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SUMMARY: What’s Hakka? It’s native Taiwanese cuisine. Have you tried it? You should if you’re looking to go niche and up level your Asian food palate. This place is almost legit according to my Taiwanese wife. BACKGROUND We were going to go to the restaurant next door which is wildly popular, but also had a very long line that we had no desire to wait in. Having not had Hakka cuisine in the Bay area, we were down to give it a go. And not disappointed in the least. FOOD We ordered three dishes: their special braised pork with chinese brocolli (the only broc I enjoy), their pig intestines on you tiao, and fried pumpkin in duck egg dipped batter. I did say this was next level, right? ? So the special braised pork w/ brocolli was a new menu item that they said got good feedback, so we were happy to try it out. It was really, really good. I think for non-Asian people this would be a great choice that isn’t so “exotic” as my non-Asian friends annoyingly still say. The sauce is soy based, mildly sweet, and the pork we had was braised to perfection. So easy to cut w/ a spoon or tear pieces off w/ a chopstick. 5/5. The pig intestines however fell a little short of our expectations. The intestines were way too greasy and the you tiao absorbed most of the grease but not all of it. We’ve had better. 3/5. Now this was new to me: batter made with duck eggs as the dipping batter for the sliced pumpkin. Now I’m not a huge pumpkin fan, but I really enjoyed this dish a lot. So much in fact that I stopped eating the other dishes to the point that my wife said “Eat the other things too!” Rating: 5/5. SERVICE Spot on. The waiter was very attentive and explained some of the dishes and his desire to explain to the minute detail was impressive, especially on how they braised the pork. Our waters were filled without asking. 5/5. RETURN VISIT? Yes, we’re trying to find another reason to visit this restaurant and find other things to do in the area ?

• Shanghai Impression – Menu with Prices – 135-21 37th Avenue, Flushing
• Little India (Bombay Street Food) Menu with Prices 2236 Highland Ave, Birmingham
• MAOJIAOHUOLA å??æ¤???ï¼???åº?ï¼? – Menu with Prices – 43-23 Main St, Flushing
• Four Sea Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 15435 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine
• Bento Xpert – Menu with Prices – 1125 N 9th St unit F, Milwaukee
• ë?? (The GOP) ?? ì ??? – Menu with Prices – 2605 Pleasant Hill Rd #400, Duluth
• Bangkok 54 Restaurant Menu with Prices 2919 Columbia Pike, Arlington
• Long Life Vegi House Menu with Prices 1725 University Ave, Berkeley
• The Original – Menu with Prices – 2498 N Bartlett Ave, Milwaukee
• Taste of Tian Jin – Menu with Prices – 3875 Venture Dr A5, Duluth
• The Magic Noodle ??å?«æ?¹ – Menu with Prices – 5829 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh
• Easterly Hunan Cuisine Menu with Prices 2142 Center St, Berkeley

Shanghai Impression – Menu with Prices – 135-21 37th Avenue, Flushing

Cuisine: 6 Service: 6 Decor: 7 Value: 5 Overall: 6 Just opened recently in the old space that was occupied by Village Crab & Sea, this restaurant has the same ownership as a few other Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. Unfortunately, I was hoping their expansion into Flushing would be with an overwhelming bam, instead it limped in with mediocre food at above average prices. I am Shanghainese and always pray for a decent restaurant that reminds me of cuisine from my hometown. Sadly, my family’s experience here was way short of expectations. It wasn’t horrible, or even bad, it was just very average. Best dishes: Duck Soup, Snow Peas Leaves w/ Pork Intestines, Lions Head Meatball in Crab Sauce Worst Dishes: Vegetarian Duck, Pan Fried Baos, Live Eel Sautéed with Baby Chives, Pan Fried Red Bean Pancake Tip #1: Stay away from all dumplings no matter how good the pictures look. Tip #2: Don’t ask for recommendations. The waiter named every live seafood (read: expensive) item on the menu. Tip #3: Wait a few weeks and hope they get their act together.

