Ho Kee Cafe: Authentic Hong Kong Cafe Fare in San Gabriel

Always on the lookout for great, authentic Hong Kong food in LA, I was excited to find recently several of my favorite staple dishes and drinks at Ho Kee Cafe!

Like most fantastic food finds in the SGV, Ho Kee firmly focuses on their food vs. ambience, though the cozy space does have its own charming touches like roof-facades over main counter areas inspired by traditional temple architecture.

My favorite dish here is the revelatory Wonton Noodle Hong Kong Style ($8.95) - the best wonton noodle soup I've had in LA thus far.  I'll ask for you to kindly excuse the blatant use of foodporn vocabulary here, but the measure of a good wonton to me are the ration of filling to skin, and then the quality of both as indicated by texture and flavor.  And Ho Kee's is fantastic on all fronts: super fresh, robust, springy shrimp with nice clean snap is in perfect proportion to the supple, thin wonton skin that is skillfully crafted so that it does not fall apart on pickup. 

The chefs let the fresh juicy savory sweet flavors of the shrimp shine through, with just a touch of pepper to spice things up to just the perfect level.

Noodles are perfectly cooked so that they are not too chewy/ tough and not too soft, but perfectly springy and clean, comforting soaked in steaming hot clear broth.

The cafe fare is ordered a la carte and readily available.  But Ho Kee also offers a 'Private Kitchen Menu' of higher end dishes that typically requires advance order.  However, when possible they will make a few of the dishes from this menu available without that pre-planning.  I was lucky enough on the night of my first visit to be able to try from the Private Kitchen menu: Razor Clams ($43).  I haven't seen these on many menus around town, and was excited to see that the preparation is similar to what I had at famed Tung Po at Java Road market in Hong Kong.

The slender beauties are steamed in clear broth and topped with fried garlic and scallions for punches of flavor and texture contrast to the soft yet structured clam meat. Below the razor clams, a layer of glass noodles to soak up all the delicious juices and flavors.  Pretty pricey, and not something to be repeated often, but beautifully cooked.  This one is best ordered with a larger group to share, so that you can order other dishes as well to experience.

Back on the regular menu, I'm also a fan of the Two Kinds of Meat ($12.95) plate, where you can choose from among their housemade barbecue items.  I chose roast duck and char siu.  The duck had flavor intensity, and fantastic crispy skin with a pleasing layer of fat below for that perfect crisp juicy umami explosion in your mouth. The barbecue pork was great as well, but not as unforgettable as the duck. For those who are singular in their love of certain barbecue meats, you can order single types too, like the Roast Duck Plate ($9.95).

Lastly, what Hong Kong cafe with any pride would not also offer a great milk tea?  Ho Kee offers a very fragrant, silky creamy milk tea that I love, and also another Hong Kong iconic drink, "yin yang" or Milk Tea Coffee Mixed (Hot) ($2.95) on the menu. I liked the milk tea better.

Most diners around you will be speaking Cantonese, a good sign of authenticity of cuisine - the restaurant is attracting those who have roots in Hong Kong.  And indeed, when I eat here it feels like home.

On a 7 point scale:

Flavor - 6 bites  
Presentation - 5 bites
Originality - 5 bites
Ambience -  5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 

______________________________________________________________

Ho Kee Cafe

533 S Del Mar Ave, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Ph:  626.766.1076

 

Website: hokeecafe.com  
Parking: in attached open air parking lot (limited spaces) or street parking


_______________________________________________________________

Noodle Boy / Delicious Food Corner: When You're Sick and Weary...

Many, many moons ago, my family spent a few years in Canada. I remember the visual beauty of seasons: fluffy mops of maple trees burning brilliant against crisp blue skies; waking to our yard and street blanketed in pristine, glistening white - as if inside a snow globe that settled overnight. I remember tunneling through snowbanks shovelled off to the sides of our driveway, with my brother, making 'igloos', snowmen, snow angels.

What I can't remember was what it actually it felt like...those subzero temperatures. And sorry, Seasons lovers - for me that's an incredibly good thing. Having lived in California so long - being spoiled by year round comparatively great weather -  I can't imagine - no, I can't live anywhere else after this. (Well, except maybe the Maldives, if I finally win that lotto jackpot...).

Each February-ish though in LA, when temperatures do drop to the 40s and 50s, it already feels like death to me (hey, everything is relative...that's freezing compared to our otherwise endless summer). Everyone gets sick around this time, and somehow I always manage to dodge the bugs on the first few go arounds. Apparently my body likes to wait til the virus mutates and/or right before I need to travel, before I succumb to a superbug, for maximum trauma.

This year was no different - it hit me on third pass, and hard. Except that I've made some amazing foodie friends through this blog - who were able to steer me away from the canned soups and Jerry's Delis of the world...to sick food that truly heals body and soul, with tastes of home.

