Root - Chinese, South San Francisco

744 El Camino Real, South San Francisco CA 94080
(650) 225-0683
Parking: in parking lot

Last Visited: January 18, 2015

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

Formerly New Mandarin Garden, Root's new Chinese name is similar to a famous restaurant in China.  The owner and decor has changed, but the kitchen and wait staff remain the same.  The primary difference in the menu is the introduction of more than 50 new chef's specialty dishes - unfortunately, since the official menus aren't available, I relied heavily on the picture wall.  The specialty items were only available on the Chinese menu (see photo below), but the server promised that the new menu would have both English and Chinese translation.  Also, not all of the specialty dishes are available yet - only the items with check marks next to them can be ordered.  They are definitely still in transition in what items are available.

The temporary sign outside refers to a Chinese province/district/location - when we asked the server what that meant (what do they serve in that province), he said it's mostly spicy dishes.   From the outside, you can see that they've repainted and that the glass doors are new and lobby area have been refreshed.  On the inside, the paint has gone from pink and white to lavender and purple.  The carpet has been changed and new lighting fixtures give the restaurant a fresh look.  A new photo menu wall with bright lighting behind the photos shows the colorful chef's specialties labeled with Chinese characters and letters/numbers to indicate the row/column of the dish. Since I can't read Chinese and there weren't English descriptions, it was like playing Bingo - I'd like item B6.

- Tea Fragrant Shrimp - This is a sweeter version of salt and pepper shrimp.  Similar to salt and pepper shrimp, the shrimp is in its shell and lightly battered, then fried with jalapenos and garlic.  However, this batter is a little on the sweet side - you can see the egg and the sweetness is a bit reminiscent of breakfast, namely waffle batter.  Tea leaves are fried and served with the shrimp  (the tea leaves are similar in texture to kale chips).  I haven't seen this dish at any other place and appreciated its uniqueness. The tea leaves are crunchy and give the dish a slightly earthy/herb-like taste.  With 16 prawns, the price was also very reasonable.  The only thing we suggested to them to change was to remove the stems from the tea leaves to improve the experience - it was a bit like biting into small twigs.  Otherwise very good.  $16.95

- Shredded Pork Garlic Sauce - This dish can come very spicy.  I opted for less spicy.  It's like eating the pork version of kung pao chicken.  Instead of everything being diced though, you'll find everything shredded.  Pork, carrots, bamboo shoots, black fungus, and chopped green onions are stir fried with a spicy chili sauce.  Good. $10.95

- White Rice - The rice portion was a good size and easily shared.  It's not packed into the bowl like other places which was fine. $1.25

The servers are using an electronic system to take orders and they were very good about taking the extra time to explain the new dishes and what has changed to patrons whom ask.  As with other Chinese restaurants, there is still a lot of shouting in Chinese, but that's nothing new.  The owner keeps an eye on the operations and came around to ask how we liked the food.  It would be good for him to smile a bit more to add to the welcoming atmosphere.

Overall, the new menu additions seem to be good ones - based on my past experience, not everything here is spectacular - you just need to know what to order and when (i.e. order more of the dim sum dishes at lunch rather than dinner).   The decor has improved significantly.