Z & Y - what to order?

[Robert Lauriston]

Some recent discussion here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/798631

Recommended there:

Sichuan cold noodles (dim sum menu)
Yunnan style rice cake with ham (dim sum menu)
chicken with explosive chilli pepper
ma-po tofu
tan tan noodles

"water boiled fish" - is that the "spicy fish with flaming chilli oil"?
cold bacon-cut pork - is that the "sliced pork with spicy garlic sauce"?

tiger skin jalapeños (not on the current English menu)
tea tree mushrooms (not on the English menu)

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Z & Y
655 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA 94133

[Robert Lauriston]

It's still not on their English online menu, but somebody posted a picture of "lamb chops, Uyghur style" on Yelp. Do they have any other Uighur dishes on the Chinese menu?

[mariacarmen]

yes to both your questions re fish and cold pork.

love that chicken too.

[Joel]

"Baked whole fish"is what it's called on the menu, under Chef's specialties.
-- I was expecting a whole fish, but not so. It was a filet. Absolutely delicious; no sauce, but very flavorful and moist. Not like anything I've had before.

[Robert Lauriston]

I'm not sure what you're referring to. mariacarmen recommended "water boiled fish (fish in chili oil)."

[Ridge]

I really love this place. I suspect that they use healthier oils than other Sichuan restaurants because I don’t get the saturated fat overload feeling after eating here that I experience at other Sichuan places. The tea tree mushrooms on the special menu are one of my favorite dishes here. Super umami richness. The crab with house spicy sauce is very good also. The last time we got this spicy silky tofu jelly dish from the dim sum menu. It was like a rich spicy soup somewhat reminiscent of Ma Po Tofu. Really amazing.There has only been one dish I haven’t liked here. The corn, shrimp and egg dish on the special menu, which I found cloyingly sweet.

[Robert Lauriston]

Went last night.

Szechuan spicy cold cabbage, refreshing and lemony, with raw carrots to offset the sourness a bit.

The rice cakes with Yunnan ham and leek greens is a brilliant dish. That ham is so intense that it overpowers a lot of other ingredients, and dduk are extremely bland, so they're a great pairing. Great combination of textures, too.

Ma-po tofu, soupier than I like but good flavor. Could be spicier.

Tan tan noodles, tasty but not as good as the last time I was there, the sauce was too wet so everything puddled at the bottom of the bowl and didn't stick to the noodles, which had a slightly raw / doughy flavor.

Pea shoots with garlic, standard but nicely done.

I wish I'd remembered about the tea tree mushrooms. Are those on the Chinese menu under the glass on the table?

[jason carey]

Clay Pot Eggplant- my favorite dish here..

Double sauteed Pork

Cumin Lamb or special lambchop not on menu

Silky Tofu in Chili oil with the crunchy little things.

Green Beans (yes cliche but good)

Corn and Shrimp on the platform (on Chinese MenU) greasy but good

[Dustin_E]

thanks for the report, robert.

in addition to the stuff mentioned above, i like the green onion pancake and homemade soymilk -- they are both surprisingly good. Also:

- Z&Y probably has my favorite peking duck in the bay area.
- the eggplant claypot was too sweet for my tastes.
- mapo tofu is great, but i probably prefer the silky tofu in chili oil with crunch little things.

i've also had the wrapped beef roll thing that i thought was decent.

[david kaplan]

In addition to those lamb dishes, they will also make lamb ribs prepped like the explosive chili pepper chicken.

[hyperbowler]

I had the lamb chops today--- it's on the Chinese-only menu (we'd spotted it on someone else's table and asked to have it). The bone-in lamb chop has a skewer along its length, and is served with a dusting of fried minced garlic and sesame seeds. The garlic was crispy yet not at all bitter. It was $12.95 I think and a great find.