311249 Fri Jul 21 20:19:13 -0700 2006 37 2 Los Angeles Area 0 1759491 Walking into the Chop Suey Cafe was certainly like walking into a time warp with the same booth/dividers from the old Far East Cafe and only enough new fixtures to satisfy current building code requirements. Foodwise, one thing needs to be made clear. This is not an attempt to serve the same food that was offered at the Far East Cafe. Besides the new wave/fusion salads and burgers, even many of the "traditional" dishes on the short menu at Chop Suey Cafe are not items that Far East Cafe served, including orange chicken, kung pao shrimp, cashew chicken, and almond duck. (I know because I saved the take out menu from my last visit to Far East Cafe in 1984.) What they do serve is a variety of stereotypical Americanized Chinese food. As far as the food itself is concerned, we had the house special chow mein and the pressed almond duck. The chow mein was OK--thick noodles like the old days, heavy on the vegetables, but there was something modern tasting about the dish. The almond duck was kind of bland and is not nearly as good as the same dish at Paul's Kitchen. At $7.95 for the chow mein and $8.95 for 10 or 12 small squares of duck, this isn't the greatest food bargain either. I'd recommend that everybody go here once for the experience, but unless you have peculiar culinary tastes, I don't think you'll be back a second time. Fri Jul 21 20:19:13 -0700 2006 10131 Chandavkl 1 1760678 Don't go expecting the same tasting dishes that were served at the original Far East Cafe. The original Far East Cafe owner's son Dewey who cooked there has had a place for many years on Caesar Chavez/Soto called New Formosa Cafe(only open for lunch and Saturday's until 7pm-closed Sun/Mon). He and his wife Betty told me the new owners of Chop Suey Cafe came around sampling their food at New Formosa Cafe trying to get the original recipes from the Far East Cafe and they wouldn't give them up. The infamous Formosa Cafe in W. Hollywood is also related to the original owners of the Far East Cafe. Paul's Kitchen downtown is a better choice if you're looking for that "old style" Cantonese cuisine. The one in Monterey Park seems to have gone downhill a bit from my last couple visits...serving what seems to be re-heated food. Sat Jul 22 15:46:54 -0700 2006 1759491 11914 monku 1 1783257 Thomas Wolfe said it best, "You can't go home again". I went there last weekend with some friends, hoping to relive some old flavors and memories. To say the least, I was very disappointed. Nostalgia is very overrated. Should have known when on a Saturday at noon there were only two tables occupied. I was hoping some of the old dishes they have on the menu would be at least close. Wrong!! Seaweed soup was wakame with tofu. Cha shu was a few slices of pork spread out on a plate served with little dishes of mustard. They could have at least had mustard containers on the table. Pakkai (like I remember and was hoping for) should have been dark orange colored. Chow mein wasn't even recognizable. Hamyu was a total disaster. Almond duck was the only thing that was even close... maybe 50% there. The waitress seemed surprised when she asked if we wanted a container for the leftovers and we said no. Oh well, at least I can say that I went back, just for old times sakes, but never again. One and done. Wed Aug 02 19:01:54 -0700 2006 1759491 23380 OldieButGoodie 1 1793467 We went there this past wkend, the food bordered on inedible. The chow mein was goupy, congealed. The appetizer came after the main dishes for which our waitress apologized for, but we were sorry to find out how greasy and gummy the shitake potstickers would taste. One tiny bit of shitake stuffed in a dumpling. Our waitress also seemed suprised we didn't to take any leftovers home. Duh! Mon Aug 07 23:50:16 -0700 2006 1759491 17034 luswei 1 1835518 Thomas Wolfe was only partially right. You CAN go home again, it's just to a differnet neighborhood, that's all. The New Formosa Cafe in Boyle Heights is home. The moment I walked in the front door, the smell of the food told me that I have come home. We ordered all the old favorites that Far East doesn't do right anymore; almond duck (to die for), pakkai, chow mein, seaweed soup, pea chow yuk and cha shu. When we had questions of a certain item on the menu, Betty would just point to the couple in the next booth and to what they were eating. They were apparently fans of the old Far East and had been pre-warned and luckily for