Amber Lee's Chinatown: SF native's cultural bridge to her favorite dishes

SAN FRANCISCO - As part of our coverage honoring Asian American Pacific Islander Month this May, KTVU's Amber Lee takes us to San Francisco Chinatown to show us the food she grew up with. She lets us in on some of her favorite spots and dishes. 

"I'm a native San Franciscan. Growing up, my parents would take me to Chinatown often. As a family, we love to have dim sum." 

Chinese food is an important part of Amber's life, heritage and culture. Although Amber grew up in the Mission District, she was born at Chinese Hospital in Chinatown. She says her parents would hold all of their family celebrations in Chinatown, so her ties run deep. 

"I don't consider myself a food critic or expert. What I do know is that I love to eat Chinese food, so I hope that what I'm sharing with you will encourage you to try something new," Amber says. 

Dim sum is meant to be shared 

Amber took us behind the scenes at Great Eastern Restaurant, at 649 Jackson Street, to show us how some of her personal dim sum favorites are made. 

Here in the kitchen, dim sum is made daily. In Chinese, it means piece of heart. Workers in the kitchen can be seen cutting up dough to make dim sum wrappers for the grilled leek dumplings. 

"Dim sum definitely has my heart. It's among my favorite things to eat. It's food from Southern China, where my parents came from. In Chinese, we say yum-cha, meaning drink tea when we eat dim sum." 

"It's the family time. It's family time at the restaurant," Great Eastern co-owner Marisa Tam says from the kitchen. "You have many varieties. You can try other things." 

Amber says she likes the no-frills approach at Great Eastern, a restaurant that offers a variety of delicious food. Dim sum is more fun when you're with a large group, she says. That way, you can taste more items. 

Tam says Great Eastern's specialty is traditional old-fashioned dim sum. She says the freshness of their food is something they're really proud of. "It's a big deal. We don't use frozen," Tam says. 

Amber agrees for Chinese people, that authenticity is a big deal. 

At Great Eastern, the dumpling wrappers are made from scratch with wheat starch. In Cantonese, Chef Ken Chan says the thinner the wrap, the better. Shrimp is in many dim sum items. Some dumplings have cilantro, peanuts and other ingredients. 

Egg mixtures are being beaten. They're for the egg custard tarts, a popular baked dessert. Onto the tray and into the oven they go. 

Dishes here are cooked in a variety of ways; including steamed, grilled and fried. "Every time I come here, I always order the gow choi so (pork, shrimp, and leek puff pastry). I love the flakey crust and the savory filling," Amber says. 

Co-owner Shek Lee says the puff pastry is a popular item in Hong Kong. The pan fried shrimp rolls is another dish Amber recommends. The siu my-a pork, mushroom and shrimp dumpling is another must have. Steamed pork ribs are also popular. 

Tam says the restaurant has been open since 1986. Many of its workers have been with the restaurant for decades. Chan is seen pictured with former President Obama. He once made a surprise visit and bought take out. 

The regular customers here are largely immigrants who live and work in the neighborhood, according to Tam. Sometimes people can spend hours here. Enjoying dim sum while socializing. 

"These people come every day. It's a habit for them," Tam says. 

Food on the go: Quick, easy, convenient

There is no shortage of take out spots in San Francisco's Chinatown and Amber Lee leads the KTVU crew to two of her favorites. One is for barbecue and the other is for dim sum again, but this time for when you're on the go.

 These places are quick, easy and convenient. Most importantly, they offer delicious food. They also happen to both be family operated. 

When you come to Chinatown, you don't always have time for a sit-down meal. The focus here is comfort food that offers quality and convenience. 

Hing Lung Company, at 1261 Stockton Street, a Chinese barbecue spot, has been here for decades – since 1977, in fact. The name means prosperity. 

"My parents would regularly buy sui op, which means roast duck, cha situ, or barbecue pork, and siu yuk – roast pork – for our family meals," Amber says. 

Brothers Simon and Eric Cheung, who now own the business, say quality control and an extra serving of pride are new ingredients they've added to their menu. 

"You've got to love it. This type of work is hard work. Sometimes I stay here one, two in the morning," says co-owner Eric Cheung. 

When asked which is his favorite dish to prepare, Chef Eric doesn't hesitate.

 "Definitely the roast duck. I just love the way it tastes. When you get it perfectly golden brown, it feels really good," he says with a laugh. 

Amber says she's eaten their roast duck and the roast and barbecue pork. She says they are as delicious as they look. "All items I ate as a child and still enjoy as an adult." 

The brothers say they put care into each step of the process. It's all about the attention to detail. 

"From me taking it out of the oven, checking how good it is, then I hand it over to my brother. He checks everything," Simon Cheung says. "The quality control is crazy here. We do so many quality checks before it even goes out to the front." 

The brothers say they started learning how to become roasters in 2016 to save the family business. 

"It was going to fail if we didn't step up," Eric says. "We can keep going down the road of hiring a chef who's here just for a paycheck, or we can try to do it differently." 

