Eat Drink Style Mien Nghia, Chinatown Los Angeles - Heaven In A Bowl

For a while, I lost hope in finding the right Chiu Chow noodle shop in Los Angeles. My dad first introduced to me what is still now, my most favorite noodle shop - Trieu Chau Restaurant in Santa Ana located on Newhope/First St. This place only opens till 5 pm but usually has a line out the door. I don't want to gross anyone out with an experience I had here, but... ah what the hell. The food is so worth it, that I'd still come back. Caveat #1. Trieu Chau Restaurant is so packed that the practice of joining 2 parties into 1 table is all too common. I once got hooked up with a grandpa and grandma. We didn't say a word to each other as we happily slurped our noodles and soup. Until... grandma busts out her NAILCLIPPERS. Ok, I thought, that's fine, she's going to clip her fingernails. Then without notice of me, she props her food onto her chair and starts clipping away.... laying her finely incised TOENAILS onto a napkin which was already sharing real estate with a duck bone she had cleaned out. Even a National Geographic archaeologist would find it hard to carbon-14 that bone b/c it was devoid of any bone marrow. Check please. Caveat #2. I once took my friends here and as we happily slurped our noodles and soup. We all peered at the ceiling at what looked to be a neon orange cylinder with tons of black dots. Hey that's kinda nice, something you know, festive and shiny and bright. One might think it's an air freshener adorned with black crystals. We were far off the target. They were FLIES. But you know what, we could give a sh*t. The food was too good.

Anyway, it's been a good 5 years since I've eaten at TCR. All the places I've tried in Chinatown just didn't cut it. Then came along my friend Jéan Downs who emerged out of nowhere as a foodie with a strong opinion. I like that. After threatening to squash my head in a vise, he forced me try this place in Chinatown called Mien Nghia. "Meen Yee" in cantonese. Ok Ok. And boy do I owe a lot to Jéan Downs. In about two months, I've eaten here nearly 10 times and have not been disappointed. Just last week, hehe, 4 times!

Commuting from Silverlake to work, Chinatown is always a nice stopover for take-out lunch. I'd usually hit up the roach coach on Alpine for their banh cuon (pork/mushroom rice crepes) or banh mi's (sandwiches). And when I'm hungover, I'll require some soup to quell the thirst at Pho 97 or Chiu Heng. What a coincidence... my first time at Mien Nghia occurred after a wild night of drinking. Soup, my stomach says... soup.

I walked into Mien Nghia, which is next to a sandwich shop called My Dung. I know I know, it's not how it's read in English. It's pronounced "Mee Yung" in Vietnamese... but you have to just step back for a minute and smile. I was greeted and immediately seated. I love asian restaurants. For some reason, unless you're a non-asian or a gwai-lo, you're expected to know what you want even before you even sit down. Menu please... the waiter stares at me and turns for the menu.

That guy in the Miami Dolphins turquoise polo is funny.

Anyway, here's what I had over a period of 5 visits. And let me tell you, Mien Nghia makes a quality broth. Every sip is good. A tip for those that come here. You'll notice that there is a dark chili oil sauce... it's not really hot sauce. It's chiu chow style satay bbq sauce... similar to what Chinese use for hot pot dip. A lot of asian noodle restaurants will wing the broth by using water and chicken bouillon powder (Knorr). It tastes chickeny but it just doesn't have that weight, volume to it. Know what I mean? There's a difference between good pho broth and half-ass broth. You know who's dealing the real sh*t and who's dealing the schwag. Snoop would say that they are dealing the chronic here.

Chicken and Fish Slice Egg/Rice Noodles $6.75
I am blowing up this photo and framing it in my living room. Makes me want to jump at it. The chicken is very moist and flavorful. The fish pieces are coated with a starch mix to give it that nice texture created from blanching the meat. And nothing says cherry on top of an ice cream sundae like fried shallots. This soup is nice but again, the addition of the satay bbq sauce really adds a nice taste to it. My stubborn sister refused to use the sauce but was happy once I dumped it into her bowl. This is my favorite here. The prices are higher than normal noodle shops but I think Mien Nghia really gives you a good amount of food. I'm stuffed every time I eat here. J could barely finish her bowl.

