Must-Have Good Fortune Dim Sum For Chinese New Year

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

Having a Dim Sum Brunch on the first Sunday in a Chinese New Year is my annual ritual.  Like last year, I went to my favorite Chinese Dim Sum restaurant for brunch.  The reason I went there is because I was brought up to always eat foods that were the Chinese New Year metaphor for good fortune.  It was actually an excuse for my parents to indulge the kids and themselves to eat the not so healthy food that their freakish healthy lifestyle totally banned for the rest of the year.  One of those banned foods that get their sanction temporarily lifted during Chinese Year are sweets. For their concern for diabetes (which none of us have), and tooth decay (which we all have more than one despite the ban on sweets), my parents didn't allow me to have candies or sweets,  except for Chinese New Year.  Christmas was no exception.

After being sweet deprived for most of the year, my dad suddenly would commend me to eat a lot of the sweet (Cantonse Style) Chinese New Year Rice Cake (as shown in the above photo) during Chinese New Year.  I was ordered to eat so much of this rice cake that I totally dreaded for it by the middle of the 15-days Chinese New Year celebration...and I would so look forward to the end of the Chinese New Year so the rice cake would just get lost.  The reason that my dad wanted me to eat a lot of this gluey rice cake that is made with rice flour and raw crane sugar, is because the Chinese pronunciation for "cake" is the same as "vertical growth", meaning eating this cake during Chinese New Year will help the kids grow taller, the parents' net worth grow more, every employed adult will get great promotion, and every student will score really high in exams.  For anyone who wants high-performance in anything they do, this rice cake is the must-eat sweet during the Chinese New Year.  

I remember my grandma always spent days to make lots and lots of this Chinese Rice Cake to give to her many siblings, relatives, cousins, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She turned her flat into a Chinese New Year Rice cake factory for a week every year to mass produce this cake. This tells how important it was for me and my siblings to eat a lot of them, for "vertical growth" in our height and "high performance" in school...

I never made this rice cake myself because this isn't my most favorite food.  But I still eat a little of it now that I no longer live with my parents and my dad can't nag me into doing anything anymore. Strangely, I am starting to like it now.  It's quite good after being pan-fried when the outside is crispy and the inside is gluey.  I don't like it steamed, I only like it pan-fried, The pan-fried version is available at all Chinese Dim Sum restaurants here in Los Angeles, and the one offered by PV Palace in Torrance is almost as good as my grandmother's. 

Restaurant: Restaurant: PV Palace 

Address: 2166 Pacific Coast Hwy, Lomita, CA 90717 

Phone:(310) 326-3228 

Hours: Friday 10:00 am – 9:30 pm

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Vietnamese Chicken Curry

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

When I first moved to Los Angeles, the first thing I noticed wasn't the lame "Hollywood" sign. (By the way, what's so special about it that this sign has been featured on so many posters and glossy pages of travel guides?)  It was the ugly strip malls on almost every block I drove by that caught my eyes.  I found many of these strip malls very ugly, and depressing (because they just have such a third world vibe about them).   

But lately, I have fallen in love with these ugly strip malls in Los Angeles because I realize that there are always ethnic mom and pop restaurants nestled in them.  I never know what new food I will discover by driving into an ugly strip mall and this "unknown" element just adds a little excitement to my boring commute home from a long day of stressful corporate prison.

Last night, my venture into one of these strip malls had gotten me a tasty bowl of Vietnamese Chicken Curry ($7.99) with steamed rice on the side.  Compared to Thai curry or Indian curry dishes, Vietnamese curry is  much lighter in texture and the sauce is more broth like than gravy like.  I found this light version of very tasty and tender chicken curry stew very appetizing.  This is the kind of dish that goes extremely well with steamed rice or crusty bread.  I can get really full and satisfied by eating a lot of rice with only half of the chicken curry. This allows me to box the other half home for lunch the next day.  I can always make a big pot of steamed rice very easily with my rice cooker at home to use up the left over curry.  This helps cut down my dining bills.

Restaurant: Taste of Viet
Address: 1650 Sepulveda Blvd, Harbor City, CA 90710
Phone: (310) 326-2889

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Middle Eastern Fusion - Savory Shrimp

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

Whenever I am lucky enough to call the shots for my business lunch or dinner, I try to bring my clients to my favorite restaurants near my home.  This restaurant is one of those I proudly introduced to my clients who are health conscious and picky about food quality This is an organic restaurant which serves natural and organic food, so I myself come here every time to splurge a little when I get my paycheck .  I have been coming here since this place opened years ago.  And each time I visited, I cleaned the plate because the food here tasted just so good.

