Hop Li Seafood Restaurant

Hop Li Seafood Restaurant
526 Alpine St
Los Angeles
213-680-3939

There are some good Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, you may have to go off the beaten path, to find them. Hop Li, isn't on one of the major streets of Chinatown; Broadway and Hill, but it has very good food.

I went to Hop Li during lunch and they have a lunch special menu, with prices starting at $6.75 and $7.75. Since Hop Li is a seafood restaurant, I wanted to try some seafood items. All dishes include rice, soup, and a cookie.

But, one of my warning signs that a Chinese restaurant, in the LA area, isn't good, is when I see mostly white people like at Panda Express or Pick Up Stix. When I first walked into Hop Li, it was filled with white people, not a good start. But, I figured I'm already there and I would try it. Good thing I stuck around.



The soup with all lunch special dishes is an egg flower soup with some small pieces of pork. Thickened with cornstarch, and filled with lots of egg whites, it was served hot and was pretty good.



Squid with spicy salt, $6.75. This was perfectly fried, with a light crispy outside and a new tender inside. But, this was too salty. Yes, I know it is a dish called spicy salt, but it wasn't spicy, it was just salty. If they cut down on the salt, it could be a very good dish.



Scallops with snow peas, $7.75. I loved this dish. Fresh scallops in a light sauce with fresh sweet snow peas, awesome. The snow peas were cooked perfectly, had a nice snap and was so sweet. The scallops were also fresh and in that sauce was perfect. I would order this again.



Chicken lo mein, $7.25. I loved this dish. The noodles were cut short, they weren't long noodles and they were cooked perfectly. The chicken was tender, moist, and perfectly seasoned. There was some bok choy, that was also cooked perfectly. For the price and the large portion, this is a great deal.

Service was great. You are greeted the moment you walk into the door. The server is very nice and friendly. He makes sure you have anything you need, to make you dining experience a good one.

I would come to Hop Li anytime!!

Chinese Friends Restaurant-Closed

Chinese Friends Restaurant 

984 N Broadway 

Los Angeles 

213-626-1837 

 Yes, the majority of the good Chinese restaurants has moved east to cities like San Gabriel, Arcadia, Rowland Heights. But, Chinatown still has some good Chinese restaurants. Chinese Friends is leaning towards becoming Americanized Chinese food, but I wouldn't rate Chinese Friends among the best Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, but a solid restaurant. Shanghai style fried thick noodles, $5.55. I did really like this dish. Chinese cabbage, sliced pork, and thick noodles, were well seasoned, full of flavor and left me wanting more. The noodles were cooked perfectly. The pork was lean, had good flavor with soy sauce, onions, and ginger. A steal and a great price for $5.55. Shrimp and broccoli, $10.95. As well seasoned and prepared as the noodles were, the shrimp and broccoli was bland and not good at all. This had a plain thin white sauce, that lacked any kind of seasoning and flavor. The shrimp was cut into smaller pieces making it look as though there was a lot of shrimp. The broccoli was crispy, though they could have stayed in the wok a bit longer. Besides being bland, I thought this was a bit overpriced! Service is good. Nice servers and owners. Chinese Friends is closed on Tuesdays. I learned the hard way, and planned a dinner with a friend, on a Tuesday, and they were closed!! I wouldn't be opposed to going back to Chinese Friends, but it wouldn't be my first choice for restaurants in Chinatown. If I had to pick my favorite restaurant in Chinatown, it would be Master Chef.

JR Bistro-Closed

JR Bistro
750 N Hill St
Ste F
Los Angeles
213-620-0838

Chinatown in Los Angeles. The on going myth, is that there isn't any good Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. They say you need to go to cities in the San Gabriel Valley to get good Chinese food. The New Diner has reviewed restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley; some good, some bad. The New Diner has reviewed a few restaurants, like, Master Chef, Golden City, and Fullhouse, in Chinatown, some good, some not so good.

I heard about JR Bistro's $10 lobster and crab specials and wanted to give them a try.



