Editor’s Note: Mama’s Lu and Mama Lu’s both reside on Garvey Ave and have different owners.
San Gabriel Valley has some of the best Chinese food LA has to offer. Ground zero for some of the best eateries seems to be Monterey Park, Rosemead, Alhambra, and Rowland Heights. I decided to stay in Monterey Park for a few days to visit some eateries that I’ve been wanting to try. The first place was Mama’s Lu in Monterey Park.
The majority of Monterey Park’s restaurants are either located on Atlantic Blvd or Garvey Ave. The city center is Garfield Ave and Garvey Ave which divides the north, south, east, and west addresses. Mama’s Lu is located on East Garvey, a block away from this intersection.
Fortunately, Mama’s Lu is adjacent to a shopping center with a large lot and I had no trouble finding parking. I arrived at high noon, a full hour after I had planned for my arrival. The place appeared to be full and I received the undesirable seat for one facing the wall in the corner. Nevertheless, I didn’t care because air circulation was good due to the nearby fan.
Old-style Chinese restaurants usually aren’t known for service. In fact, two ladies acting like one-armed paper hangers swiftly made their way through the tables. They obviously didn’t understand how to be efficient as they would often walk across the entire room only to help out a single table.
The green onion pancake is pan-fried and arrives nicely browned. It was slightly greasy which I’m sure added to it being extremely crisp. The pancake went well with the complimentary hot tea.
Clams in Black Bean Sauce is a popular Cantonese dish that I haven’t had in years. Fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and red pepper make this stir fry dish fairly easy to make. This dish is large enough to be shared with others.
The Steamed dumplings are filled with pork and crab and reside in small aluminum cups to prevent them from sticking to the tray. They have beautiful circular folds. A soup spoon is provided so that you can lift the dumplings without tearing them and losing their delicious broth.
Should you visit Mama’s Lu, be sure to allocate ample time. I was lucky that they had a seat for me, but others had to wait. Table turn-over is slow because servers aren’t trained to pay attention to customers that are in need of to-go boxes or the bill. If you want to try some of the best dumplings in town, Mama’s Lu is the place to be.
Mama’s Lu, 153 E Garvey Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91755; 626.307.5700; mamalutogo.com
Hi Bryan,
The steamed and pork dumplings look so delicious. Like little puffy clouds.
I particularly like the sentence “Old-style Chinese restaurants usually aren’t known for service. In fact, two ladies acting like “one-armed paper hangers” swiftly made their way through the tables.” Best ever!! You should use more lines like that.
Take care…………Dean