China Live gathered a *lot* of hype before it even opened. Dubbed the "Eataly of Chinese Food", described as a "food emporium", planned to have a retail marketplace, a tea bar, a casual restaurant, a noodle bar, a high end fine dining establishment, and more, all housed in a very expensively designed massive 30,000 square foot space. It was originally set to open in 2015, but delayed many times, and didn't actually open the door until 2017. I visited a few months after opening, and was underwhelmed. I've since returned to explore some of the other concepts, but I think for most, including me, it never quite lived up to the promise.
Setting
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| Signage. |
China Live is tucked away in Chinatown, just off Broadway. From the street, you can't quite tell what a massive space it is inside, occupying multiple stories.
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| Retail Store. |
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| Bar. |
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| Peking Duck Kitchen. |
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| Dining. |
Ordering & Delivery - China Live Signatures
In addition to the main restaurant and retail space, China Live has expanded to a dozen more locations, known as "Signatures".
"China Live is proud to announce the launch of China Live Signatures, our localized offering of China Live’s very best, delivered fresh and fast to neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area.China Live favorites are prepared in quality-controlled, virtual kitchens throughout the Bay Area using the same seasonal fresh, natural ingredients under the same exacting standards of our original flagship kitchen in San Francisco’s Chinatown."
The first time I ordered delivery it did not start off very successfully. I ordered from their new "Signatures" branch, located in a cloud kitchen, not the actual restaurant. It has a reduced menu compared to the main restaurant, and faster delivery times. I think everything is pre-made though, because they couldn't handle any modifications, any at all, like sauce on the side.
I looked at the menu the night before, and planned my order: the seafood sui mai dumplings, dutch crunch bbq pork buns, and carrot cake. Unfortunately, when I went to order, the carrot cake was sold out. I nearly decided to wait for another day, but my top choice, the seafood sui mai were there, so I completed my order. Two minutes later my phone rang - it was China Live Signatures, telling me the sui mai were sold out! The person who called was very apologetic, and suggested the best selling SJB instead, so I went for it.
My order arrived VERY quickly - in less than 30 min from when I got off the phone accepting the change in my order. This confirmed my suspicion that everything was pre-made, which also explains why they sell out of things so easily. Both items were ok, certainly would have been better freshly made. It was clear that both were supposed to have crisp components that had been made soft due to time in containers that trapped in steam and ruined the crispness.
And yet, after that, I ordered from China Live Signatures again a few months later. Again, faced with so many things sold out. I don't recommend ordering that way. My in person takeout has been far more successful.
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| Substitution Notice: China Live Signatures. |
My order contained the bbq pork buns and retail bottle soy sauce I had selected, plus the "JSB" that were given as a substitute for the shrimp and scallop sui mai. The substituted item was clearly marked with a label that said "Hello! An item you ordered was unavailable so an equivalent substitution was provided". This was a nice touch, making it quite clear why the contents of my bag weren't what I expected. The receipt stapled to the bag also had a SUB notation on it next to the item.
I was pleased how well they handled this case, but it also made me think it is likely very common. Given my experience of having 2 of the items I originally wanted to order be not available, I likely wouldn't order from here again, as I lack the confidence that what I want to order is actually available.
Cuisine
The menu at China Live is quite extensive, and broken into many sections. To start, there is "Salads & Lite Fry", along with "Cold Plates & Side Dishes", and Dim Sum. Then there is barbecue, Rice & Noodles & Soup, Poultry & Pork & Beef, seafood, vegetables, and of course, dessert. I haven't ventured to the main dish sections of the menu, opting mostly for dim sum, and of course, dessert, although the seafood portion of the menu in particular has some items I'd like to try.
Dim Sum
The dim sum is what drew me to China Live, and is the section of the menu with their top selling, and signature dishes. There are several kinds of dumplings, including more common items like shrimp & scallop shumai, or more unique offerings like sichuan dumplings with Impossible meat. The pot stickers are also notable, a larger, longer style than most.
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| Our #1 Seller the Famous Sheng Jian Bao "SJB". $14.50. From China Live Signatures, April 2022. |
"4 pieces. Daily hand-made, pan-fried dumplings in the traditional skillet pan-fry and steam method. A favorite of the Shanghai street food scene, cooked over open fire. These juicy, spiced Kurobuta pork filled dumplings are a delight to enjoy as the soft silky bun is contrasted with a firm crispy bottom. "
The order of SJB arrived looking exactly like online photos - two buns with the crisp side up, two with the crisp side down, with a little container of spicy sauce alongside.
