6ix Park Grill -- a secret no more

Living in Asia, it was customary to go to a restaurant inside a hotel when one wants good food. Since moving here, I've realized that there really isn't a hotel restaurant culture, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any good restaurants within an ordinarily unassuming hotel in your area

The Hyatt hotel group has recently been surprising me with their in-house restaurants, starting with TusCa at the Garden Grove location and now, 6ix Park Grill at Hyatt Irvine. I recently was invited to attend one of the monthly mixers held at the restaurant and was shocked at how many people were there. The outside area was packed with people enjoying the wine that night -- each month, the sommelier chooses a wine and that wine is featured at the mixer -- an Alexander Valley Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

I sat down and was immediately greeted by our server who was very knowledgeable about the menu and was friendly and chatty. We ordered some appetizers off the happy hour menu while we sipped on the wonderfully full-bodied wine of the month.

We started with Kobe Beef sliders ($8), two nicely done American Kobe sliders with white cheddar and tomato. The meat was moist and the buns were thoughtfully toasted. I enjoyed this very much.

Grilled sea scallops ($10) were absolutely divine. I loved these very much. The sea scallops were plump and very tender. They are also offered on the regular menu ($28) and served with haricot vert, morel risotto and a red pepper coulis.

Chef de Cuisine, Ted Hill, found his way over to our table and insisted on bringing out some of the house specialties for us to try. I was pretty damn full already but didn't want to be rude and ended up sampling the Ahi Poke ($11), with cucumber, soy and onion. The menu does not include the fresh ginger, but there was definitely ginger in this very refreshing poke. Served with chips, this could be a meal in itself for those with smaller appetites.

While we were sitting there, the servers come around with complimentary appetizers and one of them happened to be the fava bean bruschetta ($7 on the menu). I love the taste of fava beans and this was indeed a treat. Our well-informed server told us that the fava beans are individually shucked and then pureed to make this delicious spread.


Our 12oz prime USDA rib eye ($41) arrives grilled perfectly at medium rare. Each "chop house" selection comes with one side of your choice and when I looked through the offerings, the whole kernel corn with lime, sea salt, red bell pepper and a touch of cream totally shouted at me. The steak was great, but I could not stop eating the corn. It was THAT good. Chef Hill even divulged his recipe to me so I can make it at home if I wanted to!

I had no room left for dessert, but my dining companion has a sweet tooth so we ended up with pumpkin creme brulee ($7) and chocolate chunk croissant pudding ($8). Both were good, the pudding was a tad too sweet for me with the vanilla sauce, but the Belgian chocolate with the croissants was addictive. The creme brulee was rich and creamy and surprisingly, not as sweet as the vanilla sauce for the pudding. I enjoyed this immensely and wished I had room for more.

The restaurant also has a prix fixe menu ($26) which changes regularly. Entrees at the moment includes chicken, salmon or short ribs. A soup du jour or Californian greens are also included.

Happy hour runs from Monday to Friday between 5.30pm and 7.30pm. The outside patio is a great place to enjoy a drink and some appetizers and if you so choose, move into the main dining room for dinner later. The food is surprisingly good and wine selections means there is something to please everyone! Complimentary valet parking is offered when you dine at the restaurant -- just get your ticket validated before you leave.



6ix Park Grill, Hyatt Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine, CA 92614. Tel: (949) 222-6666

Peking restaurant -- a family favorite for comfort food

potstickers

***An abridged version is available at OC Register's Food Frenzy blog***

My family loves Peking restaurant. For generations, they would come here for Sunday lunches with my aunts and uncles, grandparents, great uncles and aunts in tow. I used to tag along whenever I used to visit and so my Peking restaurant experience spans about two decades.

After moving here, I somehow found my way back here again eating the same things I used to all those years with my extended family. Although we don't come here often, on those times that we do, we end up eating basically the same things each time.

The restaurant specializes in what we called "mian shir" or, "foods of starch". Basically, it is a northern Chinese staple, of noodles, dumplings, breads as opposed to rice. Food is generally heavier and greasier in the north to combat the harsh winter months. The cuisine focuses more on casseroles and stews rather than the stir-fries of the south -- Cantonese food.

beef roll

The minute I enter the restaurant, the servers will ask if I wanted the roast beef with green onion pancake roll ($7.85) and potstickers ($6.25/10 pieces), called pan fried dumplings on the menu. I tell her "of course" and she rushes off into the kitchen to place my order.

