I'm an advocate for cheap Asian cuisine. Here in SoCal there's just no way around it. There's absolutely no point in spending on an expensive meal when there are so many small cozy businesses to choose from. More importantly, it's much fresher than you will get and the expensive competitor and there's much less guess work as to what they put into the food. I worked on a few restaurant brands in my time as a designer and let me tell you that the food industry can be revolting! Most things are microwaved and deep fried at chain stores expensive and cheap alike. So I'm super picky as to where we eat. Thankfully there are plenty of options in the Greater Los Angeles area. It makes me feel great that I support small, local, and family owned businesses. Phoenix is a great example of this.
The Phoenix Bakery that I go to is located in South Pasadena, but I know they have a few chains further towards Arcadia/Alhambra area. They are a Chinese deli with Hong Kong/ Taiwanese cuisine which is much different from the common Mandarin Cuisine that has been franchised and popularized with places like Panda. Anyone thats never tried Taiwanese or Hong Kong food I beg you put it on your bucket list to do so! The difference is that their foods rely more on spices complimenting the main vegetable or meat and less reliant on sauces and oil. The desserts are heavenly too, but that's a whole other blog post. I'm going to talk about my love for egg noodle soup.
 |
Top to bottom:
Yangchow Fried Rice & Egg Noodle Soup w/ BBQ Pork & Veggies |
Egg noodle soup is sort of a pho/ramen hybrid thats savory. The noodles are thin made with egg and rice flower which lends a rich flavor in itself. The broth is a simple clear broth that has a few spices. What really makes this dish amazing are the toppings! I like to keep mine simple and go for the Barbeque Pork and some fresh steamed bokchoy. The meal is light with the broth but hardy with the firm texture of the vegetables, noodles, and meat. It's heavenly!
Love went for the Yang Chow Fried Rice. The rice is lightly seasoned with spices and vegetables, but it's famous for it's steamed shrimp and Chinese sausage. Chinese sausage can best be described as a small more intense version of chorizo except sweet and loaded with exotic spices. Give it a try if you have the chance, but make sure it's not used by itself because it's flavor is overpowering alone.
 |
| Mmm nothing like Dim sum Desserts |
We were going to get dessert, but I really wanted to grab some tea so I'll leave that for another post as I mentioned. Phoenix may look like a little whole in a wall, but their dishes are top notch! Other dishes I recommend are their Congee (a rice porridge), Honey Walnut Shrimp, and Deep Fried Rock Salt Sole Fish. For vegetarian options they make an amazing pickled tofu that I enjoy with the Sauteed Mushroom and Greens.
-Stef
No comments