Weekend eating included a stop at NBC Seafood in Rosemead for a friendâs wedding banquet. I was pleasantly surprised that dinner was better than I thought it would be. The honey walnut shrimp wasnât coated in a thick cornstarch batter and the honey-mayo mix wasnât rich and overwhelmingâŠit was a lighter approach. They offered whole wheat bao buns for the Peking duckâŠa delightful surprise. And Iâm a sucker for braised sea cucumbers and wild mushrooms with steamed bok choy. Havenât been to a restaurant Chinese wedding banquet in agesâŠand we had a great time.
Also! The Rose Bowl finally has a beer garden that you donât need to pay extra for at UCLA games on the North end of the concourse (I believe for all non-UCLA events you can buy beer wherever you want). Dodger Stadium pricing on the beer, but hot dogs were $3 and tvs were large and plentiful.
Went to corner beef noodle house the nui rou mien with tendon is amazing and stronger in flavor and spice than the usual broths that Iâve encountered. I would say that this is my favorite NRM spot in los angeles only downside is that it is in el monte. Tendon was silky fall apart and their hand made noodles had great q. Also their pork chop rice is great. Fried pork chop that is super crunchy with rice doused in pork drippings and served with and sweet tofu skin and broth infused vegetables.
you should probably have one of their name sake dishesâŠan oc (mollusk) dish and a lau (hotpot).
As for which mollusk to order, thereâs so many to choose from itâs a bit of a challenge. Weâre not super fond of the typical preparation drizzles hanh mo (scallion oil), sriracha, peanuts. Perhaps the ones in coconut braise might be a better choice. We typically choose a hot pot, the thai seafood one is riff off a tom yum. The lau mam is a more funky one with fermented fish broth common in the delta region of Vietnam.
We do enjoy their goi salads, but portions seem to have gotten smallerâtends to be overdressed, which would a problem if their fish sauce dressing was not so good. But it is. We like the shredded morning glory salad and green papaya.
The fried red talapia is always a popular choice with our oot guests. Itâs lightly battered and perfectly fried. Comes with a nuoc cham dipping sauce that is fantastic. They actually even sell their nuoc cham in jars.
There was a sweet prawn braised in young coconut dish that we really wanted to try but they didnât have, but it looked pretty amazing.
Garlic and Chives has some similar items and would be an interesting bang bang
Tacos Los Carnales (Whittier)
They make their own corn tortillas fresh to order, and they are like light, fluffy (and flat) pillows in which a ton of great protein will lay on. Their al pastor is on a proper trompo and is seasoned and cooked so wellâŠcrispy charred bits with moist juicy chunks. While they may use pineapple juice to marinate the pork, pineapple pieces are not part of the meat mix (for inquiring minds that may be interested). Carnitas and cabeza are also solid. Their salsa bar includes a spicy rojo, a mild verde, and a nice avocado salsa. Also part of their salsa barâŠgrilled onions and jalapeños and beans. Everything is monitored and replenished on a regular basis. They even take plasticâŠso win-win for all.
I would advise that their Asada Nachos and Asada Fries are good, but they load it up with both nacho cheese sauce and melted, shredded cheese. Our order was swimming in the cheese sauce, and while this may be great if youâre drunk or sharing with friendsâŠit was not that delicious stone-cold sober. Ask for no nacho cheese sauce, so you can really enjoy your nachos or fries.
Pricing is super reasonable. $1.50 for tacos, $6-7 for burritos, $6 tortas, $7 fries/nachos, $4 mulitas, @TheCookie This is a worthwhile stop the next time you head out to Whittier to see the family.
I had suggested it as a dinner option to my oldest and mentioned that they make fresh tortillasâŠhe told me I had him at fresh tortillas. Heâs been enamored since our last jaunt to Burritos La PalmaâŠand those are now his favorite flour tortillas.
this weekend we revisited Finn McCoolâs a spot we used to love drinking at way back. Sad to report the shepherdâs pie and the soda bread are shit now. theyâre half assing it. guinness was great though.