After we are settled and perusing the menu, she comes back and brings us tea and tells me that my order is in and what else I needed. I tell her I wanted the beancurd with chives and pork and some preserved vegetables with pork soup noodles. I pondered about ordering boiled dumplings but she looks at me and tells me I already have potstickers and I don't need rice either seeing I've got a carb-packed meal to come. Ahhh you've gotta love these old Asian servers who think they are your aunties and know better than you do.

beancurd, chives and pork

The potstickers are awesome here. I love the crispiness of the bottom side with the juicy meat filling inside. These are greasy, but oh so good. I usually make a sauce of 3 parts vinegar, 1 part soy sauce and a spoon of chili sauce for the potstickers to dip in. One portion of 10 potstickers don't last very long since everyone is fighting over them.

Stir fried beancurd with chives and pork is very tasty and I wish I had some rice to go with it, but I didn't want to ask. Whenever I eat here I feel like if I asked for something they already told me no, I would get yelled at, like how I would at home. Funny, but true. But she was right, I didn't need anymore starchy foods. We had more to come.

chive turnover

Roast beef with green onion pancake roll is very filling and I like the sweet sauce on the side. I always request they put it on the side because otherwise they will slather way too much on to the sandwich and I can't taste the beef anymore. It's just a mouthful of sweet. This way, everyone can add as little or as much as they like and everyone is happy. The beef is like what my mother makes, a braised five spiced beef, sliced and rolled into a scallion pancake (cong you bing) along with fresh scallions and cilantro. It always makes me happy eating this regardless of where I have it and how it is made. It reminds me of my mom's home cooking except my mom would use the beef on regular bread to make sandwiches with or in a noodle soup, which brings me to the noodle soup we ordered.

hand cut noodles

Preserved vegetables with pork in a soup noodle arrive and I immediately knew it would not be satisfactory. We asked for hand cut noodles which were the only good thing going for it. There wasn't enough broth and the noodles quickly soaked up whatever little broth was in the bowl. The preserved vegetables and pork to noodle ratio was about 1 to 4 which made for very unsatisfactory eating. I like my soup noodles with a lot of soup and much more toppings than this. I brought it home and re-hashed it into another noodle soup meal a few nights later.


Service is brisk and abrupt. If you are looking for a smile or a joke, this isn't the place to find it. What you see is what you get. They will take your order, bring your food, perhaps a box for your unfinished food, bring you the check. Don't expect anything more and you won't be disappointed. With that in mind, come for the potstickers, the beef rolls and steamed dumplings if you are not getting the potstickers. Know that whatever northern "starch" specialty item you order, it'll be good.

Peking Restaurant, 8566 Westminster Blvd, Westminster, CA 92683. Tel: 714-893-3020

Orphans' Christmas Dinner 2010

Each year, my new friend Paul Lyttle cooks Christmas dinner for his friends who are alone, or don't have family around. He calls it the "Orphans' Christmas Dinner". This year, 12 people stopped by and Paul himself cooked the extravaganza with only a little help from everyone else. I just want to be clear that I did nothing except stuff myself full of food.

The menu this year as modeled by the lovely Amber who arrived in all her festive Christmas gear -- and her mom did too!

Each guest was asked to bring stocking stuffers to put into everyone's stockings and when I arrived, Danni was busy wrapping some of the gifts and placing them into the stockings.

I raided the fridge and got myself a beer and Austin and I ate some raspberry turnovers and brie en croute while we waited for the food to be ready.

Paul is from England and the menu was a testament to his roots as well as his adopted home. He had been slaving away all day and by the time we got there, he had already finished making the roast beef and the turkey was in the oven

The stove had pots of water boiling with potatoes, carrots, swede (rutabaga), and the smell was incredible.

Soon, the turkey was done, carved, gravy, sauces completed and the table was set for the Christmas night feast.

There was roast beef with a British style sauce, more like au jus, but a little thicker, but not thick like gravy.

roast beef

My favorite thing to eat with roast beef is Yorkshire pudding and Paul almost didn't make these but I pleaded and begged and Cory ended up making them. I poured the sauce over the pudding and scarfed down three of them.


I was told the Yorkshire pudding is easy to make, and I'll take their word for it. Maybe, just maybe I'll try to make some next year.

Yorkshire pudding

Roasted turkey was so moist and flavorful and Amber's mom did a fantastic job carving the bird. Being the only Asian at dinner, I had my pick of the dark meat which was very tasty and I went back for seconds and thirds.

traditional roasted turkey

Lovely thick gravy for the turkey as well as a creamy garlic sauce which Paul made, but for me, the roast beef sauce was what I liked on EVERYTHING!
 
