3 places to try in Belmont
Treasure (510 El Camino Real)
I found out about Treasure, which opened in October, from David R. Chan, a retired tax attorney from the San Gabriel Valley who writes about Chinese American restaurants. He recently came to the Bay Area to check out many of the newest high-end Chinese restaurants, and declared Treasure to be his favorite current dim sum place. I have eaten at a few of his recs in SGV, so I knew I would enjoy a place that he praised so highly.
Now, I'm obsessed — can't wait to come back and try more modern dishes and dim sum. We also witnessed a Peking duck carving, which must be preordered, and wished we were at that table. The restaurant only takes reservations for parties of six or more — or if you're preordering duck, you can have a reservation for a smaller group.
Blue Sky Cafe (1625 El Camino Real)
A popular Cantonese restaurant, Blue Sky Cafe has been open since 1994, but I just visited for the first time earlier this year. Lines are common on weekends. It's known for homey claypot rice dishes, but the menu is huge and rife for exploration. No wrong answers here, as far as I can tell.
Jiro Cafe & Bakery (1094 Alameda de las Pulgas)
This is a charming takeout spot for Japanese snacks and bevs (including ceremonial-grade Uji matcha). When we hit it up after having lunch at Treasure the other day, we cleaned them out of their last desserts: premium hojicha pudding and yuzu cheesecake slices.
Next time, I'll pre-order some cat-shaped bread and go back to pick up some savory items; the onigiri and sandos looked super fun. There are also ice cream-topped cornetto, the Italian answer to a croissant.
ICYMI: this week's GOOD TASTE column suggests organizations to donate money or time to in the fight to alleviate hunger in the Bay Area.
Tamara Palmer
See you next weekend!
Tamara