I first recall hearing about Chef Chen on Elmo Monster's Blog (man, have you really been around for eight years???). After seeing a post on Chef Chen on Eileen's blog, with a pretty decent looking bowl of Niu Rou Mian, I had pretty much made up my mind. Also, we'd already tried out A&J which really didn't suit our tastes and a very, very, bad visit to Liang's in the same strip mall which was so terrible I never even posted about it. So why not make it a tri-fecta and check out Chef Chen's?
I sure must have been motivated since this is one of those parking lots I detest. One single exit/entrance, folks without any regard of right of way, people just plain parking in the middle of the aisle, people stealing spaces from folks patiently waiting for folks to leave by going around them and gunning into a spot. Man, this place has it all....they should have a reality show based on parking lots..... I made it a point to arrive a bit early, then stretched my legs by taking a walk and checking out how things have changed since the last time I've been here.
I entered the restaurant a few minutes after they opened and had a seat. The menu is a mix of different dishes, everything from typical Chinese fast food (which didn't look half bad) to Dao Xian Mian and even something that really interested me(more on that later). The prices, especially for the lunch specials and items from the "Northern dishes" menu were very reasonable...as was my bowl of Niu Rou Mian at $5.99:
I liked the color of the broth, which was decent and in my opinion better than Liang's (thin with no beef flavor) or A&J (oily but without flavor). Still not beefy enough, nor without enough five spice flavor, the spice level was nice. Be warned that the meat used is a very traditional beef shank which is a bit on the chewy side, though full of flavor. The noodles are nothing special, but were cooked to a nice chewy texture. This was not bad and actually better than I thought it would be.
I also saw something on the menu that I couldn't resist getting....Dao Ko Shao Ji. When we lived in LA, one of my favorite things was Dao Ko Chicken, from of all places Hong Kong Market. I'd tried Dao Ko Shao Ji from just about every place in the area and still enjoyed the one from Hong Kong Market. Then the market did a renovation and the deli case was gone.....sigh. I really missed my chicken. To the point that my Mother In-Law got in touch with an uncle who is a chef in Henan and he sent us a recipe. Read the post....it's a hoot!
When I arrived home and opened the container, the first thing that struck me was how much this looked like Earthen's Shandong Chicken. However, it lacked the sweetness with a touch of vinegar and in fact was kinda bland other than the super strong pungency from the raw garlic topping the chicken. It was one of those dishes that looked much better than it was.
Still, the prices were reasonable, and I really thought the service was excellent. The woman who served me was quite good, no wasted motion and very aware of her tables. She arrived with extra napkins just when I needed it, as soon as I pushed my bowl back she arrived to ask if all was well, then handed me my check. She then arrived with my chicken as soon as I placed money on the plastic tray. She was also quite friendly and nice and put up with my bogus (non-existent) Mandarin quite well........
Chef Chen's
5408-B Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604
One interesting thing I noticed in across the street and maybe if Elmo reads this he can answer it for me.....what's with the line outside Taiko?
too bad the dishes didn't pan out...the prices sounded right though.
Posted by: kat | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 12:59 AM
I was surprised to read that A&J's beef noodle soup didn't suit your tastes. Chef Chen has some really good hotpot dishes and I still need to try out their beef noodle soup because it does look really good in the picture!
Few days ago I went to have lunch at 101 Noodles Express in the same plaza and ended up parking behind 99 Ranch, where the only open parking spots were left. Maybe not many people know that area exist.
Taiko always has a line and I don't quite get it either, except that my former coworkers insisted that the restaurant was very good.
Posted by: Jess | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 02:28 AM
Hi Kat - The NRM wasn't bad and the prices are quite good.
Hi Jess - You're right, I'm not there enough and didn't know about those spots. A&J really wasn't very good when we tried it.....
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 06:42 AM
Hi Kirk,
That line at Taiko has been a fixture since I worked in the area in the 80's.
I went there for sushi, but the majority of the customers flooded the dining rooms for the reasonably priced, generously portioned lunch menu specials and I guess that is still the case.
Posted by: Gypsy Jan | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 07:59 AM
There's so many NRM places in the Irvine area but I've been disappointed by most of them. I recently saw a new one in the 85C bakery plaza that is supposed to be award winning, but the reviews were really bad so I didn't try it out. I keep meaning to ask, have you tried Dai Ho in Temple City? I think that is my favorite spot for a good beef broth.
Posted by: kirbie | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 09:48 AM
Hi Jan - It's so nice to hear from you and thanks for the info. I was kinda wondering what that was all about.
Hey Kirbie - I gotta say that great minds think alike! ;o) Dai Ho is by far one of my favorites....though the guy who runs the place is not the nicest fellow in the world.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 10:02 AM
I also was disappointed in the A&J in that shopping center. Chef Chen is much better! I'd recommend the hand cut noodles with the beef noodle soup next time, though!
Taiko's always has a line, and it is usually that long right before they open (at 11:30am?). Once they open, they seat quite a few people at once. I've never been there, though.
Posted by: Caroline | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 11:40 AM
My family loves going to Taiko. There's usually a line when they open at lunch and again at dinner because they don't take reservations. Also, many people wait early to sit at the sushi bar. They've always had generous portions for reasonable prices, and it seems like many of the customers speak Chinese.
Posted by: Sandy | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 12:10 PM
Taiko ain't worth the wait IMO.
But if it's free I'm there ;-)
Posted by: nhb | Monday, 14 November 2011 at 02:48 PM
Hi Caroline - Yes, I'll have it with the knife cut noodles next time.
Hi Sandy - That's interesting.....I've always thought of it as being Americanized Japanese food.
Hi Bill - LOL! Are you in SoCal yet? I know you had your list ready!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 15 November 2011 at 06:38 AM
Dec. 2nd I cannot wait. My mouth is watering just to think about all the food I have missed out on.
Posted by: nhb | Tuesday, 15 November 2011 at 10:36 AM
Hi Bill - You'll have to tell me all about it, ok?
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 15 November 2011 at 08:28 PM
Taiko is, indeed, an Americanized Japanese restaurant. The quality at the sushi bar is very good, and to me, less expensive than going to Sushi Ota.
Posted by: Sandy | Wednesday, 16 November 2011 at 04:49 PM
Hi Sandy - So th sushi at Taiko is as good as Ota? Now I'll have to check it out.....
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 16 November 2011 at 05:55 PM
It's a pity there is no delivery service at Chef Chen. I remember I came here a long time ago with my family. All of the dishes were high quality. Definitely try the Chinese-style roast beef. As far as i remember, i was crazy about it.
Posted by: Justin | Thursday, 16 February 2012 at 12:18 AM