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San Tung: Good Selection, Good Price
By Jason Hom
San Tung, located at 1031 Irving Street in the Inner Sunset (11th Avenue is
the cross-street), is a very good choice for a wide variety of Chinese vegetarian,
poultry, beef, pork and seafood dishes. With weekday lunch specials that include
soup and rice and range from about $5 to $7, the place is reasonable enough
for students on a budget. Lunch specials include meaty favorites like Broccoli
Beef and Kung Pao Chicken, as well as a selection of mixed vegetable options.
While the entrees are a bit pricier, ranging from $7 for Kung Pao Chicken to
over $12 for seafood dishes, they won't break the bank.
We went to the restaurant three times and encountered a significant wait twice.
The restaurant appears to always be full of customers, as we had to wait about
25 minutes at 3 p.m. on a Monday and 10 minutes at 1 p.m. on Sunday. While the
restaurant's popularity is a good sign, it also means that this is not
the place to go if you're really in a hurry. You simply put your name
and the size of your party on a white board at the front of the restaurant;
the waiters call you as soon as they've cleared a table. Once you sit
down, you'll notice that although the tables are crowded together, the
place is clean, well-lit and cheerfully decorated with a large red paper dragon
draped across the back wall.
The restaurant starts guests off with complementary hot tea and a plate of kim
chee. The kim chee, generously speckled with red pepper flakes, is quite spicy.
Service is very fast and a bit more courteous than normal for a Chinese restaurant,
and dishes arrive in less than 10 minutes. Waiters came at regular intervals
to refill water, which was crucial given that the various dishes might make
you want a lot of water. We found that the pork dumpling appetizer (12 for around
$5) was quite tasty, with a soft, chewy exterior and well-marinated minced meat
on the inside. The Kung Pao Chicken was also good, but if you don't like
spicy food, be forewarned that a handful of whole red chilies are mixed in with
the dish for flavor. The garlic chicken from the lunch special was excellent,
with a generous portion that might even give you enough for leftovers if you're
a small eater. The sauces for the Kung Pao Chicken and garlic chicken are thick
and perfect for drizzling over steamed white rice.
We also tried the tomato beef chow mein ($5.50 regular, $6.50 if you opt for
the homemade house noodles). While it was flavorful and the soft noodles were
complemented well by tender strips of beef, the tomato slices were a bit undercooked
and there was not that much beef. The dish is good but not one of the best options
there. The black bean noodles, however, are excellent.
As an interesting side note, unlike many Chinese restaurants, San Tung has a
wine list. The list is small but offers a variety of choices. Beer is also available.
There are a couple things to note if you plan to visit San Tung. First, the
restaurant is closed on Wednesdays, but open the other six days of the week
for regular dining hours. The lunch special is available on weekdays only from
11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Both cash and credit/debit are accepted.
From UCSF, the walk to San Tung is about 10-15 minutes, depending on your pace.
It's too far to go if you have only a one hour lunch break between classes
or lab, but if you have some time in the afternoon, evening, or weekend and
wait some hearty Chinese fare, it's a great place to visit.
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