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Quick Review of San Sun Restaurant (848 Washington)

Right on the corner of Ross Alley and Washington, San Sun Restaurant is basically a "tea restaurant" that caters to everybody with a HUGE menu. However, it does have a few offering that are rather unique in Chinatown that could make it worth a visit.  

I went in for lunch and was one of the few early birds (it's right at noon) and asked the waitress what she'd recommend. She said "Satay Beef Rice Noodles (with Chinese Brocolli), but it's spicy." I am not exactly a heat-eater, and my tolerance is pretty much Shin Ramen, but I'm willing to give it a try, so I said "make it medium spicy?"  

After a few minutes, I got a plate that's almost uniformly dark. The beef is dark, the gai-lan (Chinese brocolli) was a dark leafy veg, and the rice noodle was darkened with soy sauce. So it's a dark mass (mess?). While the taste isn't bad, and the spice level is fine, Chines Brocolli is slightly bitter, and doesn't fit with the other tastes. I also didn't taste much of the spice, but I did sweat. I wonder what sort of chili they used. 

The price is also a bit on the high side. I only ordered the satay beef chow fun and 2 cans of diet coke. The bill, with tax, came out to be $25 (?!) and that's not counting tip. 

On the other hand, the place is clean, and bright. When I went in and chose a table, the waitress spotted some unclean spots on the table and steered me to a different table. Service is fine. 

However, a restaurant is judged by its food and price. The food is... Just not very appealing, and the price is high. I doubt I'll be back. 

Rating: 2/5
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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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