San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Yang Jang Pi
Developed by Northern Chinese immigrants to Korea in the 19th century, Korean-Chinese, or junghwa, cuisine is responsible for breakout hits like jajangmyeon, black bean sauce noodles, and tang soo yook, a fried meat dish coated in sweet and sour sauce. (Real heads know to order it with sauce on the side for dipping.) It’s also a favorite of Queens grocery owners Clara Lee and Eddo Kim, who opened Hotline in February as a love letter to the cuisine.
The yang jang pi ($20) is an explosion of a dish that’ll be familiar to fans of Great China’s double skin salad. A confetti pile of lightly cooked bell pepper, carrots, cucumber, pork and shrimp is tossed with a refreshing and nose-clearing dose of Chinese hot mustard vinaigrette. What really clinches the deal are the mung bean jelly noodles, cut to the size of postcards. Each is comically huge, like a mustardy bandana that flew into your mouth. The dish, really a salad in disguise, is a must for cleansing the palate between bites of even stronger stuff on the menu.
Hotline. Noon-3 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. Thursday-Monday. Takeout, delivery and indoor seating. Street parking. Wheelchair accessible. 3560 Taraval St., San Francisco. www.hotlineasap.com