Malee's Kitchen — Restaurant in California

Alright! Another Honest Food Review. For those who don't know already, this is a Hmong restaurant that sells hmong food.

Let's start with the drink. We ordered the Nam Vam, and my wife loved it, and of course, my kids loved it as well. Always a kid fan favorite with the honey/ syrup and tapioca like noodles. The catfish with sticky rice was delicious as well, soft and very flavorful with lots of aromas coming from all the greens that it was cooked with, also the spiciness is perfect! Sticky rice and Hmong sausage are good as well. The only thing I would change or complain about would be the pepper sauce that it comes with. It is spicy but doesn't compliment the sausage when eating it all together, I'd rather just get the sweet sauce instead. Steam rolls were delicious. Everything about them were perfect to me, from the taste to the consistency of the roll itself to how much meat is supposed to be in it was very well balanced. Also, a small touch is how they were made. Instead of being folded like most, these were rolled, and that made a difference to me. Eggrolls were something else. The first thing that you will notice is the glistening shine that the eggrolls have when you see the eggroll. Also, the smell will remind you of churros, so the first bite and smell will throw you off thinking you are eating a churro. Another thing would be the crispness that the eggroll had was perfect! When you take your first bite, you will notice that it's crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, like how it should be. Most eggrolls have a crunch crunch when you eat them, but these were perfect and only had 1 crunch and then softness. It was perfect, and the sauce was perfect with the sweet sauce.

Overall, it's a great place with even outdoor dining, I would come back for sure to eat here, and they also cater food! So for sure, we...

Me and my lady rolled up to Malee’s Kitchen and right away we saw two experienced eaters like ourselves with tray fulls of food walking to their car. That got us hyped 😂

We ordered the Nab Vam (rainbow jelly drink), egg rolls with peanut sauce and sweet and sour, we also got the pork belly plate with sticky rice and chili sauce. Everything was flavorful, fresh, and we felt like we had gotten a good amount of food. I made a TikTok and got some mixed reactions on “authenticity.” Personally, I believe popular ethnic restaurants often meld together broader cultural foods to make dishes that are approachable and drive customer visits. I actually appreciate that — and what stood out even more was how they took the time to educate us on what we were eating and how to pronounce it, so we could order with more confidence next time.

I didn’t ask about vegetarian options since I don’t have any dietary restrictions, but I did notice the people in front of us asked for a few ingredients to be omitted from their egg rolls. That makes me think they’re flexible, and honestly, most ethnic cuisines already have a natural ability to adapt dishes to vegetarian because of cultural cooking practices that grew out of limited access to animal protein.

When I went up to compliment them, the lady working the truck was funny, genuine, and cracking jokes, she told me she’d see us for dinner because we’d be craving it later 😂. That kind of hospitality goes a long way.

Most importantly, the place was extremely clean. No sticky tables, no food on the ground, just a great setup with good music and a relaxed vibe.

Overall, it was an awesome experience and definitely a spot we’ll be...

This place is pretty sweet and surprisingly great food! Tucked away behind the gas station but don’t let that fool you… These people know how to cook clean, hot, delicious food!! My father and I were driving by and saw the lights and delicious looking food proudly on display by the patio area. The owner Chue came out and was so friendly and helped us decide what to eat. He was very knowledgeable and had great communication and customer and hospitality skills. Something that is greatly missing these days.

We felt very welcomed and the food as I mentioned did not disappoint.

They have an outside area which is pretty cool and kind of like a “taco truck” area with music playing but they also have an indoor area as well.

It is a family owned and operated restaurant named after Chue’s mother, which is sweet to hear. This means that the food is family which is so awesome in this day of corporations and businesses taking over everywhere.

One word about my experience. . .

My father is elderly now and doesn’t say much anymore. But he did mention how much he enjoyed the food which is saying something wonderful. Anyone with older parents knows the few joys you feel when you are out with them. Everything hurts, takes time, and Conversations are not as stimulating as they used to be.

It’s sometimes brings tears to your eyes.

So, seeing your elderly parent light up for a few moments and enjoy food and mention it. . . is a small miracle to experience.

Thank you Malee and...