lunasia

lunasia
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

here's a tip. if you're a hardcore dim sum lover, you arrive early. I'm talking 9am or whenever the restaurant opens. it's never too early for dim sum. besides, doesn't the early bird get the worm? our large group of 8 had no problem getting a table because we arrived early. no fuss. no wait. they even started seating us before the entire party arrived.

i'm surprised to see this place received such poor reviews. after trying 25 or so of their dishes, i found the food to range from good to excellent. there was only one dishi didn't think was good, the xiao long bao, but this is not a dim sum specialty, so i'm not surprised. ordinarily, i wouldn't order this at a dim sum restaurant, but we love dumplings so much we couldn't help ourselves.

excellent:
tofu with abalone sauce - fried tofu, softened by a flavorful sauce stuffed with a seafood ball
pork & shrimp siu mai - large, plump, juicy
vegetarian rice noodle - crunchy, tasty vegetables rolled into sheets of rice
shrimp rice noodle - delicious, springy freshness to the wrapper
salt and pepper chicken wings - crispy, slightly spicy & so good
salt and pepper tofu - the vegetarian version consists of super crunchy small cubes of tofu
green onion pancake - crispy
roasted pork belly - crispy strip of skin, nice balance of fatty flavor with lean meat
roasted duck pie - a flaky pastry filled with sweet, marinated duck
wolfberry jello - light, refreshing

good
har gow - plump shrimp dumplings in a glassine skin
cilantro rice noodle - not as strongly flavored, but good
bbq pork buns - perfectly cooked, sweet and juicy
pumpkin pie - sweet pumpkin dumplings filled with red bean & sprinkled with sesame seeds
sticky rice wrap - sticky rice with a filling of pork & mushrooms, wrapped in a banana leaf
steamed rice noodle with pork spare ribs - nice flavor to the meat
sauteed eggplant - sweet, spicy glazed stir-fried fresh japanese eggplant
chinese broccoli with oyster sauce - fresh greens, rich oyster sauce
fro gura (foie gras) dumplings - a little strange to be eating a dumpling filled with foie gras, but it was good, though kind of rich.
mashed dumpling - typical
pork meatball

don't recommend
xiao long bao - lacking in soup, and kind of dry
taro cake with chinese sausage - kind of dry

one of the nicer, cleaner dim sum places i've been to in sgv, lunasia's dim sum was solid. although the carts can be fun, ordering from a menu means the food is hot and fresh when it gets to the table. you can also get what you want right away instead of hoping it will show up on the next cart. service was pretty good.

full house in chinatown

seafood tofu hotpot
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (28/143)
i happened to be in the area for a workshop and needed a quick bite. the dish i ordered, a seafood tofu hot pot was prepared well with a very tasty soy based sauce. it included scallops, squid, octopus, fish, shrimp, tofu, bits of lettuce, and green onions. all the seafood was fresh, and the squid was tender with a bit of a crunch. not chewy at all! my only complaint is that the steamed rice was a little dry.

elite restaurant

elite w/ jason & kelly
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (19/143)
my friend jason is in the area teaching at caltech for a semester, and his wife was here visiting. we had to go out for dim sum, since she had never had it before. there are so many dim sum places in san gabriel, and plenty of good ones to choose from. i had heard good things about elite, so we ended up going there on a sunday morning.

except for a few misses, the dim sum here is quite tasty and fresh. there's a homegrown comfort with lots of flavor quality to the food here. some of the classic dim sum is quite good, but the more unusual items stand out. overall, this place is near the top of my dim sum list.

