Holiday dinner at Jai Yun

[anli]

I have had two dinners at Jai Yun this past month, partly due to the deal at restaurant.com. Both meals were excellent and my dining companions were extremely pleased. On both nights, a Thursday and Friday (yesterday), there were only 2 other tables the entire night. Last night's highlights were the five spice braised duck, the soybean and tofu sheets, the mung bean sheets with Chinese smoked bacon and leeks, and the caramelized eggplant. We were a party of six, and I had requested the duck specifically. He gave us a whole duck and we polished it off in its entirety, despite it being almost the last dish. We also had a couple of bottles of chardonnay from the wine fridge. I had most recently been there for lunch in the summer and his lunch deal is an excellent value.

I spoke at length with the chef, whose English is not extensive. His business is suffering, partly due to this economy, but also due to his and his staff's inability to communicate with the average customer. Those of you who appreciate his talents - do take advantage of the restaurant.com coupons and frequent this place. It would be a shame to lose one of the finest Chinese restaurants in SF.

[elliora]

Question about how the restaurant.com certificates work. I bought a $100 one, do we need to spend $100 before tax and tip? We had one person from our group cancel for lunch next week, but if it was after tax and tip and we got drinks we could get the $18 option. Otherwise we will order the $25, which by the way does anyone have an idea of the difference between the two lunches? Finally I will have about an hour and a half for lunch, will this be enough time? Thanks so much!

[wolfe]

There are rules to use of the gift certificate. A certain amount must be spent to activate it. You will need some friends. Here is the small print.
"Valid with a minimum purchase of $200. 18% gratuity added to pre-discounted check amount. Reservations recommended."

[saeyedoc]

I did the $18 lunch a few months ago, was very quick, out in less then 40 minutes.

[wolfe]

Would you say lunch was quick as a wink?

[elliora]

Sorry I'm tired, I got the $50 certificate that requires you to spend a $100!

[saeyedoc]

Too quick, if you ask me. There was only one other party of two when I got there around 1pm. I was served four vegatable dishes, came out within 5 minutes. This was followed by a stir-fry that came before I had finished the veggies, then the crispy eggplant, which was the high point. I'll bet it was less than 1/2 hr total, although I wasn't watching the time.

[Ilovevino]

After years of saying "one day I'll go", I'm finally headed to Jai Yun for dinner tomorrow evening (thanks for the final nudge, anli). Very much looking forward to it, but have a couple of questions:

1. There will be two of us for dinner, and I am considering the $65 dinner option. Is this a good choice, or are there any specific reasons why I should go higher in price (i.e. certain spectacular dishes that only tend to show up in higher priced dinners)?

2. I understand that the wine options are sparse, and am considering bringing a bottle. How much is corkage?

Thanks for all your help!

[vulber]

Have you made a reservation? They seem pretty strict about that for dinner. That being said, just ask them about what they think would come with the different pricing levels.

[Ilovevino]

Yes, I have reservations. From my understanding, there is a bit of a language barrier at the restaurant, so I was just trying to get some opinions from those who have dined there. Thanks though, I'm sure whatever we go with will be great.

[TerriL]

I was there at the end of December. The meal was great, but they emphatically will *not* tell you the difference between the various pricing levels, except to say that the dishes will be different. I've been there half a dozen times, and this has been true for each of my visits. That being said, I've tried the menus from $55 to $85, and they were all terrific. Corkage is $10.