Restaurant Listings

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Listings by Location

California

North Bay: Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor
Wine Country: Sonoma, Glen Ellen, Kenwood, Napa, Yountville
Just North of the Golden Gate: Novato
San Francisco Bay Area: Daly City, Millbrae, Pacifica, San Bruno, San Francisco, South San Francisco
East Bay: Berkeley, El Cerrito, Oakland, Richmond
Peninsula: Palo Alto, San Mateo
South Bay/Silicon Valley: Sunnyvale
Sacramento: Davis, Sacramento
Los Angeles Metropolitan Area: Alhambra, Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Santa Monica

California: San Francisco Bay Area - San Francisco, South San Francisco, Daly City, Pacifica, Millbrae

Legend

The maximum rating is 5 stars.
5 stars = Excellent, Can’t Miss
4 stars = Very Good
3 stars = Good
2 stars = Fair
1 star = Mediocre
0 stars = Forget it

Price	Typical Entree Prices
$	Under $8
$$	Between $8 to $10
$$$	Between $10 to $20
$$$$	Between $20 to $30
$$$$$	Be ready to take out a loan

Alphabetical Listings in California - San Francisco Bay Area:
San Francisco, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Daly City, Millbrae

Bay Fung Tong Seafood Restaurant - Chinese

327 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 221-8498
Parking: limited street parking
Last Visited: March 19, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
Turns out that this Bay Fung Tong restaurant has an affiliation with Best Panda a number of blocks down the street. However, Bay Fung Tong is quite a bit more spacious, and offers dim sum at lunch time.

Many of the same items at Best Panda can be found at Bay Fung Tong – large portions and fresh ingredients are trademarks of both restaurants. The atmosphere is extremely casual with lots of fluorescent colored papers listing specials posted on the wall. Nothing fancy, but good food at a great value is available.

This evening’s set menu for four available for $36 consisted of the following:

- Seafood soup with tofu – Hot soup is presented in plentiful portion with shrimp, fish, tofu cubes, and yellow chives. It’s lightly thick and quite filling. For four people, it’s more than enough to have a second helping. Good.

- Vegetables with squid, prawns, and scallops – Snap peas or other seasonal vegetables are sautéed with squid, prawns, and scallops. On cool evenings, this dish cools down super fast, but it’s fine on a warm night. The seafood is fresh and the vegetables are crispy. Good.

- Deep fried quail (3) – Three quail are deep fried and halved. A half of lemon is served with the quail along with dry dipping seasoning. The quail has a lot of flavor from the marinade and the dipping seasoning adds a touch of saltiness. Today’s quail was light brown in color, and due to the size, the meat tends to taste dry around the areas where there is less flesh. Okay.

- Ginger and green onion sautéed crab – If you’re willing to get your hands messy, this is an excellent dish with crab sautéed in a sauce that contains ginger and green onion that flavors the cooking oil and the crab. Again, more fresh seafood and good wok air, but on a cool evening, this dish also cools down quickly. Good.

- Clams with black bean sauce – This is one of my favorite dishes. Black bean sauce is used to sauté a mix of clams, onions, green onions, and peppers to give the clams just a hint of heat. Very good.

- Dessert of the day: Tapioca in coconut soup with ginger – Today’s tapioca was a little on the thick side for the soup, so the consistency tasted a little less light on the palate, but the ginger gave the dessert distinctiveness. Okay.

- Steamed Rice $0.80 per person

The overall experience was similar to that found at Best Panda. Great value and fresh food, but I prefer this location to the other; however, note that parking is quite difficult at Bay Fung Tong and be willing to walk a few blocks to the car. At both Best Panda and Bay Fung Tong, the turnover rate of the food is high due to the quantity of patrons, so the food is consistently fresh, even if the presentation looks like home cooking. I would like to check out dim sum at Bay Fung Tong sometime soon.

4046 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 876-3298
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: March 20, 2005
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
Best Panda is located away from the popular Chinatown or Chinese streets (i.e. Clement, Irving). It’s a bit out of the way in the Richmond district, but the food is very good and the prices are extremely reasonable. Brenda first recommended that we try this place.
The restaurant atmosphere leaves a lot to be desired. There is little formal decoration. In fact, the place looks like it’s been wall papered with the Chinese menu – computer printouts of specials in Chinese and English with their respective prices are taped next to one another along most of the walls. The tables are family style with rows of rectangular tables together in the center of the room and large circular tables along the walls. The bathrooms could use a makeover – they’re not pretty. If you’re going for the food, this is the place to be. If you’re going for the setting, this restaurant needs to be dismissed from you list.
Around meal times, the restaurant is packed, so arrive early if you have a small party and make sure to make a reservation if you have a large party. There are two dining areas. The doors open immediately to the first dining area, and Best Panda has their second dining area in the unit next door, just a couple steps up from the main room.
The price is incredibly reasonable. Best Panda could be called Best Value. In Chinese, Best Panda has chosen the name that literally translates to ‘very good flavor’, and they live up to the name. Presentation of the food is average, but the focus is on the flavor.
I have tried numerous dishes, so I will only list a sampling.
- Geoduck soup – Fresh geoduck is cooked to perfection in a lovely soup. The flavors of the soup contents marry to create an impeccable seafood soup, sweet with the flavors from the sea. We ordered the soup which is sold based on the weight of the conch, and the portion was good enough for six to eight people.
- Minced Beef and Tofu Soup – Small pieces of beef are cooked in soup with tofu cubes and green peas and cilantro. The ingredients have great color and freshness. The soup has a light consistency – just enough to coat the back of a spoon. Very good.

- Sauteed seasonal vegetables – Interestingly enough, you can make mistakes with the simplest food, like cooking Chinese gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli), Ong choy, gai choy, and even green beans. Best Panda pairs these vegetables with their common seasonings and does an excellent job and serving tender greens that come out green and holding intense flavor.
- Deep Fried Sandab with Soy sauce – A large fish is deep fried and served with soy sauce and chopped green onions. The fish is fried to a lovely golden brown, and the fish is hot and cooked to retain its juices. It’s crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and absolutely fresh. Note that the head and tail are still on this fish. It’s not boneless, but the bones are easy to pick out.
- Clams with black bean sauce – I have tried the large clams where you have only one clam, but it’s a huge clam chopped into small chuncks. I have also tried the typical small clams. Both were very good. They do an excellent job of sautéing to perfection– the clams remain tender and are not overcooked. The black bean sauce flavor envelops the clam for great flavor and the jalapenos give it a little kick.
Standard dishes such as beef with greens are also available and they do a great job with those as well. My most recent visit included a wide variety of dishes in the family set meal. Portions are huge for these. Everything was served steaming hot and was extremely fresh.
- Chicken and Pork Shark Fin Soup – Slivers of Chicken and pork are cooked with the shark fin in a thick broth. Good.

- Seafood with Vegetables – Shrimp, squid, and scallops are cooked with broccoli. Carrots are also added for color. The sauce is a translucent white and slightly creamy. Good.

- Spareribs in Sweet Orange Sauce - These spare ribs are more like small pork chops. The meat is deep fried and then stir fried in a sweet and sour dark orange sauce. The deep fried breading keeps the meat juicy and the tangy sauce works well with the pork. Good.

- Ginger and Green Onion Crab – Crab is cut into small pieces and sautéed with ginger slices and green onion. The sauce infuses into the crab. It takes a good effort to dig the crab out of its shell, but it’s worth it. Very good.

- Green Onion Flavored Chicken – Chicken is cooked in a salt broth and chopped into small pieces. Green onion slivers top the chicken, and the chicken is accompanied with a boil of chopped ginger in oil. The green onion nicely accents the chicken, and the ginger adds a nice blend of flavor to both. The chicken is tender and not overcooked. Very good.

- Two kinds of Mushrooms with Vegetables – Straw mushrooms and Chinese black mushrooms are served on top of mustard greens in a thick sauce. The mushrooms were tender, and the mustard greens were tender, but still crunchy. Good.

- Yangchow Fried Rice – Rice is fried with tiny shrimp, diced barbecued pork, peas, diced carrots, and egg. The rice grains remain separate, and the mixture was fresh and flavorful. It’s light in color and the flavors blend well. Very good.

- Spicy Salted Prawns – Prawns with their head, tail, and shell still on them are coated with a light batter and deep fried. The prawns are then tossed with sliced jalapeno peppers until they are just a little bit spicy. The prawns are fresh, but since they aren’t deveined, some may find them a little powdery. The light batter makes them slightly crispy, and the combination of flavors is great.

- Green Bean Dessert – Dried green beans are boiled in water until the concoction reaches a soup-like consistency. Sugar is added to the mix and the liquid with beans is served hot. This is a typical Chinese dessert, but rather than red beans, they have used green beans.

The upside and downside is that after the soup is served, all the dishes from the set menu come at once. It doesn’t leave much room at the table, but it is certainly an appetizing feast. Another down side is that they don’t change your plates, so when eating these large meals, you’ll have a huge pileup of bones. You get more food than you can eat, but as for service, there are definitely areas for improvement.

Also, beware of the slippery floor. With its fast pace, the staff sometimes spills here and there unintentionally, and the floor can be a bit slippery. If you don’t have to use the bathroom, don’t. It also has slippery floors and isn’t particularly neat.

Since there are so many people frequenting Best Panda, the food turnover is incredible. Everything must be fresh since everything is getting served. There isn’t enough left over to keep beyond shelf life. That’s another great aspect of Best Panda – freshness. The downside of the numerous patrons is that there is a certain feeling of being rushed. Food doesn’t always come in the order of appetizer then main dish then soup, though they will do that when they can. When you have finished your meal, if you stay too long to chat, your start getting signals that it’s time to go. This is common courtesy at these types of restaurants that have long lines outside. If you can dismiss the setting, you’ll love the food. It’s hot, fresh, and flavorful.

Capp's Corner - Italian/Sports Bar

1600 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 989-2589
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: June 5, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Capp’s Corner is a neat place. When you walk in, you can just soak in the atmosphere. The place is dimly lit. The bar is on your immediate left. Note that it’s a sports bar, so if a game is on, it’s pretty noisy. That’s part of the charm. It’s conveniently located next to Beach Blanket Babylon.
All around, you’ll see brown wood paneling, and in the back, in red letters it says Capp’s with white lights all through the letters. All around the room are photos of Italian boxers, local sports icons, and movie stars. The tables are laminated with red and white checkers, and there is a definite feeling of San Francisco in the establishment. If you ever visited New Pisa, you will now be directed to Capp’s Corner just a block and a half away.
Long ago in Oakland, I loved dining at Bertola’s for the family style dinners, and a friend recommended we try New Pisa which is how we found Capp’s. Dinner here is available family-style. Most dinners are $14.50 or $16.50. Also included with dinner is a tureen of hearty soup and green salad with beans and creamy italian dressing.
Bread arrives at the table after ordering. The only thing that could make it better would be having it warm from the oven.
- Soup – The soup is always minestrone served in a tureen family style. Very hearty and flavorful, it hits the spot on a cold evening. The vegetables are tender but not overcooked and the green beans have a bright color to them. I could eat this soup anytime.
- Salad - Green salad with garbanzo and kidney beans, dressed with creamy italian dressing and topped with beets are served in a stainless steel bowl. Presentation isn’t important on this one. All the vegetables were very fresh.
I like to order what people often feel is the most simple food. It's a great test for a restaurant. If they can't cook something simple, how can they go beyond that?
- Spaghetti and meatballs - Two large meatballs are topped with spaghetti and meat sauce to create a heaping plateful of hearty flavor. The meatballs are large. They are not overly dense or overly flimsy. The spaghetti, though appearing to be cooked too soft is actually al dente. Even on the first bite, it seems to have gotten too soft, but start to chew, and you'll notice the al dente texture. The sauce is hearty and complex. The flavors have married and the overall dish is great. It's not perfect, but it is really good. And considering the overall cost of the dinner, you'll find the value exceptional.
- Fettucine with prawns - Al dente fettucine is served with eight prawns in a butter garlic sauce. A fresh lemon wedge tops the entire dish. It’s simple and oh so good. The prawns have a lobster like texture and are very meaty. What more can you ask for?
Upon my second visit, as opposed to the first one made in January 2004, I found that the prices had increased 50 cents. Not too bad compared to many of its counterparts. The pasta dishes are now $15 and the meat entrees are $17. New York Steak is available for $19.
- Herbed Leg of Lamb – Three slices of lamb cut from the bone and cooked medium rare are topped with luscious gravy and served with pasta marinara (tonight was penne) and herbed mixed vegetables (zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots). Even the vegetables were delicious. The scent of the lamb was fragrant as it arrived at the table and tasted just as heavenly. It’s tender texture and great flavoring makes it a must try. Don’t worry about the medium rare – after the gravy tops the lamb, it’s perfect.
- Fish of the day – This evening, the catch was snapper with a lemon butter caper sauce. This fish was to die for. A generous filet of snapper is lightly floured and browned until golden brown. The fish is then topped with a light but creamy lemon butter caper sauce. It was heavenly. The edge of the fish was browned just right leaving a perfect texture that was slightly crisp while the center remained moist and flaky. Very fresh and delicious. The fish was also served with a vegetable medley (see above) and pasta marinara. Excellent!
I bumped up the food rating from 3 to 4 stars to simply 4 stars. I was most impressed with how the restaurant handled food quality. Despite a full house at the tables and the bar, our dishes were top quality and better than my initial visit. Pasta dishes are good, but the meat entrees are awesome. The chef was right on the money the night of my second visit, and I would highly recommend this place, especially if you are willing to try the fish of the day.
Capp’s is a bargain and a great place to go. There were a few large parties that evening, and it didn’t feel too loud or too crowded. It’s great Italian food, and it’s a cozy spot for great family style Italian dinners with a taste of San Francisco. Check it out.

China First - Chinese

336 Clement St, San Francisco CA 94118
(415) 387-8370
Open Daily: 11am to 11:30 pm
Parking: street parking, pay parking lots nearby
Last Visited: June 20, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
China First has been open for quite some time. Despite the changes of ownership at restaurants nearby, China First contains to maintain its clientele. It calls itself a seafood restaurant, and they do have a wide selection of seafood, but most people go for its extremely reasonable prices and good food.
Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll see the wood paneling covering the entirety of the walls. In the back of the restaurant is a large seafood tank, divided to house live shrimp, fish, geoduck, crab, lobster, and whatever else is in season. Also on the walls are white boards listing specialties in both Chinese and English. These specials include the various seafood dishes, clay pots, and seasonal vegetables. The décor is not upscale, but it’s clean and to some, the selection of specials alone may seem overwhelming.
An example of its excellent prices include the all day specials list where each item is priced at $3.85. There are more than 35 dishes to choose from.
- Geoduck two ways – Geoduck is prepared in two ways – soup and stir fried/sauteed with vegetables. The geoduck is prepared in soup with thinly sliced ginger, preserved duck egg, soft tofu cubes, and straw mushrooms and finished with fresh cilantro. The soup was very good, succulent and flavorful; the geoduck is infused in the broth. The sautéed geoduck is thinly sliced and stir fried with snow peas, carrots, straw mushrooms, celery, and onions. This geoduck was very good also. Presentation is average, but the preparation is very typical and the crispness of the geoduck definitely came through. You can also tell the chef’s skills by how thinly sliced the geoduck is, and here it was very thinly sliced. If you like seafood, you’ll enjoy these dishes. $15 per lb (seasonal prices)
- Broccoli with Deep Fried Tofu – Tofu blocks are deep fried until golden brown and sauteed. Then the tofu is placed atop broccoli flowerettes and the sauce from the tofu sauté is drizzled over the tofu and broccoli. Nice, especially considering the price. $3.95
- Dried Beef Chow Fun – Rice noodle strips (chow fun) is pan fried with soy sauce, slices of beef, bean sprouts, onions, and green onions. Good. $3.95
The food at China First is extremely reasonably priced. It’s good food for an excellent value. Service and atmosphere are average, but you can’t beat the value. Give China First a try if you want good food at a great price.

Cheung Hing - Hong Kong Style BBQ, San Francisco

2339 Noriega St, San Francisco CA 94122
(415) 665-3271
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open Daily 9am to 9pm

Last Visited: March 11, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $
Cheung Hing seems to have a line out the door no matter the time of day. It’s a small place with dark gray industrial tiles on the floor, a meat and Chinese deli counter to the right, and a few tables for diners to the left. The big glass window in the front displays the roasted barbeque ducks and running chicken hanging in the window. On display on the counter is the many varieties of cooked dishes from chow mein to fried rice to beef with broccoli and more.
The ongoing line is waiting for the fresh Hong Kong style barbecue that Cheung Hing delivers. This type of food is difficult to cook at home since the equipment isn’t available and it’s a lot of work to roast an entire pig. People typically purchase the items by weight or box depending on the item and take them home to enjoy. They’re also great for taking to parties.
The few tables in the room are very cozy to its neighbors. The room has gotten a new coat of paint and the décor is now blue and peach. The tablecloths are gone and we’re back to the plastic table top, but that’s probably better than the picnic style tablecloths previously.
Cheung Hing doesn’t specialize in ambiance. It’s about excellent food at extremely reasonable prices. A delicious and enjoyable meal for anyone willing to give it a chance.
- Shrimp Won Ton Noodles – Available with thick or thin noodles, six shrimp wontons arrive over noodles in a flavorful broth. A few chopped scallions top the bowl of soup noodles. The noodles themselves aren’t actually thick so much as wide, but in Chinese, thick and wide is pretty much synonymous when it comes to noodle description. Everyone just knows what it means. We usually get the thin noodles, since thin noodles are more traditional style. The won tons are filled with a mixture shrimp and pork and are good even on their own without the noodles. The noodles are al dente and the broth is great. Excellent in 2004 and 2005. My most recent 2006 visit seemed to find only good tasting noodles – not as al dente as I have become accustomed to and somehow not as flavorful, but still good, especially at this price. $3.55
All barbecue items are available on their own as an entree, over rice, or by weight. You can also put two items over rice if you prefer, but then the portion of meat will be adjusted accordingly.
- Roast Pork over Rice – A portion of the roasted pig is cut into pieces and placed over rice. You can see the entire roasted pig hanging over the counter, and they cut each piece as it is sold for takeout at the deli or for your entrée. Today’s roast pork was certainly in one of my top ten. The skin of the roast pork was golden brown and very crisp. The meat was tender, juicy, and succulent with superb flavor. There is a little bit of fat between the skin and meat, so you just need to know that since they serve it as it without doctoring it, you’ll need to remove it yourself. Some people like roasted young suckling pig, but when you can have roast pork like this, you won’t even need to try roasted suckling pig. Excellent! $4.35
- Roast Duck over Rice – A quarter of a roasted duck is placed over rice and cooked cabbage (or lettuce depending on when you go). The cabbage has been cooked such that it has soaked up the flavor of the meat, so it’s just delicious. The roast duck was also excellent. It had been cooked to take on a beautiful rich cherry color. Much like the roast pork, you’ll find that there are a few pieces that may be fatty, but it’s just how this dish is served – part of the culture. Most pieces are meaty, but there are those few where you’ll just be able to enjoy only the roast duck skin. The rice soaks in the juice of the roast duck and is also enjoyable. Excellent flavor. $3.95
- Beef Chow Mein over Hong Kong Style Crispy Noodles - Slices of beef are sautéed with straw mushrooms, carrots, and baby bok choy in a sauce and placed over crispy noodles. Unlike regular chow mein, Hong Kong Style Crispy Noodles are typically deep fried or pan fried to a golden brown making them crispy. The flavor of the chow mein is different and also thin chow mein noodles are used rather than thicker noodles. There was a bit more sauce than desirable in this dish, but overall, it was still very good. $4.45
- Beef Chow Fun – Chow fun is pan fried with slices of beef in a light soy sauce. Bean sprouts, onions, and green onions accompany the chow fun. The flavor is good and the food arrives with good heat from the wok that stays with the dish. Good. $3.95
- Stuffed Deep Fried Tofu – Seven large triangles of firm tofu with a bit of meat stuffing in the base of the triangle are deep fried until golden brown. The triangles are then plated and served with a slightly spicy thick sauce. The tofu was fried well, but there was little stuffing. The flavor of the starch based sauce was lacking, and this dish alone would only receive 2 to 3 stars despite the value. Skip this dish unless you just happen to have tofu on your must eat list. $5.65
- Vegetables – We ordered Chinese broccoli during my 2006 visit and found the greens to be fresh and flavorful. It’s a simple cooking method of boiling in the noodle broth and topping with oyster sauce. However, it’s the broth that makes the vegetables good. They cut the broccoli neatly and place it on a plate. At dim sum restaurants, the same quantity and quality would run you about 1.5 times the price of what it is here. Great. $4.30

Any of the barbecued items or even deli items for that matter are terrific (although once in a while, the cut is a bit fatty which was true this last visit, so I dropped the food rating from four stars to the three to four range). Presentation of food isn’t as neat as it could be, but considering the excellent value, this shouldn’t deter you. Be adventurous. If you can get past the atmosphere (think of it as a hole in the wall), you’re sure to enjoy Cheung Hing. It’s one of the best places in town for this style of food!

D&A Cafe - Chinese American

407 Clement St, San Francisco CA 94118
(415) 668-7882
702 Webster St, Oakland CA 94607
(510) 839-6223
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: April 30, 2005
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 1 to 2 stars
Price: $ to $$
D&A Café is a busy place, no matter the time of day. The main attraction at D&A is good food at even better prices. It’s an excellent value that really can’t be beat. D&A specializes in Chinese food and Chinese food American style. Examples of food that is Chinese, but prepared American style include deep fried French toast, macaroni with ham in broth, and Russian borscht. Think American food made to Asian tastes.
The most excellent bargain is food offered between 3pm to 6pm. At already incredible prices, the food is a bargain, but between 3pm and 6pm, D&A has Happy Hour prices where certain dishes are discounted. You can get a bowl of soup noodles for only $2, a dish of gai-lan for $3.50 and other similar items. There are even a selection of drinks available for only $1 each.
There are so many dishes, it’s difficult to highlight them. There are noodle dishes – both in soup or pan fried, seafood, and so much more. It’s virtually impossible to list everything I have tried. They have great oysters in a clay pot, excellent deep fried food (from chicken to calamari to bananas), and lots of drink selections (tapioca, red bean ice, milk tea etc). On my most recent visit, I did find that the gai lan was not as tender as it could be, but for the most part, since there are so many customers, their food turnover rate is very high, so the majority of the food is typically very fresh.
- Field snails – This is a seasonal item. I was lucky enough to find them available. A bowl is filled with snails in their shell served in a rich spicy sauce. The flavor is very good, especially if after you remove the snails from the shell, you dip the meat into the sauce – that’s the best way to eat them. The dish is served with a lot of toothpicks (for removing the meat from the shells) and a lot of napkins. $5.50 (Happy Hour price: $2.80 - incredible!)
- Fried Chicken Wings – Five chicken wings are lightly coated in a seasoned batter and deep fried. The wings are then accompanied by a scoop of potato salad. The chicken wings taste great. The quality of the potato salad varies. The first time I tried this dish, the potato salad wasn’t very good, but the second time, it was creamy and average. The focus really is on the wings themselves. Good.
- Iced Honey Lemon Tea – This is one of my favorite drinks. Iced Tea is served with about 5 slices of lemon with honey as a sweetener. The lemon flavor is very strong, but not overly acidic. Great. If you’ve never tried one, it’s very refreshing, and different from American style iced tea.
- Boil Chicken Lai-Fun Soup – Lai-Fun is a rice noodle that is much like spaghetti in shape, but with different consistency. It’s softer and served less al dente than spaghetti. This noodle also tends to be shorter in length. The lai-fun is served in chicken broth with a seasonal vegetable, (in today’s case, it was lettuce). A dish of chicken accompanies the lai-fun. Finely chopped ginger and green onions are blended with oil and salt to create a dipping sauce. It’s an incredible bargain, and if you like breast meat, the chicken served will suit you perfectly. I prefer dark meat, and there are few pieces of dark meat. Good. $4.75
Another incredible bargain is the menu that allows you to select three items for $15.99. Individually, these dishes are $5.50 each, still an incredible bargain. Here’s an example of what you might find.
- Deep Fried Flounder – An entire flounder is breaded and deep fried and served with sweetened light soy sauce and chopped green onions. It’s incredibly fresh. The breading is light and though the fish is not particularly thick, it’s still quite meaty. With minimal bones, it’s easy to eat. After trying this dish on multiple occasions, I have found D&A to be quite consistent in freshness and quality of the flounder. Very good.
- Dry braised green beans – These green beans have had their ends trimmed and are braised in oil with pork and preserved mustard green. A lot of chili sauce is used to give the dish a kick. They’re not the best dry braised green beans that I’ve tried, but the ingredients are fresh, and the flavor is almost duplicated. However, the texture of the beans aren’t quite right. Average.

