South San Francisco this evening?

[Kim Cooper]

We have to be at the UPS place in South San Francisco this evening, so we thought maybe we could have dinner in that area. It's on Forbes Blvd. So, is there anything good we should try between San Mateo and there? We are unfamiliar with the area.
We like most types of food, but we are looking for moderate to lower priced tonight. We don't eat beef, but anything else is okay.

[Kim Cooper]

Thank you so much. We ended up going to Tai Wu. It was great.
We're not all that adventurous, but what we had was very tasty.
We had:
Deep fried Chicken Wings in spicy garlic sauce
Chicken with string beans
Shrimp wrapped in crispy noodles
BBQ Pork fried rice
and we have lots of leftovers because the portions were large.
Even the tea was good. The green beans were done just right -- still crunchy. There was some ginger in that dish too, so it smelled wonderful as well as tasting good. The shrimp had a slightly sweet sauce making the crispy noodles stick to the shrimp -- it tasted like walnut prawn sauce without the nuts. The rice was fluffy and not greasy. The chicken wings were scrumptious -- beautifully seasoned, big and hot.
The service was friendly, helpful, attentive and prompt. The bill was just under $50.
We were so impressed, we are planning on going back to try their dim sum sometime.

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Tai Wu Restaurant
1080 Foster City Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

[Windy]

Excellent. Looking at the place markers in the right column, there's a Tai Wu in Foster City--are they related? (Yimster?)

Dim sum at Tai Wu in Daly City is great fun. Chaotic compared to their dinner service, but very enjoyable and not particularly expensive. Pays to get there early if you don't want to wait out in the fog.

[yimster]

Windy, Tai Wu in Foster City is closed and they were owned by the same family. But now there is only the two Tai Wu in same shopping center along with a Hong Kong style bakery all run by the same group. Easier for the group to same since they are on the same shopping center now.

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Tai Wu Restaurant
1080 Foster City Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

[K K]

Diamond Harbor, which replaced Tai Wu in Foster City, closed some time back. A branch of Santa Clara's Cooking Papa, will open in its place either August or September timeframe (consider it a clone of Fat Wong's in San Bruno)...and Cooking Papa was started by the former San Mateo Joy Luck Place people.

For those tired of Fat Wong's and are in the Millbrae area, San Mateo's Champagne Seafood Restaurant opened up their Fat Wong's clone in Millbrae...just named Champagne Restaurant. They take credit cards and they have a built in Cantonese BBQ deli, so you can get your roasties to go or dine in, at more reasonable prices. Still new, not so stellar, give them time to ramp up.

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Joy Luck Place
10911 N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014

Cooking Papa
Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA

[yimster]

I look forward to seeing the old Tai Wu in Foster City reopen with Cooking Papa. It will be soon. So I will need to keep a look out for it or you can post when you see it KK

Thanks for the heads up.

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Tai Wu Restaurant
1080 Foster City Blvd, Foster City, CA 94404

Cooking Papa
2830 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95051

[K K]

Grand opening was yesterday. Packed as hell. You will like it. I'd say the best Cantonese in Foster City for sure. Bring cash.

[Melanie Wong]

And the small location of Tai Wu by Ranch 99 in Foster City is closed?

[yimster]

No it still there. A good option when shopping at 99 Ranch.

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99 Ranch
4299 Rosewood Dr, Pleasanton, CA 94588

[K K]

The small storefront space right across Diamond Harbor that operated as a small congee/noodle/BBQ deli shop, also shuttered and was part of DH (as well as previous tenant Tai Wu). No idea if Cooking Papa will be using that small bit of storefront.

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Cooking Papa
2830 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara, CA 95051

[Windy]

Thanks for the clarification Yimster and K K.

Will have to check out Champagne (Seafood) Restaurant one of these days. I was working in Foster City last summer, but somehow we always ended up at ABC.

[Kim Cooper]

We always found the service at ABC to be terrible.

[mhuang]

When I was living in Foster City years ago, I avoided ABC for precisely this reason; I prefered the Chinese from Mr Fong's/Tai Wu and Joy Restaurant. Both the food and the service were superior to ABC.

[Ruth Lafler]

I'm not sure I'd call their explanation of musical Chinese restaurant ownership and locations a "clarification"! <vbg>

[Windy]

Made sense at midnight--but I know what you mean.

[yimster]

Ruth Chinese restaurant ownership is a sometime a game of musical chair. I find it very hard to keep track them. But it is easier then the game of find the chef. That is even harder.

[Windy]

But even more important to find the chef.

[Robert Lauriston]

Basque Cultural Center and Bertolucci's are fun and not expensive.

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Basque Cultural Center
599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Sodini's Bertoluccis Ristorante
421 Cypress Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080

[Kim Cooper]

Do you recommend any particular dish at Basque Cultural Center?
Both of you, thanks for your replies.

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Basque Cultural Center
599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

[Robert Lauriston]

I favor the family style special of the day if it appeals. Soup, salad, salmon cake Basquaise, roast leg of lamb, and dessert for $22?

[ChowFun_derek]

Often they have a huge thick veal chop...I call in advance and reserve a portion for myself....the meals come with a very good salad..and a large tureen of soup of the day...

[Windy]

How about Tai Wu/Mr Fong's up on the hill above Daly City, off of Skyline? Creative Chinese, which I seem to remember you liking.

Mingalaba (Burmese) in Burlingame is good and popular. Not dirt cheap, but pretty moderate prices with good service.

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Tai Wu/Mr. Fong
950 King Plz, Daly City, CA 94015

Mingalaba
1213 Burlingame Ave, Burlingame, CA 94010