Old Favorites, Hits and Misses at Lu Din Gee - CLOSED

Awhile back, I had my first taste of Peking Duck as well as some other tasty dishes at Lu Din Gee. For the most part, that meal was pretty good and I was looking forward to a return visit. Well, that return visit happened and the question is "Was it just as good as the first time?" The answer is "Yes" and "No."

Yes still to the Peking Duck. The skin was still crispy and making duck burritos was still just as fun. By duck burritos, I mean that with the Peking Duck, you get rice wrappers, plum sauce, scallions and cucumbers for some hands-on eating.

No still to the Peking Duck Stir-Fried with Bean Sprouts. Why waste any extra duck with bean sprouts? I'd rather have more for my duck burritos.

Yes still to the Buddha Chicken and the Lotus Nuggets. The chicken filling still tasted just as good mixed with hot rice and the lotus nuggets still had a wonderful crunch to them.

No to the Shrimp, Scallops and Bell Peppers in Bird's Nest. Pretty presentation, but bland tasting and you couldn't even break a piece of the basket to eat. It's probably just for show.

No and I mean a Resounding No to the Barbecued Eel over Flavored Sweet Rice. This particular dish is supposed to be one of Lu Din Gee's signature dishes, but wow, everything was sweet to the nth degree from the eel to the rice to the sauce.

No real opinion on the Cold Cuts Platter since I just sampled a little bit of the jellyfish salad and found it to be just okay. However, the foil swan was a nice touch.


Major yes to the Sweet and Sour Whole Fried Fish. Beautifully crunchy skin and delicate white fish meat inside. What I also liked was that the sauce wasn't overly sweet.

Yes still to the Crab, although this time around we ordered it cooked Kumpao style. I don't think it was really that spicy, but I like how they cut into the crab so it's easy to get all the meat out for eating.

So-So to the desserts, although I liked the jello consistency of their Thousand Layer Cake. The other two we tried were forgettable.

Based on this second visit, would there ever be a third visit? I wouldn't rule it out, but there are many other restaurants that I still want to try for the first time, so Lu Din Gee will just have to wait and I mean, a long wait.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157612884376458/

Lu Din Gee
1039 E. Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 90189
(626) 288-0588
http://www.pearlcatering.com

NOTE: Lu Din Gee is now Duck House and has moved to a new location. For more info, click on www.pearlcatering.com.

Peking Duck at Lu Din Gee - CLOSED

Last month, I tried Peking Duck for the first time at Lu Din Gee and what a tasty experience it was. Our group opted to do the Peking Duck in three ways. First, it came out on a plate with the tender duck in the middle and the crispy skin surrounding it. Along with that duck came wrappers, plum sauce, scallions & cucumber. You can either eat the duck on its own or make your own duck "burrito." I did a little of both. I honestly could have the skin was crunchy and had just the right amount of saltiness to it. It was the perfect dish.

Unfortunately, the next two duck dishes were disappointing. The second way was duck that was supposed to be stir-fried with bean sprouts. That duck must have been invisible because I certainly didn't see any mixed with the bean sprouts and even without the duck, the whole dish was just uninteresting.

The third way was Duck Bone Soup with tofu. They really must have cooked those bones to the bitter end because the soup was quite milky. As for the flavor of the soup, I found it bland. I did like the tofu in the soup though. It had a spongier texture to it that I've never experienced before, so I found it quite interesting. In the future, I would just opt for just the Peking Duck, meat and skin, and not even bother with the sprouts or the soup.

Our dining journey at Lu Din Gee did not end with the duck. We actually ordered 8 other dishes. One of the standouts was the Cumin Beef. That is a must order. The beef was really tender. I read in a Jonathan Gold review that there's actually a technique that Lu Din Gee uses called "velveting" that will tenderize the toughest of meats.

In short, it is a technique wherein the meat is marinated in a mixture that includes corn or potato starch and sometimes egg white. Then, it is “oil-blanched” in a vat of deep-frying oil for a very short time until it is partially cooked. Then, the oil is discarded or strained and saved, and the meat is stir fried until it is finished cooking, along with all of the other ingredients of the dish. Sounds like a lot of work for the restaurant, but the results are worth it.

Also, the combo of the cumin, soy sauce and the chili used to cook this dish really gave this dish a lot of flavor and a spicy kick to your taste buds! What more can you ask for?

Along with the duck that had to be pre-ordered, the Buddha Chicken had to be pre-ordered as well. The sight of that dish when it hit our table caused us all to say "Wow!" What we all saw was a whole chicken with the head attached sitting on this large platter. We weren't quite sure what to expect when we cut into it, but what we soon found out was that the whole chicken skin was stuffed with chicken, water chestnuts as well as various seafood. Scoop some of that on your white rice, eat and sigh with bliss. I'm craving some of that Buddha Chicken right now.

Following the Buddha Chicken came the Lotus Nuggets which was basically pan-fried slices of lotus root - another first for me. I really enjoyed the crunchy texture. We also had a crab cooked in sake and black pepper and wouldn't you know it, the restaurant cracked everything for us from the top of the crab to the crab legs. That definitely made for easy eating.

The dish to arrive last was the stir-fried vegetables with bamboo. It seemed odd to get the veggie dish last, but that's how it happened. Yet another first, because this is the first time I ever had bamboo fungus and it was very similar to the spongy tofu in the Duck Bones Soup. Just like the tofu, I really enjoyed the bamboo fungus.

Overall, I really enjoyed my meal at Lu Din Gee and would definitely go back without even thinking about it. The service was so-so, but the food more than made up for it. Plus where else can you get napkins the size of an aspirin that enlarge when you put it in a cup of tea? Once moistened, you than take said napkin to clean off your hands. Like a kid, I found the whole notion of tea expanding napkins quite fascinating. Sometimes we're charmed by the silliest of things, don't you think?

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157600205516808/

Lu Din Gee
1039 E Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 90189
(626) 288-0588
http://www.pearlcatering.com/