Hawker Fare

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I've been wanting to eat at Hawker Fare for a while now, but its not open for lunch on the weekends yet.  Finally, an opportunity that I was in the area for dinner arose.  Being in the city, I almost forget how great it can be to score free parking close by without the stress.

Hawker Fare was opened by a prior Commis (which I love) chef with a casual twist on Thai fusion.

The green beans were very reminiscent of the Chinese long bean dish that I am quite familiar with.  The green beans are stir fried with caramelized ginger, dried shrimp, and thick chunks of bacon.  Usually I'm not a bacon fan, but the fatty thick cuts of bacon really worked with this dish.  The green beans were a little thicker than what I'm used to and I think I prefer the thinner ones in the Chinese version, but still good.  The dish did get a little salty for my taste, but it made their specially made rice lager "Supafly" that much more refreshing to drink.

The roasted peanuts were tossed with green onions and fried anchovies.  The bits of anchovies and peanuts were like crunch on crunch.  It was a nice touch.  This dish would be a popular bar food.  Another salty dish that made me glad I ordered a beer.

Issan sausage is a popular Thai sausage found in the Northern region of Thailand.  The thick bricks of sausage are laid on top a fluffy bed of rice and topped with a fried runny egg.  The egg is an optional add item, but its a must order for me when I see it.  The perfectly fried runny egg was probably the highlight of this dish.  The sausage was well seasoned with hints of garlic.  It was tender and juicy, but not a wow factor for me.  Hearty and satisfying, but not sure if I would be dreaming about it in the future.

 

The kao mun gai is one of the more popular dishes here.  The chicken is perfectly poached and ultra tender and juicy.  The taste is very delicate and mild, similar to the Chinese poached chicken that is often served with a green onion and ginger dipping sauce. I'm not sure if its because I rarely cook rice in my own house, but the rice here is flavorful with a slightly sticky texture and I couldn't stop eating it.  The chicken is served with a salted mung bean sauce, which is pretty salty.  I preferred to eat it with the hot sauce instead.

Hawker Fare serves up a clever twist on affagato using Stauss (LOVE!) soft serve ice cream and drizzled with a shot of Thai coffee.  The coffee is mild so I think it would be an ok dessert for coffee haters.

For some reason things served up in a mason jar make things that much more delightful for me.  The coconut rice pudding is topped with a layer of roasted banana jam and spiced sesame crumble.  It was a nice mixture of texture from the crumble and the smooth coconut pudding.  It was similar to the Chinese coconut tapioca pudding served at the end of Chinese meals, but I would have liked it to have more coconut flavor.

  

Address:                Hawker Fare
                               2300 Webster St.
                               Oakland, CA 
 

Type:                      Asian Fusion/Vietnamese/Korean/Thai

Popular chomps:    kao mun gai
                               pork belly
                               green beans
                               issan sausage

Chomp worthy:      nothing