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D&A Cafe: a Little Jewel on Clement Street
By Michael Ho
D&A Cafe is a wonderful authentic Chinese restaurant located in the Richmond District. Located amongst many other tasty restaurants on Clement, D&A still manages to shine and attract a large contingent of local San Francisco residents who appreciate their Chinese food.
The ambience is a very festive, loud environment typical of most tasty Chinese restaurants. It reminds me very much of Sam Woo Barbeque for those Los Angeles Chinese restaurant fans out there. In fact, the food taste is also similar to Sam Woo Barbeque — Guangdong style Chinese food, with large portions and a diverse array of food selections.
The selection has authentic Chinese food at very, very reasonable prices. They feature Breakfast specials from 8-11 for about $2 or $3, Lunch specials from 11-3 for $3.80, and a special Dinner option that includes three entrees, white rice and soup for only $15.99. I went during dinnertime with a group, so we chose to take advantage of the Dinner special and an appetizer.
We ordered a Fillet of Cod with Black Bean Sauce, Spinach with Egg, Braised Tofu, and Green Onion Chicken. The Filet of Cod with Black Bean Sauce was very tasty and delicious. The fish had a nice tender texture and the onions and green peppers complimented the fish nicely. The Spinach with Egg was good — it had a very light touch to it with steamed egg and Hundred Year Egg complimenting the Spinach. The Braised Tofu had a delicate, soft texture in the middle that was very soothing to the palate. The mushrooms and vegetables complimented the tofu nicely. Finally, I highly recommend the Green Onion Chicken — I noticed that about half the tables there ordered this dish. It's very good.
In all, D&A Cafe, located at 407 Clement Street, is a very affordable restaurant that offers authentic, tasty Chinese dishes with a wide selection. Be careful on the weekends though because there are often lines. However, if you are willing to wait the 15-30 minutes and mediocre service (typical of most Chinese restaurants), I think that you will be in for a real treat in Chinese cuisine.
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