We had really enjoyed our time visiting Petaluma and hitting the Cheese Trail, which was a great time. But, all things must come to an end, and it was time head back to SFO. But not before the really friendly cat came by to bid us farewell.
I'd planned a single stop on the way to the airport and we decided to getting Dim Sum at Zen Peninsula which had been recommended to us. A big plus was it was basically on the way to the airport. The small parking lot is quite odd here, since the dining room is one of those cavernous dim sum places.
We were hungry and ended up ordering way too much food....well, it didn't seem to be a lot when we ordered, but the portion sizes seemed quite large.
We were also quite surprised at how slowly this place filled up....a slow trickle of people. The place wasn't even full when we left at 1145. Anyway, on to the food.
The Missus enjoyed the Chicken Feet.
This was decently flavored, good soy, fermented black bean, but nothing special. Still, it was toe-sucking goodness to the Missus.
The Gailan was under-cooked; very crunchy, lacking in flavor.
The flavor of the Pork Neck was nice; sweet and savory.
But the Missus didn't care for the almost crunchy texture of it.
The portion size of the Soy Sauce Noodles was quite large.
This was ok if a bit too salty.
The Missus saw Turnip Cake with XO Sauce and automatically thought it would be like Sea Harbour.
No such luck Chuck. The flavor was on the milder side and the radish cake a bit too mushy for our taste. Still, not bad. One funny thing; we didn't want to waste food so ended up taking this on our flight.......nothing like the smell of XO sauce on Virgin America!
I saw the Mustard Steamed Pork Intestine and decided I needed to try it. It was very fragrant, and the "sauce" tasted good, though I wasn't a big fan of all the scum.
And while there were some bits that looked like part of the Piggy's last meal floating around; the pungency of the dish masked all of that. This also added to the pungency of our carry-on....I really felt bad. In fact, I made sure not to buy any washed rind cheeses so as to not bother other passengers.....and here I was bringing pork intestine along for the flight. Luckily, no one sat around us and the flight was relatively empty. I didn't see anyone sniffing around wondering "what the heck is that smell"......
One last item I wanted to try was the Duck Liver Sausage Bun. Think ducky lapcheong.
While I felt the steamed bun could have been a bit lighter....it seemed to be getting gummy pretty quickly; I liked the flavor. The Missus's Shandong roots betrayed Her as She declared this way too sweet.
In spite of what you might think upon reading to this point; this was a decent dim sum meal; nothing spectacular, but still better, and cheaper than San Diego. Of course the Missus wanted to head to the SGV as soon as we got home.
Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA 94030
We finished lunch a bit earlier than expected, so I decided to head over to Burlingame. I'd heard that one of the Tea Shops also made tea infused chocolates. After finding a parking spot, which was a lot more difficult than I anticipated, then wandering around a bit....the shop isn't the easiest place to find....we got to Rue Du Thé , which I believe is also named Leland Tea Company.
Really friendly folks. And while not on the same level....according to the Missus as Wine Country Chocolates, She did enjoy what She selected. Especially the chili infused chocolates.
Rue Du Thé
1223 Donnelly Ave
Burlingame, CA 94010
We really enjoyed our short trip to the Bay Area. In fact, the Missus is already planning a return....for more cheese!
Thanks for reading!
the chocolates sound good!
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 12 January 2016 at 10:37 PM
I met some friends for dim sum at Zen Peninsula a few years ago; I don't remember the food, but it was relatively empty for a weekend lunch. Hong Kong Flower Lounge isn't too far away, and that place is always packed.
Posted by: Sandy | Wednesday, 13 January 2016 at 07:29 AM
Mmm... I would have added the pork neck to the noodles. :-)
Posted by: Soo @ hungryones | Wednesday, 13 January 2016 at 09:58 AM
The Missus did enjoy them Kat.
We thought about HKFL sandy....but also knew it was going to be a madhouse. Just didn't realize that ZP would be that empty.
Too tough Soo.....would not have done well, unless sliced into small pieces...which would have been kinda odd at the table, no?
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 13 January 2016 at 06:56 PM
Our go-to dim sum in the Bay Area is always Koi Palace in Daly City.
So good!
But, it'll cost you an arm and a leg.
Posted by: Steve | Tuesday, 01 March 2016 at 12:48 PM
Hi Steve - We'd been to Koi Palace (return after a looong time) and were somehow not that impressed.
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2014/03/roadtrip-koi-palace-daly-city-18-years-later.html
I first visited back in 1996 when the place first opened and was wow'd...all these years later; not so much.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 01 March 2016 at 07:26 PM