Went to Hard Water the other night, Charles Phan’s newest eatery located along the scenic Embarcadero in San Francisco. It’s such a rarity to go out and join the HOT SF scene. But it must be done, once in a blue moon!

The space was impressive, with a gorgeous marble U-shaped bar against a majestic backdrop of countless bottles of whisky.

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By Johnny Lopes

On an early morning off the main drag in Luang Prabang, Laos, Pasaneyom Coffee Shop is bustling with regulars. Pasaneyom offers the breakfast essentials: porridge, coffee and donuts. They keep a big vat of water going over the fire, and the coffee pots over that to keep things HOT and economical. I went to this coffee shop every morning for breakfast.

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Cao lầu is a noodle dish comprised of pork, mint and noodles and is native to the town Hoi An in Vietnam.

*Johnny Lopes is based in San Francisco and traveled through Southeast Asia for two months. See what he ate during his three-country tour on his Flickr feed.

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I just returned from a week in Vietnam with Johnny. We had an incredible time! I will be posting more in the coming weeks, as my jetlag fades, but here’s a snapshot from a market in Cái Bè, a small town on the Mekong Delta.

I love this photo. Amidst the chaos of the early-morning market, this lady sits among her colorful meat parts, calmly concentrating on her animal flesh.

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*Johnny Lopes is based in San Francisco and is currently traveling through Southeast Asia for two months. Follow what he’s eating on his Flickr feed.

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*Johnny Lopes is based in San Francisco and is currently traveling through Southeast Asia for two months. Follow what he’s eating on his Flickr feed.

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*Johnny Lopes is based in San Francisco and is currently traveling through Southeast Asia for two months. Follow what he’s eating on his Flickr feed.

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By Johnny Lopes

Khaosan Road, Bangkok; Backpacker Mecca. The street gets stupid busy at night between fellow travelers and merchant hustlers. You can buy everything from new suits to a ride to a local ping-pong show. As an amateur photo-journalist project, I went out in the early morning to seek out the silent streets — I wanted to capture the contrast of early morning life versus the chaotic alcohol-fueled evenings.

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Yakitori at a cramped stall in Omoide-yokocho (Memory Lane) in Shinjuku. The skewer came in a weird soup. Master called it “henna soup”. It was tonkotsu-ish.

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Cream anmitsu at Nakamuraya on the 9th floor of Tokyu department store (west wing) in Shibuya.

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