What strikes me as odd and probably the most unique thing about Yank Sing’s south of Market location is that they have the only visible advertisement from this angle.
Compare that to the loud advertising that most other local Chinese restaurants have to compete with.
Some people still swear that Yank Sing is the best Chinese food in the city. I think it definitely has some of the most expensive Chinese food in the city ($16 – $20.50 for fried rice?!) But they also manufacture their own chili pepper sauce, which is worth its weight in gold.
Every single store I’ve ever seen that carries the Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce in The Outer Sunset always stores it behind the counter, right next to the cigarettes and lottery tickets. This is the kind of spices that trade wars have been fought over. Say what you will about the restaurant, I think most of San Francisco would descend into anarchy in a heartbeat if they were unable to get their fix of Yank Sing’s Chili Pepper Sauce.
The Outer Sunset 
I used to swear by a chili pepper sauce that I found while living in Beijing. Don’t know the brand name right now, but it has a black and white picture of a man or a woman (you really can’t tell) on a red label which a bunch of chilis around it. It’s really good! By I stumbled upon the Yank Sing at Ranch 99 in Albany and gave it a try. Yank Sing Chili Pepper is better!
As for Yank Sing the restaurant, it is excellent dim sum, it just cost too darn much. If you want good dim sum with the crazy crowded Hong Kong experience, go to Gold Mountain on Broadway between Columbus and Powell. That’s good dim sum at a third of the price.
Yank Sing Chili Pepper Sauce is the best I’ve ever found, sadly it isn’t available in canada anymore, not sure what happened but all the people I got hooked on it are hounding me to find it again, we are in withdrawal and need a fix, can you help? Please