All Asian (Restaurants) Do Not Look the Same

The Chinese say it's good luck to eat dumplings on New Year's Day -- Chinese New Year's Day, that is. To get a taste of the best dumplings in southern California, one must venture to Monterey Park -- the new Chinatown of Los Angeles County.

Dumpling Master -- gotta love that name -- is a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant located in a shopping plaza off Atlantic Boulevard. You'll see a large multi-store sign with the dieter's mantra "SHUN FAT" Grocery Store, though I'm sure it's not meant to be taken that way.

An order of 10 boiled dumplings costs about $4.50. You can get eight pan-fried or steamed for the same price. Go for the pork and shrimp dumplings for the best taste, though they also have pork, chicken, or veggie dumplings. Mix with a little black bean chili paste, soy sauce, and vinegar available on every table. All the dumplings are made on the premises so I guarantee the food will be fresh and delicious.

Feel free to try some of the more exotic cold dishes like pig's ear (sounds gross to most, but it's delicious) and definitely get their HOT AND SOUR SOUP - it'll be the best you've ever had. A small order of the soup will feed three or four people easily.

Bring cash! The masters at Dumpling Master do not accept credit cards or checks.

If you want seafood at a more than reasonable price, you must try CAPITAL SEAFOOD off the 60 in Rowland Heights (the other Chinatown). Blink and you'll miss it. Capital Seafood is located in the 99 Ranch Market complex on Nogales off the 60. Go once at lunch (11am-5pm) and you're bound to go back again and bring friends with you. Their lunch menu consists of items such as clams in mint sauce, whole fried or steamed fish, and traditional Amerasian fare like beef with broccoli and such. All at $3.95-$5.95 per dish. The dishes are plentiful and served family style. The restaurant is fairly small (seats maybe 60), so be prepared to wait for a table at peak lunch hours during the weekend (11am-2pm). Your wait is usually no longer than 30 minutes. The clams in mint sauce ($5.95) is a delicious dish consisting of about 20 littleneck clams sauteed in a clear garlicky sauce with fresh mint and a little chili pepper. All meals are served with soup and a warm, porridge dessert.

Voted Best Dim Sum in L.A., Empress Pavilion is located on the second floor of Bamboo Plaza in the heart of Chinatown in Los Angeles.

A large banquet style room serves as the only dining room of this small shopping plaza in Chinatown. If you have to wait, peruse the stalls all around for cheaply priced Chinese wares -- purses, clothes, souvenirs, and the like.

Once inside, be prepared! As the dim sum ladies push the carts by, don't be afraid to stop one to see what they have and pick out the dishes you wish to eat. If there is something particular you want and the cart just doesn't seem to make it toward your table, there is no harm in getting up and taking your ticket with you to the cart and asking for that dish while the lady stamps your check.

I enjoy the egg custard tarts, baked bao (baked bun with Chinese BBQ pork inside), and the taro balls (a little greasy, but so tasty!). They offer a few vegetarian dishes such as steamed gai-lan (Chinese broccoli), but not much. Go on and try the chicken feet (you know you want to . . . !). If you're a little pedestrian in taste, stick with the shui mai and shrimp dumplings.

It's best to have a larger group of people so you can try the many dishes they have. If you're going on the weekend during peak dim sum hours (10am-2pm), I'd recommend calling ahead to reserve a table. I'd also recommend bringing your own bottle of water. The glasses they serve to each table are pretty small and it's sometimes difficult to flag down a server to get refills.

This place serves typical dim sum, such as shu mai and shrimp dumplings. Parking is limited at this plaza (park in the back). Similar to Empress Pavilion, this restaurant has one big banquet room. Ladies with dim sum make their rounds with the carts. Ocean Star does offer a little more exotic and traditional Chinese dim sum fare, such as pork blood soup (it look like red tofu). Service is fair, but could be better.

