Modern China Restaurant

> Location : Shop # 1002, 10/F, Times Square, 1 Mantheson St.,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Northern Chinese
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : HERE

So this is the third installment of northern chinese food review. thanks for reading, much appreciate it and somehow i hope you find it useful =) but like i say to all, come visit, i'll take u! hey, i didn't say you need to pay ^^

so once again, i've tasted xiao long bao (siu long bao if pronouced in cantonese) from a different restaurant. this time, in causeway bay again, i visited modern china restaurant. not a very original english name huh? haha. that's what i thought the first time i noticed. but don't let the name fool you, let the food do the talking! modern china restaurant is right next to a few major restaurant chains on the 10th floor of time square plaza. the place gets pretty packed once it gets around 6:30 pm on weekdays and on the weekends, go as early as you can, 'cause the wait will take awhile!

there are a few notable dishes to mention about and a few i will briefly explain just for reference sake. we'll save the 'best for last' and go with the alright dishes first. like the last two northern chinese cusines i've reviewed, i ordered the sauteed bean curd sheet with salted snow cabbage and pea. it's a classic northern chinese dish. well, to be accurate, the restaurant at world trade centre wasn't exactly this dish, but similar (the one at ifc is the same though). as the title of the dish says, it has sheets of bean curd, snow cabbage and peas. the dish is very light, meaning not heavy on salt or taste. it's a healthy vegetarian dish but this time compared to ifc, it's served hot not cold. there is a noticable difference between the two though IF the ingredients are the same in the cooking process. the hot version tends to be more watery and cooked right off the bat therefore some of the taste is dropped into the liquid. the cold version is obviously been sitting around a little bit to cool it down and chefs tend to dump the liquid. however, in the process, some liquid is still absorbed therefore the saltiness is preserved to some extent which gives the cold version a bit more taste. it's a matter of preference which version you like, in the end, it's a healthy traditional dish one should try at least once!

the second dish is spicy sesame chicken ordered as a whole or half a chicken. it's not exactly very spicy. i would categorize it has being minor. when you first taste it, you'll notice the sauce is of like a sweet soy sauce with a blend of spiciness. sesame is sprinkled ontop all over the chicken. the chicken meat is nice and fresh and easy to bite into. the skin like most chinese chicken dishes is left on. it's one of those northern delicacy one should definitely try. sometimes the sweetness along with the spiciness does remind you of thai food sometimes. the sensation's combination that is. anyhow, lets move on.

next we have the tianjin cabbage in cream sauce. made using tianjin cabbage, the sauce ontop is salty yet sweet and also sprinkled ontop is some smoked ham bits. the cabbage isn't cut into small pieces but pretty much a whole cabbage cut in half horizontally. this dish kind of reminds me of the creamy bracolli in white sauce spagahetti. not a lot of typical occasion in chinese cusine where you get to eat vegetable this way. yet, the creaminess isn't incredibly thick but just enough where you can feel that creamy sensation. of course again, the cream is mildly sweeten, salted. in the end, it's a very unique dish in terms of chinese culture.

okay, things are getting better and better. now we have fried bun or in cantonese, we call it man tao. usually, man tao is either steamed or fried to golden brown with a glazed texture. sometimes when man tao is steamed, chinese people like to mix it with taro in the bread when steamed or during chinese year new or even a person's birthday, the chinese tends to steam man tao with some pink coloring on it. they are simply food coloring added on for the purpose of symbolizing good luck just like the color red in chinese culture. in the case of what i'm eating, it's just a fried man tao with some sweet condensed milk sauce. it is always eaten like this when man tao is fried and it tastes incredibly good! the outside has a nice slight crispiness and the inside is still white and semi-soft, filling the aroma of bread. in the end, it's the combination of the condensed milk and the golden brown texture that gives this simple delicacy its infamousy. a lot of chinese restaurants have this, so don't forget to ask when u're at one even when u're in the states!