I usually ordered the kebabs but last night I tried out the savory shrimp, which had broiled shrimps, broiled veggies (that included potato, asparagus, eggplant and mushroom), enhanced with a creamy sauce seasoned with white wine and onions, served with cilantro-infused rice. At $25.95, this dish is one of those more expensive entrees on the menu. But if I get the opportunity to treat myself, this is where I spend my money. I just love to support neighborhood restaurants that use locally sourced organic and natural ingredients.  This place is near the beach and the Friday farmer's market.  It's a great place to round out a weekend evening of breezy beach walk and shopping at the Farmer's market.

Restaurant: Turquoise Restaurant:

Address:1735 S Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach, CA 90277 

Phone:(310) 373-3234 

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Korean Chicken And Mixed Vegetables Bento Box (Chicken Japchae 닭고기, 잡채)

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

The reason why I love Korean food so much can very well be explained by the photo above.  For a lunch box at $10.95, it came with very delicious Korean BBQ chicken, a side salad, well seasoned mixed veggies, Korean pancake, Korean glass noodles, great al dente steamed rice,  and in addition to the lunch box; a bowl of soup, and numerous side dishes that includes potato salad,  and various yummy Korean pickles and seasoned veggies!!!  I come here a lot for this BBQ chicken lunch special because one lunch box has enough portion for both my lunch and dinner.  I also come here to pick up BBQ chicken lunch specials whenever I go picnics with my friends and family. A lunch box like this just makes fantastic food for picnics!!

Restaurant: Pine Tree Korean BBQ Restaurant
Address: 25890 S. Western Ave, Harbor City, CA 90710
Tel:(310) 325-1186

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Japanese Big Fried Chicken

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

Like chocolate, fried chicken is one of those foods that has tremendous universal appeal.  It's amazing how fried chicken can be done so similarly and yet taste so differently in different cultural renditions. I recently had a piece of the fried chicken in one of my favorite Japanese Ramen restaurants, I think I could be blindfolded and I could tell it was Japanese fried chicken.  Yes, it's this obvious to me and I am also a huge fan of KFC.  This Japanese fried chicken  just has this distinctive crispiness on the skin that has this burst of rich flavor for each crunchy bite.  The meat is very juicy, tender and amazingly seasoned.  As if all these great flavors aren't dynamic enough, the fried chicken comes with a side of seasoning salt. This is a special seasoning salt that gives the taste of this delicious fried chicken another kick of excitement.  As a big fan of fried chicken, I really love this one!  It's $3.00 for one piece, by the way.  

Restaurant: Hakata Ikkousha
Address: 21605 Western Ave, Suite J, Torrance, CA 90501
Tel:(424) 558-3953

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Korean Dumpling Soup 만두국 (Man Du Guk)

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

I love dumplings. But I had never had Korean dumplings until today even though I go to Korean restaurants a lot.  It's because every time when I ordered steamed Korean dumplings or boiled dumplings in Korean restaurants, I was told the dumplings were sold out!!   It just made me even more curious about the Korean dumplings, and it therefore made me more eager to try them out.  I finally was able to order the Korean Dumpling Soup (laced with egg drop and topped with shredded dry sea weed) today at one Korean restaurant. I felt so lucky!! While I still prefer Chinese dumplings a lot more, I enjoyed the Korean dumpling soup very much.  The  broth was so soothing and comforting. I think the broth was infused with anchovy. But there was no obvious fish taste.  The broth  just tasted delicately delicious.  As for the dumplings, I think the filling is minced beef, glass noodles and some veggies, which I think were a little under seasoned.  But then may be it's supposed to be this way to be paired with the tasty broth and an array of richly seasoned vegetable side dishes. I love the side dishes in this restaurant because they made me love eating my veggies.  Besides, this restaurant always includes my beloved potato salad among the side dishes, while it varies the rest.  The dumpling soup also came with a bowl of rice on the side.  As a lunch special, it costs $11.95. But I usually stuffed myself up so much with all the side dishes and rice that I always ended up taking most of the dumpling soup home.  The dumplings actually tasted  better the next day.  Service can be slow, so I suggest ordering to go by the phone and go for pick-up when time is a luxury during lunch hour.  I was overall happy with the food in terms of taste and satisfaction.  I also love that I learnt a new Korean word today, "Man Du" means dumpling in Korean.    