I never met a Chinese restaurant I didn't like - until I went to ABC Seafood. A large group of us went there a couple of years ago to celebrate Chinese New Year. The place was packed and everything looked delicious and fresh - we had duck, shu main, shrimp dumplings, egg rolls, and the like. It tasted great going down, but lo and behold - three or four of us came down with symptoms of food poisoning within the next 24 hours. The common factor was that we ate at ABC. Haven't been there since and don't plan on ever going back. There are plenty of better, cleaner dim sum restaurants around Chinatown and the Los Angeles area so that I'll gladly skip my ABCs.

I found this little known sushi restaurant almost 10 years ago. Kazu is the owner and head sushi chef there, and the sushi is spectacular.

If you're a little adventurous in your sushi ordering, get my favorites: uni with quail egg sushi and amaebi (raw sweet shrimp) sushi. Both are the best I've had in many sushi restaurants from coast to coast. The amaebi is truly sweet and succulent, aged just the right amount of time to be the best in town. The amaebi comes with the shrimp heads tempura fried. It sounds weird and looks even weirder, but I’ll be darned if they also aren't the best fried shrimp heads I've had around town. If they don't bring it after your amaebi order, don't be afraid to ask for it. Sometimes they forget. The uni (sea urchin) with quail egg is exotic, but pop it in your mouth and you really will experience a taste explosion. If you ask for "rabbit salad," which isn't really on the menu, Kazu will create a Japanese salad with a variety of sashimi. His mixed scallop sushi is also quite delicious and succulent.

Most people go to some of the better known and spot-your-favorite-celeb sushi restaurants down the street from Kazu, but I've seen my share of celebs there at Kazu. In fact, William Shatner started frequenting Kazu so often that when he saw my friend and I, he would give us a nod of acknowledgement (which, to me, is like getting the secret handshake from Captain Kirk himself!).

It’s a bit pricey, but well worth the price for a special treat once in a while.

Is there such thing as a kitschy Asian restaurant? I think so and I think it exists at Daichan restaurant in Studio City. Located in the same small plaza as Sushi Nozawa (or Sushi Nazi as in the chef is like the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld "No sushi for you!"), Daichan's decor is kitschy to say the least. All kinds of Asian-inspired decorations adorn (or should I say clutter) the restaurant along with the many headshots of stars (and wannabe stars) that have frequented the joint.

The owners call their cuisine "Japanese Soul Food," which caused me to think it would some kind of fusion cuisine of sushi and grits, but alas, there was none of that. I usually get the Daichan bowl, which is basically a big bowl of rice with assorted sashimi pieces and seaweed. It costs about $10 and is quite filling. I've ordered the fried lotus roots as an appetizer and they are actually quite tasty, but they give you too few, in my opinion (or maybe I was just extremely hungry). Their tempura is typical tempura, so I would try one of the combinations or the cold soba noodles. Take a pass on the seafood delight -- my friend ordered that once and not only did it not look all that appetizing, apparently it didn't taste all that great either.

Todai is a worldwide sushi buffet chain. The one I frequent is in Studio City on Ventura Blvd., but there are many locations throughout southern California.

Lunch is obviously more affordable, but dinner usually offers a little more variety and items such as lobster, crawfish, steamed mussels, and crab legs. They offer many kinds of nigiri and roll sushi including albacore, ebi (shrimp), salmon skin, tako (octopus), tamgo (egg), unagi (cooked eel), California rolls, rainbow rolls, spider rolls, and hand rolls made to order, though menus may vary by location, season, and lunch/dinner times. Their hot bar usually has egg drop and miso soups, fried rice, lo mein, fried fish/shrimp, and soba noodle soup made to order. They have some great cold salads, including a tomato salad, a mixed seafood salad, and seaweed salad. Don't forget to save room for dessert! They have a variety of petit fours including tiramisu, white cake, chocolate cake, green tea cake, dessert crepes made to order, and a variety of ice creams. I'm getting hungry just writing this!

