Chinese Clay Pot Chicken Stew In Black Bean Sauce - 香蔥豆豉雞煲

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

I love food being cooked and served in a Chinese clay pot.  To me, clay pot cooking just  adds a great flavor to the food. Of course, the sizzling fajita pan and the grill also add very nice flavors to food. When I was visiting Hong Kong, I could spend every night having dinner at clay pot restaurants.  But where I am living now, my choice of clay pot dishes is quite limited.  Whenever I spot it on the menu in a Chinese restaurant, I always order it.  This time I spotted it on a white board ($11.99), written in Chinese.  This dish isn't on the regular bilingual menu.  I guess the owner probably thinks this dish won't appeal to the typical Americans because it's made of boned-in chicken pieces with the skin still on (sort of like how Chicken wings normally are served).  It does take some time to get rid of the bone during eating.  But I'm used to this kind of chicken, so deboning the chicken pieces while eating just comes natural to me.  I however won't recommend this dish to young children.  

Chinese cooking often uses boned-in chicken pieces because the bone and the skin preserve the tenderness, the juice and therefore the flavor of the chicken meat. The downside of this type of cooking is, there can sometimes be tiny crumbs of bones that I have to fish out.  Just like every now and then there are crumbs of crab shells and bones I have to fish out when I crack and eat crabs.  I don't mind putting in such effort because I am always rewarded by the great flavor.

Restaurant: Nice China Cafe
Address: 2543 Pacific Hwy Ste B., Torrance, CA 90505
Tel:(310) 539-0323

McDonald's Take On High End Gourmet

Spicy Korean Ramen With Shrimp Tempura

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

There are so many restaurants near my home that I just haven't had a chance to try them all. This restaurant is one of them. I always drove by the strip mall and was very curious about the sign that says "Rice Heaven" with Korean Characters at the bottom.  I finally paid my first visit today.  The place looks like the typical little Korean casual diner that I saw in Korean dramas.  I was going to have the Korean BBQ ribs but I just couldn't resist my craving for my beloved comfort food, "Ramen". Many Korean restaurants serve BBQ ribs but not too many serve Korean Ramen.  So I ordered the Spicy Korean Ramen instead ($5.99) and added an order of Shrimp Tempera (5 pcs for $5.99) for the protein.  The food tasted comparable to the other Korean restaurants I often patron. But to me, this place has the best tasting Kimchi.  I love the Kimchi here the most.

For those of you who aren't lucky enough to have a Korean restaurant in your town, you can easily make the Ramen at home, just click here for the recipe.

Restaurant: Rice Heaven
Address: 2937 Rolling Hills Rd, Torrance, CA90505
Phone:(310) 257-0134

Review On Annie's Homegrown Organic Bunny Classic Crackers Buttery Rich

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

I love Ritz crackers but unfortunately partially-hydrogenated oil is on the ingredient list.   I bought Annie's organic buttery crackers thinking it was a great alternative to the Ritz's crackers.  But I was disappointed.  These organic crackers just don't taste nearly as good as Ritz. May be it's just impossible to make organic crackers that have both a long shelf life and good taste?  These organic crackers have a "Best By Date" in late February 2016, about 8 months from now.  I'm curious about how they can make organic crackers last so long without going stale.  But then these organic crackers taste a little stale to me at the first bite.  Maybe the less processed wheat flour just tastes this way?  I disliked the crackers initially due the hint of taste that resembles days-old bread.  But after continuously eating them , I just got used to them and they began to taste okay to me.  In terms of texture, these organic crackers seem to be a lot dryer and heavier than Ritz's crackers. 

After getting used to the taste and texture, I don't mind having them around the house for those sudden hunger strikes and for those times when I have to take my medicine.  Ritz tastes light, flaky and deliciously buttery but can't they make great tasting crackers without the partially-hydrogenated oil?  Or is it possible to make organic crackers that don't taste bland and boring? May be I should make my own organic crackers that will only stay fresh for a few days? 

Instant Chicken Lo Mien (Tossed Noodle)

Content contributed by: Jane Ong

What's the difference between Lo Mien and Chow Mien?  Chow Mien is when noodles are stir-fried with high heat with a lot of commotion, versus, Lo Mien is more laid back. Lo Mien's just  about gently tossing the boiled noodles with sauce without all that big fire bursting from the hot wok as seen in the kitchens of Chinese restaurants...

