Kat's 9 Lives

Again I apologize the dates, I promise to catch up but I want to provide you the up to the minute news! ^_^ Today is 9/2/09 and I drove up to Monterey Park due to my family's influence. It has been a very very random day! @_@ lol I was looking forward to getting some "Fen Tuan", Salty Sticky Rice Roll, at Yi Mei. As we got there the place looked open and as we walked up I saw that the sign said closed. We were all a bit confused... not to mention that it is HOT there. I guess we just arrived a little too late as the Health Dept shut them down! BOOO!!! lol Okay, and EWWW! The sign said that they are shut down due to cockroaches~! It must have just happened because the employees were still inside. Don't know how long they will be shut down. =*( This is the said and scary part... if they would let me... I would still buy food there today! lol O=9 Hey if I drove that far, I want what I want! lol Also, lets be honest... everything around this area is uh... shady! What I don't know or even know... won't kill me... still tastes good... more flavor! haha j/k Still, I am sad that I wasn't able to get what I want as I was so looking forward to it. I went to Yung Ho after this and... **must read to know! lol**

TP and I made a trip up to SGV again since I had a craving and I never disappoint her with good food ^_- and it is cheap here too!We met up with KFP to hang out and chat. We had Ten Ren’s Tea Time for a while and it wa time to move on to a full meal. KFP whipped out his camera to show us his most recent foodings to give us some choices. Being that TP does not eat many types of meat, we were limited in choices. In the end we agreed upon Mama’s Lu Dumpling House. Leave it to Asian’s with their “perfect” Englsih. =9 The parking lot in back was super ghetto where an RV was parked and a whole long table was set up where people were chowing down as if this was their backyard. We all found this quite odd. lol Then KFP ran into some friends of his. What a small world!Their AC was super strong too. TP ordered the Kung Pao Chicken to be on the safe side. Most of the dishes had pork and she didn't want to risk trying something too new. >=P They put a wide selection of chopped Vegetables stir-fried with diced Chicken. Brace yourself, but this was actually very good! At first we were so skeptical and scoffed at the idea, but I am glad to be proven wrong. It's more authentic then I thought it would be. The spicy flavor really pops and the chicken was so tender. This was probably the winner of the night. =9
Since this is a "dumpling house" of course we had to try them all. As always the first thing you should order is the Xiao Long Bao since it takes time to steam the little steamed buns. They came out piping hot. We had to teach TP how to eat a XLB. This shows how good we are, we were able to convince her to try pork out. O=9 I thought the flavors were good and the XLB was very juicy. The skin was nice and thin.
KFP also recommended the Green Onion Pancake and since it had no meat, it was a good idea for sharing. The pancake was very thin and crispy. I thought the flavor was a bit light, which can be easily corrected with Soy Sauce! lol The texture was very good. We all agreed that it was a well made Green Onion Pancake.
Being greedy as always, we ordered a bunch of food. The Fried Pork Bun came out nicely and looked like it had the right amount of crisp outside. Keyword... looked! I didn't like the thickness of the bun and I felt that the meat flavor inside dissipated when combined with a thicker skinned bun. I'm sure the meat inside each of these are the same and the skin is the only thing that changes. It really makes a difference.
We also tried the Potstickers. The skin is thicker and chewier than the XLB, but thinner than the Fried Pork Bun. The flavor was light. It's better than the Fried Pork Bun but I've had better. I'd stick with the XLB for the most flavor and texture.
All in all it is not bad and the prices were good. I would come back for the Kung Pao Chicken for sure. The Green Onion Pancake and XLB is not bad either. We ate a good amount of food for a good price. ^_-

Mama’s Lu Dumpling House
153 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 307-5700

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

I was amazed to see any place in LA to have over 200 reviews and still have 4 1/2 stars. So for Honeybee and I's first adventure together, I had to take her here since it seems to be so well-received. After a nice long dinner of hot pot, why not go somewhere to cool off! ^_^ Fosselman's was actually pretty close to the hot pot place. I swear we bring good fortune to wherever we go. When we first arrived there wasn't a line, but soon after we arrived there was a massive amount of people trailing in. At first we were checking out the cases on what ice cream looks good, but I couldn't find some of the ice creams recommended by other people. Then I looked up at the chart and saw that not everything is displayed, so be sure to look at the chart for the full menu!

