Kat's 9 Lives

Ms. Lin Guide needed to find a place with wi-fi nearby and Royal Tea for the bill.  The staff seemed friendly.  They offer a happy hour after 6 pm but we were too early.  I wanted to utilize the deal as they offer my favorite salted cheese.  Ms. Lin Guide did get a drink and it was just so-so.  Even though we were there long enough to reach happy hour, I did not buy a drink.

Looking for some tea with real fruits?  Elephant Tea offers a variety of teas to choose from.  Their signature Elephant fruit tea is a passion fruit tea filled with fresh fruits.  When I say 'filled', I really mean filled! Lol if you take out just one slice of the watermelon, the amount of tea goes down by 20% and they have two slices in there.  The funniest part was that they even put a baby tomato inside.  Ms. Lin Guide and I were a little befuddled but had a good laugh.

The photos for Zero Degrees really caught my eyes.  Since Ms. Lin Guide and I was in Rowland Heights for a meal, I had to stop by.  The craze now is to have glass bottles to take home and to reuse if you like.  Recently I bought my own cold press/slow juicer, these bottles really come in handy at home when I am juicing watermelons.  The only gimmick is that the glass bottles hold less liquid compared to their plastic cups, which I thought was a jip for the price you pay...
Hence I bought one bottle and one plastic cup O=D.  One souvenir bottle for each was enough.  They offer a very small menu to choose from with some interesting concoctions.  I decided to try the Matchata (Matcha + Horchata) and Strawberry Mojito.  Don't worry there's no alcohol and for those who wish they served alcohol, sorry!
The Matchata was interesting in taste as you can taste the matcha powder with a strong sweet horchata flavor fighting to be the strongest flavor.  If you like sweet milky drinks, then this is the drink for you.
I had high hopes for the Strawberry Mojito ever since TP's wedding.  The one at Zero Degrees was a little too sour and underflavored for my taste.  I want the strawberry flavor to really pop with the mint.  Their versions was really soda watery and sour... pass!

The best reason to go is to take the beautiful photos! I really loved the wings painted on the wall but it was really hard to take photos because there isn't much space between tables and the wall.  The place was packed and I didn't want to invade other people's space to take my photos.  Hopefully, you, can still enjoy the ones I took.  =D Cheers!

Zero Degrees
17575 Colima Rd
City of Industry, CA 91748
(626) 810-1714

It's time to give Lee's Sandwiches another look. To be honest I had lost my love for this chain for a while but thanks to the Lee's Sandwiches in Rowland Heights, it has rekindled the flame. The facility is very clean and you can watch them as they make your sandwiches.
Plan to eat your sandwiches there when they are freshly made. It's best when the sandwiches are still crisp.
They caught me in their web and surprised me with their Vegetarian Sandwich. Yes, you read right, veg-et-ar-ian. I was shocked too that I could ever like something made without meat. Inside the French baguette is a mixture of finely chopped fried tofu skin, thin crisp noodles, fried sweet potato strips, and more. Mixed with the sweet pickled vegetables and herb, it's like a flavor explosion.
I made a mistake and forgot to add avocado on the first sandwich, so I had to go for a second one loaded with avocado. Believe me, it makes a huge difference. The buttery goodness of avocado really helps enhance the crisp texture and sweet flavor. Everything tastes better with more avocado. =D
My hunger overcame me and I devoured the Grilled Pork Sandwich. The meat was warm, flavorful, and satisfying. It really hit the spot. The savory flavor of the pork was nicely enhanced by the crisp sweet pickled vegetables. I would definitely recommend people to eat this while it is warm and fresh for the best flavor.
Today I chose to be a little more adventurous in my drink choice. I would normally get an iced coffee, but I couldn't resist the temptation of a Durian Smoothie and an Avocado Smoothie. It's rare to see a place offering durian so I couldn't pass that up. Glad to have a good amount of choices to choose from.
All in all this is a great location to get my Vietnamese sandwich fix. Before, I would say that the vegetarian sandwich was the way to go, but now I really like the grilled pork as well. The good thing is that the prices are always very reasonable so I can pick up everything that I want without breaking my wallet. I wish I could have one of their sandwiches right now. It would just hit the spot!
Lee's Sandwiches
18194 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 810-8887

