Yamo
3406 18th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 553-8911
wine: $5
food: $18
people: 2
BYOB: semi-covert
Well, the three hundred and eleven Yelp reviews turn out to not be wrong.
After the first attempt was curbed by what seems to have been a random unscheduled closing we decided to give it another go but this time with a call ahead. A women promptly picked up the phone and yelled "yamo" at me, I said, "how late are you open?". She replied, "9:30" and hung up. We got on some bikes and road down to the mission with a 5 dollar bottle of sparkling Spanish wine from TJs, a corkscrew, and a couple yellow laminated paper cups: this blog might be recent (and sporadic) but I have been BYOBing all over this state for many years and I think self-service is always a good call. We got there in 7 minutes and secured the bikes to a locked gate of the adjacent storefront. I think this is the way to go in this hood, on this rather dark un-traficked stretch of 18th. There appears to be a pretty constant cluster of people waiting outside to sit down or pick up food, having the bike as close as possible to the entrance makes sense.
From the street Yamo is basically invisible, perhaps 8 feet of storefront with no signage. (There is a blank white panel where there should be a sign which makes a very effective signifier (in this case, Yamo is the "signified"); absolutely appropriate for a place that will probably be full via word-of-mouth no matter what they put out front.) We waited for about 15 minutes and popped the Lambrusco Dell'Emilia Bianco (see picture) it was pretty sweet but nice and bubbly, just fine for a paper cup and a concrete ledge.
From the street Yamo is basically invisible, perhaps 8 feet of storefront with no signage. (There is a blank white panel where there should be a sign which makes a very effective signifier (in this case, Yamo is the "signified"); absolutely appropriate for a place that will probably be full via word-of-mouth no matter what they put out front.) We waited for about 15 minutes and popped the Lambrusco Dell'Emilia Bianco (see picture) it was pretty sweet but nice and bubbly, just fine for a paper cup and a concrete ledge.
Once inside we sat down mid bar and enjoyed the atmosphere. Yamo reminds me of Taipei in a major way, grimy and tiny with grumpy people yelling behind the counter. There was a giant sign on the wall saying "no outside alcohol", but that is where the opaque cups and the oversized shoulder bag come in handy. We had no problem with the under-counter fill ups. There was no pressure to order, which I thought was impressive for a tiny place with a line out front.
We ordered :
Fermented Tea Leaf Salad : It was phenomenally bright and tart. The cabbage was crispy and the nuts provided a fatty crunch that balanced the generous use of acids (lemon juice & rice vinegar?). I know that I will order this every time no matter what.
Fish Chowder: Had a definite curry undertone and a lovely, sort of powdery broth. There were little crispy bits in there too. I wouldn't miss this one either.
House Noodle, Chicken: So awesomely greasy with what I consider to to be the perfect asian noodle texture, sort of al-dente but totally slippery. I was a bigger fan of this than my partner in crime was. She preferred the soup.
The wine was actually a great, light compliment to the spicy/greasy-ness, we finished the bottle and felt great. The entire affair cost less than 30 bucks!
Read yelp for more on the food, or just go with your paper cups in the bag.
ATH
And, as a final thought: what is the deal with people complaining about staff at restaurants not smiling? I don't go into a place, especially a place like Yamo, looking for a new friend. The service here is efficient and aware. Our waters were refilled and when we left without drinking our jelly juice the lady behind the counter insisted we not forget a straw. When people are working they don't generally smile. To withhold an additional Yelp star because a two person restaurant staff, that is accomplishing all tasks involved in serving, prepping, and cleaning, doesn't "Denny's" it up for you shows a lack of sophistication and empathy.
(many great pics on Yelp)
