Neighborhood Szechuan Gem
Tucked away in a little strip mall a mile and a half from the 101 and five miles from central Thousand Oaks, the family-run Sesame Inn serves a loyal neighborhood clientele out of a store-front restaurant with a few booths and tables, and a very busy carry-out counter. The bathroom is accessible by walking through the very busy kitchen. A reasonably broad menu includes many familiar and some less well known Szechuan and Mandarin dishes. There are a small handful of Cantonese dishes for those who insist on sweet and sour pork or egg foo yung. My yardsticks for Szechuan / Mandarin are Twice-Cooked Pork, Orange Beef, and Hot and Sour Soup. Sesame Inn's Twice-Cooked Pork was prepared very nicely, spiced with just the right amount of "Five Spice Powder," providing the hint of anise. The Orange Beef has become my family's favorite, with a dark and pungent sauce. The Hot and Sour Soup is a miss, though, with too much smoky flavor from the dried mushrooms, and not at all sour. Two out of three ain't bad - Sesame Inn is definitely worth a try.
Food: 6
Service: 8
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 6
- Newbury Park, California

Hidden Gem in Newbury Park
Although the Los Angeles area is well known for the variety of cuisines available, suburban Newbury Park has rather more pedestrian establishments. A fortunate exception is the Sesame Inn. Located about 2 miles south of the 101 Freeway on Kimber Drive near Wendy Avenue, it's on the way to or from the Santa Monica National Recreation Area. Sesame Inn does a great carryout business for the neighborhood, and has a small number of tables in its strip-mall dining room. The kitchen is immediately adjacent, and the sounds and smells of food preparation waft pleasantly into the seating area. Friends and neighbors greet each other and the proprietors, kids in soccer gear share the tables with homework and delicious food. When we visited early one mid-week evening, we were looking for a good source of the traditional Hot and Sour Soup and other Szechuan and Hunan dishes. The soup was nicely pungent, very peppery, and very hot indeed. For entrees, we ordered Orange Beef and Boneless BBQ Pork with Snow Peas. The Orange Beef was nicely crunchy, with just the right amount of Schechuan peppers. The occasional stir-fried orange rind added a nice bitter accent. The Boneless BBQ Pork was twice-cooked, not fatty at all, and with a very pleasant spicing with Chinese 5 Spice Powder. Both soup and entree servings are good size, and the two entrees fed three adults with no difficulty. The decor is rather plain, and the restaurant's unisex bathroom is at the back of the kitchen, necessitating a walk through the food preparation area.
Recommended: Boneless BBQ Pork with Snowpeas, Orange Beef
Food: 8
Service: 8
Ambiance: 6
Overall: 6