Restaurant: Pine Tree Korean BBQ Restaurant
Address: 25890 S. Western Ave, Harbor City, CA 90710
Tel:(310) 325-1186

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Taiwanese Pickled Ground Pork Rice With Marinated Egg

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

I always love the little diners and tea houses in Taiwan whenever I visit.  I'm so happy to find a Taiwanese tea house within a short drive from my home to relive my vacation memory in Taiwan.  One of the Taiwanese dishes I love from my vacation in Taiwan is Pickled Ground Pork Rice With Marinated Egg, so that's what I often order whenever I visit this tea house.  I usually order a small size for lunch ($6.85).  It comes with a bowl of delicious meat sauce, a tasty marinated egg,  a bowl of steamed white rice, sprinkled with seaweed flakes, topped with corn and Chinese cabbages.  It's a comforting and filling meal, and it feels healthy to me because it's so balanced with grain, veggies and proteins.  The meat sauce makes the veggies and rice taste so good.  I'm not naturally a veggie lover, and I don't like the boiled and bland veggies side dishes in the typical American restaurant.  But I enjoy my veggies in this Taiwanese meal.  I also ordered a large iced Yami Coffee at regular sweet level (it tastes okay, not great), which is a mistake because it's pretty expensive at $5.13.  I will just stick with water the next time...

Restaurant: Yami Tea House
Address: 24705 Narbonne Ave #101 , Lomita, CA 90717
Tel:(310) 326-2650

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Spicy Miso Chicken Stir Fry Rice Bowl And Iced Thai Tea

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

A week before Christmas, I treated my friends to one of my favorite dinner joints for some rice bowls.  My treat to them was in lieu of Christmas presents. I'm not good at shopping for presents but I figured out that I could treat my friends to a nice dinner while I opened the Christmas gifts they had for me.  My friends told me they were really delighted to experience such good Chinese food.  I am not even sure if this is Chinese food because I have a feeling that this is East Asian fusion food, or it can be Taiwanese style East Asian food.  I don't know if the owners are Taiwanese or not, but this kind of rice bowl reminds me of the similar ones that I had when I visited Taiwan a couple years before.  It also reminds me of the lunches I had when I was a kid.  My mom cooks this way, which is stir fry of thinly sliced good quality meat with lots of  fresh & crispy veggies, dressed with a very light sauce.  I think most Asian home style stir fries are light (but deliciously seasoned) like this.  The Chinese food in a lot of Americanized Chinese restaurants are too heavy and too drowned in either stuffy brown gravy, or the overly sticky and sour "sweet & sour" sauce.

I don't make this kind of stir fry at home because I don't have good knife skills to slice meat this thin and I don't like to load up on numerous type of veggies that I end up trashing because I can't use them up fast enough.  Cooking  for 1 to 2 people is a challenge when I like varieties in my rice bowl, 3 ingredients just don't cut for me.  I would rather spend time in working over time than making stir fry at home because I can get a Spicy Miso Chicken Rice Bowl for only $8.25, which is much less than what would cost me if I spend the time to cook it myself.  I also like the numerous kind of teas at this place. This time I ordered Thai Milk Tea ($3.00), which is not as sweet as the ones I got at the Thai restaurant, because this is somewhat a non-Thai lighter version.  

I like both versions. This lighter version really complements my meal here because I feel really healthy after meantime. There is just this light, clean and comfortable feeling.  So it all depends on whether I am craving for rich food  or light clean food at the moment. But I find this light version of Thai tea very enjoyable.

Restaurant: Go Go Juice Café

Address: 1943 Pacific Coast Hwy, Lomita, CA 90717 

Tel:(310) 539-6486

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Delicious Assorted Cakes For My Christmas Cocktail Party

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

As I mentioned in my previous post, I hosted an early Christmas cocktail party a week before Christmas.  Being an extremely busy professional who doesn't have much time to spend in the kitchen, I had chosen to not make my own desserts but to pay $52.08 to get a dozen mini cakes from one of my favorite Japanese bakeries.  These cakes were a great hit at my cocktail party.  They tasted richly delicious and were such a joy to eat.  Everyone at the party loved the good clean sensation from the cakes. These cakes just didn't leave a sickly and stuffy feeling in the chest or throat.  They were rich, yet smooth and they felt so light and comfortable after the last bite was gone.  They were really great with coffee.  I could have spent days in my kitchen and watched all the baking shows on TV but I don't think I will be able to make cakes like these. May be I can, but I just don't have the time.  According to my friends at my party, these were actually the best cakes they ever had in their lives. Of course, these cakes aren't made of vegetable shortening, and there is no food coloring in them. The ingredients are real chocolate, real cream, real fruits, and this is why these cakes don't come with too many color schemes, which I don't care. Because most of the colorful cakes that I had before from grocery stores and other American bakeries just made me feel so sick afterwards and all I tasted was food coloring. I personally hate the taste of vegetable shortening, and I don't like the taste of food color which is so strong in all cakes in a lot of American bakeries... and the fondant that is so widely used. Yuck. To me, cakes and desserts aren't about the color, the price or quantity, it's all about quality.  I would never want to eat cakes again if there were no Japanese bakery in the USA and if I couldn't find time or the money to bake them myself.

