It’s hard to get excited about anything when 2020 feels like a dumpster fire, but food (and my dog) always bring a bit of lightness to my life. These last few months, I’ve tried some new things and have relied on old favorites.

If you’re looking to try something new, maybe this list will inspire you! Let’s go ⬇️

1. Fumi Curry and Ramen

It had been on my list to try Fumi Curry and Ramen for a while, but it was all the way down in Bernal Heights…hence a trek from where I was. It was a cold night in July (?) and I was craving something really hearty and warm, so I was excited to see this restaurant was doing delivery on Doordash.

Alan and I both got curries (I got the pork katsu) and we split the chicken karaage. It was exactly what I wanted! The curry arrived warm enough, but I wanted it piping hot so I had to microwave it for a minute. The katsu and the karaage were both still crispy and the latter also came with a mildly spicy mayo sauce which was good.

2. Dalgona Lattes

It feels so long ago that dalgonas were all the rage, but there’s something about them that I just love. Maybe it’s because each flavor is so adaptable and can be combined with so many other things?

I have dalgona latte recipes and matcha dalgona recipes on this blog, but I’ve been testing out hojicha recipes lately too. I’m telling you — the possibilities are truly endless! Hopefully, I’ll have those recipes ready to share soon.

Whenever I start the day with a dalgona, I automatically feel fancier and like I’ve accomplished something (that sounds sad typing it out lol). Alan jokes about the calories that are probably in each of them, but you know what I always say? YOLO

3. Good Luck Dim Sum

There are few things that make me happier than dim sum. I seriously miss the restaurants with the semi-sassy Chinese women pushing carts around and freshly made zha liang (fried Chinese donut wrapped in a fresh rice roll) from the kitchen. In times like these, I’m glad there are some good dim sum shops in SF like Good Luck Dimsum!

I’d always heard how good it was, but I never went until a few months into shelter-in-place. Now, I’m pretty much addicted! This place is always busy with a line to the corner of the street — partly because Ali Wong is a fan and partly because they have good food. A favorite activity has been to go to the Richmond Farmers Market on Sundays and then grab dim sum afterward.

We bring it home to eat while watching TV, and it’s honestly a lovely, lazy Sunday activity.

4. Milk Bread

While everyone has been making sourdough or banana bread during SIP, I’ve been focused on something else: milk bread! I think I missed Asian bakeries (really not great spots during a pandemic with unwrapped bread all out in the open), so I wanted a little Asian bakery in my own kitchen.

Turns out milk bread can be just as temperamental as sourdough…I’ve made about 6-7 loaves since March and I’ve only been satisfied with 2 of them! The recipe that has worked best for me so far is this one from Kirbie’s Cravings if you want to try it yourself.

On the bright side, a bad loaf (bad in my opinion — Alan thought they were all fine) can still be used for delicious things. Amongst some of the things we’ve made, my favorites have been this Japanese egg sandwich in the style of Konbi, a famed restaurant in L.A.

We also made egg drop sandwiches with bacon, egg, and cheese. I saw these on YouTube and remembered having similar ones the last time we had at Egg Tuck when we were in L.A. The key is slow scrambled eggs that just “drop” from the pan into the pocket you cut into the sandwich bread. So good!

5. Beit Rima

Another spot we’ve ordered from more than once (and that has been consistently delicious) is Beit Rima. This Arabic spot became super popular last year, and I only had it once before SIP started but Alan never got to try it! We were in Daly City by chance one day to buy some things from Home Depot, so we ordered some takeout from Beit Rima while we were there. So good!

I generally love everything on the menu, but I’d say you really need to get the chicken skewer plate, fried potatoes, and, if you are sharing with someone, grab an order of the skirt steak too.

Now that I’m looking back, maybe 2020 was a little better than I thought? With only 3 months left, I need some new things to try.

So, what are you loving these days? Any particular restaurants or recipes that have caught your eye? Let me know here or on Instagram!