SUPATRA

SUPATRA, Yorba Linda

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Location:

21560 Yorba Linda Blvd
Yorba Linda, CA 92887
(714) 693-2888


The boyfriend's been looking for ways to improve his restaurant so we frequently visit other Thai Food restaurants particularly mid-level or higher scale. It's just a way for him to see where he can make improvements but it's also nice to be able to eat somewhere else once in a while. So we went on Yelp and looked up some restaurants we wanted to try and chose Rambutan (Silver Lake), Supatra, and Chadaka (Burbank). Went to Supatra and Chadaka on the SAME night! Looking back, I don't know why we did that.

Supatra is the type of restaurant that you wouldn't expect to be there. Its the type of restaurant you would find in more populated and trendy areas like Pasadena or downtown Burbank or the promenade. However Supatra isn't located anywhere near there. It's in Yorba Linda, in a shopping plaza with a grocery store (i think), dental offices and a nail salon.

Ambience:

Dim lighting and very nice decor. Dark wood tables and chairs with plates/place mats/table cloth of varying white/cream/mocha colors. The place itself isn't very big which I liked.

Food:

I thought the food was mediocre at best, but maybe we didn't order the things that they specialize in because the reviewers on Yelp speak highly of this place.
Anywhos. . . so this is what we ate:


Beef Satay

We found their Satay to be pretty standard fare though it was a bit dry. It falls somewhere between bad and mediocre, the dryness might just be a fluke. Wouldn't order it from here again though.


Stir Fry- Duck

This was probably my favorite dish probably because I LOVE duck. I can't really remember much about it. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it.


Scallops & Shrimp Red Curry


The scallop and shrimp red curry dish made me upset. The flavor was good but I prefer my curry to be a little thicker. This had the consistency of water. Also, the dish cost $17 so I expected a little more. . . like a little more scallops and shrimp would be nice especially since they were using the small cheap shrimps. Restaurants buy their meat/vegetables/etc. wholesale and since I have inside information on what kind of prices they pay for them I KNOW it wouldn't have killed them to toss a few more in there especially for $17!!.

Service:

A+++ Service. Service with a smile!!! I'd have to say that their service is the best thing about this place followed by the ambience.

Price: $$

Dishes ranged from about $8- $20 but it is also family style so I would figure about $20/person to eat here.

Recommended ???

I didn't like ANYTHING that I had here but the service was so good that I'm willing to give it another chance. I hear they have lunch specials too. However, I don't know when I'd be in the area again so I suppose the next time I just happen to find myself in Yorba Linda I'd give it a try again.

TAMAYA

TAMAYA, Hacienda Heights
Japanese- Rice Dishes - Ramen


Location:

17142 Colima Rd Ste E
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
(626) 581-3223


Tamaya is located on the corner of Azusa/Colima in the same plaza as Albertsons and WAMU across from Puente Hills Mall. It is one of the few ramen places in the surrounding area. Since Tampopo closed down, this has been our spot to fix Jim's occasional ramen cravings.


The Ambience:

Tamaya is a small, homey, authentic looking Japanese restaurant which seems to be family owned and ran. When you walk in, a nice Japanese lady greets you with a smile and seats you. Because it is a tiny place there may sometimes be a bit of a wait to get seated. This is a no frills type of eatery, but something about it just gives off this feeling like you could find a place exactly like this in Japan. It's small, intimate and frequented by long time loyal customers.



The Food:

Their menu selection consists of different types of ramen, some curry, teriyaki rice bowls, katsu and a variety of other side dishes/appetizers. They also offer combination meals where you get to choose the type of ramen you want, a small sized rice dish and/or an appetizer. We usually start things off with an order of gyoza.



The gyoza is pan fried and we consider it an "okay" dish. Nothing really special about it. It kinda tastes like the frozen ones you can buy at the grocery store. Jim's usual order at Tamaya is the combo meal: his choice of ramen and usually a small rice bowl of beef teriyaki and it also comes with a side salad. (FYI- The small rice bowl isn't really all that small in my opinion and its very difficult to finish the whole meal if you opt for a combination dinner.) I'm not really big on ramen but I do consider the ramen at Tamaya as about average tasting though very much above many of the other surrounding ramen places in our nearby area. I have also heard some really good things about Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights. I personally have not been there but Jim has so maybe he can write an addendum to this review. I don't often order ramen at Tamaya but there are a few dishes here that I LOVE. The beef teriyaki is one of them! It's delicious and sure beats the beef bowl at Yoshinoya in my opinion. It also costs less than $4 for a small bowl which in actuality is actually a good portion. Another favorite of mine at Tamaya is the spicy beef side dish. It's like a really tender stewed beef. I don't really know how to describe it, just that it's good! Trust me.

