The 5 p.m. Lunch at Pa Pa Walk

Yesterday, I went to Occidental College to visit my friend Sophia, as well as meet up with Jackie. Excited to eat something out of the ordinary, we decided to randomly Yelp something. Bad idea. Three indecisive girls with too many options means an hour worth of time wasted (no lie!). We finally decided on a place in Alhambra called 15 Cats--the sister restaurant of Jazz Cat Restaurant. Unfortunately, when we got there, we realized that the restaurant had moved locations! So we decided to just head to San Gabriel and just settle on a restaurant. We ended up pulling into one of the many plazas along Valley Blvd in San Gabriel, and walked into Pa Pa Walk (better known as 趴趴走 or Pa Pa Zou).

The restaurant is not very big, and squeezes in quite a few tables. I imagine that it would be very loud and cramped when it's a full house. Fortunately for us, we arrived there around 5:00 P.M. for something like our first meal of the day. I really like how the walls are decorated with colorful posters depicting some of their top dishes (such as their creamy soup inside brick toast!). In addition, the menus were very helpful, because they not only have lists upon lists of tasty options, but at the top of each section, there is a box full of some of their top rated dishes. As far as service, I can't say much since it was pretty empty when we were there. But if you take that factor out, service was great, as the waiters were very polite and attentive.

Anyway, after yet another prolonged period of deciding what to order, Jackie ended up getting the Hainanese Chicken Rice, Sophia ordered the Three Cups Chicken with Rice, and I got the Stir-Fry Noodles with Lamb.

Stir-Fry Noodles with Lamb from Pa Pa Walk.

This dish tastes better than it looks! When it arrived at the table, I could already smell the strong, yummy aroma. The lamb was a little gamey, but I like it that way, so it worked out for me. It was also thin, and tender. I also grew up not really liking onions, but the onions in this dish were super sweet and fit in with the other ingredients seamlessly. I was a little surprised by how much veggies they put in, but in a good way.

Three Cup Chicken with Rice from Pa Pa Walk.

I also tried Sophia's dish, also known as 三杯雞, and I LOVED it. Apparently, this Three Cup Chicken dish is made from mixing in a cup of soy sauce, rice wine, and sesame oil. In addition, it is also cooked with garlic slices and basil. The flavor is nice and strong, but despite the amounts of garlic and basil, nothing was overpowering. I think I will order this when I come back to this restaurant.

Hainanese Chicken Rice from Pa Pa Walk.

While I did not try Jackie's dish, she did say that the dish is very good. Again, as with my dish, I was wow'd by how much veggies they put in. Thank you, Pa Pa Walk, for keeping us all healthy :)

In addition to their extensive food menu, they also have a large selection of drinks and desserts. Because we all decided that we wanted to order desserts, we started off with pretty basic drinks. Jackie ordered a black tea, Sophia got strawberry green milk tea, and I got barley water.

Barley water from Pa Pa Walk.

Sophia and her drinks from Pa Pa Walk :D

As you may be able to tell from Sophia's face, drinks were not a disappointment!

Finally, when we were about done with our entrees, we took a look at their desserts. Jackie had her eyes set on shaved ice, which I definitely recommend, as Pa Pa Walk has a wide variety of toppings you can add, and the ice has more of a snow-like consistency.

Jackie & her Red Bean Shaved Ice from Pa Pa Walk.

I originally had my eyes set on the Mo Mo Cha Cha, which is a Malaysian dessert that is like a cold, sweet soup, usually with coconut milk, taro, sweet potato, and tapioca. However, when I tried to order it, the waiter told me that they actually don't serve it anymore! He recommended another similar dessert instead, but I was too bummed to eat anything else :( But maybe that was a good thing, as I was already pretty full...

Regardless, lunch (dinner? linner?) was, as usual, fabulous. The waiting time is pretty average, nothing noteworthy. Prices are quite cheap too. I think Pa Pa Walk is very stable in the dishes they cook, but no big "WOW" factor. However, please do go and try some of their crazy-good shaved ice this summer!

Greetings from Sophia, Jackie, and me!

As always, thanks for reading!

Pa Pa Walk
227 W Valley Blvd, Ste 148-B
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 281-3889