San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Restaurants
Under a viral spotlight in Millbrae.
Hu Bei Restaurant is in a small strip mall on El Camino Real in Millbrae that’s known for its Chinese restaurants. It’s the only one in the Bay Area, however, to specialize in the food of the Chinese province known as the epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic.
When Nina Wei opened Hu Bei just under three years ago, she envisioned a meeting place for people passionate about the culture of the province in central China, with its unique cuisine full of freshwater fish and specialty vegetables. The former television actress got the idea to open the restaurant from immigration patterns she had noticed.
“My city has a lot of people coming over to America, and they always wanted to eat their homestyle food,” said Wei of Wuhan, a city of more than 11 million people and the capital of Hubei province.
While restaurants across the Bay Area struggle as diners stay home during the pandemic, Hu Bei’s troubles started in January, when the restaurant began receiving cancellations — in part because its majority Chinese clientele was already con
cerned about large gatherings, but also because of the unfortunate association of its name. In the intervening months, Wei laid off much of her staff and began handdelivering meals to those who realize that the virus can’t be spread through a name or a cuisine. “Monday is East Bay — I just went to Fremont today! Tuesday is South Bay. Wednesday is back to East Bay,” she said last week, rattling off her delivery schedule in an interview that alternated between English and Mandarin.
After Monday’s shelterinplace ordinance forced Bay Area restaurants to close their dining rooms, Wei continued to offer takeout and delivery.
Wei came to the United States 20 years ago and settled in San Francisco. She acted for a while, including in
a theatrical series with a director from Taiwan. This is her first restaurant, and her business partner and chef is from Wuhan, with 20 years of experience cooking Hubei cuisine.
During the first year of business, she was establishing the place. The second year — last year — things started to pick up. People had their celebrations at the modest, brightly decorated 1,800squarefoot space with high ceilings and big windows. During lunch, there were lines out the door. One of the glass windows is decorated with a poster of Wei smiling and presenting a plate full of crawfish. The restaurateur is friendly, even bubbly, and quick to explain Hubei food; she’s also the secretary of a Hubei affinity group in the Bay Area.
Hubei has a unique cuisine that’s also influenced by surrounding areas. “Half of the dishes are spicy, and half not,” Wei said. Some signature dishes include hot dry noodles, springy noodles mixed with sesame paste, and lotus root and pork rib soup. Hu Bei Restaurant’s doupi, a streetstyle breakfast food, is made with a layer of rice flour and mung bean paste shaped into a savory crepe pocket and filled with
sticky rice and pork.
Since the city of Wuhan is where the Han and Yangtze rivers meet, freshwater fish is also a specialty, cooked many ways. The chef at Hu Bei makes fish balls, for example, that are lighter and less dense than typical fish balls.
The restaurant also serves a type of green vegetable with purple leaves and stems, similar in taste to gai lan, or Chinese broccoli, that is primarily grown in Hubei (the restaurant’s is grown in Southern California). It’s sauteed with la rou, smoky and spicy slices of pork belly, and is only available November through midMarch.
“The owners and chefs are from there. That’s what’s unique about this place. It’s like eating in Hubei,” said Albert Cheng, cofounder and adviser of the Friends of Roots, a San Francisco organization that connects Chinese Americans with their ancestral villages in Guangdong province.
But Wuhan and Hubei, of course, are currently better known for being the starting point of the global pandemic. In the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, it was known as the “Wuhan virus.” In a press conference on Wednesday, President Trump was questioned over continuing to call it the “Chinese virus.”
Wei first heard about the virus in midDecember — she still has friends and family there — but didn’t think much of it then. “It’s so far away,” she said.
She remembers receiving the first wave of cancellations on Jan. 23. During Lunar New Year, organizations, companies and families had booked tables in advance in hopes of ushering in the Year of the Rat with Hubei cuisine. One by one, parties canceled their reservations as people heard about the spreading virus in Wuhan and the entire city being locked down.
Wei said she lost more than $150,000 in business from canceled parties. She had to act quickly. She temporarily let go of five staff members, keeping one of the waitstaff who is most financially vulnerable to help in the kitchen. She referred a few to other jobs that she knew about, helping them find temporary work elsewhere.
Via WeChat, Wei reached out to local Hubei organizations as well as past customers. Business has dropped by 70%, and her overhead costs are high: $7,500 for rent and insurance alone.
“I just keep it open. If people come, they come. If not, I will just be sitting at home anyway. I’d rather be here,” she said.
She gestures to several other restaurants outside along El Camino Real that have recently shuttered temporarily due to loss of business, mirroring many restaurants in Oakland’s Chinatown and elsewhere.
Wei has adapted to the times: She is personally delivering meals to people all over the Bay Area (the restaurant is still available on UberEats to nearby addresses). With a minimum order of $100, she will deliver to peoples’ homes. She said some friends and neighbors pool orders together. The restaurant is now also selling food that can last longer — the housemade fish balls, for example, at $28 for 30, can be frozen and added to dishes or soups.
As I was dining there on a Wednesday evening before the shelterinplace order — there was one other table with two people — Wei was taking several phone orders. She ended each call with “Wuhan Jia You!” This phrase has been a cheer to keep peoples’ hopes alive. It means “we are cheering for you,” or “stay strong.”
For now, Hu Bei Restaurant remains steadfast, and open for business.
This story has been updated to reflect that the restaurant converted to all delivery after to the Bay Area shelterinplace order.