Side dishes included a carrot and swede (rutabaga) mash. I like the mixture because the texture isn't mushy and had a slightly sweet taste from the carrots but it wasn't overly sweet.

carrot and swede mash

Mashed red potatoes were awesome, I loved how Paul left the skin on. That's the way I make my mashed potatoes! The gravy made this dish very delicious.

Another potato dish was roasted potatoes with garlic, rosemary and thyme -- a Gordon Ramsey Christmas dinner recipe. Soft on the inside and crisp on the outside.

potatoes with rosemary and thyme

Parsnip strips are also tasty and it's nice to have a bunch of different root vegetables to put together a hearty winter meal.

parsnips

Bread stuffing was done two ways. One was traditional, the way I'd make it in a baking dish, while the other one was made into "cakes". They looked like scones but were just the stuffing mixture made into balls and baked.

stuffing balls

There were two home made cranberry sauces -- which I didn't taste because I don't like cranberry sauce, not even when I make it. I did return back to the table several times to eat more roast beef, turkey and of course, the Yorkshire pudding.

There were other dishes I didn't take a photo of, but if you take a look at the spread, there is a lot of food and for the meal to have been cooked by one person -- that's serious kudos right there for ya! I've made meals like this before and I know how much work goes into it, so I am SO very appreciative when someone cooks a meal like this for me. Thank you Paul and Cory for yor hospitality and thanks for including me in your Christmas festivities!!

OC Poultry & Rotisserie -- a hidden Vietnamese deli worth trying out

chicken banh mi

I had seen this place when I went to Doner G for a birthday party months ago. I thought it had an interesting name, but didn't give much thought to it until several people mentioned it to me. After that, I had to check it out!This little Vietnamese deli is in the same plaza as Doner G and sits behind the car wash and is a mom and pop business serving both as a small grocery store as well as a restaurant.

I asked my friend who lives in Anaheim to join me for an early lunch seeing I wanted to try a bunch of things and there was no way I would be able to finish it all on my own.

chicken curry

As soon as we enter, we were greeted by a very friendly lady who asked us what she could get for us. I'd wanted to try several things and after I perused the board and ended up getting more than what I had originally planned. Thank god Gerry was there to help me polish all this food off.




We started with banh mi, a foot-long Vietnamese sandwich, filled with shredded rotisserie chicken ($2.89), In true banh mi style, there was do chua (pickled julienned carrots and daikon), cilantro and jalapeno (if you asked for spicy). They make the rotisserie chicken in-house and is flavored with an Asian style marinade consisting mainly of soy sauce and other seasonings. The sandwich is good, but needed a even more of a kick than what the jalapeno was doing, so I squeezed some sambal oelek into it which did the trick.

sticky rice with shredded rotisserie chicken

Ca Ri Ga or chicken curry ($5.50) is served with your choice of rice or bread and arrives in a bowl swimming with carrots and potatoes. The curry is mild and although the sauce is on the watery side, the flavors are good. I can really taste the coconut milk in here. The bread soaks up the sauce pretty well and we do this until all the bread is gone. We didn't want to waste any of it.


The same shredded chicken used in the banh mi is also served with sticky rice ($3.50) and I thought tasted more flavorful than when eaten as part of a banh mi. Fried shallots are sprinkled on top of this dish giving it an additional southeast Asian flavor to it. It is a filling meal for a very small price.

They've recently added a new banh mi to the menu, lemongrass beef ($3.99) and I highly recommend this if you want a tasty Vietnamese sandwich! The meat is very aromatic, flavorful and very delicious. If you don't want to eat a sandwich, you can also have the beef with rice, eggs and soup for $6.50.

lemongrass beef banh mi

Although I didn't try the chicken udon noodles ($4.75) the table next to me ordered it so I asked if they would let me take a photo. They kindly allowed me to. The broth used in the udon is house-made chicken stock so you know it is just like home-made.

The store also sells fresh poultry and eggs. I brought a chicken home and made chicken soup with it, plus 2 dozen eggs. I loved the eggs because the yolks were so plump, but the chicken was just okay. I still prefer the ones at Dakao Poultry.

If you live in the area, this place is a great place to stop by for great cheap eats and pick up a dozen eggs while you're at it. For me, it's quite a trek to just drive on over for banh mi and chicken curry, but if I ever find myself in the area craving a banh mi, I'll definitely think of this place! The owners are friendly and lovely and I am always a firm believer in supporting small independant businesses! Go check them out!

