I finally got to try Yang’s Kitchen in Alhambra. This Asian fusion restaurant is always so packed – we had to wait 40 minutes for a table! Parking is pretty easy with all the (free) parking structures near the restaurant. As we waited outside, we wanted to grab a menu to take a look at what to eat…but the doors were locked. Maybe the staff didn’t want people to keep asking when it’s their turn.
There were not too many options on the menu. After placing our orders, it did take another 15-20 minutes for our orders to come out. This means that the food is made to order though, right? The food is was definitely fresh, but the wait between placing our order and the food arriving at our table was definitely noticeable.
Starters
Smoked Salmon Hash – smoked salmon belly, preserved meyer lemon crème fraîche, wild marinated trout/salmon roe, hash brown, dill, chives – As a starter, I thought this hash would arrive first. Instead, this was the last dish to be served. I really liked the crispy hash (also, it wasn’t oily!) and all the items on top, but for $17, it’s definitely a treat.
Mains
Grass-fed Hanger Steak (Yang’s Set Meal) – organic multigrain rice, Omiso soup, seasonal vegetable side, pickles, soy marinated egg – When I first saw this set, I thought, wow the portion is so small. Each piece of steak was so precious. I started with the soup, which I thought tasted okay. Then, I moved on to the steak. Once I took a bite of the steak, I knew I’d order this again. The steak was so soft and tender – it was amazing. I can’t remember the last time I had steak like this. The rice, vegetables, and pickles tasted good too. For the soy marinated egg, I do wish it was a bit more marinated so that the edge of the egg cut in half would have some more color. The flavor was still good though.
Mushroom Medley (Breakfast Plate) + Peads & Barnetts Pork Sausage Patty – two farm fresh eggs, hash brown or sesame toast, seasonal Farmers Market greens, scallion ranch sauce – For the Mushroom Medley, we chose the sesame toast and also added on the P&B Pork Sausage Patty for $6.5. I liked the toast, but if the hash brown is the same hash brown as the Smoked Salmon Hash, I would get a hash brown instead next time. I loved the runny soft-scrambled eggs – I almost wanted to wipe the plate clean with the toast! The mushrooms also had good flavor, and the scallion ranch sauce went well with everything. For the patty, it was nice to have some meat in this dish, but it wasn’t so memorable that I would get it as an add-on again, especially since the mushrooms and eggs were already so delicious.
Steelhead & Ikura Bowl – Yuzu miso marinated dry-aged steelhead, wild marinated trout/salmon roe, organic multigrain rice, market greens, pickled daikon, soy marinated egg – I was very excited to try this bowl. This bowl is perfect if you are looking for something on the lighter side. The steelhead trout was slightly pink on the inside and not overcooked. The ikura and pickled daikon added a lot of good flavor to the bowl and made sure the bowl didn’t taste dry. The portion was decent too. I enjoyed eating this bowl with a spoon.
Overall, this meal was great. All the dishes we had tasted delicious. Both the Grass-fed Hanger Steak and Steelhead & Ikura Bowl were my favorites, but between the two, I would order the Grass-fed Hanger Steak again because the texture of that steak is something I haven’t had anywhere else. Next time, I would want to try the Yang’s Fried Chicken Wings and the Cold Sesame Noodles too. It looks like you can’t order just the hash brown, so maybe I’ll have to order my protein with the Breakfast Plate. I am also curious if the Market Grill Plate would have a different portion of protein since it seems to have fewer sides than the Breakfast Plate and Yang’s Set Meal.
Have you tried Yang’s Kitchen?