Mister Jiu's (SF Chinatown)

Maybe if they could make their stuffed quail as crisp/ juicy as the version at Monsieur Benjamin, or their fried rice as crunchy as the version at Progress.

Can a Chinese restaurant with a non-trimmed down menu win and keep a star here? I.e. a menu that allows the restaurant to make possibly more money but makes it more challenging for the inspectors.

I don’t think the problem is adding MSG to season food, the problem is adding too much. Yes MSG is an amino acid naturally found in many foods. The problem with adding pure MSG to foods is that it’s easy to overdo it and add too much and too many restaurants in the US add too much. Too much MSG gives dishes a heavy artificial taste. In China it’s not used as heavy handedly and the food tastes more natural. And though Chinese Restaurant Syndrome is controversial, I can tell you that I personally get ill if I have a meal too high in MSG: I wake up with weird heart palpitations and feel bloated (can’t take rings off my fingers). The science behind the health effects of MSG has not been settled (Search pubmed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov for publications on MSG), but like anything (sugar, salt, fat) too much of a good thing likely causes problems.

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Anyone tried the al la carte menu?

Reservations are a PITA to get. I got one. But how easy is it to walk into the bar?

I tried once, on a Wednesday night, and gave up waiting for a seat at the bar after a half hour, even though I was the only one looking for a single seat. Few eaters at the bar, mostly techies engrossed in their $13 cocktails.

Any tips on getting a reso? I might try when my daughter is in town for the holidays.

The original (London) Hakkasan was the first Chinese restaurant to get a star, and I believe it served more or less traditional Cantonese food.

I made my reservation like a month out when the reservations open.

Its not helpful also that they close for many days for holidays and events. Maybe try calling, or walk in again during the holidays when nobody is working?

I managed to snag a 9:00 reservation for Sat. 23rd. Only other openings during the holidays were 10:15 for a couple of days the following weekend.

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Just a little pandemic follow up. Got a few to go items and reheat at home stuff.

Dutch Crunch BBQ PORK BUNS - 3pcs

Char Siu Pork, beets, milk bun, pork floss crumble

Mmm… I dunno, it honestly doesn’t remind me of Dutch crunch as it lacks the little tiger-like stripes on top. A thin crispy exterior with bits of a pork floss crumble. I honestly can’t say I could detect the milk bun mm… dough as it was an extremely thin bun. The exterior was a little salty and savory with a slightly sweet and savory interior. For 4 bucks each, this is also a startlingly high price for tiny buns. I prefer the pineapple bbq pork bun variants at other restaurants for that cookie top. I also expected more well… Dutch Crunch-like.

Salt and Vinegar Shrimp Chips - 3 oz.

The best shrimp chips in the world. No contest.

Wild Louisiana shrimp, tapioca, and malt salt. Light as air, real crunchy, tangy and shrimpy to the max!

Thought they were an interesting take on shrimp chips. Light and crispy with a salt and vinegar tang. Definitely want something to drink around though.

Bacon and Scallion Milk Bread

I thought this was the star of the show. Re-warmed in the oven, the bread was delightful. The small bacon crumble on top mixed with scallions gave this great aroma before you take a bite. The bread was soft with a nice bounce, and intermixed with a bit more scallions. I would definitely order this again.

Red Braised Pork Shoulder

pork shoulder, River Dog Farm rainbow chard, carrot, soy sauce, shaoxing wine, star anise, bay, corn starch, rock sugar

This is the frozen ready to make dish that they offer. Personally, thought it leaned a little towards the too salty side. The pork shoulder chunks were definitely plentiful though. The best thing we did was reheated the dish the next night and added some napa cabbage to the pork shoulders. The sweetness of the napa cabbage and additional sprigs of water evened out the saltiness of the dish without impacting the braised pork flavor.

Lion’s Head Meatballs

Ingredients: pork meatball (Hodo tofu, cabbage, organic milk, white pepper, ginger), stock (chicken, bacon, fish sauce, seaweed, onion), Riverdog Farm daikon, leeks, shiitake

Between the pork shoulder and the lion’s head, I preferred the lion’s head a bit more. Two large meatballs were included in the package. When reheating, there was this faint smell that reminded me of salted shrimp paste but not sure exactly where it comes from since its not in the ingredients; fish sauce maybe? Anywho, the meatballs were somewhat springy, not dense at all. The broth was flavorful but mm… I think the bacon kinda overpowers it in one direction. The additional veggies and mushrooms though had a great flavor thanks to the broth permeating them for a while.

All in all, I thought things were executed very well though the price was… on the high end (well, what isn’t now a days…). I think I was mostly disappointed in the bbq pork buns as I expected something of well a dutch crunch sandwich haha (Actually… dutch crunch with some bbq pork in between might be a winner…).

Any try Mr. Jiu’s recently? They opened up dining again.

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