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Tambayan Filipino Bbq & Grill

Filipino Restaurants

Here’s one of those R(evisits to) P(laces) I(‘ve) N(ever) P(osted) On. I’d actually visited back at the end of 2023 and had the Kare Kare, which I thought was pretty good. But then we were off on a bunch of trips and the place just kinda slipped my mind. Then “FOY” ChrisR mentioned Tamabayan to me in an email…which flipped the “switch”, but we were just getting started in the Galapagos at that time and by the time we returned….heck; I must be getting old, huh?

Turn the calendar to 2026 and I’m updating my “list”…which is actually a Google Map, and looknig at Spring Valley I notice I have something listed….well, you figured it out right? It’s Tamabayan!

I decided to head on over before the place slips my mind again.

The strip mall looks a lot different than I remembered. Several empty businesses; looks like one of the buildings has been damaged by fire!

I’d arrived just at 11 an the place was just opening up.

The menu has changed since that visit several years back.

I decided to start off where I left off; with the Kare Kare….strangely, they didn’t have the smoked brisket for the bowl available; but the nice fellow asked if I’d like to have it with fried pork belly. You know that answer to that, right? I also though it would give me insight to the other menu item I was looking at; the Sisig Bowl as well. As for the menu, well, it’s quite different from what I recall, I kind of remember the place having Filipino BBQ and more Silog style dishes.

I placed my order for the Kare Kare Bowl. And since it was already $18, I decided not to add a fried egg which was an additional $3 (!!) or Garlic Rice (additional $2.50). Could you imagine $23.50 for a bowl?

I had arrived at a good time as once I had a seat, the place filled quickly.

Soon enough my number was called and I picked up my bowl and had a seat.

I did like the texture of the kare kare, just thick and creamy enough; and something a bit different this time around was the nice addition of what was like a chili crunch. It added a nice dimension. Good nutty-earthy tones, perhaps edging on a bit sweet, but a nice version overall. And of course the bagoong, which is my “insurance” to counteract the sweetness. As a whole, pretty good.

I’ve always enjoyed the eggplant here which I believe is deep fried.

As for the pork….well, it seemed to have been cooked twice? It was super hard and tough and just not right for this dish…..or maybe any dish.

There was some major gnawing going on to be able to swallow this.

Overall, while I liked the flavor; that pork is a no-go. Not having the brisket was a blessing in disguise as I was told this is the pork they use for the sisig! So, personally I don’t think I need to make another 50 mile round trip for the sisig….though if you have a recommendation, I’d appreciate it!

For now, if I’m ever in the area again, I’ll probably hit up Kababayan.

Tambayan Filipino BBQ & Grill
8300 Paradise Valley Rd.
Spring Valley, CA 91977
Current Hours:
Wed – Thurs 11am – 7pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 8pm
Sunday 11am – 5pm
Closed Monday and Tuesday

Spicy Duck Wang La Ya Opens in 99 Ranch Market Food Court (Balboa location)

Chinese Restaurants

On a recent visit to the 99 Ranch location on Balboa, I headed to the restrooms and found that Dao Xiang Noodle was gone! Man, they had lasted what…maybe three months? The business that replaced it caught my attention.

Spicy Duck Wang La Ya……hmmmm…..it really got me because as much as we had enjoyed Juewei, things had changed over the last couple of months. That smoked chicken we enjoyed had become only served on weekends and then they stopped serving it altogether. Then, many of the liang cai; cold dishes were not consistently available….the yuba wasn’t available on a couple of visits…then they started doing skewers, and the hot pot???? We just kinda stopped and now they are changing concepts it seems (post upcoming). Now this was interesting as it featured all those duck parts and the cold dishes, and when I looked at the menu smoked chicken.

There was one problem though……even though the sign said “open” it didn’t seem so as all the dishes were covered and no one was manning the booth.

So, I just kinda stood around for a few minutes….until a really nice older gentleman came out. Now here’s where things get interesting…..he only spoke Mandarin! And I just wanted to try a Smoked Chicken…so, much like what I did at Juewei….I used my phone!