I love both but I usually order Chow Mien at restaurants because Chow Mien requires a big fire to really taste like Chow Mien to me. It just always tastes better at restaurants.  But I can absolutely make Lo Mien at home.  This one is very easy and delicious. All I need is one package of the following Yakisoba, a bunch of chopped green onions and some shredded cooked chicken, that was left over from the whole fried chicken that I had from the Chinese restaurant.  Any leftover steamed chicken or roast chicken, or the store bought rotisserie chicken will do.  This recipe requires no straight measurement of ingredients and I can toss in as much or as little chicken or green onions as I want.  I always like to have a plate of Chinese Broccoli on the side when I eat this. I just like to always have some veggies to alternatively munch on while having my instant noodles.

Cooking Direction:

Cook the noodle according to the package instruction (which is really about boiling the noodle with water), toss in the green onions when it comes the time to add the seasoning from the package (as per package instruction). Then toss in the shredded chicken after the sauce dries up and the noodles look like the Lo Mien or Chow Mien you see in Chinese restaurants.  After everything is well tossed and mixed together in the pan, scoop everything up and serve.  The entire cooking  time is less than 5 minutes. It's fast, it's easy and it's delicious.  This brand of  Yakisoba is very very good!!!  It's our favorite brand as of now...

This is cheap and delicious. This makes the best home-made Lo Mien / Chow Mien that rivals the ones at restaurants, but for much cheaper.  This is available at Amazon for less than $1.00 a package.

Chinese Broccoli Is One Of The Popular Chinese Dim Sum Items

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

Most non-Chinese  probably will think it's odd to have Chinese broccoli during breakfast. But this dish is found on a lot of tables in the Dim Sum restaurant in the morning.  I guess it makes sense to always have veggies and fibers in every meal, particularly to balance the meaty Dim Sum.  I'm not a big salad fan, I love fresh salad made by good restaurants but I normally have to force myself to eat the raw salad at home because I haven't been able to find any bottled vinaigrette based dressing in the store that isn't so sour that I always become jittery when I smell or taste the dressing.  I don't like mayo based dressing too much either.  But I can easily eat a whole order of Chinese Broccoli at a Dim Sum restaurant all by myself.  

I guess I could have made the same dish at home for a lot cheaper, if only I'm not so lazy and so unmotivated to do anything in my small kitchen.  After all, my mom makes the same boiled Chinese broccoli a lot, sometimes for every meal.   The key is to buy really good Chinese broccoli which isn't bitter.  Then just wash it, and boil it in boiling water very quickly until the color just turns jade green.  It's important not to over boil it. It needs to be removed from the boiling water instantly when the green color shows up.  Then just drizzle oil that had been used from deep frying chicken or other food,  drizzle also the Lei Kum Kee oyster sauce (Lei Kam Kee is the best tasting oyster sauce, much better than the Kikkoman brand,  in my opinion).

The oil that had been used for frying chicken or other food really bumps up the taste of the broccoli. Then the oyster sauce of course gives the ultimate flavorful finish.    My mom always only heats a couple teaspoons of corn oil in the pan and drizzle it over the broccoli because my mom rarely  deep fries food at home. But the oil from deep frying really makes a huge difference in taste. This is the reason why boiled vegetables in Chinese restaurants always taste much better than home boiled even though we are using the same brand of oyster sauce. Chinese restaurants have a lot of oil from frying the spring rolls and other food to be used to dress boiled vegetables.  This makes the boiled veggies taste better than the American way of throwing butter on it.

Restaurant: PV Palace
Address: 2166 Pacific Coast Hwy, Lomita, CA 90717
Phone:(310) 326-3228
Hours: Friday 10:00 am – 9:30 pm

Chinese Dim Sum Breakfast Sweet Rolls

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

Having had no Dim Sum in Toms River New Jersey in the last couple months, I stuffed myself crazy this morning when I went to my most favorite local dim sum place that is under 15 minutes' drive from my home.  I literally piled my table with my favorite Chinese  breakfast buns (奶皇流沙飽 - Lai Wong Lau Sa Bao, which means sweet buns with runny milky eggnog sauce). These breakfast buns came in a dish of three per order. The chefs make only a limited number of these buns on Saturday and Sunday and they usually are sold out very fast.  Once they are sold out, there won't be anymore until the next weekend.  I love them so much I always brought more home. They keep well in the fridge for a few days and after warming up in the microwave for 12-15 seconds, they taste as good as fresh.

