My Seattle: good tasty eats
Above/featured: Cambodian-Chinese cuisine, with seafood special on jasmine rice, and crispy shrimp rolls at upper-right. Phnom Penh Noodle House (CID) – 7 Feb 2017.
How far would I go for food?
The distance between Vancouver BC and Seattle WA is 232 kilometres (144 miles) which is a 2.5- to 3-hour drive or a slightly longer trip with the bus or train. Seattle is older than Vancouver by 27 years as incorporated cities (1869 vs. 1886), but despite relative proximity, I’m fascinated by the different paths by which both cities have evolved.
Seattle is famous for its coffee and for her people’s love of a good brew in a cup. With good coffee people want good food. And what’s even better is that these examples won’t bust your wallet.
CAUTION: The following food photos from Seattle you are about to see may cause sudden pangs of hunger. If you get a terrible case of the drools, I claim total responsibility.
From sight to craving
- 13 Coins (King St. Station/SeaTac)
- Aloha Plates (CID)
- Ballard Farmers Market (Ballard)
- Beth’s Cafe (Phinney Ridge)
- Fuji Bakery (CID)
- Mr. Saigon (Pioneer Square)
- Phnom Penh Noodle House (CID)
- Sunfish (Alki)
- Tai Tung (CID)
- Vietnamese (CID)
13 Coins
An American breakfast: chicken-fried steak, eggs, hash browns, toast, coffee: 13 Coins at Boren Ave and Denny Way, now closed – 9 Feb 2017 (6D1).
Aloha Plates
Loco moco rice plate with hamburger patty, gravy, fried egg over easy, steamed white rice, macaroni salad, cabbage: Aloha Plates, Uwajimaya, Chinatown International District – 4 Mar 2020 (X70).
Ballard Farmers Market
Warm comfort food for a brisk autumn morning: freshly grilled cheesy quesadilla stuffed with cabbage, carrots, kale, and bell peppers. Patty Pan Grill Cooperative, at the Ballard Farmers Market (Sundays) – 9 Oct 2016 (6D1).
Beth’s Cafe
Breakfast burger with a side serving of tater tots, Beth’s Cafe, Phinney Ridge – 7 Mar 2020 (X70); reopened July 2021.
Fuji Bakery
I chose the Ruby Red Danish (ruby red grapefruit, custard, croissant, glaze) and the Beef Curry (Japanese curry, veggies, organic ground beef): Fuji Bakery – 29 Nov 2016 (6D1).
For the trifecta of the tasties, I also chose the Bakers’ Sandwich, consisting of salmon, cream cheese, tomato, spinach, cheese, egg, milk, & cream: Fuji Bakery – 29 Nov 2016 (6D1).
Mr. Saigon
Shrimp and ham gỏi cuốn: spring rolls with rice noodles, lettuce, cucumber, cilantro wrapped in rice paper; served with peanut dipping sauce; ‘three little pigs’ bánh mì: Vietnamese sandwich with pate spread, pork belly, BBQ pork, Vietnamese ham, in-house mayo, soy sauce in fresh baked baguette. Mr. Saigon, Pioneer Square – 8 Mar 2020 (X70).
Phnom Penh Noodle House
“A different kind of Thanksgiving.” Clockwise from top-left: (1) crispy shrimp rolls with ground shrimp and pork rolled in a fried-tofu wrap, deep fried, and served with tamarind sauce (and devoured); (2) red curry with bamboo shoots, red and green bell pepper, tofu, and basil; (3) seafood noodle “nest” with prawns, scallops, squid, fish cake, Chinese broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and crispy egg noodle. Phnom Penh Noodle House – 24 Nov 2016 (6D1).
Sunfish
2-piece breaded halibut and chips, Sunfish, Alki/West Seattle – 6 Mar 2020 (X70).
Tai Tung
Beef in oyster sauce rice plate: this was Bruce Lee’s go-to dish at his favourite restaurant, Tai Tung, Chinatown International District – 3 Mar 2020 (X70).
Shrimp egg foo yung, Tai Tung, Chinatown International District – 6 Mar 2020 (X70).
Vietnamese (CID)
Competing Vietnamese subs. LEFT: $3.50 bánh mì special from Seattle Deli. RIGHT: $3 bánh mì special from New Saigon Deli and Grocery. One sub was dominated by the delicious savory thinly-sliced barbequed-pork; the other sub was “fuller” in flavour and texture. Both “extra meat special subs” were devoured in one sitting – 9 Feb 2017 (6D1).
I acknowledge my time on the traditional and ancestral land of the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish (Dxʷdəwʔabš) People past and present, and honour with gratitude the land itself and the Duwamish Tribe. I made all photos with a Canon 6D mark 1 (6D1) in 2016 and 2017; and with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime (X70) in 2020. This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-biR.
Last revised: 14 Apr 2021.
PostScript, 3 Jan 2020:
• Phnom Penh closed in May 2018, but they’ve moved to a new location in the CID.
• Seattle Deli closed 1 June 2019.
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