Old Country Cafe

Old Country Cafe Restaurant Review:

Ted Ma has run this Taiwanese diner for more than two decades at Alhambra’s east-west dividing line, Garfield Avenue. The space features a hexagon-shaped counter, two high-top tables and an off-theme mural of a Mediterranean house overlooking the ocean. Pork is a way of life, and the “other” white meat stars on Old Country’s menu. For instance, pork chop noodles are served with juicy meat, blistered batter and a bowl of onion-rich pork ragù with spaghetti-like noodles, bean sprouts and scallions. Cabbage, Chinese broccoli and tangy mustard greens all provide welcome contrast. Thin-sliced pig face comes with dark, viscous garlic sauce, julienne ginger and cilantro. Old Country does offer brief relief from pork in the form of tofu, which involves deep-fried triangles and sweet soy sauce. To drink, a number of fruit juices include celery, sour plum and watermelon. They also shave ice and top it with ingredients like red bean, lotus seed and agar jello.