For the past few months, I’ve been peeking into the Nob Hill corner of Central and Amherst, the former home of Natural Sound. A small sign is posted in the window of the empty space. The poster says “Street Food Asia” and below it says “Dim Sum, Satay, Sushi and Noodles”. These are all the temptations I need to peak my curiosity. However, it took several weeks of research before I was lucky enough to get a connection in the UK. That person was kind enough to send an email to the new management of StreetFood Asia. Finally, I was able to meet Tai Tok, Paula Frahm, and Miguel Santana. Mr. Tock and Mr. Frahm are a married couple. Mr. Tok is an international hospitality consultant and most recently served as food and beverage director for his Development Corporation’s Route 66 Casino in Laguna and his Eagle Casino. Santana joins this venture with over 15 years of restaurant management experience. The trio will launch the designed concept, with Tock as executive chef, Frahm as front of house, and Santana (former food and beverage manager at Dancing Eagle) as general manager. To expand the taste buds of adventurous bruqueños. Street Food Asia employs a small group of experienced chefs to create menus that are typically found on the busy thoroughfares of hundreds of Asian cities. In these streets, a vendor often specializes in his one dish, which has been passed down from one to two generations. Then prepare simple meals for passersby, such as warm noodle bowls, exotic sandwiches, and spicy skewers of satay. Grilled fish, meat and vegetables. There are also refreshing drinks squeezed from fruits that people in the mainland United States have never seen before. Tok’s home country of Malaysia is a hotbed of cultural diversity, and many of these flavors permeate Asian street food. Similar to street food, order items from separate preparation stations such as Uncle Tai’s Soup/Noodle Bar, Auntie Paula’s Specialty Wok Bar, and Anthony’s Sushi Bar. The extensive menu includes many tried-and-true items such as pot stickers, tempura, dim sum, tapas platters, salads, pickles, refreshing teas and fruit-based drinks. Some culinary displays provide a visual aid to introduce new items. Depending on the station, there may be occasional guest chefs who bring even more variety to the day’s menu. You’ll find a new Malaysian twist on laksa, a spicy lemongrass and coconut curry with vermicelli noodles served with fish cakes and prawns. Contains Malay tamarind sambal, long kidney beans, red onions, green onions, and green peppers. Gado-gado is a vibrant salad of boiled potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, long green beans, cucumber, spinach, and other ingredients tossed in a spicy peanut sauce. Diners can choose from a dizzying array of sauces, toppings and garnishes. This is a vegetarian menu, but you can quickly add chicken, pork, beef, and seafood. The partnership is scheduled to open in late October or early November. Tok is inviting local charities to partner with StreetFood to raise funds for the organization during the restaurant’s opening weeks. If your organization would like to host a banquet or fundraiser, please contact Tok at taitok8@gmail.com for more information. In the meantime, we will wait patiently for StreetFood Asia to open its doors.
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