Tu-Anh N.
Yelp
WHEN: Friday @6:45pm
I'm excited to finally try to place! You can order directly from them on through the app ToastTab. Around 6:50pm I wanted to place an order closer to their closing time (8pm) at 7:45pm. But when I place the order, that was it. Says my food will be done in like 10 minutes, which was 7:07pm. There's no going back to change anything. In the app all you can do is call the restaurant.
So I called and was immediately put on hold...for quite awhile. Okay so I'm guessing the Belly is super busy so my food can't possibly be done within 10 minutes! 5 minutes have gone by and I was still on hold. I use a different phone to call in but all I receive was a busy tone (not even a ring).
Whelp, all I can do now is just head out to pick up my order because what if my food WAS don't at 7:07pm and it's just sitting there getting cold! It was a 15 minute drive to Downtown Oakland.
My partner and I went, and with it being around dinner time and restaurant week, we expect there to be a good amount of people in that area picking up food too. Luckily there was one spot in front open, and when I went inside. There was about 2 others inside waiting for their food, and there it was, my order on the counter waiting for me!
One of the staff looked busy. I was still on hold, haha. I'm just so happy to have my order and head home!
Course with some sanitizing, and transecting everything to plates, I was able to enjoy my food an hour later! Here's what I had:
TATER TOTS - $7
Crispy Tater Tots with Shichimi Aioli and Furikake.
Whenever I see Tator Tots as an option anywhere I jump for it. It was so delicious even though I wasn't able to eat it until about an hour later, and there was a generous amount of it. The extra special thing about this is the Shichimi Aioli and Furikake topping. Wow it was good. Oh and you get to pick a dipping sauce, which I chose RANCH! This housemaid ranch sauce was so delightful and refreshing--lots of herbs you can taste! I was very happy with my side choice!
BELLY TACO - $4.75
House Marinated Steak, Rice, Korean Slaw, Kimchi Aioli. So much wonderful flavors and so good!!! You taste every single ingredient!
SURF TACO - $4.75
Tempura Fish, Sesame Slaw, Avocado, Pico de Gallo, Sambal Aioli, Spicy Crema.
The tempura fish is a hefty piece and it was good. Crispy and all the sauces with the crunchy slaw made everything come together so well.
VEGGIE TACO - $4.50
Fried Tofu, Sweet Chili Glaze, Sesame Slaw, Cucumbers
Ahh fried tofu: crispy on the outside, mushy on the inside. Some don't care for it but I dig it! This taco may sound plain and boring its far from it. I really enjoyed it, especially that sweet chili glaze and fresh cucumbers.
PORK BELLY BURRITO - $12.95
Spicy Honey Glazed Pork Belly, Sesame Slaw, Pickled Cucumbers, Multigrain Rice.
It comes with a dipping sauce and I chose the Salsa Verde, which is mild so my wimpy self can handle. Wow, it was so yummy to dip my burrito in it! As for the burrito, I did expect more of the Gochujang sauce, but I think it was the right amount. I'd like more of that honey glaze though! All in all it was good!
Here's a tip: Eat slow. Chew slow. You taste so much in every bite!
I loved that these were made in flower tortilla, and I get the impression that no matter which taco I choose, it's gonna be a good one! I"ll need to make another trip soon to try other items...they have so many yummy sounding options!