GrubGirl.

Vik’s Chaat Corner
726 Allston Way
Berkeley
(510) 644-4412

If you live in San Francisco, it’s easy to forget how close Berkeley is. On a nice weekend, hop on the bridge for a short 15-minute drive over to the East Bay, home of the California Golden Bears (my alma mater).

Just off the University Ave. exit is an unexpected place to go for cheap, fresh Indian food. “Chaat,” as a friend told me, basically means “snacks”…and tucked in this industrial area is what looks like a garage-turned-cafeteria, serving Indian delicacies.

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Filed under: East Bay, South Asian, Meals from $5-15 per main course, Cuisine | No Comments »

Legendary Palace
708 Franklin St.
Oakland
510-663-9288

I kept hearing about having to go to Oakland to get true Northern dim sum, or to hit true Northern (Shanghai) Chinese restaurants. What’s the difference between regular (Cantonese/Southern) dim sum and that from the north?

All I can say is that Northern dim sum does other stuff than the small plates wheeled around on carts. You’ll see more bread & starch products. Mainly, soybean milk in sweet or salty format. It’s served in big bowls - larger than cereal bowls, smaller than…hmmm…. a large pasta serving bowl.

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Filed under: East Bay, China, Meals from $5-15 per main course, Cuisine | No Comments »