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Noodle & Bun (Gaslamp)

Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Xiao Long Bao

I recently had to take my car in for servicing again. Though instead of waiting around or heading for lunch at somewhere close to the dealership, I decided to jump on the trolley. And while there were several places on my “list” that were close to a MTS trolley stop….I really didn’t want to be changing lines, I settled on a place that opened in the Gaslamp last year. Noodle & Bun. I had heard that the Owner/Chef is from Shanghai. The shop is located on Fourth Avenue. I thought the address seemed familiar and one look at the location had me smiling.

Yep, this is the location right on the street of what used to be called Horton Plaza; who knows what its name is now? But, for a short time, it was the location of Sultan Baklava, which has since moved back to El Cajon. I had heard that the place made good hand pulled noodles and XLB. So, in spite of this being a rather hot day, I was all for trying it out!

The place was pretty quiet during my entire meal. The two young men working were really nice….they actually started speaking to me in Mandarin when I entered!

The kitchen area is open for folks to watch the noodle making taking place.

And the condiments were in place as expected.

Looking over the menu, the place features hand pulled noodles, knife cut noodles, and wide noodles. Along with three main noodle soups; Langzhou style, Beef Brisket Noodle, or Spicy Beef Brisket Noodle. All priced at $15.99. I went with the Beef Brisket Noodle. I also decided to try the Xiao Long Bao ($11.99) as well.

The Beef Brisket Noodle arrived first.

I thought the broth was on the thin side, fairly salty, with a hint of anise-five spice flavor. It struck me as being fairly bland, so I boosted the flavor with a good amount of chili oil. I’m guessing I should have ordered the spicy version.

The beef was a plus-minus. Some pieces were really nice and tender; others super chewy, but the five spice-soy sauce beefiness came thru nicely.

The highlight of the bowl were the noodles; which were perfectly tender and springy….the definition of “QQ“. I’m thinking that most of the other NRM places and even Lanzhou Noodlelicious is preferred; but the noodles here were excellent.

Look at how nicely the noodles picked up the broth.

Like I said, if I return…maybe the next time I get Jury Duty, I’ll get the spicy version.

As for the XLB ($11.99); it was kind of “meh”.

First off; you know my pet peeve with XLB, right? Yep as you can see four of the XLB wrappers were broken and the “soup” had leaked out.

And check out this hammajang looking one!

As for the rest…well, the wrappers were too think and chewy for my taste. The “soup” what there was by the book, though a bit light in porkiness. The filling was on the chewy side and mild in flavor.

I’ll probably pass on these next time.

Still, it was interesting to see a place making hand pulled noodles in this area. Just as it was surprising finding Silk Road Lanzhou Beef Noodles in PB!

Service was very nice and as I mentioned above; I’d probably revisit when I’m in the area again. I hope they are able to do well in this area.

Noodle & Bun
770 Fourth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sun 11am – 10pm

Sydney – A Nightcap at Maybe Sammy

Australia, Buffets, Cocktails, Sydney, Travel

After our dinner at Midden we strolled around the Opera House taking in the light projection show.

It was something to see!

We then headed back in the direction of our accommodation. But, instead of stopping at our hotel, we strolled a few blocks west, over to Harrington Street. You see, there was a cocktail bar nearby named Maybe Sammy……so of course we had to visit right? We’d already gone to a Cocktail Bar named Frankie’s in Oceanside. And so, I’m sure this was Sammy’s request for equal time! As a plus, Maybe Sammy is named as one of the top 50 bars in the world! Leave it to Sammy the over achiever!

The bar has a Rat Pack (named from a 60’s Vegas sign at the Sands, “Dean Martin, maybe Frank, maybe Sammy.”), 1950’s-60’s Hollywood theme.

It was a Wednesday so things were pretty mellow. The bartender, dressed in a pink pastel jacket really played the “role”.

And if you really wanted to, you could get your drink via the roll of the dice!

I’m not sure what the Missus got; but I got the “Nightcap” which was really good as it featured Bourbon, Oscar Bianco, Ginger, and Shiso Bitters. There was also a light placed under the drink creating a more dramatic affect. It was quite balanced overall, not overly sweet…..enjoyably boozy; great savory-pungent tones.

This was a lot of fun and a nice way to end the evening…..

And of course, it made us think of our Sammy-boy!

