Road Trip – Page 43

5 Days of Feasting Day 3 – Road Trip, Sushi Komasa (LA)

May 30, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Komasa has closed

After two pretty good meals at China Max and Izakaya Sakura, the Missus decided that she still wanted some sushi from Her favorite little restaurant in Little Tokyo, Sushi Komasa. My original post on Sushi Komasa was done way back on May 27th of last year. As a matter of fact, it was my second post. Since much is still the same, I'll try to spare you most of the details.

One of the really good things about Sushi Komasa is the late closing time of 11pm. A word of caution though, we've found that an 11pm closing time means an 11pm closing time. On many occasions the last seating will take place at about 1020pm or so, after which the closed sign will be posted, and "Komasa" will be "turned off".

We usually get the same ol', same ol' thing at Komasa, and are absolutely content. The Missus loves the Albacore, and usually gets the Albacore Sashimi($12):

Tonight the Albacore was among the best I've had here. So very moist, and meaty. Most delici-yoso!!! The Missus kept looking at the slices of Albacore going, "look at how juicy it is, look at how moist it is". Geeez, sometimes I just can't take Her anywhere!

Komasa also dishes up consistently good Ankimo, though not on the menu, it is usually available.

Tonight's version was oh so very rich and creamy, and the ponzu and cucumbers helped to cut the richness.

Of course we get a variety of Nigiri sushi(most priced around $3.80). Let's see, on this evening we had 4 orders Albacore(for who else???), 2 order Hamachi(yellowtail), 2 orders Maguro(tuna), 2 orders Hirame(flounder), and 1 order Tai(snapper). As we hand over our sushi order, we usually get, the "I think this is too much", comment. To which our response is, "don't worry, we're hungry"………. And we've never failed to finish everything, except the oshibori(the hot towel), of course.

The Hamachi at Komasa is usually very good, and tonight was no exception. The Tai was also very good. I'd say the Maguro was decent to good, though a little lower in grade then usual. The Hirame was a bit on the dry side. I usually enjoy my nigiri sushi with just the barest touch of soy sauce, so I can truly appreciate(or not) the texture and flavors. According to the Missus, the Albacore nigiri was every bit as good as the Sashimi. Why order more Albacore you may ask? The Missus enjoys the rice, grated ginger, and green onions on the nigiri, and heck it's (one of) Her night(s).

I'm not much of a "roll" person, but the Missus enjoys the Soft-Shell Crab roll at Komasa($8):

Quite filling and rich, and full of contrasting textures. I ate one piece and was stuffed.

We left Komasa satisfied, until our next visit, which will probably be quite soon. Komasa serves up good sushi at decent prices, we demolished everything, and our bill came out to about $70. Though I really love the Sashimi at Sushi Gen, I prefer the Nigiri Sushi at Komasa. Sushi Komasa also seems to be getting much more popular with Los Angeles Food Bloggers, recently Pam from Daily Gluttony also visited Sushi Komasa, as did Jeni from Oishii Eats, please check out their posts.

Sushi Komasa
352 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA
213-680-1792

Open Tuesday-Sunday 530pm – 11pm

Tomorrow it's back to San Diego!!

Road Trip: Yai Restaurant – Los Angeles

May 8, 2006 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Movies, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants

We made a quick "road trip" to Los Angeles this past Sunday, and were really excited about our destination which was in the Hollywood area. Mainly because Los Angeles is the home of the first "Thai Town" in the United States. We had only visited this area two or three times while still living in LA, and we were amazed at the business growth since we last visited nearly 5 years ago.

Our destination was a small non-descript Restaurant tucked away in a slightly seedy and gritty corner mini-mall. Hidden behind and to the right of a 7-11 is Yai Restaurant.

Now to get it straight, Yai, is a no frills, no ambiance, no white table cloth restaurant. The main focus here is the food. And what Yai lacks in any decor, it makes up in very well made and flavorful dishes. The parking lot can be a challenge, because of size, and also the popular Peruvian Restaurant next door. So we timed our arrival, and got to Yai at about 330pm.

At this hour the restaurant was fairly empty, but oh, the smells! We had a very difficult time determining what we were going to order, but after some thought ordered 3 dishes from the menu, and 1 from the "greaseboard" of specials. As we sat and waited we assaulted by all the wonderful smells of our food cooking. We were absolutely famished since we hadn’t eaten anything all day.

The first dish to arrive was the BBQ Duck with Chili and Garlic($7.95):

Now one of the problems I have with ordering these type of duck dishes is that the duck is usually a combination of dry, fatty, with splinters of bones making each bite a possible hazard. But worse of all the rich duck flavor is muted by either lousy duck, lousy preparation, or a really bad sauce. This was none of the above. The duck was moist, not too fatty, and the rich flavor of the duck came through. This was true, even though the sauce had a very strong somewhat sweet, garlicky, salty, and spicy flavor. I could eat this(and a bowl of rice) daily. A really good dish. It made me wonder what the Pork Leg with Chili and Garlic tasted like.

