Taste test: Hong Yei

Szechwan restaurants seem to come and go fairly quickly in the San Fernando Valley, so when I heard about the new Hong Yei in San Gabriel, I figured I had better act fast before it changed management. In a brand-new office building, it's bright and clean, a big step up from dive level, but still informal. Hong Yei's menu says it's Mandarin-style, but the main attraction is the good selection of Szechwan dishes served at perhaps more reasonable spice levels than, say, Chung King just down the street. When we first ordered the Szechwan style fish fillet with hot sauce, pictured above, the English-speaking waiter chuckled ominously, pointing to the three peppers next to each dish. So we requested medium heat, and although it looks like a seething cauldron of lava, it's really not -- the soft fish filets and nappa cabbage are heavily perfumed with Szechwan peppercorns but there's only enough red chiles to flavor the dish, not to overwhelm it. The peppercorns have the curious effect of making you sweat like a horse but without actually making your mouth burn the way chiles do, so it's actually rather cooling to eat. We also tried dan dan noodles, which were a bit gummy but a treat to find in the refrigerator the next day, and a cold appetizer plate of tender seaweed and refreshing pickled cabbage and other vegetables. While the fish filets were startlingly flavorful, our favorite dish was cumin lamb (left), sort of a dry curry which in which layers of flavors reminiscent of Thai food permeate tender, garlicky, mildly spicy bits of lamb. There's also quite a selection of dumplings and pancakes -- most all the other tables had ordered the beef roll, but I knew we were going to 101 Noodle the next day, so we saved our appetite. Next time: duck and konjac jelly with beer sauce, for sure! The price for all these intense flavors: a super-reasonable $30 for three entrees and two appetizers, rice and tea.
Hong Yei
288 S. San Gabriel Blvd.
San Gabriel
(626) 614-8188