We slept rather well after our excursion to Anacapa Island then dinner at Moqueca. We woke rather early and I took a short walk. We needed to refuel both on gasoline and caffeine for the drive to Monterey Park where we'd be spending the evening.
I decided to make a stop at the shopping complex called the Collection Riverpark which was right next to the 101 freeway. We had stopped here before to grab some snacks at Whole Foods, but on this morning, being a Saturday, there was a Farmer's Market. Which was pretty mellow, I guess not too many folks want to head on over to the mall at 8am on a Saturday?
Still, we enjoyed the stroll and the Missus figured out how much She enjoyed Gooseberries.
The Collection Farmers Market
2710-2780 Park View Ct.
Oxnard, CA 93036
Saturdays 8am – 2pm
The Missus had been wanting some coffee, so we headed over to the Food Hall in the complex called "The Annex" and Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters.
The Missus really enjoyed Her Pour Over and their Cold Brew was quite good as well.
I think this will be a nice stop for us on future road trips.
Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8am – 6pm
Fri – Sun 8am – 8pm
The drive to the SGV was a breeze and we headed off to our old neighborhood to do some snack shopping at Hong Kong Market, before trying to decide on what to get for a light lunch. We drove down Colima Road and noticed that a location of Mama Lu's had opened up. Some Jiaozi and Niu Rou Chuan (beef roll).
This was back in July when things were looking good, before the Delta surge hit. Still, seats were spaced out nicely. We were seated and then something interesting happened.
We heard strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy and soon a "robot" made its way past us holding takeout containers!
It followed the set "path" and took the takeout to the front, then promptly returned to the kitchen….rinse….repeat! It was quite entertaining.
First to arrive was the Niu Rou Chuan; which was quite hefty.
The bread was nicely browned and crisp and not overly greasy. The beef was a bit on the tough side and the bean sauce much too sweet for our taste. The slices of cucumber too thick and cumbersome. Not even close to our favorite version from 101 Noodle Express….though we haven't been there in ages…perhaps we'll revisit again one of these days.
And of course we got some Jiaozi….the Shrimp and Pork version.
Well, at least Mama Lu's is pretty consistent. Like my visits to other locations, the wrapper of the jiaozi was on the hard and brittle side. As my MIL taught me, it seems the dough has been over-mixed. The filling was fine, if on the salty side.
Not bad, but not great…..man this had us missing QingDao Bread!
Still, it had been a while since we'd been back and things are always changing.
Mama Lu Dumpling House
17515 Colima Rd.
City of Industry, CA 91748
By now it was time to see if we could get an early check-in at where we were staying in Monterey Park and perhaps grab a nap before dinner.
Thanks for stopping by!