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Delicious Food Corner – The Name Says it All

20 Wednesday Feb 2019

Posted by yummcha in Chinese food, Food, Uncategorized

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After discovering the opening of this already quite popular Hong Kong style restaurant in another part of town, we have since gone back there no less than five times within the span of one month.

It is puzzling how so many people already know about this third location when the place was only so recently opened. There were usually quite a bit of people waiting even though the actual wait time had not been very long – tonight was the only time that we did not have to wait to get seated. The waiters and waitresses were all very efficient and some were especially friendly toward us. I was told that a few came from a restaurant that I had liked, and that the place has been closed recently.

The inside seating are comfortable though some of the tables are a bit closed to each other. This particular branch offers some Chef’s Specialty dishes that are not in the other locations. The one dish that attracted me originally was the Lobster stirred fry with rice cake. However, they did not have it the first time, nor the second time we were there. Instead, the waitress suggested the Sea Cucumbers with Mushrooms which turned out to be the best dish so far. The Pork Ribs was excellent too, with a tangy glaze that was absolutely delicious. There was a Stir Fry Milk with Seafood dish that was decent, and the vegetables in the Bok Choy with Mushroom and Dried Beancurd was fresh and crunchy. As it turned out, my most anticipated dish –  Lobster with rice cake, was probably our least favorite due to the overly saltiness of the dish.

So when we were there last week for the fourth time, we decided on the two dishes that we enjoyed the most – the sea cucumbers and the pork ribs, and it was not difficult at all cleaning off everthing on those two plates.

Delicious Food Corner – 545 W Las Tunas Dr. San Gabriel, CA 91776  Phone: 626-325-8838

 

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71 Above

09 Wednesday Jan 2019

Posted by yummcha in American Food, Food, Uncategorized

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Tags

bacon, blue cheese, caviar, dates, duck, Oysters, photography, ribeye, uni, view, wine

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Blessings come in many different forms – to have my birthday celebrated in such a georgous setting was certainly one, and to be able to watch the sky changed its colors slowly and leisurely was another.

Having a birthday close to Christmas does have its perks of always being in the midst of festivities and an air of celebration and joyfulness. Even though the days leading up to the dinner had been challenging, soul searching and filled with heart wrenching revelations, life moves ahead and one can only look at the moment and decide how to live that moment, while wondering if ignorance is indeed sometimes better.

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I was told that the food is good here despite the beautiful interior and exquisite view. Skeptical but full of anticipation, I was thankful that the dishes exceeded my expectations. The “Duck”, a roasted breast was done to perfection, with accompaniments and sauce that heightened the dish to the top level. The “Garganelli”, with mascarpone and Pecorino butter was hearty and enjoyable. My grilled Maitake mushroom came out exactly as I asked for, not a least bit charred. The poached “Oyster” with uni and caviar looked incredibly luscious even though I did not try it. The ribeye, though tasty, was the only dish that needed improvement due to a bit of chewiness of the meat.

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Suprisingly, we were somewhat full after the three courses and the amuse-bouche.

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The second blessing took place within two weeks – same location but at different hours of the day. Arrived at around 3pm, the bartender reccommended a riesling from Germany (Weingut Robert Weil), fruity and refreshing, just the way I like my wine. The “Dates” wrapped with bacon, and blue cheese was the star of that afternoon. The photography enthusiasts in us took shots of the still life (the sumptuous bar offerings),  the elegant interior with the best lighting that one could ask for, and the unparalleled view of the sunset that adorned the sky with a multitude of reds, oranges, and yellows. If one can focus only on the simple elements in life – food, beauty, and art…….

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71 Above – 633 W 5th St. 71 Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90071  Phone: 213-712-2683

 

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Fun in Eataly

09 Saturday Dec 2017

Posted by yummcha in Uncategorized

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Wow! That is what came into my mind as I strolled through this food lovers’ “Disneyland” (as my friend had called it). It is rather like that of an amusement park in that there were lines everywhere.