Noodle Boy, a recommendation from well travelled, super knowledgeable Hong Kong transplant miffyeats, was a no frills place in a strip mall in Rosemead, that is as authentic to a Hong Kong wonton noodle joint as you can get in LA. These places specialize in a few variations of their signature dish, and take pride in doing so.

Noodle Boy, as the name would suggest, knows noodles and they do it well. In terms of menu format, you can almost think of it as the Hong Kong-ese version of In-N-Out, with  straightforward offerings that riff on basically the same items in different combinations.

I went for the "Any 2 Combinations" Noodle Soup ($6) with Wontons and Fish Balls.  A hearty bowl with clear, soul-soothing, clean tasting broth, thin egg noodles the way I like 'em with my wontons.  It'd been a while since I had fish balls (no, not offal sea creature gonads, but more like savory 'cakes' made of ground up fish) - and Noodle Boy makes theirs with scallion and other deliciousness mixed in: very light, flavorful yet filling in large rectangular slabs versus the more traditional small spheres.  While I loved the fish balls, the wontons were the true standouts - you can definitely taste that the wrappers are fresh made, soft and pliable, with super fresh, snappy pieces of shrimp as filling - I felt better on contact with every bite and slurp of the contents of this bowl - and only wish I had stomach space for 3 more.  They also have the wider, flatter white ("fun") noodle option, as well as sides of veggies - which I may try next time, though I hear that nothing measures up to the quality of those wonton + egg noodles.

Delicious Food Corner was a recommendation from my Go To expert on all things SGV (and beyond), Sinosoul - when I heard that the Cantonese / Hong Kong-ese contingent tend to flock there for congee, I had to make a trip out to the SGV to check it out.  Yes, rice porridge is in theory an easy DIY - but when you're sick, and single, you just really don't want to have to do anything that requires any amount of work in the kitchen - and it's NOT easy to do congee RIGHT.  Really good congee takes hours to cook, and has a smooth, soothing consistency with evenly infused flavor.  Plus, I love abalone in congee, and that's not something I can easily get at markets outside of the SGV anyway. 

DFC has several different kinds of congee (including "Pig Offal" and one with pig kidney and liver, which as Cantonese/ Chinese people 'know', nourishes the corresponding organs in the eater).  I was torn between two classic favorites: Pork and Preserved Egg ($6.25) and Abalone and Chicken ($8.50).  Since it was only $2.25 more for the abalone, and I was in the mood for it anyway, I went for that one.  Loved every spoonful of this 'jook' - testament that sick food doesn't have to be bland and soul-crushingly boring.  Also, the abalone came in fairly sizeable slices, unlike some Ktown eateries that I love for its flavors but make their abalone portions barely detectable.

Aside from an extensive offering of congees, DFC also has a pretty big menu of Hong Kong style dishes including one of my favorite street foods growing up, curry fish balls!  Except that they serve it in a bowl, and you have the option of fish and/or squid balls!  Since this was a few weeks after Noodle Boy and I was just at the beginning of another bout of cold, but not yet full blown, and not spice averse - I got the combo bowl - the somewhat unfortunately translated Curry with Mixed Two Ball ($5.95).  These are more like savory cakes, as explained in the Noodle Boy report above, but in the traditional sphere shape, and dunked in curry sauce.  The balls were...for lack of better adjective...springy....But the texture of the sauce was a bit too grainy and starchy for me, and I would have liked to see the spice more pronounced - but for a nostalgic taste of home, in a generously portioned bowl, it put a smile on my face.

By the way, DFC also serves that mythical HK cold remedy: Hot Coke with lemon (and version with ginger too). No one knows how this works - I understand the bug fighting antioxidants in the lemon, and ginger's antiseptic properties, heat to soothe congestion, but the coke (coca cola)...? Not sure, maybe just to help kids drink it all down - but we always unquestioningly drank these as kids to help with colds.

The other thing I loved about these sick food places in SGV - and I may be biased / receive different treatment as a Cantonese speaker - the waitresses here sort of automatically transform into stand-in asian moms, caring enough to ask about my condition and helping me navigate the menu to find the type of congee/food that will best make me feel better, and sending me off with well wishes to get better soon.  For a transplant with my family all in other time zones / countries - it's definitely nice to experience the kindness of strangers embracing me 'family style' in the SGV.

I should also note for those who might be homesick / wondering where all the Cantonese people are in the SGV - at Noodle Boy / DFC both you will hear a comforting cacophony of Cantonese all around you - almost feels like you're in a neighborhood joint in HK (or warning to those who don't speak, it might be irritating).

In any case, the next time I'm feeling under the weather in LA, I have two new go-tos, that I know will help get me back to functional in no time!

_____________________________________________________

Noodle Boy
8518 E Valley Blvd Ste. #B108, Rosemead, CA 91770
Ph: 626.280.8963

Cash only

Parking: free in attached strip mall open air lot

******

Delicious Food Corner
2327 S. Garfield Ave. Monterey Park, CA 91754
Ph: 323.726.0788
Website: deliciousfoodcorner.com
Cash only
Parking: free in attached open air lot
_____________________________________

ROC Kitchen: Taste of SGV in WLA

Let's address the proverbial elephant in the room, right now: ROC is not Din Tai Fong.