The Jungle Curry with Shrimp($8.95):

For those not familiar with Jungle Curry, I think of it as a red curry that doesn’t use coconut milk, which can sometimes mute the galangal-lemongrass flavor. Jungle Curry in many cases also uses a larger amount of chilies, and boy was that true in this case. Even though we ordered the dish "medium", there was no subtle layering of heat. This one was in your face, burning a path from your lips down your throat. The heat nullified most all the other flavors. What I did enjoy were the perfectly cooked and plump shrimp. I was also over-joyed to find Thai Eggplant in the dish. Now I can tolerate alot of spicy food, but this one was quite hot!

The Black Egg Pow($7.95):

Now I’m not quite sure how the Missus sniffed this dish out, though she loves preserved duck egg. I’d also never heard of this dish before, so we ordered it. After doing this for almost a year, dishes that make me go "wow" are few and far between, but this was a definite Wow. It seems that the preserved egg is first fried to create an outer crust, then quartered and mixed with a stir fry of julienned peppers, then topped with fried basil leaves which give it an additional sweet-herbaceous "crunch". Now the menu says the sauce is a chili-garlic sauce, but it does not resemble the sauce with the BBQ Duck at all. I could just eat the sauce and rice and be perfectly happy. The Missus between bites told me "suan tian ku la xian". In Mandarin a perfect balance of sour, sweet, bitter, hot(we ordered medium), and salty. The duck egg was slightly crisp from the frying, and creamy and rich. A perfect spoonful would look something like:

Delici-yoso!!!

The last dish was the Red Curry with Sole($8.95):

We ordered this dish "medium" in heat, and again it nearly blew my doors off, and the julienned ginger actually made the dish even more hot. I also wished that the sole had been dusted with flour and deep fried better to seal in the the natural flavor and moisture of the fish. As it was served it was somewhat flaky and dry. Though not a bad dish, I’ll skip it next time. It was interesting, all of that Thai, Laotian, and Sichuan food, and the stuff here was probably among the hottest I’ve had!

As we finished up, a large party of students, a large family, and few other parties had arrived, and Yai was hopping:

I’d say they really know a good thing! Good prices, good food, and efficient service….say no more.

Yai Restaurant
5757 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

A quick non-food post-script

The reason we were in LA, and Hollywood for that matter was to see a movie. Now not just any movie. But the creation of the persona we know as DietChiliCheeseFries. His alter-ego known as Ron Co-Directed and Wrote a very, very funny "dramedy" called Asian Stories (Book III), a full length feature that is both funny and touching, and has a great(that’s the Missus talking Ron) ending! You done great, man!

So if you have a chance to see the film, please check it out. I’m hoping it comes to the San Diego Asian Film Festival, so I can check it out again.

You’ll be amazed to know that the film was created by Ron and Kris Chin, who from what I understand graduated from the Barnes & Noble School of Filmaking! Amazing…..

BTW, the theaters at Directors Guild of America are pretty awesome, and the VC Filmfest 2006 made an excellent decision in picking up the film, which did sell out. 600 people can’t be wrong!

Asian Stories (Book III)

Road Trip: Happy Harbor Restaurant – Rowland Heights(Los Angeles)

April 19, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

A few months back I read Elmo’s post on Sea Harbor Restaurant on His wonderfully written Food Blog, Monster Munching. I even made to sure to stop by on a earlier visit, just to check it out and could not believe the crowd. A few months ago I heard that Sea Harbor had now become Happy Harbor, but that the Dim Sum remained pretty much the same. I emailed Elmo, and he confirmed that from He understood, Happy Harbor had retained the entire staff. So Happy Harbor became a "must try" on this trip.

We arrived before 10am and were silently "waved to" out table, and handed a picture menu and order sheet. The Dim Sum at Happy Harbor is done "menu style", so there was no jostling around, waiting around for carts "only-the-strong-and-hungry-will-survive-every-table-for-themselves" Dim Sum battles. Also, because the Dim Sum here is ordered off the menu, all Dim Sum strategy is thrown out the window. The key strategy being "timing", which is to plan your arrival early enough to beat the major crowds, but late enough so that the "good stuff" has already made it onto the carts. Arriving too early would often times mean that much of the "good stuff" would not have made it’s way onto the carts yet. None of that today for us, since we’re assured of getting whatever we wanted no matter how early we arrived.

