Celebrating Bay Area Asian Cuisine

The Bay Area is a melting pot of cuisines ranging from Korean Army stew to Japanese sushi, from Burmese mohinga to Taiwanese scallion pancakes.

“The contributions of individuals like Soleil Ho, Adam Paul, and Julie, along with innovative restaurants such as KaoKao, Nisei, and Burmese Superstar, have played a pivotal role in celebrating the diverse culinary heritage of the Bay Area.”

Being a chef in the Bay Area can be challenging. So much so to the point where anything could ruin the business. Adam Paul, the sous chef at Chotto Matte, claims, "First of all, you can't drive your guests away. People will want to have to come to your restaurant." which is challenging enough as the rich and diverse amounts of competition around you pressure you to get better and better quality food. But even though that is a huge challenge, Asian cuisine is dominant here, and so much so that it is incredibly similar to real Asian cuisine.

When it comes to Asian cuisine in the US, one of the first places that pops up in mind is the Bay Area. This specific part of California is known for its authenticity to Asian cuisine. Here, you can expect your mouth to be singed by spices, blasted by rich and umami-packed goodness, and delectable sweets you want to take more bites of even when your clothes are smothered by flakes of cookies.

And yet, that's just the start. Wait until you see the behind-the-scenes of many restaurants and why they are responsible for the phenomenal success of the Bay Area’s food. 

Chotto Matte

However, when comparing the food, we need to have something to compare. So, on my trip to Taiwan, I went to an authentic Michelin-star restaurant in Xinbei, called Golden Formosa Restaurant. From there, you can usually expect extremely tender pork that falls apart when in your mouth. You are also served lots of soups, each with distinctive rich flavors that are meaty and chunky. Finally, each noodle or grain of rice is incredibly well-seasoned, perfect to the bite, and overall very pleasurable to eat.

Now coming back to the Bay Area, Asian food is significantly easier to produce than in other locations as the dense population of Asians here is outstanding and dwarfs other regions of the US. However, even when creating foods like this, food critics, like Soleil Ho, always make sure to test different foods and compare.

Soleil has one of the most important positions in the Bay Area. As a food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, her reviews can either benefit or ruin the reputation of a restaurant. And she has done this for a while now. As Soleil says, “I was a food critic for four years, and it was really interesting. I ate at restaurants six days a week and every week, I wrote a review of a new restaurant and it was very exciting. I would go all over San Jose, San Francisco, Napa.”

Burmese cuisine

While Soleil’s position in the community is to judge the food and explain everything about it, Adam Paul still works hard to maintain a great restaurant. Although he has a lot to manage now, he wasn’t always like this. As he put it, “I ended up working for a friend of our family at their restaurant. We sat 45 people. And no walk-in refrigerator. It was just good food, done right.” After years of work experience at his old restaurant, he now works by serving fine Japanese and Peruvian-inspired dishes.

Looking back into the past may also be helpful to know how things have evolved over the years. The Chinese Historical Society of America claims, “As thousands of Chinese made their way to California during the Gold Rush of 1849, they brought their cuisine and established the first Chinese restaurant in North America—Canton Restaurant.” The sudden influx of Chinese immigrants during the gold rush is what caused not only the first Chinese restaurants but the boom in Asian cuisine.

In our modern day, we see that sometimes, just one cuisine isn’t enough. Many restaurants constantly intertwine different food cultures known as fusion cuisine. According to Cesar Hernandez, however, “For Tony Huang, owner of KaoKao Grill in Berkeley, the classification of his restaurant as ‘fusion’ started as an accident: A Yelp representative, who was helping Huang set up a page, described the restaurant’s concept as fusion. After all, Kao Kao presented a middle ground between American barbecue and Chinese cuisine. By using the term, customers exclusively seeking smoked brisket or traditional char siu would understand that KaoKao does things differently.” Those who are familiar with either distinctive American or Chinese dishes would know that the food at KaoKao weaves a common thread between both cuisines.

