The Richmond District has always been one of my favorite areas to eat Asian food in San Francisco. Restaurants like Ton Kiang and Hong Kong Lounge II have been regular stops over the years. Le Soleil is a French-influenced Vietnamese restaurant from chef Dennis Wong that sits on an unassuming stretch of Clement Street. Neighboring spots like Burma Superstar, B Star Bar and Cafe Bunn Mi may draw bigger crowds. However, no other dishes within walking distance can match the flavor and grandeur of Le Soleil’s signature dish: Garlic Roasted Dungeness Crab.

Le Soleil charges only $32 for a whole sea beast. They sell a half-crab for $22. Each visually stunning Dungeness crab arrives dismembered on a mountain of egg noodles. Chef Wong pan-fries the egg noodles with garlic, browned butter, scallions, and delicious scrapings from the crab’s shell. I was happy to see he includes greenish-yellow innards, white fat and some fun ocean-tinged parts that boost the flavor and umami factor. The claws are cracked, which allows for easy access to the sweet tufts of crab meat. If this dish were a Christmas tree, the crab’s ornamental orange shell would no doubt be the star, serving as a beacon to briny angels.