OC Poultry & Rotisserie, 2117 E Ball Rd, Anaheim, CA 92806. Tel: 714-780-0225

Soho Taco -- addictive like gourmet crack

Chef Gabe at the helm (left)

Funny story. A friend of mine was wanting to organize a surprise birthday party for his wife and asked me which caterer he should use -- namely, tacos! I told him I'd never used one before but I'd look into it for him. I did some research and came up with a few places and I email them to him.

Weeks go by and I didn't hear from him so I shoot off an email and asked if he hired a caterer for his wife's birthday and he said "oh yeah, I went with Soho Taco, they were awesome, thank you".

Fast forward to a Yelp elite event in October and Soho Taco was catering the event. As all Yelp events go, the line for food was long and I had no patience to wait for tacos. Some of my friends offered me one of their's and I scarfed it down very quickly -- yes hunger does that to you -- and it was a seriously tasty taco, even though it was cold.

portabello and veggie taco

I thought about it for a while and now that I wasn't about to keel over from hunger, I decided to go stand in line and after about 40 minutes, I finally got to the front of the line and was presented with a plate of 3 tacos -- carne asada, carnitas and vegetarian. Condiments are set out for you to dress your taco any which way you wish and I immediately was hooked on the 'green' salsa which is predominantly made with jalapenos.

I'm no vegetarian, but out of the 3 tacos, the veggie definitely won me over. Meaty slices of portobello sits with onions, peppers to make for a taco unlike any other. These are the best veggie tacos you will ever eat! I promise you this!

Last month, I attended a customer appreciation event at BMW Crevier which Soho Taco was catering and managed to eat another 3 tacos there -- this time, one of their specialty, cecina de res -- thin strips of beef which has been aged and partially cured in salt.This Mexican delicacy is so tender and flavorful and makes for a perfect filling for absolutely delicious tacos. I asked about it but was told it was a fiercely guarded Zambrano (Chef Gabe Zambrano) family secret so I didn't probe any further.

carne asada, cecina de res, pollo tacos

Last week I attended a preview at Proof Bar where Soho Taco was showcasing their tacos to potential customers and I was there like a lightening bolt. I must've been seriously hungry because I managed to eat 5 of their tacos, this time, besides the veggie, carnitas, cecina de res, I also sampled the mahi mahi and the shrimp tacos -- both outstanding! In fact, I think those two might just be my absolute favorites, although, don't quote me on that seeing I ate those two first and still managed to wolf down 3 others.

There are 3 sauces, one of which is guacamole style, avocado-based. The roasted red tomato salsa is tasty and will suit those who like a milder salsa. Pico de gallo is another option and uses ripe heirloom tomatoes when in season. However, the green salsa is my crack! It is very addictive and I found that it goes well on almost everything I've put it on.

salsas and condiments

I urge you to keep these guys on your radar because I predict HUGE things for them. Once the public gets a taste of these insanely delicious tacos, I fear it will become almost impossible for me to get to them as easily anymore.


Soho Taco is currently still a catering-only business, although word has it they are in the process of acquiring a food truck in the near future. Until then, you can follow them on Facebook or Twitter and find them at various events around town, some, open to the public. That's how I stalk them for these delicious tacos!

ECCO is now even more affordable

calamari fries

Ever since I discovered ECCO during Restaurant Week this year, I haven't stopped thinking about it. I've come back several times after to eat the various items on the menu, but time after time again, I find myself going back to the same menu items which I come for time and time again.

A couple of weeks ago, ECCO revealed a $15 prix fixe -- a 2 course, full portion of your choice of an appetizer and an entree. What totally sold me on was the calamari fries, offered as an appetizer on this menu -- one of my favorites.

First course choices include: minestrone soup, calamari fries, or chopped salad consisting of garbanzo beans, red onions, fennel salame, tomatoes, pepperoncinis tossed in a white wine vinaigrette.

chicken piccata

For the second course, manicotti with spinach, ricotta, mozzarella in a red and white sauce or the Margherita pizza are both perfect for vegetarians while chicken picatta and linguini with salmon are available to those wanting more protein to their meal.

Chicken piccata is very good, chicken is moist and tender and the lemon caper sauce works well with the linguini.

