E&O Trading Co.

The first night we were in San Francisco for my bachelorette/ 30th birthday weekend we had dinner at E&O Trading Co. Tina did a fantastic job scoping out restaurants for us!

Now I'm not a sweet martini drinker. In general, I like a Grey Goose martini, extra dirty with olives please. However their Thai Basil Lemon Martini made me a convert.

It wasn't exactly sweet so much as it was purely refreshing. You could really taste the Thai basil (which is less spicy and anise-y than regular basil) and the lemon mixed with Ciroc vodka.

That martini was invigorating in a I-could-have-5 kind of way. Can a martini be invigorating?



Ahi Tatake Tartare with balinese long pepper crust, lily bulb petals and citrus soy. This was good but out of the hundred or so tartares I have had in my day this didn't rank at the top.

I will say that I liked the grape tomatoes and the lily bulb petals which added an endive-like crunch.



This was definitely a favorite of the table. Butternut Squash Dumplings with Red Curry Lemongrass Sauce and Thai Basil Oil. Perfectly cooked and just thinking about it is making my mouth water.



Singaporean Daikon Cake with Turnip Chili Sauce. If you go to this restaurant please try this. I doubt its the most popular menu item because of the name and description. Daikon cake? Turnip cake? If you are a fan of Chinese you may recognize this as Lo Baak Go.

Anyway, its hard to describe but its not a cake at all. It has more of a potato type texture, it uses rice starch to bing its and then its often pan-fried. Anyone have a better description?

Regardless, this was Tina's favorite and she comes from an Italian up-bringing. So try it!



Whole fish! Asians don't waste a thing. I hope you aren't squeamish about having your food look at you. People don't seem to mind whole lobsters or crabs but whole fish gives them the jitters.



See the way its scored on the side? Those glorious pieces of white flesh just come right off. The salad is made up of daikon, watercress, citrus segments and calamansi glaze. The salad was a perfect compliment to the fried fish.

I really should have taken an after picture. All that was left were the bones. We literally picked the meat out of every single crevice. I gnawed the teeny tiny little bones.



I've heard the tales of kissing a frog and gaining a prince.

What do you get when you kiss a fried fish head?



Hoisin and Coffee glazed Spare Ribs with Cole Slaw. Again, I love the balance of something rich with something fresh. Some of the pieces weren't that easy to eat... you can see the one on the upper right but thats the nature of spare ribs.



Lemongrass "Haiga Rice" Risotto because I can't ever pass up risotto. Ever.

Haiga rice is created thru a special milling process that removes the layer of bran but leaves the germ intact.



Sesame Eggplant which is Wok Roasted Japanese Eggplant, Scallions and Sesame Soy Sauce. The sesame gave it an actually creaminess. Loved it.



Somehow during the course of dinner and the comment that Asians never waste a thing Chrissy and April decided April should eat a fish eye.

Do you see the look on her face? It says... Are you sure?

Of course, Apey, try the yummy fish eye. But wait until I have my camera ready...



Bwahahaha! The entire trip was worth that expression. This particular fish (which I think was cod) does not have eyes that are normally eaten... although I can't understand why not.



We deserve a closer look. I laugh out loud every.single.time I look at this picture.

God I love you April.

It was in her napkin .1985763 seconds after this shot.



Birthday dessert! Chocolate Pot de Creme. Silky and delicious. Oh my what was that sauce? It was so flavorful! Its not on the online menu but I'm going to go with Bergamot? Ginger?
I can't remember its so far past my bedtime.



Oh my why isn't the dessert menu online?! Banana egg rolls? It was banana stuffed in pastry, drizzled with caramel and macadamia nuts and fried. Oh and there was vanilla ice cream at the other end of this plate. Yum!



We ended the night with a shot at the Irish Bank which is an awesome bar that I'd been to years ago.

Thank you for dinner you lovely ladies! For the record, I wore a veil the entire night! But I don't have a picture of it yet.

When was the last time you tried a new food?