them, had not gone back. They had ordered most of what we were about to order plus shrimp cantonese, too. Gee, that looked awfully good...maybe next time. That was a lot of food for only three of us, and I figured there would be a lot of leftovers to take home, but we nearly finished all of it. Sadly there was not much to take home, but at least, I was in "China Meshi" heaven. Didn't order the ham yu, might have been a little overkill. But as we were leaving, Betty, who waits on tables and is the wife of the cook said that they have some frozen ham yu so I ordered some of that to take home. My 17 year old son, who had never been to the old Far East and had wondered what all the hype was about, had three large servings of everything. Now he knows, and he is a convert. Ah, home sweet home. Sat Aug 26 23:30:12 -0700 2006 1759491 23380 OldieButGoodie 2 2576877 address please? i need to take my dad. he has ate at all the old places in chinatown, chinatown #2(old city market. it would be nice to hear what he thinks. Thu May 17 00:33:20 -0700 2007 1835518 72668 phant0omx 3 2583511 Cesar Chavez Bl. just east of Soto. Fri May 18 22:44:13 -0700 2007 2576877 10131 Chandavkl 2 2940366 Thanks for the recc. I am an almond duck fanatic. Can't wait. Where are they located? rw medina pasadena Thu Sep 13 22:42:45 -0700 2007 1835518 17882 Al Bondigas 1 2323259 The food is terrible. The same neat decor, but they will not get repeat customers. The Chop Suey Cafe would be much better off if they offered something else rather than bad Far East Food. Instead go see Betty at the New Formosa Cafe, they have a Far East Cafe menu that has all of the favorites. Hom Yu, Pea Cha Yu, Almond Duck, Chow Mein with pan fried noodles... She asked me, is that the flavor that you are looking for? and I knew I was finally home again - The Real Far East. New Formosa Cafe 2415 E. Ceasr Chavez Ave. Fri Feb 23 13:28:48 -0800 2007 1759491 73971 dsake 1 2323463 Have to agree with most of you. I went to Chop Suey--twice---with great expectations and was very disappointed. The food was as far from Chinese as you can go, yet be so close to Chinatown. Americanized to the point of total failure, at least for me. The chop suey was a goopy mess and the curry chicken had an after taste like disinfectant. Go into china town and eat someplace that actually uses Chinese broccoli! It's so much better! Fri Feb 23 14:11:06 -0800 2007 1759491 76434 ajbinla 2 2574714 My apologies to the typical chowhounder -- (Locals with get it.) Okay here goes. A little history. The Far East Cafe is a historical and very personal institution to the Japanese-American community as well as many in the Chicano community. It is the only institution that I proudly claim as a ELA/Boyle Heights kid. For me the Far East Cafe is J-Town. What Manuel's is to E.L.A. What Pink's means to many westsiders. Imagine Manuel's or Pink's changing owners and menus. Impossible you say, well they did it to my beloved Far East! This past summer my friends and I ate at the new Far East (Chop Suey Cafe). We met one of the two new owners a Sansei or Yonsei cat from the bay area I think. A really gracious guy who took us around the entire restaurant and he could not have been any nicer. The aged looking booths and the upstairs dining tables greeted me like an old friend. Nice. In the rear of the cafe you will find a cozy but chic bar area and they have converted the grimy outdoor alleyway into a cozy patio. The food however was a disaster. The Chinese food is on par with the Pomona Fair. Where is the mustard jar for crying out loud. The original Far East is DEAD and part of me died too. Wed May 16 11:32:40 -0700 2007 2323463 99017 Pakkai 3 2576215 from what i hear....you need to go to fomosa cafe in ELA for original far east cafe food Wed May 16 18:31:50 -0700 2007 2574714 79299 rickym13 4 2576672 Thanks rickym13, I have been there many times and it is one of the last terrific old school cantonese joints left. Have you been to Chinese Gardens in Montebello or Canton City also in Montebello? Both places serve old time chinese food and are very good. Paul's kitchen in Monterey Park has gone down hill the last several years. Too bad because they had HAD a loyal base of customers that are leaving in droves. Why? Inconsistent food and the old staff is no where to be found. It seems the new management has changed the vision of the old Paul's Kitchen. Kareoke night and amateur band nights. It ain't no Madame Wu's! However, the original Paul's kitchen