New Flying Pan Bistro
680 Clay St
(between Kearny St & Montgomery St)
San Francisco, CA 94111 (415) 399-1938
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Lunch
172 reviews
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
"Using the internal Chinese martial art technique of Tai Chi is not necessary for kids and me to ship my wife away on her business trip. But…" read more »
12 Reviews for New Flying Pan Bistro
House made hand-cut and hand-pulled noodles? 1-800-RU4REAL?
This new lunch spot serves incredibly fresh LUNCH-ONLY specials with a North East Chinese theme. I know next to nothing about North East Chinese cuisine, but I can tell you this is great quality food featuring heaping servings of delicious veggie-friendly and meat/seafood noodles and entrees at surprisingly low prices.
I attended New Flying Pan Bistro with my very charming and gorgeous lunch companion. Also, Wakako came along. I had the black soy milk as well, it tasted very delicious, as advertised.
I only tried the chicken, soybean and pickled chinese greens over noodles, which was a monster bowl and yet, I finished it... well surprise, surprise Mr. 200#s. We also split the open ended dumplings, is this a Taiwanese thing? I don't know... but I ate 2 of those puppies like my life depended on it, but first lightly dipped in a oil/vinegar sauce.
For dessert, we were treated to sliced lotus root stuffed with sticky rice in a semi-sweet glaze. I loved this; however, neither my charming and gorgeous lunch companion nor Wakako did not.
Sooo.... Wanna stalk me? Well I'll be here at least once a week from now on.
PS: Also if you don't understand that Flying Pan could possibly be a pun on Flying Saucer than I really can't help you very much, good luck with life.
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Delicate, elegant tasting hand-pulled noodle dishes! Suits the Japanese palette. Very nice dish ware and finely chopped vegetables.
I also had BLACK soy milk here! Its better for you than the yellow one we ordinary drink.
Parking validated for St. Mary's garage. Calling all noodle lovers: You need to eat here or it might shut down due to slow business.
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Oh, please tell me that it isn't called "Flying Pan" because it was supposed to be "Frying Pan" and the result is a stereotypical lost-in-translation mistake. At least they don't serve Fly Lice on the menu.
In any case, I went here for lunch today and was a bit disappointed to see only a couple of tables occupied. However, it was my luck because they had ample amount of noodles and dumplings! All for me! I wish I had 4 stomachs so I could order more, but this time I opted for the Chicken with Greens Noodle Soup, and shared an order of the dumplings which were filled with a pleasant pumpkin and pork filling. The potstickers have an excellent texture and I will definitely choose these over the steamed dumplings next time.
Chicken with Greens was AWESOME. Originally, I wanted to order the Noodles with Eels. When I asked if the eels were the same as japanese unagi, the very patient and kind waitress informed me that no, these eels are small and wriggly and very, very different. I opted to play it safe this time and go with the chicken. It was served in this huge assymetrical bowl that sort of reminded me of the Tostada Shell thing you get at Taco Bell. The chicken slices were thin and delicate. The greens comprised of what I am guessing is mustard green and soy beans. The noodles were obviously handmade and there was a neverending amount of them in my bowl.
Halfway through my meal, they brought a complimentary dish of sliced lotus root that had been stuffed with sweet rice. It sat in a sweet rice syrup and the presentation was absolutely lovely. I am normally not a fan of lotus root at all, but this was nice! The lotus root was soft and tender and did not have a strong flavor. The sweet rice was delicate and perfectly done, and they garnished it with a bit of yellow pollen stuff. I don't know what kind of pollen, but it made the dish awfully pretty.
I grew up eating cantonese style chinese food so the cuisine here is a completely new experience for me. I definitely will be back to try some more dishes. My only complaint is that service was a bit slow and the menu is very limited. I hope that they will add more dishes, particularly a variety of dumplings, soon!
** UPDATE: 10/1 -- Changing my review from 5 to 4 stars. First, because their smoked fish tasted funny - reminiscent of a musty basement. Secondly, a friend of mine stopped by there to get takeout and they informed her that it would take at least half an hour, even though there were only two tables occupied at the moment. They also said it would be faster if she just sat down and ate there instead. Service is obviously not up to par for five stars, but I am hoping that these are just grand opening growing pains and things will improve.
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[I'm posting this as a NEW restaurant review because Flying Pan Bistro is indeed re-opening under a new regime, with a new focus and with a new menu.]
The Flying Pan Bistro is dead; long live The Flying Pan Bistro!
I wandered by Flying Pan Bistro today to check up on the delayed promised re-opening, and lo and behold, the door was open, there were aproned staff eating noodles around a big table, and a "Coming Soon!" sign on the window. After I poked in my head and asked a couple of questions about the re-opening date and menu changes, I was invited to sit down with the group for a complimentary bowl of Zha Jiang Mian.