Another day, another restaurant is opening in Rowland Heights. After seeing the massive amounts of advertisements in the Chinese newspaper, I was forced to accompany my Mom to try Tasty Station. They just opened on Wednesday and they were packed. I guess all that advertising did work because there were tons of people waiting there to try something new. They were packed and the interior reminded me of Yogurtland. Their menu covers are hot pink and the interior was white with bits of neon green. We were led to their small room away from everyone. At first I wondered if anyone would actually come in to serve us or take orders. Eventually they kept coming in to check on us, but I think it was because they needed the space and really just wanted to kick us out – Asian style.
I understand that they are super busy because they just opened and everyone is coming to try a new place, but for me to wait 25-30 minutes for my food to come out is RIDICULOUS! Most Chinese/Cantonese restaurants can prepare the food in less than 5 minutes and be out in a flash. I will give them a sort of pass for being new but the wait time is way too long and I will have to dock them. The food for other tables as well as my own kept getting one dish and then 5-15 minutes you would get the next dish. You better be prepared to share or someone in your party will be sitting there watching you eat while they wait for their dish to come out.
Lucky for them and for us is that the food was not bad. Still, I am docking points for wasting a good part of my Saturday night. I ordered the House Special Soy-Sauced Prawns and they were definitely the best of the night and the only redeeming factor. The price was a little high for my comfort in this area, $13.50, but at least the portions were decent. I really enjoyed that the prawns were half de-shelled and super flavorful. Salty goodness on the outside, but I wished there was just a little bit more sauce or flavor on the prawns themselves. The flavor is reminiscent to the ones you’d see on house special lobsters or crabs. They lightly batter the outside shell and sautéed the full flavor in. Nonetheless, I can see why this is one of their specialties and I would definitely order this again.
Another go to dish for me is the French Style Filet Mignon. They did use very tender chunks of meat laid upon a bed of vegetables. There was a decent amount of meat on top, but it can be very deceptive how much you really get. I wished they had raw white onions below instead of cooked ones. The onion loses its pungency when it is cooked so long and I think it was more steamed than sautéed. As for the flavor, I thought it was more on the sweet side and there wasn’t much oomph emanating from the beef. They probably should have heated the oil higher and throw the onions, garlic, black pepper, and chili peppers in to infuse the strong flavor. For $11.95, I could live without this dish. I’d recommend just ordering two of the House Special Soy-Sauced Prawns instead.
All in all the food was not bad and at least with those prices you get free steamed rice. They got another bonus point for giving away a new pair of chopsticks to each customer in celebration of their Grand Opening. I liked the chopsticks and will definitely use it, but I do hope they get their act together so that customers won’t die of starvation while waiting. Since the prices are a bit higher than what I would expect in Rowland Heights, I am a little hesitant about coming back but I did enjoy the prawns. Maybe the next time I am in the area for lunch, I will hit them up. The prices seem much more reasonable for lunch, under $10.

Tasty Station
19035 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 810-3600

After driving side streets from Mission Viejo to Rowland Heights for my b-day celebration, I couldn't just let it end at some delicious shrimps and clams at The Shack. As we were heading over for dessert in Yes Plaza I saw a beaming sign, Country Chicken. How can I ever pass up the chance for some fried chicken???? lol Now that I am lucky enough to have internet on my phone, the first thing I do is look up the ratings and reviews! Many people praised the friendly service and complained about the wait. There wasn't really around at this time so I decided that I needed some fried chicken with my shaved ice. Got to mix up the salty and sweet factor after all.
I was quite full actually but I had to make room for some extra adventures on a special night. After a long debate, I decided to get the Garlic Soy Chicken Wings. The guy behind the counter was very friendly and offered to bring them out to my table next store, Jungle Tea. I asked him if they were crispy and he guaranteed me that if they weren't he would gladly give me my money back. It is definitely very reminiscent to KyoChon except the wings are more plump. Indeed, it was crispy and fresh. They were a little bit on the saltier side with slight hints of sweetness in the glaze.
All in all it was enjoyable and the guy was super friendly. Next time I am in the "hood" and craving some wings, I'd drop by for an order. Keep in mind, they are fried fresh so they do take a while to come out so be patient. =)