I tried their Real Mango ice cream and it just didn't have the wow factor I was looking for. I didn't want to keep asking to try different things, so I just made a complete 180 degrees and just ordered whatever I wanted. That way I could avoid the crowd and grab a seat before they were all taken again. I know I am odd. My choices were Lychee, Dulce de Leche, and English Toffee. OMG! The portion was HUGE! That guy just PILED IT ON! I swear, the cone must have been about 1lb. in weight! We were all shocked at the amount that was given! The English Toffee was very good as well as the Dulce de Leche. Although the sweetness was overpowering for the Dulce de Leche. It really reminded me of condensed milk. The English Toffee was not too sweet and just right in flavor with a crunchy texture. For me, I didn't really like the Lychee because it was sort of flowery in taste. My favorite Lychee and Mango ice cream is at Crêpe in the Grip. That could just be personal preference because their ice cream is fruitier and sweeter, more to my taste.
Tofu got Pistachio and Pomegranate Chip. Honeybee got a scoop of Pomegranate Chip. The Pistachio was lacking in flavor, I prefer the one that B&J or Häagen-Dazs has. All in all it was a nice place to get an after dinner snack or even a mid-day cool down. The texture of their ice cream was very nice and smooth. I just wished they had more unique flavors. The fruit flavored ice cream were not for me, but the normal flavors like Dulce de Leche & English Toffee were very tasty. I am so glad I randomly chose my flavors based on instinct. The prices are very reasonable and it's worth trying. If they were closer, I would go back to try other flavors.
Okay here is a side note, after we departed from Honeybee... Tofu and I were stopped by a cop. This shows how weird the LAPD is! Tofu really needed to go to the bathroom so we pulled into a Wendy's to see if they were open so that he can go to the bathroom. A cop pulled up right behind us and stopped. We were wondering what was happening! He approached us gruffly and asked for license & registration... Tofu asked if something wrong and the officer shushed him immediately. I was sitting there in a panic! Then he said that his sticker was out of date and asked if he had it. LUCKILY Tofu had it in his car or who knows what the cop would have done. He treated us so rudely! That cop was on a power trip or his wife just left him, which I would say NO WONDER, because he already radioed in the plates. WTF! He never even flashed a light to pull us over and suddenly it's like we are criminals. This just fueled Tofu's HATRED for LA, and I can't really blame him. The LAPD really lack any protocol and competence! >_<#

