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Sunday, February 8, 2009

Maxim Cafe in Rowland Heights

A bunch of girlfriends and I wanted to get some breakfast a few weeks ago. So one of the gals suggested either Garden Cafe or Maxim Cafe in the Rowland Heights area, and since I haven't tried Maxim yet, I kinda led them towards Maxim. Most of them didn't know I had a food blog yet, so they were cracking up when I pulled out my camera and snapped away.

Maxim Cafe is one of those typical restaurants that boast Western decor yet serve Hong Kong fare and is open until the wee hours of the morning. I usually never come to these types of places because I want to have awesome food. It's mostly because I can't think of anywhere else to go, or because nothing else is open, or because I just want a place to sit down and chat for a really, really long time. Maxim is located in the same plaza as Coconut Bay Bar and Grill, and since it was a weekday morning and everyone was at work, it was pretty empty.

I kept things simple and ordered their combination breakfast deals. For almost six dollars, I got a piping hot bowl of rice porridge, rice rolls with oyster sauce (I think), and a cup of tea. I liked the consistency of the porridge at Boston Kitchen more, but I liked how they added in some Chinese doughnuts into the porridge. I had ordered the Beef and Egg Porridge, but I didn't realize the egg was broken into the porridge still raw. I had assumed that there would be bits of cooked eggs chopped up already in the porridge. Next time I'd order a different porridge. You can also substitute coffee for the tea, and they give you condensed milk to add to either beverage. The rice rolls had a good chew to them and were alright for breakfast.

My friend ordered an American style breakfast that came with an omelette, hash browns, toast, and tea or coffee . Her mushroom omelette looked so good from the outside that my friend let me have a bite, and did I regret it. The filling was soggy and just tasted blah. Another friend ordered the same combo with a seafood omelette. I was curious to how that one tasted, and she did offer some to me, but I was just too lazy to walk over and taste it. She did say it was good, and I trust her judgment.

I thought the waitresses here were nice at first because they brought extra plates and utensils for our kids without us asking, but then after two hours, it seemed they were rushing us out when there was hardly anyone in the restaurant. Hey, girls need more than two hours to chat, so we took it outdoors and let the kids romp in their bushes.

I think I will have to try the dinner fare here to make a definitive assessment of their food. For now, I'd just say their breakfast is so-so, but this is a great place for socializing if you can keep it under two hours.

Maxim Cafe is located at 18904 Gale Ave. in Rowland Heights, CA (626) 913-7777

8 comments:

EatTravelEat said...

This place is pretty good! In my opinion I don't think it is the best of the best of all the HK style cafes, but it is pretty decent. Big servings and the food tastes good.

Never tried any of the breakfast items before at Maxim (not in the area...), but their regular items are of a good quality. Garden serves a good breakfast too.

Jen Jen said...

Maxim used to be the place for me for lunch everyday when I work in Rowland Heights a few year back.. My favorite from there was chow fun with beef and bell pepper (can't recall the name), the club sandwiche, and the indio fried rice with an extra egg. Their lemon ice tea was also the best with affording prices (well, I rarely pay, so don't know the exact price). Since I move to LA, i rarely return to maxim. But the last time when I was there for dinner, it was not the same anymore. I think they change in ownership already, most of the people are not there anymore, I didn't see any familar face. The food was not the same. I think that was the last time I was there and never intend to return again. Disappointing though.

imjustatree said...

heh I was just in that plaza yesterday at coconut bay for dinner...shoulda asked kogi to come to diamond bar haha...but where would they park? i think they're only in the la area, at least for now...they got two trucks running though...their site always posts up where they will be: www.kogibbq.com

Food For Tots said...

If there isn't anyone else in the restaurant, why must they rush you all out? Is it the normal practice over there?

shavedicesundays said...

EatTravelEat, we'll probably try the breakfast at Garden Cafe soon. I definitely want to try the dinner or lunch at Maxim.

Jen Jen, too bad you're still not in the area, much better drive!

mothermayi, maybe they can use my house to park. Haha.

FoodforTots, I don't know. Maybe they were getting ready for the lunch crowd to come in? Maybe they just got tired of looking and hearing our kids, which were pretty well behaved. I think it depends on the establishment.

MyCollegeKitchen said...

Is Maxim in the general area of Class 302?

EatTravelEat said...

MyCollegeKitchen,

They are pretty close to each other. So yes, it is. If I remember correctly it is just across the street to the other plaza.

shavedicesundays said...

MyCollegeKitchen, EatTravelEat is correct. They are in the plazas across the street from each other.