on San Pedro St. is still a classic place to take friends and family. Wed May 16 21:35:04 -0700 2007 2576215 99017 Pakkai 5 2576872 oh man...good ol chinese gardens. have not been there in over 30 years but my parents use to take the family every other friday night for dinner...back in the 70's. i still remember likeing those dry noodle snack as a kid! i still go to paul's kitchen time to time since i live near by.....and yes they are very incosistent but when its good, i enjoy their bbq, hom yu etc.... Thu May 17 00:22:42 -0700 2007 2576672 79299 rickym13 3 2583259 Amen to everything you have said!!! Driving in from the SF Valley before there was a freeway (Riverside Drive most of the way) was a real chore and a long drive for my folks but well worth it. Fri May 18 19:42:15 -0700 2007 2574714 23380 OldieButGoodie 3 2859710 Indeed. It's great to see the old CHOP SUEY CAFE re-open as FAR EAST and the owners should be commended for restoring the interior -- history practically drips off its walls. But, as someone who's organized events there, I concur: lousy food; great bar. Sun Aug 19 11:32:11 -0700 2007 2574714 14148 Kris P Pata 1 2842918 Took my dad to the old Far East in Little Tokyo (now called Chop Suey) when first re-opened. My dad is 85 and he and my family have been going to Far East since I was in diapers. That was THE place to go for Chinese-meishi. When the earthquake closed the old place we were so sad. But elated when we read in Rafu-Shimpo that the restaurant was re-opening. I took my dad there for lunch and the service was terrible. There were hardly anyone there but we didn't get a waiter for like some 15 minutes. I had to flag down one several times but they either ignored me or said they would come back. We finally got our menus and were shocked to see that our old favorites were gone. At the time they didn't even have the pressed almond duck. Frankly they didn't have any duck dish. We ordered the sweet and sour pork (which was bland and the sauce a pale yellowish orange, not red at all), chow mein (this was also disappointing with more vegetables than noodles and bland as all get out) and the hamyuk. NOW we thought here was something that was going to be good. It was terrible. Salty, bitter, and dry. Nothing like the old hamyuk of old. Not even close. They had all these thai/fusion/asian type stuff on the menu. If you want that kind of americanized "Chinese" food, go to those awful Panda Expresses. They forgot to get us our steamed white rice. I had to ask for it several times. They finally brought it but we were almost done with our meal. I have to say, those guys at Chop Suey sure were amateurs when it came to running a restaurant. Maybe it's gotten better since we first went, but by the sound of things, food hasn't changed for the better. We left vowing never to return. It was very sad. The building and booths looked the same. It was a hard reality to face that as someone pointed out, "you can't go home again." We were hit again with the closing of Tin Sing in Gardena. They had all the old favorites and it was closer to home (Long Beach). But now Tin Sing is closed and has trouble re-opening because of some dispute over parking with the city of Gardena. I'm sad to hear that Tom's Kitchen in Monterey Park is going downhill. I guess we'll have to stick with the original Tom's Kitchen and try New Formosa. Mon Aug 13 21:09:36 -0700 2007 1759491 119068 toyo2960 2 2843044 Yeah all the Old Cantonese places are falling to the wayside..... Tin Sing was set to reopen but the STUPID Mayor of Gardena Vetoed the request to reopen..... Don't know what his name is but raise Cain if you can...... Pauls Kitchen on San Pedro is probally one of the last OLD School cantonese to remain open. Mon Aug 13 22:28:09 -0700 2007 2842918 61476 Skunk2Racer 3 2859552 The owner is a jerk. He also owns a catering company that catered my wedding reception at JANM. The service was SO bad and he tried to pawn the whole thing off on me, saying I wanted to keep the cost down. Okay...so I didn't know I had to pay extra for people who had a brain. I had no champagne when the toast was happening. My husband and I didn't get served first, in fast we got served after half of the guests did. Then one of my bridesmaids asked for a fork to eat the cake and the girl clearing the tables gave her a dirty one that she just took off a table she cleaned. Sun Aug 19 10:21:22 -0700 2007 2859012 91873 bigtums 4 2884492 I don't know what's wrong with the new owners of Chop