Happy Harbor Dim Sum

If you've never had dim sum you are missing out!

So what is dim sum?  It's essentially Chinese food served in bite-sized pieces in rounded, steamed containers or on small plates.  Depending which dim sum place you go to, they may serve your food via cart.  This is where multiple carts are circulating around the restaurant allowing customers to freely choose what they would like.  Other dim sum places will provide you a slip form to fill in your order and eventually the dishes come out one by one from the kitchen when they are ready.

Often dim sum is served in the mornings and brunch, but of course there's exceptions such as the ones in Vegas.  

I really liked Happy Harbor.  Probably would give it a solid 4 star review.  They are in a shopping center off Gale Ave. and Nogales St. in the Rowland Heights area.  Not too shabby.  Interior is gleaming with bright lights and has a clean, cut look and feel.  All of the waiters sort of look like butlers because their attire reflects that of one. 

My boyfriend and I went there to celebrate his cousins' birthday and had a good time surrounding myself with good people and good food.  

Some of my favorite dishes are the...

1.  Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings

2.  Shumai

3.  Spareribs

4.  Steamed Beef Noodles

5.  Har Gow

6.  Luo Buo Gao

7.  Lime Green Red Bean Buns

8.  Baked BBQ Pork Bun (which is heavenly!)

9.  Egg Tart

10.  Mango Pudding (even though it wasn't as sweet as I'd hope it to be).

A few snippets I took at the restaurant:

That's it for now!  See you guys next time!!!

<3 Lina Chen

1015 Nogales St.,  Rowland Heights, CA 91748

626.965.2020.

Yard House: A Full Rack

Just to let you know upfront this will be a pretty extensive review very much like the one I did for Taps Fish House and Brewery.  If you haven't read the review for that place, definitely check it out by clicking here. 

Now where do I begin with Yard House (YH)....Just a mental note, this will be my third visit but my first review.  From what I recall service was average and the food is pretty good.  Can't really remember what I ordered in the past but I can tell you exactly what I got this time around.  By the way, we also ordered a lot of food here so hopefully you can keep up with me by the end of this entry, if not, feel free to just scroll through the images and their respective reviews if something looks interesting to you.

First the appetizers...

Grilled Artichoke

Great appetizer especially if you haven't had grilled artichoke's before.  I love spinach and artichoke dip so I had no doubt that I wouldn't like this starter.  What's unique about this dish is that you break a piece of the artichoke wedge off of it's stem, dip the bottom of the wedge into the aioli dipping sauce, bite into the wedge and slowly scrape off the artichoke off of the skin with your teeth.  I thought that was genius!  Just being able to discover new ways to eat foods just fascinates me.  Not knowing this any sooner just surprises me since I've been to countless restaurants and this is the first time for me.

As far as taste, it was good.  Squirt the lemon on top of the wedges and you are good to go.  The chips were excellent since they kept it's crispy texture throughout the night.

Ahi Poke Bowl

I'd pass on the ahi poke bowl.  This dish consisted of raw, marinated ahi tuna with sliced carrots and daikon atop of two deep-friend wonton chips with a slice of avocado on the side, which was weird to me. It would have been better if they incorporated the avocado into the dish instead of it being a sidekick.  Sharing this dish was a little bit harder because of that reason.  Everyone's forks are trying to break up a piece of the avocado, some bigger than others, but if they were already diced to proportion then maybe there wouldn't be that problem.  

Out of all the raw dishes, this one was a bit tasteless.  I think you really have to rely on the marinade in this one because the carrots, daikon, and the wonton doesn't do much for the ahi tuna.  Also, if everyone in your party took a large portion of the avocado, you're basically S.O.L.  I'll give it a try again next time only if someone else decides to get it.

Spicy Tuna Roll

Died and went to heaven.  Only thing that kind of threw off the dish was the edamame but who cares, they sort of fell off of the roll and I really didn't bother to eat them with the spicy tuna after the first bite with it.  The mushy texture from the avocado + spicy tuna and the hard bite into the soybean didn't do much for me.  The dish itself is still heavenly especially if you are a avid sushi eater.  For an American restaurant, they did a pretty good take on a spicy tuna roll.

