Kat's 9 Lives

What is something new that I haven't tried up in SF and a little different from the usual. I saw reviews about So, a Korean place that is supposedly known for their wings. As soon as I saw the word wings, I marked them down as a must try. Finally I was able to go with Ms. Lin and Trekkie for a between meal snack. O=9 The location was a little bit hard to spot because only the windows are painted with the name So and the sign above the place still had the old Chinese restaurant name displayed. Only when I did the photo editing did I see that the door was cracked all the way... hmmmm... That aside, it is all about the food and not necessarily the locale or outer decor.
Since we went between lunch and dinner there wasn't much of a wait and we were seated immediately. Through the window we saw this couple eating a hot bowl of spicy ramen and since it was cold, Ms. Lin and Trekkie were very into trying out. We found out it was on the Spicy Soup Noodles section and ordered the Spicy Combination. It includes stir-fried Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels, Beef and Mixed Vegetables. On paper it sounded good and looked appetizing through the window on a cold day in SF. The bowl was massive and filled with ramen. As for taste... packaged ramen is much better tasting than this. The portion for $7.00 was not bad, but they missed the mark in taste and flavor. It was spicy but that was about it. One order can feed a party of 5 or more if you plan to order the other dishes.
I came here solely for the Wings! How can I deny myself some Korean Fried Chicken Wings! ^_^ After founding this close location I had to make my way here. The wings are deep fried in a light better and then tossed with Roasted Red Pepper, Garlic, Ginger, and Soy Sauce. I like how Korean wings always have a slight sweetness. It had a good amount of pepper flavor that made the wings popped. They were pipin' hot and fun to eat. I only wished that they pulled more of the chicken hairs off because they were long and clearly visible, but of course you can just bite it off. This was probably the most flavorful thing here.
People online recommended the So Black Bean Sauce Noodles and the thought of a potent noodle dish full of black bean flavor sounded fun to try out. Maybe I had too high of an expectation but this also fell flat. The noodles didn't really have any black bean flavor. The description said that the noodles are mixed in Black Bean Sauce, Pork, Scrambled Eggs, Jalapeños, Cayenne, and Paprika but we were given a gelatinous mess. Everything was stuck together in a glossy glue substance and the noodles weren't much more flavorful than regular soy sauce.

All in all I would say stick to the wings. The people there were nice and as time went on it got busier and people were waiting outside. I thought the wings were not bad but nothing else really hit the spot. Albeit, maybe I was too full for the day but I will also argue that good food can always be felt or even make one hungry again. O=) The price and portions are very reasonable and I could see people coming here if they just want a simple meal. No fuss, no muss.

So
1010 Bryant St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 552-7676