la.foodblogging » Monterey Park

Mandarin Deli (Monterey Park)

Louise — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 05:29:40 +0000

One doesn’t go to Mandarin Deli for the ambiance. One goes for the simple, comforting, food. Just be warned, the place is small and serves stinky tofu. If you’re unlucky, you might be stuck sitting next to a table that ordered a plate.

I had the mala (spicy) beef noodle soup. The broth was every bit as spicy as it looked. There wasn’t much numbness despite it being called mala in the broth, but there was definitely spiciness. It’s been a while since I had this dish, but the pieces of beef in here tasted a lot like corned beef. I don’t remember if this is normal or not. The noodles were satisfyingly chewy and the broth was flavorful. I just wish I wasn’t such a wuss so I could have finished the whole bowl, but by the time I was a quarter through it, I was already sweating bullets. This dish is not for the faint of tongue.

The BF had the dan dan mien which is cold noodles with a slightly spicy peanut sauce. Unfortunately, we forgot to ask them to make it vegetarian, so there was some ground meat in it. The observant lady working in the restaurant that day told us that next time to we should remind her to make it vegan so she can leave out the meat. She said she felt bad that the BF couldn’t finish it, which made me feel at home there. I always feel bad when I leave leftovers on the plate. It was something only someone who cared about their food would say.

We also ordered the stinky tofu which was pungent smelling, but not pungent tasting. I’m still looking for a place that has stinky tofu as flavorful as the ones I had in Shanghai, but I doubt I’ll be able to find it here in LA thanks to health regulations. Despite that, I still enjoyed the stinky tofu at Mandarin Deli. It was freshly fried, had a crispy exterior, and came with that deliciously thick and garlicky dipping sauce. I just wish the inside was more flavorful.

I wouldn’t call Mandarin Deli a destination spot, but it’s a good place to have a simple lunch at when you’re in the neighborhood and you’re craving Chinese food.

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Mandarin Deli
728 S Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 289-2891

Green Village

Louise — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:51:57 +0000

The family and I went to Green Village for dinner over the weekend. The place was fancy compared to most of the Chinese restaurants we go to and the prices certainly reflect slightly more upscale decor.

We started off with a cold plate of koufu (vegan). It’s a famous Shanghainese dish made out of wheat gluten, bamboo, mushrooms, and other vegetables. This version at Green Village was really good. The texture of the wheat gluten was soft and crispy at the same time and the flavors were just right.

Then came the soy sheet roll (vegan), which I thought was one of the better dishes of the night. The rolls contained chopped up baked tofu and was served on a bed of cooked spinach with edamame on top. It’s a pretty common vegetarian dish, so I’m not surprised they could do this well.

My dad ordered the fish with Chinese spinach. It wasn’t anything special. The fish was some generic white fish and the Chinese spinach definitely wasn’t fresh. It tasted the same as the Chinese spinach we buy frozen from the market.

For a vegetable dish, we ordered the eggplants with long beans (vegan). Other than the sauce being a bit too sweet, these were great. They must have some crazy heat in the kitchen because the eggplants were cooked to perfection: slightly burned on the outside, soft on the inside. Only a wok with high heat can do that. The string beans weren’t bad either.

Lastly came the Shanghai short ribs. I think they forgot to put in this order because we didn’t get it until ten minutes after we asked about them when we were almost done with our meal. These were pretty generic tasting and nothing special; I can see them being served at PF Chang’s.

Overall, I thought our meal at Green Village was disappointing. Shanghai has a lot of famous vegetarian dishes, but there weren’t a lot of them on the menu. Considering the quality of the food here, I’m glad I didn’t order the xiao long baos. I’d rather ditch the fancy decor and high prices and go across the street to Mei Long Village for much better Shanghainese cuisine.

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Green Village
250 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 576-2228

Noodles at Kam Hong Garden (MPK)

Louise — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:43:19 +0000

To passerbyers, Kam Hong Garden isn’t much to look at. It’s in its own little corner of a little strip mall and upon entering it, I thought that it looked a little too clean and sterile to be a delicious noodle-house in the SGV. Luckily, I was proven wrong.

The waiters at Kam Hong were pleasant and accommodating to the vegan in our group, which is always a plus. Most of the noodle dishes on the menu gives you the option of ordering hand-shaved (dao xiao), hand-pulled (shou la), and sometimes even rice ovals (nien gao). I prefer hand-pulled noodles in fried dishes and hand-shaved noodles in soup dishes.

We ordered a couple of appetizers first. The green onion pancake (vegan) was alright when it first came out of the kitchen, but soon lost its crispness. It didn’t have as much green onion as I usually like, so I would probably skip ordering this next time.

The beef wraps however, were a lot better compared to the green onion pancakes. The paste inside was the right amount of savory and sweetness and the slices of beef were tender. I’m not a big fan of cilantro, but I didn’t mind it being in this dish. The cucumbers made the wraps even more refreshing.

Maybe it was a mistake to order xiao long bao here, but they were a bit disappointing. The wrapper was nice and chewy, but the meat filling and soup inside was too salty and lacked the savory taste that restaurants known for their xlb’s had.

