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You can’t miss China Live. It’s in a massive building that takes up what feels like half a block in North Beach, and is made up of the titular upscale Chinese restaurant (which we’re reviewing here), plus a fine dining tasting menu spot, a semi-hidden bar, and a store with China Live branded chili crisp, cookbooks, and stuffed animals (unlucky diners, many of whom are tourists who took a plane to get here, are relegated to one of two random tables in the aisles). The dining room itself is an overstimulating maze of a few open kitchens, tables, and shelves stocked with more China Live jarred goods. Sound like a lot? It is. This place has so much going on that the food feels like an afterthought.
Like the restaurant’s set-up, the menu is also all over the place. There are Chinese staples like xiao long bao and Peking duck, and dishes from the Asian diaspora, like chicken satay and Singapore-style curry. As much as we want to love it, the food doesn’t deliver. Instead of being wowed by flavor or presentation, you’re underwhelmed. The soup dumplings lack soup, the Peking duck is served with cardboard-like sesame-covered bread pockets, and the stems on the charred broccoli are served too hard. The stronger-executed dishes, like wok-fried egg noodles or kung pao chicken, are nothing you’ll be dying to return for. If the “stylish vibe” of a restaurant is more important to you than the quality of the meal—then by all means, come here to watch staff fold dumplings, and pick up some hot mustard or a bamboo steamer while you’re at it. Otherwise, there are better Chinese restaurants just blocks away.