Heng Heng Chicken Rice - Hawthorne

CALL AHEAD. They have 3 tables and your fried food is fresh so it's quite a wait with no seating if you're just going for a pick-up. I didn't do any of that, but I can honestly say I didn't mind the 30 minutes I spent in my car in this seedy-looking strip mall on a Friday night.

My favorite was probably the Fried Chicken Rice, just golden chunks of the good stuff over a big bed of garlic rice. The meats are great, but the rice puts them on the map. The flavor is so savory it's practically pure chicken broth...with oh so much sweet garlic. Don't bother eating here if you don't love garlic.

The regular Hainan Chicken Rice is among the best I've had. I barely tolerate the blanched stuff, but they didn't blanch the flavor out of these meaty marvels, and I would absolutely get this again. 

Crispy Pork is an alternative to chicken, but I do think the chicken is better. The garlic noodle is a nice chow mein iteration, but I still prefer the rice. 

There's a crew of sweet, hard-working people slinging some pretty fantastic chicken out of this small hole-in-the-strip-mall, and Heng Heng Chicken Rice fits into the casual South Bay food scene nicely. The prices are good for quite a lot of food, and the food is even better. 

Smoke Queen Barbecue - Garden Grove

The line is long, the parking lot is always full. Get there early, walk a few blocks from your street parking, and wait patiently in line because most things sell out long before the day is done. 

If you have enough friends, a catering order allows you to skip the line. Order one of almost everything, just be prepared to empty your fridge and your wallet and not cook for over a week. 

Sundays are the best days because of the Gochujang Beef Rib special. The smoke is solid, and the sweet Korean glaze is a nice twist on a classic Texas Q. The meat is quite tender, though there are some tougher bits that cling close to the bone. 

Pork Ribs are alright. The meat doesn't fall off the bone, and I think the beef ribs are all you need.

Smoked Chicken Quarters are smoky and tender with a potent rub and plenty of smoke. No chicken has ever or should ever eclipse the pork or beef, but if you're into chicken, these are sure to impress. 

Brisket is another staple. Good smoke, a pretty moist meat, but I'm a bit spoiled by my mail-order Black's and Snow's.  

Pork Belly Char Siu is fun, but it's really just slices of belly with Chinese-infused bbq sauce. 

Pork Belly Siu Yuk is the real star. It's that fatty belly cut topped with cracklin' skin that crunches so hard it'll vibrate your brain. It's the most beautiful way to bring Asian tradition to the southern smoker, and the result is astounding. 

The meat is good, but the sides are better. 

So many signature standouts - I can't get enough of the mac n' cheese. It's a most classic all-American, gooey-firm cheese-covered shells, but there's something about that cheese mix and the first texture of the coating that makes it impossible to stop eating. 

Second favorite is the Mapo Chili, but the biggest mistake you can make is to eat it like a soup. It's more like traditional mapo, made to be mixed with a bed of savory Chicken Rice. The beef and pork mix is savory but sweet with bell peppers and bold with a peppery spice. The subtlety of the rice is easily lost amongst this menu of heavy hitters, but it's infused with chicken flavor that runs quite deep and shouldn't be overlooked.

They do their own take on Dirty Rice using Chinese sausage, and I love every bite. 

Sesame Slaw has a vinegar pop, and Granny's Potato Salad is sweet and bright with tart apples and gooey raisins. 

Spicy Cucumbers are a must to break up the bites of beef. 

The Banana Pudding is sugary and light, but I'm not a fan of the runny, sugary pastry cream. I prefer my pudding with a thicker texture.

Kaya Bread Pudding is better, IMO. The bread is dense with butter but chewy and fluffy with custard and egg. The sauce is as thick as a bisque and it is glorious. 

Overall, my feelings about Smoke Queen are mixed. Although I found everything extremely enjoyable, I don't think they hold up against the smoky big-meat traditions of Texas. But I also don't think that's a fair way to judge as Smoke Queen is as unique as the Asian diaspora that defines so much of SoCal, and in its own category, their creative take on an age-old American tradition is one that is very much worth a try.

Hasu Japanese Izakaya & Grill UPDATE - Torrance

My first visit to the new Hasu. It was a tiny and intimate place before a rebuild renovation turned it into something more. The decor is lovely, minimalist-chic and beautifully sleek, but the prices reflect the state of the economy and the inevitably increased overhead.

But the food is still as beautiful, and even a simple plate of Pickles is exquisite. Daikon, cucumber, radish, carrots, and burdock with varying levels of brine will cover all the bases.

Alternate your sour with your savory, cold veggies with the hot, thin slices of Gizzard Simmered in Miso in this gravy-broth. 

The outside crisp of Fried Tofu gives way to an impossibly soft interior for a steamy standout. 

