No need to import, which is probably illegal.
$25 i think? i forget
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Not sure if it’s been mentioned… they have a wonderful beer list! Good stuff. We also got a Nigori Sake which went so well with our meal! Don’t order the glass of red house wine. It came chilled which luckily our friend has a good chuckle over. We all agreed that dinner was great but that we’d bring our wine next time.
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Not busy on Saturday lunch anymore, definitely not this one at least. Showed up at 1 PM with family and a reservation but definitely didn’t need the reservation (besides pre-ordering some items). Maybe 50% capacity? My mother’s Chinese friends didn’t even know about this place until she posted on her WeChat so I think they have marketing issues.
Some quick notes
- Agree that the egg whites with sea food was good here.
- Also tried Chayote with minced pork and that was a surprise hit for me.
- We remarked that service now was similar to your standard Chinese restaurant experience.
While the crowd is gone the food is still pretty good. It actually worked better for us since we ordered a lot of food and there was an empty table to scooch over and combine with ours to hold it all.
Think I like it even more the second time around though it’s a shame this seems to have reverted to being a bit of a hidden gem now. Still haven’t tried dim sum yet but I think I’m already finding plenty of value with the non-dim sum and will stick with that if I go again.
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Keep it that way!
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yeah it’s definitely way less busy now.
I still think not changing the name was a big hinderance
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I grew up eating Chayote and have always been MEH about it. How they prepped it was a revelation. I would have never ordered it, but someone in our party did and I would definately order it again.
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ordered that tonight - sauce is a bit sweeter than most singaporean chili crab and could be spicier but it’s definitely tuned toward a more cantonese palate. BUT the crab itself, cooked PERFECTLY. They cracked the shell a bit and I don’t know how they cooked it but the shell was even a little soft and the meat itself was so tender.
My wife who hates eating Dungeness crab due to how messy and hard it is to get to the meat devoured it and everyone got rice to pour the sauce on.
Would def order again. Told Ken to prepare Man Tou or some type of dipping carb next time
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Very good review by Bill. I wish he was more critical with all his reviews like this. Not sure I’ve read a review from him this critical of what doesn’t work and comparing the dishes to similar restaurants. But his qualms resonate with my feelings on the restaurant that I’ve conveyed to them.
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@chrishei and I were there together when bill addison was there.
Reading this gives me all the feels 
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I have a habit of taking my parents somewhere new for personal celebrations.
They tend to like to eat earlier than later…so can I still get all the dinner highlights at lunch? Or should I senior citizen dinner it and opt for an early evening reservation?
There will only be 4-6 of us, so I imagine we’ll have to order carefully, but I’m thinking:
- Lobster sticky rice
- Beef vermicelli
- Crispy chicken
- Honey prawns
- Salted egg loofah
Appreciate any pro-tips on things we should pre-order or any other feedback?
Maybe I’ll have to ask @clayfu if I can make arrangements for caviar ahead of time. That would really blow my parents minds.
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We’ve only gone at lunch and have had all of their great dishes. So many signature dishes. We also really like the almond beef, faux gras mushrooms and the truffle yee mein.
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Chayote 
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Thanks to you all for your help and recs!
My parents had the BEST time at our lunch. I have not seen them chow down like that in quite sometime. My Mom is usually a tepid eater and they were both skeptical about the drive to Pasadena just for lunch. However, as soon as the dishes hit the table, they went to town and started demolishing each dish.
Kurobuta char siu - pretty good but in a city where we also have Needle, that’s going to take the top spot in my char siu power rankings.
Honey crispy shrimp - my Mom adored this dish because she enjoys textures. My sister loved it, and I’m a sucker for a crispy potato chip shell. Looks like I’m gonna need to take her to Vegas for LoS.
(Requisite vegetables) Garlic broccoli - we were pretty struck by the fact that there was so much garlic flavor here. The egg yolk luffa we also ordered never showed, but we weren’t charged for it so no harm, no foul.
Faux gras mushrooms - @PorkyBelly was right. This was another winner for my sister and me. My foie-loving mother did not notice it until we pointed it out. Who doesn’t love a crispy mushroom? At one point, I was eating them like French fries.
Lobster sticky rice - a 5 lb monster was presented to us upon arrival. They didn’t have a smaller one. Personally, I prefer 2 3 pounders to a 5 pounder because older lobsters are a little tougher. This was really good and made better with the insane amount of lobster roe that scattered in every bite. My mom loves lobster roe, so it was an immediate winner.
Crispy chicken - there were a lot of oohs and aahs when this dish was brought out. You know the dish is a hit when Mom tries to reverse engineer something while she’s eating it.Special thanks to @clayfu for allowing me to pick up some Astrea to surprise my parents. I clearly made a rookie mistake and didn’t put enough on top, but the flavor of Astrea is so nice. Last time I noticed the umami and fresh salinity, this time I noticed how creamy and rich it was. It’s fascinating to pick up nuances each time I try it.
Crispy vermicelli with beef - another hit that Mom thinks might be easier to recreate at home than the chicken. I love how crispy the noodles were. This is akin to the pho ap chao of my dreams.
For funsies…will it caviar?
Yes, yes it does and very well.
Not pictured the beef rice noodles dish my sister wanted. I was so full, I didn’t get a chance to try it. I was told it was very good. My Dad particularly loved this dish because his teeth have been sensitive and it was a nice, soft texture.
It was a great lunch. Service was amazing. Once they realized how much food we intended on ordering, they moved us to a larger table. I really liked the teas we ordered, jasmine and oolong. Mom made sure to grab a business card before we left.
What was really most important is that my parents had a great time, and they kept all the leftovers. Another sign of how much they enjoyed themselves? Mom rarely eats leftovers. She hit up these leftovers quite quickly.
Many thanks to everyone for their input. I’m thinking of making a return trip with them for my Mom’s milestone birthday in the fall.
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