Big 3 Restaurant

Oops, don’t know why I found the other Big 3 Seafood Unilocal review. but since there are more reviews here. This is directly copied from my other review :)
This place keeps getting new management, but as of now, it is one of our family’s fave spot to eat!
I came here yesterday and then we just came back an hour ago from our annual Lunar New Year lunch. This place is cheap for lunch, which is one of the perks why we keep coming back! Their lunch menu starts at $ 3.99 and can go up from there. Their dinner menu is quite cheap too for big portions of Chinese food. It is actually not called Big 3 anymore, it’s called «Hing Long» for now… if management doesn’t change again! Let’s hope not because the folks who run this place is really nice!
I can just give you guys a rundown of the foods that I like eating at this place:
— Pork belly wit preserved vegetables (?) [ kou yok ]
— Eggplant with Schezwan sauce
— Steamed chicken (lol)
— Honey walnut shrimp
— French style filet mignon
— Seafood Chow Mein
— Sweet & Sour Pork
Definitely do not underestimate this place because new management = new chefs = better food.

Food tastes really good. Not too much oil, no msg, amazing how they do it without ruining the taste. It’s also at a very reasonable price for the amount they give you. $ 3.99 lunch specials. Need to wave them down for service, but that’s the same for all Asian resturants.

$ 3.99 LUNCH SPECIALS!
Drove down Main St. & randomly picked a restaurant to try. Small parking lot that they share with another store, but it shouldn’t be a problem because it was pretty empty when I came here on a Saturday during lunch time. I was pleasantly surprised that the lunch specials were $ 3.99 which included soup & rice. I’m a sucker for 2 dishes: kung pao chicken (
) & string beans (
). My parents ordered sweet & sour pork (
), fried fish (
) & fried tofu (
). For its price, they give a very generous portion. My only complaint is that the food isn’t as flavorful as it should be. I love kung pao chicken & string beans but I do not love it here. Overall, food was okay but it’s a great bargain! 3 stars = A-​OK!

Very painfully slow service, small and cramped and shares a ridiculously small parking lot with another store! There is street parking though Sundays no time limit however Monday to Saturday its 2 hour parking. There is also a lot in back which helps. Located in busy Main Street. if you happen to get a table by the door be prepared to sit with other customers until they get seated because of how small the restaurant is.
The food, is food. It tastes like every other restaurant and doesn’t really stand out with extreme flavors or anything. If you want something safe, then this is a great restaurant to go to. Prices are reasonably priced, Lots of dishes seem to be great deals, and a lot of them don’t. I got the Filet Minon with mushrooms, lets just say, mushrooms outweighed the steak even for the price of 8 $.
Besides slow service, waiters and waitresses understanding english well, and just really small and cramped with really gross bathrooms, It gets a two star.

My family and relatives are pretty much considered VIPs here now. We book large family gatherings here on a regular basis because the Chinese banquets are pretty affordable here (special deal: buy 2 tables, get 1 free) and the space inside is smaller, and more on the intimate side.
I’ve had better Chinese food elsewhere, but the food here is ok. No real complaints either. Some dishes I recall:
Suckling pig — crispy skin, pork cooked pretty well. lots of meats. my aunts are always raving about this dish.
Lobster — a good amount of meat, but sometimes it is cooked on the saltier side. Generous portions
Chicken served with ginger and onion — ok
Fillet mignon cubes with grilled onions — very tasty.
Beef chow fun — good
Seafood chow mein — good
Steam and fried fish — ok
Egg white fried house — a little on the bland side.
I’ve also tried the various starter soups and desserts (red bean and almond/​peanut soups). Everything is ok, but nothing is too memorable.
Service is pretty good actually, especially when you order the family banquets. It’s typical Chinese service, but they are pretty prompt at bringing you things you need.
Big 3 is affordable, never too crowded and another one of the many Chinese dining options in Alhambra.