Truffle Fries

The truffle fries are a must here.  I adore french fries so when they are fried in truffle oil with shredded parmesan and herbs to finish it off?  It was to die for.  I can just imagine myself going to YH just for their truffle fries.  Okay, maybe with the Spicy Tuna Roll too. ;)

And the entrees...

Ahi Crunchy Salad

I love salads that have a strong sesame dressing.  Maybe it's because I'm Asian, but what can you do.  Greens were fresh, wontons crunchy, and the ahi tuna was nicely seared.  Don't mind getting this again the next time I'm feeling like I want a light salad for din din.

Pepper Crusted Filet

The boyfriend ordered the pepper crusted filet after the waitress had recommended it to us.  I've had wayyy better steak.  Kind of disappointed to see this on the not-so-good side of the review because I was pretty stoked after having all those delectable appetizers to start with minus the ahi poke tuna bowl.

St. Louis Style Ribs

NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!  I did a review on the baby back ribs at The Stinking Rose, but that place had some dry a** ribs.  YH did good.  My baby back ribs were sweet, tangy, moist and finger-lickin', mother-may-I-have-some-more, gooooooood!

With my FULL rack of baby back ribs!

I usually like carbs on the side whether if it's rice or bread with my meat but it's all good since the creamed corn and the beans made up for it.  I don't like beans unless if they're in my Chipotle burrito but that's about it, but these beans had a sweet taste to it.  The cilantro is a plus (since I love that stuff!).  The creamed corn comes close to a second when it comes to this dish.  After I had eaten as much as I could, I see forks coming left and right going after my creamed corn!  Sharing is caring but internally, I was struggling to let my boyfriend and his sister-in-law take some.  Next day when I took my leftovers to work, I only had like a mini, clear plastic sauce containers you dispense ketchup in at a Burger King.  Sad, but I couldn't let it go to waste!

Last image is just a piece of artwork hung right behind me.  I'm starting to show bits and pieces of the restaurant so that you can somewhat have an idea how it's going to be.  This artwork doesn't sum up the entire setting, but it caught my eye.  That and I felt that the bandit was going to steal my food!  Not this time cowboy!

<3 Lina Chen

13881 Peyton Dr.,  Chino Hills, CA 91709

 909.631.2200.  http://www.yardhouse.com

Mexican: El Farolito

This is as good as Mexican gets.

First of all I love this little town.  It has a genuine Mexican feel like you would see in the movies.  Okay, I can't say I've been to Mexico before but according to my boyfriends family, it reminds them of the little towns south of the border.  As we got there the lines were long (maybe 10 groups ahead of us).  We ended up putting our name on the list but roamed around the town in case if we found a restaurant that had less of a wait but was also suitable for our taste.

I'm glad we went back though.  This restaurants success is from the hard work that they put into it, but also stems from a strong family bond--love.  The food reflects that love.  Below is an image of their story which is displayed on the front of the menu...

"'El Farolito,' which meant to him ((Dad) the light of hope."

First their salsa and chips.  Chips were thick and extra crunchy.  I love ALL things crunchy so the chips were bomb-ski!  And once you dipped it into their spicy salsa, it was like a fiesta in your mouth.  Talk about it being SPICY!

Horchata is also a must for me every time I go to a Mexican restaurant.  It had a strong sweet cinnamon taste.  A great side drink if you want something other than water.  Although I have to say that this place ranks second as far as their horchata.  Maybe if they had real bits of cinnamon pieces like the one at Liliana's Tamales in DTLA, then they could possibly tie for first.  Just a suggestion if anyone from El Farolito is reading this.

Machaca de Carnitas

As far as entrees go, I wanted to try something new instead of my Meixcan favorites chile rellenos (which I absolutely love to death) or enchiladas so I got the machaca de carnitas...  First off, I must rave about their beans.  I dislike Mexican pinto beans (unless if it is in my Chipotle burrito) because they've always tasted like plain old mush with a muddy look that has always disgusted me.  BUT, I always take a bite regardless in hopes that there would be a restaurant that can prove me wrong and El Farolito did that.  I STILL don't like them but the beans here aren't bland.  They added something to it to make it tasty and rather desiring to eat.  It's still on the mushy side but the taste makes up for it.  