Pan fried dumplings,$6.25. These dumplings were filled with ground pork and chives. They were pretty bland, lacked flavor, and just not tasty. They could have fried the dumplings a little longer. The skin was pretty good, with a nice texture. Otherwise, I wouldn't order this again.



Calamari with spicy garlic salt, $7.95. Loved the lightly batter that covered the fresh calamari, that was fried golden brown. But I didn't like the saltiness of this dish, very salty, they could have cut the salt in half and it would have been great. But a heavy hand with the salt shaker, made this dish, just ok.



Seafood lo mein, $7.95. WOW was this good. The noodles were cooked perfectly, soft and flavorful. The seafood, shrimp and squid, was fresh and well cooked. Maybe my favorite dish.



Chicken with fresh mushrooms, $7.95. If the seafood lo mein, wasn't my favorite dish, the chicken with fresh mushrooms, was my favorite. The chicken was sliced thin and cooked perfectly-tender and flavorful. They added celery, carrots, and snow peas, which were also cooked perfectly. The mushrooms, were fresh and just wonderful. A great dish and well worth the price.



Lobster special with ginger and green onions, $9.99. The reason I came here. The lobster was about a pound and cut into smaller pieces. I got the lobster cooked with ginger and green onions. The sauce was a bit salty, again heavy handed with the salt shaker, but the lobster was fresh and very tasty. This is a steal. You won't find a better deal anywhere.

Service was OK. It wasn't anything bad, but nothing memorable, either.

I would go back to JR Bistro again. There are some good Chinese restaurants in Chinatown. I will say Chinatown does lack good dumplings.

Yang Chow

Yang Chow
819 N Broadway
Los Angeles
213-625-0811

Yang Chow is an American style Chinese restaurant. It's the mom and pop version of PF Chang's. Now, if you judge Yang Chow and PF Chang's for what they are; Americanized Chinese food, they do a very good job. And that's how they should be judged and reviewed. I don't understand why people try to make them something they are not. Judge them for what they are!!

I went with about 10 other people and we had some good food.



Slippery shrimp;$14.25. This is their specialty. The slippery shrimp is basically a lemon shrimp. The shrimp was coated in a crunchy batter and then topped wiht a lemon sauce. I liked this dish but it was bordering on being a bit to sweet. I liked the portion size and the freshness of the shrimp.



Sauteed string beans, $9.75. This was very well cooked with some garlic. The string beans were crunchy, they could have cooked for a few more minutes and come out softer. But overall I liked this dish.



Hot and spicy beef shreds, $10.75. This had well cooked, carrots and celery and long pieces of sliced beef. The beef was pretty tender and flavorful.



Tofu with black bean $9.75, with celery and black bean. The tofu was pan fried then topped with the sauce. I liked the outside texture of the fried tofu. Good flavor throughout this dish.



Sauteed sliced chicken breast, $10.75. Yang Chow must use a ton of carrots and celery because almost every dish we order had both. The chicken was fairly tender, a good sized portion, and a nice mild sauce.



Lamb with scallion, $11.75. I tried a little of this dish. I don't usually eat lamb but this was pretty good. Nice flavorful tender pieces of lamb,



Spicy Hunan beef, $11.75. Other than beef and broccoli, Hunan beef is the ultimate Americanized Chinese dish. This had a nice sauce and tender pieces of beef.

Service was good. The owner is a very nice and friendly man, who is trying to be a comic. You'll love his jokes!!

I enjoyed my meal at Yang Chow. I would have no problems going back there. But I do think prices are a bit high, maybe higher than PF Chang's, though the portions are good sized.

Again judge Yang Chow and PF Chang's for what they are, Americanized Chinese food. Don't expect authentic Chinese food at these places.

Eastside Market Italian Deli

Eastside Market Italian Deli
1013 Alpine St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-250-2464

The first time I heard about Eastside Market, was when they catered a Christmas dinner. I was pretty impressed with their chicken and lemon capers and their pasta dishes. Later, when I read more about Eastside Market, I found they had; been in business since 1929 and had some good sandwiches. So I decided to give them a try.

