Tag Archives: Torrance California

Yank San Park

17 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Food, Korean Food

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Some friends from my badminton group told me about this restaurant a while ago, and mentioned that the Banchan (side dishes) are very fresh there, as well as the food being quite good.

So I asked a Korean friend to join me in exploring this place. It was Thursday, around noon time, there were not a lot of people, which was good in the sense that it was less smoky, being that it is a BBQ restaurant.

I picked the Spicy Kim-chi Pork and Tofu Stew since it sounded hearty and I was really hungry. My friend ordered her usual Bi Bim Bap, which is a vegetable and beef egg rice bowl.

My meal started with a plain salad in a slightly sweet dressing. The banchan were indeed fresh and had a couple of items that I had not tried before, such as one that was this long, thin strips of what seemed to be burdock root in a piquant red sauce. I sampled each of the side dishes and ordered more of my favorites which included the bean sprouts, the eggplant and small slices of chives pancake.

The pork slices in the stew were not too big and were half fat and half meat. I took out the fatty part, the rest was tender and juicy. The kimchi had a deep aged flavor that was exquisite. The tofu was in long rectangular chunks and medium firmness which absorbed the essence of the soup. I only wish they had the option of brown rice instead of  just white rice.

The Bi Bim Bap looked enticingly fresh and appealing with all the different colors of shredded vegetables arranged neatly inside the big metallic bowl. I would like to try the Spicy Cold Buckwheat Noodle and the Sliced Rice Cake Soup next time I come back.

Yang San Park: 22757 Hawthrone Blvd. Torrance, CA 90505  Phone: 310-373-8340

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Sue’s Kitchen – like an old friend

01 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by in Chinese food, Food, Uncategorized

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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

Santouka Ramen – Is it that good?

05 Friday Jul 2013

Posted by in Food, Japanese Food

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One day, a friend and I were talking about ramen, and I was advised that this ramen shop inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace food court is rated number one by who knows what. I was skeptical, a ramen at some food court is at the top amongst all the ramen in Los IMG_1874Angeles?

Not a stranger at all to this food court in Torrance, I have been going there regularly for many years for the udon at Mifune. Having never paid much attention to the ramen there, I decided to grab a friend to try out this infamous noodle shop. I was surprised to see a line in front of this tiny store front. As I waited, I noticed to my right side, were the realistic looking plastic displays of all the different ramen sets one could choose from, along with the prices.

One could choose from salt ramen, soy sauce ramen, miso or spicy miso ramen. There were three sizes: small, medium or large. The different combo sets included one of the following over a small bowl of rice: ikura (salmon roe), or natto (fermented soy bean), or chopped green onions, or pork and chopped green onions. Two halves of a marinated boiled egg also came with the set.

I decided on the Combo set of salt ramen with the Ikura don, medium size. There were plenty of ikura on top of the rice. The saltiness of the salmon roe mixed well with the ever so slight sweetness of the Japanese rice. The different toppings on the ramen looked aesthetically pleasing and well thought out. There were the two slices of fatty pork, some bamboo shoots, bits of cloud ear, a piece of fish cake, some chopped green onions, and a umeboshi (pickled plum).

The pork had a good ratio of fat to meat, about half and half, was tender and well flavored. All the other ingredients tasted in harmony with each other. I especially liked the crunchiness and the unique taste of the bamboo shoots. The umeboshi was a nice touch to help balance out the saltiness of the broth. While not a connoisseur of ramen, I would say the Santouka offers a tasty, solid ramen that is well crafted and of top quality.  I would, however, prefer the broth to be much less salty, so that one can consume more of it without worrying about the high salt content.

Santouka Ramen: 21515 Western Ave. Torrance, CA 90501  Phone: 310-212-1101
(Inside the Mitsuwa Marketplace)