R&G Lounge
Hot Tea
Salt and Pepper Crab
Egg Custard with Mussels
Peking Duck
Walnut Shrimp
Cold Plate – Ham, Vegetarian Goose
Cold Plate – Borurbon Squab
Frequently featured in articles referencing the “Best of the Bay” but always falling short of my personal “short list” as I awaited additional diners with whom I could share it was finally a Father’s Day lunch with a former colleague and her family that brought me to R&G Lounge and with both service and cuisine that pleased three immigrants from mainland China, two Midwesterners, and even a child I must say the restaurant lived up to the press. Truly a ‘destination’ restaurant for Asian families and all the more so for a holiday lunch it was with a bit of luck that I landed the reservation for a six-top with only two week’s notice and quickly seated in a room beneath the streets of Chinatown upon our 11am arrival it was clear expeditious ordering would be to our benefit – a seven plate meal served in five courses with clockwork timing while surrounding tables sat in wait. Beginning with tea and focusing largely on signature plates plus a few of my friends’ family favorites it was in R&G’s fabled fried crab that we began and with light batter laden with spice overlying the crustacean’s sweet flesh everyone at the table smiled, a similar effect generated by the cold-plate trio whose ham and ‘goose’ wowed while the boozy whole-bird found more favor with my friends than it did with me. Still licking fingers and picking at the crab’s crisp carapace it would not be long before more shellfish arrived and this time trending sweet it would pose a difficult decision whether to focus on snappy shrimp with caramelized walnuts or mussel studded egg pudding, particularly bearing in mind that yet to come – a crispy whole duck with plenty of bao that was carved in the kitchen but still piping hot and rich with fat and flavor to round out a truly memorable meal in setting, service, friendship, and food.
RECOMMENDED: Salt and Pepper Crab, Walnut Prawns, Mussel Custard.
AVOID: Squab was far too boozy for me and although apparently a traditional dish even my friend commented that this was a more potent preparation than most.
TIP: Dessert consists of only ice cream so those in need of something sweet may look elsewhere – Golden Gate Bakery is nearby as are several other traditional Asian alternatives…plus the rest of the San Francisco’s remarkable patisseries, bakeries, and scoop shops.
http://rnglounge.com/