These mini size Chinese breakfast rolls taste a lot better than the cinnamon rolls because they aren't overly sweet. The sweetness is very well balanced. The runny milky eggnog sauce ran out every time I took a bite to brilliantly flavor the sweet buns inside my mouth. The buns are topped with delicious flaky crust topping (a mixture of flour, egg yolk, butter and sugar).  They are always served fresh, right out of the oven and they have to be a little warm. I can eat these non-stop because they don't give me a sick and stuffy filling even after I eat many of them.  But I usually try to limit myself to having only 3 a day.  I usually eat them with tea or coffee for breakfast.  

The first time I had buns similar to these was when I was visiting Macau, China in 2009.  At a very beautifully decorated Dim Sum restaurant in the MGM hotel casino there, a very beautiful, tall and model-like waitress there highly recommended a new type of buns to me, which was different from the traditional Chinese steamed buns with pasty fillings. She said it was the best seller there. There, the buns were white with white flaky topping and the runny saucy filling was also snow white. They looked delicate and they tasted dynamically flavorful, light and heavenly.  The buns at the MGM hotel in Macau were  of course a lot better tasting than these buns here near my home. I doubt any Chinese restaurant in the USA can beat the Dim Sum restaurant at MGM in Macau.  Then I started to hear the Dim Sum ladies at my local Dim Sum restaurant recommending these buns to me in 2011. Having missed the buns I had at MGM Macau, I was very happy to try.  I loved them on first bite.  These buns are very delicious even though MGM Macau has better. 

Cutting isn't recommended when eating these buns because you don't want to lose the sauce filling.  I always hold up the bun really close to my mouth and bite cautiously so as not to let the yummy saucy filling leak off the bun.  I often just order take out to save 15% on tips, since I am a big spender on these yummy buns.  P.S. there is another type of buns that look exactly like this but the filling is pasty and not saucy and runny.  I much prefer the ones with the saucy and runny fillings because they taste many time more delicious than the other type.  The Dim Sum ladies there always try to convince me to have the pasty kind when they sell out the saucy type.  

Restaurant: Restaurant: PV Palace 

Address: 2166 Pacific Coast Hwy, Lomita, CA 90717 

Phone:(310) 326-3228 

Hours: Friday 10:00 am – 9:30 pm

Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken at Bucca Di Beppo

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

After being in Toms River New Jersey for over 2 months, I am not only craving for Chinese and Japanese food, I am also craving for Italian food.  I was unable to find any decent Italian restaurant in Toms River when I was there since I wasn't familiar with the town, and the only times I had decent pasta dishes were when I ordered room service at my hotel.  

So tonight I took advantage of the $10.00 off coupon to go to Bucca Di Beppo. I know I could have gone to this very same restaurant in Atlantic City when I was in New Jersey.  But I didn't like driving long distance when I was in New Jersey because of the many extremely aggressive and crazy drivers in that state, and also the annoying tolls and jughandle everywhere. I had never heard about "jughandle" until my clients in New Jersey told me about it when I was frantically calling them for directions. I guess jughandle is a New Jersey "landmark" but my experience with it had been all bad.   Stressed out by my weekday driving in Toms River alone, I was definitely not willing to drive from Toms River to Atlantic city on the weekends just to go to an Italian chain restaurant that I can easily go to when I am here in LA, by driving less than 15 minutes.

Tonight, I ordered Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken ($24.99) which is chicken stuffed with mozzarella and prosciutto, served with homemade marinara and pesto cream sauces.  I never regarded this place as one of my favorite Italian restaurants, because I never felt the food here was any special.  I had been to much better Italian restaurants.  I certainly didn't feel the food here tasted bad.  I felt the food here tasted OK and the restaurant was close to my home to serve its purpose when I was hungry and too tired to drive around during those overtime weekdays.  But after I had spent 2 months in Toms River New Jersey, the food here all of a sudden just tasted so amazingly good to me.  I never had a frame of reference to how bad Italian food could taste. Now that I experienced the bad Italian food in Toms River New Jersey, I am enjoying this chicken plate so much that I almost feel lucky for having Bucca Di Beppo so close by.