Not sure that I really wanted to fight the crowd when my friend mentioned this place that had just opened less than a few weeks ago. I was told the wait would be more than an hour to get into the restaurants. I finally relented since I did not have much to do that Saturday, and had plenty of time for waiting in lines.

My friend got there around 10:30am, and me around 11:15am, so we did not need to wait outside in order just to get in. However, there was a line already for “La Pizza, La Pasta”. The food looked really good at “La Piazza” while we were waiting in line, and I was told that the “ll Pesce Cucina” serves very good seafood. I noticed that for people who came later on that day, there was a line just to get inside Eataly.

First of all, I was glad that I registered online for “Smart Parking” which allows the car to enter straight into the garage without having to get a ticket, and that it also automatically bills the credit card on file without having to pay at the station before leaving (there is a 50% discount from now until end of the year for parking once registered).

It was exhilarating for me to walk around such a wonderful, happy place with lots of fresh and quality food. There is a station where fresh mozzarella is being made, another where doughs for fresh bread were being kneaded, and another where a lady was making fresh pasta.

There are lots of cheeses, beautiful cuts of meat, and seafood, produce, fruits and all different food products form Italy.

We were finally seated after lining up for over an hour for La Pizza, La Pasta. The hostess was telling me how much she enjoys working there since she loves food. I would not mind working there part-time as well, especially at the “Venchi Cioccolato” where one can purchase individually wrapped chocolates by the pound.

The pizza that we had ordered, “Tartufo”, with porchini mushroom puree and black truffle was quite light and flavorful, not salty as most other pizzas tend to be. The “Tagliatelle al Ragu” with brasied brisket was tasty, with the pasta being made daily on premise. I also liked the housemade mozzarella with a choice of 3 side accompaniments.

I was not full after those 3 plates, but my friend was stuffed. So instead of getting a Panigacci(a flatbread imported from Tuscany)as we had wanted to, we decided to wait, and get some sweets instead.

We purchased these 3 small bite size pastries at the “Venchi Ciocolate”, and the pastries were put into a beautiful box with ribbons which in itself looked rather fancy and expensive.  I really wanted to keep the box, but it got a bit soiled by the pastries, so I had to let it go. I exercised strong self control when I only picked two pieces of the individually wrapped chocolates that one can purchase by the pound. One of them was probably the best piece of chocolate I had ever had, with depth of flavors that were complex and rich. The other 3 pieces of pastries of which I ate all by myself were not as special, probably because I had them very soon after having a medium gelato (hazel nut and pistachio flavors), and an Italian hot chocolate with whipped cream!

We finally made it outside Eataly several hours later. The “Disneyland” of food was quite a fitting analogy and it certainly was a happy place for me.

Eataly: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90067  Phone: 213-310-8000

 

 

 

 

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Il Fornaio – To Love or Not to Love

22 Sunday Feb 2015

Posted by yummcha in Uncategorized

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I cannot pinpoint what exactly it is that propelled me to be so infatuated with the Linguine Mare Chiaro  at Il Fornaio, a seafood pasta dish with tomatoes, garlic, crushed red peppers, and wine. It has become so addictive to me that I would have the desire to consume it again even on the same day after I had it, or had me dreaming about it over and over again.

Perhaps it is the firm texture of the noodle (al dente), and the perfect balance of the sauce with the wine, and the freshness of the seafood that had me drooling whenever I think about it.

However, it was a rather difficult decision for me to finally write about Il Fornaio due to the fact that there were a few misses here and there when I did order this seemingly simple dish. The experiences here had been a mix bag of “great, wonderful, so delicious, under cooked pasta, raw seafood, wrong order”.

The first time I ordered the dish, the noodle was undercooked to the point of being hard  in the center. When I told my waiter, with an ever so slight annoyance, snobbishness, and arrogance in his expression and tone, he related to me that in Italian cuisine, the pasta is cooked to “al dente”. “I know what “al dente” is”, I replied (trying hard not to sound too offended), “this noodle is hard”. With much reluctance, he brought the dish to the kitchen. The new plate of pasta that came later was perfection.