Country Chicken
18180 E Colima Rd Ste A
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 964-5000

Recently I have been craving Boiling Crab, but can never find the right time to go nor would I care to wait in line for the yummy food. Kat, My Evil Twin, and I changed our meeting time and place. We decided to go further away for some good food. I did some research and found that The Shack just opened up in Rowland Heights. They have a special promotion until June 15th that when you buy 2 lbs of seafood you get the 1 lb free! When I saw that deal, I was hooked and definitely wanted to try them out. They are tucked away in the back where Nogales and Colima meets. It's a small cozy place and there wasn't any wait. I sort of don't want to tell people because I don't want to wait! >_<# lol
For starters, I ordered the Chicken Wings to try out. They were a little different from what I expected. I wished that they had more flavor and pizazz. They were small wings served with celery and carrot sticks.
You can order any combo of seafood. The choices were Crawfish, Shrimp, Snow Crab, King Crab, Clams, and Mussels. We chose to get 1 lb of the Crawfish with the Medium Shack Special Sauce and 2 lbs of Shrimp with the Mild Shack Special Sauce. With our order you get a Corn and Potatoes. I added Sausages and more Corn.
So why the "Finger Lickin' Good" title? I actually really liked the sauce. At first I asked for extra garlic but the server said that the sauce comes as is. It definitely is reminiscent to the flavors of Boiling Crab, but slightly different. After having been to so many Cajun/Asian places, they all taste similar yet different. One place might have a higher dosage of celery flavor or another one is spicier. Here, I found the sauce had just the right balance of savory and sweet. It definitely has a slightly sweeter after taste than most places. Kat actually thought that the mild sauce was spicier than the medium flavor. I definitely liked the mild flavor more because the true flavors of the ingredients really pop and take over the show. While the medium sauce was thicker and heavier, but this could also be because it was with the crawfish. It had an earthier flavor and taste than the shrimp. My fave is still the shrimp with the mild sauce. I like to get more bang for the buck. You don't get as much meat from the crawfish like you would from the shrimp. I just love sucking all the sauce from the shrimp before I peel the shell off and then dip the newly naked shrimp back into the delicious pool of sauce. O=9 Talk about food porn! lol
Be sure to check them out while the deal is on. I wish we got some crab legs because we would be able to maximize the deal! Before they end their Grand Opening special, I will have to come back again to get my fill. I just wish they were closer so I could go more often and enjoy the deal. ^_^

