Image
  • Writing
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • About my Novels & Writing
    • All Writing Posts
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Scrivener – Writer’s Word Processor
    • iPad for Writers
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Books
    • Book Review Index
    • Favorite Fantasy Novels
    • Andy Gavin: Author
    • The Darkening Dream
      • Buy the Book Online
      • Sample Chapters
      • Short Story: Harvard Divinity
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Untimed
      • About the Book
      • Buy Untimed Online
      • Book Trailer
      • Sample Chapters
      • Reviews
      • Info for Reviewers
      • Press Coverage
      • Awards
      • Cast of Characters
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Games
    • My Video Game Career
    • Post Archive by Series
    • All Games Posts Inline
    • Making Crash Bandicoot
    • Crash 15th Anniversary Memories
    • World of Warcraft Endgames
    • Getting a Job Designing Video Games
    • Getting a Job Programming Video Games
    • Naughty Dark Contest
  • Movies
    • Movie Review Index
  • Television
    • TV Review Index
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayer
    • A Game of Thrones
  • Food
    • Food Review Index
    • Foodie Club
    • Hedonists
    • LA Sushi Index
    • Chinese Food Index
    • LA Peking Duck Guide
    • Eating Italy
    • Eating France
    • Eating Spain
    • Eating Türkiye
    • Eating Dutch
    • Eating Croatia
    • Eating Vietnam
    • Eating Australia
    • Eating Israel
    • Ultimate Pizza
    • ThanksGavin
    • Margarita Mix
    • Foodie Photography
    • Burgundy Vintage Chart
  • Other
    • All Posts, Magazine Style
    • Archive of all Posts
    • Fiction
    • Technology
    • History
    • Anything Else
  • Gallery
  • Bio
  • About
    • About me
    • About my Writing
    • About my Video Games
    • Ask Me Anything
  • Contact

Went to Wangjia

Jan28

Restaurant: WangJia Restaurant

Location: 800 W Las Tunas Dr Ste 300, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 872-0618

Date: May 7, 2023

Cuisine: Shanghai Cuisine

Rating: Just pretty good

_

Another Sunday, another Chinese.
1A4A0442-Pano
Wangjia is a 3 year old Shanghai style place on Main St (in Alhambra) that was written up in Eater. Somehow, probably because of the pandemic, it wasn’t on my radar until recently.
1A4A0548
The Eater article made it sound “more upscale” but this is a narrow Mom & Pop place where the 20 year-old son (talking to Yarom) handles all of the front of house. He was very amusing actually. The place was very busy when we came in, but quiet by about 7:30 (Chinese eat early) and empty when we left at 8:30pm.
1A4A0447
Jelly Fish with Soy Sauce. I didn’t actually see any Soy Sauce, but these were nice crunchy bits of jellyfish head with a very satisfying texture and a hint of something tangy, probably a vinegar.
1A4A0453
Shanghai Style Smoked Fish. Sometimes this is warm, sometimes it’s cold. Today it was warm. There were some bones but it was tasty. The smoky taste wasn’t massively pronounced. It was drizzled with the sweet aromatic soy.
1A4A0457
Black Egg with Seasoned Peppers & Choki Mushroom. The black egg was very mild but the peppers were decently hot, which enjoyed as it cut through all the sweet sauce left on my plate.
1A4A0462
Shanghai Style Soy Sauce Duck. Braised duck drowned in sweet soy. It was actually very tasty as the sweet paired nicely with the rich bird.
1A4A0467
Fried Fish Slides w/ Wined Sauce (aka Fish Filets with Fungus). This “wine sauce” tasted like really tasty chicken stock and a TON of “flavor” (MSG). It was actually delicious. The fish was soft and veyr pleasant. The wood ear mushrooms weren’t the best — and I generally do like them alot.
1A4A0475
Fried Crab with Rice Cake and Ginger and Onion. The crab was a bit hard to eat but was delicious. The rice cakes were really good (if off diet) in the sweet brown sauce. Very classic Shanghai dish.
1A4A0481
1A4A0486
Stir-fried Baby Shrimp with Tofu. Very nice soft tofu texture and the shrimp, while few and far between had a nice snap to them. The soy beans (or similar) leant some textural contrast with a very pleasant crunch.
1A4A0490
Braised Minced Eel in Brown Sauce. I asked the young server which eel dish I should order and he said, “I don’t eat eel.” He did suggest this one (which was the one I wanted anyway) because it had no bones. This is basically the same as pork strips in garlic broawn sauce except it’s eel (and maybe pork) in garlic brown sauce. It was sweet and garlicky and I very much enjoyed it.
1A4A0496
Braised Meat Balls in Brown Sauce (aka Lionhead Meatballs). They do love the brown sauce at Shanghai restaurants. The meatballs themselves were very pleasant porky meatballs with a lot of good flavor. I also enjoyed the cabbage. This was a thinner brown sauce than the eels or eggplant, a bit less sweet, and more like a gravy. It was still kinda sweet though.
1A4A0501
Red Pepper Fried with Cabbage (aka Cabbage Stir Fried with Red Pepper. haha). Great version of this dish. The cabbage had a really nice crunchy, that pork fatty greasy factor (good), and was actually quite spicy (also in a good way). First rate version.
1A4A0507
Steamed Salted Pork with Dry Tofu Skin. Our server seemed agast at the idea that we would order this. He’d never tried it and declared that “no one had ordered it in 2 months.” As my intuition bore out this was a delicious dish. The stock was rich and full of “flavor” (MSG) and the very very fatty pork belly a bit, but not to salty and relaly delicious in that lardy way.
1A4A0515
Braised Pig Knuckle in Brown Sauce. Here comes the brown sauce again. THis was the same “thinner” brown sauce as the meatballs. The huge hock of pig was jiggly and good as always. I do prefer the MSG and garlic version of this dish which you get at places with a bit more Beijing influence, but this was still piggy delicious.
1A4A0521
Eggplant in Garlic Sauce (also brown). This sauce is very similar to the eel sauce. It’s thick, more than a little sweet, brown, and garlicky. Regardless, this was arguably one of the best dishes and a great eggplant dish. The texture was perfectly mushy and full of great garlic flavor. Not spicy. Sometimes this dish can be spicy in its Sichuan form (which I also like).
1A4A0529
1A4A0524
Shanghai Stewed Pork & Squid with Tea Tree Mushroom. The squid wasn’t obvious to me and this was basically the Dong Po (red) pork belly in sweet soy. Except it wasn’t red but was brown again. It was fatty and tasty and sweet and I very much enjoyed the texture added by the mushrooms.
1A4A0535
Shanghai Style Fried Lamb. I guess they mean stir-fried. It seemed more or less like Cumin Lamb and not super Shanghaiese. It wasn’t my favorite. It was fine, but not that interesting.
1A4A0536
Steamed Pork Bun (aka XLB). Always enjoyable. Took a second for the black vinegar to come. The skins were a touch thick but they were juicy and tasty.
1A4A0542
Pan Fried Pork Buns. These were a standout here. They were slightly smaller than usual which was a good thing, with a nice crispy shell, lots of hot soup and a delicious porky center. The slightly smaller size made the dough less overwelming than at some places.
IMG_8178
Overall, a total steal (at $45/pp all in) and tons of food. This is a more homestyle Shanghaiese place and family run. It’s not fancy but they are nice and the kitchen is quite solid. Yeah, Shanghailander and Shanghai Number 1 Seafood are more elegant and a bit better, but this is some really solid and well priced Shanghai style Chinese food. The menu is huge and there are also a lot of Sichuan dishes “left over” from the space’s previous incrnation as a Sichuan restaurant. Technically maybe the black egg and cabbage were Sichuan but I did try to order (almost) all Shanghai dishes.

