San Tung -- San Francisco, CA

San Tung is a classic San Francisco institution, attracting crowds of loyal customers on any given day of the week....their dry fried chicken wings and dumplings are the stuff of legend, and rightfully so. Located on busy Irving Street in the Inner Sunset, it may seem like your average Chinese restaurant at first glance, but the throngs of people waiting outside serves as a constant tribute to its fame and popularity.

At San Tung, THE absolute must-try dish is the original dry fried chicken wings. Found on every table (I kid you not), these chicken wings are battered and deep-fried, then doused in a delectable ginger/garlic/chili sweet sauce. For the sake of good table manners, you may initially find yourself using forks for these, but after a few bites you will be tempted to start digging in with your fingers!

The potstickers are equally scrumptious....stuffed with a seasoned pork and cabbage mixture, they are both mouthwatering and filling. For some vegetables in your meal, the garlicky dry sauteed string beans do the trick, while the honey walnut prawns provide a honey and buttery complement. Aside from the aforementioned dishes, their black bean sauce noodles and various soups are also tasty and worth a try.

Original dry fried chicken wings ($9.50)

Potstickers ($7)

Dry sauteed string beans ($8)

Honey walnut prawns ($14)

Complementary kimchi....salty and spicy, great for refreshing the palate

Brace yourself for a long wait....I once waited almost 2 hours before being seated. As with the rest of San Francisco, parking may be a slight issue....it's all street parking and unless you're lucky to score a spot in front of the restaurant (like I did once!), you may have to walk just a bit. Which may be a good thing, after all that food....

San Tung Chinese Restaurant 

1031 Irving Street

San Francisco, CA 94122

Map

415 242 0828

Mon-Tues, Thurs-Sun 11:00AM-9:30PM

Closed Wed

santungrestaurant.com

Mayflower -- Union City, CA

Mayflower is a small chain of Cantonese seafood/dim sum restaurants, with locations in Union City, Milpitas and Millbrae, as well as a former branch in San Francisco's Richmond district. They serve a vast array of Cantonese dishes, including the rather pricey items so prized by Chinese diners, such as abalone, shark's fin, lobster noodles etc. During the daytime however, they are more well-known for their dim sum which, although faces increasing competition from other restaurants, still consist of those classic and consistently reliable items I've enjoyed since childhood.

The interior....bustling even on a Thursday morning!

Located not far from the Union City BART station in a busy Asian shopping plaza near Marina Market, this restaurant gets crowded quickly, even on weekdays. Weekends can see long lines of eager customers out the door. As at other dim sum places, the atmosphere is unique and fun, almost reminiscent of Hong Kong. After all, dim sum is more than just food, it's a dining experience....the bustling atmosphere of families and friends chatting away loudly, the servers shouting out the names of their different eats, the fragrant aroma of fresh jasmine tea.

Mayflower serves all the usual dim sum staples one would expect. The must-haves on any of my dim sum visits include siu mai (pork and shrimp dumplings), har gow (shrimp dumplings), char siu baau (barbecued pork buns), wu gok (fried mashed taro dumplings), daan taat (egg custard tarts), cheung fan (steamed rice noodle rolls)....the list goes on and on! Mayflower serves all of these and more....steamed gai lan (steamed Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce), fried squid, and congee (rice porridge), to name just a few....

Siu mai -- pork and shrimp dumplings ($2.90)

Har gow -- shrimp dumplings ($3.30)

Cheung fan -- steamed rice noodle rolls with shrimp ($3.30)

Wu gok -- fried mashed taro dumplings ($2.90)

Fung zao -- chicken feet....definitely an acquired taste! ($3.90)

Char siu baau -- barbecue pork buns....steamed or baked ($2.90)

Daan taat -- egg custard tarts ($2.30)

Although there are so many other similar establishments in the Bay Area (Yank Sing in SF for more "upscale", Asian Pearl in Fremont for more "modern", etc), Mayflower still remains being that classic and reliable joint that will first come to mind when I'm craving a dim sum fix with friends or family.

Mayflower Seafood Restaurant

34348 Alvarado-Niles Road

Union City, CA 94587

Map

Other branches in Milpitas and Millbrae

510 489 8386

Lunch  Mon-Fri 11:00AM-2:30PM

Sat-Sun 10:00AM-3:00PM

Dinner  Mon-Fri 5:00-9:30PM

Sat-Sun 5:00PM-10:00PM 

mayflower-seafood.com