TMM Desserts (Millbrae)

We spent Sunday south of the city this weekend. It's always nice to get out once in awhile. Our final destination was Mountainview, but we made a pit stop in Millbrae to check out TMM Desserts.


The curry squid and fish ball appetizer was just okay. I don't know what I was expecting, but I feel like this is more of an entree that should have come with rice. Instead, it was billed as an appetizer. It also could have had stronger flavors.

The deep fried tofu was incredible. Light, crispy, and piping hot on the outside, studded with tiny granules of salt. The inside was perfectly silken, which I rarely find to be true of deep fried tofu. Next time we're at TMM, we've vowed to try more deep fried dishes. Popcorn chicken and fried squid at the other tables looked divine. Fried food tends to be heavy, but not when the batter is airy and light like it is at TMM.

J had a chicken leg over rice. In keeping with the tofu and other fried appetizers, his fried chicken was nicely crisped and not at all greasy or oil-laden.

And here's my bowl of Taiwanese beef noodle soup, the reason we headed down to TMM in the first place. I had heard that it was better than any version in San Francisc and I can concede that it is true. The soup is nicely balanced, the beef is lean but each piece is meltingly tender and well-seasoned, and the toppings taste fresh and complement the dish without overwhelming it. No one flavor stood out, and I could enjoy the soup because it wasn't too salty. Next time, my only request would be for them to slightly undercook the noodles because I'm a slow eater and the noodles were a big soggy by the time I was through.

And last but not least, dessert. I ordered a steamed milk custard with coconut and loved it. It is a lot silkier and more even in texture than the version at Kowloon Tong. It also tastes less eggy. Does anyone have a recipe for it? I think it should be an easy matter of steaming together sugar, eggs, milk, and coconut milk, I just have no idea what ratios to use. But anyway, TMM was all in all a great meal for about $30.