I came from a breakfast dimsum many years ago (before the days of smartphones) when I was visiting a Singaporean friend who had moved to San Francisco. The size of the hargow still haunts me to this day.
Founded in 1958, Yank Sing is a third-generation, family-owned dim sum restaurant in San Francisco, and a go-to for locals and visitors alike. Yang Sing is anglicised Cantonese pronunciation of Yangcheng 羊城, the alternative name for Guangzhou.
It has since moved from its location in SF Chinatown (Broadway and Stockton) to this location so expect a higher-end Chinese dining hall, not super fancy but nicer. San Francisco is expensive in general, and Yank Sing is no exception, but expect to pay a premium for such quality food and service.
Service was the real star here. Plenty of friendly staff to help with any need. And the dimsum trolleys were well stocked and circulated aggressively. The food is literally piping hot whether it’s from the trolleys or from the kitchen.
I always order lomaigai when I go yumcha (the verb for eating dimsum). Yank Sing’s lomaigai 糯米雞 (lit. glutinous rice chicken) is a delicious savoury pillow of tender and sticky glutinous rice steamed with chicken, mushrooms, pork belly, Chinese sausage and salted egg yolk. Nothing to fault here as the taste is very traditional, but the filling is a bit sparing.
The hargow (prawn dumpling) was not as big as before but still packed with a whole large-sized shrimp. The skin was not as thin as one would get in Guangzhou or Hong Kong, but this is still better than a lot of dim sum places I had in the US.
The name “siewmai” 燒賣 is thought to come from the Cantonese words “siew” 燒, which means “burn” or “hot”, and “mai” 賣, which means “sell”. The name is said to refer to the dish’s popularity, as it was always sold out and was considered a “hot-selling” item.
It features bite-sized pork ribs steamed with fermented black beans, aromatics, and a set of umami-rich condiments. They are loved for their complex flavours – savoury, aromatic, garlicky, earthy, and more – alongside their tender and juicy texture.
Yank Sing’s xiaolongbao 小籠包 aka Shanghai-style soup dumplings are a perennial favourite among their fans. Perhaps I am used to simple the bests in Shanghai and Taiwan, I find them rather ordinary. And they are not piping hot like in China, so that’s a negative.
Pan-fried radish cake is a common breakfast or snack in Singapore and also a popular dish in dimsum restaurants. It has been called the wrong names – turnip cakes in US and carrot cake in Singapore – but it is actually made with radish. Additional chopped ingredients like dried shrimps, dried shiitake mushrooms, Chinese sausages and others that provide umami flavouring are added to shredded Chinese radish and cornstarch, and steamed into a cake/pudding.
You don’t get this often in Singapore any more. Wukok 芋角 is a classic Cantonese dim sum dish that is favourited by many. Mashed taro (yam) is formed into ovals and stuffed with meat and veggies and deep-fried like a curry puff.
This was supposed to be sautéed eggplant with minced pork 魚香茄子, but to cater to the vegetarians, this is simply sautéed with a savoury sauce.
And finally to round off a delicious breakfast, we ordered their crowd-pleasing mini egg tarts 迷你蛋塔.
At 64 years old, Yank Sing is a nationally renowned San Francisco institution, and any restaurant that’s survived that long is worth giving a chance. It is arguably the place in downtown SF for dimsum. The upscale setting boasts reasonable prices, and while peak hours entail a wait, one can be assured of quality and abundant variety from these carts rolling out of the kitchen.
Yank Sing 羊城茶室
101 Spear St., San Francisco, 94105, USA
Tel : +1 (415) 781-1111
Visited Dec 2024
Michelin California Guide Bib Gourmand 2019-24
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