Saturday, June 15, 2024

Quick Review of Zen Yai and its Boat Noodles

Got out of CPMC Van Ness and needed late lunch, and decided to try Thai food, and Larkin has a bunch of Thai restaurants. Picked the closest, which happens to be Zen Yai, at 771 Ellis St.

Sat down, staff recommended beef "boat noodles", reasonable price of $15. Take a look at its picture to the right. 

You're looking at pork skin (chicharones), meat balls, mixed meat (with beef organs?) thinner rice noodles (even thinner than typical pho noodles), and some slices of beef (not visible). 

I have never had boat noodles before, and my closest point of reference would be Vietnamese pho, and there are definitely some similarities. However, these boat noodles have more organ meat, more complex flavor, and a lot of water spinach/kangkong? Very dark broth with a lot of mixings, not very beefy (or at least, not the kind of Vietnamese pho broth beefy), and not that salty either. 

Will probably go back to try some of the other dishes they have.

They also have pork boat noodles, which I guess would have more pork-based stuff than beef-based stuff. 

No comments: