![]() ![]() The sesame sauce Paper Pot provides is nutty and earthy, while a yuzu-laced soy sauce is perfectly complementary to freshly cooked beef. ![]() Paper Pot seems gimmicky with its otherworldly paper pots that somehow boil soup bases without catching fire (thanks to some clever induction heating), but wading past that wow-factor you’ll find bright slices of well-marbled beef, baskets of fresh produce, and a wide selection of savory soups to choose from. There’s nothing quite like the DIY spirit of the meal, where you can select your favorite meats, veggies, and broth, and leisurely cook them in a personal pot of boiling broth while simultaneously getting a steamy facial. Hot pot is such a comfort food in the SGV, especially during the colder seasons. Young Dong TofuĭIY platters of veggies and proteins cooked in fragrant soups within a surprising pot And the best part of finishing a meal at Bhanu’s? Wandering the grocery aisles for snacks and sweets to take home. Popular dishes, like tikka masala, butter chicken, palak paneer, and lamb vindaloo, are executed just right and intensely flavorful. The masala dosa is crispy while the dough is perfectly tangy and stuffed with spiced potatoes. The array of samosas, regardless of the filling, is always pleasing. The brother and sister pair who started Bhanu once owned restaurants in Bombay, and brought their know-how and recipes - much to the delight of all of us - to the SGV. But this is why we learn not to judge a book by its cover Bhanu is excellent. Located in a random strip mall (as so many great LA restaurants are) next to what was formerly a Petco, the Indian restaurant-grocer combo doesn’t seem too enthralling from the outside. Half restaurant, half grocer with flavorful and unfussy Indian fareīhanu is a discreet spot. I mean, I guess there’s no place like home. As an Angeleno who’s rendezvoused at the Beverly Hills steakhouses, eaten fresh fish on the ocean-hugging west side, and watched the sunset on rooftops in Downtown LA, I can confidently say that no other neighborhood in the city of angels has the same heart as the food in the San Gabriel Valley. The more upscale spots are trendy yet unpretentious. The primarily homestyle cooking teems with the experiences of its creators. The San Gabriel Valley - and the food within its confines - has a quiet magic to it. A burger spot that’s been open for over 50 years, where locals still sit in the no-fuss swivel bar stools and dive into fresh, beefy patties and pie. A Japanese-American owned donut shop that’s open 24 hours a day, and produces one of Jonathan Gold’s favorite donuts. A late night taco truck where people of all backgrounds gather for dollar tacos and slender glass bottles of Mexican Coke. A place where Hainan chicken is the well-known specialty, but Italian food favorites - like creamy baked halibut and mushroom pizza - are also worth a shot. A local Hawaiian restaurant run by a hardworking and stubborn auntie. There are other surprising favorites, too, beyond the explosion of Asian flavors. There’s Cantonese soup dumpling restaurants where the liquid-filled parcels are hand-wrapped, and Taiwanese cafes that feature porkchop rice. There are Sichuan specialty shops with oxymoronic spicy and numbing cold noodles. And although a good portion of them are Asian - specifically Chinese - it’s important to note the regional diversity of the many cuisines. Of the approximately 525,000 self-identified Asian Americans that call the SGV home, almost two thirds of them were born elsewhere, according to a report by KPCC. Arcadia, the city where I grew up, and the San Gabriel Valley as a whole, is home to hundreds of Asian Americans and immigrants, which in turn means excellent ma-and-pop restaurants. ![]()
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