Chinese Valentine's Day

Photo credit:Vanessa Karlsson 

Do you know about Chinese Valentine's Day?  It is August 2, and Fang Restaurant in San Francisco is celebrating with a special one night only dish for romantics. Chef Kathy Fang is cooking up Heart-Warming Spicy Beef Noodle Soup for Two ($15).  The noodle dish features a rich, flavorful broth made from beef bones, short rib, aromatics, and peppercorns, and is served with rice noodles and succulent pork wontons. Couples who order the special dish to share will also receive two sets of beautiful, satin-wrapped chopsticks which symbolize romantic love and are often gifted to newlyweds in the Chinese culture to encourage fertility. 

The background to this day is a love story between the Weaver girl (symbolizing Vega) and the Cowherd (symbolizing Altair).  They were in love but because their love was not allowed, they were banished to opposite sides of the Silver River (Milky Way), but once a year, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, a flock of magpies form a bridge to reunite the lovers for one day. Thus a pair of magpies came to symbolize marital happiness and faithfulness. Currently in urban China people take the opportunity to buy flowers, especially blue roses symbolizing hopeful love as well as chocolates to gift their sweethearts.

Chef Kathy Fang is the daughter of Peter Fang, chef/owner of the famed House of Nanking. Growing up in House of Nanking's kitchen, Kathy found her passion for cooking and received her formal training at  Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School.  Blending her schooling, Cantonese heritage and cooking style with her own native San Franciscan perspective, as well as her global travels she has created a menu with equal parts tradition and inspiration.

Fang Restaurant

660 Howard St.

San Francisco, CA 94105

(415) 777-8580

www.fangrestaurant.com

https://www.facebook.com/FangRestaurant

Harmonious

Harmony - fresh, light and organic, and tasty too.  I recently enjoyed a meal at this popular Mill Valley Chinese restaurant.

I love that their Crisp Living Butter Lettuce Cups with minced chicken and celery, organic carrots, water chestnuts and shitakes ($12) comes with the plum sauce on the side so controlling the amount of sweet flavor is easy.

And why did I wait so long to try the Organic Tofu infused with shitake mushrooms, wrapped in seaweed, lightly fried, tossed w/ garlic, chiles, cilantro, scallions ($9.50)?  I saw it on the menu, but couldn't picture the dish, then one day took the leap, and now it's frequently in my favorite dish rotation when dining at Harmony.  They also are very good about assisting people with special diets such as gluten free.  Service was stellar and consistent with past experience.

I didn't order it this visit, but the Chocolate Sesame Ball ground lotus seed flour, sweet bean paste, melted chocolate and crushed almonds ($5) is quite a unique taste treat; I don't usually associate chocolate with Chinese restaurants.

Harmony Restaurant

800 Redwood Hwy, Ste 401

Mill Valley, CA 94941

(415) 381-5300

www.harmonyrestaurantgroup.com

Previously reviewed:

August 10, 2007

July 17, 2007

February 23, 2007

Get directions and explore on Anna's Map.

Chinese Restaurants - Updated

                                                                                                                    photo credit: iStockphoto

Chinese restaurants in Marin

Corte Madera

P.F. Chang's 

Fairfax

Szechuan Chef

Greenbrae

Hunan First

Kentfield

Kin Wah Restaurant

Larkspur

DJ Chinese Cuisine

Mill Valley
Bamboo Hut - To be reviewed

Boo Koo - To be reviewed

Harmony
Lam's Kitchen (name changed from Lily Kai)

May Lee's

Novato

China Express

China House

China Palace

China Village

Dragon Cafe

FuZhou Super Buffet

Green Bamboo Restaurant - To be reviewed

Jenny Low's

Mandarin Restaurant - To be reviewed

Ming Yen

San Anselmo

Chinese Kitchen
China Villa

Hot Wok

San Rafael

California Bakery & Restaurant

Chrysanthemum

Combo King Restaurant

Confucius Restaurant

Happy Garden Restaurant - To be reviewed

House of Lee

King of the Roll II

Little Mandarin

Panda Express 

Peking Wok

Ping's Mandarin Restaurant

Savory Orient

Sunrise Donuts - To be reviewed

Tommy's Asian Bistro & Grill - To be reviewed

Uncle Wing

Yet Wah

Yu Shang

Sausalito
Feng Nian
Panda Express
Tommy's Wok


Tiburon
Lily Kai - To be reviewed
Ming's Restaurant


Other Bay Area Chinese

Richmond
168 Restaurant

San Francisco
Golden Gate Dim Sum
New Hong Kong
Shangri-La (Vegetarian)
Superior Palace
Ton Kiang