Happyharbor02

There are some interesting menu choices at Happy Harbor(no Duck’s Tongue, though). Happy Harbor serves up what I call "New Style" (or Nuevo) Dim Sum, the sometimes innovative and interesting dishes that other popular Dim Sum places such as New Concept and Mission 261 now serve up. We placed our order and the server silently walked up, and picked up the order sheet and whisked it away. I could not get over how quiet the combination of sleepy looking customers and totally silent, stoic, Servers were. Somebody on another table sneezed, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I turned to the Missus and told Her, "I feel like I’m having Dim Sum at the library", fully expecting to be "shushed" by some ruler wielding Spinster.

Soon enough, our dishes started arriving. The first item arriving were the Vermicelli Noodles with Taro and Duck($8.80). I thought it odd that the noodles were served before everything else:

Fried sticks of taro, and slices of duck stir fried with vermicelli, the taro providing a sometimes unexpected "chew" to the dish. Not a bad dish, not oily, though nothing really great about it.

Shrimp and Chive Dumpling:

The shrimp was very, very, fresh, having retained a wonderful mild crunch, and flavor slightly sweet and briny. I could have used a bit more chive, but call it my crude desire for a bit of "oomph". The dumpling wrappers were on the brittle side, though this was a perfectly fine dumpling. Not Earth-shattering, but good.

Shrimp Cheong Fun:

The Missus and I looked at this when it silently floated to our table, and the first thought in our collective minds was; "geez, it looks like the plastic food in the windows of ramen houses". The sweet soy sauce, was delivered on the side, which I thought was a very nice touch. The shrimp was again top notch, no overt gummy cornstarch texture and flavor. The noodle severely lacked "pull", I want my cheong fun to have some pull, and a bit of chewiness to it. This version tore too easy.

Xiao Long Bao:

The Missus enjoyed the Xiao Long Bao, though I thought there was too little soup, and too much meat. The flavors were very nice; sweet and rich porky goodness. I wish there was more broth. This was served with simple black vinegar on the side. I liked the thickness and chewiness of the wrappers; not too thin, not too thick.

"Shark Fin – Phoenix Eye" Dumpling:

This reminded me of Terry Malloy from On the Waterfront saying; "I coulda been a contender." And it truly would’ve been. First off, most "Shark Fin" dumplings, do not have real shark fin, bean thread or something similar is used. This baby had strands of Shark Fin on it, though this amount of shark fin would not really affect the dumpling much, it provided some nice "eye candy". Under the shark fin laces was a wonderfully sweet slice of scallop, below which was a fairly large amount of perfectly cooked(again!!!) and very fresh shrimp. Talk about delici-yoso!!! The wrappers were the problem, they were very gummy, and sticky, tearing and sticking to everything, it was impossible to remove them from the dish intact, thus the dumplings never made it to our mouth in one piece, but a series of bites which detracted from what would have been one of the best Dim Sum dishes I’d have ever had. It coulda been a contender……

Pan-Fried Spinach Bun with Chicken and Shrimp:

The most interesting looking dish we had all day. A spinach steamed bun, is pan fried. Dig the groovy green! I thought it rather strange to be served with sweet-sour sauce, but it did work! The bun was so nice and fluffy, and not too sweet, with the caramelizing providing a nice mild crunch. I really couldn’t taste spinach, but the filling of chicken and shrimp, though on the mild side, worked in conjunction with the sweet sour sauce. Go figure! These were very good.

And the grand finale, Szechuan Style Goose Liver Wontons ($16.80 for 12):

Silently brought to the table and served. I don’t know quite what to say, other then delici-yoso!!! Each wonton was comprised of large half slices of shrimp(yes, again), with two to three little slivers of powerfully rich goose liver. Anymore goose liver would have made them too rich to eat. The broth was a simple stock flavored with chili oil, and there was an interesting amount of Sichuan Peppercorn as well(the little black dots). So rich, we could only finish 3 wontons a piece.

The only thing I’d do differently would be to order the "French style" Goose wonton, instead of the Szechuan style. I think simpler, clear broth would be better next time, and there will be a next time!

All told our bill came to $48, and the noodles and wontons comprised half of the bill. But I’m not going to give up those wontons. As we left the restaurant, the noise level had picked up, since tables were starting to get filled. But the strange thing is, from walking into the restaurant, to the delivery of take-out containers, to paying our check, not a word had been uttered to us by any Employee at Happy Harbor…..I guess they must be happy beyond words??? All hail silent Dim Sum service, another first for me courtesy of Happy Harbor.