- Braised tofu – Tofu bricks are braised and served with baby bok choy and black mushrooms. The portion of the dish is huge. It comes with a lot of sauce and isn’t served as neatly as it could be, but there is a lot of value in the dish. The contents come out steaming hot, but the quality could be improved.

I have visited D&A multiple times. Some words of warning. The atmosphere is far from one of ambiance. In fact, if you’re lucky, it will be that of a fast food restaurant. The hustle and bustle atmosphere fills the room. At the San Francisco location, you’ll find more small tables and booths, and televisions show the latest Chinese pop star. In the Oakland location, you’ll find several more large tables available, but still limited seating. Also, if you can help it, don’t look in the kitchen and don’t go to the bathroom. The San Francisco bathrooms are slightly more hygienic (though not much more) than the Oakland bathrooms, but don’t go if you don’t have to; it might spoil your meal. As for the kitchen, be grateful that everything is cooked under high heat or deep fried.
Service is typically not very attentive. It’s not always the most polite, but typically it’s bearable. They give you your food, and if you need something, flag someone down. These people are overworked, but they’re fast and efficient.
Great food for excellent prices – D&A is the place to go for both.

Empress of China - Chinese

838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 434-1345
Hours: Open Daily 11:00am-10:00pm
Parking: street parking and pay parking lot in basement

Last Visited: January 31, 2004

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$

Empress of China is the only roof top Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The décor features Han dynasty architecture and ornaments. This evening, we dined banquet-style in the ballroom. The ballroom is large and seats hundreds. The large room features a view of the city from the large windows. From the ceiling hangs red lanterns like those seen in movies, and even larger lanterns are displayed in the front of the room.

Service seemed to be dependent on the server here. This evening, the service was about two stars. The quantity of food wasted was incredible, however, I noticed that this was done for efficiency this evening. However, other servers seemed to give better service both in attitude and the handling of the banquet-style service. For those who don’t typically dine banquet-style, the difficulty for the server is that there are numerous plates on the lazy susan, and in order to make room for more plates, something must be done with the dishes already on the table. At upper class restaurants, the server typically will remove dishes that are half eaten and place the food onto smaller plates, then return the smaller plate to the table. Our server seemed a bit lazy this evening and didn’t seem happy about our request for this to be done. I’ve decided to give service a range of 2 to 3 stars since other servers were observed to be more efficient and kind.

- Minced Chicken and Chinese Sausage with Lettuce Cup – Chicken, Chinese sausage, preserved cabbage, and other vegetables are minced and served with lettuce cups. Lettuce is peeled to retain its cup formation, and the edges are cut with a zig-zag patterned scissor. On the side is a hoisin sauce based sauce. The presentation of the lettuce is great and the lettuce was very fresh. The flavors are nicely blended, but I prefer my minced meat to have more water chestnuts giving that extra crunch.

- Golden Chives and Dry Scallop Soup – The soup was nicely done with a good consistency to the broth. There were a lot of dry scallops and the flavor was mild, but appropriate.

- Szechwan Style Prawns – Prawns are sautéed with red pepper flakes and other spices and scattered amongst the shrimp are colorful bell peppers. The flavor is nice with a little spiciness from the red pepper flakes.

- Roasted Chicken with Special Bean Curd Sauce – Chicken is roasted to golden brown. The chicken is served with a red bean curd sauce on the side. The sauce was a bit watered down. The chicken was a bit dry, and since it had been covered to retain its heat, the parsley garnish had wilted. The color of the chicken was nice, but the meat could be more moist.

- Sauteed Vegetarian Delight – Mustard greens are served under a multitude of shitake mushrooms and straw mushrooms. This dish was nicely done, but the name seems to imply more than what was served. Perhaps my expectations were different, and the two just didn’t line up.

- Wok Fried Fresh Flounder – A whole flounder is deep fried and served whole with soy sauce for seafood. The fish was good, but not the best. The crunchiness of the fish could be improved.

- Seafood Delicacies Stuffed in Winter Melon – Pieces of shrimp, mushrooms, and other delights are served in a sauce under braised winter melon. The delicacies aren’t really stuffed, but more hidden beneath the melon. The delicacies themselves aren’t as exciting as the melon. A portion of giant wintermelon is braised until the entire piece is soft, but not falling apart. The consistency was lovely and since the melon is served whole, you see a large circle of melon on the dish. The melon is then cut like a pie into wedges. It’s excellent.

- Braised Westlake Duck – Another excellent dish. Duck is braised until the meat falls off the bone. The duck is served with barley and lettuce in a sauce. The duck is done very nicely as well and certainly a specialty in itself.

- Almond Tofu – The dessert this evening was almond tofu, but it’s the kind from the box, which has a bit of a fake flavor. It was equivalent to that from the box. Nothing special.

The main improvement to the evening would be the changing of plates. Since a number of dishes had a lot of sauce, the flavors were beginning to be mingled together, resulting in their lost distinctness. This was especially noticeable after the shrimp was served. Everything seemed to have a bit of spiciness to it after that. Since an appetizer plate was provided, an alternative would be to remove the appetizer plate later after more courses had been served. Not every dish is number one, but some dishes are definitely special and worth a try.

Fat Wong's Kitchen - Chinese

1780 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94066
(650) 872-6682
Parking: street parking and parking lot
Hours: Daily 11:30 am to Midnight

Last Visited: October 18, 2007

Food: 4 to 5 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$

Fat Wong’s Kitchen is reminiscent of a former Taco Bell. Think of the brick façade, the window arches, and the large counter. They’ve done a good job converting the place though. The room is painted a cream color, and the brick around the window arches are white. On the walls are fun framed drawings of cartoon chefs and Chinese characters. The tables are a dark cherry, and the matching chairs have a black cushioned seat. The front counter is now walled in with a granite face. There is a window to allow you to see what is happening in the kitchen. The floors are brown tile. Recessed lights bring light to the room along with the large windows.

There is a lot of hustle and bustle at this restaurant. It’s not a good place if you’re looking for a quiet atmosphere with a lot of atmosphere. It’s a great place to go for inexpensive eats that are high quality. They also have an interesting clientele – mostly all Asian, but still fun for people watching.

Rumor has it that the chef formerly came from Flower Lounge to open up this restaurant.

The table has a drink and dessert menu. Drinks are extremely inexpensive ranging at or a little over a dollar. There are also a lot of homemade desserts available. As you walk in, it will be immediately clear what their specialties are – congee (aka porridge) and wonton noodles of various types. The other specials are steamed rice wrapped in lotus leaves (jong) and rice noodle rolls.

- Rice Noodle Roll with Fish Paste – Fish paste is wrapped in a rice noodle roll and steamed. This is a unique dish because most restaurants stick to the basics of shrimp, beef, barbecued pork, or fried donut (which they also have available except for the donut version. The portion is good, but I found the rice noodle roll to be a little bit too moist, meaning that the roll itself is a bit on the soft almost soggy side, though still intact. The fish paste was good though. Okay. $3.00

- Sampan Porridge – Rice is cooked to a porridge – thick, but not overly so. The sampan version comes with peanuts, fish meatballs, and pork skins. You also receive a small plate of chopped green onions and fried crispy twists. The porridge is nicely flavored and rich and creamy in texture. The meatballs are soft and also have the right texture. You know it’s good because you don’t have to add salt to the porridge. Very Good. $5.25

- Pork and Preserved Egg Porridge – The same porridge base for the sampan porridge is used. Slices of pork and pieces of preserved egg are added to this porridge. Another very good porridge. It’s served with a side dish of green onion and crispy twists that can be added to the porridge for extra texture and flavor. $4.80

- Pan Fried Noodle with Beef and Seasonal Vegetables – This is an incredible deal for the price. Noodles are pan fried until crispy and topped with slices of beef and bok choy cooked in a light brown sauce. The crispiness of the noodles gives extra texture this dish. Very good. It’s often hard to find a place where the crispy noodles aren’t burnt. It might be something different for you to have noodles this crispy, but it tastes great with of course a good crunch. $6.25

- Braised Fish Ball, Pork Skin, and Turnip – Fish balls are braised and tender pork skins and turnip in the same sauce are placed in a soup bowl. The pork skins are so soft they melt in your mouth and the turnip chunks maintain their form. All have been infused with great flavor. The sauce has a slight hint of five spice powder. Good. $4.25

- Fried Rice with Minced Beef – Beef is cooked with lettuce, fried rice, and egg to create a great fried rice dish. The individual grains of rice are separated, and the color is a light golden brown. The rice isn’t too oily, and they actually have minced beef, not ground beef. The flavor is light and delicate, but certainly flavorful. Good. $5.95

- Steamed Rice with Meat Wrapped Lotus Leaf - Rice, dried shrimp, lotus nuts, duck, a preserved egg, yellow peas, and dried black mushrooms are wrapped in a lotus leaf. The whole thing is then steamed or boiled for many hours and served with a small dish of soy sauce and a small dish of sugar. The flavor of the lotus leaf becomes infused into the rice. There were a lot of ingredients stuffed into the block of rice, but I found the texture of the rice a little mushy. In general, similar dishes I have tried are cooked so that the individual grains of rice can still be seen. This one had been cooked until it all has melted together. It was good, but not quite to my taste because of the texture. However, the amount of duck (the duck is still on the bone) and the general quantity of ingredients was very good. You’ll have to try it out and decide for yourself. $7.25 dine in/$8 take out

- Chow Fun with Beef & Soy Sauce – Beef is sautéed with chow fun, green onions, and bean sprouts. The slices of beef are tender, and the chow fun is nicely separated and browned by the soy sauce. What is difficult about this dish is that the chow fun usually gets burned, and the flavor becomes tainted. This is not a problem at Fat Wong’s. Very good. $5.95

- Tofu with Five Spice Seasoning – A full block of tofu is cut in half and deep fried. Then the tofu is sliced and placed in five spice seasoned sauce. The sauce is like water in consistency and has a light light brown coloring. It’s flavor is light but marries well with the fried tofu skin. Very good. $3.80

- Gai Lan - Fresh gai lan vegetables (Chinese broccoli) are boiled and drizzled with sesame oil and oyster sauce. Although the stalks are large, they are very tender. Very good. I don’t remember the specific price, but it was around $5 to $6

- Shrimp Wonton Noodle Soup – Five large wontons are served with noodles in broth. The wontons contain shrimp and an abundance of pork. The broth has a delicate flavor. The Hong Kong style noodles are al dente and nicely separated (no clumps). The wontons are jumbo. Very good. $5.25

- Hong Kong Milk Tea – A good sized milk tea that is available hot or cold. Excellent price. $1.50 ($2 when ordered to go)

- Hong Kong Coffee Milk Tea – This cup of HK Coffee Milk Tea is a combination of coffee with milk tea (aka yin-yang). The hot version doesn’t come with sugar, so you’ll need to add it yourself. $1.50 ($2 when ordered to go)

Service is a little touch and go, but it’s still worth a visit for the food. Since I added my milk tea and an additional dish during the middle of the meal, that may have been part of reason for the slower service. I didn’t receive these two items until asking for them at least one or two times more. The food is still too good to miss. The last time I visited, I ordered milk tea with the rest of the order, and it came very fast, almost immediately after ordering.

During lunches on weekdays, the restaurant has a lot less people, so you won’t feel as rushed eating. When they aren’t as busy, the servers tend to watch the crowd, which can get a little uncomfortable so there is room for improvement, but overall, the staff is quick to turnaround tables and efficient.

I heartily recommend Fat Wong’s Kitchen. There is a lot of variety available and certainly all the ingredients are fresh and good. And for some, the food will bring back warm memories.

Golden City - Chinese - Shanghai style

2253 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122
(415) 661-1226
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: October 19, 2003
Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$
When you walk into Golden City, you first notice the wood paneling. It’s like walking back into the early 80s – a time warp with the mirrors above the wood panels. Golden City is owned by Chinese and Korean people. It’s clean and neat, and they offer typical Shanghai dumplings. A bowl of kim chee is served as an appetizer.
- Pork dumplings – These pork dumplings deserve four stars. The handmade dumpling wrapper is thin and the meat is tender and juicy. If they were a tad bit hotter in temperature, they would be perfect. If you get nothing else, try these or the shrimp dumplings. There are twelve dumplings to an order. $4.75
- Pan fried Dried spiced tofu – The dried tofu is served with small pieces of pork and green onion. The more authentic way to serve this dish would be with yellow chives to give it that extra crunch. The flavor was okay, but I prefer the tofu to be sliced finer into strips.
- Beef chow fun (dry style) – This dish was average. Nothing wonderful about it, but nothing bad either. Fairly standard in my book.
The tea lacks flavor. The service is okay, but not fully attentive. It’s probably better to stick to this place for lunch. I’ve had a better experience then.

Golden River - Chinese

5287 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 668-5105
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: January 10, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ for lunch
I visited Golden River for dim sum during lunch. The building is far from fancy, with one well lit dining area. Tables vary from four person tables to large, round, family dining tables. These are covered in table cloths which are then covered with paper placemats.
The service was fairly inattentive. Since the dining room was very crowded at lunch, with only three main servers, we were lost in the crowd. If you want service, don’t even bother. If you want excellent shrimp noodle roll dim sum, this is a great place to try out.
Located a couple of doors from Ton Kiang, which seems to now have a very different clientele from several years back, you’ll find Golden River is filled with Chinese people. They probably began developing their reputation from those spilling over from the wait at Ton Kiang.
The most incredible attraction at Golden River is the price. All dim sum dishes are available for $1.95, no matter the size (most dim sum places charge accordingly based on a system of small, medium, large, and special dishes). Chef’s special plates are available for $3.80. There is no tea charge.
The best:
- Shrimp Noodle Roll – This is one of the best shrimp noodle rolls you can get in the city. It’s five star for sure! Large prawns are rolled in a thin rice noodle fun, and it is served with sweet light soy sauce. Not only is it better than a lot of other dim sum restaurants, there’s really not much you could do to improve on this roll – it has perfect consistency and flavor, and at $1.95, it can’t be beat! It’s the best of the best!
The good:
- Stuffed Eggplant – Fresh large pieces of Japanese eggplant are stuffed with shrimp paste and deep fried. Black bean sauce is served over the eggplant and shrimp paste. It was hot and the outer coating of the shrimp paste was a beautiful golden brown. Very nicely done.
- Deep Fried Turnover with Minced Meat – Pork and some vegetables are placed in a sweet rice dumpling and deep fried. The consistency of the dumpling was perfect, and the filling tasted as it should.
- Shrimp Wrapped in Tofu Skin Deep Fried – An unusual combination of ingredients in this roll. Typically, only shrimp is folded into tofu skin and deep fried. Golden River likes to add carrots and other vegetables which seem to work for them. It makes the roll juicier and allows for the contents to get hotter when deep fried. A bit unconventional, but still good.
The average:
- Spare ribs with black bean sauce – Spare ribs are steamed with jalapeno peppers and black bean sauce. Some spare ribs were spicier than others, thus it appeared the spices and meat had not been thoroughly mixed. Also, the fat content in the ribs was somewhat low, which creates a tough texture amongst the meat. This dish was so-so.
- Har gao – Shrimp dumpling – The presentation of the steamed shrimp dumpling in a rice wrapper is nice, but the wrapper is a bit on the thick side. Flavor is okay. I would go for another shrimp noodle roll rather than get the har gao.
- Pork dumpling – The presentation of the pork dumpling is a bit unusual in that they use pink shrimp roe rather than the typical orange. The portion of each dumpling is larger than typical, and flavor is okay, but the wrapper is darker in color than usual. It could just be a case of unexpected presentation, but I didn’t care for these pork dumplings.
Considering the prices for these dishes, it’s a great deal. It’s not top quality, with the exception of the shrimp rolls, but it’s worth a try. If you’ve never had good shrimp noodle rolls, it’s definitely worth a stop to help you set your standards for what good ones should be like. Have low expectations about the service and atmosphere, and you’ll be prepared.

Grain D'or - Bakery

236 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 668-6121
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: December 2005
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$
Grand D’or has such a fresh and crisp look about it. The wood floors and the wood tables are all maple and light in color. The flowers are arranged with lots of clean lines. The sunlight streams in from the front windows, and the display cases are lit to show many fanciful delights. The smell of fresh bread drifts through the room, and loaves of bread are placed in baskets above the counters. The women behind the counter in the

- Éclair – The éclair was delicious. Custard filled and light puff pastry – it melts in your mouth. Not too sweet, the flavor is wonderful.

I was stuffed from lunch, but I couldn’t resist passing up this delectable opportunity. I’m definitely going to need to go back again.

Grand Palace - Chinese

415 Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 872-1000
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: February 17, 2008
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Grand Palace opened a new location nearby their previous location on the 300 block.
I tried the new one and found it to be even better than the first. The new location is a large two story unit that has been newly remodeled. All the colors are warm with warm light peach walls and beautiful wood crown moulding trim. The carpet is dark green with a beautiful pattern with beautifully upholstered chairs in a regal green with gold patterns. It all goes together very well. The tables are spaciously set in the living room and the table cloths are also a lovely green. The atmosphere is fine and the high ceilings give the room a grand feel.
Service is good. We visited the new Grand Palace for a dim sum lunch.
Unfortunately, during my 2008 visit, I downgraded all of their ratings at least half to a whole star. Although the setting remains upscale, Grand Palace has gotten a lot busier and their prices have gone up. In their efforts to serve all of their new customers, service and food quality have dropped quite a bit.

Sizes follow the item listed when available.

Pork congee with duck egg – Out of all the dishes that I tried out this afternoon, it seemed that this one would rank the lowest. The consistency was too watered down, and though I’m sure the flavor was fine, congee (rice porridge) should be thicker with more rice. Two stars. (Medium)
- Beef Noodle Roll – Nicely, though it seemed lacking of something. Perhaps it could be hotter, or a little bit more cilantro, but the consistency of the noodle was right. During my most recent visit, I found the roll nice and thin, so I’m bumping this up from the 2 to 3 star range to just 3 stars.
- Steamed Tofu pockets stuffed with shrimp paste – The tofu is deep fried to create a golden brown skin, then stuffed with shrimp paste and steamed. Three pieces per dish. The flavor was okay. Two to three stars. (Special)
- Shrimp dumplings – The flavor was good. Four dumplings filled with shrimp. The skin could be slightly thinner and then it would be perfect. During my 2008 visit, the skin had broken a bit, but otherwise flavor was still okay. Three stars. (Medium)
- Deep fried taro dumplings – Deep fried with a nice taro consistency and filled with meat and vegetable. The outer layer is deep fried golden brown and the flavors blend together well. Three dumplings per dish. Four stars. (Medium)
- Char Siu Bao/BBQ Pork buns – Three pork buns filled with barbeque pork. Good flavor and soft bun. Four stars. (Small)
- Button Mushrooms stuffed with shrimp paste – Four mushrooms are filled to overflow with shrimp paste. A brown sauce lightly covers the mushroom. Hot in temperature and juicy, these burst with flavor. Four stars. (Special)
- Eggplant stuffed with shrimp paste – Four pieces of Japanese eggplant are stuffed with shrimp paste. The eggplant is then rolled in a light batter and deep fried. The same sauce used to top the mushrooms top the eggplant. Excellent! Four stars. (Special)

- Pork dumpling – Four pork dumplings are served in a small steamer. The flavor is just right, and the presentation of the dumplings is great. Three to four stars. These were also okay in 2008. (Small)

- Deep fried pork dumpling – I have referred to this dim sum by other names, but this is basically an oval shaped dumpling that is puffed up after deep fried. Inside is ground pork and a little bit of vegetable. The outside is slightly sticky and sweet using sweet rice flour as the basis of the mixture. Very good. Three to four stars. (Small)

- Sweet soft tofu – Soft tofu is served in a bowl with sweet syrup as a topping. The tofu is infused with ginger flavor. The tofu was pretty good, but not the best I’ve had. I think I also didn’t get the top of the bowl, but the bottom instead since the pieces of tofu were sometimes on the small said. Two to three stars.

- Deep fried sesame ball dessert – Lotus paste fills a ball that puffs up when deep fried. The outer shell was crispy and golden brown. The sweet paste gives it a delicate flavor and the deep fried shell makes the texture a great match. The inside of the shell is just a little gooey making it soft and crispy in the same bite. Still good in 2008. Three to four stars.

- Deep fried stuffed tofu – Tofu bricks are topped with shrimp paste and deep fried until golden brown. A light brown sauce is served on top of the crispy tofu. Since it’s made with soft tofu, the inside texture is smooth while the outside is crispy. Good. Three to four stars.

- Cold octopus – Baby octopus is marinated, cooked, and served cold. Each piece is crispy and refreshing, and certainly an interesting sight. About 15 or so pieces are served on top of soybeans that have a bit of sweetness to them. Good. Three to four stars.

- Shrimp stuffed bell peppers – The shrimp is fried until golden brown and the bell pepper squares look gorgeous. However, once you’ve bitten into it, the bell peppers still taste great, but the shrimp is a combination of too many other items. There seems to be some fish paste, which normally would be ok depending on the type of fish paste used, that leaves the texture too chewy. The extra ingredient actually detracts from the flavor of the stuffing and left me wanting more. (Special)

- Steamed chicken feet with black bean sauce – Three chicken feet are braised then steamed with black bean sauce. Although they were very tender, they too lacked a little something in how the texture of the chicken feet held up – it seemed it had been a little over steamed. (Small)

- Golden Chives Beef Chow Fun – Although the name says golden chives, you’ll find very few golden chives included in this beef chow fun. The chow fun came on a chipped white plate and had beef, green onions, bean sprouts, and chow fun. There were some yellow chives, but very few. The chow fun was broken into smaller pieces rather than whole strips as they should be. The flavor was okay, but needed just a touch more salt. I had to ask the waiter to provide us with some soy sauce to get the flavor just right. Not worth the price considering the quantity and quality. Just okay. $10

2008 prices for dim sum are as follows: Small $2.45, Medium $2.90, Large $3.90, Special $4.80. Tea is complimentary during dim sum hours.

Our most recent dinner visit was in 2005.

- Combination Cold Cut Platter – This appetizer contains warm barbecued pork, seasoned jellyfish, cold seasoned duck wings, sliced beef, and another cold cut. The plate is small, but it’s packed with goodies. There is enough to serve between four and six people. The pork was warm and juicy, and heating it makes all the difference. The sweetness of the barbecue sauce gives it a great flavor. The duck wings are boiled in a seasoned broth, removed from the broth, and refrigerated. The duck has an almost crisp texture which is just right for this dish. The jellyfish is crunchy and al dente in texture. Great. $18

- Braised Tofu with Green Veggies – The braised tofu bricks were cooked to perfection. The outside of the tofu is golden brown, forming a skin to hold the soft tofu inside which is heated through making it hot and tender. It bursts with juice. The tofu is accompanied by baby bok choy neatly placed in a row. Great presentation and excellent quality. Their braised tofu is excellent. $9

- Braised Dry String Beans with Pork – The braised dry string beans weren’t braised dry enough. True braised dry beans cause the beans to lose more of its moisture so that the beans are extra crispy. This dish was more like stir fried green beans rather than braised dry. Fair. They would have been good if the name had been stir fried or just green beans. $10

- Sauteed Sliced Lamb with Leek and X.O. Chili Sauce – Lamb is sliced into pieces and cooked with sliced leeks and red chili peppers in X.O. chili sauce. The X.O. sauce gives the lamb just enough kick that it tastes a touch spicy, but not spicy enough to burn your mouth. The leeks are crisp in texture and complement the lamb wonderfully. The lamb was tender and had just absorbed the flavor of the X.O. sauce. Excellent. $12

- Pan Fried Whole Flounder – A large flounder is lightly battered and deep fried until crispy. It’s served with head and tail and topped with sliced green onions. A little bit of soy sauce is placed on the plate prior to placing the fish on top. The fish was fresh, and the batter fried until lightly brown. Good$14

- Yang Chow Fried Rice – Rice is pan fried with egg, diced barbecued pork, carrots, and green peas. Each rice granule was separated from one another, but still retained its moisture. The flavor was very good – not too salty, but still flavorful. Great. $9

During the 2005 visit, I found service to be fair. In reality, it was just two people, but it dropped service from the 3 to 4 range to just 3 stars. One person was taking the dim sum around. Her attitude just wasn’t pleasant and was barely offset by one of the happier folks doing the same job. One of the headwaiters was also quite unpleasant. She had taken our last dim sum order but seemed dissatisfied by what we had selected and even though she entered in the order, more than fifteen minutes passed before we received it. Being that there were few tables in her area, she should have checked back with us at the ten minute mark when she saw that we hadn’t received our order. The service rating would have dropped further, but there was a nicer headwaiter that offset her behavior. My last visit seemed to confirm that it was just two specific people that made service fair. Sitting downstairs this most recent time, I only encountered one of the people mentioned above, and overall, I had a much better experience.