And even though I didn’t get any of those liang cai….which wasn’t on the menu board, I got the smoked chicken ($15).

And man, this was pretty good. You have to understand, this ain’t American BBQ ok? The meat is quite firm, there’s a nice savory-soy-winey thing going on. The Missus said it reminded Her of what She had in China…going to middle school-high school-college in Beijing. In other words, She was hooked!

And so we headed back ASAP!

This time they seemed fully opened and the Missus had a nice chat with the gentleman and came to find out that the “main” business is in Monterey Park.

And along with the smoked chicken, we ordered a bunch of other stuffs.

While he walked away, the Missus could not help but smile….I asked Her why and She told me “his accent…..I think it’s so Northern!” Turns out he’s from Shenyang. Since then, we’ve made multiple visits and here’s a summary.

The Pig’s Ears…..are nicely flavored, but in need of completion. The gentleman said add cilantro and cucumber and some chilies……and then he made the motion of drinking some beer! Lol! Anyway, I separate and trim the slices into more manageable pieces and then add Sichuan Peppercorn Oil and some Chili Crisp….and “viola”, we have a nice side dish.

One of my favorite items is the boneless chicken feet…..which always seems to be “givin’ me da’ finga la dat!”

Mild spice-sour acidity, collagenic crunch, some spice….good stuff…

The marinated bamboo shoots are by the book as well. Earthy-vinegar-not over spicy, soy sauce and crunchy.

They have two types of housemade sausages available. The sweet is a bit too sweet and not savory enough; but the garlic version is quite nice.

And the Missus has even used it in some clay pot rice! It’s precooked, so you can just eat it when you buy it.

Well, in case you’re wondering if I like everything here….well no. The Yuba, tofu skin one of my favorite liang cai items, is way too sweet and not spicy enough.

Which is a bummer; but there’s quite a bit of variety.

In an interesting public service announcement….if you speak Mandarin; they may ask you if you want something “extra spicy”….which we did with the Lotus Root. They pour on ground chili and chili oil to what’s already mildly spicy and it’s quite “hot”.

The lotus root was nice and crunchy; though I think we’ll just get it “as is” next time.

Anyway, the Missus is hooked on this place….we’ve visited four times! Though they haven’t seemed to have attracted much customers yet. In something that’s very “Asian”…..whenever we visit, people wandering the area see us waiting and then suddenly they’re interested! Lol! So very Chinese/Taiwanese, huh?

We’re hoping they do well; this location has been four businesses over the last couple of years; from Saigon 5, to Mama Lin’s, to Dao Xiang……

After all, the Missus does need Her “smoked chicken fix”….

Spicy Duck Wang La Ya
5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Sandwiches – Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts (Logan Heights) and Barrio Donas Revisited

Bakery, Sandwiches

My recent trip to Imperial and Antojitos Colombianos had me looking at my “list” to see what other places I’ve got listed and have yet to check out. And one quickly popped up…..Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts on 31st. I’m not sure who recommended the place to me…but recently, I decided to head on over.

Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts:

I actually headed over on a Saturday morning after making my usual Farmers Market run. I found parking in the lot next to the shop. I gotta say; it doesn’t seem to be the most inviting neighborhood.

The place was fairly busy when I arrived. Lot’s of working folk….

Most of which were getting coffee or juice and pastries.

I on the other hand was in the mood for a torta……

Being in a “porky” kinda mood; I went with the Pierna…which for some reason didn’t seem cheap at $9.35.

This was a good sized sandwich; though I thought the bollilo was a bit over-baked; the crust crumbly. But the bread was nice and yeasty, held up well, and the shredded pork was pretty good.

It had a decent smokey-savory-earthy flavor, with a hint of acidity. It was fairly tender and the portion was pretty good.

I do wish that it had more avocado and jalapeno….or at least had it evenly spread thru the sandwich.

As it was, the rather sparse avocado was smeared to one side of the torta and the jalapenos stacked on one another. I fixed the jalapeno issue.

Still, a generous amount of pork. If the bolillo was in better shape this would have been a good torta. As it stood; it was decent. I might return someday if I’m in the area. Would you believe this place is open from 5am to 9pm daily!!!