Happy Harbor Restaurant
1015 Nogales St
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Here are some really lousy menu photos:

Road Trip: Kingswood Teppan Steak House – Rowland Heights(Los Angeles)

April 18, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

***** Kingswood has closed

Since it was pouring rain, and fairly cool, we thought a nice Hot Pot (Huo Guo) dinner would "hit the spot". We thought about the really popular Little Sheep Restaurant on the corner of Azusa and Colima, but opted for the tried and true Kingswood Restaurant on Gale Avenue.

Kingswood is one of those restaurants that seemed to have been in the same location forever, and is really popular with families. Half of the restaurant is set-up for "Teppan-yaki" style cooking, while the other half of the restaurant specializes in Hot Pot. On this evening we got a rather late start, and there was a crowd of people waiting for tables at Kingswood; but instead of finding a less crowded surrounding, we decided to wait for a table. We were told that there was a 20 minute wait, which turned into 30 minutes, which eventually ended up being about 45 minutes. I think it's the combination of wonderful smells and the very nice and apologetic service that made us "stay put."

Finally, our table was ready, and we were seated and handed the menu.

The premise is simple, you order your broth; in this case we went for the Yuan Yang Guo, where the pot is separated into two parts. One half is usually a "plain" broth, that usually has herbs, stock, and other flavorings. The other half contains a spicy and numbing broth. You then order a variety of meats and vegetables for dipping and cooking in the broth. You are usually provided some dipping sauce, in this case there was only one; a "Sate" sauce, that was very disappointing in flavor, and really didn't go well with the food cooked in the broth.

Items we ordered included frozen tofu:

Freezing, then thawing tofu gives it a spongy texture. Making it that much better for absorbing flavor.

Fish:

The fish was very dry, and would flake to pieces in seconds when placed in the broth. Just plain lousy fish.

Golden (Enoki) Mushrooms and Spinach:

We had 2 orders of lamb:

The lamb was pretty good, though not of the highest quality.

"Special" (Prime) Beef:

Though twice the price of "regular" beef, it was worth it. Melt in your mouth tender; an excellent cut.

The item we probably enjoyed the most wasn't dipped into the hot pot. It was the Fried Bread:

A dense, but still light and slightly sweet bread that is first steamed, then fried. Delici-yoso!!!

The meats and vegetables are really only half the story in a Hot Pot Restaurant. The other half is the broth. In this case the "plain" broth, was just that, very, very, plain. The broth really did nothing to enhance the meal, even though there were fishcake, fishballs, and other items in the broth, it was very bland.

The spicy broth, was just that…..

Just spicy hot, but not numbing, and also lacking in the slightly "herbal" taste that I enjoy with this type of broth.

Overall, we were slightly disappointed in our meal.

But were not disappointed in the price. All of the "stuff" we ate, came out to a shade over forty dollars, which I thought was very reasonable, no wonder there were so many large groups. And to be fair, the service was outstanding, very kind and apologetic, and the Servers took time to help and explain, even amid the chaotic crowds. As we were leaving(about 9pm), Kingswood started emptying out, and things were starting to settle down. I think next time we'll be having Huo Guo at Little Sheep.

Kingswood Teppan Steak House
18900 E Gale Ave #B
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Road Trip: Dumpling 10053 – El Monte(Los Angeles)

April 17, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Dumpling 10053 has closed

After a satisfying lunch at Manie’s Restaurant, we drove around the neighborhood, and decided to drive down to Pasadena, where the Missus managed to scratch Her shopping itch at Anthropologie. As we headed back to the car it started pouring, so instead of dealing with the parking lot that is the 210 Freeway, we decided to take Colorado Boulevard, made a right turn on San Gabriel, and a left on Valley(of course). All the while ogling all the restaurants we passed.

As we passed through El Monte my stomach started rumbling so we decided to make a stop at Dumpling 10053 for a “small snack”.

Now, the Missus who is from Shandong province would never, ever have Jiaozhi at a restaurant, since She can whip up a few dozen on short notice, or perhaps if She’s in the mood. Plus my Mother In Law makes really great dumplings. But once in a while the Missus will humor me. Dumpling 10053 is one of several Chinese dumpling/noodle houses that gets regular mention on Chowhound.

Even though it was 230pm on a rainy afternoon Dumpling 10053 was nearly half full.

Not being very hungry, I “just” had two orders of boiled Jiaozhi.

I had an order of the “3 meat dumplings”; Pork, Crab, and Sea Cucumber boiled dumplings (10 pieces – $5.95):

I thought the thickness of the wrapper was perfect. I’m not into really thin wrappers, for me, the wrappers are a good 50% of the dumplings, adding texture, and helping to “temper” the flavor of the filling. The texture of these wrappers were a different story, I felt they didn’t have enough “chew and pull”, being a bit on the brittle side, and too easy to tear.

