Taiwan

Santa Monica Boulevard Shut Down In West Hollywood After Vault Blows

Santa Monica Boulevard, once a lifeline called Route 66, remained closed in West Hollywood this morning following an electrical vault mishap, authorities said. The problem came up at 6:45 a.m. and prompted the L.A. County Fire Department to respond, officials said. Although West Hollywood sheriff's ... More >>

Craig & Robbie Billboard Defaced On Beverly Boulevard; Anti-Gay Hate Crime?

The L.A. billboard of of a gay online radio show has been defaced for the second time, according to its Hollywood broadcaster. The advertisement for "The Craig & Robbie Hour" looks like it's been splooged by a massively horny fan, but the internet radio company is taking it as a "hate crime." Acco ... More >>

5 Cold Drinks That Aren't Lemonade: Milk Teas Affogatos

Make cooling off an exercise in geography by investigating the cold drinks you'll find from East Los Angeles to Koreatown. Here are five that should keep you happy when there's a heat wave. Like right now. Turn the page.

Boiling Point's Thai-Taiwanese Combo Soup

Is it Thai, or is it Taiwanese? It's both. We're talking about the Thai Flavor Hot Soup at Boiling Point, a Taiwanese soup chain with several Southern California locations, including a new one in San Gabriel.

Lucky Rice Night Market Coming to L.A.

Lucky Rice, the New York-based Asian food festival whose "culinary council" includes the like of Anthony Bourdain, David Chang, Marcus Samuelsson, and Masharu Morimoto, is moving out west -- well, further west that is. On the heels of its Las Vegas event back in June, Lucky Rice laid out plans for i ... More >>

Huge Tree Pastry Featured on the Cooking Channel: Breakfast of Champions

An early-morning breakfast at Huge Tree Pastry, filled with steaming bowls of soymilk and oversized fried crullers, is about as quintessential as it gets for Monterey Park's Chinese community -- kind of like a San Gabriel Valley version of the plate of ham and eggs at Nick's Cafe downtown. The Liu ... More >>

Google Street View disasters

Five Artsy Things to Do This Week, Including Google Street View Disasters

This week, creatures in crocheted suits wander Barnsdall Park, a role-player tries to make a virtual battle real, and an artist digs up the dark side of Google Street View. 5. Handmade monsters When I first met artist Zac Monday, he was crocheting a cashmere scarf in a coffee shop. The scarf was so ... More >>

6 Things We Bet You Didn't Know About The Boba Truck New Oxnard Store Location

Since it's launch in 2010, The Boba Truck has become a serious contender in the Southern California bubble tea scene. Patrons know it for its unique flavors like Fuji Apple Green Tea and Rose Oolong Tea -- but there's actually much more behind the four-wheeled tea spewing machine. Turn the page for ... More >>

10 Classic Taiwanese Dishes

Venture into a mom-and-pop Taiwanese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley and first-timers will undoubtedly be intimidated. The menus read much like those of strictly Chinese restaurants, but it's the subtle and uniquely Formosan dishes that make the experience that much more authentic. Fried tofu ... More >>

Best Taiwanese Themed Sports Bar: The Indian Theme Restaurant

What's in a name? In this case, everything and nothing. Nicknamed "The Taiwanese Hooters," a bevy of waitresses clad in red tank tops, black shorts and Uggs sporting a feather in their hair cheerfully greet you in Mandarin upon entry. Faux Western in décor, with fake log tables, wolf skin and faux ... More >>

Mid-Autumn Festival: Time for Mooncakes

Jim ThurmanPlate of assorted mooncakes.​ Today marks the Mid-Autumn or Moon Festival, an important holiday in China, Taiwan and Vietnam, and the time of mooncakes. Over the past few weeks in the San Gabriel Valley, bakeries have been busy cranking out tray after tray of mooncakes, with many o ... More >>

85°C Bakery-Café Opens in Hacienda Heights

Jim ThurmanLine at grand opening of 85°C Bakery-Café, Hacienda Heights​ The number of international chains with outlets in Los Angeles County grew by one when 85°C Bakery-Café opened in Hacienda Heights on Saturday. The Taiwanese chain, with nearly 500 stores in Taiwan, China and Australia ... More >>

OnchMovement Pop-Up Shop, Perfectasy, Opens at Royal/T on August 4

Shannon CottrellOnch​"Hello Kitty is still cute. Barbie is still flawless and gorgeous," says jewelry designer Onch, "but, I think that OnchMovement should be the next cute thing. Hopefully, OnchMovement is the cute now." Onch, a former contestant on Paris Hilton's My New BFF (and Hilton's "l ... More >>

