I rarely post on revisits of places in the San Gabriel Valley. But I hope you don't mind if I do a return visit.

It seems that the Missus has been taken by Hunan food in the SGV. On a recent visit, we decided to return to Hunan Chilli King. On the last trip, I had been almost blown to bits by one of the dishes, but apparently I hadn'tlearned my lesson. The Missus had wanted to try several items She had noticed previously, and I had one particular preparation in mind as well.

In actuallity, our strategy was to hit another restaurant first, with food a bit milder, than grab a bite at Chilli King on our way home. Unfortunately, the restaurant we had in mind had changed their hours, and wasn't open when we arrived. So it was off to HCK.

This time, the Missus decided to not even bother with the menus, but to order items listed on the colorful strips of paper lining the entire restaurant. One thing I did notice; many of the items lining the walls, are also in the menu. Perhaps it's their way of letting us know everything is good? One thing about me and very spicy food….I will sweat profusely, to the point of embarrassment, and sometimes concern from the staff of a restaurant. But I almost never have lingering "complaints" from my GI system. The Missus, on the other hand, can tolerate incredibly spicy food with nary a drop of perspiration on Her brow. She has however, known the feeling of, how should I put it….. magma making it's way to the ocean…..

This being fairly early in the morning for spicy eats, I thought some Beijing style yogurt would be a nice proactive step.

It does help that I love this stuff…..

After having the Pork Intestines with Pickled Green Beans and Chilies at Xiang Wei Lou, I wondered how the dish would fare at Hunan Chilli King since we thought the pickled green beans and the chilies were much better here. So of course, we had to have the Suan Do Jiao Chao Fei Chang:

Having not learned our lesson on our previous visit, we ordered this "Big Spicy". For some reason, this didn't seem quite as hot. Notice, there weren't as many chili seeds this time around. That's not say this was very tame….

Just as before, we love the way HCK prepares their pickles. The intestines were fine, but I thought that Xiang Wei Lou does a better job of it. To me, the pork intestines from Xiang Wei Lou, cooked with these pickles and chilies, by the folks here would be the perfect combination.

The Missus saw a Dry-Cooked "small fish" dish posted on the wall, and we decided to order it.

A bowl of semi-dried fish that had been dry-fried with dried chilies, black beans, and leeks hit the table. The fish were chewy, and you ate them head and all. In spite of looks this wasn't a particularly piquant offering. It was very fishy and unpleasant…..

This coming from a guy who has had Prahok, Padek, and various other fermented fish and shrimp ingredients. Of course, for us there's a distinct difference between savory fermentation and rotten…. at least to us.

The Missus was intrigued by a dish that was simply called "steamed eggplant" on one of the placards. Inquiring didn't provide any clarification or demystification of what that dish was. At $10.99, it was pretty pricey as vegetables go in the SGV. For comparison sake, a whole steamed fish at Hunan Chilli King is priced at $7.99!  In spite of the generic description, the Missus was assured that the dish was very good. So we ordered it…….

What arrived was a surprise. First was the preparation, which was almost exactly like Hunan Steamed Fish. Secondly, we counted a total of five whole eggplants were used to make this dish. The texture of most of the eggplant was excellent; I believe it was "oil blanched" before steaming. The flesh was creamy and wonderful, though we had to remove the skin because it was hard and basically inedible. The sauce was that wonderful soy sauce-oil concoction with fermented black beans and some chilies, when combined with rice is like crack! This was the best dish of the day.

We left with a ton of leftovers……. With our next stop on our minds.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

**** Xiang Wei Lou has closed

To complete the Hunan "trifecta" the Missus and I decided to check out Xiang Wei Lou, located on Valley in the same strip mall as Papa Walk and the San Gabriel Hilton. We had saved this one for last because it seemed to be the nicest looking, and strangely enough had an "A" LA DOH rating, a rarity in the San Gabriel Valley.

The place was pretty dark when walked in, until the next set of customers arrived. They immediately took over the place, telling the mellow, but indifferent young lady to turn down the A/C, turn up the lights, I want this…..I want that.

Meanwhile the Missus and I were coming up with a gameplan, and placed our order. As usual, we started with a Hunan standard, the Combination Smoked Meat (Preserved Delicacy Combination – $10.99):

This was a disappointment, the meats were hard and the smoke flavor was lacking. Compared to Hunan Seafood(which was the best) and Hunan Chilli King, this was the worst so far.

The Missus had been dreaming about Hunan Pickled Green Beans since our visit to Hunan Chilli King. She had even gotten Her Dad involved, as he has been attempting to make this from memory. According to my FIL, the traditional way of making this is a dying art in Hunan. Looking over the menu, I wondered what type of meat, or cut (other than something smoked), would stand up to the briney pickles, and the chilies. We decided on Pork Intestines, and ordered the Intestines with Sour String Beans($8.99):

This was probably the most well prepared pork intestine I've had. The intestine was sliced lengthwise and cleaned, so there was no "bonus" material. So I wouldn't be tasting what was Mr or Mrs Piggy's last, or second to last meal. It was also cooked well, yielding at first bite, slowly gaining a bit of chewiness. The earthy, dark flavor went well with the pickled green beans and the salted chilies. The green beans weren't done very well, they didn't have the semi-crunchy texture of well cured green beans, and weren't as briney and sour as the version at Hunan Chilli King. another big issue was that even though we ordered this "Big Spicy", this was quite mild. I didn't even break a sweat, a real rarity when it comes to Hunan or Sichuan food. Still, this was some goos "guts".

