I don’t know how much involvement Bowien has in the day-to-day operations of the San Francisco restaurant. Even before he started his other ventures, the food was wildly inconsistent. Add to that the divisiveness of his umami-heavy style in the first place, and I would not recommend it to someone coming from out of town.
At the best of times, and not in a burrito, his mapo doufu is excellent. However, Fuchsia Dunlop’s more traditional recipe, which is way less fussy than his recipe, is more suited to a home cook and produces equally great results if you have quality ingredients.
His kung pao pastrami once was great, and devolved into bad takeout Chinese.
My favorite dish has been his thrice cooked pork with rice cakes, vegetarian style, with bitter melon.
If someone is aware of it being more consistent or uphill recently, please let us know. I live within walking distance, and can’t think of another Chinese restaurant in the Mission that I’d be interested in eating at vs. driving elsewhere.
