No. 1 Noodle House, Rowland Heights: 1 of 10 Reasons My Job Is So Cool

A Daily Gluttony blog just wouldn't be a Daily Gluttony blog without the irreverent food/work combo posts so here goes.

My job kinda rocks.

But interestingly enough, not very many people understand what it is that I do without having worked in the retail industry. My own mom to this day couldn't tell you exactly what I do. She still tells her old Chinese mom friends that her daughter works in Finance. Usually I am referred to as a Financial Analyst but I've heard myself being labeled a Financial Planner too. Her friends then nod in approval because it's something they can understand. No offense to any of you financial analysts or planners out there, but I didn't shed an insane amount of blood, sweat and tears for years in the retail industry for nothing. No way--my job is so much cooler because:

1) I get to work with fashion and other cool stuff.

2) I get paid to go shopping.

3) I get paid to stay updated on fashion, style, and pop culture news.

4) I am not required to travel.

5) I get to see a bunch of private music shows.

6) I get to listen to music and watch music videos all day.

7) I can wear jeans and 5" platform stilettos to work and not get reprimanded for dressing inappropriately. Visible tattoos and piercings are completely acceptable.

8) I work with a lot of both interesting and nice people.

My mom and her friends would totally not get why reasons 1-8 would make any one think they'd hit the job hunting jackpot. But they would totally get why I'd love my job because of reasons 9 and 10...

9) At the end of the day, I'm doing what I do best which is being a numbers and data nerd.

Things involving math have a decent position on the career totem poles inside my mom's and her friends' heads. High up on that same totem pole are stuff like "doctor," "dentist," "lawyer," "investment banker," "engineer." Bonus points if one had such a career and lived at home with their parents at the same time.

And finally...

10) I work near a bunch of good food.

If my mom was able to meet me for lunch one day, I'd skip having her meet everyone at the office and instead take her to lunch at one of my favorite weekday lunch spots No. 1 Noodle House in Rowland Heights.

No. 1 Noodle House is nothing more than a small space with a counter at Rowland Heights' Yes Plaza. The official menu is in Chinese but there are large photos and English names of the restaurant's most popular selections behind the counter. If, like me, you're not a Mandarin speaker and/or the person behind the counter happens to be English-challenged, just point or talk in broken Mand-glish like I have in the past. Find a table in the indoor seating area to the right or at one of the patio tables outside and someone will bring your order to you. I like sitting outside and being surrounded by Yes Food Court's faux Neo-Classical facades--it makes me feel like I'm on vacation at Disneyland. Or Europe. Or Euro-Disney.

Despite how much I like my job, there are still days where I feel like my head is going to explode from crunching too many numbers. My brow gets furrowed and my face gets all squished up from thinking too hard. On such days, I know I can count on the spicy options at No. 1 Noodle House to clear my head up and relax my forehead. Take that, Botox.

On colder days, I usually opt for their spicy beef noodle soup, niu rou mian, to warm my belly and clear my sinuses. I've heard conflicting reviews about these with critics saying that the soup's bland and lacks spice and/or depth which fortunately for me, has never been the case. Sure, it's not the best I've had, but its rich, beefy broth is fine by me. Tender chunks of beef and pickled greens help to round the whole thing out. If you're worried about the broth not being bold enough, be sure to tell the counterperson that you want it spicy. Usually they'll ask what your preferred level of spiciness is, but in case they don't, just tell them.

When it comes to wontons in chili oil and dan dan mian, my heart still belongs to Shufeng Garden (in the form of Zhong's Dumplings) down the street, but unfortunately, Shufeng Garden doesn't have patio seating where you can work on your tan whilst sweating out chili oil. That doesn't mean that No. 1 Noodle House doesn't make decent versions of the two dishes, however.

Their wontons in chili oil are perky porky pillows that really pack a punch in its glistening orange chili oil bath and sprinkling of scallions and peanuts. A word of advice though: don't take them to-go if you can help it, else the wonton wrappers tend to turn quite doughy.

On warmer afternoons, which is usually the case in Rowland Heights, my dish of choice is the dan dan mian--a bowl of warm chili-oil, ground pork and peanuts slathered over a bed of cool noodles. Mix it all up for a bowl of absolute carby goodness that packs a nice spicy punch. As with the wontons in chili oil, these noodles should be eaten on the spot.

Regardless of what size noodles you get (No. 1 Noodle House offers them in a small or large size), all three of these dishes can be had for under $20 which I imagine would make my mom quite proud of me for finding such a gem in the same neighborhood that my paychecks come from.

"My daughter's a financial analyst and really good at math, and she works near a lot of good, cheap Asian restaurants," my mom can say with a smile. Mom's happy. Her friends are happy.