But it's damn good XLB of a quality that is hard to beat, for Westsiders unable or unwilling to trek to the SGV (before you get all up in arms, yes, there are in fact people whose offices are on the Westside who cannot take 3 hour excursions in the middle of the work day to eat in the SGV - it is not always a matter of ill-informed choice or 'poor value judgment' of traffic avoidance vs amazing authentic eats for cheap). 

For us pitiful, 'real Chinese food' deprived, Westside-bound souls - ROC Kitchen is a g*dsend.  Yes, it is. Their metal steamers full of every-flavor-Xiao Long Baos (aka XLBs or Shanghai Dumplings) are plump, souped up, with meat/seafood fillings are smooth, tender and well portioned, enfolded in nice, fresh, not too chewy dough wrappers.

They arrive with the requisite shredded ginger and vinegar.  They're so juicy they squirt on cue when you bite into them.  Mims and I had the Pork XLB (8 pcs. for $7) and Shrimp & Pork XLB (8 pcs. for $9) - both were excellent. Next time we need to try the ones with Dungeness Crab & Pork, and Fish (I've never seen XLB with fish filling before, but apparently those who have had it at ROC Kitchen love it)

For variety, there are other dishes besides the Shanghai Dumplings like shao mai (dim sum dumplings with shrimp & pork or pork & rice), scallion pancake, noodles, and rice cakes.  We tried the ROC Rice Cake with Chicken, Napa Cabbage and Spinach ($10) which had a self-explanatory name.  I would NOT recommend this dish - it was pretty single note in flavor (like the generic "brown sauce" too often used in westernized Chinese take-out quality food), and the rice cakes were rubbery.  And the fact that it cost more than the far more delicious XLB honestly kind of pissed me off.  It's possible that the kitchen was just having an off day, but at $10 I'm just not going to risk it again.

As another signature dish, ROC puts their own spin on jiao zi (aka potstickers or gyoza), with the Crispy Shrimp & Pork Dumplings with Ginger Chili Dipping Sauce (8 pcs. for $9.75) - which is essentially 8 whole dumplings, which are usually pan fried individually, fried on top of a wafer-thin disc of dough so that they become attached to the crispy circle: the whole thing is then served with the dough disc side up for maximum drama.

Everyone at the next few tables turned to see (and ask) what that dish was as our waitress brought it over...

I flipped it over halfway so we could see how it looks underneath - the dumplings are fried whole, fully formed.  You might think this is just a gimmick, which it is, and it's funny that no one else has thought to do this before - but the dough disc doesn't just add to the theatrical presentation - it's pretty tasty as well, and adds crispness and crunch as you're eating the dumplings.  The only thing to note on this dish is that it's marked "Limited" on the menu, and you have to allow 25 minutes for them to make it for you.  We put our order in right away, but for some reason they took so long to bring it out that we almost overshot our lunch hour.  But, it was delicious, we did make it back in time, and it was all worth it. 

All in all, the dumpling dishes were all very tasty and well crafted. True, it's very expensive compared to most SGV eateries (but pretty much on par with Din Tai Fong in terms of price) - after drinks, tax, tip were taken into account Mims and I each paid close to $30 each, which was painful.  But, remember that the restaurant has to deal with Westside rent, which is much higher than SGV.  So, the price we pay is for the convenience of having close access to at least authentic and good quality XLB and dumplings.  Will I be coming back every day for lunch?  No, I can't afford it.  But when I get that inevitable craving during a week day?  I'm very glad ROC Kitchen is there.

So, is it a destination, say - on the weekend? I live in the SFV, almost equidistant from West LA/ROC Kitchen and Alhambra/Monterey Park. On any given weekend, when I'm not working - would I drive back to West LA just to go to ROC Kitchen? It's a no-brainer - I would drive to the SGV.

But on a weekday, when I only have an hour for lunch on the Westside? Bring it on, ROC Kitchen - as in, another steamer or two full of XLB, please.


On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 5.5 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 5 stars
Overall experience - 5.5 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 90% 
______________________________________________________________________

ROC Kitchen
2049 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles,CA 90025
Ph: 310.235.2089

Parking: free valet on Mississipi Ave.

Facebook: facebook.com/pages/ROC-Kitchen
_____________________________________________________________________

Seafood Village: Chiu Chow, SGV Style

Everything I know about Chiu Chow cuisine, I learned from eating at restaurants representing that regional fare, growing up in Hong Kong. So, what I know may just be the 'Hong Kong version' of chiu chow, but what I do know, I dearly miss when I am in LA: sugar vinegar double fried egg noodle pancakes, oyster omelettes, soy sauce duck parts, stir fried cow spinal cord...

