Ever so gradually the Westside of Los Angeles has turned from a wasteland for Chinese food into one with a decent number of Chinese food options. Where San Gabriel Valley quality food on the Westside was a pipe dream over 30 years ago, actual San Gabriel Valley operations like Din Tai Fung, Haidilao, Northern Cafe and Sichuan Impression among others are now in the neighborhood.
Of course there are lots of gaps. I don’t ever recall a Hong Kong style cafe serving western dishes. I do remember Little Hong Kong Cafe on Sawtelle but I believe it was straight up Cantonese. But this void has just been filled by JM 9 Kitchen in the Colony Kitchen Food Court on Santa Monica Bl. near by Sawtelle Japantown.
This tomato pork chop on fried rice is as good as you would find in the San Gabriel Valley.
Curry chicken better than our usual place in SGV. Baked pork chop rice excellent as well (I’m partial to cheese)
Hot and sour soup was great with a nice kick. Cream of sweet corn soup was the only disappointment - all I could think of was how much cornstarch they must have used to thicken it.
Drinks were definitely HK style. They come sweetened so next time I’ll probably put a note for less sugar and less ice.
And at Colony it’s better to pick up and take out. Kind of awkward trying to eat out of the takeout containers. The guy at the register gave us plates but still I think I’d rather bring it home.
All in all - glad to have the miracle of cha chaan teng food on the West Side!
