I have a soft spot for Korean-style Chinese food, and I wanted to introduce my parents to the cuisine during a recent visit a couple of months ago. Having peeped this restaurant and seeing it has been a staple in the community for decades, I thought this would be a great opportunity to be able to try a wide variety of dishes at once. Here’s what we ordered:
Eggrolls
These were serviceable. Please note that my father has an eggroll addiction and is physically incapable of not ordering them whenever he sees them on a menu. These are unremarkable.
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Kimchi
Quite good! Chinese-Korean kimchi is a bit different – the sauce is a bit thicker and a touch sweeter. Hsiang Yuen makes theirs in-house.
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Mongolian Style Beef
This was my mother’s favorite, and a very good example of classic Mongolian Beef.
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Mandarin Fried Rice
This had a little bit of everything in it, and I found it to be quite well-prepared.
Rating: ½
Black Bean Sauce Noodle
MUCH better than the version I had had at Peking Gourmet! My parents enjoyed this, and this was their first time having this dish. For me, Hsiang Yuen hit all the right notes with this one, and there was plenty of ground pork to go around. The sauce had good flavor.
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Mushrooms with Chinese Green Vegetables
This was DELICIOUS!! Very well-seasoned and flavorful! The green veggies are bok choy, one of my favorites, and the mushrooms gave so much umami flavor! A true highlight, and a must-order to get some greens in and lighten a heavy meal.
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Tangsuyuk (Sweet and Sour Pork)
This was also better than the version I had at Peking Gourmet. To note, when ordering we were asked if we wanted the “red sauce or the brown sauce” – I guess they make both kinds? We requested the brown sauce on the side. Look at all the veggies! This is probably my favorite version of this dish I’ve tried thus far.
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Fried Shrimps with Hot Garlic Sauce
This Hot Garlic Sauce had much more flavor than the one I had at Peking Gourmet with Eggplant, which I had found to be not that spicy or garlicky, though still flavorful; Hsiang Yuen’s sauce visibly has copious amounts of minced garlic and a scattering of fried chilis. This was my father’s favorite dish of the evening.
Rating: ½
Not Pictured: Complimentary bowl of Jjampong (Spicy Noodle Soup with Seafood)
I quite enjoyed the Jjampong, but my mother found it to be just a tad too spicy for her – she wanted to like it, but the spice exacerbated her coughing fit by getting caught in her throat. The complimentary bowl was pretty light on noodles; I’m sure if one would order it from the menu it would have much more. Good amount of seafood, and in my opinion it was very flavorful. I liked it!
Rating: ½
Overall Rating:
Hsiang Yuen Restaurant
12248 South St
Artesia CA 90701
(562) 402-5931
Hours: 11:00 AM - 8:30 PM, Closed Tuesdays