Beef Stew Egg/Rice Noodles $7.25
At a Chiu Chow restaurant, you'll notice the menu has Chinese, Cambodian and Vietnamese writing. Historically, Chiu Chow people travel wherever there is work and they bring their food with them. Much like the food trade in Hawaii done by Japanese, Chinese and Koreans... the same theory applies. You bring your food and offer people. Which is why you get the Vietnamese beef stew known as 'bo kho'. This is my 2nd favorite dish. It's reallly heavy and hearty but it really satisfies you. The beef shank/brisket/tendon slices are super tender and the soup is made with the right amount of tomato paste and cinnamon/anise/coriander. Mmmmm.

Beef Ribs with Egg/Rice Noodles $6.50
Don't order this. The broth and sauce are strange. I don't know what else to say it, but I'm putting some orange cones around this. You're better off getting a sandwich next door at My Dung.

Seafood Egg/Rice Noodles $6.75
My sister and dad ordered this. Whenever they go to a Chiu Chow restaurant, they have to eat the seafood bowl. This was taken at the Rosemead location (Mien Nghia has 3 locations). On top is a piece of shrimp fried along with a wonton skin. I didn't try this but they said it was good. My sister was unhappy until I dumped a tablespoon of satay bbq sauce in here. Sauce makes people happy. My family loved this.

Wonton Egg/Rice Noodles $5.75
No matter where I go, even Wonton Time, can't beat the real Hong Kong wonton. I ordered this with the owner's recommendation, who is very sweet and talkative. I didn't have the heart to tell her.... "I want my f*cking money back!" What they referred to as wontons was merely a small lump of ground pork blanketed by wonton skin. No texture, no taste, no stellar bite you get from a HK wonton. Caltrans.... please put some orange cones around this please.

Fishcake
Yes, I know the term is quite frightening, just as shrimpcake is. Sara Lee and Entenmann's would never produce this freak of nature, but let me tell you, it's wonderful. Fish is pureed and flavored with fish sauce and sugar. It's then boiled or steamed and then deep fried to create that nice 'crust'. I substituted the fish slices for these. My favorite. In Hong Kong, I'd buy a pound of this fishcake block for like $7 and devour it with beer.

Egg & Rice Noodles = Yin & Yang
You'll notice that every dish I ate has the egg & rice noodle mix. It's a Vietnamese & Chiu Chow thing - they can't decide whether or not they want egg or rice noodles... smart, ask for both!

Overall, I love this joint. Although the soup is very tasty, it's not that signature Chiu Chow broth which is made with fried garlic/shallots, pork/fish/chicken bones and I think daikon (for sweetness). I have to crown Mien Nghia with the true Noodle Whore crown. Everything on the menu is noodles. I couldn't be more happy about that. Try it out when you can. By no means, a comparison to pho or Chinese beef noodle soup... but this is big for Southeast Asians. Thanks for reading. Oh yeah, MasterCash only.

Mien Nghia - Chinatown

304 Ord St

Los Angeles, CA, 90012

(213) 680-2411

Mien Nghia - Rosemead

7755 Garvey Ave

Rosemead, CA, 91770

(626) 288-0177

Mien Nghia - San Gabriel

406 W Valley Blvd

San Gabriel, CA, 91776

(626) 570-1668

Eat Drink Style Dumpling 10053, El Monte, CA - Creative Dumplings Un-creative Restaurant Name

