Old Pier Hong Kong BBQ - Chinese BBQ, San Francisco

1033 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 702-6378
Parking: street parking
Hours: Daily 10:30am-9pm, Closed Tuesdays

Last Visited: July 7, 2024

Food: 3 stars

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Service: 1 star

Price: $$ to $$$

I first went to Old Pier when they initially opened a couple of years ago.  I tried some of their takeout Chinese BBQ and found their bbq to be ok.  Nothing standout, but not half bad either.  

Fast forward a couple of years later, and we were dining in this time.  The decor is modern with booths and built in induction stovetops in the tables for hot pot (Chinese fondue).  We were promptly greeted and told to pick any seat.  The waitress brought us tea quickly, but after the initial dish was brought out from the kitchen, the waitress couldn't do much more, and well, it goes downhill from there.

They have set a menu, starting with meals for 2-3 people, which offer choices of entrees, sides, and come with rice, and a plate of vegetables.  With only two of us, we decided to order a Chinese bbq roast pork and duck over rice and a tofu dish.

- Braised Tofu with Vegetable - This dish comes from the kitchen, freshly cooked upon order.  While it took about ten minutes, that was a reasonable amount of time to get the hot braised tofu served with carrots, bok choy, and button mushrooms.  It was fresh and had a bit of gravy.  Good. $13.95

The tofu would have been a great pairing with our order of bbq items that came with rice, but forty minutes after ordering, we still didn't have our bbq items.  We overheard the waitress check on our order and tell the bbq chef that we had already received the rest of our order, but to no avail.  We asked her to check again at the 30 minute mark, and she did, but nothing.  At forty minutes, I went up front and asked for the bill.  The bbq chef told me he could cut it in just a few minutes, but I had no hope at that point.  I saw that all of the people in the takeout line had come and gone, and even orders submitted after ours were fulfilled.  I paid and left.  

From this experience, I would recommend that if you must eat here, order items from the kitchen to make things go a bit faster.  If you insist on eating bbq, get in the takeout line.  This wasn't a matter of a missing order, but the chef's choice to fulfill take out orders before dine-in.  No apology came from the chef about the wait.  Completely disappointing. 

Flame BBQ - Asian, Millbrae

1621 El Camino Real, Millbrae CA 94030

(650) 677-5888

Parking: street parking

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 4:30pm-11:30pm, Closed Mondays

Last Visited: July 6, 2024

Food: 2 stars

Atmosphere: 3 stars

Service: 2 to 3 stars

Price: $ to $$$

Formerly the location for Ai Grill, this new location has probably been open just under six months.  The reviews on various were overwhelmingly positive, so I thought it would be worth a try.  However, I was completely disappointed by how incredibly salty and one note every dish was.  In fact, my discard pile was large, and I ended up going to another restaurant for a second dinner, not wanting to chance it any further.

We arrived at Flame BBQ and were the second table on this early Saturday evening.  All of the grills at the table have been disconnected, but the menu offerings include many grilled items.  The tables line the side of the restaurants so there is bench seating on one side and these cushioned colorful drums for the side facing the wall. The decor is modern, but still very focused on Ai Grill - nothing seems to have changed.  The seating against the wall say Ai Grill at every table.  The seats also have Ai Grill painted on them.  

While there are plastic placemat like menus at each table, I noticed that these are for reference only as you need to order using the QR code on the table.  Pricing has gone up in the short time these menu mats were printed and you'll notice a number of items have increased in price from $1 to $2 each which is significant when the original price was only $2.95 to start, like in the case of the garlic oysters.  

After we were seated, we were offered a small bowl of roasted salted peanuts with skin still on them and cold water.  

- Prime Grilled Rib Eye (3 pieces) - The rib eye came in six small dice along a metal skewer (shown on the far left of the photo)  Since it was listed as rib eye, I expected it to melt in my mouth, but instead, there was a lot of fat, and it was difficult to chew.  I had a lot of discards since I couldn't break it down.  Additionally, the meat was super salty.  Chili spice, while not particularly hot, was sprinkled on it in such abundance that you couldn't taste the beef on its own.  Super disappointing.  $6.95

- Grilled Shrimp - Shown in the middle of this photo, the size of the shrimp was ok, but again, it had been sprinkled with the chili spice so that you couldn't taste the freshness of the shrimp. It wasn't overly dry, but it wasn't that great either.  $1.95

- Grilled King Oyster Mushroom - Pictured on the far right of the first photo, you can see that the mushroom has been cut into this rectangular shape and again, sprinkled with the chili spice.  It was chewy rather than juicy and there was no mushroom flavor. I wouldn't get it again. $1.95

- Prime House Crispy Pork Belly (2 pieces) - So I was hoping that the pork belly might be a treat, but you guessed it, more chili spice.  Everything was completely on note and the skin of the pork belly didn't crunch. Disappointing once again, but at least less discards compared to the rib eye. $4.95 

 

- Vermicelli Scallop with Garlic - Finally, a dish without chili spice, but this too was on the salty side and the garlic, though abundant, had so much salt that I brushed it aside.  The small scallop was tender, but you can't taste the sea, and the vermicelli was fine.  $2.95

The server checked on us only before ordering to make sure we knew how to order, but when bringing food dishes, she doesn't ask you how you're doing.  She just tells you the food item as she brings it and takes the skewers off of her plate and onto yours.  It's a strange model considering there were only two tables, so it's not like all of the plates were in use.  

I wanted to love this place, but I was glad that I didn't order more because I had to drink lots of water to balance out the salt.  I don't know if I could have handled more of the same.  While I've been to a place when it's having an off night before, usually, it's not every dish that is disappointing.  The chefs need to work on tasting their food and the server could improve checking on customers.  Sadly, I can't recommend this place.