Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Noodle in a Haystack is a ramen pop-up that I have been following for about a year now. Through following them, I learned that they had been working on their yuzu shio ramen for a few years now, and that they started making their own ramen because the local selection wasn't great , especially after having gotten used to the ramen in Japan (I was pretty excited to know that I wasn't alone in this assessment, or that others have suffered from culture shock moving back to the States!). Before I went to Japan and had real  ramen, I wasn't that picky. After having Ichiran and a few other random places, I just wasn't able to eat ramen anywhere. Santouka became the only place that I would go to, but their ramen is only tonkotsu. I personally prefer miso ramen, so the tonkotsu is too heavy for me to enjoy frequently. At first, I wasn't sure about going to Noodle in a Haystack because it looked like it was $50 for ramen. Let me explain why it's more than just ramen,

Last month, I found myself with a free day with absolutely nothing that I needed to do. I haven't had one of those days in a long time so of course, I made my way to the beach to relax. Of course, before the relaxing can officially start, I needed to eat some greasy goodness that could only be made on a griddle, with some coffee that is only referred to as "regular" or "decaf." Pork Store Cafe 1451 Haight St. San Francisco, CA 94117 From 8:00am-9:00am every morning, the Pork Store Cafe has an early bird special. All of the reviews said to try the Pork Store Special which consists of two massive slabs of pork chops, two eggs any style, a generous serving of hash browns, and two slices of toast. If you go during the early bird special, this meal comes with a drink (mimosa, bloody Mary, juice, or coffee) for $10.99. If you miss the worm, you lose out on the drink and it's $15.95. Pretty solid discount if you make it early enough though. Just depends

Again, pardon me for being so delayed in my posts. It was bought to my attention that I never got around to posting about Ningxia Night Market (while I was helping my friend with is Taiwan itinerary) in Taipei. While Shilin and Raohe get the most attention, I have to say this is one of my go-tos. Especially for desserts.  Don't worry, I also checked to make sure that these places are still open. I hate reading blogs and getting excited about a place that is now defunct. Here are a few of my favorites at Ningxia Night Market. While it's not a huge night market by any means, it does have a great food selection. It's still worth a try if you haven't been yet. Note that it is a night market so if you go during the day, you aren't going to get much. I have found that going around 8PM isn't too bad, but if you get there around 9 or later, it gets super crowded and you just have to flow with the crowd. And be ok with having no personal space. Also, be ready to n