Canton Seafood & Dim Sum House
San Francisco, CA 94107
Phone: (415) 495-3064
Fax: (415) 495-0815
08/04/2006 Posted by nayiak
Growing up in Canton, I am a total Dim Sum snob. The first time I walked by Canton restaurant, I thought it didnt look like a good one and didn't try until later. I was SO wrong! Its Dim Sum is certainly the best in SF, even compared to the fancy ones (Yank Sing) and the suburb/South Bay ones. A good indication for dim sum quality is Coeng Fun (steam rice rolls with beef/shrimp stuffing). A very simple dish, but very difficult to do it well. I have tried many different places up and down the west coast (including the famous ones in LA), NY & Boston, Canton consistently has the best Coeng Fun. Also, dont miss XO sauce (chili dried scallop sauce) rice noodle, a specialty that you usually have to order it rather than picking it straight out from dim sum carts. Walnut shrimp is good too. They also do a good job on traditional dishes like Har Gaau (shrimp dumpling), Siu Mai (dried pork dumping), Pai Gwat (pork ribs). Stuffed eggplants and Sin Zuk Gyun (pork, bamboo pieces wrapped in bean curds) are good, but could be considered greasy by some. Traditional Chinese buns (barbecue pork, egg custard, lotus seed) are all quite good. In terms of dessert, sweet tofu dessert with ginger syrup is a light one for those health conscious people. Its Daan Taar (egg custard) is good, but not the best I had in San Francisco. Coconut cake is good too. A major drawback is its ambience, a bit dated (thats why my first impression of it was not good, but hey, thats also why its not expensive). But if you want the Chinatown feel, here is the place. The wait staff is generally courteous and fast. I have not tried their dinner menu much, cant comment on that. Even though I have moved to East Coast a couple of years ago, but whenever I get a chance to go back to SF, I always go to Canton for dim sum. Sat 11am to noon is the best time to go, parking entrance on Hawthorne.
Pros: Great dim sum, courteous wait staff, convenient location
Cons: Ambience
Write a review and share your thoughts with others
