tanspace's Profile
Chinjin Eastern House (清真東來順 ) Islamic Chinese - San Jose
Not food related - but the reason for Ma being a common Islamic Chinese name is because it is a translation and a shorthand for the name Muhammad.
-t
New Hand pulled Chinese noodles place in SF on Irving, any reports?
I've mentioned that San Tung's hand-made but machine pressed. From the picture that Xiao Yang posted, it does seem to be hand-pulled due to its thickness. The other tell-tale sign is that you'll get noodles of un-even thickness if it is hand-pulled. Most strands would be similar but a few may be thicker or thinner than the rest.
This is great that there's more Northern style noodle places popping up in the city. Time to head up for a noodle-run soon...
-t
Hand pulled noodles close to Mountain View?
Both Chef Liu and Chef Wang used to be Korean-Chinese places owned by folks from Shandong by-way-of Korea just as Cafe Yulong. My aunt used to hand-make dumplings for Chef Liu long time ago but no more.
Cafe Yulong has homemade noodles - hand made but machine pressed. Make sure to ask for freshly cooked noodles as they used to prepare them ahead of time before so it gets more soft.
China Stix's owners are also Shandong-ren from Taiwan and they have some good dishes. Not sure if the noodles are handmade or not.
There are two other Shandong places that does hand-pulled but they're not in MV.
May need to come further south to W. SJ/Cupertino for Four Seasons, which used to hand-pull their noodles the last time I was there. But I have heard that they stopped that. The other is Palace Chef in Fremont as one of the few remaining pure hand-pulled noodle places.
Palace Chef:
http://eat.tanspace.com/2008/02/08/hand-pulled-noodles-at-palace-chef-%e5%b1%b1%e6%9d%b1%e5%b0%8f%e9%a4%a8-fremont/
Four Seasons:
http://eat.tanspace.com/2007/10/17/hand-pulled-noodles-at-four-seasons-cupertino/
New: Great authentic Beijing cuisine in San Francisco
Great China has the best Peking-style duck in the bay area.
It's good to see another authentic Beijing style restaurant open up. There's another one that opened up last year in Milpitas. I wonder if this is the beginning of a trend, sort of like how Shanghai and Sichuan style restaurants gradually propagated over the last few years.
Taste Good in Milpitas:
http://eat.tanspace.com/2008/10/28/zhajiangmian-taste-good-%e4%ba%ac%e5%91%b3%e8%bb%92-peking-cuisine-in-milpitas/
Sumiya Yakitori in San Jose burned down
I watched that fire on the news in the morning and it looked like at that time the Chinese restaurant next door was the main one that caught the fire. But I guess both Sumiya to its right and the lounge bar to its left also got affected. That is too bad.
Taiwanese and Thai beef stew noodles in the East Bay?
QQ Noodle's Niu Rou Mian (beef noodle) is not very good. It is not the same as the Taiwanese style if that's what one's looking for.
http://eat.tanspace.com/2007/04/11/qq-noodle-in-fremont-too-q/
Soba [Split from Manhattan board]
Well, there are historians who state that the soba also came from Japan from China, just like ramen noodles. Soba noodles are supposed to be made with buckwheat noodles, not sure if that's still the case as I also don't eat soba nearly as often as udon or ramen.
Similarly, the Korean naeng-myeon also derived from the same source which is the Chinese style cold-noodle. But eventually the Chinese more or less moved on with all the other types of noodles and they're not as common or well preserved as the Japanese soba or Korean naeng-myeon.
Asian Market in Concord area?
It's not gonna help you now, but I know Ranch 99 is supposed to be opening a new store there in Concord.
Hokkaido Fair at San Jose Mitsuwa - Santoka Ramen and some food review
I'm also impressed with their showing considering its a temporary kitchen. There seems to be a reason that a lot of folks swear by Santa here and Santouka in L.A. Their broth is very similar in style and even flavor. I would give Santouka's broth an edge because of its more complex flavor. To me, Santa's is too straight forward - not in a bad sense, but in the sense that someone skilled enough can reproduce it easily at home.
