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Los Angeles Times
20-05-2025
- General
- Los Angeles Times
Zhajiangmian deserves its moment. 11 places in L.A. to try these comforting Chinese noodles
Zhajiangmian was one of the first dishes my mother taught me how to make. I'd stand beside her in the kitchen, watching her stir fermented soybean paste into sizzling ground pork, the smell sharp, earthy and instantly familiar. A pot of noodles boiled nearby as I carefully julienned cucumbers, proud to contribute to one of my favorite comfort meals. When the ingredients were ready, we'd build our bowls with noodles, sauce and a handful of crisp veggies. Then came the best part — mixing it together until every noodle was slick with sauce. It wasn't fancy, but it was fast, filling and always hit the spot. According to Tian Yong, head chef of Bistro Na in Temple City, humble zhajiangmian may date back to the Qing Dynasty, when minced meat noodles became popular in Beijing for its affordability and ease of storage. Another origin story tells of an empress dowager who, fleeing an invasion, encountered a zhajiangmian-like dish in Xi'an. However it came to be, zhajiangmian, or 'fried sauce noodles,' is everyday comfort food in China and a staple of northern Chinese cuisine. 'It carries cultural nostalgia and a sense of regional identity, particularly for Beijing natives,' says chef and cookbook author Katie Chin, founder of Wok Star Catering in Los Angeles. At its core, the dish is built on a simple foundation of wheat noodles (often thick, chewy and hand-pulled or knife-cut), ground pork and a deeply savory sauce made from doubanjiang, fermented soybean paste. Like many regional Chinese dishes, zhajiangmian is fluid, shaped by geography, ingredients and personal taste. 'It doesn't just vary between regions of China — it even varies between households in different parts of Beijing,' Yong explains. Chin uses several types of soybean paste in her zhajiangmian, each bringing its own personality to the bowl. Traditional Beijing-style relies on pungent yellow soybean paste for its salty, umami-rich depth. Tianjin-style leans on sweet bean sauce for a milder, more balanced flavor, while some versions use broad bean paste to add heat and complexity. Then there's the Korean-Chinese adaptation, jjajangmyeon, introduced to Korea by Chinese immigrants in the early 20th century. It swaps fermented soybean paste for chunjang, a Korean black bean paste that's sweeter and less salty. 'The dish is served over softer noodles and typically mixed together before eating, unlike the Chinese version where toppings are placed separately,' Chin says. The vegetable toppings are essential to the dish's character. 'They can vary according to Beijing's four seasons and traditional agricultural calendar,' says Yong. In spring, you might see spinach shoots, mung bean sprouts or radish greens; summer brings julienned cucumber, lotus root and edamame; fall offers carrots, garlic chives and bok choy; winter, Napa cabbage and wood ear mushrooms. While zhajiangmian is one of China's most beloved noodle dishes, in the U.S., the spotlight tends to shine on familiar favorites like chow mein, lo mein or dan dan mian. But zhajiangmian has a deserved place alongside those staples in the canon of Chinese noodles. I set out to find the best versions in Los Angeles and discovered dozens of interpretations. Some stayed true to tradition, others took creative liberties. But each bowl shared the same sense of comfort I remembered from my childhood — that salty, savory, soul-satisfying mix of noodles and sauce. Here are 11 of the best places to try zhajiangmian and jjajangmyeon in L.A.
Korea Herald
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Catch Table offers promotions for family month of May
Restaurant reservation platform to offers chance to dine at star chefs' eateries Restaurant reservation platform Catch Table rolled out a special event entitled "Gourmet Raffle," running Monday through next Wednesday, through which users of the Catch Table app have a chance to win a free meal for four at one of the participating restaurants. Each user can enter the raffle once a day during the event period and the winner will be notified May 1. Six restaurants are participating in the event: Mokran, a Korean-Chinese restaurant in Seoul run by star chef Lee Yeon-bok; Doryang, also a Chinese restaurant run by chef Lim Tae-hoon who appeared on "Culinary Class Wars,"; Chinese restaurant Tian Mimi in Hongdae run by chef Joung Ji-sun; The Parkview at Hotel Shilla; Osteria Orzo, an Italian restaurant featured in this year's Michelin Guide Seoul and Haeundae Amso Galbijip, a restaurant specializing in grilled Korean beef in Busan. New app users making their first reservation will receive a discount coupon worth 5,000 won ($3.53). Additionally, a flower pre-order service will be available throughout May, allowing customers to order flowers in advance for a specific date and restaurant.
