WSGV updates

Here’s my Instagram from there. Kristie Hang also did an Instagram and/or Tweet recently. David R. Chan on Instagram: "Wrapperless fish dumpling soup (effectively fish cake soup) at Chao Wei Ju in San Gabriel at location previously occupied by Nguyen Hoang since the 1990s. I had not known about this new restaurant until I drove by. When I walked in I was surprised by how busy it already was. While historically virtually any new Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley drew a crowd of looky loos, as being the first to eat at a new Chinese restaurant was a popular sport, something seemed to have changed in the last few years (aside from specifically anticipated openings.) Indeed I tended to avoid newly opened restaurants because I wanted to avoid the crowds. In the old days you’d see restaurants mobbed when they opened but then go out of business in a matter of months. Now it’s more common to see restaurants open up to smaller crowds but then gradually build up a clientele. I find the change puzzling. Perhaps the ability to have Yelpers go in and be your guinea pig to test the new restaurant out is what changed the pattern."

It’s solid. Their main beef noodle with offal is my go to. Beef ribs are also good if you’re feeling super hungry.

I haven’t tried the hot pot yet but saw a few tables with it during dinner.

2 Likes

What is this all about on the menu, lower left corner?

Lower right on the dine-in menu :slight_smile:

1 Like

Beef ball
Squid ball
Fish ball/fish dumpling (hot pot kind)/fish cake
in this order.

2 Likes

I thought the lamb biang biang noodles at Meet Qin Noodle in Alhambra were excellent

1 Like

Fruit mochi pop-up on 3/24 (click view all events)

Previously posted by @NYCtoLA and @PorkyBelly

2 Likes

Had great lunch today at Pho Saigon Pasteur in Alhambra and noticed that Sichuan Impression will be coming next door

2 Likes

Moving or second location?

As you may know, King Hua, one of the top tier SGV dim sum restaurants was one of the first pandemic casualties back in 2020. It was one of a succession of dim sum restaurants operating at that location dating back to 1984 and Casa de Oriente, which chose a decidedly un-Chinese name so as to not ruffle feathers in what was then still a largely white area of Alhambra. That space is now occupied by the first US branch of the Chengdu based Sichuan nightclub chain JiangHu Bistro. This really puts an exclamation mark on the shift we’re seeing in the SGV and Chinese communities all over the US away from Cantonese cuisine and to Non-Cantonese Mainland cuisines. As such I wanted to drop by to see how the premises changed from where I enjoyed so many Cantonese meals to one where I discovered myself in a red fog.


13 Likes

Woow! That’s the King Hua space :slightly_smiling_face::hushed: that’s different. how was the food?

Expensive. $25 for an undistinguished order of Dan Dan mein.

1 Like

Do people love this place? I’m visiting my parents this weekend, and the SGV location is close to where they live.

(edit: never mind, just saw the other thread on this)

1 Like

I would say it’s considered a heavy hitter in SGV. The hui tous are of course a must and I love the kimchi!
It’s also right next door to One One Dumpling and across the street is Golden Deli, Bopomofo, and Labobatory.

Bopomofo is opening up a second location in Cerritos/Artesia. Good choice as there is a lot of ABC’s in that part of the county. I actually like their drinks, sandwiches, and popcorn chicken

4 Likes

Thanks for the info. I gave my parents the choice of Hui Tou, Noodle St. (Arcadia), or QQ Kopitiam (I haven’t been to any of these places). We’ll see what they choose. :wink:

2 Likes

I would call Hui Tou Xiang. I recently visited for lunch and they were only doing takeout. Not sure if they are doing indoor dining for dinner.

1 Like

Thanks for the tip. Parents are only comfortable w/ take out, so that would work just fine for us. If my parents select that place, I’ll report back about whether they or not they are doing dine-in.

Picked up Hui Tou for dinner last weekend and they were doing takeout only still.

4 Likes

Don’t know where else to put this….

I am just not a fan of the recent Guangzhou style cheung fun/rice rolls. SGV has a good handful of places and they are all over NYC. It’s pretty popular now. I guess I prefer the HK style and the “pig intestine” style ala Hong Kong Cafe/Needle. I said this before I am not the biggest fan of Sichuan either.

1 Like

Finally made it to Tang Dynasty, which replaced the Chinese gastropub Chang’an on the third floor of the shopping center next to the San Gabriel Hilton. The only thing of consequence is that yes, all the neon lighting from Chang’an has been preserved, including the sign with Chang’an in it. Also the sign which you won’t find anyplace else in the United States.

capture

4 Likes