Pho-reaking delicious!

One of my favorite joints for a simple bowl of pho or Vietnamese food in San Francisco is PPQ Restaurant on 19th Avenue and Irving in the Outer Sunset. You can always locate it as you're walking down Irving St. because it's got a cardboard cut-out of a large cow standing in front! Suh-weet! They straight up tell it like it is. I like that. Honesty.

So, this joint serves up your standard Vietnamese fare, including bowls of pho, vermicelli and rice plates, egg rolls and spring rolls, and other noodle plates. The prices are very reasonable, ranging from $5-$8 for a generous entree, and the atmosphere is casual.

It's pretty fun to go here with large groups, because it's one of those kinds of joints. I also like taking tons of pictures at Vietnamese restaurants because the presentation of the foods is AMAZING and beautiful. Pretty plating and also, because many dishes normally use lots of herbs and vegetables, you have a natural infusion of bright leafy colors. Lots of green! Which is my favoritest of colors, as one can tell by my wardrobe.

Some select pictures of recommended dishes:














Five-spice Chicken with imperial rolls. I've never had this, but apparently, this is one of the signature dishes at PPQ.















I swear, there's actually more to this dish than just peanuts and vermicelli noodles! This is a vegetarian dish with nuts, silver noodles, mint leaves, herbs, and the veggie works! But yes, from the picture, it certainly does look frighteningly too nutty.















When I discover a certain food that I like at a particular restaurant, I tend to become a creature of habit and order that dish over and over again. This is one of my favorite dishes at Vietnamese restaurants, and I often get it because I know it will be stellar wherever I go. Charbroiled pork with egg rolls and chopped peanuts on top of vermicelli with a bowl of fish sauce! The charbroiled pork is cooked to perfection, with just the right amount of charred taste and tenderness. The egg rolls are always perfectly crispy. I've never had a bad egg roll in this dish. It's a safe and tasty choice! MMM! And at PPQ, it's #15! I recommend!

Now, let's sing a song!
T to the
A to the
S T E Y
Food
YOU TASTEY
T to the
A to the
S T E Y
Food
YOU TASTEY

ANYWAY.

Another good thing about PPQ is that it's located on Irving Street, which many consider to be the "New Chinatown." Not nearly as crowded or historical as San Francisco's Chinatown, Irving Street is where the local Chinese-American community go to get their hair cut, to eat out and grab a cup of tapioca (naw, we don't call that stuff "boba"! that's only for the SoCal crowd), to buy their groceries. There's a good mix of cute accessory and stationary shops, grocery stores (Sunset Super on 25th and Irving), Asian and fast-food restaurants, hair and nail salons, many bakeries, and even a Bay Area/Frisco merchandise and clothing store. The local high school kids at Lincoln and Lowell High Schools also come here to hang out and eat afterschool too, so expect to see lots of loud crowds of happy kids.

After you fill yourself up with a hearty lunch at PPQ, you should definitely stroll down Irving and grab yourself some tapioca and walk the calories off.

Walk it off!

Peace, love, and bullet-proof marshmallows!

Little Paris

Literally a hole-in-the wall on Chinatown's Stockton Street, Little Paris Coffee Shop serves up a mean sandwich, with the works! And at $2.50 to $3.00 each, it's definitely a bargain! Each six-inch sandwich is filled with a generous helping of cilantro, a combination of hams, radishes, carrots, and other goodies that typify a Vietnamese Sandwich. The French bread is warmed up for you, and as the woman behind the counter hands you the sandwich, it is still warm, crispy, and fresh. One of my favorite things to do on a sunny San Francisco afternoon is to take the 30-Stockton bus down Stockton, hop off in front of Little Paris, grab a sandwich, and stroll down Stockton Street to pick up random groceries and goodies, eventually reaching North Beach, home of Little Italy and even more food sights.
















Little Paris Coffee Shop
939 Stockton Street
San Francisco, CA 94108

The best part, besides the deliciousness, is the location! Stockton Street is the real Chinatown, where locals come to buy groceries and get the best deals. Tourist Chinatown is one block down on Grant Avenue, but Stockton Street is where the real living--and eating--happens.