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Archive for san Gabriel valley

SGV Nights – Seafood Palace

Oct27

Restaurant: Seafood Palace

Location: 684 W Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 289-0088

Date: September 24, 2017, July 14, 2019, and October 24, 2021

Cuisine: Chaozhou Chinese

Rating: One of LA’s best (and most authentic) Chaozhou places

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My Hedonist group has been coming here for years, same location, same food, different name – formerly Seafood Village.

It’s actually in the mini-mall with Sham Tsem and the “hooker motel secret room” (see the post I linked in this sentence). Mysteriously, even thought he “construction” period transforming Seafood Village into Seafood Palace was like a year there is no apparent update. It’s still the same over-lit drop ceiling “palace” as before.

Pickled onions and boiled peanuts on the table.
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Jellyfish (7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Nice crunchy texture.

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Sliced cold pig’s feet (7/14/19). A bit gelatinous, but surprisingly delicious. Better sliced like this than whole!

Special order turtle soup. Since we had turtle soup at World Seafood Yarom has been determined to try it again.

The broth is delicate and savory, with an almost tea-like taste.

And all the crud that made the broth is as follows: bits of turtle, turtle fat, chicken feet, ginger, organs, god only knows. We actually picked at this repulsive looking plate and the meat was quite tasty.

We also selected two large lobsters.

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Chaozhou style duck (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Sort of like the duck version of Hainan chicken.

A vinegar sweet sauce for the duck.

Roast pigeon (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Tasty little fellows.

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Causeway style shrimp (7/14/19). Whole prawns crusted in garlic. Super delicious and so well cooked they could be munched whole.


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This is what most people come here for, the house special Chiu Chow Style Crab (Dungeness) – (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). This is basically battered crab, fried with chilies and lots of garlic. I’ve also heard this called “Causeway Style.” Good stuff with lots of flavor. You end up sucking out the meat or just chewing on through.

House special garlic lobster. Not causeway style, but very tasty.

Roast pork (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Cured like a pastrami and very flavorful — also quite fatty as you would expect.

Scallion omelet (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Eggs and green onions.

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Special fried fish (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). Lots of garlic flavor. Simple, but extremely tasty.

Mutton curry. Very strong flavored (but delicious) meat in a nice mild curry sauce.

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Bean curd with duck in Chui Chow brown sauce (10/24/21).

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Oxtail and lilly bulb with brown sauce (10/24/21). Star anise and black cardamon.
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Lettuce Cup Chicken (7/14/19). Yeah, PF Chang’s didn’t invent it wholesale!

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The lettuce cups and hoisin sauce.

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Frog with chives (10/24/21). Delicious.

Chilies with ground pork (2017 and 7/14/19 and 10/24/21). I’ve never seen Jalepenos per se in China, but they do have lots of peppers. Regardless, this was a fabulous dish as the pork was cooked in a great black bean sauce and the combination of the mild heat and the slightly sweet meat was wonderful.

Special Chiu Chow Style “lettuce” (2017 and 7/14/19). Evidently a classic. It head a bit of a porky taste so there must have been something in there with the veggies. Not bad.

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Rice porridge soup (7/14/19). A sort of congee-like concoction.

Special glass noodles with meat (earlier and 10/24/21).

Salty garlic fried rice. Excellent fried rice with a salty fishy taste.

White guy shrimp (aka walnut shrimp). Very heavy mayo’d version.

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Scallion beef (7/14/19). Slightly different, very succulent.

Cumin lamb or beef. Really tasty full flavored nuggets. Pretty tender too.

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Sweet and source pork nibblets (10/24/21).
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Sweet and sour pork ribs (7/14/19). Someone ordered the sauce on the side. Salty crunchy pork slabs (with some bone) with the sweet sticky stuff.

Chili sauce.

As usual now-a-days I brought some home made gelati from Sweet Milk, my private gelato label. Green Apple Moscato Sorbetto.

Rosemary Chocolate Gelato. Valrhona chocolate and milk infused with rosemary from my own garden.
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The 7/14/19 gelati:

Chocolate Peanut Pretzel Gelato — testing a new 80% chocolate fondant base made with Valrhona and Callebaut Chocolates — then layered that with a house made salty peanut pretzel ganache — you can’t see the base, it’s under the ganache — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #peanut #chocolate #valrhona #Callebaut #ganache #pretzel

Testing out two variants on a theme, first one: Bellini Sorbetto! — French White Peaches and Prosecco — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I love the Pozzetti (round tubs), but I do need to figure out how to decorate the small batches in an attractive way — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #Bellini #peach #Prosecco

Testing out two variants on a theme, second one: Dark Mimosa Sorbetto! — Blood Orange and Valencia Orange juice mixed with Prosecco — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — I love the Pozzetti (round tubs), but I do need to figure out how to decorate the small batches in an attractive way — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #sorbetto #Mimosa #orange #bloodorange #Prosecco

The 10/24/21 gelati:
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Strawberries & Mascar-Creamy Gelato — A base infused with Mascarpone Cheese then blended with house-made Strawberry Curd — created by me for @sweetmilkgelato — my vain attempts to pipe a pretty decoration on top were uttery foiled by timing –#SweetMilkGelato #gelato #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #cheesecake #mascarpone #cheese #strawberry #cream

 

Overall, Seafood Palace is just like Seafood Village and there is nothing wrong with that because it’s still great. Last time we had a few “more interesting” dishes and in 2017 there was a LOT of fried. Still, awesome meal!

Back again on 7/14/19 I thought execution was even better. This is probably my favorite Chaozhou place — a bit like Cantonese but not exactly the same, slightly more “unusual”. Lots of garlic!

Our return visit on 10/24/21 was also spectacular. Just a really great place.

It’s not really worth writing up the “motley cru” of wines that come to Chinese, so I’ll just list the photos here.




















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For more LA dining reviews click here.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Top Island Seafood
  2. New Bay Seafood
  3. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  4. Dinner at the Palace
  5. Palace of Pepper
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Chaozhou Chinese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Chinese Food, Gelato, hedonists, Lobster, san Gabriel valley, seafood palace, SGV, Sweet Milk, turtle soup, Wine

Top Island Seafood

Jan06

Restaurant: Top Island Seafood

Location: The Marketplace, 740 Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 300-9898

Date: December 29, 2016 & July 17, 2017 and March 10 & September 15 and December 22, 2019

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Great — and great value — Cantonese

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The San Gabriel Valley is just oozing with new Chinese Restaurants to try.

And no category is more crowded than the Cantonese Banquet House. Top Island fits right in the middle of this pack, offering up all the luxury ingredients in a big format at reasonable prices. Look at that sign on the left, lobster for $8.99!

And check out “party like it’s 1989” cove lighting in the giant banquet hall!
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And a big pano of it.

2002 Gardet Champagne Cuvée Charles Gardet.

Boiled peanuts.

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Sweet and sour goose webs (3/10/19). Goose webs are goose feet. These had the weird texture, but a really nice interesting sour flavor.
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BBQ pork and jellyfish (3/10/19). Awesome sweet BBQ pork and first class jellyfish. Not all jellyfish is that great but this one was.

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The super deluxe BBQ plate (earlier and 12/22/19) with pork, chicken, jellyfish, pork hock/foot and more (9/15/19)!
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Westlake Beef Soup (9/15/19 and 12/22/19). Really addictive soft textured mix of ground beef (or maybe pork), tofu, egg white etc. Very mild but delicious.

NV Jean-Noel Haton Champagne Grande Réserve.

Walnut shrimp. Sure it’s a white guy dish, but this was delicious.

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Salt and Pepper squid (9/15/19). Tasty calamari.
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Salt and pepper shrimp (9/15/19 and 12/22/19). Someone doesn’t know how to mix up the preps. Very salty, but delicious.

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Fish filets with black bean sauce (3/10/19). Really nice light fish.

2006 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard. VM 89. Dark red. Subdued, brooding aromas of dark cherry and chocolate. Fresher red and dark berry flavors are brightened by zesty minerals and given grip by dusty tannins. Finishes with very good persistence but limited definition. A serious, deeply concentrated style of pinot that needs some cellar time to loosen up.

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Peking Duck (earlier and 3/10/19 and 9/15/19 and 12/22/19). This particular duck came with buns instead of pancakes. These were really nice buns, smaller than some. The meat was great, as good as any LA peking duck.

The skin was in the first picture, most of the meat was here. Needed more hoisin sauce as usual.

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The “meat” section of this duck is actually pretty edible. Some places it’s just a carcass.

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Duck second way (3/10/19 and 12/22/19).

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Zoom on the second way (12/22/19).
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You put this in the lettuce cups and add hoisin. Nice crunch.

2013 Boundary Breaks Vineyard Riesling No. 198 Reserve. VM 90. Quite reduced on the nose, with slightly shy aromas of Asian pear, white pepper, champagne mango and chamomile. The palate is quite honeyed and coats the cheeks and tongue in a soft layer of sweet fruit. A strong acidity keeps the palate in motion and prevents the wine from feeling fat. 58 grams per liter of residual sugar.

2012 Domaine de l’Ecu (Guy Bossard) Muscadet de Sèvre-et-Maine Taurus. The top broke off (the glass!) and so few of us dared try it for fear of broken glass.

From my cellar: 2006 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes. VM 93. Ripe peach, orange and hazelnut on the nose; a real essence of Charmes. Then opulent, sweet and rich but with very good inner-mouth tension to the ripe peach flavor. A seamless, highly concentrated wine with a wonderfully silky texture and a very long, fruit-driven finish. This fruit was harvested early, noted Boillot.

Seb brought: 2005 Didier Dagueneau Pouilly-Fumé Silex. 92+. There is no doubting this is Sauvignon blanc – it has that straight out green grass, a bit of lime, definitely very crisp although not tart. When NZ makes SB, this is what they are going for I think. Very well done version of that style.

Lobster noodles. A solid lobster dish. Maybe a touch “fishy” and while the noodles looked gross, they tasted great with the drippings.
 2012 Giesen Pinot Noir The Brothers. VM 90. Bright medium red. Perfumed aromas of strawberry, rose petal and spices. Juicy and intense, offering very good concentration to its brambly red berry and cherry flavors. Finishes with firm but smooth tannins and very good tactile persistence.

Lobster Causeway style. Covered in crunchy garlic bits. Awesome! We ate the salty garlic by itself too afterward.

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Dungeness Crab with garlic sauce (3/10/19). Very light fry. Delicious sauce and shell was soft enough you could crunch through it.
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We didn’t have the King Crab the first couple of times I went but we should have. So we got one on 3/10/19. Only $17 a pound or something!
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King crab causeway style (3/10/19 and 9/15/19 and 12/22/19). Might have been fried but those garlic bits were so good!
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King crab with garlic (3/10/19 and 9/15/19 and 12/22/19). Tender and delicious.

Conch. Chewy and interesting.

Curried Meat. Can’t remember which meat, maybe beef or mutton. Pretty delicious though.

Fried pork chop. I didn’t love the oily taste.
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Sweet and sour pork chops (3/10/19 and 9/15/19). MUCH better than the oily ones.

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Roast pork with crispy skin (12/22/19). Really great meat flavor and nice crispy skin.

Seb brought: 2010 Marcassin Pinot Noir Blue-Slide Ridge Vineyard. 95 points. In a great place. A showy wine highlighting ripe red fragrant fruits with a sweet edgy appeal. Quite pretty for a large scale pinot as slightly faded sour cherry fruits are well integrated with bright acidity and baking spice. Finishes really lasts. Quality stuff.

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Pigeon (earlier and 3/10/19 and 9/15/19 and 12/22/19). Straight from the Promenade — but actually quite nice.

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100 Flower Chicken (12/22/19). This is pressed chicken with crispy skin and shrimp paste. This particular version was excellent, quite awesome.

Chopped pork and string beans. Classic dish. Excellent verison with crunchy beans and lots of pork.

Chinese greens. tasty (surprisingly).
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A different tasty green (3/10/19 and 9/15/19).
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Stalks with Chinese sausage (3/10/19 and 12/22/19). Love that salty/sweet sausage. Offsets the fibrous stalks nicely.

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A different type of stalky vegetable (12/22/19).
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Fried tofu (3/10/19). Similar garlic crunch to the causeway style.

2015 Château Doisy-Daëne Grand Vin Sec. 93 points. Tasted like Durian! Very dry and very interesting.


Fried sweet and sour fish. Not bad. Typical orange sauce.

Fried rice.


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Yin yang fried rice (earlier and 9/15/19 and 12/22/19). Fried rice is underneath and covered with pork and shrimp sauces. Delicious!

2002 Chateau Montelena Cabernet Sauvignon The Montelena Estate. VM 93. Good deep ruby-red. Highly aromatic nose combines musky redcurrant and tobacco. Plush, broad and fine-grained; atypically sexy and showy for this wine, in much the same way that Montelena’s basic 2002 Napa cabernet is unusually pliant and rich. Finishes with big, dusty, but rather suave tannins. This offers early accessibility but has the material and structure for extended aging. The alcohol here is 14.3%, the highest since the 1978, which was 14.4%.

Chicken chow mein. I love these crispy noodle dishes. Great and very addictive once the sauce softens the noodles.

Adam brought: 2004 Harlan Estate Proprietary Red Wine. Parker 98. Another rating identical to that which was given in 2007 (when first tasted from bottle), the 2004 Harlan Estate is performing essentially the way I suggested in 2007 as it is one of the more precocious and accessible of the Harlan Estate wines to date. A great showing at this retrospective, this wine, which seems like a hypothetical blend of a Pauillac, St.-Estephe and Graves, represents around 1,500 cases from 40 acres of beautifully manicured hillside vineyards overlooking Oakville. Still dense purple to the rim, with notes of creme de cassis, charcoal, blackberry and sweet toast, the wine is full-bodied and voluptuously textured with the tannins largely resolved. But the density and richness suggest this wine can go a long, long way, even though the window for drinking it seems open and inviting already. A world-class, first-growth wine if there ever was one from Napa, this is simply an exquisite Harlan Estate that has atypically reached mid to late adolescence at the age of ten. That is great given the fact that these are 30- to 40-year wines – possibly even half-century wines. Drink it over the next 30 years.

Black pepper beef (earlier and 9/15/19). Vietnamese style dish, quite good.

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French style beef with mushrooms (3/10/19). Very tender flavorful beef.

Steamed fish with ginger and soy. Too plain for my taste.

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Coconut buns (earlier and 3/10/19).

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Buns with pepper or something (12/22/19). Very plain buns with the dusted seasoning. Hmm.

I brought some pistachio gelato from home (which I made).

Red bean soup for dessert. Looked like the output of a bad case of food poisoning.
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Close up 9/15/19.
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After my advanced gelato class, trying a slightly new pistachio formulation — Pistachio Madeline Gelato — base uses my same awesome Pistachios from Bronte Sicily but also a small amount of egg yolk for extra body. I baked the Madelines from scratch and soaked them in hand made Grand Mariner syrup — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — oh my! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #Pistachio #lemon #orange #Sicily #GrandMariner #Madeline #cookie #baking

Getting whacky — Thai Peanut Coconut Lime Chili Gelato — Salty peanuts, Thai coconut cream, lime zest, and serrano chillies — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — almost too spicy! — #SweetMilkGelato #gelato #IceCream #NomNom #dessert #chili #spicy #thai #peanut #coconut #lime #SavorySweet #Serrano
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9/15/19 two more gelati:

Cherry Cioccolato Fondente Gelato — working to squeeze the most chocolate humanly possible into a dairy gelato. This is 70% cocoa Valrhona and 100% Callebaut Chocolate base is my best yet — only 17% milk it has an INTENSE chocolate taste, plus house-made White Chocolate Amareno Cherry Ganache rounds it out — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato — #dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #chocolate #valrhona #Callebaut #cherry #amareno

Matcha Almond Latte Gelato – Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea and Sicilian Noto Romano Almond gelato base — made by me for @sweetmilkgelato –#dessert #icecream #FrozenDessert #nomnom #dessertlovers #dessertporn #icecreamlovers #gelatoitaliano #foodporn #gelatolover #food #foodgasm #foodblogger #dessertgasm #desserttime #foodphotography #gelatoartigianale #gelatomania #dessertlover #icecream #icecreamlovers #almond #matcha #GreenTea #Sicily

I like how they tagged Yarom’s chair with the bills.

Great wine lineup tonight (for Chinese).
 The big boy with the manager.

Overall, a great time and really solid meal. Orignally, I thought Top Island isn’t in the league with Elite or such for high end Cantonese, but this whole feast was $35 a person with tax and tip! So considering with had Peking Duck, Lobster etc and it was all very tasty this was a steal. All the dishes were enjoyable and they have a huge menu. Plus, as Yarom says, “they treated us like Pharaohs.” I.e. we had great service as they were very warm and brought out all the dishes “slowly” (by Chinese standards). Too bad they don’t have this sort of quality on the Westside!

