5287 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94121
(415) 668-5105
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: January 10, 2004
Food: 3 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.
(415) 668-5105
Parking: street parking
Last Visited: January 10, 2004
Food: 3 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.
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