Lucy’s Bakery & Donuts
31 31st St.
San Diego, CA 92102
Current Hours:
Daily 5am – 9pm

This torta had me wondering how the version at Barrio Donas was doing….and even more so; how much the Torta de Pierna was there now in comparison. It had been almost exactly two years since my last visit and even longer since I’d had the Pierna there, so I decided to head on over.

Barrio Donas Revisited:

I paid my visit the following Saturday. Barrio Donas is quite popular, but wasn’t too busy on this day.

The Torta de Pierna here is now $12.75! The A la Mexicana $10.50 Yikes….

It’s always interesting to visit the place since they always seem to be trying out new items. I guess now they have a Matcha Bar?

Here’s the Torta Pierna.

I’m still not the biggest fan of the Bolillo here as the crust lacks crispness and the bread is on the denser side. Still, it’s always nice and yeasty, with a mild, almost sourdough flavor to it.

The amount of filling is adequate; though after having the version at Lucy’s, I would’ve enjoyed some creamy avocado and some jalapeno for spice to cut the richness.

The pork was a bit more chewy than I remember; but there’s still a nice spicy-smokiness.

Barrio Donas
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours
Mon – Sat 6am – 4pm
Sunday 7am – 4pm

It was interesting to see how prices for tortas…well, everything for that matter has gone up. I’m now curious to try more tortas from other places. Any recommendations?

Galapagos – Bachas Beach – Santa Cruz Island

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Ecuador, Galapagos, Travel

To be totally honest; when I read that we’d be spending the morning at Bachas Beach, which is on Santa Cruz Island, I wasn’t too thrilled. You see Santa Cruz Island is the most populous in the Galapagos, with the village of Puerto Ayora being the most developed and touristy. Though I should have known better as the only way to Bachas Beach is by boat.

And after breakfast and a short break, we did a wet landing on the beautiful white sand beach.

In case you want to know what a wet landing is, Per the Ecoventura Site:

“Wet landing: Step into shallow water (ankle to calf-deep) from the Zodiac and walk onto a sandy or rocky beach.”

Once on the beach, the pangas headed back to the Ecoventura.

And we were taken for a short nature walk along the beach.

Here’s a Marine Iguana chilling out.

So many of those bright red Sally Lightfoot Crabs.

There’s a lagoon where you’ll often find Flamingos, but none were here on this day.

But as we looked out into the lagoon, we noticed a little head pop up.

It was a Marine Iguana taking a morning dip!

One has to pat attention, because it’s amazing what you might see!

After the walk we did some snorkeling. When I came to take a peek to see location; I saw this sea lion hanging out!

The water is so clear!

Digital Camera
Digital Camera

After which we just hung out on the beach and even swam a little.

Back on board we had a nice refreshment break.

Where I got to watch the Frigatebirds gliding around.

It was also interesting to watch the Evolve refuel at this stop.

After refreshing and relaxing we were given a lecture on the Geology of the Galapagos and then it was time for lunch.

Before we headed off to our next stop!

Thanks for dropping by!

Recently Consumed

Cooking

Just some odd and ends from the last couple of weeks.

After having the “special” hot pot rice at Eastern Dynasty; the Missus became certain that we could do better at home. So guess what we’ve been having weekly these days?

Along with the usual; lup cheong and stuff, we’ve been using left over roast duck from our visits to Eastern Dynasty, Hong Kong Kitchen, and other places, along with more importantly the duck drippings. Duck fat is used to coat the nabe to help build a nice crust. And a 3:1 soy sauce to dark soy sauce mixture to help flavor.

The Missus has been into gardening this year. I’m waiting until warmer weather to start growing peppers again and maybe evening making some hot sauce again! Meanwhile, as you might have noticed, I’ve been trying to figure out what to do with some of the items the Missus is growing, like the Keru Kurogomae. We’ve had a good amount of chard, which is great for my Pesto Chard dish. But the stems were huge and even though I use stems in that recipe….I developed it to actually use stems, there was just too much. So, I decided to do some pickling; which turned out quite well.

