chung king restaurant, monterey park

i've been wanting to try this restaurant forever. i first found it online in some reviews on a whim when i was craving spicy sichuan ("szechuan") food. i think i was always waiting for the right time to come, but today i was feeling very decisive. we wanted to get brunch and when neither jone's nor little next door sounded appetizing, i said, "let's go to chung king!!"

this is the extreme opposite of going to little next door, sitting on the sidewalk, and watching pretty people order tiny portions while sipping on a $12 mimosa like drink.

cold appetizers. i didn't realize at first but you can go right up to the counter and order this (they are all out and displayed, under heat lamps) before you order/while you're waiting for your food. we chose the beancurd skin (i don't know what it's called in english but that's what it is in chinese), pickled green beans, and roasted peanuts. the peanuts have the most amazing flavor: a little oily but very well seasoned and with a hint of sweetness. the pickled veggies are a favorite of mine. when i put this in my mouth i was whisked back in time to the days when i was a kid and my grandma would make this for us. she would pickle all the vegetables herself in her kitchen, sichuan style (both sides of my families are originally from sichuan).

this is one of my favorite sichuan dishes. whenever i was in china at a restaurant that had this, i would make my parents order it even though NO ONE ate it but me. it's basically little pieces of battered, fried chopped chicken stir-fried with a ton of red peppers. you don't eat the peppers. but my favorite thing about this dish is digging through the peppers which make a dry rustling noise in order to find the little pieces of chicken.

there's also sichuan peppercorns in here, which give the dish a unique kind of "numbing spicy" flavor (called "ma la" in chinese). eventually there wasn't much chicken left - just bits of fried batter, which i have to admit are good nonetheless.

here's a close up of the peppers. i love the homely plate that this dish was served on. at this point in the meal i started feeling really nostalgic about past years/months/weeks/days spent in china. i really wanted to be in my grandma's kitchen at that moment.

this was the dish that sent me over the edge with nostalgia. it's thinly sliced potato strips, stir fried with peppers and vinegar. this is called "tou do si" and growing up, my parents would make it for me all the time. they usually skip the chili peppers and use green bell peppers instead. this version was very tasty and it made me crave the version i used to have all the time at home.

i loved everything here and really want to come back again soon. but my stomach was complaining a little after this because i ate sooo much spicy food all at once. as far as authenticity goes, this place is one of the best i've encountered here in l.a.


chung king restaurant

206 S Garfield Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754

(626) 280-7430
cash only!!

my first roll from my holga - success!

out of 12 exposures, i got about six that i really really liked. at least now i know my holga doesn't really have light streaks. yet.

this is gloria's cafe on venice blvd. i double exposed this shot. we had yummy pupusas and pork adobado here. and the mexican chocolate. mmm. i think i have pictures; i'll post them separately.

now, on to downtown los angeles.

broadway and 4th.

shoes from blends double exposed with the building across the street. 4th and main.

zorro the cat. double exposed. he was laying down and when he noticed i was snapping pics of him with a blue flash, he jumped at at me (which is the predominant shot you see here).

overall, i was happy with my first roll but i felt the colors were a little washed out. i adjusted the color a little - mostly just increased the contrast. can't wait to see what my next roll is like!

holga = my new hobby

so a couple of weeks ago, destructor and i were out for a stroll when we met holga. ok so it wasn't a stroll, but an intentional afternoon of shopping/consumerism. we found holga at turntable lab on fairfax, and it looked so curious and fascinating that we had to have it. he got it for me as a gift, and i am grateful because it now gives me a new hobby and perspective on the world.

what is a holga? i'm not sure how to explain this. it's a little plastic camera - not particularly well made - that has a long history. it has a plastic lens, and captures the essence of snapshot photography. (plus, your photos come out square. isn't that enough to love it?) to me, having this camera is like being forced to travel back in time. it is the opposite of the high tech digital canon that i have. you have to get your hands dirty.

let me back up. apparently, in 1982, the russians were inspired by a little japanese camera. they based their lomo lc-a camera (the "lomo kompakt automat"!) on it and thus a whole sub-culture was ultimately born.

then (or, simultaneously?), a plastic low-tech camera was developed in hong kong. originally, this was meant for people who wanted to partake in casual photography: this was a cheap medium-format camera with all the basic mechanisms needed. this was called "ho gwong" in chinese which meant "very bright" - of course they then put a european spin on it and thus the "holga" was born! eventually the holga ended up in the hands of artsy people and institutions, its reputation gaining momentum until it officially became a part of the lomographic society.

