Dim Sum at Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant 海港大酒樓 in Rosemead, CA

Sea Harbour was always considered as one of the best places to go for dim sum in the Greater Los Angeles area since it opened. However, I did not like the dim sum I had during my last visit in December 2016.

Today, a long time friend wanted good dim sum, and I decided to Sea Harbour another chance, and this visit changed my mind again about them. The dim sum was well prepared and tasted delicious. A far cry from my last visit.

Only issues I was with the specialty dim sum dishes they offered (Shrimp Dumpling with Gold Leaf, and Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Bun with Gold Foil). Though they tasted good, one may not be able to held and wonder if that’s enough to justify spending the extra money on dim sum.

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the photo.

Milk Custard Tarts

Baked BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao)

Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow)

Ground Beef Rice Noodle Crepes

Scallop Dumplings

Pork Dumplings with Black Truffle Flavor

Shrimp Dumpling with Gold Leaf

Inside of the Shrimp Dumplings with Gold Leaf

Egg Rolls

Egg Rolls stuffed with mainly Chinese chives and a little ground pork

Shrimp Rice Crepes

Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Bun with Gold Foil

Inside of the Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Bun with Gold Foil

Shrimp & Scallop Dumplings with Cilantro

Shrimp Wontons in Broth

Dim Sum Pricing

Specialty Dim Sum Items

Looks like dim sum is available during dinner service as well.

Taiwanese Cold Dishes & Noodles at Cindy’s Kitchen 金葫蘆煄醬滷味 in Hacienda Heights, CA

This is the place to go for a great variety of cold appetizers you can choose from, and the appetizers run from $5.00 to $12.00 per order. With most being under $8, it was easy to order a huge variety of dishes to share. Aside from the tasty cold appetizers, Cindy’s Kitchen serves up some decent pan fried noodles and noodle soups as well.

Some of the better cold appetizers we noshed on included their Smoked Duck, Spiced Chicken, and Spicy Chicken Gizzards (which I somehow missed taking a photo of). The flavors were quite pronounced. The smokiness of the duck was enhanced throughout the dish. Every bite was a nice bite of smokiness and savoriness.

At $23 per person (which includes tax and 20% gratuity), it was considered inexpensive, and it may contain exotic herbs and spices from around world, in their dishes. Such a bargain, and we were stuffed to the gills afterward. Even with a party of 8, we barely made a dent in the number of dishes they have offer on their menu. So, we’re going to head back in late September, and hope to be able to sample more dishes from their dinner menu.

As always, click on the thumbnail to enlarged the picture.

Spiced Chicken

Smoked Duck

Spicy Pig Ears

Spicy Beef Combination (Shank and Tendon)

Ning-Bo Style Bean Curd (with shitake mushroom, gluten puff, wood ear fungus)

Pork Stomach with Pickles

Three Flavor (shrimp, pork, Chinese leeks) Dumplings in Beef Broth

Spicy Beef Stew Noodle Soup

Pickled Baby Bamboo

Soybean Dry Noodle (Zha Jiang Mian)

Spicy Sliced Bean Curd

Pickled Long (Green) Beans

Cucumber Salad

Spiced Peanuts

Knife Cut Noodling at Shanxi Noodle House in City of Industry

In the East San Gabriel Valley, more and more Asian restaurants are popping up all over from La Puente to Walnut, and from Northern Chinese cuisine to Burmese. Shanxi Noodle House isn’t a newcomer. They’ve been in business for over about 2 years now, only having been discovered by me, when a friend and I needed to find a place to grab a bite while on our way home from checking out the superblooms along the 15 Freeway in Lake Elsinore back in March of this year. Searching through Yelp, we stumbled upon their listing, which has been awarded a good number of 4 and 5 star reviews from Yelpers, and decided to give them a try. The result was enjoying the wonderful layers of flavors as well as different textures in the dishes we tried, particularly of the Crispy Potatoes with Oat Flour Noodle Rolls. After that night, we came back for more. The noodles and dumplings are all house made, and the knife cut noodles are made to order.

Machine knife cuts noodles

Dumplings are all house made

Pan Fried Noodles with Beef

Sliced Potatoes with Knife Cut Oat Flour Noodles

Stir Fried “A” Choy

Siu Mai

Pan Fried Dumplings (Potstickers)

Pork & Chinese Chives Meat Pie

Beef Noodle Soup

Spicy Cold Chicken

Pan Fried Potatoes with Oat Flour Noodles

Lamb Noodle Soup

Pumpkin Cakes

Inside look of the pumpkin cakes

House made scallion rolls/pancakes

House made scallion rolls

SHUTTERED: Authentic Northern Chinese and Sichuan Food in The Valley (San Fernando Valley)

This family-owned restaurant serves some of the best Chinese food in the San Fernando Valley, if you choose the right dishes. The family is from Henan in Northern China, just east of the Shaanxi province where the ancient capital of China (Xi’an) is located. The mother’s expertise in making dumplings from scratch as well as hand-pulled noodles is one of the reasons this place’s food is a stand-out.