A lot of the dishes that I didn’t try out had wonderful presentation, from the plates to the food itself. Grand Palace has done a great job of improving their level of atmosphere and food presentation rising to compete amongst some of the Bay Area’s finest. Food quality is good, and the atmosphere just makes it all the better. Grand Palace is definitely worth a stop.
However, in 2008, I found that presentation had gone downhill significantly. The plates were no longer beautiful as they had been two to three years before. Most plates were now white and chipped. My teapot was chipped and the elegance lies only in the surroundings. Service as mentioned above was disappointing. What was probably the most appalling was the dim sum service. It seems it started as a mistake. The people occupying our table had ordered the deep fried sesame balls, but likely due to the wait, had given up, so by the time the waitress brought the order to our table, she was quite disturbed that we didn’t have a tag on our receipt associated with the order. However, it’s important to have flexibility and to know what to do in this situation. Since our party wanted to have the sesame balls, and she had already taken them from her tray and put them on our table, but had not stamped our order check yet, she should have just completed the transaction with the stamp and moved on. However, she went back to the host station and started to get upset at the waiter. Meanwhile, we’re staring at the sesame balls not wanting to start eating them yet until this was cleared up. Another waiter came by and realizing the situation, told her to proceed with the remaining orders she had to fill. She then took our sesame balls away and went upstairs. Gasp. If you’ve gone to have dim sum, once the plate is on the table, you just don’t take it away, especially if the patron wants to order it and you have more on the tray. Nevertheless, this was only the first faux pas with this woman. After she had filled all of the pre-ordered sesame ball requests, she then passed our table and didn’t offer us the remaining ones. After making a full round in the restaurant, and much to our chagrin, allowing the sesame balls to cool, she came back asking if we wanted any. Faux pas number 2. The afternoon progressed with yet another step back when it came to service. Another waitstaff member came and took our soy sauce and condiments plate away for refills. Considering patrons are still using the items and eating, you just shouldn’t do this. It wasn’t just us though, every table proceeded to have their condiments removed. They didn’t return for another 20 minutes. Finally, our specially ordered items took about 20 minutes to arrive after ordering – an unusually long time considering the typical turnaround on dim sum orders, even when made fresh.
Given the number of choices in the Bay area, the lack of competition in the immediate vicinity has allowed Grand Palace to lower its standards. Service could be improved greatly and refined to eliminate some of these procedural faux pas experiences.

Happy Garden- Chinese

815 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 387-4011
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: June 4, 2005
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$
Happy Garden has had the grand opening sign outside their door for about a year now. Having been there for dim sum, I found the overall quality of dim sum to be fair. There are some dishes that were fine and others that didn’t meet an average rating. My original rating was three stars for service and atmosphere, with the food rating at 2 to 3 stars.
Upon entering the restaurant, there is a counter to your immediate right, and the rest of the restaurant is filled with tables. The large circular tables are in the center of the room and far right. The staircase in back leads to the women’s restroom and another private room currently used for storage. There is a fish tank in the rear of the restaurant and the kitchen is also in the back. The atmoshphere is neat and the walls are fairly newly painted.
My most recent visit was for dinner. For their dinner for two to three people, the value is incredible. For $18.80, you get a complete meal including soup, two meat dishes, a vegetable dish, and dessert. It’s pretty hard to beat. Food quality for dinner is about three stars, but service could have used improvement. Knowing that you get better service from the family members that own the restaurant than the people who are hired to work there, you’ll easily recognize the owners.
Service this evening was toward the two star rating. When service is given by the family members, it’s about three stars. You’ll also find one other hard working gentleman that is not related to the family. They’re not particularly friendly, but they’re efficient in the hustle and bustle. What was bad about the atmosphere this evening was the yelling. Apparently there was someone calling the wrong number and reaching the restaurant multiple times either asking for the wrong person or not saying anything at all. The two waitresses were yelling loudly despite the presence of the patrons, and they went on and on about how they weren’t going to answer the phone. The appearance of the restaurant is reasonable, but the yelling really reduced my impression of the atmosphere.
- Winter melon soup – Chunks of winter melon and pork are boiled over a slow fire for several hours to create a clear succulent broth. The soup was good, and though the presentation isn’t pretty – it arrives in a big bowl with pork bones, it is typical of this type of home style soup.
- Pork spare ribs with spicy salt – These aren’t typical pork spare ribs. They would probably be considered small pork chops, but Chinese people refer to them as ribs. Pork ribs are lightly battered with spicy salt batter and deep fried with onions and chili peppers. The batter is seasoned well and not too salty. Very good - although there is a little bit of MSG, so if you are concerned about MSG, be wary of this dish.
- Salted Baked Chicken – The name is a bit deceiving in English, but in Chinese, when you translate it literally, the chicken is actually cooked in a salted broth. Half a chicken is served for two to three people and it’s accompanied with a ginger dipping sauce. The sauce is simple and made from grated ginger, oil, and salt. The chicken still has the skin on it and is chopped into manageable pieces with the bones still intact. Very good.
- Mustard greens – Whole mustard greens are pan fried with garlic cloves that are pan fried/oil fried until golden brown. The mustard greens take on the flavor of the cooked garlic and chopped garlic is added to the dish. The garlic flavor isn’t overwhelming, but it nicely seasons the greens which are a very nice light green. Very fresh. Good.
Several points of improvement for service were needed during dinner. The soup was just given to us. Good servers will pour the soup out into individual bowls and serve the bowls to each person. This soup was basically plopped in front of us. As for the chicken, the plate holding the dipping sauce was directly on top of the chicken and should have been put on the table. These small touches would improve their service greatly.
One of the special meal sets available during our last visit was a Seafood Meal for $28.80. It serves four to five people.

- Salty Spicy Shrimp – Shrimp in its shell is lightly battered and deep fried, then pan fried with onion slices and jalapeno pepper slices. The combination is shrimp that is slightly crispy with lots of flavor on the outside. The shrimp seemed to be sprinkled with salt and possibly MSG, though the latter is not confirmed. I didn’t like the additional sprinkling because the shrimp was too salty, and your mouth can’t taste the shrimp flavor because it’s overpowered by the salt. Fair.

- Soup with Fish balls – Spinach, tofu, and meatballs made with fish are cooked in a light broth. The broth becomes sweet with the flavor of the fish. Good. The fish balls were also just the right texture, not too dense, and not coming apart.

- Crab with ginger and green onion – Crab is sautéed with ginger and green onions. A slightly thick sauce coats the crab. Good. Nice flavor, although the sauce seemed to be lacking just a little extra something in the flavor. Okay.

- Seasonal Vegetables – Today’s vegetable was mustard greens. Caramelized garlic is cooked with mustard greens until they turn a beautiful green. Tender and crunchy, these were excellent mustard greens.

- Tofu with Shrimp – Tofu bricks are cut into large pieces and steamed with a large dollop of ground shrimp. A light soy sauce is drizzled over the tofu. The things they could do better with this dish are to cut the tofu into smaller pieces – usually, you get about ten pieces of tofu, here you get five long pieces of tofu – and divide the shrimp up amongst the pieces. The presentation needs to be improved, but the flavor was good. The shrimp meat was tender and succulent.

- Deep Fried Flounder – A large flounder is deep fried whole and plated over soy sauce. The flounder was large, which is good when it’s steamed, but I prefer it to be thinner and flatter when fried. When it’s thinner, there seem to be less eggs and the soy sauce absorbs into the flesh better. Okay.

- Dessert – Red bean soup is served for dessert. It wasn’t the best nor was it the worst I’ve had. Okay.

For dinner, the meals are a wonderful value, but there are several improvements in service to be made. The service during my most recent visit was better during our second visit when the place was less busy since it was early in the evening. The overall meal makes Happy Garden worthy of a visit if you are willing to discount the potential service and atmosphere mishaps.

Harbor Village - Chinese - CLOSED

Four Embarcadero Center, Lobby Level, San Francisco CA 94111
(415) 781-8833
Parking: in parking lot (validated)

Last Visited: October 2, 2004

Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$

Harbor Village is located in Embarcadero Center. The décor is mostly rich cherry wood and darker colors. The carpet is a floral design which is mostly forest green with a large endless flower pattern in a coral color. A partition with glass on top of a wood bottom separates the main dining room. There are also multiple private rooms available.

The atmosphere makes this a nice restaurant to bring guests. Presentation of dishes is also sure to be pleasant. However, prices run higher than many other restaurants.

Our most recent visit to Harbor Village was for dim sum. Menu items during lunch include noodle and fun (rice noodle) dishes as well as fried rice. There is an assortment on the menu for dinner.

Dim sum is categorized into in four prices. Standard items are $2.60. Deluxe items are $3.70. Premium items are $4.90. Super Premium items are $7. Typically, seafood and items considered to be delicacies (e.g. shark fin) would be deluxe, premium, and super premium items.

- Shrimp dumpling (4) – Four dumplings are stuffed with shrimp. The presentation of this dish was good, and there was plenty of shrimp pieces inside this dumpling, but since it was served about room temperature (the steam tray wasn’t keeping it hot enough), it had good flavor but wasn’t the best it could be. $4.90

- Pork dumpling (4) – Four dumpling skins are filled with pork. Again, the flavor and presentation were good, but the temperature wasn’t up to par. $2.60

- Beef ball (3) – The beef ball dish was much better. Three beef balls are served over tofu skin. The beef balls are flavored with a touch of cilantro and served with Worcestershire sauce. The meat was tender and juicy. Nice. $3.70

- Spare ribs with black bean sauce - This was another dish served hot. The sauce had infused the ribs and the meat was tender and flavorful. Another good one. $3.70

- Shrimp Noodle Roll – Though an ample amount of shrimp is placed inside these rice noodle rolls, the roll themselves were too thick. Again, the food was room temperature, so despite the excellent flavor, texture and temperature were the downfall of this dish. $4.90

- Deep Fried Turnover with Minced Meat – The turnover was still warm, but could be hotter. The sticky rice flour used to make the turnover gave it a nice texture. The flavor of the minced meat was above average, but hotter food is better. $3.70

- Eggplant stuffed with Shrimp - One thing I liked about the eggplant was the way our server cut it. Typically, this dish is cut in half across its width, however, our server cut in half lengthwise. Although this is more difficult to do, it results in an even distribution of shrimp when the piece is split. The shrimp stuffing and eggplant were nicely done. Both were soft and tender. Good. $4.90

- Shark Fin Dumpling with Broth – As expected, this is a super premium dish. The clear broth containing the large dumpling is served with red vinegar on the side. The dumpling itself was okay, containing several strands of shark fin. However, broth with a greater amount of shark fin is available at other restaurants without the dumpling. Average. $7

- Tea – The tea served was good and the staff was reasonably good at making sure the pot remained full throughout the meal. As with all restaurants, a selection of tea choices is available. $1.30 per person

The temperature of food makes a big difference. Had all the dishes been served piping hot, Harbor Village would have gotten 4 stars for food. Despite the temperature, there is still room for improvement. Since a number of items weren’t as hot as they could be, it was the flavor and presentation that carried the food score.

Dim sum needs to be served right out of the kitchen. Any lag time makes the quality decline a great deal. I recommend coming right when the restaurant opens or as the tea time goes to its second round of clientele. Otherwise, you might find the food fair at best. There are a number of people who enjoy Harbor Village, so it’s a matter of luck of the draw as to what you’ll receive.

Hung To Seafood - Chinese

221 South Spruce St, South San Francisco, CA 94080
(650) 877-0828
Parking: in parking lot
Last Visited: June 15, 2003
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $$$
Hung To’s atmosphere didn’t particularly stand out. I did however appreciate their large parking lot. Upon entering the restaurant, you will be able to see the seafood tank containing the fresh catch of the day. The colors are bright and the restaurant is clean, but the place doesn’t scream four stars. It’s definitely about the food.
I can’t quite remember all that we ate since it’s been a while since my last visit, but what did stand out for me was the geoduck in two flavors.
Geoduck can be rather difficult to cook. If overcooked, the texture is very chewy. If cut too thick, the same problem results – hard to cook and overly chewy. The geoduck at hung to was cooked in soup, and the other half of the geoduck was thinly sliced and sauteed with yellow chives, celery, and other thinly sliced vegetables. Both were outstanding. The soup contains some cilantro, some preserved duck egg, and tofu along with of course, the geoduck. The soup is excellent. It’s got the texture of a broth, but the seafood has made it creamy and the flavor has been infused into the liquid. The ginger prevents it from smelling fishy, and the aroma is very nice.
Both geoduck dishes rank amongst its five star competition. Overall, the food was around five stars, but be sure to try the geoduck. It’s excellent.

Kay Cheung - Chinese

615 Jackson St, San Francisco CA 94133
(415) 989-6838
Parking: limited street parking, pay parking lot a few blocks away
Last Visited: December 12, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Kay Cheung is a crowded restaurant with a lot of clientele. Enter the establishment and it looks littered with round and rectangular tables all throughout the room with little space in between, leaving it with a bit of a chaotic feel. The seating is often shared by multiple parties at individual tables.
The walls are light colored with wood panel from half of the wall to the floor. There are multiple glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and along the walls are fans that have gathered a bit of dust. The front windows stream in a lot of light, and there is track lighting in the front. The walls are decorated with Chinese wall hangings, and two large red banners hang, one on each side wall, with the specials available. Three dishes available for $15 – an incredible value, but all of the dishes are written in Chinese, so if you can’t read, you’re out of luck.
The attraction at Kay Cheung is most definitely the price. The dim sum plates below were each about two dollars. Specialty dishes are available for a slightly higher price. Not every dish was superb, but they are definitely worth the price or are superb values. Each dim sum dish is only two dollars. Kitchen specialties are three dollars. Unbelievably inexpensive prices. Some of the food quality is superior to its higher priced competition, and it’s still only three dollars. Items below are $2 each.
- Beef balls (3) – Three beef balls mixed with cilantro are placed on top of a small bean curd. Good. The beef balls are soft and tender and slightly fluffy.
- Pork dumpling (4) – A pork mixture is stuffed inside a wrapper. The flavoring was nice and the mixture was the right consistency without being too dense. Good.
- Stuffed tofu (2) – Two tofu triangles are stuffed with shrimp paste and deep fried. The outer skin of the tofu was a bit soggy, but the overall flavor was good. The temperature of the dish was room temperature which probably meant it had been sitting out a bit, contributing to its softer texture.
- Deep fried Taro Dumplings (3) – Three deep fried taro dumplings are stuffed with minced pork. The dumplings had been sitting until they cooled to room temperature. This left the filling a bit cool, so some of its flavor had been lost. Otherwise, texture was good.
- Deep fried Shrimp Wrapped in Tofu Skin (3) – Whole salad shrimp mixed with celery pieces, waterchestnuts, cilantro, and bamboo shoots are wrapped inside a tofu skin and deep fried until puffy and lightly golden. The tofu skin is crispy and the quantity of shrimp mix is ample. It’s a delicious delight with the softness of shrimp and the crunchiness of the celery and waterchestnuts. The flavor is great. Think of a big puffy egg roll with shrimp inside. Not every place can make this well, and most places don’t have as much filling as Kay Cheung. Excellent. Five stars.
- Deep fried Sesame balls (3) – Deep fried rice balls are rolled in sesame and filled with lotus paste. The outside texture is slightly crispy while remaining soft which you bite into the shell. The lotus paste is warm and gooey without being too sweet. Excellent. Item below is $3 each (specialty dish).
- Beef stew with turnip. Beef and turnip are cut into small pieces and stewed until tender. The turnip is so tender that it just melts in your mouth. The beef gives the whole stew very rich flavor and the sauce is just ever so thick. The whole dish is served in a medium sized glass bowl. Perfect over rice. Very good.
Service varies. As the restaurant gets busier, it’s hard to get the attention of the wait staff. The hustle and bustle of all the people around is definitely felt in the air. Kay Cheung caters to a local crowd, so it helps if you’re flexible enough to share a table with people that you don’t know. Otherwise, you may be waiting a long time for seats. Also, it’s not the place to go if you’re looking for ambiance. There is little space in the waiting area, so move quickly or step aside.
The restrooms are located downstairs. It’s a bit messy with broken down boxes used as floor coverings. There is also often paper strewn within the stalls.
You may also find that the place feels very ‘do it yourself’. During lunch, there isn’t a menu, so look for people bringing the food around. They may not stop at your table, so be ready to flag them down. The same is true about asking what they offer. They might bring it by, but if you don’t react, they’ll quickly move on. I also didn’t hear much English, so just be aware of that when you walk in. There is a really friendly guy that carries the kitchen specialties. You’ll recognize him by his constant smiling – what a great attitude. Most of the other people carrying dim sum are woman, so you should be able to tell the pricing based on who is carrying it.
The food is average and above average depending on what you get. During my most recent visit, I made a special request for dim sum that I hadn’t seen come out yet, and though there was a wait for it, they made it especially for us, so I appreciated their going the extra mile. Several other tables also experienced the same kindness. For Chinatown, Kay Cheung is one of the best. If you’re looking for a great deal, this is the place to go.

Kitaro - Japanese

5723 Geary Blvd (at 22nd), San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 386-2777
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: December 4, 2004
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Stuart recommended Kitaro’s to me, particularly noting that it is “hecka inexpensive.” I don’t know what Kitaro means in Japanese, but to me, it means value. For the price you pay, it’s excellent value.
The room is simply decorated. Light colored walls with wood benches where the seat back extends to almost half of the wall height. The tables are a light green with black edges. From the ceiling hang fluorescent bulbs that light up the paper masks on the wall and the other art. Also, there are colorful paper lanterns in various shapes hanging from the ceiling. As you enter the restaurant, the host or hostess table is the first thing you see with tables on both sides near the walls.
They have two bathrooms, both unisex. This is much appreciated as the wait is significantly shorter this way. The bathroom sink is quite small. One bathroom is wheel chair accessible while the other is not.
- Fried tofu – Three small bricks of soft tofu are deep fried and served with a sweet sauce. The tofu skin is golden and crispy. $2.99
- Tempura Udon – Hot broth with thick udon noodles are accompanied by a basket containing two pieces of shrimp tempura that were hot and crispy. Other tempura vegetables included broccoli, squash, and green beans. $5.79
- Unagi sushi - Tender pieces of unagi placed on sushi rice. This unagi is comparable to its competition. $2.99
- Spicy Tuna roll – This roll in comparison to other spicy tuna rolls I have tried is by far the biggest. A very large portion of tuna is stuffed into the roll – so much that it was causing tuna to creep out of its roll. The flavoring is not complex or delicate, but it is spicy. $2.99
- Salmon Skin Roll - Note that this is not grilled. This roll is just as it says – salmon skin in a roll. Again, not complex or delicate, but there is salmon and salmon skin in a roll. $1.99
- Uni (sea urchin) sushi – The uni didn’t taste fishy, which was a good sign it was fresh. Good quantity of uni on top of the sushi. $3.99
- Seaweed salad sushi – The seaweed salad is crispy and crunchy with a nice sesame oil flavoring. Good. $1.99
- Tea – I don’t think I’ve ever seen such bizarre pricing for tea. It wasn’t by the person but seemed to be the price for the entire table. The tea is warm, but flavorless, though the scent of roasted rice is distinct. $0.39
All of the sushi was served on one plate. Although neat, it wasn’t the most delicate presentation. The quantity of wasabi was sufficient, but the amount of ginger was far from enough. However, if you ask for additional ginger, the servers are more than happy to provide you with more.
There’s not much to say except that the value is incredible. It’s not the best sushi you’ll have, but certainly worth every bit the price you pay. Even at a dollar more per plate (which pretty much coincides with dinner menu prices), you would still rave about the excellent value. Next time, I would like to try the bento boxes. Presentation of the bento boxes were very nice and again, great value.
On my second visit in July 2004 (as opposed to the first visit in November 2003), I tried out the combination sushi dinner a combination dinner bento box. My second experience was much like the first – for a very reasonable price, I walked out of Kitaro stuffed and happy.
- Combination Sushi Dinner – Accompanied by small bowl of salad (lettuce, red cabbage, and half a cherry tomato) with a light mayonnaise-based dressing and miso soup, a lovely plate with a California roll in the center contained one piece of nigiri sushi each: unagi, ebi (shrimp), maguro (tuna), salmon, hamachi (yellow tail), and tai (snapper). Each piece of nigiri sushi was placed such that an asterisk/flower pattern was created. Wasabe and pickled ginger accompanied the sushi. The California roll contains imitation crab, but it still tasted good. Overall, very fresh and very good. $8.95
For the combination bento box, you select two items and add the price accordingly. It’s incredibly reasonable.
- Salmon Teriyaki and Shrimp & Veggie Tempura – Served with miso soup, you receive a bento box containing the salmon teriyaki (also available shioyaki style), tempura, dipping sauce, rice, and salad. A piece of boneless salmon filet is grilled until the skin is crispy and served with teriyaki sauce. The salmon is placed on top of a lettuce leaf. The salmon was tender and fresh. Good. If you like grilled salmon skin rolls, you’ll like how this salmon is made. Three pieces of lightly battered deep-fried shrimp and seasonal vegetables make up the tempura side of the combo. Today’s seasonal vegetables included two green beans, a slice of squash (it was either acorn or pumpkin), zucchini slice, potato, and broccoli. The tempura is light and crispy. Very good. $10.79
My second experience was probably even better than the first. Excellent prices, but how could it not be. Competition is stiff with a total of three Japanese restaurants on this side of the block alone. Another good experience and a wholehearted recommendation to try Kitaro!

Koi Palace - Chinese

365 Gellert Blvd, Daly City, CA 94015
(650) 992-9000
Parking: in parking lots in front of and behind restaurant
Last Visited: 2003
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 1 star in reception area, 3 stars in dining area
Price: $ to $$
Upon entering Koi Palace during the lunch hour on a weekend, you will find the establishment packed like sardines. People flock from all over the Bay Area to enjoy the dim sum at Koi Palace. I am currently boycotting Koi Palace due to the terrible service received in the reception area during my last visit.
Koi Palace claims that by calling in before your arrival that you can receive a reservation number which will reduce your wait time upon arrival. During my last visit, a table for four took over a three hour wait, not including the time between the phone reservation and arrival time. The most frustrating part was that we were told that the wait would be about 45 minutes. An hour an a half later, I asked about our so called 45 minute wait and was told that our table was coming up soon. Another 45 minutes later, I had seen tables for two enter and complete their lunch and leave. They obviously forgot about our table. Their disorganized system does not allow for chronological order since there is a call-in list and a separate walk-in list. The hostesses are not customer service oriented. Their snobby attitude doesn’t help either. You will find bribery taking place to get seated. The hostesses do not take bribes, but you can see people arrive, locate a member of the wait staff, pass them some cash, and be taken in through the side entrance adjacent to the bathrooms. For this reason, I am no longer going to this dishonest establishment.
So why do people go to Koi Palace? The food is very fresh and nicely presented. Tea is served in small black pots that sit upon a stand with a small tealight candle. Koi Palace is known for its fine selection of seafood, as well as the unique dim sum offered such as egg tarts with bird’s nests.
The restaurant is spacious, and the service is good. The displays show expensive and exquisite Chinese delicacies such as bird’s nests which are made even more attractive by the display. Once inside, you will find little to complain about, but the disastrous wait experience for dim sum may leave you ragged and weary. Early arrival on a weekend or a weekday visit is mandatory for reduced wait time.
Koi Palace isn’t the only game in town. Another ten to fifteen minutes away, you can find excellent dim sum in South San Francisco.

