Tamarine - prepare for serious food porn

Tamarine Restaurant in Palo Alto - July 29, 2010

My boss took our team out for a teambuilding dinner at Tamarine last night http://www.tamarinerestaurant.com/. It's considered "contemporary Vietnamese cuisine" and is one of my favorite restaurants in Palo Alto but I don't go that often because I also think it's a bit overpriced. But I have to admit, the food is pretty good. I mean, really excellent. My coworker, Rhuwena, and I perused the group menus and chose the menu below.

First course: Salt & Pepper Calamari, Banh Mi Roti and Ginger Soy Brochettes

I didn't get a shot of the calamari as it was a tad too far away....and I don't like calamari so I wasn't as interested in capturing it for posterity, lol.

The Roti, however, was just excellent. I made roti in culinary school and I know the layering that goes into it (think of it like a croissant but much flatter) and the need to pelt it flat. This one was delicious, crisp at the edges but chewy elsewhere - good stuff.

The brochettes were also to die for - very fork tender and tasty. I didn't even question the "soy" part.

Second course: Ha Long Bay Soup (crab wontons served in a consumme infused with coriander and coconut milk) and Papaya Salad

The soup was delicious - I generally like wontons and crab but I hadn't expected to like the soup base itself since, while I like coconut, I'm not a big fan of coconut milk. But Tamarine surprised me and the soup was flavorful and delicious without being overwhelmingly coconut milk-y.

The papaya salad - no, I didn't eat this since I don't like papaya. I mean, I had to save room for the later courses, right?

Third course: Tamarine Prawns, Lemongrass Sea Bass, Chili Lime Aubergine, and Coconut Rice

The Tamarine Prawns were another to-die-for dish - I can't even describe how good they were except to say I had two prawns and was probably licking my chops debating on whether to have a third. Only the fact that I knew there were two courses left held me back.

With all good Asian meals, you have to have rice. This course came with coconut rice inside a banana leaf container. Despite the name, there wasn't much coconut to it so it was more like steamed rice. Very good.


I loved the sea bass as well but then again, I'm also a fan of lemongrass. Very tasty.

This course also included eggplant which I didn't get a picture of (three guesses as to why) and this green bean dish. Because we have vegetarians in the group, I think we must've substituted some of the official menu for the veggie dishes. Which helped with my portion control since I literally couldn't eat everything that was served.

Fourth Course: Garlic Fried Rice, Shaking Beef and Hoisin Lamp Chops

I didn't even try the lamp chops. My eyes were on the prize (see next dish).

I knew the Shaking Beef was coming and I knew I had to pace myself and not have everything that was served because I had to save room. This is my favorite dish at Tamarine. The beef is tender and tastes just divine. I don't have enough gastronomical descriptors for it without sounding over-the-top corny about it. But I love this dish. It turned out to be my downfall because while I had prudently paced myself and eaten only a few bites of the other dishes, I "had" to have a (generous) second helping of the Shaking Beef and that's when I hit full. Yes, before the final dessert course. But it was worth it.

By the time we got to the fifth course, billed as "Chef's Seasonal Selection", I was pretty much topped up on fullness. Not sick full but full. Thankfully, dessert was a cup of fruit with creme fraiche(?) and what looked like a beignet but was really a little fried banana. I skipped the fruit bowl and had the warm fried banana, grateful for its relatively small size. Also quite delicious even if I probably would've enjoyed it more if I hadn't had that second helping of Shaking Beef.

So next time you're in downtown Palo Alto, give Tamarine a try - it's further down University Avenue near Middlefield, far enough down that you have a shot at getting a decent parking space even on a busy weeknight. I recommend going a little early (we got there at 6 pm) as the place gets packed. And don't forget to order the Shaking Beef (thanks, boss!)