EL DELFIN **'

Looking for soup and menudo, so we ended up at El Delfin.  The menudo was full of tripe in a thick and deeply flavored red broth.  The tendon and tripe were prepared so that each piece was thin and tender.  My only issue with the dish was that the stew broth was too thick and strong, almost a stew. 

The chicken soup was more of a soup with good chicken flavor and chock full of vegetables.  One of the better chicken soups I've had in the Mission.  Perhaps it was because they were busy, but I recall that they used to serve freshly fried tortilla chips.  No such chips on this occasion.  In any case I'll trade the fresh tortilla chips for the comfort that they'll be in business for a while.  I was glad to see that they were busy, I used to worry about them a little when I so often found the place empty.

Everytime I dine at El Delfin I get either the prawns with chile de arbol or with chile chipotle.  Yes, I know, a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.  I just can't help myself, I'm a chile head.  This time I went for the chile de arbol which was exactly as I remembered it, buttery, garlicky and addictively spicy.

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PAGAN**

Burmese

Moo Hin Nga (Cat Fish Noodle Soup) - Fish chowder with rice noodle, ground catfish, onion, garlic, and cilantro - better than Larkin Express.
Chin Hin Yee (Burmese Hot and Sour Soup) - too sour and one dimensional.
Tea Leaf Salad (Lap Pat Thut) - o.k.
Rainbow Salad (Lat Thut Song) - great balance of ingredients, tasty dressing, fresh and light.
Chin Mong Jaw with Shrimp - Burmese style sour vegetables sauteed with green chili, prawn, and bamboo shoots - unique sour flavor remind me of a particular collard green preparation.

Spicy Eggpant with Dried Shrimp
Traditional Shrimp Biriyani Rice
Burmese Style Curry Lamb
Burmese Style Curry Chicken - more flavorful than the lamb, but not notable.
Burmese Style Fish Cake Curry - fish cakes were salty, but curry was fine.

Nan Pia Dok (Flat Noodles Chicken Curry) - good noodles, cooked perfectly blended well with the curry.
See Jyet Kaukswer (Pork) - simple noodles with a bit of fried pork and a little kick at the end.
Palata - excellent.

Get again: Rainbow Salad, Nia Pia Dok, Palata, also good: Moo Hinga Soup. Next time try another soup and a tofu dish.

PANDA COUNTRY KITCHEN ***

Lunch at Panda Country Kitchen. Spicy Beef Tendon is thinly sliced and better than Spices! version.



Did not like noodles overcooked doughy and bland. Fish fillets were fine though they had a texture that clearly indicated that they were from frozen fish.



Hot Boiled Beef excellent spicy with deep beef flavor and tender slices of meat. The MaPo is authentic, spicy, and has fresh soft tofu, but the sauce was a bit flatter tasting sauce than other places.



Geary at 11th