500 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 872-0900 
Just recently revisited our beloved HK Style cafe, Tasty garden. Even though this is not the original or only location, I think it's still the best of them all. In fact, I think it's pretty safe to say that it's the best among other HK Style cafes.
A few more things to add to my previous review. These days, we are all trying to be a bit more health conscience right? Love the iced lemon teas at these cafes, but it's always super sweet. Luckily, you can have it not sweetened here. Also, you can order beer and wine at this location. For whatever occasion, this tasty garden has you covered. As far as beer, I think you are limited to Chinese beers like Tsing Tao. If you haven't heard of it before, it's just a Chinese lager. Should taste similar to Budweiser, since they do have part ownership in the Chinese beer company. For wine, I saw mainly Beaulieu Vineyard(BV) reds on display. In the minds of your typical Chinese wine drinkers, it's a good brand. To me, it's just the stuff they sell at Costco in bulk. I'm sure they have other stuff stashed away, just gotta ask the manager.
My parents always order the rice in clay pot. Was told that it's their specialty dish. I think it all right. When I want to indulge at Tasty, I usually go for the curries or the Portuguese sauce pork chop rice. Something about the rice and that sauce, it's super addictive and amazing. Back to us being healthy again, since we are trying to stay away from carbs these days. My friend and I ordered a protein filled dinner.
Consists of:
-French Style filet mignon
-Grilled chicken steak with mushroom sauce, side of string beans,
-fish fillet in black bean sauce
The food was great. The service was even better. I had to tell my friend to stop drinking his tea because they just kept refilling his cup. Unbelievable. A Chinese restaurant with service? Almost unheard of. Keep in mind, this is at dinner time when the restaurant was pretty much full. In the 626, best place for HK style cafe, right here. Hands down.
Check out the video my friend and I made from our visit. If you like our video, make sure to subscribe for more.
1457 E Valley BlvdAlhambra, CA 91801(626) 316-3197
Was looking for a tea house in the 626, hopped on yelp to find one with good ratings, and this was the one that caught my eyes, 200ish reviews and a solid 4 out 5 stars. It was the night's winner for the meeting place with friends.Seems like your typical tea place. Red walls, beige stripes, black tables and $3ish teas! They do have a $2 milk tea special with your yelp check in. I got the passion fruit green tea. It was fruity and refreshing. I asked for a quarter sweet and it was still a bit sweet. I suppose their syrup or powder already comes sweeten. Nothing really special about the drink though. By that, I mean like little pieces of fruits or something. I originally had wanted the barley milk tea. But unfortunately they did not have that. The cashier did not know what that was. The smoothies sounded really good. Too bad I'm not a teenager anymore. Curse you aging metabolism! My friend brought his camera, check out the video for a better feel for the ambiance. Subscribe to me on yelp or youtube for more reviews!
141 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 943-8688
For almost about a year now that I've always just drove passed this place. Finally had the chance to experience this place. At first, I thought it was just a cafe that mainly served coffee. Then I saw the food menu, then the beautiful pastries and dessert, then the coffee and tea in the back! When we showed up, a couple was just leaving the restaurant. It was pretty much empty for about 20 or so minutes. Right around 9pm, 2 or 3 groups came in about the same time. All of a sudden, the place seem packed. Not sure if it's normally like this.
The restaurant:
The contemporary design with a mixture of simple colors and fixtures and it easy on the eyes. I appreciate the little decors that was paced on the wall, but it's only on one side of the wall. The lamps or chandeliers that hung on the ceiling made a nice effect on the wall that was decorated. I like how the place is designed. Looks modern, its clean, and very efficient for a small space like this.
The goods:
We ordered 2 lattes, large(It was $3.50 for small, $.50 more for large IIRC). One original, one decaf. Both came out fairly quick and tasted good. I really enjoyed the wavy Coaster they used for the mugs. It is a nice touch. To accompany our coffee, I ordered the Ganache Crispy Apple Tile. On the menu, it definitely did not look as interesting as the cakes. However, I figured it's the signature dish, I figured I would take a chance and try it. Seems like I've made the right decision. It was great with the latte. The tiles were nice and crispy. Vanilla sauce and ice cream really brings it together. Just like how the restaurant made me felt when I first walked in, it was clean and simple. That was $10 for the regular size. Both drinks were reasonably priced. I am sure the pastry was too, if it was in LA. But we're not in LA, so I think it was a bit over priced for the portion. It's probably $1 or $2 too much.
The service:
Service was pretty good. Our server was very helpful and courteous. She did make a mistake on the decaf latte, but it was no big deal. Was a little disappointed that there was no internet that night.
Final thoughts:
If given the chance, the cute aesthetics and award winning pastries would easily win you over. Just keep in mind that it's not really a bakery, and it's not a coffee shop. It's a place to indulge your sweet tooth. A nice little place for some dessert and drinks. Check out the video that my friend and I have made. It's a better visual presentation for the restaurant. If you like our video, please give us and thumbs up. Subscribe on youtube to see more!
501 W Garvey AveMonterey Park, CA 91754(626) 759-3021
Weird theme.Hard to find.Unique drinks.I've lowered my rating for this place because of one reason, the place is tiny. If you wanted to grab a table here, good luck. The usual customers that dine in are people who stay for hours on end(so it seems). There probably a max seating capacity of 20 or so people. However, it makes up for the lack in space with wonderful delicious drinks. The whole brick theme is lost to me. Someone tell me why it's Tea brick! It's not a big deal, because tea shops need character. Seems like a new places are popping up on the daily. The interesting names for the drinks(Girlfriend, Vanessa, Look Sensation). Makes you really wonder how a Vanessa tastes like. Definitely tickles my curiosity. On this trip...I had the secret paradise. It's yellow drink with tea, pineapple flavor, some chunks of aloe, a ton of that seed thing. It's not too sweet and everything works magically. Very refreshing and satisfying after a nice hearty meal. My buddy Sam S. had the mango tea. He liked his drink. And I'm going to just ended with that.Tea Brick is definitely gonna be a go to place for kids, teens, and young adults. They're interesting concepts bring imagination in the "boba scene." Check out our video of this place on the link below. Make sure to subscribe to us on youtube if you would like to see more. Tell us what you thought at the comment section below!
