, it was very balanced.  Taste of the Himalayas does offer a chicken tikka masala ($15), and I look forward to tasting it.

Both the plain ($3) and garlic ($4) nan were nice, though the fact that they were hot and not burned helped.

I didn’t try the vegetarian offerings, so I can’t opine, but I heard the vegetable pakora (also not in the menu) was also very good.

According to their website, they deliver with a $25 minimum order.

CreAsian – Taste of the Himalayas
1269 MacArthur Blvd.
San Leandro, CA
(510) 895-8028
http://www.creasianhimalayas.com/
M-Su 11:30am to 3:00pm, 5:00pm to 10:00pm

Nation’s Giant Hamburgers – San Leandro – Review

November 18, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Nation’s is a Bay Area restaurant chain offering burgers, fries, breakfast and pies. Mike and I have been eating at Nation’s ever since college – there was one near the UC Berkeley Campus, then we were within walking distance of another, when we lived in Richmond, and we found yet another one here in San Leandro.

I don’t know if Nation’s burgers have declined in quality since we were young, or if our expectations have risen, but I don’t think the burgers are nearly as good now as I used to think they were back in my 20’s.  Still, they are better than anything else you can get at a fast food joint.

Nation’s menu is very limited: burgers, hot dogs, chicken and salmon sandwiches. They also have eggs and pancakes for breakfast. And they have pies and shakes.  Prices are good, from $4.10 for a plain burger to $6.80 for a bacon cheeseburger.

The regular burgers come with very generous portions of mayo, lettuce, tomato and onions. They are huge and quite tasty. Their fries, fried in canola oil, are pretty good though not outstanding.

Their pies are quite good, with flaky crusts and thick centers. We particularly enjoy the chocolate cream and banana cream, though we dislike the artificial topping with which they are covered. Their lemon merengue pie is also very good and doesn’t suffer this problem (pies start at $1.80 for a small slice).
Mike has had breakfast once or twice. The breakfast are huge but, as you can expect, not particularly high quality.
Another advantage of Nation’s is that it stays open late.
Nation’s Giant Hamburgers
San Leandro Plaza
1335 Washington Ave.
San Leandro, Ca.
(510) 352-8820
Hours: 6am-3am Daily
Breakfast served till 11am
http://www.nationsrestaurants.com/

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews
Chain Restaurant Reviews

Tsuru Sushi Restaurant Review – San Leandro

November 18, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Mike, my 11-yo daughter Mika and I, enjoyed a nice family dinner at Tsuru Sushi a few weeks ago.  We hadn’t gone in years, and we had, overall, a very good experience.  It was expensive – very expensive – but we had won several gift cards so most of the dinner was covered.  Good thing, as it came to close to $100 for 3, and only one of us actually ordered sushi.

I deciced to make a dinner out of appetizers and ordered the gyoza ($5.75), the fried chicken wings ($6.25) and the beef kushi ($7).  The portions are small enough that while I had some food leftover for Mike to share with, it wasn’t much.  The gyoza, in particular, were delicious.  The filling was full of flavor and I could have gone on eating them forever.  The chicken wings, on the other hand, were very plain and monotonous. You probably could do better at Pioneer’s chicken.  The sauce helped a little, but grew boring too.  I wouldn’t order them again.  The beef kushi, on the other hand, was quite good.  It wasn’t too different from teriyaki, but without the sticky sauce, and I enjoyed it.

Mika had the combination dinner ($20) with gyoza, shiu mai and a california roll.  The enjoyed the roll, loved the gyoza but the shiu mai was sort of plain.

Mike had two orders of unagi ($5.50 each), which we all enjoyed, though it wasn’t a particularly outstanding version.  He also had some kind of roll that he thought was very good.

In all, it was a good meal.  Service was good and efficient, though they could have done a better job of timing the food.

The one thing I found a bit tacky is that they actually charge you for the after-dinner mints.