Over the savory noodles I learned that the ownership and staff was new, and the new menu would feature Northern Chinese-style noodle dishes and dumplings, and everything would be made in-house. Dumplings will include a variety of shui jiao (boiled dumplings), guo tie (pot stickers) and even my beloved shengjian bao (sort of the product of a shotgun marriage between a xiao long bao and a pot sticker). The staff all spoke Mandarin with a northern inlfection amongst themselves, so it's apparent where they are coming from with regard to Northern-style noodle and dumpling dishes.
My zha jiang mian was excellent. Though I can't claim to be an expert on ZJM form, the noodles seemed perfectly done, with a little bite to them,. and the sauce was appropriately spicy, with fresh sharp flavors of individually discernible ingredients instead of the mucky mess you sometimes get with ZJM.
I'll give it 5 stars for starters for the zha jiang mian, the hospitality, and the very presence of a real Northern Chinese wheaten option in the Chinatown vicinity. I'll be back to check on more goodies as soon as it actually opens (which could be as soon as Thursday or Friday this week).
Update on 9/13/07: FPB did open today after a "soft" opening yesterday, and intial response exceeded expectations. I know, because I went there about 1:30 hell-bent on eel noodles, only to find out that they has sold out all the noodles (they make them fresh daily).
Update on 9/27 -- I've been there three more times, for the eel noodles, the "smoked" fish noodles and for a full order of zha jiang mian. The smoked fish is good, though the broth too sweet for my tastes. The eel noodles were so good I wanted to lick the bowl; on their account I'm sticking with the the 5-star rating.
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Best dumplings ever!! So fresh, so yummy. Just like Beijing! I just had lunch there and was blown away! The price was reasonable too. The resteraunt is very clean, and the staff friendly.
My only complaint that the vibe of the place is a little sterile, not enough decor. Maybe they need a fish tank, or more plants, or a buddha, something anything. When they get the decor down, then I'll give them 5 stars!
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Holy Crap I love dumplings. Yes, girrrrrlll you know I do. After reading Ed. to the M's review today I popped right over to this little resto to try out the noodles, dumplings and all things Chinese.
We began with the Shanghi style dumplings with a side of sauce, we were informed that the pot stickers were "out" but then they gave us two on the house....awesome. We then progressed to the spicy chicken with peanuts and the pork noodles. Holy crap those pork noodles were good, grab a bowl for one if you are eating solo, this is a great lunch and very inexpensive!
Why only three stars? Well, the service was slower than molasses and when you're in the FiDi you gotta be quick, time is money people. Also, i had to ask repeatedly for various items, such as hot chili and the check. I am down with you wanting me to stay, but again, Time is Money people.
Sorry, perhaps i am suffering a bit too much from the hump day blues.....
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Showed up to a half empty restaurant, and after receiving the menu I was told half of the menu was actually not available for the day. No noodels at the noodle place.strange.
A group of us ordered 4 (of the 7 or so available) entrees, and they all turned out to be pretty good. Also, somehow they all got much spicier as the lunch continued.
Get the cuttlefish-its a cool fish that changes color and tastes good.
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Alright, listen up folks, cause I'mma learn you some China style.
China is a freaking huge country. Have you ever seen a map? It's frickin huge. And naturally, cuisine from different parts of the country have different tastes. So, much like Spanish food tastes different from French food, and the things that people in Mexico eat are different from the things that people in Canada eat, Northern and Southern Chinese cuisine, in my mind, happen to taste completely different.
Southern Chinese cuisine (key words to look for: Cantonese, Sichuan/Szechuan, Hunan, Hong Kong) tend to focus on bolder flavors and spices, heavily rice-based dishes, stir-frying, seafood & dim sum, and others. Of course, it's not limited to or exclusive to those characteristics, but that's a primer.
Northern Chinese cuisine (key words: Beijing, Mandarin, Shandong) tend to focus more on noodles, dumplings, soups, pork-based meals, and the like.
Both are delicious, and I happen to enjoy Northern Cuisine more, since my family more or less is from Beijing and because I WOULD FLOG MYSELF TEN TIMES OVER FOR FRESH NOODLES AND DUMPLINGS WHICH MIGHT BE PURE HEAVEN ON EARTH JESUS LORDY!!!!
Anyways, you can imagine my excitement when I discovered (through Courtney Y's, Dan V's, and Wakako U's reviews) this place called New Flying Pan Bistro located within walking distance of the Financial District (i.e. my-own-personal-corporate-desk-soul-crushing-hell) which served fresh tasty hand pulled noodles, handmade dumplings, and the like - Northern Chinese food at its finest.
