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

Hot and Soupy #4: Ochazuke! Suehiro Cafe, Little Tokyo

Being the holidays, I ended up spending a lot of time watching Japanese dramas. And those, well, they make me crave Japanese food.

So one day, while watching Shinya Shokudo, I found myself craving Ochazuke.

Ochazuke, or chazuke, is a simple dish, really, and if I had the ingredients I probably could make it myself. It is made with rice served in a green tea and dashi broth. The toppings vary but the typical ones are salmon, tarako (cod roe), ume, nori (seaweed), etc.

Not having much luck locating a place that serves it in Pasadena, I dragged a friend to Suehiro Cafe in Little Tokyo. Suehiro Cafe is a popular place serving cheap comfort food like katsudon. I ordered the mixed chazuke with salmon, tarako, and nori for $6.30.

The bowl camed with a dollop of wasabi.Mixed Chazuke - $6.30

While it isn't as 'gourmet' and impeccable as the chazuke I had during my kaiseki meal at Wakuriya, this one is all about slurping it down. Warm, soupy rice full of dashi flavor would hit the spot any day. Oh, and I think tarako adds a great texture to the dish, so I recommend you get that topping next time you try chazuke.


Suehiro Cafe
337 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-9132

The List of New Year's Eve Lists + A Bit More

I still can't decide what to do for New Year's Eve either. In my search I came across some great lists from other bloggers/publications, so instead of rehashing what they said, I'm going to give you links to these lists so that they may help you too! I'll also add a few other things that may not be listed. Here goes:

Los Angeles Magazine: Roundup: New Year's Eve Planner

e*starLA: New Year, New Decade: The NYE Dinner-Party Round Up

Thirsty in LA: NYE Parties in LA: "So Long Aughts, and Thanks for All the Fish!"

OpenTable: New Year's Eve Dinners

For the bigger parties:
LA Times: Ramie Becker's Ring in 2010: Los Angeles New Year's Eve Parties

For more parties and hot shows:
NBC Los Angeles: LA's New Year's Eve 2010 Hotlist
lists of dinner or drinks with shows including Lucent Dossier's Haute Cirque

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Other goings-on:

For an early dinner, Bistro LQ will have a 4-course prix fixe menu at $55 for early seating (5:30-6:30) and a 6-course menu at $90 otherwise. Roasted Maine lobster, foie gras french toast-style, lamb loin, and duck magret are on the menu. Call (323) 951-1088.

Wolfgang's Steakhouse will have their full menu available plus a few specials (Lobster Mac and Cheese, a special cocktail). Not only that, they'll also have their Happy Hour menu available in the Della Robbia room starting at 10pm. And of course, complimentary champagne will go around twice here, at 9 pm (a toast to their NYC roots) and at midnight. Call (310) 385-0640.