Chinese food too often gets bogged down in grease, cornstarch and cheapo ingredients. So much so that when you taste a once-mundane dish elevated with primo produce, it can be a revelation. Such was the case when a friend and I encountered Chef Charles Phan’s distinctive take on the usual run-of-the-mill “Ants Climbing Tree” dish ($11) at his hip Heaven’s Dog restaurant in San Francisco, steps from the Holiday Inn Civic Center.
As a Chinese-American who grew up in San Francisco, I’ve long eaten this homey dish of ground meat (the so-called “ants”) cooked with garlic, soy sauce and ginger, then ladled over slippery cellophane noodles (the “tree”). It was a fine dish — just nothing I necessarily ever craved or went out of my way for.
That is, until I tried the one at Heaven’s Dog. This meatless rendition was loaded with fresh black trumpet mushrooms and plenty of leeks. The toasted pine nuts sprinkled all over the top were the crowning touch, giving the dish unexpected crunch and richness. There was so much flavor and texture that I almost felt like I was tasting this iconic dish for the very first time.
Everything else we tried was equally impressive. The Shanghai dumplings ($10) burst appropriately with hot broth after the first careful bite. A custardy tofu dish had a crisp topping of minced scallops; and a side of Asian long beans was stir-fried with spicy, pungent Szechuan pickles and red chilies.
Desserts aren’t often the strong point at many Chinese restaurants. Here, you’d be missing out big time if you didn’t order the fabulously intense Thai basil ice cream. The assertive licorice-cinnamon-herbal flavor comes through delightfully loud and clear in an almost savory way. It’s garnished with buttery rectangles of orange shortbread dusted with sugar.
The modern orange-and-black restaurant offers a variety of wines and cocktails. For those who don’t want to imbibe, there’s a refreshing housemade elderflower spritzer that pairs perfectly with the bold flavors of these dishes.
— Carolyn Jung of FoodGal
[Photos courtesy of Carolyn Jung]
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