Chinese Restaurants – Page 9

Takeout from Sam Woo and Noble Chef

September 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

Since my last post was somewhat "ducky", I thought I'd keep the streak going with a couple of takeout posts.

Man how long has it been since my last visit to…

Sam Woo:

AKA the "Killer Whale"….if you don't know the story; click on the link, it's at the bottom of the post. I know we've been back since that post in 2005, but even though Cathy has done many posts on Sam Woo; it seems that I've only done that one. Strange…..

SW is not a usual stop for us anyway. But on a recent visit to 99 Ranch Market, the Missus noted that the roast duck looked pretty good.

Sam Woo TO 01

So, we went in and I got a half roast duck, the Missus noted that the char siu looked pretty decent as well, so I got a pound. The woman working the register was so friendly….we're not used to that at Sam Woo!

Anyway, this is what the half duck looked like at home.

Sam Woo TO 02

Man, that skin was so rubbery and the flavor bland. A least the duck wasn't dry and there was so much sauce that I basically soaked the pieces skin side down, then air fried which crisped things out nicely. I liked that this wasn't the overly meaty and dry roast duck we've been getting lately, but the flavor sure was lacking. Good thing we took it to go. I can't imagine having this at the restaurant.

Talk about bland; man the char siu was terrible. It did look good sitting at the steam table though.

Sam Woo TO 03

Much too sweet, lacking in savory-umami tones, waxy and very tough. Not good eats. We were glad I only got a pound!

Not sure when we'll be by the "Killer Whale" again, but I'm pretty sure we won't be getting the char siu…..

Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

After this visit, we were wondering how our old favorite for roast duck, Noble Chef was doing. So, a few days later we did some takeout from….

Noble Chef:

Of course, based on what I had learned from our good friend Candice years ago, it was a dinner time takeout visit.

We got the roast duck.

Noble Chef TO 01

Like our previous visit; the duck seemed much more meaty than before. The skin tasted really good, but was on the rubbery side. But of course it got air fried and things turned around. The meat was fairly bland; if not for the tasty skin, well……

I also did something I would never do before we got our air fryer. I ordered the Salt and Pepper Pork chops to go.

Noble Chef TO 02

Man, this was a huge portion. I brushed off the garlic, scallions, and chilies, then did the air fry thing. I then readded the garlic and stuffs. These seemed a bit thicker cut than before and the meat was edging on dry. But the seasoning was right on point and it was nice and crisp.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

So, have any great roast duck recently? Inquiring minds want to know!

Road Trip – Ji Rong Peking Duck (Rosemead)

September 6, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Memorable Meals, Road Trip

After having rather dismal luck with Bei Jing Kao Ya (北京烤鸭), aka Peking Duck at both Happy Duck House and Array 36, we decided to give it one more try. You know, three strikes and you're out? So, we decided to stay in Monterey Park at our usual place; the Courtyard by Marriott on Atlantic.

Things started out pretty good. When I checked in, I found that I had made some kind of elite status with Marriott and to "celebrate" they decided to upgrade us! Well, we got a huge suite. It was two bedrooms with a living room between the bedrooms.

The place had three bathrooms; of course the Missus had to check out each one to see which She liked best! It even had three mini-fridges!

Way more room than we could possibly use. With just the two of us, one bedroom went unused. But, our favorite part was the huge patio!

Yes, the view is of Atlantic…….

And the seats were dirty; but we liked just hanging out after dinner and we used the cover sheets on the sofas.

It was a nice way to start the evening. Would this be an omen????

Courtyard Los Angeles Monterey Park
555 N Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

For dinner, I chose a place that I'd read good things about Ji Rong Peking Duck, located at the Rosemead end of Valley. I had the Missus call and make reservations for a table and a duck. You need to reserve the duck in advance.

