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AnonymousThere is nothing more irksome to me than going to an Asian restuarant only to find that it is not at all authentic. I love finding places that do not cater to watered down versions of different ethnic foods ( not just Asian ).
There are many gems in So. Cal that have great food that is pretty much authentic and so super yummy.
I wish that there were some sort of placard system, like the grading system that would sort of subtley announce "Authentic" or "Americanized version."
That's my 2 cents.
AnonymousThere is a 99 Ranch Market in Gardena; right off of the Artesia Blvd exit. It is very accessible and has a large variety of Chinese goods.
AnonymousOk, so my first suggestion is Chinese Food. The place is called Vegi Wokery, and its located at the address below. They have a simple, low key atmosphere, and GREAT food! Their menu is HUGE, and everything I've had is good. If you're used to eating fast food chinese you're going to find this very different. The flavors are delicate, rather than strong and overly sweetened. Make sure to try the tofu in crab meat sauce, fish in brown sauce with basil, tofu lettuce wraps, mmm really almost anything...oh and you'll see an occasional buddhist monk group eating here.
Vegi Wokery
11329 183rd St
Cerritos, CA 90703
(562) 809-3928
http://www.vegiwokery.com
Second suggestion is Au Lac Vietnamese and Chinese Food. This place has awesome food, and caters to even the most extremely limited types of diets. It is even more popular and busy that Vegi Wokery, and perhaps even better food. They sell both Vietnamese and Chinese dishes, but have recently added a raw food menu that is even more varied in its styles. Everything is supurb. If you don't mind the wait, their vietnamese crepes are supurb. Its sort of a vegan omlettette thats to die for. Also great are the vietnamese style of egg rolls (you wrap them in lettuce and basil and eat), wonton soup, beancurd sheet with vegitables, spicy chicken with lemon grass, soy seafood with crispy noodles, and carmel soy shrimp and pork. Buddhist monks are in here almost every time I come for dinner...
Au Lac Vegitarian
16563 Brookhurst Street
Fountain Valley, California
714.418.0658
http://www.aulac.com
[Edit by="mvhudnall on Mar 19, 1:47:45 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousBelow I just gave my Vegitarian Resturant suggestions. Now I give my sole meat-serving resturant suggestion. I was lost in LA, and passing through an area with a lot of Chinese food resturants (maybe chinatown, I dunno...like I said...lost in LA). The smells were getting better and better and finaly I parked on a really good smelling block and asked someone for a suggestion. They pointed out an upstairs place across the street called Sum Wu Seafood. I walked into the resturant to find it simple, and mostly frequented by chinese people...A good sign already. The menu was in chinese and english, and featured many dishes I've never seen on a menu before (ex. Stir fried large intestine with preserved vegitables)....Another good sign. To make a long story short, the food wass outstanding! Like a meat version of what I get a vegi wokery...which is unlike any americanized chinese food I've had elsewhere. The prices were unbelievable. I got tea, soup, rice, and two main dishes for under $9!!!! If you're ever in the area, this place is a MUST TRY!
Sum Wu Seafood
728 N. Hill Street, #215
Far East Plaza, 2nd floor
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-680-7836
Oh, theres a tea shop below you can buy loose leaf teas at! Check that out also!
[Edit by="mvhudnall on Mar 19, 1:59:38 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousSam Wo is a small chain and it's a typical cantonese bbq and noodle restaurant. I grew up eating that stuff as a kid. If you want sometime slightly fancier of the same foods, go to Ocean Seafood about a block away. It's huge and good.
AnonymousI think you're talking about a different place actually. There was two upstairs places that had almost identical names...both in the same building complex. I wasn't sure which the parking guy suggested so we flipped a mental coin and just picked one. Sum wu was the one I tried...so I'm not sure if you misspelled or were talking about the other. I'm willing to bet you could walk into 8/10 places around there and get fabulous food though 😛 [Edit by="mvhudnall on Mar 20, 1:10:36 PM"][/Edit]
AnonymousI read on chowhound.com that both Sam Wo and Sum Wu are/were the same restaurant under new management. Sum Wu was once Sam Wo. There still is a Sam Wo a few blocks away. I havent been to Sum Wu yet.
AnonymousIs this the same Sam Woo restaurant you're talking about? I've been to this place a number of times while I was till in West Covina. They have a good spot near the corner of Nogales and Gale Ave. near the 60 Freeway. The food is really great and the place is big. They have another Sam Woo BBQ along Norwalk Blvd and South St. in Cerritos, but I've never been there yet since we moved to Artesia. I think the name relates to Earth and fire or water, I'm not so sure which word stands for which. All I know is that Sam Woo is not a name of a person. Thing is it's a godd place to eat and it's got many branches.
AnonymousIt's the same restaurant. It's a small chain. I dont know what it means, but I know the first character in Chinese means 3.
AnonymousI went to Hop Li on Pico today for lunch. They have great lunch specials ($6-8) and I find their food to be pretty good for Cantonese style food. It's also decent priced at dinner too with huge portions.
AnonymousAn oasis for ramen lovers is Kyushu Ramen on Sherman Way just west of Sepulveda. The folks there are the real deal. Seems many of the rare Japanese community in that part of LA eat there (we went on the weekend). They have a nice bottle-keep bar on the other half of the restaurant.
If you don't want to drive all the way down to Torrance, well, try Kyushu Ramen.
AnonymousOn the way home from the Seminar on the Taiwanese Elections at USC, we stopped at a place called Shilla in Gardena. Great food, terrific atmosphere and superb Korean hospitality. Well worth the trip. Try the beef barbeque- which you cook directly in front of you - and the seafood pancakes; lots of free appetizers so don’t order too much.
AnonymousFor atmosphere, there is nothing like Yamashiro. The building itself has an interesting history which you can read about here:
http://www.yamashirorestaurant.com/history/index.html
I saw a special about Yamashiro on t.v. which prompted me to eat here. I found the WWII history of it fascinating:
At the outbreak of World War II, anti-Japanese sentiment spread rapidly in Hollywood and throughout the country. In the post Pearl Harbor paranoia, Yamashiro was mistakenly rumored to be a signal tower for the Japanese. Much of the beautiful landscaping and decorative elements of the palace itself were stripped by vandals. Yamashiro’s distinctive Asian architecture was disguised, the beautiful carved woods covered with paint, and the estate became a boys’ military school.
At the end of the war with Japan, a builder bought the property, added a second story, and converted Yamashiro into 15 apartment units. Then in 1948, the estate, unrecognizable and in disrepair, was purchased by Thomas O. Glover, who originally intended to tear down the structure and develop a hotel and apartment units on the seven acres of property. While preparing to demolish, he discovered the treasure of ornate woodwork and silk wallpaper hidden under layers of black paint. He realized that this was too important to destroy and decided to restore the property. This became a 20-year project which continues even today.
The view of Hollywood and beyond and the Japanese gardens in the courtyard are definitely worth a visit. I went at sunset so got both the day and night view. Amazing.
AnonymousIf you're in Long Beach, try Kinokawa Japanese Restaurant. It's on the corner of Walnut and Wardlow, just west of the Long Beach airport. There is a sushi bar in back, and you can even reserve a small room with some friends where you sit on the floor in the traditional style. I haven't tried that yet, but the sushi is great and the restuarant serves the tempura and teriyaki dishes in miniature junk boats. When I looked up junk boats on the internet, I found they originated in China. Didn't research far enough to see why they are associated with Japanese food! Anyone know?
AnonymousI think those boats are versions of Japanese fishing boats and not junk boats.