Showing posts with label san gabriel valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label san gabriel valley. Show all posts

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Spicy Lamb Stew at Cui Hua Lou (Monterey Park, CA)

If you like lamb, Cui Hua Lou is a place for you. This corner place in a strip mall (really, everything's in a strip mall in this town). It's a large menu, but luckily Chinese restaurants tend to number the dishes by what they think is their specialty. So, of course, we got the no. 1, "Stewed Lamb in Casserole" ($21.99).

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The lamb stew is large, enough to feed 3-4 people. We tried finishing it with two people but couldn't quite do it, and my friend and I ate a lot! The stew is served in a this electric pot which they plug in after bringing it to your table.
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They'll tell you to wait white the stew boils. Such spicy and flavorful broth, tender lamb meat on the bone, tofu, and cabbage. A very satisfying meal for lamb lovers! It may be kind of hot for the summer nights, but at least the restaurant has air conditioning!
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If that's not enough lamb for you, they do have spiced lamb skewers and many more dishes. In case you need vegetables to feel less guilty or something. The lamb skewers aren't as good as Feng Mao's but they're cheaper.
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食上烤吧 Cui Hua Lou

920 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 288-2218
http://cuihualouca.com/
Cui Hua Lou on Urbanspoon

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Eastbound Food Caravan, Part 1: Taza (Arcadia, CA) and Falafel Me(Azusa, CA)

I wouldn't typically consider going all the way to Azusa, not to mention Upland, but when Carl, the PR for Falafel Me, offers to pick up and drive me along with other bloggers, my answer was "why not!"

Our food caravan started with coffee and breakfast at Taza: a Social Coffeehouse, in Arcadia.

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Taza is different than most "coffee shops" in Arcadia and SGV. Instead of boba drinks, they serve Handsome Roaster coffee.
On the weekends, the place gets even more special with pastries and croissants from Sharon Wang's Sugarbloom. Sharon, who comes in only on the weekends to showcase her pastries, had worked for Thomas Keller.

My favorite of her creations was the Spam musubi croissant. It isn't cheap at $4, especially for SGV standards, but it wasn't only the novelty of spam musubi, the croissant itself was perfectly buttery and flaky. I think it's definitely worth a try and worth returning for.
Spam Musubi Croissant

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

My New Fave Dim Sum: Lunasia

Happy New Year to all!
Hope everyone had a great winter break.

So, now that it's 2010 and all, I wanted to try to get my backlogged posts out! My favorite dim sum place as of late is Lunasia, which replaced Triumphal Palace a while back.

Why do I like Lunasia so much?
1. The wait is typically less than other places like NBC, Elite, etc.
2. The ambiance is nicer, the place cleaner, the dishware nicer, and the service better. They actually changed the plates regularly.
3. The prices are quite reasonable.

Even if they did bump up the price last year, "Medium" dishes are still only $3.28. The popular fares like shiu mai and har gow still fall under this category. (Small dishes are $2.28 and large $4.28)
Compared to Dim Sum Express' $0.75 shiu mai, the ones here taste that much better and for 4 of them you'd only end up paying $0.28 more.

The shrimp dumplings (har gow, M) are also great. The skin is not too thick as to taste doughy, the shrimp nicely flavored and fresh.


Chicken feet in black bean sauce.

I also always like getting their bean curd skin wrap ($4.28)
These are meat and veggies wrapped in thin bean curd skin in a delightful broth.

Buttery char siu bao ($2.28)

The egg custard tarts are rich with a nice, flakey crust ($3.28)

Earlier in 2009, they had these durian puff pastries that I loved. Alas, they didn't have it on my last 2 visits and so I can only reminisce about it.
The pastry was warm and flakey, and inside you could find creamy durian paste the way it should be - sweet, strong in flavor and aroma. If you don't like durian and thinks that it's not at all sweet, then I'm sorry to say you had a bad durian.

I have never had to wait more than 15 minutes at Lunasia, even on the weekends! Add the taste and price point to that, this is my go-to dim sum place.

Lunasia
500 W Main Street Suite A
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 308-3222
www.lunasiachinesecuisine.com
Lunasia Chinese Cuisine on Urbanspoon
Lunasia Chinese Cuisine in Los Angeles