The plump dumplings’ filling was excellent. The pork and crab melded together to add a rich, sweet and salty flavor. The use of Chinese celery in the dumpling also added a nice texture and flavor; something we made note of, I think we’ll try to use them in a future batch of dumplings. Simply dipped into a vinegar – soy sauce mixture, the dumplings were very good. I’d be happy to have them again!

The Rock Cod boiled dumplings ($6.95 – 10 pieces):

I was pretty excited about trying these since I’ve read about them for a while. The wrappers were the same as the previous order of dumplings. But I really didn’t care for the taste, which I liken to a pretty lousy fish ball, and with a mushy, grainy texture. The Missus couldn’t finish one. I tried one using the standard vinegar soy sauce “dip”, which made it taste like a sour fish ball. The Missus finally told me to sprinkle the dumpling with white pepper, then dip them into soy sauce, which made them more palatable. I still only finished 3 of them; and if/when I return, I think I’ll avoid these.

If I make a return visit, I think I’ll try the steamed beef and pork dumplings. We watched an old Gentleman scarf down 4 orders of these dumplings while we ate ours.

The service at Dumpling 10053 was typical San Gabriel Valley, detached and perfunctory, but not rude, nor were we rushed. I walked back out into the rain satisfied from eating those “3 meat dumplings”.

Dumpling 10053
10053 Valley Blvd.
El Monte, CA 91731

Road Trip: Manie’s Restaurant – Rowland Heights(Los Angeles)

April 16, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Manie's has closed

Disclaimer: Those who are depressed about prices in San Diego should probably NOT read this post.

During our last trip to our old neighborhood we spent a good amount of time around Hong Kong Plaza. We used to live right up the block and would walk on over to Hong Kong Plaza almost daily. During our last trip we passed one of the restaurants that had been there for a long while but for some reason we had never taken the opportunity to eat in. What really caught our attention was the signage:

The large crowd on that evening was pretty impressive, the prices caught my eye, and when the Missus told me it was a Sichuan Restaurant, and started naming the dishes on the poster, I was sold. So this past Friday, I took a day off, and we drove up to Rowland Heights and got to the restaurant just as they opened at 11 am.

After looking over the menu I noticed something and asked the Missus, who checked with the Server, who mentioned that the Chef was from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. I had never had Chengdu style Sichuan which I heard was a bit different from Chongqing style Sichuan, so needless to say I was very excited.

We placed our order and was served some clear soup with a pork bone in it. Not great, but pretty good and mild.

Smoked Duck with Chilies ($5.95 – all prices are lunch prices):

This take-off on the classic Sichuan Chili with Chicken, was probably the best rendition of any type of this dish I've ever had. The wonderful, crisp, sweet-salty-smokey duck was stir fried quickly with dried red chilies, green bell peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic, creating a very flavorful dish with great textures. As hot as this dish may seem, we found it to be more "numbing", then burning hot. There was alot of Sichuan peppercorn in the dish, creating that wonderfully addictive numbing sensation. Very delici-yoso!!!!

Pork Meatballs with Cellophane Noodles($4.95):

The Missus selected this dish off of the specials listed on the wall. I've had this type of pork meatballs with a brown sauce, where it has been silken and rich, and have felt almost decadent when eating these simple meatballs. These were not like those however. The meat was dry and grainy, and I thought the sauce was very bland. The Missus enjoyed the noodles though.

Fuqi Feipein – the famous "Husband and Wives" dish ($5.95), of course I could not go without trying one of my "baseline" Sichuan dishes:

This was another disappointment, very bland. This version was all beef brisket, no Sichuan peppercorns, no peanuts, no tendon, no tripe, no Chinese celery, nothing to help give the beef any flavor. Probably the worse version of this dish I ever had, just having chili oil alone on not very high quality beef made the dish feel greasy.

Chicken with Three Chilies($4.95):

Almost the same dish as the Smoked Duck dish, with some green onion and onion. Much milder then the duck, but very tasty. Watch out for those bones though. Again, not overly spicy, but nice and numbing.

Chung-Do (Chengdu) Cold Noodle($3.95):

I really love Sichuan Cold Noodle dishes. Chungking Restaurant in Monterey Park and Ba Ren make my favorite versions of the dish. Finding this dish on the menu also clued me in as to the origins of the Chef, as it was on the menu as "Chung-Do" style. I really didn't enjoy the noodles dish at first, I thought that it wasn't spicy enough, and used too much vinegar. But after eating a bite of the duck and chicken, then having a bite of the noodle, I discovered how refreshing and palate cleansing this dish was. When eaten in that context, this was very good.