Ji Rong 01

We had made reservations for right when they opened. There are two parking lots straddling the building, which houses 888 Seafood and Shin-Sen-Gumi among other businesses. There was ample parking when we arrived, but the lots were pretty full when we left. The restaurant itself looks fairly plain, a far cry from the craziness of Array 36. The staff are very professional.

Ji Rong 02

So, once we were seated, the staff knew we had reserved a Peking Duck which goes for $85. We also ordered the Soup which was an extra $15. Along with several other dishes.

Ji Rong 03

The standard accoutrements were delivered. Along with some pretty darn good looking duck! After our last few tries we were ready for another "fowl" (sorry, couldn't help it), but this was really good.

Ji Rong 04 Ji Rong 05 It was quite interesting, the skin was separated; the one's that were fattier were on the upper and left hand side; these were crisp with a creamy finish. The skin on the right were more crisp. The leftover skin with fat heated up super well in the air fryer later! The meat was slightly gamey and earthy. All of this went so well with the perfectly made tender, but up to the task pancakes. Which also heated up well using my microwave tortilla warmer.

Ji Rong 06 Ji Rong 07 We saved the two legs for home and they crisped up perfectly. This was so delici-yoso once you create your little "roll-up". In fact, the Missus said this was better than what we'd had at Quan Ju De in Beijing!

The duck bone soup arrived soon after. This version was served without carcass parts, with just some napa cabbage and tofu. It was very "ducky" and had a perfect amount of salt and white pepper.

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Nice a mildly rich, I might have enjoyed this just as much as the duck!

The Hot & Spicy Pig's Feet ($14.98) wasn't very spicy, but had a nice gelatinous texture and was so tender.

Ji Rong 09

It was more on the sweeter side of things, but still had some nice soy tones. This was quite good.

We didn't care much for the Hot & Spicy Pig Stomach ($18.98), which was more spicy than the pig's feet, but really tough.

Ji Rong 10

It was also a bit too salty. Overall, think of eating salty rubber-bands.

The Missus was curious about the Black Fungus with Chinese (Yamaimo) Yam ($15.98).

Ji Rong 11

This was okay. The mountain yam was sliced too thick and there was a true lack of seasoning on this. The Missus actually prefers the version I make at home.

The last dish to arrive was another favorite; the House Spicy Oyster Mushroom ($15.98). This was so good, a great meaty texture, perfectly seasoned.

Ji Rong 12

It was even better as leftovers; as the spice and other flavors intensified, but the great texture held.

Overall, I wonderful meal. We were so happy, that we can't wait to return. If you take a close look, you'll find that other than the duck, most of the other dishes are under $19!

Finally, it seems like we found a place for Bei Jing Kao Ya!

Ji Rong Peking Duck
8450 E Valley Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770

It seems that we got really lucky on this road trip; from getting the room upgrade, to having a wonderful meal at Ji Rong.

Ji Rong 13

I hope our luck holds out when return!

Menu Revisions at Taste of Hunan

August 25, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Yes, I know, I just a post on Taste of Hunan back in May. But, since our first revisit in years back in April, it's been a favorite of the Missus, and we've been returning every other week or so. And, in July, I went to do a takeout order and noticed that the menu had been revised, there were several new dishes added, and several, like the "Stir Fried Pork Lard with Green Pepper" were no longer on the menu.

So, I thought I might as well do another post before the menu changes again and highlight some of our favorite newer menu items.

Let's begin things with what happened on that takeout visit. I went and ordered the Minced Pork with Pickled String Beans as part of my order. When I got home and the Missus opened the container She looked at me angrily and said "why did you order the sliced chicken gizzards with pickled string beans, you know I don't like that, I specifically told you to get the pork!" I told Her that I ordered the pork, but She didn't believe me.

Anyway, on our next visit, we decided to dine in and I pointed out the item on the menu. It was the only one with pickled string beans.

Taste of Hunan Rev 01

The Missus looked at me and said; "see, it says chicken gizzard!" I told Her no, it says minced pork. Well, apparently it says chicken gizzards in Chinese….but I don't read Chinese! Sigh.