The first thing you'll notice about Eastside Market, during a weekday lunch time, is the amount of cops and city of LA, employees. I've never seen so many badges!! If you got a complaint with the city of LA, go to Eastside Market and you may find the person who can help you.




#9, cold cut combo with cheese, $7.10. Turkey, salami, mortadella, capicollo, and ham with provolone cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato, on Italian roll. I loved this sandwich. Being an Italian deli, I was a bit surprised they didn't put Italian dressing and olive oil on sandwiches. But I hate that stuff on a sandwich, so it didn't matter. But overall a very good quality cold cuts, fresh veggies, on a nice firm Italian roll. The amount of meat and the quality of the meat, makes this sandwich a steal.




#7, roast beef, pastrami, and cheese, topped with a red peppers sauce, $7.10. This is their most popular sandwich. The sandwich is more like a french dip, because this is a messy sandwich. The roast beef and pastrami are soaking in natural juices, then stacked onto the roll with the pepper sauce. But this isn't too soggy because the Italian roll is firm and absorbs the juices and pepper sauce very well. There is a ton of roast beef and pastrami stacked on this sandwich. The roast beef is a bit chewy, but I like it. The pastrami has a very nice texture and flavor. This was a huge sandwich and well worth the price.

Service. Don't be scared off by the lines, they move quickly because 4-5 people are making sandwiches for you. The guy who served me was pretty quick. But he had major attitude when he had to repeat my order. I mean it's crowded as hell, the place is noisy and he is barely talking above a whisper. Yeah, I'm suppose to be able to hear you over that. Another guy is the cashier and he was nice and helpful.
There is only street parking but no meters, a benefits of Eastside Deli being a city worker's favorite?

I would go back to Eastside Deli any time. I loved the sandwiches and the price, is a steal. Eastside is so much better than the last Italian deli I went to, Angelo's Italian Deli.

Fullhouse Seafood Restaurant

Fullhouse Seafood Restaurant
963 N Hill St
Los Angeles
213-617-8382

I came here with eight other people, seven of who were nice and friendly. One person I hope I don't see again. I understand that Full House is owned by the same people who own Master Chef. Golden City is across the street.



Baked pork chop with special sauce, $7.95. This wasn't a good dish at all. The pork chops were so fatty and the sauce was just too sweet. I would stay away from this dish.



Shrimp fried rice, $6.95. Lots of nicely cooked shrimp, some scrambled eggs and very little peas. This was well worth the price since it was flavorful and a had a ton of shrimp.



Whole sole with green onion and soy sauce, with ginger and onions, $22. Maybe my favorite dish. Pricey, yes but nice flavor and well cooked sole.



Beef chow fun, $7.95. I gave up red meat for Lent so I didn't eat the beef. But the noodles, onions, bean sprouts, and the soy sauce was a great combination of flavors. A very good dish.



Chinese brocoli with oyster sauce, $7.25. I normally don't like oyster sauce but for some reason I liked this dish. The brocoli was crispy and just full of flavor.



Whole steamed,cold chicken, $18. Interesting dish. A steamed chicken that is chilled and served cold. I thought it was fine but I couldn't help thinking it would have been great, if this was a hot dish.



Honey walnut shrimp, $13.95. About the same was Master Chef's honey walnut shrimp. Good stuff but a little on the sweet side.



Fried shrimp with spicy salt, $10.50. The shrimp were a bit overcooked but nice flavor.

Service was OK. The hostess is really a bitch. I couldn't believe how rude she was. I made a reservation and got there about 20 minutes before my time. I told the hostess, I am here and my reservation time, but I wanted to meet my group at the door and not at the table. She asked, in a very rude way, "What time is your party arriving?" Hello stupid, I just told you my reservation time, look it up.

The servers were nice and the food came out quickly.