Little India (Bombay Street Food) Menu with Prices 2236 Highland Ave, Birmingham

On the recommendation of the Owner/Chef, we tried the Chili Chicken with Fried Rice. The dish came out steaming hot in a reusable to-go container. The chicken was battered and fried before being covered in “gravy”, a mildly sweet and spicy sauce. The gravy dishes are by default served with generous helpings of gravy, although they can also be ordered “dry” or “without gravy”. This dish was delicious and far superior to any Chinese takeout near the area, especially for a menial $7. We also ordered the Chicken Hakka Noodles, a dish similar to Chow Mein, although more complex. Hakka noodles are a type of boiled noodles that are tossed and mixed with vegetables, chicken and sauces. Both Hakka Noodles and chow mein are made using noodles and similar kinds of vegetables are added to it. However, there is a slight difference between the two. While Hakka noodles have their roots in Hakka Han or Han Chinese, chow mein comes from Taishan. Hakka noodles have dominant Bengali flavours but chow mein has flavours that can be closely associated with Chinese flavours. Whatever the differences in chow mein and Hakka noodles, they were certainly tasty!  This dish was served tossed with chicken and green onions and a savory sauce with a latent heat. Another win, and again, for only $7.  Perhaps inaptly titled, “Little India,” offers more Chinese-Indian fusion than they do Indian food. New names for the establishment are being tossed around. Most of the menu items sounded like Chinese dishes, however, many dishes of modern Indian Chinese cuisine bear little resemblance to traditional Chinese cuisine. Staple base options for an Indian Chinese meal include chicken, shrimp or vegetable variants of “Hakka” or “Schezwan” noodles popularly referred to as chow mein; and regular or”Schezwan” fried rice. Though the names sound similar to familiar dishes, this food stands alone.

MAOJIAOHUOLA å??æ¤???ï¼???åº?ï¼? – Menu with Prices – 43-23 Main St, Flushing

I have no clue how this place got 3 stars. This is probably me only eason to come to flushing. Duck head with peanut is the best one I’ve had in the whole NYC. Crispy Pork Slices could get a 4 star for itself. Spicy pork brain is the average level. Not a big fan of any other special Dishes. ChwanChwan/Bamboo sticks are the best with the pot seasoning. I don’t like most of the hotpot based foods, but this is not like any of the hotpots, malatang or wutever. The soup/sauce here is more like spicy marinated soups (??), which tasted more gentle and peaceful (I know it is a weird word to use here but it’s true). My personal favorite chwanchwan would be short ribs, intestines, ducks web (but they really should remove the bones more fully), Chinese cabbage (don’t take it if you are not a fan of spiciness, since it carries sauces & oil). Second level would be beef, spam, potato, winter melon. Btw, although they don’t provide ChwanChwan for take-out orders, they do allow you to take out the rest of those together with some soup if you dine-in. The left over soup would be an ideal soup base if you’d like to make some chili-oiled dumplings or some spicy cold dishes at home.

Four Sea Restaurant – Menu with Prices – 15435 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine

Dear Southern Californians who rate this place 3 stars or less, You are spoiled and entitled. You have no idea how good you have it! Signed, A former Southern Californian ************************** SUMMARY: All semi-joking aside and haven eaten at the Four Sea Restaurant in Hacienda Heights many o’ times (former resident), this is one of the places I think the most when it comes to getting a consistently legit Taiwanese breakfast. As one of the people I also follow in Nor Cal who reviewed this place, it’s true: inexplicably there’s really nothing of this quality up in the Bay Area. FOOD Nothing here has disappointed me. This is the first time we’ve been to this location and I’d have to say this one is a whole step better managed and much cleaner than the Hacienda Heights location. We ordered the following: – Turnip cakes (5/5)- Better than anything you can imagine. They get the consistency of the turnip cake so right. To make things even better, they crisp it nicely on the outside on both sides. Finally their garlic sauce is really out of this world. We can’t place our thumb on how they make the sauce. We have some guesses, but you MUST get the sauce. Ask them if they don’t include it. 5/5. 10/5 if I could! – Fan tuan- wife is a big fan of FT, but for me its a big over the top for carbs. The FT she got had eggs, Taiwanese pickles, you tiao (fried Chinese donut), and I believe one more ingredient. I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s really delicious. But too carb-y for me. 5/5 – Dan bing (egg crepe)- now I have to say that it reminds me of a very thin flour tortilla I used to get in a Mexican market in Rancho Cucamonga, so really I’m not too impressed with DB. But this place does it right. The thing I like about this place is that its not over oily like some places my wife and I have had. 5/5. – Hot soy milk- 5/5. Enough said! RETURN VISIT? Yup! My friend lives very close to this place and when we leave from his place, we’ll hit this every time on our way back. …or just move back down here ?

