Tofu Yu

Today I took a much anticipated trip to Tofu Yu, a deli and cafe dedicated to tofu. As much as I love fake meat, tofu is by far my favorite food. You can see why I would be excited about this place. Their website looks sharp and the online menu has a lot of tasty sounding dishes. However, when I went in today it wasn't quite what I had expected. From what I gather, the sandwiches are made to order and the other food on their online menu can be found pre-made in the deli case. I showed up in the afternoon so maybe they sold out of a lot of their already prepared items. I was excited to try things from their website like tofu sushi rolls, tofu skewers, fried tofu sandwiches or tea smoked tofu but I didn't see them on the menu inside or in the deli case.

I ordered the BBQ tofu sandwich. It was good, but also weird. The tofu is pressed into thin sheets, which I guess makes it interesting, but it doesn't taste or feel like tofu. It kind of reminded me of fake deli meat before soy meat got tasty, like yves brand in the 90's. From the look of the food in the deli case the soy chicken is made of the same tofu sheets. Instead of the usual sandwich veggies, my sandwich came with cabbage and pickled onions, again, not bad but definitely strange.



I really want to like this place, so I'll try it again. I think it is more appealing for vegans than regular vegetarians. They serve Maggie Mudd's ice cream, have vegan mac and cheese, and special desserts like tofu cheese cake. They gave me a sample of the cheese cake and it was actually really good. They also sell their own tofu in different flavors and veggie meat balls. When I go back, I'll make an update.


Tofu Yu
2929 Ninth St. (at Ashby)
Berkeley
510 665 TOFU

Ike's Place

Ike's Place a sandwich shop in the castro with options for vegetarians, vegans and even meat eaters. Ike's has really unique sandwiches, with combinations of ingredients I would have never thought of. I find myself day dreaming about Ike's, and longing for a juicy, tasty fake meat sandwich all week long. I can only make it there on the weekends but that just makes me savor the experience that much more. My favorite sandwich is the veggie Al Bundy. It has smoked veggie turkey, avocado, gouda and french dressing. It's incredible, huge, satisfying and everything I could want on a sunday afternoon. Here's a picture to really get an idea of the goodness going on here:


I went there twice over the weekend so I decided to branch out and get something other than the bundy sandwhich. I ordered the veggie Heart of the Castro; veggie turkey and brie. Thinking about it is making my mouth water. I love having the option of not only getting veggie meat on my sandwich, but also exciting cheeses like brie or gouda. The sandwiches come with the usual fixings and something called dirty sauce, which from what I can tell is a yummy take on mayo. They also have vegan dirty sauce and vegan cheese for those who need it.

The veggie meat they use here is really good, but nothing you can't find at safeway. I think it's smart deli smoked turkey or something similar. The veggie meat isn't what makes the sandwiches stand out though, so the smart deli veggie meat totally works. They also have a lot of sandwiches with veggie meatballs but I haven't tried those. I would like to see them carry more types of veggie deli meat. Maybe veggie ham, veggie bacon, or even veggie roast beef! Just imagine the possibilities!

Another thing I like about this place is that Ike himself works there, and so does his mom. How cute. Also I hear my friend Dante knows Ike and helped to convince him to make vegetarian sandwiches along with meat ones. Way to go Dante.

Patience is something you should have when eating here. The place is really popular, they make a damn good sandwich and its no secret. When you order a sandwich expect a wait, but it will be worth it. I will often call mine in in advance, and they will give me a precise pick up time, which I like because it eliminates the wait.

Ike's Place
3506 16th St
(between Prosper St & Sanchez St)

San Francisco, CA 94114

415 553 6888

Bang San

Last week I had dinner at Bang San. It occupies the space that used to be Meekong. I never ate there so I can't say if I like it better although I've been told Meekong is far superior to Bang San. But thats neither here not there, because Bang San is open and Meekong is not! Bang San has a vegetarian section of their menu where you can order tofu and gluten dishes. Thats cool, but what I really like about this place is that you can order ANYTHING off the menu and have the option to have to made with veggie chicken, veggie ham OR veggie beef. Its really good veggie meat too, the type of stuff you could find at Layonna's or Golden Era. I ordered the fried chicken over fried rice, and pad kee mao with veggie beef. Both of which were delicious.

Veggie fried chicken over fried rice:


The restaurant itself doesn't have much character and kind of smelled like death the last time I was there, so if you are looking for a fancy night out you might wanna try some where else. But the veggie meat is bomb, they stay open until 11, and they deliver so I'm pretty siked on this place.





Bang San Thai
791 O'Farrell St.
San Francisco, CA
415 928 2772