And I'm happy because of numbers 1-10 above and because my mom and her friends are happy. And that's all that really matters.

No. 1 Noodle House
18180 Colima Rd. #B (Yes Plaza)
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-7093
Cash Only

Be sure to read Mmm-Yoso's, Naked Sushi's and Hungrybunny's reviews of No. 1 Noodle House too!

Cheaters are Losers: A Spicy, Oily Indulgence at Shufeng Garden, Rowland Heights

I've been good.

I've pretty much kept my daily caloric intake to about 1400 a day.

I've been working out 5 days a week, some days at a pretty high intensity.

And I've lost 15 pounds since I've started this Biggest Loser challenge about 6 weeks ago. Not too shabby, eh?

But that 15 pounds lost hasn't all been a result of me being good. It is also, in my opinion, a result of me being very, very bad.

No matter how many tasty and healthy recipes I have up my sleeve, day after day of low calorie, low fat, low sodium, low carb, mayo-less, bacon-less, whole grain, high-fiber, sugar-free, dressing-on-the-side bullshit makes me want to eat the couch. So if I didn't allow myself to cheat on my diet once a week, I would literally consume upholstery. Topped with cheese and butter, of course.

One of my most recent cheat meals involved an oil-laden, fried, fatty, carbo-loaded feast at Shufeng Garden. And yes, this Rowland Heights mini-mall Sichuan did indeed do its job of fending off those late night upholstery cravings as well as punishing this unfaithful dieter with red-hot, spicy pain that hurt so much I liked it.

I'd remembered photos of an oil-slathered fatty pork dish on some local blogs and knew right away that this was exactly what I needed. Thanks to a Mandarin Chinese speaking coworker, printouts of photos of the dish from local blogs' jaunts to the restaurant's second location in San Gabriel, as well as an email from SinoSoul with the names of recommended dishes in Chinese, my non-Mandarin speaking, non-Chinese reading, Chinese self was able to get some Pork Butt in Garlic Mud into my now-smaller belly.

The cool, thin slices of half meat/half fat stripes bathed in spicy chili oil definitely satisfied my fat-covered-in-more-fat craving. I'd imagined them to be a little thicker and served warmer, but the dish was good nonetheless.

The large pot of Water Boiled Fish we ordered looked like something out a movie: a virtual sea of orangey-red angry with red pepper flakes, like a vast body of fluid over which you'd be rowing a decrepid boat in hell. The cauldron of white fish fillets and assorted vegetables soaked in a spicy red bath wasn't as spicy as I thought it was going to be, which is either good or bad depending on your tolerance for spice. I personally would have liked it to be spicier and perhaps a little more tangy, but it was still a nice accompaniment for a hot bowl of steamed rice.

Zhong's Dumplings were al dente pillows of pork-filled goodness served with a healthy dose of (you guessed it) chili oil. A sprinkling of sesame seeds added a nutty bite to these smoky and spicy little pouches.

It was perhaps the restaurant's Dan Dan Mian that put Shufeng Garden on LA's foodie map to begin with--what with having made Jonathan Gold's Best Dishes of 2009 list--and for good reason. It looks like a none-too-exciting small bowl of noodles topped with ground pork and spinach upon first glance, but after mixing the al dente noodles up with all that's in that bowl and taking a slurp, it's a multi-dimensional flavor experience that will both enlighten and numb your tastebuds. It's spicy, acidic, herbal and smoky all at the same time, with flavors that work together but that are distinguishable separately as well.

A cheat day can't be called a cheat day without something fried, so infidelity in the form of the restaurant's Shufeng Spicy Chicken and Intestines in Chili & Wild Pepper were pure guilty, spicy perfection. Fried meat morsels are fun, but not as fun as when they're fried with as much chilis and pepper as there were pieces of meat. I especially liked the fried intestine which were fried to a beautiful golden crisp on the outside which gave way to a slightly bouncy funkiness on the inside--a funkiness that only offal enthusiasts can appreciate.


After having inhaled three bowls of hot, steamy rice and five tongue-tingly good dishes with enough chili oil to grease up my newly toned biceps, I was more than ready to go back to 400 calorie a meal "budget." Until the next cheat day, that is. Sometimes you just have to be bad to be good.

