Shiso [San Francisco] - La Lengua Chronicles Part 24
Date Dined: 10/19/12
I expected Shiso to be a pretty typical Americanized Japanese and Chinese restaurant, with a heavy focus on takeout, and after eating there, I'd say it met my expectations.
California Roll was made very quickly—rice was a bit dry and uneven, fillings were cold and mostly tasteless. Not special in any way.
Dragon Roll, meanwhile, was quite good. Freshly made shrimp tempura had a great crunch, the serving was big, and the overall attention to maki structure was much better. I could probably get equally good maki at dozens of other places, but it certainly wasn't bad.
Vegetable Udon wasn't bad either — lots of veggies in a simple broth, but the noodles had a nice bite.
Beef with black been sauce chow fun was sort of mediocre. It was a bit dryer than I like, and they used thin noodles (I prefer the really wide rice noodles for this). Lots of dark soy and a scattering of black beans and not much else flavorwise.
Prices are reasonable, and though I probably won't be rushing back, it was perfectly fine.
Shiso: http://www.shisosf.org
3452 Mission St. @ Cortland
La Lengua Chronicles: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/838611
Dave MP
