Neighborhood dim sum
SAN FRANCISCO — A first-rate dim sum restaurant, along with a welcoming staff, is hard to find. Mayflower Restaurant delivers all of this and at a neighborhood price. Although parking is scarce, and the wait may be long, the delicious end prizes are well worth it.
Ambiance: Walk past the fresh seafood tank, and you will find a sea of diners sipping tea, searching for their next dim sum conquest, and reading the Chinese newspaper. Loud noises fill the restaurant as patrons holler to get the attention of servers, who also welcome questions and offer suggestions. March toward the corner window table for a panoramic view of the neighboring Russian church and street business. A few selections of tea are available, but jasmine has just the right level of bitterness and a cooling effect that pairs well with dim sum.
Fried: Meant to be eaten family style, dim sum encompasses not just different flavors and textures, but also distinct cooking methods to enhance the taste, from steaming to panfrying. A mini station in the dining room serves made-to-order pan-fried dishes. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the rice noodle roll, with a few sprinkles of dried shrimp acting as a savory enhancer ($2.15), is served best with a touch of sweet hoisin sauce. Filled with a shrimp and bamboo shoot mixture, the crisp spring roll ($2.15) has skin that shatters with one bite.
Steamed: Served in a bamboo rack like most steamed items, the siu mai, a mushroom and pork mixture topped with fish roe and wrapped in wonton skin ($2.15), cleverly demonstrates that a chewy texture from the wonton skin goes well with the meaty filling. Soaked in a sweet and savory sauce with a slightly bitter taste from black bean, the steamed chicken feet ($2.15) resemble the texture of bone marrow. Slightly sticky translucent skin wrapped around a plump shrimp and bamboo filling, the shrimp dumpling ($2.75) is enhanced with a slather of yellow mustard. Comfort food lovers should order the steamed turnip cake, or diced turnip served in a sweet soy sauce ($2.75); the buttery texture literally melts in your mouth. The shao lung bao, or minced pork filling wrapped in a thin wonton-like skin ($2.75), is dunked in black vinegar for tartness and produces a rushing burst of scorching soup when given the slightest puncture.
House special: The chefs show their creative side by combining two dim sum dishes into one spectacular bean-curd rice noodle dish. A perfect combination of soft and crispy, the deep-fried bean curd shrimp roll ($4.75) is cleverly wrapped in rice noodle and accented with a sesame sauce for required sweetness. A rustic selection is the clay pot filled with rice flavored by earthy mushrooms and seasoned chicken ($3.90).
The pineapple crusted pork bun ($2.90) balances sweet and savory flavors: The sweet, flaky crust blends well with the filling of chopped pork bathed in sour and tangy BBQ sauce. Rewarding my taste buds after a few passages through savory town, a silky tofu bathed in a sweet, thin brown sugar syrup ($2.15) makes a great light dessert.
Dim sum’s popularity: Albert Yau, manager of the Mayflower Restaurant group, explains that dim sum has been popular because it offers “small portions and more choices.” Diners can sample a myriad of flavors and textures at reasonable prices.
Mayflower Seafood Restaurant
6255 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco
(415) 387-8338
………. Lunch ……….
Mon. – Fri.: 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Sat. & Sun.: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
………. Dinner ……….
Mon. – Fri.: 5:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
Sat. & Sun.: 5:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Prices: $2 – 4 per dish
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