Jim's Ramen:



This particular visit to Tamaya I ordered a rice dish + appetizer combination. I got the Katsu-don rice dish which is rice topped with a pork cutlet and scrambled eggs. I've had katsu at other places before but this was a little different because the scrambled egg tasted a little sweet. With my first bite I just thought to myself, "Well. . .hmmm. . . that's a little different." I'm actually not sure if I like it or not. It's just . . . different.


Katsu-Don





Price: $

Including drinks, tax and tip, the cost of dining here per person should be around $10 -$15. It's not as cheap as going to a drive through or Yoshinoya but still very manageable.


Conclusion:

We come here mainly because Jim likes ramen and it is the closest one to us ( although Ajisen Ramen has recently opened nearby though we have not yet had the opportunity to check it out). However, we come back for the small, authentic Japanese restaurant feel, the nice Japanese lady who takes our order and the spicy beef. We definitely recommend anyone who likes ramen or Japanese food (not sushi) to give this place a try. We may have rated their ramen a little higher, but WE have tasted the BEST of the BEST ramen around. And I'm almost positive it's the BEST in all of Southern California. Shin-Sen-Gumi Ramen in Rosemead. I'm not a big fan of noodle soups, they're "okay" in my book, but if it's ramen from Shin-Sen-Gumi I'd eat it ALL day EVERY day!!! Their broth is to die for!! More on this place in a different review.

GYU-KAKU

GYU-KAKU, Pasadena





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Location:

70 W. Green St.
Pasadena, CA

Hours:
Mon.-Thurs. : 5pm - 10:30pm Dinner only
Fri.-Sun. : 11:30am - 3:30pm (Lunch)
Fri. & Sat. : 5pm - 11:30pm
Sundays : 5pm - 10pm






This is a Japanese Grill type restaurant that I ate at with my family and we had a really good experience here :) If you've ever been to a Korean BBQ place where you get to cook your own food this place is similar to that. However, unlike those places you won't end up smelling like BBQ and smoke. Why??? Because the special Japanese style grill that they use sucks down the smoke rather than have it moving up and blowing towards you. So here is my take on the following subjects:

Food:
Really High quality meats, seafood and vegetables! You basically order this stuff raw and cook it on the grill. They offer combinations that range in price starting from about $20. While they don't serve sushi or sashimi there are some items that use tuna sashimi. Definitely try some of the appetizers. My favorite is the Hawaiian poke (marinated tuna sashimi) and the crispy seaweed with cream cheese. Also, the spicy tuna avocado salad is a good way to go if you're trying to eat light.
I had my first taste of Kobe beef here. So for meat eaters this is something you should definitely try once. But because it is KOBE beef which is like the most expensive beef it is not cheap and don't expect huge portions. 8 oz. of kobe beef is roughly about $40 for the prime cut. You can also get rib eye kobe beef for about $20. I also recommend getting the pork toro ($6 for 4oz.) , rib eye (regular beef) ($10 for 4 oz.), garlic butter lobster
Though I didn't try it, this place also serves a few Japanese rice dishes and noodles of bibimba (in hot stone pot), udon, and ramen. These are pretty affordable about $7 to $8.

Drinks:
They serve a variety of Japanese beers and sake so it's an ideal place to go with a group of friends to drink and celebrate a special day. They also serve shochu which is a japanese alcoholic drink similar to korean soju. The place also has a nice wine list comprised of mostly northern California wines. Free refills on soda and tea.


Ambiance:
Since this branch I went to is in Old Town it tends to be very busy on weekends. However, if you go during weekdays that won't be much of a problem. It's typically a good place to go with a group of people. Seating is comfortable and the decor is nice without being too trendy. It's a pretty relaxed setting.

Service:
Service was very, very good. The wait staff was very attentive what you would expect from a nice Japanese restaurant. Our waitress checked on us often and was very polite.


Price: $$ - $$$

Depending on what you order, how much you eat and what you drink, typically you should expect to spend at least $20 per person and up. They have happy hour where meats, vegetables are about 20% -50% off excluding Kobe beef and a few others. They also have All-You-Can-Eat available during certain days. This is about $35 / person.
All in all, I think it would be a good idea to hit up the place during happy hour.

Recommended ?

Yup! I'd definitely go back again. It's definitely not a place I can go to everyday but a nice place every now and then and if you go during happy hour it is quite affordable.