Tu Lan - The Tenderloin, San Francisco

We're in San Francisco for a little vacay with the monsters and my parents this week, so I thought I'd share some of our experiences here. This was last night's dinner. :)

If you're planning a first trip to SF and do any research on the interwebs, you will likely find plenty of advice telling you to stay away from the Tenderloin district. Why? Because it's, how you say, seedier in some spots than most. However, you'll also find lots of articles telling you there's a pretty interesting food scene here as well.

Yes. It's all true what they say about this area.
There are hookers and homeless people
on the sidewalks. :)

But even Julia didn't mind passing a few hookers
and homeless peeps to get to some good grub.
I always knew she was my kind of broad.

But I personally like exploring interesting older neighborhoods and find that a purposeful walk and gaze go a long way in keeping what many would call "undesirable" elements at bay while taking in the character and variety that such neighborhoods have to offer.

And while I usually like to pick one or two dining destinations in advance, in densely populated neighborhoods like this, I like to keep my options open, walk around, and see what looks/feels like a high probability of some kind of deliciousness.

So that's what we did tonight. We went for a walk, turned right on 6th, and stopped at a little Vietnamese HITW that was bustling with activity and customers, that HITW being Tu Lan.

And even though I've grown up with plenty of really good Vietnamese food in OC's Little Saigon, much of it slightly to vastly different from the way things are prepared at Tu Lan, something about the vibe, the bustle, the sticky formica tables, the amazingly quick - as in quicker than any fast food joint you've ever been to - service, the incredibly reasonable prices, and what appeared to be a really big family working together to keep this thriving little joint working like a well oiled machine, made the food there delicious.

Dinner called for a couple of tall frosties. Because traveling with my ornery dad sometimes makes everyone, even my mom who never drinks, think they might benefit from a tall frosty. :P

If I weren't already in the neighborhood, I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there, but I'd certainly go back if the circumstances were right. :)

shinae

Tu Lan
8 6th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.626.0927
www.tulansf.blogspot.com