Lam Hoa Thuan - Chinese, Vietnamese, Hong Kong Style BBQ

2337 Irving Street, San Francisco CA 94122
(415) 661-1688, (415) 661-8078
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open Daily 9am to 9pm
Last Visited: March 20, 2005
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Enter the restaurant and to your immediate left is the display of roast duck, chicken, and other assorted barbecued items. They’re especially well known for their barbecue and boiled chicken with salt. People line up to buy these items to go.
The restaurant is extremely well lit. The walls are light in color, with wood paneling from the middle of the wall downward. On the right side are large mirrors running the length of part of the room. Red lanterns dangle from the ceiling along with strings of Christmas lights. On the opposite side of the room is a large wall hanging with brightly colored trees and an interesting scene.
There are lots of picture frames with Chinese calligraphy in gold on bright red backgrounds. A listing of specialties is also posted on small sheets of paper along the wall. In the back of the room, you’ll see more large calligraphy as well as a large cabinet containing a rather large Chinese figurine thought to bring protection and wealth to the restaurant. Incense is burned to this figure.
The restaurant is busy, so often times, the big tables are shared. There is a lot of hustle and bustle throughout the restaurant. It’s not a quiet atmosphere. Service may vary depending on time of day.
On each table, you’ll find marinated spicy peppers, chopsticks (both plastic and bamboo), and a multitude of sauces – soy sauce, chili sauce, hot sauce, and of course salt and pepper. You’re set to go to flavor your dish any way you wish.
- Phodacbiet (Combination pho) – Unlike some other pho places, Lam Hoa Thuan serves up pho in only one size, but it’s a pretty large bowl. The combination pho includes rare steak, well done beef brisket, flank steak, tendons, and strips of tripe. The fragrance of fish sauce was particularly strong, but after the first few bites, you won’t notice it much. Accompanying the pho is a dish of bean sprouts, Thai basil, slices of jalapeno pepper, and a lemon wedge. The portion is hearty and the ingredients are all fresh. Very good. $5.20
- Com Thit Quay and Com Vit Quay (Roast Pork and Roast Duck over Rice) – The plate is half filled with rice, a quarter filled with roast pork, and a quarter filled with roast duck. The roast pork skin is crispy and golden. The roast duck also has a nice flavor. Both are above average in terms of flavor compared to other establishments – not too strong, and not to weak. After trying these items to go, they seemed to be just okay when I tried them sitting down in the restaurant. Maybe there’s just something about having a whole box of the duck at home with homemade dishes, or sitting in the car and eating the skin of the roast pork before the crunchiness disappears. It could be the quantity in comparison to take out orders, or the lack of vegetables soaked in the juice of the roasted items. This is not to say the roasted items were bad, but something seemed lacking. On my second visit, I found the duck to have a crisp skin, but again, the duck skin was just fair. Okay overall. $5.20
- Nuoc Dua Tuoi (Young Coconut Juice) – Of all the coconut juice I’ve had that was served in a glass, this is definitely amongst the best. The coconut flavor is especially fragrant and tasted delicious. As usual, pieces of young coconut are floating in the juice along with lots of ice. Very very good. Even better if you take out some of the ice to prevent the flavor from being diluted. $1.65
The value is definitely present at Lam Hoa Thuan. The barbecued and other items sold at the counter are great, especially the boiled chicken with salt. If you’ve never had this type of chicken, you’ll find the flavor and taste different than Foster Farms or other brands available at the local grocery stores.
If you can’t try them for sit down dining, buy some of their roast pork. You’re sure to be pleased. It’s a great place to go for barbecued items Chinese style. You’ll probably be pretty happy with the Vietnamese food too.

Le Colonial - French/Vietnamese

20 Cosmo Place, San Francisco CA 94109
(415) 931-3600
Parking: pay parking in nearby lot, limited street parking
Last Visited: 2002
Food: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$
It’s been a while since I visited Le Colonial. Alison recommended I try the place. Perhaps it was the mood I was in, but after going to the theatre, this seemed like a perfect place to go. It’s rather difficult if you’re going to make the attempt at finding street parking, but Le Colonial is worth it.
Upon entering, you’ll need to take a flight of stairs to the dining area. There is a quaint dining area where the sun streams in immediately before the entrance and greenery is all around. Inside, it’s a classy place with black and white photos of the days of old in Saigon. You’ll enjoy the atmosphere. Upstairs is a lounge, which I hear is a happening place late at night.
- Salmon salad rolls – Vietnamese rolls are filled with salmon, dill, cucumbers, and herbs. They are cut and served with a flavorful dipping sauce. $11
- Crab cakes – These are crusted with coconut and come with a cilantro chili sauce. $12 v- Satay – The chicken satay was rather average. Still quite tasty, but not spectacular.
I enjoyed more dishes, but can’t remember what I tried. I think there was a clay pot dish with rice in it as well as some other great plates. All the dishes are presented wonderfully, and the service is very good. It is elegant dining in a setting with a lot of ambiance, and the food is satisfying. This is not the place to go if you plan to compare it with the price of typical Vietnamese restaurants. However, you will likely be pleased with the approach they take to make fine Vietnamese food in a beautiful setting.

L'Osteria del Forno - Italian

519 Columbus Ave, San Francisco CA 94133
(415) 982-1124
Parking: street parking
Hours: Sun to Mon and Wed to Thurs: 11:30am to 10pm, Fri to Sat: 11:30am to 11pm
Last Visited: August 27, 2005
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Edwin suggested trying L'Osteria del forno after a friend strongly recommended the Pancetta pizza.

L'Osteria has been noted in local tourist guides for a restaurant in North Beach. It's a small cafe type of setting seating less than 50 people. The restaurant is fairly dark with rustic colors - dark woods for the tables and chairs, an earthy yellow on the walls, and art that borders modern. There is a shelf with multi-colored bottles all along the shelf. There is a glass case filled with keys in it on display, black and white photos of the cafe, and other items around the room. A wine rack sits in the rear, and behind the counter is an open kitchen. The bathroom is tiny with a very small sink, and an interesting poster of what seems to be Italian ice cream.

Above the counter are the specials. Fortunately, Pancetta and Red Onion Pizza was one of them.

- Pancetta and Red Onion Pizza - A very thin crust pizza is topped with cheese, sliced red onions, and slices of pancetta.  Depending on the bite and the distribution at that location, the pizza can be just right or in some cases, very salty. If you love savory flavors, this is excellent. It was so hot that it nearly burned my mouth during the first two bites. Excellent. This is the way pizza should be. The sauce is light, and the cheese marries all the flavors together and it's quite yummy. 12 inches $14, 17 inches $18

- Arrosto Sandwich - The roast of the day offered a choice of either pork or beef. I selected beef. The sandwich came on focaccia bread sliced into two triangles. Between the focaccia were thin slices of roast beef, still red. The menu lists the sandwich meat as lightly salted. The sandwich contains a leaf of butter lettuce and is accompanied with a large green olive. The meat was tender, but there were still small pieces of tendon captured within the slice. The outside of the focaccia gave a hint of saltiness to the sandwich. The bread was soft and since I got to it a bit later in the meal, I'm not sure if the sandwich was hot or room temperature to start. After eating the pizza, the meat seemed rather flavorless, but still nicely presented on a piece of parchment on top of a straw plateholder. Nicely presented, but eating the pizza first made this rather difficult to judge, so it may have been better to start with the sandwich instead. The olive is quite salty, so it definitely provides contrast. Okay - probably 2 to 3 stars with opportunity for improvement (maybe if I had eaten it first the rating would improve). $7

Overall, I found the experience okay. Service was quite unfriendly. They're not rude, but certainly, they didn't crack a smile much if at all. When asking for plates, I felt I got ignored, but apparently, she heard me after all. She seemed a bit perturbed that I would bother asking for them a second time. The staff is not exactly rude, but certainly not friendly, and rather indifferent.

The pizza was very good, so I would be willing to go back and try it again if not for anything else. There are a variety of starters and salads, so there is certainly more to try, but disregard the service first to reduce any disappointment.

Mandarin Restaurant - Chinese

465 Broadway, Millbrae CA 94030
(650) 692-2252
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: February 20, 2003
Food: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$
The Lee’s of South San Francisco recommended we try Mandarin Restaurant. However, it didn’t suit my tastes. Although the wait staff was nice, they were extremely slow, and well, being that there weren’t many tables with people, my patience was tried.
When you enter Mandarin Restaurant, you’ll notice the décor is that of the late 70s, early 80s. At one time, it was probably thought to be quite grand in decoration with the many patterns. Now however, it’s a bit old fashioned. They’ve been open 15 years, and could use a new look that is both fresher and cleaner in style. The entrance has one of those Chinese style arches/circles painted gold. The ceiling is decorated, and there are very large wall hangings on two of the walls. The remaining wall has a large Chinese character which says longevity on it. The wall paper is ivory with gold patterns, and there is dark brown wall paneling to about 1/3 of the height wall extending to the ground. The carpet is orange and red with black patterns on it, and the tables have a glass top over clippings of Chinese articles/pages. The look is gaudy and quite outdated and leaves an impression of overcrowding the room.
Upon arriving at Mandarin Restaurant, we waited several minutes before anyone came to the front of the restaurant to seat us. Once seated, it took quite some time before we received menus, and after that, quite a bit of time before someone came to take our order. The appetizer portion of the meal was served after the main dish, and the appetizer took a long time.
- Egg soup over noodles – Noodles are served with a sauce that is hot in temperature. The best thing about this dish was that it had a lot of what Chinese people call ‘wok hey’ which is literally translated as wok air. This means that the heat of the wok has fused into the food so that the food remains hot and you can tell it was made in a wok. If a dish has ‘wok hey’, then the dish is good. This egg soup had egg in it as well as shrimp, beef, and vegetables – carrots and cabbage. At some restaurants, the sauce is more liquid like a broth, whereas here it is on the thicker side and better described as a sauce. What could have been improved about this dish was the quantity of meat. There was at least one piece of shrimp, perhaps two at the most. There were several pieces of beef, and not many vegetables. This dish is worthy of three stars. $5.75
- Pork dumplings - These ten dumplings contain a ground pork mixture and come with a thick dipping sauce that is somewhat sweet. The dumpling skin was on the thick side, and there wasn’t much meat in the dumplings. It was disappointing for a restaurant serving Peking cuisine to have such mediocre dumplings. This dish is about two stars. $5.55
My experience at Mandarin Restaurant was fairly disappointing, but I only tried two dishes. With the number of restaurants in the area, I probably wouldn’t visit again. Something good must be keeping it open for 15 years – you’ll just have to go look for it yourself.

Maya - Mexican

303 2nd St., San Francisco CA 94107
(415) 543-2928
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: 2002
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$
It’s been a while since visiting Maya, but it’s a great place to try out upscale Mexican food. It’s not about tacos or burritos here, at least not the way that is typically seen. It’s definitely about seafood, although other meats are available. The atmosphere is nice with a trendy flare. Warm colors and Mayan masks surround you as you enjoy your dinner.
The food is definitely the focus. Maya’s unique flavor combinations and the freshness of food and presentation style are a warm introduction to what Mexican food can be all about. I remember having some great grilled prawns and an excellent fried banana dessert.
Maya is fresh and a great place to dine.

Mayflower Seafood Restaurant – Chinese

6255 Geary Blvd, San Francisco CA 94121
(415) 387-8338
428 Barber Lane, Milpitas CA 95035
(408) 922-2700
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri: 11am to 2:30pm, 5 to 9pm; Sat/Sun/Holidays: 10am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 9:30pm

Last Visited: March 10, 2007 in San Francisco, May 21, 2005 in Milpitas
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$

It’s easy to find Mayflower by the jade green awning outside. Enter the glass doors, and you’ll be greeted by the many tanks of seafood featuring live shrimp, geoduck, crab, fish, and whatever else is in season.

The dining room is a bit crowded. Since the restaurant is located on the corner, there are two walls with a lot of windows that bring in natural light and brighten up the room. Short curtains decorate the windows. There is a bar area with mirrors behind it and bottles of liquor on display. It’s less used as a bar and more used as a work area. There is a room to the side that is tucked away and can be used as a private room when dividers are utilized. More seafood tanks display fresh seafood in the main dining area.

A Chinese character in large gold print on a red background decorates the room. White tablecloths adorn the tables and the plates are white with blue trim.

Today, we had a dim sum lunch. Dinner here usually involves many plates of seafood. They have set menus for ten people ranging from around $200 for the entire set meal to over $600. Of course, you can also order directly from the menu and create your own set.

- Deep fried Mango seafood roll (3) – Seafood and mango is battered in panko crumbs and deep fried until golden brown. The mango gives the roll a sweetness and adds brightness. It’s an unusual combination, but it tasted good. Another bonus was the hot temperature and the sweetness.

- Spareribs with black bean sauce – Spareribs are steamed in black bean sauce. This dish was okay. I prefer mine to have a little more heat to it, both in temperature and spice.

- Spicy turnip cake – This was a unique dish. Turnip cake is cut into large cubes, dipped in egg, and pan fried with some red pepper flakes. The turnip cake was hot in temperature and flavor. It’s a welcome twist to the regular style of turnip cake. Very good.

- Deep fried Taro dumpling (3) – The taro dumplings had recently come out of the deep fryer and were fresh and the outside was crispy. When these dumplings are hot, they’re very good.

- Shanghai dumpling (3) – These Shanghai dumplings are served with red vinegar and thin slices of ginger. Of all the dim sum, this was the most disappointing, but remember that Mayflower’s specialty isn’t Shanghai dumplings. The dumplings were so tiny in size that they were filled with very little meat. I wouldn’t order these again.

- Seafood donut rice noodle roll – Rice noodle is rolled around a Chinese donut, but what is unusual is that this donut contains seafood – most recognizably shrimp. Three sauces – peanut sauce, hoisin sauce, and soy sauce – accompany the rice noodle roll. Although the presentation is interesting and the many sauces add a different twist to this dish, it was still fairly standard. The majority of the flavor comes from the sauce, and it can be a bit overwhelming if too much is added. Okay.

- Steamed rice and chicken wrapped in lotus leaf (2) – Chicken, Chinese sausage, and rice, are wrapped inside a lotus leaf and steamed. Although the flavor tastes as it should, with light soy sauce on the chicken, and the mixture being infused by the lotus leaf, the overall size of the wrap is small. There are places that serve this in twice or three times the size. These are cute and petite, but if you’re hungry, they won’t be particularly satisfying. Okay.

- Deep fried Tofu in soya sauce – Bricks of tofu are thinly sliced but kept intact. They have a light brown skin and have had light soy sauce poured over them. It makes for a slightly crispy outside layer on the tofu, and soft silky tofu on the inside. This dish would be even better served warm, but it came just slightly above room temperature. Good.

- Gai lan – Young gai lan is cooked until tender and served with oyster sauce. Good.

- Green pan fried seafood dumpling (3) – Seafood is wrapped in a green wrapper and the dumpling is pan fried. I found the wrapper to be a too thick, and though the seafood was still tender, the dumpling as a whole was only fair.

- Shrimp dumpling – Shrimp and bamboo shoots are wrapped in a rice flour wrapper and steamed. Good.

- Deep fried milk – A milk based custard is wrapped in a phyllo dough-like wrapper, however, instead of flaky crispy, you have flaky thin layers that are pan fried and white in color. The custard is smooth and delicate. Good.

- Braised chicken feet – Very nice texture and large pieces of chicken feet. Excellent flavor.

- Deep fried tofu skin wrapped shrimp – Shrimp is wrapped inside tofu skins and fried until golden brown. This is served with Worcestershire sauce. Delicious. This is one of our favorite dishes to order at dim sum restaurants. Four stars.

Mayflower is considered one of the more upscale Chinese restaurants in San Francisco. Overall, the dim sum is above average and the service is okay. One thing that was much appreciated was their approach to the customer’s time. They never hurried us and even though we had to wait for other people at the table to arrive, unlike many other places, they never shot us any dirty looks or even hinted at any sign of disrespectfulness. The downside of the service was that after refilling the tea several times, it became bland. Good places know to add more tea leaves without being asked by seeing how weak the tea is after a quick review of the teacups at the table. During my most recent visit, they were not as busy it seemed and we had a smaller table. The food quality seemed to be better than competition in the area and although service was only fair in that they neglected our tea pot very often, when we requested the deep fried tofu skin wrapped shrimp, they were more than happy to fill our order – which sometimes does not happen at dim sum restaurants.

My visit to Mayflower in Milpitas proved to be a similar experience. This Mayflower had a larger setting including larger seafood tanks, but I found that the staff here was not quite as detail oriented. They were however very good with refilling our tea. Like the other locations, they offer some unique dim sum that is rarely found elsewhere like their excellent mango pudding made from scratch (definitely made from scratch as I found an egg shell in mine) and mango shrimp wrapped in rice paper. What was most disappointing here was that after we requested a specific dim sum dish, they came back and told us that it was in the process of being made. More than half an hour later, we found that they hadn’t made the dish at all. Also, when they brought the news, they didn’t offer to make the dish for us either. That seems to me to be poor customer service. For that reason, I downgraded their service rating from the 3 to 4 range to a mere 3 stars.

Give Mayflower a try. They’re patient in explaining dishes, but be prepared to wait for a table since it is a popular place for dim sum. Also note that service varies.

Moonstar Restaurant - Chinese Buffet

1169 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 552-3882
Parking: street parking, pay parking lot

Last Visited: January 1, 2005
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$
Today’s visit was $22.99 + tax + 15% gratuity for an all you can eat lunch.

Enter Moonstar and find that it’s a pretty big restaurant. You’ll see an artistic black and white silvery fountain with water running down the somewhat flat surface. The surface has horizontal ridges in it and then an interesting pattern at the bottom. To your left is a dining area and the buffet stations.

In the rear is a dark blue wall with a large brightly lit star and moon on the wall. Since we were visiting during the holidays, there were many multicolored holiday Christmas flags hanging throughout the room. The tables and chairs are a funky mixture of color.   The tables are brightly painted with a starry effect – dark blues, oranges, greens, and a rainbow of color with wisps of silver, whites, and creams. The chairs are stylish with a thin back. They’re cushioned to be comfortable, and they too carry the theme of multicolors. The place is clean from what I could tell, but dimly lit, so an inspection can be somewhat difficult.

Upon our arrival, servers came to ask what type of drinks we would like to have. They also were fairly prompt about clearing plates, an important task at restaurants serving buffets. The plates in the buffet line are sometimes stained, which wasn’t a problem in most cases, but I did do several doubletakes on my plates and bowls. The tea has a nice aroma of roasted rice.

There is a large variety so I’m giving it three stars in the food category for the variety. However, the flavor and quality of the food is fair overall, which is the reason for the two star food rating.

There are multiple steam tables. One of the steam tables is dedicated to soups. Another is filled with large bamboo steamers – these are so large, you probably wouldn’t be able to wrap your arms around them if you hugged them – they’re that big. There’s a sushi bar, an ice cream bar, a dessert bar, a Chinese barbecue bar, drink bar, condiments bar, and of course, a regular buffet table too.

I wanted to try a little bit of everything, or at least one item from each course.

- Lotus Root soup – Lotus root is cut into slices and boiled with pork and other Chinese dried herbs. The broth was light and flavorful. The chunks of lotus root were a bit big, but overall, the soup was good. There were a lot of ingredients in it, so ladle deep enough and you can scoop out the goodies. Good.

- Egg roll – The egg roll was crispy and lightly brown, but the filling wasn’t particularly exciting. Cabbage and other vegetables were part of the filling, but it wasn’t very recognizable. The flavor was okay, but perhaps it was msg. It’s hard to tell. Fair.

- Deep fried scallop – Scallops are breaded and deep fried. The scallop was definitely frozen prior to cooking, so it lacked that fresh texture. The size of the scallop was medium or smaller, so it wasn’t too impressive.

- Deep fried shrimp – Shrimp is breaded and deep fried. The shrimp was okay. Not too much to say about it. If you like shrimp, you can enjoy endless plates of it here.

- Steamed oysters with black bean sauce – Of the hot dishes, this was probably the best one. In one of the large steamers, you’ll find large oysters on the half shell steamed with black bean sauce and garlic. Although it’s not as good as when you order it fresh (not as soft and tender), it comes pretty close. The size of the oyster is great. Good.

- Clams with black bean sauce – In another steamer, you’ll find clams steamed with black bean sauce. Although this sounds really good, because the clams are placed in a steamer, the flavor diffuses and the sauce becomes watered down. Unlike the oysters where the half shell contains the liquid, the clams are too small to do so. It’s good if you don’t have any other comparison points, but that same day, we ate at another establishment where clams with black bean sauce were made to order, and there’s a big difference in taste.

- Baked oysters with bacon and cheddar – Oysters are topped with bacon and cheddar and baked on the half shell. Although it keeps the moisture in the oyster, the combination didn’t work well together. It actually subtracted from the flavor of the oyster, overwhelming it with the bacon. Fair.

- Baked Lobster with cheese – The lobster required a ‘lobster card,’ a plastic card that must be presented in order to be served half of a lobster tail. The lobster was still in the shell and covered with cheese, then baked. Again, the lobster was juicy, but the cheese just ruins it. The quality of the cheese isn’t high, and the lobster is surrounded with gobs and gobs of melted cheese, both wet and dry. Fair.

- Maguro salad with sesame – Chunks of maguro are sprinkled with sesame and sesame oil. There was a mound of this stuff, which made me think of leftover maguro that they were masking the flavor of (that’s just dorm food thinking) or perhaps it could be really popular. Well, I’m not sure which, but the maguro was a bit tough, seemingly cut incorrectly. The fish was filleted in such away that it required a lot of chewing in order to break it apart. You do the math.

- Unagi – The unagi sushi wasn’t bad. In fact, it was pretty decent. Not the best, but not too bad. Average.

- Edamame – Edamame is boiled in salted water. It seemed that the beans (in shell) needed to be boiled further so that the bean itself wasn’t quite so hard. Certainly edible, but better if softer.

- Roast Pork – Pork is roasted with five spice powder until the skin is crispy. Well, this was pretty disappointing. The pork tasted okay, but going to a specialty shop is highly recommended if you want roast pork. The problem with the pork was that the skin was so hard that I couldn’t bite into it. It was a solid rock. Poor.

- Roast duck – The roast duck is cooked with similar spices to the roast pork. Again, this barbecued item is better purchased at a specialty shop. This didn’t have the toughness that the roast pork had, but still average at best.

- Sauteed green beans – Green beans are sautéed in hot oil with preserved vegetables until the skin of the bean is lightly crinkled. The preserved vegetables add saltiness to the dish. The hot oil keeps the green bean crunchy and crisp inside. Good.

Desserts:

- Lychee ice cream – Of all the desserts I tried, the lychee ice cream was probably one of the best. It has a creamy texture, and there are pieces of lychee in it. The discovery I made when eating it was that I enjoy lychee nut ice cream better. I’m not sure if it’s just for the nuts, but the lychee nut ice cream I’ve had also has a creamier consistency, so that could be part of it.

- Sweetened tofu – A sweet syrup is added on top of tofu that has been spooned into a bowl. The tofu had a nice hint of ginger and was light in flavor. However, it was a bit thin in texture, a sign that there was too much water in the tofu and not enough soybeans or soy in general. Slightly above the quality you find in almond tofu made from those box mixes, this wasn’t very good and certainly not restaurant quality.

- Jello and gelatinous desserts are too stiff. We ended up playing with the jello and it was quite reminiscent of science experiment. Even after unmolding it, you can bounce a spoon on it without breaking it apart. Enough said.

Other dessert offerings include hot red bean dessert soup and papaya dessert soup. These are traditional Chinese desserts. Although I didn’t try them, the quality might be better.

Beverage choices include soda, tea, coffee, and cappuccino. The cappuccino was a bit too sweet, and the aftertaste doesn’t taste like coffee so much as just a hint of bitterness.

For a lower price, it might all be worth it, but having to use a lobster card for lobster that isn’t very good, well, I was disappointed.

