REVIEW (w/foodie porn pix!): Yu's Garden (of Earthly Delights)

[Bon Vivant]

For foodie porn pix click: http://myculinaryadventures.blogspot.com

Below, can this noodle whore go anywhere without ordering a bowl of wonton noodle soup?

Ever since my brother got married, mumsy has discovered that it’s easier for him to fly to China to visit his mother-in-law than it is for him to drive to Los Angeles (from San Diego) to visit her. This past Mother’s Day, said brother and his bride drove up the 101 to Hollywood (ok, Dear Reader how close is Silver Lake to both the 101 and Hollywood?) to attend an anti anti Beijing Olympics rally but had no time to stop by and visit for even five minutes. It has come down to this: if we want to see him we have to meet him in Orange County.

But since he has started taking us to Yu’s Garden this is not such a bad thing. Not only is the food good it’s also incredibly cheap. There is a menu that you can order off of but it’s so much fun to choose from the various hot and cold delicacies from their “deli” case. Two items piled on a plate costs just under $5; for a buck more you can get three items.

Plate No. 1 consists of star anise braised chicken “drumettes” and a sesame seaweed salad (or maybe it’s gong cai?

)

Plate No. 2 consists of a yuba (tofu skin) salad and a wonderful chopped green bean salad with ground pork. The green beans had some type of really yummy sour funky flavor in it (this was my favorite dish, I could have eaten it all day long.)

Plate No. 3 consists of more tofu salad (can you ever get enough?) and “drunken” chicken. These two dishes go so well together.

Add another plus to this place: there is a Ranch 99 and a fro yo place that serves LAMILL coffee in the same complex.

Update: since I'll be en Napa for Thanksgiving, male sibling will actually be going to mumsy's house for dinner; I guess it was me who he was avoiding all along.

Yu’s Garden
5408 Walnut Avenue, Suite H
Irvine, CA 92604
[phone]