Garden Bistro — Restaurant in City of Industry

I think my family has found their new favorite restaurant in Rowland Heights. Big Portions. Affordable Prices. Great Service. I came here from a recommendation from a friend who would always talk about their fusion dishes such as Beijing Duck pizza or the Uni Pasta/Udon. Living in the OC my entire life, you would think these dishes would be crazy expensive at about $20+ each but surprisingly, they're all super affordable and mostly under $20. I came here on a Friday afternoon and it was quite busy so I wasn't sure how fast the food would come out. As soon as we placed our order, it felt like 75% of our order was already on our table within 10 minutes, crazy! Given that it is located in a bustling plaza, I would come back again, but make sure it's not during the peak days/hours.

|| L O C A T I O N / P A R K I N G || -Located within the Diamond Plaza with Xinfutang, Duke Bakery, Melo Melo Coconut Dessert and more! It's the first shop that you'll see on your left when you enter the plaza. -Located on Fullerton Road near the 60 Freeway -Weekend parking is a pain in the butt. Avoid peak times during the weekends for heavy traffic within the plaza.

|| F O O D || Beijing Duck Pizza ($14.25) - I was actually quite surprised by this dish. The pizza dough was pretty good, not too thick or thin and had a good bouncy texture to it. Every bite consisted of duck and arugula which was nice. I'd love to try out their other fusion pizza flavors the next time!

German Style Pork Knuckle ($14.75) - A must order dish at any Hong Kong style restaurant. It's been way too long since I've had a good german style pork knuckle so Garden Bistro's take on it definitely satisfied my cravings. I like how they slice it up for you so it's easier to eat. The skin was crispy and the meat was super tender.

Chef's Special: Roasted Miso Cod Fillet w/ Shitake, Sea Urchin Udon and Grilled Filet Mignon ($20.50) - So much food at this price. I was very skeptical at first, but decided to risk and order it. The filet was very soft and tender, cooked to medium rare as I requested. The star of the show was definitely the sea urchin udon. The udon was so chewy and bouncy and the sauce was so fragrant. I'd order this again!

Beef & Radish Clay Pot ($14.95) - At the first glance, it looks like there's a lot of radish only, but all the beef and tendon pieces are on the bottom! Loved how tender the beef and tendon pieces were. Some places make it...

Beef Egg Rice: 4/5 A Cantonese classic. It has that very savory and rich taste I was looking for and a kiss of wok fire. Thinking about it now, this has a very similar taste and texture to “lobster sauce” found in a lot of Chinese American restaurants. This dish was expertly prepared. It was just a little bland, a pinch of salt would have helped. I was really happy that they use good, fragrant jasmine rice.

Pork Lard Wonton Noodles: 2.5/5 I got this because I’m greedy, but also because this was one of their specials. Maybe because we came right before closing, but it was really bad. The soup was fishy, watery, and lukewarm. The wontons also tasted old and off for a lack of better terms. Everything was greasy in an unpleasant way. The greens and noodles were cooked well though.

Borscht: 3/5 A plain vegetable soup. Tasted tomatoey. No more notes.

Lemon Iced Tea: 2.5/5 Bland, not sweet, not lemony. It had that flavor I would expect from a Hong Kong cafe, but it was just really muted. Again, since they were closing, maybe they diluted my drink so they wouldn’t have to make a new batch, but it was really meh.

Ambiance: Casual. We caught this restaurant in a very Italian time in its life.

Service: Chinese restaurant service. Some things were fast, some things were slow, but it was efficient. Don’t expect them to be really nice haha.

Parking: This is in a plaza mall. When I came at night, there was plenty of parking but I can see it being super hectic...

Garden Bistro, Rowland Heights: A Mixed Experience for Cantonese Food Lovers

Garden Bistro in Rowland Heights has been a staple in the area for a long time, offering Cantonese cuisine that many locals turn to when they crave the flavors of Hong Kong. It's worth noting that this restaurant shares ownership with Garden Cafe in Arcadia and Alhambra, which might explain some of the similarities in the menu.

However, the experience at Garden Bistro has its ups and downs. On a recent visit, the food was a mixed bag. The fried noodles with shredded pork, for instance, left much to be desired. Despite requesting crispy noodles on both sides to emulate an authentic Hong Kong style, the dish arrived with noodles that were disappointingly not crispy.

The macorina vegetable with fermented tofu and chili also fell flat. The dish lacked the vibrant flavors one would expect and tasted rather tired.

The fried rice noodle with beef was passable, but it did not stand out. The absence of wok hei, the signature smoky flavor from a well-seasoned wok, was noticeable.

Overall, Garden Bistro can satisfy a craving for Cantonese food, but it may not meet the expectations of those looking for truly outstanding Cantonese dishes. It's a decent spot for a quick fix but not for a memorable...