Lunchtime exploration led me into the heart of San Gabriel, where the Cantonese café cuisine of Tam’s Noodle House won my tastebuds over, in a big way…
The jook (congee) with lean pork was marvelous. Lean strips of pork and preserved egg, topped with scallion - The flavors all meshed together seamlessly.
I was hankering for cheung fun (steamed rice noodle rolls), so I ordered two of them: A shrimp cheung fun, and also a char siu version. Both were delightful, with the only minor quibble being that there wasn’t as much meat as I was expecting in their char siu version. Though judging solely on the merits of the rice roll itself, I dare say these rolls were as good, if not better than the cheung fun I had at nearby cheung fun specialist Yin Ji Chang Fen.
But the true star of the show is Tam’s Noodle House special: Shrimp egg noodles with beef brisket and wontons! Definitely, this calls for a HUGE BITE alert! The aromatic egg noodles here instantly transport me back to the late night HK noodle houses in Wan Chai. The bite of each strand imparts perfect density, very much in the same vein as the legendary bamboo noodles of Asia. What’s more, the house wontons, bite for bite, taste on par with those from Chef @JLee at Pearl River Deli - All in all, this was an absolute knockout dish.
I should have took a picture of the bio on that attorney because it said he joined Wah Ching and Bamboo. Turned his life around and went to UCLA and UCI.
Does the broth they serve on the side is the same for the wonton noodle soup? The broth I thought was missing that seafood/ocean taste that you would get from shrimp shells and dried fish
Yup. They are the rivals of Wah Ching which unfortunately led to the Golden Dragon Massacre.
A lot of Asian kids growing up in the 90’s in Los Angeles County (probably rings true in the Bay Area and Orange County) had many opportunities to join these gangs/crews/clicks. Thank God I didn’t.
There was also Viet Ching. (not sure of the story but they either came from Wah Ching or Wah Ching came from them?)
Wah Ching had so many different “Sides” and they sometimes fought with each other
I guess depending on the area in which you grew up, you actually had to actively try to join a gang. It wasn’t like a default pathway.
Is Tam’s getting a lot of press? I sent a link to this thread to my HK friend, and he said that someone had texted him the same day about Tam’s! Looking forward to trying this place.
Umm, yeah. I’m aware. When I lived in the Bay Area, and was much younger, a young lady took a shine to me at a theater one night. Problem was, unbeknownst to me - since I was just sitting there doing nothing - her companion/date happened to be a Joe Boy. Dude looked like the muscle for one of the villains in a Bruce Lee film. Chiseled granite.
No, I have not. I’ve limited trips for quite some time. I was finally venturing out for more takeout, and now…
