Chinese Sausages and What? Sinbala, Arcadia
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 0:26
Just east of Baldwin on Duarte, behind the popular Ding Tai Fung Dumpling House in Arcadia, sits another omnipresent Asian shopping center. Without guessing you already know what kind of businesses have opened up shop. You’ve got your supermarket which proudly sits in the center of the lot like a king on his throne. To his left and right, you’ve got the minions: the bookstore, the video/karaoke store, the boba shop, the herbal medicine shop, a travel agency, a hair salon and of course, about four restaurants. All packed within a kingdom of super compact parking spaces and people who would rather tend to their cell phone than drive. I drove by once for some take-out and noticed Sinbala , a popular Taiwanese joint – packed with people out the doors. On another occasion, I drove by to find that again, Sinbala was packed. Okay, something’s going on – was this the Taiwanese version of Pink’s Hot Dogs?
Close. My friend and I perused the menu and since we’re Cantonese, we typically stay with the more recognizable Taiwanese fare like Pork Chop Fried Rice (Pai2 Gu3 Fan4), Ground Meat and Brown Sauce Noodles (Ja Jiang4 Mian4), Beef Noodle Soup (Nu2 Ro4 Mian4) and the Scallion Pancake (Chong Yo2 Bing3). As I was going down the menu, I noticed there was a section dedicated to Sinbala’s specialty: Chinese sausages.
Sausages with Basil…
Sausages with Garlic…
Sausages with Green Onion…
Then it started to get odd…
Sausages with Wasabi…
Sausages with Satay Sauce…
Now we were suddenly transported to another planet…
Sausages with Chocolate…
Sausages with Strawberry Jam…
Sausages with Mango…
By now, I was damn curious about Sinbala. I looked over at Anthony Bourdain, who was sitting next to me, as he gave me the go-ahead to try the latter three. “No thanks, Anthony.â€? We didn’t go for the dessert sausage because Porky Pig and Chocolate didn’t seem to mesh. Instead we stuck with the Wasabi and Satay (BBQ) flavors. 10 slices for $1.50. The ‘Sausage with Wasabi’ dish was nothing special. I expected to see a perfectly made sausage infused with the awesome horseradish – it was merely a sliced up sausage with Wasabi on the side. Lame. The Satay as you can see, was simply smothered on top of the sausage. The Taiwanese sausages tasted different than the usual Chinese sausage you eat in fried rice. It was sweeter and definitely more succulent. I’ll give Sinbala that. But the whole deal on toppings was disappointing. It was kind of like going to a Sundae Ice Cream bar and adding whatever topping you could find. In our case, it was Wasabi and Satay. I don’t see the big deal about this place, but just try it for yourself.
And now for the regular food:
A. Sausage with Wasabi - $1.50
B. Sausage with Satay Sauce - $1.50
C. Fried Pork Chop with Minced Meat Noodle - $5.00 - Pork Chop was flavorful, noodles were bland. I had to add my own soy sauce.
D. Ground Meat with Brown Sauce Noodle - $4.25 - Huge serving but it’s a little bit sweet. Not what I’m used to.
E. Fried Pork Chop - flavorful.
F. Scallion Pancake - $2.25 - Very good and crispy! My favorite part of the meal.
SinBaLa
651 W. Duarte Rd. #F
Arcadia, CA 91007
(626) 446-0886
*Closed Every Tuesday
By eatdrinknbmerry (see more of his posts). You can find more of eatdrinknbmerry's writing at his own website eatdrinknbmerry
Kristy says:
January 10th, 2006 at 8:36 am
Hey EDnBM! Love the post. Love hot dogs. But a dog with chocolate? mango? wasabi? and strawberry jam? hmm…Sounds pretty wrong to me, but what do I know? The fruity sweetness may go well with the dog’s bite. ;) Scallion pancakes are one of my all-time faves! YUM!
SoCalorie says:
January 10th, 2006 at 9:34 am
That’s it, I’m there. Excellent photo key, btw.
Zteve says:
January 11th, 2006 at 8:51 am
Makes me wish I lived closer to the 626!
Jeffrey says:
January 11th, 2006 at 1:05 pm
Friends took me to this place. Its a locals type of date hangout where the kids come and check out their cars and dates as well as each other. But the foods good and cheap. Taiwanese sausage is the best but I typically like it the old fashioned way with the sausage on a stick and large cloves of garlic. Eat it that way and you’ll notice the flavors of the sausage go so much better.
The other dishes there are good. Typically, the shaved ice dishes, and boba drinks are also very good.Open late too.
Pauline says:
January 12th, 2006 at 3:03 pm
I went there when it first opened. I really feel that the place has gone down a lot in service and comfort. Part of it is that even with its expansions (bought the space next door and tore down the connecting wall), it’s still very cramped. The food might make it worth your while to visit, depending on your taste, but this is more of a buy-to-go type of a place.
I also second Jeffrey’s note on the shaved ice dishes. Oh and for anyone who is as obsessed as I am with those turnip cakes you get during dim sum, the ones here are really good, but instead of ordering them at Sin Bala, buy the packaged uncooked ones here and grill them up yourself at home.
Jeffrey says:
January 17th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
Pauline is correct about the Radish cakes. Someone should do a Radish cake review. The best I’ve ever had was done from scratch with still discernible bits of the daikon still visible. IT was not too dry and it was delicious. The close seconds would have to be the dim sum places I’ve been too. But again its hit or miss, depends on how well grilled they are or how much of the 2ndary ingredients like shrimp bits or ham is in it.