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Reviews: San Gabriel Valley

**** SAN GABRIEL VALLEY/ARCADIA/MONTEREY PARK ETC ****

Bamboodles (San Gabriel) - CLOSED
Boiling Point (Monterey Park)
Borneo Kalimantan Cuisine (Alhambra) | old review
Cui Hua Lou (Monterey Park)
Donut Man (Glendora)
Falafel Me (Azusa)
Golden Deli (San Gabriel)
Grill 'em All (Alhambra)
Happy Sheep Shabu Shabu (Rowland Heights)
Indo Kitchen (Alhambra)
JTYH (Rosemead)
La Casita Mexicana (Bell)
Lunasia (Alhambra)
Lu's Garden (San Gabriel)
Mon Land Hotpot City (San Gabriel)
Noodle House (Arcadia) -- CLOSED
Noodle House (Monterey Park)
Pal Cabron (Huntington Park) - CLOSED
Pho Filet (El Monte)
Pondok Kaki Lima (Duarte)
Raso Minang (West Covina) - CLOSED
Salju Dessert (Alhambra)
Sam Woo BBQ (Alhambra)
Savoy Kitchen (Alhambra)
Szechuan Impression (Alhambra)
Taza: A Social Coffee House (Arcadia)
Vietnam House (San Gabriel)
YunChuan Garden (Monterey Park)
Zelo's Pizzeria (Arcadia)

Los Angeles Review - by Region

Beverly Hills / Culver City / Hollywood / Downtown / Koreatown

**** LA WESTSIDE ****
(Century City/Culver City/West LA/Santa Monica/Venice/Other)

Brentwood
Bar Toscana
Brü Haus
Farmshop
Il Piccolo Verde
Sushi Sasabune


Century City
Clementine
Craft
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
Obikà Mozzarella Bar
Park Grill at The Intercontinental Hotel - Afternoon Tea
Seasons 52

Culver City
Bawarchi Indian Kitchen
City Tavern
The Corner Door
Father's Office II
Fraiche | 2011 (Chef Ben Bailly) - CLOSED
Ford's Filling Station
Hanjip
K-Zo
LA Spice Cafe
Lukshon
M Cafe de Chaya - CLOSED
Muddy Leek
Picnic LA
Royal/T
Rush Street
Smashburger

Cheviot Hills/Palms/Mar Vista/ etc
Ayara Thai (Westchester)
Coni'Seafood (Inglewood)
Hannosuke (Mar Vista)
Mariscos Chente (Mar Vista)
Nkechi African Cafe (Inglewood)
N/Naka (Palms)
Rio Brazil Cafe (Palms) - CLOSED
Santouka Ramen (Mar Vista)
Simpang Asia (Palms)
Sushi Central (Palms)
Sushi Zo (Cheviot Hills) *

Marina del Rey/Playa del Rey
Bacari PDR
Cafe del Rey
Mendocino Farms 
Paiche
Stones Restaurant at The Marriott
Vu Restaurant

Santa Monica
Anisette Brasserie - CLOSED
Buffalo Club
CAST at The Viceroy
Catch at Hotel Casa del Mar
CiBOTECA
The Counter
Erven Restaurant
FIG
Huckleberry Cafe
La Cachette Bistro | Paella Thursdays - CLOSED
Farmshop
Forma Restaurant & Cheese Bar
La Monarca Bakery
Melisse **
The Misfit
Nook Bistro
Ocean and Vine
Real Food Daily
Stella Rossa Pizza Bar- now Stella Barra
True Food Kitchen 
Typhoon
The Veranda Restaurant at The Georgian Hotel
Whist at The Viceroy - CHANGED
Zengo

West LA+Westwood

Apple Pan (Westwood)
Asakuma (Brentwood)
Casa Azul Cantina (Westwood)
Chabuya (West LA)
Curry House (West LA)
Emporium Thai Cuisine (Westwood)
Freddy Smalls Bar and Kitchen (West LA)
Fundamental LA (Westwood)
The Glendon (Westwood)
Hamasaku
Kiriko (West LA)
Plan Check (West LA)
Ramayani (Westwood)
Robata-Ya (West LA)
Shunji Japanese Cuisine
Specialty's Cafe and Bakery (West LA)
Sushi Mori (West LA) *
Tapenade (West LA)
TLT Food (Westwood)
Torafuku (West LA)
Totoraku (West LA)
Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles (West LA)
Wakasan (Westwood)
Yabu (West LA)

Venice
3 Square Cafe
Abbot's Pizza
Ado
AK Restaurant+Bar - CLOSED
Baby Blues BBQ
Gjelina
James' Beach
Jin Patisserie - CLOSED
Larry's in Venice
Pork Belly's Sandwich Shop
Rose Cafe
Scopa Italian Roots
Sunny Spot
Willie Jane

Malibu
Grom
Malibu Seafood


A1 Cucina Italiana
L'Amande Bakery
The Bazaar
Bombay Palace
BondSt
The Capital Grille - Happy Hour
Carson House
Caulfield's
Chaya Brasserie
Circa55
Crustacean
Culina at The Four Seasons
CUT
Cynthia's Restaurant3
Fogo de Chao
Georgie
Harajuku Crepe
Hokusai
Kiyokawa
La Terza
Ludobites at Breadbar
Little Next Door
Matsuhisa
Maude
Nishimura - CLOSED
Nozawa Bar
Oliverio at The Avalon Hotel
Ortolan * - CLOSED
Paninoteca by Scarpetta - CLOSED
Picca 
Ruth's Chris Steakhouse
Scarpetta - CLOSED
Sotto
Spago **
Tokyo Table -- CLOSED
Urasawa **
Wolfgang's Steakhouse by Wolfgang Zwiener

