consume
may 27, 2002
per the suggestion of LK, i went to have lunch at Lee Kam Kee Vietnamese Restaurant in Alhambra (not to be confused with the Lee Kum Kee sauces) over the weekend. since i'm pretty much game for trying out new restaurants, i'm always open to suggestions. the decor of the restaurant and the plates, chopsticks and cups were all very neo-asianesque, quite a surprise considering i'm so used to the no-nonsense bowls and plates they often serve food on in vietnamese restaurants. this is the first place that actually pays attention to interior design and the whole dining experience from a consumer's point of view. no wonder so many people were eating there that afternoon. pictured above, is the cha gio (eggrolls), che ba mau (tri colored drink) and my fave, soda chanh (lime soda).
here's their pho (vietnamese noodle soup with rare steak) which k thought was a bit too bland for him. he likes the broth to be a bit stronger but then again, he's very picky about his pho broth. :p
i opted for the hai-nam chicken with rice and the obligatory broth. i usually don't eat this dish but i really wasn't in the mood for v-food, so i just got this instead. the rice was pretty flavorful, as it should be but the flavor of the chicken and the ginger scallion dipping sauce wasn't as in-depth as i thought. maybe, i just wasn't too hungry and not feeling well. but i did like their cha gio (eggrolls) though.
Lee Kam Kee
2505 W. Valley Blvd.
Alhambra, CA 91803
626.282.7720
i like the fact that their menu is their placemat (and not an advertisement for cellular phone stores) and that everyone there spoke cantonese. i also found out by looking at the placemat that there's another branch in Hong Kong, in Tuen Mun. i should pay them a visit when i'm in Hong Kong next time. the interior, as i mentioned was very zen and peaceful but their parking lot is anything but zen. it's a really nice place to have vietnamese food if you want to enjoy it as a visually appealing dining experience. thanks for the recommendation LK. :)
i was sitting there waiting to get my haircut last week when the owners of the salon were talking to a salesrep from dermalogica who was trying to make a hardsell on the products. the very tall leggy blond (not shown in the photo) kept on saying "this is what lucy liu uses on her skin every night!" and "this is what jennifer aniston swears by." and then she kept on reiterating "lucy liu this lucy liu that and lucy liu blah blah". i really wanted to tell her to 'can it' and why did she have to use lucy liu in her examples of who uses what anyway? does it really matter to people what lucy liu uses? was she trying to sell to a certain demographic here or something since i was sitting on the waiting couch?
all of us know that unless we're as well off as those actors and unless we are predisposed to good genes, a large group of us won't be able to afford to make ourselves look as good as the movie stars. c'mon, their job is to stay looking good in front of the camera. and we pay to sit in front of the screen to watch them on camera. as movie stars, they have the disposable income to hire personal chefs, nutritionists, personal trainers, yoga instructors, therapists for anything under the sun while the rest of us have to make do with our slim fasts and taebo tapes.
besides, why do non-asians think that lucy liu is what all asian girls are striving to look like? it's not like i think every non-asian gal wants to be julia roberts right? if i were non-asian i'd like to be jeneane garafolo.