Boston Globe
28-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
They settled into Boston and committed to each other with an Arnold Arboretum wedding
Her date, Rex Reynolds, waved from across the bar. Steph stared back, clearly confused: 'I'm not a person [who's] able to hide their emotions on their face.' Canyon, the couple's beloved boxer-pit rescue, served as ring bearer. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film She had been chatting with the software engineer on the dating app, Hinge, where his photos highlighted his adventure-seeking lifestyle and auburn beard. But the Rex waving to her was beardless. Advertisement 'My mom always said it would be rude to show up on a first date with facial hair,' Rex explains. 'She needed to see [my face] one time. So she knows what I look like.' 'And he has not had a clean-shaven face since,' says Steph. Following the ceremony, the newlyweds changed into reception attire; a gown from Reformation for her, and a Suit Supply suit for him. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film After the initial surprise, the pair quickly warmed to each other. Steph remembers that Rex's initial shyness, due to his nervousness, eased as the night wore on. 'We had pretty immediate chemistry,' Rex says. They kissed before the night was over, and Rex showed off his motorcycle in the pouring rain as proof that the rest of his profile's photo claims were truthful.' Related : Both had moved to Seattle that spring. Steph, who grew up outside Los Angeles before attending college in Boston, had arrived in March, taking an assignment as a travel nurse with an area hospital. Rex had been living in North Carolina, where he's from, and attended Elon University, before the tech company he worked for went remote. Inspired by childhood friends who lived in the area, he moved that April. About six months into dating, Steph and Rex had brought Canyon, her boxer pit rescue, to a local dog park. While neither can remember the source of the argument, Steph remembers who had been in the wrong (him), and thinking, 'OK, I'm ready for this fight.' Advertisement The families' hanbok were a gift from Steph's mother, who had them specially made as a 'welcome to the family and our culture' gift for the Reynolds. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film 'I'm very strong-headed,' she says, 'and Rex turns to me and goes, 'Oh, I'm so sorry. I completely understand what you're talking about.' He was so responsive to my blowup — cool, and calm and collected about it. And that's when I remember thinking, 'Oh my God, I think I might love him .'' For Rex, falling love was less of a lightning bolt: 'I think it was more me realizing how I already felt,' he says.' I wanted to spend literally every moment with [her]. And all I wanted to do was talk to other people about [her], [laughs] even when we were fighting in cars about me not expressing my feelings.' Months became years. They filled the time with camping and road trips, and they met each other's families. Steph's birthday celebration for four took place at her family's favorite Korean-Chinese restaurant in Orange County. She had reassured Rex, 'My mom is so nice, wonderful woman. .. and my dad's just like me, he can talk to a wall.' The couple asked Emmy Dubinsky of Frank Darling in Boston, who had made Steph's engagement ring, to help design their custom wedding bands. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film Likewise, Rex's mom and dad, two friendly, Southern 'Chatty Cathys,' arrived for a backyard cookout in Seattle amid their own travels. 'Steph fit right in,' says Rex. He moved into her apartment late in the summer of 2022. When her next travel assignment sent her to Orange County in December 2022, Rex, joined her. As they made new friends, and explored the area, the topic of 'forever' emerged. While each agreed they had each found 'the one,' how to commemorate their commitment was a work in progress. 'I was more on the side of, 'What's some piece of paper and the government knowing that we're married going to do?'' remembers Steph. 'But I do want to have a day where we can have our closest friends and family [be part of] a celebration.' Advertisement They moved to Boston in June 2023 when Steph's travel assignment aligned with multiple weddings they were invited to in the area. (They subsequently decided to stay.) In October, they celebrated their third anniversary as a couple, and Rex had a surprise: 'We're going ring shopping.' Most of their guests had stayed at the Hilton Park Plaza, where they had a room block for the weekend. Steph arranged for the Original Party Trolley of Boston to take the couple and their families from downtown to the Arboretum. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film Rex proposed on March 31, 2024, at Mount Royale Park in Montreal. He took a knee and anxiously fumbled her Korean name as he presented the ring they had designed together with jeweler Their photographer, Dominique Holliday of Castillo Holliday Photo + Film, helped them decide on the They picked The couple found their wedding DJ Yalayas after hearing him perform at Trillium Brewery. The Boston-based DJ brought singer Bri Joi and saxophonist Alek Razdan to accompany his set, which the couple calls a 'highlight' of their wedding. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film They wed in the afternoon on Oct. 26, 2024. The couple, now both 31, told their 73 guests the ceremony was 'optional,' and expected only close family to attend, but every person they invited also wanted to come to the ceremony. Steph's best friend from Northeastern University served as officiant; Canyon was the ring bearer. Their moms wore traditional Hanbok, as did the betrothed, who wrote their own vows. The ceremony incorporated Korean wedding customs, including a relaxed iteration of the pyebaek ceremony, during which the couple bows to the ground for each of their parents. The moment was a welcome surprise for both families: '[My dad] had never told me specifically he wanted something [cultural incorporated in the wedding], but I knew that this was important to him,' says Steph. Advertisement Their wedding cake was a coffee-Oreo ice cream cake from JP Licks with their initials and wedding date in pink icing. Castillo Holliday Photo + Film The celebration at After the couple thanked their guests, they left the mic open for anyone who wanted to say a few words. They had asked Steph's sister and Rex's best friend to step up, but once the speeches began, the stories, toasts, and tears started to flow. However, 'the best speech of the night' went to Rex's father, who 'gets up there, grabs the mic, and goes 'hi' and starts bawling,' remembers Steph. The newlyweds had rendered a Chatty Cathy speechless. Read more from , The Boston Globe's new weddings column. Rachel Kim Raczka is a writer and editor in Boston. She can be reached at
