I write a lot about my college days at Berkeley, all the great food I ate, and the 15 pounds I gained as a result. Oh, alright, it was closer to twenty, but I lost all of it and then some shortly thereafter, working very very hard.
One of the reasons that I gained so much weight wasn’t necessarily the volume or quantity of food I ate, rather the quality of food, and more importantly, when I ate said food of suspicious quality. Many a night, I would jay-run-not-walk across Durant, blast through the open door of Steve’s Barbecue just before 1:30 am, hoping to God that they hadn’t yet powered down their indoor grills. If I was so lucky, I’d first nod-bow Korean-style, then order #2 to-go. Numbatwodaaejeebulgogi! she would scream over her shoulder to the Mexican cook who was only two feet behind her. I happily bounced back to my dorm room, careful to keep the styrofoam box upright so that deliciously spicy red pork bulgogee grease mixed with kimchee juice wouldn’t seep into the creases of the white plastic grocery bag that said “Thank You” in red letters. Back to the same spot in the 3rd floor lounge where I had been huddled over my Econ textbook for the previous four hours, I proceeded to consume the entire #2. The whole glorious meal enough for three people, four if they’re small people.
crispy, crackly, tanned and burnt noodles
But that’s not all. Sometimes it was Fat Slice (the biggest, thickest slices of non-Chicago-style pizza you will ever encounter), but they close at midnight. Sometimes it was Yokohama Station’s Tokyo Chicken, which was mostly cabbage and carrots that smelled like wood, but generously doused with sriracha, you’d never know. And sometimes, and this was when I met him, who had a car, it was Sun Hong Kong all the way over on Shattuck Avenue, for crispy noodles and shrimp. What a treat, they were open until 4 am. What a treat, he had a car *eyebrows up and down*
I think after losing the 20+ pounds that I had gained in college, I subconsciously swore off everything I ever ate in college, somehow psychologically linking college semi-obesity with oily cheesy pizza, greasy grilled sausages, Manuel’s burritos that required dos manos, fatty meat and fried rice. Gee, that’s a weird connection – fat made me...fat! ;) Sure, now I eat those things, in slightly more updated, refined versions, and certainly not at 3 am. Except burritos, and if we’re really keeping track here, then it’s the nachos at Benito’s at 3 am anyway, not the burritos.
Actually, if we are truly being accurate, then I can’t include the noodles I ate at Sun Hong Kong, which to be quite honest, I don’t even remember the name, because he always ordered them in Chinese. They were thin, like spaghetti noodles, but were crispy, like they had been deep-fried, or even pan-fried in a lot of oil. The noodles were a tangled nest for big fat, curled shrimp drenched in a thick, clear yet cloudy cornstarch sauce. It wasn’t spicy in the least, but I always spooned fatal amounts of hot chili sauce on top. For some reason, I want to remember the dish as His Hong Kong Fried Noodles.
I just became reacquainted with the same noodles at Royal Star Seafood in Santa Monica. It was the battle-back of a Chinese challenge that had started at J.R. Seafood. The Intern had alleged that Royal Star Seafood was good, and that his posse would back him up. I claimed that J.R. Seafood was fairly decent for the Westside, and could give Royal Star a run for it moo shoo. I’ve been to both, they had not, so we went through a bit of a Hunan hazing at J.R. That was quite an experience.
Was it for shame that the posse didn’t make it out to Royal Star with the Intern? Did they know they had already lost the war at the Battle of J.R.? No, not really, since the meal wasn’t that great there, especially, with that green B hanging in the window. But the Intern wanted me to try something that wasn’t offered at J.R. Seafood. When the dish came to the table, I was taken back *cough ten cough* years to Berkeley, college, Sun Hong Kong at 3 am – pan fried noodles with shrimp.
if it were this good in college, it'da been freshman 30!
