Yan W.
Yelp
I found out about this new restaurant during the Monterey Park CNY Festival so decided to try it out today. It's located on Garvey Ave next to Kwan Lac Bakery. Parking was an issue because they didn't have a parking lot. You may park on the street or in a plaza close by. We were wondering why it's called Hong Coffee & Bakery because their name used to be Congee & Noodles House and they were newly opened not long ago. Anyhow, we asked the lady (owner) that is it a bakery or can we order hainan chicken rice. She said they have noodles, congee, and Hainan chicken rice but it's NOT supposed to have dine-in on weekdays; however, today is the weekend so she said it's okay. This place was small with limited sitting (3 tables), it seemed like a coffee & bakery place. However, we checked out the menu, they have a lot of food items such as congee, noodle soup, rice, Lo mein, etc.
We were craving for Hainan chicken so we ordered a whole Hainan chicken ($26.95) for 3 of us instead of ordering individual Hainan chicken rice ($12.95 each). We also ordered some plain Hainan rice (oily rice) for $3 each. The former name of this place is known for congee as well so we also ordered preserved egg with shredded pork congee ($9.95).
The owner gave us some preserved veggies as a complimentary appetizer. We like it a lot. The Hainan chicken (whole chicken) was huge. It was flavorful, juicy, smooth, and delicious. She also gave us ginger and their homemade fish sauce but I was not a fan of their sauces, they were not authentic. And I wish their Hainan rice was more soft and flavorful. But guess what, we finished the WHOLE Hainan Chicken!
The preserved egg with shredded pork congee was very yummy. It had a lot of preserved eggs and shredded pork inside. The congee flavor was on point.
We also bought 2 bags of Preserved Fruits -Dried Plums ($6 each), they were salty and sweet. My hubby likes it so much. They also sell frozen wontons (50 pcs) and frozen dumplings (50 pcs) for about $27-$30.
It's an interesting place. I'm not sure about their business concept but they have good food. It's a hidden gem! Not sure we would dine in because it was pretty small or maybe I order the food for to-go. We would like to try their other food such as wonton noodles, beef-stew Lo mein, and desserts next time.