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Monthly Archives: August 2014

Shanghai No.1 – A Great Lunch

14 Thursday Aug 2014

Posted by yummcha in Chinese food, Food

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Cheong Fun, Cheongsam, Choy Sum in broth, Salted Egg Custard Steamed Bun, Shanghai Food, Stir-fried rice cake

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The first time I had lunch at Shanghai No 1 restaurant was a few months after it opened more than two years ago. I have been wanting to go back for quite some time, and finally I had the opportunity to do so this week.

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I really like the inside decor, with its dark rosewood furnishings and crushed red velvet covering the walls. There are large sparkling chandeliers hanging all over the dining rooms. The hostess was even wearing the traditional Cheongsam (a one-piece Chinese dress). One did, for a moment, feel that one was brought back in time to the old Shanghai.

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The menu is certainly the largest (in physical size) that I have ever encountered. It is a huge booklet with photos of their dishes and photo essays of Shanghai and related subjects. It was fun just looking through the whole menu even though it took a while.

The Jasmine Tea that I ordered tasted especially good. We ordered Xiao Long Bao, Pan-Fried Pork Buns, Shanghai Pork Ribs, Choy Sum in Broth, Stir-Fried Rice Cake with Vegetable, and Salted Egg Custard Steamed Bun.

We asked for the dishes to be less salty and less oily, and both the vegetables and the rice cakes were exactly that and were extremely well executed.

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My favorite was the Choy Sum in Broth, it was a huge platter of tender choy sum with chunks of thousand-year-old egg and duck egg yolk on top. With the prices of vegetables these days, it was a bargain at $8.99.

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The Stir-fried Rice Cake was probably the best that I had tried. It was not greasy at all. The rice cake was perfectly cooked, not charred nor even brown the least bit. The flavor was mild but accented harmoniously with the shredded pork and the dark green vegetables.

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I enjoyed the Pan-Fried Pork Buns, juicy and flavorful inside, with top portion of the bun soft and slightly chewy, and the bottom part crispy.

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The Salted Egg Custard Steamed Bun had a delicious runny center that was luscious and rich.

I brought home a Cheong Fun (steamed rice noodle with shrimp and sweet peas)  for my son, he said it was probably one of the best that he had ever tried.

This was no doubt one of the more enjoyable and satisfying lunch that I’ve had in a long time,  and I can’t wait to go back and try some more of their lunch special dishes and Dim Sum.

Shanghai No 1 Seafood Village: 250 W. Valley Blvd. San Gabriel, Ca 91776 Phone: 626-282-1777

 

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Providence – best restaurant in LA?

05 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food, French Food

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Tags

chocolate marquise, duck breast, sashimi, scallop, spot prawn, uni egg, wild king salmon

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Providence has been rated as perhaps the best restaurant in Los Angeles by some prominent food critics. So I was curious as to how good it can be. I was a bit hesitant to try after my disappointment with Melisse, a high end restaurant with similar set menus.

Nevertheless, I decided to give this place a try. I was able to find street parking since I arrived there before 6pm on a Sunday evening. The restaurant was recently remodeled but did not look feel and look that new. The first waiter was extremely friendly and explained the menu to me patiently while I was waiting for my eating companion.

There are 4 set menus for the evening ranging from $100 per person for a 4 course meal to around $220 for a 16 course meal. We were told that everyone at the table had to order the same set menu. We opted for a 9 course dinner for $140. The following is our set menu:

-Sashimi

-Uni Egg

-Spot Prawn

-Sea Scallop

-Striped Bass

-Liberty Farm Duck Breast or Wild King Salmon

-Artisanal Cheese

-Ice cream

-Chocolate Marquise

I did not want to have sashimi this particular evening, and I was told that I could substitute a lobster dish instead –  that lobster turned out to be one of the best dish for the night.

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I must say that the chef is very talented in combining complex flavors and textures, and to have them all worked harmonious with each other.

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There were 2 amuse-bouche that arrived before the dinner set – one was a ginger flavored jelly, and the other a crunchy vegetable taco. Both were excellent as far as taste and textures.

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The Uni Egg arrived hot, creamy and rich. While not a big fan of prawns, I thought the Spot Prawn was cooked to perfection. The Sea Scallop was huge and was well done – exactly the way I preferred. The Striped Bass was the only dish that I did not enjoy, there was a muddy taste to the fish, so I did not finish it.

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Aside from being delicious, the Duck Breast was executed in the precise manner that I had requested – well cooked again, but still moist with a crunchy outer crust. The King Salmon that my companion ordered was a bit on the small side, but he thought it was really good.

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There must have been at least 15 different varieties of cheese in the cart that the server pushed out to our table. She asked which types of cheese we would prefer, from strong to moderate to mild. I asked for 1 strong cheese and a variety of moderate to mild ones. She proceeded to cut out small sections of about 6 different cheeses, and there were some candied walnuts and thin slices of bread and jams for accompaniment. Everything went together quite well.

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There was a pre-dessert consisting of an ice cream and grapes, and berries – quite refreshing.The Chocolate Marquise was good but was not as creamy and rich as I had wanted. The meal was finished with macarons, a sweet jelly, and a small cookie.

Food wise, I would say it is perhaps one of the best as far as presentations, taste, textures, flavors. Unfortunately, when I went to the restroom, the sink was plugged up with water almost filled to the top, so I was unable to wash my hands. I told the waitress about the situation, and she seemed a bit annoyed, and proceeded to take me to another unisex bathroom down the hallway. As I was washing my hands, the water was starting to build up and was not draining well. I was very surprised that a restaurant of such caliber does not have a sink that drains well.

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Providence: 5955 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90038  Phone: 323-460-4170

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