slurping clouds on a rainy day

I needed to go to Vallejo to pick up some martial arts equipment. And found myself at the new Seafood City Mall there on Redwood St and Hwy 29. There's a huge Seafood City that caters to just about every Filipino food product you could ever need, Tatak Filipino, Barong Tagalog store, Max's Fried Chicken (which I hear isn't as good as the original), Valerio's, whose bread items from ensymada to pan de sal send me into bliss, and Chow King. Vallejo's own black box theater, Fetterly Playhouse, is right around the back side too.

I'd never been to Chow King, a Chinese food chain restaurant that swings to Filipino taste. The line was long. The menu is full of noodle soups, fried rice, fried noodle and dimsum. Compared to Oakland's Chinatown, it isn't much of a selection. Then you get to the drinks section which includes Thai Iced Tea, Halo halo, sago't gulaman, AND Taho with Sago.

Now Tatang and I have been searching for proper Taho, for those of you unfamiliar is very soft tofu warmed with a light sweet syrup and sago. In the Philippines, you may find yourself waking up to the sound of the Taho man chanting, "tahooooooooooooo, Ta-hhhhoooooooooO!" And you follow the cry of the Taho man perhaps still in your pajamas just so you can get a warm swig of the smooth conconction that he carries in two metal containers balanced on a wooden rod across his neck and shoulders.

Most of the taho that we've found thus far was either way too sweet, or the Chinese kind that had ginger in it. I don't mind ginger, I just don't want it in my taho. But here it was at Chow King, staying warm in a rice cooker, with its very own attendant scooping out the excess water.

They give you a 16 oz glass of it with a layer of the brown syrup in the bottom and the tofu floating like white clouds at the top, still hot! It's not so much the actual taste that's delectable, but I think for me it's the sensation of it going down your throat all warm and smooth, similar to hot chocolate.

So if you're in the mood for some mighty good taho, head to Chow King at the Seafood City Plaza in Vallejo. From the south, take 80 east to Sacramento/Vallejo. Exit Redwood St West. Right at the exit, right at the light to get onto Redwood. Follow it all the way down to Sonoma Blvd/Hwy 29. It'll be on the left side just past the intersection.

From points north of Vallejo, take Hwy 29 south. Past Marine World Parkway, hang a right on Redwood St. The plaza is on the corner of Sonoma Blvd/Hwy 29 and Redwood St.