LiLing Pang's Passport
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 | 181 First to Review |
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Send a ComplimentHometown:
SF, California, United States
About Me & My Family
I'm a mother
3 Kids 1-9 years old boys and girls
3 Kids 1-9 years old boys and girls
When we travel, good food and adventure always abound. Our family loves to push the limit of what we can do with children. Our mantra has always been - have kids, will travel. However, this doesn't mean I'm unlike most frantic moms before a trip. Wanting adventure and being a control freak can sometimes be a lethal combination.
Our Family's Travel Personality
adventurous, independent, spontaneous
We Just Got Back From
Northern California and Oregon
Our Favorite Vacation Spot
Hawaii
A Place We'd Love To Visit
New Zealand, Argetina, Brazil, Eastern Europe, Cambodia
Favorite Vacation Memory
Climbing Machu Picchu with a 4 month old infant in a slight and having all the locals stop us to ask what happened to his feet which were all bundled up. They just couldn't believe it wouldn't be bow legged.
Worst Travel Moment With My Kids:
Getting to the airport on our way to Scotland with my 15 month old and discovering that my husband's passport had expired. Instead of rebooking all of our flights, we decided that I would do the first leg of our journey on my own with baby. Unfortunately, we had not packed for me to be flying by myself. I could bearly walk to the runway with all my bags and a 15 month old who would get distracted by everything along the way. He then proceeded to sleep only 1 hour of the entire 11 hour journey (red-eye). It was pretty miserable.
Websites I Like:
Authentic Chinese Restaurants Around San Francisco
Being Chinese and having grown up in Singapore, Chinese food is like soul food for me. Fortunately, we live in the San Francisco Bay Area which is home to some of the best Chinese cuisine you'll find on this continent. The bay area has numerous Chinese restaurants that serve authentic Chinese fair featuring different regional cuisines. Here are some of my favorite restaurants and why I recommend them.
631 Kearny St
(between Commercial St & Sacramento St) San Francisco, California
Comment:
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Best fried crab in San Francisco"
Just thinking of the fried crab at R & G Lounge is making my mouth water. I don't usually like paying for crab at restaurants, but at R & G Lounge, you must order it. The light, crispy, salty batter on the crab is divine and the crab is always fresh. Their other dishes are also really good. In particular, their soy sauce chicken is the best I've had. I've not been able to replicate it. Sigh. Their beef brisket and turnip in claypot is so rich and clear at the same time. The restaurant is pretty big, but for dinner, you'll be wise to call ahead for a reservation. Still, you might have to wait 15 minutes to be seated. There is a playground nearby in Portsmouth Square if your kids get restless. The service is typical of a Chinese restaurant. If you have a choice, ask to be seated upstairs, as there is a little more room between the tables for wiggle butts to move around safely.
813 Washington Street
San Francisco, California
Comment:
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Great old Chinatown feel, but only okay food"
One of the oldest Chinese restaurants in San Francisco's Chinatown, Sam Wo is full of Old Chinatown character. It's a fun experience for kids to squeeze into this noodle shop and imagine what it was like in Chinatown in the 1800s. It may not be such a good spot if you have a baby or really young children, but kids 5 and up will find it an interesting experience. Love the hole-in-the-wall prices too.
365 Gellert Ave Daly City
Daly City, California
Comment:
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Best Dim Sum but service can be very slow and rude"
If you're like any typical Chinese person who cares more about the quality of the food then decor or good service, Koi Palace will soon become your favorite restaurant. The dim sum served at lunch every day of the week is the best in the bay area and the 2 hour lines on Saturday and Sunday attest to it. The waiting experience is terrible if you have young kids, so I recommend avoiding weekends or sending someone ahead to stand in line. No use calling ahead for a reservation. It doesn't guarantee that you'll be waiting any less. However, on the weekdays, arrive before 11:30am and you'll breeze right in and be treated to a wide variety of dumplings that rival the best restaurants in Hong Kong.Koi Palace specializes in seafood, at prices that aren't cheap. Nonetheless, if you're looking for an excellent Cantonese meal, their dinner menu is filled with traditional dishes prepared with great care. I just love their dried scallop and egg white fried rice and their roasted suckling pig is out of this world. If you arrive for an early dinner before 6:30pm, you won't encounter a line.