Anyway, from that point on we've basically dined in at Taste of Hunan, ordering 3-4 dishes and taking the leftovers home where I stir fry veggies on the Big Kahuna.

Here are a few of our favorites, along with some ordering notes when applicable.

My favorite dish is the Xiangxi Style Beef Entrails.

Taste of Hunan Rev 03 Taste of Hunan Rev 03b Man, when the tripe is right it is so buttery as is the tendon. The other cuts of cow are so beefy. This has some decent spice. The key is to eat it at the restaurant and let it sit over the heating element for a while before giving it a good mix. It'll sizzle away and the onions at the bottom will get soft and creamy and absorb all the beefy-spicey goodness.

The Stir Fried Chicken with Pickled Radish is another favorite of ours.

Taste of Hunan Rev 05

The key here is to get it with boneless chicken, it's more meaty and tasty, and you can put it away faster without getting slinters of bone stuck in your gums. You can order the chicken without bones. Also, be aware of the large slices of ginger. You might think that's some pickled radish and you'll be in for a surprise. Funny thing is; I've gotten used to eating large chunks of ginger and kind of enjoy it now! Decent spice, nice sour-acidity.

If you want to get "Wild" (Cherry) and "Play that Funky Music", definitely get the Braised Pork Intestines.

Taste of Hunan Rev 06

On occasion it's been quite buttery and tender.

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Even when it's not super tender, it's "offal-y" good.

The Missus likes the Braised Pork with Quail Eggs.

Taste of Hunan Rev 08

She loves those little molten orbs of lava which are the quail eggs which have been slightly boiled, the yolks are usually soft, and then fried. Be careful!

Taste of Hunan Rev 09

This really isn't Hunan as it lacks spice. The pork belly is very swiney and it's on the sweeter end of the scale almost Su Cai. It's great as leftovers on a bowl of rice.

Of course not everything was a hit with us. The Beef Brisket with Sweet Potato Noodle was so-so.

Taste of Hunan Rev 10

The meat was very beefy, but too chewy, the noodle sheets mushy, and the broth on the bland-sweeter side of things.

The Steamed Tofu and Fish Filet with Chilies was ok. The tofu was nice and silken, but the fish was mushy.

Taste of Hunan 00b

And sometimes, even our standbys miss the mark. On this visit, the Tea Smoked Duck was quite good.

Taste of Hunan 00

But on our most recent visit; the duck was dry, tough, and rubbery. And the skin was like eating saran wrap.

We did notice that we don't find the dishes here to be overly salty. And our new favorite dishes above have always been good the 3-4 (or more) times we've had them. Though it's always been for dining in.

Taste of Hunan Rev 11

And while I do miss the stir fried pork lard, the beef entrails have always been good. It's our new favorite. Hope you enjoy Taste of Hunan!

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St.
San Diego, CA 92131

Honolulu – Returning to 8 Fat Fat 8 and a Nightcap at Agave & Vine

August 16, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Cocktails, Honolulu, Oahu, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

After our stroll and my interesting encounter at Ala Moana Park we headed off to dinner. We had reservations for a more hip and popular place the following night, so when I asked the Missus what She wanted for dinner, She said "8 Fat Fat 8"! Really! I think She was thinking of me since, as I noted in my post from 12 years ago, I had been a customer from when the place opened in 1985. And even after I moved away, I would still drop by for Pau Hana Time when I was "home". And as I noted in that earlier post, even the Missus enjoyed Her visits there. Still, it had been almost 12 years since my last visit, so this was going to be interesting. We walked on over from the Ala Moana Hotel.

I was quite happy to see that the Midas Muffler is still next door, Times and Grace's across the street. Sometimes, things like that bring on nice memories and a feeling of comfort.

It was a Thursday around 430 and the place was very quiet. The nice guy working told me that Mary, the daughter of the late owner Sy wasn't working this evening.

