Back at Blogger Prom, Tony from Sinosoul said that he prefers to keep most of his favorite San Gabriel Valley restaurants to himself, but he couldn’t help but share one restaurant: JTYH. He swore by their knife-cut noodles with lamb. Pat from Eating LA is far from a lamb-o-phile, so we had to bypass the lamb noodles, but we got plenty of house-made noodles at the mysteriously titled Chinese restaurant, and they lived up to the hype.

It’s not worth wasting space to describe the decor, but it is worth noting the jumbo chicken statue out front. Pat joked that the chicken statue looked an awful lot like the birds that flank the entrance at nearby Sea Harbour. Is this the kind of lame prank you’d find in an old college movie where a frat steals the other school’s mascot, or could this oversized poultry actually be catching on in the SGV?

The sprawling menu features 110 different dishes, and if that’s not enough, a display case near the register hosts even more savory snacks. No matter what you order, expect a complimentary plate of crisp celery stalks capped with dried chilies.

Since JTYH specializes in house-made noodles, we ordered two varieties. Beef Stewed Noodle Soup (small, $4.75) was loaded with irregularly sliced noodles with good bite, chunks of tender brisket and plenty of vegetation to cut the richness. The beef broth didn’t have the depth of flavor or spice of a Dai Ho Kitchen, but JTYH’s version wasn’t as oily and contained better noodles.

Mooshu “Cat Ears” ($5.75) were pinched into “ear” shape and blanketed with a fluffy mass of scrambled egg loaded with pork and wood ear mushrooms. This dish was similar to Shanghai-style rice cakes, but heavier due to the omelette.

Fried Leek Dumplings ($2.95) were really just crispy, golden crusted pancakes filled with minced leeks, glass noodles and more scrambled egg.

Here’s a close-up of the leek dumplings.

Some other dishes that appealed to me included lamb noodle soup, wonton & noodles, fried beef w/caraway dumplings, Jing Dong Meat Pie (better known as beef roll), spicy lamb steak and braised pork intestines. There will definitely be a return visit to delve deeper into the menu.

Here’s PAT’S TAKE ON OUR MEAL

Related Posts

1. China Islamic – Rosemead, CA – December 13, 2007
2. Noodle House – Monterey Park, CA – July 16, 2008
3. Happy Kitchen – San Gabriel, CA – March 16, 2010
4. Shufeng Garden [CLOSED]
5. Triumphal Palace (Dim Sum) [CLOSED]

1. Pingback: Anatomy of a J. Gold shout-out. | sinosoul.com on October 9, 2009

8 Comments

1. mattatouille, October 6, 2009:

   those cat ears look like orecchiette. i love knife cut noodles, so i should hit this place up once i get back to LA.

2. SinoSoul, October 6, 2009:

   Eater pickup. Kat went overboard with the title, of course.

3. foodshethought, October 6, 2009:

   That looks fricking delicious!!! Every bite of it!!!

4. Joshua Lurie, October 6, 2009:

   That was funny. You must be pleased with the exposure.

5. Joshua Lurie, October 6, 2009:

   It was delicious. A return trip is definitely in order.

6. Kung Food Panda, October 9, 2009:

   Josh,

   Let me know if you want to check out JTYH, I’m a big fan of the place ever since Tony took me there a few months back.

7. Joshua Lurie, October 9, 2009:

   Danny,

   I’m definitely interested in a return trip. That’s a deep menu, so it will take plenty of visits to get a grip on the full extent of what they’re doing there.

8. Uncouth Gourmands, October 26, 2009:

   We have to go back for the fried leek dumpling. It looks phenomenal. Remember this was the place where Josie described the food as “better than sex” http://uncouthgourmands.com/2009/10/12/celebrate-good-times/

This entry is filed under California, Chinese, Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, Southern California.