The Taste of Change

Comments (0) By Greg Hugunin Wednesday, Nov 3 1999

...continued from page 1

Location Info

Map

Phong Lan

45 Turk
San Francisco, CA 94102

Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese

Region: Hayes Valley/ Tenderloin

0 user reviews	Write A Review
Save to foursquare

Details

45 Turk (at Mason), 921-8767. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Reservations not necessary. Wheelchair accessible. Parking: not too difficult. Muni: all streetcar lines (exit at Powell Street), 31, 9, BART. Sound level: quiet

More About

Luckily, Phong Lan also offers water and rice (free), which took the edge off the murderous pepper just in time for our final dish, the combination chow fun ($4.95). Featuring a somewhat thinner noodle than Chinese chow fun, the dish came with beef, chicken, shrimp, carrots, cabbage, and broccoli, all of which complemented each other perfectly.

As we finished, our waiter/proprietor dropped by to deliver the bill (less than $40 for seven courses and two beers, and the place is even cheaper for lunch). He told us that, as charming as the bar décor might be, a little remodeling lies in Phong Lan's future. Which seems a shame, in a way, since there's something wonderful about a family-owned restaurant being run amid the vestiges of a place where young men used to grow up way too fast. But oh well. Progress is progress, I guess, and I'm certainly not one to stand in its way.