A few years ago, I lived in San Francisco’s Richmond District. I didn’t realize how good I had it at the time — you could hardly take ten steps in any direction without walking into a quality restaurant. My favorite dim sum restaurant was a five minute walk away, and after I moved, I searched fruitlessly for a replacement dim sum joint.
Enter City View. Located on the border of the Financial District and Chinatown, City View has become my new favorite dim sum restaurant — well, on this side of the city at least. I first visited for a work lunch, and I’ve been back many times since, most recently to introduce my great-aunt, who was visiting from Iran, to the joys of dim sum.
We started with the shrimp rice noodle rolls. These are usually stuffed with beef, but both variations were ethereal, velvety, and coated with just the right amount of savory sauce. Flecked with green onions and juicy shrimp, these are one of my favorite dim sum.
Next, we had the seafood-stuffed eggplant and tofu. Deep-fried and delicately stuffed with a shellfish puree, this was hearty. The eggplant was my favorite part: buttery without being oily.
We feasted on several more dim sum: shrimp dumplings, potstickers, siu mai, crisp-skinned duck with Mandarin pancakes and sesame balls, each delicious in their own way.
I’ve visited City View on weekdays and weekends alike and it’s nearly always busy. You’ll want to arrive before 1:00 pm so you have a good selection from the carts (City View closes at 2:30 pm).
And oh, my great-aunt? Suffice to say she’s now a fan too. It just goes to show you: good dim sum knows no boundaries.