in the older/original models, there were some manufacturing defects that ironically became the reason why people loved this camera so much. the body was not constructed well, and would cause several light leaks. this gave shots taken with a holga a very distinct personality. the idea that you never knew what mood your holga was in was perplexing, challening, and fun. people always say, you could get only 1 good shot out of a whole roll while all the others are crap, or if you're lucky you might get lots of beautiful shots.

a common characteristic of these shots is the vignetting around the edges. i still haven't figured out what makes it stronger in some shots vs others. on my first roll, only 1 shot had this effect. why?? another fun thing you can do (and this works against you, too), is multiple exposures on one frame. like i mentioned, everything is super-manual. it took me 30 minutes to load my first roll into my camera. i felt like i had traveled back in time. i was afraid every little thing i was doing was going to ruin the film. i also had to cut a tiny piece of cardboard out of a random box to wedge underneath the film because it wasn't staying straight (the holga is notorious for this, which will give you shots that are crooked. not cool) anyway, you have to manually advance the film in order to go to the next shot. if you forget to do this, you will take your next shot on the same frame, causing either 1) a really creative/interesting/fun image or 2) ruining both your shots.

but the double exposure is why i love this camera. i can play with it and see what comes out later. the first time i took a photo, i felt really weird. living in a world of digital technology makes you take everything for granted. we are so spoiled - we go through life with digital confirmations. did that email go out? who called you on your cell? how did that last photo turn out? just look at the display on your digital camera.

with the holga, i clicked and got nothing. there i was standing on the street, holding what could have easily been a plastic toy, not knowing if my picture actually "registered" or how it would turn out. it gave me anxiety.

however, i got over this very quickly. it forced a perspective shift upon me. and that's what life is all about. you have to bring change onto yourself, so you can see things differently.

next up: photos from the holga AND how to pimp your holga.

fairfax @ oakwood ave

why did it take me so long to come here? after getting ethiopian food destructor and i drove up the street to check out the shops on this block. strange, i'd been here to the dime and canter's many times, but i guess that was all at night and i completely missed the surrounding shops. this block is lined with several hot boutiques for sneakers/streetwear.

can you see turntable lab? in the middle there. inside, we found something that would change my life forever! destructor picked up a holga starter kit and we couldn't take our eyes off of it. he ended up buying it for me. it took me awhile to decide what color i wanted. there was a bright red one, and another that was yellow, blue, and hot pink - which looked totally crazy altogether but i loved it.

but wait, there's more! i walked into this thrift store and was mostly uninterested until i literally had one foot out the door and something in my peripheral vision caught my eye. the glittering bags and shoes behind the counter. i found a stash of (real, i am pretty sure!) vintage chanel bags! there was a gorgeous large boxy white one, but on sale it was still $100. however, i peeked behind it and discovered a tiny light gold baby one that had the cutest shape i'd ever seen. it was marked down from $200 to $40. sold!

merkato

i love love love ethiopian food. last week destructor and i went to merkato, a favorite of ours. whenever i come in here, i instantly feel relaxed, ready to chill over a nice slow meal. maybe it's the cozy decor or the bright umbrellas.

this fish dish is amazing. the fish is lightly fried and somehow not oily at all. all the succulent flavors are sealed inside with their method of cooking. the outside is crispy and has amazing flavor. plus, you get all their vegetarian sides too.

close up of one of my favorite fish dishes in LA. it' currently #13 on the menu. get it!

spongey bread! well, this is what i call the injera, which is a staple of ethiopian cuisine. i love merkato's because it tastes just right here. (sometimes it can be a little too sour) you use this soft pancake like substance to scoop up your food - wrap it around, eat it by itself, dip it, whatever.

this is a close up of my vegetarian platter. no matter how hard i try i can't bring myself to order anything else on the menu. it comes with the following:

1. special shiro: ground peas cooked in red sauce with special spices and tomatoes
2. lentils: split lentils in red pepper sauce seasoned with assorted spices
3. collard greens: steamed and seasoned with garlic and pepper
4. yatklt alicha: steamed cabbage and potato seasoned with assorted spices
5. yekeke alicha: peas in mild sauce seasoned with spices

you'll notice the mysterious/vague reference to these secret "assorted spices". i'm not sure what they are exactly, but rest assured that it is a delicious blend of powerful, intoxicating flavors. some of the pea/lentil dishes remind me of curry. you also get a small tomato salad with this, which is basically fresh tomatoes, onions, jalapenos. really refreshing and yummy.

if you are with a group and love coffee, definitely order the ethiopian coffee. i've had it here and it's wonderful. order it in the beginning of your meal because sometimes it can take awhile (they make it fresh).

afterwards you can go up the street to the canter's area and shop at all the cool stores (next post!).

merkato ethiopian restaurant & market

1036 1/2 S Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90019

(323) 935-1775