Bento Xpert – Menu with Prices – 1125 N 9th St unit F, Milwaukee

One of the four choices in this food hall, and let me start with the fact that the food is excellent. Absolutely delicious and authentic. But the service was a little annoying. So I came in when it didn’t seem too busy, and the White woman working the front of the stand beckoned me over to try some “authentic Japanese street food.” It didn’t look Japanese, she gave me a sample and it didn’t taste Japanese, there was writing on a Blackboard behind her that wasn’t Japanese, and the names of the dishes weren’t very Japanese sounding: “Mongolian Beef, HongShao Pork, Five Spices Chicken, Beijing Beef…” But it was decidedly scrumptious so I ordered a plate of the Five Spices Chicken and I told her “This is delicious but it is NOT Japanese street food, isn’t it …” a woman came out from the back and scolded me a little. She told me that this was most definitely NOT Japanese bento, “This is Taiwanese bento, authentic Taiwanese street food!” I told here that I knew it wasn’t Japanese, explaining that her American worker claimed it was Japanese, but she still seemed a little insulted. Instead of explaining that she was the one who misunderstood, the White worker went to the back to get the other Taiwanese worker from the back, maybe he’s the chef, so he came out and asked me “Are you the one with the questions about our food?” I told him no, his worker claimed this was Japanese street food, and he too thought I was the one who needed to have the explanation. He told me that he served authentic Taiwanese street food, not Japanese bento, and that they were written up in the Milwaukee Journal as such. I explained again that I knew this wasn’t Japanese, and that his worker had described it this way. So, usually this sort of awkward and uncomfortable experience makes me not want to come back to a restaurant, but the food is incomparably delicious, a great deal and yes, it is authentic Taiwanese street food. The place earns five stars as soon as all front end workers are taught some geography.

