San Gabriel Valley Update: Bamboodles Closes + Other News
Jim Thurman Yu Pin replaces Bamboodles
With literally hundreds of restaurants in a relatively few square miles of the western part of the San Gabriel Valley, nearly constant openings and closings are guaranteed. And for every door that closes, a new one opens.
That's the case with Bamboodles. Opened in late 2008, noodle lovers quickly streamed to a mini mall at the corner of Valley and New in San Gabriel to watch a master prepare noodles by kneading dough while straddling a large bamboo pole. Replacing it is a new restaurant, Yu Pin. Despite a sign proclaiming: "keep old menu," there are some changes. While many items have been retained, Bamboodles signature green tea pork noodle soup is conspicuously absent (replaced by spicy black tea noodles). Bamboodles is directing inquiries to their website, which states they are seeking a new location and to check regularly for updates.
A short distance down Valley Boulevard at "The Great Mall of China," the upstairs space formerly occupied by Sichuan favorite Shu Feng Garden now houses Happy Eating Restaurants, despite the Shu Feng sign remaining above the door. A perusal of the menu shows many familiar Sichuan dishes carrying over from the previous tenant, but more interestingly a small selection of items from Wuhan. Among these are dou pi, an omelette or crepe like creation of bean curd and egg folded over a filling of sticky rice, meat, shrimp and vegetables, and re gan mian, Wuhan's noodle dish (think a milder version of dan dan mian). The opening marks yet another city and province heard from in the SGV.
Happy Eating Restaurants: 140 W. Valley Blvd. # 211, San Gabriel. Yu Pin: 535 W. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel; (626) 281-0788.
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