As I mentioned before, when I'm here, it's full "local mode" for me and I'll be getting a Bud Light "bucket ice". You don't mess with tradition.

In case you're wondering what a Bud Light is going for at 8 Fat, these days……

Yep, it's a whole four bucks! The Missus had a glass of the House White ($6), which She said wasn't bad.

I just had to get some Crispy Gau Gee ($10).

Well, this was even better than what I'd had the last time. Perfectly fried and crisp, the filling was moist, with great pork and shrimp tones. The Missus has never been a fan of this dish; but it's the style of Chinese Food I grew up with, so it was a nice taste down memory lane.

The Missus wanted some veggies so we ordered the Ong Choy ($10).

Man, talk about the generous portion! Stir fried nicely, still crisp, great chlorophyllic flavors, the garlic added a nice pungent counter point.

And of course we had to get the signature Fat Fat Chicken ($15).

The Missus loved this. It was one of Her favorites way back when and I guess it still is. Crispy skin, good salt and pepper (and probably msg), tender meat. I'd forgotten how good this is!

We talked to I believe his name is Reagan and I mentioned some of the regulars from back in the day. Many have passed and he told me that most of those regulars stopped coming after Covid. Kinda sad, but then I started seeing folks arriving, so it looks like a whole new generation of folks have adopted the place.

Yes, it's divey, but for me it feels like home! And I was happy to finally be back here; and apparently the Missus was too. Because according to the Missus, this was Her favorite meal of the trip!

8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille
1327 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96814

We took our after dinner "walk" back to the hotel. Once there, we decided to get a nightcap. Earlier that day, when we picked up lunch at the Lanai in Ala Moana Center, we noticed a bar in that food court. We decided to check it out. It's named Agave & Vine and they were pretty busy on this Thursday evening.

The bartender seemed to know quite a few of the customers. There were folks bringing food from other stalls and restaurants over to eat, have a drink, and perhaps watch some sports.

I decided to try the Bad Decisions ($12).

Not bad, not watered down, nice citrusy tones, the Blanco came thru nicely. The Missus enjoyed Her glass of wine.

It was a nice little stop right across the bridge from the hotel.

Agave & Vine (In the Lanai – Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814

Once in our room, I sat on the patio, just enjoying the city lights.

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It was great to be "home"!

Thanks for stopping by!

Midweek Meanderings – Looks like Zen Curry is Becoming Curry Club, Fish With You coming to Convoy, New Owners for Tsuruhashi, and Other Stuffs

July 31, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Japanese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Just a quick midweek post on a nice, and much cooler Wednesday!

Looks like Zen Curry is permanently closed becoming Curry Club:

**** Update 8/1 – Thanks to some great work by "FOY" Elle (see comments section) Zen Curry is becoming "Curry Club". Here's a link to the Instagram Account. Thanks as always Elle!

Well, this one has been a mystery for a while. I recall first seeing the "temporarily closed" sign back in July 2023. So, just for kicks I went into the parking lot which also houses Katsu Cafe and Yuk Dae Jang and guess what? The Zen Curry sign is gone!

The same sign saying to check their website is posted.

The website still says "Reopening TBD".

Screenshot 2024-07-31 164219

But I would assume that no sign means no reopening???

Perhaps one of our "FOYs" might know? As noted above; per Elle, Zen Curry is becoming Curry Club. Like I always say, this blog would not exist without all you "Friends of yoso"!

7309 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Fish With You coming to Convoy:

Sometimes just waiting to post something works out right. After my lunch at Izakaya Sakura I took a walk around the strip mall to see what was going on. I quickly noticed that Shen Tan BBQ had closed.

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The Change of Ownership sign indicated something named Wei's Fish was taking its place.

Fast forward a week and the the Eater did a post. Looks like this will be part of chain from Beijing whose name in the US is Fish With You. When I showed the Missus the website She got quite excited. You know how much She loves Suan Cai, right? Well, this chain specializes in Suan Cai Yu. Basically, boiled fish with pickled cabbage, which the Missus loves.

