Exploring the Bay Area

Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant  This restaurant, which was established in 1989, offers a very fine dining experience that is unlike any other in the area.  First of all, this large restaurant features large windows and is situated along the shore, offering exquisite views of the bay. You can see the Bay Bridge and the city of San Francisco beyond the sparkling waves of the bay that occupy the foreground. The view is mesmerizingly beautiful.  Not only that, but the whole dining room is gorgeous. The tables are clad with white tablecloths, and the padded chairs are draped in an attractive light blue that matches the trim on the walls and the cloth napkins. Colorful flowers dangle from elaborate chandeliers, and there are more flowers in vases on the carefully set tables. In the background, you can hear some soft but nice Chinese instrumental music. Everything is picture-perfect, and the ambiance is extremely appetizing! Beyond the delightful view and the beauty of...

Imm Thai Street Food Imm Thai Street Food is located in the heart of Berkeley, where you can take a seat outside or inside their shop. The outdoor tables are nice on sunny days, but the indoor tables are nice as well. The inside of the restaurant is packed with tables. The restaurant's design is somewhat Spartan, featuring a simple black and gray color scheme with brown wood. The only adornments on the wall are a few black and white photos of Thailand. This signals that the restaurant's focus and claim to fame is the incredible food. Imm Thai is a no-frills sit-down restaurant. You will have to wait to be seated, and then you will be offered a chance to review the menu and decide what you would like. The menu has many options, all at a rather affordable price; the lack of frills and Spartan design give way to an exquisite meal at a decent price. Imm Thai is open from 11 am to 10 pm on weekends and from 11 am to 9:30 pm on weekdays. You know that its delicious food is no secret...

Fu Lam Mum Located in downtown Mountain View on Castro Street, this restaurant is a real find!  The restaurant is beautifully decorated with an elegant eating area that has white table cloths and Chinese-style artwork on the walls. The tables are spaced out from one another, creating quietness and privacy. The beauty and peacefulness of the inside of the restaurant adds to the ambiance and appeal of the restaurant. The food is to die for. The flavors are exquisite and fascinating. Their culinary excellence is hard to beat. I have been here more than once and highly recommend the sweet and sour chicken (pictured above), the broccoli and tofu stir fry, and the dumplings! 

Zhangliang Malatang This Chinese restaurant chain is one of my all-time favorites! I have gone many times now and hope to go many more. It is a unique concept of a restaurant; instead of making you order from a server or pick a ready-made item from a buffet, this restaurant allows you to choose uncooked items to be made into a soup or stir-fry of your liking! When you arrive, you are given a bowl and some tongs. It is your task to decide what you would like to use the tongs to put into your bowl. There is a wide selection of meats, including lamb, beef, sausage, and bacon, to name a few. There is also a wide selection of tofu, vegetables, and noodles.  You take only what you want and none of what you don't. I like to go to this restaurant with groups of friends and family because it is fun seeing how different each bowl is; in my experience, no two bowls come out identical, and instead they are as unique as the people who assemble them.  When you reach the end of the line, you...

The Noodle The Noodle is one of Berkeley's hidden gems nestled into the downtown area serving lunch and dinner every day of the week except for Monday. A small, casual and down-to-earth Thai eatery that make flavor-packed food at a snappy pace, this is the place to go when you are hungry and craving an exotic yet still homey and comforting plate of Thai food. The lunch and dinner menu is extensive; you will find a variety of salads, soups, stir-fries, appetizers, and noodle dishes, all created in their signature authentic Thai style. You can customize the spiciness of the dishes to your own spice tolerance. The freshly prepared food will be served hot in an aesthetically pleasing style.  Because of the welcoming environment and quality of the food, it's a great place to branch out and try new dishes. I am always finding new favorites. For example, my long-time favorites at this restaurant were the larb and the Pad Thai, but then I tried the Pad See Ew and fell in love. My favor...

Anchalee Thai Cuisine    Anchalee Thai Cuisine is one of my favorite restaurants in Berkeley. My family and I frequent this place not only for the food, but also for the welcoming, peaceful ambiance.  We first stumbled upon Anchalee Thai Cuisine by chance; we were hungry and drawn in by its aesthetic appeal and the smell of good food. It was well-decorated and looked quite appetizing, and the smell of Thai spices wafted toward us. It is a sit-down restaurant where you wait a considerable amount of time for your meal to come. We came in for the first time and were met with courteous service. The waiters took their jobs seriously and were knowledgable enough to answer all of our questions about the menu. This good service has been replicated each and every time we have returned, and we have returned many times! The menu is full of many options; there are plenty of things to try, including noodle dishes, stir fries, and curries. The Pad Thai is exquisite, one of the best I'v...