They expanded on their love for cooking. They developed new techniques, including how to make the skin of their roast duck crispier, and created their own blend of spices. 

The Cheung brothers took over the business from their father and made it their own, adding "Go Duck Yourself" to the Hing Lung Co. name. That was something that set them apart from other businesses that share the same name, but are not affiliated. 

"We put our heart into everything we make," says Simon. 

In addition to their love for the food, the brothers say they're evolving their family business by offering their food online and provide an English menu. 

"We made it a point to get on social media because there's not much of these shops like this that are open to the world," Simon says. 

Hing Lung accepts various forms of payment, unlike many cash-only food business in Chinatown. 

"With my job, I'm always on-the-go. So I often rely on takeout," says Amber. 

Just a short walk away from Hing Lung Co., House of Dim Sum on 735 Jackson Street offers variety and convenience. 

Abby Huang is hands-on running this family business. They are open seven days a week. 

Huang displays a tray of barbecue pork buns. Amber says she's stopped in many times at this dim sum bakery to pick up food for snacks or a quick meal. 

"We have vegetarian, gluten free…" says Huang. In the kitchen, workers are busy filling dumplings. "What they are doing is making cilantro and shrimp dumplings."

Huang says she was successful and happy working as a cosmetic consultant at Bloomingdale's, but decided family came first. She says her parents owned a similar business in China before they immigrated to the U.S. 

"That's why I have to work hard too. Even though they're old, they're working hard for the next generation," says Huang. 

A customer pops in to ask if they have any of the chive and shrimp dumplings. 

The shop attracts customers from all over the Bay Area. Concord residents Madelyn and Rusty Punsalang say they like the food here; the buns and the egg custard.

Another mother-daughter duo are picking up barbecue pork buns, plain buns and shrimp dumplings. 

Janet Stickmon, of Richmond, says she picks up things that are quick and easy and that she gets good service. 

Back at Hing Lung Co., the brothers say the shop is more than a business. They say part of their mission is to also help Chinatown prosper. 

"We try to make the best quality food possible, so you want to come to Chinatown. You want to shop here," Simon says. 

Fresh seafood and cured meats 

Two specialty businesses in Chinatown, both off the beaten path, have steady and loyal clientele. 

One is a restaurant that specializes in fresh seafood and unique dim sum and the other is a 167-year-old shop that makes Chinese sausages and bacon. 

Lai Hong Lounge at 1416 Powell Street, is a bit away from the busy parts of Chinatown. The lure is the fresh seafood – a black cod is taken right from a tank filled with crabs and lobster, something Amber says she loves to eat. 

Their mixed-grain fried rice is a creation unique to this restaurant. And the pan-fried rice noodle with preserved vegetables and beef is a dish recommended by co-owners Tiffany Zhou and her brother Leon. 

Tiffany says for the fried noodles, her favorite part is that it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

"They put pickled vegetables in it. It's sour, but then there's sweetness and savory," she says. 

"It's a real good balance," says Leon. 

Something Amber loves to accompany her meal when eating dim sum is chrysanthemum tea. 

"My favorite," Amber says. 

Hot tea to drink with food is a Chinese custom to help with digestion. A visit to this restaurant would not be complete without an order or two of a house specialty – the baked pork buns. 

"This is the best pork bun I've ever had," Amber says. "The top is sweet and crunchy and there's meat in every single bite." 

Their pan fried turnip cake is something Amber really enjoys. "It's made with our house made XO sauce," says Tiffany. The sauce is made with dried shrimp and scallops. 

The aforementioned black cod is steamed with scallions, cilantro and soy sauce. 

"You want a swimming live fish," Leon says. "You can tell it's fresh because it's coming right off the bone. 

Amber remembers as a family growing up, coming to Chinatown for the fresh seafood, but her parents also shopped for cured meats. 

"Back then, we would only find those items in a Chinese store in this neighborhood," Amber says. 

Mow Lee Shing Khee & Co.  located at 774 Commercial Street is a store that is like a step back in time. 

According to owner Lien Lee, the business opened in 1856 – 167 years ago. She's the sixth generation in her family to run the shop. 

Lee says word of mouth brings her a steady stream of customers. 

In Cantonese, one of the workers says the meats are marinated in soy sauce and wine for four days and then oven dried for two days. 

"Since I was a little girl, my mom would buy lap cheung for me, which is Chinese sausage. The other family favorite: lap yuk, which is bacon," says Amber. 

The selection of cured meats include duck and chicken.

Lee has customers who've been coming here for decades. 

"I have colleagues who are in Southern California who love the stuff over here that I need to ship down to them," says customer Elaine Leung. 

One woman says she's been coming to the store for 38 years. On this particular day, she says she's buying for a classmate in New York City. 

Back at Lai Hong Lounge, Amber meets with the creator of the restaurant's many innovative dishes, Zhou Ming – Tiffany and Leon's father. 

