**** Liang's Kitchen has closed
As the year started winding down, I've found myself thinking that I needed to circle back at some of those places that, well, really didn't impress me too much over the years, just to see.
This short and sweet post on Liang's is probably a good start since I hadn't been here in a while. Even though it was perfect soup weather, the place seems a bit slower than when I first visited.
I started with the Stewed Bean Curd Skin.
Not the prettiest dish in the world, this really looked like offal, and for some reason the decorative bit of tomato and cilantro leaf really didn't do much for the presentation. The flavor, though mild, had just enough soy sauce flavor to push this up to decent. The yba was kind of hard in some of the thicker pieces, but this wasn't bad at all.
I went with the Beef Tendon Noodle Soup with handmade noodles. The broth was very slightly beefy, better than on previous visits, which really doesn't say much. But what this terrible was that there was a pervading taste bleach. I tried to explain to the Server who nodded, walked away and never returned. Then I tried to explain to the young lady who brought me my check, but no go…… I just cut my losses. I don't think they rinsed this off after sanitizing, or something of the sort.
Anyway, the tendon was plus/minus, some tough pieces, some pretty good. The pieces of beef were dry. I like the pickeld mustard greens and the noodles, though still too gummy and over-worked for my taste, were actually an improvement over previous visits.
I left and went and had some ramen……..
Liang’s Kitchen
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
I didn’t have a good experience at Liang’s either. Service was slow despite not being too busy, and the beef noodle soup was mediocre. Too much MSG and the beef, even though limited in quantity, were really quite tough to chew on.
Hi R – It’s sad because I think San Diego could really use a good place for NRM.
Liang’s is a Hit or Miss, OC in Tustin is great. Went to one in LA that was a Miss.Same goes with a one that I tried in San Jose also a Miss. There should be some level of QC with the Chain stores.
Bleach? eeek. I haven’t been here in so long I actually completely forgot about it. I’m still surprised this chain has managed to open so many branches.
bleach…eww…
Hi HK Kid – This place seems more like a concept money grab each time I visit.
Hi Kirbie – The soup was basically inedible…..and they really didn’t seem to care about that.
Hi Kat – I know…..
I feel like eating at Liang’s is like being in an bad relationship. I knew I was going to be disappointed, yet I kept coming back to give them a chance.
LOL MrZ! What an analogy…..
Hi Kirk,
From what I understand couple years ago, the food inspections people REQUIRE restaurants to rinse dishes/utensils in bleach, and then dried. They are not allowed to rinse them after the bleach (something about the bleach killing bacteria/germs, etc., and rinsing the bleach off would defeat the purpose). This is what the general manager said at my local Sam Woo’s.
I personally always ask them to rinse my plates/bowls/spoons in hot tea before I start ordering. Yes, I smell bleach all the time especially in chinese restaurants. Sometimes, even in the soup tureens you can smell the bleach (which is filled with your soup).
Kirk, if you are in Irvine area again, try the Lao Dong Beef Noodles at Walnut/Jeffrey corner (where the 99 Ranch plaza is). The bowl to order is the clear beef niu rou mian 清燉牛肉麵. I can’t eat gluten (so I don’t know about the noodles), but the clear beef soup with the meltingly tender slices of beef are to die for.
Since it’s not the hong2 shao1, no soy sauce, the spices are more in the back instead of in the front. The broth is truly flavorful and beefy tasting. No MSG either!
I didn’t like their regular hong shao nrm 紅燒牛肉麵 tho – they skimmed too much of the good stuff off (they said it’s because Americans are afraid of fat and collagen) and it lacks flavor.
Hope to read what you think after trying it:-)
Hi Tenjo – Basically the three step sanitizing process requires that you air dry…however, the ratio of chlorine is supposed to be controlled at 50ppm, at leastv when i worked in the industry many years ago, that’s what it was. Think of it this way; if this is the standard, that means everyone is doing this. If everyone is using the same process, how come every plate, in every restaurant doesn’t taste like bleach? It’s because standards are met…or in some cases, are not.
Thanks for the info Kirk! So some places may not air dry enough or they need more plates/bowls! That’s funny.