All the fancy, expensive Asian places with their shitake mushroom super fancy spring rolls will never match up to the simple freshness of the Tu Lan version. Do not let the gnarly neighborhood dissuade you from enjoying one of the cheapest, best Vietnamese places in San Francisco. Push past the junkies and pull up to the bar and watch the guys at the stove do their thing - moving like dancers through fire and oil, deftly tossing handfuls of meat and vegetables into the skillet. The crispy noodle dish, fried rice, "ten things in a pot" that comes boiling with a little fire underneath it and gets hotter and hotter as you empty the bowl… it doesn't get any better. Also, make sure to look at the back of the menu to see the smiling portrait of Julia Child. Maybe that's what makes the food tastes so good...
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