It's going to be interesting!

3904 Convoy St Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like Tsuruhashi has new ownership?:

While walking back to the car, I noticed a Change of Ownership sign in the window of Tsuruhashi.

Looks like it'll still be Tsuruhashi though.

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Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Finally:

My food friend "CY" asked me if I was attending the San Diego Taiwanese Festival? Huh? You know how much the Missus and I love Taiwan!

After checking out the link and additional info from a few sources, I found that it's more of a Cultural Festival brought to you by Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP), then a food festival, but it still looks like fun. I'm not sure if you know, but one of San Diego's Sister Cities is Taichung. It is taking place at Torrey Hills Park, 4260 Calle Mejillones from 2pm to 5pm this Saturday, August 3rd. I believe you need to RSVP to attend.

Looks like lots of activities for kids and such.

San Diego Taiwan Festival
Saturday, August 3, 2024 – 2pm – 5pm
Torrey Hills Park, 4260 Calle Mejillones, San Diego, CA

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Bopomofo Cafe – A Grand Opening Quick Look (the Food)

July 30, 2024 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chinese Restaurants, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

**** Well, much like my post on the recently opened Zhengxin Chicken Steak, this was kind of a spur of the moment stop.

The Missus and I were talking about our trip to Taiwan, we'd had such a great time. That's when I made mention of Bopomofo's Grand Opening in San Diego. We've passed Bopomofo so many times in the SGV, it's in the same strip mall as Golden Deli on Las Tunas Drive, where our favorite location of Tasty Noodle House used to reside and had always seem busy. So, of course, now the Missus was interested. I had heard of crazy lines and such, so I told Her we'd wait for a while before visiting, but She insisted on me checking things out.

So, I said I'd drive by when the place opened and if there was a line I'd bail. Well, guess what? It was right at 11 and there was no line!

Bopomofo 01

Sigh…..

So, I decided to head on in and it turned out I was the fourth person in line! I wasn't going to be getting any tea or boba here; that's the Missus's thing. I looked over the food offerings.

Bopomofo 02

Like the Eater's post mentioned, there's a good deal of fusiony items on the menu. And hailing from one of the hotbeds of "regional fusion", I've come to believe that "base/foundation" dishes are just as, or even more critical than the fusion stuffs. So, before trying out the Beef Noodle Soup Sandwich or the Mapo Tots, I thought I should try the Lu Rou Fan and the Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken. But, on a interesting note; the guy behind me started chatting me up and he recommended the Hainan Chicken Tacos. So, I thought why not?

I placed my to-go order, paid, and waited. By the time I paid and walked to the stand up table to wait, the line was creeping to the door.

Bopomofo 03

It did take 40 minutes for my to-go order, so I'm glad I went early. By the time I left, the line was out the door.

So, here's what I unpacked at home.

Bopomofo 04

First up, the Hainan Chicken Tacos ($13.75). These were kinda tiny tacos for almost $14.

Bopomofo 05 Bopomofo 06 The tacos were served on blue corn tortillas, that were very dry, tough, and really didn't add anything to the dish. Likewise the sweet chili sauce provided.

I first tasted the chicken itself, which was not bad; though on the dry side; the "fowl-ly" ginger tones came thru nicely. But it was just lost when using the sauce and the cardboard like tortillas just made things blander.

As for the Lu Rou Fan ($14), you can tell this ain't Taiwan by the prices right? Well, I wasn't expecting Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice. And this wasn't close, but it wasn't terrible.

Bopomofo 07

In terms of texture, the pork was on the tougher side, the rice was hard and dry, and they actually stretched things out with mushroom, which isn't a bad option. The mustard greens really woke you up since it was super bitter. The egg was warm, perfectly cooked, and seasoned. The flavor of the pork was quite anise-cinnamon forward and a bit on the saltier side of things.

Bopomofo 09

Overall, not bad, but I'm not sure if this is worth $14.

