Tag Archives: Soup

Pho So 1 – Simple and Fast

12 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in Food, Vietnamese Food

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With so many diverse types and varieties of soup noodles to choose from, whether it be from the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, I would sometimes go for months without having a bowl of Pho. Not that I don’t enjoy it as much as the other type of noodles, in fact, I find the rice noodles used in the Pho to be among my favorite type of noodle due to its smooth consistency and delicate quality.

The Special Combo with rare slices of steak, well-done brisket, flank, tendon and tripe  is a popular choice here at Pho So 1, since it offers such an assortment of meats in one bowl, and is huge. However, I tend to request for a special order of just Pho with tendon. I adore beef tendon, because of its gelatinous quality and spongy mouth feel. Here, the tendons are cut into rectangular chunks, and there is usually a generous amount.

Immediately when the hot Pho arrives, I would put the raw bean sprouts in the soup while it is still hot, so that the sprouts get cooked a bit. Sometimes, I would request the bean sprouts be boiled briefly first before bringing it to the table. After the sprouts are in, I would put in 2 to 3 slices of the jalapeño pepper, a few squeezes of the lime, a dab of Sriracha hot sauce, and I would be all set.

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Occasionally, I would order the Spring Rolls which comes three to an order. The rice paper skin is soft and pleasurably chewy at the same time. The shrimp, the meat, the rice vermicelli, and the herb inside the roll are all notably fresh, When dipped with the rich, thick, savory and slightly sweet peanut sauce, the roll provides a delectable and exceptionally appetizing side dish to my delightful and soul comforting bowl of soup noodle.

Pho So 1 – 1749 Redondo Beach Blvd. Gardena, CA 90247  Phone: 310-329-7365

Umenoya – Ramen Anyone?

04 Tuesday Jun 2013

Posted by in Food, Japanese Food

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ramenEven though I am not a huge fan of ramen, I do enjoy a bowl of good noodles from time to time. I decided that my son would take me there for lunch this past Mother’s Day. Being a teenager and not working, his budget was limited. I also figured that I would avoid any crowds by going to a ramen place on such a busy restaurant day.

This place was highly recommended by my friend’s own teenage sons, so I figured it was at least cool to go. The menu was easy, with pictures. We were the only ones there. I was wondering if the cook and the waitress were feeling sorry for me for being there on “M” day. My son ordered the Tonkatsu ramen, while I opted for the Jiro ramen. I loved my bowl of ramen. It came with an humongous amount of cabbage on top of the noodles, with lots of onions, bean sprouts, and minced garlic (I especially enjoy eating garlic and onions). It was my dream come true, ramen with tons of veggies! There were also small rounds of fat floating atop the soup. As unhealthy as it seems, I enjoyed that . The chasyu was tender, and the soup was rich and flavorful.

The Tonkotsu ramen came with around four pieces of chaysu, half-boiled egg, and chopped green onions. I like the fact that there were more meat served with the ramen at this restaurant than most of the other ramen places in town. Upon finishing the bowl, the ramen expert, my son, declared that he still thinks Santouka has the best ramen. I argued with him about the soup being exceedingly salty at Santouka, and that there are only two slices of pork with the noodle; although I must give them credit for the consistently meticulous execution of the ramen.

Thoughts and Questions of the Day:  Why is the broth served with ramen usually so intensely salty? Why is there so very little amount of vegetables served in Japanese restaurant food? Do Japanese eat a lot of sushi or raw fish at home?

Back to Umenoya, the cook came over after we finished the ramen, and presented us with a complimentary plate of gyoza. How great, It was exactly what I wanted to try. The gyoza was not as flavorful as the ramen, but I really appreciated the very kind gesture. It was a comforting, cozy and warm “M” day lunch.

Umenoya: 24222 Crenshaw Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505   Phone: (310) 530-3177

Kam Hong Garden – Good Food

02 Sunday Jun 2013

Posted by in Chinese food, Food

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Some time ago, a friend had been telling me for months about how good this  “hot and sour soup noodle” was at some restaurant I have never heard of in Monterey Park. Inside my brain, I tried to visualize adding some noodles inside a bowl of “hot ‘n sour” soup, and then tried to imagine how that would taste. Yeah, it would taste good, but since I can already imagine how it would taste, I didn’t need to try it.

When the LA Magazine published a list of top ten Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles quite a while back, I realized that one of the them was this “hot ‘n sour soup noodle” restaurant that my friend had been relating to me. Now I was interested. We arrived at the restaurant on a weekday around noon, the restaurant was relatively empty. The restaurant is small with about eight tables; the appearance of the place, both inside and out, is so nondescript that I would probably never go inside if not because of the recommendations.

We ordered, of course, the hot-and-sour soup noodle, the pan fried bun(Sheng jian bao), the boiled dumplings with pork and leek(Shui jiao). The soup noodle was every bit as good as my friend had depicted; the soup had the most appropriate balance of sour and spicy, without either one being stronger than the other. The liquid was not overly thickened with corn starch. For most of the noodle dishes, one can choose from the homemade hand-kneaded, knife cut, or hand-pulled varieties. I had the hand-kneaded one, not too thick, not too thin. I probably should try the knife cut version one of these days, since I like my noodle more chewy.

The pan fried buns were perfect. The bottom of the bun had the exact light, crisp, golden crust that I totally adore. I think the mark of great pan fried dumplings(guo tie), and the pan fried buns lies in the outer crust not being burned, or overly charred. The pork inside was juicy, and the flavor was not overpowering. The boiled dumplings come in different varieties of meat. The pork and leek dumpling tasted exactly how I wanted it to taste, light and delicate.

On subsequent visits, I tried the beef pancakes, and different versions of boiled dumplings; all were good, but my favorites still were the original three dishes I tried that very first time.

Thoughts of the Day:  I find that Chinese food is such a good value for the money when compared to other cuisines. One is able to get such wide varieties of tasty, well-made dishes for sometimes a fraction of what one has to pay for other types of cuisines. My friends and I often comment on how it is cheaper to eat or buy Chinese food from outside than to cook.

Kam Hong Garden: 848 E. Garvey Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91755  Phone: (626) 280-9318