I also must chime in that in light of our 3/10/19 dinner I have to upgrade Top Island to one of the best SGV Cantonese places. The service is really great. They brought us our dishes in a carefully selected (wine friendly) order, one at a time. The prices on sometimes expensive things like lobster and king crab are really fabulous, and overall dish quality is extremely high. Almost every dish was excellent that night (and on a previous trip a couple weeks before I missed). Great place!

For the 9/15/19 and 12/22/19 dinner I continue my thinking that Top Island has a really top notch Cantonese kitchen. Food is really really good. Service is great too, although the place is a bit of a zoo given how big and popular it is. Our 12/22/19 was a hilarious CF of a dinner though — not in any way the restaurant’s fault. We had a table they said seated 12-14, which really seated about 10-12 (and 12 was pushing it) and then ended up with 15 people (because it’s hard to manage the numbers at these things). We were so packed in at this table, sitting an extra foot away so the chairs made it around. But most problematically, with 15 people the dishes only got around to about 12ish — and so it turned into a “lord of the flies” style frenzy. Total chaos — if a touch amusing.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

And a bunch of wines from the second night:


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12/22/19 wines:
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Related posts:

  1. New Bay Seafood
  2. Newport Special Seafood
  3. Dim Sum – World Seafood
  4. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  5. Hedonists go to Beijing
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: BYOG, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, crab, Gelato, hedonists, Lobster, Peking Duck, san Gabriel valley, SGV, Top Island, Top Island Seafood

Dim Sum – World Seafood

Dec05

Restaurant: World Seafood Restaurant [1, 2]

Location: 1412 S Garfield Ave. Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 282-3888

Date: November 26, 2016

Cuisine: Cantonese Dimsum

Rating: Fun dishes, good, but not the absolute best

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My quest to try all the great dimsum houses in the LA area (mostly the San Gabriel Valley) continues. Last year’s newcommer Shi Hai has rebooted into World Seafood Restaurant.

It looks pretty much the same on the outside — and clearly isn’t a place all geared up to serve the English-speaking population!

Inside it got a touch of new color but remains a giant Chinese-style banquet hall.





The lengthy menu — all in Chinese with just a touch of English.

Pan-fried chives pancake. Not very pancake like, but extremely tasty. Some kind of mystery meat in here too — probably pork.

Shrimp and pork Shiu Mai. Good version of the classic.

Har Gow shrimp dumpling. Solid also.

Scallop and shrimp dumpling. The scallops were a touch fishy, so this wasn’t my favorite.

Chu Zhou Fun Gou. Peanuts, pork, and who knows what make a lovely dumpling. Fun guo, or Chaozhou fun guo sometimes spelled fun quor, fun gor, fen guo, Chiu Chow dumpling, Teochew dumpling, or fun kor is a variety of steamed dumpling from the Chaoshan area of coastal eastern Guangdong, a province in Southern China. They are typically filled with chopped peanuts, ground pork, garlic chives, dried shrimp, dried radish and shiitake mushrooms. Other filling ingredients may include coriander, cilantro, jicama, or dried daikon.

Seafood salad roll. I ordered because I had no idea what it was.  This light and crispy but very deep friend fellow contained some kind of seafood/cream cheese mix with a slight sweetness. There was a mayo-like dipping sauce. Despite the oddness of all this, it was delicious.

BBQ pork rice noodle. Solid.

XLB steamed pork dumplings. The shell was a touch thick, and while I’ve had better, these were still delicious.

Pork bean curd roll. Delicious. Stuffed with pork? and vegetables.

House special roast duck. Delicious, meaty, and only $5.99!!!!

Plain soy sauce noodles for my son. Pretty yummy actually.

Pan fried noodle with seafood. This was the thick rice noodle and I would have prefered it over the thin egg noodles.

Steamed honey brown sugar cake. World Seafood has a lot of “dessert” dim sum and this one was new to me so I tried it.  Look at the cool coral-like texture. It tasted like mildly sweet honey cake but did have a very nice fluffly organic quality.

Pumpkin pastry with salted egg yolk. Delcious. Mochi-like texture, pumpkin taste, and a gooey hot salty egg-yolk filling. Awesome. We ordered an extra order.

Steamed sweet bun. Who can resist desserts that look like pigs? This vegetarian light fluffy buns contained a paste of purple taro.

Steamed walnut bun. How cute, shapped like walnuts! Inside was a nut paste we actually thought was chesnut. It was good though.

Overall, World Seafood was quite good. I’d put it in the second tier of SGV dimsum underneath Elite, King Hua, and Sea Harbor, but in line with Lunasia and Shanghai #1 Seafood. It absolutely blows away what Downtown and Westside places I’ve tried, and is certainly a worthy destination. World Seafood also has an interesting menu, with lots of weird dessert pastries, and I’d like to go back and try another round or two of dishes.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. New Bay Seafood
  2. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  3. Newport Special Seafood
  4. Say Hi to Shi Hai
  5. Newport Seafood is Special
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, san Gabriel valley, World Seafood Restaurant

White Guys Can Cook Noodles

Jan13

Since I’m a noodle fiend, and Dan Dan Mein is one of my all time favorites, and a lot of my home cooking focuses on pasta (and pizza and gelato) I got it in my head to try making this amazing noodle dish at home — super authentically of course.

So I hunted around for recipes and came across this hard core one to use as my base.

For those of you that don’t know, Dan Dan Mein is the sort of “OG Sesame noodles.” But it’s so much more than the watered down version we get in the states. Ever wonder why sesame noodles are sometimes spicy? It’s because they derive from this dish, which in its true form is always hot. But it’s more than hot. Good dan dan is very complex incredibly aromatic, nutty, spicy, numbing, meaty, and a hefty bowl of chow.
IMG_4620
Then before meeting my pal Sebastian out in the SGV for some Szechuan I stopped by the 168 Market and spent about an hour hunting down all the ingredients. I went so far as to make sure even normal items like garlic and peanuts were grown in China! Subtle things like the differences in vegetable breed can influence the flavor of a dish.
 We start off making chili oil from scratch. This particular incredibly Szechuan oil is flavored with Szechuan peppercorn, star anise, cinnamon, and “regular” chilis.

Here are the Szechuan Peppercorns, which I learned were also known as Prickly Ash or sometimes Red Ash. They smell amazing (and strong) and have a citrus note and a numbing quality on the tongue.
 Dried star anise, which smells like licorice. Oh, and the cinnamon.

Then the chili flakes, and peanut oil.

First try. Let it get too hot. Don’t do this (notice the brown color).

Next try went much better. You basically cook the peppercorns, anise, and cinnamon in the oil slowly to 325.
 Then strain out that stuff and dump the regular chilis in and let it sit until it becomes super red and potent.

 Next up we brown the meat for the dish. I actually made the noodles twice the first week, once with turkey (above) and another time with lamb (below).
 The sauce for cooking the meat involves a mix of shaoxing wine.

The incredibly yummy (and salty) Szechuan sweet bean paste.

And some dark soy sauce (plus a little five spice powder)..

Then in with the browning meat you add sui mi ya cai. This mystery ingredient, which apparently is some kind of preserved mustard green, took me about 30 minutes to possibly locate in the market. None of the employees knew what it was. This “spicy preserved vegetable” was the closest thing I could find. Perhaps it’s the right stuff. Perhaps it’s a variant. It’s certainly preserved and certainly mustard green.

Here they are cooked together with the sauce, then set aside until the noodles are ready. As my friend Bryan, who tried my second batch, commented, the preserved vegetable makes it much more Chinese.

Next up we work on the noodle sauce which is more soy sauce and sesame paste.

Pretty!

And the five spice powder.

And the aforementioned Chinese garlic.

Mixed together.

Some more Szechuan peppercorns needed to be crushed to go straight into this part, so I used my killer mortar and pestle.

You blend it up.

Then incredibly dump a huge amount of that red chili oil in.

And keep stirring.

Meanwhile, some peanuts (also from China).

Chopped.

Then the noodles. The recipe called for Lanzhou noodles, which are flat and white. These turned out to be about the same as most of the restaurant dan dans.

They cook fast.

Then you put the sauce in the bottle of the bowl, dump in some noodles.

Layer on the meat mix, peanuts, and some chopped scallions.

It looks great above, but you need to mix it up.
 Here is the fully mixed version you eat. It might not be a looker, but the dish is incredible and I was very pleased how it turned out. Just like restaurant dan dan, all the good stuff is at the bottom, the rich sauce, the meat chunks etc. The lamb version really kicked ass too (most dan dan uses pork). I also used more meat then most restaurants do and tried to keep the sauce under control so it didn’t get too soupy.

Related posts:

  1. Night of the Whirling Noodles
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  5. Yojie – Deep Boiled Noodles!
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Cooking, Dan Dan Mein, noodles, san Gabriel valley, SGV, Sichuan, Szechuan cuisine

Ocean Star isn’t such a star

Nov16

Restaurant: Ocean Star Restaurant

Location: 145 N Atlantic Blvd #201-203, Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 308-2128

Date: October 6, 2015

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Mediocre cart dim sum

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I go out to the San Gabriel Valley all the time, and I figured that I ought to give one of the old school cart dim sum places another try.

Ocean Star has been around forever. In fact, I think I ate there sometime in the 90s.

The place was mobbed, and it wasn’t the youngest demographic in the world. The lobby too had that over-the-top SGV 90s decor. Look at that chandelier, the marble, the cove lighting.

Same thing goes int he enormous and chaotic hall.

Chicken soup with scallop wonton. Ok, basically one giant wonton.

Shrimp rice noodle. One of the better dishes. The usual sweet sauce.

Shu mai. Not the best shu mai by any means, but certainly edible.

Har gow. Just so so. Not bad, but a little “stale.”

Lotus wrapped sticky rice.

Mushy and not very good tasty.

BBQ pork. This was pretty tasty. Sweet and fatty.

They had those crazy crispy cruller rice noodle things on the cart. Didn’t try them though.

The food was lackluster. They had a large variety — if you managed to hail the right cart — but almost everything I tasted was a bit flat. Almost freezer burned. Really, for being out in the SGV, this is no better than The Palace in Brentwood. More options perhaps. The food quality might even have been a bit worse.

Service was kind of typical. They were nice, but I couldn’t manage to get either mustard or ice water. I did get tea and the check. It also took a while for the carts to come to me and when they did, I kept getting the lame carts, like the congee one, or the vegetables, or the tripe. It took a real while before I got the actual good stuff.

Prices are cheap. So if you like to pay less for worse, and join the crazy crowd of seniors, Ocean Star is your place. I’ll go to Elite or King Hua.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Ocean Avenue Seafood
  2. Mastro’s Ocean Club Malibu
  3. Epic Ocean Party 2015
  4. Christmas is for Dim Sum
  5. Say Hi to Shi Hai
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: California, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, Monterey Park, Ocean Star, san Gabriel valley

Mei Long Village – Pig Stuffed Duck

Sep04

Restaurant: Mei Long Village

Location: 301 W Valley Blvd #112, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 284-4769

Date: August 30, 2015

Cuisine: Shanghai Chinese

Rating: Solid!

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Mei Long Village has been around forever as far as Alhambra is concerned, maybe even 20 years!

They serve up traditional Shanghai style fare.

The mini-mall frontage on Valley Blvd is pretty typical. Across the street from Shanghai #1 and Beijing Restaurant and in the same mall as Tasty Dining.

2001 Château Lynch-Bages Blanc de Lynch-Bages. 88 points. A touch of oxidation but drinking ok. Light golden yellow with tastes of quince and wet stones.

Smoked cold fish. Nice flavor, with that slightly slimy texture and little bones.

From my cellar: 2004 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Bouchères. Burghound 89-92. This is a good deal riper with exotic aromas of mango, melon and dried apricots that lead to textured, dense and mouth coating full-bodied flavors that are beautifully complex and despite the weight, the marked acidity keeps everything focused and well-balanced. An impressive showing for a wine that I often find to be a bit top-heavy.

Jellyfish head. The marinated bits of the “head” (the round part) of the jellyfish.

2007 Pierre Morey Meursault Les Terres Blanches. Burghound 87-89. A very Meursault nose of hazelnut, soft white flower and yellow fruit aromas leads to pretty and elegant medium-bodied flavors that are round yet detailed with a discreet mineral undercurrent, all wrapped in a tension-filled and persistent finish. Lovely and very much fashioned in Morey’s understated style.

Marinated cucumbers. Nice and crunchy.

2012 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Leistenberg Riesling Kabinett. VM 87. Nectarine, pine nuts and lemon oil on the nose. Delicate tropical fruit flavors are brightened by a salty twang. Refreshing acidity gives a feminine character to the finish. Nicely balanced.

Hot sweet shrimp. Really nice eat the shell shrimp.

Pork leg. Special order 2 day steamed prep. Yeah, it’s pretty frightening to look at.

And perhaps even scarier once it got cut up. There is a whole trotter there too. I went just for the straight pink meat, avoiding the jiggling skin and cartilage. The meat was pretty awesome though.

From my cellar: 1998 Domaine des Chezeaux Griotte-Chambertin Ponsot. 92 points. Med dark red. Delicate creamy red cherry, a little spice. Light body, light concentration, cherry and old wood. Tannin and acid indicate youthfulness.

Stuffed duck. Another special order. We had this all sewn up.

Inside is a mixture of grains, chestnuts, etc. The sauce was amazing and it was all a bit sweet.

2000 August Kesseler Rüdesheimer Berg Roseneck Riesling Spätlese. White peach and lemon aromas with hints of mint and lily flower lead to a quite delicate, refined peach, citrus and slate character on the palate. This is airy and generous in the manner of the few best 2000s, suffused with fine slate character. Says Kesseler: “Everything that came after this?and there were vintage 2000 rieslings of Auslese and Beerenauslese character?was heavy and inferior to this in comparison.” Those higher must weight wines were not retained for separate bottlings. 2 stars.

Pan fried Shanghai dumplings. The classic pan fried soup dumplings. Yummy, although there is a good bit of dough.

XLB. The steamed variant are amazing and a lot lighter.
2005 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard. VM 96. Mark and Theresa Aubert’s 2005 Chardonnay Lauren, tasted from magnum, is every bit as special as I remembered it. Time has softened the textures and added gorgeous nuance, yet the 2005 remains fresh, perfumed and extraordinarily beautiful. Hints of orange peel, mint and sweet spices lift from the glass, but it is the wine’s balance that proves to be utterly captivating. Quite simply, this is one of the very finest California Chardonnays I have ever tasted. In magnum, the 2005 will drink well for at least another five years, while in standard bottle, the Lauren is naturally a touch more forward, although it should keep for another few years, perhaps longer. My own preference is to drink wines while the fruit retains at least some elements of freshness.

agavin: not bad for a new world, it did have acid, but way way too hot (alcoholic).

Shanghai rice cakes. A great rendition of the classic rice cakes in soy sauce. Nice chewy texture.

2009 Aubert Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. VM 91. Dried mushroom, earth and tart cherry nose. Palate somewhat thin and acidic, dry finish. Has not really developed since last tasting.

Crystal shrimp. Light but tasty.

2008 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Keefer Ranch Vineyard. VM 92. Bright red. High-pitched aromas of raspberry, strawberry liqueur, dried flowers and Asian spices. Silky, bright and precise, but with good depth and power to its red berry and cherry flavors. Really expand with air, finishing with sweet tannins, tangy minerality and impressive length. If your impression of the K-B wines ossified around the 2004 vintage, you should check this one out.

Fried fish. Fried.

2000 Château Gazin Pomerol. GV 92. COLOR-dark; NOSE-gorgeous cranberry; chocolate; mature; a V8 juice component; PALATE-a really nice, dry and austere background; great little finish; really singing; heavy fruit coming through; really well made; big upfront fruit; really elegant tannins; I love the gravel minerality of this red fruit; a chalkiness; there’s a clear beef jerky component on the back-end; very meat; almost like an Italian meal with a tomato sauce component on this Merlot; very bright on the back-end; good long finish; this has plenty of age to it; the tannins scream baby to me; I really like it; very well made and brings a lot of character to the table; very smooth; the fruit is very bitter — more of a Sweet Tart play; I think it’s fantastic; RP-90; GV-92+.

Spareribs. Pretty much the origin dish for Panda Express red sauce fried pork, but much better. Tender and delicious and the sauce wasn’t so heavy and cloying as at some places.

1998 Alban Vineyards Syrah Reva Alban Estate Vineyard. VM 90+. Full ruby. Highly aromatic, pure, Cornas-like aromas of cherry skin, pepper, iron and minerals. Quite tightly wound and penetrating, with slightly green-edged flavors of red fruits, black olive and pepper. Not especially fleshy or sweet but offers impressive precision and intensity of flavor, and the structure to reward some bottle aging.

Eggplant. Awesome and garlicky. Not spicy really like it might be at a Szechuan place.

Shrimp fried rice.

Shanghai noodles. Classic soy sauce noodles.

2000 J.L. Chave Sélection St. Joseph Offerus. 87 points. Deep red. Dull nose some black fruits and pepper. Acidic and disjointed in mouth some earthy notes. Short clipped finish.