Tsuru Sushi
1427 East 14th St.
San Leandro, CA
510-352-3748
M-Sa 11am-2:30 pm, 5-9:30 pm
Su 12:30 – 9:30pm

Marga’s San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Four Seasons Cafe & Deli – San Leandro – Review

October 23, 2013 / / 0 Comments

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

Four Seasons Cafe & Deli is the latest incarnation of the cafe and sandwich bar that was once Mr. Bagel and, before that, Planet Coffee.  The cafe has been remodeled a little bit and the menu has been updated.  The Middle Eastern owners, for example, have replaced the Vietnamese sandwiches with me Middle Eastern equivalents.  You can order chicken, lamb, falafel or hummus plates for $8, lamb or chicken shawarmas, falafel, chicken or turkey wraps and traditional sandwiches for about $6.  Vegetarians will have plenty to chose from, including a Mediterranean veggie sandwich that comes with fresh mozarella, Kalamata olives, spinach, tomatoes, red pepper pesto and balsamic vinaigrette on toasted focaccia.  I haven’t had it, but it sure sounds good 🙂

What I did have was the lamb shawarma.  It was good without being extraordinary.  Pretty much what you would expect a lamb shawarma to be.  The portion was pretty large, in particular considering the $6 price.  I’d have it again.

Four Seasons also offers breakfast bagel and croissant sandwiches, fresh orange and carrot juice and your basic coffeeshop drinks.  I had their coffee once and it was pretty good, but I’m not demanding coffee wise.

The new menu seems to have quite a few fans, in my last visit, the place was busier than it used to be.  The service was good and the cafe still a great place to meet up with friends – as well as have a cheap lunch in San Leandro.

Four Seasons Cafe & Deli
1423 E. 14th St.
San Leandro, CA
510-667-1004
Free local delivery with $20 order
M-Sa 6 am – 6 pm
Su 7 am – 5 pm

 

San Leandro Restaurants – closings, changes and openings

January 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

This is just an update on what’s going on in San Leandro’s dismal restaurant “scene”.  Please comment if you have any more info.

– Smiling Jack Station is a new Filipino restaurant at the old Straw Hat location on Washington Ave.  In addition to Filipino favorites, it offers boiled and fried seafood, BBQ and burgers.  They have a banquet room and karaoke and dancing on weekend nights.  There is a $5 off $25 coupon on their website.

– Dick’s Restaurant and Lounge has changed ownership.  The owners are keeping the name and apparently, most of the menu.  Even the chef will be staying transitionally.  One change: they’re adding TVs both to the dining room and lounge.  Alas, that, to me, is a reason *not* to go.  If you need a TV to distract you from what you’re eating, that says quite a bit about the quality of the food.

–Harley’s / JD’s Burgers, you know, the restaurant on Washington and Marina that looks like it used to be a drive-in restaurant, has a new name.  Maybe it means it’s changed ownerships. Hopefully it means the food won’t be as atrocious and expensive.  Unless I hear lots of good reviews, I probably won’t give it a try, though

–La Bella Italia.  The placed turned into a Mexican restaurant some time ago, but it doesn’t seem to have lasted much as that, and now it’s up for sale.  I hope someone with some vision – and a good cook – buys it.  Really, I would LOVE it if someone would turn it into a modern-day Pring’s.  Find the old menu, get a great chef, and give it a try! I’d go for sure.

–Nick’s Family Restaurant has been remodeled. I haven’t been back but the reviews on Yelp are very mixed vis a vis the food.

– Mon Café in the Manor seems to be for sale.  Or at least I think this for sale ad fits Mon Café the best.

– New China Buffet is also for sale (see here).

–Ploughmans is up for sale.  I’m sure some people will be sad, but I don’t think it’ll be that great a loss.  San Leandro does need a good breakfast place, hopefully whoever buys it will turn it into one.

–Vila Cereja is *still* up for sale.  That place has so much potential! I wish San Leandro’s Business Development department would actually do something useful for once and entice a San Francisco restaurant to open a second branch here.

