In 2021, we saw the opening of not just one new Chinese restaurant in Chinatown ("Broadway Cuisine" in September), but two. Golden Tree Restaurant opened last October to hardly any fanfare. Their menu is not as extensive as other Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, but what they offer they prepare them well. Their menu includes some original dishes such as their Crispy Shrimp & Bok Choy Toast (pictured below), which has become their signature dish. Minced shrimp, shrimp paste, and finely chopped bok choy leaves are mixed together and then layered on top of a sheet of seaweed, then dusted in flour and deep fried. The result is then served with a sweet and mildly-spicy dipping sauce. It was really tasty.
One way for them to draw in some customers is offering to prepare off-menu dishes. Lobster and Pomfret are not on their menu, but given advanced notice and paying a deposit, they will go the seafood markets a block away, purchase the seafood and bring it back to the restaurant to prepare. That was how we were able to order Typhoon Shelter Lobster (避風塘炒龍蝦), a dish that's usually made with crab and originated from the junks that float in the harbors around Hong Kong island; as well as the Grilled Whole Pomfret, served with a soy and red chile dipping sauce. Both dishes are pictured below.
OTHER DISHES WE ORDERED:
Seven Flavored Lamb Chops (4 pieces per order):
Grilled Short Ribs (with green beans):
Crispy Garlic Chicken Wings (served with a siracha mayonnaise) (Appetizer):
Crispy Peppered Calamari (served with siracha mayonnaise) (Appetizer):
Off-Menu/Advanced Order Item: Salted Fish, Chicken & Eggplant:
Off Menu/Advanced Order: Fish Filets, Mustard Greens & Soft Tofu Soup:
Off Menu/Advanced Order: Stir Fried Pea Shoot Leaves with Garlic:
Appetizers: Vegetable Egg Rolls and Rangoon Wontons:
Golden Tree Restaurant, 640 North Broadway, Suite 1, Los Angeles, California 90012, Telephone: (213) 878-9818, Website: goldentreerestaurantla.com