Welcome a new Hakka restaurant to San Francisco. Zhong Shan Restaurant recently opened in the Sunset district. If you have eaten at the Hakka Restaurant on Cabrillo and 45th Avenue, you’ll find this restaurant familiar because that chef/owner has taken over this restaurant.

In 2011 I had interviewed Chef Jin Hua Li, chef/owner of the Hakka Restaurant and featured some of his recipes in The Hakka Cookbook. Since my introduction to the restaurant, we feasted on many wonderful Hakka dishes at his restaurant on Cabrillo and 45th Avenue.

A few months ago, we dined with a group of friends at the Hakka Restaurant and met two young waiters who told us their father was the new owner and chef. We were surprised because the food tasted very similar to our past meals at this restaurant under Chef Li. The sons told us that Chef Li had sold this restaurant to their father and opened a new restaurant on Taraval.

Menu at Zhong Shan Restaurant

Last weekend, we tried Chef Li’s new restaurant Zhong Shan. Happily, the food and menu are similar to his previous restaurant. Our old Hakka favorites were still there—Chinese Bacon with Preserved Green, House Special Pan Fried Stuffed Tofu, and Pumpkin Strips with Salted Egg. New dishes freshen the menu. The number of House Specialties have almost doubled.

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Our friend, Paul, who had eaten at both the old and new restaurants, ordered the meal. In addition to our old favorites we sampled some new dishes. Pork Stomach with Chicken pleasantly surprised us. Strips of chewy-crunchy pork stomach tumbled over chunks of moist salt-baked chicken. Pungent, burning wasabi electrified the flavor. A fine mince of black truffles added a subtle earthy aroma to the egg enriched custard-like Japanese Tofu with Baby Mushrooms. Salt and Pepper Pork Neck offered a stir-fry of flavorful, chewy pork neck strips with crunchy green beans. Tiger Prawns with Soy Sauce brought big plump prawns, butterflied in their shells, and lightly seasoned with soy sauce. They were finger-licking good. Spicy Squid with Black Pepper Sauce featured scored squid pieces stir-fried with green and red pepper chunks.

Paul also ordered a couple of dishes not on the menu. Oysters and Eggs brought moist oysters gently cooked with beaten eggs for a simple comforting dish, not laden with oil. Chinese Broccoli (gai lon) with Salted Fish is a variation of their Sautéed Chinese Broccoli, however, this version is lightly seasoned with a smidgen of good quality salted fish. It did not taste fishy or strong. Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf and House Special Fried Rice Noodles balanced our meal.

Zhong Shan Restaurant contact information

The new restaurant appears a bit smaller with no upstairs dining room. The decor looks fresh and new. Judging by the full noisy dining room, Zhong Shan Restaurant already scores as a neighborhood favorite.