The year must’ve been 2012 or something like that. I was desperate to leave Apple Retail because I felt like I needed to get going with my career and I landed an interview with the Square (like the one they use at your coffee shop to take your payment) when they were still on one floor at the SF Chronicle building.
The interview was going great, it was the longest interview I had ever been on, until the last guy came into the room, didn’t look at me, didn’t shake my hand… just questioned why I had chosen to go to a community college (spoiler: it was all I could afford!). I knew right then and there that I was not getting the job and my mind shifted to how hungry I was after sitting in that room for what felt like 8 hours.
I asked a friend who used to work there as I was walking out if they knew of any place I could get a quick meal in the area and they said “you should try Tu Lan! It’s right on sixth.”
I walked over and was met with a pretty dingy looking place, sat down, ordered the Imperial Roll over Vermicelli and that was it… Tu Lan immediately solidified it’s spot in my heart. It was comforting, delicious and inexpensive. A filling plate and a Viet iced coffee for like 10 11 dollars. It’s menu, to this day, proudly present Julia Child on the cover, a copy of Herb Caen column with no date that reads:
“FACES IN PLACES: Julia Child at Tu Lan on sleazy Sixth, a place with great Vietnamese chow. She contented herself with spring rolls, pork shish kebabs with rice noodles, lemon beef salad, fried fish and Tsingtao beer.”
In the many years that followed, Tu Lan and Julia’s smiling face, was always there on the corner of 6th and Market.
When I returned to work in the area (1 block away!) after many years working outside of San Francisco, Tu Lan became a daily routine (sometimes twice a day!) and I would take any opportunity to take a new hire there, friends, Chris, managers, anyone anytime!
It was during this new “era” that I discovered my favorite dish at Tu Lan, Ginger Fish (item 59), after hearing someone order it and quickly getting a waft of it as it passed me. I sat at that counter for years after, headphones in, phone leaning on a stack of menus, watching Wendy Williams while eating ginger fish on my hour long break, sipping on sweet iced coffee in between crispy BRIGHT bites of fried fish that was doused in ginger sauce and scallions. My mouth is watering as I type this.
Tu Lan, which was one of the first Vietnamese restaurants to open in San Francisco in in 1976 by brother and sister duo Thao and Thu Nguyen, is one of the greatest restaurants in San Francisco and I am so happy to report that the food is still as good as it ever was. Order the ginger fish with a side order of imperial rolls and a Vietnamese iced coffee!
If you live in SF, support it often! If you’re visiting please stop by!
Much love and gingery fishy kisses,
Alisson ✌🏽