But wait; we weren't finished yet! The Missus ordered the Sticky Rice Cake($3.95):

Called something along the lines of "Liang Chi Ba", this was very, very good! I'm not big on desserts, but this combination of peanut and sesame paste over gooey sticky rice has changed me. What a great way to end a meal.

So what's the damage for a six course lunch with tea and rice(which we never touched)? Thirty-two bucks! With leftovers for at least one or two more meals!

You can tell by the photo what we cleaned up, and what we took home!

Overall, we did find that the dishes at Manie's used more Sichuan Pepper then Chili Peppers, and was more numbing then "hot". This goes along the lines of what I've heard about Sichuan cuisine. Chongqing style is much more spicy and hotter then Chengdu style, which is milder, but more numbing. The other variable that comes into play is, that though the Chefs come from Chengdu, Marnie's (something like Luong Chau Shou in Chinese) is Taiwanese owned, which could change the food. Nevertheless, the food was a bargain, and some of the dishes were excellent.

Manie's Restaurant
18438 Colima Road #106 (In Hong Kong Plaza)
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Yoso-Silly – LA Roadtrip: Hong Kong Fishball House and a Very Special Dish

April 15, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, yoso-silly

*** Hong Kong Fishball House has closed

*** You know……tastes change; and I now find this stuff kinda bland, who’d have thunk???

We just got back from LA, so I thought I’d do a short post. Elmo from Monster Munching mentioned a very special dish during the course of a comment on my post last Saturday.

The special place that sells this dish is the Hong Kong Fishball House, and is covered in detail on Monster Munching.

HK Fishball House specializes in very, very, reasonably priced(usually under 3 bucks) soups and other snacks. But there was a special snack that the Missus just had to try…….

How could you resist the temptation of Fried Pork Rectum, and only $2.25! So while I waited for my frozen Xiao Long Bao from Yi-Mei Deli, the Missus waited for Her Fried Rectum from the Fishball House – why does that sound so wrong? It didn’t help any, when the Gentleman frying what is actually Pork Large Intestine told the Missus, “Oooh, this smells so good!!!”

So what did it look like?

Nicely fried and seasoned with salt and green onions.

So how did it taste?

I think it’s an appropriately named dish…….after all the large intestine is attached to the?????

The initial taste was a fairly pleasant sweet and salty flavor, with a crisp and “spongy” texture. But as you kept chewing the hard to describe, very earthy and strong “intestine” flavor came through, along with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste that lasts for a pretty long time. The intestine also left my mouth with what felt like a slimy film. Definitely an acquired taste, and I don’t think I’ve been exposed enough to similar flavors to appreciate it. I’ll stick with the fried calamari!

Hong Kong Fishball House
18414 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Road Trip: Sushi Gen – Little Tokyo(LA)

March 26, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

I’m going to make this a short post, because the photos speak for themselves, and I’m quite "bushed". We took a drive to Los Angeles last night for the Missus’s "sushi-fix". Though San Diego has quite good sushi, the Missus will only eat sushi in LA. So we drove to Little Tokyo and quickly headed to our usual sushi destination in Little Tokyo; Sushi Komasa. Sushi Komasa gets very little publicity because it’s really just a good old fashioned sushi bar. But today, as we stood waiting for the 530pm opening, a Young Man came out and told us that there was a water pipe problem within the restaurant, so we had to head elsewhere to eat. Since I’ve heard some really good things about the prices and quality of fish at Sushi Gen, we took the short walk over to Honda Plaza and walked into Sushi Gen.

It was 535pm and the place was almost full, we were able to get one of the few remaining tables. The scene was controlled chaos, there seemed to be as many Employees as customers! In fact, I’ve never seen as many Itamae(Sushi Chefs), at least 8 of them! We quickly scanned the menu and the Missus ordered Her Nigiri and Makezushi by indicating amounts on the "order sheet." I had my sights on something else.

The Missus and I watched the Servers flying back and forth delivering good looking food, and making remarks like, "Hey, maybe I shoulda’ ordered some tempura." And soon enough the Missus sushi arrived:

The Missus loves Albacore Nigiri, I’ve even seen her eat 6 orders of it in one sitting. She bit into the first one and…..not even a change in expression. So I had a piece of the Hamachi, and though the fish was good, the rice was very, very dry, and not even a taste of any "awase-zu" or vinegar flavoring. Also, there was much too much wasabi, taking away from the wonderful silkiness of the Hamachi. You must realize that I use no Wasabi, and just a drop of Shoyu with my Sushi, and it still overpowered the Nigiri. That said, all of the fish was of excellent quality.

Still, good quality fish, though not my favorite preparation.

