It’s not exactly the same as in Taiwan, but the noodle soup, mian xian (麵線), at Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle (阿宗麵線) in San Gabriel is pretty close in taste. The Ay-Chung restaurants in California are actual restaurants with seats and other items on the menu, rather than just a stand that serves only mian xian. Their stewed fatty pork over rice (滷肉飯) was also very good, one of the best I’ve had. (Pass on the glutinous rice meatball 肉圓).

140 W Valley Blvd, #208
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 280-0186

Shaved snow (雪花冰) outside of Taiwan is rare. Actually, even in Taiwan it’s rare. Anyway, my favorite place outside of Taiwan is at Class 302 in Rowland Heights. Just look at it! I don’t know if I’ve just gotten used to ordering either their green tea shaved snow with red beans and mochi or their shaved snow with strawberries and/or mangoes, but this time, I noticed a caramel pudding shaved snow at the bottom of the list. I love pudding, so I had to try it. It has a layer of snow at the bottom, then a generous layer of pudding (布丁) in the middle, and more snow on top. They provide some caramel on the side to pour onto the dish. It’s definitely worth a try.

1015 S. Nogales St., #125
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 965-5809

I haven’t been to Yi Mei Deli Co in Rowland Heights in a while, and I’m glad I got to go again this time. It’s my most favorite place for Taiwanese breakfast. The things the have here remind me so much of Taiwan. Not as cheap, but some of their items are just as good.

My favorites are: egg pancake (蛋餅), rice roll (飯糰), and glutinous rice meatball (肉圓). They also serve very good donuts (油條) and soybean milk (豆漿). I tried their gua bao (刮包) for the first time and it was just alright. It seems that nothing will ever compare to the one from Lan Jia Gua Bao (藍家刮包) in Taiwan. Anyway, let me reiterate, best Taiwanese breakfast joint in SGV!

18414 Colima Rd Ofc
Rowland Hghts, CA 91748
(626) 854-9246

One of my favorite Taiwanese dishes is pork chop rice (排骨飯). I ordered it at Old Country Cafe in Alhambra and it was pretty good. I think it must be in the batter. The pork chop came with some pickled vegetables (雪菜) as well as some boiled vegetables, a tea egg (茶葉蛋), and some ground pork over rice (肉燥飯). All this for only about $6! If I lived around here this would probably be one of my regular meals.

Neighborhood: Alhambra
2 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 284-4610

The reason I went down to LA this weekend was for the City of Angels Film Festival gala premiere, featuring 1040. Simply put, it’s a documentary and story about Christian movement in Asia, and I highly recommend it!

The event kicked off with food and beverages at the reception hall in the Designers Guild of America, then an introduction, followed by the screening of the movie, and ending with Q&A with the cast and crew of 1040, which included: Jaeson Ma, Carl Choi, Anson Ho, Evan Leung, Sean from Jinusean, and MC Hammer.

Here’s the trailer:

Gone are the days of following Korean taco trucks on Twitter and waiting an hour in line to order. Red Hot Kitchen is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, but at least it’ll always be there, and I actually think their tacos are a lot more worth it. My favorite was their daily special, a panko-crusted fish taco. I also really liked their short rib taco. Their tostado was really good, but I didn’t care much for their chicken.

4625 Valley Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90032
(323) 222-6900

One of my favorite foods is the porchetta sandwich, and every time I find out of a new place that serves it, I make it a point to try it. This time, I tried it at Forage, a fairly new restaurant in the Silver Lake area. The pork belly had a nice mix of meat, fat, and crispy, roasted skin. I think what really enhanced the sandwich also was the slaw that they used. The baguette is a bit hard and damaged my gums a bit, but other than that, it was delicious. Their flank steak salad was also another dish worth trying. Overall, I loved this restaurant.

Neighborhood: Silver Lake
3823 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(323) 663-6885

We had a small bite and some tea at Bricks and Scones. Their rose champagne tea was my favorite. They use tea from Lupicia, a Japanese tea boutique. Their scones were also well-made. I’d pass on the cupcake next time. That red velvet cupcake had nice flavor but was too dry.

Neighborhood: Mid Wilshire
403 N Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323) 463-0811

I’m a huge maple bacon donut fan. I went to try out the one at Nickel Diner since it’s very popular there. Maybe I’ve just been spoiled by the original at Voodoo Donuts in Portland, or maybe I’ve just been spoiled by the fresh, organic ones at Dynamo Donut & Coffee, but the one at Nickel diner was just not up to par. The donut itself was too dense and cakey, and the bacon bits just weren’t as fresh. The bacon + maple combo was still a nice flavor, though. I was, however, impressed by their pancake, which was very light and fluffy. I’d order that again.

Neighborhood: Downtown
524 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 623-8301

I took Phil to grab some curry at Muracci’s Japanese Curry & Grill. I normally wouldn’t come here because of its insane wait, not to mention the food coma I always get after eating their curry, but since Phil was in town and hasn’t had it, plus it’s another item he can mark off the 7×7 100 Things to Try Before You Die list, I had to take him. This time, I called ahead to place an order – no wait at all! We got one pork katsu and one chicken katsu. I preferred the pork, although when something is battered, deep fried, and drenched in curry sauce, it’s really hard to tell the difference.

Neighborhood: Financial District
307 Kearny St
(between Bush St & Pine St)
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 773-1101