ë?? (The GOP) ?? ì ??? – Menu with Prices – 2605 Pleasant Hill Rd #400, Duluth

Let me start off by saying that the food here is pretty solid, but their service needs a ton of work. We were a party of three, and we arrived on Friday for dinner. After we were seated, we ordered 2 servings of the Large Gopchang BBQ (beef large intestines) and 1 Spicy Pork Rib Stew (serving for two). They were offering a free side of either naengmyun broth (cold noodle broth) or jjampong soup (spicy seafood soup) and we chose the latter. The side dishes came out relatively quickly and consisted of radish wraps, various assortments of kimchi and other pickled veggies, and a bowl of chives, which all tasted pretty decent. After a while, they brought out chawanmushi, a Japanese egg custard, as appetizer which is completely different from the Korean steamed egg (gyeran jjim) that I’m familiar with. The chawanmushi had a very silky texture (much like Chinese steamed eggs or soft tofu) but tastes really seafood-y because of the dashi. I’m just confused as to why they serve Japanese egg custard at a KBBQ place, but I’m not complaining as it was free. While we were waiting for our food, the server returned to ask about our order because he forgot. Okay, I understand that you’re busy, but remembering orders is part of your responsibility as a server. Little did I know things would get worse from then on. When our food finally came, they brought out the naengmyun broth instead of the jjampong. Maybe it was our Asian passivity at work or maybe it was just our growing frustration and hangry-ness, but we decided not to say anything about it. Now, I love naengmyun, and this broth was actually really good, better than a lot of the ones I’ve tasted at traditional Korean restaurants; I’ll give them credit for that. And their beef intestines, when fully cooked, are so, SO good; it’s fatty and flavorful without being stinky. The Spicy Pork Rib Stew was actually pretty small and definitely more on the braised side (heavily marinated with no liquid/soup) than other places, but my friends really liked the flavor, and the meat itself was very tender and fell off the bone easily. But their portion size and price I have a problem with. I mean, come on. I understand it’s a Korean joint, so serving size is probably in reference to how much Koreans deem is the right amount. But how are two servings of gopchang (worth $31.98) equal to nine little tubes of intestines, two slices of mushroom, three very thin slices of potatoes and a few pieces of onions and asparagus?? And how is that supposed to feed two adults?? Granted, they give you some slices of beef heart, but even then, it’s not enough food to satisfy fully-grown people with fully-grown appetites. Even the Spicy Pork Rib Stew, at $28.99, is a hefty price for what they give. And if the service was impeccable, I would not be so salty. But we had to flag down the server THREE times for him to get us a bowl of rice (which costs $1.99 by the way & isn’t even filled to the top), and they don’t even come around to refill your water unless you ask them to. I almost feel like we were given less attention because we didn’t speak Korean like the other customers, but I’ll never know because I don’t plan on coming back. I fully understand that The Gop is new. But they are severely lacking in their service and need to hire more employees (I only saw 3 or 4 servers working the floor with a full house.) I want places like this to do well because Duluth needs more gopchang restaurants, and I’m sad I can only give them 3 stars. Hopefully, things will turn around for the better.

Bangkok 54 Restaurant Menu with Prices 2919 Columbia Pike, Arlington

Decided to try Bangkok 54 with a group of my friends on a weeknight. I had seen the restaurant before because I have gone to Boru Ramen a couple times before (right next door). Not a fan of the parking in this area because it is very limited. Bangkok54 is a little better with their own lot in the back, but it is a little tight and can fill up quickly depending on the day. Service is always very friendly at Bangkok 54. The restaurant is very large, so I have not had to wait for a table yet. Dishes here range from maybe $12-15 on the menu with the classics like Thai curry, stir-fried dishes, noodles, soups, etc. Food: Mock Duck (vegetarian) – My friend ordered the mock duck the past two times and it is sooo good. It is crunchy, crispy, savory, and spicy!! Stir-Fry Kaprow (pork) – This is usually my go-to dish at Thai restaurants besides Khao Soi. It’s just stir-fried spicy pork with basil and peppers. It was pretty standard here and a little more on the pricy side. Mango Sticky Rice – Really good mango sticky rice here! Mangos were fresh and ripe and the sticky rice was sweet and delicious. Overall, food here is pretty solid and the restaurant is large. Parking can be a bit of a hassle sometimes, but not too bad since they have their own lot. Would recommend for some solid Thai food in the area.

Long Life Vegi House Menu with Prices 1725 University Ave, Berkeley

So, my friend became vegan, and invited me to this Chinese restaurant that is VEGAN. I couldn’t believe it. Chinese food being vegan? Being half Chinese, and growing up with Chinese food, I couldn’t believe it. LOL **NO MSG!! :):):):) Anyway, we ordered sweet-and-sour pork, with a side of fried rice, and eggroll. Also, we ordered beef with mushrooms braised. I couldn’t believe the “beef” & “pork” actually tasted like beef and pork. I was amazed, and I still am. I am not a huge fan of sweet and sour soup, but their’s was pretty good, especially since it was vegan. Yes, they specialize in vegan food, but they also have a regular menu. I really think that is a great/smart move. More business, more money. Not only that, but a variety is good. I have yet to come back and try more dishes. Maybe it will inspire me to finally try to become vegan, and try to make different dishes, because it is really DIFFICULT to do so. My husband loves meat too, and has no intention in becoming vegan, BUT I can’t wait to have him come to this place! He will be amazed also.

