Kat's 9 Lives

Alright, I have delayed this long enough! This is the monumental 400th post! I was planning on launching The French Laundry, but I am so crunched for times these days with classes. This is my way of cheating O=). Instead of some fancy shmancy place that is a landmark, I am going to do an old favorite. The longer I delay the 400th post, the more backed up I get! It's not fair to my devoted readers to keep waiting. Lu Gi will get this honor of being the 400th post and I made a few collages. Recently I have started loving spicy food and now hot pot. For the longest time I was sick of hot pot and had a strong disdain. This was mainly Ms. Lin's fault because she loves it and I was so sick of eating it for all the special occasions! It is also Ms. Lin's "fault" that I now love it and Ninji for making it so delicious! lol Lu Gi is the best Ma-La Hot Pot in Southern California for now.
It's been long overdue for me to talk about this place. I have been going every other weekend or so after the "addiction" started lol. Now I don't even take any pictures because I have so many and they all know what I like there. O=) The service there varies depending on who is working. I really like the lady that works in the back that only comes out to serve if you are there super super early before the servers arrive. As soon as I walk in, the owner knows to get me 2 orders of Pig Intestines. We always get the Dual Hot Pot so that you can choose to have it spicy or just plain. I haven't progressed to the point where I only eat the Ma-La side. O=)
Can you make this home? Sure, but it is not the same. We have many hot pots at home, both gas and electric. You can buy pre-made packets at 99 Ranch but they are still not quite the same. They are good to tide you over until you have a chance to drive down to SGV to get your fill! I even took TP one time and she is now a super huge fan! You wouldn't think she'd like it and now we have tempted Veggie Girl to join us. Whenever Ms. Lin comes home Lu Gi is always on the itinerary. In fact we are going there again next week! lol They have a small sauce bar for you to spice up your dipping sauce. At the table they give you Satay and freshly chopped Green Onions & Cilantro mix as the base. Normally I add chopped Garlic, Soy Sauce, and Sesame Oil. Some days I play around and make a few sauces to test out. If you have never made your own sauce or have never had hot pot, then take a few bowls and mix around a little bit in each bowl just to taste.
They bring out the pot immediately after you order and turn on the heat. Now comes the waiting time! When we are hungry we start eating the Spicy Tofu on the Ma-La side. Normally I don't like the texture of Tofu that much, but after all the "hot potting" I have been doing it has grown on me. The Tofu here is firm yet spongy. I love how all the spicy flavor soaks in and just make the Tofu pop in your mouth! You can do this at home but their Tofu has a much better texture. It is simply Tofu that is frozen and then cut up to cook in the soup. They probably have a better technique to maintain the firm texture. By freezing the Tofu, you allow air to perforate through creating the spongy texture. Ms. Lin was much happier the first few times we went because I never ate the Tofu, but now I am joining in on the fun! lol
To start off the meal, we always get some Lamb and Beef. The quality of the meat varies daily because of the cut and marbleization of the night. You can get various textures in just one night because they have started slicing from a different cut of meat. I often change which plate of meat I'd like to reorder depending on the initial dish. My way of cooking the meat is to dip the meat in the plain broth first so that it will add a nice meaty flavor to that side and immediately dip it on the spicy side that the meat can soak up the flavor nicely. Of course, I never let my meat overcook so that it will be tender and tasty. You can eat the meat as is or pile on some sauce to give it that extra spicy kick. MmmmmMmMmm goooood. ^_^
The first time we came here Ms. Lin ordered the Beef Tendons, Pork Blood Rice Cakes, Fu Zhou Fish Balls, and her signature Tong Hua. **eww veggies! lol** I just stick to eating my meat and she fills up on her side dishes. O=) If you order tendons, be sure to let them cook for a long time so that they become soft and melt in your mouth. As for the veggies, she actually cooks them on the plain side even though she loves spicy. If you have never had spicy hot pot then I'd recommend testing where you cook your dishes before consumption, just in case you don't like the spicy flavor on certain items.
My favorite item, besides the meat is always the Pig Intestines. I have noticed that when you order 2 sets together you get more! haha Yes, I have been here that many times to take note of that! It's one of the rare times where it probably pays to be greedy and order extra. They take a long time to cook so that it will have the right texture. Beforehand I would put the majority on the non-spicy side but now I dump most of it into the Ma-La side to soak in all the flavor. If you leave them in the soup and take it home for the next day, they tend to become too soggy but definitely full of flavor... maybe even a little too much lol.
All in all it's a great place for Ma-La Hot Pot. I agree with KFP that it's best to eat this during the Winter or when the weather is cold because it just warms you from the inside out. This is just good ole comfort food. You cook everything to your own liking and it's fun with groups, although it can kind of hectic if there are too many people! lol Ms. Lin and I always take home the left over soup filled with goodies to make our own hot pot at home for left overs. It's delicious and you can buy tons of meat at a cheaper price to get your fill! She tries to limit the amount of meat I order by telling me that I can have more the same price by buying meat at the markets and eat the leftover soup. Regardless, I eat it there and at home... for days. O=)Lu Gi
539 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 457-5111