It was a shock to me when the sister in law told us that we would be coming to the New Macau Restaurant for dinner to celebrate Father’s Day for the father in law. What? NBC Seafood Restaurant wasn’t available? The in-​laws are rigid. They don’t have dinner anywhere else… until tonight. We ordered their special dinner from their secret Chinese menu. Again, this was shock to me because they always order the same thing every time we go out to dinner and never order from the secret Chinese menu. When I tried to look it up this place on Unilocal,it didn’t exist. I didn’t find out the English name of the place until we got there because the sister in law translated the Chinese name into English. Unfortunately, the Chinese name is different from the English name.
We started off with a roast suckling pig. It was one of the worst pigs that I have ever had. It seemed like they boiled or cooked the pig first before roasting it. The pig had no flavor, and the meat was mushy. The chicken and sea cucumber soup was tasteless. I wanted to add salt to the soup, but, there was none. The pork chop was okay, but, I have had better. The fried rice had egg white, and some kind of mystery meat in it. Again, it was tasteless.
There were a couple of dishes that were pretty good, probably because they didn’t have to do much. The boiled chicken was pretty good. They got the chicken down to a science. Too bad hard boiled eggs and Cup O’ Noodles aren’t on the menu. I’m sure they would have made it perfectly. The fried/​baked shrimp was pretty good as well. It had good flavoring and was cooked well. None of the the other dishes were memorable. In fact, they were so bad, I can’t remember what they were. The service was okay. It wasn’t as bad as what some people experienced.
What sucked is the restaurant. It was so bad that it made the in laws look sane for always choosing the same restaurant to eat at for birthday’s and other celebrations. I can’t make fun of them anymore for being so rigid and always eating at the same things at the same restaurant. After eating here tonight, I’m ready to go back to NBC and eat the same thing that they always order.

I came here with family and friends for a big mother’s day dinner this year, and hey this place is pretty great. I only gave it 4 stars 5 stars but then they don’t make absolutely everything I want when I go out for chinese food, and my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach =D
This place has been in my neighborhood as long as I can remember but this was my first time. I was expecting seafood, but it was about ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ and it was all pretty good. Pork ribs, chicken, fish maw/​sea cucumber/​mushroom soup, fried tofu, lobster, suckling pig, seafood fried rice, black codfish, mushrooms and veggies. Just about the only thing left I could have wanted was duck, chow fun and steamed buns =P
Dessert was good too =P the usual bean soup. We did bring a cake of our own but they were more than happy to serve it for us. I also probably should have got a beer because the sodas were warm, but hey there always ice.
We had a couple babies with us too, but that wasn’t any trouble since they have a couple separate rooms for parties. Overall, pretty decent place! Probably not for two, but definitely for a few friends or more.

Came here for a banquet in the private room. Good Cantonese food, but it is… REALLY quiet in here. And I understand that there just weren’t that many customers, but our meal it was uncomfortably silent. Not that often I make that observation in a Cantonese restaurant! Otherwise solid.

I came here for a birthday dinner with my boyfriends family and the place was pretty ok!
We had some fried chicken-​y thing which was pretty good as well as some veggies. I didn’t try the fish soup (their main fish soup thing, I forget what it’s called) but my boyfriend’s family were really happy with it.
The only down side is that they don’t give you too much for being family style. For example, if you order the fried duck that comes with those tasty white breads, well, even if you have a party of 10 they will only give you 6 breads and you have to order more for a few bucks.
Will I come back here? Honestly, probably not on my own because the food wasn’t too outstanding, but I’m not opposed to coming back for other people.

I got tricked by the menu and one of the male waiters tonight. The guy told me pick any three dishes for $ 19.99. When I paid it w/​my credit card, the total came out to be $ 27.25. I asked him why and he said you need to order before 1 PM to get $ 19.99. After eating the food, I deserved a zero star from me. I will not go back to this restaurant again. The parking is bad, very small or park on the street.

Pretty cheap food, but the manager guy seems to always be stressed out and a control freak to the waitress. Calm down, everything will get done eventually. Just let her do her thing. I have to say though, this does remind me of Hong Kong a bit.
But… the food does not. When my dad and I first came here, we got the fish head stir-​fry and fish filet with eggplant. I liked them both, even if the salmon head had a fishiness to it.
Second time, we got honey walnut shrimp and beef stew. Both were okay. There was way too much mayo on the honey walnut shrimp and the mayo was tangy. I like a not-​as-​thick mayo with a hint of sweetness. Meh. The beef stew is what my dad gets almost everywhere because if it’s made well, the restaurant is solid in his book. This beef stew tasted like Sam Woo’s, so we weren’t too impressed. In fact, Sam Woo was better.
After the second time around, we gave up and found another regular place to eat. I’m tempted to come back and try their Macau roast pork, because if a restaurant makes it well, it’s REALLY good, but I’m not too sure about this. Maybe not.

