The Great Fish Sauce Debate: E&O Trading Company

It happens without fail - each time I visit California, I wonder why I don't live there. The sun is almost always shining, people are much friendlier and happier, life moves at a much more pleasant pace and yes, one could own a car! The Bay Area takes all of that and raises it to even greater heights, with San Francisco being one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to. I was once visiting an office that had floor to ceiling windows, looking straight out over the bay, and wondered how anyone could get any work done with a view like that. William Henry Davies was probably looking out that window when he mused on having time to stand and stare.

My latest trip out to "Cali" was definitely not a shining example of my driving skills (let's just say a concrete pylon on the I-80 looked like it could use a few splashes of metallic grey paint), but was still memorable all the same. WH and I had spent a majority of the day driving to San Francisco and, despite having an early flight out the next morning, decided to venture out to grab some dinner. My iPhone scoped out some of the restaurants in the area for me and showed that E&O Trading Company was just a short walk from our hotel. A late flight had forced me to miss my last reservation at E&O and so I grabbed at the chance to finally eat there.

The restaurant was packed and buzzing, even though it was a Tuesday night, and we were lucky enough to get one of the last available tables (the party right after us were informed of at least a 30 minute wait). The moment you walk in, however, you can see why the restaurant is so popular. E&O is gorgeously made up and instantly transports you to what I imagine a restaurant in 19th century Hong Kong or Macao may have looked like. The huge lanterns hanging from the high, beamed ceilings let off an ethereal, orangish glow that blends in perfectly with the surrounding all-wooden furniture. While definitely not a spot for a quiet dinner, the overall setting of E&O makes for some lovely atmosphere and a very enjoyable experience.

Our menus came out and at first glance, it seemed like I would not be able to get enough of the place. There were at least 5-10 different dishes that I wanted to try and I was cursing my luck that I had just the one night to dine there. WH was agreeable enough to share a few vegetarian appetizers, so that helped solve some of that particular problem. It took a while for the waitress to show up (service wasn't necessarily the quickest, but was pleasant when it arrived), at which point we went ahead and ordered. Force of habit made me then check with her that everything I had ordered was vegetarian, at which point she proceeded to inform me that a couple of the dishes we had ordered were not since they contained fish sauce.

A little disclaimer here - I've conceded defeat in the battle with fish sauce. At first I would shy away from the dishes that contained them - there was a time at a Thai restaurant in London where I was apparently limited to a single dish on a 100+ item menu if I didn't eat fish sauce. The true turning point came about primarily due a single dish - the pad thai tofu at Spice Market. Having already eaten it a few times prior, I was amazed to find out that it contained fish sauce on a subsequent visit. Not willing to turn down what was my favourite dish at the restaurant, and realizing how I had probably unknowingly eaten fish sauce in an umpteen number of Asian dishes already, I accepted the inevitable and gave in. No doubt that choice has led to a slight blurring of the "vegetarian line", but I hope it is more in the vein of a little white lie than a complete betrayal.

We stuck with the offending dishes of the pan fried daikon cake and the butternut squash dumplings in red curry sauce along with the green onion fry bread and Indonesian corn fritters. As you might have guessed, the daikon cake and the dumplings were the best of the lot. The red curry made for such a great accompaniment to the squash dumplings that it made me wonder why Thai restaurants don't serve a curry dish with dumplings! The daikon cake was beautifully seared, and the (fish sauce infused) turnip chili sauce it came with was one of the most flavorful things I have ever tasted. The corn fritters were well made as well, with fried corn kernels playfully attached together to look like a mini cob. The onion fry bread, however, was sorely disappointing and tasted simply of fried dough with almost no hint of any onions ever being present.

There were a lot of other dishes left to try, including a brown rice and tofu stir fry and a number of vegetable sides (market mushrooms and scallions, garlic baby bak choi and a very tempting, green beans in black bean sauce among them). Already pretty stuffed from our appetizer courses, I chose the roasted eggplant with tofu and chilies in dark soy sauce. The quantity was a lot more than I was expecting for what was described as a side, but nonetheless, the dish was extremely good. There was flavor in every bite and the eggplants were cooked perfectly as well. By that time, I couldn't eat another morsel and, having not seen any desserts really listed on the menu, decided to call it a night.

San Francisco has a reputation for great restaurants, and despite my limited experience, I would definitely think E&O would fall among those. Stellar food combined with the beautiful setting makes for a really good dining experience and almost one not to be missed. While its London namesake (no direct relation) is one of my favourite restaurants ever, the San Francisco version definitely held its own as well. I can definitely see myself paying it a return visit if I ever end up living in San Francisco - fish sauce or no fish sauce.

E&O Trading Company is on 314 Sutter Street in San Francisco. Moderately Expensive. Veggie Friendly. Recommended.
www.eotrading.com




Photo Credit: E&O Trading Company