The Legendary Tempera Bowl From Toyko

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

Besides nice comfortable weather all year round, one of the reasons I don't want to ever live anywhere else other than California is the easy access to great authentic international cuisines from all over the world.  With so many dining options within a short drive, there is no reason for me to cook.  I cook only when I really really have lots of time to kill.  I don't think I can cook better food than what I can order from the restaurants here.  My dinner tonight is the Tempera Bowl Combo (Tendon Combo $8.95) which includes a rice bowl topped with crispy shrimp tempera, fish tempera, fried egg and fried seaweed, and also a bowl of Japanese buckwheat noodle soup topped with tempera crumbles.  It also comes with the uniquely flavorful  dipping sauce.  The tempera and the noodle soup are very tasty. Food like this is what makes it difficult for me to get used to the food elsewhere whenever I work out-of-state.  

This restaurant is a branch of the very famous Hannosuke chain in Tokyo. The restaurant only specializes in tempera bowls, and nothing else.  So I am literally having the same kind of tempera bowl as those served by this restaurant  chain in Tokyo.  This is why I'm taking my vacation here at home. Comfortable sunny breezy weather, beautiful beaches, great Japanese food together just give me no reason to want to drag my suitcases to fly elsewhere.  I had been living in a hotel in Toms River New Jersey for the last 2 months and I just don't want to stay at another hotel. I prefer staying at my own home for now.

Restaurant: Hannosuke

Address: 21515 S Western Ave Torrance, CA 90501 

Tel:(310) 787-8350 

I Had Been Missing This Hong Kong Style Chicken Pan Fried Noodles So Much

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

When I was on exile in Toms River New Jersey for a business assignment, I had been looking for this kind of Pan Fried Noodles and was unable to get it in the Chinese restaurants I had been to.  The owners in the Chinese Restaurants there actually told me to go to "The City" to get it because they said they didn't cook this kind of Chinese food for Americans .  That was the first time in my life I heard that. But then I had never been to Chinese restaurants other than the ones in California, so I guess it's possible for Chinese restaurants in other states to cook differently for a specific demographic (I mean taste wise, not race wise,  since here in California, there are lots of Americans who prefer the real and better tasting Chinese food), just like the kind they can find in the famous Big Apple.

I was just shocked that when I was in Toms River New Jersey, everybody was telling me to go to "The City" to get Chinese food, and I asked them what city that was since Philadelphia is a city, Newark is a City, Atlantic City is also a city.  Then I found out they really meant "New York City".  I was surprised because it would be like if I am asking where can I get decent Chinese Pan Fried Noodles here in Los Angeles County, people are telling me to drive to Las Vegas to get it, no? 

Separation makes the heart grow fonder.  I had ordered this Chicken Pan Fried Noodles (Chicken Chow Mien $8.25) many many times before, but now I just appreciate it a lot more.  Before, I just took it for granted, and I didn't see anything special about it. It was just a convenient everyday cheap Chinese food to me that is served the same way by numerous Chinese restaurants here in California.  But now I am just looking at this dish with a whole lot of respect and admiration after I had spent 2 months without it. The noodles are just crispy on the surface, while the middle noodles are still having the regular chewy egg noodle texture and rich noodle flavor. It tastes and feels like noodles.  I was given literally a nest of fried noodle chips or fried noodle crumbles when I ordered this dish in Toms River New Jersey.  The noodles were so deep fried it could taste just like any kind of plain crackers and chips other than noodles.  Can you imagine if any restaurant does the same for lasagna and turn the noodle texture to be like bagel chips??

This dish looks oily but it's not oily. The shine is from corn starch that is mixed into the sauce.  I'm just so happy that I can easily have this dish from numerous Chinese restaurants within a very short and easy drive.

Restaurant: Nice China Cafe 

Address: 2543 Pacific Hwy Ste B., Torrance, CA 90505 

Tel:(310) 539-0323 

Very Fresh & Tasty Vietnamese Pho

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

Taking the opportunity to be granted a vacation leave back to California, I went to Trader Joe's today to replenish my empty pantry.  It was there that I discovered a brand new Vietnamese restaurant nearby.  It is tugged in a big strip mall with too humble a signage which is not self-explanatory about what business it is.  Since I go to this strip mall a lot to shop at Trader Joe's and Wholefood, I'm always conscious about checking out all the tiny stores around these big anchors.  I'm glad I'm curious enough because this new Vietnamese restaurant has the freshest and tastiest Pho within 10 miles in that area.  

