Eat, Drink + Be Merry. Food, Travel, Photography, Design + Music in Los Angeles and Other Parts of the Earth.

*I’ve started a new section on this site called I Heart SGV not only to celebrate my obvious love for one of the best Asian enclaves for food in Southern California, but to keep you guys informed with the latest and greatest dishes it offers. San Gabriel Valley is extremely dynamic with its constant grand openings, ownership changes and chef departures. I’ve seen it happen in my 30+ years of living/eating in the SGV – what you enjoy one day can be completely different the next month. It only takes one person to mess up the food in the kitchen. Customer service aside, SGV is a wonderful, exciting, cash-only place to eat. This is time sensitive content, so I hope you’ll eat at the I Heart SGV places as soon as you can. Let’s eat!

Flavor Garden, Alhambra
Beef noodle soup is equivalent to a controversial discussion on the best pizza in New York or the best burger in LA. For some people that take food a little too seriously – tears may start flowing, blood will boil and cars will be flipped over. Completely unnecessary – you should like what you like. I’ve found that with beef noodle soup, there are so many different styles that it is hard to choose just one place. Both the Northern Chinese and Taiwanese make stellar beef noodle soups but in my opinion, none is better than the other, it’s really your preference. Northern Chinese beef noodle soup seems to be heavy with star anise and chili oil. For the noodles, you can get your standard skinny noodle equivalent to spaghetti (xi1 mian4), hand-pulled noodles (shou3 la1 mian4) or knife cut noodles (dao1 xiao1 mian4). Taiwanese beef noodle soup is typically more hearty than Northern China with the usage of spicy chili bean paste, tomatoes and in some cases, papaya for sweetness. For the noodles, I’ve seen most places offer wider noodles (kuan1 mian4) and if the chef makes it by hand, they are even more delicious. The Northern Chinese will typically use bok choy as a garnish while the Taiwanese like using spinach (buo1 tsai4) – I like both! Both regions will also offer noodle soups with different cuts of meat like shank, brisket and tendon. So it’s really your preference.

I started frequenting Flavor Garden a few months ago and this is a perfect example of the constant SGV dynamics. I believe the ghosts of the former restaurants were also making Northern Chinese noodles and dumplings. For some reason, whether it is due to the heavy competition (there are 2 other Northern Chinese noodle places next door) or bad feng shui, the restaurants in this Wendy’s plaza swap out quite often. But I really hope that this place is here to stay because they have some really tasty food. The poster outside gives you a nice idea of what they serve – fiery red bowls of beef noodle soup and plump dumplings that resemble pork grenades ready to devastate the palate. The chef hails from the city of Chongqing, which according to Wikipedia, has separated from the province of Sichuan. It is now a municipality under Beijing and roughly the size of Austria with 30 million people. Chongqing is also written as “Chung King” for Westernization and you may know of the dearly loved Chung King Szechuan restaurant in San Gabriel Valley. I also learned that Chinese hot pot is originally from the city of Chongqing. If you’re a fan of Lucky Noodle King (previous owner of Chuan Yu Noodle Town) in San Gabriel, you’re eating Chongqing-style cuisine.

Sichuan Spicy Beef Noodle Soup (川 味 牛 肉 面）
For the first time in a long while, I’ve found a bowl of beef noodle soup I like. I was pretty frustrated with what was offered over the last few years in SGV and after eating it in Taiwan, I lost all hope and just started making it at home. Hao’s Kitchen in San Gabriel serves a pretty tasty Taiwanese version but I think I’ve come to like Flavor Garden’s more because the soup has just enough beefiness to it yet it doesn’t feel like it’s too watery. The soup is a beautiful dark brown and covered with what seems to be a very spicy chili oil but is actually very tamable. At first you don’t see any steam because the chili oil has created a shield but once you dip the spoon in for a taste, the steam is out. All bowls of noodles should be this hot.

I think the best part of Flavor Garden’s BNS is the beef brisket and flank they use – so rich, melty and fatty. Maybe even too fatty. There wasn’t one piece of beef I had to gnaw through but rather break apart with my own tongue. I made the mistake in ordering the thin noodles (xi1 mian4). I would highly recommend ordering the BNS with the chef’s wide hand-made noodles (kuan1 mian4). I also recommend NOT wearing a white shirt or you’re in for some orange polka dots all over.

Spicy Beef Roll Cake (川 味 牛 肉 卷 餅）
This is not spicy at all, but it is massive. You are served two burrito-like objects that may counter those in size from 101 Noodle Express. I was a bit disappointed in the size and construction of this. I couldn’t pick this up without leaving meaty debris all over the table. The meat is tasty but because there is so much meat, you can’t even taste the sweet hoisin/chili sauce which leads you to believe the meat is very dry. The pancake also was not fried crispy enough so it was a bit droopy. I really hope I came on a bad day.