The last item we decided on, well, we just had to order since there was a huge photo of it on the back wall. Also, when considering San Diego prices, $8.99 is dirt cheap for a whole steamed fish.

We ordered the Whole Steam Fish, Big Spicy, and yes, it was just $8.99.

At heart this is a typical Chinese Steamed whole fish, with a kicker. It is topped with a layer of chilies. The fish was fresh, though like I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of fresh water fish. In this case it was slightly muddy in flavor. The Missus thought this was wonderful, as it was steamed very well, the flesh firm and moist, and not mushy. I was happy with pouring the sauce over four bowls of rice……… Oh, and in spite of looks, I didn't think this was particularly spicy……. But is was only $8.99!

While on the subject of spicy; the family that was bossing the young lady around spoke to her in Mandarin, but when talking among themselves in another dialect. The Missus said that they were from Hunan, but couldn't understand why they ordered everything "small spicy". What was even more funny was the coughing, choking, and various unappetizing noises coming from their table as they ate their "small spicy" food.

If anything, the meal here had me wondering what the intestine would be like at Hunan Chilli King, and the fish had the Missus wanting to come back and get the Fish Head…and then there the Spicy Pork Feet Skin…… And oh, did you know that there's a Hunan Restaurant opening across the street from Chilli King????

Xiang Wei Lou
227 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776 

**** JN Kitchen has closed

We've passed the JN Kitchen sign on Valley Boulevard many times during our roadtrips to the San Gabriel area. A while back, we noticed that the place had changed hands, and though the JN Kitchen English name had been kept. In Chinese it said 818 "Shao Kao" which means BBQ. We were finally able to pay a visit on a recent trip.

The shop itself is tiny, with just a couple of two-tops, and one modified four-top (two tables placed together). The walls are lines with the usual paper strips of various offerings written in Chinese. The place screams "snack shop", and with good reason, we found that the folks running things in this little shop are from Tianjin, a region which is known for their snacks.  

The menu is a small two sided laminated placard.

The Missus and I immediately saw items we were interested in, though the Missus had to do all the ordering since the nice lady waiting on us did not speak a word of English.

I knew I wanted the Guo Ba Soup ($3.50). I loved the version at the now gone Mei Jia Deli, even though we were dissuaded from ordering it.

For $3.50 we didn't expect much, but this was a pretty hefty bowl of "gravy" topped with slices of "Guo Ba" in this case the crepe portion of the Jiang Bing made from a batter using mung bean and millet flour. For some reason, I really enjoy the sour, fermented flavor of the thick, sickly pinkish-brown broth. This version wasn't as salty as what I've had before which made it even more enjoyable.

It is simple, but substantial fare, as the Guo Ba is pretty heavy and will stay with you for a while. Still, I could have this for breakfast quite often. The thick broth was extremely hot, and stayed that way until we finished the bowl.

Of course the Missus, still full of nostalgia, had to order the Jian Bing Guo Zi. This was a bit of an odd looking Jian Bing:

Instead of being round, and looking sort of burrito like, this was flat.

The odd shape was because of the fried cracker like item which occupied the middle of the Jian Bing, instead of the usual You Tiao (fried cruller). To the Missus, in search of the Jian Bing of Her youth, this made this all wrong.

As did the strange spiciness from the chili paste in the Jian Bing. This was just not very good.

Of course any meal here would not be complete without a few items on sticks. The Missus ordered the Chou Dofu (stinky-tofu – $1.20):

I was downwind when this hit the table, and it was fairly smelly, perhaps not in the "musty, rotten sewage like smell that comes from a dark, damp place" league of Dynasty Plaza or Shau Mei, but it was pretty stink. The Missus, upwind when the plate hit the table wasn't impressed, until a wind shift got Her attention. She declared this ok, but lamented the use of sweet chili sauce instead of the appropriate sauce.

We also ordered a few skewers, 2 Lamb ($1.20/ea), 1 lamb chop ($2.50), and 1 Chicken Gizzard ($1.20):

These weren't really that good, more salty than anything. The meat was tough. I thought the gizzards, and the lamb chop, which had a freezer burnt taste, and was so tough that I felt I was chewing on freezer-burnt flavor gum, was the worst. Extra cumin was provided on the side but was of little or no help.

The lamb flavor was also very mild. Not very good in our opinion.

Still, I'll gladly come back for the Guo Ba Cai…….

818 Shaokao/ JN Kitchen
818 E Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Open 10am – 10pm Daily

During our most recent road trip, after noshing at Qing Dao Bread Food, we decided to give the Missus' Dad's cuisine equal time. My FIL hails from Hunan, which explains the Missus's ability to eat some pretty spicy stuff. My MIL is also able to handle some pretty hot stuff, "tolerance by association" I guess. Our first thought was to drop by Tianjin Bistro, but on a whim the Missus decided that we should have lunch here.