The Original – Menu with Prices – 2498 N Bartlett Ave, Milwaukee

Arrived on time with a group of 4 for a Friday evening 7:30 reservation and were greeted immediately and advised there would be a slight delay in seating. You could tell immediately that the place was hopping. Tall ceilings made it a bit loud for conversation, but the food, drink and service more than made up for any inconvenience. The craft cocktail menu was diverse and several selections tried were well planned and delicious. The menu is not extensive but each of the dishes we tried were fantastic. The octopus was tender and perfectly dressed with greens and aioli. The short rib was finished almost as fast as it arrived. The swordfish catch of the day was perfect with the accompanying grits and my favorite was the Smoked Duck Breast with a duck confit biscuit. All entrees were well created and excellent. The desserts were top notch as well, especially the duck fat pumpkin spiced cake (both sweet AND savory). Fantastic. The owner was on the floor and engaged with the staff and patrons. Our waiter/server, Craig, was helpful, funny and patient as he allowed us our time. BIG thumbs up for The Original. Highly recommended.

Taste of Tian Jin – Menu with Prices – 3875 Venture Dr A5, Duluth

Taste of Tianjin is located inside the Jusgo Supermarket food court. This food court stall serves all sorts of Chinese cuisine with a presumed specialty in the Tianjin cuisine of northeast China. Tianjin is a major port city and some of its well-known dishes incorporate seafood, lamb, and mutton. I tried a few non-Tianjin dishes from this restaurant, so this review probably doesn’t reflect the best this place has to offer. Taste of Tianjin has one of the larger menus among the stalls at the food court. Along with Tianjin cuisine, the restaurant also serves a variety of other regional Chinese cuisines including Cantonese, Shanghai (Jiangnan), Sichuan, and even Americanized Chinese cuisine. Chef recommendations include braised whole fish in chili oil ($10.95), Tianjin-style braised pork ($10.95), braised ribbonfish ($10.95), egg with tomato ($6.95), and spicy fried intestine ($8.95). There are a lot of options. Like other Asian food court stalls (particularly Chinese ones), Taste of Tianjin has pictures of several of its dishes, many of which are included in a picture book next to the register. I tried an order of the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), mapo tofu ($7.50), and chicken with plum sauce ($7.50). Eight medium to large sized dumplings were served in a wooden steam basket along with a side of vinegar dipping sauce in a disposable foam bowl. The dumplings were OK at best. They weren’t very soupy (they had very little soup in them), but were packed with pork. These were more like pork dumplings than anything. The skin was thick. While not terrible, I questioned the freshness of these dumplings. The sauce was alright. The man behind the counter said he made it himself. The mapo tofu (Sichuan dish) was good, but it could’ve used a bit more flavor and spice. Along with soft tofu cubes and a small pool of spicy, red, oily sauce, this dish came with savory ground pork, chopped green onion, red chili peppers, and yummingly numbing Sichuan peppercorns. The ingredients in this dish were good quality. We dined in and the tofu was served on a glass plate/bowl. The chicken with plum sauce was tasty, but rather pedestrian (no surprise there). The chicken was chopped and cooked with chopped carrots, zucchini, and green bell pepper. It had decent flavor. This is a simple dish that should satisfy the simplest of palates. Bowls of steamed white rice were included with the meal. Service was good and our orders came out in a reasonable amount of time. Like other vendors at the Jusgo food court, Taste of Tianjin uses a pager system to let you know when your order is ready for pickup. Complimentary tea, water, plastic silverware, wooden chopsticks, and condiments are available at the counter. If dining in, you should return plates, bowls, and trays when you’re finished. The credit card minimum is $10. I’d like to come back and try what I hope are better dishes.