As with most of these Chinese restaurants that offer dim sum, reservations are recommended for large parties and/or arrival during peak dim sum hours (10am-2pm). Located on the second floor of a shopping plaza, Ocean Seafood offers a ornate red decor with the typical tanks filled with live fish and lobster. They serve typical dim sum fare and at Ocean Seafood, I actually opt to order the shrimp with walnuts off their menu, in addition to the dim sum. The shrimp is delicate and sauteed in a clear sauce with flash-fried walnuts drizzled with honey. YUM YUM!

The original "Frontier Wok" is on Hollywood Way in Burbank, but I frequent their second store, "Frontier Wok Too" as it is closer to my work. I love their play on words as their third restaurant (though now closed) was called "The Next Frontier Wok."

The best thing about this place is that you can order half orders of most everything on the menu, even at dinnertime. DO NOT get their Egg Foo Young. The gravy's pretty disgusting and the egg patties were gross. Try their cream cheese wontons for an appetizer. They usually offer three or four specials not on the menu. I prefer their Singapore curried noodles and their shrimp fried rice -- not at the same sitting, of course! My friend loves their homemade Chinese burritos, which is basically mu shu pork, chicken, or vegetables, already rolled when it comes to your table. Eat-in lunch offers you a cup of their house soup and a mini side of their house salad with a simple homemade vinaigrette dressing out of this world. Opt for the vegetable soup versus the hot and sour soup, because in my opinion, the hot and sour is more sweet and sour than anything else.

They are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner (dinner only on Sundays) and offer free delivery within a three-mile radius and a minimum $10 purchase.

If you go there for lunch, Great Wok offers a ton of lunch specials for around $5 including tip. Lunch specials come with egg roll, fried wontons, and hot and sour soup. There's plenty to choose from, so there's something for everyone. I recommend shrimp with lobster sauce, kung pao chicken, chicken with asparagus, and chicken with vegetables.

It's a little hole in the wall, but if you're craving Chinese food, this is the place to go. Chinese people (including me) frequent this place, so hey, we should know where to go for good Chinese food, right?!

They have the best hot and sour soup, which is great if you have a cold or on a chilly winter night. I prefer Frontier Wok's fried rice over Great Wok's, but it's not bad. GW's fried rice is a little on the moist side, in my opinion, so I didn't care for it as much. Soda comes in a can, but they also offer Thai tea now.

At lunch, most people order off the lunch specials menu, but you are welcome to order off the main menu as well. They have a great noodle soup that can easily serve as a main dish. Noodles are thick and homemade (it seems) and quite filling. The clear chicken broth is filled with fresh veggies, shrimp, and chicken.

GW also delivers with a minimum $10 order to the local area. The staff is nice and friendly.

One of the secrets of Korean BBQ that most Asians know is to NOT to wear something that you treasure or was pricey to buy. Why? Well, after you get into the fascinating art of Korean BBQ at your table, you'll inevitably leave smelling like you were roasted and char-grilled. But hey! That's okay. The meal is worth it!

Arirang, an offshoot of a noted Hong Kong establishment, offers traditional Korean BBQ (cook it at your table -- how cool is that?) Each table is inset with its own gas fired BBQ grill. A little pricier as it is located in Old Town Pasadena and caters to that clientele, you can find cheaper places on Western Avenue in Koreatown, if you dare to venture there.

Order the beef and/or seafood combo and get started! Your server will bring a hodgepodge of Korean side dishes to nosh on while they prepare your meat. A variety of preserved vegetables, including kimchi, adorn your table in a colorful array. They also have a sushi bar for those not used to or are not adventurous enough to try the BBQ. Kids love the place as how often are they allowed to burn their food, especially at the dining table?! Thin marinated slices of meat will be served to your table and you're good to go. Not sure what to do? Don't worry, your server will lead you through the process and you'll have fun experimenting with all the condiments and trying to master your chopsticks (forks are available) over the hot grill.

Legend has it that Mori used to be a teppan chef at Benihana. Eventually, he decided to go off on his own and open up his own place and thus, Mori's was born. You'll see Mori working the restaurant or at the cashier stand taking orders and cashing out checks.

