Imperial Cuisine of China Arrives in L.A. - Is This Really What Emperors Ate? Bistro Na's (Na Jia Xiao Guan) [Review]

[PorkyBelly]

what da FUK!? @asgavin

Bistro Na Birthday

@Chowseeker1999

First, the presentation is understated yet classy. The bowl for the Emperor’s Jar Soup is beautiful (red clay rim). The soup is delicate and tastes like a concentrated long-stewed, high-quality Chicken Stock. The Beef Tendon is delicious, soaking up the quality Chicken Stock, infusing a normally bland piece of food with flavor.

@Chowseeker1999

Their Ginseng Chicken Stew tastes of long-cooked Chicken, a real concentration of Chicken-y essence and herbal flavors of Ginseng. It was an excellent Chicken Broth.

@Chowseeker1999

Their Steamed Egg with Tofu looks distinct (if a bit shocking perhaps). It is fried in a Tempura batter, giving it a light, subtle crispness, giving way to a soft Steamed Egg + Tofu consistency. However, the flavors are rather bland. Even with the Vegetable Stock-based sauce, it’s not very interesting.

@Chowseeker1999

This was a massive bone-in chunk of Prime Rib, except it’s been slow-cooked (to a well-done?). This looked better on the menu, and we were worried, but with the slow-cooking, we got soft, really tender slices of their Prime Rib, with a good beefy flavor, and a mix of lean and a bit of fat. This was pretty good.

@Chowseeker1999

And the Crispy Shrimp itself is fried at such a high temperature that the outer shell has turned into a shatteringly crisp density, like eating Soft-Shell Crab. The first bite is a crisped crunch followed by perfectly cooked Shrimp, tender, and full of flavor. It is delicious! Garlicky, a touch of sweetness (only a bit), and full of flavor. This was our favorite dish so far.