Dim Sum in San Francisco

San Francisco has a big Asian population and a correspondingly large number of Asian restaurants. Walking through Chinatown is like being in China itself. All you see in Chinese writings and all you hear is Chinese language. There must be many, many amazing places to eat authentic food. Unfortunately, I didn't know many of them :( This was also the case with the famed San Francisco dim sum. I finally resorted to listening what chefs on the Food Network liked, which led me to a place called Yang Sink.

Yang Sink is actually located on Mission St. close to the Embarcadero, and not in Chinatown. That should have been a warning sign to me. It looks more like an upscale restaurant than a good dim sum place. Yes, there are carts that go around, but they also offer menus that you can order from. The prices were exorbitant for dim sum, but I decided to try a few different things anyway. One of the items I was excited about were the Shanghai dumplings. They are stuffed with minced pork and broth, so you must eat them with a special technique. Thankfully, I knew how to eat them form an episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. The dumplings were good and obviously very moist, but nothing to rave about. I like the vinegar-based dipping sauce, though.

The other item I was excited about was the Peking duck. I'm still not sure how exactly it's prepared, but it involves a lot of roasting. Unfortunately, it's also very expensive, and I could afford only a tiny piece. I tasted the meat itself, but it honestly didn't taste like anything... It was a little better with the steamed bun and the scallions, though.

Then, I had the Mandarin dumplings with pork. They were very similar to other pork dumplings I've had, which I love. The Mandarin dumplings were probably my favorite part of the meal.

Finally, I wanted to try the stuffed lotus leave because it sounded so interesting. Well, the real thing didn't come anything close to my expectations. I guess I can blame my ignorance for this, but the lotus leaf is actually really tough and inedible. The sticky rice inside was just that - rice with no flavor. The only way I could eat it was with lots of soy sauce.

The meal was overall very disappointing. It is true that I didn't get any of the item I usually love (steamed pork buns, pork and scallion dumplings), but I did get dishes that the restaurant is known for. All but the stuffed lotus leaf were "signature items." If that's what special items at Yang Sink taste like, I have no desire to try anything else.