Shrimp, Pork & Sea Cucumber Potstickers (三 鮮 鍋 貼）
But for every negative, there is a positive – and it comes in the form of juicy, pudgy dumplings that are beautifully fried. I had eaten here with my parents a while back and we simply ordered the pork potstickers. By accident, the chef had pan-fried the shrimp, pork and sea cucumber dumplings which were meant to be only served as boiled dumplings. Good things happen by chance… these were excellent. Biting into the potsticker, you can see the chef’s skill in creating a beautiful dumpling skin that is not too thin or too thick. After I bite into a dumpling, I like to tilt it into the spoon to see how much juice comes out. There isn’t as much juice as you would get out of a Shanghai soup dumpling (xiao long bao) but it’s good enough. The mixture of shrimp, sea cucumber and pork is actually the Chinese version of surf & turf and it makes total sense. They are addicting and I think I may have a hard time ordering other dumplings over these. The vinegar dipping sauce they serve with these works nicely too in cutting through the pork fat. These are good overall, but Dean Sin World in Monterey Park probably makes the best juicy potstickers but they are filled with pork.

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*Pointers for Flavor Garden*
1. Ask for wide noodles when ordering the beef noodle soup. It “picks” up the soup/chili oil nicely. I know it doesn’t make sense but the thin noodles can clump together and feel a bit more dense than the wider noodles.

2. Never wear light colored clothing when eating spicy beef noodle soup.

3. If you order the pork, shrimp and sea cucumber dumplings – ask if they can pan-fry them versus boiling. Again, we ordered this by mistake and it turned out to be awesome. Either way, you’re going to get something tasty.

4. Side dishes are OK but if you feel your food is spicy, some garlic seaweed or cold cucumbers will cool the palate down.

5. I’ve seen a lot of people order the Ton Ton Pan-Fried Bun which is basically a large pan-fried bun stuffed with pork called shen1 jian1 bao1. And they are massive. Too doughy for me and sometimes dry but give these a shot.

6. A good dumpling needs no more than hot sauce and vinegar to compliment it. If you must, make a sauce consisting of soy sauce, vinegar and chili sauce. Never just soy sauce – that’s a no no. Enjoy!

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Flavor Garden
1269 E. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 284-3549
Monday – Sunday 11 am – 9:30 pm
CASH ONLY, of course

This series is a collection of postings from our trips to Japan from 2010 – 2011. Bare with me – these are long postings with the intention of making it easier for your future reference. Enjoy.

Jeni and I had just spent four days in the southernmost part of Japan, known as Kagoshima, which is known for its active volcano Sakurajima, a few hot spring spots, the distilled potato spirit known as shochu, delicious Berkshire pork (kurobuta) and Black cow beef (kuroushi). The city, the people and the food were all very memorable, but it was the simple things such as relaxing in a natural, hot sand bath and an outdoor spa that we really treasured. As a child growing up in Southern California during the 1980s, deprived of a standard pool, an above-ground-pool, a kiddie pool and even a Slip & Slide, there was always one thing that I begged my parents to take me and my sister to: Raging Waters in San Dimas. Never mind the millions of gallons of chlorine-filled and urine-tainted water, this was the ultimate aquatic paradise with lengthy slides, high altitude drop-out slides and giant lagoons with inner tubes – like Disneyland H2O.

Our parents never saw the point of it when they could simply hose us down with the garden hose for nothing, so we never got to go there. But compared to our time in Kagoshima, our next destination in Japan actually places the spas and bath houses of Kagoshima in the category of “foreplay”. And for me, this is what I considered to be the grown-ups version of a more relaxed Raging Waters minus the arm floaties, crazy slides and nasty water. This is Kurokawa Onsen – Japan’s ultimate hot springs resort town.

About Kurokawa Onsen
Extracted from the Kurokawa Spa Association site:
“Kurokawa Spa Resort is a part of Minami-oguni Town, located just about in the center of Kyushu, at the base of Kuju mountains. The spa resort is built along the upper stream valley of the Chikugo River, the longest river in Kyushu, at 700 meter elevation. Because of the landform, large hotels were never built there. Most hotels have ten to twenty-five guest rooms. This is one of the unique characteristics of Kurokawa Spa Resort. There are about 230 households in the town. Currently there are twenty-five association member hotels. Well coordinated efforts by the town to maintain a pleasant, traditional atmosphere have kept Kurokawa free of the massive concrete hotels, neon advertisements and loud colors that are encountered in many of Japan’s other resort towns. ”

Because this is a resort town, it is recommended that you stay in a traditional Japanese inn (or bed & breakfast) known as a ryokan to get the full experience. As stated by the Kurokawa Spa Association, there are 25-30 ryokan in the town, each with anywhere from 15-30 rooms available (singles, doubles, family rooms). The whole town of Kurokawa Onsen (Black River Hot Springs, literally in Japanese) is built upon the Mt. Aso volcanic area with plenty of geothermal heat to “power” the entire region. Each of the ryokan has its own public/private bath (onsen) and an outdoor, open-air bath (rotenburo) with gorgeous views of mountains, rivers and waterfalls – you know, nature stuff Bob Ross would’ve painted. There are a few standard concrete block hotels but I wouldn’t bother as they seem to be geared more towards businessmen. Do you really want to stay in a Holiday Inn-like place when you’ve got amazing, boutique hotels all around you?

