Before our trip, I had to head back to the SGV for an appointment. This was going to be a solo trip. The decent Baozi we'd had at Northern Cuisine had me wondering if my favorite Tianjin Baozi from the Tasty Noodle House in San Gabriel was still as good. Be aware, not all Tasty Noodle Houses are created equal. My appointment was done by 1030, which gave me more than enough time to head over to this tiny restaurant tucked into a corner of a strip mall on West Las Tunas Drive.
The configuration of the place has remained the same; though the color is now more neutral.
The woman working was very nice….I was here for only one thing, but felt that I needed to try something else as well. So, I ordered something called "Chinese Watercress" on the menu. I really did expect Xi Yang Cai….but got this.
Holy smokes, a plate of stir fried Culantro (Ngo Gai in Vietnamese). I can truly say that I'd never seen this much cilantro on a plate before. Sadly, this was greasy and not seasoned well, it was really salty, with not enough garlic.
And then, my Tianjin Baozi ("Pan Fried Pork Buns" on the menu) arrived.
These were quite good; the baozi were crisp on the bottom, the tops light, fluffy, and springy. The yeastiness of the baozi wafted up into the air.
The filling had a nice balance of porkiness, sesame oil, and a light ginger flavor. It's moist and smooth, though not overly light.
It's not quite Guo Bu Li Baozi ("stuffed buns that even dogs would not eat" – a specialty of Tianjin), but whatever….it's still a favorite of mine.
It's great to know that even though it's been five years since my last visit this place still delivered.
Tasty Noodle House
827 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
And yes, Golden Deli in the same strip mall still has crazy lines…..
Though to be perfectly honest….I'll take this…..
I thought the version in San Diego was so-so. Didn’t know dishes vary that much depending on location.
Used to go to Golden Deli frequently. Good memories of those cha gio!
Hi Junichi – The menus at each location vary, some more than others. The folks that run thisl ocation are from Daliang, just north of Shandong, so the menu here is totally different from all the other locations. We did recently visit a different location of Tasty Noodle House and it was much better than the SD location as well.
Glad to have triggered some nice memories RD!
the oily veggies 🙁
Yeah, I should just stick to ordering the baozi Kat!