Temaki Truck, San Gabriel, CA

So it has been 1 month since the Temaki Truck officially opened and started roaming the streets of San Gabriel and the neighboring areas. I heard about this truck since opening day and a few of my friends are involved in starting the whole operation so I've been wondering when I would make it out to try this. As it turns out, it's their 1 month anniversary. I was lucky to receive a pink wristband that will grant me $1 discount on future visits to the truck so that's definitely a welcomed plus.



The Temaki Truck



The Pick-up window and Chef's Specials

I actually like that they write out the specials instead. At the Kogi Truck, I usually end up staring at the "Chef's Specials $3-7" and wondering what it actually is. Good job Temaki Truck!



The line for the 1-month anniversary was pretty packed. It seems like the truck is doing well and I definitely wish them success in the future.

The Temaki Roll



Assorted Fish Handroll

Judgment: The fish tastes fresh and the sauce they put in definitely has some kick to it. One of the few handrolls I actually like. The only problem I had was I let it sit in the box too long and the nori got a little soggy. I imagine it tasting even better than what I actually had so next time, I will order it and definitely chow it down right away. 8 / 10

California Tempura Roll



California Roll Tempura Style

Judgment: This is exactly what you would expect of it, a California Roll -- Deep fried. At least that's how I imagine they do it. The roll itself comes out warm and covered with the tempura dipping sauce so it gives it a slightly sweet and salty taste. I definitely recommend this roll if you want to try something new from the truck. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The Temaki Truck is no stranger to the mobile food business, especially competing with other trucks like The Flying Pig, Dim Sum Truck and even the Kogi Truck. As with all of these types of businesses, each truck needs their own gimmick or their own signature so that they can stand out among the rest. Temaki Truck does just that as this one being the first one I've seen to offer Handrolls and other Cut sushi rolls. I wanna wish them the best of luck in their business endeavors and a profitable future. I'll definitely be seeing you guys out there!

The Truck gets an A-Rank

Phoenix Food Boutique, San Gabriel, CA

After the hot pot, it was dessert time.

Mango Creme Custard



Mango Custard Cubes

Judgment: Not exactly what I was expecting, but I do like a custard once in a while. It's rare, but there are times that I like this stuff. This was pretty good. Plenty of mango bits inside the custard and it had a good texture to it. It reminded me of eating a fresh mango, but with the texture that mimicked the firm tofu. 7 / 10

Fresh Fruit Tropical Tea



Passion Fruit Tea with Fruit Bits

Judgment: The tea was SO sour! The first few sips had my face sucked in like that episode of the Simpsons where those shelbyville guys steal the lemon tree from Bart and his friends. The father of the boy that stole it bites into a lemon and slowly his faces just sucks into itself. Aside from that, I remember drinking something similar to this before at a cantonese style restaurant that used to be open in Cerritos. In the end, the fruit really offsets the sour taste of the tea and they came together fairly well. 6 / 10

Conclusion: The dessert shop gets CRAZY packed. We barely snagged a 4-person table for ourselves but even then, the shop gets really crowded to the point of we're sitting shoulder to shoulder. The parking to this place is actually behind the restaurant.

This place gets a C-Rank.

Tan Yu Tou Spicy Hot Pot, San Gabriel, CA

After a LONG day at the REMIX car show in Irwindale, CA, I decided to meet up with Kchan, Kyosuke, and Mio for some dinner. We couldn't decide where to go at first until we ended up with Hot Pot.



Soups Boiling - (L) Spicy, (R) Ginger



Various Mix of Pots

Judgment: The restaurant was pretty simple. Just order whatever you felt like eating and they bring it to you. Although I had a little trouble because naturally, I wanted to just ask for everything in english but it appeared to me that the restaurant staff required me to speak mandarin to them so they could understand my requests. Even just filling water was questionable. The ingredients ranged a lot from fresh cuts of meat to freshly caught shrimp, all the way to stale and disgusting corn. The worst tasting thing that I had that evening that would've easily earned this place a 1 / 10 was the corn. It seemed as if it had been pre-cooked over and over until the point that the corn on the cob was rubbery and disgusting. Mio had questioned it because it was green in colour and I was thinking it was just a special breed of corn. The meats were fresh cut and you can see the quality in it. We had chosen beef and lamb as our ingredients. I was also unhappy about the portions of cabbage that we received. Typically when I have hot pot, they are in nice square pieces that are fairly large and you can fold and what not. The restaurant serves it in long strips and I did not enjoy that as much. Over all, I'd give this a 6 / 10 for quality of ingredients.

Conclusion: The restaurant is located in a tiny shopping center inside San Gabriel. There is expanded parking underneath the plaza, and for the super low cars like mine, you might want to stick to the over-ground parking. Mio had a slight laugh when we got down to the structure and my bumper went nose-first into the ground.

The Restaurant gets a C-rank.