Nostradamus left out a very important prediction in his book. Amidst all things alluding to armageddon and absolute chaos, such as earthquakes, terrorist attacks, celebrity infidelity, Paris, Lindsay and Hillary, etc.... how about things we as foodbloggers actually care about... like where's the next breeding ground for good Asian food in the SGV? Well to answer that, Nostradamus appeared in my dreams last night. But he wasn't European; he was actually an old Chinese man with ashy gray hair, with one of those very attractive moles that had 3-4 strands of 5" hair growing out of it... like vines in the Amazon. The moles that are supposed to give people good luck, when in fact it's just something you tell people so they don't feel so bad about it. With lighting and thunder floating above his head, he told me. "Ooooooohhhhhhh.... (whatever scary sound scary spirits tend to make).... I think it's not in the Alhambra/San Gabriel/Rosemead side of Valley Blvd.... it's actually moved east on Valley Blvd towards El Monte. And it's because of a quaint restaurant by the name of Dumpling 10053. And I am getting sick of the huge Banh Mi Battles on Valley Blvd.... what the hell is that about??? It's just a sandwich! And what about those Monterey Park mommies with those face visors....oh the... " Before he continued ranting on, I went back to sleep. Thanks for the tip - I'm checking it out.

My family and I headed east on Valley Blvd. which was weird for a change. We were so used to going west on Valley to the land of good food. We found Dumpling 10053 in a tiny strip mall, well, by the address of 10053 Valley Blvd.... just a few yards east of Baldwin Avenue. We parked and found ourselves dealing with a good 15 people in front of us. Yes, a very good sign. I put my name down, actually my chinese last name. 10053 is the first place to ever ask me for my last name... "Ni gway shing?" (meaning: your family name please?) How fancylicious. Where was the heavily-needed valet guy? Compact parking spots and Chinese drivers do not meld well. We were seated about 20 minutes later.

About 2 months earlier, I had sent my new foodie scout, Jéan Downs, out to Dumpling 10053 since he was in the area. Jéan Downs accompanied me for a dinner at WD-50 in New York and tried a lot of things for the first time. He has proven to many that he is an enthusiast of good food. He doesn't like to reminisce about the days when he used to eat at Chipotle, El Torito (only with coupons), Baja Fresh (because Santa Ana is too far) and fine Italian meats from Albertson's Deli. He came back to me with a two thumbs up review.

10053 Interior
The restaurant holds about 15 tables; not very big. This place is certainly big enough for people to do the 'Hurry up and f&!!ing Eat Staredown' though. For those unfamiliar with this. It originates in Asia, where restaurants are super small. And if it's cold outside, people waiting to eat will literally stand inside the restaurant next to you while you enjoy your meal. They may even STARE at you so that you hurry up and eat. Screw them, take your time. Maybe even offer them some tea. There are hungry onlookers here though.

Cold Cucumbers (Xiao Huang Gua)
This is a must in any dumpling/noodle shop. Some places will let you walk up to the counter and pick out your own side dishes; most keep their side dishes in a separate drink fridge. These cucumbers however, were bland. In need of extra flavoring, we added our own salt and dollop of chili bean paste. Much better. $2.25

Shredded Bean Curd 'Noodles' (Gan Sih)
These are my favorite and 10053 makes them delicious. I can definitely taste the addition of chicken bouillon which contains MSG and chicken broth flavoring. The sesame oil is nicely glazed on.... making this one of the best 'gan sih' I've eaten in SGV. $2.25

The Dumpling Master Sauce
Everyone has his own 'sauce' for dipping dumplings or scallion pancakes in. Here's a quick guide for the sauce I make. Just don't dip dumplings in soy sauce straight - it's like the white guy from Joy Luck Club juicing the perfectly steamed fish with soy sauce. In your little dish provided, add 1/2 a seconds worth of soy sauce, 1 second of vinegar, 1/2 or 1 teaspoon of chili bean paste depending on your threshold for spiciness and 6-7 drops of sesame oil. Mix well and enjoy. This is not the same sauce for soupy dumplings (xiao long bao)! This is $free.99.

