Hai Sun
3137 Laguna St. (x Lombard St.)
So, I’ve never been to this place in person. When bbg and I first moved in to our apartment, we didn’t know much about the city and we were open to experimenting (with food, that is). As such, when takeout menus appeared rubberbanded to our front door, we tried a couple out. Hai Sun caught our eye because, supposedly, they cook with very little oil. We figured that if we were gonna eat Chinese food, we could at least try to be healthy about it, so we made the call. Take out Chinese food in a tiny urban apartment? I must be an adult now.
Like I said, I’ve never physically been to the place, so I can’t say much about the interior or table service or anything like that. I have ordered from there about a dozen or so times since we’ve been in SF. Ordering on the phone seems to be the most painful part since the person taking your order doesn’t always have a firm grasp on the English language. It’s also pretty confusing when you only order two dishes instead of the normal 5 or 6. Ordering the food is semi ok, but giving directions on where you live can be tricky. Delivery is pretty speedy, even on a Saturday night. They’ll also call you if they can’t find your apartment or if your buzzer isn’t working.
The food is satisfying, but I wouldn’t say it’s the best ever. We usually get some kind of chow mein and a spicy beef dish. The menu boasts lots of different kinds of Chinese cuisine (Mongolian, Szechuan, Hunan, HK). I’m pretty ignorant and thus don’t know the difference between them. We’ve tried them all and the best seems to be Mongolian beef – very spicy. The dish comes with tones sliced onions and lots of long cut scallions. The onions add a nice, sweet crunch to the dish, which I enjoy. They also manage to soak up some of the flavor and are cooked enough to to be onion-y. I don’t really appreciate the scallions, so I pick them out. The meat itself is tender and comes in nice, thin slices. The sauce isn’t very oily, true to the Hai Sun promise, but rather it’s light, almost watery and used in an appropriate amount (read: not smothering the dish). And it’s hot! Your mouth and lips will be tingly for quite a while after you finish dinner.
Chow mein comes in different flavors: special, different meats, veggies, etc. After some hits and misses, we’ve settled on the BBQ pork. The noodles are a bit oily, but not as much as noodles you’d normally get at other restaurants. The pieces of meat are your typical Chinese BBQ pork, only in small bits. Besides the meat, the noodles come with shreds of cabbage that have a mustard-y flavor. Yuck. I usually pick these out since their flavor can be pretty strong. Otherwise, a good dish, always my favorite.
Overall: If you’re feeling lazy and you want some fast, and possibly healthy, Chinese food, this is a good option. Like most takeout places, I’ve ordered plenty of times, but I never order anything different once I’ve found the magic combo. Delivery is free, so I take advantage and only order two dishes, hah. Like I said, I’m livin’ the big city dream. I’ll probably never go there in person, and that’s fine.
Rating: 7/10
choice chow 
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