Suey. Maybe they're too young to remember the old place. Or they're not from around here. I wrote earlier of my experience at Chop Suey and how my dad and I were very disappointed. My dad was born in LA (he's 85) and used to go to Far East as a kid. I make better Chinese food (chops suey) at home. I was jonesing for some real haam yu (the crap at Chop Suey was terrible, didn't even resemble the haam yu of old). So I got the recipe from a Chowhound friend and made it the other day. Turned out great. My dad was actually pleased. Came pretty close to what we remember. I hope the new owners of Chop Suey come up with a new chef. All this bad press can't be good for them. Maybe they can't cook the old chop suey recipes from the greasy past, but at least they could make a good Chinese dish. Overall, the food is just bad. Chinese, fusion, Thai or otherwise. I'm an avid cook and enjoy REAL authentic cuisine. This place has neither. It's just nice that they fixed the old place up. But if the food keeps being bad, the place is going to close fast. That will be the greatest tragedy. Sun Aug 26 22:39:12 -0700 2007 2859552 119068 toyo2960 5 2885454 which IS pretty sad. i enjoyed their happy hour food in the past, and it's gone way, WAY downhill since opening. The bar is cool as dirt though Mon Aug 27 09:31:43 -0700 2007 2884492 91179 ns1 6 2885766 this is somewhat funny, the last time i was there was for happy hour. i wanted to walk through the restaurant to go to the bar. while walking up to the front door there were two waiters outside and as i was going to enter they asked me if what i wanted and if i was lost. the food and service is really bad. the time i was there, a couple of my friends ordered chow fun. it took at least half an hour to make and from what i saw, they were one of maybe 3 people actually ordering food in the place. it took roughly another twenty minutes to get their food. what they did was leave it on the sill where all the food comes out as we saw it come out, but couldn't get anyone to check if it was their food. i have to give it up for the bartender chick. when it gets busy she works really hard being that she's the only one holding down the fort. Mon Aug 27 10:44:20 -0700 2007 2885454 72668 phant0omx 7 2885913 yup, that she definitely is. usually pretty good eye candy too. Mon Aug 27 11:13:41 -0700 2007 2885766 91179 ns1 5 2885675 if you are ever in monterey park area...try: chinese garden (across from montebello golf course) new fomosa cafe (east l.a.) Mon Aug 27 10:25:25 -0700 2007 2884492 79299 rickym13 2 4322680 Hi toyo2960 This is a reply to a post from last summer that I just read. I am a graduate student at Calstate LA working on my MFA thesis in graphic design. I am collecting memories from people who ate at the Far East cafe in Little Tokyo. You wrote that your dad an family having been going there since you were in diapers. Would it possible to get some memories about the Far East from you and your family to use in my thesis? Let me know if it would be possible. Thank you! Tue Jan 13 12:13:51 -0800 2009 2842918 256825 christineshaus 1 2903385 DEAR OWNERS: IT IS NOT TOO LATE. CLOSE DOWN AND REBUILD YOUR KITCHEN WITH A SIX WOK SET-UP. FIRE YOUR culinary STAFF AND HIRE THE COOKS/OWNERS FROM THE FORMOSA CAFE IN EAST L.A. AS CONSULTANTS (SHIT, PAY THEM $100,000). Dewey and Betty are the owners of the Formosa Cafe and they are ready to retire. If you have not been to their little cafe then you need to stop by before the joint closes down. SERIOUS! It will bring tears to your eyes as it did to a Nisei man who sat down for some Hom-Yu. He thought he would never taste that taste ever again. True story ask Betty. I am just another B-Head from the East Side. Sat Sep 01 14:04:29 -0700 2007 1759491 99017 Pakkai 2 2903453 From previous posts in other threads, it seems like it came down to a question of money, that the new owners didn't feel like paying the money for the old, authentic, good recipes - a very bad decision on their part. With Little Tokyo as busy as it is, the Chop Suey Café is almost always deserted when I walk past, even when every other crummy sushi joint will been at least half-packed (and the good places are packed to the rafters with crowds' waiting on the pavement). They could have a gold mine on their hands if they just played it smart and got their food together. I can see the cool interior from the street through the big picture windows, thank you very much. They need something more to entice me inside when