MISSES
egg custard - had some burnt spots, and the crust tasted day old

har gow - looked big and plump, but was a little fishy, and i never complain of fishy. i like fishy, but there was something off about it.

seafood fried rice - the rice was dry

OK
chinese broccoli w/ oyster sauce - crisp greens with a thick sauce

sticky rice in lotus leaf - mostly ground meat filling

shrimp w/ almonds - a tad bland

HITS
roasted pork - crispy skin, a thin layer of fat, and lean, just the right amount of saltiness meat

xiao long bao - succulent, only complaint is not getting enough ginger

shrimp rice noodle - one of the better i've tasted. with large pieces of
shrimp, crunchy greens. what made this great was the wrapper

fried turnip cake - buttery, with a crispy edge and slightly spicy

pork & shrimp shui mai - great chewy texture and flavor

it's not a huge banquet hall like some places, and due to popularity, there's usually a wait. the earlier you go, the better. we went around 10:30am, and waited about 15 min. i was a little annoyed at having to sit in an awkward area where there was lots of foot traffic, but we quickly forgot once the food started arriving. the service is pretty good. you order from a picture menu rather than carts. i'm guessing it's because the resto is small, and it would be difficult wheeling carts around in this place.

bon marche

bon marche
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (17/143)
my mother's not chinese, but this strikes me as food she would make if she were. it's good chinese comfort food prepared simply with fresh ingredients. their toasted duck is tender and juicy from braising with hints of five spice. the salty shrimp in claypot actually wasn't very salty and could have had more flavor, but we thought it was prepared well.

the sauteed ong choy with garlic is a must to balance out the meal with some healthy greens. our favorite and most flavorful dish was the baked scallop and egg, which was like an omelet but not so fluffy with chunks of scallops, delicately covered with an emusilfied, sweet and salty soy based sauce and green onions.

the dinner menu is a single side of a two-sided sheet, but there are sheets of colored paper hanging on the walls with additional offerings, many of which is in chinese. there's also a note on the menu that you can request anything and they'll cook it if they can. the service was friendly and fast, even when the restaurant is full.

din tai fung

din tai fung
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (10/143)

how do the juicy dumplings at din tai fung compare? i thought they were tasty. they're better than the ones you generally get at the dim sum houses. the crab & pork leaned more towards crab, than pork flavors, which was interesting and different than the fattier, slightly more flavorful ones i had at mei long village. there was soup to be found, though not a lot, and overall, it was a lighter dumpling with a delicate skin.

the restaurant is clean and newish, and the menu is simple, but you have a variety of options as far as dumplings. we also had the vegetarian dumplings which were stuffed with glass noodles, mushrooms and greens. we also had the shrimp fried rice and baby bok choy. both were standard and properly prepared.

jazz cat cafe

jazz cat cafe
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (8/143)
i'm a soup fiend, and now that the weather finally appears to be cooling, it's a great excuse for a nice hot bowl of soup, especially one filled with lots of good stuff--vermicelli glass noodles, meat, shrimp, an assortment of fish balls, tofu, bok choy, egg, squash, radish. this is what you'll find at jazz cat cafe when you order your choice of broth that ranges from sea-flavored premium kelp broth to spicy thai to creamy corn.

it's great that they offer a variety of broth choices. the kelp broth i had was more straightforward than i thought it would be, featuring the natural flavors of the ingredients with little added seasoning, but i found it healthy and tasty, and especially liked one of the seafood balls that was stuffed with crab roe.

overall, the hotpot was not as good as it could be since they don't allow you to cook it at your table , which means losing out on the whole experience of cooking your own hotpot. the food suffered for it, too! they serve a hard-boiled egg instead of a raw one with the soup, which was very odd and annoying as i like how the flavor of the yolk mixes with broth, and meats get overcooked sitting in the steaming broth. i tend to like my beef just this side of cooked with a tinge of pink, so i was not happy at getting overcooked meat. the shrimp was almost to the mushy state.

i sampled a couple of their appetizers--the fried tofu and sausage--that were pretty good. the tofu has a light crispy outside and soft inside. the sweet and savory sausage was tender and moist, unlike some dried ones i've had. although a tad sweet for my palate, the hokkaido premium milk tea is worth trying. more milk than tea, it reminded me of breast milk. i know that sounds weird, but it was strangely comforting!

our waitress was very helpful in answering our questions about the various broths. she explained that the reason they started precooking the hotpots was due to all the heat generated (and i guess lack of ventilation), but will be moving into a bigger space which will allow them to return to diners cooking their own hotpots. i don't think i'd want to come back otherwise.