Tomato and winter melon soup. Mostly tasted like tomato. Mild, but not my thing at all.

1994 Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Rangen de Thann Clos St. Urbain Vendange Tardive. 95 points. Beautiful wine. Nose was filled with honey, orange marmalade, flowers, and orchard fruit. Palate had notes of apricot puree and marmalade, botrytis notes, and the typical Alsatian bitter at the end; in this case it added to the wine instead of taking away. This was a deep wine with a moderately thick texture. Sweet, but the acid kept it from being a dessert wine. From comments, went well with seafood appetizer and bread pudding dessert. Long finish that coated the mouth. Haunting, it just got better as the evening went on. Wonderful.

We drove a mile west to Solju dessert for some awesome snow. Above is my mango with passionfruit sauce and blackberries.

And this crazy green tea with taro, mochi, and watermelon poppers!

Overall, Mei Long Village was some yummy fare and a total deal at $27 a head (all in, including tax and tip). An “old school” SGV place with really solid food.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  5. Cantonese Pig Out!
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, duck, dumplings, hedonists, pork, san Gabriel valley, Wine, XLB

Silk Road Journeys – Shaanxi Gourmet

Aug05

Restaurant: Shaanxi Gourmet

Location: 8518 E Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 288-9886

Date: June 26, 2015

Cuisine: North Western Chinese

Rating: Noodles galore!

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I’ve been wanting to hit up this place for a long time, as I’ve heard good things and I was a fan of this style of food when I was in Xian years ago.

Shaanxi is located in the same mini-mall as Alibaba Foot Spa and a good Taiwanese tea/shave ice place.


The menu.

Cold appetizers from the cabinet: spicy beef and bean curd. The beef was “preserved” with that pastrami like thing. Nice.

Crispy pickled shredded potatoes and cucumbers.

Cold steamed noodle with sesame sauce. The sauce mostly hid at the bottom, but these knife cut noodles had a great texture.

Eggs with tomato. Home style!

Beef with noodle soup. The noodles were thick chunks of knife cut and there was some “bread” bits soaked in here too.

Lamb skewers. Decent. Hot, with cumin and a bit of heat.

Shaanxi sandwich with pork. A Chinese take on a Carolina BBQ pork sandwich? Not quiet. The bread was lighter than usual for this kind of dish. It was pretty decent.

Noodles. I’m not sure which kind, but these hand cut babies were long and had an interesting cumin sauce on them. Quiet nice.

XinJiang style chicken stew with potato in a big plate. This was the most popular dish at the restaurant. The plate is HUGE. The chicken was tasty, if a little bone ridden. I liked the potatoes in the cumin based sauce too. And under all that is a big pile of cumin soaked noodles which I love — even if they were hard to pick up.

Fried potato, green pepper, and eggplant. Fine, but not my favorite version of this kind of eggplant dish.

Hot and spicy rice noodles.

Look at these puppies. Imagine trying to get them on your plate!

Fish filet in hot chili oil with mixed vegetables. This was a big pot of the classic Szechuan fish filet dish. Very tasty with a nice Szechuan peppercorn numb. So much chili oil!

Stir fried cumin spiced lamb. A classic of these regions. Fine.

Overall, Shaanxi was an interesting experience. They didn’t have a liquor license and so didn’t allow us to open our wine. Bummer, but fair enough. Service was nice, but they did completely ignore our request to bring things out slowly and dumped the first half of the meal on our table in 3 minutes. Then we had to threaten their tip to get them to slow down. Once they did there was a 1 hour pause before food resumed. Probably our fault as we should have just ordered the dishes 2 at a time. It doesn’t take them look anyway.

Food was very tasty though and quiet different than some other regions. All those knife cut noodles! Things are so noodle centric they didn’t even HAVE white rice!

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!


Now working through the 626 Trifecta, next door for snow.

These plates are a foot across. This $6 mango snow had vanilla ice cream, egg pudding, honey boba, and almond jelly.

The green tea snow had vanilla ice cream, leeche jelly, red been, and taro.

The third and final “event” in the trifecta is the cheap ($15 an hour) foot massage. I ended up with the manager, and he was so strong I was writhing beneath his not-so-tender ministrations. Good though.

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By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, hedonists, san Gabriel valley, Shaanxi Gourmet

Say Hi to Shi Hai

Feb02

Restaurant: Shi Hai

Location: 1412 S Garfield Ave. Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 282-3888

Date: January 26, 2015

Cuisine: Cantonese Dimsum

Rating: Fun dishes, good, but dumpling skins too thick

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My quest to try all the great dimsum houses in the LA area (mostly the San Gabriel Valley) continues with newcomer Shi Hai.


The name apparently means “sea world.” Hopefully no “blackfish” served here. 🙂


I brought only a 100mm macro lens and so capturing the dining room was a challenge. It’s sort of SGV  high style 2015. This substantial wine nook betrays the recent Chinese interest in wine — even if all that Bordeaux and Cal Cab clashes hideously with the food!


Another nice pretty menu.


The usual tea.


We didn’t actually have to ask for mustard, and when we asked for water and soy sauce and vinegar we got 2 out of 3 on the first try! This is A+ service for an authentic dimsum house, some places you ask 3-4 times per item.


Shrimp dumpling (Har gow). The filling was good, but this dish betrayed Shi Hai’s biggest problem, their thick sticky shells. Getting these puppies out of the steamer intact was nigh on impossible so you ended up with a filling and a pile of shredded skin on your plate.


Shrimp and Bean Sprout Leaves Dumpling. I never find these “veggie” type ones as good as the meatier varieties. This also had the sticky skin problem too.


Surf clam and crab egg shrimp dumpling. I liked both the way these looked and the ocean flavors.


Octopus dumpling. Content-wise, this may have been just a Har Gow in disguise, dressed up as little octopi. But they sure are cute.


Shanghai juicy pork bun. Always a favorite. These weren’t the best XLB I’ve ever had, but they were tasty just the same. Here the dough thickness was reasonably in check.


Crispy cruller rice noodle. This is only the second time I’ve had the rice crepes with something friend inside (the first being at Elite). Weird, but it works, combining the soft and sticky textures with the crunchy. The thing inside was basically a tempura shrimp.


Baked BBQ Pork Bun. The flavors were good, but these felt a tiny bit soggy.


Roast Suckling Pigeon. This succulent little roast fowl is ironically paired with… Pringles! Despite that, it was a tasty little game bird. The skin was nice and crisp and the meat had a dark gamey quality I really liked.


The pigeon was served with mayo and salt.


Heads up! — shows of the 100mm lens to nice effect.


Sticky rice with lotus leaf.


The inside was a little wet, but the sausage was good.


Shi Hai Dan Dan Noodles. Now this is a little odd at a Cantonese place, but maybe it’s a nod to the popularity of Szechuan.


Either way, while it looked kind of wet, the flavors were deep, with a lot of sesame and that pleasant medium numb from real Schezuan peppercorn. I love this stuff.


Steamed sweet bun. How could anybody resist these little piggies? They were filled with some kind of dark taro/sweet bean mixture. No pork involved as far as I can tell.

Overall, Shi Hai was good but not great. I’d put it in the second tier of SGV dimsum underneath Elite, King Hua, and Sea Harbor, but in line with Lunasia and Shanghai #1 Seafood. It absolutely blows away what Downtown and Westside places I’ve tried, and is certainly a worthy destination. Shi Hai also has an interesting menu, and I’d like to go back and try another round or two of dishes. If only they tuned up their dumpling shells to be lighter and less gummy they’d be great.

It should also be noted that it’s just a short wander across the street for some excellent snow afterward!

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

The build out might be new, but it retains a modernized version of the old 80s Monterey Park Style — cove overload!

 

Related posts:

  1. Lunasia Dim Sum
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  3. Sea Harbor Dim Sum
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  5. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: California, Chinese cuisine, Dandan noodles, dimsum, Monterey Park, san Gabriel valley, SGV, Shi Hai

Pheasant & Deer are Never Boaring

Dec12

Restaurant: Phong Dinh [1, 2, 3]

Location: 107 E Valley blvd, San Gabriel, Ca, 91776. (626) 307-8868

Date: December 9, 2014

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Rating: Excellent!

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My Hedonist club has hit up Phong Dinh several times before, once in their old location and once in this newer one — albeit in a nearby San Gabriel Valley spot. This authentic Vietnamese continues to serve up interesting stuff — plus they’re happy to take some of Yarom’s “do it yourself” meats, like both boar, deer, and pheasant he shot recently.


René-Henri Coutier Champagne Brut Millésimé Clos d’Ambonnay. Champagne to start.


Chicken salad. Kinda mild.


NV Riestra Sidra.


Shrimp and pork papaya salad.


From my cellar: 2007 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses. Burghound 90. As would reasonably be expected, there is just more here in every dimension with a more complex and more elegant nose that is layered and very fresh and this refinement continues onto the nicely concentrated middle weight flavors that display evident minerality on the sappy, intense and mouth coating finish that lingers and lingers. This is a terrific Savigny blanc and recommended.


2012 Gilbert Picq & ses Fils Chablis Dessus La Carriere. Burghound 89-92. This is slightly riper, in fact sufficiently so to display hints of the exotic though they are background nuances to the mineral reduction, floral and oyster shell aromas. There is excellent richness and volume though perhaps a bit less minerality than usual, all wrapped in a punchy and appealingly complex finish. This should be excellent as it offers plenty of Chablis character and lovely balance.

Snails in coconut curry. This spicy coconut curry cream sauce was amazing. You had to suck the meat out of the snails, which was cool, and there was plenty of sauce to drip over rice or noodles.

This time, the sauce was a little thiner than the first time (and although it tasted about the same, the thicker was a little better). The snails themselves were pretty awesome.


2004 Dönnhoff Niederhäuser Hermannshöhle Riesling Spätlese. IWC 92. Mesmerizing aromas of papaya, sweet herbs and spearmint. Intense but discreet cherry fruit rises from the mid-palate, accompanied by brilliant acidity. The riveting finish is animated and spicy. One of the finest spatleses of the vintage in Germany.


1990 Zind-Humbrecht Gewurztraminer Heimbourg Vendange Tardive. 95 points. Wow. Intense, intense, intense. Sugar, sweet, lychee, a little cayenne. Very hard to describe. The finish goes into the next day. Great pairing with Northern Thai food. A very special, unique wine.


Roast quail. Quite tasty.


1999 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Brand. IWC 93. Knockout nose of fresh and dried fruits, honey and white flowers. Delicious fruit salad and citrus skin flavors complicated by spices and honey. Lovely ripe acidity leavens the 22 g/l residual sugar. Very rich and dense, and much easier to taste today than the Rangen. I like the balance here.


Crab in tamarind sauce. Delicious. Sweet and sour.


2011 Weingut Jäger Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Ried Klaus.


Roast boar. This scrumptious dish had a ton of flavor. The meat had this char broiled and spiced thing that was spectacular.


2012 Seven of Hearts Pinot Noir Curmudgeon Cuvée Armstrong Vineyard. IWC 92. Dark red. Delicate, focused aromas of red berries, potpourri and Asian spices, with a bright mineral nuance adding lift. Fresh and lively on the palate, offering tangy raspberry and strawberry flavors that show very good energy, lift and cut. A fresh, elegant, weightless pinot that finishes with very good energy and drive and silky tannins. This racy, balanced wine puts on weight with air but maintains a sense of elegance and restraint.


2012 MacMurray Ranch Pinot Noir Estate Vineyards Russian River Valley. 89  points. Nice balance and structure, ready to drink as an infant. Some wood and spice on the nose, strawberry/raspberry palate.


Ground deer. Delicious too with a nice crunch to it.


From my cellar: 1995 Louis Jadot Echezeaux. 90 points. Impressive deep ruby-red. Perfumed, slightly candied aromas of red berries and smoky, charred oak. Supple and sweet, but a wine of only moderate intensity. Finishes with slightly dry tannins.

agavin: I bought a bunch of these because they were “cheap.” I.e. even though it’s a grand cru (although a spotty one) I bought it for my “premier crus that are drinking well now” slot. It turned out quiet decent, although there was a touch of barnyard on the nose. Several thought it was the wine of the night. I actually agree as reds go — but the competition was flaccid.


Dover Sole.


2000 Château Chauvin. Parker 92. A superb wine, this opaque purple-colored effort boasts a vividly pure nose of graphite, melted licorice, creme de cassis, espresso, and wet stones backed up by subtle, high quality, spicy, new oak. Multi-layered, full-bodied, dense, concentrated, and pure, with sweet tannin and superb length, this future classic will be at its best between 2008-2019.


Baked catfish.


A bit more filleted.


1997 Greenock Creek Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 92. One of my weekly Cabernet Sauvignons for a number of years was Greenock Creek’s 1997. It was released at a very reasonable price, and, again, I did not know what to expect as this estate is not associated with Cabernet Sauvignon as much as Grenache and Shiraz. This 1997 is still a killer wine. Its dark plum/purple color is accompanied by aromas of spice box, cedarwood, sweet licorice, and black currants. Full-bodied, velvety-textured, and gorgeously proportioned, it is a sexy Cabernet Sauvignon that should continue to evolve for 5-10 years.


Veggies.


Fish sauce. Tasty and salty. Two kinds.


There are various condiments. Mint and basil.

Rice noodles.


And these rice paper “pancakes” that are softened in hot water. Not pictured are two kinds of fish sauce and thin rice noodles (you can see them below).

You put all this together with the fish as you like and do your best to roll into a pancake. It’s scrumptious, absolutely delicious, but messy.


2001 Oriel Priorat Alma de Llicorella. 88 points. Burnished dark garnet red. Red lifesavers candy, roses, and earth nose. Medium bodied, cranberries, sweet ‘n’ sour cherries, good acid, fully integrated tannins.


Spicy boar. Another boar dish made from Yarom’s animal. This one was flavorful with a real slow powerful heat.


2007 Nazar Spray. Not listed on CT.


Pheasant curry. Absolutely delicious, particularly with some of the noodles.


1987 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon Volcanic Hill. IWC 84. Full red. Weedy, green, vaguely chemical nose. Thick and dense but rustic. Has more density of material to stand up to its strong green component than this winery other two ’87s. The best of the trio in terms of texture and ripeness.


Snow peas.


2000 Giscours. Parker 92. Probably the finest Giscours made since the 1975, this black/purple-colored 2000 offers up terrific notes of camphor, creosote, blackberry, and cassis jam intermixed with notions of smoke and earth. Spicy, with low acidity, a big, rich, fleshy, full-bodied palate, outstanding texture, and a long, pure finish, it is, to reiterate, one of the best Giscours produced over the last 25 years. A sleeper of the vintage, it is still available for a realistic price.

agavin: my second favorite red.


Goat stew. You add in the noodles and greens below. The broth was actually very flavorful, if terribly ugly. The goat itself was kinda stewed.


2012 MontGras Carménère Reserva. 85 points. Deep purple, vegetal and slight cedar smell. Taste of leather and green pepper, dry but soft short finish.


Egg noodles for the goat.


Mysterious greens.


2000 Marqués de Murrieta Rioja Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. 90 points. Medium red. Moderately ripe cherry and red berry aromas are complicated by tobacco, mint and musky underbrush. Medium-bodied and a bit loose-knit, with low-key, gentle red fruit and cured meat flavors that are nicely firmed by a dusty mineral tone. Gains sweetness on the finish, picking up vanilla and floral oil notes. Understated and rather elegant Rioja but lacking real oomph; was this really deserving of the fancy Gran Reserva Especial treatment?


Crispy noodles with miscellaneous stuff. A lot like the Cantonese dish.


2008 Domaine du Pegau Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee. Parker 89-91. The 2008 Chateauneuf du Pape Cuvee Reservee was about to be bottled at the time of my visit, and it will certainly be one of the better wines of the vintage. By the standards of Pegau, it is not a massive wine nor will it be terribly long-lived. However, this estate has an incredible track record in off years, so I would not be surprised to see this wine exceeding readers’ expectations in 10-12 years. Tasting through the three remaining lots that will be blended together, I rated them between 89 and 92. That makes it one of the better wines of the vintage. Medium to full-bodied, chewy and very evolved, the wine exhibits lots of earth, lavender and foresty/mossy notes intermixed with kirsch, peppery black currants and Christmas fruitcake spices. It should drink nicely for 10-12+ years. Laurence calls it a very “traditional” style that she believes will be as good as their 2006.


2003 Williams Selyem Gewürztraminer Late Harvest Vista Verde Vineyard. IWC 91. Deep gold. Classic gewurz bouquet of rose, peach and smoke, with an exotic overlay of baking spices. Sweet and round, with concentrated pit fruit and melon flavors showing impressive energy and focus. Finishes on a spicy note, with excellent depth but no undue weight. I like the absence of cloying notes here and would love to serve this with funky or blue cheeses.


Happy birthday!