After my encounter with their beans, I knew this place was going to be good.  And it was.  I recall the pork being extra juicy and salty but once it was placed on the corn tortilla, with rice and beans, and topped off with their specialty salsa from their chips and salsa, it was pretty damn good.

Best Mexican restaurant I've been to in a very long time.

<3  Lina Chen

201 S. Bradford Ave.  Placentia, CA 92870

714.993.7880.

Shanghailander Palace

This place is perhaps one of the fancier Chinese restaurants I've ever been to.

A dragon-like door knob guarding the entrance.

So fancy on the inside!

An ol' fashion telephone.

Decor near the restrooms.

Parts of the ceiling was glowing with these colorful lights.

Through the window, you can see chefs hand-making their dumplings.

Attention to detail.  Love the colors and the velvety, plum chairs.

Decor for one of the dishes.

Sweet Braised Pork

The food here was wonderful and rather tasty.  We ordered the braised pork served in this big old, cool looking pot.  It had a sweet honey taste to it, but I can't say if there was any honey in it or not.  Everyone seemed to like it.  Luckily everyone at the other table wasn't able to finish their braised pork so everyone at my table were able to get seconds of this appetizing entree. 

 

Water Spinach w/Garlic

  The water spinach with garlic was our only vegetable dish.  A table full of carnivorous

Kung Pao Chicken

You can never go wrong with Kung Pao chicken.  It is an upgrade from your regular Panda Express that's for sure.

Black Peppered Beef

Black peppered beef was definitely dark and peppery.  At first I wasn't sure what it was, maybe the darkness of the color meant that the meat was charred, but after a bite or two I realized that the color of it is from the black peppers that they used here at Shanghailander Palace. 

Fish Fillet w/Seaweed

Fish fillet = a fancy word for fish sticks.  Make sure to wait a bit till grabbing a bite of these since they can be extremely hot in the middle.  Very good, but hot.  I just remember holding my hand up to my mouth trying to blow out the hot air and visually seeing my glasses fog up.  

Special Fish Soup

The last and final dish was the special fish soup.  Apparently this dish is pretty authentic because of the big ole fishballs that they used in this dish.  For me, I could go without it.  Like the image above, it just seemed like it was cabbage/lettuce soup.  Not too appealing to me.  I'll stick with my meats. 

 

<3  Lina Chen

1695 South Azusa Ave.,  Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

626.839.7777

SNOOZE (Revisited)

It was great to be home for the holidays.  A week or two week extension would have been nice but of course life back in Cali had to resume sometime or another.

Putting aside time to get together with people was hard to manage since it seemed like the days had zipped by so quickly, but I was able to see some of my oldest and bestest friends while I was back home.  It seemed like we never grew up.  To this day it amazes me at how much we've grown so much these past few years.  On my last day in Denver, me and my girlfriends had brunch at Snooze.  This is actually my second post about it but feel free to read about my review the first time I've ever had it by clicking here!

The great thing about eating with friends is that everyone can order something different and try individual dishes without spending a whole lot.  Me and my friends ended up ordering the pancake of the day to share--buttermilk pancakes with chocolate chips and a creamy pineapple frosting on top with coconut shavings on the side to accommodate the girls who dislike the coconut flavor.  Personally, the coconut complimented the pineapple; the chocolate chips complimented the buttermilk taste.  Snooze definitely has perfected their art of making pancakes!  Yummy!

My dish, the Harvest Hash "welcome(s) fall with a hearty hash of butternut squash, gala apples, red chard, leeks and parsnips served atop roasted garlic Ciabatta with poached eggs, cream cheese hollandaise and friend capers."  Couldn't have said it any better myself.  I thought the apples and the squash were pretty tasteless and the Ciabatta bread a bit soggy since everything is so moisture and wet.  I usually like my breads pretty toasty and crunchy and so when it gets all soggy, it's not really appealing perhaps the sole reason why this entree was just okay to me.  I'd rather get the Upstream Benny which is no longer on their menu or the Breakfast Pot Pie (quite appetizing to say the least)!

In addition to the few locations that they have in Colorado, Snooze has opened a restaurant out around the Hillcrest neighborhood in San Diego, California. 

