San Tung

Reviews 3

TI

Tiffany Cheung

If you have never heard of San Tung, youre missing out. Especially if youre into chicken wings. The most amazing and delicious chicken wings that youve ever tasted? I think San Tung nails that description with their original dry-fried chicken wings. So if youve never heard of San Tung, let me enlighten you. Chicken wings. People make the drive from all sorts of places just to wait in line and get a taste of these delicious and mouth-watering wings. And because it was such a hit with customers, they opened a second San Tungs next door to the original one. The first time I tried San Tungs, the line was quite long and it was almost closing time. We ended up ordering three orders of the original dry-fried chicken wings and debated on eating it back at my friends apartment ... or being shameless and eating outside of a liquor store on a public bench. With the AMAZING whiff of sauce from the chicken wings hitting our noses, we knew that we wouldnt last the few blocks so we opted for the latter. Yep. We sat outside, using chop sticks and fingers trying to quickly eat up the chicken wings because they were that good, but also trying to avoid burning our tongues and mouths. We ended up burning our mouths anyway, but because it was so good, we didnt mind. We just wanted to continue eating. Even though the chicken seems pretty lackluster, the moment you eat it with the special sauce, something triggers your taste buds to think, "no, Ive actually never had anything as amazing as this." Its not fried to the point of KFC as the chickens are then doused in a sticky sweet sauce that hardens quickly. Food: Garlic Green Beans: Theyre good for a vegetable dish, but honestly its just a regular green bean dish. You can probably make just as good green beans at home. I wouldnt say theyre anything spectacular. Black Bean Noodles: My sister originally saw some type of noodle and asked the waitress what it was. The waitress told us it was the black bean noodles, and when it came out, we were pretty disappointed because it wasnt the dish we had originally planned on getting. The black bean noodle dish is light in flavor and pretty unique, but for me - I just thought it was bland and tasteless. There were bits and pieces of meat inside, but personally, wasnt a fan. Rice: You pay by bowl. Original Dry-Fried Chicken Wings: Each order comes with 12 wings, and I dont think you can do half orders, so we had 2 orders of chicken wings. Even though they were that good, we couldnt finish it all and had to force ourselves to eat the remaining few wings. But, Im glad we had rice to complement the sweet sauce of the chicken wings. The rice allowed us to feel as if we were eating a hearty Chinese dinner. After my family tried these wings for the first time, they agreed with me that it was really good. Something about the way they cook it and douse it with the sauce - it doesnt taste too unhealthy. The chicken is crunchy on the outside with tangy flavor from the sauce seeping in, but upon biting into it, you get mouthfuls of tender chicken. tl;dr - Yes, I actually wrote detailed paragraphs about how finger-licking good the chicken at San Tung really is. If theres a long wait at 1, just head to 2 or order take-out to save time. Original Dry-Fried Chicken Wings is all you need from San Tungs. I dont know if theres ever no line, so it kinda comes down to luck. You can also call in to order for pick-up, but I tried that once and they told me they had run out of chicken wings. Definitely give this place a try if youve never had it. Its worth the visit and youll leave feeling full and without any regrets.

NE

Nei Ng

Growing up in the Sunset and having San Tung within walking distance has taught me that theres only 3 things to get here. Besides the chicken wings, dumplings, and noodles, everything else isnt really worth ordering. The Dried Fried Chicken Wings are one of the few things on the 7x7 list that lives up to the hype. Theyre juicy and crispy even though theyre completely smothered with sauce. Soy sauce and honey give the wings a strong savory and sweet foundation. Theres also green onions, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers to add some brightness, depth, and a little spicy kick. The wings alone are worth a trip. As others have mentioned, you can also order the wings next door. My suggestion is to put your name on the clipboard at San Tung, go have a round of wings next door, then have another round when your table is ready. Im also a fan of the dumplings here. I usually just get the Shrimp and Chive Dumplings. The skins arent too thick and have a smooth, firm chewiness. Theres a good amount of shrimp morsels inside, and the slight garlicky flavor of the chives compliments the shrimps natural sweetness. San Tung also provides the ingredients to make your own dumpling sauce. My recipe for the perfect dipping sauce is equal parts soy sauce and chili oil, then just a dash of vinegar for a slight acidic tang. If youre the type of person that absolutely loves vinegar, then feel free to use it all up. Go ham. I dont think their noodle soups are the best because the broth is never very flavorful, but their noodles work well with the thick saucy styles. The noodles have a great firm and chewy texture. Theyre slick and have a slight springiness that make them very fun to eat. Im not a huge fan of their Dan Dan Noodles because it doesnt have any Szechuan peppercorns. I think its mostly bean paste and onions, but I like the peanutty sauce of the Cold Noodles and the thick Black Bean Sauce Noodles. I tend to order the Cold Noodles most of the time because of the variety of ingredients they put in it, and I prefer the peanut sauces flavor. In general, its hard to go wrong with any of their thick saucy noodles. TL;DR: Eat wings, dumplings, noodles. Leave happy.

JE

Jessica Gong

Crack chicken!!! *ahem* I mean Dried Fried Chicken! Its UBER delicious!!!! You cant eat just one piece of chicken. OMG I can still taste the deliciousness in my mouth. My mouth is just watering thinking about it. Its a little bit pricey for the portions, but its totally worth it. There is always a huge wait for a table and there isnt much of a "waiting area" so youre more likely to wait outside, in the cold outdoors of richmond. We were lucky the first time we went that we could wait inside so we noticed the common thing at every single table was the Dry chicken. So when you stop by here you have to at least get one order to try. We also ordered the homemade pork dumplings. However, to me this tasted store bought. It was not as awesome as other dumplings in other chinese restaurants. I only ate one piece while my friends devoured the rest. We also ordered sautéed beans. It was pretty good however a little bit oily for my taste though. However, after coming here a few times, the veggies could be a hit or miss. It depends on when the grocer comes in to deliver. Unfortunately, I dont know what days they get their deliveries so I can guarantee fresh crisp veggies for you. When I found out, Ill be sure to let you know. They also give each table a side of homemade Kimchi. It wasnt as spicy as most kimchi but it was a little peppery. If you get the chance, and youre not allergic to nuts such as peanuts, I recommend the Cold Noodles. They use a peanut paste as well as crushed peanut to flavor the wheat noodles. It seems so simple yet so delicious... *drools* The overall service was good for how busy they were except that when we ran out of tea we had to go out of our way to ask for tea. Usually by tipping open the lid of the tea pot is the universal signal a table needs more tea but apparently here its not but maybe it was because there were tons of people hungry for dry chicken.