Since Ms. Lin was able to come down for a business trip in LA, of course we had to stop off in San Gabriel/Monterey Park to get our grub on! She has been craving hot pot like crazy and we finally decided on Mon Land Hot Pot City next to Focus. We thought it would be Taiwanese style hot pot, Ma-La... unfortunately it was Mongolian style hot pot. I know Ms. Lin was saddened by this, but we decided to give it a try. Ever since Little Fat Sheep I have been craving the Lamb Meatballs! So I was willing to comply.
The sky was very dark that night and the streets are not very well-lit there. They were brightly lit so it's like a moth to a flame. =9 There is outside seating but we chose to sit inside. I want to be in an air-conditioned area just in case I get hot from eating steaming hot pot. lol We of course got the Dual Mongolian Hot Pot. If I ever go back... I would only get the non-spicy hot pot. Ms. Lin who loves spicy hot pot also thought the non-spicy side was better. It has a slight Coconut flavor that makes it tastier. So if you want a spicy spicy hot pot then this is not the exact place to get it.
They have a small bar of condiments you can use for your sauce. The Satay, Fermented Tofu, and Sesame Paste are at the table. I am glad that they at least had tons of Garlic available to fill me up. It's kind of weird that the satay was so sweet. It's different from the satay you normally get at Taiwanese hot pots. We like things salty so we asked for some Soy Sauce to spice the sauce up.
We ordered Lamb, Beef, and Pig Intestines as usual. It's kind of ironic but the lamb wasn't that good in a Mongolian hot pot. I normally get one plate of beef and tons of lamb, but this time the beef was better and I chose to continue with the beef instead. The intestines were actually really good in the soup. They were very fatty and good, but I think the portions are a little small.
Ms. Lin got her favorite Tong Hao (Hwa), and Tofu for herself as usual. She was not pleased at how the TH was not cut well. Serves her right for eating vegetables! lol We also got the Lamb Meatballs, but they were fail. At first they look really gross to us, but Ms. Lin thought it was better than she imagines. I didn't quite like them as much and barely had any. The ones at Little Fat Sheep were really good and fresh. BIG DIFFERENCE!
I had to do my infamous hot pot dip collage. Ms. Lin was the hand model again, but I cut her out! ^_^ So she will get a written credit of being the one dipping the beef and lamb into the non-spicy hot pot side. The flavor was actually pretty good and I think it tastes better than Little Fat Sheep soup-wise.
Since Mongolian hot pot should have really good lamb, I got greedy and ordered the Pancake stuffed with Lamb. I should have stuck with the Green Onion Pancake. We both barely touched the dish and chose to just bring it home to the family. They eat anything. O=) The pancake was soggy and really greasy. This took the longest to come out.
All in all the food was decent because we enjoyed the non-spicy soup side. As for the size of the food, I was not full. Ms. Lin stopped me from ordering by reminding me that there was another meal to come afterward. Tune in for more. ^_^ The service varied at times. It was a little awkward because they stopped paying attention to us a little and Ms. Lin asked for water, to pack the food, & the check... apparently that guy was the manager and he filled it immediately... and started yelling/lecturing the servers about not paying attention and to pack our stuff away. I was like umm WHOOPS. We didn't even say anything. I blame Ms. Lin! lol It was an interesting experience and I might come back because I liked the soup but everything else... mehh.. we will see. The best part is I am flying up to SF on Tuesday and I will get me some NINJI soon! WOO HOO!