And finally, the Popcorn Chicken ($12.50), I chose the "classic version" with dark meat (of course) chicken. I thought this was a decent portion for the price.

Bopomofo 10

Sadly, the chicken had lost all it's crispness during the drive home. It was also on the dry side of the scale. Even after doing the air fryer "revive" step, it was still not as crisp as I like. Like the pork, this was a bit on the salty side of things; but I was happy to note that a decent, peppy pepperiness and the flavor of basil; not sure how that was since there was but a string of fried basil in the box, came Bopomofo 11 thru nicely. I believe the the version from Soup du Jour (funny, I thought I did a post on the place, but I guess not?) is better both in texture and flavor.

The staff here were very nice. Wait times and such are rather long right now, but I'll attribute that to being newly opened. It seems, with places like Zhengxin and the soon to (hopefully) open Juewei, Convoy is in its next phase with these fast-casual places that are more targeted to the younger generation. I'm hoping that Convoy district will still cultivate mom-and-pop restaurants though.

As for Bopomofo; my next visit will have to wait, as I didn't think the food was enough to deal with the crowds. Unless of course, the Missus want to get Her tea/boba fix here.

Bopomofo Cafe
7951 Othello Ave. Suite 106
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 8pm
Sat – Sun 12pm – 8pm

Bopomofo 01b

Sieu Sieu BBQ Revisited

July 25, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

Recently, the Missus was wanting some roast duck. All the usual suspects came to mind. But, for some reason, I was wondering how Sieu Sieu BBQ was doing. We used to go to Sieu Sieu back when they were in Linda Vista and our last visit was back back in 2018, my does time fly. And so I headed on over to Sieu Sieu.

Sieu Sieu Rev 01

Much has changed since the days of Covid. There's no more noodle soup on the menu nor is there a dine in option. These days it's all takeout.

Sieu Sieu Rev 03

It was quite interesting as I arrived right at opening time on a Sunday and there were actually two "old timers"….well, I probably qualify as an "old timer" these days….ahead of me. It was interesting to see what they ordered.

Sieu Sieu Rev 04

The two of them ordered the roast pork and the pickled mustard greens.

Sieu Sieu Rev 05_b

So, I got some roast pork, cut to order, and mustard greens, along with a half duck.

When I got home and decamped what I had bought. Well, I liked the mustard greens, but the Missus didn't appreciate the slight sweetness. I also noticed that there was pork intestine in this. A great bonus for me, but if you're not into it…well….

Sieu Sieu Rev 06

For me, this is wonderful side dish.

As for the Roast Pork. Well, it was so tender and juicy, full of flavor. But we didn't care for the way it was chopped.

Sieu Sieu Rev 07

Since part of the enjoyment of Chinese roast pork is the skin, and because it been obliterated into fragments when chopped, we could not enjoy the porky crunchiness of the pork. I'd also advise you to eat this in a timely manner as it gets drier and tougher over time. If they would chop this in a more thoughtful manner, it would be a real winnah!

As for the roast duck.

Sieu Sieu Rev 08 Sieu Sieu Rev 09 Well, the flavor was on the milder side. The skin kind of rubbery. It did better brushed with the jus and put into our air fryer. It was, as with many versions of roast duck these days, very meaty, but quite dry.

Well, it was great following those "old timers" here. That roast pork was really good, if they'd just chop it right. As for the duck; well, I'll just move on. Still, it was nice revisiting Sieu Sieu after all these years.