so second to last is the lanzhou style tan-tan noodle in spicy sauce. lanzhou noodle are streched noodles that could be made wide or slim. it's most famously cooked as a beef noodle soup way back in the 1600's during the qing dynasty all the way up till now. the lanzhou noodle here is used in a spicy sesame (peanuty) soup base with some green onion. according to the restaurant's website, it is one of the chef's recommendation. the spiciness of the dish grows on you but overall it's not very spicy. the soup is not extremely thick but you can still definitely get the full taste of sesame, peanuty flavor. the noodle is round and slim, very easy to bite into but it's not the sensation of lets say, ramen noodle or even flat noodles. has a very flexible feeling to it. besides the soup base, the green onion, there are also ground pork bits within. kind of reminds you of chinese ja ja mien but with a soup base or even taiwanese style ground beef rice. the aroma of the sesame and the chewiness of the lanzhou noodles gives the eater a wonderful feeling. it's hard to describe you just simply have to try it for yourself!

last but not least, xiao long bao! every order contains 8 xiao long bao. there are a few different types which uses different meat filling such as crab meat but of course to do a comparison with the other places, i had to order the regular pork one. i ordered two orders (don't worry, i didn't eat all 16, there were others with me, haha). the first order came and the first thing i noticed when i bite a small hole on top, is that, the xiao long bao skin is very soft and thin. but obviously not enough where it'll break even when you gently pick it up with you chopstick. this is a good thing. this is probably the most thin out of all the places i've been so lately. the soup within was great, sweet and blending in with the taste of vinegar at the very end. the meat within was slightly stiff. which isn't a big problem. that's why there was a second order. so i tried it again. the skin, same. the soup, same. the meat, nice and cooked perfectly this time! seriously, it has to be the best place so far in hong kong for xiao long bao. the soup amount within the skin is perfect too. with the skin being so thin and looking the soup seemingly about to break through, but still don't is just good steam timing and the quality of the skin that's used. actually, this isn't the first time i've been here. haha. after trying a few places, i had to come back and reconfirm this is still the best and yes it is!

so that's it for this review. thanks much for reading. note in the pictures, there are two dishes i did not talk about. one of which is a free starter dish which is chicken with a salsa like substance ontop. the other is something my sister in law ordered which i didn't even get to taste so i left it out in my discussion. it's cooked like how bird's nest noodles are cooked with strips of meat and vegetable and thick sauce. from what i know, it's minor in taste and not anything too special.

anyways, i'm out and with my cliche i shall say, take care and good luck ~

< 4 out of 5 >

S.W. Seafood & BBQ

> Location : 5406 Walnut Ave., Irvine,
California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Canton (Chinese)
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

In the city of irvine, there aren't a lot of big chinese restaurants around. there's the one in the same plaza as tako (it's right by jeffery). there's also sam woo on culver and deerfield. those are the more major chains around.

however, besides those two, s.w. seafood & bbq makes an interesting splash among the chinese cusine mix in irvine. like the user above said, the service is good. usually in traditional chinese places, it's about going to a restaurant often and people gettin to know you. it's not about good services for everybody.

the amont of food you get + the quality + the price is probably the best thing at this place. the food isn't super super good but it's well above average. the pricing isn't a lot. you can probably feed like 4 people and it'll cost you 20 ish the most during lunch. just a little bit more for dinner. the place isn't totally geared towards seafood but it's acceptable nonetheless. a lot of the dishes are pretty much cantonese style since the people running the restaurant are all pretty much cantonese. my favorite dishes has to be the beef, turnip hot pot (something to that extent, i don't know the specific english title) and the chicken with taro hot pot. i've tried many of their other dishes and most are safely above average.

i almost forgot about phoenix on culver and walnut. i think besides phoenix and s.w. seafood & bbq, the rest can be left out unless you wanna travel further to the asian cities (rowland heights, monterary park, etc). definitely a good place to go to for most chinese food eaters.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

A & J's

> Location : 14805 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine,
California 92620, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Simple Northern Chinese
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

It's definitely not a bad place for simple northern chinese food. a&j is a nice small simple restaurant order using a piece of paper kinda like ordering sushi at a sushi joint.

the fried meat bun, spicy or non spicy beef noodles, ja ja mien, potstickers, thounsand layer pancake and a lot of stuff are all very acceptable. definitely a different type of chinese food if you want to get away from the southern, canton style type of chinese food.

if u're vegetarian or just tryin to get healthy, their vegetarian delight is good too. comes with soup, rice, bean curd, vegetable, black fungus, mushrooms and other stuff. it has a good taste to it yet it's light and healthy

they also have a lot of small dishes to choose from like cucumbers, seaweed. they are a bit sweet but mostly sour cold dishes if u know what i'm talkin about. good to open up your appetite (sour things, especially food mixed with vinegar helps your appetite).