1970 Château Guiraud. 87 points. Gorgeous fresh nose, with apricot and peaches (A-). Somewhat light palate with limited sweetness (B++).

agavin: on the internet, this wine sometimes gets wonderful reviews (95+!). Our bottle was sadly not in such great shape.

Coconut gelatin dessert (green) and coffee flavored of same (brown). Cool and refreshing.

Overall, another epic Hedonist Asian adventure. Good food, great prices, fun wines, and a whole lot of us. What more could you ask for?

More crazy Hedonist adventures or
LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Never Boaring – Il Grano
  2. Phong Dinh – Hedonists go Vietnamese
  3. Coconut Curried Snails?
  4. Feasting Lunasia
  5. Cantonese Pig Out!
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: hedonists, Phong Dinh, san Gabriel valley, vietnamese, Wine

Beijing Tasty House

Nov05

Restaurant: Beijing Tasty House

Location: 172 E Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 573-3062

Date: November 2, 2014 & February 8, 2015 & October 15, 2017 & December 3, 2017 & March 11 & April 1, 2018

Cuisine: Beijing Chinese

Rating: Tasty – very Tasty!

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The bounty of Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. They open all the time in almost every type of regional Chinese cuisine. Beijing Tasty House fits in the inclusive style of the capital, which sucks in cuisine not only from right around it but from central and western areas like Szechuan.

This report is a composite of many meals. Sometimes I feel it better illustrates a restaurant’s character to do it this way.


The relatively modern interior. I have to point out the SGV special cove ceilings and the mismatched curtains.

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There are two private rooms behind those screens. Twice with larger groups we’ve used them — both of them!
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One of the private rooms on 3/11/18.

2002 Delamotte Champagne Blanc de Blancs Millésimé. IWC 92. Pale yellow-gold. Fresh citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complicated by notes of gingerbread, white flowers and sweet butter. Toasty lees and mineral qualities gain power with air, adding depth to the wine’s gently sweet pear, honey and tangerine flavors. At once rich and lively, finishing with excellent clarity and alluring mineral and floral character. This Champagne, which I’ve tasted from three different disgorgements now, is proving that it’s built for the long haul.


Crunchy cucumbers with pork. This is a traditional cord starter. Unfortunately, in 2014 ours came near the end of the meal and that just didn’t work. They were also a bit mushy. We had this again on 10/15/17 and it was very good, crunchy.


NV Schramsberg Vineyards Mirabelle Brut Rose. 89 points. Soft aromas of apple, pear, citrus, cherry, mushroom, yeast. On the palate, more pronounced citrus – mainly grapefruit – and strawberry. Nicely tart, and a touch saline. Not very deep or complex, but tasty and refreshing.


Spicy Cold Noodles (Dan Dan Mein). Pretty much a classic Szechuan version of the dish. There is sesame and bean paste, chili oil, and cold noodles.


(2) NV Moët & Chandon Champagne Nectar Imperial Rosé. IWC 87. Orange-pink with a vigorous mousse Creamy orange, cherry and strawberry preserves on the nose. Rich and velvety, with sweet tangerine and red berry flavors carrying through the finish. This would be nice with blue cheeses.

A (2) indicates this was a wine at the second dinner.


Stirred up it was quite delicious. Not super spicy, but with a bit of nuttiness. Beijing Tasty House was extremely reasonable and a dish like this was only $4.99. We liked this so much it was a repeat the second time around.


2012 Ojai Sauvignon Blanc McGinley. IWC 91. Light, bright yellow. Musky aromas of yellow apple, grapefruit pith and candied ginger. Sappy, focused and mineral-driven; at once rich and lively, with gentle floral lift to its sappy orchard and citrus fruit flavors. The floral note gains volume with air, adding vibrancy to a dry, gripping, linear finish.


Hot and Sour Noodles. These spicy noodles had a mild numbing quality from the Szechuan peppercorn and a pleasant heat. Lots of vinegar too. Had this in 14, 15, and on 10/15/17. Great every time. Very nice balance, not super hot.


You can see the noodles themselves are glass noodles. This was a fabulous dish and another repeat. The second time we kept the sauce to eat over rice (and all sorts of things).

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Knife cut noodles with lamb (10/15/17). Another great noodle dish. Much more “savory” and enhanced by adding some chili oil.
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Noodle with Green Beans (3/11/18). Looks like old school noodles but actually darn tasty.
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Sliced Potato (3/11/18). A good version of this dish, particularly dipped in the sour chili sauce above.
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Spicy Sliced Potato (4/1/18). Slight variant — even more flavor. I really liked these.

2012 Gilbert Picq & ses Fils Chablis Dessus La Carriere. IWC 92. Bright pale yellow. Aromas of mango, pineapple, crystallized lemon peel and crushed rock; still a touch reduced. Dense, chewy and rich, with citrus zest and iodiney mineral flavors that stimulate the taste buds. Finishes tactile and long, with strong salty minerality. Sexy and elegant. Picq sends a good quantity of this wine to the U.S. and recommends serving it with volaille blanc or grilled sea bass.


(2) 2011 Deux Montille Meursault Les Casses-Têtes. Burghound 89-91. Strong reduction renders the nose completely unreadable. There is excellent volume and a strong minerality to the delicious, vibrant and appealingly textured medium-bodied flavors that possess a saline character on the clean, dry, persistent and impeccably well-balanced finish. This is a fine villages that is worth considering.


Lamb buns. The lamb meat was nice, but the buns were dense. Really dense. In the end, most of us ate out the meat or went open face.
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Boiled lamb with chili sauce (10/15/17). Hideous but awesome dish. The lamb was super tender and had tons of great lamb flavor. Plus that chili sauce always notches everything up.

(2) 2009 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard. 93 points. Awesome wine. Burgundian style, like a grand cru. Great minerality, with lemon, apple, and brioche taste. Superbly long finish for a white wine. Beautifully extracted with everything in balance. Very restrained acid.

agavin: Very restrained acid is what I call flabby! A rich wine, but not enough backbone.


Cumin Lamb. The classic hot sizzling cumin lamb. Full of strong savory flavors.
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Sizzling cumin beef (4/1/18). Pretty much the same dish but with beef.

2010 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère. IWC 95+. Bright pale yellow. Soil-driven aromas of grapefruit, fresh dill and flinty minerality. Dense and brisk on entry, with outstanding grand cru intensity to the lemon and crushed stone flavors. Conveys a strong impression of silex . This boasts the sappiness of the best 2010s and finishes with outstanding stony, citric persistence. Like a slap in the face today, this wine demands at least several years of bottle aging, at which point it may merit an even higher score.


(2) 2010 Domaine Bechtold Gewurztraminer Engelberg. 91 points. Off-dry and very tropical. Ripe pineapple, Indian-like spices, slight smokiness and an orange marmalade note that makes me think there was some degree of botrytis in this. The palate reflects the nose very well, with a huge pineapple note, lychee and exotic spiciness. It is quite full bodied, with a slightly cloying quality, and initially I didn’t know if it has the acidity or minerality to fully hold up. Needs some time to open up, but a really good wine.

Peking Duck (2014). What would a Beijing place be without Peking Duck? This was an okay version of the classic. The meat was good, but the skin wasn’t quite as crispy as I like.
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And a slightly different presentation in 2017.


The usual pancakes.


Hoisin, green onions, etc. The sauce was good here, thick, maybe homemade, although a touch plummy.
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Duck in the pancake ready to go!
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Duck soup (12/3/17). I’m not a super big fan of duck soup, but this was a good one. Lots of rich bone flavor here and nice tofu.

2009 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux Clos du Bourg. 91 points. Medium sweetness, with lots of apple and apricot. Long finish, just a hint of petrol as it aged. Had with strawberry shortcake and then by itself.


From my cellar: (2) 1998 Nikolaihof Riesling Federspiel Steinriesler. 92 points. Deeper yellow golden hues; white flower, honey, beeswax, stone, apple, grain; richer body, stone, weight, lemon, solid mid palate, spicy finish, higher alcohol, very focused.


(2) 2012 Peter Lauer Riesling Barrel X. 89 points. Apricot on the nose and in the mouth. Nice acidity.


Spicy Garlic Eggplant. Most people agreed that this was one of the best eggplant dishes they’ve ever had. It had an awesome garlicky flavor.
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Eggplant in Garlic Sauce (3/11/18). I think a slight variant on the above.

Cabbage with bacon. A nice traditional cabbage dish. Not quite as good as the Beijing Restaurant version, and the bacon was a touch soggy, but good nonetheless.
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Cabbage dynamite (10/15/17). Another cabbage variant. A little bit of heat. Nice crunch and flavors. I actually like these cabbage dishes a lot.

2005 Dönnhoff Oberhäuser Brücke Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Pale yellow. Rich aromas of lichee, lemon oil and pine.Luscious yet piquant tropical fruit flavors accented by smoke. In spite of the wine’s substantial depth, subtle acidity brings spice and finesse to the finish.


(2) 2012 Georg Albrecht Schneider Riesling.


(2) More Riesling.


Coconut Shrimp (earlier and 10/15/17). Why they named this dish “coconut shrimp” is beyond me because there was A) no coconut and B) it’s exactly like everyone else’s “walnut shrimp.” But it was a tasty version with large moist shrimp — lots of mayo!

Also good enough to order three times.
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Shrimp with Sweet and Pungent sauce (3/11/18). A tangier variant of the fried, sauced, shrimp. Quite excellent.
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Lobster with garlic and ginger (4/1/18). Solid!

2003 Carl Schmitt-Wagner Longuicher Maximiner Herrenberg Riesling Auslese. 89 points. Deeply pitched and complex on the nose, quite forward, offering notes of pineapple custard, mint, allspice, and baked lemon. Medium to full bodied on the palate, there’s a lot of richness here, but the overall feel is one of lightness. A beautiful sweet-sour balance provides interest, but this lacks depth of flavor on the palate.


(2) 2012 Charles Baur Riesling Eichberg.


Cumin Lamb Skewers. Classic fatty meat grilled and smothered in strong cumin flavor.


2005 Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard. I’m actually going to post 3 reviews of this wine to illustrate reviewer difference of opinion. It should be noted that Robert Parker has a shit palette for pinot noir 🙂

Parker 95. The 2005 Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard reminds me of a top DRC Richebourg. Of course, this is made from the famed Calera clone of Pinot Noir, which was suitcased in from one of the most renowned vineyards in Burgundy. The wine exhibits that beautiful sweet black currant, flowery nose, with sweet black raspberry and very ripe cherry notes intermixed with spring flowers and some spice from the wood. A wine of considerable opulence, complexity, and tremendously savory, expansive texture, this wine should drink beautifully for at least a decade.

IWC 93+. Deep ruby-red. Deeply pitched aromas of blackberry, smoked meat and underbrush. Dense and thick but with lovely energy to its complex, deep, soil-inflected flavors of dark fruits, smoked meat and black tea. This is about much more than just fruit. Finishes with substantial but essentially gentle tannins. Interestingly, the Vosne-Romanee clones used for the UV have produced an essence of California pinot in ’05, while these Calera clones have yielded a wine in a more Burgundian style.

Burghound 83. A cough syrup and menthol nose leads to moderately vibrant big-bodied flavors that culminate in an edgy, bitter, unbalanced and hot finish. While there is plenty of structure, I would not age it as the alcohol already dominates and aging will only exacerbate that quality.

More Crazy variance. Allen Meadows hates this stuff.

(2) 2007 Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard.

IWC 93. Good deep red. Aromas of black cherry, black tea and a spicy hint of chocolate. Tactile and dense but with a light touch considering its 15.8% alcohol, showing lovely lift to its dark berry, spice and saline soil tones. There’s a brooding quality to this pinot’s dark fruit flavors, but its pliant texture and early sweetness and personality should give it more immediate appeal than the Rueling bottling. Finishes with ripe tannins, a slight suggestion of warmth and sneaky length.

Burghound 78. This is extremely ripe though not to the point where there is no pinot character remaining but unfortunately, the palate impression of the impressively scaled flavors and finish is both edgy and hot. While I generally refrain from discussing the motivations behind any given style, this is sufficiently extreme that one at least wonders what the point is as there would appear to be other varieties better suited for this purpose?


Steamed Lamb Dumplings (earlier and 10/15/17). From that western thick skin style of dumpling, but still tasty. Similar to at JYTH. nice flavor.

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Pork dumplings (10/15/17). Look the same, but a much more mild flavor. Nice pork centers.


From my cellar: 1999 Domaine de L’Arlot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Forêts St. Georges. Burghound 89. More serious than the ’99 Clos de l’Arlot though not quite as ripe with color that is almost black as is the fruit with crushed herbs and intense minerality, succulent flavors and excellent pinot character. There are sizeable tannins that are completely wrapped in velvety fruit and this displays a slightly sweet finish. This is really very fine and fresh and while this is not a truly dense wine, it has filled out better on the mid-palate than I originally predicted. It will also need a bit more time as well to really arrive at its prime drinking window.



Lamb Bone Hot Pot. Don’t know the exact dish name. This interesting and tasty broth had a bitt of Szechuan peppercorn, cumin flavors, and a whole bunch of other unidentified herbs. All spice? Star Anise? It was sizzling hot with big boney chunks of lamb. After you left them to cool, they were pretty tasty. The sauce was great over rice.


Our second time around this dish was MUCH better. First of all, it had more peppers and the bones had a lot more meat on them. Second, they gave us this sesame sauce. We weren’t sure what to do with it, but it turned out that when stirred into the lamb broth it was amazing, almost like a Thai curry.
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Bullfrog hot pot (10/15/17). Tons of mala and heat. Lots of peppers.

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The frog tasted great although, as usual, it was boney and there wasn’t that much actual frog.

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Hot and Spicy Mixed Hot Pot
(3/11/18). This had everything in it, from tripe to beef, to tofu, to spam, to pork blood. It was rather excellent too. Great sauce.

(2) 2007 Siduri Pinot Noir Clos Pepe Vineyard. Burghound 90. A very subtle touch of wood frames beautifully complex and moderately ripe dark plum, cherry and intense violet that is also picked up by the attractively fresh, generous, round, forward and delicious flavors that possess good underlying energy on the sappy and lingering finish that has a lovely inner mouth perfume. About the only nit here is a trace of warmth but to the wine’s credit, it’s subtle.


Meat balls. Not sure if these were pork or beef. They were just so so. Fine, but I wouldn’t order them again.

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Shredded pork with preserved mustard greens and soy beans (3/11/18). Wonderful new dish. Salty with a lot of umami.

2001 Domaine Michel Gaunoux Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Épenots. Burghound 93. Warm nose, pungent, leathery and clay. Touch of brown on the miniscus. Excellent concentration here. Sweet fruit on the palate, the acidity is present but mild but becomes more pronounced on the finish. More strict, not exuberant – graceful but will the future show more fruit or acid?


From my cellar: 1991 Camille Giroud Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts. 90 points.

Beijing Chick Wings. Cumin rubbed super hot grilled chicken wings! Very yummy.


Domaine Jaeger-Defaix Rully 1er Cru Clos de Chapître. 89 points. Ripe and attractively fresh red currant aromas combines with hints of earth, spice and wood nuances. The spice character continues onto the mildly rustic middle weight flavors that exude a pretty touch of minerality that adds lift to the delicious and complex finish where the wood telegraphed by the nose resurfaces. This will most appeal to those who enjoy evident, if not generous, oak influence with their burgundy.


(2) 2007 Louis Latour Corton Domaine Latour. Burghound 87-90. Light ruby. An interesting if not overly complex nose of red and black cherry with earth nuances make for a less than dramatic introduction to the round, easy, forward and supple flavors that are also on the light side though the finish tightens up enough to suggest that cellar time is definitely needed. Moreover, the finish offers much better depth than can be found on the nose. In sum, this isn’t a bad wine so much as it’s not very typical by the standards of what one expects from a classic Corton.


Salt and Pepper Shrimp. Emphasis on the peppers! But it actually wasn’t very hot if you pulled out a shrimp. Nice tasty crustaceans.
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Chicken bones with chilies (10/15/17). The aromatic dish with really tasty boney bits of chicken.
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Diced chicken with chilies (12/3/17). A slight variant on the above, but with more meaty chunks and less bone.


2005 Pandora Seymour’s Vineyard.


Pork Roll. This giant burrito was like a massive pork sausage Stromboli. Tasted great but heavy as can be! Hard to finish a slice.


(2) 2007 Domaine Pavelot (Jean-Marc et Hugues) Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode. Burghound 92. Here the nose is every bit as complex as that of the Gravains with its pure and ripe aromas of plum, earth, stone and spice hints that introduce intensely earthy medium-bodied flavors that are textured and refined but powerful, all wrapped in a finish that displays a hint of animale on the slightly more structured finish that seems to go on and on. This offers a qualitative choice as it is less elegant than the Gravains but more powerful and perhaps a hair more persistent as well. Either way, both are terrific.


Kung Pao chicken. A nice rendition of the classic. Not super spicy but very tasty.
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Beef with black pepper sauce (10/15/17). Pretty mild in flavor. I liked it, as did some others, but others thought it was one of the weaker dishes.

