UlavacharU: Indian Restaurant in Sunnyvale, CA

Baigan Bharta, Rice and other dishes at UlavacharU in Sunnyvale.

Above and below: Goat Curry.

Above: Paneer Biryani. I'd never seen or experienced this dish before.

Pununkulu. Our visit was in late August, 2018. Everything we had here was utterly superb.

Amar Indian Cuisine in Fairfield

We returned to Amar Indian today (10/25/18) to check out their lunch buffet. Above you can see, from six o'clock going clockwise: Vegetable Biryani Rice, Goat Curry, Mango Dal with Curry Leaves, Roasted Eggplant, a small dollop of Chicken (Curry?), and Paneer Tikka Masala. The Green Curry in the middle is a Cilantro Curry with Shrimp. Just below the Biryani Rice is a small quantity of Coconut Chutney. Everything was as superb as usual. Place was pretty packed. This was my first plate.

Here's my 2nd place with more Rice (Veg Biryani) and Goat Curry (which was tender and melt in your mouth exquisite), but this time I got a couple of new things including Tandoori Chicken (great as always), and Punukollu Lentil Balls, stuffed with cilantro and red onion, which I ate with Coconut Chutney.

Punukollu.

Robin's first plate.

Mango Dal to the left.

Chicken dishes on the buffet.

Chutney, pickle, sauces.

Goat curry on the left. Blurry shot because I was so excited they had it.

First time through the buffet line, when they were almost out of Punukollu. Coconut chutney to the right.

Andhra Chicken Curry at Amar Indian Cuisine in Fairfield.

We've just recently heard about this Indian restaurant in Fairfield that opened in a space where Indian buffets were being done. Amar still hosts lunch buffets, but they doubled the space and are also serving exquisite Indian dishes for dinner. 

Methi Palak Channa/Paneer.

Mutton Daar Kuruma.

Nizami Chicken Curry.

All 3 of the above dishes on one plate. Note the whole spices at the edge of this plate. This was from our first visit in September 2018. We were instantly hooked, and have been talking about returning ever since.

Above and below: a Chaat dish, Dhaki Bhella, served cold. This, and the following dishes, are from our visit tonight, October 4, 2018.

Amritsari Fish with Ajwain & Besan flour. Delicate fried fish with spices that are subtle compared to Amar's spicy curries.

Jeera Rice, with the heavy aromas of ghee and cumin.

Above: Mushroom Mutter Masala. The heavy cream makes this a very rich, filling dish.

Saving the best for last, Andhra Chicken Curry, with an intense array of spices, but not chile spicy hot. 

Hankook Korean Supermarket in Sunnyvale, CA

Korean Chili Crab.

More Korean Chili Crab and other delicacies including multiple types of Kim Chee.

Eel Jerky.

Pickled Fernbrake.

Frozen & dry persimmons.

Chili Squid with Scallions.

Lamb with nice marbling.

Dinner including items from Hankook, including Chili Garlic Stems (upper left).

Persimmon Vinegar.

Pickled Garlic.

Lovely array of fresh seafood including red prawns in center.

Plenty of red chiles.

Enormous wall-o-sashimi.

Most beautiful scallions I've ever seen in a store.

Wagyu Beef.

Marukai Japanese Market in Cupertino, CA

Quite an incredible selection here, plenty of sashimi grade fish.

Ahi tuna (sashimi grade) and nori we bought at Marukai, then ate just outside the store.

Japanese candy.

Fantasy Restaurant: Hong Kong Style BBQ in Petaluma

Roast Duck Lunch Special at Fantasy Restaurant in Petaluma.

A friend of ours, one of his colleagues told him that he'd discovered this gem of a restaurant in Petaluma, saying he missed all the great Chinese food he used to get when he lived in Los Angeles. Robin and her sister Amber checked it out recently, and since Robin had business today in Petaluma, we thought we'd stop by for lunch. 

Walk in and you can see the selection of BBQ meats hanging, just inside the door of an inocuous-looking building.

Here's their lobster tank. They've got some upscale features on the menu, including some pricey & famous North Bay wines. The menu seems to be a combination of Chinese classics, with some  American-style Chinese dishes.

Above and below: their Roast Duck Lunch special. Every aspect is perfectly done. Plus the duck itself is specially sourced from a farm near Los Angeles. They say it's bigger and leaner than the ducks you typically find at Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area. It was absolutely delicious, and the side vegetables were perfectly cooked and sauced.

I thought it would be a good idea to also order a Chinese classic dish to complement the duck, so we ordered Mapo Tofu with Ground Pork. Soft tofu liberally sprinkled with scallions, red chilies and spices in a rich sauce that taste of pork, perhaps a touch of black vinegar and soy sauce. 

Notice the puffy pieces of ground pork, Robin likened them to clouds--they reflected the puffy nature of the soft tofu. 

This is, without a doubt, the best Chinese restaurant we know of in the North Bay--you'd have to go all the way to Concord or Walnut Creek, or Clement Street in San Francisco to find a Chinese restaurant of this calibre.

Fantasy Restaurant

707-658-1866

1520 E. Washington Street

Petaluma, CA 94954

Closed Tuesdays

@fantasypetaluma on Facebook