Helena says:
February 12th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
I love Sin Bala and was so excited to find others who enjoy it too. Fortunately I live closeby so I go when I get the chance, but certainly not enough. It’s always crowded, but makes me feel like I’m in Taiwan (born there, visit often, but very Americanized–but still speak Mandarin!). The food is pretty authentic–the sausage is a great appetizer, especially with garlic and basil, I stick with the classics. Good thing it’s a small plate ’cause the sausage is actually not that healthy for you. Try the tempura cakes, the beef noodle soup is classic, of course and they have sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves, a must to try. I’m a sucker for the 8 kinds shaved ice, bottom of the menu, dessert side, topped with evaporated milk–only $3 and you get a hefty portion, great on a hot summer day–or any day for that matter. Great tip about the radish cakes, I’m in love with radish cakes, didn’t know they had frozen ones there–I often refuse to leave a dim sum place without getting my radish cake…
William says:
June 12th, 2006 at 11:40 pm
Your blog is GOOD! What will make it great/fantastic/prodigious is if you PLEASE add more prices =D I’m very cheap…
Victor says:
October 29th, 2006 at 8:07 pm
I think you are just spoiled. I will admit that sausage with whole bunch of random topic is just a cheap way to get money off of you. Honestly, I would say Sin Ba La does pretty well in trying to emulate how the food would have tasted like in Taiwan. I used to live in Socal, but now I live in Norcal. Seriously, Sin Ba La is actually pretty Taiwanese good in America. It is a pretty big deal…
Charming 007 says:
June 10th, 2007 at 8:30 pm
I used to eat here with my ex-taiwanese gf every week, sometimes even couple times a week. We love the shaved ice with dfferent ingredients/beans, but later got tired of the same dishes. I think it’s about time for them to come up with a new menu. Nevertheless, prices and food overall good….
j says:
June 14th, 2007 at 2:15 am
“Without guessing you already know what kind of businesses have opened up shop. You’ve got your supermarket which proudly sits in the center of the lot like a king on his throne. To his left and right, you’ve got the minions: the bookstore, the video/karaoke store, the boba shop, the herbal medicine shop, a travel agency, a hair salon and of course, about four restaurants.”
While you may trick yourself into thinking that you are writing with style, any educated reader can see that you are merely finding it convenient to stereotype Asian-American culture in this tone. There is no travel agency in that plaza. Neither is there a hair salon or a karaoke store. Is it necessary to make fun of, by logic of evidence, the typically successful Asian entrepreneurships in Socal in order to produce a proper and entertaining review? No. Keep your pseudo-shrewd observations to yourself.
While you pretend like you had everything at Sinbala just by glancing at the menu, I guarantee your impression is miles from accurate. There’s a reason that place is packed TO THE BRIM every night. Did you try the Mala Beef Noodle that most customers swear by? No. Did you try the oyster omelette? Nope. The 8 Treasure Shaved Ice? Nope. You had no idea, and you still don’t. Maybe you should have picked something that WASNT the specialty to see just how good the alternatives were? Or perhaps you just judge every restaurant by what they’re known for? How superficial.
Next time, before you create a mediocre review in such a bombastic tone, perhaps you should realize that for a tiny restaurant like Sinbala to have the massive business it does, SOMETHING is being done right. And before you alienate your readers by writing something so stupidly as “people who would rather tend to their cell phone than drive,” ask yourself as a writer, what the HELL are you implying? Because in my experience, the majority of Californians do that, whether or not they eat Taiwanese food.
I’d say you’re one of those writers who sits on her high horse thinking every little worldly kink you detect is so selfishly unique that it deserves its own paragraph. Sorry, sister. I’m here to tell you to rethink and edit your prose before you post, because in the nonfiction and food-journalism perspective, your words ring pathetically hollow and wholly unrealistic.
If writing is your goal in life, I feel sorry for your imminent failure..because I’ll tell you now. The tone in which you write is summated by a common moniker in the writing world: unappreciative bitch.
eatdrinknbmerry says:
June 14th, 2007 at 9:40 am
J, you’re correct, I have not tried what you hail as the best of Sinbala and after you mentioned the star dishes, i will now, in respect to you. Yes, I have no doubt in my mind that Sin Ba La is doing something right, because every single time i’ve been there - there are a lot of people waiting outside. But it doesn’t mean, that i should force myself to like it b/c it’s popular. Places like Pink’s and Phillipe’s are true LA landmarks, but I don’t really care for them. Did i expect you to somehow show up, and specifically point out things on Sin Ba La’s menu to try? No. Don’t we all go with our instincts when it comes to ordering? I think so. But take a step back for a minute and let your blood boil down to a simmer, i’d like to see you write review after review on restaurants and see the responses you get. it’s easy to criticize anything when you are just a bystander right? since you’re one with strong opinions as well, when will you start writing your own?
high horse? i don’t think so. i am one of hundreds of food bloggers/reviewers in LA. everyone has his own style of writing and different focus. if you haven’t figured out, there is something called a weblog, aka blog. a blog is an open opportunity for anyone, including your angry self, to express your opinions. some may agree, some may disagree - but you’re entitled to write whatever you want. if you don’t like someone’s opinion, then you can gladly close the browser and resume your day. but i thank you for reading my review. as long as there are readers like you, i will continue to write as i please, whether or not you think it’s stereotypical or condescending.
MaxMillion says:
June 14th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
WHOA! The vitriol expressed in j’s comment does not — in any way — match any perceived deficiencies (!?) in EDnBM’s post.
There’s got to be a story behind this… Someone (j) definitely needs to take a chill pill.
Mate, I dug your report. You have style and panache. Don’t let the turkeys get you down!!
Eric says:
August 23rd, 2007 at 6:52 am
Friends took us to Sin Bala a few times while on vacation in California. The place was always busy! Food was delicious but nothing beats their slush drinks…blended with fresh fruit too. Thick and delicious and cheap and served with a big fat straw! I tried peach, grape, and kiwi. MMM!