Three-Flavored Dumplings (San Shen Sway Jiao)
People on Chowhound lit up this dish like crazy. And I must join the campaign. These are truly good. Using pork, imitation crab and sea cucumber, a juicy dumpling is made and full of flavor. You almost don't need to use the master sauce. This combination of ingredients is very unique, yet you can still taste all the different textures. You won't find this at many Chinese restaurants. 10 for $6.50.

Centerfold Portrait of the Three-Flavored Dumpling

Shrimp & Leek Dumplings (Sha Joe Tsai Sway Jiao)
These are my favorite and what everyone gets with the Three Flavor dumplings. I've already been to 10053 four times in the last 1.5 months. I can't get enough of these. These are basically like dim sum ha gow's. The shrimp is bound together by egg whites, corn starch with a few slivers of chinese leeks - and it's very juicy. Mmmm. 10 for $6.50.

Centerfold Portrait of the Three-Flavored Dumpling
All I have to say is... 36-24-36 for only 6-50.

Pork Chops with Soup Noodles (Pai Gu Mian)
This is another favorite here at 10053. I usually never get this, but after being here four times and eyeing what the waitresses bring out... it was time to try. And they are beautiful. Perfectly fried, these pork chops have a nice rice wine, white pepper and five-spice taste to them. Sh*t! My stomach just growled. $5.95 with soup noodles. $4.75 for 2 pieces... might as well order the whole set.

Noodle Soup (Part of Pai Gu Mian Combo)
This broth is cooked beautifully. It was a bit salty and cloudy from the noodle washoff. I tasted a lot of MSG in this. But overall, a nice accompaniment to the pork chops.

Beef Stew & Tendon Noodle Soup (Nu Ro Gun Mian)
I have eaten a lot of beef noodle soup in SGV, and so far, this place has moved up to my top 3 rank. The cuts of beef given are soooo nice. The broth has a nice red/brown color to it with virtually no oil and lingering tastes of chili bean paste; has a nice subtle star anise essence to it. This is one fine bowl of NRM.

The ugly-moled Nostradamus was right. In fact, I am thinking about eating there again this weekend. I am determined to try everything on the menu and I can't say that about a lot of Chinese dumpling/noodle shops. Another one of 10053's trademark dishes is the cold sesame chicken noodles. Good for about the first few bites, the sesame paste starts to get sickening. Try sharing this with your friends. I've also tried the rock cod fishball soup and it's just not what I was expecting. Although very clean and fresh, the fishballs lack the Chiu-Chow style of 'bouncey' fish meat. I'd refrain from the Salmon dumplings - cooked salmon is just too dry. Finally, as good as the potstickers look, I'd say no. The filling is 90% vegetable, 10% pork and VERY DRY. By the way, the chinese name for 10053 is 'Yuan Bao Xiao Guan', meaning Gold Ingot Restaurant. This is a Chinese gold ingot. Thanks for reading.

Dumpling 10053
10053 Valley Blvd Suite #2
El Monte, CA 91731
(626) 350-0188

Eat Drink Style Elite Restaurant... Monterey Park, CA - A Step Above Standard Dim Sum?

Living in the SGV, I'm spoiled with such vast selection of Asian food. And the low prices for SGV food are sometimes unbelievable. I've taken many non-Asian friends to eat and I've watched them rub their eyes and do a double take on the menu. What? How do these people live? Same thing I wonder everyday. In SGV, you can get dim sum as low as $1.60 per dish. You can have a family style lunch for four, for under $20. You can get almost any soup noodle for under $5. To me, this is wonderful. And I have money left over to buy things like Asian face visors, pirated vcd/dvd's and rims. You know, the good stuff.

But over the past years, there's been a new wave of higher-end restaurants that make Asian people rub their eyes and do a double take - particularly dim sum/banquet style restaurants. The new wave dim sum-style basically mixes traditional dim sum with Western/Pan-Asian ingredients. It was only a matter of time that Chinese would head towards the fusion trend in LA (aside from HK-style cafes in SGV). There's Mission 261 in San Gabriel, Triumphal Palace in Alhambra, Seafood Harbour in Rosemead and New Concept in Monterey Park. Well New Concept has a new owner and has reincarnated as the Elite Restaurants - same chefs, same staff.

