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cindyj: The recent SF GTGs, one took place in Shanghai House on Balboa, that's a Shanghainese type of restaurant.
The other GTG only talked about going to the Grand Cafe, but ended up elsewhere. Hakka: the Hakkas are also known as the "boat people". They have their own distinctive style of cooking. The restaurant in SF mentioned most often with Hakka food is Ton Kiang. Hope this helps! |
We had a GTG at Grand Cafe with MelissaHI, Shanghainese, the Kals and friends, Iamq and PM... have I missed anybody :) That's right, the food is not Chinese, still good!
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BTW I did eat at Sam Wo's, and the service was a little slow because it was packed with non-Chinese people! Conan has turned it into a real tourist mecca!
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Faina: Oops, sorry! I didn't know you had a GTG at the Grand Cafe. When was that GTG?
Sorry, again, I didn't mean to misinform! |
Mels: How was the food at Sam Wo?
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Marginal, as you said, but so cheap! It actually kind of hit the spot at that time of day for me.
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OK, so you guys seem to be the experts. Recommendations for Chinese dinner in SF? Traditional Shanghainese, Cantonese or Hunan. Don't need "California fusion Chinese/French" or whatever the trend is now. We're from the east coast and are pretty familiar with this food, but would like to try someting more authentic than what we would get here. What characterises Hakka food? Is Ton Kaing the best choice? Thanks!
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correction: Hakka also known as the "GUEST people" (I don't know WHY I typed "boat"!)
cindyj: I'd suggest starting a new topic as not all "experts" are going to click on this thread with a "Sam Wo" title. Recommendations depend on how much you want to spend and which area of town. Will you have a car? For Cantonese, the very best is Koi Palace in South San Francisco/Daly City area. Big cavernous place where it's best to make reservations. Dim sum wait can be up to two hours on a weekend. In SF, there's Mayflower out on Geary near 24th. In SF Chinatown, there's R&G Lounge on Kearney. (I recently recommended Far East Cafe on Grant, but the person came back and said it was terrible, so DON'T go there. Not good any more.) For Shanghainese food: there's Shanghai House out on Balboa by 38th (across from the Balboa Theater). I've tried Ton Kiang and frankly am not impressed. More for "round-eyes". Hakka food used to be mostly pork and preserved vegetables; again, not the most exciting - at least in comparison to Cantonese food. There used to be an excellent Chiu Chou (sp?) restaurant in Chinatown, but I haven't been for awhile and can't remember the name any more. Chiu Chou food is very strong-flavored. The meal starts with a small cup of Tieh Kuan Yin (Iron Goddess of Mercy) tea, which is sort of like drinking Turkish coffee straight with no sugar added. If you can get over the strength of the tea and it hasn't sent you shooting through the roof, the rest of the meal is very enjoyable and characterized by equally strong flavors. Just kidding here! Maybe someone else can refer you to a chiu chow restaurant. It's a Chinese cuisine that is not well known here in the States and offers another avenue into Chinese food. Happy dining! :) easytraveler Not an expert, just enjoy good food |
I went in search of that Chiu Chou restaurant and find that it's closed (the one on Powell), see:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/304392 Doesn't look like you can find decent Chiu Chou (Chow) food in San Francisco at the moment, although it's been highly popular in Hong Kong. |
easytraveler - I have posted separate questions but didn't get much response. You did respond to my SF Restaurants thread, but I didn't get much more. R&G Lounge looks just about right and looks to be walking distance from the Harbor Court. Do we need reservations?
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I would suggest trying to get reservations. It doesn't hurt, although we've just walked in every time we've been. They have three floors, but not big spaces on any floor - not "cavernous" spaces, but three floors is a lot of restaurant!
I haven't walked from point to point in San Francisco much, since we live in the South Bay and usually drive in. If it's dark, I'd suggest that you take a taxi. It doesn't cost very much to get anywhere in SF. But if you are walking about, you could plan on ending up in Chinatown. R&G Lounge is on Kearny, one street down the hill from Chinatown's main drag, Grant. Believe the closest corner is either Washington or Clay. Have a good time! Keep asking! BTW, when are you planning to be out here? |
Our favorite is Hunan Home's in Chinatown - on Jackson St. between Grant and Kearny. Love the Sauteed Snow Pea Leaves.
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Cindy, I don't know anything about R&G (never been) but it IS walking distance from your hotel. Your hotel is a little more than block from the end of California Street. You go up California 5 blocks, turn right and go 2 or 3 more blocks. There's no reason you can't walk, even if it's dark.
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What about Eric's? It's Hunan, not Hakka (my mom is hakka!) but I just LOVED the food there.
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