New Life

Tong Palace

Comments (0) By Greg Hugunin Wednesday, Aug 21 2002

...continued from page 1

Anthony Pidgeon

After the Fire: Compared to its old look, Tong Palace's newly rebuilt digs gleam like the Taj Mahal.

Anthony Pidgeon

After the Fire: Compared to its old look, Tong Palace's newly rebuilt digs gleam like the Taj Mahal.

Location Info

Map

Tong Palace

933 Clement
San Francisco, CA 94118

Category: Restaurant > Chinese

Region: Richmond (Inner)

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Details

Minced chicken with lettuce $10

Pork and mustard greens soup $7

Crystal scallops $11

Braised tofu $8

Dim sum approximately $20-25/person

668-3988

Open daily from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Reservations accepted

Wheelchair accessible

Parking: difficult

Muni: 2

Noise level: moderate

933 Clement (at 11th Avenue)

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Clay pot rice (a specialty -- the menu offers nine versions) was the only true disappointment. We expected curried rice, or at least sauced rice. Instead, the pot contained plain jasmine rice topped with tough, overly salty cured duck, Chinese sausage, and a few greens. We fared better with the buttery crystal scallops sautéed with asparagus, sugar snap peas, and celery (the last a jarring note that overwhelmed the other ingredients). Braised tofu, meanwhile, was simply awesome. Golden cubes of deep-fried bean curd were simmered until they exploded with a molten gush, then served with crisp yet tender greens and slices of intensely meaty shiitake mushrooms, whose flavor permeated the luxurious brown sauce. We definitely got our money's worth here. A few spoonfuls of the sauce rescued the otherwise dry clay pot rice, and the free slices of coconut custard for dessert were equally cost-effective.

Though I still curse whoever attacked Tong Palace, it's good to see that the story has a happy -- and delicious -- end.