<3 Lina Chen

700 N. Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80206

303.736.6200  www.snoozeeater.com

Yabby Hut

Needless to say my experience at Yabby Hut was more like "Crappy Hut."

As soon as you walk in, there is this potent cajun smell that fills the air of the restaurant.  It's strong, but it's absolutely great especially for a food-lover like me.  We were immediately seated at a booth where the waitress placed a big white sheet of paper covering the table and handed us plastic bibs with an image of a lobster in the middle.  There's no plates or utensils so expect a messy table with cajun spices all over your fingertips.

I ended up getting crawfish mixed in with their "Hot" (pro) cajun spices which was a bit more heat than what I had anticipated.  I can withstand spicy foods, this was a little unbearable.  The natural desire for it runs through my blood, but the "hot" was just too much to bear.  By the end of the night, the lining of my lip was red and plumpy as if I had undergone lip surgery and my tongue was on fire!  My best friend Sujin ordered the same thing as I had and all I can say is that she ate it like a boss.  So this is just a warning for those who like (or don't like) their foods extra spicy!

Once you order your food, the waitress will then bring out a big plastic clear bag full of yummy-goodness full of whatever you ordered whether it be craw fish, shrimp or other seafood items along with a cob of corn soaked in the spicy juices.  I guess what I didn't like the most is putting in the effort to get small amounts of meat.  In this case, that's what you have to do.  It's just not really worth it to me--taking the time to peel the shell, eat the meat of the body (which is so much smaller than the head), and to suck on the crawfish's head to get the brain juices (only if you like it).  According to the waitress It takes at least 2 lbs. minimum to fill an average persons stomach.  The crawfish were tiny and $8 per pound, mainly because we came during off season.  The value to me just wasn't there.

I feel like I had higher standards for Yabby Hut due to word of mouth of how "amazing their crawfish is" and the constant "I want to go to Yabby Hut" from others only skewed my perspective.  I won't completely disregard them since I feel like I haven't given them a fair chance, but I plan to go again only when the crawfish are in season, large, and actually worth eating.  I'll also make sure to order "mild" (amateur) instead of hot.  Also, I believe Yabby Hut is the original crawfish joint in Colorado, so there's really no other place to compare it to other than the Boiling Crab her in Cali.  Have to admit though, the Boiling Crab is better.  Hands down.

<3 Lina Chen

3355 South Yarrow Street  E-131, Lakewood, CO 80227
303.985.0231.   www.yabbyhut.com

Guppy Tea House

Guppy Tea House is this cute little hang out off of Azusa Ave. and Colima Road in Hacienda Heights.  So what I've noticed about SoCal is that there are well-known places amongst the Asian community all throughout the Los Angeles area.  My friend Lisa lives more towards the west side of southern California and she mentioned that both her and her friends from UCLA would drive all the way out to Hacienda Heights just for a bite to eat at Guppy House which can take about 30 minutes to an hour to drive.  So when I told her I've never been there before, she immediately said "we have to go here someday."  Although Lisa has taken me to Guppy House before, we went again last night after our intense work out.

The food at Guppy House wasn't all that pleasing, but I think people mainly go there because of their famous gargantuous shaved ice and their brick toasts, which I haven't yet tried.  The setting of the restaurant itself is also kind of neat which makes it a cool spot to get together.  Once you walk in, there's a ton of trees alongside of the walls.  There are green-leafed vines hanging above with blue lights emitting from the ceiling.  At night the atmosphere is calm because of the cool hues from the blues and there are mini fish tanks mounted on the walls with all different kinds of fishes inside of them.

Lisa got the Super Spicy Dumpling Soup.  Let me tell you, this dish was no joke.  It really was super spicy.  Like super duper SPICY!  It was also very tangy and sour which I didn't like very much.  The dumplings are served separately from the noodles and soup.  Corn is set aside for those who would like the option to add it in their dish.  Both Lisa and I concluded that we didn't care for this dish because of the zesty flavor.  The ingredients really didn't work well together.  The dumplings alone weren't all that bad either.

On the side we also ordered the popcorn chicken.  I often yearn for deep-fried foods so it was no surprise to see me getting the popcorn chicken at Guppy House.  Even though there are so much to choose from, that was what I wanted in the end.  The popcorn chicken here is lightly battered and fried until golden brown.  They use pepper and garlic to flavor the chicken but also sprinkle a refined chili powder atop of the chicken while it's crispy hot.  Most places don't do that, but I think that may be the a Chinese version, which I've slowly grown accustomed to since my move here.