I was called upon by the powers of the Los Angeles Court, to serve as a juror last week in Alhambra. Oh joy you assholes. Sitting in the jury assembly room, I stared at the clock and counted the minutes. If you're a true foodie, you're mind never strays away from food. When you wake up in the morning, you're already thinking about breakfast. After breakfast, you're thinking about lunch. After lunch, you're thinking about a snack. After dinner, you're thinking about the next day's cycle. Insane, I know - but you know it's true. I wanted dim sum but didn't want to try the ones I usually frequent.... mmm, how about Elite? I had heard so much about it from friends and on Chowhound.

I arrived at Elite to find that it WASN'T decked out in red wallpaper with the cliche Golden Dragons of Double Happiness mural. Instead, the walls were dressed with yellow wallpaper and framed images of their culinary gifts to us. This place was packed to the rim when I got there at 12:30. As I waited for my table, I snagged a menu and started pre-ordering. *Note: fancier dim sum places will not have the old ladies wearing jade bracelets pushing carts. The food is brought to you buy a server after filling out your menu form. My eyes lit up in excitement as I filled out my lunch order. I couldn't wait. I flipped the other side of the menu and almost fell over the chair. Elite also serves banquet dinners ranging from $388 to $1,688. The Chinese love the number 88 and 888 (eight is pronounced as 'baht') because it sounds like the phrase... "get rich" (faht choy). Elite might want to consider changing their prices if they want to "get rich". Not many people can shell out $1,688 for a family dinner unless they sell their left kidney.

Elite Restaurant Interior
No red wallpaper, dragons and jade-bracelet equipped cart-pushers. Hope I didn't mistaken this place for Panda's Inn?


Macau Roasted Pork (Oh Moon Seew Yook)
This was awesome! Beautifully roasted pieces of pork back or belly and perfectly fried skin. I love pork belly! This is served with a dish of salt and hoisin sauce. For those that have never heard of Macau, it's an ex-Portuguese colony southwest of Hong Kong. Although the architecture is reminiscent of Portugal's, there are cantonese-speaking people everywhere. Macau is also considered as the Vegas of South Asia. $5.98


Spare Ribs with Chili & Black Bean Sauce (Pai Gwut)
The only difference in this and traditional 'pai gwut' is that the ribs are steamed on top of sweet potatoes, which do nothing for this dish. I've had better 'pai gwut' at traditional dim sum joints. $1.98


Congee with Pork & Preserved Egg (Pei Dan Sao Yook Jook)
A must-have when I eat dim sum. I expected to get a small bowl here but I was wrong. It came in a huge white soup bowl. Like the 'pai gwut', I've had better. Good deal though, for only $5.08.


Scallop Steamed Rice Noodles (Dai Zee Cheung Fun)
Oh man. I've never seen this and when I saw it on the menu I nearly flipped. I love scallops and I love steamed rice noodles. This was excellent. Scallops were perfectly steamed and the noodles were beautiful - not hard at all. The sauce was so so, but still, great overall dish. I would order this dish again. Maybe even two. $2.98


Shark's Fin Dumpling in Supreme Soup Stock
Whenever I have the chance to eat shark, I will eat those bastards. I hate them. I'm amused by the National Geographic and Discovery Channel specials, but those bastards are out of control. Jaws was served in a huge dumpling - almost like a pouch, in a golden broth. I broke the dumpling in half and out came the remnants of Jaws. This was delicious but I felt that the Supreme soup stock was way too sweet. Anyway, I helped out some seals and walruses by eating this dish. $5.98


Pork Shu-Mai (Seew Mai)
I don't know why they call this a pork shu-mai because they all come with large pieces of scallop sitting on top of them. These were definitely the largest shu mai I've ever seen and they were delicious. Because of the satellite dish size bowl of porridge, I couldn't finish this. $2.98