After the appetizers, it was time for the stars of the restaurant to shine. The BF ordered the stir fried hand-shaved noodles (vegan). The dish had a great wok chi taste and the noodles were satisfying and chewy.

We also ordered jia-jian mien (vegan) which is cold noodles with black-bean sauce. The toppings vary, but this place put in julienned vegetables. I don’t think the regular version is vegan, but you can ask them to do it vegan and they’ll probably leave out the hard-boiled egg. I didn’t actually try this dish, but everyone else at the table seemed to like it.

I saved writing about the best dish for last. The shanxi noodle soup (the first thing item under the noodle soup section on the menu) was so good, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. The first time I had it, I ordered it with hand-pulled noodles and it tasted good. The second time I ordered it with hand-shaved noodles and it was delicious. I still can’t stop thinking about the noodles’ chewy texture and the soup’s beefy broth. The dish also has slices of beef and kombu in it, but the noodles and broth are the stars. A splash of black vinegar into the soup perfected it.

While it’s no Heavy Noodling (RIP), Kam Hong Garden does a good enough job with its handmade noodles to satisfy my craving.

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Kam Hong Garden
848 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

Baccali Cafe and Rotisserie

Rene — Mon, 19 Sep 2005 05:49:41 +0000

There are few industries more “free market” than the restaurant business. If they don’t offer the customer something (good food at a good price or good food at a price plus a unique experience in some fashion) they will eventually go belly up.

A drive down Valley Blvd in Alhambra and some places you will see overflowing with people standing around waiting for a table spilled out into the street. And there are some places where the lights are on and not so many people are inside and you wonder, how long can they last?

My parents, as I have mentioned before, like what they know and know what they like. And so here is another blog post about a place they have introduced me to.

Baccali Cafe and Rotisserie isn’t a gold mine because it is a fancy place with highly attentive service. It is overflowing with people because it has a ridiculous variety of good food at a good price. I suppose perhaps the atmosphere (noisy and crowded) may bring back memories for some of the 24/7 buzz of Hong Kong.

What kind of food is it you ask? Is it Chinese since it is in Alhambra?

Well, yes and no. It is Chinese in that the cooks and wait staff are Chinese. It is Chinese in that most of its patrons are Chinese. It is Chinese in that the menu of 200+ items contain some very typical Chinese dishes. But it is also, well, a little bit of everything else. For instance, you can also order seafood chowder, caesar salad, a New York cut steak, club sandwich or pizza.

So if you find yourself in that part of town and are looking for a light but warm (with cooler season approaching) evening meal, go there and order #166, Rice Porridge with Preserved Egg with Shredded Pork (or any other item in the Rice Porridge section). This would be a very “Chinesey” choice!

Or if you want to eat a bit more just look through the long menu and you are bound to find something you know that you would like. No worries about an order gaffe by picking “fake Chinese food.” It is just about good food and pleasing you with that and a good price so you will come back and bring friends. Be sure to go for the Red Bean drink and you’ll seem like a real pro! 8-)

Baccali Cafe and Rotisserie
245 West Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91801
626-293-3300 (phone)
626-293-8090 (fax)

New Concept: Dim Sum in Monterey Park

SoCalorie — Mon, 06 Jun 2005 04:03:54 +0000

Dim sum junkies have probably spotted the numerous reports on New Concept kicking around out there — from the LA Times to dozens of Chowhound Los Angeles reports as well as Eating L.A. (Who else can I name-check!?)

New Concept is the first American branch of a chain with 28 restaurants in China, five in Beijing. Chowhounders have pointed out many personal faves which I admit to not writing down before leaving the house. I wholeheartedly agree with EatingL.A. about New Concept’s service: less than solicitous.

Did they call no. 158, yet?
We waited for about 40 minutes to get a table on Sunday. It wasn’t a big deal since we were able to walk our dog around the neighborhood. We worked up ridiculous appetites in the process. I think the wait causes many people, like us, to impulsively choose the first thing to whirl past the table. We ended up with a deep fried shrimp mousse stuffed with a small egg. It was lovely looking, if a bit greasy, while the bits of canned pineapple garnish were ready for the dumpster. But the insta-shrimp dish helped us organize our thoughts before choosing from a 68-item menu.

Our picks by menu number:

20 Chiu-Chow Style Dumplings (pictured, left) â€” Very soft, if thick, steamed skins, they taste of celery and steamed peanuts with an undercurrent of hearty meat and seafood. All-in-all, very fresh, warm savory ingredients. ($1.98)

23 Sticky Rice Roll (pictured, right) â€” I prefer my sticky rice steamed in lotus or banana leaves as opposed to nigiri-wrapped and topped with roe. The sticky rice itself had nice bits of pork in it but I can do without the incongruent appearance of flavors I’m conditioned to associate with fresh fish. ($1.98)

24 Shanghai Dumplings â€” Someone on the Chowhound board wrote that New Concept’s Shanghai dumplings are superior to Din Tai Fung’s in Arcadia. Wot?! Din Tai Fung blows the roof off New Concept’s Shaghai dumplings. Din Tai Fung’s skins are fresher and more delicate, the dumplings burst with hot, brothy flavor and the steamed fillings are ultra-fresh. But, New Concept’s Shanghai dumplings are perfectly okay, a fine plate to add to a mixture of dishes. ($2.98)