The first thing I noticed when we entered was that a good number of the folks eating were fanning their mouths, an ominous sign, as was all the hissing noises of the folks sucking air through their teeth. One of the Servers is boisterous and outgoing, the other, quiet but very kind. The walls of the restaurant is lined with the ubiquitous colored strips of paper with the various specialties of the house written on them.

As we sat, a little dish of boiled peanuts, and some very briney Hunan Pao Cai (pickled vegetables) arrived at the table.

The pickles lived up to our standard of Hunan cuisine with unabashedly bold flavors. So we were a bit surprised at the very mild millet porridge that arrived at the same time. Having previous experience, we knew that this would provide the perfect prophylaxis for our upcoming meal.

So what to order? Chilli King is known for the Hunan Steamed Fish Head, but you need to order that in advance. So we just went with what caught our fancy.

The first item we went with Steamed Preserved Meat (La Wei He Zheng – $8.99), a classic steamed mixed smoke meat dish.

For me this was not smokey enough in flavor, way too salty, and the meat was mushy, and falling apart. It was nowhere close to the version at Hunan Seafood. The Missus enjoyed it though.

Of course as soon as I saw it, I had to have the Sauteed Lamb (Xiao Chao Yang Rou - $8.99):

The lamb was nice and gamey, the spice was pretty much on my "high side". I thought the ratio of lamb to cilantro was excellent. Do you noticed something? If you've ever noticed, at most Sichuan restaurants, all the chilies are deseeded. Notice all the chili seeds in this dish…..it kind of gives you a hint of the spice level.

Last up, comes the most interesting, and painful dish of the day. The Missus saw a dish on one of the papers flying over our head.

When the Missus ordered it "Big Spicy", the Server, obviously knowing by Her accent that the Missus wasn't from Hunan, told Her, "our medium spicy, is hotter than most BIG spicy". But of course we stuck to our guns. What had we ordered? Suan Do Jiao Chao La Ya ($8.99). This was basically Smoked Duck stir fried with Hunan Pickled Green Beans and Chilies. As she walked away, the woman turned and glanced at me with an "okay, it's your funeral" look.

For me this is an excellent example of the un-apologetically spicy Hunan dish. The smoked duck was nicely flavored. There were two types of chilies in this dish, salt-preserved chilies, and smaller red chilies. Again, check out all the chili seeds! The sour and briney pickled green beans actually heightened the burning sensation. I was okay after two bites….but after three I started sweating, not a big deal, that happens all the time. By my fourth and fifth bites my scalp was tingling, and my mouth felt like an open wound. And then I did it, I drank a cup of hot tea. It was like I poured alcohol on an open wound! Lesson learned, I made sure my tea had cooled off before consuming it. Strange thing was, I was caught up in a heat addiction death spiral. I was snapped out of this by the nice Server, who asked me if I was okay….which sounded strangely like the phrase "do you need CPR"……. As usual we had leftovers. That same evening, I heated this dish in the microwave. When I opened the door, the fumes hit me square in the face and I felt like I had been maced! It was even more spicy! I could only manage two bites, and for some reason my ears started ringing. The next day, I didn't even bother trying to eat the leftovers (loved the lamb though), I knew it would be too much for me. The Missus enjoyed it to the last…….

Of course, on every trip to the SGV, we have a story, so here's the one for this place. We were seated right next to the kitchen door and the counter. While we were eating a short gentleman walked into the restaurant. He was just one of those folks who just kinda makes you laugh. Short, square, animated expression, with his pants pulled up to his nipple line….. He came in and ordered one dish, and tried to pay with a credit card, and was told that there was a minimum purchase of $20 with a credit card. Suddenly, you could make out a few "ticks" and twitches. Faced with this, the man tried to persuade the ladies to let him use his credit card. The Missus kept giggling as he tried different strategies to get his way, trying among other things, flattery ("this is my wife's favorite place"), but was blocked on every end. Finally, he went with his last ace-in-the-hole, the pseudo-guilt trip, "We come here all the time. We live in Irvine, and today I came all the way here to pick up lunch for my wife!" This of course was met with the check-mate "so you come here all the time? Than why would you come all the way from Irvine with only six dollars?" Which of course, instantly insinuated laziness (couldn't go to the ATM), and stupidity (you eat here all the time, and you don't know that there's a $20 minimum for credit cards). Out-trumped the gentleman ordered another dish. Which started up the next discussion. He had ordered on dish "BIG SPICY", and the other "no spicy". Turns out that his wife loves spicy food, but he is unable to tolerate spice! The Missus was cracking up at the way he described the situation……. She told me this is more funny than those Chinese comedies She watches!

As we left the restaurant, I passed a young lady fanning her mouth and inhaling with a hissing noise. I gave her a knowing smile…….I felt (literally) both her pain…and pleasure.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

I definitely wanted something a bit soothing after this meal………