Of course if you wish for some of the awesome pizzas ECCO has to offer, try visiting on Tuesdays when pizzas are 2 for 1. Three choices are available: sausage, Magherita and white -- my favorite being the latter.

white pizza

The service is still very good and the timeliness in which the food is brought to the table has improved tremendously since our first visit. All in all, ECCO is fast becoming a favorite spot to grab some good grub in a casual but trendy environment.

ECCO, 2937 Bristol Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Tel: (714) 444-3226

Pupuseria San Sivar -- it's all about the chicken soup

***An abridged version of this runs on the OC Register's Food Frenzy blog***


My first experience with El Salvadorean cuisine was not a good one. I remember going to a restaurant in the Bay Area and thinking how awful these pupusas were. I was bent on never eating them again.

Fast forward several years later and we've moved here and I'm looking for places to eat on Yelp and come across this little place, a solid 4-stars and there were other items people raved about other than the pupusas. I thought "okay, let's give this another try" and I guess, the rest is history.

Drink orders are taken almost the minute you sit down and when they bring those, a bowl of curtido --lightly fermented cabbage slaw with red chilies and vinegar -- is also brought to the table.

queso y frijole pupusa

On my first visit to Pupuseria San Sivar years ago, I remember didn't order a pupusa. I ordered the caldo de gallina criolla, a very flavorful chicken soup, another Yelper favorite. On that first visit though, I did end up trying the pupusas that were ordered and found that they tasted nothing like the horrid things I tried years ago. These pillowy, soft, doughy pockets were filled with the most flavorful concoctions ever.


Pupusas are traditional tortillas El Salvador. These thick, hand-made corn tortillas are filled with different things, but namely, cheese, beans or pork, or all of those. The pork used in the pupusas is called chicharron, but is different to the chidharron used in Mexican cuisine which refers to pork skin. In El Salvador, chicharron is cooked pork made into the consistency of a paste.

The two most common pupusas are the pupusa de queso (cheese) and more popular pupusa revuelta which includes a mix of cheese (queso), beans (frijoles), and and pork (chicharron) and you will find both of these on the menu.

caldo de gallina criolla with everything

I've tried all the pupusas except the camarones y queso (shrimp and cheese) and so decided to order that on my most recent visit. Of course I couldn't go without the queso y frijole (cheese and beans) pupusa either.

However, pupusas aside, my main reason for coming on this latest visit is the chicken soup. I've been sick for over a week now and after eating pho ga and Chinese porridge for most of the week, I was now tired and needed something new, but at the same time, comforting and soothing. My thoughts immediately turned to the chicken soup here.

Hens are used here for the chicken soup and it is clearly evident by the droplets of yellow fat on top of the soup. The quarter chicken that is served alongside also displays yellow fat, as opposed to white fat from regular chickens you get from the market. I ask about these chickens and was told that they used to get it from a poultry vendor in Westminster (probably Dakao Poultry where I get my chickens from) but now get it from a poultry vendor in LA because the owner likes to personally select each and every chicken he buys for the restaurant. Apparently the vendor in Westminster didn't allow him to do that.

rice, quarter chicken and condiments

Carrot, potato, chayote are all found swimming in the hearty broth. Sometimes you may even find a piece of neck bone or parts of the carcass you didn't want to find, but fish it out if you don't want to look at it because that is what makes the broth so utterly flavorful and different from the rest.

For $8.50, a big bowl of broth with vegetables arrive with two plain pupusas, a small scoop of rice, a quarter chicken and condiments. You won't find a better deal than this one when you're feeling under the weather and in dire need of some comfort food stat!

Salvadorean chicken tamale

I've also had the mojarra fritta (deep fried Tilapia), tacos and quesadillas here, but those can't compare to the Salvadorean food they offer.

The Salvadorean chicken tamale is highly recommended and although the texture of the masa is a little bit different to that I've eaten at Mexican restaurants, the one here is infused with wonderful flavors and is very smooth in consistency. I'm not sure which I like better. I think I prefer the texture of Mexican tamales but like the flavor of these better.

The food here is always good but whenever I come here, I always order the caldo de gallina criolla!! It's absolutely THE best.


Pupuseria San Sivar, 1940 Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92627. Tel: 949-650-2952

Go Goo Ryeo -- Korean barbecue at its best

chadol baegi (beef brisket)

When Go Goo Ryeo first opened we used to come here a lot. I then stopped coming when management changed, then the owners changed, and I stopped coming. This year, my friend Evelyn told me that she and her family have been coming here a lot and that they were pretty good, so we re-visited and truly, they have definitely improved to the original quality.