Pan Fried Turnip Cake with X.O. Sauce (XO Jeung Loh Bahk Go)
When I was mini-ED&BM, I used to eat turnip cakes all day long. I call these Chinese hash browns because they are crispy. Elite's version includes X.O. Sauce which consists of minced dried shrimp, dried scallops and chili. The cakes were fried nicely but there wasn't much of an X.O. Sauce-taste. I barely dented this. $5.08

As you can see, I ordered way too much food. My favorites were the scallop steamed rice noodles, Macau pork and shu mai. If you do try Elite, try dishes you wouldn't normally try - they've got a huge list of things I've never eaten. I'm going back again and ordering entirely different dishes. But overall, I prefer traditional dim sum houses like 888, New Capital, Ocean Star and Hop Li (my favorite). I love the anticipation of seeing your favorite dim sum cart approaching you down the aisle. I love seeing what goodies I can eat immediately. Sometimes, traditional is the way to go. I got back to the jury room and freaking knocked out. I was so full I almost puked. Good times. Thanks for reading.

Elite Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-9998

Eat Drink Style New York: A Weekend of Fusion

Last weekend, I went to New York for a short weekend trip... and it was a shock to the system. The weather was 15 degrees, and 0 degrees by night time. I've been to NY a good 6 times, but this was nuts. Anyway, I was originally going for a college friend's wedding in Long Island, but work came down the pipe... also in New York! My agency asked me to attend a photoshoot for a client at New York's electronic club, Crobar. I took the red eye Thursday, and after a few drinks at dinner with J at Terried Sake House and drinks at the airport, I ended up passing out on my flight and waking up at 6 am... with only 1.5 hours till arrival. There's nothing better than sleeping the majority of your flight away. From JFK, I took a $45 flat fee taxi ride into Manhattan, an hour away. New York is not cheap! I was so tired from the binge drinking and flying, that I had to pass out at the hotel... the beautiful, Hudson Hotel. Designed by Ian Schrager, this boutique hotel is one that exhibits a very interesting concept... dark wood, bricks, ivy and taxidermy. Snazzy. A little bit of modernism and wilderness meshed together. The Hudson brings out the nature boy in everyone.

Be My Guest
Definitely check out Flickr's images of the Hudson Hotel and you'll know what I was googling at.

One Horny Lamp
This is a must for any pornstar in the Valley. These go well with polar bear rugs if you can afford one. They'd all go very well with my leopard-skin speedos and sheets. A perfect way to light up my room filled with the music of Kenny G and Yanni. Nice visual I know.

Chandelier
This was truly a work of art, although I didn't understand the neon lenticulars.

Billy Boy
This billy goat reminded me of the delicious birria (goat) taco that J and I had at El Parian in the Pico-Union area. Poor, delicious goat - good thing our friends at El Parian didn't see him - he'd be dinner. At least he's dying with style in the Hudson Hotel.

After a nice 3 hour nap in my $300 room that I wasn't paying for, I headed over to the Chelsea area to work. I was done within a few hours, and finally, my stomach started to talk to me. Yes, my fat one, I know... it's time to eat. I called upon my foodie friend DY, who took me to great places when she lived in SF, to show me around. We were also joined by my friend John Downs, who is a foodie in the making. His goal was to try out things he's never had and my goal was to convert him from John Downs to... Jéan Downs. Which pretty much meant food other than McD's, Souplantation, Musha and any Korean BBQ joint haha. DY recommended one of NY's top restaurants, WD-50, run by Chef Wylie Dufresne. You might have seen him in the Iron Chef America competition against Mario Batali (Battle Tilapia) and most recently, as a judge in Bravo's Top Chef series. Chef Dufresne is known for his molecular-gastronomic cooking techniques, in which he uses scientific methods to prepare food. Nice... I never thought beakers and Bunsen burners would be hip again. FYI, I was once a Chemistry major but that didn't last more than a quarter haha.