So, I was excited when I read about David Chan, man who has feasted on and documented an incredible volume of meals at Chinese restaurants all over the country.  Surely, he would know where I can get a decent chiu chow meal in LA.  The answer was not what I wanted - there isn't any restaurant, even in the great SGV, that serves such specific and authentic regional Chinese dishes -  but he did have a place that is one of his favorite restaurants in the city, and it just happens to be chiu chow.  I won't be able to get the niche dishes I've been craving, but I will be able to get an excellent meal nonetheless. So it was that I embarked on a journey to Seafood Village in Monterey Park a few weeks back - and was so impressed with my experience that I plan to be back again, and again.

Located in a non-descript strip mall, in a no frills place with specials listed in Chinese only (albeit with photos) along the walls, Seafood Village struck me as very authentic (Chinese) right away.  You're definitely not going to visit for the ambience.  A glance at the menu confirmed, as David said, that the items I wanted were not going to be served there.  But they had some amazing sounding dishes with ingredients that are not seen everywhere even in the SGV.  One of these was the Sauteed Clams with 9-Level Pagoda Basil ($11.99)  - yes, this is the same kind of basil (九層塔) used in the signature lobster at Newport Tan Cang restaurant.  A little sweet, with the slightest hit of spice, often described as 'clove-like'.  Legend has it (because you should believe everything you read on the internet) that the basil got its name when a Chinese emperor was stranded by flooding in a 9-Level Pagoda, and stumbled upon the herb growing on its roof.  Basically our people seem to have to have a story for everything...it does make things more interesting that way.  Whatever the origin of its name, I love this unique tasting herb with shellfish - cuts through the briny flavors and more...robust textured creatures nicely.  The clams are perfectly steamed at Seafood Village in a clear broth with garlic and the foodgasm inducing basil.
 

For the token vegetable dish, and only because my server said the magic words "XO Sauce" and it sounded interesting with a mix of surf and turf in it, I sprang for the Stir-fried Chives with XO Sauce, Dried Shrimp and Ham ($13.99). I never really thought of chives as something you would eat as the main component of a dish - usually it's as flavoring or garnish.  But who knew, the tips of chives look like blushing baby flower buds, and the 'stalks' give off a fresh, delicious crunch when stir fried.  And were perfectly punctuated by pops of dried shrimp, ham and I think bits of squid - along with my beloved savory/spicy/sweet magic XO sauce (a Hong Kong invention usually made of dried shrimp, dried fish, dried scallop, chili peppers and garlic).  And yes, you guessed it - there's a story behind the name XO sauce too: basically Cognac XO was a popular liquor in Hong Kong that had an established brand as the ultimate in luxury, representing refined tastes and wealth - a status good that all self-respecting-consumers-with-fine-palates should aspire to experience. So when this sauce was invented, with all the expensive seafood needed to create just a small amount of sauce - it was decided that naming it XO would be a reflection of its luxurious ingredients, and give it instant appeal to status conscious Hong Kong uber-consumers.  I do love the name of this sauce, but it's really its amazing layers of flavor, that unfurl like the culinary equivalent of a fine aged brandy, just a little different every time, that get me every time.

Then came the House Special Crab ($26.15 for 3lbs, varies with market price) although that works out to less than $10 a pound when I went, it's a minimum of 3lbs per order so best if you go with other people.  I managed to inhale about a quarter of the platter and had to take the rest to go.  This crab is simply amazing - if you go to Seafood Village, don't leave without tasting this.  Chopped garlic, fried to a crisp, spring onion, peppers and salt give it instantly addictive flavor - you can scrape off the stuff and use it as topping for rice and make a delicious meal of that alone - while the meat inside is tender and softly sweet.  The crab is deep fried so you get that tasty crispy coating on the shell that had me frantically trying to scrape off with my teeth.  I'd never had this dish in chiu chow restaurants in Hong Kong - but I'm in love with it now and will definitely be coming back for more.

As typical to old school Chinese restaurants, the meal is finished off with complimentary dessert.  Seafood Village provides Red Bean Soup - this wasn't mind-blowing, but very nicely done and especially lovely because it was free.

Also wanted to take a moment to note the attentive service - the waiters are not here to chat with you, so if you're looking at it from a western perspective, you're not going to think it's great because you don't get the banter here - but with all the seafood they are very quick with replacing dirty plates with clean ones and offering napkins / towels.

All in all, a great meal and one that has turned me from skeptic to fan of SGV-style (or at least, Seafood Village style) chiu chow!  Thanks David Chan for the rec!!

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6.5 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 6 bites
Ambience - 5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100% 
______________________________________________________________________

Seafood Village
684 W Garvey Ave, Monterey Park,CA 91754
Ph: 626.289.0088

Parking:  Free in attached open air lot

_____________________________________________________________________

1MB Travels: Singapore: Da Dong (by Fatty Weng) in historic Chinatown

Singapore is made up primarily of immigrants of Malaysians, Chinese, and Indian descent - each with an iconic neighborhood that not only celebrates each culture's past in the city, but is rooted in the present with an eye to the future.

