Tofu King, Yi Mei, Golden China

On my last trip to Rowland Heights, we were just supposed to swing by and get some shaved ice and some fried stinky (fermented) tofu to go. But who am I fooling? As soon I arrived, I didn't want to leave. So many restaurants to check out. BF was willing to stop by places with me, but he didn't want to sit down and eat at them because he wasn't hungry.

Tofu King
18414 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 964-6250

So I ended up stopping by a few places to get things to go. First, we went to Tofu King again to get some stinky tofu. Once there, I felt like I had transported to an alley in Taiwan. The small storefront, the man taking orders, the outside seating, everything reminded me of Taiwan.

We ordered the fried stinky tofu. You can read a more in depth post on Tofu King here, where I explain a little more about this famous street food and the restaurant.

I also wanted to explore some more menu items, so I ordered a meat noodle stew.  This is another common street food item. Noodles, chunks of meat paste, and bamboo are served in a thick, starchy broth. 

The version here was similar to ones I've eaten in Taiwan. It didn't really stand out, but it wasn't bad either.

Yi Mei Deli
18414 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

After we walked away from Tofu King, I noticed Yi Mei Deli nearby. This place sounded really familiar to me, but I couldn't remember why. Once inside, I saw that they had a whole menu of breakfast items that they were still serving. I suddenly remembered why this place was so familiar- I had visited its sister location in Monterey Park.

Once inside, I couldn't help but get some fresh made soy milk that was served warm. I also got a rice roll. I didn't particularly like the rice roll. The inside fried crueller was stale tasting. I hadn't particularly loved the location in Monterey Park, and my experience here wasn't much better.

Golden China
1015 Nogales St Ste 129
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

My last stop before Class 302 was Golden China, located inside the Ranch 99. I had heard of this place from gastronomer. I explored the menu and really wanted to sit down and try some of the spicy dishes, but BF wasn't budging.

So I ended up order stuff to go and opted not to try to take the spicy dishes home. Instead, I ordered some shrimp fried rice.

The portion was generous and there were lots of shrimp. It was a little on the bland side, but I enjoyed it. The price was pretty reasonable too.

I also got some chive pockets. My order came with two giant chive pockets. The skin was pan fried but very crispy, which is how I like it. The inside chive filling had a great flavor. I was surprised at how tasty these were and would order them again. I'll have to come back here for a proper meal next time.