Shufeng Garden
18459 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 839-7589

Tweeting My Way To Taipei Golden Pork Chop, Rowland Heights

Just got out of painfully boring meeting. (10:59 AM April 17th from web)

Have to pee. (11:01 AM April 17th from web)

Am tweeting whilst on toilet. (11:03 AM April 17th from twitterific)

@yomama No I said PEE (11:05 AM April 17th from web)

Am wondering what to eat for lunch. (11:07 AM April 17th from web)

Acting busy; boss thinks I'm still working on a project which I already finished this AM (11:08 AM April 17th from web)

Reading food blogs via browser window in corner that i shrunk to midget size (11:11 AM April 17th from web)

Just read @kungfupanda post about Taipei Golden Pork Chop in Rowland Heights. Only half mile away think I'll go there. (11:22 AM April 17th from web)

Fuck just got email someone needs analysis done by noon. FML (11:24 AM April 17th from web)

Going into data warehouse to shop for data (11:26 AM April 17th from web)

Maybe I should be working instead of twittering, I really need to get this done (11:30 AM April 17th from web)

Can't help it, I am addicted to twitter (11:31 AM April 17th from web)

Slicing, dicing, and cooking up these numbers 1-2-3 I'm done! (11:51 AM April 17th from web)

@yomama My excel skillz are like the most agile hooker's. I can bend my data any way u want LOL (11:54 AM April 17th from web)

Just emailed analysis out (11:56 AM April 17th from web)

Getting ready to leave 4 lunch, drank 2 much coffee earlier, have 2 pee again (11:59 AM April 17th from web)

Twittering on the can again (12:03 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Walking out to car (12:05 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Am at stoplight so it is OK to tweet right? (12:08 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Just got to Diamond Plaza, address 4 this place points to Brochette??? Where is TGPC??? (12:08 PM April 17th from twitterific)

@randomfoodie Thx, I wouldve never known it is inside Brochette. (12:10 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Found table near window and sat down. Place looks like a Japanese pub (12:11 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Lady just asked: R U alone? "By yourself" would have been better, "alone" makes me sound like a freakin loser. (12:13 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Got handed the menu slip & pencil and got asked if I read Chinese which I don't. Got "the" look. (12:16 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Noticed that they have prune juice on the menu (12:17 PM April 17th from twitterific)

What should I get? Hmm, think I must get fried porkchop but w/ rice or noodles? (12:18 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Wondering why no one is stalking me if my twitter followers know I'm here (12:20 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Oh well someone could still show up (12:25 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Yay lunch is here: fried pork chop, rice w pork sauce, veggies and soup..I'm starving! (12:31 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Took a few aerial shots of my dishes as well as closeup food porno shots of the porkchop (12:35 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Soup has seaweed cabbage and some bonito flakes bland but I guess supposed 2 B simple (12:37 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Porkchop fried 2 nice golden brown; sauce is good too (12:39 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Am chewing and swallowing (12:40 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Rice w/ pork sauce tasty but veggies very bland; love the soy infused egg tho (12:43 PM April 17th from twitterific)

BC of decor & nite yakitori menu, asked lady if this is Japanese izakaya by nite she gave me look and just answered "Taiwanese." Oops (12:45 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Paid my bill, its cash only BTW, and left very full (12:55 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Verdict is that food is OK for a lunch spot service is quick & straightforward would return coz its so close (12:58 PM April 17th from twitterific)

Back at office still wondering why no one stalked me (1:07 PM April 17th from web)

Have to pee again (1:09 PM April 17th from web)


***
OK, enough. The purpose of this post? To stop myself from regular twittering/tweeting because I am *this* close to doing it. I know, I know, you're probably thinking what's the big fucking deal, just give in and do it, right? But see, it's a matter of principle to me. On one hand, it's straight up kind of fun. My friends are funny people and I like when my funny friends write funny things. I also think it would be kind of cool to look back upon in the same way a journal or diary would. If I were a business, I could see how Twitter could be a powerful marketing tool, a la Kogi BBQ.

But on the other, much bigger, you-have-man-hands hand, I just don't get how much people are up in other people's business nowadays, and I feel like Twitter is taking social-stalking to a whole new level. I know because I'm guilty of being web-sessive too. Between blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, and various special-interest forums that I participate in, I feel like the concept of privacy and any "me" time is long gone. I also wonder how people have time to do anything anymore being that we are all so caught up in updating the world with our every move. Do people really give that much of a rat's ass what I am doing right now that they would send an Invitation To Join Twitter to a complete stranger? Does our society have that much A.D.D. that we no longer have the stamina to read/write an entire paragraph from start to finish and would much rather read/write "sentences" of 140 words-or-less? Since Twitter seems to be an important networking tool within our current foodblogging community, do we think that Twitter is enhancing or taking away from blogging? Could it be that food writing, or heck, even writing in general is evolving and that Twitter or something similar will eventually replace blogging? Gosh I hope not. I happen to like paragraphs.

To Tweet or Not To Tweet? That is the question.

Taipei Golden Pork Chop Noodle and Rice
1380 Fullerton Road, suite 106
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
(626) 810-5570
Open from 11am to 2:30 pm, cash only.