the pricing is normal and just right. the service is fine. it's located near taiko and right next to a hair salon on jeffery/walnut. help this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Houston's

> Location : 2991 Michelson Dr, Irvine,
California 92612, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : American
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.hillstone.com/

Houston's is a great place for ribs and the alike. heck, even the sandwiches are good. it's not a cheap place and like my friend raymond who started the review, it's a cut above places like black angus but right below places like ruth chris and other expensive steakhouses. the environment is very dim during the evening time. a big bar with a lot of tv's around it for sport fanatics.

the spanich dip is always good. one thing i always get when i go there. the ribs are very good also. juicy and of good quality. usually it's a place late 20's 30+ year old people go to. 'cause most dishes are in the high $10's and usually $20-30+. yet, don't let the price fool you. although it won't be like a claim jumper portion at houston's, what you get is consistently high quality. the salad, pastas are all good. and of course like i said, there's a bar, so if u're with the boys or on business outing, there's a wide variety of drinks u can order.

finally, like my man raymond said above, be pepared to spend about 40-60 a person if you want a decent meal for two (about 50 ish when i went with a friend. two entrees and one starter dish). you can probably get out with around 30 ish if u order the cheaper stuff like the sandwiches and the alike. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Philly's Best

> Location : 4250 Barranca Pkwy Ste R, Irvine,
California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Philadelphian Cheesesteak
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.eatphillysbest.com/

Seriously, out of every darn place in california i've been to for a cheesesteak, this is still the best out of anywhere else i've been to! get the philly's best or if u're not too into beef that day, the philly's best chicken is good too!

a lot of tv's so you can watch your sports and don't be hesitant if you wanna watch a different channel. just ask and they will switch it for you. it seems pricey at first but for the quality they give you, i don't mind it at all. i also have to mention, the onion rings with pizza sauce are great! i'm not overstating, but this are probably the meanest onion rings around the area. so give those bad boys a try next time you go!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 5 out of 5 >

Inka Grill

> Location : 23600 Rockfield Blvd Ste 2K, Lake Forest,
California 92630, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Peruvian
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

Peruvian cusine is great for anybody who hasn't tried it before. peru is the "capital" of potatos. in fact, sometimes people say french fries are originated from there since the europeans back in the days brought potatoes back from peru. my first time was at mario's in downtown l.a. so i had to find a place to go to since i live in the o.c. there are various places around the lakeforest area with peruvian cusine. however, my first attempt in o.c. is inka grill.

the place is not very big. about three booths and about 8-10 tables. but don't let the size fool you, let the food do the talkin! the place is decorated nicely with a southern america theme. slightly dim lighting to go with the mood.

i've tried a good amount of dishes from inka grill but i'm goin to try my best to remember everything. the most common peruvian dish is saltado. it's a dish with onion, potatoe strips (kinda like french fries), some special sauce mixed into it and your choice of meat (chicken, beef, seafood or vegetarian). the dish is served with rice and on the side, you can use this spicy guacamole sauce that heightens the taste and give yourself a spicy rush! it's a very delicious dish for first time peruvian food eaters and the portion they give you is very filling.

they also have these empanadas with different types of fillings in their starter menu that are very good too. i've also tried the fried yuka root, which is a type of root that has a similar texture to a potato but not quite. it comes with a special sauce to dip in. i've also had this lamb stew dish that is served with rice once. i think it was called mama's homecook lamb stew. i don't recall exactly what it tasted like since it was sometime ago but i do remember it was very very good! so u should definitely check into that.

definitely, u can't leave a peruvian restaurant without trying inca cola. it's a type of cola that is bright yellow in color and it tastes like bubblegum. it's very good and refreshing. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Mosun Sushi Sake Bar

> Location : 680 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach,
California 92651, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Japanese
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.mosunclubm.com/

Lets forget about the night club portion of mosun because the highlight of this place is still the food.

i've tried dozens of japanese places in so cal and if you want to talk about freshness / quality of the fish, this has to be the best out of all places i've been to period. at least i can say for certain around the o.c. area.

mosun's environment is very dim with very neat decorations. there's a water decoration thingy which is kinda neat with lcd tv's around the place. it's a nice environment for friends and even on a date.