1998 Fox Creek JSM. IWC 90. Bright, deep ruby. Spicy, lively aromas of cassis, bitter chocolate and mint. Supple, intensely flavored and nicely focused; sappy berry and spice flavors are nicely framed by harmonious acids. Dense and concentrated. Youthfully firm finish features fine tannins and very good length.


Sweet and sour fish (earlier and 10/15/17). Who can taste the fish under all that fry and sweet and sour sauce? Still tasted good.1A0A4570
In 10/15/17 was really awesome with a super crispy outside. You can see the improvement!


(2) 2013 Belle Glos Pinot Noir Clark & Telephone Vineyard. 88 points. This is the whackiest pinot I’ve ever tasted. The color was deeper purple than our deep purple Cab and it tasted like vanilla oak wrapped around a tiny little berry. This is a pinot vinified like a Carlisle Zin!


Fresh fish with cumin and chilies. This fish (buried under all that chili) was fairly simply cooked with a lot of cumin. It was quite nice, if boney and hard to get at.

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Fish with two chilies (10/15/17). Awesome fish smothered in 2 different tangy chili sauces.


2004 Mitolo Shiraz McLaren Vale. 95 points.


Fried rice (earlier and 10/15/17). With a bit of everything in it.

The second time around we ate with either the red noodle sauce or the lamb sauce.


2001 Celler Del Pont Priorat Lo Givot. 91 points. Purple/ruby in color. The nose has raisins, black raspberries and a smoked quality. Soft texture. Dark and deep on the palate. Black raspberries. It got a bit funky on the finish, but that seemed to blow off. I don’t believe I ever had this, but I really enjoyed it. Got better as the night went on despite its age.


Pork Fried Dumplings. Greasier and perhaps tastier than the steamed ones.


2004 Outpost Petite Sirah The Other. RJ 92. Quite tannic, but not in a way that’s unpleasant. Concentrated and fruitily tasty with nice PS notes. A real pleasant surprise, this one, given others’ notes. The nose is light, but the mouth is great, and the length is substantially dense and decently long. Nice rd and black fruit notes, good depth, nice feel. Have I mentioned that I like this wine?


Pig Intestine Stew with Tofu. Various bits of tempeh, pig stomach, pig intestine. Yuck. I don’t know why Yarom likes to order this kind of offal. Just giving him s**t. Even a few of the organ lovers who dared try it declared it a “bad dish.”


2012 Yaso Toro. 87 points. Rather simple cherry cool aid. Inexpensive though and a pleasant enough weekday wine.


Hand cut noodles with pork. A weird sweet and sour flavor, with fairly typical, almost Panda Express ingredients. The pork was tasty though and the noodles had a nice texture.

We ended up getting it both times by accident. I wouldn’t have.


Sweet and sour spareribs. Yummy sweet fatty nuggets.


(2) 2006 d’Arenberg Cabernet Sauvignon The Coppermine Road. IWC 92. Opaque ruby. Powerful cassis and blueberry aromas are complicated by lavender and pungent herbs. Fleshy, palate-staining dark berry flavors are enlivened by juicy acidity. Gentle tannins add grip but don’t get in the way of the lush, creamy fruit. Very impressive cabernet, with the sweetness to drink on the young side but the depth and balance to reward patience.


Ma Po Tofu. A tolerable but not particularly great version of this dish. Some spice, but a lot of oil. Still I enjoyed it, because I adore Ma Po, but it could have been better.

(2) 2011 Double Diamond (Schrader) Cabernet Sauvignon Bomber X. 89 points. Big & bold, lots of fruit and a little tannin. This wine could wait awhile.


Omelet. Pretty much what it looks like. A nice fluffy omelet with green onions.


Candied Sweet potato. Very sticky. Very hot. Tasty.
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Made by me (Sweet Milk Gelato) on 3/11/18: Fior Di Philly – Philadelphia Cream Cheese base, with Graham Cracker and Strawberry Topping mix ins!
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Made by me (Sweet Milk Gelato) on 4/1/18, left to right:

Best Vegan Chocolate Gelato Ever – Thai coconut milk & cream base with 100% Valrhona chocolate!

Mangle Berry Sorbetto – Mango and Blackberry sorbetto with a touch of Aperol

Coconut Rum Lime Sorbetto – Thai coconut milk base with dark vanilla rum and lime juice.

Overall, I thought this was a great meal and exceedingly reasonable. We ordered about 8 peking ducks, maybe more, and it was still only $42 a person with tax and a huge tip. We could have eaten a massive meal for $30. But I’m all for the overkill. Yarom did a good job ordering (except for the pig guts) and we had some great stuff in all sorts of categories. I like this style of Chinese cooking as it emphasizes flavor. It’s not straight Szechuan, but has many Szechuan dishes, and all sorts of other good stuff too. Not your typical Chinese American. Most dishes were very well executed. The noodles were fabulous. Some of the cumin stuff. The eggplant. Even the goopy sweet and sour fish was great.

The second time around we didn’t order Peking Duck but had even more dishes and it was only $31 all in, so the duck definitely runs up the price. I liked this place the first time, and even more the second. Maybe they’re getting into a groove, or maybe we also ordered better. Some dishes like the Lamb Hot Pot improved considerably.

The third time they were out of duck (sigh) but we ordered up a stone of more unusual dishes, total of $47 (and only because we were only 6 people and over ordered) and most of them were amazing. Some repeat dishes really improved. This place has gotten very very good and it has a huge menu with a lot of great variants.

A fun night! And if I was going to take a group of friends to the SGV for a “bargain dinner” this would be a great place, as is Beijing Restaurant. Unlike a pure Szechuan place there are dishes for the spice hater. The good Cantonese Banquet houses are great for first timers too, but they are more established and much more expensive with their emphasis on crab, lobster, and other expensive ingredients.


Then down the street for Foot Massage! ($15 an hour!) Earlier AND 10/15/17. Alibaba has very good staff but they don’t spend enough time on the feet (I guess you can ask).


And to the boba tea house for…
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Soothing rose tea (10/15/17).

Giant mango shaved ice with strawberries, ice cream, sweetened condensed milk and almond jelly.
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Another mango shave ice (10/15/17) with honey boba, vanilla and mango ice cream, and almond jelly. So yummy!

For more LA dining reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Wines from 10/15/17:
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Related posts:

  1. Hedonists go to Beijing
  2. Shin Beijing Again
  3. Shin Beijing Cubed
  4. Tasty Duck Will Bring You Luck
  5. Tasty Duck Lives up to its Name
By: agavin
Comments (5)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Beijing Tasty House, Chinese cuisine, hedonists, san Gabriel valley, Szechuan

Cantonese Pig Out!

Oct01

Restaurant: Capital Seafood

Location: 755 W Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754. (626) 282-3318

Date: September 28, 2014

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Great Banquet

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The Cantonese banquet is a long standing tradition, and many of the big San Gabriel Valley Cantonese places do both a dimsum brunch and ornate banquet services.


Capital Seafood is no exception, hailing from the glory days of cheesy 80sMonterey Park build outs. Look at the faux Louis XVI decor!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mitl4ZBjFvI]

Tonight our little private banquet was located just adjacent to a huge wedding in the main room. Play the above video for a sample of the 100 decibel festivities.


Our “room” was actually just a corner of the big space that had been screened off… literally with Chinese folding screens.


From my cellar: 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Bourgogne Rosé Marsannay. 89 points. The 2009 Marsannay Rose is a serious wine. It shows plenty of intensity and generosity, I only wish the aromatics were a little more focused.


Boiled peanuts.


Candied Walnuts.


From my cellar: 1996 Maison Roche de Bellene Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes. 92 points.


Suckling pig. Special ordered, with pickled cucumber and jellyfish. The pork was some of the best roast pork I’ve had. It was incredibly succulent with crispy skin.


The right hand sauce is a slightly sweet sauce, similar to that used with Peking duck.


2007 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chenevottes. Burghound 92. Very mild reduction combines with notes of lemon, straw and orange peel that introduce intense, delicious and well-delineated middle weight flavors where the citrus influence really comes up on the very dry and energetic finish. I quite like this but it is more suited to those who enjoy nervous whites with ample acid support.


Shrimp and tofu. The little white puffs are fried soft tofu. The shrimp are whole giant prawns fried with salt and peppery. They were quite delicious, cooked to a tender level where the shells caramelized and were soft and edible.


1999 Prager Chardonnay Smaragd. 88 points. Botrytized chardonnay from the Wachau. Weird. I love Bodenstein’s wines, but this is strange.


Fried giant clam. Two parks of the geoduck giant clam: body and neck. Basically fried clam strips Chinese style, but plenty tasty.


2005 Moraga Vineyards. 93 points. Sensational sauvignon blanc in the stye of a great Smith – Haut Lafite.


We saw them serving this crazy dish at the wedding and just had to try it.


Lobster salad! (with dry ice)


The fresh lobster meat is mixed with melon, mayo, and flying fish eggs. The overall concoction was pleasant enough but oddly sweet, and the cloying sauce hid the delicate meat.


XO sauce. This fermented, slightly spicy, sauce is rather famous — and expensive.


2003 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Aromas and flavors of blueberry, blackberry and honey combine here with woodsmoke, black tea, nut oil and subtly stony nuances. The wine is rich and full, with its slight sense of heat enhancing the effect of distilled fruit concentration and smoky pungency. The finishing effect is long and noticeably sweet.


Fried bullfrog. Chunks of bullfrog are deep fried with garlic. Super tasty, although there were a lot of bones to pick out.


2012 Robert Mondavi Winery Pinot Noir Clone 777. 93 points. Clean and sparse. Sharp but not bitter. Nice oak finish.


Steamed egg. I thought this was tofu, but it’s apparently just egg.


The custard-light-fluffy thing was really quite awesome, with a nice richness and a bit of umami from the soy.


2005 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Melville Vineyard. IWC 91. Light red. Spicy strawberry and blood orange aromas are further enlivened by white pepper and a light kiss of fresh rose. Then broader and deeper in the mouth, offering ripe cherry and raspberry preserve flavors, with the orange quality repeating. Nicely balances richness and energy and finishes with impressive clarity and grip. This has serious presence and concentration, but leans more to elegance than to sheer power. Greg Brewer, who believes that “the human aspect is the most important and influential part of the concept of terroir,” told me that the goal of Brewer-Clifton is to “minimize that aspect by staying as neutral as possible: same corks, same yeasts, same wood and so on. By keeping execution homogeneous we emphasize individuality, especially vineyard character.”


Braised duck. The meat was good, but the heavy brown gravy didn’t taste very Chinese and wasn’t my thing.


2004 Roger Sabon Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Prestige. IWC 93. Deep ruby. Lush raspberry and cherry preserves on the nose, with hints of candied plum, espresso, flowers and dark chocolate. An impressively rich Chateauneuf, with powerful dark fruit flavors perked up by refreshing mineral lift on the back and nicely supported by supple tannins. Rich and chewy on the finish, with lingering notes of smoke, meat and cherry liqueur. Serious stuff, and in need of cellaring.


Caramelized fish. This fried Chilean Sea Bass with mushrooms, ginger, and garlic was pretty amazing. There was a ton of flavor.


2001 Les Cailloux (Lucien et André Brunel) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Centenaire. IWC 96. Dark red. Incredible nose melds plum, spicecake, woodsmoke, mocha, earth, minerals and dried herbs; this covers all the major Chateauneuf du Pape food groups. Like liquid silk in the mouth, but with powerful underlying spine. A saline, superconcentrated wine that coats every millimeter of the palate with explosively rich, insinuating flavor yet does not come across as extreme or over the top. In fact, this is almost understated today, with a wonderfully long, elegant finish. A wine to chew on as much as to drink.


French style beef. A sort of peppered filet mignon. Very yummy and went well with the heavier red wines.


1999 M. Chapoutier Côte-Rôtie La Mordorée. Parker 95. Chapoutier’s La Mordoree cuvee is produced from 75-80-year old Syrah vines planted in both the Cote Blonde and Cote Brune, aged in 100% new oak casks, and bottled with neither fining nor filtration. The 1999 Cote Rotie La Mordoree is the finest he has produced since the 1991 (two bottles drunk over the last six months confirm this fabulous wine’s potential as it is just now beginning to emerge from a cloak of tannin). The 1999 has closed down since its pre-bottling tasting. The color is an inky purple, and the wine is dense and powerful, with notes of smoky blackberries, creosote, and espresso. Concentrated flavors reveal high levels of tannin (surprising in view of last year’s report), and a rich, long, 45-second finish. This impressive 1999 will take longer to reach its plateau of drinkability than I thought last year.


Scallop and egg fried rice.


2003 Cayuse Syrah en Cerise. Parker 90. The dark fruit-scented 2003 Syrah En Cerise Vineyard is medium-bodied, displays outstanding depth of fruit, and possesses appealing mouthfeel. Spicy blackberries make up its expressive, pure, deep, and long flavor profile. It should be enjoyed over the next 4-5 years.


Salty fish fried rice. A little different. Salty, but good.


Pea tendrils. In case your “system” is feeling clogged.


2007 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Auslese. IWC 92. Pale golden yellow. Ripe peach, guava and chamomile on the nose, complicated by a hint of brown spice botrytis. Luscious citrus fruits with cool minerality refresh the palate. In spite of the wine’s weight, a spicy elegance dominates the finish.


Mango pudding and coconut jelly. The mango pudding was insanely good. It had a light jiggly quality and a flavorful intensity. The mellow sweetness of the other jelly was also very pleasant.

Overall, Capital did a great job and this was one of those fun and interesting banquet meals filled with different flavors. Not every dish was perfect (duck, I’m looking at you), but it was still a great meal and the pig was outstanding.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Feasting Lunasia
  2. Elite Dim Sum
  3. Spice Up Your Life Szechuan Style
  4. Banqueting at Shanghai #1
  5. Sea Harbor Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, hedonists, Monterey Park, Monterey Park California, san Gabriel valley, Tony Lau, Wine

Sea Harbor Dim Sum

Jun29

Restaurant: Sea Harbor Seafood Restaurant

Location: 3939 Rosemead Blvd. Rosemead, CA 91770. (626) 288-3939

Date: June 11, 2014 & January 2, 2015 & May 17, 2021

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: In the top 5 SGV Dim Sum

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This is a compilation of both a birthday trip my brother and I made to Sea Harbor Dim Sum, the latest in our crusade to visit all the best Dim Sum joints in the San Gabriel Valley, and a in force 20 person assault on the place later with my hedonist group.


I think Sea Harbor has been around for a long time and is one of the mainstays.


The interior is pretty typical.
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On 5/17/21, not long after the lockdowns, they were also serving outside on the patio.






One of these nice color photo menus. The paper “checklist” you order with is only in Chinese, but we just use the numbers. This is made to order dim sum, which is much fresher than the cart style.


The sauce plate (like everything else, on request).


Paul Bara Champagne Grand Cru Brut Grand Rosé. AG 92. The Brut Rosé Grand Cru is bold, richly textured wine that literally bursts from the glass with impressive concentration. This shows gorgeous inner perfume yet remains a decidedly extroverted, singular wine. The weight of the Pinot comes through in spades. Readers who want to understand why the Grand Cru vineyards of Bouzy are so famous for Pinot and Rosé should start here.


Cucumber with garlic and spicy sauce.


Jellyfish with GongCai. Apparently the green stuff is “tribute vegetable.” I thought it was bits of asparagus or something. Jellyfish was good.


2013 Liquid Farm Chardonnay White Hill. 93 points. No real sign of oak although it is fermented in mostly neutral oak with a bit of stainless steal. Wonderfully balanced, I want oysters with my next bottle! Great alternative to so many oaky Cali chards out there.


Chicken feet with Angelica in Meat Broth.


Spareribs in black bean sauce. Hideous, but they taste great.


From my cellar: 2012 Tenute Sella Coste della Sesia Majoli. 90 points. Deep red in the glass. This is a rosé with some weight, quite different from some of the nimble, mineral driven rosés from France. Dominant cherry tones, with a touch of Luden’s cherry drop. Clean finish. Potentially this could stand up to a more medium bodied dish, outside of the typical realm for other rosés. This is an unusual bottle, not often encountered – I’ve never seen Tenute Sella rosé for sale, anywhere.


Har Gow. A top version of the classic.


Siu Mai. Pork and shrimp dumpling. Also classic. These are the “normal” (non jumbo size) and tasted great.

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Siu Mai with Truffle. I think the truffle is actually a negative.


196x August E. Anheuser Riesling Spätlese Kreuznacher. 78 points. Fallen in cork. A color light like muddy oily rainwater, but surprisingly still sweet and vaguely drinkable.


Bean curd skin roll with seafood. These always look ugly, and they have a funny texture, but I tend to like them.


Ginger chicken & pork bun. These are stuffed with a meat ball that has a very pronounced ginger flavor. Interesting and quite good.