Skewers are the main event, little bits of tender, delicate meat. Gizzard is a firm favorite, Quail Eggs are soft and savory when they roast, and Meat Balls are juicy and plump. 

Grilled Corn is an unsung hero, popping-bubble kernels of salty and sweet. Skin is chewy and crunchy and melts in your mouth as it crackles. Pork Belly is fatty and savory but honestly a little bland. Chicken Hearts are never dull, and these don't disappoint. 

Nubs of Fried Octopus Legs are lovely, though the portion is a little small. 

Oyster Mushroom with Truffle Oil just might be their best. The mushroom is just dripping juice, and the truffle is just a hint, not too overpowering.

Grilled Rice Balls bring everything to a satisfying end, and as much as I enjoyed the one with baby sardines, I think the regular with crispy, soy-sauced rice will suffice. 

I don't know how I feel about Hasu anymore. Their food is exquisite, but it's too easy to eat forever. The skewers are small and not very filling, and unless you're eating multiples of the same thing, it's too easy to order more and more to munch forever. It's a lovely place for a classy meal, but it's not one where you can pig out with generous portions over beer like at Torihei. I wouldn't need much convincing to come back, but now there is equivalent food for this price. 

My first visit here was magical, but I feel like they lost that magic when they tore it down.

Ngu Binh - Westminster, CA

My quest to sample the best; LA's 101 best, one stop at a time. 

Of all the places I've been, Ngu Binh is among my favorites so far. It's one of those no-frills, all-thrills, affordable-food joints where you just go for the food. Basic tables, open early, fresh, hot food all day. 

The menu is a single page, 20 numbered items, starting with a fantastic (1) Bun Bo Hue Dac Biet. Slightly spicy, savory soup with pork knuckles and cubes of blood. The broth has a real pop to it, and it's one you'll drink to the last drop. 

A combo platter (5) lets you sample Banh Bot Loc, Banh Beo va Banh Nam. Banh beo is the classic rice cake discs with shrimp and pork. Banh bot loc is little bits of shrimp and pork wrapped in chewy tapioca. Banh Nam is more like a rice cake roll, long, flat squares full of shrimp.

(20) Nem Chua makes a tasty little snack, a cold bit of fermented pork in between hot bites. Only order if you actually like gelatinous, fermented pork. This one is an acquired taste...which I have fully acquired. 

(14) Mit Zuc Banh Trang is another cold option, a refreshing jack fruit salad. It's bland without the fish sauce dip, but I just can't diss fresh jackfruit.

They're known for these (18) Banh It Kep Banh Ram. A complex cloud of glutinous rice cake filled with pork and shrimp sits upon a crispy saturn-ring of the same fried rice cake, basically mochi on top of more mochi. It is glorious but it is rich. A single one of these will fill you up so be sure to share. 

I think this dessert is called Banh Da Lon, a layered sticky rice cake, slightly gelatinous with a mildly sweet mung bean filling. Green with pandan aromas, these little discs are too pretty not to eat. Just be prepared, these are more about texture and subtlety in flavor. You'll have to get your sugar rush somewhere else. 

The food is so good here. Everything is exquisitely made, the perfect blend and balance of sweet, sour, umami, and everything else. I've never had a bad meal in Garden Grove, but I don't know if I'll want to go anywhere else after this one. 

Bistro Na UPDATE - Temple City

Bistro Na has all the red flags for a restaurant that doesn't live up to the hype. The dining room is beautiful, full of ornate carvings and imperial Chinese decor, including ceiling-height alcove displaying traditional ethnic instruments. The service is swift and polite, and all staff seem perfectly bilingual. The menu is a bound book, with every, literally every luxurious dish that's ever been associated with traditional Chinese cuisine. 

There's a small wine list to start, and that includes some teas as well. An iced Yuzu Lemon Tea is perfect for a hot day. It's not too sweet and you can taste every little bit of the fresh citrus rind. 

Jellyfish Salad is a slow starter, with crunchy medusa-heads in a light dash of vinegar. Tastes better the next day, IMO, when everything has had a chance to marinate. 

Na's Spicy Chicken is so tender and carries a spicy kick. Just spicy enough to make your mouth water for more. 

The kitchen comps up a mysterious dish, these gooey strips of jellied, candied carrots. Seemingly simple but the flavor and texture are an all-consuming combination.

Stir Fried Pea Sprouts with Mushrooms are our token green vegetable, fresh and fried just right. A big bland as there's just a hint of salt but a good contrast for what to come. 

DUCK. Peking duck requires a phone call at least two days in advance, but there's no doubt you'll make it. This crispy, fat-dripping, golden-brown wonder is first presented in its entirety, followed by a chef with a rolling tutorial. 