The Shack

18927 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

A rare day indeed. For Mother's Day, I took my Mom and Dad out for dinner. Those of you who know me, know how rare and scary this is. As always, they wanted to head on over to Rowland Heights for some Chinese Food. First we did some massive shopping at the newly opened Hong Kong Market at a new location, then we moseyed on over to VIP Chinese Restaurant. It's an Islamic Chinese Restaurant. They are located at the corner plaza, near the Yoshinoya side. The interior is your typical simple Asian design with booths and tables. I think they have changed ownership. It is now owned by Koreans I believe. Makes you question the authenticity of the food... but honestly we know the kitchen barely has any Asian cooks in these kind of places.
They start off by bringing you little snacks to snack on. Sometimes you have to be careful in places like these because they tend to charge you for the side dishes they bring you. I know it might not make sense, but it happens! So always be a little wary if you are not into the side dishes. I don't think we were charged this time, but the previous owners did.
So in Islamic cuisine they do not serve pork and they are known for their big Sesame & Green Onions Pancake. My parents like the thin type because it is suppose to be crispy on the outside, yet maintain a chewy texture on the inside. You use this instead of rice with the meal to tone down the strong flavors of the dish. My Dad did not like the pancake here anymore. It didn't have the same texture and "oomph" as it used to. I thought it was a bit bland and only had hints of salt flavor and nothing else.
My family is a huge fan of lamb so I chose Mongolian Lamb for the first dish. This was the best dish of the night. There was a lot of green onion flavor nicely infused into the dish. The sauce was a good combo of salty with a slight sweet essence from the onions. I wish we ordered 2 of this dish rather than the other ones. The portions were not too big but at least there was a good meat to veggie ratio. My Dad decided to get a spicy lamb dish, Hunan Lamb. It was not what we thought it would be. I rarely see slices of tofu skin in a Hunan Lamb. Not a big fan of leek so I avoided them. O=) The flavor was only so-so, but once I finished off the lamb on the other dish... I resorted to picking off of this dish.
I made the mistake of ordering the Hand Made Noodles with Lamb since I really liked them the first time I went to Fatima up in San Jose. The one here was not that good. I felt that the noodles were a bit flat in texture. They must have over cooked the noodles because they were very flimsy. The sauce was a bit too salty. I didn't enjoy the egg since it was over salted as well. My bad for wanting this dish. Maybe I should just stick to the meat dishes and avoid all carbs! O=P
The reason why I agreed to come to this place was for their dessert, as well as to please my parents. Even though it is under different ownership, I still had to have the Red Bean Pancake. if you know me, you know that I abhor red bean. So if I willingly order any dish with red bean, you know it must be good! I love the thin crispy texture of the pancake. The sweet flavor of ground red bean meshes well with the toasty outer texture. It was still good here. Maybe not as good as it used to be, but I got my fix. ^_^
All in all my parents weren't too pleased and they won't be back. At least I didn't drop too much for dinner but it would be nice if they actually enjoyed the meal... oh well... my parents are always like that. At least we made it through the meal without killing each other! ^_^ It's kind of funny, but they were more critical about the food than I was this time. =P

VIP Chinese Restaurant
18331 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 810-2499

I have been going to Country Bistro in Rowland Heights forever. It's the usual lunch place that my family and I frequent. They have a pretty good lunch selection and at a good price... BUT... recently I have been greatly upset by them! They are so stingy! I can overlook the typical rude and bad Asian service but how dare they deprive me of white rice!!! That's unholy for any Asian! lol =9 I ate there and picked up my usual extra lunch to go for the next day. They actually had the audacity to tell us that if you want rice, you'll have to pay extra!!! When you dine-in they give you rice with the lunch specials, which is normal! I guess they are getting more and more stingy these days by skimping on the rice for takeout! WTH! It says on the menu that it comes with it. I can understand that soup or what not are not included for take out, but rice!?!?! Bah-humbug! lol
So the specialty of this restaurant is that they offer nutritious soups for $1 extra with each lunch. My Mom LOVES the soups because it is suppose to be extremely nutritious for the body. Her favorite ones are the ones shown. Sometimes she orders a third one with Bittermelon inside. I don't know how non-Chinese people can order these soups since they are written in Chinese! >=P She usually gets the Spare Rib soup or the Stomach soup as shown. *hard to translate directly*
My favorite dish here is the Intestines with Basil. As many of you have noticed, I love pig intestines! O=9 They usually do a wonderful job in flavoring the dish and the portions are usually not bad. I love the fragrant flavor of the basil leaves mixed in with everything and I could do without the Red Bell Peppers lol. The intestines are usually soft but still retain their chewy texture. It's a great balance of sweet and salty. This dish goes great with rice. Word to the wise, if you love this dish like me do not order them together because the portions get smaller. =*( It's harder to season a huge wok evenly too.
On that particular trip, I decided to try the Fish Fillet with Black Bean Sauce. The black bean flavor was strong and the flavor was not bad. I still prefer the intestines by far. This dish was more salty but can be mellowed out with the white rice. All these dishes are meant to be paired with white rice to accentuate and exemplify the flavor of the dish.
All in all the food here is pretty good and at a good price at lunch but I am still furious about them depriving me of my white rice for take out!!! That is just jacked up!!! lol No worries, I just went home and cooked my own rice that is better... but it is just the principles of the matter! Since then, I am more opposed to eating there for lunch. Hey, I am in RH... I can EASILY find great food at a great price there! =P Although, I do like the intestines here. Darn them! *shakes fist wildly into the air*

Country Bistro
1380 Fullerton Rd Ste 105
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-9889