TC Pastry delivers on variety and price, despite a few duds - Review - San Francisco - The Infatuation
"You’ll find better renditions of dim sum staples at many other Chinese bakeries in SF, but TC Pastry has them beat on variety. Yes, the siu mai are a tad spongy and the turnip cakes tend to be soggy, but their hard-to-find dishes are what make this Sunset takeout counter worth visiting. That includes the chicken turnovers, baseball-sized sticky rice buns, and the stuffed rice rolls that are filled with chinese cruller, slices of pickled mustard stems, and pork floss. This spot is cash-only, but you won’t need much of it for a full meal since everything is around $5 or less. Seating is limited to just a few two-tops that are usually occupied by neighborhood regulars, so have a getaway plan figured out. video credit: Patrick Wong Food Rundown Siu Mai The taste is mixed—you’ll get hits of white pepper and a slight sweetness to balance out the flavor of the pork, but there’s not much shrimp. The texture is the biggest offense though. It’s too soft and the wrapper is slightly gummy. photo credit: Patrick Wong Turnip Cake Three palm-sized pieces to an order. These can be hit-or-miss. If they’re fresh, the edges are crisp and the center still firm, but oftentimes there’s a solid chance you’ll get an order that’s mushy. Egg Tart Similar to the turnip cake, these can be inconsistent. The filling is always just sweet enough with a slight wobble. But on some days, the ruffled crust can be overbaked and burnt. Go for the mini versions (that we’ve only seen at TC) that have a much higher success rate. PlayMute video credit: Patrick Wong Char Siu Bao Solid. We wouldn’t come back just for these, but they certainly measure up to many others in the city. The filling is a tad too sweet, but we overlook it for how chewy and stretchy the bread is. PlayMute video credit: Patrick Wong Stuffed Rice Rolls They’re the best thing at TC and we’ve yet to find them served at any other Chinese bakery. The rice is springy and the chinese cruller hiding in the center avoids sogginess despite being coated in pork floss and pickled mustard stems. We will continue to make a special trip to TC just for this. PlayMute video credit: Patrick Wong Sticky Rice Buns Just like the stuffed rice rolls, these rice buns make for a great on-the-go meal. A fistful of sticky rice has a hint of savoriness with pops of salt and brine from chunks of chinese sausage and dried baby shrimp. The nearly translucent wrapper adds a bit of extra chew. These hold up well for days after, so we always get an order to go. Cheung Fun These should be the standard for rice noodles in SF. TC’s have a bit of firmness without losing its trademark elasticity and are so silky you could probably swallow each one whole. Call ahead and you can put in a larger order for pick-up." - Patrick Wong