Moonstar had a lot of variety, but left much to be desired for quality. I haven’t been to many comparable Chinese buffets, so it’s hard to compare it to its competition. If variety is what you’re looking for, then maybe this is the place for you, but for the price, you can get a nicer meal elsewhere.

Moshi Moshi - Japanese

2092 3rd St, San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 861-8285
Parking: street parking
Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am to 3pm, Dinner 5pm to 10pm
Last Visited: June 8, 2008
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$$
I visited Moshi Moshi for the first time on a warm Tuesday lunch hour. With a shaded back patio, it’s a nice play to go for lunch when there is a breeze, but it can get very warm and stuffy on a day that is very hot. We ate inside the restaurant next to the small bar area adjacent to the back patio.

There are two units next to one another and then the patio. Although it can feel a bit crowded, service was still okay, but could have been a touch more attentive. I still gave service a three star rating.

Moshi Moshi offers bento combinations, sushi, donburi (rice bowls), and teriyaki dishes. Upon our arrival, we were served very hot miso soup topped with scallions.

- Combination Lunch – Teriyaki can be ordered for multiple meats as well as various sushi, gyoza, tempura, and tonkatsu. I tried the salmon teriyaki and sashimi. The bento box contained a piece of salmon was grilled and brushed with teriyaki sauce served on top of a leaf of lettuce. Three slices of sashimi (tuna and another type of fish) were served in another square of the bento box. Salad and a slice of melon were in another square of the box, and rice was in yet another. The center of my box contained wasabi and shredded daikon. Ginger was missing from my plate, otherwise, I would have given the food one more star. $11.95

The waitstaff checked on us, but they could have refilled water faster, especially since the temperature was hot that day. Overall, it was a good lunch place considering the location and the quantity of my fellow dining companions’ tonkatsu was very large.

Mozarella di Bufala - Italian/Brazilian

69 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127
(415) 661-8900
Parking: street parking
Hours: Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30am to 3pm, Dinner 5pm to 10pm
Last Visited: June 17, 2008
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Entering Mozarella di Bufala, you feel a bit like you are going into an old Italian restaurant with lots of dark wood paneling. It’s two units adjacent to one another, and although seating feels very close together, it has a quaint appeal. The concept of Mozarella di Bufala is interesting because they offer Brazilian cuisine too. More details about the history of the owners can be found on the back of the menu.

Upon arrival, we were given glasses of cold ice water. Unfortunately, my glass was dirty with food stuck on it, so it shows that more attention to detail is needed. However, the server was very pleasant and checked on us frequently.

Pizza is served in the following sizes: Mini 10” (4 slices), Small 12” (6 slices), Medium 14” (8 slices), Large 16” (10 slices).

House Salad – This salad contains romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, kidney beans, olives, and house dressing. The dressing choices include ranch, vinaigrette, creamy Italian, Caesar or blue cheese. We had the vinaigrette and found it to taste simple and fresh. The majority of the lettuce was also fresh. $2.70/$4.30

Di Bufala’s – Salami, sausage, pepperoni, onions, bell peppers, mushrooms are placed on a pizza over cheese and red sauce. The pizza is served on a pan and placed on a stand on your table. Piping hot, the cheese is really delicious and the flavors are great. Leftovers of this pizza seemed to be even better the next day. Great. 15.50/19.95/23.90/27.65

We stayed to chat for quite some time and didn’t feel rushed or bothered. The waitstaff was good about checking on us. Overall, the experience was good, but one waitstaff member dropped some silverware which could have been handled better and of course, there was an issue with the dirty glass. There is still room for improvement, but I would return to try some additional dishes.

Ocean Restaurant - Chinese

726 Clement St, San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 668-8896
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: June 18, 2006
Food: 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Ocean Restaurant is one of many Chinese restaurants on Clement Street. Competition is stiff. Since my last visit in March of 2004, Ocean has gone through a major remodel. It has really improved the atmosphere from a bit shabby to new and bright.
The small hallway at the entrance now has a small bench for those who are waiting, and there is a seafood tank displaying two tiers of seafood. You can hear the sound of water running in the tank when the restaurant is less filled. Today, geoduck was on display. The small counter in the front now has a granite face in pink and black hues. The back wall displays a large piece of art work depicting Chinese flowers and the like. There is also Chinese art on the side walls. Also in the back is a small wine rack, and a small cabinet for incense.

With new green carpet, new cushioned chairs with maple backs, and a new coat of white paint, the place sure has freshened up. The lower half of the wall now has maple panels, and on one side of the restaurant are mirrors running along the top portion of the wall giving the room a more open feel. They still have white tablecloths, but they still line the tables with white paper placemats.

On the ceiling is a new sparkling chandelier, and new track lighting has been installed above the side tables. There are also new black plant holders and plants lining the walls near the ceiling. Tucked away on ceiling ledges are fluorescent lights that also light the room. You’ll see what I mean if you go there.

From what I could tell, the small room in the front remains the same. There are still pink papers on the wall listing specials, but not nearly as many as before.

The food quality is better for some items than others, but value is good. It’s not high quality, but you can try a variety of items for a very reasonable price.
- Geoduck two ways – Geoduck is prepared in soup and also sautéed. The soup had tofu, fresh cilantro, preserved egg, straw mushrooms, and of course geoduck. The broth was rich and succulent. The sautéed geoduck came with fresh snow peas, carrots, straw mushrooms, and yellow chives. The sautéed meat was okay, but could be crispier (not like a potato chip, but geoduck is typically thinly sliced and the places that cook it well cook the meat in such a way that it has a crisp texture). Presentation was average.
- Spinach with broth – Fresh spinach is cooked with a flavorful meat broth. Considering the quantity and price, it’s a great value. $5.99
- Squab – Four whole squabs are deep fried until golden brown and served with Chinese seasoning salt. At this price, it can’t be beat. The squab was flavorful and juicy. $5.99
There are a variety of dishes to choose from at the $5.99 price ranging from meat dishes to vegetable dishes and even seafood. There are many other specials available too.
- Steamed Turtle Soup – The soup is served in covered ramekins. Multiple chunks of turtle flesh and several pieces of turtle shell are steamed with ginger and accompanying herbs, including dried longans, in a double boiler. Two chicken feet are also included in the broth, and served on top. This creates a flavorful soup often used for medicinal purposes, but also serving as a health supplement. These types of soups are often served to balance the effects of cold weather. Although there is a hint of msg, the overall flavor of the light soup is good and exceptional for the price. $2.50

- Steamed Soup with Shark Fin – Served in the same style and manner as the soup above, the shark fin version comes with chicken strips and frozen shark fin. This isn’t the delicate pieces of shark fin that you might find in other soups, but then again, be reminded of the price of this one. The shark fin has a texture like chrysanthemums, with little fans or tendrils, often referred to as wet shark fin. This soup is lighter in taste compared to the turtle version. Also good. $2.50

From the set menu:

- Clams with black bean sauce – Clams are sautéed with black bean sauce and jalapenos for a spicy full flavored dish. Very good. Great wok air. There was a nice finish to the sauce and the clams were just right.

- Walnut prawns – Honey walnuts are served next to prawns lightly coated with honey mayonnaise. The prawns are tender and succulent and the ingredients in this dish are fresh. Although the presentation of prawns separate from the walnuts is unusual, the two still taste great apart or together.

- Mustard greens – Mustard greens are cooked in broth until they are tender and topped with slivers of ham. The thin strips of ham give a lovely presentation to the dish and add flavor. A little bit of broth accompanies the greens. Good.

- Salted boiled chicken with ginger – Chicken is boiled in salted water and cut into pieces, but placed on the plate to resemble a chicken. Also served with the chicken is a mixture of oil, finely chopped ginger, and green onions. The ginger green onion mixture works very well with the chicken which has a lightly salted flavor on its own. Good.

- Fried Tofu with shrimp – Eight medium sized blocks of soft tofu with a dollop of shrimp paste on top of the rectangle are deep fried until golden brown. They are served on a plate with a small bowl of soy sauce containing sesame oil and jalapeno peppers. The sauce goes well with the tofu which has a crisp outer covering created by the deep frying. Good.

- Red Bean Dessert – Red beans are boiled in water until they begin to break apart. Sugar is added to taste. Nice consistency of not being too watered down. Okay.

For my 2006 visit, I noticed that the set menu for three people had changed. For $33, you receive the walnut prawns described above, the salted boiled chicken with ginger, and the red bean dessert. The following items were new to this particular set:

- Seafood soup with tofu – Although this soup contains pieces of shrimp and whole shrimp, along with scallops, tofu, and yellow chives, its flavor is lacking. The texture is nice, but the presentation is fair and the ingredients are of fair quality as well. Fair overall.

- Preserved vegetables with Chinese bacon – Although the menu describes this as bacon, it’s Chinese style bacon – which really isn’t bacon at all. Think of it as fatty pork, braised to perfection to have the soft texture of pulled pork. It melts in your mouth and the flavor of the preserved vegetables becomes infused in the meat. This dish is not for those who have concerns about cholesterol and fat, but it is very good.

- Fried flounder with garlic sauce – This is similar to other fried flounder, but some fried garlic is added to the batter and also to the soy sauce. The flounder is crunchy on the top, but the batter becomes soggy from the sauce on the bottom. Fresh fish for an incredible price, but it’s not the best I’ve ever had. Good.

- Fuzzy melon with dried scallops – The fuzzy melon is cut into thick coins and stuffed with dried scallops. The combination is then braised and served with a sauce containing egg white drops. The melon has a great soft texture from the braising, but the scallops lack flavor – mostly likely due to the quality of the scallops and the preparation style. I still prefer mom’s to this one, though the melon is good because of the time put in to reach this texture. Fair.

My most recent visit was during their happy hour. I was disappointed by the service for my to go order. We arrived and ordered one dish, but since it was happy hour, I guess it signified the time when the chefs go on break. More than 20 minutes later, while waiting at the restaurant, the to go order was finally available. It’s unfortunate that there was no warning about the wait when the hostess knew well that the chefs were on a break. Bad service during this visit.

After the remodel, I would recommend Ocean to more folks. It’s definitely more presentable, and the food is still very reasonably priced and at or better than average. For larger parties, they may be a bit pushy to get you in and out of the restaurant, and I found this to be their major downfall this time. Otherwise the food was good. If you have a small group (less than four people), this is less of a problem. Service is professional, but not friendly. Check out Ocean for some great bargains, but after this last visit for my to go order, I’ll be waiting for a bit to go back.

Panta Rei - Italian

431 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 591-0900
Parking: limited street parking, pay parking lots
Hours: 10:30am to 11pm
Last Visited: April 8, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Brenda recommended Panta Rei. Located in the heart of Little Italy in San Francisco adjacent to Chinatown (on the corners of Columbus and Stockton), Panta Rei has a triangular shape about it. It’s typical of other restaurants in the area with its employees outside drumming up business. Tables located outside let you see the happenings along Columbus Ave. The blue and khaki awning labeled with the words Café and Cucina, shelter the patrons from the sun. Inside, the color scheme is mainly burgundy, brown, and black. The bar is made of small tiles – mostly black with some copper colored ones amongst them. The open kitchen is set in one corner and you can see typically three people working there. The waiters could all be Italian, but I would say they look European, but no confirmation of specific ethnicities. Today, all of the wait staff was male dressed in Panta Rei t-shirts and denim jeans. The tables are covered with stainless steel sheet and there is a wood trim. Tea light candles sit in a small glass on each table, but it was still early in the evening during my visit, and none of the candles were lit. Loud Italian pop plays on the stereo system.

Panta Rei would be ideal for a date or for a girls’ night out. The wait staff makes for pleasant eye candy and their accents are more than pleasant to listen to. If the staff isn’t enough, Panta Rei has lots of attractive clientele. The loud music and trendy atmosphere are especially inviting for those seeking a hip crowd. There were a number of families and some from the older crowd, so it is a place that is open to everyone.

- Calamari Fritti – Calamari is breaded and deep fried and served on top of radicchio leaves. Two wedges of lemon, three pieces of fried zucchini along with a small dish of tomato sauce accompany the calamari. The menu described the tomato sauce as spicy, but I didn’t find it very spicy at all. The calamari was lightly battered – not too heavy. The sauce was a bit thin for my taste – a thicker and spicier sauce would have been more satisfactory. I was surprised that it came with zucchini, and that was probably the best tasting item on the plate. Good. $7.95

Although I didn’t order any of the other starters, the bruschetta and the Caesar salad were both very reasonably priced and both came in large quantities, certainly enough to be shared by two or even three.

- Linguine Nere – Homemade squid ink linguine with mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp are served in a wine sauce. Since it’s made with squid ink, the noodles are completely black. Served on a dark colored square plate, the seafood is scattered around the dish. The linguine was thick and al dente with uniform color. There was unfortunately only one shrimp and the mussels had a lot of sand in them. One of mine still had a little bit of its beard. The calamari rings are tender, and the baby clams are cooked just right. Okay. Yummy noodles and a buttery, but light wine sauce, but they could definitely improve on the amount of sand in the seafood and the quantity of shrimp. $14.95

- Pappardelle Verdi All’anatra – Homemade fettucine with duck meat in pink Brandy sauce. Spinach is used to give these wide noodles their color. The pappardelle are al dente and delicious. The ground duck meat could have been mistaken for other meat, but the overall flavor of the sauce was nice. Creamy and rich, but not too heavy. Good. $11.95

- Capricciosa Pizza – Olives, artichokes, mushrooms, and prosciutto top a pizza that has been lightly topped with tomato sauce and cheese. The mushrooms are flavorful, the olives are a bit salty, and the artichokes are abundant. Four slices of prosciutto are laid on top of the pizza. Great flavor and crispy crust edges, but a little soggy in the center. The mushrooms are visually overwhelmed, but are notable once you take a bite. If you like salty flavors, this is perfect because the kalamata olives add a lot of saltiness. It’s good, but perhaps lightening the quantity of toppings, especially the olives, will make it just that much better. $9.95

Other specials were available, including buffalo mozzarella and basil pizza and a seafood soup, were listed on a specials menu.

The atmosphere is friendly with our waiter greeting us in Italian, and when we left, he thanked us in Italian too. It’s a bit of a rushed feeling from start to finish with dishes being taken away quickly and after the check comes and is paid (note that the menu states that credit cards are not accepted), the water glasses are taken away soon after. It’s not a place to sit and dine slowly, but get in, have a great meal, and get out. Some may find this type of service offensive, but if you know the business, you also know that every table occupied means money.

Overall, the prices for the food are very reasonable. The atmosphere is fun and hip. There’s room for improvement, but it’s worthy of another visit. Their handmade pasta is a treat, and the flavors are clean and delicious.

Parc Hong Kong - Chinese

5322 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 668-8998
Parking: street parking, pay parking lots nearby
Last Visited: October 2, 2004
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$
As you enter the restaurant, the first thing you see is the jade green ceramic awning with red draping below it. It's reminiscent of the old style Chinese external building decorations. Only the front room is decorated this way. There is an enclosed dining area for those who are exclusive over to the right and another large room in the back. You'll also find the bar in a strange location - at the front of the restaurant on an island by itself. There's not really room to sit at the bar, so it's one of those things that hangs out there.
The staff here is efficient, but the dining experience is completely different if you go with someone who personally knows the staff. They become so much more attentive. However, be forewarned that you may find some of the service intrusive - for example, wait staff will lean right between two people having a conversation and it won't faze them the least. If you're looking for a place that won't do this, then you shouldn't come here or pretty much any Chinese restaurant. `On my most recent visit, I was disappointed that they didn’t change our plates during the meal despite the presence of many lobster shells and other discards filling the plate. This lack of service downgraded their service rating from 4 stars to 3 stars. Also, a number of people walked past the open teapot before someone came to refill it which was another reason for the downgrade.`
Parc Hong Kong has a great selection of seafood and much of it is displayed in the tanks by the kitchen. They have high quality dishes made to dazzle your taste buds, and you'll find excellent crab specials, both in price and assortment of dishes.
Note that these names may not be listed as shown on the menu.
- Sweet and sour wontons - Shrimp won tons are deep fried and topped with pickled vegetables in sweet and sour dressing. The won tons were good, but I like to have dipping sauce separate so that the uneaten won tons don't get soggy throughout the meal, but it's an interesting idea.
- Spinach soup of the day - The soup is made in the typical method of boiling for many hours so that flavors melt together into a succulent broth. The only thing that could have made this better is hotter temperature.
- Peking Duck - The duck skin is a beautiful crispy brown served on top of a bed of fresh shrimp flavored chips. The bun is not traditional, but small pieces. I like the whole traditional style because it's all about breaking a steaming hot bun open and putting in the duck skin with hoisin sauce, green onions, and cucumber. The other thing that was missing was the cucumber. The duck meat is neatly cut and served on its own plate. Flavor was very good.
- Yau Choy with Garlic Cloves – Young green yau choy is sautéed with roasted golden brown garlic cloves producing a clean fresh flavor.
- Beef stir fry with fresh mushrooms – There were a lot of people at dinner, so by the time I got to this dish, it was a little on the cold side. Nonetheless, the beef was tender, and of course, the presentation was good.
- Braised tofu with greens – Nice presentation, and the tofu was braised to a lovely golden brown and accompanied with sautéed baby bok choy. `. When this dish is eaten hot, the tofu is very good, bursting with heat in the middle of each tofu block. $9`
- Steamed whole rock cod – This fresh fish was steamed until the flesh is just ready to be removed from the bone. Served garnished with fresh green onion strips and a light soy sauce, it tasted incredibly hot and fresh.
- Duck tongue and gizzards – This is a cold dish of marinated duck tongue and gizzards in a light soy sauce atop braised tofu. The tongue and gizzards are crisp and have a distinct flavor. The tongue is cooked until tender. Good. $6
- Fried fish balls – Ground fish and other spices are sculpted into balls and deep fried. Eight fish balls atop a bed of lettuce are accompanied with a clam sauce served over thinly sliced scallions. The fish ball is tender and hot in temperature. I personally like it when the outside of the fish ball is a little crunchy like that found with fried oysters, but the experts tell me that these fish balls that come without that crunch are served according to tradition. Good. $8
- Dry fried green beans – Green beans are fried with oil and braised with minced pork and chili flakes. The green beans are crisp on the outside and tender inside, and the flavor of the meat and spices are infused inside the beans. It’s a great dish with very good flavor and presentation. $8
- Pork ribs with bitter melon – Small pork spareribs are cooked in garlic and black bean sauce with thinly sliced bitter melon. The pork ribs are cooked until tender and the flavor of the sauce penetrates the meat and melon. The portion is just right and the consistency of the sauce is great over steamed rice. $8
- Ginger and scallion lobster – Lobster is braised with ginger and scallions. The outcome is a flavorful lobster with a clean taste. The lobster is arranged on the plate to appear whole once again. Excellent value and flavor. You couldn’t ask for more. $14.99
- Shark Fin soup in Chicken Broth (Chao Zhao style) – There are several shark fin soups available on the menu. Pricing is indicated by the size of the shark fin strips – the larger in diameter and the longer the strip, the higher the price. This one was considered average in size and is served in a thick broth with thinly sliced chicken strips. Good considering the portion and price.   $10 per person

- House Special Chow Mein – Chicken, fish, scallops, prawns, bbq pork, bok choy, black mushrooms top Hong Kong style noodles. The noodles are nicely done, crisp on the outer edges and soft on the inside. The assortment of meats is the reason for the dish being called house special. Good quality of food and flavor. $12

- Red Bean dessert – The red bean dessert is like a sweet soup. It had a nice consistency, with the bean having broken down to create a delectable sweet intensely flavored concoction. It also contained lotus nuts and slices of a Chinese vegetable bulb.
- Lotus paste pastry – Bite-sized pastry with a very flaky crust is filled with sweet lotus paste. The pastries were warm and just melt in your mouth.
Overall, the dining experience at Parc Hong Kong is a good one. It may feel a bit crowded, but expect that and you won’t be disappointed. Parc Hong Kong is considered one of the better Chinese restaurants in town.

PPQ Dungeness Island - Vietnamese

2332 Clement St, San Francisco CA 94121
(415) 386-8266
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open 11am to 10pm, Closed Tuesdays
Last Visited: August 14, 2004
Food: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$$$
Upon entering PPQ, you’ll see a wide open space with chandeliers containing a rainbow of glass lamp covers in a modern design, simple lines, and blue. The counter is to your immediate right. There is a bar area to your left which is primarily used for storage, but you’ll see the glasses hanging from the ceiling in the bar area. The tables are maple colored and the chairs are black with nice horizontal lines created by the backs. Further in the restaurant, the long tables seating six people are to your right, and more rectangular tables are throughout the restaurant. To your left is a wall mural of scenic blue. In the rear is the aquarium housing a fish that looks like Gill from Finding Nemo – this was pointed out by Lawrence who recommended PPQ with enthusiasm. In the bottom tank, you’ll see the many large crabs roaming around the tank. The background of the tank is a beautiful blue, giving the atmosphere a nice serene feel. In the very rear of the restaurant just past the restrooms is a banquet room. Music plays in the background.
Lawrence’s must try recommendation is the Peppercorn crab. After trying the varieties offered, this is his favorite since the others are cooked in broth, whereas this one is fried, singling it out from the rest.
Service is interesting. I didn’t find it particularly inviting or friendly until the end of the dining period. They weren’t overly attentive or lacking in giving us attention, just not as friendly at first. After being seated, we received American style teacups and a teapot filled with hot tea.
We ordered the Dinner for Two ($42.95) and added a vegetable dish.
- Imperial Rolls – With the dinner for two, two imperial rolls are each cut in half. These four pieces are served with a light sweet dipping sauce (made with fish sauce) and on the same plate is the chicken salad (see below). These rolls are filled with ground meat and some vegetables. They’re deep fried until very crispy, and were good, although they could be larger in diameter which equates to more filling. A regular serving is 6 pieces for $4.95.
- Chicken Salad – The salad is comprised of very thinly shredded lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, and topped with small slices of marinated chicken and fried shallots. It’s quite refreshing with its light dressing while remaining crisp. The chicken had been marinated in fish sauce, giving it a seafood flavor more than chicken flavor.
When you order the crab, you’ll receive a white plastic bib with a big orange crab on it, and to make sure you make no mistakes, the word crab is also on the bib. Your server will tie it around your neck prior to the start of the meal.
- Peppercorn Crab – The menu describes it as whole Dungeness crab lightly fried then sautéed with garlic and black pepper. The crab itself is very large and easily serves two, perhaps three people. What the menu doesn’t tell you is that the garlic is deep fried also, and there is lots of it. The garlic is chopped into little pieces and the crab is served over a big mound of the garlic pieces it was fried with mixed with black pepper. The garlic flavor is infused into the fresh succulent crab. The batter is definitely light and dotted with black pepper. When you’re done eating this crab, you can’t taste much but garlic. Very good. Price is seasonal
- Garlic noodles – Yellow noodles are tossed in garlic sauce which infuses each noodle. It’s garnished with parsley. There’s so much garlic, you can see the little white pieces. Imagine tossing spaghetti with parmesan, except instead of parmesan, all the little white specks are garlic. The noodles come out hot and so soft. The texture of the noodles was very impressive, so soft that they melt in your mouth. As they get to room temperature, they’ll taste more like regular noodles. The garlic is definitely present. Very strong garlic flavor. $5.95
- Fried Banana with Ice Cream – Four pieces of banana are covered in a tempura batter and deep fried. This is accompanied with a dish of coconut ice cream. The banana pieces are drizzled with syrup and a light sprinkling of black sesame. The banana was wonderful. Hot on the inside, the flavor of the batter isn’t too sweet and the syrup doesn’t overwhelm the treat. It’s wonderful. The coconut ice cream is so infused with flavor. I have my doubts that they make the ice cream themselves, but it’s good quality ice cream, and just perfect after a garlic filled meal. $3.95
I would say PPQ is trying to reach for a slightly upscale feeling. It has a nicer atmosphere than many other Vietnamese restaurants and is neat and clean. Presentation is nice. Service could be improved. The prices for pho, bun, and rice plates are moderately priced. The main dishes are slightly higher priced than its competition (hence the reason for saying they’re going for a more upscale crowd). However, the crab offerings certainly make PPQ more special than the rest. Also, if you’re a garlic lover, definitely try the garlic noodles.

