"This week, Jonathan Gold makes his return to LA to do what J. Gold does best, sharing what would otherwise be an under-the-radar gem on the fringes of the city. Such is Nature Pagoda out in the San Gabriel Valley, a restaurant specializing in Chinese herbal soups and Cantonese clay pot rice. The Time critic discusses the ubiquity of crunchy rice in cuisines across the globe, an art that is sometimes lost with the prevalence of electric rice cookers: At Nature Pagoda, it’s all about the Cantonese hot pot that requires the perfectly timed processes of sauce pouring and mixing: The Goldster calls particular attention to the varieties made with fresh frog, chicken with lily flower, and preserved meat, but also recommends the four mixed herbs with black chicken soup and wei kei with rabbit soup." - Crystal Coser
