641 E. Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91101
(626) 356-4066
http://www.roysrestaurant.com
My parents enjoy going out to eat, but most of the time they go to the same Chinese restaurants or noodle & dumpling places over and over. I like taking them out to try different cuisine. Most of the time they will say something like "Chinese food is much cheaper and better value... blah blah blah." But I know they are happy that I am taking them out to eat. They just don't want me to spend too much money. That's family love. ^^
I picked Roy's Restaurant in Pasadena to take my parents for dine LA Restaurant week. Valet parking was $7. But we found free parking in the building's parking garage. The gate was opened and nobody was there. So we just parked. Lucky!
The restaurant was busy. Even with reservation, we had to wait for about 20 minutes for them to get the table ready.
Dine LA Menu were 3 course dinner for $34.
Edamame
I remember loving those seasoned edamame last time we went to Roy's in downtown LA. The Pasadena location's edamame was very heavily seasoned. It was salty and spicy. Still quite good, but I wished they went easier on the seasoning.
Maine Lobster Bisque
Brandy & Cream
All the guys (My dad, brother, and Dr. P) ordered Maine Lobster Bisque. They all said the same thing, "Too salty!" I had a bite, and yes, it was way too salty. Dr. P had quite a few pieces of lobster in his soup. But my dad said he had absolutely no lobster in his soup.
Vietnamese Lumpia & Bibb Lettuce Wrap
Green Papaya, Mint, Basil, Citrus Nam Pla
Mom ordered Vietnamese Lumpia & Bibb Lettuce Wrap. The fried egg roll had pork and vegetable inside. Again, it was a bit too salty. Mom didn't really like it.
Rock Shrimp Tempura
Shishito, Shimeji, Malaysian Curry Aioli
Brother's girlfriend Ayami and I both ordered Rock Shrimp Tempura. There were big pieces of shrimp, along with mushroom, eggplant, and zucchini. It was lightly battered and fried. The curry sauce was delicious. Everybody agreed this was the best appetizer dish.
Dynamite Crusted Salmon
Tempura Vegetables, Happy Rice, Drunken Nori Sake Sauce
For main entree, mom and Ayami ordered Dynamite Crusted Salmon. Mom got a big piece of salmon, while Ayami got 2 smaller pieces. The salmon was slightly undercooked in the thicker part. Mom doesn't eat sashimi so she gave the undercooked part to us. It was really good. Mom also said she likes the nori sauce with the seaweed rice a lot. She said she felt like she was eating Japanese rice roll.
Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs
Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Natural Braising Sauce
Dad and I ordered Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs. The short ribs was a bit tough at certain parts, but overall still good. The sauce was a bit salty. I like the broccolini a lot. Dad said my mom's braised short ribs is much better. I sorta agreed.
Lemon Basted Tiger Shrimp
Macadamia Nut Gremolata, Spiced Coconut Pumpkin Sauce
My brother ordered Lemon Basted Tiger Shrimp. We all got a bite, and the shrimp was good. There were those weird small bread balls on the plate. We had no idea what it was, but it just tasted strange and nobody liked it.
Grilled Petite Filet
Loaded Red Bliss Potatoes, Shiitake Mushroom Pan Sauce
Dr. P ordered Grilled Petite Filet. It was a tiny piece of steak, but very thick.
The steak was cooked perfectly. I had a bite and it was so tender. The potato was delicious.
Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé
Raspberry Coulis and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Ayami and I ordered Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Souffle for dessert. The Chocolate Souffle wasn't as good as the one I had last time. This time the cake didn't have a melted center. I actually enjoyed the ice cream more than the souffle itself. I thought I tasted coconut in the ice cream for some reason.
Leslie’s Warm Strawberry Guava Tart
White Chocolate Pistachio Frangipane
The rest of the party ordered Leslie's Warm Strawberry Guava Tart. Everyone was happy with this one. The strawberry and guava tart tasted fresh. Mom loves the pistachio ice cream.
We had a very nice dinner at Roy's. The food had hits and misses. In general, we thought everything was over seasoned here. But last time we were at the downtown LA location, and thought the food was great. Maybe the Pasadena chefs have stronger taste for food?
Our waiter was very nice and polite. I thought I heard him saying something in Chinese while we were ordering. But then I thought I heard wrong, or I just heard the people next to our table talking. I mean, he's a white boy, and you just don't expect a white boy speaking Chinese, right? Then toward the end of the meal, he asked my dad "do you need a box for to go?" in Chinese! We were so surprised! Then he had a full conversation with my parents about how he learned Chinese, and his stay in Taiwan for 3 years. My dad said his Chinese is better than my brother's. haha.... Then before we were leaving, he gave my mom a CD. His Chinese name is XiaoMa (小馬), and he plays piano. He said it was a gift to my mom because we are so nice to him. How sweet! My mom was really happy. What amazes us was that not only he speaks perfect Chinese, he even writes! Yeah, Chinese is really hard to write. At this point, my brother finally agreed that his Chinese is not as good as XiaoMa's. haha... XiaoMa has a website. Please visit if you are interested.
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Lucky for you!
ReplyDeletehaha yeah very lucky!
wonderful dinner w/ a great family. My steak was cooked to perfection. The soup was too salty but the dessert was delicious. Always a good time eating w/ Eileen's family, her brother is always telling us funny jokes and interesting stories from his work that I can't comment on here ha ha :) I like that you're always taking your parents to new and interesting places... and inviting me too! Thank you baby!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed dinner with my family.
They always want to invite you to all our family events!
My brother's funny (or should I say brutal?) stories about his work is just too graphic to share here. haha....
WOw the waiter's Chinese hand-writing is good too. I know it is better than mine. hah
ReplyDeleteHe said he lived in Taiwan for 3 years about 10 years ago.
He never went to school nor classes to learn Chinese.
He learned everything on his own. Amazing!
Chinese food requires way more skills and experiences to cook comparing to EVERY SINGLE country
ReplyDeleteon this planet. However, it is always the cheaper one. I, as a college kid, can even make better steak than many top-rated restaurants out there, but it is still hard to make a delicious dish of Chinese food.
I agree with you to a certain extent.
But I also think other cuisines take skill and experience to make really good food.
I do think Chinese food has the best value though.
You always get so many varieties and vegetables for much cheaper price.
I went to a concert and sat next to a Caucasian guy who also spoke Chinese. It was really surprising and fun!
ReplyDeleteOne time I went hiking with an online hiking group, and this Caucasian girl also speaks perfect Chinese.
It's always a surprise when any non-Chinese people speak Chinese.
But if you really think about it, how can people are not surprised when we speak another language? Hmmm....
One time, my family was buying fruit at a produce stand in Paris and the owner of the stand, who was this old African guy, began speaking to me in perfect Chinese, no accent at all. The most embarrassing part was that his Chinese was better than mine!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think the little balls next to the shrimp was the gremolata. Gremolata is a paste of herbs and spices usually, but in this case I guess they chopped up macademia nuts and formed it into little balls.
haha that's so funny. Did you speak Chinese back to him?
Thank you for the info about gremolata. It was... strange. haha..