We went to Hakka Restaurant in the Outer Richmond for dinner. Hakka Restaurant, as its name implies, specializes in Hakka cuisine. I think this was my first time having Hakka cuisine. We ordered a la carte, mostly off of the section of the menu labeled “Hakka Specialties.” In addition to the a la carte menu there are several fixed price set menus.
Soup
Some free soup to start. Clear broth with watercress and a bit of beef.
Pumpkin Strips with Salted Egg ($9.95)
These were pieces of pumpkin that were battered and fried with a salted egg coating. Great! It had a tempura like texture and the slight sweetness of the pumpkin was a good match with the savory salted egg yolk.
Chinese Bacon with Preserved Green ($12.95)
A famous Hakka dish. This was also delicious. Thick slices of marinated skin on pork belly atop stewed preserved mustard greens, with a little lettuce on the side too. The pork belly was meaty and not overly fatty, and the fat between the meat layers was nice and gelatinous. The bed of stewed mustard greens underneath was slightly bitter and helped counter the richness of the pork.
Lamb with Dry Bran Curb in Clay Pot ($16.95)
I think this was what this was. A stewed lamb dish with yuba skin. Stewed lamb, quite mild in flavor and not very gamy. The yuba skin soaked up the sauce, which I believe is flavored in part with fermented bean curd.
House Special Clams ($15.95)
Very good clams. They were in a slightly thickened garlicky sauce that also had a bit of basil in it.
String Beans with Minced Pork in XO Sauce ($10.95)
Some fried string beans with ground pork pieces and also some salted black olives that gave it a salty kick.
House Special Pan Fried Tofu ($10.95)
Another famous Hakka dish, firm silken tofu that is pan fried on the top and bottom and stuffed with a bit of ground pork on top. Delicious. The tops and bottom were a little crispy, and the inside was silky and soft. Sitting on top of a nice slightly thickened savory sauce.
Salt Baked Chicken (half order) ($14)
I believe in this dish the chicken is encased in salt and then baked. Quite good. Moist chicken. It came with a ginger based dipping sauce. The picture is minus a few pieces that were eaten.
Stuffed Chicken with Sticky Rice ($39.95)
This dish needs to be ordered in advance. Something actually went wrong during the process of cooking our order so this came last as they had to make another one. It was worth the wait! Not really stuffed, but rather there is sticky rice with lap cheong sausage, mushrooms, chicken, and probably some other things I’m missing, covered with the crispy fried skin with a bit of attached meat from the chicken. Basically a lo mai gai covered with fried chicken skin. Delicious. I was already a little full when this came out but I couldn’t stop eating it. Was really good with a few dabs of chili sauce.
Red Bean Soup
Some free sweet red bean soup for dessert.
Delicious meal! And quite reasonably priced. Highlights for me were the pumpkin strips with salted egg, the Chinese bacon with preserved green, the tofu, and of course the stuffed chicken.
More Pictures of the Menus
