mandarin noodle house

Having grown up with an uncle in the area, I've always known that if you want real Chinese, you've got to head east to the SGV. When I do, one of my favorite local places for a casual, inexpensive lunch is Mandarin Noodle.

The food here is simple, rustic and divine. My picks for a perfect meal include the spicy handmade noodle, ordered dry with shredded pork instead of chicken, the scallion pancakes, meat dumplings, pickled cucumbers and a steaming pot of hot tea. That combination seems to hit the spot every time and if you're lucky, you'll have just enough leftover to take home and enjoy later. Not to mention plenty of cash left in your wallet to pay for gas on the drive home, since that'll likely cost you more than the meal. If you want one more item to pack to-go, the pork chop fried rice served with fresh greens and a tasty preserved egg, is another favorite that won't do you wrong.

In other reviews, some have noted less than friendly service, but I've never encountered that personally in my dozens of visits for noodle love. The place has had a couple of facelifts over the years, and they've recently gone through a change in ownership, but I'm happy to report, the beacon bright orange and yellow awnings and the quality, inexpensive food have remained a constant.

701 W Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91754

(626) 570-9795

century shoe lab

In between finding the latest hot spots to shop and deciding where to eat next, there's the pesky matter of tending to some of life's little necessities... like where to take care of all those fabulous shoes in your closet.

If you shop at Century City or frequent their AMC 15, you've probably passed this shoe repair tucked away by the Gelson's valet countless times without a second glance. I know I did, that is, until the day I went shopping and couldn't stop hearing clickety-clack, clickety-clack. Everywhere I went... clickety-clack, clickety-clack. I thought a phantom horse was following me around the mall until I realized, in a moment of horror, the clickety-clack was me! I'd somehow lost the soft plastic taps on both of my stilletto heels, leaving me strutting around on nails. Literally.

Haunted by the clickety-clack I decided it was time to throw in the shopping towel and head to the car. Balancing down the escalators nearly on my toes, there it was. A shoe repair! On my tippy toes I went in hopes of some help, and sure enough, they told me to slip them off and they'd fix them right up. Less than ten minutes and ten dollars later, I was out the door in my buffed up beauties, good as new. Off I went to pick up where I left off, floating along on my perfectly polished heels to nothing but the sweet sound of silence; free to enjoy the dulcet tones of muzak gently piping in and the sound of credit cards burning holes in my wallet. Just as it should be.


Century City Mall
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Ste C-24
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 772-0013