Awkwafina Will Star in a Movie About SF’s Asian Restaurant Punk Scene

Awkwafina just agreed to star in a movie about restaurants in the Bay Area (and beyond) that fueled the punk scene of the 1970s and ‘80s.

Deadline reports that Ocean’s 8/Crazy Rich Asians/etc. star Awkwafina has agreed to star in and co-produce an as-yet untitled film based on “How Chinese Food Fueled the Rise of California Punk,” a June 2019 article by Madeline Leung Coleman that explains how Asian restaurants in LA, Sacramento, and San Francisco provided rehearsal space and concert venues for what would become some of the era’s greatest bands. Instrumental in the movement was Mabuhay Gardens, a Filipino restaurant located at 443 Broadway that hosted seminal bands like Crime, the Ramones, and Social Distortion.

There’s a new vegan sushi pop-up in Oakland

Salvage Hausu, a vegan sushi pop-up, made its debut on Monday at North Oakland’s Café Encina, Berkeleyside reports. Chef Mike Lawrence uses local produce and other plant-based wizardry to create faux tuna, eel, and crab. Future pop-up dates can be found on their Instagram.

The Berkeley Police Department wants the public to help identify a Berkeley food delivery person suspected of package theft

According to a Facebook post from the Berkeley Police Department, a person who was apparently making a delivery for SF-based food delivery service DoorDash was caught on camera stealing packages from 2117 Haste Street as she dropped food off to a customer this past weekend. People who recognize the suspect should contact BPD at 510-981-5737 and reference Case No. 2019-00092850.

A new Tenderloin restaurant has a delightfully descriptive name

A Bowl Of Chicken Soup And Rice Noodles has only recently opened its doors at 572 O’Farrell Street, Tablehopper notes, and they’ve already moved beyond that single offering to an entire menu of Chinese dishes. Bowl-focused folks can stick with the mainstay, however, and choose toppings like veggies, beef, and seafood to enhance their noodle order.

Aquitaine closes Friday, but will reopen in a new location in March

Laurent Manrique, the owner of six-year-old Crocker Galleria wine bar Aquitaine, emailed Eater SF to say that the spot will “close starting Friday,” as the operation is moving to 210 Church Street. SFist notes that that address is actually a residential building, and says that it’s likely he means 216 Church, the former Duboce Park location of Crepevine and the spot where a restaurant called Gramercy Park was promised — that is, before those restaurateurs’ SF plans crumbled under a wave of criminal and civil allegations. Manrique says he expects Aquitaine to open in March after a swift remodel.