The Neighborhoods: Chinatown Cheap Eats

I was walking home through Chinatown today at lunchtime.  I didn’t feel like sitting down in a restaurant.  I just wanted something fast, to get home before it started to pour rain.  A comforting rice noodle dish that I would eat right out of the carton while  standing over the kitchen sink.

Like a trout who sees a shiny lure, I am drawn to ‘Grand Opening’ banners and there was one waving in front of MON KIANG. Well, why not? My experience with new restaurants with linoleum floors is that they are at the least very clean and at the worst just boring.  This new restaurant had the standard issue steam table on one side and a couple tables and chairs on the other and lots of eager staff behind the counter.  I always feel slow and ponderous in a Chinese Take Out shop. It seems, rightly so, that everyone else is in a terrible hurry, knows exactly what he or she wants and I am in the way.  Coming to my rescue, one of the staff behind the counter called out to me “Lunch Special.  Three Items.  $2.95.”  Oh, sure, I thought, she must mean per item.  So I repeated what she had said to me.  She nodded yes.  Okay, I was just going to jump right in here.  How bad could it be? With any luck it would be edible. If not, I could eat just the white rice. 

Ready. Set. Go.  She started heaping white rice into a Styrofoam container, smiling, nodding, and asking if this was enough.  Now on to the three items: green beans in a black bean sauce, a couple deep-fried, thin cut pork chops in a sweet and sour sauce, and Singapore fried rice noodles.  I handed her $3.00.  She handed me a five-pound container full of food and a nickel.  And you know what?  It was good.  Very good.  And correct.  Because Chinese food should be cheap.  At least the fast food variety. What Mon Kiang lacks in charm it makes up for in tasty, hot, freshly prepared food to go. MON KIANG, 683 BROADWAY AT STOCKTON, 415-421-2015, open seven days a week, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  Might be worth a try for dim sum.

Comments

[doug]

i'm from chicago and i could not agree more with your article on Tartine bakery. you summed it up very well and so descriptive. looking forward to trying your recommendations. great site!

[naomi blatt]

This is an excellent food blog Keep it up.

[Rosemary]

Karletta - Congratulations on your blog debut! You are the perfect person to keep us informed of the latest and best eats in SF! I always trust your tasting judgments, and look forward to future issues :)