Fosselman's

1824 W Main St
Alhambra, CA 91801

(626) 282-6533

Honeybee has now been recruited on foodie adventures! ^_- My day in Monterey Park was filled with many new places and I am still catching up on writing about them. Since Tofu wanted to try Hot Pot, we decided to go to Little Fat Sheep in Monterey Park. First of all, it's not that easy to find so I will put out a small note for people who want to go there and try their hot pot. They are on the corner of Garvey and Atlantic. If you are coming from the 10 freeway, just head pass Garvey and turn immediately left into the next shopping center. It's right there in the corner. Tofu and I circled around many many times trying to find it because the store front does not face the direction we were coming from.
We were a little late in our arrival since we could not find the place. There wasn't that many people there that early. They are open 'til 1 AM so maybe they get really busy towards the end of the night. It would be nice that somewhere in OC opened that late! lol They bring out side dishes for the table before you order. There were Mixed Peanuts, Pickled Daikon, and Bread that reminded me a mix of "Mantou" & the Sesame Onion Bread served in Islamic Chinese cuisine.
For the table we decided to get the "Yuan Yan" Hot Pot, which has the normal Mongolian hot pot split with the spicy side. Since I don't like things too spicy, I got the mild to start. The Mongolian hot pot is a broth made up of Chinese Herbs and Bark. It definitely is not the hot pot I am used to having at home or my favorite one in Fremont. **which I still need to blog about** The presentation of the spicy side was very eye catching, but it was just filled with tons of herbs. I felt it was a little cluttered. There wasn't any content in the soup except the herbs. The one at Ninji was always filled with tofu and more. Not that I eat tofu, but I was a little disappointed.
To start off the night we ordered Beef, Lamb, Sliced Pumpkin, Lamb Meatball, Intestines, and Spicy Pork Stomach. Unfortunately they came back to tell us that they don't have the pork stomach. Poor Honeybee, she really wanted some but they were unable to fulfill her wishes! Boo! I will give them credit that the Lamb Meatballs were great and flavorful. The lamb flavor was very strong and worked well with the soup. They brought out the hot pot immediately to start and soon followed with the dishes we ordered.
Apparently there are special sauces they use to dip the cooked dishes. This was also not what I am normally use to. There were four sauces given. They had their own version of Satay, Sesame Paste, Chili, and Fermented Tofu? I have never heard of adding tofu to my sauce, but they actually all worked well together. For me, I had to ask for chopped garlic. The sauces were good, but I still like my traditional sauces.
I wanted to get something cooked there because I read some good reviews of the food they served. The server said that the Scallion Crispy Pancake is ordered the most. This is your typical Chinese pancake that you can even buy in stores. I will give them credit that the one they served here is pretty good. It had the right crispy outer texture with a delightful chewy center. This is my personal recommendation, but you should order these when you have hot pot because they are great to dip into the soup. The flavors of all the food you cooked in the soup and the soups own natural flavor will soak into every crevice, which makes it that much better! Of course eating the pancake by itself makes it YUMMY too! ^_^
All in all the food was decent and service was nice. The best part, of course, is spending time with friends! ^_- We had a nice long chat with good food! The ambiance makes up for everything. I probably won't be back in the future because it really wasn't the way I like my hot pot. Mind you that I don't like hot pot, except at Ninji! YUM YUM! That place does it right! I am trying to find somewhere like that in MP so that Ms. Lin and I can go when she visits. Still the experience was nice and enjoyable. They also handed us a box of mints at the end with their logo. It's very cute. Hey! Are they saying we have bad breath? lol =-X

Little Fat Sheep

As many know, I love my Iced Fruit Tea at Tea Station. I have been going to Monterey Park almost every other day since last Thursday. On Saturday I picked up my favorite drink and it was extremely refreshing on a hot day. They put way too much fruit and too little of the drink but still good. Remind you that this costs about $6 togo. @_@ It's crazy expensive there. This Monday we had nowhere else to go so we decided to stop here and have a drink to cool down. I don't think they really turn on the AC so it wasn't even that cool. Keep in mind that if you sit down and order drinks they are $1 more than take out. This time I decided to get something that would be more worth it than my favorite drink because if you dine in it becomes over $7. It's crazy I know! Instead I ordered the Seasonal Mango Shaved Ice. I really should have stuck to what I liked. The ice was flavorless and I even asked for MORE condensed milk. I could have sworn it had NONE! I would never get shaved ice here. Stick with a drink togo! =P
Tea Station