On our holiday trip, we were excited to get to check out two of these gathering places, stopping by Chinatown and Little India. The name of Chinatown - 牛車水 - references its origins: literally translated, the name means "Bull Car Water" - it's the place where water was mainly transported by ox driven carts in the 19th century. 

It was close enough to our hotel in the Clarke Quay area, that we were able to walk over.  It was in the balmy 80s in December so it was a nice stroll - and we got to enjoy many modern-traditional hybrid storefronts along the way, like medicinal tea houses serving delicacies like turtle jelly (made of turtle shell) and herbal teas, and fruit stands with vendors selling everything from apples to more exotic fare like dragonfruit and mangosteen.

...and stalls selling beautiful preserved sausages (typically used with sweet rice).

There were also daytime street markets flanked by closet-sized permanent storefronts selling everything from Chinese medicine to dry delicacies including swallow's nest (dried bird spit - nutrient rich and apparently good for the skin!), all kinds of mushrooms, sea cucumbers (good for the eyes) and scallops. 

We loved the colonial style architecture juxtaposed by Chinese commerce and all the trimmings that come with it.  Of course we had to stop to try the food, and with my parents, we looked for a sit down place - signage for Da Dong "by Fatty Weng" got our attention with its traditional looking tea-house style decor yet irreverent name.

The bottom floor of the 2-story restaurant had two walls that were wide open to create a bright, airy space; the decor was old school - the only items adorning the walls were framed shark's fin and pictures of local celebrities who have dined there.

Da Dong serves dim sum as well as select dishes for lunch.  We started with some classics: Har Gow (shrimp dumplings) and Siu Mai (shrimp and pork dumplings) - these were passable in quality, not something I'd recommend a special trip to experience. 

It was really the Black Pepper Crab, a Singaporean specialty served all over the island, that I still dream of.  This was my first and last one during our trip, so I can't really say how Da Dong's preparation compares to other restaurants - but I LOVED it.  Just like the Chili Crab at Long Beach Seafood - live Sri Lankan crab was used (you can see a tank of the feisty creatures outside the restaurant!).  The flavors in the sauce are bold, but somehow do not at all overwhelm the crab meat, which remains juicy, tender, and naturally sweet, shining through and in perfect counterbalance with the fiery black pepper sauce. 

Yes, it took a lot of work (as with any crab) to get through all that shell to extract the meat, but it was all worth it.  My parents again refrained as neither of them are into crab - so I got the whole thing to myself! 

Another dish that I was tipped off not to leave Singapore without trying, was Char Kway Teow.  I was so stressed out at work prior to the vacation though, that I didn't have time to do much research on anything, and so it was that when the server asked if we wanted sauce in the noodles, I just went ahead with it.  Apparently the usual way to have Char Kway Teow is to have it dry and wok-fried. The preparation of the dish we got basically involved wide rice noodles in a brown, starchy broth with shrimp, rings of squid and kai lan.  I liked the flavors of the broth with the noodles, which kind of reminds me of Chow Fun but milder tasting with a lot more sauce; however the seafood did not taste fresh and were a bit overcooked (the shrimp tasted a few days old and not very flavorful).

All in all, the meal came out to a total of $80 SG (~$64 USD) so it wasn't that good of a deal.  Though Black Pepper Crab was the only noteworthy item at Da Dong out of the dishes we had - that alone did make the meal unforgettable.  After lunch, we popped upstairs just to check it out: the space looks more formal, like it's for banquet dinners, or spillover as needed, with large windows overlooking the sea of humanity in the street market below - the better for people watching in a more serene setting, above the fray. 

There were many other dining options, with popular ones set right into the street market. Will have to try these next time we're in town (there are so many things still to taste in Singapore!)

Just before leaving the area, we spotted along its fringes an elaborate skyscraping tower of Indian deities, which turned out to be a part of the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple.  We didn't have enough time (or any idea how to get in) to check it out, but it did spark us on our last day to spend the last hour strolling through Little India.

We've never been to India, so Singapore's Little India was in a way just a little taste for us of the local Indian street culture - and we had just an hour so unfortunately it was a quick stroll through.  But it was easily accessible by MRT (Singapore's subway system) - just get off at the appropriately named Little India station - and we loved the street vendors with the flower garlands...  

...and gorgeous giant lotus flowers.

Then of course we had to stop by the closest hawker food center (Singapore is famous for its collections of street food stalls in giant cavernous warehouse like spaces all over the city - which serve amazing food at incredibly low prices).  Wonderful smells greeted us from every direction - I'd read about the famous fish head curry and was on a mission to find one.   

Unfortunately it was nowhere to be found - and with the clock ticking it was all I could do to drag myself away from the giant vats of saffron rice, all kinds of curries and naan...but I guess all the more reason to return to Singapore, and soon, right?

[For other photos and stories from our Singapore trip, check out the album on my Facebook page!]