the fish as i was talkin' about earlier is very fresh. just stay away from wednesday since it's half price day (usually when there are specials and discounts for sushi joints, they don't serve you the best quality stuff. so if you want to get the best, stay away from those. but if quatity is in your mood, then go right ahead!). the tuna, yellowtail, salmon, toro, white fish, mackeral and every type of fish you could imagine is all good. their rolls are very unique especially the lobster roll if i recall correctly. when eating sashimi, pay attention to the fish's chewiness. if it melts in your mouth really easily or even if you see the fish's color on the rice, then it's definitely not fresh/frozen/they added food coloring. fresh sashimi is always a bit chewy. kinda feeling the tendon's of the fish. the only exception to this fact is toro (fatty tuna). this is the only fish i know for a fact that should melt in your mouth for the most part. but of course for mosun, i highly highly doubt this will ever happen.

mosun even have a line of dessert. the one i remember having last time is the cream brule. it's very good if i recall correctly. anyhow, to end this, i gotta say again, it's the best place for sushi. it's a very young/hip place so it's hard to fit a family mood into a place like this. but with friends or on dates, it's definitely great. laguna beach wise, i heard there is another place supposedly better than mosun. but until i find out, this has to be the best in so cal i have ever had.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

India Cook House

> Location : 14130 Culver Dr., Irvine, California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Indian
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.indiacookhouseoc.com/

I can't say much about the specific ordering of dishes for this indian restaurant. however, i can tell u a good amount of what the lunch buffet is all about!

for $9 dollars, you can have a full indian lunch buffet. it's not some tiny buffet section in the restaurant, it's actually a decent size with a good amount of selections! all sorts of curry, chicken, lamb, desserts, all you can eat naan, a few kinds of indian fried foods, vegetables and a lot of other stuff! seriously, 9 bucks, not a lot for something like this!

i've been to the lunch buffet about 3, 4 times and everytime it tastes consistent from each other and very good! of course, it's a buffet after all, so the quality isn't top notch. however, judging it according to buffet quality, it really is better than a lot of places i've been to!

if you want buffet, got a lot of room in your stomach and want some indian food, i totally recommend you this place. it's next to caspian, hidden behind the dennys on culver. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Thai Spice

> Location : 15455 Jeffrey Rd., Ste 315, Irvine,
California 92618, U.S.A.
> Cusine : Thai fast food
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

For some quick thai food, thai spice does it job. i live fairly close to thai spice for like 3 years so i had a lot of experiences there. they may not use traditional ingredients in every dish, but for someone with a new tongue in thai food, it really is still some above average food.

as the name tells u, this place isn't kidding with the spiciness! you get to choose up to 4 or 5 different levels of spiciness. mild is usually good enough in my opinion unless you like to fight fire throughout your meal!

as one reviewer stated, their soup isn't exactly up to par with sit down restaurants. but still it's acceptable. most notably, tom ka ka and tom yum gong. i'm usually a sucker for their noodles. pad see u, pad thai, lad lan, pad kee mow, chicken curry noodle are all good (pardon the spelling). rice wise, i like the spicy chicken on rice over pineapple fried rice. just because of the consistent taste.

speaking of taste, because they change between 2-3 chefs now and then (i know of an older lady chef and a younger/middle age lookin chef), the consistency of some dishes can vary sometimes. due to this fact, picky eaters can feel negative about this. it has been a month or two since i've been there so things could have changed.

appetizer wise, their chicken wings are really good. spicy with a lot of honey and other ingredients, this to me is the best appetizer besides their fried tofu with the peanut sauce or the satay meats.

anyways, overall, it's one of the better place for asian semi-fast food around that area. if you go there often enough, u might even get free appetizers or drinks like me =) on a side note, they can make green curry even though it isn't on their menu. try requesting it, they might make it for you. i know they did for me! how did it taste? it's alright. not great but heck, i use to go there so often, i needed something else 'cause i had everything on the menu already!

i would give this place three stars. BUT because of their friendly service (at the very least to me ^^) and it is fast food after all (yet, the quality isn't horrible when the right chef is working, the old one i prefer), for a place like this, it deserves 3.5-4. since there's no 3.5, i'll give it a 4! hope this helps.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Hyakunin Issyu

