46189 Thu May 25 13:58:54 -0700 2006 19 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 229180 where in the bay area can one find the best roast pig preparations? willing to travel for delicious, crispy skin, and succulent porky meat. Thu May 25 13:58:54 -0700 2006 0 brian j 1 229182 Filipino church festivals? Thu May 25 14:03:27 -0700 2006 229180 0 Robert Lauriston 1 229195 There are several delis in San Jose that sell roast pig. My current favorite is Ton Tho Tuong on Santa Clara at 11th. 408.298-2257. Other San Jose sources: King Egg Roll, Story Road, just before McLaughlin (west on Story from 101). Marina Market, Senter Road and Monterey Road (just south of Capital Exp). I haven't purchased any in a couple of months, but it was ~$6/lb. Whole small/med/large roast pigs are available by special order. Would guess a med costs ~$150. Pigs today are much leaner than they used to be, loins can be dry. Thu May 25 14:52:58 -0700 2006 229180 0 Alan408 1 229198 If memory serves me correctly, Hung Ling used to have a pretty good roast pig. Thu May 25 14:57:49 -0700 2006 229180 0 Andy Copeland 2 229208 Hing Lung can be good. But basically, if you're in SF Chinatown, you really should walk around and take a look at the hanging roast pigs in the various places on Stockton Street. There's variation from day to day and you need to find the pig that's best that day with the right proportion of skin/fat/meat and ready to cut into the part that you want. Sometimes you see one with beautifully crackly skin, but the cut hasn't reached the section you want and you have to wait another 20 to 30 minutes for others to buy enough that it hits your sweet spot. For sit-down restaurants, my favorite suckling pig is at Koi Palace in Daly City. For very good roast pig with bubbly crackly skin cut off the bone, Hong Kong Flower Lounge on the dim sum menu or W&M Cafe in Fremont (link below). My brother was recently raving about the crispy pata at Toppings Too in Fremont, said it's the best he's ever had in a restaurant (i.e., not made at someone's home) with evenly crackly skin with no rubbery spots and juicy meat. I tried some of the leftover sisig from TT, thought it was great, so these folks understand pork. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/41848#202352 Thu May 25 15:19:34 -0700 2006 229198 0 Melanie Wong 3 229222 last time I checked W&M Cafe in Fremont was still there, haven't tried it yet. Just a correction: Toppings Too Restaurant (Filipino food) is in Union City. I'll have to check it out one day. Toppings Too Restaurant 3910 Smith St Union City 94587 510-429-1058 Link: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ewm6yJSLUbf2PLCxpUYI_Q Thu May 25 16:02:16 -0700 2006 229208 0 hhc 4 229227 Thanks for the correction --- here's a link to a post from last year that also recommends the crispy pata Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/35706#164349 Thu May 25 16:48:11 -0700 2006 229222 0 Melanie Wong 3 229258 Quick question... is crispy pata the same as Gum Tsin Hai Hup (cantonese: gold money crab box) -- last time I had this was in Macau at Tou Tou Gooy. The dish I've had is a bite sized piece consisting of a thin layer of pork meat with a thick layer of the fat and a layer of crispy skin, encased in a deep fried puff ball. Thu May 25 19:25:19 -0700 2006 229208 0 SU 4 229303 That's a fascinating description, gum tsin hai hup sounds delicious! But, no, crispy pata is a marinated then deep-fried pork trotter and usually served with a tart-sweet garlic sauce. How are you doing on your taste-testing of Macanese food? Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/293566#1606931 Fri May 26 03:47:10 -0700 2006 229258 0 Melanie Wong 5 229332 Actually, was going to do the Macanese for Mother's day, but Mom wanted to do it when all the family is there so we can try more dishes... so we shall wait until the lil bro comes back in June... which adds yet another entry on the very long "must try when everyone's in town" list. Fri May 26 12:58:49 -0700 2006 229303 0 SU 1 229199 I go to Gum Wah in Oakland Chinatown on 8th? This place was recommended to me by Philip Chu? of Nan Yang years ago when he had a restaurant in Ctown. I have also seen Vanni of Vanni's Thai fame eating there. Thanks for picking up my tab, Vanni. What my family really likes there are the spareribs. The roast pork is usually very good. I also buy roast ducks, cow yook (fatback) with taro and the jung (sweet rice tamales) with peanuts, hom don (salted egg yoke) and sweet pork morsels. Thu May 25 15:02:24 -0700 2006 229180 0 chocolatetartguy 1 229234 My brother tells me Ling Nam (sp?) in Daly City has good roast pig. It is a Filipino restaurant that serves a few Chinese items. If you're in the Pleasant Hill/Concord area, I like Country Square Market on Contra Costa Blvd. Go there around noon time you will have better luck. They sell out a lot of time by dinner. I really like the pork butt area as the meat is leaner and less bones. Thu May 25 17:22:21 -0700 2006 229180 0 theSauce 2 229246 Unfortunately, the crunchiest pieces of skin are on the fattiest cuts of pork. I usually try to buy off of the ribs as a compromise. Thu May 25 18:30:42 -0700 2006 229234 0 chocolatetartguy 3 229307 Someone once asked here what my favorite part of the roast pig is. I like the portion from the small ribs (#12 to 14) and the side flank/belly/bacon section. The meat is not as thick along this section and more of the seasoning rubs and marinade permeate the meat. The belly and rib meat has a silky smooth texture and the skin over these parts is usually bubbly and crispy. Yes, you are paying for bones, but the better flavor and texture are worth it to me. I don't like the butt, too lean and coarse and less flavorful. Image: http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/mcmancv/por/por1.gif Fri May 26 04:20:17 -0700 2006 229246 0 Melanie Wong 4 229344 Would that correspond to the shortend order at a soul BBQ joint? I usually try for that general area too. Sometimes I just want lean meat, but then I usually eat it with homemade soup noodles. Fri May 26 15:52:13 -0700 2006 229307 0 chocolatetartguy 5 229403 Bingo! At least I'm consistent, that's my BBQ order too when I can find it. If I want leaner meat, I'll get char siu instead and trim the fat off. When I get roast pig, I want the most glorious, fatty, crispy, delicious, tender parts. Fri May 26 20:46:09 -0700 2006 229344 0 Melanie Wong 6 229415 Sometimes I think about what I'm doing to my arteries eating chicharrones and roast pork skin and I order from the lean cuts. Those times also seem to coincide with the moments when the lean cuts are all that's left and I can't wait for a new pig out of the oven. Fri May 26 21:26:56 -0700 2006 229403 0 chocolatetartguy 1 229257 Try Ongpin in South San Francisco. They have "lechon," a filipino preparation of roast pig. The skin is absolutely crunchy and the meat is very moist. Thu May 25 19:09:51 -0700 2006 229180 0 kitty 2 229310 If you're closer to Vallejo, Andrea's (1109 Maple off Springs Rd) is the place to go for lechon. Different portions and sizes are available, and they'll give you a bucket of the lechon sauce with the larger orders (it's also available a la carte too.) Fri May 26 10:28:29 -0700 2006 229257 0 JojoA 3 2490194 Based on personal experience, Oriental Store in Vallejo (956 Admiral Callaghan Lane - between Hancock Fabricks and Starbucks) has THE BEST lechon. Their price is also very reasonable. They don't even charge you extra for getting a bigger pig, unlike Andrea's. Oriental Store also has filipino catering menu. I was asking my family and friends where to order filipino food from and they all said Oriental Store. I tried them and I wasn't disappointed (and neither was my guests). Tue Apr 17 16:50:51 -0700 2007 229310 92235 nicolette