Food Porn Friday- Tasty Garden

With Chinese New Year fast approaching (T-minus 9 days!!!) it’s only fitting I start February off with some greasy, wok-fried, delectable dishes courtesy of our very own Tasty Garden located in the heart of Bolsa.  Just like any other region of the world, Chinese cuisine is broken up into a multitude of multi-faceted flavors, palates, and preparation.  One of my all-time FAVES:  Hong Kong Family Style.  A very Western take on traditional Szechuan cooking, Tasty Garden offers up bold flavors resulting from the abundant usage of garlic, chili peppers, and fresh black peppercorns.  Don’t be surprised when you find “American” junk food staples like french fries and club sandwiches on the menu as the Hongkongese are notorious for dining after dark aka “club crawl cuisine”.  If you’ve ever partied into the wee hours of the morn, you’ll know EXACTLY what I’m referring to.

Here are some of my rotating FAVES:

Loquat Bean Curd with Shrimp Paste and Broccoli:  Perfectly crisp coating houses soft tofu stuffed with a steamed paste center.  The mix of textures (crunchy and soft, crisp and chewy) makes this house special dish a popular fave.  It may just look like a chunk of funk, but just one bite will have you begging for more!  Only for the adventurous of course. 

Salted Fish and Chicken with Fried Rice:  My favorite type of fried rice features fermented fish bits mixed with chunks of dark meat chicken.  A very sophisticated flavor profile indicative of China’s natural resources.  They will ferment the *ish outta anything coming from the sea so if fish sauce is NOT your jam, this fried rice won’t be either.

Pork Chops Peking Style:  Next to Seafood Cove, a near perfect Peking Pork Chop.  Crunchy where it matters and chewy everywhere else, TG’s chops have nary a bone in them, save for slight slivers at the end pieces.  I love that their sauce is neither too sweet nor tangy, a perfect balance where other restaurants' competitive chops borderline on sweet and sour pork.  This version is right on point!

Dried Stir-Fried String Beans:  Amazingly flavorful although it’s technically just a side of veggies.  Notice how they fry their beans with huge chunks of garlic and dried shrimp bits.  I tell ya, them Chinese peeps sure do know how to preserve their seafood!  The Vietnamese use it to flavor simple broths; the Chinese use it to flavor their stir-fries.  Who knew shrimp had so many facets???  I betcha Bubba Gump knew! ;D

French Style Beef with Mushrooms:  It’s no secret that Brodard (og and Chateau) makes the BEST Bo Luc Lac in Bolsa.  I love it because they glaze their beef with a soy-based mushroom sauce as well as adding fresh button mushrooms to the mix.  What you get is a bold and wildly intense sauce perfect for hearty meat portions.  But since this is an a la carte dish (sorry peeps, no serving of red rice) Brodard's is still le champ!

Shredded Beef Udon in X.O. Sauce:  Fried udon almost tastes like long strips of light gnocchi.  Loaded with carbs (flour, not potato), this slimy stir-fried dish is such a fun alternative to spaghetti and meatballs.  Perfect for dining with kids when the food needs to equally amuse and appeal to them.

French fries:  I know what you're thinking... Dude! It’s just French fries!...But I swear theirs is bomb.diggity.com!!  The added starch coating makes the fries that much crispier allowing the flavor to penetrate through multiple layers before reaching the al dente potatoes. 

 House Special Pan Fried Clams with Dry Garlic and Salt and Pepper fried chicken wings:  Both prepared in a similar fashion with fried dry garlic bits marrying the two together.  Aren’t all appetizers meant to be greasy??  Oh yeah, come to mama!!!

Pan Fried Prawn with butter and garlic X.O. sauce:  The prawns stay in their shell to preserve all the juicy goodness marinating inside.  Loads of garlic, butter, and onion help to maintain its simple appeal.  Shrimp is really not my thing, but I can appreciate good and simple preparation when I see one.  Plus, theirs is cooked PERFECTLY.  No mealy texture in sight.

Tasty Garden Bolsa

9433 Bolsa Ave. #C

Westminster, CA 92683

(714) 839-8580

*Insider’s tip:  TastyGarden currently has 4 locations serving up the SoCal area.  The Bolsa institution opens until 2am, perfect for you party-goers craving a bit of grease to soak up the fun.  Kinda like a Denny’s for Asian peeps.  I give Tasty Garden a solid 4 stars for my tried-and-tested FAVES.  I order the same handful of items every time (listed above) and they NEVER disappoint.  They accept large party reservations and takeout; however I’d HIGHLY recommend dining in as fried food never transports well.*

Thanks for reading!

Hope your weekend’s getting off to the most scrumptious start!

Bon appétit mes amis!

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