Ed U.
Yelp
This family run restaurant has been around for over sixteen years, but Jamie W. and I only recently ambled in here after a cocktail at Thee Stork Club down 24th (review: https://yelp.to/ahEct4AHPT). We were surprised how expansive the space was because we had no clue what an eclectic and open warehouse it was inside. We were even more surprised that the menu consisted mostly of comfort favorites.
Co-owners Hi-Suk and San-Ju Dong have an extensive culinary background that wouldn't settle for a straight forward homestyle execution. We saw that with our first entree, the $28 Fried Chicken, which consisted of five tender, bone-in pieces lightly breaded and fried and served in a metal bucket accompanied by a slice of moist cornbread and a scoop of Asian-style cole slaw (photo: https://yelp.to/Yn44OqjdGt).
We decided to split the $19 #CBQ Burger, a fully loaded vegan burger made of chickpea, bulgur, quinoa, walnuts, and spices. It came with tomato, onion, cole slaw, and sprouts, along with a side of fries and aioli (photo: https://yelp.to/qjUnIrdx_z). It was honestly among the more satisfying vegan burgers either of us had. The $15 Shiitake Mushroom Crostini was our starter.
It was tasty though a tad oily with the abundant sliced shiitake mixed with herb goat cheese and arugula (photo: https://yelp.to/8aqGbmFU9P). Both of us smartly went non-alcoholic with our libations - the $7 Arnold Palmer for Jamie and the $10 Low Down for me, a refreshing blend of pineapple, ginger, lime, mint, jalapeño, and tajin rim (photo: https://yelp.to/QQkkrkidjj). It was a genuinely satisfying meal that we returned a couple of weeks later.
We went a little higher end with our choices this time by starting with the creamy $12 Chicken Liver Pate topped with pickled onions and sliced pear on crostini (photo: https://yelp.to/Gm43H_ruko). Our main splurge was the $45 Tagine, a generously portioned and quite unexpected Moroccan braised lamb shank with saffron and couscous (photo: https://yelp.to/kWv9BEuu9G). Savory good and quite tender.
We decided on a third choice we ended up finishing at home, the $24 Soft Shell Crab Po'Boy with cole slaw, spicy aioli, and fries (photo: https://yelp.to/Rw3HOv22cv). It was crispy-chewy good and held up well for lunch the day after. Yep, Jamie and I discovered a new favorite, and it only took us sixteen years to find it. So much for our aspirations of being culinary trendsetters. Mua worked for us.
FOOD - 5 stars...our batting average was impressively high here
AMBIANCE - 5 stars...love the spaciousness
SERVICE - 4.5 stars...pretty attentive and surprisingly fast
TOTAL - 5 stars...if you need comfort food with style in big portions but definitely not diner prices - this be it
RELATED - Exploring Oakland? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/2ObVcpQ