We trucked down to the Lower East Side of Manhattan towards WD-50 in 15 degree weather. With the wind freezing every part of my face, including my nosehairs, I thought about nothing else but the warm, delicious food I was about to eat. If Mt. Everest were laid flat, this would be the same type of expedition. I expected to see frozen carcasses of cat-sized NY rats along the curb. They too had heard about WD-50 and gone on the mission through the cold. After 20 minutes of walking, we reached our goal. Because NY restaurants don't really close till 2 or 3 am, a 10:30 reservation was quite normal. The restaurant was full and we quickly sat at the watering hole to get the stomach warmed-up. Within a few minutes we were seated. DY and I decided to split a few appetizers and main courses, versus ordering separate tasting menus priced at $115 per person. Quite hefty for me.

Hamachi in Oatmeal Consomme
Oh yes, a treat from the tasting menu, sent by the chef to all tables. I love receiving small culinary gifts. The hamachi was super fresh and was well balanced with a sour granny smith apple, candied celery in the warm oatmeal broth.

Jéan Downs: "Sushi. Facking delicious."


Hangar Tartare with Pickled Asian Pear, Amaro and Bernáise Ice Cream
This was beautifully plated and my first time pretty much eating raw beef. The beef was super fresh and well complimented by the pickled asian pear and Bernáise ice cream. My favorite appetizer of the night.

Jéan Downs: "Nice, raw beef. I liked the ice cream but not the sweet sauce. Still, facking delicious."

Corned Duck on Rye Crisp with Purple Mustard and Horseradish Cream
This was beautifully plated. We didn't understand the usage of both mustard and horseradish. DY and I felt it was too strong and wished we could taste the duck more. Still a very nice appetizer.

Jéan Downs: "Facking delicious."

Foie Gras with Mole "Lentils" and Quince Yogurt
This was absolutely amazing. The foie gras beautifully cooked and the "lentils" and quince yogurt perfectly countered the rich taste of foie gras. I love foie gras, but too much of it can be overwhelming. The reason I put lentils in quotation because they are not lentils. Our knowledgeable and friendly waiter, Evan, explained the process used in cooking the "lentils". Using hot water, the mole is dropped from a certain height into the water pot. The splashing process breaks the mole into perfect "lentil" shapes. We felt like we were being lectured by Alton Brown. This was my favorite appetizer of the night! I was worried Jéan Downs wouldn't like this dish because it was somewhat bloody and possibly too rich for a palate too used to fried Costco food haha.

Jéan Downs: "Bloody. Facking delicious."

Duck Breast with Soy Spaetzle, Jicama and Pickled Ramp
Duck was cooked to a perfect medium doneness. What really brought this dish alive was the sauce. Acidic, spicy and rich - excellent.

Jéan Downs: "Duck was somewhat chewy, but yet, facking delicious."

Lamb Ribs with Chinese Broccoli in Banana Cónsomme
Banana consomme?! Yes, I want to try that. This is the first time I've ever seen banana flavored broth/consomme. The lamb tasted nice and tender... but the bitterness of the Chinese broccoli (gai-lan) went very well with the banana cónsomme. My friend had this and I kept drinking the cónsomme.

Jéan Downs: "I like the broth. Facking delicious."


Pork Belly with Smoked Yucca, Romaine and Papaya
Perfectly cooked pork belly. What looks like fried tofu is actually fried yucca.

Jéan Downs: "It's like bacon. Facking delicious."

Beef Shortrib with Brussel Sprouds, Cheddar Sauce and Pink Lady Apple
This dish was really good. The cheese sauce and beef reminded me of a fancy burger. The shortrib was so tender and fatty - so good!

Jéan Downs: "I didn't try, but I'm sure it was facking delicious."

Turbot with Smoked Bulgur and Coffee-Saffron Sauce
This got the gold medal tonight from me. I've never had turbot and fell in love with it immediately. Chef WD poaches the fish in olive oil and the result is a perfectly buttery/moist piece of fish. I couldn't believe how tasty it was. I put this fish right below Chilean Seabass and Blackcod in the cooked fish category. The Coffee-saffron sauce was simply amazing. And I finally found a dish that caused food-envy...

