Sea Garden’s clams in black bean sauceClams in black bean sauce is a Chinese restaurant staple. Across the country any Cantonese joint worth its salt, be it nondescript and greasy or fancy and formal, will have this simple, satisfying dish. It’s pretty straightforward (clams quickly sauteed with fermented black beans, garlic, and a few other aromatics or vegetables), but the fermented black beans give the dish a complex, salty, and funky depth that makes the whole thing lip-smacking and addictive. Clams in black bean sauce taste good any time of day, but they’re especially tasty when you find yourself in Chinatown after midnight, three beers to the wind. And they’re particularly delicious here in Seattle, where fresh local clams are easy to come by. This week Versus samples clams in black bean sauce at neighboring ID restaurants Sea Garden and Ga Ga Loc to see who delivers the superior clams. At Sea Garden (509 Seventh Ave S, 623-2100), a dozen or so clams in black bean sauce ($11.95) arrive at the table in a tiny silver wok which sits atop its own personal sterno, the clams and thick brown sauce bubbling and burbling away. And at Sea Garden we’re talking about clams so fresh you see and hear them pop open right in front of your eyes, then shoot out delicious briny smelling steam. They’re tender, juicy, and sweet, and match perfectly with a sauce that’s rich with salty, slightly spicy, pungent fermented black soy beans, plenty of chopped garlic, and slivers of green onion and ginger. The constant heat means the clams stay nice and hot, and that the air at your table stays fragrant, gingery, and downright intoxicating. At $11.95, the serving feels a bit small, and the tiny silver wok is empty before you know it. Ga Ga Loc’s clams in black bean sauceAround the corner at Ga Ga Loc (424 Maynard Ave S, 521-8933), the clams in black bean sauce ($8.95) show up (almost anticlimactically) on a plain white serving dish. What they lack in presentation, though, they make up for in portion size. Ga Ga Loc serves up twenty clams, just as fresh and briny and sweet, coated with a sauce that’s relatively light on the fermented black bean front, but decidedly garlicky and spicy, thanks to a big pinch of chili flakes. There’s a few thin pieces of ginger thrown into the mix, and the dish is rounded out nicely with some diced green pepper, onion, and carrot slices. Verdict: This is a tough call. Both dishes are stellar. For value and portion size, Ga Ga Loc is a winner. But based on flavor, the freshness, simplicity and brightness of Sea Garden’s flavors–just clams, black beans, garlic, ginger, scallion–make the dish triumphant. The added bonus of being able to enjoy hot steaming clams from start to finish seal the deal. Sea Garden for the win.