COMFORT FOOD AT THE MAN KEE

He didn’t recognize me. Not surprising, as it’s been over sixteen years.
Besides, all white people look alike.
Especially when you’re not looking.

Friday was slow at the office.  So I headed into C'town for a late lunch. 
Which was extremely enjoyable.

I had just finished a wonderful bowl of preserved egg and lean pork rice porridge, and was working on my milk-tea when he came in.
It’s a new restaurant, but in the location where one of the old-time Chinatown eateries had previously been.
The business that occupied the space before had existed for many years, but it didn't look like my kind of environment and I never went in. They did roast duck and charsiu, which I love, but something about place just didn't appeal.
Consequently I have no idea whether it would have even been worth it.

The current proprietors, however, should definitely prosper.
Which I suspect shall indeed happen.
And I hope it will.


文記茶餐廳 (MAN KEE CHA TSAN TENG)
WASHINGTON CAFE
826 Washington Street
San Francisco, CA 94108
415-398-1299


This wasn't the first time I 've eaten there. It's only been open for a month, but they're well-organized, and it already feels like they've been around forever. That's only partly due to the smoothness of their operation, the efficiency, and the courteous capability of the staff.
The Washington Café is likely to become a favourite haunt. Clean, hospitable, good food, and a comfortable-feeling high-ceilinged dining room.
It is nice being there. Home.
Their extensive menu is idiosyncratic, if you aren't used to Hong Kong style Western food interspersed with standard Chinese restaurant offerings and American diner fare.

Spaghetti? Yes, spaghetti.

Plus sandwiches, ox tongue, beef haslet, salmon with bacon and spinach, and octopus balls with curry or Portugee Sauce. Choice of rice or spaghetti ("Italian noodle").
House special New York Steak, yau choi or gai lan with oyster sauce, chicken lai-fun soup, clam chowder, West Lake minced beef soup, wonton, noodles..........

Three dishes set price any choice plus soup, nice for families.
And rice porridge.
Excellent rice porridge.

Here are your porridge choices:


粥類 PORRIDGE (JUK LEUI)

及第粥 assorted pork giblet porridge $4.75
艇仔粥 sampan porridge $4.95
鮑魚雞粥 abalone and chicken porridge $6.50
爽滑魚片粥 filet of fish porridge $4.95
魚片皮蛋粥 preserved egg and filet of fish porridge $4.95
魚片瘦肉粥 filet of fish and pork porridge $4.95
魚片豬紅粥 filet of fish and pork blood porridge $4.95
爽滑猪肝粥 pork liver porridge $4.75
爽滑豬紅粥 pork blood porridge $4.75
海鮮粥 seafood porridge $4.95
蝦球粥 prawn porridge $4.95
帶子粥 scallop porridge $4.95
蝦球帶子粥 prawn and scallop porridge $4.95
皮蛋瘦肉粥 preserved egg and pork porridge $4.75
皮蛋牛肉粥 preserved egg and beef porridge $4.75
窩蛋免治牛粥 minced beef and egg porridge $4.75
雞球粥 chicken porridge $4.75
北菇雞球粥 black mushroom and chicken porridge $4.75
白粥 plain porridge $3.25


That's a very good selection. Someone in Holland who LOVES rice porridge will probably be really jealous upon seeing this.
For which I apologize. See, that's one of the reasons to live in San Francisco.
Instead of Holland.

The first time I ate there was in early evening, and it was filled with people happily scarfing down yummies.
I got seated at a table with two other single diners.
Who both thoroughly enjoyed their food.
Wonton noodle soup.

Gonna have to try that.


The person I mentioned at the beginning of this post looks older than when I last saw him. Not as happy or carefree as back in the day. He's been married for nearly two decades, his oldest kid must be going to college now.
I hope what he ate cheered him up.


AFTERWORD

敬
The restaurant that had been there before was the New King Tin (擎天酒樓).
For the first word (擎 king: raise hand, lift up, support, uphold) the phonetic element is 敬 (ging: respect, venerate, salute).  King (擎) may be found under the hand (手) radical in the dictionary. Hand, plus thirteen strokes.
Ging (敬) is under 攴,攵 (bok, sui: rap, tap, strike lightly) plus nine strokes: 茍 (gau: urgent; to be cautious). Which is under 艸 (cho: grass - sometimes four strokes, sometimes six).
Tin (天) means sky, the heavens, and that which is divine.
File all this under trivia.
艸


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