Superior Palace Feeds Nostalgia for the Supercheap Rice Plate

Alex Hochman

Mandarin pork spareribs plate, with built-in "dessert."

​We fondly remember the days of supercheap Chinese rice-plate lunches, the kind we stuffed ourselves silly on under bad fluorescent lighting, returning to the office in desperate need of a breath mint and a nap. Well, we're happy to report that the supercheap Chinese rice plate is alive and well at Superior Palace in the Outer Richmond, where $5 does the trick.

That's right, $5. The 12 choices include minced beef with egg and curry chicken. However, our go-to is the Mandarin pork spareribs plate, loaded with fried pieces of pounded, on-the-bone rib meat completely drenched in gleaming sweet and sour sauce. It's easy to pick up the addictive ribs with chopsticks, thus avoiding sticky hand syndrome for the rest of the workday. A pile of rice sits alongside, patiently waiting to be moshed with the sauce to create an impromptu dessert.

Alex Hochman

​Authentic? Hardly. Tasty and filling? Absolutely. You'll have plenty left over for a late afternoon snack or light supper. Also included is a piping-hot bowl of soup, most recently winter melon, chock full of fruit and carrots. On a freezing summer afternoon, it hits the spot. Orange slices complete the feast.

Superior Palace: 3546 Balboa (at 37th Ave.), 387-1289.