A New 'Chef' In Town


Photo by Gary Leonard.
Master Chef specializes in fresh seafood. Like some other area establishments, your meal is swimming in an aquarium a few minutes before it appears on your plate.

Los Angeles Downtown News article posted on September 8, 2008.

A Fresh Cantonese Eatery to Add to Your Chinatown Favorites
by Kathryn Maese

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - There are a handful of Chinatown restaurants that most diners frequent. We'll call them the Big Five: Plum Tree Inn, Full House, Empress Pavilion, Yang Chow and CBS Seafood. Each of them has a standout, whether it's dim sum, honey walnut shrimp, soups or noodle dishes.
In February, a new player came onto the scene, and while it is still early, it appears to have the potential to elbow its way into the reliable lineup. The oddly named Master Chef opened in the old Ru Chun (also Plum Tree Inn) space on Hill Street and recruited the longtime chef from Full House to helm its kitchen. Though the eatery seems to have borrowed several elements from Chinatown's Big Five, it has the chops to stand on its own.

I'd heard good things about Master Chef, which specializes in Cantonese cuisine, namely seafood that was swimming in tanks in the restaurant just a few minutes before it hit your plate. The first time I dined here, one thing became clear: The dishes tasted super fresh. It was a marked contrast from the greasier fare served at some other area establishments.

Before the food, though, a bit of the back story is in order. The restaurant's name hails from Chef Chiu, who worked for more than 20 years at Full House down the street. The Hong Kong native got his start in kitchens at the age of 12 and worked his way up to assistant cook by 15. After two years he became second chef, and has headed every kitchen he's worked in since the age of 26. In 1982 he came to Full House in Downtown Los Angeles, and helped build the restaurant's reputation as a local go-to. It is still packed day and night.

Now he's trying his hand at Master Chef, a modest-sized restaurant with a tiny bar and aquarium at the front, and a wall of windows looking out onto Hill Street. The pink and mauve color scheme includes track lighting and terraced ceiling cutouts reminiscent of the 1980s. A somewhat cheesy backlit picture of a waterfall is the only art in the place, but still the overall effect is comfortable and clean.

Though Master Chef was initially pitched as a place for dumplings, that concept didn't pan out. Instead, much of the focus is on fresh seafood (lobster, crab, scallops, clams, fish and shrimp), though they do a good job of covering the classics like orange chicken, beef broccoli and sweet and sour pork. The menu isn't overwhelming like at some Chinese restaurants. There are only a few dumpling options offered as starters; the pot stickers are flavorful and come with a tangy dipping sauce.

A pile of deep fried squid with spicy salt arrived at the table gleaming with salt crystals and an addicting confetti of crispy garlic and green chili bits. It's an eminently munchable dish for the table to share. My only complaint is that it was a tad too chewy.

Listed as restaurant favorites are the slippery shrimp and honey walnut shrimp, two dishes that many Chinatown restaurants say are their best. I tried the former, which came heaped with more than 20 plump, pale pink shrimp that blossomed like popcorn kernels on the plate. Ringed by a forest of steamed broccoli, the crustaceans are tossed in a sweet and tangy sauce with a hint of ginger that's extremely light but still flavorful. It's topped with a few crunchy rice noodles. I'll be back to see how their honey walnut shrimp measures up to Plum Tree's.

The crispy beef is nicely done, the thin strips of meat coated with a crackly glaze and perked up by a kick of whole red chilies. Of course, once you've had the Peking duck (you can order a whole or a half), everything else pales. The duck, with perfectly lacquered, crispy brown skin, is seasoned with Chinese five-spice and is pre-sliced, making it easier to pick the meat clean off the bones with your teeth. Be sure to dunk it in the plum sauce.

Among Master Chef's house specialties are the pan-fried, beef short ribs (much like the Korean style) seasoned with pepper. The meat was a bit fatty around the edges but in a good way - you can't help but savor the gristle. I ordered it with the XO combination fried rice, which is flavored with dried and fresh shrimp, peas, pork, scallions and egg. It's a solid dish, not mind-blowing.


Of the noodle offerings, I sampled the Shanghai style pan-fried vermicelli with slices of pork, onion, eggs, bean sprouts, jalapeno and shrimp seasoned with yellow curry powder. The curry gives the dish a nice, smoky warmth, and it makes a nice accompaniment to some of the entrees.

Master Chef has made its name so far on its seafood, which you can see swimming along in the two dining room tanks. The crab looks good enough to eat, and you can do just that by ordering it steamed with black bean sauce, spicy garlic or ginger and scallion. It is quite a feast.

My only real disappointment on a recent visit was that the kitchen was out of the clams in black bean sauce, which I've been told is outstanding. It's on my list for next time.

The service at Master Chef is competent if not outstanding; tea is brought out right away and you don't have to wait long for your food to arrive. Prices are affordable, ranging from about $8 for beef broccoli to about $14 for half a duck. Each entree easily feeds two to three people. At lunch, combo plates are about $6 while late-night diners will find a special menu starting at 10 p.m. The one significant downside is that the restaurant doesn't have its own parking lot, which means you have to circle the block a few times or pull into a nearby pay lot. And they don't deliver yet.

Still, Master Chef is showing it has masterly skills. It's definitely worth a trip to see how it measures up to your favorite Chinatown haunt.

Master Chef is at 937 N. Hill St., (213) 687-3638 or www.masterchefla.com. Open 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Parking on the street or in nearby pay lots.

posted on 2009-02-24


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