**** San Tong Palace has closed
San Tong Palace is a little Sino-Chinese Restaurant located in Plaza Del Sol on Convoy St. This Korean-Chinese Restaurant specializes in Shandong style Chinese Food; that is, Northern Chinese cuisine. I've also seen Northern Chinese style Korean owned restaurants back home in Hawaii as well. I really don't have an explanation as to why this is, other than Korea is located right across the coast of the Shandong Province. Maybe someone will have a historical explanation.
The Missus is originally from Qingdao(Tsing Tao) a major coastal port in Shandong, so naturally when we moved to San Diego a few years back we were excited when we found this restaurant. The food, however was not very good, so we hadn't bothered to go back. Recently, I was told that San Tong Palace made a good Niu Rou Mein (Beef Noodle Soup). So one evening, when the Missus was working I decided to pay San Tong Palace another visit.
As I entered the restaurant, the employees were speaking in Korean. But they greeted me in Mandarin; unfortunately I speak neither. I was delivered a pot of tea, unfortunately it was lukewarm, so I had them get me another pot, still lukewarm, so I just decided to forget about the tea, not a good start. A plate of Kim Chee was delivered, along with the sauce for the dumplings I ordered:
Actually, it was a cross between kim chee and Shandong style pickled cabbage. Spicy like kim chee, but with a hint of the vinegary sweetness of pickles. This would turn out to be the best dish of the night!
The Niu Rou Mein was delivered ($5.95):
Looks ok doesn't it? Well, looks are deceiving. If you look a little closer, you'll notice that the beef is sliced sirlion, that along with green onions and onions, had been stir-fried and then dumped in a flavorless broth. These tough pieces of "beef" had no business in this soup, the beef also had that slightly "metallic" taste of old meat. Now I've had Niu Rou Mein with sliced brisket ala' pho', but this was no brisket, it was more like two dollar steak from the nearest market. I've had better tasting beef broth from an envelope. The noodles were ok, though. But this "soup" was nothing like the decent bowl of Niu Rou Mein from Shanghai City. Well at least it was piping hot!
I had also ordered the Fish Dumplings ($6.95):
There were 10 handmade dumplings filled with minced white fish, chives, and green onions. The fillings were ok, moist, and so mildly flavored that it could've been chicken or pork. The wrappers, though handmade, really didn't have the "home-made" texture. The wrappers didn't have the slight "resistance" and elasticity that I look for in Chinese dumplings, these broke up too easily. The sauce was pretty weak, so I just made my own with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili paste.
Well, I really don't think I'll be going back, no matter who recommends San Tong Palace. If you do visit San Tong Palace, stay away from that bogus Niu Rou Mein!
Some notes on San Tong Palace; most signs are in Chinese, including the Restroom signs, so it'll be best if you know what the Chinese symbols are if you're looking for the restroom. The dining room is well lit, and the service is efficient.
San Tong Palace
4690 Convoy St Ste 105
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 571-6837