West Hollywood
A. O. C
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Asia de Cuba | Spring 2012
The Belmont
Cavatina
Cecconi's
The Churchill
Colonial Wine Bar
Comme Ca
FreshEast - CLOSED
Fritzi Dog
Früute
Gordon Ramsay at the London * - Afternoon Tea
Grace - CLOSED
Harlowe
Hugo's
ink.
Ita-cho
Jar
Jian Korean BBQ - CLOSED
L'Assiette
Lucques - Sunday Supper
Melrose Umbrella Co
Milk
The Nice Guy
Night+Market
Open Sesame
Pearl's Liquor Bar
Petrossian Boutique and Cafe 2009 | 2011 (new chef/menu)
Petty Cash Taqueria
Pitfire Pizza
Playa - CLOSED
Prova Pizza
Red Seven
Singapore's Banana Leaf
Smoke Oil Salt
Sona * - CLOSED
STK
Sushi on Sunset
Terrine
XIV - CLOSED
Zinque Cafe and Wine Bar

**** HOLLYWOOD/MID-WILSHIRE/SILVERLAKE /ECHO PARK****

Blue Boar Pub
BoHo - CLOSED
The Bowery
Butchers and Barbers
Cheebo
Cube Marketplace and Cafe
Demitasse Roastery & Kitchen
Formosa Cafe
The Foundry on Melrose
Fukuburger - CLOSED
Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
The Griddle Cafe
Grub
The Hungry Cat (CrabFest V)
Jitlada
Kabuki
Komida
Lexington Social House
Loteria Grill
Luca on Sunset
Lucky Devils
Mario's Peruvian and Seafood
Next Door Lounge
Osteria Mozza
Pizza Fusion
Pizzeria Mozza
Providence **
Public Kitchen and Bar at The Hollywood Roosevelt
Sadie | Spring 2012 | Summer 2013
Scoops
STREET
Vintage Enoteca
Wood and Vine

Mid-Wilshire/La Brea/Mid-City
Campanile - CLOSED
La Brea Bakery
Luna Park
PingTung Eat-In Market
Tart Restaurant
Tinga
Twist Eatery 
Umami Burger
Urban Garden
Ray's and Stark Bar

Koreatown

BCD Tofu House
Beverly Soon Tofu
The Commissary
Dae Bok
Dansungsa
Feng Mao Mutton Kebab
Grainivore
Ham Ji Park
Hite Kwang-Jang
Ma Dang Gook So
Mandarin House
Mirak
Ondal 2
Palsaik Samgyupsal Korean BBQ
Pot
Saint Martha
So Kong Dong
Star King BBQ
Tom N Toms Coffee
Yong Su San

Silverlake/Westlake
Bowery Bungalow (Silverlake)
Fred 62 (Los Feliz)
LA Mill
Mess Hall (Los Feliz)
Shibucho
Stamp Proper Foods (Los Feliz)
Tam O'Shanter (Atwater Village)

Echo Park
Allston Yacht Club - CLOSED
Allumette 
Mohawk Bend | AYCE Pizza Night


Downtown
643 North (Chinatown)
Artisan House
Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken
Bottega Louie
B.S. Taqueria
Bugis Street Brasserie
Cafe Pinot | Summer 2014
Chaya Downtown
ChocoChicken
Church and State
Daily Grill
Dr. J's Vibrant Cafe
Eat Drink Americano
The Edison
The Factory Kitchen
Faith and Flower
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar
Holbox
Industriel Urban Farm Cuisine
KazuNori
Kendall's Brasserie
LA Market
Langer's Deli
Nickel Diner
Noe at the Omni
Nola's 
Okipoki
Patina
Pitfire Pizza Company
Q Sushi
SUGARFISH
Testa
La Tostaderia
Umami Burger
Villains Tavern
Water Grill *
WP24
Wurstkuche

Little Tokyo
Chado Tea Room
Chin-Ma-Ya of Tokyo
Daikokuya
Lazy Ox Canteen
Marugame Monzo
Shojin 
Simbal
The Spice Table - CLOSED
Sushi Komasa 
Toshi Sushi

Highland Park
The York

**** GLENDALE/EAGLE ROCK ****

Auntie Em's Kitchen (Eagle Rock)
Bashan (Glendale)
Palate (Glendale)
Rambo's Taco Truck (Eagle Rock)


****EAST LA/SOUTH LA ****


Amor Y Tacos (Cerritos)
Corazon y Miel (Bell)
La Casita Mexicana (Bell)
La Huasteca (Lynwood)

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