Santa Rosa
China Room

Palo Alto
Taipan

Uncle Wing is promising

Tsing Tao in San Rafael changed hands and names and now is Uncle Wing. Seeing the bright yellow Grand Opening sign I just had to stop since it was lunchtime. A friendly staff seated me immediately and brought both water and tea, and of course a menu. Lunch specials all run under $7 for soup, appetizer, entree and rice.

The egg flower soup was hot and flavorful. Simple and satisfying, I enjoyed it.

I was delighted to see a number of vegetarian and faux meat choices, and promptly chose the meatless lemon chicken entree. It came with a spring roll and fried rice. The faux meat was moist, flavorful and had a pleasant texture. It was a hit with me. I had this meal a couple weeks ago, and liked it well enough to have the same thing today. The only difference was that today, the spring roll appetizer had been morphed into fried wonton skins with some sauce. That was disappointing, but the main dish was still quite delicious.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last Inspected: April 15, 2010

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Totally hidden in plain sight

Here's one I was amazed to find. California Bakery & Restaurant is located in San Rafael on an industrial street tucked away not far from Bellam Rd. With its $4 specials and generally well-worn interior it would not be off to call it a 'dive'. Upon entering I immediately noticed two square tables surrounded nearly 2 men deep where card games were played and Spanish was being spoken. I was the lone female in the place besides the woman who took my order at the counter and served me. She gave wonderful service and exuded peace and grace.

I found the drink selection of large sizes and unusual flavors interesting, deciding to try the Watermelon Fruit Juice Cocktail by Arizona.

The hot and flavorful Egg Flower soup was served nearly simultaneously with my meal.

There was no problem substituting prawns for beef in a delicious stir fry which then consisted of prawns, fried tofu and vegetables over rice. It was hot, had fresh ingredients and was a very satisfying lunch. If you don't mind the 'dive-yness' of this place, the limited menu of Chinese rice plates are healthy, tasty and the price is sure right.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 1
Noncritical: 2
Last Inspected: 3/11/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Hidden in Santa Rosa

The photos didn't turn out too well for this lovely Chinese dinner my father and I had with our friend Linda in Santa Rosa. China Room is hidden in a little strip mall a block from Hwy 12. China Room makes their dishes with local organic foods.

We each ordered a dish to share. My Dad was in the mood for Chicken with Garden Vegetables. I tried some of the vegetables and they were obviously fresh and cooked just right. Dad and Linda both liked this dish.

Linda and I collaborated on the second two. Both liking Egg Foo Young (Prawn), we ordered their version, which is deep fried and a huge portion. We all liked it and expressed that it was particularly flavorful to each other as we took seconds.

We also ordered some Prawn Fried Rice. The small kernels of fresh corn and fresh green onion tops were dispersed nicely throughout the golden rice, and the fresh succulent prawns sang through to be the high note of the dish. We'll definitely come back here!

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 4
Noncritical: 5
Last inspected: 8/21/2009

Fresh bargain

One of my friends, Stephanie came to visit from Walnut Creek the other day and was in the mood for Chinese. Not having been to Little Mandarin in San Rafael for some time, I suggested this family run, happy and inexpensive place. So we met at Little Mandarin.

Immediately after sitting down, egg flower soup was placed on the table before we even ordered. It comes with the meals, so why not?

Stephanie loved her Cashew Chicken, fresh, hot and lots!

The Prawn Chow Mein I ordered was delicious too, with plump, fresh prawns in visible evidence of its name. It was so much, I took home a box for another meal. And mine was on the most expensive list of the menu at a reasonable $6.85. For a fresh hot meal at a bargain price, I haven't ever had a miss here.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 1

Last inspected: 9/23/2009

Previously reviewed:
February 5, 2008

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Chinese in Marin - the complete list

Chinese restaurants in Marin - Yipee! I've checked off having eaten at EVERY Chinese restaurant in Marin that I'm aware of, so it is time to revise and repost the complete list.

