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Great Dim Sum in the Valencia Corridor

Great Dim Sum in the Valencia Corridor

Review of: Big Lantern Dim Sum
By: Avery Glasser
Rating: 4
Read review on Judy’s Book.

Finding good take out Chinese food in San Francisco has always been a challenge. After cutting my teeth on Boston and New York Chinatown food, something about the local Chinese seemed, well lacking. Maybe it was the fact that every chinese place here seems to sell the same Hunan cuisine that there’s not much to distinguish it. Even the venerable Henry’s Hunan has lost its luster.

So, when friends from Tampa said we should have Chinese tonight, I hit the reviews online and decided on Big Lantern.

The restaurant – clean and bright with an open kitchen. We were shown a table by someone that we assume is the owner. The menu was unexpected – focusing on special dishes with only a small selection of the typical Chinese standards. After talking to the owner about their best dishes, we went with a selection of dim sum, meat dishes and a noodle dish.

The dim sum ranged from excellent to good. The stuffed crab claws and hargow were excellent. The siu mai, siu long bao and the shrimp toast were very good, and the pan fried pork buns were good. Nothing bad, and the crab claws are the best any of us have had in ages.

I asked if they had pork belly for twice-cooked pork, but unfortunately they didn’t have any – but he offered a similar dish with roasted char siu, which fit the bill. As of their next printing of the menu, real twice-cooked pork with pork belly will be on the menu. We also had Kung Pao Chicken, very well made, but I am not a fan of zucchini in this dish. The surprising dish was an excellent spicy “numbing” noodles – lo mein covered with a ground pork and shiitake ragout.

All of this, Pu Erh tea and two beers ran us $60. Plus, they deliver out to the ballpark, meaning that we have a good delivery option in SOMA/Mission Bay.

Highly recommended for dim sum or main courses.

Posted in Reviews.


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