Bitter Melon at B&M Mei Sing Restaurant - San Francisco

Bitter Melon with Fish at B&M Restaurant

"Oh no not fu gua (bitter melon), do I have to eat it?"  That's what I groaned as a kid.  My parents grew vegetables in the back yard and when it was bitter melon season, we saw it on the dinner table.  This gourd contains quinine which gives it the bitter taste.  Kids start eating just the meat cooked with the melon until they get used to the bitter taste.  Then at some unknown future time and place, they realize they like it.

B & M Mei Sing is a downtown restaurant on 2nd Street between Market and Mission - open only for lunch.  Originally located across the street in a small storefront, it has since moved across the street into a larger 2 story space.    They have devised a unique system of getting your food to you fast.  They take two numbered chips and give one to you to place at the table.  The other chip goes onto a countertop marked with squares.  Each square represents a dish to be prepared.  A person on the other side of the counter looks at the chip and calls out the menu item to the cooks.  

When the food is ready, there are runners taking the food and chip looking for you.  When they are on a roll, your food can be ready by the time you pick up your silverware and tea and find a seat.  B&M seems to be a favorite of office workers and postal carriers  - a really good sign.  The place is well maintained and fast.   A not to be missed experience!

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