Restaurant: Yaha
Location: 983 S Glendora Ave, West Covina, CA 91790. (626) 480-7130
Date: April 23, 2017
Cuisine: Chinese
Rating: Solid
Tonight’s Sunday excursion to the SGV is a crawl — a multiple stop Chinese Food extravaganza. I was caught at work and couldn’t get out in time for part 1 (of 4) which was supposedly just so-so, but made it in time for this place.
Located in a far (an extra 15 minutes east) mall in Covina, Yaha is some kind of western/northern Chinese restaurant.
Crunchy cucumbers.
Spicy beef tendon. Not bad for this typical dish.
The menu.
XLB. This dish never disappoints, even when medium level. These were good, probably a 7/10 for XLB, which means 9/10 on the normal food scale!
NV Bruno Gobillard Champagne Vieilles Vignes Brut. BH 92. A very fresh and expressive nose combines notes of green apple, white flower and yeasty hints that carry over to the moderately effervescent flavors that possess fine detail and solid precision on the still developing finish. To be clear, this is certainly more than one-dimensional at this point but it seems clear that it’s likely to produce notably better depth in time.
2012 Xavier Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Anonyme. 91 points. Ruby in color with and a light red rim. On the nose it was very soft, subtle with a definite grape juice quality. Also, obvious hints of blueberries, cherries, plums, spices, pepper, and some faint licorice. A medium bodied, smooth wine, with acidity due to the high alcohol that never really dissipated. Great long legs.
2008 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard. VM 91. Hazy gold. Pungent aromas of orange and grapefruit peel, smoky minerals, honeysuckle and spicecake. Juicy, intense and nicely focused, with very good extract to the smoky flavors of pit fruits and citrus pith. The wine’s lively acidity adds intensity to the long, sappy and penetrating finish.
Twice cooked preserved pork. Salty, but very tasty.
Garlic eggplant. Tasty, although I’ve had better (and spicer versions).
Meat pie. I always love these.
Fried dumplings. Solid too.
From my cellar: NV Drappier Champagne Rose Brut Nature. VM 90. Pale orange. Mineral-accented red berries and citrus fruits on the nose, complemented by hints of candied rose and white pepper. Stony and precise, offering lively strawberry and orange zest flavors that expand slowly with air. Closes spicy, stony and tight, with very good clarity and floral persistence.
We only had a few dishes at Yaha, but what we had were all very tasty, so they seem to have a solid kitchen — and rock bottom prices. The above was $9 a head including tax and tip!
The full crawl consists of these visits: Yaha, Broiling Pit, Duck House