For more dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Shanghai #1 2022
  2. Rice Yummy
  3. Lunch Quest – Spicy Impression
  4. Shanghailander Arcadia
  5. Jiang Nan Spring
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, crab, hedonists, pork, SGV, Shanghai Cuisine
Watch the Trailer or

Buy it Online!

Buy it Online!

Find Andy at:

Follow Me on Pinterest

Subscribe by email:

More posts on:



Complete Archives

Categories

  • Contests (7)
  • Fiction (404)
    • Books (113)
    • Movies (77)
    • Television (123)
    • Writing (115)
      • Darkening Dream (62)
      • Untimed (37)
  • Food (1,765)
  • Games (101)
  • History (13)
  • Technology (21)
  • Uncategorized (16)

Recent Posts

  • Happy Hibi
  • Eating Naples - Palazzo Petrucci
  • Eating San Foca - Aura
  • Eating Otranto - ArborVitae
  • Eating Lecce - Gimmi
  • Eating Lecce - Varius
  • Eating Lecce - Duo
  • Eating Lecce - Doppiozero
  • Eating Torre Canne - Autentico
  • Eating Torre Canne - Beach
  • Eating Monopoli - Orto
  • Eating Trani - Gallo
  • Eating Savelletri - Due Camini
  • Eating Carovigno - Già Sotto l’Arco
  • Eating Polignano - Tranquillage
  • Eating Ostuni - Cielo
  • Eating Venice - Quadri
  • Eating Venice - La Colombina
  • Eating Venice - Rossopomodoro
  • Eating Venice - Alle Corone

Favorite Food Posts

  • Food Home
  • Food Index
  • Foodie Club
  • Hedonists
  • LA Sushi Index
  • Chinese Food
  • LA Peking Duck
  • Eating Italy
  • Eating France
  • Eating Spain
  • Eating Türkiye
  • Eating Dutch
  • Eating Croatia
  • Eating Vietnam
  • Eating Australia
  • Eating Israel
  • Ultimate Pizza
  • Margarita Mix
  • ThanksGavin
  • Foodie Photography
  • Burgundy Vintages