Saigon Seafood Harbor - Chinese

3150 Pierce St, Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 559-9388
Parking: in parking lot
Last Visited: March 28, 2004
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $$ to $$$
Saigon has now taken over the restaurant formerly known as Banana Garden. With the takeover, they have increased the quantity of parking lot spaces available and opened up both dining rooms to accommodate more patrons.
Although the restaurant is informal in style, they attempt to go for a more professional look by having their bus boys dress in bright royal blue Asian style shirts and other like uniforms. The restaurant is wallpapered with light yellow paper and large colorful fish. When I say large, I’m referring to the fish that are about 3/4 the height of the wallpaper itself. In addition to colorful fish, you’ll see lobster and other seafood displayed on the wallpaper. Near the kitchen, much seafood is displayed and you can see the fresh quality of ingredients. The service is definitely not high caliber, but they try. On my second visit, I found the service to be better than my first visit. The staff came by our table frequently to fill our teapot and refill each of our teacups. The dining room feels very open with windows along the front wall of the restaurant. The presentation of their dishes lies in the plates and bowls being used. They have jade green teacups, and other trendy Asian style dishware.
During lunch, there is a tea charge of $1 per person. Our tea came in a metal pot, and it seemed that the flavor of the tea took quite a long time to get infused into the water, but as time wore on, the flavor did penetrate through becoming quite flavorful. Also, the metal pot surprisingly kept the water quite hot to the end of the meal.
During the lunch hour, they also offer dim sum. Some of the dishes are less typical of Cantonese dim sum while others are quite traditional. Dim sum prices increment from $2 to $2.50 to $3.50 and up depending on the dish.
- Won ton noodles – Five large wontons containing several shrimp and pork in each wonton are served with Hong Kong style noodles in broth in a jade green or brown bowl. The wontons had good flavor and the noodles were al dente as they should be. The overall portion of the noodles was on the smaller side, but the wontons make up for that. The broth was flavorful and clean. Four stars. The only improvement would be more noodles. On my second visit, I found the quantity of noodles to be more sufficient. This bumps it up to five stars. $4.25
- Beef chow fun – Chow fun is pan fried dry style and served with slices of beef, onions, and green onions. This dish is also often accompanied with bean sprouts. The fun is presented on a black square plate which makes them look very appetizing. The flavor of this dish was a little bland for me, and the color could be a bit more golden brown. There were also too many onions for my taste. Pricing for this dish is slightly on the expensive side for this type of restaurant but not outrageous. $7
- Sesame balls – Three deep fried sesame balls are filled with lotus paste. This dish falls under the small dim sum plate category. The dessert was fried to perfection – golden brown, light and crispy in texture, and slightly sticky inside. The lotus paste was sweet and creamy. Very good. The only improvement would be increasing the amount of lotus paste inside the ball. $2
- Beef balls – Beef is ground and cilantro is added to the meat along with other spices to create beef balls which are placed on top of tofu skin is then steamed. The three beef balls in each dish are then dressed in Worcestershire sauce. The beef balls were tender and the flavor of the sauce was not diluted as it can be at some restaurants. Very good. $2
- Shrimp and chive dumpling – Three dumplings filled with small pieces of shrimp and Chinese chives are served in a sticky rice wrapper. The chives have a strong pungent flavor and are nicely paired with the shrimp. Good. $2.50
- Shrimp dumpling (har gao) – Four dumplings are filled with a large piece of shrimp flavored with spices. The dumpling tasted as it should and had a clean flavor. It remained intact when picked up with chopsticks so it passed the test. Very good. $2.50
- Shrimp in fried tofu skin – Shrimp is placed in tofu skin and folded into rectangles then fried. This produces a flaky skin around tender shrimp. It is accompanied with a soy sauce based dipping sauce. This dish was a little on the oily side for me. The tofu skin should be lighter and flakier with the shrimp inside being hot in temperature. This one could use a little improvement, but is at least average. $3.50
- Frog and rice in Bamboo Case - Frog, Chinese sausage, and Chinese preserved pork along with ginger and garlic are placed over rice. All of this is placed in a bamboo case lined with a lotus leaf and steamed. The end result is tender frog and a flavorful sauce that blends with the rice. Excellent. It’s worth trying for the presentation alone. This dish also comes with the soup of the day which on this day was a light broth with a melon flavor. $7.50
- Steamed Spare ribs - These spare ribs are steamed with a little bit of spice. The spare ribs were tender and had excellent flavor. Temperature was also very hot making them just that much better. Very good.
- Fried taro dumplings - Taro paste is stuffed with meat and deep fried to with crunchy outer wisps that create a shell. These three dumplings had been sitting a while, so though they were still warm, but the oil had started to come out of the dumpling making them slightly soggy. Fair.
- Pork dumplings - Four petite pork dumplings are wrapped in a thin skin and steamed. Orange shrimp roe is placed on top of the dumplings. The flavor was good and presentation was nice. The dish would be even better if served hotter in temperature. Good.
- Shrimp noodle roll - shrimp is wrapped in rice noodle rolls and served with sweet soy sauce. Another dish that would be better hotter, but the flavor was good. Good.
During my dinner experience, despite a smaller crowd, I found the service to be lacking yet again. The attitude of the servers are fine, but you just get a general sense of neglect after your food has arrived at your table. Waiting for your bill can feel like it takes hours and even though the staff stares at your table to check on you as they pass by, nobody seems to want to do anything about it. The only attentive part was checking that the teapot was full.
The dinner menu is fairly simple. There are regular dishes available year round. The seafood is listed to give all the offerings and how each type of seafood can be served (e.g. curry, ginger and scallions, etc). All the prices are listed as seasonal on the menu. The prices are listed above the seafood holding tanks, but note that they are all in Chinese. If you can’t read Chinese, you’ll want to ask your server before ordering, and don’t forget to ask about how many pounds you’ll be getting because price is by the pound.
- Cod fillet with tender greens – The cod fillet pieces were very nicely done, soft and not overcooked or mushy. The freshness gave the fish a succulent flavor. Snow peas, celery, and yellow chives were the tender greens of the evening served with the dish and the color contrast made the dish even more inviting. The snow peas were bright green and crispy, not overcooked. The fish and vegetables were sautéed with very small pieces of garlic and lightly salted to enhance the flavor further. $8.50
- Braised bean curd with tender greens and black mushrooms – Bean curd is braised to a lovely golden brown. The tender greens in this dish was baby bok choy. The shitake mushrooms are large and cooked until soft. The sauce helps the dish to come together in flavor nicely. The one thing that would make this dish better is for the tofu to be cooked at a higher temperature to give it an even better texture. $8.50
Overall, the food is good. Service could be refined, and atmosphere could be improved, but the restaurant is worthy of another visit for the food alone. Atmosphere is highly dependent on where you are seated. On my first visit, I was seated near the restrooms and bus station, so it wasn’t nearly as good as the second time. My second visit was near the main walkway, but overall, it was better. You’ll like the food if you don’t mind the hustle and bustle atmosphere of the restaurant.

Sakana Bune - Japanese

5701 Geary Blvd, San Francisco CA 94121
(415) 387-8561
Parking: street parking
Hours: M-Th 11:30am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 10pm; Fri 11:30am to 3pm, 5:30pm to 11pm; Sat 11:30am to 11pm; Sun 11:30am to 10pm
Last Visited: July 17, 2004
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
Upon entering Sakana Bune, you’ll be greeted in Japanese by the waitresses. The sushi bar is the main attraction in the restaurant with approximately 26 seats around the bar. Each wood chair faces the bar which is oval in shape. Wood sushi boats linked by small chains between one another move on top of the water counter clockwise and you can watch the individual sushi plates on each boat pass by. The area that the sushi boats float across is covered by glass sneeze guards, and within the oval, you can see the five sushi chefs preparing rolls and sushi.
The restaurant is bright with windows on two walls bringing in natural lighting. The room is light in color with a clean and fresh look created by the light colored wood tables and chairs. Tables that accommodate six people or more are near the front of the restaurant and the wall away from the sushi bar.
Sakana Bune offers a variety of rice bowls, udon, tonkatsu type dishes, and other entrees. However, their sushi is the main feature. Each boat contains four dishes. Each dish contains two pieces of sushi and is priced at 1.00, 1.50, and 1.95 for special sushi. The price of each item is indicated by the type of dish it is placed on. Each pattern on the dish corresponds with a specific price. It’s an excellent bargain and great for beginner sushi connoisseurs since it allows you to try so many offerings. As the boat floats by, you can select as many dishes as you want.
Special house rolls, typically made from multiple items or with ‘deluxe’ ingredients, are also offered at reasonable prices. You may find some of these special rolls on the sushi boats as well, but you’re not guaranteed to find them there.
- Deep Fried Sea Bass – Six pieces of sea bass are breaded in panko crumbs and deep fried until golden brown. The sea bass is served with a sweet and salty dipping sauce. The pieces are nicely presented on a colorful plate. The outer shell is crisp and light, and the sea bass is sweet and succulent. Very good. $5.95
- Mussels on the half shell with spicy sauce – Two mussels are topped with cheese and spicy sauce. The dish is either baked or torched to allow the cheese topping the mussels to turn a golden brown and for the mussels to be heated through. A nice combination of ingredients leading to a new flavor seldom seen at other restaurants. Very original. Another variation served here is chopped mussels and zucchini in the same sauce and cooked the same way. $1.95
- Hiyashi Wakame (seaweed salad) – Green seaweed salad tops sushi rice and is held together by a seaweed wrapper. Two pieces. The seaweed salad had been infused with sesame oil to produce a refreshing and delicate flavor. Good. $1
- Sake (salmon) – Salmon sashimi slices top sushi rice. Two pieces. Good clean flavor. $1.50
- Tai (red snapper) – Red snapper sashimi slices top sushi rice. Two pieces. More good clean flavor. $1.50
- Unagi (eel) – Cooked unagi tops sushi rice. The unagi slices could be larger, but at this price, it’s hard to complain. It’s not the best, but meets the average. $1.50
- California Rolls (seaweed, tuna, and bonito - dried fish flakes) – Each California roll dish comes with two California rolls. Plain California rolls are available, but they may also be topped with seaweed, tuna, bonito in the form of dried fish flakes, roe, or other items. Good. $1.50
From the side that I was sitting at, I couldn’t see how the sushi chefs got in and out of the bar area so I asked. Near the kitchen is a break in the counter where the sushi chefs crawl under the counter allowing them to get in and out of the area. Also, the boats move by operating jets – either one or two jets depending on how fast they want the boats to travel.
At the end of your meal, if you selected dishes from the sushi boats, the waitresses take your plates and tally the check by looking at the dish itself to determine the final bill.
Sakana Bune is a nice place to try out. I would recommend it for those who want to see what the dish will look like and don’t know what to get. It’s not the highest quality sushi, but certainly decent and at the least, entertaining.

San Tung - Chinese/Korean

1031 Irving St, San Francisco CA 94122
(415) 242-0828
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: August 21, 2004
Food: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
San Tung, once known for its excellent dumplings, seems to have changed ownership. Upon entering, you’ll see that the atmosphere remains similar still. The room is bright, with Asian ceramic wall hangings every couple of feet. The tables are green with brown trim. The chairs are maple. The larger round tables are on the left, with long rectangular tables in the middle enough to seat large parties or two small parties. Four person tables are to the immediate right.
When we were being seated, you could notice the difference. The host didn’t seem to understand Chinese. That was the first hint. The next clue was that the menu had Korean characters on it. After being seated, the two came immediately, and we ordered about ten minutes after arriving.
- Shrimp and Leek Dumplings – Twelve small dumplings are filled with Chinese chives and small pieces of shrimp. The dumplings are described in the menu as little, and I would certainly agree. The differences between these and the dumplings served here previously are the wrapper thickness and the filling. The wrapper is thicker than it once was. It’s not too bad, but having tried the original dumplings, these just can’t compare. The thickness changes the texture. In addition to the thickness increasing, the filling isn’t as strong with shrimp and leek flavor as it used to be. The shrimp is now chopped into such tiny pieces that they’re barely noticeable. The flavor of the dumplings falls around a three, but leans more toward the two to three range. $6
- Three Deluxe Spicy Sauce Noodles – Noodles are served in a bowl topped with a mixture of scallops, shrimp, squid, and diced zucchini cooked in a spicy sauce. Zucchini strips garnish the bowl. The sauce was indeed spicy, and the seafood is cooked properly so it remains tender. I didn’t enjoy this dish. Though it lives up to being spicy, the noodles are bland. They don’t absorb any other flavors, and the dish itself is very one dimensional. Your mouth tastes nothing but spiciness. The noodles themselves are good with a nice texture and Asian al dente, but something was lacking. I wouldn’t order this dish again. $6.50
The wait for the food took a long time. With only two items and about ten people in the kitchen, it seemed a ridiculous wait time. It must have been a good twenty minutes or more for the food to come. The food appears to be catered toward a Korean crowd. This isn’t a bad thing, but it’s just not what we expected. Dumplings are still okay, but they’re not equal to those from the past. If you try out Shan Dong, expect the food to be a bit non-traditional for Chinese food, and perhaps you’ll like it better knowing that it’s Korean style Chinese.

Shanghai Dumpling King - Chinese

3319 Balboa St, San Francisco CA 94121
(415) 387-2088
Parking: street parking
Hours: Monday, Wednesday through Friday 11am to 9pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 9pm, Closed Tuesdays
Last Visited: December 9, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$
Jamie recommended I try Shanghai Dumpling Shop, now known as Shanghai Dumpling King. And it is such a find! It is so hard to find a place that serves authentic Shanghai style food. Shanghai dumpling spot is a hole in the wall place with great food. Well, it’s a little better than a hole in the wall. Enter the place and both units are painted in white with a lot of colorful menus listing family style set meals posted. There are also many pieces of paper listing specials posted on the wall. However, it’s all written in Chinese. The front of the restaurant is a large window, with white curtains that cover about half the window, so the patrons remain hidden from curious onlookers outside.
The atmosphere is far from glamorous. The noise level is high as people begin to trickle in, and the staff often seems to be dropping plates into the designated tub rather than gently placing them there. The staff is in white plastic aprons and there are a number of people bringing food in from the kitchen. There seems to be a lack of order. See more below.
The food is wonderful. There are many Shanghai bun and dumpling favorites available and the great thing is that they’re homemade. All the dishes are served fresh and piping hot. The stir fry dishes have a lot of “wok air.” The heat remains with them for a prolonged period of time.
- Shanghai Steamed Dumpling – Ten dumplings are served on a bed of Napa cabbage still in its steamer. Accompanying them is a small dish containing dark vinegar with thinly sliced ginger slivers. The dumpling wrapper is twisted on the top and filled with flavorful pork. The dumpling bursts with the juices from within as you bite into them. Excellent. $4.25
- Pot Stickers – Eight pot stickers with golden brown bottoms are served with the same vinegar sauce mentioned above. Unlike typical pot stickers, these have a softer skin and are more moist than typical. Each pot sticker had a slit on its side, probably to let out some of the juice from the filling. The filling was made of pork and cabbage. Good, but it might not be what you expect. $4.25
- Beijing Style Boiled Chives Dumpling – Ten dumplings are served with the same vinegar sauce mentioned above. Pork is mixed with Chinese chives for a mild dumpling filling. These dumplings were excellent. The wrapper was thin, but held together well. The filling was juicy and these dumplings also burst with their juices as you bite into them. Excellent. $4.25
- Stir Fried Noodles Shanghai Style – Thick homemade style noodles are stir fried with slivers of pork, cabbage, Napa cabbage, and spinach leaves in a dark soy sauce. This dish had a lot of “wok air.” There was just a hint of spiciness to the dish, but not enough to overwhelm the flavor. Very good. See latest comments below for 2006 visit. $4.95
- Hot and Spicy Beef Stew in Noodles Soup/Vermicelli Soup – Great flavor. The name describes the soup well. The beef stew is tender and has a taste of five spice to it. The noodles are fine and thin, but would be just a little better if they were fresh instead of packaged noodles. Their size does make them better for absorbing the flavor of the soup though. The soup has a touch of red color and will make your belly warm. The portion is also quite generous. Great, especially for a cold night out. $4.95

For our second visit, we ordered a dinner meal that serves two. All of the food listed below comes in this set meal for only $18.88. Incredible price!
- Shanghai Dumplings – Four pieces. Still served hot, fresh, and delicious. Description listed above.
- Shanghai Drunken Chicken – A quarter of a chicken with skin on is cooked and marinated in Chinese rice wine. The marinade causes the meat to tighten and become slightly more dense. The flavor of wine is strong and intense. You definitely won’t miss it. The chicken is chopped into pieces with the bone intact, and served with the reduced wine sauce. Remember that it’s Chinese style, so the wine will not be reduced until it is thick. This dish is typically served cold. In most restaurants, the chicken comes without the sauce, so that was something unique here. The wine may be too strong for some, but it’s definitely a drunken chicken.
- Shanghai Wonton Soup with Chicken Broth – A single Shanghai Wonton (a wonton with pork and vegetable) is cooked with a single head of baby bok choy and a bean curd wrap in chicken broth. A piece of drunken chicken is placed at the bottom of a tall ramekin and the broth with wonton and bok choy is poured on top of the chicken. The bean curd wrap is a sheet of bean curd that has been rolled and tied into a knot. The bean curd wrap is soft, but slightly crisp in texture. The soup is flavored with pepper giving it a little hint of sharpness. The soup is cooked in a wok, so it stays hot in temperature much longer than most soups. Very good and it stays warm for a long time.
- Cold Noodles with Chicken and Sesame Sauce – Noodles are topped with shreds of cucumber and thinly sliced tomato strips. Sliced chicken breast tops the noodles. A sweet peanut sauce is served on the side. The noodles are tightly packed into the bowl making it difficult to combine the sauce with the noodles. It’s much easier to remove the noodles to an individual bowl or plate and add the sauce there. The sauce also contains oyster sauce, so it is advisable to stir the sauce prior to combining with the noodles. The cucumbers add a lightness and crispiness to the texture of the dish. However, the chicken is bland, though tender. I wouldn’t recommend ordering this dish alone, but it might make for an okay summer salad if the chicken had more flavor or was removed entirely.
- Soy Braised Pork Ribs – Very short bite sized pork ribs are braised in soy sauce and vinegar. The meat is tender, though the tendons take up a large portion of each piece. Although the dish was served seaming, it lacked the ‘wok air’ described earlier. Nice flavor balancing the sweetness and saltiness of the soy sauce with the vinegar.
- Sesame Rice Dumplings – Sweet black sesame paste is stuffed in rice flour dumplings. The dumplings are then rolled in ground peanut powder. These dumplings were served warm. Excellent.
Of the dinner set, the best items were the soup, Shanghai dumplings, and sesame rice dumplings. Those are highly recommended ordered alone or in a set.
Service would have received a three star rating, but one of our dumplings dishes came out almost half an hour after everything else. It seems that the servers don’t pay much attention to which table puts in their order first. We saw other tables who had arrived after us receive their dumplings first. This was the only negative part of the experience. During my second experience, service seemed as bad as my first visit. Their manner was better during dinner since the restaurant wasn’t as busy, but Shanghai Dumpling Shop has little to no concept of what it means to serve food in courses. All of the food came out in random order, and the dessert arrived about half way through the meal. Soup and appetizer arrived after the main dish and so on. I wonder if they’re thinking family style when everything arrives at the table and then you just eat, but it’s not like everything arrives at one time either. Just be forewarned about this.
Overall, you’ll find the prices a bargain. The service and atmosphere could use a lot of improvement, but the food is delicious. There were so many dishes to try, but I couldn’t fit it all into my stomach. There are many items that I would like to try on my next visit. I highly recommend a visit to Shanghai Dumpling Shop for their homemade dumplings.
During my most recent visit, I was pretty surprised to find that the name had changed, but from what I could tell, the people remained the same. The same servers, at least a few, hard recognizable faces, but a new sign was out front.   Upon being seated, we were brought tea, but it took a while to get a menu. Also, I felt quite uncomfortable during this visit. Although I walked in knowing it was a hole in the wall, when I touched the chopsticks, I found them to be sticky. Not dirty, but sticky as though a film had gotten on them. The plates need to be exchanged for new ones. Clearly, the restaurant is doing well, as it was packed during this lunch time with a line forming outside. However, it hasn’t invested in its atmosphere.

We again ordered the Shanghai Steamed Dumplings and found them as scrumptious as before. They were so juicy and flavorful as described above. We also had the Stir Fried Noodles Shanghai Style. Similar to last time, but this visit seemed to offer less meat. I would rather pay another dollar or two more and have more meat in the dish. This makes it look like you’re on a diet.

- Rice Roll – Contained within rice is a mixture of dried pork jerky – Asian pork jerky. Sometimes, you find that the pork jerky is mixed with preserved spicy mustard greens. It may sound unusual, but think giant sushi roll. Good. Wrapped in saran wrap to hold it together, it comes warm.

While we ate, a woman came around and asked if anyone wanted to order the fresh dessert items that were today’s special. She took the plate around to each table. Yet, her demeanor was not as pleasant as it could be. It also took a while to get a check.

Overall, this 2006 experience indicated that although the food remains good, there is much room for improvement in service and atmosphere. Unless I have a craving for their delightful dumplings, I will likely pass on returning until the grapevine starts talking about changes being made for the better.