I think Master Chef is still the best between the two restaurants.

Master Chef-Closed

Master Chef
937 N Hill St
Los Angeles
213-687-3638

Master Chef recently opened up on Hill St. in Chinatown. They offer a lunch and late night menu for great prices, nothing over $7.95. So with a group of friends we went and tried Master Chef.

With every meal you get soup, which is a corn soup. Lots of corn starch mixed with chicken stock and some corn. Nothing great but it does come with the meal.

Sliced chicken with spicy garlic sauce, $7.25. This was a very good dish, though it was listed as spicy and it wasn't spicy at all. Filled with slices of chicken, green peppers, onions, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in a garlic flavored sauce. All these flavors worked well.

Rock cod fish fillet with black bean sauce, $7.25. This was also a good dish. Lots of black bean sauce, onions, and bell peppers. Nice flavor and tender good tasting cod.

XO combination fried rice, $7.25. This fried rice had all the meats, beef, pork, and shrimp with some peas and eggs. I thought it was nice sized portion.

Pan fried scallops with asparagus, $7.95. Scallops, asparagus, and carrots in a light sauce. Fresh, sweet, and tender scallops make this dish. The asparagus could have been cooked a little longer, too crunchy for me. But otherwise a good dish.

French style beef, $7.95. Interesting item for a Chinese restaurant. The chef must have been trained in Vietnam or by Vietnamese people. Tender pieces of beef with lots of onions, in a light gravy.

Honey walnut shrimp, $7.95. A sweet dish, with a crunchy outside and a tender shrimp inside. I liked this dish but they could have put a bit more shrimp in there.

Service was OK. We did wait a long time for them to take our order and for them to give us our check.

I would go back to Master Chef again. I liked all the dishes we ordered and would order any of them again. They have a huge menu so next time I go, I will order something else. Their late night menu is the same as their daily lunch menu. I can picture myself going here after seeing the Dodgers lose or for lunch on the weekend.

Update July 14, 2009.






I went back to Master Chef for their late night special.

Soup-Not sure the exact name but this soup had pork and tofu. This was hot and tasty. The ground pork had a lot of flavor and the tofu was firm, not mussy. I wouldn't order this soup as my first couse, the corn soup is a better choice.

Deep Fried Sole with spicy brown sauce, $7.95. I saw this dish the last time I was at Master Chef and wanted to try it. A huge whole sole, covering a spicy brown sauce. But the sole was way too dry, as if it had been deep fried a long time ago and sitting around. The fish was tough, chewy and not good at all. The sauce was wonderful, not that spicy but lots of flavors including soy sauce, garlic, peppers, and green onions. If the sole was freshly fried, this would have been a great dish.

Kung Pao Chicken, $7.25. This was an amazing dish. Perfectly cooked piece of mostly white meat chicken, mixed with a light sauce. Maybe the best King Pao chicken I have ever had. And the portion was huge!!!

Service was again pretty good.

Even though the deep fried sole not living up to expectations, I did enjoy Master Chef again. A great restaurant and if you go during their late night special, a great deal.

Update: July 19, 2009





I love Master Chef so much, I went there three times in a week.

First I want to review a dish I order awhile back but forgot to mention, pan fried beef ribs with house special sauce, $7.95. The ribs were pretty tender but what a flavor. The house special sauce had a hint of orange and was fairly spicy. A good dish.

Now I got the shrimp with eggplant and spicy sauce, $7.25. This is a great dish, even if you don't eat eggplant, like me. There were a ton, I mean a ton of shrimp and the sauce isn't that spicy at all. It is a mixture of corn starch, chicken broth, and some spices. Order if, even if you don't eat eggplant. The hottie I had dinner with told me the eggplant was great.

Pan fried scallops with vegetables, $7.95. This is listed on the menu being with asparagus but there was no asparagus in the dish. What was in the dish was huge pieces of scallops that were pretty fresh and tasty.

Service was a little slow this time. It took awhile to get refills on water and rice.