First things first, they still have Zhenjiang spare ribs (#73), which were a specialty of a former restaurant in this location, Lucky River http://www.chowhound.com/post/zhenjiang-pork-chops-lucky-river-san-francisco-864449 . The server said that the chef and owners are from Chinatown’s R&G Lounge, and that the dish might taste different.
The atmosphere, menu, and prices are more casual than R&G, so the connection isn’t obvious. Just about everyone had BBQ meats or seafood on their tables.
Seafood specials are written in Chinese on a white board, but you can see tanks with live shrimp, lobster, Dungeness crab near the 2nd floor exit. The staff speak English well, and should be able to translate anything. Ask about the seasonal vegetables too—not much is listed on the menu.
The #97 house special chicken (aka empress chicken), poached ‘yellow feather chicken,’ was a light dish to start the meal, and the salty green onion slurry helped whet my appetite for the others dishes.
The (pan fried crispy) house style chow mein was a good rendition without any filler. It included BBQ pork, squid body and tentacle, shrimp, beef, chicken, baby bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms. The noodles were easily disentangled, and allowed for a combination of crisp and sauce saturated noodles in each bite. Meats varied in quality.
The #108, homemade lotus duck w/ special sauce was great. The duck pieces aren’t fleshy, but each hunk has delicious meat trapped in its crevices. The gravy was savory and didn’t distract from the flavor of the duck.
Won Kok
700 Monterey Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94127
(415) 587-1826
Open everyday, closes at 9:30pm (does delivery!)
