2332 Clement St, San Francisco CA 94121
(415) 386-8266
Parking: street parking
Hours: Open 11am to 10pm, Closed Tuesdays
http://www.ppqdungeness.com/
Last Visited: August 14, 2004
Food: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Price: $ to $$$$
Upon entering PPQ, you’ll see a wide open space with chandeliers containing a rainbow of glass lamp covers in a modern design, simple lines, and blue. The counter is to your immediate right. There is a bar area to your left which is primarily used for storage, but you’ll see the glasses hanging from the ceiling in the bar area. The tables are maple colored and the chairs are black with nice horizontal lines created by the backs. Further in the restaurant, the long tables seating six people are to your right, and more rectangular tables are throughout the restaurant. To your left is a wall mural of scenic blue. In the rear is the aquarium housing a fish that looks like Gill from Finding Nemo – this was pointed out by Lawrence who recommended PPQ with enthusiasm. In the bottom tank, you’ll see the many large crabs roaming around the tank. The background of the tank is a beautiful blue, giving the atmosphere a nice serene feel. In the very rear of the restaurant just past the restrooms is a banquet room. Music plays in the background.
Lawrence’s must try recommendation is the Peppercorn crab. After trying the varieties offered, this is his favorite since the others are cooked in broth, whereas this one is fried, singling it out from the rest.
Service is interesting. I didn’t find it particularly inviting or friendly until the end of the dining period. They weren’t overly attentive or lacking in giving us attention, just not as friendly at first. After being seated, we received American style teacups and a teapot filled with hot tea.
We ordered the Dinner for Two ($42.95) and added a vegetable dish.
- Imperial Rolls – With the dinner for two, two imperial rolls are each cut in half. These four pieces are served with a light sweet dipping sauce (made with fish sauce) and on the same plate is the chicken salad (see below). These rolls are filled with ground meat and some vegetables. They’re deep fried until very crispy, and were good, although they could be larger in diameter which equates to more filling. A regular serving is 6 pieces for $4.95.
- Chicken Salad – The salad is comprised of very thinly shredded lettuce, red cabbage, carrots, and topped with small slices of marinated chicken and fried shallots. It’s quite refreshing with its light dressing while remaining crisp. The chicken had been marinated in fish sauce, giving it a seafood flavor more than chicken flavor.
When you order the crab, you’ll receive a white plastic bib with a big orange crab on it, and to make sure you make no mistakes, the word crab is also on the bib. Your server will tie it around your neck prior to the start of the meal.
- Peppercorn Crab – The menu describes it as whole Dungeness crab lightly fried then sautéed with garlic and black pepper. The crab itself is very large and easily serves two, perhaps three people. What the menu doesn’t tell you is that the garlic is deep fried also, and there is lots of it. The garlic is chopped into little pieces and the crab is served over a big mound of the garlic pieces it was fried with mixed with black pepper. The garlic flavor is infused into the fresh succulent crab. The batter is definitely light and dotted with black pepper. When you’re done eating this crab, you can’t taste much but garlic. Very good. Price is seasonal
- Garlic noodles – Yellow noodles are tossed in garlic sauce which infuses each noodle. It’s garnished with parsley. There’s so much garlic, you can see the little white pieces. Imagine tossing spaghetti with parmesan, except instead of parmesan, all the little white specks are garlic. The noodles come out hot and so soft. The texture of the noodles was very impressive, so soft that they melt in your mouth. As they get to room temperature, they’ll taste more like regular noodles. The garlic is definitely present. Very strong garlic flavor. $5.95
- Fried Banana with Ice Cream – Four pieces of banana are covered in a tempura batter and deep fried. This is accompanied with a dish of coconut ice cream. The banana pieces are drizzled with syrup and a light sprinkling of black sesame. The banana was wonderful. Hot on the inside, the flavor of the batter isn’t too sweet and the syrup doesn’t overwhelm the treat. It’s wonderful. The coconut ice cream is so infused with flavor. I have my doubts that they make the ice cream themselves, but it’s good quality ice cream, and just perfect after a garlic filled meal. $3.95
I would say PPQ is trying to reach for a slightly upscale feeling. It has a nicer atmosphere than many other Vietnamese restaurants and is neat and clean. Presentation is nice. Service could be improved. The prices for pho, bun, and rice plates are moderately priced. The main dishes are slightly higher priced than its competition (hence the reason for saying they’re going for a more upscale crowd). However, the crab offerings certainly make PPQ more special than the rest. Also, if you’re a garlic lover, definitely try the garlic noodles.
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