Banyan Tree-- deal of the week

After meeting Andy for a hike around the Don Edwards National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont we had lunch at the Banyan Tree in Union City. The refuge, by the way, was fairly cool on a hot day with bay breezes and it's so wonderfully peaceful, even seeing the cars zoom by on 84. Continue on 84 East as it becomes Decoto Road and turn left just past Alvarado-Niles Road to a small shopping cenetr where Banyan Tree is (1771 Decoto, 510-324-8506). Sheila and I have been there for dinner and she reviewed it for the Merc. It's even talked about in Hungry. But I hadn't been there for lunch. They have an amazing assortment of $5 lunches. Wow. Soup, rice, choice of entree, and then sweet red bean soup. I had Singaporean fried pampano , a whole small fish in a chili, garlic, tomato sauce, so good. Andy had Thai salmon, which was not as good, although the sweet, sour, and spicy sauce was nice. These guys across the aisle had pork belly in taro sauce, which loked great and was as generous a portion as the entree portion at Flour + Water (see below) at $21. I've got to return to try more dishes; nothing to lose at $5. We also had their fine roti canai, crispy, wispy flat bread with a nice curry sauce at only $3.25.