Ordering at Yank Sing

[goodsoup25]

My understanding, from reading the board, is that there are some wonderful Dim Sum specialties at Yank Sing and that we'd be better off focusing on them than more traditional/ordinary Dim Sum items. What do folks suggest?

[goodsoup25]

What do they call XLB on the Yank Sing menu?

[Robert Lauriston]

Shanghai dumpling?

[LikeFrogButOOOH]

Something ginger soup dumpling, I believe.

[s0memale]

is everything ordered by cart at Yank Sing? even during weekdays?

[walker]

Most everything. There is a menu where you can order noodle dishes, Chinese chicken salad. You need to ask the cart ladies to get you soup, if you want it.
That's one reason Koi Palace does not excite me, no carts there.

[s0memale]

are carts available at both locations in SF?

[walker]

I know they are on Spear St. and, even tho I've never been there, am pretty certain they are on Stevenson, too. You can call and ask. I've heard that Spear St. is the better location.

[dinnerout]

Yes there are carts at both locations. As far as special favorites, I like the spinach dumplings - you can easily spot them because they are green! And I love the tofu wrap or whatever it is called that others have discussed. And the sesame balls...

[kresge86]

One more must have at Yank Sing - the black sesame dumplings for dessert.

[walker]

Must haves: shrimp dumplings, minced chicken in lettuce cups, peking duck, soup dumplings, don tarts for dessert -- you can request these hot and fresh from the kitchen instead of the tarts on the cart.

[LikeFrogButOOOH]

I actually just went to Yank Sing with my family just this Sunday, had a delightful meal, and have been meaning to report on it. My favorite dish by far were the soup dumplings. I'm pretty sensitive to ginger and the fact that these dumplings had it wasn't appealing, but when I heard the waitress describe them as a "specialty" we got one. These dumplings had the perfect amount of ginger with an intensely rich soup. I wasn't such a big fan of the vinegar dip, but just eating these dumplings on their own, I spent a considerable amount of time rhapsodizing to the other three how perfect this ginger really was. Definitely stands up to some of the best soup dumplings I had in Shanghai.

Peking duck sandwiches were a bit tough when we had them, with only a tiny amount of duck. It looked like it had been out for a little while. I also wasn't such a big fan of the mushroom caps stuffed with pork. The spicy chicken was also a bit boring, but cooked very well and tasted fresh. It was probably because I ordered it after a long meal just wanting to taste a bit after everything else had been so good. The shrimp shumai were good although I don't know if they really warranted another try.

Taro dumplings were also very good, as were the sticky rice and the potstickers. There were also some triangle dumplings with I think chicken and some vegetables in them that were delicious. Honestly, the whole brunch experience was a such blur of pointing at tasty food, I don't remember some of the others we tried. I think you will enjoy your experience at Yank Sing quite a bit.

[Robert Lauriston]

"triangle dumplings with I think chicken and some vegetables" sounds like chicken-mushroom fun gwor, one of my favorites.

[LikeFrogButOOOH]

Thanks! I forgot to mention the desserts, which were all delicious as well. My favorite is normally the jin deui (if that's right), which are the fried sesame balls, but these just weren't as satisfying because they hadn't been recently fried. Overall pleasurable, but I was wishing for that quick fry. I don't normally like mango flavored desserts but their mango pudding type dessert was very good. It had a texture similar to heavy cream that has been whipped too long and has become porous. I liked that it was sweet without being overly so as well as very light. The custard tarts were absolutely delicious here. Though I'm normally a crust fanatic, the real show stopper was the perfect texture of the custard itself. The very center was so creamy and deliciously eggy, I think I'll have to save room for two the next time around.

[kresge86]

I usually order the taro dumplings and the soup dumplings; not necessarily because they are the best items offered at Yank Sing, but because they are so often poorly done at other dim sum places.

[Robert Lauriston]

The taro dumplings are tops when they're hot out of the fryer but gross when they've cooled off, which unfortunately is their usual condition when I see them.

[Sarah]

Sitting inside the restaurant will enhance your chances of getting hot items. Stuff will get cold quickly after a lap around the atrium.

[Robert Lauriston]

Generally speaking that's true, but the taro dumplings hold their heat long enough for a few trips around. The problem is that they sit on the cart unsold for an hour or more. I've seen the same sad plate go around during an entire meal.

Would really make more sense to cook them to order.

[Robert Lauriston]

I mostly think the opposite, avoid the pricey specials and stick to the excellent renditions of the classics. My favorite items at Yank Sing include:

chicken-mushroom fun gwor
cheung fun (soft rice noodle rolls)
mushroom caps stuffed with pork and tarragon
roast eggplant
steamed Chinese broccoli
sticky rice in lotus leaf
turnip cake
taro dumplings (only if hot from the fryer)

[Debbie M]

I agree that their classics are excellent, but one special they used to have that I really liked was a rectangle of tofu, topped by a piece of white fish (with skin), fastened together by a small strip of nori (sort of looked like nigirizushi), fried with a salt & pepper coating. Very good. It may be something they still serve, but since they closed the Battery St. location, I rarely make it to YS, because City View is closer.

The fried sesame balls someone mentioned below are also my favorite dessert.

[Robert Lauriston]

I've had that tofu thing, and a similar vegetarian dish. Nice.

[yogurtsoda]

Yank Sing is not my overall favorite dim sum so I don't go there often, but I've had that tofu rectangle and it is amazingly, wonderfully delicious! I wish I remembered the name!

[Robert Lauriston]

I think they call it "tofu roll":

http://www.yanksing.com/our-cuisine/d...

Except what I'm thinking of is a bigger version, one big piece of tofu.

[Debbie M]

That must be the vegetarian version. The one I'm thinking of looks just like it, down to the green onion/red pepper garnish, but with a piece of fish on the tofu.

Gee, maybe a visit to Yank Sing is in my future ...

[anna banana]

I enjoyed the peking duck sandwiches that were passed around, and the soup dumplings