Please let me know what I've missed.

Chinese restaurants I've tried

Corte Madera
P.F. Chang's

Fairfax
China Village
Szechuan Chef

Greenbrae
Hunan First

Kentfield
Kin Wah Restaurant

Larkspur
DJ Chinese Cuisine

Mill Valley
Chinese Deli
Harmony
Lily Kai
May Lee's
Peking Wok
Young Can Wok

Novato
China Express
China House
China Palace
China Village
Dragon Cafe
FuZhou Super Buffet
Garden Court
Happy Garden
Ming Yen
Jenny Low's
Shanghai Garden

San Anselmo
Hot Wok
China Villa
Chinese Kitchen

San Rafael
Bamboo Garden
Chrysanthemum
Combo King Restaurant
Confucius Restaurant
House of Lee
King of the Roll II
Little Mandarin
Peking Wok
Ping's Mandarin Restaurant
Szechwan 7 Chinese Restaurant
Tsing Tao
Yet Wah
Yu Shang

Sausalito
Feng Nian
Panda Express
Tommy's Wok

Tiburon
Dynasty
Ming's Restaurant


Other Bay Area Chinese

Richmond
168 Restaurant

San Francisco
Golden Gate Dim Sum
New Hong Kong
Shangri-La (Vegetarian)
Superior Palace
Ton Kiang

Palo Alto
Taipan

Last but definitely not least

I did it! I've managed to eat my way through every Chinese restaurant in Marin, with the finale being lunch at China Express in Novato yesterday. I was greeted by a most enthusiastic young man who said that he and his parents run the place. And he proceeded to tell me who cooked which dishes. And he sometimes makes the crab ragoon. Not only that but EVERYTHING is made fresh, nothing comes from cans. He was quite rightly proud.

The offerings under the glass mostly had chicken in them, and when he found out that I'm only eating fish/seafood and vegetables, he asked if I liked shrimp, and would I like a freshly made shrimp dish made just for me for the same lunch special price? That was an offer I couldn't refuse. He asked how spicy I liked things, and I indicated mild. So I got the beautiful result pictured above. It was really very good! This is a VERY casual place, mostly take out with a few mismatched chairs out front, where I sat. I watched a delivery of FRESH chow mein noodles go by. No wonder these taste so good! I loved that there was a variety of vegetables such as carrots, broccoli and bok choy, cooked nicely in a little garlic sauce to a perfect crisp-tender. The family is so thoughtful too.

There was a broken down old car that parked right in front of me, with a tired, elderly man inside. The woman inside came out and was so kind to him, offering assistance. I could partly overhear the conversation. I was touched. And they also took care for their customers enjoying meals outside by burning some incense just outside the door to drive away any pesky insects. Yes, I asked what it (what's in the above photo) was. I would enjoy lunch or take out here again in a heartbeat.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0

Noncritical: 0

Last inspected: 6/10/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Good place to talk

I traveled south yesterday for a business lunch in Palo Alto. I did a little research to find somewhere that would have a good chance for tasty food, and also have an atmosphere conducive to actually carrying on a conversation. This combination was found at Taipan.

The restaurant was clean and well-appointed. Quickly after ordering, some elegantly presented condiments and tea came to the table.

Pieter found the Veal Chops with honey sauce an attractive choice. I tried a piece and like Pieter, found it rather hard to get the soft meat off the bones with the long, bone colored Chinese chopsticks. Once off, the sauce had the perfect touch and the meat was pretty tender. There were some more sinewy parts which bound the tender meat to the bones. Overall a pretty and tasty dish.

Michael's dish was billed as "Eggplant with Sallops in Hot Garlic Sauce". Michael was rather disappointed in his dish as it was neither garlicy or spicy. He gave it a "B". I tasted a little too, and the ingredients were fresh and it was taken off the stove at the perfect point. However I had to agree that it was certainly not as billed, hot and with garlic.