I ordered a Mrs. A Hanoi Pho ($11.99), which is the traditional Hanoi Beef Broth Served With Medium Rare Angus Beef.  It's a lot more expensive than the average Pho places which are in the nearby towns where I have to drive 8 to 10 miles from home to get to.  But I could taste the much better quality of the beef and the much better quality broth.  The noodle soup tasted really really fresh.  As a new business, I don't think the owner is doing enough to promote the restaurant.  I mean the signage is totally inadequate.  They need more self-explanatory and visible signage that at least tells people that they offer fresh and high quality Vietnamese food.  

The bowl of noodle soup looks simple and plain but the flavor is rich and dynamic.  It's very healthy. I can easily go on a Pho diet on a daily basis but I don't think I need dieting just yet because I'm lucky to still have a slim figure.

I hope the owner realizes that "Open the restaurant and let people come" is not a good business strategy. I know because I work as a management consultant. I like this place and I hope it will become successful and stay for a long time.  Restaurants that focus on quality and freshness are few but I just hope this brand new place can afford to sustain the restaurant's business objective in offering "Vietnamese Food Cooked With High Quality Ingredients".  To do this, the owner should also focus on promotion in addition to only focusing on the kitchen and cooking alone.

The restaurant charges higher prices than other Pho places in the area, but it also has much cleaner and more comfortable seating than most of the Pho places I usually go for cheaper Phos.  The restaurant has only a few items on the menu but then I agree with the owner that a shorter menu with all good and tasty items are much better than long menus that have all bad tasting dishes.

Restaurant: Mrs. A

Address: 2531 Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance, CA 90505

Tel: (310) 534-8899

Stonyfield Oh My Yog With Wild Quebec Blueberry Tastes So Very Good!!!

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

Oh my God! This is the best tasting yogurt I had so far in my life. I had never tried any brand of yogurt other than the non-fat and low fat ones from Yoplait and Dannon.  For so many years, I had added lots of nuts and granola to my yogurts because I didn't like to eat them alone.  Now that I had tried this very delicious whole milk organic yogurt on its own without adding nuts and granola, I can't believe what I've been missing all these years.  This organic yogurt alone tastes so much better than Dannon even after I added lots of peanuts.  I can't believe just how good whole milk organic yogurt tastes.  Now I don't know how I can ever go back to eating the low-fat Dannon yogurt anymore.  Does whole milk really make such a big difference in taste or it's the organic blueberry that works the wonder?  Dannon is not organic, and has less fat and less protein but more carbs than this whole milk organic yogurt.  But whatever fat and calories Dannon has less, I had been adding back way more by adding lots of nuts to make the yogurt taste better.  With this delicious and satisfying whole milk organic yogurt, I don't have the cravings to add nuts or granola to it.  It just tastes so good and filling on its own.  I think I am going to go with the organic whole milk yogurt from now on.  I will go with the taste. Eating good tasting yogurt  just makes me a lot  happier too.

Yelp's High Praise Of The Mediterranean Food Here Made Me Speechless

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

Once again Yelp tricked me into going to this restaurant.  While Yelp seems to often be useful to me in terms of finding a decent place to eat whenever I am in California, it seems to not be working right here in Toms River New Jersey.  I just don't understand it.  How on earth the strangely stinky rice in this place be hailed as "very amazing food"?  Did I suddenly become taste blind today?  This is the most awful rice I had tasted in my life.  I love Greek, Iranian, Lebonese, Israeli and Indian food and I went to them a lot back in Los Angeles.  But I couldn't eat this rice here. I have no idea what spice was used here but it just didn't work for me. The rice smelled like urine, which reminded me of the preserved bamboo shoots that weren't treated well in some lousy Chinese restaurants.  I hate the ammonia smell that is often found in preserved and canned bamboo shoots which  some incompetent Chinese chefs didn't know how to treat properly to rid of the smell before cooking. This rice smelled the same awful effect.  Was I supposed to pour the "white sauce" that was so highly praised on Yelp onto my rice to cover up the urine smell?  That so-called homemade white sauce tasted like a store bought "ranch" salad dressing to me, only blander. I didn't use the sauce at all because I'm not a fan of putting store bought ranch salad dressing on steamed balsamic rice.  I took one sniff  at the rice and I just couldn't eat it.  

The tikka chicken kebab and the tendoori chicken kebab had the kind of bad texture that "old meat" possesses.  I want to know for how long these chicken kebabs had been sitting in a tub of marinate in the freezer???  The chicken didn't taste good to me, it tasted too aged for my taste.  These kebabs are so very different from the fresh ones I had in the many Middle Eastern restaurants in California. This restaurant had the worst kebabs I ever had.  The salad was kind of wilted and not crisp either. I used the "white sauce" on the salad instead but I still didn't like it. I hate limp salads.  This chicken plate cost me $10 and I tossed away 99% of it.  Yelp was raving for the low price, but low price and bad food equal bigger waste of money in my case.

