As Bowien proved in the waning days of Mission Street Food ― also at Lung Shan ― when he forged a pop-up series devoted to Great World Chefs, Bowien is an avid imitator. At Mission Chinese Food, that means copying dishes Bowien's tasted at Spices II and Old Mandarin Islamic. Kauffman:
The result of his hyperkinetic experimentation is a rich, spicy, palate-slamming food. Sometimes Bowien's restlessness ruins a dish. Sometimes you wish he'd try a little delicacy. And some of his food is so good he seems to be inventing a new culinary genre. It's not East-West fusion: It's more like detonation.
Burn your lips on Kauffman's Bowien exegesis at SF Weekly.com. Extra credit: Rifle through Mary Ladd's two-part Bowien Q&A from last April, while he was still frying up patties at Mission Burger in Duc Loi (Bowien Part 1 here, Bowien Part 2 there). And for a more recent scan of Bowien's brain, check out Kauffman's "Eat" Extra on SFoodie.
