chinatown | The Opinionated Woman's Musings

Brandy Ho’s Hunan Food www.brandyhos.com

When we were in San Francisco, we stayed in Chinatown.

We ventured out to check out a local place for dinner. Of course, we wanted Chinese food.

We found Brandy Ho’s Hunan Food. This is a family owned and run restaurant located in San Francisco’s old red-light district. They are known for their authentic, deliciously spicy Hunanese cuisine. From their website, they explain, “Hunan cuisine is infamous for its use of the chili pepper. They are also known for using smoking techniques in their cooking as well as mixing in lots of shallots and garlic.”

When we entered the restaurant, it did not seem too crowded. After looking at the menu, we decided to try it.

I ordered the Shredded Pork With Celery $11.95 and added Jasmine Rice + $1.95 . This dish consisted of pork sauteed with celery, carrots, bamboo shoots in a spicy ginger sauce.

I also ordered Egg Rolls $6.00 (Stuffed with vegetables & tree ear mushrooms).

Hubby ordered what he orders at every Chinese restaurant: beef and broccoli.

TOW: The food was tasty but spicier than anticipated. I like spicy food, but was not prepared for the heat. Even hubby mentioned that his food had more chili pepper in it than he was used to having.

I thought the business was slow (since it was not crowded), but as we sat there, I saw a lot of pickup orders. I guess most people chose not dine in but carry out.

If you are in the area, check them out!

217 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94113

Phone 415.788.7527

This is one of the many Chinese restaurants inChinatown. We chose this restaurant because (1) it was midnight- theyclose at 3 am on Friday and Saturday nights (2) we were hungry and (3)it was walking distance from our hotel.

First of all, no egg rolls served at this establishment. So don’t ask! It surprised me because I thought that eggrolls were a Chinese food staple. I thought the waiter did not understand what I was talking about. He did understand and, shaking his head emphatically, was telling me "No egg roll here".

I ordered spareribs with tender greens rice plate. I wanted BBQ ribs but did not realize that was not what I ordered. In any case it was a great value for $6.25 and there was enough food for two people. Dave and I shared this.

The ribs were cooked well and have a brown gravy covering it all. The greens were bok choy (I think). I cannot explain the flavors because
there is nothing to compare to it. It was delicious though. It was not spicy so I added Siracha chili sauce.

The wait staff were nice enough. The guy that took our order seemed to be no nonsense, taking his job more seriously than I thought necessary. He made sure our drink glasses were filled at all times and he was very attentive, so that was fine by me.

As we walked by the counter when we left, I saw all the comments about the fame of Yuet Lee as it was rated one of the city’s best seafood restaurants. Had I known that, I would have probably order seafood instead of ribs. Go figure. At least I know for next time.

Yuet Lee
1300 Stockton Str San Francisco, CA 94133