Parking is very limited here so beware. The restaurant was compact and not very welcoming. However, because we had a room, I can’t complain with the service here though. The room had a karaōke system and dices to play for any dead time while eating. That was great… but what was disappointing was everything even the remote control was in Chinese… Sigh…So we were playing the «guess what this button does?» Eventually we got a handle of the basics.
Anyways, back on the topic of food… Sorry got a bit carried away. These are the entrees that we ordered:
1. Crab meat with fish maw soup-​Completely and utterly watered down. There was hardly any crab meat nor fish maw… basically just the broth.
2. Filet mignon cubes-​Extremely oily… but tender though.
3. Duck tongue-​One word… No.
4. Pea sprouts-​Limp and salty. There was not any crisp to it like Newport Seafood Restaurant does.
5. House special string beans-​Oily and limp as well… kind of disappointed.
6. Clams with glass noodle soup-​Not a fan of clams…
7. House special chicken-​Cold and dry.
8. Fried scallop fried rice-​Um what happened to the scallop? Tasted just like egg whites with rice… that’s about it… and it wasn’t even fried…
9. Garlic lobster– Dry and not very fresh. It was salty as well.
10. House special lobster-​Not as good as Newport Seafood Restaurant… was not as fresh and again dry.
I kept my reviews short on the entrees because that is just how I feel about these dishes. The service here was not the greatest, but it did prevent them from getting a one star.
Definitely would not recommend coming here.

This place is a SCAM!
They have all these specials, but then when you come to eat or take-​out, there’s all these restrictions that they don’t tell you about…-_–
I can’t believe they can get away with this type of stuff…
I got LIED to over the phone that I needed to order at least two dishes to get a free fish.
I get there and the sign says that I only needed to order one.
I call the boss out on this, and he says that it’s two because it came with rice…-_–
I could care less about the rice, I have plenty at home.
He then got mad that I called him out, and he said «well.I’m SUPER busy, I can’t take the time to explain the fine print over the phone, you’re not the only one I’m serving»…wtf…I look around and there’s only ONE table filled for dinner…
Serve this place right for not having business.
My friend who dined there said he ate there when the boss was yelling at his workers.
What a horrible establishment.

HORRIBLE SERVICE
FOOD IS OK
PUSHY SERVER
RUDE SERVER
EXPENSIVE FOOD
Our bill came out to be $ 91. I under tipped them because they deserved that much only. After I signed, server quickly ran to me to check if I tipped right and asked if I wrote $ 5. I look at her and said yes. She dares to point at my bill and said my bill is $ 91 that I should tip 10%. My boyfriend didn’t want me to cause a scene so he tipped her $ 4 more. NOT COMING HERE EVER AGAIN.
They sat us next to the karoke room and they were super loud. When the party left, their music was still on and they didn’t bother to close the door for us. My boyrfriend had to get up and close it himself.
All in all, rude Chinese waitress, horrible service, ok food, will not come again. Taking my business elsewhere.

This is one of the better Macau food places that will leave you thirsty but hungry to come back again.
Me and four friends came on a Sunday night, happy to see it was still opened at 10:30p after our Chinese foot/​body massages — while everywhere else was closed already. Who said Chinese in the 626 don’t eat late?
We ordered the little pigeons which was yummy but kind of creepy because it came with the head and it’s whole form. The beef tendon, onions, potatoes and carrots curry was THE BOMB. We also had their tofu wrap, and meats soupy thing. A really large dish of spinach.
We paid $ 28 each for 5 people and 5 dishes, I’d say that would be on the pricey side of Alhambra dining. Yet, it’s still worth coming back again for this salty mess.
Oh yeah, it came with some semi-​decent Portuguese egg tarts for desert for free.

A fine chinese restaurant tucked into an innocuous corner, competing against the myriad of other chinese choices in alhambra, this place has managed to win me over…
Food: Solid, and sizable number of selections, not dedicated to any regional cuisine, definitely authentic, but taste-​wise can ranging from ok to great. We had dishes that we wouldn’t order again, and others that were spectacular. My advice is, order a lot! You’ll benefit from the special deals that way (more on this later), and you’ll at least get a few that will be great.
Service: If you know Chinese restaurants, you know that only the best ones offer ‘great’ service. This is certainly not the best of the best, so the service is merely average — but far from bad. They speak English! I really appreciate that. If you come during off hours, they WILL serve you attentively, as opposed to some other places where no matter how empty they are, you always get ignored.
Price: The $$$ rating is inaccurate!!! Depending on how you spin it, you can spend $ 90 for 2 people gorging on their best dishes, or feed 6 people with $ 35 on their more average fare. How you ask? They have a somewhat complicated ‘deal’ system that changes ever so often. You can sum it down by saying that once you order a certain # of dishes, you can get some signature dish for nearly free.
The Rest: Parking is easy, it’s got its own lot, plus it’s right next to a supermarket. Décor is fine inside, but the externals are an unfortunate mixture of ugly banners and badly painted walls…
Conclusion: So really, I would give this 3.5, but leaning more toward 4. It’s because they are convenient, and great for big groups (the deals… the deals!), and have decent service, which in a lot of ways is what I value the most.
The current economic downturn have caused far too many dining establishments to fall, so please! — if you have the means, please patronize worthy establishments and keep them in business!

