House of Nanking

Reviews 4

SU

Sukhraj Beasla

Before heading up to SF, I polled my Facebook and Twitter friends on places to eat for the obligatory marathon victory dinner. As you can see, I keep traditions in tact. Nanking was mentioned several times however it wasnt exactly close to our hotel so we had a fun (read: challenging) time mapping out a route to get here without having to take the car. The journey proved to be quite an adventure. It was freezing cold and the wait for the trolley was 30 minutes long. Good thing I took a nap. The trolley stopped a mile away from our destination so it was another uphill walk (mind you I just ran up a few hills earlier that day so this was NOT fun) and in through China Town before we reached Nanking. And then there was a line. I was thankful for my jacket. It was freezing cold out there. The line outside Nanking is common but moves fast. Its not first come, first serve either. Its actually controlled by the amount of space they have, so if you have a small party youll be seated faster. Since it was just the two of us, we were standing in the back, managed to take a few pictures, and were seated shortly after that but near the door. If you complain about your seat or want to switch, you have to wait outside again so we braved the elements and the rush of wind from outside. Nanking is a well oiled machine and a tightly run operation. Theyre all about quick and efficient service here. You cant lolligag and take your time shooting the breeze here. They need to keep the tables going. Upon being seated we were given menus and water, the next time around she brought us our order of flower tea, and then took our dinner order. Theres no "can you give us 5 minutes please?" So look at the menu or know what you want in advance. The Flower Tea is amazing. Its loose leaf tea and a flower bud. The flower bud opens up in the hot water and creates an amazing taste bud tantalizing flavor. It was perfect for the cold weather and theres nothing quite like it. Next up was our pork pot sticker appetizer. This was my first time trying pork and it was similar to chicken. I loved the flavor and the sauce. I could have easily had a few more. Our main dishes consisted of the house favorite - the sesame chicken, salt/pepper shrimp with mushrooms, and the chow mein. The sesame chicken was amazing. The chicken was perfectly spiced and crunchy and the green beans went along with it very well. The chow mein was a little too much for me. The sauce was very heavy and I could barely eat it. The shrimp and mushroom were also good. I preferred the mushrooms vs the shrimp though. Overall, I think this was an amazing meal. I would definitely come here again if Im in town.

SP

Spooky Emer

A garlic lovers heaven but a germaphobes nightmare! I went here because everytime I host speed dating in the city, I pass by this little hole in the wall & its always packed with people. Finally trying it last night. We were seated right away but expect to share tables w/ strangers. Oh the chairs behind you will be touching your chair so you have to get up each time to let people out. Dont be star struck by the previous clients. Rachel Ray, Jamie Oliver, etc (Pictures on the wall) Its pretty pricey for fried calamari $13.95 that was soaked in vinegar, sprinkled with raw garlic (thats where the one star comes from) Also ordered the scallops that were hidden in a pile of spinach leaves & spring onions. One scallop was cut in 3 or 4 thin slices so its not worth what you pay for $13.95. There must have been 3-4 in total. Very sneaky. Both tasted great but I could get more elsewhere for the same quality & taste. Getting to the germaphobe part. Im a people watcher. I watched the servers. The same lady that took our order, handled several different pens, the fridge door, a cash transaction, 2 credit card transaction, used the computer and several plates, used her bare hands on the lettuce leaves!!! She was serving the family next to us. She took each lettuce leaf (cupped in her hand), put the meat inside then put it one in each of their plates. The family of 4 did not even care. I dont understand. The same lady then continued on with her job then later went to another table & did the same thing. This time with tortilla looking things & once again, using her bare hands then putting the meat inside, folding it then serving to every person on the table. The same lady went back to the food area, she put the back of her knuckles on this dish she was about to serve (to feel if its hot enough i guess) then she spoke to another server who did the same thing! The lady then put it back under the warmer. By then my stomach had done a full routine of a triple back hand spring & I wanted to get out. The place is a mess. They dont seem to have any storage so boxes of this & that are scattered everywhere. The second star is for the tea served in giant beer glass. It looked pretty. The tea, that is. It looked like a tiny bouquet of flowers soaking in hot water. Not coming back ever!!! And wish people were a bit more observant. . .

RO

Robyn Chau

I love this restaurant. It looks deceiving from the outside, small and shady, but inside its much bigger and the decor suggests youre about to eat something amazing and authentic. Youll likely wait outside, make sure to tell the staff how big your party is. Ive never gone with a party smaller than 6, just be prepared to hang out outside in case its busy. When youre expecting to wait, and youre with friends, waiting is actually fine :) When youre seated, you can order something off the menu but I highly recommend you just let the staff bring food to you. This is Chinese food that Ive never experienced, and Ive grown up going to Chinese restaurants. They have a different take on chicken dishes, salads, fish, its all fantastic. We usually just ask for the calamari (DO IT), and then let them choose the rest. The portions are great, perfectly sized for the number of people at the table for everyone to have at least one piece. And with the number of dishes that are continuously brought over, one piece of each will leave you feeling stuffed and satisfied. I did go one time with someone who didnt want to partake in the family style sharing, and she ordered sesame chicken, but it was extremely awkward because for some reason her dish came out about halfway through the whole meal, so she was left foodless while the rest of us had a stack of dishes on the table. I have to say I felt she was treated really rudely, so I was disappointed in that. Come prepared to eat. Come with an open mind. Come with a group. Youll have a great time :)

JO

Joseph Basile

This.place.was.terrible. First of all I almost sat down in a chair that was covered in some kind of sauce. I started cleaning it off when a staff member comes over and takes the chair from me, moves it to a different table and gives me a different chair. That would have been fine if they cleaned it before the next guy sat in it (but they didnt)! Next, I try to explain to the waitress that my party and I are all vegan. This is how the conversation went: Me: "hi, I just want you to know that we are all vegan so we dont eat any egg, meat..." **waitress rudely interrupts me** Waitress: "yea, yea, I know what that is! You can have, this, this, this and this (while pointing at the menu)." We then place the order and the first thing we get are the soups we wanted, and guess what...they all contained egg! Then when we send them back the waitress rolls her eyes at us and starts complaining. I also ordered rice noodles in sesame sauce. There was not only absolutely no trace of any kind of sesame sauce or peanut sauce, (it came in a clear sauce) instead, it was bland on top of bland with salt added to cover up the final bland. Ill never come here again. This ruined our entire day. I know you guys usually expect pictures from me and Im happy to oblige but I was so disgusted with the experience that I got up and walked out.