To Hyang – The flavors of earth
Recently, someone asked me how often I cook, I said not often at all, I spend most of my time at school trying either to speak some foreign language or to tell the computer to understand my version of its language. I cook maybe once a week, very simple stuff, like boiled bok choy. He then questioned the credibility of my taste. “Can you taste as well as someone who cooks a lot?” I believe so. I might not have the knowledge to make the dish or to fix its shortcomings, but fermenting the grapes doesn’t help an oenophile judge his wine. However, that got me thinking about what I would do if I had time to cook. I would like to work in a restaurant kitchen. It’s okay if I have to peel shrimps all day, I simply would like to look and learn from the inside. I’ve even picked out the place I want to work at: To Hyang.
Because I’d like to learn how to make kimchi, soybean paste, pickled bellflower, fried dry anchovies, and maybe infused soju from a Korean lady. Of course there are recipes online, which I tend not to read because they are too precise. But I’ve just heard too many good things about To Hyang, including Chef Im’s selection of various aging sauces, pickles, and garden plants, that I want to infiltrate her kitchen.
To Hyang - Dinner begins, banchan and a cup of persimmon infused soju
Not to mention her so gori chim (소 꼬리 찜, $18.99). Braised oxtail in a sweet, thick sauce with hard boiled eggs. Magnificent hard boiled eggs. The egg white got just the right springiness after the braise. The yolk wakes up memories of my mom’s thit kho trung for the Lunar New Year feasts. Though no doubt loved by everyone, this simple combination is not served often enough in restaurants, and when it is served, the portion is not enough for the whole table, especially a table with me. I can never have enough eggs simmered in a braised meat sauce.
The rest of To Hyang’s fixed menu is fairly standard of a Korean establishment, with kimchi jeon, soondubu, and bibim nangmyeon among others. A few recommendations from Chef Im’s daughter are the hand pulled noodle soup kalguksu, which we did not get, and the pork belly kimchi salad samgyeopsal muchim (삼겹살 무침, $15.99), which we did get.
It looks like a fiery truck load of paprika accidentally got dumped onto the plate, but it’s served cold, the pork belly is succulent as always, and the heat dissipates as quickly as it hits. It’s refreshing like mint ice cream.
On the left wall hangs a white board, hand scribbled, of the special du jour, the soju cocktails, and a list of house infused sojus ($15 each bottle). For the processed meat lovers (me), there’s budae jjigae (부대찌개), hot dogs and spam in a gochujang and kimchi soup. For the fish egg lovers (me), there’s al jjigae (알 찌게), a hefty lot of pollock roe in a mildly spiced stock with tofu ($15.99). For the fish lovers (not quite me), there’s kalchi jorim (갈치 조림), meaty beltfish and potato simmered in ganjang, garnished with bellpepper and white sesame ($15.99). With bones. So make sure to try this in the presence of an Asian if using chopsticks to pull off the flesh without disrupting the 200-bone fish skeleton is not your forte. I’m a useless exception of my race though, I still get bones dig in my throat even now.
So I prefer to go with the big bones, like chicken. At To Hyang, I first learned the proper (Korean) way to eat the chicken in the samgyetang (삼계탕, $22.99): put salt and pepper onto a plate (or any available surface), and dip a piece of chicken into it.
Although my dining company was more impressed with the spicy bubbling kamjatang (감자탕, pork rib stew with potato and greens, $13.99), and although the lack of the sam (ginseng) flavor in the samgyetang did leave me a bit unsatisfied, in hindsight that porridge-like soup, plain and fatty, is a perfect soothing finish to recover the tastebuds, which were numbed from too much chili powder. It also reflects just the character of To Hyang itself. In today’s tumultuous gastrosphere where everything is mixed with everything else and everyone is making a big deal about this or that food movement, this little Inner Richmond restaurant keeps a modest profile, no website, no long line in front (yet), a recent picture of our lady with Anthony Bourdain on the wall. Chef Im keeps her kitchen in order by herself, making food for the patrons the same way she’s made for her daughters, and preserving the “to hyang” (토향), the earthy flavors.
Address: To Hyang (토향)
3815 Geary St
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 668-8186
(Now only opened for dinner)
I haven’t checked in here for a while since I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I will add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂
1We absolutely love your blog and find nearly all of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. Would you offer guest writers to write content for you? I wouldn’t mind publishing a post or elaborating on a few of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome weblog!
2Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyways, just wanted to say fantastic blog!
3Respect to article author, some good entropy.
4Does your site have a contact page? I’m having trouble locating it but, I’d like to send you an email. I’ve got some recommendations for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great blog and I look forward to seeing it grow over time.
5hello!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your post on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
6Thanks for helping out, superb info. “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” by Eleanor Roosevelt.
7I am often to blogging and i really appreciate your content. The article has really peaks my interest. I am going to bookmark your site and keep checking for new information.
8Someone necessarily help to make critically posts I would state. This is the very first time I frequented your web page and to this point? I surprised with the research you made to make this actual submit extraordinary. Fantastic process!
9I have recently started a blog, the info you provide on this web site has helped me greatly. Thank you for all of your time & work. “Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.” by George Jean Nathan.
10I am commenting to make you understand of the terrific encounter my wife’s girl gained checking the blog. She came to find a wide variety of details, with the inclusion of how it is like to possess an ideal teaching heart to make a number of people without problems grasp specified impossible subject matter. You actually exceeded my desires. Many thanks for supplying the productive, trusted, revealing not to mention unique tips about your topic to Ethel.
11You should take part in a contest for one of the best blogs on the web. I will recommend this site!