> Location : Shop T02, Lv. 3, Hang Lung Centre,
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
> Cuisine : Japanese Shabu Shabu
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.hyakunin-issyu.com.hk

After watching dragon tiger gate (review of the movie below) at causeway bay a few days ago, my brother, sis in law, niece and i went to a hot pot restaurant called, hyakunin issyu. base on a dark environment with some small spotlights and unique decorations, hyakunin issyu gave me an impression of the melting pot in the states. why did i say that? well, first of all, this restaurant is a shabu shabu place which is literally for people who still don't know, boiling water with a bunch of uncook food (vege, meat, etc) and sauces and dipping it and cooking the food on the dining table. very much like chinese hot pot if that helps your memory. but what got me to remind me of the melting pot is because you have the choice to choose different soup base kinda like choosing your different meat cookin' base / cheese and such. more on this later.

the menu and ordering is primarily base on set ordering. a set (depending on how many people), basically consist of different amount of small dishes (green beans in peanut sauce and sardine is what we had), sushi (tuna, salmon, white fish, squid), meat (pork, chicken, beef), odon, tampura (various vegetables and shrimp) and a soup base of your choice. there are various soup bases consisting of tomato, soy milk, pumpkin, regular and maybe one other i forgot to take notice of (Sorry!). please take note that, these soup base don't just consist of what i just mentioned, but it's only the primary ingredient. since my brother has been there and tried the soy milk base, we went with that since he said it's really good. before we shabu shabu with the soy milk base, we went with regular boiling water first using the sauces (sesame and a ponsu like sauce). using boiling water, we first ate our beef and vegetable first. reaction? good beef. fresh but nothing particularly out of the ordinary yet. afterwards, we replaced it with the soy milk base and did something base on our personal perference. first we let the soup base boil. afterwards we each each pour some into our bowls. the udon is still untouch and now we finally dump them into soup base. remember, the udon is pretty much cooked already. leave it in there for like 30 seconds to 1 min max. take it out, put it into your bowl of soy milk soup (it's not just soy milk, it's a mixture of that and other things. so it's a taste of sweetness a bit salty flavor), let it soak just a little bit and enjoy! no need for any sauces. the extremely unique and strong flavor of the soup base does the job as a sauce and u can drink it like soup because it is a "soup base" after all. with about 1/4 or so soup base left in the pot, we used it to cook whats left of the beef, using the soup base as sauce again. wow, just excellent! one wouldn't think soy milk would even make sense. but remember, it isn't the only thing in there but it is the primary part of the soup base.

i really have nothing special to talk about with the small dishes. one of the small dishes contained scallops, sardine and some green beans with peanut sauce. the scallops were dry and not fresh. the sardine is alright and the green beans were neat but nothing special. well, it is just a small starter dish so not a major problem. next? some sushi. we had two rounds. the first round, salmon, tuna, both melted in my mouth. according to my fish eating experience and some knowledge coming from some sushi chefs, when sashimi melts in your mouth, most likely it is NOT fresh. the only exception is fatty tuna a.k.a. toro. since i pointed that out, yes, the fish weren't fresh. the next round of sushi was better. some salmon and tuna again with white fish and squid. my guess it came from another fish, the salmon this time was nice and chewy which concludes its freshness. the tuna melted and looking at the rice below it, some of the color came off into the rice which REALLY told me it's not fresh. haha. it's not common but it does happen when it gets sit around for awhile or even worst, sometimes people actually put food coloring into it to make unfresh fish look fresher. anyways, the white fish was perfectly fine and the squid also. after this, we got a grilled horse mackerel. horse mackerel is usually one of the more expensive type of mackerel. if the fish name dont ring a bell, mackerel in japanese is called 'saba.' another type is spanish mackerel. it tasted okay. i think it was a bit overcooked. so it was a bit stiff. so i had to give my thumbs down for the last two dishes.

so in conclusion, the main purpose for you to visit hyakunin issyu is to eat the shabu shabu. but sometimes, the chef that day could have its off day so the things i thought were bad could be good other days. it's not good to be inconsistent but that's just a notion to ponder on. the soy milk soup base was just unexpectedly excellent and something you should definitely try when going there. i'll report to u'll the other types when i get a chance. anyways, that's it! thanks for reading!

< 3 out of 5 >