My son loves to eat Korean barbecue and bugs me to take him. It's been months since his last visit, so when he was craving it this weekend, II took him for lunch to satiate his cravings.

Ordinarily, I would order a la carte if there were only a few of us. If there were more in our party, I'd opt for the all-you-can-eat option so there wouldn't be a lot of bickering as to what meats to order since there is a little of everything. We usually only eat the chadol baegi (beef brisket) and jumuluk (boneless seasoned short rib), but the all-you-can-eat also includes chicken, taegi bugolgi (spicy pork) and bugolgi (marinated beef) if you want them.

The quality of the AYCE here is the best you'll find. Most AYCE places will give you the lower cuts of meat, poorer quality, fattier meats but here, the meats are lean and good cuts. I was surprised on my first visit back recently that the chadol baegi was nice and lean instead of half fat.

napa cabbage kimchi

The servers will come and help you cook the meat and they refill the banchan (side dishes) when you ask. Usually for a la carte, they will bring out more varieties of banchan. For AYCE, about 6-8 types are offered and if there is something you particularly want, they will bring them out if you ask.

We had two types of kimchi, the regular napa cabbage kind as well as the musaengchae (julienned daikon) marinated in a vinagrette and chili. Regular napa kimchi was very ripe so tasted very sour. I don't mind this if it sits on the grill for a minute or two on each side. Cooking it cuts down the acidic level of the kimchi and makes it more bearable. Some Korean restaurants offer kimchi which hasn't been fermenting for a long time so it is very crunchy and lack the depth of flavor, however, I think this appeals more to unseasoned kimchi eaters, although I know a few Korean friends who don't like it this fermented either.

Peppers with miso was a hit and we had to ask for refills about four times. Korean peppers are boiled and then mixed with a mild miso paste giving it a rich salty finish.

salad with vinaigrette

One of our favorite banchan is pajun (pancake). Most of the time if you order this dish in a restaurant it will come with a variety of seafood and vegetables mixed in. As a banchan it is generally made with only scallions. I like to put mine on the grill for a few minutes on each side to get them crispy again before eating.

Kongnamul is a banchan using boiled soy bean sprouts which are tossed in soy sauce and sesame oil. This was my son's favorite banchan until he found out he liked kimchi. It is crunchy and flavorful and usually very mild, sort of like bean sprouts but with a crunchier texture. 

Pickled cucumbers remind me of the kind we have in Chinese cuisine. Usually we eat this with jook (rice porridge) for breakfast. The salty sweet flavors goes really well with the bland soupy rice. There is also a green salad offered with a light vinaigrette which is highly refreshing after the grilled meats.

meat and condiments atop dduk

Other condiments include muu (pickled radish discs) and dduk (rice paper) which are used as wrappers for the cooked meats. Basically you can package your final morsel any way you choose. I like it sometimes with dduk and sometimes with muu. If I wanted to stay away from carbs, muu is the best way to go. The vinegary radish discs help cut down on the fatty content of the meat making it possible to for me to consume more than if I were to just eat the meat on its own or with dduk.

Gyeran-jjim (egg custard stew) and dwenjangjigae (bean paste soup) are both complimentary and served in a scorching stone pot. These two gives a "soup" element to an otherwise "dry" meal. I love dwenjangjigae and often will ask for refills. They are very generous here and will always comply. I like eating this piping hot. The soup consists of tofu cubes, onions, zucchini and is on the salty side.

gyeran-jjim (egg custard stew)

Rice is available if you ask, but I usually will ask for nurungji bap (burnt rice soup) instead of rice. It takes them a little while to prepare this but it is well worth the wait. Scorched rice is used to make this and the watery consistency is an excellent finish to an otherwise heavy meal. I eat this with the remainding banchan or the remaining dwenjangjigae because on its own, it is bland except for that hint of smokiness which comes from the burnt rice.

At $16.99 the all-you-can-eat is very reasonable and the best way to go if you are new to this. A la carte barbecue items start at $17.99 per order and although one order is generally enough for one person, it limits the different meats you can try.

The staff at Go Goo Ryeo all speak English and service is very good. They are helpful and courteous and unless I want to drive to Koreatown up in LA  this, at the moment, is the best Korean barbecue in Orange County. Best of all, all the grills utilize a 'suck down' ventilation system which doesn't leave you smelling like the meal you just had when you are done.