12Thank you for all of your efforts on this web site. My mother loves participating in internet research and it’s really easy to understand why. Most people learn all of the compelling way you deliver efficient tactics by means of the web blog and even invigorate participation from the others on the topic and our child is actually being taught a whole lot. Enjoy the rest of the year. Your performing a pretty cool job.
13An interesting discussion is price comment. I believe that you should write more on this topic, it won’t be a taboo topic but typically persons are not enough to speak on such topics. To the next. Cheers
14I believe other website proprietors should take this website as an example , very clean and great user genial style.
15Outstanding post, I conceive website owners should acquire a lot from this web site its rattling user pleasant.
16I’m extremely impressed with your writing abilities and also with the structure on your blog. Is that this a paid topic or did you customize it your self? Anyway stay up the excellent high quality writing, it is uncommon to see a nice weblog like this one nowadays..
17Aw, this was a really nice post. In idea I want to put in writing like this moreover – taking time and actual effort to make a very good article… but what can I say… I procrastinate alot and certainly not appear to get something done.
18Hello! I simply would like to give a huge thumbs up for the good info you’ve got here on this post. I will probably be coming back to your weblog for more soon.
19With everything that seems to be developing throughout this subject matter, a significant percentage of viewpoints are very radical. However, I appologize, but I can not give credence to your whole strategy, all be it radical none the less. It appears to everybody that your remarks are not completely justified and in actuality you are yourself not wholly confident of your point. In any event I did enjoy reading it.
20you are actually a just right webmaster. The website loading velocity is amazing. It sort of feels that you are doing any distinctive trick. In addition, The contents are masterwork. you have performed a magnificent task on this subject!
21Thanks , I have just been searching for info about this subject for a long time and yours is the best I have came upon till now. However, what concerning the bottom line? Are you certain about the source?
22You really make it appear really easy with your presentation however I find this matter to be really something which I believe I’d never understand. It seems too complicated and extremely extensive for me. I am looking ahead to your next submit, I’ll attempt to get the hold of it!
23you have a great blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
24As soon as I discovered this site I went on reddit to share some of the love with them.
25I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post…
26Would you be all in favour of exchanging hyperlinks?
27I like this post, enjoyed this one thankyou for putting up.
28Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I will be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
29I have been surfing online more than 3 hours these days, but I by no means discovered any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth sufficient for me. In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made excellent content material as you probably did, the net will probably be much more useful than ever before.
30I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this website. I’m hoping the same high-grade website post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own web site now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings fast. Your write up is a good example of it.
31After study a few of the blog posts on your website now, and I truly like your way of blogging. I bookmarked it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back soon. Pls check out my web site as well and let me know what you think.
32Howdy! This is my first comment here so I just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I genuinely enjoy reading your blog posts. Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that deal with the same topics? Thanks for your time!
33We’re a bunch of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with helpful information to paintings on. You have done a formidable task and our entire group will be thankful to you.
34Outstanding post, I think people should learn a lot from this blog its really user genial.
35Whats up very nice site!! Man .. Excellent .. Amazing .. I will bookmark your blog and take the feeds alsoKI am satisfied to find so many useful info here within the submit, we’d like work out extra strategies in this regard, thanks for sharing. . . . . .
36I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.
37观点很清晰，例子也很贴切，对我帮助很大，谢谢！. Really appreciate the detailed explanation.
38Hey there this is kind of of off topic but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML. I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding experience so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
39Thank you for providing this great information. I really like your website. Many thanks for giving me the opportunity to comment on your website. I hope more engaging articles from you in the coming days.
40소액결제현금화(휴대폰깡·모바일깡)의 뜻과 수법, 정보통신망법 위반 처벌 수위, 실제 처벌 사례와 이용자 피해, 급전 필요 시 합법 대안까지 정리했습니다.
41소액결제현금화(휴대폰깡·모바일깡)의 뜻과 수법, 정보통신망법 위반 처벌 수위, 실제 처벌 사례와 이용자 피해, 급전 필요 시 합법 대안까지 정리했습니다.
42누누티비의 서비스 종료 이력과 같은 이름의 사이트를 확인할 때 알아둘 내용을 정리했습니다. 드라마·영화 다시보기 제공 여부, 회차·자막·화질 확인 방법과 자주 묻는 질문을 살펴보세요.
43광주호빠를 찾는 분을 위한 광주광역시 예약 안내. 라운지 분위기, 인원별 공간 선택, 가격 상담, 첫 방문 준비와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하고 원하는 일정에 맞춰 문의
44광주호빠를 찾는 분을 위한 광주광역시 예약 안내. 라운지 분위기, 인원별 공간 선택, 가격 상담, 첫 방문 준비와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하고 원하는 일정에 맞춰 문의
45여기여에서 검색·콘텐츠·학습·디자인·개발·생활 분야의 링크모음과 주소모음을 살펴보세요. 사이트 주소 확인법, 모바일 이용법, 북마크 정리, 접속 문제 해결 방법과 FAQ를 안내합니다.
46you are really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is incredible. It seems that you are doing any unique trick. Also, The contents are masterwork. you have done a magnificent job on this topic!
47Wonderful article! Keep sharing more interesting content. Very helpful article, thanks again.
48Im no longer positive the place you are getting your information, however good topic. I must spend some time finding out more or figuring out more. Thank you for magnificent info I was looking for this information for my mission.
49광주호빠를 찾는 분을 위한 광주광역시 예약 안내. 라운지 분위기, 인원별 공간 선택, 가격 상담, 첫 방문 준비와 자주 묻는 질문을 확인하고 원하는 일정에 맞춰 문의
50