What follows is a totally unfeasible conversation between us and two restaurants:

Us: Don’t know how to break this to you, but... you have an identical Japanese twin.

Chubby Noodle: You’re kidding.

Us: Nope. Its name is also Chubby Noodle, it’s the decidedly more Japanese-centric version of your Chinese-leaning outpost on the Marina, and it’s open now in North Beach.

We’ll let you two get acquainted...

Chubby Noodle (Marina): Wow. You look just like me.

Chubby Noodle (North Beach): Yeah, I’ve got a pretty simple setup here. Wood-slat booths. Covered lanterns. A cedar-plank bar. I’m just looking to be a place where people can unwind after work or gear up before a night out, you know...

CN(M): Weird. I do know. Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have a thing for fried chicken and tuna poke as well, would you?

CN(NB): Sure. But I’m also into sashimi, ramen and grilled yakitori skewers involving swordfish.

CN(M): How exotic. What’s your sake situation?

CN(NB): Like you, I’m doing the sake-cocktails-on-tap thing.  And then I’ll have a larger stable of local beers and wines on tap, too.

CN(M): Are you trying to one-up me?

CN(NB): What if I was?

Us: Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.