Regent Café: A Taste of Home

By Glenn Barnett

Westernized Chinese dishes have been a mainstay in the U.S. for as long as people have come here from China. In a new wave of Chinese immigration from Hong Kong in the 1980s and 90s, a growing number of people wanted food that reminded them of home. It was not long before a new restaurant on Garfield south of Valley took over from a closed pizza place. It was Regent Café, where the specialties included a variety of Western dishes adapted to the Chinese palate. A Hong-Kong style coffee shop had come to Alhambra.

A large menu included Osaka prawn tempura and salt-and-pepper squid as appetizers, cream of corn soup, cod with chicken, wonton mein, prime rib and hen, fish and kalbi, shrimp and chicken, rotisserie chicken, and, of course, noodle dishes, a variety of pastries, and much more. Popular Western dishes included such favorites as German-style pork knuckle with sauerkraut, grilled orange roughy, lobster Thermidor, and rotisserie chicken—all with an Asian twist. The addition of Portuguese-style chicken was a nod to the Portuguese-influenced culture in Macau, across the bay from Hong Kong.

The Regent staff was mostly young people from Hong Kong or Taiwan who could assist the Cantonese and Manda-

Glenn Barnett

rin-speaking diners. Entering the café, guests passed a tempting pastry case that beckoned with a variety of cakes and other sweets. It almost felt like home.

When Ellen Liu moved to Alhambra from Hong Kong, she and her husband Peter enjoyed visiting Regent Café for their reasonable prices and the familiar food items they had known while growing up. Her favorite dishes were baked pork chop, chicken steak, and baked salmon filet.

Sadly, Regent Café closed in 2008, but many other Hong Kong-style restaurants have opened since then, including the Garden Café, Baccali Café & Rotisserie, A-Me Kitchen, Henry’s Cuisine, Sunday Bistro, Sam Woo BBQ, Happy Harbor Cuisine, and U2 Café & BBQ on Valley. On Main Street, there is Lunasia Dim Sum House and Bay Café. All of them cater to Alhambra and nearby residents, who appreciate the Hong Kong and Cantonese style of cooking as well as the social aspects of dining. We have many other Asian eatery choices as well, but we will leave that to your own voyage of discovery of Alhambra’s great restaurants.