Thank you for once again stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and His Missus are still enjoying a short vacation and Cathy is still writing.
You might recall my post about the 2024 Rose Parade road test in October, when The Mister and I found ourselves at Tam's Noodle House in Rowland Heights and had a delightful breakfast.
It turns out that in December, we had time to decorate Rose Parade floats on three occasions from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and wanting a nice meal before heading home in traffic, we decided instead of driving aimlessly to look for a place to eat, we would return to Tam's. The Mister began reading directions from the phone (since I don't know how we got here the first time) and at one signal light, noticed Mountain House restaurant, which Kirk had posted about in August. It was less than a mile from Tam's! 
It turns out there is an "Afternoon Tea" menu offered daily from 3-5 and we were just before 5 and were able to order from this special menu. 
Y1.- Wonton Noodle Soup ($12.99). A very large bowl of a not-salty but deep flavored pork based broth filled with ten thin-skinned wontons, each filled with meat and shrimp. Bok choy and springy noodles filled this bowl. Very filling and flavorful.
The Mister decided to order the Y10. – Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Salt & Pepper ($12.99). Four large, meaty drums and four large meaty flats, fried to a delightful crunch while lightly coated in salt, pepper and topped with garlic, chili and green onion and not really spicy.
This Afternoon Tea menu, just like the Breakfast Menu, includes a beverage. The lemon tea was great- a very strong tea with lemon slices and the coffee, served with a small pitcher of Black & White brand evaporated milk were kept constantly refilled.
So happy we found this restaurant.
Tam's Noodle House II 19035 Colima Road Rowland Heights 91748 (626) 820-9977 Open daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
The interior is kept clean and everyone seems very organized. We were helped by at least five different people after being seated. 
Mabo Tofu ($15.95) was a hefty serving. The soft tofu was plentiful and added a calming touch to the spicy pork based sauce. It was good, definitely made with quality ingredients but missing a bit of saltiness (we both added soy sauce from the table) or maybe the 'umami' that The Mister enjoys in other Mabo sauces. Still, there were leftovers. The large bowl of rice was $3.75. A pot of hot tea was $2.25 per person.
My 'baseline' order, vegetable Egg Foo Young ($16.95). I always enjoy seeing how different chefs prepare this common dish. The version here was filled with vegetables (peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms and a few bean sprouts) and the pancakes were nicely eggy. Crisply fried and covered in a not too salty gravy with some more peas, carrots, mushrooms and onion, the crunch lasted for the majority of the meal. 
We had to ask for chopsticks.
Hot tea is now $1 per person (no complaints; it used to be free, then it was 25 cents for years).
Okonomiyaki ($8.95) was one of my choices this day. This savory pancake, filled with cabbage and eggs, a sort of egg foo young, crisp fried and served with Kewpie mayo and topped with bonito flakes. This could be a meal.
I also chose the agedashi tofu ($6.95) as an addition (since I knew The Mister and I would be sharing). The soft tofu cubes are dusted with cornstarch then lightly deep fried. It's served hot in a soy sauce/dashi/mirin broth. We do like the version here.
The Mister always pretends to read the menu then ends up ordering the Mabo Ramen ($11.95). Mabo is a salty-spicy sauce with a base of fermented beans and chili along with minced meat (pork). This is served with tofu cubes and pork broth over proper (springy, not mushy) ramen noodles. You could also order Mabo Udon or Mabo Soba (Chopstix is a Noodle House; everything can be customized).
One meal I enjoy here (especially on chilly days) is Nabeyaki Wafu with soba ($13.95). Nabeyaki is two shrimp tempura and a poached egg. It's served with soba noodles in the wafu (fish and soy) broth. Fishcake, shiitake mushrooms and green onions complete this bowl of soup and noodles, served in an iron kettle. This is a favorite order.
When you walk in, there is a bar area to the left and the 'main' area to the right. 
All the way back is a small stage which has mariachis or a DJ or a local band is located on weekends.
A basket of warm chips along with a mild salsa were brought out with the large, interesting menu.
We ordered Queso Fundido with Chorizo to share ($14.95). This was served in a large/deep plate with warm corn tortillas. A good crisp chorizo (you know I am 
My craving this day was for a shrimp ceviche tostada ($6.95). Look carefully at the large menu, you can find good prices for basic items. The chopped shrimp, cooked in lime juice and mixed with tomatoes really hit the spot. There are more tostadas on the tabletop, if you run out,
The Mister was looking at the "Filete Especiales" portion of the menu and chose the Relleno de Mariscos ($26.95). A large piece of fish (Didn't ask, but it was a thick, meaty filet) stuffed/topped with shrimp, octopus and marlin as well as tomatoes and onion all cooked in butter. Served with rice and steamed vegetables (which went well with the butter) this was a tasty meal with leftovers.
Green Onion Pancake ($5.75) is always nice to share. Flaky layers with a light crunch and a delicate spring onion flavor to the (not oily) pastry.
Spicy Sesame Wonton ($12.50) was another great sharable choice. Most of the other tables had large steamed buns delivered and these more delicate wontons had a great pork and vegetable flavors as well as a pleasant chile based sauce which was used for dipping. Complimentary heat, not numbing.
Beef Chow Mein with Pickled Vegetable ($14.99). The beef was tender and not chewy with a nice salty flavor, probably imparted by the pickled vegetables, which also had a pleasant bitter undertone. The noodles were properly cooked and the other vegetables added a good texture to each bite.
Hot Tea ($3.99). I always order tea and must say the quality of this particular pot was excellent. Fresh, flavorful and just right.
The texture of the ahi was good. Not too much connective tissue. The fish was highly sauced, and the sauce was on the sweet side. There wasn't a huge amount of limu and the sweetness of the sauce pretty much overshadowed any of the briny-oceany flavor provided by the seaweed, though the textural crunch provided much needed contrast. The fish was of decent quality and nicely prepped.
As I walked back to the car, I realized I forgot to ask the folks the burning question about the place I had in mi cabeza. Sigh! Anyway, on this visit, the Spicy Garlic Ahi, wasn't particularly spicy, nor was it garlicky, at least to me. The fish was on the chewy side but decent. As with my previous visit the Ahi was swimming in sauce.
This time, I didn't forget that question, you see, that "fish mash" brought me back to a place that won the 
The dish came with two sauces which we didn't need. I expected the goose to be gamier than duck, but it wasn't. It did have some nice gaminess, was super tender and moist, and nice and rich. The "smoked", which was more like roasted to me had a stronger flavor profile, though the salted version seemed more moist. Both versions were tender and I'd have this again in a minute!
Looking at the dumplings gave me pause. Look at the color; it's very "light", and as I thought, these hadn't been fried long enough and were hard and chewy, rather than crisp. The tops should be somewhat pliant with a slight pull to it. These were a bit on the brittle side. The filling was decently seasoned, but had too much napa cabbage for my taste.
This was pretty bad; the "skin" was hard and brittle. The filling seemed to be half cabbage, the pork mealy, dry, and was quite tasteless.
So, I hunkered down and took a sip of the broth and shook my head. It was really thin, lacking in beefiness, with just a hint of metallic-anise tones. It was in need of more richness. At least it wasn't salty….but on second thought it could have used more sodium and white pepper.
I would skip the "chili sauce" which wasn't particularly spicy, just kinda oily.