1979 Morandell Grüner Veltliner Trockenbeerenauslese Ruster. 98 points. Not totally sure of the year, certainly from the 70s, but this amber bit of syrup knocked our socks off. Spectacular nectar.


Fish roe with scallop dumpling. A very elegant seafood dumpling.


Steamed shrimp paste with corn and pea dumpling. The two of us were split on this fellow. I liked them, as they had a dense texture and a nice corn/pea taste. My brother wasn’t a fan.


2002 Joh. Jos. Christoffel Erben Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Kabinett. 89 points. Delicate scents of fresh strawberry, lemon, honey and vanilla. Bright and tingling in the mouth, with the sensation of fresh strawberries right down to their tiny whiskers. Quite refreshing yet adamantly slatey in the finish.


Pork, peanut & celery dumpling. Interesting. A little mild, with steamed peanuts.


Juicy pork bun (XLB). A nice version of this most awesome food.


2011 Dr. Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese. IWC 90. Elegant aromas of cherry, acacia blossom and pine nut. Succulent and creamy on the palate, tinged with nuances of herbs, nuts and vanilla. With fine balance, this spatlese finishes with an underlying sense of slate.


France style baked BBQ pork bun. I have no idea what is “France style” about these, but they had a delightful, light, and crispy outside (slightly sweet) and were filled with a yummy sweet BBQ pork mix flavored with cilantro. Very unusual and very good.


Thai Style Tofu with Chicken Broth. Awesome soft fried tofu with a sweet and tangy sauce.


2009 A.J. Adam Hofberg Riesling Kabinett. IWC 90. Delicate aromas of peach, candied lemon and nut oil. Glossy and quite full-bodied but elegant, this riesling tastes crisp and pure. The clean finish features lime and discreet slate. A textbook kabinett and one of the finest of the vintage.


Beef ball in superior soup. These reconstituted beef balls had a spongey texture that I liked, and a very nice beefy flavor.


Deep fried pork dumpling. Tasty, but as usual for this type, too little filling.


2012 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulees Vieilles Vignes. Burghound 91-93. A strikingly complex nose features notes of Vosne spice, black cherry, plum and sandalwood. There is first-rate intensity and verve to the beautifully well-detailed medium weight flavors that display plenty of minerality and dry extract on the firm and austere finish that delivers marvelous length. This is also an exercise in harmony allied with finesse.

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Ginger Chicken & Pork Bun.
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Classic steamed pork bun.


Pan grilled spinach pork bun.


Never seen this one before, but it was pleasant.


Chinese Broccoli with Oyster  Sauce.


2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Family Farm Vineyard. Burghound 92. An attractively layered and fresh ripe red berry fruit and overtly floral nose offers excellent complexity that continues onto the rich but elegantly rendered medium-bodied flavors that possess a seductive texture and perfect balance on the lingering finish. This should age extremely well as everything is in perfect proportion.


Sautéed sichuan runner beans with minced pork. A decent version of this classic. The beans were crunchy and the pork tasty, but it was hard to get on the chopsticks!


Steamed rice noodle with BBQ pork (aka “pork slime”). Almost certainly the best pork slime I’ve had — and I’ve had a lot.

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Steamed rice noodle with shrimp.


2006 Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Precious Mountain. Burghound 90. The nose possesses very impressive aromatic complexity with a lovely mix of both red and blue berry fruit notes, spice hints and a gentle touch of wood toast that does not continue onto the supple, round and vibrant flavors that display good mid-palate density on the slightly dry and tangy finish that does not really detract significantly from the overall sense of balance. We’ll see how this turns out but it appears to have the dry extract to round out the finish in time.


Crystal noodle with fresh shrimp. The shrimp were tasty. This dish was fine, although not outstanding. The noodles had this worm-like slippery quality.

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Sticky rice wrapped with lotus leaf. An okay (but not spectacular) version of this. The rice additives could have used more flavor.

Sticky rice with preserved meats. Awesome salty and complex flavor.


Fried rice with dry scallop and egg white. A nice salty rice.


2013 Opolo Vineyards Zinfandel Mountain Zinfandel.


Assorted seafood fried crispy noodle. I love this dish, and this version didn’t disappoint. It was probably a 8 to Elite’s 9, but still great.


Deep fried durian puff. Not for everyone, but interesting all the same. Inside, lots of durian with the texture of rotten banana and the flavor of… petrol? Seriously long and complex finish. Weird!


Steamed Preserved Salty Egg Yolk Bun.


A house specialty. Eggy goodness inside. More sweet and sticky than salty. Mostly. Very tasty.

Overall, Sea Harbor was very satisfying, but perhaps a tiny notch below some of the others we have been trying recently like Elite or King Hua. Except for a couple stellar dishes like the pork slime or france style bun are so good, it makes you wonder. Certainly this place is great and you can’t lose.

An update from May of 2021 shows that Sea Harbor, even post pandemic, still has a top notch dim sum kitchen. The interior is in a bit of disarray, and they were out of a few things, but the food quality was still excellent.

They also might have laid on the MSG because I got an outsized dim sum coma that lasted for hours. Granted, dim sum always gives me a head buzz, but this was a little more than usual.

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  2. Lunasia Dim Sum
  3. Elite Dim Sum
  4. More Awesome Dimsum – King Hua
  5. More Modern Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, hedonists, Hong Kong, Rosemead, Rosemead California, san Gabriel valley, Sea Harbor

Lunasia Dim Sum

Jun23

Restaurant: Lunasia [1, 2, 3]

Location: 500 West Main Street Suite A, Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 308-3222

Date: April 29, 2014

Cuisine: Cantonese Dim Sum

Rating: Excellent

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My brother and I continue our epic quest to sample all the top San Gabriel Valley dim sum restaurants. I’ve actually been to Lunasia before, for a big Cantonese Banquet, but this is my first trip here for dim sum (which is really their specialty).




Pictures are helpful, even for a dim sum veteran.


Jumbo shrimp har gow. As good a version as I’ve had.


Jumbo pork siu mai. Perhaps more succulent and tender than many.


Spinach shrimp dumplings. I’d swear these also had scallops in them. Interesting (and tasty). A different mealier texture to the skin.


Baked chicken bun. Full of meat and flavor, probably a bit better than at King Hua.


BBQ pork buns. Excellent rendition. Shanghai #1 might have the best of these.


Pork dumplings. This is the sticky fried mochi variety. They are slightly sweeter and have a wonderful texture.


Shrimp rice noodles. Great sauce and a nice version of this dish too.


Crispy Shrimp Roll. These have a lovely light crunchy texture. They came with a mayo! But I thought they went better with the sweet duck sauce.


Shanghai pork dumplings (XLB). The inside of these favorites (and we got 3 tins) were filled with really solid little pork balls. They tasted great, but Elite’s were certainly better (with a lighter thinner skin).


Hong Kong Roasted Duck. Tasty, but a little boney.


Duck sauce for the duck.


Sticky rice wrap. The classic lotus leaf wrapped sticky rice.


Here is the inside. I know it’s not the loveliest, but it was good.


Pan-fried vermicelli Singapore Style. My brother and I got this dish as kids — and it’s still just as good.


Egg yolk buns. Like Chinese Cadbury Eggs!


Sweet yolk inside! Kinda different, and very sweet.


Macao Egg Custard. This version was a little eggy.

Overall, another fabulous dim sum place. It’s hard to say which is best among Shanghai #1, Elite, King Hua, and this, as each has certain dishes they do better. Really just an embarrassment of riches.

For more LA Chinese dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Feasting Lunasia
  2. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
  3. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
  4. More Modern Dim Sum
  5. Christmas is for Dim Sum
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Alhambra California, Cantonese cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Dim sum, dimsum, Har Gow, Lunasia, san Gabriel valley, Shanghai, Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (Shao Mai)

Food as Art – Babita

May20

Restaurant: Babita Mexicuisine

Location: 1823 S San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 288-7265

Date: May 17, 2014

Cuisine: Modern Mexican

Rating: A rare find

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Chef Roberto and his wife Elba run this unique gem in the San Gabriel Valley. It’s family owned, upscale, tiny, chef driven and elaborate. And it’s Mexican food! Los Angeles has no shortage of Mexican restaurants, both of the classic and modernized formats, but we don’t have a lot (if any others?) that strive for an upscale ingredient focused style.


The tiny room is wood paneled (70s style) and lined with tequila bottles.


Speaking of bottles, we brought our own as usual:

1994 Williams Selyem Chardonnay Allen Vineyard. Our bottle was totally oxidized.


2001 M. Chapoutier Ermitage Blanc De L’Orée. Parker 93-95. The great American patriot and wine connoisseur Thomas Jefferson called Hermitage “the single greatest white wine of France.” Slightly lower-keyed, but still prodigious, the 2001 Ermitage Cuvee de l’Oree does not possess the muscle, volume, or weight of the 2000, but it is a beautifully etched, elegant, intensely mineral wine offering hints of white flowers, citrus oils, and earth in its dense, full-bodied, chewy personality. Like its older sibling, it will be delicious in its first 3-4 years of life, then close down, to re-emerge 10-12 years later. It will last for three decades or more.

agavin: Ours was nice, with that strange semi-oxidized taste older Hermitage blanc usually has.


Chips and salsa. Classic, but very very good.

2006 Chateau Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape Roussanne Vieilles Vignes. Parker 98. The limited cuvee of 100% old vine Roussanne (50% vinified in barrel and 50% in tank), the 2006 Chateauneuf du Pape blanc Vieilles Vignes is an extraordinary wine. Since the debut vintage in 1986, I have been unable to figure out how to predict this cuvee’s aging potential, but I tend to agree with most sommeliers who feel this wine needs to be drunk in its first 4-6 years of life, then not touched again until age 12-15. It is so amazing, I usually drink it as quickly as I can get my hands on a few bottles. The sensational 2006 possesses a wonderful honeysuckle note interwoven with marmalade, tropical fruit, peaches, and buttery pastry characteristics, and zesty acidity despite a thick, full-bodied, rich texture. It is difficult to find a better white Chateauneuf du Pape than Beaucastel. Much like their reds, their whites are made in a style that is atypical for the appellation. It is put through full malolactic, and one-third is barrel fermented, then blended with the two-thirds that is aged in tank. Extraordinarily rich and honeyed, it is ideal for drinking with intensely flavored culinary dishes.

agavin: No oxidation here, but a pure intense weighty white that paired very well with the food.


Spicy fresh guacamole, yellow chile stuffed with ceviche of salmon with strawberry sauce and brine poached large shrimp-cocktail with habanero sauce. Some real heat in this dish, particularly from the guacamole and shrimp sauce. Each element was delicious and different.


From my cellar: 1978 Marques de Murrieta Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial. Parker 93. The 1978 Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial spent 18 years in barrel and 10 years in bottle prior to release. It still has a deep cherry red color along with an aromatic array of underbrush, brier, tobacco, incense, and blackberry. It has slightly sweeter fruit and livelier acidity than the 1994. This lengthy effort is at its peak now where it should remain for another 20 years.

agavin: Very nice, arguably my favorite red of the night. Started a bit funky, but that quickly blew off. Way more fruit than one would expect for a 78 but Ygay lasts forever.


Duo of soups. Crema de jalapeno (right) and cuitlacoche (left) soup garnished with oaxacan chapulin and mezcal. There is actually a cricket in this dish, floating on the left of that toast. Both soup were wonderful, by themselves, and together.


1997 Luis Pato Bairrada Vinha Barrosa. Our bottle smelled and tasted like cork (cardboard). Others didn’t seem to mind it.


2005 Bodegas Sierra Cantabria Rioja Finca El Bosque. IWC 94. Ruby-red. Spicy red fruits and minerals on the nose, with a suave floral element adding complexity. More restrained than the 2004, showing a more elegant personality but no less intrigue. Sweet strawberry and raspberry flavors combine flavor impact with stylishness. Finishes with lightly chewy tannic grip and fresh mineral lift. There’s a deft quality here that’s really compelling.


Partridge Eggs “Huevos Rancheros”, beans, cream, ranchero sauce.


Bodega Numanthia Termes Toro Termanthia. Unfortunately I forgot to photo the year (anoyingly on the back).


2004 Torbreck Descendant. Parker 98. The 2004 Descendant, an old oak-aged blend of 92% Shiraz and 8% Viognier from a 12-year old vineyard, offers up notes of blackberries, ink, sweet truffles, and acacia flowers. There are 1,000 cases of this full-bodied, intense, rich blockbuster. It will drink well for 10-15 years.

agavin: can we say extracted? (but very good). Eucalyptus notes.


Colossal Sea Scallop seared, over herbed Squid ink Risotto. Yummy. Top flight scallop with a nice sweet squid ink sauce.


2004 Nit de Nin Nit de Nin. Parker 98. Only three barrels are made of Nit de Nin, made by Ester Nin, the vineyard manager for Clos Erasmus. The 2004 is 60% Garnacha, 30% Carinena, and 10% Syrah aged for 18 months in French oak. Purple/black, the wine has a fragrant perfume of mineral, truffle, creme de cassis, kirsch, and blueberry. Super-rich and layered on the palate, this opulent wine has exceptional depth and impeccable balance as well as a 60-second finish. Drink it over the next 10-12 years.

agavin: very nice.


Shrimp on pastry with squid ink sauce.


1996 L’ Ermita (Alvaro Palacios). Parker 95-96. The 1996 L’Ermita appears to be another blockbuster effort from Alvaro Palacios. The color is a saturated purple. The expressive nose boasts aromas of pain grille, roasted coffee, chocolate-covered, jammy cherry candy, minerals, and new oak. Full-bodied, dense, and thick, with an unctuous texture, lower acidity, and higher alcohol than the 1995 and 1994, this is a meaty, chewy, masculine wine with a flamboyant personality, in addition to a monster finish. It is super-intense, but exceptionally well-balanced, especially in view of its proportions. Anticipated maturity: 2003-2020.


Poached chicken in malbec-viognier, over Colachi Zucchini relish.


2004 Mas Doix Doix Costers de Vinyes Velles. Parker 98. The 2004 Costers de Vinas Viejas is 50% Carinena, 48% Garnacha, and 2% Merlot aged for 16 months in new French oak. Deep purple, the aromas are other-worldly with truffle, tar, graphite, kirsch, and wild blueberry among the array of scents leaping from the glass. Flamboyant and opulent, the wine has remarkable richness and depth of flavor leading to a 60-second finish. Drink this hedonistic effort over the next 10-12 years.

agavin: these priorats may be young and gigantic, but they are surprisingly drinkable (being so young).


2004 Sean Thackrey Orion Rossi Vineyard. 91 points. Beautiful, clear, deep, bright cherry color, very difficult to place the varietal blend based on this color, almost reminiscent of barbera or gamay. Similarly beguiling nose and palate of exotic spice, Penfolds-like eucalyptus and intense oak, blueberries, Rhone fruit and kirsch. Minimal acidity, pleasant tannins building late, and a kick of volatility and heat from the alcohol. A really interesting, cerebral wine that led to much opining around the table on this wine’s true quality, and much speculation on the unknown grape blend. This is not a wine I would enjoy drinking every day, but in an era when most California cult wines taste predictably similar, this seems more like what a cult wine should be, idiosyncratic and fascinating.


Braised Ox Tails over Carrot-Potato mashed and Cinnamon Mole. Loved this dish. Like Mexican osso bucco.


Look at that ox bone under the meat.


1972 Osborne Jerez-Xérès-Sherry PX 1827. agavin 98. I love PX, but this was just pure motor oil raisin pleasure. As good as sherry gets and intensely syrupy, balanced, and smooth.


1971 Bodegas Toro Albala Montilla-Moriles Don PX. 93 points. Also great, but fell in the shadow of the 1827. There was a lighter fruit note going on in the middle too.


Praline Semifredo with caramel sauce and fresh drizzles. This amazing dessert paired unbelievably well with the sherry. I love semifredo and caramel, and it was just amazing.

Yarom and Chef Roberto

This was just an amazing evening and quite different. I’m not sure what I expected (of a “fancy” Mexican in the SGV) but I was certainly blown away. Babita is just a unique gem of a place.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Totorakuly Epic!
  2. Food as Art: Ortolan
  3. Spice Up Your Life Szechuan Style
  4. Hedonists at STK
  5. Newport Special Seafood
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Babita Mexicuisine, hedonists, Mexican cuisine, Parker, Roussanne, san Gabriel valley

Banqueting at Shanghai #1

Feb19

Restaurant: Shanghai #1 Seafood Village [1, 2, 3]

Location: 250 W Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, CA 91776. (626) 282-1777

Date: February 16, 2013

Cuisine: Chinese

Rating: Very authentic Shanghai style

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The San Gabriel Valley is a veritable treasure trove of Asian dining, particularly regional Chinese. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village is the LA branch of a high end Shanghai chain specializing in banquet dining.


The decor is Stark meets Chinatown. Interestingly, as cheesy as it is, it’s fairly authentic.


As this is a Hedonist/Foodie Club wine diner, we prearranged a banquet and reserved the usual giant table.


