Haute HaiNan Chinese Cuisine at Region

While San Francisco has no shortage of farm-to-table restaurants and many top billing chefs (ahem Cory Lee) incorporate Asian flavors into their Californian cuisine, it’s been hard to find a Chinese cuisine place that utilizes the ideas of high quality produce and molecular gastronomy.  Chinese food often gets a bad rap for being some kind of greasy mess to eat out of a white take out box (since most restaurants lack proper atmosphere and decor).  However, Haute Living finally found the gap filler.

A Chinese restaurant that has sleek decor and is so clean that we feel safe stomping about in our Louboutins.  A great happy hour where one could easily end up in trouble after all those $6 Moscow Mules.  Valet Parking in a great neighborhood right by the Embarcadero.  Modernized sous vided and BBQed Pork Ribs.  Classic Peking Roast duck.    Mongolian grass-fed beef.

Welcome to Region.  Since the owner hails from the HaiNan region of China (on the southern tip), he incorporates Vietnamese dishes into the menu.  It’s officially Pan-Asian cuisine with menu items offering a bit of Thai, Vietnamese flavors here and there but their specialty here is a Chinese classic: Peking roast duck.  But this duck is unique from all other ducks just hanging in Chinatown in that it’s been sourced from a small local purveyor in Petaluma.  It’s properly served table side to display the carving technique of the chef and accompanied by paper-thin pancakes and the necessary scallion, cucumber and sauce accoutrements.

The owner Kiet understands that the best cuisine will always be your moms.  He tries his hardest to keep those flavors which induce water colored memories but simultaneously injects some new technique into classics to elevate the whole experience.

Region
139 Steuart Street
(415)896-1398

• Lunch Mon – Sat | 11:30 am to 2:30 pm
• Happy Hour – Everyday| 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM and 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm
• Dinner  Sun – Sat| 5:00 PM – 10:00 PM