____________________________________________________

Singapore

Da Dong (by Fatty Weng)
39 Smith St., Chinatown, Singapore 058952

Ph: +65 6221.3822

Website: dadong.biz

____________________________________________________

1MB Travels: Singapore: Boon Tong Kee

And on this episode of 1MB Travels...

Goes the voiceover in my head of my imaginary show of a life where I get to travel and eat and write for a living...

So far from reality...but a girl can dream, can't she? Stretching memories of trips that are few and far in between, keeps the dream alive.

So here goes another episode...I mean, post.  On our holiday trip to Singapore, at the recommendation of my food-lovin' uncle, and endorsement of many a real-life TV star from Hong Kong - we found ourselves at Boon Tong Kee - famous for their take on the signature Singaporean dish, the simply named Chicken Rice.  A minimum one hour wait was to be expected - and we spent the time wandering to a nearby hawker center and checking out chefs at work in the display kitchen, where their handiwork - cold, skin-on chickens - are featured on racks like a proud designer would set his haute coutoure pieces before the masterpieces are sent out on the runway.

At this particular location, you can choose to sit inside, in the air conditioned, more upscale space, or outdoors at more casual tables set up on the sidewalk.  It was late December, but temperatures were in the 80s in Singapore - it was a bit warm to sit outside, but we were charmed by the sparkling lights and muted night-time traffic and cricket sounds in the distance.  Plus it was a shorter wait.  So semi al fresco it was. 

There was a rustic / nostalgic charm to the outside space - including the specials 'board' made up of individual pink parchment pieces handwritten in traditional Chinese calligraphy. 

As we sat we were given an amuse bouche of pidan (aka thousand year old egg or preserved duck egg) topped with ginger and chilis.  

I loved the gorgeous 'snowflake' crystallization patterns - a bit ironic that 'thousand year old' eggs are supposed to be served 'fresh' - but my mom thought it had been sitting out for a while (the preserved yolk looked dry when it should be creamy) so best not to risk eating them.  I love pidan though so was only placated after the promise to order another dish that includes this ingredient.

But first things first - we were excited to try what we came for (cue fanfare): Chicken Rice ("Signature Boiled Chicken" on menu)!  BTK serves this national treasure of a dish in four sizes at SG $5 / $10/ $15/ $30 (~US $4 / $8 / $12/ $24).  We got the SG$15 sized plate and rice for SG $0.50 each.  Regular readers know I don't like chicken unless it's fried or slow cooked in stew beyond all recognition.  Chinese preparations of chicken, served cold, is another exception. 

Sometimes the simplest dishes require the most skill, and that is the case here - there are no more than 3-4 ingredients used to boil the chicken and cook the rice, but it is INSANELY good. The chicken was smooth, tender, juicy and flavorful.  And the juices and oils of the chicken along with flavors of ginger and scallion are used to cook the rice, which means the fragrance is infused into every molecule of rice.  It was so intoxicatingly flavorful, without any trace of grease or 'debris', obviously cooked for a long time to steep in flavor, yet with every grain still perky - that I would not hesitate at all to say it was the best rice I've ever had in my life.  Apparently it's a constant subject of heated debate, where to have the best chicken rice in Singapore.  We didn't have a chance to try it at any place else, so I have no point of comparisan and I'm not trying to say it's the best in Singapore.  It's just the best rice I've ever had - and I may fly back just for that rice.

After that it's hard to enjoy the rest of the meal - nothing can compare -but to round out our dinner we also had Fried Venison with Spring Onion and Ginger ($18SG ~$14US).  This tasted like mongolian beef, but a bit rougher in texture and was tasty but not mind-blowing.  And given all the good and cheap eats in Singapore, this dish was not really worth the price.

To both get some veggies in, and to satisfy my pidan craving - we got the Poached Chinese Spinach with Assorted Eggs - also available at various sizes to suit the size of your party at SG $9 / $13 / $18 (~US $7/ $10/ $14).  We got the SG$9 size.  This was a delicious dish of soft, perfectly cooked spinach in superior broth, topped with a mix of fully cooked salted duck egg yolks, smooth and slightly gelatinous thousand year old eggs, and semi-liquid egg whites.  Great balance of golden / dark colors and textures.  Loved. 

As we sat and chatted contentedly after the meal, we got another pleasant surprise with our bill.  It was around Christmastime, and our server very kindly brought out a souvenir for us - a faux leather business card holder (surprisingly elegant looking for a free case from a casual restaurant!) embossed of course with BTK's logo.  Not sure what business cards have to do with the restaurant (maybe it's for us to put their business card inside?), but don't really care, it was a nice gesture that made us love BTK even more!

All in all, an awesome meal at Boon Tong Kee, which has several other outlets throughout Singapore.  If I had a chance, I would absolutely do a 'rerun' of Singapore and no-fuss, yet incredibly delicious spots like these.

Until next time, I will always have Boon Tong Kee (in my memories)....

[For more photos and stories from our trip to Singapore, check out the album on my Facebook page.]

