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Monthly Archives: February 2014

China Red – Yum Cha

24 Monday Feb 2014

Posted by yummcha in Chinese food, Food

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Tags

BBQ Pork Bun, Chinese Broccoli, Chive Dumpling, Dumpling with Sea Cucumber, Golden Lava Bao, Pan fried Shanghai style Bun, Pu-erh tea with Chrysanthemum, Scallop Rice Noodle, Vegetable Dumpling

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As the name of my blog suggests, “Yum Cha” – drink tea, also a term that we Cantonese people use when we go to a Teahouse to enjoy some Dim Sum, I am definitely one who revel in trying new and different Teahouses.

So when my friend mentioned that there is a new place that serves Dim Sum that had opened just weeks ago in Arcadia, I was listening. When he further commented that one of the chef there came from Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village,  I became interested.

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The restaurant is not very large, unlike some of the Dim Sum Houses such as NBC Seafood Restaurant, or Atlantic Seafood in Monterey Park. I prefer the smaller size restaurant because the noise level is not as bad, one can actually carry on a decent conversation without having to speak so loud.

Being a fairly new place, it felt clean and comfortable. The staff was attentive and efficient. The various Dim Sum selections were all printed on a sheet of paper for me to choose from. Each Dim Sum restaurant usually carries a few items that are unique in order to attract customers, so naturally, I picked the ones that I have not tried before and ones that sounded like they could be good.

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The Vegetable Dumpling was probably my favorite. The mixture of various vegetables and bean thread combined in perfect harmony, with the skin being slightly chewy. The Pan Fried Shanghai Style Bun, a signature dish, was juicy and tasty.  I also enjoyed the Dumpling with diced cucumber, which was quite uncommon in texture and taste.

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My friend really liked the Steamed BBQ Pork Bun, the inside appeared to be lean and moist. I was slightly disappointed at the Scallop Rice Noodle with Green, the name suggested something green, but in actuality, there was no green, but just big chunks of tofu and some small scallops. WP_20140220_017WP_20140220_009

The Seaweed Sticky Rice Roll looked like a squarish sushi roll with sticky rice, with no filling inside. The Chinese Broccoli was fresh, with the color being a lighter green than most of the broccoli I have seen. WP_20140220_011 WP_20140220_014

As for the sweet dim sum, the Golden Lava Bun was luscious with a warm golden sweet filling oozing out as I bit into the soft bun. I ordered the Pan Fried Pancake w/Sweet Paste and Crushed Peanuts based on a photo I saw on YELP which looked very crispy and tempting. The actual pancake was on the soft side and there was too much sugar inside, a bit too sweet for my taste. WP_20140220_006WP_20140220_005

The tea that I ordered was Pu-erh Tea with Chrysanthemum, it was dark and potent, as opposed to other more diluted version. The overall experience was very pleasant and probably one of the more enjoyable one in a long time.

China Red Restaurant: 855 S. Baldwin Ave. Arcadia, CA 91007  Phone: 616-445-3700

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Nozomi – Hamachi Kama and Black Cod

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by yummcha in Food, Japanese Food

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

black cod, hamachi kama, Japanese food, sunomono, uni, wakame soba, water dumplings

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Aside from my all time favorite fish – black cod, served either as Eun Daegu jorim(Braised black cod with radish, Korean style), or Grilled Black Cod with Miso (Japanese style), my other beloved fish throughout the years has been the Grilled Yellowtail Collar (Hamachi Kama).

An old friend that I have not seen for quite some time wanted to have the Grilled Black Cod, so we went to this small Japanese restaurant inside a stripe mall with a few other Japanese eateries.

Since the portion size of the Grilled Black Cod was rather small, I decided to get the Hamachi Kama (Yellowtail collar) as well, and an order of Soba with Seaweed, some Water Dumplings, some Uni sushi, and Sunomono (vinegared seaweed and cucumber).

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The Black Cod was delicious as expected – buttery, light and flaky. When I brought home an order of the Black Cod to my son to try for the first time, after his first bite, his eyes opened wide and exclaimed in amazement how great it was!

The Grilled Yellowtail Collar, though not delicate like the cod, was in its own way, rich, flavorful, oily and very distinct in taste. The one served that day was huge in size, perhaps the largest that I have seen so far, for the price of under $15. There were so much meat, I especially like the dark meat portion near the bone, so lusciously delightful.

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I was surprised by the Water Dumplings, I did not realize that they were served in cold water. After the initial shock, I actually enjoyed them quite a bit, and ate four of them.

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The Uni sushi was not as good as I had anticipated. The Seaweed Soba, warm and comforting, filled with soft wakame and green onion, provide a satisfying ending to the meal.

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Sushi Nozomi: 1757 W. Carson St. Torrance, CA 90501  Phone: 310-320-5511

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Penthouse at the Huntley

01 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

3rd St. Promenade, grilled cheese with short ribs, molten chocalate cake, profiteroles, Santa Monica

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When I was growing up in Hong Kong, the evening before Chinese New Year was a big celebration of delicious food with my family. I remember that my heart was always filled with warmth and excitement watching my parents prepare the feast, and looking forward to the red envelopes that my brother and I would be getting on New Year’s Day and the following days to come.

Now that I have been on my own with my son for quite some time, and with my mom and brother in other parts of California, Chinese New Year has not been as festive as before. Even though I had wanted to celebrate with more traditional fare such as Dim Sum, I did not want to deal with the crowd  at the popular teahouses, so my friend and I opted for a less traditional lunch.

Since it was still DineLA week, we decided to try a place in Santa Monica on the top floor of a older hotel because I was in the mood for a nice, relaxing meal with a good view. While our table was facing the ocean, because of the overcast weather, the view was not as spectacular as it could have be.

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The interior was modern and mainly white. There were booths with canopies. One of the stall in the women’s restroom even had a window view.

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For appetizers, I had the Crab Cake, while my friend had the Tuna Tartar. Though not exceptional, the crab cake had a good crunchy outer crust. I did not try the Tuna since I am trying not to eat a lot of raw fish these days.

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My Grilled Cheese with Short Rib was filled with a rich melted cheese called Chimay Grand Cru, and a hefty portion of tender and flavorful meat. I somehow managed to finish all the meat while leaving some of the bread behind.

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The Profiteroles, a choux pastry filled with vanilla bean ice cream was light and not overly sweet. I also enjoyed the rich chocolate cream oozing out from the Chocolate Molten Cake that I had ordered.

The service was a bit slow. Fortunately, we were not in a hurry and were able to carry on a good conversation.

One of the reason why I had decided on this restaurant was because of its proximity to the 3rd St. Promenade. I had not been to the shops there for quite some time now, so I was finally able to do some window shopping there after this heavy meal.

The Penthouse at the Huntley:  1111 2nd St. Santa Monica, CA 90403  Phone: 310-393-8080

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