The Missus also enjoys the onions I have in the pickle as well.

And then I decided to pickled some okra….which was quite good as well.

This one uses dried dill, which was a first for me.

These come in handy when the Missus says She wants something, ahem, “easy and light” for dinner on one of our warmer evenings….

The Missus always seems to get “sucked in” when She goes shopping with me at Nijiya or Tokyo Central. For instance; She saw this Hokkaido Mushroom Curry and just had to try it.

So, of course I had to go ahead and make Chicken Katsu, etc…..

Sadly; it was really bland, and quite thin, almost watery……

Well nothing ventured, nothing gained….or something like that!

Hope everyone has a great weekend now that the rain has passed!

Galapagos – Isla Plaza Sur (South Plaza Island)

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Beer, Ecuador, Galapagos

After our visit to Santa Fe Island, lunch, and a post lunch break we headed off to the east of Santa Cruz to the small island of Plaza Sur. We had to make several detours because of the Avian Flu outbreak on Genovesa Island. The island itself is tiny at 3/4 of a square mile. Don’t be fooled; there’s a lot to see and unique to this island.

We did a dry landing on a cement dock.

And proceeded with our nature walk. First thing I noticed were all the tall and stately cactus.

Plaza Sur is also known for another thing. Because of the size of the island, this is where one kind find what they call “Hybrid Iguanas“. That is where Male Land Iguanas have mated with Female Marine Iguanas creating a Hybrid. These were first noticed in 1977 by Howard Snell, a Biology Professor Volunteering with the Peace Corps. We were told to keep our eyes peeled.

The Marine Iguanas are black-grey, with webbed feet. Are we saw those first as we disembarked. And then we saw all the Land Iguanas. Because of the size of the island; these were on the smaller size, though quite colorful.

This fellow was hilarious. Having no fear of hoo-mans, he decided to cross the path. And of course, we could not approach wildlife here. We stood still and he strolled…and I do mean strolled past us.

The island features some dramatic cliffs.

Which of course means more wildlife. Like Swallow-Tailed Gulls, which are nocturnal feeders.

And since they are year ’round breeders; we even saw a couple of chicks with their parents.

And of course with all the volcanic rock; those Sally Lightfoot Crab really stood out.

They call this the “Light House”.

Not sure if these were actually “Hybrids”….I forgot to ask.

But we saw them on the walk back to the dock.

Speaking of dock, as we boarded the zodiac, this little fella’ cut in line and tried to get a “free ride”.

It made for a humorous moment….especially since you can’t approach or touch wildlife here.

Finally, after a short “discussion”, the little understood that there were no free rides being given out today. You can tell it was a bit disappointed!

Back on board everyone had some time to relax. After a shower and a short break I headed to the deck and had myself some liquid refreshment.

And a nice sunset…..

And then dinner was served.

This Prawn Bisque was really good. Not fishy in the least, creamy, nice oceany flavors, a hint of sweetness.

For some reason, I enjoyed the cous cous.

And the Missus enjoyed dessert.

We had our usual briefing. And retired to our cabin. About an hour or so later, there was an announcement to head to the aft deck. We headed on out and saw these sharks following the Evolve, looking for handouts I guess!

This was a wonderful exclamation point for an awesome first day which started on Santa Fe Island. Little did we know that each day would be full of wildlife and adventures!

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dimsum Opens Part 1

Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

Back at the end of December, I noticed the signage for the restaurant taking the place of the long standing Golden City. It was going to be Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum. A few weeks back, I noticed the Grand Opening sign was up and I drove over to check the hours. The place opens at 10am!

So, I tried to talk the Missus into visiting; but She wanted me to check the place out first. Sigh…so of course, I headed on over.

The place was empty when I arrived and was seated. Soon after a couple of larger parties drifted in.

The interior looks basically the same; though they’ve tried to spiff it up a bit. Still, the tell-tale signs of Golden City were quite obvious to me….

The woman running the place was very nice and told me they had just been open for a couple of days. She gave me two menus. Since I was here during “lunch”, I also got the dim sum menu. Dim Sum is served between 10am and 3pm daily.