A few weeks ago, I was again craving for this pasta dish. It was DineLA week,  I made a request to the waiter to subsititute the dish with the entree listed on the DineLA menu, and the chef came over himself and said it was no problem. I was elated.

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First of all, the DineLA menu was quite excellent as far as food selection and price. it was $40 for a 4 course menu. I had the Minestrone soup, and the Rusticella (Housemade flatbread with goat cheese, mozarella, olives, etc) to start. The flat bread was huge, and resembled a pizza. I would have been stuffed if I were to finish the entire dish. I loved the cheesiness and the thinness of the crust.

I had requested no shrimp, more scallops for my pasta order,  and the dish came out with all shrimp and no scallops. The waiter took it back and returned later with the pasta, but unfortunately, all the seafood were way too under cooked to the point of being too raw for me to eat. I ended up not eating much of the plate.

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The Tiramisu was quite large,  a tad too sweet for my taste, but still good. When I tried to cut into my friend’s Cannoli Sicillian, the shell was so hard that it actually flew off the table, so I gave up on trying another one.

At the end of the meal, I mentioned to the waiter that the seafood were too raw to consume. He was at least conscientiously enough to talk to his superior, and did not charge us the entire $40 for the meal.

So as you can see, not all the meals at Il Fornaio were smooth and perfect, but somehow, my desire to have this pasta has not dwindled despite, and I am hoping to go back again soon for this favorite dish of mine.

Il Fornaio: 1800 Rosecrans Ave. Building F, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266   Phone:310-725-9555

Dinner: around $16 to $34

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Da Maat – Pleasantly Surprised

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food, Uncategorized

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Tags

Bossam, Daegu, Home, Koreatown, Leaf Vegetable, Los Angeles Koreatown, Maat, Saturday

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I have tasted this dish in some of the best Korean restaurants in Los Angeles Koreatown, and have already decided that Soban is the Place to go. So I was not expecting much since this restaurant is not well known for this favorite dish of mine, Eun Daegu Jorim (Braised Black Cod with Radish).

I was really craving for black cod, and I did not want to make the trip to Koreatown that Saturday afternoon. I decided to try the Eun Daegu Jorim at Da Maat since the other dishes were fairly decent when I had lunch with my Korean friend here before.

The menu has some good photos of various dishes including the cod fish plate and the Bossam (Steamed Pork wrapped with Leaf Vegetable). We ordered the bossam and the fish.

The Eun Daegu Jorim came out in a huge, piping hot black metal pot with four large pieces of black cod and big rounds of radishes. I was immediately impressed with the presentation. Upon tasting the fish, I was so wonderfully surprised by how fresh and clean tasting the cod was, and how utterly tender and flaky the flesh was. I also love the fact that the seasonings were not too salty, and one can easily taste the true flavor of the fish. I was elated with the fact that I have found such an excellent rendition of this dish so close to home.

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The Bossam was another welcomed surprise as well. While most flocked to Kobawoo for the famous steamed pork, I was amazed at how soft and moist the meat was here, almost better than those at Kobawoo on this occasion. I don’t know whether it was the fact that I have not had these two dishes for quite some time, but both dishes were just so outstandingly great that I could not stop thinking about them the whole day after the meal. I kept wanting to go back the following day.

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The banchan selection, while not huge, were all really fresh and tasty. The service was efficient and the interior was clean and comfortable.

Da Maat:  2814  W. Sepulveda Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505  Phone: 310-534-5533

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Baccali Café and Rotisserie

26 Thursday Sep 2013

Posted by yummcha in Chinese food, Food, Uncategorized

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Tags

Alhambra California, Noodle, Red bean ice, Restaurant, Rotisserie, San Gabriel Valley, Valley Blvd, Valley Boulevard

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Just within the same block on Valley Blvd, there are the three restaurants that I think are consistently excellent and probably are some of the best in the San Gabriel Valley. The other two includes my favorite Tasty Garden and Garden Café, of which I had already wrote about.