It looked exactly like I remembered it, if not better. A twisted, tangled mess of noodles that were thin, tanned and crisped to a deep golden yellow in an episode with the frying pan, some of the noodles on the outer edge even as dark as Bain du Soleil. Lounging on top, it wasn’t just shrimp, but thick slices of meaty, fatty-tender beef, pristine white chicken breast, and vegetables. It wasn’t just cross-cut pieces of cabbage, but entire quarters of sweet baby bok choy, almost whorled into perfect yin and yang. The thick, shiny gloss of a sauce was clear, which might indicate bland, but it was seasoned and flavorful – my naive tongue might just be impressed with salt. It certainly wasn’t spicy, but like I did so many years ago, all I had to do was ask for some hot sauce. The shrimp were just a touch rubbery, but I didn’t mind. This is Chinese food, not sushi. I didn’t intend to eat beyond a taste, but I’m quite certain that I polished off more than my fair share.
The noodles had been the star of the table, the reason we came to Royal Star, the motivation behind the Ch
inese Challenge in the first place, but we did order a few other items from the menu. I mean, it was dinner, not a midnight study break snack ;) The spring rolls to start came out pretty soon after we ordered them, which was almost alarming, but then I realized that at the correct high heat, a deep fryer can cook fairly fast, and it’s not like I expected Royal Star to actually hand roll those things only after we ordered them. The skins were thin and crisp, the way spring rolls should be, not thick and bubbly like eggrolls. The filling was fine, and I certainly didn’t expect to gush on and on about spring roll filling. I never like sweet and sour sauce that comes with the fried stuff, so I stuck to pure chili sauce, deftly spooned onto the end of the spring roll before each bite. In case you haven’t noticed, I am condiment professional.
vegetable spring rolls. get that sweet n sour out of the picture!
don't let me butcher the Chinese name of snow pea shoots
The other dish is one that has become a favorite only in recent years. Before snow pea shoots (I shall not type out the Romanized Chinese name lest I brutally butcher it), the greens of choice for me was always spinach, either creamed or sautéed in garlic. Sure, that’s not a Chinese thing, but I am talking about green in general here! But now it’s snow pea shoots. I almost have cravings for it, with their little curlicue tendrils that stick out pertly from the mass on the plate, the entire bunch completely drenched in wok frying oil, and everything salted, garlicky, and still tender crisp. Sometimes it’s not done well, and the overcooked greens become bitter and mushy, or it’s a little too oily if that’s possible. But for parte dos of this Challenge at Royal Star, these were good enough to make me think of replacing creamed spinach with the stuff on my Thanksgiving table.
Overall, the meal at Royal Star was good. I got to take a short trip down memory lane with the pan-fried noodles that tasted even better than Sun Hong Kong, and *mmm* over snow pea shoots. As far as the Challenge goes, though, Royal Star was good food, but it was weird to see no other Asian people in the restaurant except the staff. That felt sort of PF Chang's. J.R. Seafood was an odd experience because of what we ordered. Again, sort of PF Chang's. It’s a pretty close call, so we just may have to go into overtime. But thank god neither place is open at 3 am, otherwise we might be facing the post-college fifteen. ;)
Royal Star Seafood Restaurant
3001 Wilshire Boulevard (@ Stanford)
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310.828.8812
tags :: food : and drink : chinese : restaurants : reviews : los angeles
sarah says
wow, cheesemonger, you certainly outdid your wordcount this time! a few responses:
1) the presenece/absence of asians - i went to royal star on a wednesday night. i've been to vip many times, though not within the last month. you're right about the different ratios at lunch and dinner. my theory is that dim sum is hard to come by on the west side, so asians on the westside have to settle for vip - there are no other options. but for dinner, i suspect asians, when they want to go out for dinner, think of other places to go because they probably eat chinese for dinner at home a lot. just a theory.
2) sweet and sour sauce - it's not that i didn't like it at royal star. i don't like the stuff in general. it's strange, i used to have the stickiest sweet tooth and would pour the stuff all over everything, even rice. but in more recent months, i have been less of a sweet-freak (thank god - cake and candy was my weakness when lifestyle changing, and now i am less tempted) i have always loved spicy to the point of sweating. i don't mind cuisines that are traditionally less spicy - as long as they don't mind that i douse everything with hot sauce.
