Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant (Rosemead)

Just one word - "Pricey!" If you're expecting a great review for this restaurant, don't hold your breath. Well, the dim sum is excellent if you're willing to endure the wait. Not your traditional style dim sum where ladies push carts loaded with hot food around. Here, you'll have to order off the menu. Fortunately, for those of you who don't speak the language, there are pictures on the menu for you to point at. But aside from the dim sum, I would never go back for dinner or anything else for that matter.

Relatively speaking, this place is absolutely expensive for a Chinese restaurant and the price can no where near, justify the food. I was there for dinner once (4 adults + my daughter). We ordered 5 dishes, with one being a soup. Total bill came out to $196. My original order of soup came back as unavailable so the waiter suggested another. Little did I know it was gonna cost $45. We ordered a steamed fish but the price on the menu said "seasonal". That's typical of most places so I wasn't worried. Until the bill came and I saw that little fish (which could only feed 2 people) cost over $60!! If the fish was huge, fine, but my 3-year old could've eaten the whole fish herself.

I could go on and on about this restaurant but that's not what my blog is about. To sum it up, go to Sea Harbour only for the dim sum. It's still a little more pricey than others but it is good if you're willing to wait. As for lunch or dinner, forget about it. Save your money and have 5 good dinners at Sam Woo's. I will never eat dinner there again. I should've known when I saw the wine rack at the front door. How many Chinese restaurants do you know, has a wine rack.



Address:
3939 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770
(626) 288-3939

Golden City Restaurant (in Chinatown)

This restaurant has been around for quite some time and has gone through a couple of owners since I lived in the Chinatown area. I would frequent the restaurant now and then to order take-out such is fried rice, chow fun or chow mein or something really simple since that's usually safe no matter where you go.

But the other day, we went there simple because I was craving Chinese (as usual) and you can park at the Empress Pavilion lot next door (for which Golden City validates). Ordered clams with black bean sauce, chicken with Chinese greens and of all things, a crab dish called "Golden Garlic Crab".

I'd have to say the best crab dish I've ever had in a Chinese establishment. It's deep fried, covered in fried garlic & spicy salt. I couldn't get enough of it. I cleaned up even the small pieces of garlic on the plate. If you like crab & garlic, this is THE dish to order. I've had similar dishes in other restaurants but none compares to this. The best, thus far. Oh - and the other 2 dishes were pretty darn good also. The clams were large and fresh and the black bean sauce had just the right consistency and spiciness to it. My 3-year old daughter loved the chicken and Chinese greens so over, we had a great experience there.

When you consider how hard it is to find parking in Chinatown, Golden City is a great option to try. It's reasonable, has parking, and the food tastes incredible. You'd be sure to run in to me one of these days as I go there much more often now than I did before. Next time you're in the area, I'd really suggest trying it. You almost never have to wait no matter what time of day or season.


Address:
960 N Hill St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 253-2660