Sieu Sieu Rev 10

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 930am – 630pm
Closed on Monday

Road Trip – Array 36 (Temple City)

July 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Fine Dining, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel

Way back in March, the Missus had requested a specific road trip. We'd be taking our time to our destination. We first stayed in Carlsbad and had a fine dinner at Jeune et Jolie, after our morning coffee and some breakfast we headed to the SGV. As usual, we stayed the night at the Courtyard at Monterey Park and had made reservations for a restaurant in Temple City. I know what you're thinking, "sigh, is Kirk going to do yet another post on Bistro Na's?" Well FOYs, I'll give you a break from that for now, ok? I had read about a restaurant that opened in Temple City in October of last year. The place had Shanghainese influenced dishes along with an $98 Roast Duck dish carved tableside, which had to be ordered ahead of time. I'd read that the renovation of the restaurant, named Array 36 cost over 3 million dollars, with the goal of setting a new level of fine dining for Chinese cuisine in Los Angeles. So, of course we had to try things out.

I made reservations for 5pm, right when the place opened.

As we entered, the haunting moodiness of the restaurant engulfed us.

There's a huge hologram of a whale projected on the wall. It's quite a trippy scene.

We looked over the menu and placed our order. Soon enough, a serving of Kai Wei Cai, those little before meal snacks that are supposed to "open up the stomach" arrived.

The beans were quite nice; but it was the pungent-sour-mildly spicy laba garlic that we enjoyed. This was a great start to the meal.

Of course we needed to try the duck. There as no way we'd be able to finish a whole duck, so no "flaming fowl", the tableside torched and carved duck. No we went with the half roast duck ($68).

Which came with all the standard accessories. The fat had been rendered nicely, but the skin was not as crisp and delicate as we like. The flavor was quite mild and the meat tough and dry.

The dan bing, those "pancakes" one enrobes the duck and accoutrements with were large, thicker then we like and on the chewy side for our taste.

There's a version of Dragon Well Shrimp on the menu, something we really love. We still talk about the wonderful version we had all those years ago at Jiangnan Restaurant in Beijing. It's called Stir Fried River Shrimp on the English menu. We got a small order which was $58.

Man, this was bad. The shrimp was overcooked and tough, was too salty, and lacked depth of flavor.

We also ordered the House Special Smoked Plank Pork ($28).

The pork was on the chewier side of the scale, a bit too sweet for our taste, but heck, this was Shangainese influenced so that makes sense. Mild smokiness, decent pork tones. Not bad.

The last dish would prove to be a winnah! The Beef Fried Rice with Black Truffle ($22).

This was quite possibly the best fried rice I'd had in a while. While there was just a wisp of black truffle flavor; the rice was perfectly cooked and coated, the seasoning a nice balance of salt and savory.

At least the meal ended on a high note. The service as excellent, the interior a world of it's own. But in the end, it's about the food, and sorry to say, in spite of watching that hologram whale swimming on the wall across us, I don't think the dinner was worth the $200 price tag.

Array 36
5449 Rosemead Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Road Trip – Happy Duck House (City of Industry)

July 12, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

After our stay in Buellton and having lunch at Bell's, we decided to stay the night in our old 'hood of Rowland Heights. We'd do some shopping, do takeout from Mountain House, and then have dinner in the area. One of the places I'd read about over the last couple of years was Happy Duck House, which had opened on Gale just west of Fullerton Road back in around 2015. After all our previous meals on this trip, the Missus would be wanting some Asian cuisine, so we thought this would do.

We had early reservations and the place was pretty mellow when we arrived.

After perusing the menu, we went with the Peking Duck three ways ($89), Duck Wings ($6.95), and some stir fried Ong Choi ($16.95). Yes, this wasn't going to be a cheap dinner.

Soon enough the accoutrements arrived and all looked well.

Then the Duck Feet, which were supposed to be seasoned with five spice.

I say supposed, because this was very lightly seasoned. When highly flavored it's fun gnawing on "ducky" goodness, but this was strangely bland.

The duck skin arrived soon after.

The dan bing, the pancakes to wrap the duck in was really good, great texture, nice and warm.

The duck skin however was not. The skin was on the rubbery side, the subcutaneous fat had not been rendered, and it lacked flavor, as did the duck meat which was also dry. This was strangely one of the blandest versions of Bei Jing Kao Ya we've ever had!

