Dining Discovery: Ten Seconds

Ten Seconds
145 W. Joaquin Ave

Downtown San Leandro is experiencing a continuous transformation, and this is evidenced by the steady opening of new restaurants over the last couple of years. The Downtown area has become a place to socialize over a good meal, with a wide variety of new offerings ranging from latin-influenced rotisserie chicken to Korean fried chicken, and a new Indian concept in the works.

One of the most recent additions to the catalog of culinary adventures in Downtown is Ten Seconds, which replaces Delight Cafe in Joaquin Plaza. Ten Seconds primarily serves crossing-the-bridge rice noodle soup, a historic staple dish from the Yunnan region of China.

The soup is served piping hot in a clay bowl, with all the fixings on the side. The traditional way to eat this dish is to add the proteins and lettuce to the soup as soon as it arrives. Second, the meat sauce and other condiments are added to the the soup along with a quick stir. Lastly, the noodles are added, and after ten seconds (hence the name of the restaurant), the soup is ready to eat.

The flavors are rich, with a subtle reminiscence of Vietnamese pho, which is not surprising, as Yunnan shares a border with Vietnam. Flavors include pickled pepper, picked cabbage and fish filet, spicy beef brisket, kimchi beef, chicken rice, and of course the original crossing-the-bridge variety. All of the soups include corn, quail egg, chives, wood ear mushrooms, snow fungus, ham, bean curd, picked cabbage, ground pork meat paste, and lettuce, but the difference between each soup is the broth, and the additional toppings.

Ten Seconds also serves a variety of appetizers and side dishes, such as grilled skewers, sticky chicken wings, calamari, and takoyaki. Diners can enjoy a variety of green teas and milk teas, as well as a small selection of bottled beers.

The space has received a significant face lift since its Delight Cafe days, with varied seating arrangements and chic decor, and inspires a somewhat more relaxed dining atmosphere. Since its soft opening just a few weeks ago, Ten Seconds has already earned favorable reviews on Yelp, so stop by and give it a try!

About Dining Discoveries: San Leandro’s restaurant scene is full of hidden gems, quirky hole-in-the-walls, and authentic ethnic foods. Dining Discoveries is a recurring feature on San Leandro Next designed to bring increased awareness to businesses that have been flying under the radar…and to help you find a great place to get dinner tonight.

Want to suggest a restaurant for a future post? Email slnext@sanleandro.org and tell us about it.