A & J Restaurant

We decided to fill our bellies with some Taiwanese food at A & J Restaurant, a small-ish place bathed in florescent light and flanked with stark walls. None of the ladies working really spoke any English so I had to use my Cantonese to fake Mandarin...leading to awkward embarrassment. But hey, a little embarrassment is worth deliciousness, AMIRITE?

To share, we chose the bean curd with thousand-year-old egg. For those not in the know, the egg is not really a thousand years old ("That would take a lot of planning, har har har"-Andi). The process of "cooking" the egg does take a while though. The century egg (another name for it) is usually duck, chicken or quail (ours was chicken). It is preserved in a mixture of ash, clay, lime, rice straw, and salt for several weeks to several months.
The bean curd was just the right amount of saltyness, and for less than $3, was quite a steal.

Vivian: I ordered the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup, which also came with baby bok choy--but not enough. The noodles were tender and plentiful but some of the beef was a little too chewy for my taste. However, it was only $6.95 for a small, and it was still a lot of food. I think if I went back, I will order another noodle dish--just maybe not beef.




Andi: Not being familiar with Taiwanese food, I was really glad I asked for a recommendation before sitting down to order. The first page of the menu is filled with delicious sounding but somewhat indistinguishable noodle items. Based on a friend's recommendation, I ordered the noodle with hot and sour sauce and tried not to think about it too much. I can easily spend 15 minutes just second guessing myself when it comes to ordering food. It's serious business.

The dish was simple: a puddle of oil and seasoning at the bottom of the bowl with egg noodles and a handful of scallions heaped on top. Once mixed together, the result was very tasty if a little one note. The sauce was more sweet than hot, and certainly sour. I would definitely order this again, maybe adding a little soy sauce to cut the sweetness, but with so many other tasty-sounding noodle dishes at around 5 dollars a bowl, I may never quite get around to it.

14805 Jeffrey Rd

Irvine, CA 92618

(949) 786-3585