Restaurant review: BOK CHOY GARDEN

The Lunar New Year began this past week, and to honor my Chinese heritage, I went out to dinner with my parents and grandmother to celebrate. Because my folks are considerate of my vegan diet when we go out, when I suggested a vegetarian Chinese restaurant near my grandmother's apartment, they were open to giving it a try.

To be honest, I was surprised that my parents were so willing to take my suggestion. This would be their first vegetarian dining experience, but I had every confidence that Bok Choy Garden on Clemet St, near 19th Avenue in San Francisco would not disappoint. And it did not.


Bok Choy Garden is definitely my choice when it comes to vegan Chinese restaurants in the City, if not the Bay Area. I first brought my veg cousins and grandmother there early last year. They liked it. My cousins in turn brought their mom (my aunt) and the rest of their family, along with my grandmother, numerous times since.

Ken, the "shaved head" owner since 2006, along with the wait staff are personable and helpful, answering my questions in English, but also answering my grandmother's questions in Chinese. (If you ask, they have a Chinese-English menu.) While Ken has adapted some of the dishes from the previous owners, he has created some new specialties, with sauces that are vegan, delicious, and familiar in Chinese flavors. (He hopes to bottle them but needs a manufacturer.)

Though parking in this Richmond neighborhood is tough after 6 pm, we pulled up at 5:15 to a parking space right in front of the restaurant. (The wonders of eating early!) We also had no problem getting a table, as the place is small, with limited seating. The restaurant was full by the time we left.

In preparing to order, my grandmother knew exactly what she wanted - crispy taro roll appetizers, wrapped in soy, cut into rolls and fried, served with a light sweet and sour sauce. (We let her enjoy two of the six.) Because my grandmother should not live on appetizers alone, we also ordered for her a cabbage tofu clay pot which was full of other exotic Chinese sea veggies which are familiar, but unnamable to me, yet still enjoyable.

My mom loves eggplant, so we ordered for her braised eggplant in the house special sauce. (My preference however is the spicier version on the menu). At other restaurants, the eggplant swims in oil, but at Bok Choy Garden, the eggplant breathes life, and is gently stir fried, not mushy, in a mild sauce with a subtle kick.

My dad who says, "I'll eat anything", originally wanted to try one of the fake meat beef dishes. But when he discovered that they were all spicy, he settled back into the "whatever". We thus decided to order the crispy veggies with walnuts, a healthy vegan twist to walnut prawns. Though the walnuts looked plain, they were addictive, lightly sweetened and served with a wonderful array of veggies that included snow peas, carrots, water chestnuts, celery, and a mysterious sweet root vegetable. We had our suspicions, and knew it was not turnip so we asked. While my grandma and the wait staff came up with the Chinese name, Ken made the final call in English to confirm that yes, it was jicama, as my mom suspected.

The one dish I really wanted to try was the portobello mushroom and soft tofu, which turned out to be the table favorite. With a huge mushroom perfectly cooked, covering a generous portion of broccoli and tofu, it was not only delicious, but as my mom said, beautifully arranged on the platter.

For the four of us, the four entries plus appetizer, plus an order of white rice and an order of brown rice, was more than enough with leftovers to take home. Though the meal ended with the check, the check came with a delightful complementary dessert, a wonderful surprise, which I won't give away, but many customers afterwards purchase a box of them to go. They are that good.

Other dishes that have gotten a thumbs up:
- One of my cousins really likes the taro casserole with coconut milk.
- The tofu and broccoli with curry sauce over spinach is excellent.
- Before I ran the SF Marathon in July, I carb loaded with a satisfying platter of pan-fried noodles with lohan veggies (chopped rather than shredded).

My grandmother appreciates Bok Choy Garden because unlike traditional Chinese restaurants where my other relatives take her, there is no MSG, and minimal oil in the preparations. My mom was impressed with the variety of selections. It took us a long time to decide what to eat, and through the evening as other tables ordered, the wait staff was often making suggestions. My dad liked the prices and was impressed with the portions, though he as a meat eater racks it up to "it's because there's no meat which is why it's so cheap." (I disagree but that's a topic for another blog.)

For me, I like Bok Choy Garden because they serve brown rice for no additional charge! (It's the little things that make vegan-me happy.)

A shortened version of this review may be found at HappyCow net.