The menu is like a giant full color fashion catalog for food, but I thought I’d show a couple pages by way of example.


NV Peter Paul Wines Champagne. A nice, nutty mature champagne.


Marinated legumes (lima beans?). A very mellow sophisticated taste, and some of the best lima beans I’ve had.


NV Jean-Pierre Brouchard Champagne In florescence. 92 points. A brilliant Blanc de Noirs exhibiting a dense, yet crisp mouthfeel with subtle elegant mousse. The nose has a lot of mature red apples, lime zest and newly made French toast. The length on the finish is very nice. The wine is crisp and clean, still it shows all the best sides of the Pinot Noir varietal. Overall impression is that of a very good Champagne which drinks terrifically tonight but would not mind resting another couple of years.

This was much fruiter than the Peter Paul, but I liked the nuttier drier one better myself.


Roast duck in a heavy sweet soy. Bony, but very tasty.


Marinated cucumbers (pickles) in a sweet soy vinegar.


Squid with a sauce not unlike eel BBQ sauce. Very tender and tasty.


1998 Monbousquet Blanc. Parker 91-93. Earthy, mineral nose; earthy, mineral palate; medium finish.


Some kind of meat enchilada. Well, not exactly, but meat and vegetables in a cold thin crepe.


Meat and gelatin (aspic?). This had a very pleasant texture (like jello) and a subtle flavor.


Lotus root stuffed with sweet rice in a tea marinate. Very interesting texture and a lovely tea flavor.


2008 Ken Brown Syrah Rosie’s Rosé. Not bad, lot’s of strawberry.


Old Shanghai baked spareribs. Amazing Chinese-style ribs.


Chicken with scallions and soy sauce. It looked a little scary, but it tasted great (except for the requisite bone).


From my cellar: 1990 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. 94 points. Wonderfull intense colour, complex nose and pure Volnay fruit. Dark cherry fruits, wet forrest and just a little animal characters. Just right to drink now, no decline at all.

My favorite wine of the night, but I’m a Burgundy troll.


Crab dry cooked with coconut? Hard to say, but it tasted great. A dry, slightly spicy crab that emphasized the flavor of the crab itself.


2010 Westerly Vineyards Pinot Noir. 90 points. full bodied pinot with nice fruit, full mouth feel.


Roasted pig leg. This had to be the ham part, the rear? femur.


The sever just slices through the skin and fat to reveal…


All sorts of goodie tender pork. Really melts off the bone.


2012 Bread & Butter pinot noir. I actually liked this better than most American Pinots, as it wasn’t really oaked at all. Very fruity, with berries. A young fresh wine, like a pleasant Villages.


Pepper steak. This was lovely chunks of juicy steak with a black pepper and soy sauce.


2011 Pierre Gonon St Joseph. Parker 93. The 2011 Saint Joseph offers lots of olive tapenade, black currants, blackberry, tobacco and spice in a medium to full-bodied, supple and beautifully fruited profile. Filling in nicely with time in the glass, this chewy, rich effort has ripe tannin, excellent freshness and a big finish. Enjoy it over the coming decade or so.

Lots of rich fruit, but not at all overbearing.


Shrimp two ways. On the left, salt and pepper fried shrimp (extremely tasty) and on the right, white sauce popcorn shrimp (pleasant but mild).


2005 Radio-Coteau Syrah Las Colinas. Parker 91. The 2005 Syrah Las Colinas reveals floral, blackberry, and peppery notes, medium to full body, and loads of meatiness in a pure, richly fruity style.


Shanghai style sweet and sour fried fish. This was one of those goopy straight up orange sweet and sour sauces, but it was awesome. Particularly dripped over rice. And the method of flaying the meat out and frying it created a much crisper effect, even if the appearance is a bit horror movie.


1994 Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon. Parker 91-93. I have been a fan of this winery’s Pinot Noir, but I have not seen the newest offerings. However, I do have enthusiastic tasting notes on Stonestreet’s other red wines. The 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon appears to be even more intense and powerful than the 1993, with an opaque purple color, and gobs of lavishly oaked, smoky, cassis fruit intertwined with aromas of roasted herbs and high quality toasty oak. This powerful Cabernet reveals plenty of tannin, low acidity, and outstanding concentration and purity. This large-scaled, remarkably well-balanced wine should drink well young yet last for two decades.

Our bottle was corked.


Special Shanghai BBQ red pork. Oh so fatty and oh so tasty!


Mushrooms and bock choy.


Shanghai noodles. These are pan fried rice cake with scallions and sweet soy. Odd soft texture, but delicious.


2004 Colgin IX Syrah Estate. Parker 96. Aubert demonstrates a superb know-how with Syrah. These wines are macerated for 35-45 days, and given frequent pump-overs as well as punch-downs. They are aged completely in French oak. The floral-filled 2004 IX Syrah Estate (486 cases) offers super-pure blue and blackberries intermixed with hints of new saddle leather and meat. High but sweet tannins, powerful flavors, and an overall sense of poise characterize this stunning effort.


A strange Shanghai take on Ma Po tofu. It has peanuts, and a bit of spice, but the tofu is the firm kind instead of the silken tofu, and there is no yummy pork and mighty numbing Schezuan heat like here or here.


Crispy meat buns. A really great film skinned take on the soup dumpling.


On the right is a hard boiled egg that was underneath all that red pork belly. It’s saturated with sweetness and pork fat!


Fruit for dessert.

Overall, this was a really great meal. First rate Chinese and quite authentic and typical of high end banquet meals in China. We didn’t have the totally tricked out menu with all the sea cucumber, shark fin, and the like, but I don’t love that stuff anyway. Nearly every dish was wonderful. Service was fine (for Chinese). They brought things a little rapidly, but it was fine. Great experience.

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  2. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
  3. Surprise! More Shanghai #1 Dim Sum
  4. Newport Special Seafood
  5. Feasting Lunasia
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinatown, Chinese cuisine, hedonists, San Gabriel California, san Gabriel valley, Shanghai, Shanghai #1 Seafood Village

Feasting Lunasia

Feb13

Restaurant: Lunasia [1, 2, 3]

Location: 500 West Main Street Suite A, Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 308-3222

Date: February 9, 2014

Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese

Rating: Fine Banquet Cantonese

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Another week, another Hedonist Chinese extravaganza in the SGV. Up this time, Lunasia, usually known for its all day dimsum. But tonight we’re here for Cantonese banquet.


In a lovely private room. Lunasia is definitely much better looking than many of the local places.


2011 Hatzidakis Winery Assyrtiko. 89 points. Fantastic minerality, great acidity, just a touch of florality on the nose, and just a touch of salinity. The one trick is that you must follow: You must serve this wine between 45 and 52 degrees. At 56 degrees, you lose the minerality, and it seems flabby and unbalanced. But serve it at the right temperature, and wow!


Candied walnuts on the table.


From my cellar: 1990 Mommessin Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots. 93 points. Lovely nose of sweet cherry fruit, barnyard, and spice, more of the same on the palate, tasted young, rich with great complexity, medium body, medium/long finish.

Our bottle was quite nice.


Yarom brought in both boar and venison that he personally killed, and the chef prepared it in various forms. There are two kinds of BBQ chops, some sliced (boar?) meat, and ground boar balls deep fried. This was one of the best preps we’ve yet had from these animals, and we’ve had several (here and here).


2006 Sine Qua Non Autrement Dit. 90 points. Very nice blueberry/strawberry nose. not hot on the nose. really nice full palate and mouthfeel with a nice mix of red and blue fruits, and integrated earthiness. did not noticably detect any heat or wood on this. certainly a bigger and different type of rose, but this bottle was nicely restrained and seemed in good balance tonight.

This is a very expensive, but very nice rose.


Stir-fried lobster w/ black pepper sauce.


2008 Lucien Le Moine Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains. Burghound 89-92. A background hint of wood does not compromise the clear reading of the equally pungent and complex nose that is much more animale in character and this character also suffuses the textured, powerful and precise big-bodied flavors that, like the Les Cailles, also lean out somewhat on the otherwise linear and exceptionally long finish. Also like the Les Cailles, my predicted range assumes with this will flesh out with more time in barrel.

Young, but very good.


Various kinds of pork. An almost ham like roast pork in the back (Macau Roasted Pig’s feet?) and a sliced brown sauce version in the front — both delicious. It’s possible the foreground was actually abalone. I’m not sure (it was very tender though).


Some hot chili oil and an unusual (to me) seafood based “fish or scallop” sauce with an extremely unami flavor.


From my cellar: 1994 Bollig-Lehnert Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese. 92 points. The sweetness had pleasantly faded, but it had extremely nice petrol notes.


Bullfrog with chilies. Good for frog, although one of the more mild dishes tonight.


2005 Hans Wirsching Iphöfer Kronsberg Riesling Spätlese trocken. 90 points. Dry. Green-tinged, straw yellow –maturing. High extract/alcohol (14%). Expressive nose, peach and citrus fruit plus a touch of classic ‘Petrol’ Riesling character. (Small tartrate crystals in this bottle). Very concentrated, rich, spicy, peach and ripe apples, taught minerality and very fine acidity. Very attractive, maturing wine that is great to drink now or in 2-3 years.


Some steamed vegetables with fish cake.


Crab in a special (curry?) fermented sauce. Very tasty, although hard to break into.


1999 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Cuvée Agustina Hyde Vineyard. IWC 85. Medium-full ruby. Extractive, oaky aromas of roasted black fruits, tar, bourbon, meat and eucalyptus oil. Fat and full, but the bitter cherry, tar and menthol flavors come across as roasted and tired. Finishes with smooth tannins, but I don’t find much pinot perfume or charm here.

1999 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Cuvée Agustina Hyde Vineyard. Parker 94. Paul Hobbs fashioned a potentially monumental 1999 Pinot Noir Cuvee Agustina. An opaque ruby/purple color is followed by a sweet nose of blackberries, cherry liqueur, smoke, forest floor, and toast scents. The wine is terrific on the palate, with multiple layers, great purity, and a prodigious finish. It is made from the Calera clone (the crop size was 0.2 tons per acre), this expensive but blockbuster Pinot was aged 16 months in 100% new French oak, and bottled with neither fining nor filtration. This powerful, intense effort, will require 2-3 years to display its varietal character. This is a Pinot Noir for gluttons.

For a new world pinot, this was a nice wine, certainly way better than Tanzer’s 85, although I think Parker with his new world bias is too generous. I’d probably rate it around 92 points, like a decent premier cru. Spectator gives it a 92.


French style beef. Tender filet mignon.


Stringbeans with pork. A very good example of this type.


2005 Sine Qua Non Pinot Noir Over & Out. IWC 92. Ruby-red. Exotically perfumed nose features energetic raspberry and blackberry scents complicated by cinnamon, mace and fresh rose. Plush and sweet, offering powerful red and dark berry flavors, suave tannins and impressively chewy finishing grip. Less a pinot than a Sine Qua Non wine, and that’s not a bad thing.

Well made, but way way too much oak (as usual for new world pinots).


Peking duck with the soft buns. This was a pretty awesome meaty example.


And the hoison and scallions.


2001 Shirvington Shiraz. Parker 98. The 2001 Shiraz may be even more momentous than the Cabernet Sauvignon. There are nearly 1,000 cases of this blockbuster, opulently-styled, black beauty. Its inky/purple color is followed by an exceptional bouquet of black fruits, espresso roast, charcoal, and smoke. With great ripeness, intensity, purity, that fabulous seamless texture the Marquis team routinely obtains, and a finish that lasts more than a minute, it should offer profound drinking for at least a decade.

I really don’t see what Parker sees in these massive New World Shiraz. It’s fine, but just searing grape.


Chinese Broccoli with bean curd or bamboo shoots?


2000 Domaine Weinbach Tokay Pinot Gris Altenbourg Cuvée Laurence. 93 points.  Color: Light golden yellow. Smell: Stone fruits, mineral, and roasted apples/pears. Taste: A melange of stone and tropical fruits with an underpinning of minerals that ebb and flow over a long finish. Overall: Outstanding!! Words won’t do this wine justice…several of us got stuck tasting, and re-tasting this wine through out the evening. Medium body, med+ fruit, med-high acidity, and a long glorious finish.


Someone brought this chocolate filled with poprocks!


A mango soup, very refreshing.


Red bean “soup.” Not my thing.


Of course we headed over to Salju Dessert for some awesome. Above banana peanut-butter Nutella crepe.


A super fruity one with coconut snow and various tropicals.


Almonds and berries.

An unexpected nightcap:

1986 Lafaurie-Peyraguey. Parker 92. A wonderful bouquet of pineapples, smoky nuts, honeysuckle, and other flowers soars from the glass. In the mouth, the wine is rich, with the essence of apricots, pineapples, and other tropical fruits. The acidity is crisp, giving the wine great definition and clarity. The finish is sweet, honeyed, and long. This beautifully made Sauternes is one of my favorites from the 1986 vintage.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Friday Night Feasting
  2. New Bay Seafood
  3. Phong Dinh – Hedonists go Vietnamese
  4. Newport Special Seafood
  5. Coconut Curried Snails?
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Alhambra California, Cantonese, Chinese cuisine, hedonists, Lunasia, Lunasia Chinese Cuisine, san Gabriel valley, Wine

Serious Szechuan

Jan29

Restaurant: Cui Hua Lou [1, 2, 3]

Location: 920 E Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91755. 626-288-2218

Date: January 26, 2014

Cuisine: Szechuan Chinese

Rating: Awesome!

ANY CHARACTER HERE

Chinese food is incredible regional, and we are blessed in SoCal with a lot of very specific restaurants (mostly in the San Gabriel Valley). My Hedonist group has returned to this little known spicy Szechuan in the corner of an undiscovered Monterey Park strip mall. We love Szechuan for its spicy/smoky flavors. This is a cuisine that packs a real punch and is one of my favorites in China.


The storefront, as usual, isn’t much to look at.


A menu with fairly literal translations.


And the usual minimalist decor.


From my cellar: 2001 Ulrich Langguth Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Spätlese. 90 points. Quite ripe – more Auslese in style – with a typical Mosel flavor profile. Enjoyable, and a good value for an ’01 Spatlese.

This warrants opening what I might call the “great foodie wine pairing debate” as I find people at my dinners fall into two camps: the “a good wine is a good wine” camp and the “food and wine complement” crew (of which I’m the later). Chinese in general, and Szechuan in particular, is a tricky match as it’s full of vinegar, soy and fermented flavors, and bracing heat. I happen to think Riesling generally pairs well with Chinese, but spicy foot demands a certain sweetness — the more spice the more sugar. However, those in the first group often “don’t like sweet wines.” Interestingly, I’ve noticed that my camp tends to line up with the Burgundy drinkers and the first group with the fans of massive (over) extracted wines.


Bean curd tofu with scallion. Soft silken tofu with scallions and salt (MSG?). Being a lover of this kind of tofu I very much enjoyed this dish — although it was a little salty.


Cucumber with Jelly Fish. Not bad for jellyfish. The cucumber had a nice marinated crunch.


2003 Zilliken (Forstmeister Geltz) Saarburger Rausch Riesling Spätlese. 89-94 points. Beautiful, lush Mosel Riesling. Light straw-brilliant in the glass. Nose of an integrated bouquet of stone, ripe pineapple, mandarin orange, young leather (fleshiness), and light metallic petrol (light). The attack is not tart: it has enough acid to be propped up, but not an awful lot more. A little fatness to the palate even. Yet, it seems a balanced, delicious wine that is in a good spot. Yum, yum. Nice length too. Thumbs up!


BBQ Mushroom. Lots of cumin, chewy mushrooms, and some gradual but significant heat. Pretty delicious.


Beef Tendon in Xiang Ziang style. Lots of cumin. The idea of tendon is a little disturbing, and this has an unusual (for westerners) texture, like a root vegetable (almost), but more chewy. Still, it’s pretty good considering.


BBQ Lamb. Others might call this cumin lamb. A bit dry, but very flavorful.


2009 Bodegas Vinicola Real Rioja Vina Los Valles Crianza. 86 points. Nothing really wrong with this value Rioja (at the price point), except it’s a total fail as far as pairing with Szechuan cuisine. It would be nice at a Madrid Tapas joint.


Potato with Chili. Looks and tastes a bit like al dente noodles. A nice subtle flavor too.


Stewed Lamb in Casserole. This is one of the house special dishes. It comes like this and then heats to a boiling (and spicy) temp.


Below the mutton (the meat is incredibly tender, although on the bone) is a seething pit of chili sauce, cabbage, soft tofu, and glass noodles.


The sauce has an incredible flavor with a good bit of numbing Szechuan peppercorn. It’s incredibly delicious and unique to Szechuan cooking.


2003 Tenuta San Guido Bolgheri Sassicaia Sassicaia. IWC 93. 80% cabernet sauvignon and 20% cabernet franc) Dark ruby-red. Appealing smoky, minerally aromas of red cherry, blackcurrant and plum, with a hint of truffle. Quite suave on entry, then smooth and fine-grained, with good mineral lift to the decidedly sweet red fruit flavors. This broad, rich and supple wine boasts tremendous length and silky-sweet tannins. A great Sassicaia that falls roughly between the ’88 and the ’85 in style at the similar stage of development, although I’m not sure the new vintage will attain the heights reached by those earlier wines.

