Too bad about the crab! I love it - especially putting the fried garlic on rice. Their baked squid, which is actually deep-fried, is really good as well.
Ok fine, I will go back. Anything else I should get there? I saw tables with the fried shrimp/potato sticks thing and the turmeric dill fish.
I was already pouring the liquid from pork with preserved vegetable all over the rice which could be a dish in itself. So tasty. Will give it another shot over plain rice and see. I think it’s the unspicy peppers that were the problem. It’s not just limited to this particular pepper but jalapenos at the supermarket have often been zero spice as well this year. What’s wrong with this growing season?
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Yeah, I tried, but mom stopped us from getting that as well. If you like the baked/deep fried/salt and pepper/spicy salt (too many names at different places for this), May Mei in Arcadia does a really good pork chop. The quality of the squid itself at May Mei was inconsistent the few times we got it there, but I prefer their prep/seasoning over Seafood Palace.
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Hi @Ns1 -
What is the 2nd photo?
Fresh hot donuts to order!
The Crab Egg Rolls are the star imo.
You can’t go wrong with Mai Phung across the street
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Thanks for another tip!
The automatic iPhone upgrades are bullshit. My photos are dull and not as sharp now. But at least I now have an emoji of a unicorn whose head explodes rainbows and I can make an emoji that looks nothing like me. 
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I agree. Apple is not the company it used to be.
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Dude do you have to move away? Please don’t.
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I used to think my iPhone food photos were the bomb. I got a lot of “That’s from an iPhone?” Not anymore. I have phone photo envy over my friends who have the Samsung Galaxy. But I don’t find the iPhone hard to take, edit and upload photos like others seem to. It’s just the pictures I don’t like as much anymore.
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Spicy miso ramen
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Sorry I missed this but where are you moving to?
Looks f-ing delicious @joy.
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Would it be rude to ask for this?
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Like what it is? 
Sorry for the late reply @ Chowseeker
I broke the bank and my stomach in January so it’ll be a while before I go back to Yapa — I’ll probably try Happy Hour first.
I’m really excited the Yapa chef is back on the LA scene — he was previously at Brilliantshine in SaMo before it closed and I kept checking the chef’s IG page for a few years hoping for his comeback.
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Catching up on some meals from January, before the pandemic.
Some of this feels almost foreign in these times (like enjoying a Chinese Hot Pot meal in a communal setting).
A.O.C.
We had a relaxing meal in their courtyard area back in January.
Broccoli, Cipollini, Burrata & Bagna Cauda Focaccia:
Spanish Fried Chicken (Romesco Aioli & Chili-Cumin Butter):
Still an endearing and winning dish for A.O.C. Nice light crispiness, the Romesco Aioli is a great complement for the Spanish Fried Chicken strips. 
Market Lettuce with Basil Buttermilk, Cucumber, Avocado & Opal Basil Salad (Add Chopped Chicken):
Torchio Pasta with Shrimp, Lobster Broth, Smoked Tomato, White Beans & Spinach:
This was just OK, light oceanic flavors, a few bites of Shrimp, but could’ve had a Sauce that bound everything together better.
The A.O.C. Burger (Mahon, Romesco Aioli, & Balsamic Onions):
Grilled Seabass with Stewed Lipstick Peppers, Barbara’s Greens & Charmoula:
A touch overcooked, but generally moist and tender. It tasted like a textbook “Grilled Fish” (safe, straightforward).
Moroccan Chicken Salad with Kale, Radicchio, Chickpeas, Charmoula, Golden Raisins & Almonds:
A.O.C. has some good Salads that go beyond the typical flavor profiles; this is one of them. The Charmoula Sauce added a pleasing exotic flavor to the Kale, Radicchio & Chickpeas, standing up to the stronger leafy greens.
Roasted Carrots, Beets, Watercress, Black Olives and Ricotta Salata Salad (Add Slow-Roasted Salmon):
Very good Watercress Salad: Inherently peppery, bright, sharp Watercress, nice sweet earthiness from the Roasted Carrots and Beets. The added Slow Roasted Salmon was supple and luscious.
A.O.C.
8700 W. 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Tel: (310) 859-9859
Ocean Bo
We did a mini SGV crawl back in January, and Ocean Bo was one of the restaurants some of our FTC’ers had recommended.
Overall a pleasant meal with some dishes we hadn’t tried before.
House Special Crispy Chicken (Half):
Steamed Mustard Greens with Preserved Vegetables:
Really enjoyed the naturally light bitterness and deep vegetal notes in these Steamed Mustard Greens.
Beef Stew:
Deluxe Preserved Seafood with Dried Scallop Hot Pot:
Baked Garlic Crab with Rice:
Perhaps the one disappointing dish, their Baked Garlic Crab with Rice should’ve been a winner, but there was almost no Crab flavor in the Rice itself.
Malay Sponge Cake:
Tapioca Dessert:
Ocean Bo
3948 Peck Rd.
El Monte, CA 91732
Tel: (626) 452-1818
Chun La Hao Chongqing Hot Pot
While Chinese Hot Pot places have been around for decades, there’s apparently been a trend of more elaborate / bountiful Szechuan / Chongqing Hot Pot places in recent years, according to our SGV friends. Chun La Hao is one of these places.