We kept coming back to this establishment. First of all, they have the house special lobster as tasty as the one from Newport Tang, second their Roasted Squad is divine. Those are the two must order. For someone with a sweet tooth, try their egg tart, melts in the mouth. They sometimes have sea urchin, you can ask if you are in the mood. The food can be a bit salty sometimes, like tonight. But overall, the place is quite and neat and the service is always tentative.

Overall, agree with most people this place is a bit on the expensive side for Chinese food near Monterey Park. They got a few promotions going right now… spend over $ 38 you can get a PEKING DUCK
for $ 1 so we went and tried it. Well. it’s not that great a deal.
The thing is, it’s NOT a whole duck … they try and up sell the rest of the duck by asking if you want duck in two styles by adding another $ 6. The duck is definitely worth $ 1 but for the price you’re paying on other dishes they make it all back.
They also have a $ 68.88 package for 6 people (5 dishes, soup, dessert, TAX AND TIP INCLUDED 0₀). They were pushing it on us even though we where only 4 people.
The dishes were ok… Soup
, Lettuce Cups (see MISSES below), 3 Cups Salmon Head (see MISSES below), Spicy Clams
, and Lobster (see HITS below)
HITS:
LOBSTER (stir fried with Jalapenos, green onion, basil and chilies)
was really good!!! It’s probably the second best «Chinese» style lobster I’ve had in the area.
First being Newport Tang Seafood in case you’re wondering…
MISSES:
3 CUP SALMON HEAD
I don’t know why chinese people even bother doing Salmon. It’s so easy for it to reek when it’s NOT FRESH. Even frying it and lathering it in garlic and spices will not cover the smell.
SPICY FROG LEGShttp://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/sgydfnraHON7­lIej44t7JQ?select=pwROOWPsnYI-Bruk-LsCzw
Decent flavor but pretty much full of bell peppers. Not cool for a $ 13.99 dish.
FERMENTED BEAN ACHOY
Not sure this dish should be sour but it had a weird taste to it.
DUCK LETTUCE CUPS
,
Ok, maybe I’m biased against this dish cause I think it’s just filler food but it’s pretty much filled with water chestnuts. But hey… If you like water chestnuts you might like this dish.
So I usually like to give a place a few tries before reviewing it and I’m glad I was able to try the Lobster here. I’m going to say this place was probably 1 STAR but pushing it out 2 STARS for the LOBSTER.

My aunt heard about their after 9pm 15.99 special so we decided to give it a go. All you can eat hot pot anyone?!
Everything was super fresh and tasty. We had lamb, chicken, piles of seafood, veggies, taro, and noodles. I loved the sea bass. I could have just eaten piles of sea bass all night.
It is a tiny place and they have a couple of private rooms billowing out cigg smoke and very loud karaōke. If you can wait for a 9pm dinner I say come here and bring your eating pants.

Came here with family.
Food was pretty DAMN DELICIOUS. We got: the yolk egg fried crab (?), giant claims, fried quail (?), some sweet and sour soup with shrimp, clams, pineapple, beef (?), fried filet minion with mangos, frog legs (?), etc.
Okay, so we hella ordered– I think almost half of the menu. LOL, but it was for five people, so I think it was a good amount.
Overall, the food was so delicious– but more on the greasy side. The CRAB WAS EFFIN’ EPIC! It was soooo unique, unlike the other typical Asian restaurants. The crab was like for $ 20 I believe.
Filet minion with mangos were pretty refreshing and fried to perfection. Idk if $ 12 is overpriced though.
Oh, and complimentary dessert was not too sweet! So definitely a +!
Besides the food, service was pretty good as well. They were very attentive; in fact, we got like three refills on our tea! Oh, and the food came out within 10 minutes– so we were all pretty content.
However, parking is like a major pain– especially in that tiny parking lot, so I think it looses a star on that :/​
Other than that, this place was pretty damn delicious.
High lights:
— Delicious food.
— Unique yolk fried crab– or however you spell it.
— Good portions.
Low lights:
— Parking.