see food, eat food...all 10 of them

NBC Seafood Restaurant
404 S Atlantic Boulevard
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 282-2323

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

facebook is damn useful. it allowed me to reconnect with a few high school friends, it brushed up my word knowledge through scrabulous, and honed my skills as a bone fide stalker without any ramifications. it's also a great way to know the "status" of your friends. you know, like "amy is yelping" or in my cousin's case "(blank) is married." what the fuck?! he freakin' eloped!

fast forward a few months later and my cousin gets dragged back to cali to have a mini wedding banquet chinese style for family sake. that's how his momma wanted it and that's where i found myself, sitting in a small banquet room at nbc seafood restaurant. in true chinese fashion, there were ten delectable courses to consume. thank god too for the opportunity to stuff face because hands down, relatives ask you the most awkward questions. unfortunately, there's no way you can kindly tell your 50 year old auntie to fuck off so i just stuffed face instead when i wanted to avoid embarassing questions.

the meal consisted of:

-cold plate (various slices of cold cuts, sliced pig ears, and jellyfish. this is usually my most favorite dish. but then again, it's usually the first dish that gets served and i'm easy like that).
-mayonnaise shrimp with candied walnuts (the mayo on this dish was way too thick. i felt like i was consuming globs of fat with a side of shrimp)
-peking duck (fatty duck skin stuffed inside chinese style rice buns. drizzle some hoisin sauce on it and have your mouth explode).
-fish (stir fried fish with a thick savory sauce served on the fried skeleton of the said dead fish. i really enjoyed the contrast in textures)
-lobster (saucy, fresh, high in cholesterol)
-shark's fin soup (so wrong, but i love it. i blame it on my mom)
-scallops stir fried with PIG INTESTINE (the pig intestine was crunchy. my aunt actually lied to us and told us it was calamari...i discovered we were duped a few days later when i saw the same looking intestines sold at ranch 99. bad aunt, bad)
-fried rice (standard fare)
-roast chicken (crispy skin. yummy)
-dessert was water chestnuts in a sweet syrup

the night ended with my dad slyly slipping me a business card for "future reference." err..thanks dad. the restaurant has gaudy gold decor and double happiness characters to remind you that commitment is not a foolish dream. the service was quick and efficient. in hindsight, it is an ok place after all to celebrate a belated elopement.