Category Archives: Restaurant

Napa cabbage – Shanghai Dumpling King

Posted on by
Reply
Napa cabbage Shanghai Dumpling King
Chinese pickled napa cabbage with jalapeno slices.
Shanghai Dumpling King, San Francisco

This dish was listed as “Spicy Bok Choy” on the menu!  When we ordered it, the waiter informed us that it was a cold dish, which we happily agreed to.  I was surprised when the dish arrived and it was napa cabbage instead, especially since napa cabbage was no where on their menu.  It was delicious though!  Looking back, I’m glad we got the pickled napa cabbage.  It was fresh, crisp and refreshing with a little bit of spice.  Napa cabbage as a more delicate flavor than bok choy, and it was just what we needed.  I’m not sure I would order it otherwise, so it was a fortuitous substitution!

Green tea Shanghai Dumpling King
The only times I drink tea are when I’m sick or at a Chinese restaurant and it’s complimentary. Haha! I must say that sipping tea throughout somehow elevates the meal and overall experience. Yay for free tea!

Chopped liver on toast – Bar Agricole

Posted on by
Reply

Chopped liver on toast Bar Agricole
This appetizer came with a side of dressed radicchio and garnished with sliced, pickled onions. $9
Bar Agricole, San Francisco

I didn’t grow up eating chopped liver, but there are Filipino dishes from my childhood that had plenty of liver in it. I don’t mind the strong, minerally taste that I remember so I’m never scared of ordering it at restaurants. This Jewish staple is definitely not like the liver I grew up with! It has a more mellow flavor and a smoother consistency. Bar Agricole’s chopped liver was well seasoned and had a great texture. It was a rustic preparation and you could see the seasonings and add-ins in the coarse mixture. The toasted bread was cut thick enough to hold the generous slathers of chopped liver. Very good! The radicchio, however, was SO salty. Personally, I love salt and can tolerate plenty of it, but these were inedible.

Cocktails – Bar Agricole

Posted on by
Reply

Brown Derby Bar Agricole
Brown Derby: bourbon, grapefruit, lemon, honey and bitters.  $10

Tequila Cocktail Bar Agricole
Tequila Cocktail: tequila, sweet vermouth, stonefruit bitters and orange.  $10

Brandy Scaffa Bar Agricole
Brandy Scaffa: brandy, maraschino, raspberry, chartreuse bitters.  $10
Bar Agricole, San Francisco

These signature cocktails were absolutely delicious, although on the small side.  So at $10 a pop, these are definitely drinks to sip and savor.  I love the large (hand cut?) ice cube in the Tequila Cocktail.  These always increase the classy factor.  In order of taste preference, I would re-order the Brown Derby, Tequila Cocktail, then the Brandy Scaffa.  The Brown Derby wasn’t too heavy tasting and you could taste the citrus and honey flavors.  The Tequila Cocktail went down really easy – danger, danger!  The Brandy Scaffa was a little too dark and heavy tasting for me.  Bar Agricole has a nice, long list of house cocktails so there’s something for everyone.  Yes please!

Miso glazed sea bass – Andalu

Posted on by
Reply

Miso glazed sea bass Andalu
Bite sized pieces of grilled sea bass served in lettuce cups with sweet soy and black sesame seeds.
Andalu, San Francisco

The miso glaze and sweet soy were wonderfully delicious in this dish.  Unfortunately, the sea bass was overcooked so it was on the hard and dry side.  Otherwise, Andalu serves up another simple and delicious dish!

Beet and arugula salad – Andalu

Posted on by
Reply

Beet arugula salad Andalu
Lightly dressed in a champagne vinaigrette, this simple beet and arugula salad has sliced red onions and is topped with ricotta salata.
Andalu, San Francisco

To me, beets and arugula are a perfect match.  The peppery greens are balanced by the sweet flavor and smooth texture of the beets.  The mellow ricotta salata was a great addition.  I’m not a huge salad fan, but you can’t go wrong with a simple, delicious preparation.

Beef carpaccio – Andalu

Posted on by
Reply
Beef carpaccio Andalu

Thinly sliced and pounded beef with lemon aioli.  Salad of mushrooms, parmesan and arugula.  Sprinkled with fried capers.  $8.50
Andalu, San Francisco

I would have never thought growing up that I would like raw beef SO much, but beef carpaccio changed my mind.  It’s simple nature allows you to truly enjoy the tender beef, and restaurants make it their own by topping it with creative ingredients and flavor combinations.  I like Andalu’s version. The lemon aioli keeps it bright as does the slices of raw mushrooms in the arugula salad.  The fried caper berries add some saltiness and a great texture.  I’m a fan!