San Jian Bao (we had the Pan Fried Buns filled with ground pork and napa cabbage), Potstickers (we ordered the Lamb & Zucchini, but she was out of zucchini and created potstickers from ground lamb and Chinese chives), Wontons in Spicy Sauce (the sauce included peanuts, which is different from the Wontons in Chile Oil we see in most other Szechuan restaurants), and of course, Xiao Long Bao (Soup Dumplings).

Her hand-pulled noodles are used in her Spicy & Sour Beef Noodle Soup, according one of my BFFs, is the best he’s ever had, even better than those served in the San Gabriel Valley, and in Flushing Chinatown in Queens, NY. Her house-made knife cut noodles are used in her Lamb Noodle Soup, and I loved the firmness and chewiness of the noodles.

Add a couple of well made Szechuan dishes, and my group declared this place a winner.

Website: http://www.tampagardenchinesedelight.com/

Wontons in Spicy Sauce:

Lamb Noodle Soup:

Sauteed Spicy Sour Napa (Cabbage):

Spicy & Sour Beef Noodle Soup:

Xiao Long Bao/Soup Dumplings:

Eggplant, Potato, Green Bell Pepper:

San Jian Bao (Pan Fried Buns filled with ground pork and napa cabbage, lighter and thinner bun wrap than most other places):

Cold Spicy Chicken:

Pan Fried Dumplings/Potstickers:

Szechuan Spicy Fish:

Beef Chow Fun (Dry Style):

The best dishes are hidden within the menu. Look beyond these popular favorites for a much better culinary experience.

Dim Sum at King Hua Restaurant in Alhambra

It’s been years since I’ve had dim sum here. A couple of friends wanted a dim sum brunch over Veterans Day weekend, so I suggest here. Dim sum was good with some nice variations of traditional dim sum dishes offered, such as the Egg Custard Tarts with Birds Nest (which were lighter and less sweet than the regular or Macanese versions), Deep Fried Glutenous Rice Balls with Egg Yolk Cream, and Deep Fried Lotus Root Puffs. However, they are a bit pricier than many of their nearby competitors such as Lunasia, Atlantic Seafood & Dim Sum.

Website: King Hua Restaurant

Egg Custard Tarts with Birds Nest:

Deep Fried Taro Puffs with Ground Pork:

Pan Fried Turnip (Daikon, White Radish) Cakes:

Har Gow (Steamed Shrimp Dumplings):

Siu Mai (Steamed Pork & Shrimp Dumpling):

Blanched Chinese Broccoli with Oyster Sauce:

Lo Sui Op (Braised Duck with Tofu):

Steamed Shrimp & Pea Tips Dumplings:

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce with Peanuts:

Stewed Ox Belly Casserole with Rice Noodle Rolls:

Egg Rolls:

Steamed Rice Noodles with Chicken & Bitter Melon:

Baked BBQ Pork Buns:

Scallop & Shrimp Dumplings with Roe:

Steamed Rice Noodles with Shrimp:

Steamed Beef Meatballs:

Deep Fried Egg Tofu with Spicy Sauce:

Deep Fried Seafood Salad Roll:

Deep Fried Durian Puffs:

Deep Fried Lotus Root Puffs:

Baked BBQ Pork Pastry:

Wolfberry and Chrysanthumum Gelatin:

Steamed Buns with Salty Egg Yolk Cream:

Deep Fried Glutenous Rice Balls with Salty Egg Yolk Cream:

Dim Sum at China Red in Arcadia

China Red is one of the newer dim sum palaces that has opened in the San Gabriel Valley in the last 5 years, where one orders their selection off of a form. They serve up traditional dim sum items such as Har Gow, Siu Mai, Cheung Fun; as well as Northern Chinese items (xiao long bao/soup dumplings and pan fried buns/san jian bao) and their own creations such as the Purple Yam Balls with Egg Yolk Cream.

Some of the dumplings are huge and well made. The Purple Yam Balls are filled with a piping hot, molten, savory but sweet egg yolk custard. Bite into it to expose the center of hot, liquidy goodness.

Negatives about this place for me is parking (much like many other dim sum palaces — they’re not big enough to accommodate the numbers flocking to them for weekend dim sum brunches), pan fried dumplings/potstickers (not crispy on one side, and rather bland), and the heavier use of MSG, as I ended up with a dry mouth and became thirsty for much of the afternoon.