House Of Nanking, 8/17/07

I've eaten at the House of Nanking several times before and decided to take my dad there for a birthday lunch. We arrived at 2pm on a Friday and the place was packed. There was a line outside that we joined and were seated within 10 minutes. I think everyone will agree that you don't come to this North Beach institution for the service, but the food never lets me down. The distinctively white haired owner took our order, without cracking a smile or looking up from his pad of paper. My parents had never been there, so I took charge of ordering--- well, my dad ordered the fried eggplant, which proved to be our least favorite dish. It had good flavors, a garlicky chili sauce, but was a bit heavy on the fried for us. I ordered the peashoot salad with fried yam strips and crispy tofu. I love this dish. I think I could eat it almost everyday. The light vinaigrette on the peashoots is perfect, a little sesame oil, a little rice vinegar, and whatever else is in it. The peashoots have a great texture, soft and a little crunchy and they begin to slowly wilt in the dressing as the meal goes on. Then we got the sesame chicken with sliced yams and some asian melon that I'm not sure what it is. The chicken is barely battered and has a slightly crunchy edge and a sweet sesame sauce. Its served with white rice and is delicious. This place is an institution for a reason---they do what they do incredibly well. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and everyone.