Yeah, in that sense, Koi also pales compared to those from Toronto and Vancouver too. Still, the skill involved is very good in my opinion.
Any other recommendation?
We adore House of Banquet on Clement at about 10th. Itās cheap which is something I think dim sum ought to be. Under $20 for two. Iām not going to try to compare it to Yank Sing cause I havenāt been there in years. But if youāre in the Inner Richmond I HIGHLY encourage you to go there. Hereās one of several things Iāve written about it over the years. With pix.
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Thank you.
Iām a dim sum fiend, although most of my standbys have already been mentionedā¦
Lei garden in cupertino is perfectly serviceable. Wonāt blow you away but will satisfy the craving. I find the variety a bit lacking, particularly in it he steamed dumpling department.
Saigon in Santa Clara is a clear step up. Much more variety, and Id argue better execution. They also have more fish tanks with better turnover, so if youāre down with the canto seafood preps, they do a nice job.
Joy luck place in cupertino village imo is overrated. The lines are crazy and my one time there, I wasnāt all that impressed.
Finally down here, thereās that place. In cupertino at vallco mall. The place is huge. Again, the food is fine, but I found this place a bit soulless in ambience. It just reminds me of the big dim sum halls in NYC off canal and I just donāt like it.
All four of the afore mentioned have fresh ingredients, but Iād say the execution is very average.
Koi palace used to be my favorite and for non dumplings, it probably still is. Love that crispy pig, the expresso ribs, and boiled goose intestine or geoduck. But the last couple times Iāve been there, the dumpling wrappers were all too thick and gummy. And I ordered the live lobster dumplings and my takeaway was fine, but if yank sing did this, theyād do. It better. All this said, itās still head and shoulders above any of the places down south.
Finally, yank sing. I want to not like it bc I find the pricing obnoxious, but it really is good. Their dumplings are all top notch with fresh ingredients, good variety and really thin, taut wrappers. The XLB are excellent. And the vaunted sea bass is pretty darn good, even though I donāt usually get it.
The Vallco place is Dynasty.
Thank you for your summary, I totally agree with you.
Yank sing has also started serving salt & pepper sea bass which is a nice alternative to their grilled sea bass.
If you canāt get to koi for the pig, a very serviceable (and cheaper) alternative is the porchetta sandwich at roli roti (e.g. ferry bldg Thursday and Saturday, SF)
If I were to go to only one place in SF area it would be Yank Sing. Itās easy to get to on BART if you donāt want to drive in ā both locations are very close to Market. The one in Rincon is better for sit down.
Iām surprised Crystal Jade Jiang Nan hasnāt been mentioned yet. When it first opened the reviews were a bit mixed, but I was there twice last week for dim sum and thought the dishes were very good. I like the XLB at Yank Sing a bit more but the quality is comparable.
This is great. Sounds like there are very good selection of Cantonese Dim Sum in the Bay Area then.
Golden week dimsum (until oCT 18th, dinner only) @ hakkasan in SF. All steamed.
Lobster/ lychee, abalone /chicken siu mai with caviar, king crab/ shrimp, dover sole/ truffle. 8 pieces/$50. Decent but rather bland, as their steamed dimsum tend to be . I think I prefer their regular fried dim sum assortment which has stronger flavors and more interesting textures (weekday lunchtime as an assortment with their lunch combo, or ordered individually at dinner): crispy shrimp (hom siu gok) crescent, duck with pumpkin flaky pastry, pork with shittake. (Accompanied by a hakkasan smoky negroni, of course)
These are the kind I see from Toronto alot.
Toronto and Vancouver dim sum are fancier than San Francisco I think.
However, from a technical point of view, I think they are all on par.
Thanks for the photo and post.
We almost always go to Koi Palace. Recently, though, we went to Tai Wu in Millbrae and really enjoyed it. We definitely got the gringo treatment at first. We were there right when they opened and they put us on the 2nd floor in a room where the lights werenāt even on when we got up there. They also double checked to make sure we knew what we were ordering when we checked off some offal dishes. We actually had to flag the food runner down when he made a u-turn at our table with the tripe we ordered. Funny. But once we got going, the dumplings were delicious. The tripe was better than Koi Palace. And it ended up being a bit cheaper. Score!
Thanks so much. I grew up from Millbrae area, and I did drive by Tai Wu a few times last two years, but have never been inside. Thanks.
East Ocean Seafood Restaurant in Alameda is very good. Long wait times on Sundays. Huge dining room and carts. Reasonably priced.
My favorite is Koi Palace. I love the XLB and green seared scallion dumplings and shrimp dumplings with XO sauce. I know lots of folks like Yank Sing but I have been surprisingly disappointed with most of the food I have eaten there (yes, the XLB are very good though I prefer the Koi version). I personally donāt consider it in the same league as Koi palace.
How are their chicken feet?
Where have you gone that you donāt like their chicken feet?
I like ALL chicken feet but my faves are at House of Banquet on Clement. They just melt in the mouth. Almost hard not to swallow the tiny bones.
Iād add that Koi compares well to Dim Sum places in HK that use traditional ingredients and have popular prices (which is all my per diem could bear when I was over there). With all the tech money we have to wave in chefsā faces and our access to top ingredients, weāre bound to have our Lai Wah Heen counterpart before long.