Santouka's broth adds some more complexity and the noodles are also much better. Unfortunately, I had a couple of pieces of the pork belly meat that were not tender and even undercooked. But it probably won't happen as often as their home stores.
That said, for me, Halu's broth and noodle combination still reigns supreme. The rich flavor along with the deep ocean complexity is just unbeatable.
http://eat.tanspace.com/2008/09/21/santouka-ramen-%e5%b1%b1%e9%a0%ad%e7%81%ab-at-san-jose-mitsuwa-2/
Searching for Northern-style zha jiang mian
That's right. Chef Yu's Chinese from Shandong. The fact is there are tons of places like this in the bay area, and mostly only the Korean folks and some Chinese folks (mainly from Shandong) know how to distinguish them. Koreans will be less often found eating at Cantonese places or other types of Chinese restaurants, but they will seek out and frequent these Shandong style Chinese restaurants since to them, this is "real" Chinese food.
So since Chef Yu's caters to more Koreans, you'll find Korean characters all over the place - on the other hand, a place like Shen Hua, which tries to be more "mainstream", gets mistaken for being too Americanized - of which I'm sure there's still a large population who loves this style.
In Korean, the term is called "hua keo", from the Chinese "hua qiao", which is a general term meaning overseas Chinese.
Searching for Northern-style zha jiang mian
If anything, Chinese restaurant owners are great at adapting. That's how the Shandong Chinese who went to Korea adapted their cuisine so that it became popular in Korea. I think Shen Hua has done another metamorphosis when they opened in Berkeley to add the Americanized adaptation to their menu as well.
A couple of tell-tale items on the menu tells me it is Shandong:
The Seafood Salad in the appetizer section - it is actually the "infamous" double-skin, or "liang zhang pi" dish that it is commonly found in Shandong restaurants.
Spicy Dry Fried Chicken - this is the famous Gan Pong Chicken dish that everyone loves at San Tung and other Korean-Chinese restaurants but may not be aware of its real name.
And the additional Zha Jiang Mian and Seafood Noodle Soup (Chao Ma Mian) items pretty much confirms to me that it is a Shandong place.
But obviously they've adapted and added Americanized items as well. Just look at Fortune Cookie post that Melanie wrote about. To adapt is to survive.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/551235
Come to think of it, San Tung in SF is also catering to both Americanized as well as Koreanized food (which the Koreanized side is suffering because of it)
Hopefully as more folks become accustomed to the original Shandong dishes, this trend can be reversed so that we get more authentic Shandong restaurants such as the way we have many authentic Sichuan and Shanghai restaurants.
“Bamboo” Noodles (jook sing mein) and Hand-pulled Noodles (lai mein) @ King Won Ton (SF)
Ok, if you feel QQ noodle's are not Q enough, then you should not be looking for hand-pulled noodles. Real "shou la mian" are not supposed to be the "hardest", it is supposed to be Q - bouncy with bite but not hard. The bamboo noodles, which you think has the right texture, will never be made using hand-pulled method, but always some sort of hand-pressed method. And that's why you'll mainly find it in the really thin type of egg noodle or cantonese style "tang zhuang" mian.
“Bamboo” Noodles (jook sing mein) and Hand-pulled Noodles (lai mein) @ King Won Ton (SF)
Right, what Imperial Tea Court is serving is not really "la mian" in the sense that Chinese use it. It is generically a type of hand-pulled noodle, but has specific term for it that Xiao Yang mentioned. In China, the original hand-pulled noodle, or "shou la mian" is reserved for the type shown in the video.
Searching for Northern-style zha jiang mian
Unfortunately I have not tried those places yet. Thanks for the info. I think there was also a place called Happy Family in Oakland, not sure if they're still around. I believe Shen Hua in Berkeley is another Korean-Chinese place.
Shan Dong in Oakland Chinatown is actually run by Shandong from China - so they may be "closer" to the Beijing version than the Koreanized version.
San Tung in SF's version is not very good.
Rediscovering the Long-lost Chef (Hunan Restaurant, Fresno)
The Zha Jiang Mian indeed looks very good. How does it compare with the versions you've tried at Shandong places around here, was it more sweet?