Baccali Café is just right across the street from these two restaurants. The menu is huge with over 200 items to choose from. This place, being a rotisserie, does specialize in a good selection of mouth-watering, succulent grilled meat dishes including chicken, ribs, steaks, and fishes. The portion sizes are quite huge served with either pasta or rice.

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On this visit, being not a big meat eater myself, I ordered the Braised E-Fu Noodle w/Fish Fillet, which was a gigantic plate of soft noodle with chunks of codfish and some mustard green, slices of black mushrooms, in a light brown gravy. The fish slices were tender, moist, and the long thin flat noodles were really soft and flavorful after soaking up the sauce.

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My friend ordered the Grilled Salmon Fillet, with steamed vegetables and rice. I was told that the salmon was one of the best that he had from a restaurant.

We also ordered a plate of Garlic Stir Fried Choy Sum. The vegetables were bright green, firm and fresh. It was such a huge platter that we were not able to finish the whole plate.

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I did, of course, ordered my favorite drink, Red Bean Ice, which was nicely thick and filled with sweet soft red beans and crushed ice. It went really well with all the food.

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Baccali Café and Rotisserie – 245 w. Valley Blvd. Alhambra, CA 91801  Phone: 626-293-3300

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Sue’s Kitchen – like an old friend

01 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by yummcha in Chinese food, Food, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Beef noodle soup, Home, Noodle, Pickled cucumber, Pork, Soy sauce, Torrance California, Xiaolongbao

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After not having been to Sue’s Kitchen for about a year, the feeling was like seeing an old friend again. There was a new waiter that I had not seen before, some of the cold side dishes at the counter had changed.

I don’t really know why it took so long to come back here, I used to eat here at least a couple times a week, this was like my regular go-to-place for a casual meal.

The restaurant is small, around ten tables, so the place is usually packed during meal hours.

Most of the patrons here order the Stew Beef Noodle Soup, which is what this restaurant is known for. Thick chunks of tender beef and tendon atop a bed of chewy noodles in a dark red robust spicy broth. I, however, not being a big meat eater, usually opt for either the Minced Pork Noodle, or Vegetables with Noodle.

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This evening, a friend and I ordered the Xiao Long Bao (Steamed pork dumpling), which came only four to an order for around $3. I actually prefer the smaller portion size of the XLB here rather than the usual eight that most places offer. The skin was medium thickness, not too thin, the way I like it. The pork filling was moist and juicy.

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We also had the Minced Pork Noodle, long chewy noodles with a mixture of minced tofu and pork, julienne cucumber and 2 halves of an soy sauce egg. The Onion Pancakes that my friend ordered was soft, yet a tad crispy at the same time. She had no problem finishing most of the pancakes.

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One of the reason that patrons like me come here is probably because of the very fresh selections of cold side dishes that one can pick and choose from at the counter area. There are usually around ten items to pick from. We chose the Pickled Cucumbers, Spicy Sliced Beef Stomach, and the Bean Curd Skin. Each selection had its own distinct flavor and complimented our meal well.

Sue’s Kitchen: 23918 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505  Phone: 310-539-1992

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Ten Ren – More Than Just Good Tea

29 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by yummcha in Chinese dessert, Chinese food, Food, Lifestyle, Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Chinese language, Dessert, Grass jelly, Los Angeles, Mochi, Pu-erh tea, Tea, Ten Ren

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One of my best friend way back from elementary school came to Los Angeles a while ago with the husband and her daughter.

After stuffing ourselves to the maximum at El Rocoto, we headed over to Phoenix Dessert for some delectable Chinese dessert soups, fresh Durian Roll, and Strawberry Mochi. We were already really full by then, but we wanted to catch up some more, and her daughter wanted to try the Matcha Ice Cream Milk at this place called Ten Ren Tea Time.