The buns however were barely lukewarm, and, the side that should obviously be crisp was soft. They clearly didn't do so well made long in advance and kept in warm containers.
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| SJB: Inside. |
I did like how soft the dough was though, and there was a generous amount of pork filling. The filling lacked in seasoning though, and unlike XLB, there was no flavorful soup inside either. They ate pretty dry. The provided sauce had a nice kick to it.
I suspect these are considerably better when fresh so the pan fried edge is crisp, but I wouldn't get them again, as the filling also just didn't really deliver much favor-wise.
**+
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| Sichuan "Working Hands" Wonton Style Dumplings. $16. (From China Live Signatures, May 2022). |
"Sesame Butter, Peppercorn-Chili Broth."
Next up, the Sichuan "Working Hands" Wonton Style Dumplings. These looked decent when I opened the container, garnished with chives. There were two sauces, Sesame Butter and Peppercorn-Chili Broth, provided in little sealed containers. I appreciated that I'd be able to add as much or little of them as I wanted, but the little containers were only about 1/3 full. It turns out, I didn't really want more. The red one, which I assume was the peppercorn-chili broth was basically just oil, and I didn't taste any spice to it. The other, I guess the sesame butter, was quite thin and sour. Basically, thin sauce & oil, oddly sour, and no spice? These sauces really didn't add anything to the dish. The dumplings themselves were lightly coated in oil as well.
The dumplings were cold. My delivery person did come by bike, and I think these just didn't hold heat well at all. I needed to reheat them as they were too cold to enjoy. Because they had gotten cold, they were also stuck together, and broke when trying to separate them. This was a bummer, as the quality really suffered. It is hard to really evaluate the dumplings, as the wonton wrappers were quite gummy at this point, and hard around the edges. The filling was ok, generously filled with ground pork, some seasoning.
Overall, this was not a success as a delivery dish. I did steam the dumplings to reheat them, and added my own sauces - chili crisp, soy, another random Chinese sauce I had in the fridge, and made something of them, but as they came, not a success, and I wouldn't get these again.
*+.
Barbecue
The "Barbeque" section of the menu is where the peking duck shows up, in a few different styles, along with char siu pork several ways, and braised pork belly.
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| Char Siu BBQ Pork "Dutch Crunch" Baked Buns. $13. From China Live Signatures, April 2022. |
"3 pieces. China Live's favorite 'Dutch Crunch' baked golden-brown buns, filled with freshly roasted, savory barbeque pork Char Siu filling. Can't eat just one!"
From the barbecue section, although I was interested in the peking duck, I really had eyes on only one dish: the char siu bbq pork buns.
The "dutch crunch" baked buns were not very attractive looking the first time I got them, as they were a bit shriveled up. Like the SJB, they were mildly lukewarm, and like the SJB, the topping, that should be crisp, was quite soft. This was easily remedied though with a few minutes in my toaster oven.
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| Dutch Crunch Baked Buns: Inside. |
These were very unique and unlike any pork buns I've had before. I enjoyed the sweet flavor of the dough and the topping, more like a pineapple bun than the namesake dutch crunch bread used for sandwiches. The bbq pork bits inside were ok, nicely sweet, but not particularly remarkable. It wasn't *quite* a dessert, but, close.
These were better than the SJB, but again, clearly suffered from getting soft, and weren't something I'd likely get again.
***.
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| Char Siu BBQ Pork "Dutch Crunch" Baked Buns. $13 (for 3), +$4 for 4. Dine-in. January 2023. |
The inside is chopped bbq pork, very lightly sweet, far less sauce/goo than many pork buns, good pork flavor. Good, but not extraordinary. But the bun is where the magic is. The base is soft, fluffy, very fresh tasting. And then ... the topping. This is where the sweetness comes from, and it definitely pushes these in a sweeter-than-normal for a savory item, borderline towards dessert, nearly cookie-like. It is almost flaky. Combined with the bbq pork filling it makes for a lovely balanced (but still sweet!) bite.
These were significantly better fresh, I think the inside wasn't much different, but the bun stayed soft and fresh, and the topping was crispy, and that made a big difference. I again thought it reminded me more of a pineapple bun than dutch crunch.
A signature item for a reason, and I'd get it again if I was craving something like this. ****.
Desserts
As a dessert girl, I'll admit I was a bit let down by the options, at least on paper. A molten matcha lava cake, a mandarin chocolate brownie, and carrot cake. That's it. I was expecting some more unique offerings. If you dine in, they also have sesame soft serve, lychee soft serve, and mango shaved ice. That said, the carrot cake, oh, at the special caramel corn they make, were very good.
