it’s wah sing dim sum, and they are temporarily closed until the end of january, probably to work out the kinks. .
Two restaurants open branches in the same Main St. El Monte storefront. Santa Ana’s Little Pan Fried Dumpling takes the space at lunch time while Rowland Heights’ Changsha Fever does dinner. Little Pan is apparently the popup.
managed to try them earlier this month. allegedly representing cuisine from the bund in shanghai, it struck me as a really poor man’s version of the second iteration of shanghai gourmet (which i really miss, BTW) which had taken over the space formerly occupied by dalian small stone.(the DSS website is still up and running, BTW) which became shanghai bistro in that the menu consisted largely of things that could be prepared/assembled in the off hours and then just reheated/sliced or quickly cooked when ordering. one side of the two sided one page menu consisted entirely of cold items while the other side consisted of noodles, soups and fried rice dishes.
we had to try the XLB, so that you won’t have to. pass.
we had a cold plate. the version at ding’s garden is much better IMO.
and we tried cubes of rice fried on the outside until crispy. they looked really good on the menu. pictures can deceive you.
they brought another dish instead of the fried rice cubes that in retrospect we should have tried instead. once the error had been discovered, they gave us a complementary cold item sampler with gluten, mushroom & fungus.
the help speak english, but i don’t think i’ll be going back any time soon.
FASCINATING. The place is badly in need of a facelift, and the parking is/was a nightmare. Not sure what the author means by stating that the facelift will make it more compatible w/ the Hilton across the street (there is nothing “clean” or minimalist about that Hilton).
It will be interesting to see if references to Bryant Park (which I’ve never visited) or Soho are like Monterey Park calling itself “The Chinese Beverly Hills” decades ago…
“Tawa Gateway”.
Bryant Park is a large public space in Midtown Manhattan. It’s a nice place to take a break and people watch. I prefer Washington Square Park personally more interesting people lol. In the summer they show movies and plays. In the winter it’s a Christmas village (madhouse last time I was there, all of Midtown is a madhouse during holiday season would not recommend especially Roc Center f that). It’s sandwich between NY Public Library (spectacular) and a 3 story Kinokuniya! It’s got a train station too. There are some cafes and stalls on one side of the park but the draw is the big green space. I don’t see how Focus Plaza is going to draw inspiration from that.
Soho is known for its high end boutique stores ($$$) but there are some chains. Beautiful cast iron buildings and beautiful models. Food is meh.
It’s pretty clear they want that Mainland money and the next gen of upper middle class Asian-Americans. The writing on the wall is pretty clear to me.
“Bringing Bryant Park and Soho to San Gabriel”….come on now lol gtfo here with that they want this to be a high end outdoor mall any business that does not fit this image they want out or will be priced out.
I’m confused here. The original Shanghai Gourmet is still around (on Duarte in Monrovia). I recall Shanghai Bistro, in the space you mention (that was Dalian Small Stone, BeBe, etc.), but I always understood it was run by the staff from Wang Jia - which was on San Gabriel Blvd. below Las Tunas - when the owners closed up to spend some time back in China.
The oddity here is that Wang Jia re-emerged on Las Tunas (in the former Emperor Noodles space), some years later, and Bill Addison has placed it on his 101 Restaurants list, calling it “a newish Shanghainese place.”
i’m pretty sure that it was the same ownership that took over the DSS location and became shanghai gourmet with a full menu that became untenable due to supply and uneven demand. they closed and reinvented themselves as shanghai bistro in the same location and they went to a more bistro type menu where most of the cooking/assembling was done in the off hours.
We’re saying the same thing about the same place aside from the Shanghai Gourmet part. My records have the space that was Dalian Small Stone and BeBe before that becoming Old Shanghai Kitchen, and then Shanghai Bistro. It is now Lucky 1. I don’t know what chandavkl has in his records.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/shanghai-bistro-rosemead-2?sort_by=date_asc
Shanghai Gourmet is on Duarte in Monrovia, and further complicating things, used to be known as Shanghai Bamboo House. It’s still open.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/shanghai-gourmet-monrovia
I remember in the CH days, you were quite impressed with Old Shanghai Kitchen, and you weren’t alone.
you’re right; i had the wrong name for the first iteration. thanks for clarifying.
I show the same lineup on Garvey from late 2011 to the present. I have five others there from 1998 to early 2011.
What is the story on Chong Qing Yao Mei in Old Town? Has interesting things like frog, various feet and offal.
I enjoy it. Good spot and not too busy.
Orange Bistro, a Taiwanese restaurant, has apparently replaced Double One Cuisine in Alhambra, which itself recently replaced Embassy Kitchen’s Alhambra branch.
Confirming Orange Bistro In Alhambra, replaces Double One Cuisine, named after its 11 W. Main St. address, but which was ominously prophetic as they rolled snake eyes and closed after what seemed like just several weeks after opening (I think it was about 4 months though).
Orange Bistro looks like an interesting restaurant, not just for its orange decor, but also for its surprisingly pricey Taiwanese menu. Meat dishes start at $21 and there are only noodle and tofu dishes under $20. Three cups chicken is $26. Casseroles run $35 to $65. The pricing apparently reflects the renown of their Taiwanese chef. Oh, and they have a separate telephone number for reservations.
There was some excited buzz that New England Fish and Chips in Alhambra had reopened, but it seems that it’s really a new Sichuan/Mainland style restaurant that didn’t bother to change the outside signage. However there does seem to be a concession to the old clientele with a few Americanized Chinese combos available too.
The regular menu is rather eclectic ranging from simple dishes like appetizers such as tea eggs and wolf teeth potatoes (sort of like krinkle fries), noodle soup and dumplings, to house specials like the $68 Chongqing beautiful frog and the similarly priced Chongqing fish head. They also have bulk frozen dumplings and thin sliced hotpot meat.
will have to try it!
Crispiest chow mein in wsgv? 
Henry’s Cuisine in Alhambra is quite crispy. In other locales, Pearl River Deli in Chinatown and Newport Seafood in Santa Ana make the all crispy team.
I think the remodel of Focus Plaza is starting, with tenants being kicked out. Vege Paradise is moving to 250 W.Valley on the next block with a new name of Vege Valley.