So I made it a point to go. The dishes are a blend of Shanghai and Northern Chinese cuisines, and the first thing I noticed was that the menu is pretty limited - several cold and warm appetizers, noodle dishes, and maybe 5 or 6 entrees - and that this place was empty except our table, which means GO GO GO NOW HERE. The dumplings and potstickers were a pleasant surprise - the pot stickers were lightly pan-fried with open ends on each side, and both the dumplings and potstickers had the same pumpkin and pork filling, which I found pleasant and refreshing. The 5 spice beef appetizer was tasty and spiced just how I like it, but the beef noodle soup was a little sweeter than what I was expecting, although I do think that the noodles were excellent. In the future I plan on trying both their Zha Jiang Mien (fried sauce noodles) which looked spicy and dry-fried, and their Xue Cai Ji Si Mien (greens and chicken noodle soup). The decor is nicer than you'd expect for a Chinatown dump - the bowls, cups, and plates are the kinds that you can buy from the De Young Museum Store.
So don't ever complain to me that you "don't like Chinese food because it's too greasy". China has like 19 billion impoverished people, I don't think they're loading up on all the extra abundant grease in the area, ass hat. In fact, if you think a place is too greasy, it's probably because you're somewhere where they cater to the Fatty McFatFat American palate. So just STFU and go back and eat your butter-drowned steak at Ruth's Chris. Or please feel free to enjoy the fine culinary stylings of overly sweet plum sauce and machine dumplings at House of White Man, oops House of Nanking. God, that place is an insult to all decent Chinese food everywhere. And don't mess with me on this, I'm so absolutely 100% right, it's not even funny.
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I'm a little afraid about the prospects for the "new" Flying Pan Bistro, because it still seems a little empty at lunch time. I think it is too far from the FD for the lunch crowd and too far off Grant for the tourists. Regardless, it is a diamond in the rough. I'm not super knowledgeable about "real" Chinese food, but the server told me that the food was from Shanghai. Well, the actual food wasn't from Shanghai, that might be pretty gross, but it was Shanghai-style food. It was good, but the prices are probably a little off-putting to a lot of lunch timers. For me, it's not a place I could eat at everyday, but once in a while it's a treat. They are very friendly, and as was said previously, the menu is small, and that allows them to focus on their strengths. I especially enjoyed the somewhat sweet lotus root (with the holes filled with some sort of rice) and the pickled jelly fish salad. It appears that one of my favorite things, the vegetarian hot and sour soup, is off the menu however. Nevertheless, I'll be back again!
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What a lovely place for lunch in Chinatown! I usually avoid this neighborhood like the plague because I have no idea where to eat, and I refuse to accidently eat bad Chinese food. This is a total gem though - fresh hand-made noodles had me sold. My lunch companion and I shared the noodle soup with smoked fish, the Beijing dumplings and a vegetarian dish with lots of silky yuba (tofu skin) and edamame. The noodles were fantastic - perfectly chewy, non-overcooked texture with tasty (possibly MSG-errific, yum) broth and sweet smoked fish pieces. The steamed Beijing dumplings were good but nothing to rave about. Service was speedy and almost obsequious (I don't feel like bowing is ever necessary, especially not for lunch and when dishes cost $6-7). As an added bonus, everything is served in attractive, modern, white ceramic dishware. Like stuff you would see at the SF Moma museum store. Funny and totally random.
Check this place out before it gets really crowded during lunch!
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maybe i don;t know enough about chinese food?
all the dishes were so... bland?
very nice people there though. but i just wanted more... salt?
I have been to Flying Pan Bistro twice this week, and everything has been excellent. As mentioned by chowhound Gary Soup, the menu is limited to Northern Chinese dishes, with some Shanghai dishes thrown in as well. There are not many options, which is a good thing, especially when you consider the quality of the places that have the encyclopedic menus.
The focus is on handmade noodles, as well as dumplings with handmade wrappers. The jja jjang myun is a version I am not used to: minced pork, vegetables, a lot of chile, and little if any black bean. Really tasty nonetheless, with excellent noodles. Smoked fish noodle soup used the same noodles, and threw on toothsome smoked fish and a broth that was a tad too sweet for my taste. Beef stew noodle was also delicious, with lots of tendon thrown in. A little sweet as well. Beijing dumplings had sweet potato and minced meat (couldn't figure it out) in a substantial wrapper.
We tried a few other dishes, like five spice beef and Shanghai spicy chicken, both very good. As a side note, spicy means spicy.
The first time we went here, the restaurant ran out of dumplings. This was at noon. So get here a little on the early side.
I really hope this place succeeds, the downtown area needs more places like this and less places that are mediocre at making hundreds of dishes.
UPDATE 11/29/07
Hmm, Flying Pan Bistro is now open for dinner only 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. And reservations required (at least according to the sign)! Who the fuck is hanging out on Clay and Montgomery around 8 p.m.? The same people who drink at EZ5, I guess. Very odd . . .
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