We each made one "wrap" and just quit.

We ended up taking the meat and the "skin" home, where I went and made fried rice with the meat, adding in a bit of the skin which I crisped up. As for the rest of the skin, I went ahead and brushed the skin with a combination of melted duck fat and five spice and did the air fryer thing, which helped a bit.

We loved the texture of the Bean Sprouts with Duck Meat.

The texture of the Bean Sprouts were excellent, they obviously know how to stir fry. However, there just wasn't enough duck meat to make a difference in flavor. The meat was tough and bland and they should have just used most of what was provided for the wrap to bump up the flavor here.

The one item that we really enjoyed was the Ong Choi which was stir fried to perfection.

This was the one dish that was seasoned well, enough salt and white pepper to enhance the slightly sweet-bitter vegetal flavor of the water spinach. The texture was just perfect, crisp, yet tender.

The last dish out was the Duck Bone Soup, which, like the preceding duck dishes was severely under seasoned and watery.

This was quite thin and in need of more flavor.

Overall, the service was quite good, but while the Ong Choi was excellent, the name of the place is Happy Duck House, not Happy Ong Choi House. And the duck dishes were all disappointing.

Well, at least we tried the place out. You can't win 'em all……

Happy Duck House
18210 East Gale Ave.
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Zhengxin Chicken Steak (Convoy), a Quick Look

July 10, 2024 mmm-yoso Chains, Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

This was just a spur of the moment stop, but I thought I'd share it with you all…….

We were driving down Convoy, when I noticed that Zhengxin Chicken Steak, which I had just noticed last month had opened! I'd neither heard nor read anything about that. I pointed the place out to the Missus who knew it was a major chain from China and since that crazy parking lot (actually, most of the parking lots on Convoy fit that category these days as the bike lanes have diminished street parking) was barely half full. It wasn't meal time, but the Missus wanted to have a look.

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As we entered, I pointed out the menu behind the counter, with all the fried goodies, but the Missus was focused on something else.

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All the skewers…. The young man working was so very nice and explained that the skewers were fried up and the special "seasoning powder" was used on them.

We decided to order a couple as a "snack". I was told about a 6-7 wait, so I had a seat, only one table was occupied at this off hour, while the Missus went to check out Iceskimo next door.

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When my order was ready, the young man actually walked out and handed it to me! Such a nice guy. He also asked if we wanted "extra powder". I told him that we'd try things out as ordered and if we liked it we'd be back. He laughed and said "I hope you enjoy it!"

And so, arriving home for our afternoon snack. We had ordered Chicken Skin (of course), Gizzards, Lamb, all priced at $1.99 and a Chicken Wing, which I thought was strangely priced at $5.99, but was huge.

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The scent of cumin was clearly present.

I had thought that the Chicken Skin wouldn't hold out on the drive home, but it was still pleasantly textured, the powder has a bit of smoky-mild spice, and we really enjoyed it. It just carried the flavor of the spices well.

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The lamb was gamey, cuminy, and fairly tender, quite good. The spices really came thru well on the crunchy-poultry-fried gizzards. While the Missus enjoyed the huge wing, I thought it a bit on the tough side and somewhat bland. Though it could be that I had the lamb right before trying the wing. At $5.99, I'll probably pass on that in the future.

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And I agree with the young man; some extra seasoning powder would be nice; especially since none of this was especially salty.

This was a nice, pleasant surprise. We really didn't expect much from yet "another chain", but we like the flavoring and the service was wonderful. I'll return to try the "chicken steak" soon; though I don't think the Missus will want to deviate from the skewers.

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I know, I usually do multiple visits before doing a post, but this was a pleasant surprise so I thought I'd share it with you. So, hopefully you don't mind a post on Zhengxin Chicken "stick".

And, if you do drop by Zhengxin Chicken Steak, let me know what you think!

Zhengxin Chicken Steak
4609 Convoy St. #C
San Diego, CA 92111

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Thanks for stopping by!