Mo's Hut
2676 Fruitvale Avenue [Map]
Oakland, CA 94601
Ph: (510) 328-1677
Hours: Tue-Fri 10am-7pm; Sat 9am-7pm
Facebook: Mo's Hut
Price range: $$ (Rice Plates $11-$17)

The Rice Plate with the Best International Pedigree

Juicy pork tonkatsu swims in a pool of savory curry sauce from AS B-Dama. (Jenny Oh)

Curry rice, or karē raisu, is a fusion dish that dates back to the 19th century. It was introduced to the Japanese by the British (who developed a taste for curry during the era of colonial rule in India.) A part of my mom's repertoire of Korean "fast food," it was one of the quick-and-easy dinners she'd throw together for my brother and me. She'd sautée chopped onions, carrots and potatoes with chunks of beef, then simmer the mixture with water and cubes of concentrated curry spices from the popular S & B "Golden Curry" brand. (Koreans also became partial to curry rice through similar wartime circumstances; they were influenced by Japanese culture during the 35-year period of occupation in the early 20th century.) The katsu-karē variant comes with a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet that downtown Oakland's AS B-Dama offers on its lunchtime menu. With no added vegetables, their earthy, flavorful curry is less like a stew and functions more as a dipping sauce for their juicy tonkatsu. And a fresh garden salad with ginger dressing nicely balances the substantial helpings of starch and protein.

AS B-Dama
Swan’s Market, 907 Washington Street [Map]
Oakland, CA 94607
Ph: (510) 251-1113
Hours: Everyday 11:30am-2pm; 5:30-10pm; Closed Sunday
Facebook: AS B-Dama
Price range: $$ (Rice Plates $11-$17)

Best Thai Comfort Food Rice Plate

Khao mun gai is a classic Thai comfort food dish. (Jenny Oh)

I've been a fan of Oakland's Hawker Fare since its opening back in 2011 when I first reviewed it for Bay Area Bites. They've tweaked their offerings over the years and now serve nine rice plates, instead of bowls, at lunchtime. It's no surprise that Hainanese chicken rice, one of Singapore's national dishes (which originally hailed from southern China), is featured on Hawker Fare's street food-centric menu. They serve the Thai rendition here (khao mun gai) but the basic components are similar: poached, boneless chicken that's silkily soft in texture; unctuous rice cooked in chicken broth and fat; crisp cucumber slices; sprigs of cilantro; and a thick, fermented bean dipping sauce. (Chili sauce or chicken broth often accompanies the Singapore or Malay versions.) Be sure to add an over easy fried egg for $1.50 to up the umami quotient.

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