Gastrolust

4/12 update: Sadly, Chino’s menu has gone in the direction opposite of what I desired. “Blood and Guts” and “Menudo de Chino” never made an appearance, and now the pig ear salad is gone. New additions include burritos and rice bowls.
When pig ear salad (shown here with the pickles of the day) was the first [...]

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I love hot pot. Perhaps the most famous place to get it in China is the huge chain known as Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot. When Little Sheep opened in Bellevue (they already have several restaurants in California, one in Houston, and one opening soon in New York City), I knew [...]

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Is there a new king of King Street?
Henry’s Taiwan, at the base of the Chinatown gate, has been a fan favorite for a few years, serving some Taiwanese standards at reasonable prices.
Now Henry Ku has opened Henry’s Taiwan Plus a few doors down at 522 South King Street, site of the short-lived Noodle King and [...]

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I recently broke my Seattle-area dim sum boycott by going to Bellevue for the so-called “brunch” at Wild Ginger.
Why the dim sum boycott? Easy: dim sum in Seattle is mediocre, while just over two hours north in Richmond (just south of Vancouver), it’s simply amazing. As a result, I save my dim sum [...]

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Following my first two Vancouver reports (splurges and snacks, then Japanese food), here is a report on the real reason I love to go to Vancouver—and especially Richmond: really good Chinese food. (All places are in Richmond, unless otherwise noted.)
This report will cover:

Kirin
Empire Seafood Restaurant
Shiang Garden
Lin Chinese Cuisine and Tea House
Peaceful Restaurant
Suhang Restaurant
Shanghai River
Long’s [...]

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Dish: Assorted Goodies Over Crunchy Noodle
Place: Rocking Wok, Wallingford
Price: $7.25
On the plate: I ordered this dish because the name gives away little about its contents. Turns out the noodles are sitting in a brown sauce, covered with a variety of vegetables and meats.

Supporting cast: Nothing comes with the dish. But you might want [...]

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Yesterday I posted pictures of pig-filled plates outside of Seattle, and promised you local options. Here they are. Most are Asian, with appreciation of the utilization of as much of the animal as possible. Pictured above is bopis, which is a spicy and vinegary saute of pork heart and lungs. I [...]

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Dish: Combo Noodle Soup (#21)
Place: Mike’s Noodle House, International District, Seattle
Price: $7.30 (large)
In the bowl: Your choice of noodles, plus liver, kidney, stomach, and other pork pieces in a fish and pork broth with sliced green onions.
Supporting cast: A bowl with soy sauce, black vinegar, and diced jalapenos.
What to do: Per the server’s instructions, you’ll [...]

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Dish: House Noodle Soup
Place: Gourmet Noodle Bowl, International District, Seattle
Price: $8.95
In the bowl: Hand-made, shaved wheat noodles in chicken broth with pork belly, chives, seaweed, green onions, and a fried egg.
Supporting cast: It’s all in the bowl.
What to do: Eat solids with chopsticks, and liquid with spoon. It’s that simple.

Noodling around: Less than satisfied with [...]

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Dish: Ten ingredient sautéed rice thread noodles
Place: Uptown China, Queen Anne, Seattle.
Price: $9.25.
On the plate: A heaping pile of stir-fried rice stick noodles with, as promised, 10 other visible ingredients.
Supporting Cast: Nothing else. Unless you ask for something more. Which is what you should do. Read on.
What to do: Just eat. And try to list [...]

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