Kat's 9 Lives

If you know me, I am all about Taiwanese food and drinks. I have been meaning to go to Pa Pa Walk for some time to try out a new place and add to my repertoire. Alas, I don't know why but all Taiwanese places are not open on Tuesdays and somehow I end up going to San Gabriel Valley on Tuesdays only to be turned down! lol They are located right across from San Gabriel Square and their restaurant entrance is behind the wall so it may be easy to miss.
My default dish for Taiwanese restaurants is Fried Pork Chop with Rice, $6.95. It's a simple and comforting dish. Although I felt that the pork chop itself was just only okay. I wished the batter was a little more flavorful to match the rice. However I did enjoy the different side dishes they served here. They had your typical light cabbage. I liked the egg and tomato scramble to add some sweetness and the bean sprouts were just alright since I am never a fan of bean sprouts. As pork chop rice goes, the one they serve here is definitely nothing to write home about. I feel that it is getting harder and harder to find a tasty pork chop rice to become part of my daily diet. =*(
The best part of the meal was their drinks. Ms. Lin has gotten me on the yogurt drink craze. So very Taiwanese! I must admit that I get a chance to try the real thing out in Taiwan! Here, they make it with powder versus the real deal in TW. They are $3.75 each and I thought the drink was pretty tasty the first time around, but when I went back recently it was a little bland. We tried the Yogurt Green Tea and the Yogurt Lemon Juice. I think that the yogurt complimented the green tea best. The subtle fragrance and bitterness of the green tea is enhanced by the tangy sweet flavor of yogurt while the lemon juice just drowns out the flavor. Still, not a bad place for yogurt drinks when you have a craving.
Ms. Lin had to have their Pork Rice Cake with Cilantro, $5.25. If you have never had this before, I think it is important for you to know that this is made with pig's blood. Their menu labels it differently, but these pig blood cakes that many Asians enjoy. They attempt to serve it like how they do in Taiwan but I think the flavor was lacking. Needless to say, there were quite a few left over that we took home to add into our hot pot. I don't think Ms. Lin got what she quite wanted.
Even though this was only suppose to be a snack stop, Ms. Lin was being super greedy and wanted to have an order of Sole Fish and Cilantro Dumplings, $6.75. These were pretty juicy and light. I thought the flavor was just alright. Personally, I prefer the dumplings at Luscious Dumplings but I guess they were something new. I was surprised that she would actually order the fish dumplings because she has never been a fan of cooked fish.
My friend was there and decided to have an Organic Brown Sugar Konjac as her snack. She actually changed it up and it ended up just being konjac and condensed milk. Uh... ewww.... a little too healthy for me. To me, konjac is a little bland and boring for me. The normal texture is very similar to agar.
For my dessert, I had to have the Mango Snowy! I was hoping that it would be the like one you get at Class 302 in Rowland Heights. It wasn't quite what I had hoped it would be either. Their snow was not as flavorful and aromatic or as smooth. The mangoes were fine and plentiful but I was still let down. It made me pine for Class 302 even more.
All in all I wasn't too impressed and feel I can get better elsewhere. I almost feel like I am comparing a new boyfriend to an ex at this point, but sadly they just don't measure up! Pa Pa Walk just isn't going to cut it to be on my repertoire when I am in SGV. I need a man who can fully satisfy me and bring a smile to my face! Well at least they did make me laugh since I was facing the bathroom sign where it shows a man peeping in on a girl in the bathroom. I thought it was just a sign, but it turns out that the top of the door is slanted and their really is a hole for people to possibly peep in! Lol (don't worry it's too small to see but you can see it when you go to the bathroom)
Pa Pa Walk
227 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 281-3889