there are so many other options in that neighborhood (with more opening all the time). Sat Sep 01 14:31:58 -0700 2007 2903385 100515 Woolsey 2 2903633 AMEN! I Still remember the Old Cantonese Dishes.... Shrimp chow mein, chicken chop suey, pepper beef, old style almond duck, wor won ton, seaweed soup..... DAMMIT Listen to Pakkai! Get the ball Rolling before it's TOO LATE! Sat Sep 01 16:02:11 -0700 2007 2903385 61476 Skunk2Racer 2 2929219 Huzzah! Let's hear it for Pakkai. He's right. Chop Suey should go to Dewey and Betty for the recipes. But I heard somewhere that they wouldn't give them up. The owners of Chop Suey got it all wrong from the start. I don't know if they are cheap, or just don't know how to run a restaurant. A great restaurant lives and dies on it's food. Not some cool bar. Or great ambience. Okay, so what, Chop Suey has a bar. But I could go to a Japanese joint across the street and get a drink and better food. Owners: Find a REAL Chinese chef. (He may well be Chinese, but he ain't no chef) You guys are killing an institution. Little Tokyo is slowly melting away. New Otani has been sold. Soon the only thing left of this district will be the Koyasan Temple and the Japanese American Museum. With so much bad critiques of Chop Suey, I'd like to know what the owners think of this. The place is empty most of the time. While the other Japanese places are doing good business. Go to Chinatown on Spring Street. The restaurants there are packed. It's the FOOD stupid!! Get it right. I don't want to see my beloved Far East Cafe shuttered once again. Perhaps forever. It's a shame to my all the generations of my family who celebrated weddings, funerals and birthdays for all these many many years. Mon Sep 10 20:48:26 -0700 2007 2903385 119068 toyo2960 1 2903661 Thank you for the hedzup. Out of respect for my family and the memory of the original Far East, I was so looking forward to re-visiting a treasured site. How sad, with all the great chefs in the area, they couldn't find decent staff. Chinese Garden and Canton City will remain my destinations for old school American Chinese food. The last time we visited Chinese Garden it was nearing closing time, but the owner and his staff were still very attentive and pleasant. I stop into Canton City for the rumaki---ooh, so good and crunchy! Sat Sep 01 16:26:15 -0700 2007 1759491 63648 la vida dulce 2 4335963 The good ole days of finding a good Cantonese Restaurant are gone, especially in the South Bay Area when Ting Sing in Gardena closed down... Sun Jan 18 02:22:13 -0800 2009 2903661 258262 flylice2x 3 5196763 really miss Gung Hay too. found a soyu dish last night Fri Nov 20 12:08:20 -0800 2009 4335963 1126097 b ruin 1 4610071 Does anyone have the latest on the New Formosa Cafe? Sun Apr 19 19:18:28 -0700 2009 1759491 23380 OldieButGoodie 2 4610080 Last I heard (on CH) many months ago was Dewey the owner had taken ill. Sun Apr 19 19:25:01 -0700 2009 4610071 11914 monku 3 4980383 Dewey passed away. See link below for thread w/his obit. Sad..... http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/635527 Wed Aug 26 13:51:41 -0700 2009 4610080 20518 slowrider 1 4980010 Very depressing experience at the Far East on Aug 14, 2009. Restaurant phone was not picked up all day on a Friday. Went early to find out what's up. Only operation running was the bar. Very sketchy business in the restaurant. What is going on? Person I spoke to says they are trying to adjust the restaurant's direction. Seems like the direction is giving up altogether, NOT improving the business. Bar atmosphere was fine, food was very forgettable. Wed Aug 26 12:14:15 -0700 2009 1759491 175578 gki 2 4980374 Walked by Sunday night 8/23 during Nisei Week Closing dance and every restaurant on that side of the street was full and saw one couple leaving Chop Suey Cafe after eating and no one else was in there. Wed Aug 26 13:48:45 -0700 2009 4980010 11914 monku 1 4981213 Sad to hear of the dismal reports. I was there right before they shut down many years ago while on LA jury duty. They had just finished filming Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story and closed down not long after.The food was great as ever and I was looking forward for them to reopen. But every time I went by, it was still boarded up. Anyway, I've heard nothing but negative reports since they reopened recently and am quite hesitant to go back. I guess the old days have come and gone. Too bad... Wed Aug 26 18:57:20 -0700 2009 1759491 116037 Clinton