Z & Y Restaurant

Z & Y is a fairly well known Sichuan restaurant in San Francisco, winner of a Michelin 2020 Bib Gourmand, etc, and they take pride in that have served Presidents, Vice Presidents and Foreign Ministers of People’s Republic of China.  They are known for being authentic, and, well, since Sichuan, spicy.

I haven't visited to dine in the restaurant, but they are open for both lunch and dinner, daily.  They have a sister restaurant, Chili House, in the Richmond.

Update Review: June 2020

Z & Y was one of the first places I got takeout during the COVID / shelter in place in San Francisco, and I couldn't stop thinking about just how good those spicy dumplings were.  And I couldn't stop wondering what the difference was from the spicy *wontons* on the menu, listed with a "spicy sesame sauce."

So, a few weeks later, I returned to find out.

Wontons with Spicy Sesame Sauce.

It turns out, they *were* different.  Obviously wontons != dumplings, but the sauce was different, as was the packaging even.

Since everything was still in takeout only mode, I got my order as a pickup order, via Caviar, and again went to sit in The park just a block away.  It really is a great spot to easily pick up food and have somewhere nice to eat!

Ordering was more frustrating this time around - I placed my order, but the restaurant didn't acknowledge it for quite some time.  After 10 minutes (usually its near instant) I called them to check that they were open, mentioned my order via Caviar not yet accepted, and they immediately did it.  I think they were really, really busy?

Wonton with Spicy Sesame Sauce. $8.95.

The portion of wontons, just like the dumplings, was 6 pieces, each super sized.  You'll see soon.  They make some very, very large dumplings here.

They came packaged much better this time, in a standard deli pint container, which was considerably more spill proof than the way the dumplings came.  I appreciated this.

The container also had the sauce, plenty of it, even if it didn't look that way.  $8.95 was the same price as the other apps, seemed reasonable.

Spicy Sesame Sauce.

From the top, you could see the clearly spicy sauce, all the sesame and chili oil, and a fresh scattering of chives and sesame seeds.

The sauce was spicy, as I expected.  I was glad it didn't remind me of the Din Tai Fung sesame sauce that I didn't care for, and this was much more like the spicy dumpling sauce, just, I think, more sesame oil heavy, and with perhaps more sesame seeds on top?  It certainly seemed more oily.

I liked the heat and spice, but I found it really one note: spicy and oil, and nothing else.  I recall saying the same thing about the spicy dumplings.  I wanted soy and black vinegar to balance it.

I had soy sauce with me, and balanced it out that way, and enjoyed it more.  I'm sorry if this is horribly not authentic!

Huge Wontons.

The wontons were each enormous.  I said this about the dumplings last time too, but, wow these things are big.  So much wrapper, so much filling.

The wrappers were ... fine?  They weren't too gummy, too soft, too firm, or anything, but really didn't seem particularly special.  Lots of wonton "tails" as I like to call them, as these were just so huge.

Pork Filling.

Here you can see just how much pork was inside - this is *half* of one of the balls of pork from within.  The pork was really nicely prepared, you can see how juicy it is, how it is cooked through perfectly, and nicely seasoned.

The wonton were extremely filling with this much pork inside, and all the wonton wrapper.

Overall, they were fine, but certainly didn't leave me craving them in the way the others had.

Original Review May 2020

Because of COVID-19, I had to order takeout, which I did in advance on Caviar.  Ordering was easy, and I appreciated the photos online so I'd know what I was getting.  My order was ready in a reasonable amount of time.  I think they do a solid takeout and delivery service even when the dining room is open.

There was a park just a block away that made for an ideal dining venue.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes ...

• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]

Spicy and Tasty.

My food was great.  The service?   Not so much.  When I arrived, and gave my name for pickup, I was told simply, "not ready yet", and the staff member walked away as he said it.  No indication of when it would be ready.  No one else was around, no one else waiting, no other orders queued up, so, he didn't seem busy ...  When be did bring my order, it was done without a word, and again, rushed and he was gone quickly.  Perhaps it was the virus situation that caused him to want little to do with being near humans (even though I was quite far away), maybe it was limited english skills, etc, but, it was fairly off-putting.

But luckily, the food?  Delicious.

The menu is extensive, with a bunch of hot appetizers (including dumplings, noodles, egg rolls, etc), cold appetizers (you know, pork kidneys in "spicy numbing sauce", among many many other spicy dishes - I was soo tempted by the "Tiger Skin Jalapeno with Preserved Egg"), soups, and rice and noodle dishes.  But many more pages of menu are devoted to spicy preparations of different proteins, with more than a dozen options per protein (e.g. Mongolian beef.  Cumin beef.  Spicy beef with peppercorns.  Hot spicy beef in a flaming pot.  Beef with flaming chili oil.  Etc.  Some milder options, like orange flavor or broccoli beef *do* exist, but, most are quite spicy).  Pork, poultry, seafood, even veggies follow a similar format, although with different dishes per main ingredient.  And then there is another section of the menu, actually called "Hot & Spicy", which, I guess, is even *more* spicy?  They aren't messing around.

Curb Appeal.

Z & Y is located in Chinatown, alongside a slew of other Chinese restaurants, bakeries, and shops, many of which were closed up due to COVID-19.  It had little curb appeal, and, because of the takeout only situation, was set up with furniture blocking the entrance, and a bell to ring for service.

I was hoping to use the bathroom, but alas, the signage was quite clear that no customers were allowed inside.

Packaging.

My order was handed over in a plastic bag, with chopsticks only.  I had to ask for napkin, which was done wordlessly, and the staff member was walking away before he even fully finished putting into the bag.  No other utensils, no condiments.

The takeout container was labelled with their logo, but wasn't sealed firmly, and did leak into the bag.

Spicy Dumpling. $8.95.

I went for the spicy dumplings, as I was craving, very strongly, Din Tai Fung's version (which I know aren't the same, but I loved so much!).

These were the traditional Sichuan style: boiled, served in a spicy chili oil (and black vinegar?) sauce.

The Din Tai Fung spicy wontons had some heat, but even as I mentioned in that review, not a ton.  These on the other hand?  Um, yes.  Spicy.  Fire!   I loved the spice.  Mostly just chili oil.  And extra chili flakes on top.  Spicy, oily, and left my tongue burning.  But it did feel unbalanced … it really was just spicy oil.  I wanted a touch of soy or vinegar, but I guess that isn't the Sichuan way?

The dumplings were huge.  6 to an order.  They were well formed, not too doughy, the wrappers not too thin.  I prefer wonton style (again like Din Tai Fung), as I prefer the thinner wrappers, but these were fine dumplings.

Spicy Dumplings: Inside.

They were extremely generously filled, loaded with pork filling.  I can't really say how well seasoned the filling was, as the spicy sauce took over everything, but the filling was juicy, and, as I said, tons of it.

Overall, I really did enjoy my dumplings.  I was glad I brought along some raw diakon and crunchy red cabbage to pair with it.  I loved having the freshness and crispness to pair alongside the spicy hot food.  It really was a great match, so, go me for that.  They also made me crave a hard cider or white wine, but alas, I didn't have that with me.

I am not sure I'd get them again as they aren't 100% my style, but I'm glad I tried.