Zhen‘s Kitchen — Restaurant in San Francisco

back in the day, when it was a different owner. I go here for the porridge, and always come here for yam cha. I'm glad that the new management has retained the same style of cooking with their porridge and that's why old customers of the old restaurants continue to go there just for that. They also revamped the dimsum to whole new flavor which is a plus.

I would highly recommend that if you are planning to go there for yamcha on the weekends, either come here before they open, so you will be the first group to get in, or make sure your phone is fully charged so you can play some games while you wait, you may end up waiting for 30 mins to get a seat, 15 mins to get your order another 30 mins to get your food serve. Thats how busy it is over here. Or do it what locals do and just come here on a weekday. This is one of the restaurant in Chinatown where if they have the ingredients, they'll cook it for you, even if it's not on the menu. So that's another plus (if you're familiar with Chinese cuisine, sorry/not sorry if you're foreigner) for example, Mapo Tofu is not on the menu, but we were able to order it. Another thing is if you ask them what vegetables do they have, the server will list all of that's available, then you can simply ask them to stir fry it with chopped garlic, or even steamed salted fish with pork, etc. I had dinner here, and for a large plate of Mapo Tofu (not in menu - especially made) Fish porridge, and a bowl of rice only cost $27. You don't need to spend too much to enjoy great food in San Francisco, you just need to listen to the locals. Don't go finding restaurants in thr tourist area. Stay local, and you'll find great places...

Cockroach and dirty silverware

I was served an ice water and realized with my first sip that the glass was dirty as the rim was textured around one side. I later saw that I had been charged for the ice water, which I was not made aware of. While waiting for our food, a cockroach flew basically onto my table. An employee removed the cockroach and said nothing about it. The menu items arrived and looked nothing like the images on the menu. I realized then that my chopsticks were also dirty. My table had ordered the “Deep Fried Chicken Shaped Meat Dumplings” that were supposed to be shaped like chickens. They were just blobs. Our waiter used ordinary office scissors to cut the “chicken-shaped” dumplings. I wish I had a photo of how those dumplings were portrayed on the menu, but the photo does not seem to be available on their online menu. The restaurant was nearly empty and I wish I had noted that before...

Broadway Cafe, not to be confused with Broadway Dim Sum & Cafe a few storefronts down. First things first. This place is CASH ONLY, open late, authentic, and a bit dingy (but what awesome place in Chinatown isn't really). There are a few large tables in the middle of the room, and the hard seat style of booths along the sides of the room.

Portions are big, prices are small, and the food is good. You'll find your typical Hong Kong/Cantonese fare here along with some more interesting items like spaghetti, french toast, and some other weird combinations. I can't recommend those since I haven't had them, but if you order the rice options, pan fried dishes, walnut shrimp, gai lan, jook, and other traditional dishes, you'll be satisfied. There is also an extensive drink menu, which includes milk tea to pair...