When my dish arrived, my heart skipped a beat:

I had ordered the Deluxe Sashimi that cost $30, and worth every cent. The fish was so fresh, and of good quality. Not a loser in the bunch, and the Missus loved the little piece of Mirugai! The two items that really ranked the lowest were the "spicy tuna" and "negi-hama", I couldn’t help but compare them to poke, which to my tastes they could never measure up to. I could go on ad nauseum, about the melt in your mouth toro, and the rich and smooth hamachi, but I think the photo speaks for itself.

I’d say, that this was the best sashimi I’ve had in a while, and even the Missus(we shared everything) who doesn’t care for Toro was amazed at how good it was. Perhaps not a decadent as my Live-Uni Meal nor as interesting as our Maguro Yamakake – Aji – Shiokara meal at Izakaya Sakura, this was still a very delici-yoso!!!

Our total bill came out to a very reasonable $70, and I was sooooooo very happy! I think we’ll go to Komasa for our sushi and a more laid-back vibe, and stick with the sashimi, and other items at Sushi Gen. The atmosphere at Sushi Gen on this night was a bit rushed, and there was a line out the door of people waiting for tables, I guess they know a good thing……

Sushi Gen
422 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

We took our time strolling back to our car, and wandered through various shops, and the "new" Nijiya Market which replaced Enbun Market. We always walk through Yamazaki Bakery, and sometimes grab something small.

And though the Young Lady serving us was rather rude (she looked like she had a long day, and couldn’t wait to close up), I pointed out something to the Missus that she just had to get:

It’s a fruit tart ($1.10). But you know why she had to get it, right?

Yamazaki Bakery
123 Japanese Village Plaza Mall
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Road Trip: Wat Thai Temple – North Hollywood Part II

January 23, 2006 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants

*** Update 01/01/09 – Wat Thai food court had reopened, on Sundays only.

*** Due to neighborhood complaints about parking the Wat Thai Temple food court has closed.

Fairly stuffed on my Sausages and Papaya Salad, I sat watched the various vendors at work while waiting to see what the Missus would "find". It was also fun to watch what others were eating.

Soon the Missus returned with Her "bounty" including a large Sticky Rice with Mango($5.00):

A huge, perfectly ripe mango with sticky rice flavored with coconut. I hadn't had mango so good since I lived in Hawaii! The Missus told me that she had intended to purchase a small plate, but the Lady working the stall in the ultimate display of up selling, waved a huge mango in front of the Missus telling her; "Biiig one, moah betta, biiig one moah betta!" So how could she resist? I'm not quite sure how these vendors managed to get such perfectly ripe mangoes in the middle of Winter, but I'm sure not complaining! This is a "must eat" item if ever visiting Wat Thai.

Among other items; sticky rice with taro and sweet beans ($1.00):

I didn't get to taste this, but it met with the approval of the Missus.

More sausages, two sour sausages, another grilled sausage, and another "sausage patty":

The sour sausages had grains of rice in them and were sour enough to make me "pucker up", and were somewhat addicting. The other sausages were not as good as the versions I purchase earlier.

A fabulous Fish Curry in banana leaf($3.00):

Tasting like a really good panang curry, this little cup had a layer of shredded cabbage on the bottom, followed by a thin layer of thai basil with coconut milk, followed by the wonderfully moist and tender flaked fish in a red curry sauce. This was all topped off with a chiffonade of kaffir lime leaf. An amazing little dish! This same stall was selling meat from roasted pork shank. When you placed an order the pork meat was removed from the bone; chopped and placed over rice, it looked soooo good! But my arteries sent "no mas" signals to my brain which prevented me from ordering that dish. In what was a slightly humorous moment, the Missus asked the Lady manning the stall if she could purchase the pork bones, which the Lady responded "You have dog, huh?", and proceeded to trim off two shank bones, and placed them in a sack. When the Missus offered to pay; the Gal simply laughed and said "No, no, I give you free, for dog!" So even Sammy and Frankie made out!

On the side directly opposite the food stalls, we could see this Woman, busily moving back and forth. She looked like the busiest Woman in the whole food court; but had no customers! So we walked up as she was packaging two containers of white "disks", that a Young Lady came and "swooped up".

Totally intrigued, and having exactly $3 in tokens left, we decided to order the Kanom Krok. The Lady proceeded to oil the cast iron "pan".

And poured a rice and coconut "batter" into the molds.

And green onions are added if you wish. After cooking for a few minutes, and when the batter is starting to "bubble", a sweeter lighter batter is added to top off the Kanom Krok:

The Lady asked us if we wanted to go and take a "walk" around the Temple, and come back in 10 minutes. But we decided to just wait and had a nice chat with Her.

When the sides of the confection has developed a crust and the middle of the batter is starting to solidify, the Kanom Krok is loosened.