The dish I ordered, Walnut Prawns actually came out first, to oohs and ahhs from the table. The presentation was perfect! It was also totally delicious. Plump flash fried prawns in a sweet white sauce with candied walnuts on a bed of crisp rice noodles. I think it occurred as too sweet to my companions so neither tried it. Actually, the description was absent, other than the title, so I actually had a different walnut and prawn dish in mind which is wok fried. This one was certainly deluxe though. There are Chinese places that are even better with the food, however this was a good choice for a business conversation and better than average Chinese food.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 0
Last inspected: 7/14/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Long popular Chinese near the cinema

The Northgate Mall in San Rafael has been undergoing significant architectural changes. The Food Court was completely taken down and moved to the other side of the mall, and the food vendors are just starting to come back. Long popular in the mall, Combo King was the first restaurant to open in the new food court. At $7.49, their three-item combo plate is what gives the place its name.

I tried the Vegetable Chow Mein, Egg Foo Young and String Beans with Prawns. All was tasty and fresh, and the service was friendly and prompt. This is a great spot to grab a quick bite before the movies, or a lunch when on a shopping expedition. It's not a destination place, however when it was in its other spot with a lot of competition, I always observed a line here where other places (besides McDonalds for some reason) were not busy in the least.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Combo King has not yet been inspected.

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Local hot spot for Chinese and Japanese meals

Cookiecrumb recommended that I try the Chinese food at King of the Roll II in San Rafael some time ago. Unfortunately for Dad & I, the lunch menu doesn't include Chinese choices, and we didn't feel like the full dinner option. So we each tried a Japanese lunch special!

Specials start with miso soup, and include a salad which came in the box with the meal. Unfortunately, this meal got off on the wrong foot with rather watery miso soup.

Dad had the Teriyaki Chicken lunch special which came in a box, and included steamed fresh carrots and broccoli, along with the dark meat chicken teriyaki, rice and salad. The rice was more of a jasmine or basmati rather than a Japanese style medium grain. Dad enjoyed the meal, even the fresh and sweet orange slice. It looked attractive.

I ordered a combo lunch box with Tempura and Teriyaki Salmon. The salmon was rather lukewarm and sat in its box with unabsorbed teriyaki sauce sitting on top. The tempura had armor on it, very tough to bite through. The ingredients were top notch, my lunch offerings were just lacking in some technique. There was an Asian language being spoken in the back, that clearly wasn't Japanese, although the music playing was. The price was very reasonable, and the restaurant was quite busy during a weekday lunch. I believe it's a well-liked neighborhood favorite for its friendly and prompt service, and generous portions of fresh, hot food. I'll have to make a point to come in for dinner when the Chinese items are served since that was what was recommended to me. There is another King of the Roll in Larkspur.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 4/28/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Slipped away

Peking Wok in Mill Valley, although quite near to me seemed to have slipped away some time this spring without me noticing. The Peking Wok in San Rafael is still open, and it even has a website now. This was a nice go-to place for take out or a casual eat-in. I suspect most of the businesses in that mall are trying to hold on waiting for the new Whole Foods to open, when the foot traffic will exponentially increase.

Walking by there today, I notice a sign for a new place, Antigua Mexican Grill. And there were workers busily building out the interior! I'll be watching for this one to open...

Worth finding

On a trip home from Petaluma one day, Dad noticed it was lunch time and being near Novato I thought we'd try out the Garden Court. It is located inside the Days Inn, so you do pass the hotel front desk as you go into the restaurant. We found that at lunch there is a buffet, reasonably priced, with a surprisingly wide selection of items to choose from, and it includes the drink.

The buffet service is started with a soup served to your table. The soup of the day was hot and sour, and it was quite tasty.

I was pleasantly surprised by the number of vegetable and seafood items I could choose. There was a two sided buffet table with extra selections on one end, and the soda machine on the other. There was also a side table by the door of the buffet room with sauces and condiments and small dishes.

Dad was happy with all the choices he had with meat included. He even went back for seconds! And all the way home he commented what a nice meal it was. It's a family friendly place, and the staff was quite attentive to keeping the food selections fresh and in proper amounts for everyone. Although I wouldn't drive from Mill Valley just for this place, if you are nearby its a great place for a casual meal.

