Ivy W.'s Profile

I'm on the fence for this one :(

I love their dessert menu so hard, it's not even funny.  They serve traditional Taiwanese shaved ice, grass jelly (hot or cold), and soy pudding (hot or cold).  I've only been here twice and both times, I've ordered hot grass jelly with taro balls.  SOOO YUMMY and warming on a cold winter night.

The food, on the other hand, is easily forgettable.  The first time, I was with my parents and they ordered practically everything on the appetizer menu.  I don't remember everything, so it was mediocre at best.  I do remember, however, their Spicy Beef Noodle Soup fails hard in comparison to say, A & J.  My mother loved it though.  She was so happy and excited, she said she felt like she was back in Taiwan.

The deal breaker for me though is THE BIG FAT RED "C" taped to the front window, which is surprising since the place looks relatively clean.  They tried hiding it in the corner pane behind a plant (I see what you did thar) but as I was leaving after my second visit, the red "C" caught my eye.  It really, truly broke my heart.  That probably explains why there was a gnat in my wonton soup though...

The best Taiwanese shaved ice in the area, hands down.  It's not as cheap as 108 Cafe in San Gabriel but it's closer to me, so I'm a happy camper!

My mom doesn't like it here because they use Styrofoam as their take-out packages and she prefers paper, like the ones JJ Bakery uses (only using them to compare since my other favorite Taiwanese breakfast place is not in the Arcadia area).  But my dad loves it here because he knows the owners and it's not as popular or crowded as JJ Bakery.

Personally, I think JJ Bakery not only has better packaging, but they are a lot tastier.  The egg and onion pancakes at Doe Jon are always soggy and sloppily put together.  The soy milk is always either too sweet or bland.  JJ Bakery reminds me of Din Tai Fung, actually; not do they only care about the taste of the food, but they also care about presentation.

I cannot believe they're opening a location so close to me.  I can now easily walk down the street to eat here... not that I would.  But I could!!!  I AM SO EXCITED.  I can't wait until they open, damn.

Like any other Yogurtland except the cashier here counts suuuuper slow.

My parents love coming here for their rice claypots, but I've had better.

The only thing I get when I come here is this black jell-o that's really, really, really bitter;, so they serve honey with it, even though the honey doesn't really help with the bitterness.  But tastiness is not the point of this "dessert".  It's this really healthy herbal stuff that comes hot or cold (hot version is liquid, cold version is a solid).  I prefer mine cold, so I can down it faster 'cause I CANNOT straight up drink it down.

If you're ever ill or breaking out, come here and ask for the dessert.  I guarantee you, you will feel better the next day.  And as for your breakout?  The herbal stuff supposedly does wonders for your skin and makes it really healthy and vibrant.  You probably won't like the taste, but it really does do wonders and you'll like the result.  But it does come with a price - I don't remember exactly how much, but it ain't cheap.

If you had a choice between Desert Hills Premium Outlets and Camarillo Premium Outlets, which would you pick?

1.  Camarillo has the only Off Fifth Saks Ave outlet in Southern California that carries high-end products such as Marc Jacobs, Gucci, Dior, and Louboutin.  The location at Desert Hills does not.

2.  Camarillo also has the nearest Neiman Marcus' Last Call outlet from Los Angeles.  Deserts Hills does not.

3.  Camarillo also just opened a huge ass Forever 21.  Desert Hills did not.

I think it's obvious who the winner is.

Camarillo's better.  However, Morongo's right down the block, so if you like shopping AND gambling, this is your spot right here.  My mom used to like coming here for the Off Fifth Saks Ave outlet... but since all the high-end shoes, bags, and clothing now directly head on over to the one in Camarillo, she never comes here anymore.

The only time I have ever enjoyed coming here was for Black Friday - and it wasn't even for the shopping.  The atmosphere was crazy and the feeling of being able to shop at midnight?  I loved it.  I wish America was like Asia and had night markets, haha.

I honest to God do not understand the hype with their breakfast burritos.  Even if you bought me the burrito AND paid me, I would not touch it.  The burritos taste bland, mediocre at best, and not worth $7.  Oh, and my friends love their burritos slathered in ranch, of all things.  I DO NOT UNDERSTAND IT.  Actually, since there's no flavor to begin with... I get it now.

I'd rather have breakfast at Denny's.  Actually, the breakfast burritos at Denny's are pretty damn good.  So are the ones from Jack in the Box.  Hell, even the packaged ones my high school served in the mornings were tastier.

And don't come here for good "customer service".  The guy who rings up your order is rude, has an attitude, and always looks like he's in a shitty mood.

I'm not a big fan of American fast food or burgers, but how can anyone not enjoy The Counter?  I love the casual ambiance and interior design, even though my friends were seated outside.

Since this was our first time, we were kind of confused by how things worked.  The minute our menu checklist was given to us, we understood: you create your custom-made burger by selecting what you want, and boy, are there infinite combinations.  From beef to chicken, turkey to veggie, tomatoes to hard-boiled eggs, spicy sour cream to mayonnaise, the possibilities were endless.  I forget what everyone else ordered (you can check out the photos) but I got a chicken burger with basics such as lettuce, tomatoes, plus guacamole and spicy sour cream.  We also ordered onion strings and chili cheese fries to start us off.

Everything was really good and it definitely fills you up, but to be honest, I would only rate the food 3 stars.  I give this establishment 4 stars though because of the experience, environment, and super friendly and accommodating staff  I forget her name, but our server was really nice and attentive.  I'm assuming they knew it was our first time (I don't know how, maybe it's because I was busting out my camera and clicking away at every little thing), since two men sans uniform came out to our table to greet us and make sure we were enjoying ourselves.  I'm assuming they were the managers or owners, but I'm not 100% sure.  They could've been complete strangers... but whatever, they were cool.  One of them even took a group photo of us with our burgers (which is posted up, btw).

For the experience itself, I would definitely come back.