It's nice to have a traditional Chinese breakfast once in a while. Although it was only me and HT, we still had a lot of food & fun. We decided to try Yi Mei Restaurant, which I have actually been to eons ago. It's best when you have a nice big group to eat with though because you can order a bunch of different breakfast foods and share. This place definitely is not a place you want to take a big party because it is tiny. I think 4 people would be the max for a group because more than that it will be very difficult to get a table. When we went around 10:30AM to 11Am on a Saturday it was totally packed. There's barely any walking room and there isn't any standing room for you to wait while your order is being prepared. Be sure to bring someone who can speak Mandarin or Cantonese if you can't yourself.
Even though I speak Mandarin fluently, it was extremely difficult for me to order the Rolled Beef Pancakes. This was actually really really tasty! I like the skin used and the aromatic flavor of the green onions mixed in with the flavorful marinated beef. It's $5.95 per order and well worth it! I think this was the best thing there and I usually can't find it in most places or they run out by the time I get there. It's great that I was finally able to communicate what I wanted and turning out to be the right item! ^_^
HT ordered the "Fen Tuan", which was actually pretty good. It's Chinese Fried Doughnut, Pork Sung, and some Pickled Vegetables all wrapped in Sticky Rice. This is best for people on the go because you can just grab & go eating with one hand. I really liked the crispy texture that the fried doughnut adds. When I was in Monterey Park today, I thought about stopping by just to pick this up for tomorrow.
When I walked in I saw that a table had the Egg Pancakes that are usually pretty good. After I ordered them I had the biggest regret because the same table left it untouched. It made me think, hmm that's not a good sign! I brought all mine home because it was really bland and forgettable. You can make one better by just buying some frozen pancake and making your own eggs that would be much better.
For some reason I didn't feel like a Sweet Soybean, which HT got. It was good but she really should have gotten the Large because it's a much better deal! I ordered the Salty Soybean, which is a hot soy bean soup filled a variety of ingredients. It was actually pretty flavorful, but I was missing something important. Since I was thinking about taking out, I neglected to get an extra order of fried doughnut to add into the soybean soup. Be sure not to skimp and pick them up! Break it into little pieces and add it to the soup. It will give it that extra boost!
Last but not least, we decided to share their Xiao Long Bao. People on the internet said that the ones sold here were fabulous so I had to give it a try myself. They were tasty, but I don't know about to die for. The flavor was slightly different from what I normally eat, but still good. There was a sufficient amount of juice in the bao and the skin has a nice texture. Would I stay up at night and dream about it? No, but it's not bad and if I ever get a craving I'd keep them in mind.
All in all the food was good and the prices weren't bad. It's your typical Chinese breakfast place. The people working there were actually pretty friendly. If it's busy, be sure to mark your territory and stand by the table you are waiting for. Got to do it Asian style. I would definitely go back for the Fen Tuan and the Rolled Beef Pancake! Those two would be my recommendations for sure!

Yi Mei Restaurant

Normally I don't like to eat anything spicy, so you know it's AWESOME if I love it. YunChuan Garden has one of the best spicy dishes I have had in my life. I crave their Wontons in Spicy Chili Sauce. They have very authentic Chinese dishes. If only they weren't so far away in Monterey Park, I'd stop by to pick up their hot sauce! The flavors are just splendid! This place is tucked away in a strip mall. There's parking in the back, but you can always park on the street as well.
As you walk in there's a counter straight ahead with their special dishes that you order for your table or take out. Word to the wise, even if you are taking it home be sure to order it for sit down and then take it home. The portion is much more generous when you eat there than taking it home. My favorite dish there is the Fu Chi Fe Pian. It's a mixture of meats that are marinated in their special spicy chili sauce. Just thinking about makes me drool!
I really want to go back soon to get the Wontons in Spicy Chili Sauce so I can take home the yummy sauce and pairing it with other foods. Whatever seasonings they add to the chili sauce truly makes it stand out. The flavor lingers heavenly in your mouth. It's the perfect blend of spices, a great addition to any dish. The funny thing is I hate spicy foods. Everyone is so surprised that I would like this dish, so that really tells you how delicious it must be!
This time around we didn't order that much, but my Mom got greedy and ordered their Signature Noodle Dish. It's called the Kuo Chao Mi Shen. They bring all the components uncooked to your table along with the steaming soup and noodles in separate bowls. Then they pour the meat in first followed by the rest of the plate. At the end they add the noodles to the soup after the meat has a little time to cook. The flavors are very subtle and clean. It goes well with all the spicy dishes since it's very light and flavorful in its own way.
All in all I love the spicy food here! At first I couldn't take it and wasn't too fond of all the spice, but now I can't live without it! Just thinking about the delicious spicy chili sauce makes me want to drive all the way up again for more! Sometimes the place is very busy and it's hard to get a seat, but it's worth the wait! The food here is cheap and good. If you are ever in Monterey Park, you definitely have to stop by here to give them a try. You won't regret it!

YunChuan Garden