The skin on the breast is to be eaten immediately, dipped in hoisin sauce and sugar, made to melt in your mouth. 

The rest of the skin is supposedly less crispy but when it's so hot and fresh, it's really not far off. 

Each pancake is paper-thin and as chewy as humanly possible, made to hold exactly two pieces of meat, a smear of hoisin, and a couple pieces of everything else. 

They'll prepare the remaining duck as a dry-fry or a soup for a little extra or you can opt to take it home for free. They wrap it and bag it and leave you to do as you please. I opted for the take-home, but I'm sure what they did was better. 

I have to say, I am impressed. It's a long menu with many difficult dishes, and it's hard to make any of them so well, nevermind all of them. That said, whether you decide to eat here should be determined by the experience you want to have. The food is authentic but it's the luxury version and it's a lot cleaner than your childhood memories, to the point that there is some sterility to the experience. If you're shooting for grandma-nostalgia, you'll want a more down-to-earth establishment. But if you want the best duck in town, you know what to do.  

Miyabi Uni UPDATE - Torrance

We caught them during a promo week; Free upgrades of all house uni to Hokkaido, and we were ready to gorge. 

It isn't until the server repeats your order three times to confirm that you truly want this obscene amount of food AND another server feels compelled to ask him if he heard correctly, that you realize what you've done. 

We'll start with the Uni Tomagoyaki. The omelet is fluffy with a dashi that is divine, but I think I just like uni better cold and raw. That said, this dish makes a delightful leftover if you eat it cold later. 

Yes, we want everything large. Yes, we want one large Miyabi Kaisen EACH. And each bowl is beautiful. The uni is unspeakably fresh and sweet, the salmon is stunning, the scallops are slick, the tuna is meaty, the toro liquid-fat. The ikura is most impressive. Zero fishiness, a gooey and almost sweet finish. The last time I had ikura like this was Jiro's in Japan. 

Plenty of other options if you prefer a more focused approach. A small Uni Scallop Salmon & Roe gives you more control over the contents, which are equal in quality but seem far less sumptuous after experiencing the kaisen in all its glory. 

Yes, we ALSO want a LARGE uni bowl to share. I don't need to say anything about this. Greatness requires no explanation. 

If you want something a little less raw, the Uni Cream Pasta will save you. Imagine the polar opposite of sushi/sashimi, and you'll see it here. The cream sauce sticks to every strand of spaghetti, and there's plenty of uni throughout the sauce. 

If you've left room for dessert somehow, the Yuzu Sorbet is creamy but also refreshing, much more sweet than citrus.   

The Matcha Tiramisu is amazing, with mascarpone cream that finishes light despite being beautifully dense. The matcha flavor is full but without the bitter finish, each layer its own delight. 

Come at lunch to escape the crowds or come for dinner if you want a little more glamour. If you want the best uni in town in a very large quantity, come anytime. It's barely a splurge at this price point considering the quality and the goods. 

Rolling Zone Creamery - Lawndale

Finally, a local spot for locals. Lawndale doesn't have too much in the way of walkable places, but the drive here is short and the parking is always open. 

They specialize in rolled ice cream, a trend from Thailand that didn't last long down here. I suspect it's because most places that make rolled ice cream never learned to make it well. It wasn't until I got to Rolling Zone that I actually realized I love it. 

Their best is still Banana Pudding, it tastes like the real thing but even better. Real bananas are gooey with an occasional Nilla wafer crunch. It rivals the best stuff from the south.  

The Coffee Break is great, like an even creamier latte. The caramel and toffee make it even better. 

Wild Mango is my least favorite because it's more cream than mango - I had hoped for a little more tartness and fruit. 

Rocky Road is the real deal - they even top it off with a hand-torched marshmallow. 

I think my favorite is S'More for the crunchy graham crackers and mix of nutella. 

So this is what rolled ice cream is supposed to taste like. After years of disappointment, I finally found a place that got it right. If you've been lukewarm about rolled ice cream in the past, do give Rolling Zone a chance before you write it off entirely.

Bopomofo Cafe - San Gabriel

A big menu of brightly-colored drinks, all sorts of fruity, and all sorts of fun. 

Unusual combinations, moving far past your traditional milk tea...which is probably why their Brown Sugar Pudding Milk Tea is just alright. It's great with all that egg pudding underneath, but it's truly just a tea. 

Go for the more signature options like the HEY Sesame Milk. The black sesame is so savory, and honey sweetens the deal. 

Half sweet is just enough for these drinks - they do go easier on the sugar as promised, and their dairy-free milk is a bonus as well. I do wish I'd been more adventurous with their fruit or corn drinks, but what I did drink leaves me wanting more.