Go any day of the week, but if you want to save some cash, opt for Tuesdays and Wednesdays nights when they offer their chicken or steak teppan for $9.95. Pay a little extra for the fried rice, well worth it. Mori's offers kids specials as well, which comes with a drink for the kids.

After you have ordered, enjoy the delicious salad with that Japanese gingery dressing that you could just drink up. The chef comes out and starts to put on a show using his knife and chef's fork to slice and dice his way into your heart. The requisite special effect is the onion volcano where the chef stacks up the onion rings into a pyramid shape, fills it with some sort of mixture, and then lights it up causing a flaming volcano that soon turns into steam. It never ceases to amaze me, but I do amuse easily. With a quick chop-chop, your order is soon ready, with a shrimp appetizer for everyone. Ginger sauce and mustard sauce are portioned out to everyone and don't afraid to ask for more if you want. Pair off your meal with an Asahi beer and all is well with the world.

Maki Yaki is a small restaurant in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it strip mall in Studio City. It used to be Mr. Wasabi, but has since changed hands. Typical sushi fare at average prices. I had the Chef's Choice Sushi and the Crunch Roll combo platter $(9.50) along with the appetizer Soft Shell Crab ($6.50). The platter comes with miso soup and salad. Salad was reminiscent of a Chinese chicken salad with the requisite chow mein noodles. I was hoping for that great salad a la Benihana, but alas I did not get that. I was most disappointed in the soft shell crab. It was overfried and tasteless and looked nothing like the picture in the menu. The Crunch roll was tasty, but pedestrian. The Japanese Snapper (one of the chef's choice) was the best thing I had and not saying much. Our server spilled a glass of water on our table and took a while to come back to clean it up. Meanwhile, there's water dripping off our table and all over the floor. Needless to say, it's doubtful I'll be making a trip back to Maki Yaki anytime soon, especially with so many better "fast food" Japanese restaurants in the area.

JJ Cafe is open from 7am - 4am. Probably one of the few places in the L.A. area open after 2am that isn't a Denny's or IHOP.

A Hong Kong style cafe, JJ's has a hodge podge of everything on their menu. From Chinese porridge to club sandwiches. They seem to make everything okay, but not one thing spectacularly.

I stuck with my favorite--Singapore curried noodles, which wasn't that bad, despite it being a little too oily. My friend had one of the porridges, which seemed to lack taste.

Go for one of the Boba drinks (large brown tapioca balls). Those are always a sure fire hit anywhere you go. Though I do recall that their boba was a little undercooked.

Basically, if you want real good Chinese food cheap, go around the corner to Dumpling Master (see my review on that) and bypass JJ's (unless it's 3am in the morning)!

I recently discovered this hip, new sushi restaurant in the heart of the Media Center district in Burbank. My friend and I saw the half-off sushi sign and had to go in and check it out.

I was pleasantly surprised. It has a pretty hip atmosphere with a projection TV with the current sports game or whatever timely TV shows happen to be on.

The half-off sushi menu is limited to about 15 or so items, but it's mostly what people would order anyway. The sashimi salad and the salmon-skin salad are inexpensive compared to other sushi restaurants and quite large and filling. Sushi pieces are tasty and fresh. Slices of fish are thick and succulent. Try the white tuna sushi and the amaebi (sweet, RAW shrimp). The ikura (salmon eggs) were fresh and popped in your mouth. Try it with quail eggs. Pass on the spider roll. There is nothing special there. Try the tempura ice cream. It is similar to the Mexican fried ice cream, but with tempura batter. Forgo the plum ice cream and go with either the red-bean or green-tea ones.

Servers are friendly and attentive. The sushi chefs are a riot, especially after a few Asahis.

Parking can be problematic on a busy Friday/Saturday night. Otherwise, it should be no problem.

Look for coupons in local Clipper magazines.

It's loud, it's rockin', it's Sushi Mac.

