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.
No comments:
Post a Comment