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 6 bites
Presentation - 5.5 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 5.5 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $$ (2 bite marks)
Probability of return visit - 100%

____________________________________________________________

Singapore
Boon Tong Kee
399, 401 & 403 Balestier Road, Singapore 329801
Ph: +65 6254 3937
____________________________________________________________

Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village - Siren Call for Modern Chinese FineDining in the SGV?

I admit, I'm a sucker for the full experience when it comes to dining. Breath-taking decor can't make up for poorly made food, but I'm greedy - I want great taste in both. This perfect balance is prolific in higher-end Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong, and I've been wanting to find a place of similar caliber in LA. That isn't a frenetic, sensory assault chamber gilded in red and gold and/or almost visible congestion of soundwaves - with waiters yelling over busboys clattering dishes over a sea of humanity, sharing their latest at their loudest, or dodging metal carts chock-full of that which can maim or at least seriously burn.  And serves quality dim sum.

Freshly back to LA from a Hong Kong/Singapore trip, and just starting to miss all the great eats, I was excited to hear, via Sinosoul, of a newly opened restaurant in San Gabriel that may fit the bill for good food in a modern fine dining setting - Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village (opened 12/18).

Apparently they are a new outpost of a successful restaurant chain in Shanghai, 上海1号.

My friend 'Designer' and I went to check it out for dim sum today, before word of mouth packs the place and makes it tough to get a table.

Shanghai No. 1 is on the top floor of a small mall: Life Plaza Center. From the ground floor looking up, there was not much to impress. But then we stepped inside the place, and it was breath-taking. Walls tastefully done in lush, dark red, with the space sectioned off into cozy rooms with spacious hallways, and a modern take on traditional Chinese carved wood partitions. With chandeliers crowning each room, carefully arranged with Marie Antoinette worthy styled chairs in silver and royal blue, and ornate gold-leafed dishware. Which somehow works with the antique Chinese furniture in the hallway and vintage black & white photos from Shanghai.

Designer thought the place made her feel like she was on a ship, and I agree - the decor did evoke some modern retro Chinese luxury ocean liner.

We got there around 1pm and got seated within minutes. Great start on service. Slightly marred by the comedic mess up of having our table set the wrong way (knee-height bars made it really uncomfortable to sit) - though our waiter mistakenly told us the table was bolted down, we were fine after we rotated it ourselves.

Then first things first - the tea order. On my recent trip, I developed an addiction to Chrysanthemum Shou Mei - 菊壽 -a white tea mixed with dried chrysanthemum flowers - and was impressed Shanghai No. 1 served this (not every place does). White tea is low in caffeine, and high in anti-oxidants, while chrysanthemum is said to ease sore throats or cool down 'hot' chi from eating too much fried food. A perfect pairing for an indulgent meal of dim sum.
But that's not why I love it - light and refreshing, with lovely, nuanced floral sweetness, it tastes as beautiful as it looks. Nice to see Shanghai No. 1 doesn't skimp on tea - it's loose leaf with real, whole dried chrysanthemum blossoms.

Click for larger image

Next order of business: food. Typical to higher-end dim sum houses, push carts have been replaced by a la carte menu sheets that you check off and hand to the waiter. This makes for less chaos, and ensures your food is as fresh as possible. Pricing is also easy to figure out - cost is by 'size', notated next to each dish: (S)=$1.98 (M)=$2.98 (L)=$3.98 (SP)=$4.98 (KITCHEN)=$6.98. Not too bad for a fine-dining space!

I was excited to see some dim sum classics with a twist - though for non-Chinese readers the English translations can be really confusing. Designer knows her dim sum, but even for her it was hard to figure out which was which from menu titles. For items with confusing names, I have noted both proper/familiar names and what Shanghai No. 1 calls them for reference.

First up: Abalone sticky rice w/ lotus leaf 鮑魚糯米雞 (L) - a dim sum staple, glutinous (sweet) rice is steamed with preserved sausage, bits of chicken and soy-based sauce while wrapped in lotus leaves, which impart fragrant flavor to the mix. Shanghai No. 1 upgrades theirs with a piece of abalone - a small but substantial piece (top left in photo) with nice distinctive taste and fresh, softly chewy texture. To those that would complain about size - it's actually very reasonable - with 3 pieces to a steamer tin costing under $4 total. One of my favorites of the meal as the rice had great perky yet cohesive texture, and the ratio of rice to filling was perfect.

Another classic, upgraded is Deep fried taro ball 蝦巢炸竽角(M), usually half the size, quenelle-shaped, and filled only with taro paste.

S#1's (abbreviation mine) version: giant puffs of beautifully fried wisps of flaky dough in coral-reef-like formations, surrounding taro pieces with veggie filling.

While the fried dough exterior was perfect, it took a bit of work to cut through the center with my chopsticks (the taro was a little bit hard and chunky). I still loved this though for the gorgeous presentation and the texture/taste of the fried dough.