Go Goo Ryeo, 8851 Garden Grove Blvd, Garden Grove, CA 92844. Tel: 714-638-5959 

Chomp Chomp Nation -- a slice of Singapore on wheels

Sloppy Joe slider

**You can find an abridged version of this on OC Register's Food Frenzy**


I grew up in Malaysia and every year, during spring break, my parents would pack us onto an airplane and our family would spend a week in Singapore. My parents had lots of friends there one of whom were my godparents. Whenever they would get together, all they would do is eat and shop, mostly Chinese food, but some of the time we would eat at hawker stalls.

When I got older, I visited the hawker stalls more frequently and my favorite foods would be the popiah, Hokkien mee, Hainan chicken rice, curry laksa and sambal stingray. I remember while finishing up high school in Hong Kong, our senior class trip was to Singapore and Malaysia and I reveled in all the wonderful foods of my childhood when we all embarked on the hawker center for some locale fare.

Since moving to the US a little over a decade ago, it's been nothing short of a miracle trying to find authentic southeast Asian fare. These days if I'm craving something, I'll either have to rely on friends to cook it, or slave away at the stove myself.


When I heard about Chomp Chomp Nation a few months ago I was both intrigued and excited. A food truck serving Singaporean hawker food? I immediately started following them on Twitter and then on their second day out, I was on them like a hawk stalks its prey.

Singaporean crab slider

 Owners Shaun Ng, a native Singaporean, and his partner Robert Zuetell (with Robert's wife Gina at the kitchen's helm) run Chomp Chomp Nation. Their vision is to bring a taste of Singaporean street food to the people of southern California. The truck's motto clearly states "Street hawker food with an American twist" and once I understood that concept, I think I enjoyed them better. I was expecting Singaporean hawker food and I think the first time, with those expectations, I was disappointed.

To date, I've tried them on about five occasions and I've now sampled everything on the menu. Let's start with the Sloppy Joe slider, a sandwich using rendang as its basis. This thick, rich, beef dish is seasoned with predominantly a mix of including galangal, lemongrass, chili, and coconut milk. I make this at home so I know exactly how much time and effort is put into it so I am hunbled that a truck can turn out rendang like this without the fittings of a complete kitchen.

I like the flavor of the rendang although texturally, it isn't what rendant should be, but then again, it's an American twist on Singaporean food whereby the rendang is topped with Tiger slaw, a mix of carrots, cabbage, and Asian vegetables like daikon and papaya giving it a more eastern flavor.


Singapore crab slider is a crabcake topped with Sinagporean style chili sauce and although I liked it as a crabcake, I was expecting the chili crab I had grown up eating and it was difficult to make my brain to process this differently. I know a lot of my friends really love this slider, but then again, they've never had chili crab in Singapore before *wink*

chicken satay

My absolute favorite on the truck are the satays. There are chicken, Wagyu beef, tofu satays and sometimes, they feature lamb satays on the specials board. The accompanying peanut sauce is very authentic! It is some of the best I've ever tasted! In fact, I could just eat this with the lontong (coconut rice cubes) they have. Honestly, hardly any southeast Asian restaurants in southern California serves lontong with their satays and these are something I associate satay with. In Malaysia, every order of satay is accompanied with lontong and frankly, it's my favorite part, especially when the peanut sauce is as good as this one.

Wagyu beef is tender, chicken is also good. Vegetarians can enjoy tofu satays with that delicious peanut sauce.

But that's not all. Don't leave without trying some of the desserts. Singapore S'mores uses nutella sandwiched between toast and drizzled with a coconut syrup and topped with coconut whipped cream.

French Toast

French toast Singaporean style is toast smothered with kaya, a coconut jam that is readily available in southeast Asia and as ubiquitous as Vegemite in Australia and maple syrup to pancakes here in north America. This sweet, gooey, coconut paste on toast, drizzled with condensed milk and served with fresh seasonal fruit is a twist on the breakfasts I remember my nanny would secretly slip me because my mother did not approve of it. My breakfasts were not as elaborate as this of course-- I didn't get any seasonal fruit on mine, just toast slathered with kaya.

The truck is always adding new items to the menu and experimenting with different ways to make the same items. On my last visit, I enjoyed the lamb slider immensely! I think that is my new favorite for now, until that is, they add something else that tickles my fancy!

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Cham Bistro pickles the traditional way

Last month I was invited to a kimchi pickling event courtesy of Cham Bistro, a Korean restaurant in Pasadena. I'm an avid fan of kimchi and was very excited to learn how to do this the traditional way. For the purpose of this post, I will detour from my regular format and instead, use photos to show how this process is done. A recipe will be posted at the end of the article for those of you who are interested in preparing this.