Jéan Downs: "This is SUPER-facking delicious."

DY, Jéan Downs and I freaking ate a lot. If you couldn't tell, Jéan Downs is a man of few words and limited culinary vocabulary. But I admired his open-mindedness in trying háute cuisine. There's nothing more ignorant and annoying then ppl that say 'eew' even before trying. Just ask Eddie. Jéan Downs later on went to eat escargot, fried oysters, and bone marrow. Good boy. Anyway, at the end of the meal, I snapped my final shots and looked over to the kitchen. There I saw WD glancing at me as I took photos. I whispered to DY, shoot, he saw us! He started walking through the restaurant towards us and I could feel sweat starting to build up. I hope he didn't grab the camera from me and throw it in his banana cónsomme pot to braise. I bet it would taste good though. Instead of putting my head down, I said "hello" to him. We talked to him about his cooking techniques and asked if he minded the photos - not at all. He was supercool and superintelligent! Check out WD-50 if you get a chance, it's definitely an interesting experience for those interested in trying an up and coming style of cooking. Go molecules!

The next day, I was headed to Long Island for a beautiful wedding. It was so nice to get out of the compact city. No taxis to fight over, no humid subway stations to breathe in. Just beautiful towns covered in February snow. The train ride lasted no longer than an hour each way. I was able to get back to Manhattan by 11 pm at night and of course, my stomach was knocking on the door. Ok ok, let's go.

I met up with DY and her friend and we headed over to another New York hotspot. A place where chefs go to dine after their long nightshifts: Momofuku SSäm Bar. They also have a noodle bar that specializes in various pork ramen dishes.

SSäm Bar is really dim and cool inside. I like restaurants where I can see the kitchen activity. This place was pretty full even at midnight. DY said we had to try the Berkshire pork buns and Asian burritos.

Berkshire Pork Buns
Tender pork belly smacked between a bun with cold cucumbers and what tasted like hoisin sauce. Nice, but not worth the $8-9 for two.

Asian Burrito
Like it's relative, the Kalbi taco, this contained tender pork, rice, edamame beans and KIMCHI! I loved this. I'm going to try and make my own version at home. Seems easy enough.

The next day, I joined 12 of my other friends (also attending the wedding), including Le Culinary Food Critic, known for his explicit responses to food, Jéan Downs, for a Sunday brunch. New York is the Big city of Big dreams.... and also Big Xiao Long Baos. I'm talking BIG.

We were so excited to head down to the popular Joe's Shanghais but found ourselves caught in the eye of the storm. We had forgotten that it was Chinese New Year. Oh, lord. The constant banging of unrhythmic cymbals got to our nerves quite quickly. We dodged the parade and headed down small streets to our destination.

Oh great, there were nearly 30 people waiting outside for a table. After an hour long of enduring near-death experiences from the cold, we were shown our table.

And this is what we were coveting. (The people in the photo above are actually frozen. )


Xiao Long Bao (Mammoth Size)
I think these were as wide as 2". They weren't tall but you could just tell they were filled with delicious pork gelatin cubes... mmm. There I said it, it's pork fat you are drinking. I wonder if the customers at Din Tai Fung know that. Oh well. Anyway, one of our rookie friends went for the first grab with the tongs provided. Instead of grabbing by the head of the XLB and supporting the weight with a soup spoon, he grabbed it by the side. Lost cause. It was a bloody massacre, like an Italian mafia-whacking out in the public. He was consequently boo'd by everyone at the table which caught everyone in the restaurant's attention. They too, knew the travesty that had occurred.

Before I knew it, I was back on the plane to LA. I was overjoyed to hear the pilot announce "We are preparing to land in LAX now. The current temperature at our destination is 75 degrees." I wore the biggest smile and remembered that LA is definitely a great place to live and eat in. Thanks for reading.