99 Skyline Plaza
Daly City, California
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Yum Yum Dim Sum"
Dim Sum King is one of our boys favorite restaurants in the bay area. What child can resist cute little dumplings in bamboo steamers. Even the most conservative eaters will be enticed by them. Dim Sum King specializes in dim sum, but also offers a limited menu of simple Chinese dishes. What we love about it, is that we can get dim sum even for dinner which is unusual for most Chinese restaurants. I don't think their dim sum is as good as Koi Palace, but it's definitely up there. Plus the prices are reasonable, the service is friendly, and the lines even on the weekends aren't too long. Lunch time crowds are generally bigger than in the evening.My only complaint is that the bathrooms are kinda gross. Try to wash your kid's hands with hand sanitizer instead of going into the bathroom where the sink is almost always flooded with 1/2" of water.
Going for Dim Sum for the first time? Here's where you want to start on the menu. Our kids favorite dishes are:
Har Gao (shrimp dumplings)
Siew Mai (pork and shrimp dumplings)
Noh Mai Gai (sticky glutinous rice and chicken wrapped in a lotus leaf)
Char Siew Bao (BBQ pork in a steamed bun)
Panfried Shrimp Stuffed Tofu Skin
Xiao Long Bao (Baby Dragon buns filled with pork, also known as Soup Dumplings)
Jin Dio (Fried Sesame Balls filled with red bean paste - this is a dessert)
153 Castro Street
Mountain Center, California
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Decent food, good for families"
This Chinese restaurant in downtown Mountain View has a pretty nice decor as far as Chinese restaurants go. The Cantonese cuisine is authentic and dependably good, but nothing exceptional. They also serve good dim sum at lunch time. There isn't usually a line even on the weekends if you arrive early. It's a fairly spacious restaurant, so your wiggle butts and strollers will be quite happy here.
2115 Kittredge St
(between Shattuck Ave & Fulton St) Berkeley, California
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Delicious peking duck"
I wasn't quite sure what to expect with all the hype around the Peking Duck at Great China, so when we finally made it across the bay, I was really excited to discover some of the best Peking Duck - light and crispy skin without the typical layer of fat under the skin. The tender duck meat is mostly de-boned when it's served, making it really easy for kids to enjoy. We were also very impressed with the other interesting dishes on the menu. The Double Skin noodle was delightfully fresh. Although it isn't a dish our kids were familiar with, they still enjoyed it. The sauteed crab meat was also creamy and full flavored. Our kids preferred to eat the buns separately, so you might want to order extra buns.
The downside is that a reservations is a must and I don't think the take reservations for parties smaller than 6. The lines are really long on the weekend. The restaurant also feels a little squeezy. Which means your kids need to be able to sit at the table and it's best not to bring along a stroller. Street parking can be challenging in the neighborhood, but not impossible.
3199 Powell St
(at Anchor Dr) Emeryville, California
reviewed on: January 19 2012
"Great views and good food"
The food at this Chinese restaurant is good, even great, but not amazing. What you come here for is the astounding view of the San Francisco Bay. There are so few Chinese restaurants that have such a nice setting. The restaurant is also spacious and if the kids are antsy, a short walk outside will get out their wiggles.Hong Kong East Ocean Seafood Restaurant serves dim sum during lunch and traditional Cantonese fair at dinner. The menu is huge. As far as the dim sum goes, I don't think it's quite as good as Koi Palace and Dim Sum King, but it comes pretty close. Bathrooms are clean, service is decent.
1470 N Milpitas Blvd
Milpitas, California
Comment:
A no frills small restaurant that serves great Shanghai Soup Dumplings - Xiao Long Bao. Our kids always love the soup dumplings. Spring onion pancakes are also good. A good lunch spot at hole in the wall prices.
39486 Fremont Blvd
(between Sundale Dr & Stenerson Ln) Fremont, California
Comment:
This causal and cheap Chinese restaurant serves quick and easy no fuss Chinese BBQ typically served with wonton and different types of noodles. Our kids love Chinese BBQ - especially Char Siew. Casual dining that's great for kids.