My falafel ($4.00) were extremely dry and hard.  They were tasteless.  The frying oil was too old, and the falafel tasted too old. Just how many times were these falafel deep fried in order to become so hard, dark and dry? As for the hummus, it was too sour and watery for my taste, which was worse than the hummus bought from the grocery stores. Again, these falafel were hailed on Yelp as the best in New Jersey. Seriously? Does New Jersey really not have better falafel than these???? May be this is why New Jersey has been for years, ranked the state in America where there is the highest number of exodus annually?  How can people not flee when these falafel are the best in the state? Again, I took a bite and tossed the rest of them.  

I love garlic Naan ($2.00) and I never could have enough of it. The garlic Nann here in this restaurant was okay. It was baked on my order from the frozen dough so it took quite a long time.  To me, it was a tad drier, harder, and  blander in taste than the ones I love. It wasn't as garlicky to my taste.  But it was tolerable to me so I ate it all.

The baklaka ($2.50) also tasted okay to me. I think it was the best dish I tried in this restaurant. This was indeed the best piece of pastry I had since I have been here in Toms River all these months. But I had much better baklaka else where.  This baklaka tasted acceptable to  me so I also ate it all.

The bottled drink ($2.50) was the one I'm very familiar with because I often bought it in grocery stores.  I like low-calorie flavored bottled water. I of course can buy this drink for less at the grocery stores. It's nice that this drink is available at this restaurant though.  But this drink can't make me come back to this restaurant again.  Neither can the baklava and the naan because I can easily get the similar quality baklava and naan in the grocery stories also. I think my camera didn't do the food justice because the photos look better than they tasted.

The many 5 stars reviews on Yelp just don't match the traffic of this restaurant when I was there. My colleague and I were the only people there.  There was no one else eating there the whole time we were there.  There were a couple people walked-in for take out.  The staff were just sitting around and chatting loud.  The cook and the cashier both looked bored and unmotivated.  It took a very long time for us to get our food.  I was surprised by the emptiness of this restaurant because there are so many people raving how amazing the restaurant is.  The vibe and traffic there certainly matched the quality and freshness of the food though. 

Restaurant: Royal Grill 37

Address:10 NJ-37, Toms River, NJ 08753 

Phone:(732) 505-9696 

Portuguese BBQ In Toms River New Jersey

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

I miss El Pollo Loco (Mexican fire grilled chicken chain in Los Angeles) so much I have been looking for a chicken place here in Toms River where I can get similar chicken.  This is how I found this Portuguese BBQ joint. I'm not sure if this is Portuguese cuisine, because my only frame of reference to Portuguese food was the Portuguese food I had when I vacationed in Macau two years ago.  I became a fan of Portuguese food after my trip to Macau.  While this chicken resembled nothing to the Portuguese Chicken I had before, this was a very tasty BBQ chicken. This half chicken ($9.00) was very flavorful and it came with a choice of 2 sides, which I chose french fries and black beans which were awesome with great flavor.  I can't tell whether I like El Pollo Loco in Los Angeles better or this place because they are two different types of fire grilled cuisines.  I think I like them both.  

Restaurant: Brasas BBQ Restaurant
Address: 542 Fischer Boulevard, Toms River, NJ 08753
Tel: 732-279-6023

Surf & Turf At Point Pleasant NJ

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

Tonight, we were just driving aimlessly out of Toms River NJ  looking for dinner options. Unimpressed by Seaside Heights after our last visit, we decided to drive north of Seaside Heights. We then came to another beach community, Point Pleasant (about 20 minutes from our hotel), which is much nicer than Seaside Heights. We enjoyed strolling along Arnold Avenue which is lined with shops and restaurants.  It was the wood fire BBQ fragrance that brought us to this restaurant.  As usual, we forgot to get a bottle of wine from a liquor store.  We are still not used to the BYOB practice here in New Jersey because this is definitely not the practice in California where almost all restaurants got liquor licenses.

