(650) 615-9788, (650)615-0622
Parking: small parking lot
Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-9:30pm, Fri 11am - 10pm, Sat 9am-10pm, Sun 9am-9:30pm
http://www.ongpin.com
Last Visited: January 2013
Food: 3 to 4 stars (if no contaminant)
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$
After reading San Francisco Magazine's article, The Great Noodle Quest, I was surprised to see a dish featured at Ongpin because I drive by this place at least a couple of times a week. I am always looking for a local neighborhood restaurant that could become a regular go-to place.
I arrived at the restaurant and noticed that it was pretty simple in its decor. Despite it being only 5pm on a weeknight, there were already a number of tables eating their dinner and from the blank waitlist at the doorway, I expect that as the evening wore on, it would get even busier.
- In the article, Jonathan Kauffman describes the restaurant and their pancit miki-bihon as follows: "This restaurant has one of the largest selections of Filipino noodles in the Bay Area, among them siomai noodle soup and pancit palabok with shrimp sauce and crumbled pork rinds. But the stir-fried pancit miki-bihon is the one to order. A mound of skinny, wriggly rice noodles (bihon) twines around fat golden egg noodles (miki), with vegetables, chicken, and shrimp. The umami-bump of shrimp paste is discernible but not overpowering, and a squeeze of lemon gives the flavor a jolt."
- Pancit Miki-Bihon - I had never tried a mixture of egg noodles and rice noodles. Reading the description above, I was a bit concerned - it sounded like those concoctions from college dorm days when the cafeteria would mix leftover dishes together to get a messy looking combination of things that didn't belong together. Even though it was early, I had to wait about 15 minutes for my takeout order to be completed. When I opened the box of this dish which I had ordered to go, I was happily surprised to see udon sized egg noodles (as opposed to thin egg noodles) mixed with small rice noodles. Two wedges of fresh lemon added great acidity and balance to the rich flavors. The egg noodles added good texture that contrasted with the sliced carrots, celery, cabbage, scallions, and rice noodles. The shrimp was succulent, not mushy, and the chicken (dark meat) was tender. Unfortunately, after I had dished out two servings, I noticed a hair in my food. I called Ongpin to let them know and they offered to make me a new one if I brought it back, but by then, my appetite was suppressed and I didn't want to drive all the way over just to get a replacement. $8.95The flavor is good and had it not been the hair, I would visit Ongpin again, but this experience was just too disappointing for a first impression and alas, not a go-to place for me.
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