So, I decided to try a couple of dim sum dishes; which run from $7.50 to $11….such are prices these days as well as two regular menu items.

I started with some Har Gow and Siu Mai, both priced at $9.50.

Some tea arrived soon after.

Of the two sets of dim sum; the Har Gow was the weaker one.

The shrimp filling was decent; a bit on the chewy side; but the shrimpiness came thru quite nicely. These were quite large.

I didn’t care for the wrappers which were too thick, chewy, and rubbery.

I did enjoy the Siu Mai.

While the filling was still on the chewier side; both the flavor of the pork and the shrimp came thru nicely…a good savory-mildly sweet flavor and also quite fragrant.

The wrapper was fine; at least it wasn’t as bad as what I’d last had at the reopened China Max…..this actually had the taste and texture of dim sum!

Both the Har Gow and Siu Mai were quite large and I only had two of each and took the rest home. I reheated using the Microwave “steam” technique which works fairly well. The Missus ate both of the siu mai and had half of a har gow….’nuff said!

As for the menu dishes….well, I wanted to see how the Sauteed Intestines with Chinese Pickles ($22) here fared against my current favorite.

Well, not bad at all; though a bit on the sweeter side in terms of flavor. The pork intestine was definitely not as good as it was really chewy. Good amount of suan cai, adding a nice sour tone to things. Still, I probably won’t be getting this again.

And I just needed to get a half roast duck; which priced at $20, is even cheaper than Eastern Dynasty!

The subcutaneous fat had been nicely rendered and the skin decently caramelized and crisp. However, the meat was on the drier side and the flavor was lacking in anise-five spice tones and was pretty bland. The jus was good in a dry pot that the Missus made the next day.

But this was definitely not as good as Noble Chef or Eastern Dynasty to us.

Still, it was a promising visit. So, I tried to talk the Missus into visiting, but She told me to check things out one more time first. And then gave me some items She wanted me to order???? Say what????

Anyway, I arrived at a quarter after 10 and on this weekend morning the place was already packed!

I guess word had gotten out?

I decided not to order dim sum this time around and tried to order several items from the menu. Unfortunately, they were out of two of them.

So, instead of the West Lake Beed Soup, I got the Crab and Fish Maw Soup (small – $24). Man, even the small portion of this was quite sizeable.

There was some real crab in the soup, which was nice and thick. There was quite bit of fish maw (the air sac) which was fairly spongy in texture as well as egg white.

There’s a bit of oceany-savory “funk”. I thought it was fine; but the Missus really didn’t care for the slight fishiness in flavor.

They did have the Mei Cai Ko Rou ($26).

Some of the slices of pork belly were so melt-in-your-mouth tender. This version was a bit more salty than other versions, which the Missus enjoyed. She also strangely enjoyed the chunks of sauteed lettuce…..which was quite crunchy. A bit less preserved vegetable than other versions. Overall, not a bad dish. If you prefer your MCKR more on the savory side, with less sour-sweet tones, this one is for you. I do think we’ll have this again.

They didn’t have the Minced Pork with Salted Fish on this day either. So I got the Salted Fish, Chicken, and Eggplant Claypot ($21).

And while the Eggplant was a bit more mushy than we prefer, the chicken was pleasantly tender. I know you can’t really see it in the photo, but there was an abundance of small diced pieces off salted fish, which was a nice surprise as most versions of this dish in SD lacks the strong, savory-salty flavor in this dish. The Missus now really wants to try the Minced Pork with Salted Fish.

So, overall not too bad. Perhaps a level down from Eastern Dynasty and Noble Chef, though Hong Kong Kitchen does have dim sum during lunch service. It was also much better than what we’d had during our last visits to Golden City.

I was looking forward to returning and actually trying some of my favorites on my next visit….

So stay tuned for part 2!