A small hole-in-the-wall in a strip mall, Sushi Mac caters to the college crowd. All sushi is $2.50. You get about 40 different variations, including California roll, tempura sushi, tuna, and dynamite roll. It's just one big sushi bar with stools all around it. Music is loud--it's rock, but fun.

The menu goes past you w/ pictures of each type of sushi offered on a conveyer belt. Order what you want on your order sheet and hand it to a chef. You'll soon be on your way.

Sushi is tasty and filling and at $2.50 a plate, it won't break the budget. My particular favorites are any of the tempura shrimp items.

Items served on red plates signify that the order is SPICY. Drinks are served to you the first time around, otherwise self-serve after that. Plates are counted at the end of your meal to total your bill.

Parking can be a hassle since it's a strip mall and parking is limited. There is street parking also.

Seating is limited (maybe 24 or so spaces?), but service and turnover is quick, and on a busy night you might wait 15-20 minutes for a seat.

Heaven on Earth!

Manna is a great open-air Korean BBQ restaurant. All you can eat for $16 per person (not including drinks, liquor, etc.)

With a grill in the middle of the table, guests cook their meat to their liking. You have your choice of beef brisket, Korean marinated beef, pork, chicken, etc. All meats are tasty and plentiful. Finished off your big plate of meat? No worries! Waitstaff will bring you more! Small noshies like kim chee, the proverbial potato salad, bean sprouts, more kim chee, and a hot savory egg custard-type dish is brought to the table. Finish any of that off and more magically comes to your table! If you want rice with your dinner, you'll have to ask for it.

Grill dirty or smoking too much because you burned some meat? No worries! Waitstaff will remove your grill and replace with a new one.

Food is delicious and tasty, a good time can be had by all and for the price - you just can't beat it.

Go during peak dinner hours and you'll have to wait awhile. Manna only takes reservations for parties of six or more.

Samosa House is a small Indian grocery store that offers hot vegetarian lunches for a reasonable price. A combo plate is $7.99 and comes with rice, bread (like thin tortillas), yogurt sauce, and your choice of three entrees servings. Try the soy nuggets - I love the sauce (I have them put extra sauce over the rice... YUM!), lotus root, spinach, chickpeas. All offerings are quite tasty and spicy (due to the curries).

They also offer a variety of desserts and appetizers though the combo plate fills you up nicely. Pair your meal with a mango lasse, a yogurt-based drink that cools your tongue from the hotness of the curries. Have a seat at one of the lunch tables and watch some Bollywood movies while you eat.

Want to make an Indian meal at home? Samosa House has all the fixings to make your meals at home - from spices to lentils and rice.

The food is so tasty that I've been going twice a week for lunch now that I work in the Santa Monica area.

We went for a friend's birthday. The original Saladang and it's newer counterpart, Saladang Song sit right next to each other on Fair Oaks in Pasadena. The original Saladang has Thai/Chinese cuisine while Saladang Song has more traditional Thai food. We opted for Saladang Song as the original was a bit crowded and the wait was longer.

Saladang Song has a huge outdoor patio area with some wonderful ambience - trickling waters, art deco "gates" surrounding the area, offering some privacy from the main street.

It was a bit hard to communicate with the wait staff, it seemed. Food was mediocre, at best. We had the chicken satay and fried taro for appetizers. Chicken Satay was plain, as was the peanut dipping sauce (tasted like it came from a jar). Fried taro was bland and the sugary sauce paired with it did nothing to enhance the flavors.

My friends had the Pad See Ew and Pad Thai. Both looked unappetizing and gloppy. I opted for a julienned broccoli/cabbage salad which was not even worth the $7 charged for it. It was basically a $1 bag of slaw on a plate. I asked for the dressing on the side and when it was served the dressing was already tossed in it. I sent it back (took three employees to decipher my request!) and they brought back the salad with the dressing on the side. I took a bite of the salad and it was clear all they did was rinse off the salad of any incriminating evidence and re-plated it. I was not pleased. I complained but it was not taken off my bill.

Though the atmosphere is nice, the food is not. I would not venture to go there again.