sea harbour dinner

sea harbour dinner
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

because i found the dim sum at sea harbour in rosemead to be one of the better ones in the san gabriel valley, i was looking forward to a big dinner there and wanting to find out if it would be on par. with a large group, i sampled what we thought would be characteristic cantonese style dishes.

sea harbour hand-ripped boneless chicken recommended by the waiter, this consisted of pieces of shredded chicken meat and skin that tasted like it had been cooked in a light soy sauce and was accompanied by a white pepper, salt & oil dipping sauce. the chicken was tender and had plenty of flavor so actually didn't need the dipping sauce, although the white pepper went nicely with the meat.

fresh prawns sauteed green scallions the name says it all, and though the shrimps were plump, fresh and tasty, this dish was one of the more boring of the ones we tried.

braised egg tofu w/ dried scallops in abalone sauce a delicate soft tofu made with egg and fried such that the outside was crispy while the yellow inside remained soft, sauteed in a flavorful light brown sauce with bits of scallops, this was my favorite dish of the evening. you could taste the care that went into the preparation of this dish, and the lovely sauce is good ladled over white rice.

braised rock cod, mushrooms, pork slices, & bean curd from the live seafood menu, this fresh fish was cooked in a gigantic clay pot with an interesting assortment of delicious ingredients that were great at absorbing the flavors in the broth used to braise the fish. however, the balance of fish and accompanying sides was off. though tender, the fish meat was scarce, and i felt like we were picking through the bones, which were difficult to see since they were smothered in stuff. i like whole fish, but i couldn't taste much of it here.

stewed eggplant w/ spicy fish sauce eggplant is like a sponge, and here, it sucks up the subtle smokiness from the chilis of the spicy fish sauce. the bits of pork were a nice accent that added to the flavor.

braised bamboo pith w/ greens the light broth and fresh greens were a nice contrast to some of the more earthy flavors of the other dishes. i love the crunchy texture of bamboo pith.

stewed pork belly w/ greens not worth the life of the pig, this dish was too sweet. the lack of typical flavorful fat and slight dryness of the meat was disappointing.

assorted seafood fried crispy noodles a typical dish, the sauteed seafood and veggies over pan fried noodles was on the bland side. it wasn't bad, just not very flavorful.

with the exception of a few uninspired or off dishes, the food was tasty, though flavors overall tended on the subtle. i don't think the dinner equals the dim sum. with the fancy damask table cloths and place settings and higher than usual prices, they seem to be aiming for elegant dining, but i didn't think the quality of the food was quite there for the price. another disappointing thing about the price was in regards to the amount of food. it looked like plenty, and we ordered one entree for each person, but that barely seemed like enough. most chinese places, you order that much, and there are plenty of leftovers. it seemed like each dish had about 20% less food than what is typical of these places. not sure if i'd come back for dinner.(3.5 out of 5 stars)

xinjian bbq

xinjian bbq
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

#25 on my 101 in 1001 list (5/143)
if you like skewered meat and are looking for something off the beaten path, xinjian bbq is worth a visit. the food here represents a certain variety of street food found in the northwest part of china. dusted with cumin & and chili spices, skewered and grilled, these snacks will satisfy. i went with a group, and we shared a number of appetizers and bbq'd meats. though all i had were tasty, some tended on the dry, overcooked side. here is what we had:

gouba soup: tortilla like pancake pieces in a five spice flavored thick gravy. some people liked it better than others.

oil pancake: like a buttermilk biscuit--good as a side to the meats rather than an appetizer

beef pancake: same pancake except filled with marinated beef with cilantro & green onions. the marinade was flavorful.

cucumber salad: i couldn't taste much beyond the copious amounts of garlic

vegetables: blanched vegetables flavored with sesame oil--pretty good and a nice balance to the heavy meats

pork & chives dumplings: these were juicy and flavorful, but they are on the big side, and the skin is rather thick

lamb chop: you can either get the lamb or lamb chop. others in my group got the lamb and really liked it. i got the lamb chop, which was a little tough, but the combination of cumin & chili went well with the meat.

chinese sausage: sweet, salty & spicy, this was good skewered as the fat kept the meat from drying out.

