There was one particular lecture at the Asian Art Museum that I really wanted to attend, so on a lovely weekend not too long ago, G and I walked over to the museum instead of taking the bus or hailing a cab.
Since we didn’t have lunch yet, we decided to pop into whatever restaurant that looked interesting to us.
Ngoc Mai is a hole-in-the-wall, family owned restaurant located inside the Tenderloin neighborhood.
The Tenderloin neighborhood is sketchy for those of you not familiar with it. Tenderloin is crime-ridden with drugs and homelessness. On the plus side, there are some very delicious food coming from this neighborhood thanks to the predominantly Southeast Asian populations that have settled there in the recent decades. My hope is that the revitalization plans enacted by the City government can lower crime rate, help the needy, curb homelessness, and make this neighborhood a better destination for everyone.
Food here is pretty good. While I don’t remember what all the Vietnamese names are for the food we ordered, I tried to write the english equivalent, so you can get an idea of what we ate.
And the service here is really pleasant. The family is really nice and attentive.
What we had:
- Pho
- Fresh Tofu Rolls
- Rice Noodle Crepe with Crispy Shrimp
Ngoc Mai Restaurant | 547 Hyde Street | San Francisco, CA
ft. // la vie éclectique 
Those fresh shrimp rolls look excellent(I’ve been on a fresh roll kick as of late)! Hopefully they were as good as they look?! and the food collage looks great!
Ugh, it’s a mislabel. It’s actually tofu rolls and yes they were good. I also tried both the tofu and shrimp rolls recently at Le Cheval (one in Oakland and one in Walnut Creek) and they are both pretty good.