Napa cabbage is first soaked in salt water for an hour or two to soften the cabbage, so that it wilts the cabbage enough to later absorb the kimchi marinade.

A puree of fresh chilis, onions, Asian pear, garlic and ginger is put through the food processor and mixed with chili powder and "sweet rice porridge" made with rice powder and water that has been previously boiled and cooled.

Once the wet mixture is completed, add in the radish, minari, red mustard greens, chives and green onions and mix thoroughly so everything is evenly incorporated.

At this point, add in the important flavoring aspects which are the anchovy fish sauce, salted shrimp sauce and a mix of fresh and salted shrimp. Yes, RAW shrimps my friends!

Give everything a really good mix, the best way to do it is the way shown in the photo, with gloves so you don't have a case of burning hands when you're done, and also, so your hands don't smell like kimchi for weeks on end.

When the mixture is ready, bring the napa cabbage to the mixing bowl and layer the mixture in between each flap of the napa, fold the napa in half and place into a glass jar with a good seal.

So you're supposed to wait 20 days before opening the jar. I waited a little more than that and here is the result of my first attempt at pickling kimchi the traditional way. The aroma is incredible! The taste, nothing like what you would ever find in a store-bought kimchi. The recipe is below......

Tong Baechu Kimchi (Whole Napa Cabbage Kimchi)

For wilted napa cabbage 2 heads napa cabbage 2 cups sea salt 8 cups water For kimchi marinade 1 cup sweet rice powder 5 cups water 1 cup coarse Taeyangcho red chili pepper powder 5 ounces garlic 10 ounces Asian pear, peeled and quartered  9 ounces onions, peeled and quartered 1 ounce ginger, peeled 4 ounces Fresno chilies 2 pounds radish, julienned  4 ounces minari 4 ounces red mustard greens 4 ounces Korean chives 4 ounces green onions 1/4 cup Korean anchovy fish sauce 3/4 cup Korean salted shrimp sauce 4 ounces fresh shrimp, chopped 4 ounces Korean salted shrimp Prepare napa cabbage 1. Trim the cabbage by removing any brown leaves on the outer layers. Slice the center of the cabbage's stem 2 inches deep. Using your thumbs and hands, pull the cabbage into two sections through the slit. Repeat for the remaining cabbage. 2. Soak the cabbage sections in salted water (8 cups water to 1 cup sea salt) for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the cabbage from the salt water and sprinkle the remaining salt between each of the leaves. Return cabbage to the salted water with the cut side facing up. Rotate the cabbage every two hours, bringing the cabbage on the bottom of the container to the top and vice versa. After 5-6 hours, the texture of the cabbage will be properly rubbery. Wash the cabbage thoroughly and gently. Drain the cabbage in a colander, squeezing as much water from the leaves as possible. Set aside. Prepare kimchi marinade 1. Combine the water with the sweet rice powder and whisk until smooth. Heat the water and rice powder mixture on the stove on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When bubbles start to form, reduce the heat and continue to stir. Once the mixture thickens and becomes translucent, take off the heat, approximately 10 minutes. Cool the mixture completely. 2. Place the onions, pear, garlic, ginger, and Fresno chilies in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Set aside. 3. Once the rice powder mixture has cooled completely transfer to a large bowl. Add the red chili pepper powder to the rice powder mixture and combine well. Then, add in the pureed chili mixture along with the radish, minari, red mustard greens, chives, and green onions. Combine the mixture thoroughly, making sure that the greens are incorporated into the mixture completely. Lastly, add in the anchovy fish sauce, salted shrimp sauce, and fresh and salted shrimp. Once again, combine the mixture very well. (If mixing with your hands, be sure to wear rubber gloves to avoid chili burn.) Prepare the kimchi 1. Take cabbage and stuff marinade mixture between leaves, working from outside in, starting with largest leaf to smallest. Do not overstuff, but make sure the marinade mixture adequately fills leaves. When entire cabbage is stuffed, take one of the larger leaves and wrap tightly around the rest of the cabbage. Divide cabbage among jars, pressing down firmly to remove any air bubbles. Only fill the jar 80% full because the kimchi will expand as it ferments. 2. Keep the jar tightly sealed and refrigerated for at least 20 days. **Recipe by Chef EJ Jeong of Cham Korean Bistro in Pasadena** Cham Bistro, 851 Cordova Street, Pasadena, CA 91101-2675. Tel: 626-792-2474