Until it's ready:

And it's packed up and ready to eat:

The way to eat Kanom Krok is to place two half disks together to form a sphere and eat them right away – they're Delici-yoso!!! One quick note, the interior of the Kanom Krok is positively molten. So unless you want to become a candidate for a lip and tongue graft, proceed with caution! (Thanks for the reminder MEalcentric)

When you visit Wat Thai please make sure to take a walk around the Temple grounds, you'll truly feel transported to a whole "different world".

There are so many different things available; you can' t possibly try everything in one trip. We're saving the Fried Banana/Taro/Sweet Potato, and the Soup/Noodle stalls for the next time. Yes, there will be a next time!

Visiting the Wat Thai Temple was such a fun and delici-yoso experience; even the lousy traffic on the 101 and 5 freeways, and the almost 3 hour trip back to San Diego didn't dampen my spirits.

Wat Thai of Los Angeles
8225 Coldwater Canyon Ave
North Hollywood, CA 91605

Weekend Food Court – 8am-6pm Every Weekend!

Road Trip: Wat Thai Temple – North Hollywood Part I

January 22, 2006 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants

*** Update 01/01/09 – Wat Thai Food Court has reopened on Sunday's only

*** Due to neighborhood complaints about parking the Wat Thai Temple food court has closed.

The weekend "food court" at the Wat Thai of Los Angeles, the largest Thai Theravada Buddhist Temple in the United States has long been a food destination on my "list" of places to see and eat. After seeing various posts on Chowhound; Monster Munching, and Professor Salt's blog, You gonna eat that?; and several years of coaxing and cajoling, the Missus finally gave in to a "short" road trip up the I-5, from San Diego to North Hollywood for a Saturday eating frenzy.

We left fairly early and made what could on some days be considered an ill-conceived 130 mile trip in a brisk 90 minutes. Once off the freeway, and taking the turn at the corner of Cold Water Canyon and Roscoe Boulevard, you immediately see Wat Thai Temple looking quite out of place, looming above this land of auto repair shops, service stations, and the adjoining residential neighborhood. We had purposely chosen a fairly early morning during winter, that didn't coincide with any festival, so that we would not have to compete with the masses for parking or seating, nor have to wait in lines for any long period.

At 915 in the morning, all the vendor stalls are open but there are no lines:

And the fragrance of ginger, garlic, fish sauce, and Thai herbs are floating in the air. Noah seems to have designed this "food court". There are two of everything. Two stands making papaya salad, two "sausage/meat" stands, two stands making soup, and so forth.

The Vendors take no cash; instead you go to one, or more of the "token" booths and exchange cash for tokens.

After exchanging our cash for tokens; the Missus went off in one direction, and I in another. I made a beeline for this booth in the middle of the food court:

I had already pretty much knew what I would be ordering, but since there were no crowds I could take my time, and I looked over the larb and other sausages.

But my sights were set on having a Papaya Salad($3.00), even in the dead of winter.

And so while the Lady was hard at work at the mortar, I had time to look around.

And ordered a chicken satay($1.00):

Perfectly grilled; slightly charred around the edges, moist and mildly flavored, this was very good. The Missus was very surprised at my display of restraint; I didn't order any beef or pork, or any other of the satays.

I did order this interesting "sausage"($2.00):

If someone knows what this mystery meat is called, please let me know. It's a nicely formed rectangle of "meat", spotted with garlic and rice, with a slightly crunchy, almost tripe like, gelatinous strings going through it. The sausage was dense, garlicky, and slightly sour. And not the slightest bit salty; I had expected "Spam on a stick", but this was not even close. I really enjoyed the flavors and textures of this "mystery meat".

I also slid over to the booth next door and ordered a grilled sausage skewer($1.00):

Very similar to a"formed" sausage patty; this was nicely flavored, and quite dense. Nice pepper and garlic, and a slight sweetness throughout the sausage.

Finally, my Papaya Salad was ready:

As I sat, I took time to admire this melange of ingredients; green beans, peanuts, julienned green papaya, and tomato were readily visible. Along with a generous amount of Blue Crab.

The salad was as close to the most perfect Papaya Salad I've ever had! There was such balance and harmony(in such an appropriate venue) between the fish sauce and lime juice, the tomatoes added a touch of sweetness and kept the sour lime juice in check. The interplay of textures between the papaya, green beans, and peanuts was excellent, if on a menu, it could be called "crunch, three ways". The crab added at briny, salty component, that was tempered by the lime juice. The "heat" was perfect; I'd gotten medium. Spicy, but not so spicy as to block out all of the other flavors. This was delici-yoso!!! Even on a winter day, where everyone around me was having soup and porridge, this Papaya Salad was King.

I ate half of everything, and saved half for the Missus. But where was the Missus?

To be continued…….