半畝園
14805 Jeffrey Rd #D
Irvine, CA 92620
(949) 786-3585
OMG it was hot this entire week! It was so hot that I really didn't feel like turning on the stove. Dr. P found A&J Restaurant on Yelp so we headed over for some beef noodle soup.
Irvine is a really big city. A&J is located on another part of Irvine where I've never been before. There's a 99 Ranch across the street. Lots of restaurants in this plaza. Also there's Yogurtland and Lollicup, too.
麻辣黃瓜 Cucumber Salad in Hot Garlic Sauce ($1.95)
I ordered Dr. P's favorite Cucumber Salad in Hot Garlic Sauce for him. He hated it. The cucumber wasn't spicy, and we couldn't taste any garlic flavor either. It was just sweet. I usually like sweet, but even I thought it was way too sweet, so it must be super sweet. We left most of the plate unfinished.
紅油炒手 Spicy Wonton with Hot Red Sauce (Szechuan Style) ($3.95)
Spicy Wonton with Hot Red Sauce was vinegary. I like it a lot. But again, Dr. P didn't like the flavor. It was also too sweet for his taste.
牛肉餡餅 Pan Fried Beef Bun ($1.50)
Almost every table ordered the Pan Fried Beef Bun, so we got one, too.
It was so juicy! I added some hot chili sauce, and it was even better.
辣乾拌牛肉麵 Beef Noodle with Spicy Sauce ($6.25)
Originally we came for the Beef Noodle Soup. But the weather was just too hot for hot soup. We opted for the version without soup, Beef Noodle with Spicy Sauce. The beef they used wasn't the chunk of beef in regular beef noodle soup, but it was thin sliced of beef. There weren't too much meat, but lots of noodle. I like the flavor initially, but as Dr. P put it, "you get bored with it very soon". Somehow the flavor was very one dimensional, and the noodle with the sauce just tasted... boring after awhile.
排骨菜飯 Chinese Style Fried Pork Chop on Rice ($6.25)
Chinese Style Fried Pork Chop on Rice is the dish that will make us return to A&J. The pork chop was so tender and flavorful. The rice with bok choy tasted good, too. Dr. P loved it, and so did I.
A&J's pretty good. Price is reasonable, too. We will definitely return again for their pork chop rice, and will try few other dishes next time.
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Oh wow, Boyfriend and I were here this weekend too to check out A&J! I also explored the Ranch 99, and some of the neighboring places. I also haven't ventured to this part of Irvine before. Even though it was hot, we still had the beef noodle soup. Boyfriend was annoyed at first because he said it was hot outside, but he ended up loving it so much. It wasn't too bad eating the spicy noodle soup since it wasn't very spicy and it was cool inside the restaurant. I loved the thick noodles you can get in the beef noodle soup.
ReplyDeleteWe gotta try the beef noodle soup with thick noodle next time!
Unlike you I didn't really like this place, but I did not try the items you had for your dinner! The beef pie looks good though. We saw other tables order it but ended up ordering the green onion pancake which was small and thick, and very dry. I wrote my experience with them on my blog too at:http://eattraveleat.blogspot.com/2009/07/restaurant-irvine.html
ReplyDeleteThat's too bad you don't like A&J.
I can't really say if I like it or not until I try their beef noodle soup.
But I don' like their pork chop rice.
I am sure you been A & J at MP
ReplyDeletecan you be honest compare these 2 ?
There's no more A&J in Alhambra.
The place changed its name to something else, but serve the same type of food.
I haven't been to the Alhambra location for a long time.
My favorite dish from there was Steamed Pork Ribs 粉蒸排骨.
But I don't think these two places were run by the same owner.
i actually like their 紅油炒手～～the sauce is good~~but wontons are too small~~
ReplyDeleteYeah I like the sauce, too.
Dr. P didn't like the vinegar, but I love it.
I love their beef noodle soup!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have to go back again to try the beef noodle soup.
Everyone says their beef noodle soup is the best in OC, but there aren't any good beef noodle soup places in OC. :/ A&K's onion pancakes are really good. You should try that next time.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean.
The standard for food in OC is a little different than LA's.
We have A&J here in Maryland, too. I used to go there when I was still in school. I believe it was opened in around 1997. Nice authentic Chinese restaurant that I like in MD.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it is the same restaurant, or just restaurants with the same name?