Living in the Westbrae area of Berkeley, I used to drive past Mama Lan’s daily. In its heyday Mama Lan’s was a great example of a neighborhood cafe – terrific dishes that satisfied with affordable prices. Mama Lan passed away before 2000 and her son took over the shop, keeping it open for a few years after. During Mama Lan’s time in the kitchen, the Vietnamese/Thai menu skewed French in an elegant way – she had a light touch with the hot peppers and garlic and her dishes often had a sweeter, more herbaceous profile. Seafood (crab!) was her specialty, coupled with rich chicken or pork – based broths, rich in ginger, cilantro, lemongrass, lime and coconut milk.
A version of the Thai coconut milk and chicken broth soup with mushrooms and vermicelli noodles, and all the aforementioned seasoning (tom kha) was served piping hot and super thick from the noodles. I LOVED that soup. Green papaya salad containing both shrimp and julienned pork was tangy with lime, not hot, and umami- rich from the pork- it was addictive. After Mama Lan died, the dishes were substantially changed: the tom kha mainly tasted of evaporated milk and the papaya salad was a pallid shadow of its former self. Thanks to Tycoon Thai, I found the taste of Mama Lan’s soup again.
Tycoon Thai Restaurant recently opened on O’Farrell, between the Little Saigon district and the theater district west of Union Square. Yes, I am talking about the northern end of the Tenderloin district, but don’t let that stop you from trying out this chic addition to the neighborhood. We tried it after spending the morning at the Asian Art Museum.
On our first visit Ken and I shared the requisite order of spring rolls- satisfactory, if not special. Then out came the tom kha and the Thai version of green papaya salad (they also have a Lao version, hotter and more sour tasting). Both the salad and the soup were of a generous size and more than enough for two. The tom kha with chicken option, sweet and tangy from lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves, tasted just like that remembered soup from Mama Lan’s.
I also ordered a lunch entree of “Tycoon Sexy Lamb Chops” – three tasty marinated and charbroiled lollipop chops, sitting on a tangy mango and red onion salad with a side of cooked zucchini. I’m not sure what made the chops “sexy” (and I don’t want to know!) but by the second chop I was feeling mighty happy.
On our next visit, we shared an appetizer of sai ua – grilled links of sausages (3 per order) – full of pork and herbs, earthy and not at all “hot”, pad see you – a thick rice noodle stir-fry with broccoli and beef, and a big bowl of cellophane noodles in a rich broth with both pork spare ribs and ground pork balls (guay tian kra dook moo). There are also numerous curries, stir-fry dishes, and noodles available; one can even get a whole Tilapia, deep fried.
The food selections here are a bit more expensive than the utilitarian but busy Turtle Tower on Larkin, but parking was a wee bit easier on both occasions. Tycoon Thai puts a big smile on my face just thinking about that tom kha (and those lamb chops, too!). We’ll certainly be back!
Address: Tycoon Thai
620 O’Farrell St. (at Leavenworth St.)
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 796-3391
Open time: 11 am – 10 pm Sun-Thur; 11 am – 1 am Fri-Sat
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Guest post by Nancy Togami, an expert on neighborhood favorites such as Shanghai Dumpling King and Jodie’s.
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