Irving St – Secret of San Francisco

So, Irving St is just a block South of the Golden Gate Park and hence close to the house. It is  like amazing.

So, this is the first meal on Irving. Irving, I can tell, is going to be a source of constant enjoyment. There are restaurants from all over the world just running down both sides of the street. What’s more there is something about these restaurants that calls to me. They are cheap, they are unpretentious and I feel they are going to be good. How many restaurants?  50 maybe. Japanese, Mexican, Spanish, Californian, Korean, Thai, Singapore, Russian, Italian, Hamburger, Eritrean, Irish – two eggs, two sausage, white pudding, black pudding, toast, coffee $9.95 – and oh yes Chinese, about 20 Chinese.

Dim Sum

Lebanon

Deli with Vietnamese Sandwiches

Israel

This where I had lunch

I am eating Japanese.    “Saiwaii Ramen,”  2240 Irving – 8 tables, big front window looking onto the Happy Bakery and Dr James.G. Nickolopoulos’ Foot Clinic. I eat a grilled squid and a raw tuna salad. I drink green tea.   The tea by the way just keeps coming. The staff is constantly aware of how much is in the ceramic mug and keep it filled. The background music is Lady Gaga. Everyone in the restaurant is Asian and no one is speaking English, except for the owner who breaks from Japanese when someone leaves. “Thanks so much guys.”

Well, thank you – the squid was fresh and served with a soy ginger sauce. Raw Tuna with a spicy dressing served on a fresh green salad. All beautifully presented on Japanese ceramics. A quality meal.  In France this sort of food you get for $60 with a strong whiff of pretention.

The bill is $ 18.29. I can’t wait to come back.