There are some ryokan that are more traditional, while some seem to be more modern depending on when it was constructed/renovated. The rooms range anywhere from $150-400 a night. This may sound steep but this includes breakfast and dinner. And as you’ll see in a moment, we’re not talking about Holiday Inn’s complimentary breakfast of dry English muffins and ice-cold hard-boiled eggs. This is bed & breakfast hospitality on another level. Everyone that comes to visit is here for two things: “spa-hopping” and relaxing in a Japanese inn.

Kurokawa Onsen isn’t the only spa resort town in Kyushu. There’s also the nearby Beppu (Oita prefecture) which we’ve checked out as well, but Kurokawa really, is in a league of its own.

Getting to Kurokawa Onsen
From Kagoshima, we took the JR speed train to Kumamoto which took about 1 hour and 15 minutes. At Kumamoto, we took a local train to the Aso Station (as in the active volcano, Mt. Aso) and boarded a bus that would take us to our final destination – Kurokawa Onsen. The red box area on the map is the town of Kurokawa Onsen. Those goofy looking mountains at the bottom of the map represent the Mt. Aso volcano region and the Aso Station is just north of it. The bus ride from Aso station to Kurokawa Onsen is anywhere from 45-60 minutes. The drive up can be a little dizzying due to the curvy, mountainous roads but the beautiful surrounding scenery seems to make everything better. I was a little concerned about Mr. Old Bus Driver because he seemed to be falling asleep at the wheel…

But… we made it alive. On the way up here, I realized that this place we had traveled thousands of miles to was in fact a holy city – we were embarking on our own little pilgrimage for spiritual enlightenment.  We were seeking a safe-haven from our otherwise hectic and stressful lives back in the U.S. The Japanese “salary man” or “office lady” typically works 6 days a week, clocking 65+ hours on average and at some point he or she will need to release the stress. And place likes Kurokawa Onsen are a place for both men and women to release themselves. This is the entrance into the spa resort town of Kurokawa Onsen.

We hopped off the bus and there we were met by a driver from the ryokan we were staying at. Most ryokan will offer a pick-up and drop-off at the bus stop. From there, it is only a 5-10 minute drive into town. We were quite impressed with the charm and character of Kurokawa Onsen. They’ve really kept this a serene, non-commercial resort town with no more than 20-30 businesses – no Starbucks, bail bonds or nail salons. The town is so small that you can walk through all of it in under 20 minutes and be one with nature!

As you can see, the streets are small and wide enough for one car. The only things going through the tiny streets really are shuttles from the ryokan and packs of Japanese visitors. There are no street names, only signs that point you to the 25+ ryokans you can indulge in. Kurokawa Onsen was made for “spa-hopping”.

This map actually makes the town look larger than it really is (click to enlarge). The two red boxes are the ryokan we chose: Kurokawaso and Yumutoso. Because our trip to Japan was planned so late during the winter break, we really lucked out with these two ryokan as most of the others were either booked or way out of our league. I only have these two ryokan to compare. The way we booked these was with an English speaking representative from the Kurokawa Onsen Association (KOA). The photos online, although beautiful, can be misleading, so I would highly recommend calling/emailing the KOA and let them know what you’re looking for.

Kurokawaso had a traditional Japanese feel with a futon (mattress only) and tatami floors (straw). Yumutoso on the other hand looked very traditional on the outside but was a bit more Western with three levels. The rooms were very large with a separate dining/living area and Western beds. Comfort wise, I preferred Yumutoso. It was quite painful sleeping on Kurokawaso’s futon – like I was couch surfing in college again.

Both photos: Yumutoso

Left to Right: Kurokawaso‘s traditional style room. You sleep on the floor with a futon. Yumutoso‘s Western-style beds. Winner: Yumutoso.

Both photos: Yumutoso. Loved the bathing/spa facilities more than Kurokawaso‘s.

Both photos: Yumutoso. One of three private/family bath facilities. Kurokawaso did not have a private bathing facility.

Read the rest of this entry »

For those that are reading this site for the first time, I usually post a music compilation every time my wife and I travel. Usually, I know where we’re going, but not this time. Jeni is being elusive and has made this birthday surprise into a mystery – only telling my friends. This is all I know about the destination:

(1) The flight is 2 hours 55 minutes from LAX.
(2) It is domestic.
(3) The destination has two syllables.
(4) Could be cold.
(5) My friend’s reaction to this destination: “Uh, what the fuck?”

Hmmm, where could we be going?

While we’re all wondering, enjoy this mix featuring:
9 Lazy 9, Atlas Sound, Beach House, Blouse, Brothertiger, Deptford Goth, Desire, The Do, Electric Guest, Heavenly Beat, Metronomy, Phantogram, Poolside, Porcelain Raft, Princeton, Real Estate, Teen Daze, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Young Holt Unlimited and Youth Lagoon.

Thanks for reading, guessing and listening.

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