SPiCES! - Chinese

294 8th Avenue, San Francisco CA 94118
(415) 752-8884

291 6th Avenue, San Francisco CA 94118
(415) 752-8885
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: July 31, 2005
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 2 stars
Price: $ to $$
The décor is bright. Zebra-striped seat covers, several of those flame lamps hanging in front of the orange wall, bright dishware, and a machine that greets you with a high-pitched voice when you come in and leave the establishment. The greeting seems to be some recording triggered with the opening of the door, but I never understood fully what it was actually saying; it’s not too distracting unless you’re in the restaurant by yourself. Think trendy/fobby, but apply it to a restaurant. They have another restaurant branch a couple streets over. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many decorations stuffed into one place. Behind the bar/counter is a shelf showing more zebras and one wall has the same picture posted on it six times. The place is small, but cozy.
- Tan Tan Noodle - These noodles came in a small bowl, but don’t let the size fool you. There are still a lot of noodles there, and they are packed with flavor. The use of sesame paste gives these noodles a creamy texture. It has little bit of kick from the chili oil that makes it just right. This dish definitely stood out compared to other tan tan noodles I have tried. $4.95
- Szechuan Beef Noodle Soup – This dish is also packed with flavor. A little spicy and hearty. $4.95 (Large bowl available for 5.95)
I didn’t have high expectations going in so that may have made it even better. Since it was rather early for lunch, it was pretty empty. During lunch hour, I imagine it might be a bit stuffy due to the close quarters, but still a good experience.
- Dry Braised String Beans – These green beans were excellent. Braised and sautéed with preserved vegetables, the beans maintain their crunchiness while being lightly salted and flavored by the preserved vegetables. They taste great. $6.95
- Kung Pao Chicken – Tender chicken pieces are stir fried with peanuts, red chiles, and green onions. The sauce is slightly sweet and just the perfect texture. The dish comes out piping hot and is delectable. $6.95
- Ma Po Tofu – Soft tofu cubes along with ground pork and garlic are cooked together with spicy red hot oil. The flavors meld together and the dish is best eaten over steamed rice. Watch out, this one is spicy, but delicious. $6.95
The dishes above were ordered during dinner. The restaurant is a bit more crowded during dinner hours. The dishes are still wonderful and absolutely worth another visit back. As I said after my first visit, the food is definitely worth a try, and if spicy isn’t your thing, they do have non-spicy dishes. I haven’t been to a comparable place like it yet, so it gets stars for its uniqueness.
After the first two reviews, I went back a third time and they had a new menu, and you know what that equates to – in addition to a few new items, there was an increase in prices, but everything is still reasonable. One thing I didn’t touch upon the last couple of times is that SPiCES offers a lot of small plates that you can try – new items include the marinated beef tongue and Taiwanese pork chop.
The third visit confirms the atmosphere during dinner and the colorful tea cups and water glasses are still ever present. Flavor is still number one, but this time, I found the two dishes I tried to have too many green onions present.
- Hot and Sour Soup – Definitely hot and it could be just a touch more sour to make the flavor right to my taste buds. It’s definitely a nice texture and containing the typical black fungus, egg drop, bamboo shoots, and the like. There is only one dot indicating that it’s a spicy dish, but I think it might be slightly hotter – see below. Very nice. $4.95 for a small bowl that serves two, and a large bowl is available for $6.95
- SPiCES! Special Chow Mein – Thick Shanghai style noodles are stir fried with red hot chile oil and shrimp, pork, shredded cabbage, bell pepper strips, and green onions. By the time I had finished my soup, this three dot (extremely spicy) dish, was only a little spicy. It had a nice flavor and was very hot in temperature, but it could have improved presentation – it just looked very disheveled on the plate. Good flavor, but I liked the uniqueness of their other noodle dishes more in comparison. Also, too much green onion in the dish gives it good color, but is a bit overwhelming. $6.95
- Pork with Shredded Tofu over rice - Pork, dried shredded tofu, green onions, and Chinese celery, are stir fried together. This is accompanied by a mound of rice on the side. The flavor of the stir fry is nice, but biting into the Chinese celery can be a bit overwhelming. Chinese celery is like regular celery, but much thinner stalks and extremely intense celery flavor, almost like anise in flavor. The pork pairs nicely with the tofu so you can appreciate the textures. I would enjoy this dish more if the stalks from spinach were used instead of the Chinese celery and if there was less green onion. $5.95
Either the hot and sour soup needs to be upgraded to two dots or the noodles need to be downgraded to two dots. I’m not sure which.
Once again, food was still very good, and the latest addition is that you receive an apple flavored soft candy chew when you leave, so it’s a nice way to clear your palate. There’s so much on the menu, of course, the recommendation would be to go back. Also, you may consider trying their more spacious location only a couple blocks away – still sassy, but more spacious.
The sister location is about twice the size. The music isn’t as club-like as the other location, but it’s still very upbeat. The seating is a bit more spacious and the menu is almost identical with very few differences. You’ll also find that the television at this facility displays an aquarium. SPiCES! II doesn’t serve stinky tofu like SPiCES! does, but many of the dishes available are the same. The house specialties are a bit different. See the menu for details.
I ordered a number of dishes previously tried, but also selected a few new items.
- Hot and Spicy Beef Combination – This is a cold dish featuring slices of beef and beef tendon served in red chili oil. The flavor is good, but the chili oil can be a bit overpowering. Try this only if you want something really spicy. $3.95
- Spicy Pig Ear with RED oil – This dish is unique since pig ear isn’t available in many places. It’s much like tendon with a crisp texture and almost clear in appearance. It takes on the flavor of the oil. It’s only listed with one dot, but I found it to be very strong. This is another one to try only if you want something really spicy. $3.95
- Dry Braised Eel Strips – Strips of eel are sautéed with whole red chili peppers, green onions, and Chinese celery. The Chinese celery gives a slightly bitter taste that brings out the flavor of the eel. The dish is rated two stars for spicy, but after eating some of the other food, I found it to be mild in flavor, but the eel remained distinct. The quantity is on the smaller side, but it’s still an excellent dish. $9.95
- Mongolian Beef – Fairly standard in flavor and presentation, but the plate is nice. Beef strips are good and infused with a lot of flavor. Good. $7.95

- Beef with Broccoli – Another fairly standard dish. The beef slices were large, but it was noticeable that quite a bit of tenderizer had been used on the beef, so not as good as it could be. $7.95

- Eggplant in Garlic Sauce - Japanese eggplant is sautéed with garlic in a sweet and spicy sauce. The eggplant is accompanied with strips of black wood fungus and jicama which give the dish a bit of a crunch. The flavors in the dish are mild and delicious. Excellent. $6.95
- Deep Fried Tofu with Chili Sauce – Small cubes of firm tofu are deep fried and served in a boat with spicy chili sauce. This was the only dish I found on this menu that wasn’t available at their restaurant on 8th Ave. The tofu is deep fried to a beautiful golden brown, and the tofu remains soft and moist inside. Another excellent dish.
SPiCES! was one of my favorites (read on). The 6th Avenue is more spacious and better for large parties. The 8th Avenue location is good for a cozy atmosphere. The only other difference I found is that the 6th Avenue location didn’t serve the apple candy chew after dinner. By far, for me, the best dishes are the eggplant and string beans. Be sure to check those out.
My most recent visit at SPiCES! was by far the most disappointing. Maybe it’s because I had string beans that were near perfection last time. The eggplant dish was still very good, but the actual eggplant itself was a little on the older side, making the skin tough and difficult to bite through. The string beans were not crispy. Although the flavor was right, they lacked the extra crunch that once made it so good. For this reason, I downgraded the food to a 3 to 4 star range.
In addition to those two, I tried one more dish during this visit.

- Soft Tofu Shrimp – Shrimp is cooked with tofu, peas, green onion, and diced carrots. The flavor is light, and the sauce is thickened by cornstarch. Although it had great ‘wok air,’ I found the sauce a bit lumpy with all the excess cornstarch. Average to fair. $7.95

Service this evening was poor. There were two staff members caring for the patrons at the beginning of the evening and up to four by the time we left. However, we felt neglected. Since they don’t provide a tea pot for the table, the need to refill tea becomes especially important, since it’s spicy food. Our teacups needed refills about midway through the meal, and despite the less than 1/3 filled dining room, we didn’t get refills until we flagged them down. We were also finished with our meal and waiting for the check for about twenty minutes. Service was such a letdown, I’ve dropped them a full star. Prices have also gone up by about $1 per dish since my last visit. I was really disappointed. They’ll probably get another visit, but it will be a while at this 8^th Avenue location. After visiting SPiCES II, I was much happier. I’ll probably go back to Spices II on 6th in the future instead of the smaller one.

Taishan Cafe - Chinese

1125 Clement St, San Francisco, 94118
(415) 668-0838
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: March 31, 2007
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Taishan Café had been open only a few days when I went in for an afternoon snack during my first visit. It’s a family owned restaurant. Their original restaurant is in Sacramento, but they decided to come over to San Francisco since there is little Taishan food found in the city. Their specialties include clay pot dishes, steamed lotus leaf dishes, the Taishan salted chicken, and the Taishan coca cola chicken. Another specialty is the ginger milk curd.

Since I was only looking for an afternoon snack, I stopped in for the ginger milk curd. The restaurant is located near Park Presidio and the windows bring in lighting from the outside. The restaurant is long and narrow with a picture of the city on one wall and an area that is inset on the other wall. The inset one should have been painted to blend in more (pink wouldn’t be my color of choice), but they were using it as a posting area for specials. The tables are simple and the chairs are cushioned. It’s not a fancy place, and the owners give a warm welcome when you walk in. The color scheme is green and white. The only thing that was unimpressive was that several tables that had been vacated of customers were not cleared of dishes which give the place a somewhat unkempt look. The dishes are green and ceramic – matching cups and plates with green chopsticks. The entrée dishes are ceramic if the item is steamed or plastic for others.

After sitting down, we received menus and some green tea in a teapot. Note that the tea they selected is very light in color, especially when poured into the green teacup. Not much color contrast.

- Soy Sauce Chicken Wing – The menu lists four chicken wings, but we received six. They were hot and fresh. The soy sauce lightly coated the chicken wings, and they had definitely been made to order. Good. If you’re not accustomed to Asian restaurants, you might find the side of the wing where fat is present a bit unappetizing because the feather is not cleanly plucked off. Yet, this is typical for many Asian restaurants. $2.50

- Ginger Milk Curd – Ginger juice fills the bottom of a bowl and a hot sweetened milk mixture is brought out into a pitcher. The waitress pours the milk on top of the juice and tells you to wait five minutes before eating it. The Chinese name for this literally translates into crash milk. Basically, the ginger juice and milk mixture crash into one another and the properties of both, coupled with no interruption, cause the mixture to become stiffer and custard-like. It’s a delicious treat. If you’ve had ginger flavored gelato, imagine that warm and you’ll understand the flavor. Since we ordered two bowls, and she poured them in front of us, they weren’t evenly distributed – one bowl contained quite a bit more than another, and there’s no going back to fix it because that will ruin the texture. Terrific rich flavor with a hint of spiciness that’s sure to be a treat. Wonderful. Must try. 4 to 5 stars. Note that during my last visit, I ordered this again and it seems to be a hit or miss process. One of the bowls of curd came together and the other did not. Disappointing the second go round, and they didn’t mix them in front of us this time which was half the fun of the previous visit. The flavor is still nice, but no curd means drinking ginger flavored milk. Rating drops down to 1 star. $2.88

Overall, the food was good. The service would be better if the dishes were cleared. I definitely want to return to try out some of the Taishan specialties and check out the other treats. The ginger milk curd is a must try.

Upon my second visit for dinner, the place was getting full early in the evening. There were a few additional staff members, and I learned that there is a seating area upstairs. The same drill as last time with the teacups arriving, but this time, no menu came. Instead, the menu is posted in Chinese on the wall. You’ll find that the only English item is a translation of a paragraph talking about lotus leaf dishes (basically, lotus leaf lines a bamboo steamer and the rice and other items are placed in it to be cooked and steamed). There are some issues with the English translation, but hopefully they will get corrected soon. If you can’t read Chinese, you’ll need to ask for a menu. Other specials are posted around the walls in various locations throughout the room.

There are four primary categories of menu items. First, the clay pot rice dishes. Rice is cooked in a clay pot and the meat or vegetables you select are placed on top of the rice. Then everything is cooked together. Second, there is the bamboo steamed lotus leaf rice dishes. These are the same as the clay pot listings, but the infused lotus leaf flavor gives the dish a different taste and texture. As you will see when you view the menu, the lotus leaf is known to have traditional medicinal properties and has been known to improve health. Third, you’ll find a list of specials, and finally, there is a list of ten vegetables. Just about everything you see is $6.95 which is excellent pricing which equates to slim profit margins.

After ordering, we received a bowl of lotus root soup. Subsequent visits brought us different types of soups to try including dried vegetables with soy beans.

The lotus leaf bamboo steamed dishes are pretty similar except for the toppings. Each bamboo steamer is lined with a large lotus leaf or two. Then rice is placed in the center and the meat is placed on top. Together, they are cooked until the flavor has been infused in the rice and the meat is cooked thoroughly. Fresh cilantro sprigs add an additional flavor as it is placed on top of the meat and steamed with the other items.

- Lotus Leaf Bamboo Steamed Five Spice Lamb and Rice – Diced lamb is marinated in five spice powder and other seasonings. Each piece is boneless and tender, perfect for warming the body in winter weather as the heartiness of the meat warms you through. Very good. $5.95

- Lotus Leaf Bamboo Steamed Pork Spareribs and Rice – Pork spareribs are cut into bite size pieces, still on the bone. The lightly seasoned spareribs are tender and delicious. You get a lot considering the price. $5.95

- Lotus Leaf Bamboo Free Range Chicken and Rice – About a quarter of a chicken (see description below) is placed on top of cooked rice. The same green onion dipping sauce as described below also accompanies the rice. $5.95

- Lotus Leaf Bamboo Chicken with Mushrooms and Rice – Cut pieces of dark chicken meat are lightly seasoned and cooked with rehydrated shitake mushrooms over rice. Good stuff. Not too exciting, but the chicken is moist and tender. $5.95

The clay pots vary in size from small to large. As described above, the rice is placed on the bottom and the meat is placed on top. They are typically accompanied by a small dish of soy sauce that contains a jalapeno. You can either add a little to rice as you eat it, or pour the whole thing in and mix the contents of the claypot.

- Clay Pot Taishan House Specialty – This clay pot includes yellow eel, preserved meats, and frog. We opted to get one with just the eel and preserved meat. See the preserved meat description below. The eel is plentiful, but not particularly meaty in texture. It’s more fatty eel, but has a good flavor. It looks interesting – something a nine year old boy would probably find fun to tease his little sister with. The clay pot is also available with any of these meats individually. $8.95

- Clay Pot Five Spice Lamb and Rice – See the description with the lotus leaf and five spice lamb above, but now imagine it in a clay pot. Very good. One of my personal favorites. $6.95

- Clay Pot Preserved Meats and Rice – Preserved Chinese sausage and preserved Chinese pork, are sliced and cooked over rice. Since both items contain a fair amount of fat in them, it gives the rice great flavor. Yum. $6.95

- Clay Pot Yellow Eel - Like the house specialty version, the eel is just not particularly meaty, meaning that they’re cut skinny and if you are thinking unagi, you would be unhappy. If you’ve had meaty eel, you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you don’t know the difference, it’s fine. $8.95

- Clay Pot Preserved Vegetables with Pork – Pork is minced and mixed with preserved vegetables that are also minced. I like the texture of the pork because it’s not too stiff nor too soft – just the right texture and breaks up easily into the rice when you mix it all together. Good. $6.95

- Steamed Tofu with Meat – A block of tofu is sliced into small bricks and topped with pork mixture. Green onions are sprinkled on top and the tofu is steamed. Soy sauce is diluted and drizzled on top. The smooth texture of the soft tofu is a great addition to any rice dish whether plain, in a clay pot, or in a bamboo steamer. $6.95

- Ong Choy (kang kung) with preserved tofu – The ong choy is sauteed with preserved tofu blocks and cooked with enough oil to keep the plate steaming hot. They also add a little jalapeno for additional heat. Wonderfully fresh and delicious. $6.95

- Lettuce – Lettuce is cut into large chunks and boiled with a little oil added to the water. Oyster sauce is drizzled lightly on top. Fresh and good. When you order two of the pot or bamboo steamer items, sometimes they give complimentary cooked lettuce.

- Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy- These little bok choy are boiled and a little oil is added to the water as with the lettuce. These are also drizzled with a little oyster sauce. So fresh and delicious already, that when they’re cooked until bright green, they’re super tender and wonderful. $6.95

- Stir Fried Green Beans – String beans are cut into about two inch lengths and sautéed with thin slices of onion which are cooked until translucent. A lot of garlic salt is added to the dish to give flavor. Good. They have a lot of wok-air too which means they are deliciously hot in temperature when they first come out. $6.95

- Stir Fried Yau Choy – Whole yau choy is cooked with minced garlic. The vegetables are very fresh and the dish has great wok-air. Very good. $6.95

- Free Range Chicken – Half available/Whole – The free range chicken has a lot of chicken flavor to it. Compare it to a Fosters Farm chicken and you’ll know what I mean. It’s less meaty, but the flavor is stronger and it’s a denser chicken. The ginger dipping sauce that goes along with it is pretty good too. The only thing I didn’t like about it was that the little remnants from the feathers are still found on the wings. This is common with many free range chickens cooked this style, but it was especially prominent in other locations. Still good. $12

- Pig Feet – Pig Feet are marinated and cooked in a soy sauce and vinegar sauce. You’ll find lots of ginger slices in this dish. Although the color is nice, the meat and tendons don’t quite fall off the bone, so I found it to be just okay. I probably would skip this the next time and order something else. $6.95

- Chicken Feet – The last few visits, they have given us complimentary marinated spicy chicken feet over pickled turnip and carrots. Although it’s a nice gesture, I’ll be the first to admit that these aren’t to my taste. It’s not even that I don’t like chicken feet, because when the tendons and the like fall off the bone, it tastes really good, but this one is a bit difficult to eat. It has the crispness that you look for in this type of dish, but not the right consistency.

My recent visits have confirmed my previous ratings. The food is very good most of the time. The Taishan style is certainly authentic and unique – especially the lotus leaf bamboo steamed items. The portions are generous too. However, service is disorganized and a little chaotic. Also, they need to work on the little touches – for example, we received our tofu and vegetable dishes before the rice came and nobody let us know when the rice was coming or reassured us that the order was being made. When we received our teacups, the server put her thumb in one to hold onto it. The table near us received two incorrect clay pots before getting the right one. There are system issues to be worked out and etiquette improvements that could be made. The food remains the highlight and over time, hopefully they will work out the kinks. Great steamed bamboo lotus leaf rice dishes.

My last few visits showed improved service, though still not perfect. One of the visits, we had to ask for the soup to be served, while on another visit, the soup was served prior to ordering. The system issues remain present, though not to as high a degree as before. The food is still excellent and the value is great. You’ll find that people wait in long lines just to enjoy these wonderful dishes. Try to get there early or late to avoid the crowd. You’re in for a treat.

Taiwan Restaurant - Chinese

445 Clement St, San Francisco, 94118
(415) 387-1789
Parking: street parking

Last Visited: November 12, 2007
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
Taiwan Restaurant has been around for a number of years. They also have a branch in Berkeley, but of the two, I like the one in San Francisco better. I’ve been going to this restaurant for a number of years. Their signature rich pink painted façade outside makes it easy to find. The décor inside is a little worn. They have light finished wood chairs and the walls could use a fresh coat of paint, but the interesting thing is the front of the restaurant. The front window and waiting area allows you to watch the master chefs at work making steam buns, dumplings, pot stickers, and whatever else. In the background, you’ll see them deep frying Chinese donuts and other goodies.
- Fried Chinese Doughnut – Chinese doughnuts come in both sweet and salty flavor. The salty doughnut (yau tiao) is a long bar that is split partway lengthwise so it can easily be separated into two pieces. The doughnut at the Taiwan Restaurant is good, but not as light as the restaurants in Hong Kong make it. This doughnut is typically eaten for breakfast or lunchtime, and is accompanied with soybean milk (see below). $1
- Soybean Milk – Soybean milk is available in both sweet and savory. At $1.00 a bowl, it’s a steal. It’s hard to go wrong with sweet soybean milk. Good.
- Hot and Sour soup – The hot and sour soup is excellent, especially on a cold, overcast day. It has just the right amount of hot and sour and the soup is filled with ingredients – bamboo shoots, black fungus, egg, chicken strips, and so much more, but none of the stuff that shouldn’t be there (at some restaurants, vegetables that aren’t typical of hot and sour soup are found, but here, it’s authentically made). A few pieces of cilantro add color to the reddish soup. With the temperature also very hot, it’s delicious. It’s also helpful if you need to clear your sinuses – it cleared mine quite well. If you’re a fan of hot and sour soup, this one is a treat. $4.95

- Pot Stickers – Pot stickers are a great lunch item. It can be a little risky for dinner. During lunch, they make large quantities, so you know they will be fresh. Six pot stickers are served upside down with their golden brown bottom facing up. It’s a presentation that some people aren’t used to, but it’s the golden brown that shows the freshness of the pot sticker wrapper and the technique of the chef. The pot stickers are filled with a pork and cabbage filling. It’s a great balance of dry (though not overly dry) wrapper with a little crispness on the outside, and when you bite into the pot sticker, you find juicy filling in the center. It’s best if the filling inside is hot in temperature. Sometimes, they have been sitting for a bit, but most of the time, it’s quite good. $3.95
- Steamed Dumplings – Six dumplings are served in a metal or bamboo steamer. Each dumpling contains a pork and cabbage filling. It’s served with a small dish of sliced ginger strips - the thinner the ginger strips, the better. Typically, you add red wine vinegar to the ginger and let the ginger soak in the vinegar. Then, the dumplings are dipped in the ginger vinegar. When the steamed dumplings are cooked right, the wrapper swells from the liquid steamed out from the filling and the dumplings are served so hot that they typically burn your mouth. If they’re not made well, the wrapper has a hole which has caused the flavorful juices to leak out. The steamed dumplings at Taiwan Restaurant are typically good, but aren’t the best of the Bay Area. During my most recent visit, the ginger was not cut well and some of the dumplings had holes in them, but the flavor was still okay. $3.95

- Chinese Pan Cake (Green Onion Pancake) – Two pancakes are deep fried and cut into quarters. Inside the pancake are pieces of green onion which give a savory flavor to the dough. The outside is crisp and crunchy while the inside is al dente and soft. Today’s pancakes were perfectly golden brown, hot and delicious. Excellent. $1.95

- Dumplings with chives and shrimp – Shrimp, pork, and chives fill a dumpling that is boiled in hot water. The texture of the wrapper is thin and the meat is juicy and flavorful. It’s a great dish to try and it’s frequently one of the dumplings that you can see being made in the front kitchen. $4.50
- Fried rice cake with pork – Rice cake is made by creating a roll and cutting the roll into thin slices. The texture is best described as very al dente – it should never be tough, but always somewhat chewy while being soft. It’s typically cooked with pork and chopped snow cabbage along with some napa cabbage. During this last visit, there was a lot of large pieces of green onion too. Very good. $5.25
- Beef stew noodle soup – Noodles are served with cubes of beef in a five spice seasoned soup. The beef has been infused with the five spice flavor and the noodles are al dente. A few spinach leaves and a sprinkling of green onions typically also come in the soup. Very good. $4.95
- Beef tendon noodle soup – Like the Beef stew noodle soup, the bowl includes lots of noodles and some spinach leaves. However, in place of stew is tender beef tendon that has been stewed until smooth and soft. It breaks apart with ease. The texture is an acquired taste though. It’s a little less spicy and less flavorful than the noodle soup. $4.95

- Szechuan Hot Sauce Noodles – Room temperature noodles are topped with Szechuan hot sauce. This sauce is comprised of chopped everything – ground pork, waterchestnuts, bamboo shoots, chili flakes, green onion, preserved mustard green, and more. There’s a touch of peanut butter and sesame paste in the mix. You combine the noodles at the table yourself, and the marriage of flavors is perfect with just a little bit of spiciness. Very good. $4.50

The thing that might make you flinch at is the ceiling. When you’re in the waiting area, don’t stare too closely at the walls lest you be frightened by what you see. Same is true of the restroom. If you don’t have to go, then don’t. Since my last visit, it looks like Taiwan Restaurant has gotten a fresh coat of paint inside, so it’s much cleaner now. You can once again look at the ceiling and walls.

All of the food is reasonably priced. I’ve tried a lot of different dishes. Most of the time, they’re quite good. You just need to be a little daring. One of the best things about Taiwan Restaurant is their tea. By the end of the meal, the tea flavor has gotten stronger and it’s a nice way to end your meal. Taiwan Restaurant has a lot of typical Taiwan/Shanghai style cooking, so give it a try sometime. It’s an excellent value (and prices have remained stable over the last few years too)!

Tam's Cuisine of China

494 Manor Plaza, Pacifica, 94004
(650) 359-7575
Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Last Visited: November 5, 2005

Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: N/A
Tam’s is located inside Manor Plaza near Safeway. From the outside, you can’t tell that it’s quite a large restaurant with high ceilings, recessed lighting, and lots of open space. Since tonight was a special dinner, it’s difficult to share what the typical setup is like, but there is definitely quite a bit of pink in the room.

The dinner I had at Tam’s was a set menu, so I’m not sure what typical portions are like either.

- Winter Melon Soup – A light soup containing diced winter melon, carrots, peas, and small pieces of meat is served in a large bowl and divided by the server into smaller bowls. The soup is light in consistency compared to some of the others out there, but it was still flavorful and tasted good. This does not appear to be a menu item.

- Boiled Salted Chicken – Chicken is plunged into boiling seasoned water and heated for a short time. Then the chicken remains cooking in the water while the heat is turned off. The chicken is flavored by the seasonings (typically dried ginger and salt). This dish is served with a mixture of fresh ground ginger that is seasoned with salt and mixed with vegetable oil. This ginger mixture has a very light consistency and gives the chicken an excellent flavor. Good.

- Roast Pork – A pig is seasoned with five spice powder and roasted whole. I’m not sure if Tam’s made the roast pork themselves or bought it from another place. The skin was no longer crunchy though the flavoring was okay. It doesn’t appear to be a regular menu item so I would guess it was bought from outside. Hopefully, it was bought outside, but it still taints the meal quality.

- Black Mushrooms with Mustard Greens – Mustard greens are topped with black mushrooms in a light sauce. The greens were cooked just right and the mushrooms were large (rehydrated shiitake mushrooms). Good.

- Vegetarian Delight – This dish contains fried tofu, Chinese cabbage, snow peas, black and white mushrooms, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and baby corn. All are stir-fried together. The snow peas could have been a touch crunchier, but overall, okay.

- Mixed Vegetables – Broccoli, bell peppers, water chestnuts, zucchini, bamboo shoots, celery, and onions are stir-fried together. There also seemed to be some white fungus and black fungus too. The flavor is very similar to that of the Vegetarian Delight – mild. Okay.