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| Cindy's Carrot Cake. $8. Takeout, July 2021. |
This was very good carrot cake.
Ridiculously moist, loaded with ... everything? Pineapple, nuts ... obviously carrots. Seriously dense, not actually "cake like" in some ways, more of a very moist bar than a cake almost.
The frosting had a slight tang but certainly didn't scream "cream cheese". It was good though, sweet, not cloying, not "fake" tasting. It also was quite heavy, like the cake, not light and fluffy.
I liked it, but a small piece went a long way. The portion was very large, and it lasted me several servings.
***+.
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| Vanilla Cupcake. Takeout, February 2021. |
The cake was ... well, boring. Kinda dry. It had no flavor of any kind, just, plain.
And let's talk about the 1:1 frosting to cake ratio. As a frosting lover, this pleased me greatly.
The frosting though was good, very sweet, fluffy.
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| Vanilla Cupcake: Cross Section. |
So, great frosting, tons of it, but I wouldn't get again.
**+
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| Peking Duck Fat Popcorn. $14.95. |
"Our Signature Sweet & Savory Popcorn - what dreams are made of! Who doesn't love a little duck fat... Our PEKING DUCK POPCORN is a Good Food Award WINNER! "
Now this had my name all over it. I have a thing for popcorn, and, um, duck fat popcorn? I was in. It came in a sealed bag, nicely labelled with ingredients (sugar, duck fat, Peking duck, salt, rice, bran oil, popcorn, baking soda) and nutrition stats. I mean really, sugar + duck fat + salt + popcorn? Of course this had to be good!
It was good. Sorta. It also had moments of being a bit gross ... particularly when consumed in mass quantity. But mostly, it was fascinating. In one dimension, it was caramel corn. The kernels were very well coated in kinda too sweet caramel. I wished for some pieces to be less generously covered, to have something to balance out the candy corn. The caramel though wasn't just standard caramel. Yes, it was sweet, almost cloying, but you could also taste the peking duck flavors, which almost made it taste a bit savory, and certainly quite complex. There was definitely soy sauce. I think a touch of 5 spice. And, a rich fattiness, clearly, the duck fat, that added more complexity. So while I thought it was too sweet to devour en masse, um, I still did, because it was such a journey through the different flavors and components, all in the course of a single bite. Oh, and, um, there were actually bits of peking duck in it too - small little bits, almost like large bacon bits or small jerky pieces, stuck to the popcorn via the caramel.
Overall, it was sweet, it was odd, it was very, very rich, and I really shouldn't have devoured the bag in one sitting (it said 4 servings I think?), but it was fascinating and I think I did enjoy it. At $14.95 a bag though, I don't think I'd get it again, unless a very specific craving were to hit me again.
***+.
Retail Sauces
China Live produced a number of their sauces and condiments for retail purchase as well. You can buy their house made soy sauce, ginger-infused ginger, red chili oil, pekin duck hoisin plum sauce, chili bean sauce, hot mustard, X sauce, chili crisp, etc. If you visit in person, in the retail shop, they have most of the sauces available to taste test.
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| Retail Sauces & Tasting Station. |
When I visited, I tried their hot mustard (very nice heat to it, I definitely liked) and their House XO with cognac (great funk from the scallop and whatnot). I was inspired to order some of the other sauces when I got delivery from the Signatures storefront.
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| China Live Signature House Soy Sauce. $11.50 |
"250 ml bottle. A non-gluten, non-GMO blend of Chinese and Japanese flavors, with a touch of Southeast Asia."
I use a ton of soy sauce (I use it in salad dressing, in stir fries, etc), and was excited to see they offered their housemade soy sauce. I was curious how it would compare with my generic grocery store brands.
It turned out to be just sweetened soy sauce. Yup, the ingredients were soy sauce and sugar, not what was I was expecting. Certainly not worth $11.50, as it seemed no different from slightly sweet Kikkoman ...
**+.
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| China Live Signature House Peking Duck Hoisin Plum Sauce. $11.50. |
Like the other retail items, this came nicely packaged, labelled, sealed, and with ingredients (soy sauce, sugar, sweet bean paste, dried plums, tomato pure, sesame oil, Chinese five-spice powder) and nutritional info.
It was entirely unlike any duck sauce I've encountered before, usually a pale color, and quite sweet and fruity, whereas this was dark and had far more flavor complexity. It was sweet and savory. A mix of ingredients and quite balanced. It had a consistency more like XO sauce, with some bits in a thinner sauce. I liked it, but it was definitely not like the pale fruity plum sauce I grew up calling duck sauce, that I used to dip crispy wontons. ***.
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