Another dinner at EJF and another time my mom and I ask each other “why do we come here? The owner is such a dick”
Servers are fine. Just the owner is such a giant asshole that it’s hard to get past the terrible vibes and consistently going downhill quality of food.
Curious as to what the owner does? Yelling at customers? Belittling staff?
Damn. Thanks for the update. Was going to go with family but not anymore.
interesting. why do you say that about the owner? have always had a good experience with him. but i do agree that the quality is no longer there. it’s still good, but not enough to justify the prices.
He’s just a gruff asshole Everytime I’ve interacted with him. As if you’re wasting precious seconds of his time being in front of him.
But yesterday took the cake. Dont really want to get into too much detail. But the way he insulted someone that has really promoted him just repeats his character of a guy who thinks he’s above everyone else and just takes shit for granted.
Yeesh thanks for the details, this place was on my radar but no thanks.
Yikes… that’s unfortunate to hear… given what he’s been through, would have thought he’d be appreciative of the success thus far and the second chance.
Hm my last meal at EJF was a few weeks ago. Tried a few different things than usual and think it was my best meal yet so not sure I’m on the same page in terms of declining quality.
I will say though that the owner definitely has had a stand-offish manner when he’s interacted with us. I asked my mom and she agrees with Clayfu’s comments completely on his gruffness and manner of treating one as if they are wasting his time/money. My last visit was an hour or so after normal lunch hours. He wasn’t around and meal was great.
outside of the owner, service was very good even on a busy mother’s day evening.
W: I love the food here. It’s probably my favorite Chinese restaurant in the LA area. It’s definitely worth the drive. In fact, it’s easier to get to from DTLA than my other SGV favorites because it’s right off the 60.
p.s.: that’s stinky tofu in the pic. Highly recommend.
P: Good restaurant. While they are labeled as Taiwanese, I feel it is more like Cantonese style.
Late post from the weekend after Chinese/Lunar New Year. They apparently had a Chinese/Lunar New Year menu on their WeChat or whatever social media app they’re using. Great meal overall! I think the only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the liver noodles. Menu, pricing, and detailed list of items (in Chinese) at the bottom. I think it was a pretty good deal (though my sense of value could be skewed). We were four but I think it could have fed 6 easily (unless they have Porky-level appetites haha). I don’t have the details myself but if you don’t know Chinese and are really curious you could run the image through Google Translate.
Place was pretty packed for the occasion. As such, service was a bit lacking initially as there were just 2 main servers covering multiple large tables along with the rest of the place. Not really any pacing considered except for holding back dessert. Everything else came out fairly quickly. When the restaurant started to slow they did come around, check in, and replace our dishes.
Owner was barely present as that’s a common concern here. Saw him come out for a brief moment but otherwise absent for all of lunch. Guess maybe he got the message?
Owner had a stroke last year. Still using walker…
Oh wow! Haven’t been in a while and did not know that. He was walking unassisted when I was there but the appearance was brief and I didn’t think anything of it.
I don’t think it’s liver. I believe it’s the sesame oil kidney thin noodles. It’s a classic dish that he perfected at his old restaurant. But it’s definitely not for everyone because it’s a very strong flavor. I love it though!
I think you’re right! I couldn’t remember if it was kidney or liver so I went with liver. And yeah it’s a very strong… earthy flavor maybe? Interesting but not my thing. I remember my parents commenting on how it’s classic or something on those lines. Thanks for the correction!
Haha. Yeah. It’s really strong bc they add a ton of wine to it. Not for the faint of heart!!!
Very very good as always. Easily in my top three SGV Chinese restaurants. Probably #2 behind Array 36. The whole steamed black cod has perfect flavor and texture. That said, their tea bags are inappropriate for a serious restaurant.
I believe the top right picture is “smoked shark,” which I haven’t tried but looks like the menu photo.