Mon Land Hot Pot City

While I was out in Rowland Heights for my hair cut at University Beauty Salon, we couldn't decide where to stop for dinner. Suddenly I just chose a place in the plaza and we decided to get Yuan-Yan Hot Pot at Kingswood Restaurant. Apparently they do Teppan as well, which made me a little skeptical about this place. They have two ares of dining at this restaurant. One for the hot pot side and the other all set up for the teppan show.
We were seated immediately, the second group there because it was early. The BofE's next to us were DREADFUL! I really wanted to whack the lady on the head for bringing such annoying BofE's to the restaurant. As more people came, you could see they were staring and glaring as well. See, it's not just me! ^_^ We immediately ordered the dual hot pot. I asked for it to be not too spicy because my Mom can't take too spicy. They were really nice about it and offered to make it really light, then they can add more spices if I need it.
They bring out the condiments used to mix the sauces. I asked for Chopped Garlic and they brought it out immediately. The sauces were good. I just enjoy the simple flavor of Satay with chopped condiments. Yum Yum! ^_^
In Ms. Lin's absence, my Mom ordered the Pig's Blood Cake and ate it all! That's right Ms. Lin! Jealous? lol Don't worry I only ate my Lamb, Beef, and Pig Intestine. Yum Yum. The Ma-La side was not spicy at all so I asked her to add more and more spices until it got really spicy, which was just right for my Aunt. I thought the soup base for the spicy side was a little lacking in thick richness. Of course this could be that she gave it to us really light and watered it down, which affected the spicy richness. The flavor was decent though.
They were actually pretty nice about the service and brought out the extra dishes pretty fast. My water glass never hit empty. We enjoyed the meats and the hotpot. At the end of the meal they brought us Cold Green Bean Soup to cool you off after a hot meal.
All in all the food was decent and the service was good. I liked the hot pot and the flavors were not bad. Definitely just take the spiciness as is because it will probably make the flavor and taste richer. The big thing missing was Ms. Lin there. I did think about her the whole time! ^_- And of course I called to tell her about it... especially to make her jealous! O=9