The Magic Noodle ??å?«æ?¹ – Menu with Prices – 5829 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh

I came here with my father during dinner time and ordered the number 1 (house dry noodle with minced pork), shrimp soy fried rice, scallion pancake, stir fried greens, and intestines. I opted against getting my own customizable “magic” noodle bowls, so I can’t speak to that experience. However, I remember being a little confused and overwhelmed by the organization of the menu. The vegetables in particular were under the stir fry section and hard to notice. Regardless the food came out pretty quickly, maybe 10 minutes wait max. The service was good. Our waitress was friendly and kind and helped to accommodate us when we moved from outside to inside seating. I also noticed her helping other customers when the other waitress couldn’t understand their questions. She helped to clarify that the restaurant did offer gluten free options aka rice noodles. The food was okay. The noodle dish was kind of spicy for me, which I found kind of disappointing since I can’t tolerate spice well and had found no indication of this on the menu. The soy fried rice and scallion pancake were decent and the stir fried veggies refreshing. The intestines were a new experience for me and had a good amount of fat, but I don’t think I’m a fan of intestines in general. Overall it was nice to try the food, but I’m not sure if I would come again. Maybe I would return to try the create your own noodle option.

Easterly Hunan Cuisine Menu with Prices 2142 Center St, Berkeley

Easterly Hunan Cuisine has opened on Center Street, swiftly replacing China Center. I believe it’s related to the Easterly in Santa Clara. Their menu has a wide range of legit Hunan dishes as well as some “Asian fusion” Americanized Chinese options. Dishes are marked on a spiciness level of 1-3, and some options feature less common ingredients such as pork intestines, tripe, pork tongue, chicken gizzard, and stinky tofu. Prices are on the high side (but still lower than e.g. Great China) but possibly worth it for having such a great option so close to campus. Edit 05/11/2019: After coming back and trying a few more dishes, the food here is definitely legit. However, it is quite pricey, and while many Hunan dishes are by nature oily I found the food here to be more oily and heavy than some other Hunan restaurants I’ve tried. Personally I like Wojia in Albany more, but Easterly is definitely the best Chinese food in Berkeley. Highly recommended: -A6: Steamed pork rib in sticky rice with corn ($15.99) – super delicious sticky rice that comes in a bamboo steamer with ribs on the bottom. The portion of meat isn’t that huge but it imparts an amazing flavor to the sticky rice. -A4. Eggplant with minced pork, garlic, cilantro ($13.99) – delicious, oil-drenched eggplant full of flavor and served with garlic, pork, and cilantro on top. Good: -A1. Steamed cat fish with chopped pepper ($33.99) – very well done. You can taste the flavor of the catfish, and the texture is spot on. However, it’s expensive – the bowl is shallow and the portion is smaller than it looks; I believe it was one fish (including the head!). It’s also not very spicy. -D1. Braised pork feet with red pepper ($16.99) – very good; great texture (not overcooked) and not greasy. It’s only very slightly spicy. It seemed to have a bamboo flavor which I liked. -D4. Stir fried pork with pepper ($12.99) – I got this in a lunch special and it was cooked very well, with tender and not overly greasy meat and a generous amount of peppers. OK: -A12. Griddled bullfrog with pickled pepper ($28.99) – the flavor is delicious but the pieces of frog are very small, and it’s mostly filler (not much meat). It is quite greasy, even for this dish (e.g. compared to Wojia’s version). It’s also expensive – the price is even higher and the amount of frog is lower than at a certain Hunan Slurp in East Village in Manhattan. -C11. Steamed pork with rice flour ($16.99) – I thought this was kind of salty. The rice flour soaked up a lot of fat from the meat, which was decently tender and had an alcohol flavor that my friend liked. If you like fatty meat, you may like this dish, but I preferred the sticky rice with ribs. They also have some boxed lunch “Berkeley specials” ($12.99) that include stir fried pork/beef with pepper, stir fried tripe with Youxian smoked tofu, and stir fried smoked pork with dried radish. They come with rice and sides of mapo tofu, Napa cabbage, and a fried egg. It is expensive for a lunch special (and the meat portion is not very large), but all the components are quality. Servers are friendly but they are very understaffed, especially for how popular they’ve already become, so be prepared to wait. The interior has not really changed from the previous two restaurants in this location but looks pretty nice, with a few tables for larger groups. Definitely hoping they’re here much longer than their predecessor!