Apr 20

101 Noodle Express – Alhambra, CA

1408 E Valley Blvd

Alhambra, CA 91801

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

Located on busy Valley Boulevard in Alhambra, CA, 101 Noodle Express serves up traditional Taiwanese fare to the largely Asian community. Plenty of unwell maintained parking is available for this location. Upon entering, it took a minute or so to be acknowledged for seating. After we were seated and provided menus, it took over ten minutes for someone to come take our order or provide drinks. During the time we were waiting, another table was sat, served drinks, and had their order taken.

When someone finally came by to take our order, we ordered the pork pan-fried dumplings and the steamed mini pork buns (xiaolongbao). A short while later, our water finally arrived. Then, the pork pan-fried dumplings arrived with 10 on a plate. Each dumpling had a signature sear on one side of the dumpling. The dumpling itself was quite oily and did not have much flavor. The wrapper was also very thick, thicker than most other dumpling joints I have tried. It took a significant while longer before the steamed mini pork buns arrived. When we looked into the tray of 10 dumplings, each one looked extremely wilted and sad. We prepared the soy-vinegar-ginger sauce prior to tasting this dumplings. After you bite into one of these dumplings, you will first notice that there is no soup in any of the dumplings. Each one of the thick floury wrappers seemed broken and punctured so no soup was left. The pork tasted plain and required extensive dipping into the sauce.

Overall, the service and food quality at 101 Noodle Express left little to be desired. Maybe their other locations can do better or their other menu options taste better. The pan-fried pork buns were OK, but the steamed mini dumplings were horrible. For the price they charge for the steamed buns, you are better off going to Din Tai Fung for sure. I would not recommend coming to this 101 Noodle Express, but I may give one of their other locations another shot in the future.

Apr 17

Benten Ramen – San Gabriel, CA

821 W Las Tunas Dr

San Gabriel, CA 91776

Rating: ★★★★½ 

Located in San Gabriel, Benten Ramen serves up delicious Ramen dishes on a simple menu in a modern environment. Parking is horrible in this shopping center, so you will most likely need to locate street parking in the nearby neighborhood. Upon entering, we were quickly greeted by an attentive server who sat us and provided us with menus. Tea is complimentary, so we opted for green tea.

Today, we ordered the Lemon Basil drink, kara age chicken, tonkotsu ramen, and spicy miso ramen. The lemon basil drink was very light and refreshing with sweetness coming from honey and marmalade. The kara age chicken was very tender and fresh. The provided spicy garlic mayo sauce went well with the chicken, but tasted overly savory at times. The tonkotsu came beautifully plated with the soy sauce injected egg and fatty pork belly. The pork was extremely tender, but I wished it was a bit less fatty. There were a total of two large pieces of meat, so I finished wanting more, but I know that ramen dishes tend to only have a couple of pieces. The broth was very hearty and tasted delicious. I ended up drinking up the entire bowl after finishing the fresh perfectly cooked wheat noodles. The spicy miso ramen came plated just a beautifully with the sliced egg and pork slices. The meat was tender and the egg noodle tasted fresh. I was hoping the soup to be spicier, but there was a mild-medium heat level.

Overall, Benten Ramen serves up some delicious tasting fresh ramen at reasonable prices. Plenty of add-ons are available for around $1. With great service, fresh delicious food, and reasonable prices, I can definitely recommend Benten Ramen if you happen to be in the 626.

Apr 13

Pho 45 – Garden Grove, CA

9240 Garden Grove Blvd #19

Garden Grove, CA 92844

Rating: ★★★½☆ 

Located along busy Garden Grove Boulevard in Garden Grove, Pho 45 serves up traditional Vietnamese food in a predominately Korean neighborhood. After you park in the strip mall with adequate amounts of parking spaces, you enter a fairly small restaurant that has been recently renovated. Plenty of servers are available to take your order usually around 1-2 minutes after you receive the menu.