Tags

Andy Gavin Arts beef Book Review books Burgundy BYOG California Champagne Chinese cuisine Chinese Food Cooking Dessert eating-italy Fiction Food Foodie Club Game of Thrones Gelato George R. R. Martin HBO hedonists Italian cuisine Italy Japanese cuisine Los Angeles lunch Naughty Dog pasta Pizza Restaurant Restaurant Review reviews Sage Society Santa Monica Santa Monica California Sauvages SGV side dishes Sushi Television ThanksGavin The Darkening Dream vegetarian Wine

Archives

  • May 2025 (4)
  • April 2025 (4)
  • February 2025 (5)
  • January 2025 (3)
  • December 2024 (13)
  • November 2024 (14)
  • October 2024 (14)
  • September 2024 (15)
  • August 2024 (13)
  • July 2024 (15)
  • June 2024 (14)
  • May 2024 (15)
  • April 2024 (13)
  • March 2024 (9)
  • February 2024 (7)
  • January 2024 (9)
  • December 2023 (8)
  • November 2023 (14)
  • October 2023 (13)
  • September 2023 (9)
  • August 2023 (15)
  • July 2023 (13)
  • June 2023 (14)
  • May 2023 (15)
  • April 2023 (14)
  • March 2023 (12)
  • February 2023 (11)
  • January 2023 (14)
  • December 2022 (11)
  • November 2022 (13)
  • October 2022 (14)
  • September 2022 (14)
  • August 2022 (12)
  • July 2022 (9)
  • June 2022 (6)
  • May 2022 (8)
  • April 2022 (5)
  • March 2022 (4)
  • February 2022 (2)
  • January 2022 (8)
  • December 2021 (6)
  • November 2021 (6)
  • October 2021 (8)
  • September 2021 (4)
  • August 2021 (5)
  • July 2021 (2)
  • June 2021 (3)
  • January 2021 (1)
  • December 2020 (1)
  • September 2020 (1)
  • August 2020 (1)
  • April 2020 (11)
  • March 2020 (15)
  • February 2020 (13)
  • January 2020 (14)
  • December 2019 (13)
  • November 2019 (12)
  • October 2019 (14)
  • September 2019 (14)
  • August 2019 (13)
  • July 2019 (13)
  • June 2019 (14)
  • May 2019 (13)
  • April 2019 (10)
  • March 2019 (10)
  • February 2019 (11)
  • January 2019 (13)
  • December 2018 (14)
  • November 2018 (11)
  • October 2018 (15)
  • September 2018 (15)
  • August 2018 (15)
  • July 2018 (11)
  • June 2018 (14)
  • May 2018 (13)
  • April 2018 (13)
  • March 2018 (17)
  • February 2018 (12)
  • January 2018 (15)
  • December 2017 (15)
  • November 2017 (13)
  • October 2017 (16)
  • September 2017 (16)
  • August 2017 (16)
  • July 2017 (11)
  • June 2017 (13)
  • May 2017 (6)
  • March 2017 (3)
  • February 2017 (4)
  • January 2017 (7)
  • December 2016 (14)
  • November 2016 (11)
  • October 2016 (11)
  • September 2016 (12)
  • August 2016 (15)
  • July 2016 (13)
  • June 2016 (13)
  • May 2016 (13)
  • April 2016 (12)
  • March 2016 (13)
  • February 2016 (12)
  • January 2016 (13)
  • December 2015 (14)
  • November 2015 (14)
  • October 2015 (13)
  • September 2015 (13)
  • August 2015 (18)
  • July 2015 (16)
  • June 2015 (13)
  • May 2015 (13)
  • April 2015 (14)
  • March 2015 (15)
  • February 2015 (13)
  • January 2015 (13)
  • December 2014 (14)
  • November 2014 (13)
  • October 2014 (13)
  • September 2014 (12)
  • August 2014 (15)
  • July 2014 (13)
  • June 2014 (13)
  • May 2014 (14)
  • April 2014 (14)
  • March 2014 (10)
  • February 2014 (11)
  • January 2014 (13)
  • December 2013 (14)
  • November 2013 (13)
  • October 2013 (14)
  • September 2013 (12)
  • August 2013 (14)
  • July 2013 (10)
  • June 2013 (14)
  • May 2013 (14)
  • April 2013 (14)
  • March 2013 (15)
  • February 2013 (14)
  • January 2013 (13)
  • December 2012 (14)
  • November 2012 (16)
  • October 2012 (13)
  • September 2012 (14)
  • August 2012 (16)
  • July 2012 (12)
  • June 2012 (16)
  • May 2012 (21)
  • April 2012 (18)
  • March 2012 (20)
  • February 2012 (23)
  • January 2012 (31)
  • December 2011 (35)
  • November 2011 (33)
  • October 2011 (32)
  • September 2011 (29)
  • August 2011 (35)
  • July 2011 (33)
  • June 2011 (25)
  • May 2011 (31)
  • April 2011 (30)
  • March 2011 (34)
  • February 2011 (31)
  • January 2011 (33)
  • December 2010 (33)
  • November 2010 (39)
  • October 2010 (26)
All Things Andy Gavin
Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved
Programmed by Andy Gavin