| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
 |
A Day of Laughs, History and Unforgettable Food |
| |
Sat, Apr 26 10:00 AM |
JeanIMann |
Female |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Couple on a Date |
| |
Shirley Fong-Torres is a master. She escorted us through some most memorable Chinatown experiences. From the Red Blossom Tea Shop to Yuet Lee's restaurant, we enjoyed every minute. There was a spontaneity to the tour that extended into great conversations about food. We'll do it again! |
 |
Fun but just a bit disappointing |
| |
Sat, Mar 29 10:00 AM |
chasha49 |
Female |
50-59 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| |
Shirley Fong-Torres is a delight! Charming, warm, and full of enthusiasm and energy about her hometown: "Chinatown." However, on the day my friend and I took her tour, both of the restaurants she had planned to take us to, for breakfast and for lunch, were closed, and we spent an undue amount of time roaming around looking for another place to have some jook. Luckily, I had a piece of hard candy in my purse or else my blood sugar would have crashed. The places where we ended up having our two meals were both undistinguished in their cuisine and none of the dishes were very different from what I would normally order at a Chinese restaurant.
That said, the rest of the tour's highlights were wonderful. From the musician/barber in the alley to the fabulous tea shop where we learned to "rinse" our tea leaves to the amazing Dim Sum shop where we had truly spectacular items, nothing was lacking.
The only thing we would have enjoyed having more of would have been a little more history/background information from Shirley herself about the culture and locale.
Again, lots of fun with friendly companions. |
|
Great tour |
| |
Sat, Mar 29 10:00 AM |
khbongar |
Female |
40-49 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| |
This was a very fun and yummy tour.
We had a great time! |
|
Great food - the real deal in Chinatown |
| |
Sat, Feb 9 10:00 AM |
tobias1976 |
Male |
30-39 |
International Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| |
We spent a great morning in Chinatown and experienced different kinds of real Chinese kitchen. From breakfast soup to dim sum and a great lunch with crunchy pork and wonderful clams. Shirely was a great guide bursting with energy and stories about Chinatown and - of course - the dishes. The food was all very good with the lunch menu being the crowning finale.
I would like to especially recommend this tour to international visitors, who like me, may come from countries were the word of real Chinese food has only poorly been spread yet. Come and see that there is more than spring rolls! |
|
A must! |
| |
Sat, Sep 29, 07 10:00 AM |
rfverni |
Male |
60-69 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| |
A fantastic and delicious experience. The walking was easy. The information and sites wonderful. The food diverse and spectacular. Also, we became a big family by the end, enjoying the lucnheon feast and laughing at stories we were all telling. |
|
Good times |
| |
Sat, Jun 30, 07 10:00 AM |
Ilsadohmen |
Female |
20-29 |
Local |
Couple on a Date |
| |
This was a very pleasant way to spend a day. The food was all excellent and though we are locals we would never have known which places to go into without Shirley. It was a good group size (10 total) and there was more food than anyone in the group could eat. We covered a broad range--breakfast, dessert, tea, lunch. It was less historical, however, than I would have hoped with the real emphasis on eating more than learning about the food or the area. |
|
Spectactular leader and a fantastic and fun tour |
| |
Sun, Mar 25, 07 10:00 AM |
laurapw |
Female |
40-49 |
Combination |
Other |
| |
Shirley Fong-Torres led our group of 8, giving us an interesting history of herself and Chinatown as we walked and ate our way through the area. She was funny, warm, welcoming, and very inclusive of each and every member of the group. Food selections were plentiful and we were made to feel comfortable whether or not the food sampling was to our tastes. When one of the planned restaurants was closed on Sunday morning, Shirley remained unflappable and didn't give up on finding us jook for breakfast. We came across a lion dance and since the group wanted to linger, Shirley remained flexible and went and retrieved goodies from the bakery, the next planned stop, so we could stay and watch the dance.
It was a great way to sample lots of different foods with the comfort of someone knowledgeable ordering and explaining what we had to eat. I loved the tidbits that she shared about her upbringing, her family, and the ways of Chinatown.
My sister was visiting from NC and suggested that we look into a food walking tour because she had been on one in NYC and had such a good time. It was a great idea and a wonderful choice. I highly recommend it to anyone and I hope to enjoy it again - - next time with my daughter! |
|
what a treat! |
| |
Sat, Nov 4, 06 10:00 AM |
merrill |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| |
Our tour of Chinatown was spectacular! Just when you thought you'd seen it all, and tasted it all, Shirley came up with another wonderful treat! The history of the area, the history of the people and more came alive with this tour! I'd recommend everyone take it on at least one visit to San Francisco! We're looking forward to a second visit and a second tour! |
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I had a fabulous time! |
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Sat, Nov 4, 06 10:00 AM |
jmstant |
Female |
40-49 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Individual |
| |
Shirley Fong-Torres is absolutely fabulous! She's vivacious and and fun and a great story-teller. Chinese food has never been my favourite - until this tour. The food was wonderful. It's a great tour for people on their own, because the group is small. There were 7 in our tour.
I can't rave enough about it. I've already recommended it to all my friends. |
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I truly ate my way through China Town! |
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Sat, Oct 28, 06 10:00 AM |
buglet71 |
Female |
30-39 |
Local |
Other |
| |
My goodness, if I had known we were going to eat so much food I would have paced myself a little better. When we stopped at the first place for breakfast, a really funky, hilarious place full of character (don't be put off by the looks of the place as the food was great) I just stuffed my face. I think I became so delirious with overeating that I have forgotten the order we ate things in! We stopped for the most deliecious tea with an informative talk, we ate a sweet, warm custard kind of tart on the street, we had THE BEST crispy duck and pork on the street and all the time Shirley filled us in on history, customs, the food and answered our questions. By this time I could barely walk I was so full of delicious Chinese foods but we carried on for Dim Sum which we shared with our group standing outside the shop. I loved all that eating outside and it helped we had a friendly group sharing and chatting. We walked through crowded streets while Shirley continued to educate us on China Town. And then if you can believe we went and ate lunch. This was a sit downmeal in a nice restaurant where Shirley ordered the food and we ate and ate. We had some very interesting dishes, those that I knew nothing about and probably would never have chosen! The group had fun eating and chatting around the table. I seriously could not believe I ate so much. Come hungry, pace yourself and be prepared for a LOT of food and information. Shirley was great; knowledgable, friendly, funny and popular with the locals. I highly recommend this trip, just be prepared for a few little things out of the ordinary!!!!! |