So we decided to take a walk around the large strip mall in order to digest a bit so we could fit more food into our systems.

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There are a number of Ten Ren throughout the city. This particular one is one of the larger ones, with a good number of the patrons being students from the nearby college. Aside from a large selection of different teas, the menu offers a variety of savory dishes as well as sweet desserts and many choices of drinks.

This evening was all about drinks.

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I decided on the Hot Grass Jelly, which consisted of a rather large round container of mildly sweetened thick black grass jelly with some red beans and boba(tapioca balls) inside. Grass jelly is thought to have cooling properties, and is usually consumed in hot weather.

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My friend’s daughter had her Matcha Ice Cream Milk, which looked thick and foamy. She commented that it tasted pretty good, and not too sweet.  The Taro Milk Drink, a light purplish thick concoction that my friend decided on was rather delicious according to her. Her husband was absolutely stuffed, so he ordered the Pu-erh Hot Tea to aid him in digestion.

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We had a wonderful time enjoying each others’ companies, chatting about old times, about food, while leisurely savoring our flavorful drinks.

Ten Ren Tea Station: 1610 W. Redondo blvd. Gardena, CA 90247  Phone:310-515-2989

http://teastationusa.com/gardena/

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Mountain

22 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by yummcha in Food, Korean Food, Uncategorized

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Abalone, Bibimbap, DolSot Bibimbap, Food, Galbi, Galbitang, Restaurant, Rice

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“Please come in and try our food”, with the assured enthusiasm of someone who knew whatever he was offering was worthy, the young man urged us to go inside. This was about two years ago while we were walking by the newly opened restaurant inside a strip mall in Gardena. My companion and I were on our way to another restaurant in the same mall when we were intercepted.

At the time, there was nobody inside this seemingly spacious and clean restaurant. We were a bit reluctant to try, but did not have the heart to turn down this young fellow with the hopeful smile. “OK, we will try, you said it is good, right?”, I wanted to have his affirmation. “Yes”, excitedly he said.

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The menu was very clear with photos of all the dishes. He proceeded to recommend the Abalone porridge, DolSot Bibimbap (Rice with meat and vegetables on Hot Stone Bowl), and Galbi-Tang(short-rib based soup). I finally settled on the Abalone Porridge, while my companion ordered the combination of Galbi and DolSot-Bibimbap.

There was a rectangular box on each table that held the stainless steel spoons and chopsticks that one could help themselves to. The banchan (side dishes) here were much bigger in portion size than most of the other Korean restaurants. I especially liked the cube sized soy sauce beef, it was so tender and tasty. The potato salad was moist, mushy, a bit tangy, I asked for two more refills later on.

The porridge was served in elongated oval shape shallow bowl with a raw egg yolk on top. I gave the raw yolk to my companion, and dug into my porridge. The flavor of abalone was mild but I did find tiny pieces of abalone inside. It was not enough food for me, so I had some of my friend’s bibimbap and galbi. The galbi was cooked just right, with a slight sweet flavor.  While the mixed rice on hot stone bowl would be good on a cold evening, I preferred the regular version with the rice not burnt.

 

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After not having been there for quite some time, I decided to have lunch at Mountain this past weekend. I ordered the Soon Tofu with seafood, while my son had the combo of bulgogi and soon tofu with beef. The amount of tofu had decreased substantially, as well as the portion size of the bulgogi. I was quite disappointed. The only constant was the banchan, the selections were still enjoyable, so I filled myself up with the soy sauce beef and potato salad. While this restaurant cannot compared to some of the best ones in Koreatown, it does offer a relaxing atmosphere, comfortable seatings because of the spacious booths, a shorter drive from home, and ample parking spaces.

Mountain Restaurant: 15460 S. Western Ave. Ste 101, Gardena, CA 90247  Phone: (310) 327-8494

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