- Spareribs in Peking Sauce – Pork spareribs are cooked in a sauce similar to sweet and sour sauce. The spareribs were cut into manageable pieces and the sauce was fine. Good.

- Steamed Rice – Standard steamed rice.

We heard from other patrons that the best thing to try is their Fried Chicken Wings, so if you go, check that out. Overall, the meal was okay with the best being the ginger dip for the chicken and the worst being the roast pork. If they garnished their dishes, it would probably be more appetizing, but in general, it was okay.

I’m not sure how many Chinese restaurants there are in Pacifica, but this seems to be the one to go to if you need to go to one. There are other places a short drive away with more authentic food, but their food is at least average.

Tong Palace - Chinese - Cantonese

933 Clement St, San Francisco, 94118
(415) 668-3988
Parking: street parking and nearby parking lots
Last Visited: July 29, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$
Tong Palace is a great place to go for dim sum and for dinner. The quality seems to fluctuate between three and four stars. Sometimes we have an excellent experience. Other times it’s just acceptable. My latest experience was for dim sum. Since the restaurant is two stories, they have a lot of dining space, and our wait was only about ten minutes – not bad considering it was about 12:30 on a Sunday afternoon. Prices are very reasonable, but again, quality of the dim sum can fluctuate. It can also be a bit crowded, so this isn’t the place you want to go if you’re looking for a quiet lunch experience (in fact, few dim sum houses are quiet places).
Tong Palace recently acquired a large jade green ship which is now on display on the first floor. There’s a miniature version of the ship just above the counter as well. Just beyond the entrance, you’ll see the showcase of barbecued goods hanging from a stand. The carpet is dark green with a flower pattern. The smaller tables are wood with inlaid stone, but are often covered by large pink tablecloths.

- Beef with Special Sauce Pan Fried Noodles – Beef is sautéed with vegetables and a red XO sauce. This dish had great textures and flavors, but the sauce was a little on the sweet side. Otherwise, the noodles were pan fried just right, and the thick slices of beef were slightly peppered giving each piece of meat great mouth feel and flavor. Good. $9

- Seafood Pan Fried Noodles – Shrimp, scallops, and squid are cooked with baby bok choy in a light sauce and all top crispy pan fried noodles. Again, the noodles were just right. The seafood is cooked until tender, but not overdone. Very good. $10

The best:
- Deep fried stuffed eggplant – Hot out of the deep fryer and tender. The eggplant is hot and the shrimp filling was flavorful. The best dish by far.
- Shrimp stuffed bell peppers – A green bell pepper square is topped with shrimp paste. A black bean sauce is lightly drizzled on top. The color is brilliant, the shrimp paste is sautéed until golden on top, and the flavor is delicious.

- Deep fried sesame ball – A glutinous rice flour ball is filled with lotus paste and rolled in sesame. The concoction is deep fried to perfection with a light outer shell and warm sweet lotus paste inside. Delicious. During my most recent visit, the outer layer was a little on the thick side, but still crispy and good.

- Shrimp stuffed tofu – Much like the shrimp stuffed bell peppers in stuffing and sauce, the tofu is quite good. The triangular tofu block is stuffed and the entire piece is deep fried until golden. Very good.

- Large Pea Sprouts sautéed with garlic – This dish is available during dim sum time and is served with caramelized garlic cloves. Very flavorful and tender, the greens are excellent.

The good:
- Pork dumplings (Siu mai), Braised chicken feet, Braised spare ribs - All of these dishes were pretty good. The pork dumpling wrapper is often broken apart by the steam and juice from the pork.
- Tofu Skin Rolls with shrimp – Shrimp, black mushrooms, and other vegetables are wrapped in tofu skins and steamed in a light sauce. The result is a golden brown seafood roll that bursts with the flavor that has been absorbed from all of the inside contents.

- Lotus leaf wrapped chicken and rice – A small roll of chicken, black mushrooms, and sticky rice is wrapped in a lotus leaf and steamed. The texture of the rice is just perfect and the flavor of the lotus leaf infuses all of the contents. Three leaf wrapped rolls are served together. Good.

- Barbequed Pork Bun and Yellow Custard Bun – Both of these buns are steamed to perfection and filled with an abundance of contents. Good.

- Steamed spare ribs – Spare ribs are steamed with chili peppers giving them a little bit of spiciness. There is a large quantity of spare ribs, and the texture of the meat is soft. However, I like the ribs to be infused with more flavor and just a little bit of black bean. Good. During my last visit, the balance was a little better. Very good.

- Braised Chicken feet – Four to five chicken feet are braised in a red sauce and cooked until tender. The pieces are large and plump with juices. It has a great flavor with just a hint of spiciness from red chili pepper. Good.

- Fried Pork Dumpling – Sweet glutinous rice flour dough is wrapped around chopped pork and vegetables are deep fried until golden brown. The dough is a bit too thick, though the color is beautiful. This was just fair compared to other places which have a thin dough that is light and crispy. This one is crispy, but could have a thinner shell.

The medium:
- Shrimp dumplings (Har gow) – Shrimp is wrapped in a translucent dumpling wrapper. The wrapper was a little on the soft side this time, but flavor was very good.
- Shrimp Rice Noodle Roll – Whole shrimp is rolled in a rice noodle wrapper. The texture is sometimes a little on the sticky side, but usually okay. The shrimp is always very fresh. During my most recent visit, this was just right.

The bad:
- Steamed stuffed tofu – of all the dishes I tried, this was the worst one because it didn’t have a lot of flavor and it was the priciest one of all of them. Just wasn’t worth it and wasn’t enjoyable. Bland tofu and bland stuffing all steamed and topped with very little black bean sauce. Avoid this one, no matter how hungry you are.
The best thing about Tong Palace is that they don’t charge for tea. Tea charge has been waived, which means you don’t get all your favorite tea choices, but still very flavorful tea. It’s one of the better dim sum houses on Clement. Tea charge has been reinstated on weekends since my last writing.
As for dinner, you’ll find that they have a good selection of fresh seafood. In winter, they serve snake soup.

- Snake Soup – The meat of the snake is shredded and braised with thinly sliced strips of chicken, strips of bamboo shoots, and strips of dried orange peel. The soup is served with two side dishes, one containing deep fried wonton wrapper strips and another containing a chiffonade of leaves from a lemon tree. The wonton wrapper strips give an added crunch, adding texture to the soup. The lemon tree leaves balance the flavor. The snake has a texture like chicken, but has an almost gamey taste, so the lemon tree leaves along with the orange peel deliver accents that create a unique blend of flavor. At other restaurants, instead of lemon tree leaves, you’ll find fresh chrysanthemums added to the soup. Very flavorful broth and tender snake. Great. $4.50 per person

- Sturgeon served two ways – Sturgeon is divided so that the bones are used to make a soup and the filet is used for stir fry. The soup is made with mustard greens, tofu, preserved duck egg, straw mushrooms, and the bones from the sturgeon. The soup is served with the broth in a large bowl and the cooked ingredients are served on the side with a dish of light soy sauce containing a couple of slices of hot red peppers. The combination of ingredients results in a soup that is creamy and full of flavor. The preserved egg accentuates the freshness of the fish. Excellent soup. The filet of the sturgeon is stir fried with sliced carrots, snap peas, sinqua, and small pieces of ginger. If you like fish that is on the denser side, you’ll enjoy the sturgeon which has an almost light pink/orange color. Although it was really fresh, I prefer a softer fish that breaks apart more easily. Of the two, I definitely enjoyed the soup more. The stir fry was nicely done with the vegetables adding brightness to the fish both in color, texture, and flavor. $20 per order

- Rock Cod served two ways – See description above, but replace sturgeon with rock cod. Rock cod is a lighter and whiter fish. It flakes more easily and has a sweeter flavor. Tonight, the stir fried dish had sliced carrots shaped like fish, snap peas, and asparagus. Everything else in the description above is the same. Excellent. $24 per order

- Braised Tofu and Mushrooms with tender greens – Tofu is cut into small bricks, deep fried, and braised with large Chinese black mushrooms. It is served with carefully placed bok choy and the black mushrooms top the tofu. Bite into a piece of tofu and it will burn your mouth. That’s how you know it’s good. The mushrooms were tender and soft, without being soggy. The bok choy crowns were lightly braised by themselves and had a beautiful green color. They were tender, but not overcooked. Very good. $8.50

- Chinese Sausage and Frog Clay Pot Rice – Rice is cooked in a clay pot until bubbling and frog, slices of Chinese sausage, ginger, and scallions are placed on top to produce tender meat on rice. Then the ingredients are topped with a little thick soy sauce. The pot is brought to the table and the meat is plated on a separate dish which contains baby yau choy. The server then loosens the rice, adds some more thick soy sauce, and serves the rice into bowls. The meat was cooked to perfection. The frog had a consistency between chicken and fish – not as dense as chicken with the lightness of fish fillets. Very good. It warms you up inside. Small $8.95/Medium $13.95/Large $16.95

- Crispy Fried Chicken – A chicken is deep fried and cut into pieces. It is served with a wedge of lemon and a plate of Chinese seasoning salt (a combination of salt with five spice powder). Colorful shrimp chips top the chicken. The skin of the chicken was a deep golden brown and crispy. The overall flavor was good, although the chicken breast pieces were on the verge of being a little dry. The chips were crisp and fresh. Okay. My second time ordering this same dish of chicken was better than the first. It was still a golden brown, but all pieces of meat were tender and juicy. Even after our meal was over, the leftover pieces of chicken were still glistening with its juices. Half $8/Whole $15

- Steamed Tofu topped with Seafood in Lotus Leaf Wrapper – Soft tofu bricks are topped with a seafood sauce comprised of shrimp, mini scallops, and chopped gai lan. Baby gai lan line the edge of the tofu which is placed on top of a large lotus leaf. The entire mix is steamed in a large bamboo steamer to infuse the lotus leaf flavor into the tofu. The tofu is silky and the sauce creates a light coating about the tofu. Very good. $9.50

- Green Beans with Beef – Green beans are dry fried with thin slices of beef and carrot slices. There is lots of wok-air in this dish. It has excellent flavor and the beans remain crispy even after cooking. Very good. $7.50

Dessert is complimentary with dinner.

- Tofu in sweet syrup – Soft tofu is served warm in sweet syrup lightly flavored with a hint of ginger. The tofu is all in one piece, which for this style is the best way to serve it. The consistency is light and silky. Very good.

- Tapioca in coconut milk – Tapioca is cooked and served in sweet soup that is made with coconut milk and small pieces of taro. The taro thickens the coconut milk further creating a creamy decadent dessert. Very good.

Overall, the food was very good for dinner. This is a great value, and the service isn’t snooty or stuffy. Good. By the way, the tea is excellent. Full bodied, full flavored, with aromatic jasmine buds. Try out Tong Palace some time. I would give a hearty recommendation.

Yet Wah - Chinese

2140 Clement St, San Francisco CA 94121
(415) 387- 8040
Parking: street parking, pay parking lot nearby
Last Visited: October 9, 2004
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 to 4 stars
Price: unknown
Yet Wah has a large dining room upstairs, and the ground floor can be a private dining area or a shared area. There is also a private room on the side. The floor is made of dark gray stone tiles.
The evening of my visit, I was at a banquet style meal, with 10 tables of ten people each, so service may be different on a regular visit. Also, since I was sitting at the head table, service may not have been typical. For the evening, they had placed a large double happiness wall hanging in red and separated the dining area from the booths with folding screens.
The area was a bit crowded with tables packed next to one another. The chairs were covered with a cream colored seat cover over the entire chair giving it the look of a high back chair with full square base. The tables were covered with white tablecloths and topped with a lazy susan.
- Suckling Pig & Barbecue Platter – The suckling pig is displayed in the center of the platter and laid on top of jellyfish and a mixture of vegetables. The other typical appetizers of barbecued pork, beef slices, and chicken are arrayed and surround the pig. Overall, I found the appetizers okay, but not to the quality that they could be. Some of the meat was too strong with five spice flavoring. The jellyfish could be a little crisper/crunchier.
- Glazed Walnut Prawns – Prawns are stir fried served in a honey mayonnaise sauce. Glazed walnuts top the prawns. The flavor of this dish was good, but the consistency of the sauce was different than typical sauces. Typical ones coat the prawns so that there is a little additional mayonnaise around the prawns. It looked as though the mayonnaise had melted around these prawns.
- Scallops with Vegetables – Large scallops are sautéed with broccoli. By far, I thought this was one of the best dishes of the evening. The quality of the scallops was excellent as they were large and fresh. The broccoli was not overcooked and had a bright green appearance.
- Braised Shark’s Fin Soup with Crab Meat – Crab meat is served in a shark fin soup which is made with a chicken broth base. Shark fin is braised in the soup which is thickened to give a rich, almost velvety, texture. The flavor of the soup is good, but I prefer thinly sliced chicken strips to crab meat.
- Braised Abalone & Sea Cucumber with Vegetables – Abalone is thinly sliced and braised with chunks of sea cucumber in a thick sauce. The abalone and sea cucumber are served over mustard greens. The greens were good, but the abalone and sea cucumber could be braised longer until they’re softer. Flavoring is good though.
- Steamed Lobster with Vermicelli – Lobster is cut into small chunks and laid out on a platter open faced on top of rice vermicelli. The lobster pieces are topped with lots of chopped garlic and the entire dish is steamed. There is lots of garlic, so if you’re a garlic lover, this is a great dish for you. The vermicelli absorbs all of the lobster flavor and each piece is wonderfully tender. Very good.
- Double Squabs with Superior Soy Sauce – Squab is quartered and cooked in dark soy sauce. Although some at the table with me enjoyed this dish very much, I found the squab to be slightly overcooked and a little tough.
- Steamed Black Bass – A large black bass is steamed and topped with sliced green onions. Soy sauce surrounds the fish. The bass was cooked very nicely and tasted quite fresh. Good.
- Dry Scallops with Egg White Fried Rice – Dry scallop is shredded and egg whites are cooked in a pan. The two are then combined with fried rice. By the time I got to this dish, I was too full to eat much of it. It was a bit on the dry side, but may have been better on its own without all the food served previous to it.
- Double Dessert of the Day – A two colored custard is cut into cubes and is surrounded by sesame balls. The custard was fair, and the sesame balls filled with lotus paste were good.
Overall, Yet Wah has food that ranges from average to good. The selection has nice presentation, but some of the dishes seem to miss while others go beyond the standard. However, it’s difficult to know where the dish you select will fall.

Z & Y Restaurant - Chinese

655 Jackson St, San Francisco CA 94133
(415) 981-8988
Parking: limited street parking, pay parking lots
Hours: Daily 10am to 10pm
Last Visited: April 8, 2006
Food: 3 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 2 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
Brenda brought us to Z&Y Restaurant. It’s been around for a bit, and seems to be acquiring a reputation for its Yunan Traditional Noodle Soup. It’s especially known for its rice noodles (which it turns out are packaged and not homemade). The restaurant’s layout looks typical of Chinatown restaurants. They have large wooden chairs and each table is setup rather close to its neighbor. There are smaller tables in front and larger ones in back. This visit was for lunch.

- Yunan Traditional Noodle Soup (Crossing the Bridge Noodles) – In the Yunan area, you receive piping hot soup containing the rice stick and a plate full of raw ingredients. Then the server pours the plated items into the soup. At Z&Y, the procedure is the same, but you receive a large bowl of piping hot soup with plated ingredients that have been gently cooked. The reason for this is likely that the soup isn’t hot enough to sustain the ingredients’ temperature, and this method may be more sanitary. The soup broth is boiled over several hours to develop flavor. The plated items included tender chicken breast, sliced preserved radish, greens, Chinese chives, tofu skin squares, and thinly sliced beef kidneys. It’s a light soup that changes flavor once the ingredients are added. With this and other menu items, Z&Y has a uniqueness that isn’t found at other places, so the restaurant distinguishes itself from the competition in the area. The rice noodles, which are thicker than those found at most Cantonese restaurants, remain intact and don’t fall apart despite the heat of the soup. Good. $6.95

- Beef Stew Noodle Soup – Although the menu has a star next to the beef stew noodle soup to indicate that it’s hot and spicy, I wasn’t ready for this heat. The bowl of soup comes out red. The soup contains the rice noodles, Napa cabbage, tender beef stew, dried chili, and chili sauce. I had a little trouble eating this one and had to call for ice water, something that I rarely do. Usually the tea helps me through spicy dishes, but this one was even fiery for my taste. It’s a spiciness that I don’t find when eating pho even after adding hot sauce and jalapenos. The beef stew melts in your mouth and the noodles take on the flavor of the broth. This is a difficult dish for those who can’t handle spiciness, because you’ll have no control over the heat, you won’t be asked whether you want mild, medium, or spicy, and you can’t separate out the chilis from the rest of the ingredients. By the time I finished eating a couple bowls of this, my taste buds took a long time to recover their ability to taste anything else. Great for those who can take the heat. $5.95

Other items available include seafood, braised string beans, chilled rabbit, and more. The two noodle dishes were extremely reasonable for their price considering the large quantity provided. Two bowls of noodles were filling enough for three people. I would probably skip the beef stew noodle soup the next time and opt for one of the fried noodle dishes. As noted above, the noodles are not homemade, but the dishes still taste good. Service is okay, but nothing to get excited about. Note that there’s a $20 minimum to use a credit card. Great value.

Zanze's Cheesecake - Cheesecake

2405 Ocean Ave, San Francisco CA 94127
(415) 334-2264
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open Wed – Fri 11-6, Sat 11-4, Closed Sunday through Tuesday and July through the second week of August
Last Visited: November 13, 2004
Food: 5 star cheesecakes
Atmosphere: N/A
Service: 4 stars
Price: $$
Zanze’s is a small family owned shop. This quaint couple cook and sell all the different styles of cheesecake available. The front counter has a glass display showing the various sizes of cheesecake available and a sign on the wall shows the pricing and flavors.
The cheesecake comes in small, medium, or large sizes. A small cheesecake can be cut into six generous slices or eight regular slices. The traditional plain flavor sells for slightly less than the flavored varieties which include mocha, chocolate, raspberry, and when in season, pumpkin. Small - $12 Traditional, $13 Flavored. Price varies by size and flavor.
Zanze’s cheesecake is extremely light and fluffy. The amount of graham cracker crust used is minimal. The traditional plain cheesecake is topped with powdered sugar on top of its golden brown crust. The mocha cheesecake is topped with chocolate shavings and then a touch of powdered sugar. Oh so good.
If it’s your first visit, they will kindly teach you how to use the fishing wire to cut your cheesecake for the best results.
These cheesecakes are great for eating yourself, serving to guests, or as a gift. Calling ahead to order is recommended. If it’s your first visit, Zanze’s suggests you try a traditional cheesecake.
Excellent! Must try!

Zen Peninsula - Chinese

1180 El Camino Real, Millbrae CA 94030
(650) 616-9338
Parking: in parking lot
Hours: Lunch: M-F 11am-2:30pm, Sat 10am-3pm, Sun 9:30am-3pm
Dinner: Sun-Thu 5pm-9:30pm, Fri & Sat 5pm-10pm
Last Visited: June 25, 2006
Food: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 2 to 3 stars
Price: N/A
Enter Zen Peninsula and the seafood tanks will catch your eye. The rich blue background of the tanks really brings out the color of the live seafood. The rear wall of the restaurant has a bright red background and a large golden double happiness symbol. In front of the red background is a wood dance floor. Green upholstered chairs dot the room and the burgundy carpet with a diamond pattern add color to the space. Recessed lighting makes the room spacious, and two large flat screen televisions in the rear of the restaurant are perfect for viewing slide shows and the like. On a regular day, wood faced dividers filled with green plants separate the dining area.

Tonight, we had a banquet menu.

- House Special Combination Platter – Standard items like beef, pork, and jelly fish were part of this dish. It also had seaweed salad, which was a nice change of pace and added color. Okay.

- Honey Walnut Prawns – The dish was typical honey and walnut prawns – prawns cooked in a lightly creamy mayonnaise based sauce and walnuts fried crispy and coated with honey. Good.

- Deep Fried Tofu – This was a weird dish since the tofu had been combined with some unrecognizable mix of vegetables to create a tofu brick that was deep fried until golden. It wasn’t a very clean flavor. The tofu bricks were drizzled with a light brown sauce. The individual tofu bricks came with overcooked broccoli which added color, but the vegetables lacked crunch. This was my least favorite dish of the evening.

- Bamboo Pith and Seafood Soup – I didn’t find any bamboo pith in my soup, but considering the amount of soup, it could be that all of the bamboo pith went to other tables. It was fairly bland to me, but the texture was okay.

- Crab with Ginger and Scallion – By the time this dish came around, I was pretty stuffed. The flavor was good and the crab was fresh. It’s just as the name says – cooked with ginger and scallion. Good.

- Sliced Abalone in Oyster Sauce – The slices of abalone are placed on top of a bed of lettuce that has been boiled and topped with oyster sauce. The abalone was tender. This was probably one of the best dishes of the evening.

- Sweet and Sour Whole Fish – I thought that this fish would come in sweet and sour sauce, but it was deep fried and I really didn’t detect much of the sweet or sour. It may have been that the dish was substituted, but it didn’t live up to the first part of the name, though it was a gigantic whole fish. It was slightly overcooked, so not as tender as it could be.

- Seafood Fried Rice – This was another one that came around when I was pretty stuffed. Fairly standard item with the usual frozen vegetables. Nothing stood out about it.

- Green Tea Chicken – I was curious to know if green tea chicken would have an extra smoky flavor, but it didn’t. It was like regular Chinese style roasted chicken. Moist and flavorful, but not quite living up to its name. I would rate it as good.

- Braised E-fu Noodles – Noodles are braised and served with yellow chives. These weren’t particularly al dente, nor particularly broken. Okay in flavor and presentation.

- Red Bean Soup – More standard dessert. It tasted fine in texture and consistency, but again, nothing to rave about.

The overall experience at Zen Peninsula was just okay. Food was not spectacular, but passable. Service was quite chaotic (although, that’s the way it typically is for banquets). I would be interested in giving Zen Peninsula a try for dim sum, but otherwise, it’s fairly standard for dinner, and I would probably try out other local spots for dinner.


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Listings by Location

California

Legend

The maximum rating is 5 stars.5 stars = Excellent, Can’t Miss4 stars = Very Good3 stars = Good2 stars = Fair1 star = Mediocre0 stars = Forget it

Bay Fung Tong Seafood Restaurant - Chinese

Best Panda - Chinese - CLOSED

Bocce Cafe - Italian

Burma Superstar - Burmese

China First - Chinese

D&A Cafe - Chinese American

838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108 (415) 434-1345 Hours: Open Daily 11:00am-10:00pm Parking: street parking and pay parking lot in basement

Fat Wong's Kitchen - Chinese

1780 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94066 (650) 872-6682 Parking: street parking and parking lot Hours: Daily 11:30 am to Midnight

Golden City - Chinese - Shanghai style

Golden River - Chinese

Grain D'or - Bakery

Happy Garden- Chinese

Harbor Village - Chinese - CLOSED

Hung To Seafood - Chinese

Kay Cheung - Chinese

Koi Palace - Chinese

Lam Hoa Thuan - Chinese, Vietnamese, Hong Kong Style BBQ

Maya - Mexican

Moshi Moshi - Japanese

Mozarella di Bufala - Italian/Brazilian

San Tung - Chinese/Korean

SPiCES! - Chinese

Taishan Cafe - Chinese

Taiwan Restaurant - Chinese

494 Manor Plaza, Pacifica, 94004 (650) 359-7575 Parking: in shopping center parking lot

Tong Palace - Chinese - Cantonese

Zanze's Cheesecake - Cheesecake

The maximum rating is 5 stars.
5 stars = Excellent, Can’t Miss
4 stars = Very Good
3 stars = Good
2 stars = Fair
1 star = Mediocre
0 stars = Forget it

838 Grant Ave, San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 434-1345
Hours: Open Daily 11:00am-10:00pm
Parking: street parking and pay parking lot in basement

1780 El Camino Real, San Bruno CA 94066
(650) 872-6682
Parking: street parking and parking lot
Hours: Daily 11:30 am to Midnight

494 Manor Plaza, Pacifica, 94004
(650) 359-7575
Parking: in shopping center parking lot