3) shrimp - i am not necessairly comparing cooked stir fried shrimp to sushi - two totally different things, but i always find it funny when people say shrimp is tough - unless it is RAW, shrimp will taste like that. certainly it shouldn't taste like a rubber ball, but it'll never be the same as raw.
4) my dad - this one i'll save for another date, as there is a LOT involved. when we were little, we lived in san antonio texas, and it was very difficult to be "oriental" for him (he speaks fluent english, btw - no accent, imagine that for someone who came to the US when he was in his 30s!)
5) my middle name is the korean name my grandmother gave me. roughly translates to "dangerous" sarah dangerous delicious. LOL!
6) you are right about young people losing tradition. i should be included with that group, as i have said before. though my dad wanted me to be an "american," my mother was insistent on making sure i understood korean traditions, including foods. probably why we still had kimchee at every meal, even thanksgiving turkey.
7) kiriko - haven't been nack to kiriko in a while. last time i went is documented here: delicious does kiriko in february. perhaps you are thinking of "fioretto" from my RIF WOLs (Reviews In Five Words Or Less). that post is coming up shortly.
Anonymous says
I really enjoyed your blog. I think it would be even better if you got to the point about the restaurants faster. You seem to go off-topic a lot, especially at the beginning. But this is a blog, after all, and maybe other readers, especially people who know you, enjoy the personal anecdotes. I, a stranger, just want you to get to the meat of your reviews. Keep up the good work!
sarah says
hi anonymous!
yes, thank you very much for your suggestion. :) i often struggle with what/how i should be writing, especially since there are people out there whose real jobs are to review restaurants - they are professionals.
here's a response to your comment; not meant to be offensive or retaliatory because i really do appreciate your suggestion! :) more just an explanation of why i write so much in the beginning.
i guess i've always seen each post less of a restaurant review and more of how the food and experiences incorporate and weave their way into my life. thus, i don't really feel off-topic when the topic is not JUST the restaurant, but how a particular meal affected me that day or night or even as i sit down to write something about it. if it were purealy about the restaurant, then yes, you are right, i am going waaaay off topic for a veeery long time. ;)
for many people, food is simply a science, mechanics, objective, a job, etc. but for me, food is so incredibly personal and subjective and emotional - from ingredients, cooking, to eating, and even restaurant experiences - they spark memories and at the same time provide the setting for new ones. it is difficult for me to just "get to the meat of it" regarding a restaurant because in essence, it's not just about the meat. it is like a meal wherein every ingredient, each course is important to the overall experience, not just the meat ;)
i am wordy, i know - look at the length of this comment already!
but it is the personal stuff that matters here, and i like it, as well as the pure narrative about the food and service in the posts. BUT, if i had to choose one or the other, i'd pick the personal stuff and leave out the restaurant "review," because we can all read zagat, citysearch, chowhound, local papers' food ssections etc. to get the pure commentary on the food.
anyway, thanks so much for stopping by, reading the blog, your recommendation, and your compliments :)
(and i hope i haven't scared you off with such a lengthy comment in response, lol!)
hungryintaipei says
you totally brought me back all my favorite foods at berkeley too... mmm, steve's... mmm, fat slice... mm, sun hk noodles... and let's not even think about zachary's. i looked for similar cheap eats near ucla when i moved down to LA, but nothing could compare. have you ever tried the korean food from that little shack in westwood? nothing close to the simplicity, volume, speed and taste of steve's. i miss berkeley!
ps keep your blog the way it is! if someone wants a straight up food review, they should go to zagats.
sarah says
hungry in taipei: ucla has some decent stuff, but it seems like there are more "commercial" places as compared to berkeley, i.e. in n out, chilis, etc. not that it's a bad thing, but yes, i do miss those holes in the wall along telegraph that had a lot of, um, character. LOL! and i miss top dog. hot links! lemon chicken! *sigh*
okay, and i can't believe i am going to say this, but i totally miss hai loon king and king yen on cellege for chinese food. LOL!