Yank Sing for Deem Sum in San Francisco

Deem Sum used to be more common among my posse when I lived on the East Coast so I haven't spent much time exploring the offerings in California. A media bud introduced me to Yank Sing this past week in Rincon Center on Spear Street in San Francisco, a stone's throw from the Financial District.

Likely due to the location, it was packed. As is typical with dim sum, carts came by every few minutes with one offering after another ranging from steamed dumplings and stirfy vegetables and meat to butter lettuce enclosed 'chicken and pork' pockets you eat by hand.

For those not familiar with the tradition and style, Deem Sum literally translated means "to touch the heart."

Some of the options we tried included snow pea shoot dumplings (Dau Miu Gow), chicken fun gwor (steamed translucent crescent dumplings filled with a tasty wok-cooked hand-chopped chicken, shiitake mushroom, winter bamboo shoots, and cilantro-flavored stuffing), sauteed string beans, cabbage salad, steamed pork buns (warm fluffy bread buns stuffed with nuggets of honey-glazed BBQ pork), and of course the traditional potstickers (Wor Tee) filled with minced chicken, scallions, ginger, and toasted sesame oil stuffing, steamed in a wok, then shallow- pan-fried, and served with vinegar, soy sauce and Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce.

What I didn't try but would like to sample on a future visit:

Peking Duck - A Yank Sing Signature dish, house-roasted Peking Duck served as a deem sum appetizer, Crispy paper thin honey-coated skin and tender slices of succulent meat stuffed in a steamed seashell bun, accompanied with finely slivered scallions and smears of tangy hoisin sauce.

Stuffed Crab Claws - Light and fluffy crab and shrimp mousse croquette encasing a whole snow crab claw, deep-fried until golden brown. (even though I'm definitely not a fan of deep-fried food and in fact, very very rarely eat it).

The ambience is bustling and the service was great - a large glass tea kettle filled with strong flavorful green tea came within minutes of asking for it. One thing to note: lunch for 3 was very pricey by deem sum standards, given that we didn't order any alcohol neither did we go crazy with wild ingredients and menu options. (nearly $120 including tip).