ISO ramen, dosai, thai
We'll be in San Francisco next weekend into Tuesday--have done due diligence on this board and have res at Canteen, Perbacco and Slanted Door for dinner. We live in New Hampshire, but have lived in Japan, Thailand and India. Any suggestions for authentic ramen (crave noodles,not sushi), dosai (we have great South Indian in Lowell, MA but need a fix), and an Thai restaurant that does not cater to wimpy/sweet tastes? Melanie Wong has compiled the ramen list to end all lists, but anything near hotel Serrano? How is Thai Express near the hotel? TIA.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111
By whs
on Mar 12, 2011 07:54 AM
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definitely katana-ya for ramen.
for dosai, your best bet might be to hop on the 38 and go to dosa on fillmore; or hop on the bart and go to dosa on valencia.
lers ros thai definitely does not cater to wimpy/sweet tastes
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Your hotel is in the middle of the Tenderloin, which is the best neighborhood in town for cheap ethnic dives: Vietnamese, Pakistani, Turkish, Thai, Korean, Burmese.
The Thai House Express on Larkin and Lers Ros, just down Larkin, are two of the best and least Americanized Thai places in the area.
San Francisco's got a lot of great Pakistani food, but it's really weak in south Indian, I suggest you skip it. If you're determined to get some, Dosa is sort of upscale, Udupi Palace is cheaper.
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Thai House Express
901 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
Dosa
995 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Udupi Palace
1007 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Lers Ros Thai
730 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA
Dosa on Fillmore
1700 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115
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Thanks for the feedback--sounds like a good idea to go for dim sum instead of dosai. ;) How is Yank Sing?
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Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105
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Yank Sing is great. The most expensive but the best. Lots of people hate it, but I think that's more about price. It can be wildly expensive if you order specials like Peking duck or abalone. The cheung fun, har gow, siu mai, sticky rice in lotus leaf, turnip cake, taro dumplings (only if fresh out of the fryer), steamed Chinese broccoli, and custard tarts are all the best I've had.
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The Rincon Center branch is bigger, nicer, and I think has a wider selection, at least on the weekend.
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Yank Sing Banquet & Catering
101 Spear St, San Francisco, CA 94105
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Yank Sing at the Rincon Center gets my vote. I like to go there Saturday mornings around 11 a.m. right after I've cherry-picked a few freebies at the Farmer's Market.
Pricey? By some measures. It's worth it to me. The old post office is a bonus.
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Yes, their website offerings look glamorous compared to the leaden offerings at Boston dim sum palaces.
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Give it a shot if you get a chance. Food is good, the cart ladies give the place a pulse. Deb and I slow things down so we spend maybe two-hours there on average now. The people watching can be a lot of fun.
There's beer, wine and a full bar.
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thanks, sounds like a great option!
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Thank you SF posters for your suggestions. We loved Yank Sing at Rincon Center--dim sum elevated to another level. Katanaya was a convenient and tasty option near the hotel. We ended up at FISH in Sausalito for another lunch (great oysters and the outdoor setting was lovely). I got my Indian fix at a friend's house--he's from Chennai and confirmed my belief that the best Indian food is the home-cooked variety. Canteen, Perbacco and Slanted Door: all wonderful in their specific ways, but our favorite was Canteen--uniquely San Francisco, enhanced by the intimate setting and moody, brilliant chef.
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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111
Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111
Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105
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"...and moody, brilliant chef."
Curious, is "moody" a good thing? What made you think the chef was moody?
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LOL, I knew that would get a query. The kitchen is tiny and in full sight--he was totally focused on preparation for the two hours we were there. When I thanked him upon leaving, he looked at me as if in another dimension, and muttered "thank you", never cracking a smile. Intense and serious might be a better description.
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Still thinking about the Shanghai dumplings at Yank Sing--what a delicious morsel.
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