Bakery: Mammoth Bakery
Address:Inside Marukai Gardena Pacific
              1620 W. Redondo Beach Blvd. Gardena, CA 90247
Tel: (310) 538-9031

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The Best Tasting Decadent Little Chocolate Cake

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

Set on a little gold plate, this is one of the best tasting mini chocolate ganache cakes I'v had.  Covered under the deliciously rich chocolate ganache are layers of light and fluffy regular cake and chocolate cake layered with real delicious whip cream and chocolate butter cream.  Dusted with coco powder, topped with rich chocolate truffle ball, chocolate pieces and a flake of gold (which is edible light sugar that melts in the mouth like cotton candy).  This mini individual size cake is so divinely delicious.  What I like about this cake is, it tastes so rich and so good and yet it feels so light. This is made by one of my favorite Japanese bakeries.  This cake doesn't give me a sickly and stuffy feeling. It's just a pure enjoyment to eat this cake because it's not overly sweet, and yet it's appropriately sweet, and indulging.  I just like the after feeling when I finished my last bite. I just felt great and I didn't feel stuffy and sickly like I always felt after eating a donut or a cheap cupcake from the average American bakeries, or something baked by my dear friends and colleagues from the mass market baking mix.  For people who think their cup cakes are good or the baked goods in the typical grocery stores are actually edible, just try this cake and they won't be able to go back and taste those craps again.  

This cake is $4.29, yes, it's not cheap because this isn't made of cheap hydrogenated anything or artificial chocolate powder cake mix and crisco, this is the real cake made by Japanese bakers using the real ingredients. This is how cake is supposed to taste like.  This cake is totally worth my time to eat and the possible extra calories that I added to my slim body. (My family and I  have been eating cakes like this all our lives, never the cheap disgusting baked goods in grocery stores. We don't eat cakes every day, only once in a while and we are still slim.)

Bakery: Monte Martre Bakery
Address: 2525 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance, CA 90505
Tel: (310) 326-2783

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My Thanksgiving Dinner Classics

Review submitted by: Jane Ong

After two years' absence from Black Angus Steakhouse on Thanksgiving day, my friend and I had returned this year for our traditional thanksgiving dinner there that we started several years ago.  Last time we went, it was $16.99 for a whole dinner with all the fixings.  This year, it was $18.99 per dinner. We like that the dinner included a bowl of richly delicious potato soup.  My friend suggested to go to my favorite Chinese restaurant which was open on Thanksgiving day.  But to me, I just needed to get that turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. I never had any kind of  food other than the American Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving and the thought of  not having it this year drove me into a panic mode.  So my friend gave in and I had my familiar comforting Turkey dinner that I usually enjoyed at Black Angus Steakhouse.

As usual, I was overall pretty satisfied with my turkey dinner there, even though pie isn't this restaurant's specialty.   The restaurant has very decent dinner rolls, and I love the turkey stuffing there.

The pumpkin pie I had there wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't bad.  I always requested the server to heat the pie up for me because I don't like pumpkin pie cold.

I had many Thanksgiving Dinners at relatives' or friends' homes where I literally felt like torture to me because the food was either too bland or just not well prepared by the not-so great cooks who think they are good cooks.  In order not to hurt their feeling, I often had to act like I loved their food that they piled on my plate.  There is nothing more tortuous than forced feeding myself a plate of cold, gamy or bland dry turkey, with the really mushy and overcooked broccoli or canned green beans casserole. The worst part was I had to sit at the dinner tables with people I love and care and try to hide the fact that I was literally repulsed by their cooking.  I just don't like canned veggies, I love fresh green beans but I hate canned green beans, particularly when they are drown in canned mushroom soup.  So this year, once again, I came up with all kinds of excuses to dodge my thanksgiving dinner invitations and chose a decent turkey dinner over spending time with friends and family.

Restaurant: Black Angus Steakhouse
Address: 3405 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90503
Tel: (310) 370-1523

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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

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

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

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