Rice’s versatility is on full display at E&J Yummy Kitchen, a focused Hong Kong style restaurant with two-toned walls and an ocean mural that opened in a Monterey Park plaza in 2015. They feature the ubiquitous grain in wok-fried chow fun and vermicelli dishes, fried rice, and porridge, but rice noodle rolls, aka cheong fun, are their greatest strength.

Rice Noodle Rolls ($3.25) are a bargain at twice the price and come with a range of fillings. I enjoyed the version with chopped BBQ pork, but really, it’s all about the rice noodle rolls with shrimp. Folds on folds of delicate rice noodles cradle sweet, plump shelled shrimp in a shallow pool of sweet soy sauce. It’s also possible to add $2 and get two eggs folded into the mix, which adds some welcome heft and are well worth the investment.