Needle - Silver Lake

Can’t wait to see your weekly reports on this fine dessert in the weekend rundown!

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That almond jello is good— but this almond jello…

https://www.instagram.com/p/CH3EwFHlGoG/?igshid=1heuz5d19e9ds

:exploding_head::exploding_head:

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Very nice use of silicone mold(?)!

sold!

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I’m eyeing that char siu and almond jello. Let me know how you like em.

char siu fried rice | char siu, long bean, egg, rice, scallion
New cook at the wok alert. This fried rice is still good overall but a touch heavy on white pepper and under scallion-ed. I do wish that Needle would eventually have a better stove so their fried rice can have more wok breath.

tofu claypot (vegan) | tofu, shiitake, eryngii, lotus root, kabocha, snap peas
The broth by itself is probably dried-shiitake based and it’s easily one of the tastiest broth I’ve had in recent memory. Other than that, it’s still a light vegan dish so I’m not too crazy about it. But hats off to the restaurant for cooking each ingredient to their proper doneness so the snap peas are still bright green and retained its crunchiness along with lotus root. Overall, this dish’s light flavors didn’t quite stand up to the bold flavor of char siu fried rice. Perhaps the broth can be thickened so it can cling onto and flavor each ingredient better?

almond “jello” | orange, satsuma, oro blanco, pomelo, asian pear, grape, goji berry, lychee jelly
Holy cow. Delicious AF! I thought almond “jello” 1.0 needed acidity and this one has it in spades. The inclusion of Asian pear gives a very nice crisp/crunch to certain bites…stroke of genius! Can it be improved? Perhaps when the fruits enter their prime season and supreming the orange and satsuma?

The moment I realized that it’s all gone, I immediately ordered 2 more…

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can confirm almond jello 2.0 is still delicious even though I got some sour bites from the pomelo? I’m a stonefruit junkie so I’m still on #teamalmondjello1.0

shout-out to their shrimp chips.

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Probably the pomelo. It should be sweeter next month while retaining much of the refreshing brightness.

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Great photos.

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I loved the scattering of sour fruit, added some nice contrasting flavors and a surprise in each bite.

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I haven’t been able to get the new almond jello yet… but did get out for the Siu Yeh on Tuesday.

I got the cherng fun, beef, duck, and pork meatball (also pickles but not pictured) and thought all of them were outstanding despite traveling a couple miles back to my place. However, I could tell the beef would have been best eaten right after leaving the grill. Of the skewers, my favorite was probably the meatball because it was still the juiciest.

I’m looking forward to hitting it again soon (and getting that almond jello :smiling_imp:)

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I need to revise my initial review of the almond jello. my second cup had some bracingly sour and bitter bites of pomelo that really overwhelmed everything. hopefully it was just a bad batch.

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I wonder if we hit the same batch. When did your get yours? I got mine today and I agree with the bitter notes that are coming from the oro blanco but didn’t find the bright pomelo notes distracting.

There are also more sugar syrup this time around and the syrup carried that slight astringent aftertaste as well.

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Yah got the almond jello tonight and got the same bitter taste. I admit I like the cheapy over syruped sweet canned fruit more that comes at the lower end places. I also just prefer the cheapy firm jello vs. this fancier but more mushy version.

Everything else was amazing though. Hard to place whether their char siu is better or PRD’s is better but both are head and shoulders above every other char siu dish I’ve ever had.

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cherng fun skewer | rice rolls, sesame sauce, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha
So. Damn. Good. It’s a must for rice roll lovers. That binchotan aroma is intoxicating.

pork meatball skewer | ground pork, sa cha sauce, cilantro
That hit of sa cha sauce on this soft and juicy piece of specimen. The use of water chestnut to add crunch and lightening up each bite is :heart: :heart_eyes: :heart:.

smoked duck congee | smoked duck leg, shimeiji, shiitake, chestnut, scallions, peanuts, wonton crisps
There’s a nice subtle smokiness imparted into the thick congee by the smoked duck leg. Love the bites that have chunks of :duck: :duck: :duck:.

Congee + crunchy youtiao? Textbook combination.

almond “jello” | orange, satsuma, pomelo, asian pear, grape, goji berry, lychee jelly
What happens when oro blanco that’s not suppose to be bitter turns out to be bitter? Skip it! Problem solved.

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Are those now your favorite rice rolls? That jook looks great too, slightly burst grains just like how Cantos like it. So jealous

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I love both HK cafe’s and Needle’s. They’re both superb in their own way.

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You guys really need to try that!

The best shrimp and scrambled egg dish I ever had. Like I said it would make a French Chef and Chinese grandma proud of that dish.

(Never met a shrimp and egg that I didn’t like but this is the King)

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