Welcome back to Good Taste, a menu for eating thoughtfully in the Bay Area. We finally checked out Four Kings (710 Commercial St., SF), the acclaimed Cantopop-soundtracked pop-up that opened a permanent cafe in Chinatown in March. It’s not easy to get in, but we have a few tips to help out—and some suggestions of what to order once you’re there.
What to order
Because it’s a small space and the big menu of small plates inspires repeat visits, reservations are still tricky to get, but they’re not impossible. Each night at midnight, new slots for dates three weeks ahead open and the primetime ones are snatched within a few minutes. After a few weeks of only finding an occasional reservation for two at 9 p.m. or later, my friend set an alarm for a few minutes before midnight in order to get us a 6 p.m. reservation one recent Friday.
Arrive early
The restaurant opens at 6 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays, and if you arrive an hour early, you might have a good shot of getting a walk-in table. Once the doors are open, they stagger seat one walk-in table after each reserved table is seated. This strategy will work best for small parties, as much of the seating inside is for two people, with some solo spots at the bar.
… or go really late
If you’re down with eating late, or having snacks and drinks without splurging on a big meal, Four Kings is open until 11 p.m. five nights a week. After 9 p.m., your chances of getting a walk-in table increase.
Ask for the window seat
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If the table for two built right into the front window is available, ask if you can sit there. It’s fun to sit side by side with the other person in your party. The table is deep enough to provide more than enough room for all the large or small dishes you may be ordering. The light is ideal for photos if you’re there on the early bird tip and enjoy documenting your meals. And it’s an interesting perch from which to watch what is or isn’t happening outside.
What to order
Roasted peanuts and smashed cucumbers are offered for free with each meal, and everything is designed to be shared. After studying the menu for months and taking into consideration recommendations from the house, we deciding to focus on the permanent offerings instead of the super-tempting specials. We ordered a supple three color steamed egg (with tomato, century egg, and salted duck egg), water spinach cooked in shrimp paste, a pair of squash croquettes rained in ribbons of salted egg, a rich scallop vermicelli plated in a scallop shell, XO escargot with milk bread, one fat and juicy Xinjiang lamb skewer that’s perfectly portioned for two. There was room for dessert only because they were light: a snow pile of red bean shaved ice and a fish-shaped mango pudding, served with strawberry sorbet.
Four Kings is the kind of place where you want to know when you’ll return again while you’re still eating. I long to go back at any hour to try more royal dishes, including mapo spaghetti, black bean clams, pork chop rice with tomato egg, and claypot rice with Chinese sausage and bacon.
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