Another eatery to add to my list of Hidden Treasures from this past week is "Mission Street Food". I admit that the concept was completely lost on me until I tried it. I arrived at the average-looking Chinese restaurant (above), surprised, expecting maybe a taco truck or tacqueria which would be filled with modern versions of street foods. I completely invented this based on not really paying attention to what was going on, envisioning some kind of underground food rave, with a changing location that you had to find using a secret password.
In fact, I am so bad that even after writing my review, my fellow Yelper Luis C. had to explain it to me again. I am reprinting what he wrote to avoid giving any further misinformation:
"Small correction, it doesn't change locations. Only the menu changes. They (Anthony Myint & wife Karen) started selling food from a truck on 21st & Mission at night on his day off (he's a line cook at Bar Tartine), but a mean business man got them kicked out off that spot. Lung Shan came to the rescue by offering a place for their venture - Thu & Sat nights. Now chefs who seek exposure/more business or upcoming restaurants get to show a preview of their stuff here. The PBJ is an original dish since the business started, it's my favorite."
OK, so that settled, I can talk about the food. Once inside, we found ourselves in a dimly lit restaurant, which again reminded me of New York. It had a bustling energy, with plates full of interesting things going by. The guest chef that night was Nick Balla of O Izakaya Lounge in Japantown, and you could just see glimpses of him and the owners of Lung Shan occasionally peering out from the kitchen.
The menu was tiny, with several small plates at very reasonable prices. I had managed to read ahead of time that the corkage fee was $5, so we shared a very nice bottle of red wine brought from home while we decided what to try. It turned out to be pretty much everything.
I warn you that the pictures are kind of pitiful, due to the dim lighting in the restaurant, and the fact that I was *not* going to be that person with the annoying flash. Jen did a great job of styling by holding the candles near the food for me. So bear with me on this.
Snap Pea Salad with beech mushroom, seared cauliflower, cucumber, edamame puree
Satsuma Imo Korokke with tonkatsu sauce
Local halibut “poke” with spring vegetables, hijiki seaweed
Knife-cut homemade udon noodles with rock shrimp dumplings with English Peas, tendrils and sesame
Sesame-Avocado Brown Rice with maitake mushroom and chorizo
PB & J: Berkshire Kurobuta Pork Belly with marinated jicama, cilantro aioli and pickled jalapeno
Lung Shan's Vegan Delight: shitake and oyster mushroom dumplings in miso soup
Everything was delicious, with the exception of the udon noodles which were disappointingly bland and starchy. The PBJ was outstanding, and I was told by our server that I got the last one of the evening. When he saw how much I loved it (think "When Harry Met Sally" moment), he offered me another one that had turned up unclaimed. I know if I had eaten it, I would have gone down some dark gastronomic hole, never to return, so I let some other lucky soul have it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Vegan delight was a beautifully delicate and flavorful dish.
They ran out of the dessert we wanted, so our server showed up with 2 scoops of Humphry Slocombe Vietnamese Coffee ice cream instead, on the house. Needless to say, we did not suffer.
Not only was our meal very inexpensive (around $25pp, including tip), it felt great to know that a portion of the proceeds from the night went to charity. I mean, it's hard not to like an experience like that.
The MSF experience reminds me a little of going to a foreign country for the first time - you won't know exactly what to expect until you get there. I can't wait to try it again, and see what other local chefs join in the fun. With the promise of the another PBJ with my name on it, I will not escape the lure of this siren song for long.