chicken wing & pieces of chicken: the skin and fattiness of the dark meat on the wing make for some good flavors. i recommend it over the chicken by itself

quail eggs: i like quail eggs. these needed a little soy sauce

corn: can't beat sweet grilled corn

yellow croaker: tender white meat inside, crispy skin on the outside

beef: these look like short rib slices and were on the tough and dry end. i wouldn't get them again.

mussels: i didn't taste these, but were told they were dry and overcooked.

it's a small place, and little english is spoken, but the prices can't be beat. also, the rub is spiced but not super spicy. each table has a variety of spices including white pepper, cumin, chili paste and red pepper flakes which you can add if you want more.

mei long village

mei long village
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

whether or not you've had a xiao long bao (soup filled dumpling), you really have to try one here. it's one of the better ones available in the city. they're little dumplings often filled with pork or pork and some other meat like crab and aspic, which is a gelatinous fat & broth combo that turns liquid when heated, and the ones here stand out. eat it with a little black soy sauce, ginger and vinegar. the vinegar helps to break through the fat and adds to the complexity of flavors mixing in your mouth. i'm amazed that the delicate skin can hold the soup and meat.

in addition to the dumplings, we had some veggie potstickers, which were ok. the bits of vegetables inside were fresh, but a little under-seasoned. they were out of the pea shoots, so we ordered the baby bokchoy with black mushrooms. a basic stir-fry, it was fresh, but not that interesting.

we also had the shrimp & mushroom noodle soup. the soup broth was good, and i enjoyed the combination of flavors. i'll be back for more!

king hua dim sum

king hua dim sum
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

this ranks highly in my book among dim sum places. not your average dim sum banquet, king hua offered us a bounty of delicious and atypical as well as usual small plates of goodness beautifully constructed, which didn't stop us from stuffing our faces. what we ate:

steamed rice noodle & shrimp: the delicate rice noodle wrapping fresh shrimp was tasty, with the best part being the sweet, light soy sauce ladled on top.

spare ribs in a black bean sauce: rich, fatty pork flavor enhanced with salty black bean sauce.

seafood salad: my least favorite of our meal, and though i like mayo, i thought that in combination with being deep fried was too heavy.

bbq pork bun in oyster sauce: i always feel these things are overrated at dim sum places because they're usually ho hum to me, all tasting the same from one dim sum house to another like they were cranked out by the hundreds, but not the ones here. the surprisingly sweet and flavorful marinade made this a standout. someone cared for these buns. this is why people like to order this.

shark fin scallop dumpling: held together by a delicate skin, large pieces of shrimp with a scallop on top and a dollop of shark fin bring together the flavors of the sea in one bite.

steamed shrimp & pea tips: one of the prettiest dumplings, this one also featured shrimp and sweet pea tips.

fresh shrimp dumpling with chives: the star in this were the chives that explode into your mouth when you bite into it. the skin was a little on the thick side, but flavor was good.

steamed rice noodle with chicken & bitter melon: this was more interesting for the novelty of the slight bitterness of the melon and sweetness of the soy sauce.

steamed egg tofu with fresh scallop in dry scallop sauce: if you like tofu, you'll really enjoy that flavor mixed with egg, both light and hearty and nicely paired with a scallop & salty sauce. not only pretty, but pretty good!

baked bbq pork bun: not as good as the steamed version, but still tasty, it is sweet with hints of cilantro coming through.

har gow (shrimp dumpling): standard, good. the other shrimp dumplings were far more interesting in flavor & ingredients.

shrimp & pork shiu mai: good, juicy and sizable.

stuffed eggplant: i like eggplant, but this one was so so. it appeared to be stuffed with some fish pureed that wasn't all that flavorful, fried and sitting in a sweet, slightly spicy sauce.

xia long bao: another surprising standout. i've had these at dim sum places, and they're usually ok. these were soupy, with a very nicely flavored broth. i didn't even notice that they didn't come with ginger as i found myself in a food porno. the broth literally squirted onto my neighbor's shirt when she bit into hers, and though i bit and sucked mine, there was still soup to squirt out the side. now that is what i call a climax.

