Old Town Cafe

4288 Dublin Boulevard
Dublin, CA 94568
(925) 833-8300
www.otcafe.com

During my West Coast culinary adventure we visited The Old Town Cafe, another Asian restaurant in Dublin's Ulferts Plaza. Ulferts Plaza is a multi-leveled outdoor mall with several restaurants (including previously mentioned Koi Garden), markets, and stores. The Old Town Cafe serves Singaporean cuisine. Singaporean cuisine is a delightful mix of influences, from Indian to Chinese.
The Old Town Cafe occupies a small square open space consisting of about thirty tables. It was early in the evening when we arrived and the place was not too busy, but as we continued our meal Old Town Cafe began to fill up with people of all ages.
Our meal began with the Roti Canai appetizer, which is a multi-layered Indian style flatbread served with a curry dipping sauce. As one of my companions put it, the flatbread was like an "Indian Croissant". The layers were buttery and flaky and the dipping sauce, similar to a South Indian Sambar, had just enough spice.


Next we ordered the Herbal Pork Rib Soup to share. The soup is stewed with 17 Chinese herbs, and served with Chinese Donuts, and crispy Tofu Skin. This soup was quite delightful. The broth had so many flavors from the different herbs, and the Pork was falling off of the bone. The Chinese donut, which was similar to a fried wonton, added the perfect amount of crunchy texture.


We then ordered three dishes to share: Butter Prawns, Singapore Old Town Tofu, and Singapore Noodle.
The Butter Prawns arrived lightly coated with a crisp batter and lying upon a bed of lettuce and Cilantro. The Shrimp were cooked perfectly, still adorning their edible shells. The fresh Cilantro added a great zest.


The Tofu dish was seriously delicious. The Tofu was also lightly coated with a batter, pan fried, and dressed with mushrooms, shrimp, and a satiny brown sauce.


And finally, the Singapore Noodles were perfectly cooked, savory, and presented with a cabbage slaw on the side.
All of the dishes we enjoyed were wonderfully prepared. The bustle of all the families that were also dining at the Old Town Cafe that evening added to the positive energy, creating a very welcoming atmosphere.
The Ulferts Plaza has so many tasty offering; one could eat three meals a day for days without getting bored. The Plaza is definitely an asset to the area, and I can't wait to return to continue the culinary adventures.

Koi Garden

4288 Dublin Blvd
Dublin, CA 94568
(925) 833-9090
www.koipalace.com


I am addicted to Dim Sum. My significant other and I cannot get enough of the little steamed and fried dumplings. We have been on the hunt for the best Dim Sum we can find. We have had a few adventures here in Cleveland, but our recent trip to the West Coast has opened our eyes and just made us want more and more.After getting off of the plane, we headed to get Dim Sum. We went to a restaurant called Koi Garden that was assured by our hosts to be the place to go in the Livermore area (specifically, Dublin) for Dim Sum.
So far, as I have mentioned we only have had Dim Sum in Cleveland before this, and Cleveland has nothing on Koi Garden. I don't know whether it was this place specifically or if it was the fact the West Coast has entirely different approaches to it's Dim Sum. Either way, we were in heaven.
Everything from the standbys of Steamed Pork Dumplings and Steamed Shrimp Dumplings, tasted lighter and much more fresh. We of course had to get the Taro Root dumplings, but we were surprised that they weren't as good as the ones we had enjoyed in Cleveland.
At Koi Garden we tried items we had not had before. For example we had a delicious mushroom cap stuffed with Ginger and Shrimp. It was served with a slightly sweetened glaze, and the mushroom had a nice earthy flavor. We also really liked the Cilantro and Shrimp dumplings. The flavor of the Cilantro melded perfectly with the shrimp, and you could tell they were made fresh and not too long before being served.
I always try to get some type of Tofu dish when ever we go, and this time we got the fried Tofu. The Tofu was served with a crust that was crispy, but a bit dense and cardboard like. With the dipping sauce, I kinda of enjoyed it, although my companions didn't really care for it.
We also ordered a dish of the Peking Duck. This duck was so tender and juicy, it was worth gnawing on the chopped bones.
We finished with the Sugar Egg Puffs. These babies are right up my alley. Light, sugary sweet, moist on the inside, and yet crisp on the outside. I had not seen these on any other Dim Sum menu as of yet, and will surely be looking for them from now on, they were that good.
Dim Sum is an addictive flavor adventure. I just can't get enough. Since we have been back from the West Coast we have already gone twice and I am sure we will continue to search for more savory or sweet selections no matter what city we are in.

California

I have just returned from a trip to the West coast so keep a look out for some posts of the tasty places that I visited while there. Specifically, Livermore, California and surrounding areas. The California sunshine just makes me feel good. It gives me that feeling of taking one of those all encompassing deep breaths that energizes and invigorates you. All the wine tasting didn't hurt either.
Also, I will be returning to Cali. again in a month or so, so there will be places from the San Francisco area coming soon.
Bon Appetit!