consume: slurp alley@seafood city serramonte

I'm making my birthday party as Filipino as I know. Besides bamboo plates and brown kraft paper to decorate my tables, I went to Bev Mo in Daly City to buy San Miguel beer, and while there, the store clerk and I conversed as she told me I needed to go to the spanking brand new Filipino grocery store, Seafood City just up the hill from the Serramonte Mall. I was going to eat at the oyster bar at Jagalchi for dinner, but thought, sure I'll try that ramen bar she raved about. Also I needed to find the fruit in syrups and nata de coco jelly for the halo halo bar at the party. Holey moley was this store stocked.   

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I get easily overwhelmed by too many choices, but decided on jars of jackfruit, tapioca balls, and macapuno in addition to the coconut jelly. I also am omitting the adzuki or monngo beans in the dessert as they're not my favorite though I could change my mind when I go back for the ube and mango and coconut ice creams. I'll likely look for those little tropical bananas and fresh mango and pineapple too to add to the ice machine bar. While there, I bypassed the Grill City and went to the recommended noodle bar. I studied the menu...

I looked at what other people were slurping.

The couple whose soup I kept eyeing and salivating for me told me they had ordered the beef bone marrow soup. The corn and that fried garlic and grisly beef looked scrumptious. We Asians appreciates textures and chewiness.

 

Darn it the sabao place was out of pork belly, and I chose the boring Beef Pares.

The restaurant smells like sterno because a bowl of soup comes out boiling atop a furiously hot cast iron. Dramatic I tell you, but very satisfying. I ate the noodles first as I hate when they get less than al dente. I think the hack for next time is to immediately spoon them into the paper bowl and then use spoon and fork to sip scalding hot soup and nibble on meat and vegetables and in between chew noodles. I told neighbors that they needed to come with so we can sample different soups.