Orange Bistro - home style Taiwanese cooking in Alhambra

[Clayfu]

Saw Orange Bistro opened in Alhambra. A friend went and gave it a thumbs up so I gathered the troops. Can’t say no to Taiwanese home cooking.

My friend arrived first and recognized the owner. He said she was in charge of the now defunct Bebe Fusion in Monterey park. She had moved to another restaurant in Chino Hills before opening Orange Bistro. Some real Taiwanese classics on the menu.

https://yelp.to/jThFiyMewwb

Fried Taro strips, peanuts, Sakura Shrimp, dried fish

Crack. This dish is actual crack. It’s so addicting I might start dealing it on street corners and my wife is gonna have to indict me for distributing an abused substance.

I don’t even like taro. But I don’t know what seasoning they put on here other than it must be crack. It’s also not oily. Feels like something that would in a sealed bag that my mom smuggled in from taiwan for me to eat from some lady that only makes this one thing and has done it to perfection. Put it in a bag and imma just eat it. I might just do that. I can make a fortune once people try it.

Salted Pork and Garlic Stems

I love garlic stems. Tender little bites of garlic and then intermingled with the smoky savory stir fry of the pork. Owner recommended it but I didn’t see it on the menu. Maybe it’s just under Hakka salted pork - no clue.

Salted Egg with Loofah

I think it’s established that I’m a fiend for loofah. The braised loofah with salted egg screams for a bowl of white rice. At home I’d just cook this and eat two bowls of rice. Can’t go wrong. Trying to explain what loofah is to my pigment free friends is always funny.

Sacha beef with on choy

Taiwanese love their sacha stir fried with a protein. Offhand. - I had no clue sacha was made of seafood until a couple years ago. The vegetarian version tastes pretty identical to me though.

My friend insisted that the chef makes the best 3 cup chicken outside of taiwan so we ordered it. My poll of the table - everyone enjoyed it.

A couple years ago I took my friend Cameron to Ding’s Garden. He’s from Alabama but always down to try anything once. I think Ding’s in Arcadia has one of the absolute stinkiest mala boiled stinky tofu in LA and I video recorded him almost dying.

So he was at lunch today so had to order their Mala Stinky Tofu hot pot. Huge serving filled with stinky tofu, duck blood, small intestines, mushrooms and leaks. With the tofu was stinkier. Was very very mild to me. But flavor was tasty.

Off menu item - eel with sticky rice

Sticky rice could be a little more sticky but it was tasty and fragrant. Eel was fatty and moist. I ate half of that plate. Order early as it takes about 30 minutes for them to make this eeel sticky rice cake.

Inevitably the place is going to get comparisons to Eat Joy Food due to them both being one of the few Taiwanese home style restaurants in LA. While I think the execution on some dishes is a little sloppier than EJF the flavor is still pretty good. Price is cheaper than EJF which is a positive. There’s definitely room for both considering they are pretty far apart.

Side note - for all the affluent Taiwanese in SGV it’s surprising to me there aren’t way more of these.

[J_L]

@Clayfu

she was in charge of the now defunct Bebe Fusion

That’s already enuff street cred for me to visit Orange Bistro.

[attran99]

I loved loofah growing up! There’s something so pleasing about the texture.

[JeetKuneBao]

I await your pictorial essay and highly recommendation! A bang bang with Eat Joy Food would be perfect.

[JThur01]

@Clayfu

My friend arrived first and recognized the owner. He said she was in charge of the now defunct Bebe Fusion in Monterey park. She had moved to another restaurant in Chino Hills before opening Orange Bistro.

Thanks for the tip. Monica? Bebe had multiple locations, but not in Monterey Park (they were in Alhambra and Rosemead, then another Alhambra location). She then had a fairly short-lived place in the old Ye Loy in Temple City (that now is Ahgoo’s Kitchen). Along with the Fusion Cafe in Arcadia and Monja/Monja Taiker, they were places going for higher quality Taiwanese homestyle, The menu does remind me a lot of Bebe Fusion.

[Clayfu]

@JThur01

Thanks for the tip. Monica? Bebe had multiple locations, but not in Monterey Park (they were in Alhambra and Rosemead, then another Alhambra location). She then had a fairly short-lived place in the old Ye Loy in Temple City (that now is Ahgoo’s Kitchen). Along with the Fusion Cafe in Arcadia and Monja/Monja Taiker, they were places going for higher quality Taiwanese homestyle, The menu does remind me a lot of Bebe Fusion.

sorry Alhambra not Monterey Park - that whole area is all a blur on the exact city it’s in for me. But the location with the karaoke upstairs, which I believe was their original location.

[JThur01]

Never mind me, I’m a wonk on city boundaries around Los Angeles Even I have trouble telling what is in the City of Industry or Rowland Heights because of the erratic nature of the city limits for CoI. For BeBe…this location? (hopefully this link works):

This was the third, and final, location for BeBe Fusion (by that name). They seemed to specialize in out of the way and odd locations, and this one topped the others. They opened in the tiny space at 525 W. Valley in Alhambra (which has to be one of the tiniest restaurants seating wise in the county), currently Ace Burger. Then they took part of the space next to a tea house on Garvey in Rosemead (which is now Lucky 1). Then it was off to this odd Bay St. location (above) that has since been levelled for a multi-story apartment complex. A Main St. location is far and away the most prominent space for her restaurant(s). I hope it works out.