This was a gorgeous wine… between courses… because as soon as that Szechuan heat kicked in, particularly the numbing effect of the peppercorn, all the fruit was stripped out  left only tannins on the palette. Now the pacing of the meal allowed me to enjoy it, just not exactly with the food.


BBQ Chicken Heart. This is a lot of chicken hearts. They taste like chewy liver. I could have done without.


Chung King twice cooked pork. Very tender and flavorful, and not as spicy as most of the dishes here.


Tilapia with Bean Sauce. Not my favorite this time around. The fish might have been a hair overcooked and the goopy gelatinous bean sauce is a hair off-putting.


1997 Sean Thackrey Orion Rossi Vineyard. Rhone Report 96. Immediately identifiable as syrah, the nose was bursting with blueberries, blackberries, and a hint of eucalyptus. The blue and black berries continue on the palate, adding a little bit of leather/tobacco on the mildly tannic, medium to long finish.

The bigger is better camp loved this wine. It’s not really my cup of tea though, and certainly not with Chinese. With some lamb chops, sure. And we had lots of lamb, but it was covered in cumin and Szechuan pepper!


Scallion Noodles. A boring version of the noodles (those black things are charred scallions) for the vegetarians.


Kung Pao Shrimp. As good a version of the classic as you can find.


Szechuan style bean curd. This is known as Mapo Doufu. It is a combination of tofu (bean curd) set in a spicy chili- and bean-based sauce, typically a thin, oily, and bright red suspension, and often cooked with fermented black beans and minced meat, usually pork or beef. Ma stands for “mazi” (Pinyin: mázi Traditional Chinese 麻子) which means a person disfigured by pockmarks or leprosy, the latter is also called 痲 má or 麻風 máfēng. Po (Chinese 婆) translates as “old woman, grandmother, crone”. Hence, Ma Po is an old woman whose face was pockmarked. It is thus sometimes translated as “Pockmarked-Face Lady’s Tofu”.

It’s one of my favorite dishes and features a wonderful texture, bright taste, and a searing numbing heat.


2002 Sean Thackrey Orion Rossi Vineyard. IWC 92. Red berries, Grand Marnier, Thai basil, geranium, eucalyptus, bitter lime, quinine and resiny oak on the nose. Then thick and dense but penetrating in the mouth, with primary raspberry and strawberry flavors complicated by an exotic apricot note and framed by lively acids. A fascinating, firmly built wine that showed a compelling sweetness as it opened in the glass. Finishes with very sweet tannins and impressive persistence. My score is intended for the initiated: you know who you are.

Same big wine, but younger, and from a somewhat inferior year.


Fried corn. Slightly sweet and could have almost passed for a dessert (certainly in Chinese terms). It blended great on the plate with other items like the above tofu, adding a bit of crunch, salt, and sweetness.


Dan Dan Noodles.


You mix it up. One of the biggest challenge is getting only part of the noodles and an even distribution of the chopped meat at the bottom. Clearly, when Marco Polo brought noodles back to Italy this became the seed for Bolognese sauce, as aside from this being quite spicy, there is a definite similarity. This particular version wasn’t the best I’ve ever had, and doesn’t have the nutty sesame quality the dish sometimes does, but it was certainly enjoyable.


2009 Domaine des Sabines. 90 points. Ruby color with just a slight tinge of blue remaining, surprisingly almost opaque. Nose has peat moss, dirt, wild mushrooms, roasted coffee beans. A hint of licorice with savory notes, plus some dried tobacco. Something sweet here too on the nose – perhaps a touch of bret? On the palate – black cherry, blackberry, roasted or grilled plums. Truly though, this wine is all about the earthy notes and the wood – roasted espresso, caramel, hazelnut, dried leaves and a bit of burnt toast. A minerally, gravel note pops up on the finish too. Chewy mid-palate texture. Tannins are moderate for Bordeaux, and nicely ripe. I know it is 2009, but for LdP, the density is impressive. Medium body. Give it an hour of air and the tight tannins round out and shows off a lovely soft supple quality. Heat shows up a bit on the finish, weight of fruit almost carries it off. I can see this wine with slow roasted braised beef short ribs and caramelized onions. Or a wild mushroom risotto – thinking chantrelles.

About 10 years too young.


Chung King Spicy chicken? I’m not sure which dish this was, but there are little DEEP fried and very dry chicken nuggets in there dry-tossed with long red peppers. It was actually quite tasty.


Hot braised eggplant with garlic sauce. Awesome garlicky flavor, with some significant heat (of both sorts).


Boiled beef and fish. Along with the Mapo tofu, this was my favorite dish of the night. The “broth” is very similar to the lamb casserole and features a tremendous heat born of both red chilies and Szechwan peppercorn. The meat and the fish were both tender and full of flavor. Really quite wonderful (if intense).


BBQ Garlic. Another fabulous dish. Now, eating a whole skewer of this might get one kicked out of bed, but it’s worth it!


Boiled peanuts. These are cold and a bit slimey. I have read that eating lots of boiled peanuts (instead of roasted) avoids peanut allergies for some reason. The roasted ones taste better, but there is nothing really wrong with these.


Kung Pao Chicken. Pretty much the same as the shrimp, but a wonderful version of this Chinese American classic that has real heat and puts PF Changs to shame.


Our table was so overloaded with dishes that we had to stack them!

In conclusion, Cui Hua Lou, while apparently totally undiscovered, offers up some fabulous traditional Szechuan fare. For this second visit we went crazy overboard and ordered up about 50% more food than we needed, still this feast, including tax and tip, only set us back $31 a person! If you like spicy, you should try this place. Just don’t tell too many people!

For more LA Chinese reviews click here.

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

We had about 18 people in our party alone!

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  5. Tasty Dining – Wuhan Dry Hot Pot
By: agavin
Comments (7)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: China, Chinese cuisine, Cui Hua Lou, hedonists, san Gabriel valley, Sichuan, Szechuan, Szechuan cuisine

New Bay Seafood

Jan22

Restaurant: New Bay Seafood [1, 2]

Location: 203 West Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA. (626) 872-6677

Date: January 20, 2014

Cuisine: Cantonese / Chiu Chow Chinese

Rating: Really on point!

_

New Bay Seafood is a fairly elaborate (big with multiple private rooms) Hong Kong and Chiu Chow palace that took over the late Sham Tseng space in 2013.


The interior is typical of Inland Empire Chinese restaurants. We had a private room (there are several).


On the table to start were the traditional peanuts.


And some marinated pickles.


2006 Schafer-Frohlich Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Spatlese. Parker 92. The Frohlichs- 2006 Schlossbockelheimer Felsenberg Riesling Spatlese came from significantly botrytized grapes and was yeasted to assure a reliable fermentation. Licorice, honey, black currant, and pineapple dominate the nose and palate, where an almost buttery texture and high residual sugar do not prevent juiciness and vivacity, thanks in part to the acidity having gone ever higher here than in the Felseneck. Irresistibly luscious, subtly honeyed and saline, smoky, and tingling mineral in its finish, this, too, should be a long (15+ year) keeper, although Frohlich is convinced that the Felsenberg will have an edge in complexity thanks to the effect of spontaneous fermentation.


This roast BBQ pork was tremendous. It’s that red skinned variety that I used to get growing up in Cantonese dimsum houses, but was tender, not too fatty, and delicious.


Next up was a roast BBQ duck served with a sweet orange colored sauce. No one does duck as well as the Chinese and this was a delectable example.


From my cellar: 1994 Bollig-Lehnert Piesporter Goldtröpfchen Riesling Auslese. 92 points. The sweetness had pleasantly faded, but it had extremely nice petrol notes.


We called this the cheese lobster, because there is actually a bit of cheese mixed in with all that fry. And, yeah, it’s pretty darned fried, but it was really tasty. The lobster itself was succulent and not over done and it was easy to access big chunks of it.


2003 Louis Latour Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 92. This too is quite aromatically expressive and while this is no model of finesse either, both the aromatic and flavor profiles possess stunning complexity and in contrast to most big, sappy and muscular white, this manages to retain an unusually fine sense of balance and delivers a palate staining finish. It’s dramatic but there’s substance behind the size and weight.

Our bottle was a little closed and tired, although it opened as the evening progressed.


Some of our party had dietary restrictions and they asked for this steamed tilapia with pepper. They seemed to love it, although for me, the whole thing sort of ignores the point of Chinese food.


House special lobster. This version of the lobster was even better. The sauce had quite a bit of black pepper and scallions in it. Lots of flavor and very tender.


From my cellar: 1995 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques. 94 points. Smells of creamy blue and black fruit, and earth. It’s powerful on the palate, the fruit tastes young, and deep. There are layers to the palate that reveal bramble, minerals, and a seemingly weightless power. Finishes with a tarry, meaty, wild side. Excellent wine that is beginning to show.


Chinese chicken salad. Haha. I have no idea how authentic this is, but the flavor profile was actually more Vietnamese (which really isn’t that far from Chiu Chow). There was a sweet/savory thing, a little bit of zing, and cilantro.


Salt and pepper shrimp. Nice tender version of this too with a lot of salty garlic flavor.


2006 Marcassin Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard. Parker 94+. The 2006 Pinot Noirs that are just being released include the 2006 Pinot Noir Three Sisters Vineyard. While it has closed down since I tasted it last year, it does reveal a dark plum/ruby color as well as a smoky bouquet of Asian plum sauce, soy, forest floor and sweet black cherries. Like many Marcassin Pinots, it possesses a Morey St.-Denis-like character. The Three Sisters cuvee will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age and drink well for a decade or more.

In my opinion, this was a nice new world pinot, but as usual, too oaked and young. I’m certainly not drinking 1re cru Burgundy (which would be the analog here) from ’06, more like the late 90s.


Roast BBQ chicken. I’m not that much of a chicken fan, but this was a darn tasty one. The meat was moist and perfectly cooked.


Chiu Chow crab. Super tasty again, and sleeping on a bed of giant garlic cloves. The owner warned us that this baby might gift us with a bit of a surprise in the middle of the night — in the form of excess gas! LOL.


Sautéed greens (pea tendrils?). A top flight version of the Southern Chinese style greens. Lots of garlicky goodness.


2001 Noon Shiraz Reserve. Parker 99. The 2001 Shiraz Reserve is a riveting example of what is so exciting about old vine Shiraz. Produced from a 35-40-year old McLaren Vale vineyard, it possesses amazing aromatics, purity, texture, and richness. This 2001, which tips the scales at a lofty 15.8% alcohol, is intense and full-bodied as well as remarkably elegant for a wine of such mass and intensity. Its impenetrable inky/black/purple color is accompanied by explosive aromatics, and is bursting with deep, rich, well-balanced flavors revealing seamlessly integrated wood, alcohol, acidity, and tannin. Profoundly deep, rich, and intense, it will hit its peak in 3-4 years, and should last for 15+. This is truly compelling old vine Shiraz!


Eggplant with pork. A slightly spicy eggplant with bamboo shoots and pork. Really really tasty and I love that kind of stringy sweet pork.


Sweet and sour pork. Sort of the real version of those Panda Express fried pork balls in red sauce. Quite good as this dish goes.


Fried fish. Tender salty fish and chips without the chips — Chinese style.


Shrimp over crispy noodles. I love this kind of mild dish. The white sauce soaks into the noodles and makes for a sort of comfort food.

Overall, New Bay Seafood was really good. Being Southern Chinese, it’s not the most exotic of the Chinese sub-regions (foodwise, since so much American Chinese is Cantonese derived) but their execution is really very very good. Every dish was tasty and more than half of them fabulous. If you want an approachable entree into the wonderful world of San Gabriel Valley Chinese, you can’t go wrong with New Bay. And, besides, the owner treated us like kings. They served the dishes one by one, hung out, and we’re generally fabulous.


Afterward, we walked next door to the awesome Sabu Dessert and get some light fluffy “snow.” If you haven’t tried Taiwanese style snow, you are really missing out. This one above was coconut snow, passionfruit sauce, with egg pudding, almond jelly, and blackberries. Yum!


Someone else’s slightly different snow.

For more crazy Hedonist meals.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Rocking the SGV shirt!

Related posts:

  1. Newport Special Seafood
  2. Shanghai #1 Seafood Village
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  4. Hunan Chili Madness
  5. Sometimes You Want to Get Crabs
By: agavin
Comments (2)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Alhambra California, Burgundy, Chinese cuisine, crab, hedonists, Lobster, New Bay Seafood, Riesling, san Gabriel valley, Wine

The Crack House

Nov01

Restaurant: King Kho Bo

Location: 1621 South San Gabriel Blvd. San Gabriel Ca, 91776. 626-573-8000

Cuisine: Dried Chinese Snacks

Rating: So addictive, we call it crack

_

One of the perils of driving 30 miles for your Chinese food in LA traffic is that in order to arrive on time, you have to risk being 30 minutes early. But fortunately, the San Gabriel Valley is host to all sorts of interesting culinary stops that can kill a few minutes.


One of these is known among us Hedonists as the “Crack House” for its addictive dried Chinese snacks.


Row after row of dried stuff. Some savory.


Some sweet.


Dried okra. This stuff is so dried (do they use a freeze drying machine? Who knows) that it’s incredibly crunchy. These veggies are pretty salted with a bit of Asian style flavoring.

The quintessential “crack” is dried mushrooms. They are incredibly addictive.


Some dried sour plums.


Or more familiar mango.


I don’t even know what these are!


Sesame fish!

Or even better: mini chili crabs!


Nuts and seeds.


And more sweets.


Various beef and pork jerkys. I tried some awesome sweet pork and really spicy Asian beef.


The friendly owners.

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Din Tai Fung Dumpling House
  2. More Mark’s Duck House
  3. Mark’s Duck House
  4. Tasty Duck Will Bring You Luck
  5. Dim Sum is Shanghai #1
By: agavin
Comments (3)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Chinese cuisine, Crack house, dried mushrooms, King Kho Bo, san Gabriel valley

Not So Close Shave

Oct11

Restaurant: Salju Dessert

Location: 35 W Valley Blvd, Ste B. Alhambra, CA 91801. (626) 289-3578

Date: September/October, 2013 and many times since

Cuisine: Shave Ice

Rating: Perfect after Szechuan

_

Most of my San Gabriel valley excursions are to Chinese, and as anyone who eats authentic Chinese knows, you’re more likely to be served taro or red bean than salted caramel budino. And particularly after the sensory assault of Szechuan or Hunan, one needs something to cool off.


Enter Salju Dessert. Here in SoCal we’ve been getting more and more of this kind of Asian shave ice place. I think it originally comes from Taiwan. I already reviewed a Sawtelle outpost. Salju is much further east — but it’s also a lot better.


The format is above. You chose a size, a flavor of “snow” or syrup, and then some toppings.


The snow starts as a block of frozen slightly dairy confection of various flavors. It’s mostly ice, but there is some sweetened condensed milk or something in it.


Once fit into that giant white press in the back, it’s shaved.


Here is some relatively plain “snow.” It’s hard to describe the texture, but as big as this tub is, there is almost nothing there. It’s fluffy, light, and just a little bit chewy.


Here is my favorite combo so far. Mango snow, passionfruit syrup, mango poppers, almond jelly, and blackberries. Sweet, fruity, and intensely refreshing it’s the perfect thing to settle the spice.


Pineapple snow, passionfruit syrup, almond jelly, and strawberries.


Coffee snow, egg pudding, blueberries, and chocolate syrup.


Black sesame (the grey stuff) is a favorite. This one also has sweetened condensed milk, leechee and taro!


And another sesame with almonds and poppers.


Pineapple snow with passion fruit, almond jelly, blackberries, and boba.


Mango snow with strawberries, blueberries, passion fruit syrup and almond jelly.


Coffee snow with coffee jelly, syrup, and almond jelly.


Coconut snow with peanut butter cups, egg custard, and condensed milk.


Green tea snow with chocolate chips.

Classic (sweetened) flavor with gummy bears and Oreos.

Black sesame with berries and chocolate sauce.

Thai ice tea flavored with mochi, graham crackers, and chocolate sauce.

And sweet toast. This innocent looking item is a slice of toast that has been somehow infused with sugar and butter and glazed with sweetened condensed milk. It’s so insanely sweet and rich and somehow a bit like cinnamon toast without the cinnamon but more sugar.

Cool place!

For more LA dining reviews click here,

or more crazy Hedonist dinners here!

Related posts:

  1. Paulette Macarons
  2. Paperback Getting Close
  3. Phong Dinh – Hedonists go Vietnamese
  4. Red Medicine – Elfin Feast
  5. Hedonists Hunan Style
By: agavin
Comments (4)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Condensed milk, Dessert, hedonists, san Gabriel valley, shave ice, shaved ice
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