Photo credit: Virginia Miller

Many restaurants have jumped onto this approach and are incorporating all aspects of Asian cuisine. Virginia Miller, a food critic at World of Mouth, suggested tons of amazing places to dine. Some of these are places like Nisei where she claims, “The menu is tasting-only, featuring unconventional flavors that embody both traditional Japanese ethos and Yoshimura's innovative culinary approach. Notable dishes include the Dorayaki, a playful and decadent twist on Japanese pancakes.” Nisei's creation of many diverse courses reflects the demand for innovative fusion instead of exclusively traditional. This is what drives the opening of new restaurants in the Bay Area.

Omar Mamoon, another food critic at World of Mouth, tried Burma Superstar, a place that propelled Burmese cuisine. As he put it, “The Bay Area was at one point home to one of the largest Burmese immigrant populations in America, and Burma Superstar was the restaurant that helped popularize the cuisine in San Francisco.” As for the food, Omar claims, “From super savory soups like mohinga (a fish-based noodle soup) and oh no Khao soi (creamy coconut chicken noodle soup) to funky and fermented tea leaf salads, the original location of Burma Superstar on Clement St is a great way to explore the wonderful and complex cuisine.” Here, he describes highlights like mohinga, a fish-based noodle soup, and oh no khao soi, a creamy coconut chicken noodle soup, as well as "funky and fermented tea leaf salads."

Bay Area restaurants are currently mixing Asia’s cuisines, but the baking world has also been celebrating Asian heritage in its pastries, cakes, and bread.

Kyrie Sismaet from San Francisco Magazine describes most Asian pastries as ranging “from lusciously creamy golden egg tarts to rich mooncakes and perfectly toasted pineapple buns…Asian pastries are wonderful delights to indulge in. The Bay Area's large and diverse AAPI population yields several cute and irresistible pastry shops that deliver the highest quality of baked cultural treats.” 

Kailyn Webster also enjoys Asian baking but focuses on the Korean part of it. She explains how places like Paris Baguette, Baker’s Village, Tous Les Jours, and EWHA Dang Rice Cake Bakery all have a similar baking style: “Despite this Western influence, Korean baked goods are not simple replications. There is a refreshing Eastern twist to these age-old flavors—a sprinkling of sesame seeds, an infusion of green tea, a filling of sweet red bean paste. The bread is not as dense, but pillowy. Sugar is not doled out with a heavy-hand, but instead with self-restraint, resulting in an unobtrusive sweetness. Fortunately, Korean-Americans have brought their approach to baked goods to the Bay Area, providing this pleasing blend of two hemispheres. Here is a list of our favorite South Bay Korean bakeries.” She describes the pastries as a perfect mix of flavors and textures.

The contributions of individuals like Soleil Ho, Adam Paul, and Julie, along with innovative restaurants such as KaoKao, Nisei, and Burmese Superstar, have played a pivotal role in celebrating the diverse culinary heritage of the Bay Area. Their commitment to infusing flavors and techniques from various cultures has not only redefined the Bay Area culinary scene but has also ignited a dialogue about cultural representation and appreciation. 

The fusion cuisine exemplified by these individuals and establishments has underscored the importance of recognizing the rich traditions that make the Bay Area a unique and vibrant place to savor delicious and innovative food. It is essential to acknowledge that while fusion cuisine brings new and exciting culinary experiences, traditional Asian cuisine continues to be integral in preserving and honoring the authentic flavors and techniques that have been passed down through generations. Both fusion and standard Asian cuisine play vital roles in shaping the evolving landscape of Asian cuisine in the Bay, contributing to its richness and diversity.

Works Cited

Hernandez, Cesar.  “People love to hate this style of food. But now it’s cool again in the Bay Area.” SF Chronicle, https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/restaurants/article/fusion-cooking-19212494.php. 

Gagliardi, Marcia. “Lily.” World of Mouth, https://www.worldofmouth.app/restaurants/lily 

Mamoon, Omar, “Burma Superstar.” World of Mouth, https://www.worldofmouth.app/restaurants/burma-superstar. 

Sismaet, Kyrie. “Grab A Traditional Pastry At These Best Bay Area Asian Bakeries.” San Francisco Magazine, https://sanfran.com/best-bay-area-asian-bakeries