Golden Horse Restaurant

User Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Service Without a Smile: Golden Horse has a lot going for it. First, the primary reason for being there... the food is definitely a cut above the hundreds, perhaps thousands of chinese restaurants in this city. Golden Horse specializes in Hong Kong style cuisine, and they reach for and achieve fare that is definitely not just typical americanized chinese fast food. The vegetables are fresh and plentiful, the meat and seafood are obviously good quality, the seasonings are well-balanced, nothing is excessively greasy. And the presentation is always elegant and visually pleasing, suitable for an upscale San Francisco bistro.

Second, the price is right. You can eat plentifully for about $10 per person on a budget, or go for the luxury three course approach for $20 or less. I see many chinese families in there ordering from the family banquet menu, which makes big groups affordable too.

Third, the location is terrific, on the corner of California and Hyde right across from Cala Market. Half the FiDi can stop by there on the way home from work. And the ambience, while not anything to win decorator awards, is clean and pleasant and now newly remodeled.

So what keeps this place from being darn near perfect? Well, its just a shame that the service doesn't match everything else. The waitresses are abrupt, at times even rude, especially when someone like me walks in to enjoy a quiet relaxing dinner on a work night with just a Harry Potter book as my dinner escort. Don't know why... I shower daily, brush my teeth, and tip quite decently. Also disappointing that I cannot order a single-sized portion of soup, it is only served in family-sized tourines (or so I was informed by the waitress who only seemed to know one word of english... "NO!"). Odd that in a neighborhood of mostly studio and one bedroom apartments occupied by working professionals they are so averse to serving a table for one? Maybe this explains why a place with such terrific, decently priced food is mostly empty on week nights while every other cafe in the neighborhood is packed? Hmmm.....

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User Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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