To see what else they have click here for a list of their entire menu!

The food there isn't all that wonderful but I do hope that the dessert's as delicious as people deem them to be, especially the brick toast and their shaved ice...  Oh well, next time.

<3 Lina Chen

P.S.  I forgot to bring my camera to the restaurant and so these images are directly from www.foodspotting.com. 

7188 Colima Road, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

626.965.7288.  www.myguppyteahouse.com

Burma Superstar

As I reflect on the trip I took to San Francisco, I can't help but to let my mouth water while thinking of the superb food that I had at Burma Superstar.  I mean, when you see a line at the door, you know it's going to be good place to eat.  The total wait time was about an hour maybe an hour and a half so it may be best to set reservations ahead of time.  Parking was hard to find and the restaurant was quite small and claustrophobic because the tables are in close proximity of each other.  Don't let that deter you from going there though.  Inside was permeated with aromas and spices.  The decor was quite simple with a few Burmese sculptures and paintings along the walls allowing the individual to absorb the Burmese culture while dining there.

Before going into the details of the dishes we had at Burma Superstar, I wanted to write a few facts about Burma since I'm assuming not many people know about this little southeast Asian country.  I sure didn't.  Burma is also known as Myanmar and it is located west of Thailand and Laos, and South of China.  From 1824 to 1948, the British ruled Myanmar and after years of mismanagement, Burma became one of the poorest Asian countries.  Foods from Myanmar are influenced by neighboring countries with a Burmese twist to them.

Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp

The first dish we had was the Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp.

These jumbo-sized shrimp were pretty garlicky.  According to their menu, the shrimp is tossed in a "garlicky infused oil, and topped with toasted garlic." Talk about garlic to the extreme.  I love it though.  Love it so much that I actually have another blog (click here) where I've gone to a restaurant that devotes their attention to the stinky herb.

Anyway, this dish was my least favorite dish out of the three we had.  It's not the fact that there was too much garlic or it was bland but when you compare this dish with the other two below, it just doesn't compare.  In my opinion, the Burmese Garlic Chili Shrimp didn't have as much flavor.  Still a great dish but if you are limited on how much you want to spend, then get the Burmese Mint Chicken or the Burmese Beef Curry instead.

Burmese Mint Chicken

The Burmese Mint Chicken and the Burmese Beef Curry are a must!!!  Chicken is my least favorite meat; I would consider beef, pork, or seafood any day, but this Burmese Mint Chicken blew me out of the water!  The chicken is minced into a blend of jalapenos, cloves of garlic, red chili peppers, and of course, mint leaves.  The mint is strong.  It immediately hit me when I took a small bite of it but it wasn't over-empowering the dish at all.  Just didn't expect the mint to be so flavorful.  The small chopped up pieces of the chicken absorbed the surrounding ingredients making it spicy too.  A combination I normally don't see in foods.

Burmese Beef Curry

Like the chicken, I really don't like curry either.  We ordered this just for Eric but of course, with an open-mind I took a bite of this curry and wow.  Just wow.  This was equally great as the Burmese Mint Chicken.  The wet Burmese Beef Curry is braised in a combination of spices and herbs with a mild spicy, curry flavor.  The meat was tender.  The dish was topped off with bits of cilantro--my fav.  We also ordered a side of their coconut rice, jasmine rice with coconut milk and fried onions, which went very well with all three dishes.

I was just surprised by this experience at Burma Superstar.  It convinced me that not all curry is evil (it doesn't sit well in my stomach) and that I have more options than fried chicken, chicken wings, and chicken nuggets.  To me chicken has to be deep fried or covered in hot sauce in order for it to taste good.  Baked/grilled chicken?  Yeah right.  Even though it's healthier, it's just not for me.  

I give this place two thumbs up!  It's authentic and original.  I've never seen a Burmese restaurant so it is a rare find here in the United States.  Luckily, I found one just for you!

<3 Lina Chen

 309 Clement St., San Francisco, CA 94118
415.387.2147.   www.burmasuperstar.com