Restaurant: Yujean Kang's Gourmet Chinese Cuisine Location: 67 North Raymond Ave. Pasadena, CA Phone: (626) 585-0855 Price Range: $7.95-$17.95

Number of visits: 1
Last visit before review: August 18, 2001

Randy had: Prawns with mushrooms and fava beans (but with chicken substituted for the prawns), kumquat polenta (with ginger/honey ice cream, raspberry & white chocolate sauce), jasmine hot tea.

Jeff had: Crispy beef with baby bok choy (made with Thai chiles, garlic, ginger, and Shanghai black vinegar), Mandarin orange cheesecake (with fresh fruit, raspberry & passion fruit sauce), hot jasmine tea.

We shared: Tea smoked duck salad with black bean dressing.

Rating 11 (of 12) Excellent

Randy says: The tea smoked duck salad was really delicious. The duck was moist and richly flavorful, not dry and bitter as tea smoked duck sometimes is.

Jeff says: The tea smoked duck salad had shredded duck which was very good. The dressing on it was very subtle, and there were lots of interesting things in there. The only complaint I have is that while they were good, the little slimy mushrooms were impossible to pick up with the plastic chopsticks. Much as I tried to get them, they kept getting away from me. The vegetarian spring rolls had extra touches such as cilantro, and were especially good dipped in some of the sauces that were brought with them.

Randy says: The chicken with mushrooms and fava beans was very tomatoey. It was a little tangy and unusual. The fava beans were flavorful as were the mushrooms and chicken. The dish was delicious. Jeff's crispy beef was a little sweet.

Jeff says: The crispy beef was one of the best Chinese dishes I'd ever had. It's hard to describe the texture of the sliced beef. It wasn't crispy like fried chicken, but there was some texture to it. The flavor was outstanding. The different ingredients mix together to make a very tasty dish. I was afraid the peppers would be too much for me and so tried to avoid them, but once one slipped by I could taste it but I found that I didn't need to be concerned about them. The bok choy that came with it I ignored. Randy's chicken and fava beans wasn't bad but maybe a little too tomatoey for me.

Randy says: There was a modest amount of polenta in the kumquat polenta dessert. There was a lot more of the ice cream. I could taste the kumquat in the polenta and it was very unusual. Like eating apricot oatmeal. The ginger/honey ice cream wasn't very gingery; there was more honey. It was very good. The raspberry and chocolate sauce complemented the flavor of the ice cream.

Jeff says: Cheesecake is one of my favorite things and the Mandarin orange cheesecake did not disappoint! The texture was nice and the orange flavor was subtle (I was afraid it would be overwhelmingly orangey and sweet). The fresh fruit that came with it consisted of orange slices and kiwi on the side. The raspberry and passion fruit sauce was interesting in that at the time I was not sure what kind of sauce it was. I tasted the raspberry but I couldn't identify what the other flavor was. Randy's kumquat polenta was ok, but not nearly as good as my cheesecake!

Randy says: Jeff's Mandarin orange cheesecake was really wonderful. The waiter (who may have been the owner) said it was his favorite and an excellent choice, and I have to agree. The other desserts were good, too. The poached plum was soft and mild. The red bean pancakes were odd for a dessert. They were like crepes with sugar, and the red bean paste inside.

Jeff says: The red bean pancakes were unique. I thought all the desserts were very good, but I wouldn't get the plum or the red bean pancakes when I could have the cheesecake instead. The hot jasmine tea was good. At first when I saw we only got cups of tea and no pot, I was concerned that all we would get is the one little cupful. But my fears were unfounded because the tea kept pouring as long as we drank it. It was poured from an insulated carafe instead of a pot where sometimes the leaves are left to oversteep.

Randy says: The jasmine tea was good quality tea.

Yujean Kang's is a find! We were visiting friends in Pasadena and they had only been there once before but said it was excellent, and they were right. Located in an unassuming storefront in downtown Pasadena the place is lively and you won't get in without a reservation.

The food is more than delicious, it's also creative. But one word of advice: save room for dessert! The desserts are all worth trying. The staff is attentive but not overbearing. The only possible problem is finding parking in this area filled with restaurants and shops. There's another location in West Hollywood, and since we are there more often than Pasadena we expect to also give that location a try.