Sangria Andalu
They also have 1/2 off carafes of sangria on Thursday nights!

Jiu cai bao – Clement Restaurant

Posted on by
Reply
Jiu cai bao Clement Restaurant
These Chinese chive dumplings are first steamed, then pan-fried. They are usually filled with a mixture of chives, shrimp, water chestnut, and often pork.  The wrapper is made from wheat starch.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I love the nice, crispy texture created from pan-frying these delicious dumplings.  Depending on the ratio of chives in the filling, these can sometimes have an intense taste.  The chive flavor in Clement Restuarant’s jiu cai bao was on the mellow side.  Simply delicious!

Egg custard tarts – Clement Restaurant

Posted on by
Reply

Egg custard tarts Clement Restaurant
Baked in puff pastry, these “dan tat” are filled with a light egg custard.  Unlike Western custard tarts, milk isn’t normally added to the custard.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

Everyone in San Francisco always boasts about the egg tarts at Golden Gate Bakery in Chinatown.  Sadly, I have yet to taste one, but I’m confident I will do so soon!  Clement Restaurant’s egg tarts were light and the custard was silky.  Pretty good if you ask me.  If the tarts at Golden Gate Bakery are THAT much better, then I’m in for a treat!

Chiu chao fun guo – Clement Restaurant

Posted on by
Reply
Chiu chao fun guo Clement Restaurant
Steamed dumplings filled with ground pork, shrimp, chopped peanuts, and garlic chives.  The wrapper is made of de-glutenized wheat flour, tapioca flour, and a corn or potato starch.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I wasn’t a fan of these dumplings.  They were quite large and the wrapper was too thick, glutinous, and easily torn.  It’s always sad when you lose the dumpling filling because of a weak wrapper.  This dim sum was weak, indeed!

Shark fin dumplings – Clement Restaurant

Posted on by
Reply
Shark fin dumplings Clement Restaurant
Lye water dough (shiu mai wrapper) filled with a mixture of chopped shrimp, pork fillet, shark fin, spring onion and Chinese parsley. The dumplings are then steamed.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

So California Assembly Bill 376 would ban the possession, sale, and trade of shark fins in the state of California.  It’s suppose to be heard before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on Monday, August 15th in Sacramento.  We’ll see what happens!  I have to admit that I’ve never wondered if I’m eating real shark fin in dim sum.  For some reason, I always assumed it was imitation shark fin.  I know that’s ignorant of me, so I’m curious to see what happens with AB 376.  I definitely don’t agree with the practice of shark finning, but would this bill also ban shark fins that were harvested without finning?  My assumption would be YES, but I’ll have to read more about the debate. 

Regardless, I don’t know if I can even distinguish the shark fin flavor or texture in these dumplings from any other similar dumplings.  In that regard, I probably wouldn’t be affected by the shark fin ban but opponents of the bill cite cultural reasons.  Sounds fishy to me (pardon the pun)!

Pork shiu mai – Clement Restaurant

Posted on by
Reply
Pork shiu mai Clement Restaurant
Steamed dumplings with seasoned ground pork, chopped shrimp and Chinese black mushroom wrapped with a thin sheet of lye water dough.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

These suckers were large compared to other shumai I’ve had! I’m not sure why I always order siu mai though. They don’t have much flavor compared to other dim sum and the filling tends to be really fatty.  But they do soak up soy and chili XO sauce really well and I enjoy the combination of the filling and dough textures. Since dim sum tends to be really cheap on Clement Street in San Francisco I think I’ll keep ordering them, lol!

Cha siu bao – Clement Restaurant

Posted on by
Reply
Steamed bbq pork bun Clement Restaurant
Bbq pork bun. Cantonese steamed bun filled with slow roasted pork tenderloin in a salty sweet, bbq sauce mixture.
Clement Restaurant, San Francisco

I love dim sum, and I love bbq pork buns whether steamed or baked!  I didn’t know they use different doughs depending on whether they are steamed or fried, but it makes sense.  The filling is always SO good! The bbq bun from Clement Restaurant had the thickest bun I’ve ever tried, and I admit that I wasn’t a fan.  For me, the bun is there to hold the delicious filling together and there was just too much of it here.

* Also spelled “char siu bao” among others.