Walking in, and the interior buildout is impressive, with deep, rich wood paneling to evoke an Ancient Chinese decor. A sign of this new style of Hot Pot place is the absurd amount of complementary Sauces, Condiments, little Snacks and Dessert Bars that are included for free as part of the meal(!):
While the Snacks section looks like simple stuff, the 2 types of Roasted Peanuts they offer (one with Shredded Seaweed and Fried Fish(!)) were absolutely delicious. 
I loved the Cloud Ear Mushroom Chilled Dessert (also included).
Like many Hot Pot places, you order your Meats & Vegetables ahead of time, and they bring them out to your table. You then cook the various ingredients in a giant communal Hot Pot at the center of the table with adjustable heat to keep it boiling or turning it down when you want to slow down.
Certified Angus Beef Rib Eye:
Pork Meatballs:
Winter Melon:
Tong Ho Vegetable:
Angus Beef Brisket:
Fresh Beancurd:
House Shrimp Paste:
Fish Ball with Roe:
Lamb Shoulder:
Beancurd Skin:
Beef Tendon:
Seaweed Knots:
Mushroom Combo Platter (Wood Ear, Enoki, King Oyster Mushrooms):
Pork Brain:
Ah yes, our Offal-loving friends joined us on this meal. Let us not speak of this again. 
They offer 5 Types of Soups to cook all the ingredients in. We chose half and half combination of:
Bone Soup (Half) + Lightly Spicy Special Soup (Half):
Both Soup Bases were tasty, the Bone Soup side (non-spicy) was a tasty savory base, and the Lightly Spicy Special Soup had serious Chili heat, so their Medium and “Big Spicy” versions must be intense.
Chun La Hao Chong Qing Hot Pot
5701 Rosemead Blvd.
Temple City, CA 91780
Tel: (626) 766-1230
QQ Kopitiam
We had this hole-in-the-wall bookmarked for awhile, hearing from FTC’ers about this place that seemed to be a simple lunch spot, but having a section of legit Singaporean dishes on offer as well. Since we were doing an SGV food crawl, we figured we might as well swing by and try this as well.
Singapore Char Kway Teow:
Good Wok Hei (Breath of the Wok), you could hear the wok and sauteing going off furiously when we ordered this dish. 
Fried Pork Chop on Rice:
They also had some simple Taiwanese dishes on the menu, so we were curious how this side of the menu might turn out. The Pork Chop Rice is decent, a bit too salty, not that crunchy or crispy for the breading.
QQ Kopitiam
1491 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91106
Tel: (626) 696-3179
NBC Seafood Retaurant
We hadn’t been here in years, but hearing that their Dim Sum might be improved, we were hopeful. Unfortunately this was some of the worst Dim Sum we’ve had in a long time: Most of the items were poorly executed, clumpy, salty.
NBC Seafood Restaurant
404 S. Atlantic Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Tel: (626) 282-2323
Hangari Kalguksu
Mandu (Handmade Boiled Dumplings with Vegetables, Pork & Beef):
Nice medium-thick Dumpling skin, a nicely seasoned filling of Marinated Ground Pork & Beef with Chopped Vegetables. Tasty.
(Complimentary) Banchan (Side Dishes):
Busan Milmyeon (Cold) (Thin, Chewy Noodles in Beef Broth Topped with Sweet & Spicy House Sauce, Pickled Radish, Beef Slices, Cucumber and Egg):
Refreshing, cool, nice chew on the Noodles in the chilled Beef Broth.
Hangari Kalguksu
3470 West 6th Street, Suite #9
Los Angeles, CA 90020
Tel: (213) 388-2326
Little Jewel of New Orleans
The always charming Little Jewel of New Orleans was busy on this visit, with most of the tables taken up.
Cochon de Lait Po’boy:
One Po’Boy Sandwich that we’ve never tried yet at Little Jewel is their Cochon de Lait, which is a slow-cooked Pulled Pork. When you unwrap this Sandwich you might think there was a mistake:
The amount of food in this Cochon de Lait Po’boy is absurd! It’s easily enough to feed 3 people and with the soft, rich, decadent strands of slow-cooked Pulled Pork, a savory, sweet massive Sandwich that was drenched in Pork Jus goodness. (Thanks for the rec @CiaoBob)!
The Fish Filet Bun (Dressed with Cheddar Cheese, Tartar & Cocktail Sauce, Pickles and Red Onion Garnish):
It’s not really like the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish, but something in its own right: There was a nicely crunchy Breaded Fish Filet, the crunch of the Pickles, creamy Tartar, tangy Cocktail Sauce and a grilled Sesame Seed Bun. Tasty.
Fresh Handcut Fries:
Little Jewel’s Handcut Fries are fine. Thick Steak Fries, they are lightly crisped, very potato-y, soft center and piping hot.
Little Jewel of New Orleans
207 Ord St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Tel: (213) 620-0461
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Those cold noodles sound good right now!
If you are still in the mood for Korean cold noodles check out Sulga for the cold noodles in beet broth and the chlorella noodles at Myung Dong Kyoja.
The best Char Kway Teow is in Anaheim at Seasons Kitchen. Ask for spicy!
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Thanks for the rec @JeetKuneBao! We went to Sulga I think when you recommended it 2 years ago? But never realized they have Korean Cold Noodles as well. Do you like it more than Yu Chun?