Today, we decided to try the large order of shrimp spring rolls, filet Mignon pho with wide noodles, and the grilled pork and egg roll vermicelli noodles. The shrimp rolls tasted pretty dry on their own and did not come with pork like in many other restaurants, but they did have bean sprouts inside, which I was not expecting. Instead of using the provided peanut sauce, I opted to use hoisin sauce, which added some savory flavor to the fairly bland roll. The filet Mignon was sliced fairly thin and cooked quickly in the hot broth. Each bite of the beef tasted tender and flavorful. The broth itself was fairly clear, but has strong notes of beef flavor. I really liked how the broth carried lots of flavor and not much oil at all. The noodles were fresh and were nice and different because they were wider and softer. The egg rolls tasted simple, fresh, and went well with the dipping sauce. There were quite a bit of vegetables and meat in the vermicelli dish, but a lot of the pork was overly fatty compared to other Vietnamese restaurants. Like the spring rolls, bean sprouts were also in this dish by default, which is different from other Vietnamese restaurants we have visited before.

Overall, Pho 45 serves up delicious tasting pho with high quality meat, but the spring rolls and vermicelli noodles did not really make the cut. Service and wait times are fairly quick, and the restaurant filled up really quick as well after we arrived. Most of the guests were Vietnamese as well, so you know that the food must be authentic. If you are craving for delicious pho near Anaheim, then you should definitely give Pho 45 a try.

Apr 10

French Market & Mint Julep Bar – Anaheim, CA

Disneyland – New Orleans Square

1313 S. Harbor Blvd.

Anaheim, CA 92802

Rating: ★½☆☆☆ 

Located inside Disneyland, the French Market serves up various New Orleans-inspired dishes. In the eating area, the Ming Julep Bar serves up a refreshing Mint Julep drink and the famous Mickey-shaped beignets. The line going into the restaurant went extremely slow even though it was a couple of hours past lunchtime already. After you finally get inside, you will be able to pick up a tray and start going around their ordering area to have them prepare your meal. You will probably order with the first person you reach and pick up your food as you traverse the line. After you exit the restaurant after paying, the Mint Julep Bar is located to the left with a different line.

Today, we decided to try the Jambalaya and a bowl of fruit. The Jambalaya had a fairly strong Cajun kick to it, but was extremely watery. The sausages were quite overly salty as well. The rice helped balance the dish, but there were excessive amounts of green onion and onion and very little chicken and sausage. The portion size was fairly small too. The cornbread was very soft and sweet, which tasted delicious. The fresh fruit was indeed fresh and all of the fruit tasted sweet and healthy. At the Mint Julep Bar, we ordered the New Orleans Mint Julep and 3 pieces of the Mickey Beignets. The mint julep tasted very refreshing with hints of lime and sweetness. You can taste the lime with each sip, but soon, the drink did not have much flavor and resembled more like minty water. The beignets come coated in powdered sugar in a white bag, so you will need to shake the bag to attempt to get an even coating. The beignets were pretty flat and not fluffy at all. Each bite tasted overly oily and required ample amounts of powdered sugar. The bread itself was mildly sweet.

Overall, this visit to the French Market and Mint Julep Bar was fairly disappointing. Other than the cornbread and fresh fruit, there really was not much to praise at this establishment. You may have better luck with the other menu items at the French Market, but I do not recommend the Jambalaya. The Mickey beignets are supposed to be good, so you may still want to give that a shot. With high prices (even with AP discount) for most items and mediocre food, I really can’t see myself coming back to the French Market.

Apr 06

Cozy Cone Motel – Anaheim, CA

Disney California Adventure

1313 Disneyland Dr

Anaheim, CA 92802

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Located at Cars Land inside Disney California Adventure, the Cozy Cone Motel serves up various food items in convenient bread cones. Service was quick, but no AP discounts were available. In addition to the standard cones on the menu such as the Chili Cone Queso and Chicken Verde, two newer posted items were also available. We decided to order those two new items: the BBQ pulled pork & slaw cone and the bacon mac  & cheese cone. There was a lot of sauce-smothered pulled pork and not a lot of slaw in the BBQ cone. Each bite was tender and the sauce savory. The sauce went well with the bread itself as well. The bacon mac & cheese cone had ample amounts of pasta with just the right amount of bacon. The cheese must have some blend of Velveeta and other cheeses in it because the mac & cheese was so creamy. The cheesy bread cone also tasted good with the cheese sauce. The bread in both of the cones were pretty firm to provide a solid vessel for the meal, but is a bit tough to eat. Overall, the cones were fulfilling and tasted good. Prices are somewhat reasonable, but high as usual since its park food. If you feel like eating in the park, Cozy Cone Motel is a decent option.

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