I ordered the Surf & Turf special ($50) and my colleague ordered the whole sea bass.  Tonight's dinner had to be the best meal I've had since I arrived at Toms River 2 months ago. My filet mignon was cooked perfectly to my preferred doneness and was very well seasoned. The lobster was very fresh and tasty.  The wood fire added a lot of flavor to my grilled entree.  My colleague's sea bass was also very fresh and delicious. I wasn't aware that I needed to pay to add sauce and toppings to the steak, so I didn't even ask. But the filet came out very flavorful without any additional purchased sauce or topping. That was simple cooking with very high quality ingredients, which we experienced the first time tonight here in New Jersey since we left California.  

The chopped salad that came with the dinner special was very refreshing and well dressed with the house made vinaigrette. It was very crisp and flavorful without soaking in store-bought dressing. Since I arrived at New Jersey, this was the first salad that I had that reminded me of those from back home.  I hate wilted salads dredged in bottle dressing from the supermarket, yet this seems to be the popular style of salad that are served in a lot of restaurants in Toms River and Manchester Township.  Every time when I asked about the not so fresh salad and the heavy supermarket quality dressing, I was told, "all our customers here love the salad this way.." Seriously??  Finally I got my good salad tonight.

The dinner roll was very good also.  I am happy to have found this restaurant in Point Pleasant that focuses on the quality and freshness of the ingredients.  This is why even though the restaurant is on the pricey side, it's packed full of customers.  Low-price low quality restaurants are everywhere but people are always willing to pay for good quality food.  Instead of eating 3 lousy dinners in a low price low quality restaurant, I'd rather eat only one good meal in a good restaurant. I'd rather stay home and cook simple stuff than going out to eat lousy food regardless of how cheap it is, unless when I'm out of town like now when cooking is out of the option.

Restaurant: Prime 13

Address:710 Arnold Ave, Point Pleasant Beach, NJ 08742 

Phone:(732) 202-6483 

Another Awful Plate Of Italian Pasta

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

My colleague and I came to this restaurant based on Yelp's rating when we searched for Italian cuisine in Toms River NJ.  This is the second time we had a really bad dinner experience thanks to the misleading rating on Yelp.  I ordered  Baked Spaghetti With Broccoli Rabe & Sausage ($12.95).  It tasted so bitter that no matter how much Parmesan Cheese I sprinkled on my pasta, I still couldn't eat it.  The broccoli rabe is just too bitter and the fact that they sauteed the spaghetti with it gave everything in the dish a bitter taste.  The sausage also tasted horrible with a very stale and grayish color.  The sausages I bought from the supermarket tasted so many times better. I don't know if these sausages were just made too long ago and stored in the freezer for too long.  I just never had sausages this bad.

The Ministrone soup that came with the pasta also didn't taste good and I didn't care for it.  I love Minestrone but I didn't like this one.  I made much much better Minestrone at home even though I'm not Italian and I certainly don't have much cooking experience.

The rolls tasted acceptable and the butter was good.  The rolls and butter turned out to be the only thing I could eat for my dinner tonight.  My colleague ordered some kind of Chicken pasta with marinara sauce which was very bland.  I can't tell whether the marinara sauce here is better than the last Italian restaurant Yelp led me to where I also had a bad experience.  I feel that the Marinara sauce in both places are equally bland.  How can this be?  I never knew marinara sauce could taste this bland until I came to this area.

The interior of the restaurant is spacious, comfortable and clean.  There is this painting that I love very much. But I came here for the food, not to just sit and stare at a painting.  I don't think I will come back to this restaurant again, because I don't want to hate Italian food. I would have had much better pasta tonight if only I ordered room service at my hotel.

Restaurant: Luigi's
Address: 21 Union Ave, Lakehurst NJ 08733
Tel: (732) 657-7000

Tropical Crunch Waffle At Brick Township New Jersey

Restaurant reviewed by: Jane Ong

I keep returning to this restaurant because this is so far the best breakfast place I can find among the areas of Manchester, Lakehurst, Seaside Heights, Toms River, & Brick in NJ. These are quite a number of towns for me to just find one decent breakfast joint.  Thank god that this place isn't too far a drive from my hotel here in Toms River.

This time I ordered the Tropical Crunch Waffle ($ 8.85) which is a Belgian waffle topped with sliced bananas, fresh strawberries, ripe mango, crunchy granola and a side of natural strawberry reduction. This waffle is fruity, but not overly sweet.  I love the mixed fruit topping and the crunchy granola.

  

Restaurant: The Turning Point
Address:505 Route 70, Brick, NJ 08723
Phone:732-903-6073