shrimp & sticky rice on lotus leaf: shrimp cooked in a sweet broth coalesce with large slivers of ginger, carrots and straw mushrooms. this is what i call comfort.

egg custard: standard, and with a nice flaky crust.

there were a few things ordered that i wasn't partial to, but most of the food was consistently flavorful and well done. the aesthetics of the dim sum adds to the impression that the chefs aren't just cranking these out. standouts for me were the sweet & flavorful steamed bbq pork buns, juicy xiao long bao, shrimp dumpling with snow pea shoots.

the place looks a lot like sea harbour on the inside, with fancy carpeting, damask table cloths and fabric covered chairs. we were a part of a large group, and though the restaurant was packed, the food came quick and the service was good. with so many people, they had a hard time keeping our waters & tea full, but they were always eager to do it. they all thanked us as we left. like i said, not your average dim sum place.

chang's garden

chang's garden
Originally uploaded by bluepupae.

though not mind-blowing, chang's garden was a good and authentic introduction to specifically shanghainese food. i came here with a large group, sat with 8 other pleasure palateers and we sampled 11 dishes, some better than others.

boiled peanuts: this is a nice little snack while you wait. it tasted faintly of allspice.

pork ribs in lotus leaf: consists of a good-sized pork spare rib that has been wrapped in sticky rice with spices and then a lotus leaf. the lotus leaf imparts an earthy flavor to the rice and pork. the rice had a slight red chili zing, and the meat was so tender and moist it came easily off the bone.

bamboo fungus with chinese squash: the squash was light and tasted faintly of rock but not much else. not exactly earthy, but of the earth. the bamboo fungus had a crunchy texture, and soaked up the tasty broth this dish was sauteed in. it was a little sparse on the fungus, which although it doesn't sound appetizing, was tasty and the better of the two.

greens and bean sheets: don't remember exactly the name, but this dish had largish, green shellbeans with a diced green vegetable and thinly sliced tofu sheets. it was more interesting for the novelty. the bean sheet tasted like the way raw, freshly made tofu from an asian market smells. there really wasn't any sauce or strong flavor. it had more natural vegetable and tofu flavors.

seaweed fried fish: chunks of fish are battered with strands of seaweed and deep fried. it tasted freshly of the sea. my boyfriend liked it a lot.

five spice beef pancake: beef is thinly sliced and well done, wrapped in a fried pancake with green onions, cilantro and bits of cucumber. between the fragrant green onions & cilantro, i really couldn't taste the five spice. other people liked it. i thought it was interesting, but the beef itself was not overly flavorful.

xia long bao: the pork filling was moist but not overflowing with soup as i had expected and had hints of ginger.

rice cakes: round discs of chewy rice starch are sauteed with pork, greens and scallions. it reminded me of chow fun, except chewier. i liked the slightly smoky taste.

steamed fish: can't remember exactly which steamed fish it was, but it was cooked in a dark, sweet and salty sauce with scallions. the fish had absorbed what sauce there was. it was flavorful, but i wished i had more sauce to drip over the white meat inside.

tea-smoked duck: i was surprised by the tastiness of the duck. any hints of tea were subtle, but the skin and meat were good and neither dry nor too fatty. it would have been great if they had taken out the bones, though as it was a little hard to eat with the dough cakes.

tung po pork: i'm a pig. i can't help myself. this was my favorite dish. although the inside meat was a little on the dry side, i enjoyed the dark, sweet and salty braising sauce with hints of allspice and loved the pork fat floating atop and melting in your mouth as you envelop it with your tongu. it was like butter, but less creamy and more concentrated with pork flavor.

chicken hot pot with water chestnuts: the sauce was sweeter, saltier and thicker than the pork. it really needs to be eaten with the steamed rice. the chestnuts were a nice texture contrast to the chewy chicken. my pet peeve though was pulling out the little bits of bone.

the service started out a little rocky. they brought out the wrong pork dish--mu shu pork--and it took about five minutes of chaotic "arguing" with the waitress that it was neither what we ordered nor what we wanted. her english was a little rough, and she kept insisting it was good, which was beside the point. this was righted, and the rest of the evening was fine, with the food being brought out quickly and us getting attentive enough service at our large table.