Go Fu Yourself

Want Coffee? Tea? With 3:15PM, There's No Need to Choose

B. HansenA cup of coffee tea at Phoenix Food Boutique in Arcadia​ It's 3:15 in the afternoon, and you're dragging, half unconscious, unable to navigate the Web or anything else. What's the remedy? Why 3:15PM, of course. Designed for the afternoon slump, 3:15PM blends coffee, tea, milk and su ... More >>

Unbelievably Offensive Taiwanese TV Animation of Elton John and His Partner Welcoming their New Baby

So, so, so deeply wrong: Taiwanese TV's horribly homophobic animation about Elton John's recent fatherhood​ Every time some worldwide newsworthy event makes it to Taiwan, a certain Taiwanese TV show does a creepy computer animation illustrating in a sort-of comedic way such event. They first c ... More >>

Amazing Rants Overheard at Venice Beach: "Journalists are the dogs of war!"

​Ranter: Fifty year-old businessman from Ghana Location: Inka Deli, 1425 Ocean Front Walk, Venice Beach Time: 1 p.m. on a Monday Topics Covered: The mercenary nature of journalism; English's many different terms for butler; mysterious blood rituals; how and why reporters insinuate without dir ... More >>

A Close Shave: Taiwanese Shaved Ice

J. ThurmanA "small" mango shaved ice at Pa Pa Walk​ Recently, we examined some international versions of shaved ice, and today we're delving more deeply into the style from Taiwan. Not to be confused with its Hawaiian namesake, or raspados, Taiwanese shaved ice is a three-dimensional creatio ... More >>

Earthquake Warning System: There's NOT An App For That ... Yet

​Scientists this week said that an earthquake warning system is not that far off, and that smart phones such as the Apple iPhone might be able to take advantage through imminent-shaker apps. A prototype warning system plugged into 300 sensors along the San Andreas fault is already being teste ... More >>

Breadbar Hatchi Series Continues with Makoto Okuwa

Sashi Sushi Sake LoungeChef Makoto Okuwa​ Makoto Okuwa is a busy man these days. Not only is he executive chef at Manhattan Beach's Sashi Sushi Sake Lounge, he recently appeared as a challenger on Food Network's Iron Chef America. Now he's headed north, bringing his Power of Miso menu to B ... More >>

Hsi Lai Vegetarian Buffet: Chew With Purpose

Ben CalderwoodClimbing the hill to the temple entrance​ Most people visiting Hsi Lai Temple, the 15-acre Hacienda Heights campus of Taiwan's Fo Guang Shan Buddhist order, seek spiritual rather than culinary restoration. This is born out by the contents of Hsi Lai's vegetarian lunch buffet, ser ... More >>

May Wah Inc., the Vegan Restaurant's Secret Weapon

May WahThe many flavors of fake​ The vegan chef de cuisine has three options when planning his animal-free menu. First, ignore mock-meat entirely and serve tofu as tofu and vegetables as vegetables, without subterfuge. Such is the approach at M Cafe de Chaya, those green tendrils sprouting fro ... More >>

Bob Dylan Banned in China Because of Bjork

LiuzhouLaowai​The Guardian reports that Malibu-resident Bob Dylan has had to cut his Asian tour short because the Chinese government prevented him from playing in Beijing and Shanghai. According to the UK paper (quoting Hong Kong's South China Morning Post): Dylan's planned tour of east Asia ... More >>

Movie Reviews: Zombie Girl, The Yellow Handkerchief, Defendor

Also, Easier With Practice, Formosa Betrayed and more

Pipe Dreamer

Double Dumplings

Din Tai Fung — the sequel

Rare Cut

A Brighter Summer Day shines light on a departed master

Northern Light

A new Mandarin dynasty at Earthen Restaurant

Loss of a Rational Mind

Edward Yang, 1947–2007

Alive With Pleasure!

Newport Seafood’s spicy lobster

All Too Hunan

Dong Ting Chun brings the heat

I’m Too Sexy For My Grease Paint

A Costume Guide, of sorts

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Clear Concept

A Coroner's Cross Section

Twenty-three people who died on December 13

Out With the Old

Cashing in your clothes? What to bring, what to leave and what to expect . . .

Sharing Tookie’s Day: A Coroner’s Cross Section of December 13

Ask Mr. Gold

Scenes from a Mall

Hi Concept

Flamethrowers to Framecams

Cool new car stuff

Readings: Laughing With Wen Ho Lee

The Uprising

A Chinese daily’s long road to union recognition

Bliss Out

Filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien’s world of feeling

Butch Blanket Bingo

Gills & All

The fish, the whole fish and nothing but the fish

Monterey Park After Dark

Welcome to the Chinese Beverly Hills

The Burning Question

Loco Moco and Other Delights

1998's best dishes