–Vo’s, that stylish Vietnamese bistro on Parrot has closed down and another Vietnamese restaurant (Song Huong) has opened in its place.  I’m not surprised that Vo’s didn’t make it.  They had pretty good food, but it was very overpriced, even when using restaurant.com coupons. Song Huong is said to serve more traditional Vietnamese food.

 

Mr. Bagel Cafe – San Leandro – Review

January 5, 2012 / / 0 Comments

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

————————-

Mr. Bagel is the cafe that replaced Planet Coffee on East 14th in downtown San Leandro.  The small cafe offers all sorts of coffee drinks, as well as lots of bagels and bagel sandwiches, some pastries and cookies and a full menu of hot and cold sandwiches ($5 to $7).  Best of all they have Vietnamese sandwiches as well.  My friend got one a while back and it was very yummy.

In the last few weeks Mr. Bagel has become my “to go” cafe in San Leandro when I want to have a private talk with someone.  I love Zocalo, of course, but it’s impossible to go there and not run into a friend or acquaintance and have an uninterrupted conversation with any one person.  Mr. Bagel, fortunately or unfortunately, it’s pretty much empty all the time so it’s a great place to meet.  It’s also quite comfy, their coffee drinks are great (I liked their caramel latte more than Zocalo’s zahlua) and the people who run it could not be nicer.  It’s really a gem of a cafe, and I really wish more people would stop by.

I still have to try their sandwiches – and bagels! -, I’ll make a point of it next time I visit.

Mr. Bagel Café
1423 East 14th St.
San Leandro, CA
510-351`-5527
M-F 7am – 5 pm
Sa 8 am – 5 pm
Su 8 am – 3 pm

Marga’s San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Round Table Pizza – San Leandro – Review

September 12, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Last night we went to Round Table Pizza on East 14th.  I’d gotten a $24 worth of pizza for $12 gift certificate at Got Daily Deals, and I wanted to put it to use.  We got a large cheese pizza and a medium King Arthur supreme (a meats/veggie combo), a couple of drinks, and it come out to about $10 over the gift certificate. Definitely pricy, but we didn’t use any other coupons.

I thought the pizza was pretty good.  The cheese, in particular, was quite nice and there was plenty of it, specially in the cheese pizza.  The King Arthur pizza was a bit too salty for me, but that’s what happens when you get multiple meats in a pizza.  In all, we felt the pizza was OK, but only marginally better than Papa John’s, which is much cheaper (and closer to us). I may go again to Round Table, if there is a very good deal, but otherwise I wouldn’t bother.

The restaurant, btw, is a bit divish.  You order at the counter, and can seat in a booth or table. They have a TV showing sports and it’s sort of dark. It has no decor to speak of.  When we were there, a Saturday around 6 PM, the place was quite empty.

Round Table Pizza
15255 East 14th Street
San Leandro, CA
(510) 278-3002
www.roundtablepizza.com

Marga’s San Leandro Reviews

Marga’s Chain Restaurant Reviews

San Leandro: restaurant notes

August 21, 2011 / / 0 Comments

– I hear Angelina’s has changed ownership. It has significantly declined in recent years and we hadn’t been there for years.  Hopefully the new owners will do something good with it.

–Vila Cereja and La Bella Italia are still for sale/lease.

-Also for sale: El Amigo (Mexican restaurant), Arby’s.

–San Gaspar is undergoing construction after a fire that shut them down and will re-open.

-I still haven’t been able to try Mae’s, as it never seems to be open when I want to go (before 2 pm for lunch and after 6 pm for dinner), but I hear Mae’s temper is getting even worse. Complaints of Mae’s offensive behavior, bad customer service, long waits and unavailability of menu items continue to plague it on Yelp. I still wonder if it’s a legitimate business.

-The city of San Leandro is considering banning styrofoam containers, restaurants are barking. Most cities in Alameda County have banned them already.

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