Restaurant Inspection Results

Critical: 2
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 6/30/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

De-fuzed and Con-fuzed

A reader let me know that San Anselmo's May Lee's Asian Bistro was no longer, so I had to immediately investigate. No wonder I hadn't noticed as "May Lee's" is still the header on the sign. However, it is no longer May Lee's but simply "Chinese Kitchen" (Home Cooking). The waiter confirmed that it is not "May Lee's", and hasn't been for some time now. It is no longer billed as 'fusion' and it is rather confusing with stray ladders outside and a rather neglected interior.

That being said we had an interesting meal, mostly good there. First off since Dad had a craving for soup, we tried the Egg Flower Soup. This was a stand out! I've never had egg flower soup with so many fresh vegetables and GINGER inside. It was really tasty. The Japanese bowl was a bit confusing though.

Next up were Vegetable Potstickers. I'll let you know straight away that the bottoms were VERY tough and hard to cut. That being said, I was delighted with the interior. Instead of the standard cabbage inside, it had some chard-like green that was quite tasty mixed with marinated bits of tofu. If only they'd cooked it a bit more gently...

Next was the best dish of the evening, Walnut Prawns. At other Chinese restaurants, sometimes this dish is a bit too sweet and cloying. These were perfect. The prawns were lightly crisp with a very nice citrus glaze that tasted a bit of oranges. It was a lovely pairing with the crisp honey glazed walnuts. I'd go back just for this dish.

Here is a close up of these beauties.

Last up were the Marco Polo noodles. Ooh Whee! Perhaps Marco, being Italian, was in love with garlic as these were some of the most garlicky noodles I have ever tasted. It also made them rather 'hot'. This dish had what the menu called 'buckwheat' noodles sauteed with prawns, scallops and an assortment of fresh vegetables. And GARLIC.

I have to admit a bit of puzzlement over the 'buckwheat' noodles. I asked the waiter whether these were the dark noodles made of buckwheat called 'soba' in Japan. The waiter nodded yes. And he barely seemed to speak English. I moved the noodles to be more visible for this shot. These aren't what you think of as 'buckwheat' noodles. Japanese do sometimes use 'soba' as a more generic term for noodles, as in 'yakisoba' which uses noodles like the above. But that is a Japanese term, not Chinese to my knowledge. No matter what you called them, the noodles themselves were delicious. These had a nice 'bite', reminiscent of well crafted and cooked Italian noodles. Maybe Marco Polo brought back the cooking method too!

Although the surroundings were rather run-down, the service was fast and friendly. If you know that you are going into confusion, and are willing to risk some unevenness in the food this is a fine place to go. The county has this place still listed under 'May Lee's', another confusing item.

Restaurant Inspection Results
Critical: 0
Noncritical: 1
Last inspected: 2/24/2009

Find address/phone number/directions on Anna's Map.

Chinese Restaurants in Marin

Photo credit: iStockphoto

Chinese restaurants in Marin - It's time for an update to the list. Whee! I'm really close to having eaten at EVERY Chinese restaurant in Marin, really.

Please let me know what I've missed.

Chinese restaurants I've tried

Corte Madera
P.F. Chang's

Fairfax
China Village
Szechuan Chef

Greenbrae
Hunan First

Kentfield
Kin Wah Restaurant

Larkspur
DJ Chinese Cuisine

Mill Valley
Chinese Deli
Harmony
Lily Kai
May Lee's
Peking Wok
Young Can Wok

Novato
China House
China Palace
China Village
Dragon Cafe
FuZhou Super Buffet
Happy Garden
Ming Yen
Jenny Low's
Shanghai Garden

San Anselmo
Hot Wok
China Villa

San Rafael
Bamboo Garden
Chrysanthemum
Confucius Restaurant
House of Lee
Little Mandarin
Peking Wok
Ping's Mandarin Restaurant
Szechwan 7 Chinese Restaurant
Tsing Tao
Yet Wah
Yu Shang

Sausalito
Feng Nian
Panda Express
Tommy's Wok

Tiburon
Dynasty
Ming's Restaurant

Chinese restaurants yet to try

Novato
China Express
Garden Court

San Rafael
Combo King Restaurant
King of the Roll

Other Bay Area Chinese

Richmond
168 Restaurant

San Francisco
Golden Gate Dim Sum
New Hong Kong
Shangri-La (Vegetarian)
Superior Palace
Ton Kiang