Osha Thai in San Francisco’s Financial District

 Visiting San Francisco’s Financial District had me daydream about being one of the countless distinguished and harried professionals rushing past. I came with my family around noon to meet up with my paralegal cousin (also deemed as the best SF City Insider ever) and was fascinated by the bustling lunch crowd that filled the restaurants of the Embarcadero Center.

Deeming ourselves still full after an indulgent breakfast at Denny’s, we asked my cousin to choose something light but memorable for lunch. Without missing a beat, she led us to one of the fanciest-looking establishments in 4 Embarcadero and gamely asked, “Spring rolls, anyone?”

AMBIENCE – 5 out of 5

Osha Thai in 4 Embarcadero covers a large portion of the ground floor with several entrances. It was beautifully decorated and resonated a modern Thai ambience perfect with a dining area for lunch meetings and a lounge for after work drinks.

SERVICE – 4 out of 5

Despite not having a reservation during the busy lunch hour, we were immediately led to a table. Our server was friendly and attentive and always had our water glasses filled to the brim.

FOOD – 4.6 out of 5

Upon scanning the menu, I noticed that the prices were suited to the Financial District with dishes costing around $15 each.

Tom Yum – 4

Hot & Sour soup with lemongrass, galangal, mushrooms, and tomatoes

Salmon Rolls – 4
Salmon marinated with Thai spices, basil leaves, tobiko caviar, Avocado wrapped in a spring roll skin served with cilantro aioli

Volcanic Beef – 5
Wok-fried grilled premium USDA certified flank steak with basil, bell pepper and black pepper in Lava sauce garnished with onion rings

Panang Curry – 5
Cube of premium USDA certified flank beef with bell pepper and basil leaf in Panang curry

Thai Fried Rice – 5
Fried rice with egg, tomatoes, onion and green onion with the choice of chicken, beef or pork

OVERALL RATING – 4.5

Although the price range may surprise the occasional tourist who just happened to drop by, Osha Thai’s ambience, food and service make up for the bill. The Volcanic Beef and Panang Curry are definitely worth coming back for, just remember to make a reservation to avoid total domination by all the yuppies and their bosses. 🙂

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OSHA THAI

Cuisine: Thai

Price Range: $$ ($11-30)

Location: Financial District, San Francisco, California

Address: 4 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, CA 94111

Website: oshathai.com

Contact: (415)788-6742

Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday (11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.)

Chatterbox Chicken Rice – Revisited

Even before the Chicken Rice trend began in Manila, I was already harboring affection for the Singaporean favorite.

This love affair began when we were first introduced in 2009 during one of my family weekends in Singapore. We were staying at then newly renovated Meritus Mandarin Hotel along Orchard Road and had access to Chatterbox, which served the hotel’s daily breakfast buffet.

Initially, I only knew of Chatterbox because of our access to its daily breakfast. Fortunately, my dad began reminiscing on his earlier visits to the hotel and commented that Chatterbox has been popular since its opening in 1971 because of its best-selling and award-winning Mandarin chicken rice.

To satiate our curiosity, we managed to squeeze in a lunch reservation and I immediately fell in love with the Mandarin Chicken Rice!

Beginning 2011, I witnessed the landfall of the chicken rice trend here in Manila. Some have lived up to their claims of being as close to the local SG fare.  However, there must some truth to that saying on first love and its apparent longevity.  Because upon my family’s return to Singapore this July, a return visit to Chatterbox became a top priority.

After a long day of walking around Sentosa and Gardens by the Bay, we arrived at the Mandarin Gallery by 9pm.

Upon entering Chatterbox, we were immediately seated in the brightly lit dining hall with modern, minimalist fixtures and the same green chairs we used 5 years ago.

CHATTERBOX MENU 

Aside from the signature chicken rice, Chatterbox offers common Singaporean fare from lobster laska, nasi goreng and bak kut teh. However, it is worthy to note that the prices are steep when compared to hawker stalls (Mandarin Chicken Rice costs $27 at Chatterbox vs. $3 at a hawker stall).

THE DINING EXPERIENCE

The staff was attentive and delivered quality service. They promptly returned with our orders within a limited waiting period of about 8-12 minutes. Our water glasses were constantly being refilled without request.

Mandarin Chicken Rice

It was exactly as I remembered. The clear chicken broth and chicken rice were both tasty from the chicken stock. The chicken portion was generous and would be good enough for two people. And the chicken was just delicious! The specially imported chicken was lean, not greasy and perfectly cooked. No need to check for uncooked portions with blood!

Nasi Goreng Itsimewa

Spicy, fragrant and simply filling. The rich sauces covering the shrimp and chicken skewers were perfect to go with the fried egg and rice. I have yet to find a nasi goreng variant that would let me down.

Happy smiles!

VERDICT: 5 out of 5

Chatterbox definitely remains famous for a reason and it works hard to maintain its standards. Kudos to Chatterbox and Mandarin Orchard for making every visit memorable!

CHATTERBOX

Meritus Mandarin Hotel, 333 Orchard Road

Website: http://www.meritushotels.com/mandarin-orchard-singapore/dining_71-en.html

Email: dine.orchard@meritushotels.com

Tel:  +65.6831.6291

Nearest MRT: Somerset (NS23)

Operating Hours
All-day Dining
Sunday – Thursday: 10.00am – 1.00am
Friday, Saturday & PH: 10.00am – 2.00am