Hong Kong Kitchen & Dim Sum
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Midweek Meanderings – The Macaron Shop Replacing GyroGrill, El Sazon de Nayarit Truck replacing Mariscos Tone Camaron at Harland (Bay Park), and Sumo Go Coming to the Former Bunny Chow Spot

Desserts, Food Trucks, Japanese Restaurants

Well, since we’re hitting the trifecta of Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, and Lunar New Year, I’m thinknig all of you are pretty busy right now so I thought I’d just do a quick post of places I’ve come across over the last couple of weeks.

The Macaron Shop Replacing GyroGrill:

I was a bit surprised to learn that GyroGrill closed recently. I knew a few folks that really liked the place. I recently revisited Tenkatori and saw that the Macaron Shop was replacing GyroGrill and they even had a stand already set-up on the walkway.

6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

El Sazon de Nayarit Truck replacing Mariscos Tone Camaron:

A couple of weeks back, I noticed that the Mariscos Tone Camaron trailer was gone from the side street behind Harland on Napier in Bay Park.

A couple of weeks later, I saw this Food Truck in the spot.

Not sure if the folks from the Mariscos Tone Camaron took over this truck, I waited a bit until I saw Logan, one of the great guys who works at Harland and he told me this is another truck. The Mariscos Tone folks have also upgraded to a truck, but it’s now at a different location.

4112 Napier St.
San Diego, CA 92110

Sumo Go Coming to the Former Bunny Chow Spot:

Bunny Chow which replaced LouZiana Food closed a while ago. I’ve finally seen some activity in the spot. Looks like something named Sumo Go is taking the spot?

Not 100% sure, but I’m thinking it might be part of the Japanese Grab-n-Go trend?

7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Anyway, hope everyone is staying warm and dry with another storm hitting us the next couple of days!

Taste of Hunan Revisited

Chinese Restaurants

Recently, “FOY” Dereck sent me an email about his visit to Taste of Hunan. It used to be a favorite of the Missus, but I couldn’t believe it’s been over six months since we last visited! I think the Missus has been fixated on Cantonese fare from Eastern Dynasty! Though once I mentioned ToH to Her….well guess where we were off to? It was a weekend visit, right as they opened at 11 and the place was empty.

But within 20 minutes the restaurant was almost full, with several large parties.

We decided on one favorite, one standard Hunan dish, and two newer dishes that we hadn’t seen before.

Of course, if you’ve read my previous posts on Taste of Hunan, you know that my favorite dish is the Xiangxi Style Beef Entrails. And yes, this dish is still my favorite.

Served over a live flame heating element; they key is to let the dish sit for a few minutes to let the onions at the bottom of the dish cook and soak up the spicy-savory sauce. It becomes nice and sweet as well. I enjoy the combinations of flavors and textures; the soft beef tripe, the more toothsome and flavorful beef.

La Rou with Bamboo is a classic Hunan dish. And I must say, this was the best we’ve had in a while.

The house made smoked pork is somewhat chewy, but so porky-savory and smoky, with the perfect amount of saltiness. Add to that the earthy and still somewhat crunchy bamboo shoots this was quite good. We did think it could have used more chilies; but the garlic tones made up for that.

While we the previous dish could have possibly used more chilies; let me tell you that the dish named “Beef Loved by My Wife” had more than enough spice going on!

It also had a heck of a lot of cumin….think of it as being a version of cumin lamb, but made with beef and much more spicy! The beef was slightly chewy, but man, this was umami overload!

The Missus was interested in trying the Steamed Egg with Minced Pork, so we ordered it.

Man, this was so porky; the Missus loved the broth/sauce. The eggs, which were actually poached were overcooked and the yolks dry. We’d actually get it right with the leftovers at home. The pork was very tender and savory…..though both the Missus and I agreed that it could have used some textural contrast….maybe some water chestnut or something?

Overall, it was a good meal. I’m sure the Missus will be wanting to return soon to try other items as it seems that new ones are added every few months!

Thanks to Dereck for reminding us of Taste of Hunan!

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St.
San Diego, CA 92131
Current Hours:
Mon, Tues 11am – 9pm
Thurs 1130am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm
Friday 1130am – 230pm, 5pm – 930pm
Sat, Sun 11am – 930pm