I was up in the bay area last weekend and had this delicious bowl of spicy hand pulled noodles from the Imperial Tea Court in Berkeley. As the name suggests, it’s a place that serves tea. It was a nice day, so we had our meal on one of the small tables outside in the shade of a tree with spiral leaves.
The bowl of spicy noodle had just the right amount of heat, but I was confused as to whether it was a stir-fry noodle, or a soup noodle. The bowl had some liquid in it, so I thought it was noodles in broth, but the broth turned out to be pretty salty and spicy, so maybe it was just sauce. Either way, it was good. Next time I go up there, I want to try it with spicy beef.
I also ordered some shiu mai but those were disappointing. The home-made wrapper had a nice chewy consistency, but the filling was just too bland. I’m used to the strong flavors of the ones I get from dim sum.
I also paid a visit to Rivendell in Walnut Creek. From their monthly reader and what’s published on their website, I got the impression that all the people working there were a bit retro-grouch.
The people who I met there were really friendly and really knew about their bikes, but I was right about the retro-grouch part. It was a bit cute. This was the first time I’ve ever seen any of their bikes up close and in person. They’re gorgeous.
If I could afford another bike and had the room, I wouldn’t mind getting one of their road bikes. But I think I’d be scared of riding it and messing up the paint.
I didn’t bring home a bike, but I did bring home an awesome brass bell. It had such a rich and satisfying ring that I knew I picked the right bell as soon as I heard it. The only problem is that the mount is only big enough to mount on the lower part of my stem.
It takes some effort to get to, but I guess that way I’m not too ring-happy when I’m riding my bike.
Good lord. Those noodles look good. I’m famished.
Gonna be in PAS in a month or so. Need to take you up on that lunch meeting offer (from about a year ago, I think)
Awesome. I’m going to be out of the country from the 8th to the 22nd, but other than that, I’m free. E-mail me your info and we can go get some delicio food.