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So: San Tung's Cooler Little Brother
By Genie Kim
Co-Food Editor
Located on Irving between 23rd and 24th Ave. among small mom and pop stores,
So is a no-frills eatery. Inside, there are simple and modern wood tables and
chairs — and that's about it. No fancy paintings on the walls or
ambient lighting to provide atmosphere, which is actually quite a refreshing
change. This is the place you go to when you want to grub and you can't
be bothered by small things like décor and ambiance.
So is best known for its hand-pulled noodle dishes that combine flavors from
China and Korea. There are even a few Japanese-inspired dishes like curry over
rice. The restaurant also serves a few Chinese-style vegetable side dishes,
which serve as a nice complement to any meal. If the cuisine at So seems reminiscent
of another popular Inner Sunset restaurant, that's because it is. So is
owned by the same family that owns and operates San Tung. The menu at So is
a pared down version of that at San Tung with the addition of some Pan-Asian
dishes. So caters to a younger, less family-oriented crowd, which is reflected
in the menu as well as the low prices. You could say that So is the cooler,
hipper, younger brother of San Tung.
I went on a Monday night with three friends at 6:30 and was promptly seated.
The restaurant was only about half full, but within a half hour, it was almost
completely full. We were served steamed Edamame soybeans and green tea while
we decided what to order. Having been here before, I knew we absolutely had
to order the So wings (six per order, $5.25). The wings are lightly fried and
crispy without being overly oily. The sauce the wings are served in is especially
noteworthy because of its flavor. The soy sauce based sauce has chopped onions,
red peppers and lots of white pepper. You can order the wings to be as spicy
as you like. They are quite possibly the best wings in San Francisco.
For our entrees, we decided to each get a dish and share it family style. The
servings are quite large, so I recommend eating family style and perhaps ordering
less than one dish per person. We had quite a few leftovers. We ordered the
black bean noodles ($6.35), which is another absolute must order. Because they
use hand-pulled noodles, the noodles are tender but not soggy and have a spring
to them. The sauce is mild and not at all spicy. Other restaurants tend to make
this dish with a sauce that is either too heavy and salty or too oily. So does
neither.
I decided to try the spicy seafood soup ($6.35) to be daring and was not disappointed.
However, this dish is not for the faint of heart or the faint of taste buds.
The soup is bright red, which is a pretty good indication that it's really
spicy! I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was a good deal of seafood
— mussels, shrimp, scallops — as well as a variety of chopped vegetables
and noodles in the soup. This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if
you love spicy foods, try this. The shredded pork and garlic noodles ($6.35)
looked quite appetizing. The noodles are sautéed with garlic, pork, strips
of Chinese black mushrooms and water chestnuts. The dish had a very mild flavor,
although it was a bit salty and at times the garlic was overpowering. The mushrooms
must be an acquired taste as well because I wasn't a huge fan. Overall,
I wasn't impressed by this dish, although my friends enjoyed it.
As a departure from noodle dishes, we also ordered curry with beef over rice
($6.25). This is a classic Japanese-style curry, with your choice of beef, chicken
or shrimp. This dish reminded me of home-cooked meals so I was quite partial
to it. The curry is milder and more substantial than Thai curries. It has a
stew-like texture that really fills you up. It's a perfect comfort food.
I was very surprised by how good this dish was and how well it stacked up against
the more popular noodle dishes. Give everything on the menu a try, you won't
be disappointed! Although we didn't order a vegetable dish, we wish we
had because the steamed spinach with garlic looked and smelled tempting.
If you're heading to So, make sure to get there early on weekend evenings.
This place is quite popular and you may have to wait. We found that weeknight
evenings are usually best, although because of the small size, there can be
a backup even on a weeknight. The service, though friendly, can be slow. There
was only one waitress serving the entire restaurant on the evening we went.
Although So may live in the shadow of its more established and well known brother,
San Tung, this restaurant more than manages to hold its own in flavor, quality
and value.
So
2240 Irving St.
San Francisco
Tel.: 731-3143
(closed on Mondays)
Rating: Four stars out of five
Genie Kim is a second-year medical student.
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