In Cantonese, Amber tells him his food is delicious. 

The fried green tea ball is an example of his creations. It's his take on the traditional sesame ball. 

Speaking in Cantonese, he says the ingredients he uses are to make the outside crispy and the inside soft. 

The Zhou family describes their food as authentic traditional Chinese dishes with a creative bent, but definitely not fusion. 

"It's about how you take those ingredients and make something new and different with it," he says. "We use similar ingredients for a lot of different things, but we cook them differently to allow us to have that variety." 

The restaurant has received a Michelin recommendation multiple times, which is an honorable mention – a distinction that the family says helps them share their food with the world. 

"I'm just proud that we're able to keep our traditions alive," Tiffany says. 

"The food in Chinatown is fresh and unique. Some things are an acquired taste. But there's so much variety. There's something for everyone," Amber says. 

Celebrating with food and the last standing banquet hall 

Amber's experience of San Francisco Chinatown was shaped by her parents and her long history with that neighborhood. 

She says she was born at San Francisco Chinatown's Chinese Hospital and that growing up, her family lived in the Mission. 

"My family and I lived in the Mission. My parents would take me to Chinatown every week to shop here, eat and celebrate special occasions. And food was at the center of everything we did," she says.

"This is the roast pork, the whole piece," Amber's mother, Vivienne Lee says as she flips through a family photo album in the banquet hall of Far East Cafe at 631 Grant Avenue. 

Over photos of Amber's parents and grandparents, they reminisce about her red egg and ginger party – a Chinese customary celebration that marks turning one-month old. 

The food served at the party are also symbols. 

"Eggs mean newborn. The red egg means newborn," Vivienne says. 

Amber's mother reminds her that as a little girl, one of Amber's favorite foods, as evidenced by one of the photos, was fried chicken. 

"He's teasing you. Give me your drumstick," Vivienne says about an old family photo. 

"It is still among my favorite foods and served at parties," Amber says.

The family held a 61st birthday party for Amber's grandfather at a Chinatown banquet hall. Now the only banquet hall left that has a large space to hold large-scale community gatherings is the historic Far East Cafe. It opened in 1920. 

"It's important for the Chinese people because people, for special occasions usually celebrate in Chinatown. They need a place like that," Amber's mother says. 

It's a place that serves Chinese food that is distinctly Chinatown. 

"I describe it as comfort food for American-born Chinese, such as myself – distinctly different than Hong Kong-style Chinese food," says Bill Lee, owner of Far East Cafe. 

You can see broccoli beef being made and the sounds of sizzling fried wonton soup in the background. The kind they make is Hong Tao yee wonton. 

Amber says she has enjoyed this soup since she was a kid. 

"My dad and uncle would buy it for siu-yeh – a late-night snack. I also love their chicken salad. And there's egg-foo young, which is an Americanized Chinese dish. 

Far East Cafe's large space makes it ideal for celebratory events such as annual spring banquets that bring out hundreds of people for special occasions.

Another way to celebrate is with cakes and other sweets. 

AA Bakery & Cafe at 1068 Stockton Street has been in the business for decades. It offers a wide variety of fruit-filled cakes and other baked goods – something for various types of celebrations. 

Fe Ramos, a customer, says she orders cakes every other month for special occasions. Ramos couldn't even pinpoint a favorite and simply said there are "a lot." 

"In my family, every special occasion comes with a cake and our go-to is the mango cake," says Amber. She jokes it looks so good, she could eat the whole thing. 

Henry Chan is the bakery's owner and cake decorator. He says it takes three mangoes to make one cake. He says his baked goods are light and less sweet than the ones made in American bakeries. 

He shows of the golden pineapple buns being pulled out of the oven. It's called bow law bao, with a sweet crunchy top – a popular item Amber has eaten often. 

Their Chinese sponge cake coming out of the oven is super light and fluffy. Chan says he sells a lot of the sponge cakes. 

He immigrated to the U.S. from China as a young man and says he tried cooking, but he didn't like it. 

"I tried baking and it's a lot of fun," Chan says. "Decorating [is] more fun creating, whatever you want, whatever you like." 

Chan says baking and decorating cakes for celebrations are a way to bring happiness to people. 

Back at Far East Cafe, its historic lanterns, high ceilings and private booths are part of its charm. For long-time immigrants and others, this is a place of comfort and community. 

"People join together to celebrate special occasions with you, make you feel happy and bring you happiness too," Vivienne says. 

Amber says food is at the center of Chinese celebrations and that she has her mother to thank for teaching her about the customs of her heritage. 

"My family and friends know how much I love eating. Chinese food brings me comfort and joy."

And it's like Amber says, she's not the expert food critic, but she knows what she loves. We cannot think of a better tour guide! We hope her experience and guidance does get you to try some new dishes. 

Food is part of celebrating culture and that's what this is all about. Stop at some of Amber's favorite San Francisco Chinatown spots yourself on your next visit.

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