It looks like he also nailed the stock base for Chao Ma Mian (house special noodle soup), I'd love to try the spicy version.
Any idea if he's moving back closer to SF bay area anytime soon? :)
Searching for Northern-style zha jiang mian
While I can't vouch that the following places make it same way as you've had it in China, they will probably be the closest you'll find, especially considering that you didn't like QQ's version (which is actually from China) - which I also thought the sauce lacked the ZJ sauce flavor.
The restaurants below are all run by Shandong folks by way of Korea (also known as the Korean-Chinese style) as they brought ZJM to Korea and popularized it there.
In East Bay, I like Palace Chef in Fremont. I know there are several more places in Berkeley and Oakland, but I've not been to too many of them. Great Wall in Berkeley's version was not that good.
In south bay, I like Four Seasons in San Jose/Cupertino. It is one of the best versions I've had. Both here and Palace Chef uses 100% hand-pulled noodles. (Although I've seen reports saying Four Seasons no longer does it 100%)
If you also want to try the more traditional "rou muo" (ground pork) version, then you have to go to Mountain View for Cafe Yulong.
One more tip: When available, always ask for the "Gan Zha Jiang Mian", as this is more closely resembling to the traditional style, than the more Koreanized regular "Zha Jiang Mian"
There are many more, you can find them on my blog:
http://eat.tanspace.com/?s=zha+jiang+mian
ZJM @ Fortune Cookie (李叔叔快餐) in San Jose
Yes, usually the protocol with Zha Jiang Mian is to dump the entire bowl of sauce into the noodle bowl and mix them all up. I haven't had their ZJM in ages but last weekend had the chance to try some of their leftover sauce and it was pretty good. Can't wait for the China Way to open back up so I can do a proper sit-down eat-in.
Favorite dumplings (by type)?
Do you mean "mandu" or "mandoo", as in Korean-style dumplings or "mantou" as in Chinese style buns? Actually the "mandu" word came from the words "mantou" by mistake when Korea was first introduced to dumplings and the name stuck.
It would be interesting to find home-made mandu places as these are not as common. Places that sell mandu-gu (dumpling soup) may have them but oftentimes these are from the grocery store packaged kind.
“Bamboo” Noodles (jook sing mein) and Hand-pulled Noodles (lai mein) @ King Won Ton (SF)
Based on th picture looks more like Shandong hand-pulled noodles. You may be better off trying them at a Shandong-style restaurant. But their NRM, although served, may not be the same as the Taiwanese style.
Also QQ Noodle does a hand-pulled noodle, even more "smooth" than Shandong style due to the use of higher percentage of tapioca/potato starch.
Chow article on ten must haves in Beijing - where to get them in LA
Have you tried Earthen or China Gate restaurants? Those are examples of restaurants serving Korean-Chinese noodles in addition to other Shandong style items such as shuijiao and shandong chicken, etc. I don't live in LA so I can't name too many places, but they are around.
Chow article on ten must haves in Beijing - where to get them in LA
You're right, BP Duck sounds better than BJ Duck. :) Although, when the duck dish originated in the palaces, it was probably still called Beijing. Let's just stick to Peking Duck.
Chow article on ten must haves in Beijing - where to get them in LA
Well, that's a first... what's the name of the restaurant and what else do they serve? I've never seen any korean chinese place serve ZJM with dried tofu.
Chow article on ten must haves in Beijing - where to get them in LA
A&J's Chinese name is Ban Mu Yuan. It came from the famous restaurant of the same name in Taipei, Taiwan. And that name itself was named after the famous restaurant in Beijing. I don't know if the TW branch is run by same folks from BJ (which is unlikely but possible), though I believe the US branches are/were run by the same folks form TW. And this was all way back, before DTF the craze, where a famous TW restaurant opens shop in the US.
Chowdown Report: Dongbei Lunch @ Nutrition House
The pig feet dish I thought could of been better. I've rarely eaten this dish restaurants. But I know it is a popular Korean "snack" dish as well, where one can find it next to kim-bop and duk-buk-ki at Korean markets like Kyopo. The meat is prepared the same way, but with a spicy (with dried shirmp) sauce accompaniment rather than the soy-garlic sauce.
