Kat's 9 Lives

A friend of mine took me to Har Lam Kee when we were in college and I have been coming back since then. Of course now that I don't live near by, I rarely come here. We were all at an Elite event in Culver City but a bunch of the group hadn't eaten dinner so we were looking for a place open late and good in San Gabriel or Monterey Park. We busted out someone's iPhone and did a search. Sadly my favorite lobster restaurant, Newport Tan Cang, was closed and we had to keep searching. I suggested Har Lam Kee and by chance they were open until 11PM at night so we rushed on over. Unfortunately Honey Bee and I took the 10 East where they shut it down. PK got there way before us because she took a different route and had to wait a while for us.
Since PK had been there a while she ordered the Shredded Jelly Fish. It's a very common side dish, appetizer, that Asians eat. The flavor was light and tasty. Each slice was thick and had a great chewy yet crisp texture. We all enjoyed the dish. As soon as I sat down, I ordered my favorite Hong Kong Lemon Iced Tea. Okay, I don't like tea but my friend turned me onto this drink and I thank her! I love the sweetness mixed with the lemon flavor. It's simple to make I know, but they do it well here and I love it. The people there were very friendly and kept asking if I want more tea. I don't think they charge me for each glass and I wouldn't even care if they did! lol PK ordered an Iced Coffee that looked good but I had to have my tea!
There are two reasons why I like coming here. I am a big fan of Pork and Duck Egg Porridge. Not many places do it well and when I find a place that does... I'd definitely come back! PK didn't think it was that great because the shredded Pork was dry and not really like pork. Albeit, I agree that they probably overuse the pork and drain it of all flavor or taste... but the porridge itself is delicious! I love the Crispy Wontons and Green Onions on top. The flavor was as good as I remember. PK suggested a better place near by and I will have to give it a try the next time I am there since I love a good porridge! ^_^
Another dish that I remember to be great here is the Stewed/Braised Beef. It's slow marinated Fatty Beef Chunks that's braised in a delicious sauce. We were a little confused in which dish I was looking for since the names didn't quite fit, but luckily I was with 2 Chinese girls! lol It helps that they could read. Even if they weren't there, I would be able to find the right dish by asking the servers. It should be one of their most popular dishes. The flavor was still good and the meat was tender. I like that every piece seemed well marbleized. Yum Yum! Extra flavor!!
In our quest to find the dish above, we happened to order the Braised Tripe and Entrails? Hard to do exact translations so bare with me. Everyone enjoyed the flavor of this dish except me! I know it's odd, but I thought the seasoning tasted rancid and I almost upchucked when I ate a piece. After my bite, I asked everybody else how it was and they said that it was good so I decided not to say anything else. To each their own =)
We also decided to get XO Crab Fried Rice. It was on their specials and it sounded tasty. How can you go wrong with XO sauce, a Spicy Seafood Sauce? They used real Crab meat but of course there isn't much in there. The fried rice was aromatic, tasty, and greasy. It was a good choice because you could eat it by yourself without any dishes to enhance the flavor.
All in all, I still like this place and would be back. The people here were friendly even though we were the only ones left there late at night. If I can't find a better porridge place then I will be back here in a heartbeat. At least I got to finally post about this place and learned of another food place open late in Monterey Park. ^_^

Har Lam Kee Restaurant
150 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 288-7299