31 Spare Ribs with Black Bean Sauce (pictured top, lower left corner) â€” Color is wan and unappealing, and I found it typically difficult to pick through the splintery bones and rubbery fat, but the meat itself is very tasty given some effort. ($1.98)

53 Sweet Green Tea Flavored Dumplings (below) â€” This is a (water soluble green food coloring dyed) cross between a Phoenix’s Egg and a steamed black sesame cake. Good times. The sweet fried dough helps offset the saltiness of the dense black sesame paste. ($2.98)

61 Stuffed Lotus (pictured top, lower right corner) â€” Neither of us have had this dish before and we really enjoyed it. The lotus is thick and snaps when you bite it, like a potato chip. The silver dollar pancake-sized pieces sandwich a light shrimp mousse. The stuffed lotus comes in a mild sauce that tastes a bit like oyster sauce that made love to a steamy boullion. (This was my mate’s favorite dish while the Chiu-Chow Dumplings came in a close second.) ($1.98)

63 Mushrooms & Pork Dumplings â€” A Phoenix Egg that’s classicly made and served very hot. It tastes just right and you can have it cut in half by a scissors-happy server if ya like. Straight ahead goodness. ($1.98)

66 BBQ Pork Pie (pictured top, upper right corner) â€” I’m used to eating ratty old cold bbq pies from various take-out places on Clement in SF. New Concept’s pastry dough is flakey and buttery. The sweetened top is polished with rich honey made slightly nutty by a smattering of toasted sesame seeds and the bbq inside is sweet and smokey. This was my favorite dish although it’s really a standard that’s well executed. ($1.98)

Misc. notes: New Concept’s tea is a flowery and fragrant sweet jasmine. We polished off our large pot quickly. The waitstaff is pretty clued out, but well-kempt, and a few may even make eye contact with customers if collared. The restaurant provides branded plastic napkin packets that hold a bunch of thin folded tissues. It’s like wiping your sticky, grotty fingers with a Kleenex, thereby compounding the problem with new fluff stuck on top. (BYON)

Our one odd experience is not really a reflection on the restaurant. A young woman came into the back room where we were seated with a 12- to 16-month old child. Before seating him, she checked his pants, and then proceeded to change his diaper in the middle of the dining room. She balled up his dirty diaper and left it on the floor under his high-chair for the rest of the meal. That definitely subdued my appetite. (I doubt that she looked but there aren’t any changing stations in the restrooms anyway). I’m only glad the sprog wasn’t wearing split pants since he probably would not have been prevented from unloading on the dining room carpet.

If I were to situate New Concept within the L.A. dim sum landscape I’d say it falls somewhere between the massive Sea Harbour Seafood and the upscale and lovely Mission 261. I’d take my germaphobe friends with tremulous stomachs and lots of cash (as Pauline previously noted) to Mission 261; the nonchalant friends who want to be immersed in a chaotic cart scene to Sea Harbor; and experimental dim sum fans to New Concept â€” so they could try dishes they’ve never tried before and educate me along the way.

New Concept serves both well realized and very average dishes. I’d say its strongest point is the variety of dishes on the menu supplemented with even more daily specials.

New Concept Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626.282.6800

LA Times Considers Chiu Chow

SoCalorie — Wed, 18 May 2005 06:01:42 +0000

I tend to have only a vague awareness of the regional origins of the Chinese restaurant I’m dining in — be it Mandarin, Cantonese, Hunan, or Szechuan. Until this evening, I would not have known, for example, if I was eating in a Chiu Chow (Chaozhou) restaurant. Chiu Chow, a primarily seafood-based cuisine, hails from “the freshwater deltas and the ocean along the coast of Guangdong (Canton), the province that borders Hong Kong,” according to the story “Psst, want Chiu Chow?,” by Linda Burum, in tomorrow’s Los Angeles Times food section.

Chiu Chow specialities include a cold crab dish which is steamed upside down so the juices and flavors are retained in the shell; a porridge that is basically a rice soup loaded with tiny oysters, baby clams, slivers of smoky dry fish and shrimp; a layered vegetable dish of nappa cabbage, mushrooms and greens braised until tender; and shrimp bundles closed with a chive knot. Gayot says that Chiu Chow flavors are “lighter than what you find in Hong Kong seafood houses, but the flavors are more complex through the use of larger combinations of ingredients.”

If you’re looking to further bone up on local varieties of regional Chinese cuisine, as I really should, then try lowendtheory who has a very good online compendium of L.A. restaurants and guide books. He cites, in particular, author Carl Chu’s Finding Chinese Food in Los Angeles: A Guide to Regional Chinese Cuisines: “Awesome book that describes Chinese regional cuisines and lists many practitioners for each style.”

The LA Times held their Chiu Chow pow wows at:

Seafood Village
684 W. Garvey Ave. (Chandler Ave.)
Monterey Park, CA 91754
626-289-0088

Photo credit: Overunder, taken in a Chiu Chow joint in Kowloon City, Hong Kong