SGV: Green Island
complimentary steamed chicken
After a quickie trip to Vegas, I find myself invariably eating a restorative meal in the San Gabriel Valley. I wanted noodles to erase the terribly expensive memory of the duck soup noodles from the Noodle Shop at the Mandalay Bay. My brother however, wanted to go to Green Island. He liked that fact they give you a free dish or two (depending on the size of your order). Right now they’re offering a rather generous plate of steamed chicken with garlic and green onion oil if you order $30 or more.
pork belly with preserved vegetables
One of my brother’s favorite dishes is the pork belly with preserved vegetables. We are unused to this dish on a bed of napa cabbage. It’s not a bad thing but did contribute to the overall sweetness of the dish.
mabo tofu
I wanted mabo tofu and the tofu was very silky. But what’s up with the nibblets of corn in this dish? It made an odd addition to the gravy.
ong choy with fermented beancurd sauce
No Chinese meal is complete without a dish of greens. We opted for the ong choy (hollow-stemmed veggies or morning glory) with fermented beancurd sauce. It wasn’t as pungent as I thought it’d be. Still, the vegetables were nicely crisp.
stir-fried vermicelli with ribeye
With the addition of the chicken, we were too full to really enjoy the vermicelli with the ribeye. I actually would have liked more noodles than cabbage in this dish despite my trying to sneak in as many vegetables as possible.
Overall, not a bad spot at the new shopping center with the movie theaters and gym on Atlantic. I’m curious about the other restaurants and cafe in this center including the dumplings spot, Fortune and if the new Tasty Garden location is as good as the one on Baldwin in Arcadia.
Green Island
500 N Atlantic Blvd., Monterey Park, CA 91754 – (626) 289-7788