Alright, the long awaited post of Ninji in Fremont. Boy do I miss the Hot Pot there! I want to go there now! Then I can also get some yummy Egg Cake next door! ^_- We went here the night we were going to the Alicia Keys concert in San Jose. This way it is sort of on the way down and Ms. Lin won't have to pay the toll for the return trip. She took the San Mateo bridge and BOY was that a long bridge. We eventually made our way there and I went over to pick up a drink while she sat down first.
At Ninji they have Buy One Get One Free Plum Tea. Ms. Lin usually gets that and she drinks both by herself, because to me that just sounds blech! Lol I picked up my delicious Fruit Tea at Tea Station near by. Even the people there liked my drink and started to ask about it! ^_- Yup that's right, it's better than what Ms. Lin ordered. O=)
Before I got there they already brought out the "Yuan Yan" Hot Pot and boy did it look yummy! This is the only place Ms. Lin can actually drag me to get hot pot. Also it is the ONLY place I ask to go to for hot pot. There are no crazy medicinal herbs in here. The flavor of the "Mah-Lah" side is thick, rich, and TASTY! I love the non-spicy side too because after all the meats you dip it becomes so flavorful and delicious. Am I drooling all over the screen?
Before anything is ready I head over to the Sauce Bar. It's your normal Satay, Chopped Garlic, Sesame Oil, Egg, Chopped Green Onion or Cilantro, Sesame Paste, Soy Sauce, and more. I enjoy the sauce a lot and you can create everything to your own liking. For me, I LOVE Garlic! Lets just say that my breath will smell for weeks to come. =-X I experimented different combos, but my favorite is still the simplest combo. All I need in there is tons of garlic, satay, onion, and cilantro with some soy sauce and sesame oil. It's so aromatic and flavorful!
Ms. Lin ordered some vegetables and Pigs Blood for herself. I can't recall the name of the vegetables because I didn't really care to be honest. *Achoo* I am allergic to all vegetables! ^_- She was telling me about the one that is clear and the great spongy texture it has. Apparently it doesn't feel like a vegetable? I will trust her and not have any. I am just being a great Sister letting her enjoy the stuff she loves all by herself. O=-9
For me it's all about the meat! We ordered a plate of the Beef and many many plates of the Lamb. My favorite is to get Pig Intestine! Yum! I know those of you who are not Asian are probably saying "eww" to yourselves. All I can say is to each their own. If you have never had it, be more open minded and you might be surprised. Every item becomes enveloped in flavor from either the spicy or non-spicy side and it's only enhanced by the sauce!
Throughout the meal they will keep adding more soup base as most of it evaporates or is taken out to drink. Ms. Lin loves that they have huge chunks of flavored Tofu inside the "Mah-Lah" side. Towards the end of the meal you always need some Glass Noodles to cook inside the flavorful soup and make your own noodle soup. I normally don't like noodles, but I have to have them with the hot pot here! YUM! You mix your sauces in and it's heaven. Before we leave Ms. Lin will be sure to have them fill the soup up for both sides and then continue to "eat" so that it won't look bad. That way she can take home the wonderful soup and tofu home for tomorrow's meal. This is also one of the rare times that I will eat left overs! YUM YUM! They are just that good!
All in the food is always GREAT! The service is fine and you will go home happy with much to spare. Do what Ms. Lin would do, go out and buy more meats & vegetables to add the next day and have another great meal! Why oh why can't there be a place like that down in OC??? Ms. Lin and I talked about it. She says that if I find one she is there! I am tempted to go up to SF again just for the hot pot!! We should take a road trip HoneyBee! ^_~ It will be a foodie weekend with the siblings! lol

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

Hot Mama! ^_^ That is what they call the nice lady who owns the shop. I have never had Shabu, and I thought I should try it somewhere that sounds fun. She is not as extreme as everyone says, but she definitely takes pride in everything she makes and she should! The sauces that she makes are delicious. You start off with the basic Ponzu that you get to spice up with green onions, garlic, traditional red radish, and the red homemade chili paste. She pointed out that the red radish is the correct type to use and not the white radish. I really wouldn't know since I have never had Shabu before, but it was interesting to know. You also get the Sesame sauce that is unique to her restaurant, as my sister told me. Both sauces were delicious, especially since you flavor it to your own liking! I loaded mine with garlic! She also has a special yummy jalapeño soy sauce for your rice.
Prices here are a little bit high for the amount of meat you get. I got the Deluxe Combo, which includes the meat, vegetables, udon noodles, rice, and a choice between California roll or Gyoza. She brought us a huge plate of vegetables and noodles as the pot of water is boiling in front of us. Then she runs behind the counter to cut the meat on the spot. I am a huge meat eater and it was definitely not enough to make me full. If you eat all the vegetables and noodles, then I can see why people would get full. I was very tempted to get more meat but I didn't feel like spending $30+ for lunch.
There was nothing special about the California rolls. I thought they Gyoza was good, but I don't quite see what everyone is raving about on the internet. They should try the frozen ones sold in supermarkets. Ajinomoto brand is actually extremely delicious and very easy to make at home. Overall, the add-ons were not bad but nothing I'd crave all the time.
All in all the food was delicious, it left me wanting more but that was because I didn't get my meat fill. Price wise, it is kind of high and my sister kept saying that she will take me to this place in San Francisco where it is all you can eat! The sauces might not be as good, but you get all the meat you want. I would still come back to this place because the service is friendly and the food is good, also to see Hot Mama again.