Shrimp Dumpling (aka Ha Gow) 晶瑩蝦餃皇- a dim sum staple that also serves as a great basis for comparisan between restaurants (as all dim sum spots would have this dish).

The shrimp were plump, but not necessarily fine-dining quality (i.e. live). These dumplings at the best places will have a 'crystal clear' wrapper that is soft, pliable, delicate and thin yet do not break open when picked up. S#1's wrappers left us a bit wanting, as it was 'cloudy' and slightly too thick and mushy around the edges. They were also not uniform in shape /size - not a big deal but another indicator of craftsmanship if they want to be perceived as a true fine dining venue. If memory serves correctly, these are better than Elite's, but not as good as Yank Sing's.

Next up should have been a sure-win given the restaurant's name and place of origin: Xiao Long Bao aka Shanghai Dumplings ("Steamed Shanghai juicy pork bun" 上海小籠包 on menu) (M). These "little basket buns" are another way to see the chef's skills - it's no easy feat to get the round of pork, surrounded by hot broth, sealed into a dough wrapper that must be thin and yieldy, yet strong enough to retain its fillings when plucked from the steamer tin.

We were disappointed to find that the XLB we got - that should have been plump little bundles of brothy, porky bliss - were emaciated, with dry wrappers, not much broth, and barely any meat. The photo kind of says it all.

Steamed rice noodle with shrimp 甜豆鮮蝦腸 (L) - the flat sheets of wide rice noodles had really great, fresh texture - and the shrimp were again plump but not as incredibly fresh as they could be (a little mushy around the edges). The twist here is the addition of sugar snap peas, for a lovely pop of green as well as a pleasing crunch of sweetness that works really well with the more subtly sweet/savory shrimp and soft rice noodle. Fab topped with sesame seeds and dipped in soy sauce.

Po Tat aka Portugese Egg Tart ("Baked egg custard" 蛋撻 on menu) - this is the classic dim sum dessert, egg custard tart but done Macau style (Macau has large Portugese history/influence) with the top of the egg custard bruleed. We loved these little tarts, with its smooth, sweet egg custard amped up with the slight caramelization on top, surrounded by a beautifully buttery, flaky crust. All served fresh at just the right temperature, as if straight out of the oven. LOVED.

Though the dishes were inconsistent in quality, I didn't really want the meal to end - but was glad we could finish with a dessert that you don't see at every place: Mango Pomelo Coconut Sago Soup 楊枝甘露 ("Fresh fruit w/ tapioca" on menu) (L) - sweet/tangy soup served cold, with bits of mango, pomelo and tiny tapioca balls (sago) in a sweet coconut base.

This is usually one of my favorite Chinese desserts - so I was excited that S#1 served this. Overall it was delicious, but when I've had this in Hong Kong, it's usually in a mango coconut base and is golden in color (both base and pieces of mango and translucent white pomelo reflecting base color - hence the poetic words that phonetically sound like 'sunny branch, golden dew' in its Chinese name) - and S#1's version leans much more towards coconut, is less nuanced, and the pieces of mango are tiny (so small you can't really tell if they're fresh - but there were several pieces that were so hard I took them out). The sago was soft and fresh tasting though, and I liked the visual effects of the bursts of grapefruit red.

Also of note: besides dim sum staples they also have on the lunch menu other Asian specialties like 南洋肉骨茶, which I thought was a Singaporean item (Bak Kut Teh) but is listed with English translation "Malaysia style pork rib tea"; and 星洲沙米 which I think is a Hong Kong invention generally known as Singapore Fried Noodles, which is listed as "Malaysia Pan Fry Rice Noodles".

In terms of food, it's no Yank Sing, not even close. But we were happy to have a place like Shanghai No. 1 in LA to elevate the Chinese dining experience - they just need to raise the bar a bit more on their food to meet the promise in their decor (and service which was good - waitstaff came by to change our plates several times and kept the tea pot full of hot tea). That said, those rearing to bash and sink it as 'overpriced' food, where you are just paying for decor - our meal cost a total of $28.12 for the two of us, and we left stuffed plus takeout boxes. So not really that bad at all. It's an upscale place where you can bring visiting relatives, have decent dim sum (for the most part - and it's just over a month old so finding its groove) with attentive service, and actually be able to hear and hold conversation - my parents could enjoy the space.

I've also read a bit about their gorgeous magazine style, beautifully photographed dinner menu (now standard with upper mid-tier restaurants in HK, presumably to entice bigger, impulse orders) and look forward to checking it out at some point, hopefully soon.

On a 7 point scale:
Flavor - 5.5 bites
Presentation - 6 bites
Originality - 5.5 bites
Ambience - 6 stars
Service - 6 stars
Overall experience - 6 bites
Price - $ (1 bite mark)
Probability of return visit - 100% ___________________________________________________________

Shanghai No. 1 Seafood Village
250 W Valley Blvd., #M, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Ph: 626.282.1777

Parking: Free parking in open-air lot or underground structure at Life Plaza Center
______________________________________________________________________