A1 - this dish is the traditional "Cao Rou Liang Zhang Pi" dish found at Shandong restaurants, literally meaning stir-fried pork with double-skin. The skin is always the mung bean noodle sheet, wth the Chinese term being "fen pi" as KK mentioned. In Northern China, "fen" is used to refer not to rice flour (like it does in Southern China) but to mung bean flour. So the glass noodle in "Ants Climbing Tree" dish is called "fen tiao", or mung bean noodle strands. All other "noodle" items are called "mian" and are wheat based.
Good takeout dim sum & congee in Cupertino/Santa Clara?
Top Cafe on De Anza may be open for breakfast. They have congee and HK sandwiches for breakfast (at least for the Milpitas location)
Chowdown Report: Dongbei Lunch @ Nutrition House
A1, B15, J9, E1 are listed as some of their special items on their website. Chairman Mao's pork is also something I haven't seen elsewhere. Better version of A1 and H2 can be found at Shandong-style restaurants. The mung bean sheet was cooked too soft, and the sauce did not taste mustardy enough.
This "New" Nutrition House is no longer the original Dongbei restaurant. They've added many Sichuan and even Cantonese items to the menu. Chili Fish and Cumin Lamb are actually Sichuan items. Chili Fish was nice since it has similar flavor as the traditional ChongQing Spicy chicken, but made with fish filet instead of chicken wing with lots of bones.
The fish was not very good, though it was recommended to us I've also had better pig feet elsewhere. I did not order any noodles because they use regular factory noodles, nothing homemade.
One thing about this place is that there are a lot of items here which cannot be found easily elsewhere. The E1 and E12 "hot pot with cake" items are a nice touch. Yimster called it "green onion pancake" without the green onion - it was great for soaking up the sauces from the pot.
Chow article on ten must haves in Beijing - where to get them in LA
If there are tofu cubes, then the zha jiang mian is not korean-chinese version but the Taiwanese version. The sauce will also be sweeter than the Shandong version. A&J restaurant has both Beijing and Taiwanese pedigree but it seems like their ZJM is based on the Beijing/Shandong pedigree.
Chow article on ten must haves in Beijing - where to get them in LA
2. Korean-Chinese versions are modified Shandong version of Zha Jiang Mian, which are the basis of what is known as Beijing style Zha Jiang noodle. If you get gloppy Zha Jiang sauce (and it should in no way taste similar to those put on bibimbop), then it is not authentic or good. Be sure to order Gan (dry) Zha Jiang in these Shadong/Korean-Chinese places. Or better yet, if they're really good, they can make the "Rou Muo" (ground pork) version of Zha Jiang which is closer to the Beijing style.
9. Niu Rou (beef) Xian Bing should be found more easy. This is also commonly known as Chinese hamburger. One should be able to find them at A&J restaurant and other similar places.
10. This is almost like Chinese funnel-cakes. Doubtful there are "fresh" ShaQiMa to be found. best bet is from some old-school Chinese/Taiwanese bakeries which may make them in-house.
Chowdown at Little Sichuan Express -- Report
Yes, they've moved into the old location of Su Jia (Da Sichuan / Big Sichuan). So Su Jia is no more. They've also raised their prices as well.
Legendary, Made-To-Order, Fresh Steamed Buns and Dumplings! (or "Are You Kidding Me?!") - NOODLE HOUSE (Mian Hsiang Yuan) [Review] w/ Pics!
Right, in any Shandong household, yesterday's left over boiled dumplings are today's tasty pan-fried dumpling. That's the reason you normally don't find "pan-fried dumpling" as a restaurant menu item. Instead, potstickers are invented to fill that void.
A proper pan-fried dumpling is normally a boiled dumpling which had cooled down, and then pan-fried. While a pot-sticker, the skin is different and is pan-fried directly without going through the boiling stage. So you can see that in terms of troublesome-factor, pan-fried dumpling ranks the highest, then pot stickers, and finally boiled dumplings (and lastly steamed dumplings)
