Dim Sum in San Francisco

For those who don't know, dim sum is like a meal of appetizers. It is served primarily at lunch time, often in huge ballroom-sized restaurants. Servers wheel carts laden with plates, bowls and steamers (some individual-sized and some as large as three feet in diameter), offering little delicacies, usually 3 dumplings or whatevers per plate. You pick what you want to eat from the servers and each server stamps your tally card. At the end of the meal, someone counts up the stamps and makes out the bill accordingly. Two of us generally stuff ourselves for less than . There are more dim sum items than I could name or describe, but some include: Steamed buns, called bao, which are fluffy, slightly sweet yeast dough, filled with meat. There are steamed dumplings stuffed with seafood, pork and/or vegetables. There are familiar fried items like spring rolls. And this only scratches the surface. Be brave -- try anything that looks good. In Hong Kong, we ended up with a large fish head once, and it was actually delicious.

Quick Tips:

Dim sum is a 'hobby' for me and my husband. We try to eat it wherever we go, even in the most unlikely places. We've been to Hong Kong several times and that, of course, must be the 'gold standard' by which we measure other places. We've also tried it in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, Montreal, London, Australia, New Zealand, and probably other places I've forgotten at the moment. I think these San Francisco recommendations are right up near the top, worldwide.

Best Way To Get Around:

The bus system in San Francisco is quite good, although not very efficient. Schedules are more like suggestions, but if you leave plenty of time, you don't need to drive most places, especially during the day. The Muni bus runs down Geary street into the "Avenues" where you'll find Ton Kiang. The #30 Stockton bus goes through the middle of Chinatown, and the California Street cable car will drop you near the epicenter of Chinatown.

This is probably my favorite dim sum restaurant in San Francisco. While it does not offer the 'traditional' ambiance of a dim sum parlor, the quality of the food cannot be beat. Unlike the huge, hotel ballroom-like rooms one usually finds at a dim sum restaurant, Ton Kiang is almost elegant, with white table cloths, booths of light wood and mauve-colored walls. Instead of the busy din, it is quiet and relaxing. The servers are friendly and hospitable as they circulate through the room with trays of freshly made dim sum.

The wrappers are more delicate, the flavors more subtle than the big, Hong Kong-style restaurants such as Gold Mountain (see my journal entry also in this journal). The seafood is sweet and impeccably fresh. One typical dim sum item, fried taro balls, is a stand-out here -- in fact, this is the only place I will eat it. A ball of taro, flavored with pork, is dipped in batter and fried. At Ton Kiang it is crispy and not at all oily, with the taro center tasting almost smoky-sweet from the pork. Dim sum is very labor-intensive, and especially considering this is a relatively small restaurant, the variety here is excellent.

Do not confuse this Ton Kiang with its sister restaurant, also called Ton Kiang, which is located at 3148 Geary. This latter restaurant serves Hakka-style food, not dim sum.

Aside from having a great name, Fook Yuen has great dim sum. It is located not far from the San Francisco International Airport, so if you have a few hours between flights and it is lunch time, it is worth catching a taxi over to this restaurant instead of suffering in the airport.

The room is large, with many tables that will seat parties of 8 or 10. The server will hustle over with jasmine tea when you are seated; try the chrysanthemum tea instead -- it is gingery-peppery, and I think it is very refreshing with the sometimes-oily and richly flavored dim sum. Lift the lid of the pot and you will see the whole dried flowers floating in the hot water!

Fook Yuen is one of my favorites because of the variety of dim sum They have all the traditional specialties, but also some I have not seen many places before. We have been offered minced shrimp that was wrapped around a spice of sugar cane and fried. We have had thin crepes filled with whipped cream and sliced fresh mango, which we have not seen outside Hong Kong. The servers are very nice and most can explain in English what they are serving. (This is not intended to be a snide comment; many dim sum servers do not speak much English.)

The restaurant usually makes the list of Top 100 San Francisco Restaurants, rated by the SF Chronicle food critics. Although they also serve dinner, dim sum is served only at lunch. Most items are in the $2-3 range.

Gold Mountain is the type of dim sum restaurant you will find in Hong Kong -- huge, busy, with not many non-Asians (to me a sign of a good dim sum restaurant). Nothing is fancy except the chandeliers. The chairs are standard banquet-room issue and the dishes are heavy. Servers believe their job is to push the carts through the restaurant, get the food out, and go back for more fresh stuff. They will explain dishes if asked, but they are efficient, not sociable. Don't be put off -- their job is to serve and yours is to eat and enjoy!

Gold Mountain has the usual dim sum dishes, in good variety. They excel at meat items, though there is certainly nothing wrong with the seafood. This is old-style cooking, with lots of heavy sauces and big flavors...nothing subtle or nouvelle here. If you want to experience authentic dim sum, Gold Mountain is a great starting point. Don't be hesitant to bring in the morning newspaper and linger as you browse the serving carts; you'll see elderly Chinatown residents doing the same thing. By the way, dinner is also very good here, though dim sum is a lunch-only event.

My husband and I have been going to Pearl City for about 7 years. It was one of our first dim sum experiences and we continue to return. The restaurant decor is shabby, but the food is good. It has a relatively small front room and a large back room. Especially on Sundays, the restaurant is full of multi-generational family groups. Usually we are the only Anglos in the restaurant. This leads to servers avoiding our table if they are offering things they think we will not want, like stewed chicken feet (which we DO, in fact, like). Seafood is the star here. While Gold Mountain (see separate journal) has better meat-based selections, Pearl City has better seafood-based dim sum. The shrimp has always been sweet and fresh-tasting. Unfortunately, all the shrimp-based dumplings taste alike; pick one shrimp-filled item, then switch to something else, like a scallop dumpling, to get the most varied meal. The salt and pepper fried squid are outstanding.

The other selections have been inconsistent. The service, too, is inconsistent. Some days, the servers have been happy and energetic and on other days the entire staff seemed to have been recovering from a wild party the night before. The best time to come is between noon and 1:00 when the largest variety of dim sum emerges from the kitchen. As is true for most dim sum places, Sundays offer the most variety, but also the biggest crowds.

The beautiful setting of Harbor Village, located in the Embarcadero/Financial District, puts it head-and-shoulders above most dim sum restaurants. The elegant restaurant has a view of the Bay through large windows in the dining rooms. The tables are set with white cloths and the ambiance is quieter and classier than the typical Chinatown dim sum restaurant. It is clear that they are catering to a business crowd, especially during the week, so this is a good place to go if you are trying to impress a guest or if you are hesitant to brave the unfamiliar food and the hustle-bustle ambiance of the dim sum parlors in Chinatown. Call this Dim Sum for Beginners. The dim sum variety is similar to what you'd find in any good restaurant, but the presentation is a little fancier, the ingredients are a bit better quality, and the prices are a little higher (though not significantly). You'll find delicious barbecued pork buns and fabulous seafood selections. Shrimp and scallop dumplings have always been good. You can also order a selection of noodle dishes from the menu. Watch out for the selections in the clear plexiglass cart -- they are the more expensive dishes, like roast duck. You may also see dishes of coconut jello, decorated with little paper umbrellas! However, I prefer the custard tarts and walnut cookies for dessert.

As with other dim sum restaurants, it is a lunch-only affair. (Dinner is served in the evenings, but we have only had dim sum here.) Lunch is served 11 a.m. to 2:30 during the week, 10:30 to 2:30 on Sat. and 10 to 2:30 on Sun. We have always come without a reservation and have been seated without a wait.