Cheers Sammy, wherever you may be….we still think of you all the time!

Maybe Sammy
115 Harrington St.
The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia

Returning to our room….I just sat and enjoyed the view……

In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel……

Which was really mellow on this morning.

Before checking out and heading to the Circular Quay Metro link…..

Back to the airport and our next destination.

Thanks for stopping by!

Since it’s Fry-day – Time for a revisit to T.P. Banh Bao 3

Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Every couple years it seems, I’m wanting that fried bao from T.P. Banh Bao 3. And since I’ve held off my cravings for what the folks in the office used to call “dem balls” for over two years, it was time for me to get my fix.

So I made the drive up to Camino Ruiz in the Mira Mesa area. And headed into “TP”.

They open at 730am on weekends, so there wasn’t anyone in when I arrived.

I decided on the Pork, Salted Duck Egg, and Sausage, now priced at $2.75. And of course I wanted the baos fried, which has a 50 cent upcharge. There’s also a minimum order….I decided to order six and share the joy of “dem balls”……

While waiting, I snuck into another of my favorite stops here a few doors down.

When I return my fried bao were ready.

These days, just one of these fills me up; so I decided to share the wealth with some of JJ’s favorite aunties.

Once at home, it was time to have at it.

I think the bao are now a bit smaller, but were still crisp when I sliced into them. The filling was nice and moist with a pleasant toothsomeness.

Very rich and porky; nice, pleasantly salty umami from the salted duck egg yolk with mild funkiness. Like I’ve always noted….more than one of these and I’d probably need to be hosed down….or immediately made an appointment with a Cardiologist…..”be still my heart”…literally. These are so rich that I can only put away one these days.

I was quite happy to get my “fix”.

See you a couple of years T.P. Banh Bao 3!

T.P. Banh Bao 3
11271 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri  8am – 7pm
Sat – Sun   730am – 6pm

Tacotarian (North Park)

Latin American Cuisine, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

After having an enjoyable visit to Mesa Agricola, I decided to try another of these “new style – concept based” taco shops. I had enjoyed the Hongos Al Ajillo at Mesa Agricola; so the possibility of Vegan/Vegetarian tacos had me a bit intrigued. I had passed the San Diego location of Tacotarian (their other locations are in Las Vegas) many times while driving down 30th Street. So, I decided it was time to check them out.

I found parking on ECB and walked on over.

It was just after 11 and the place was already starting to get somewhat busy. It’s one of those order and pay at the counter, then take your number and have a seat kinda places.

Tacos here run at $4.47 and up, I ordered three.

The gentleman running the counter was very friendly and asked me what kind of salsa I wanted….he asked me if I like “spicy” and recommended the habanero salsa….which is what I got.

Number in hand, I had a seat in the very airy dining room.

And soon enough my tacos arrived. Top to bottom, Barbacoa, Al Pastor, and Carne Asada….all priced at $4.47 and with “” marks, cause you know, right?

And some habanero salsa; which had some really acidic heat. This was no joke.

So, I first went with the Carne Asada, which is made with Satan seitan. I have usually enjoyed item made with Seitan at Kindred so this was an easy choice.

The tortillas were decent; they held up well, but was very mild in terms of maizey tones. The queso fresco had a weird mouthfeel and seemed a bit on the sour side. The Pico de Gallo was by the book and the avocado creamy with a hint of sweetness.

One of the good things about seitan is that the flavor is mild and the texture has a sort of almost fishcake like meatiness, so it’s a good meat replacement. The flavor was nice and savory, with a bit of smokiness and I could make out garlic and some pungency. This was by far my favorite item of the day.

Next up, the Al Pastor, also made with Seitan.

This was way too sweet for my taste, missing the complex smokey savoriness of the real thing. This may sound strange; but I do enjoy my al pastor having a “pass thru the oil”, this was lacking the richness of that.

My least favorite was the Barbacoa….the portion of shredded jackfruit was quite small.

Though it really looked like shredded meat; the texture was on the mushy side and the seasoning was too puckery and sour for my taste, even though this was mostly tortilla.

I was glad to have visited and tried some of the tacos here. I see that it’s a great option for Vegans and Vegetarians. But unlike Kindred, I’m not quite taken by the food. So, unless someone has a great go-to item here; this is probably one and done.

Tacotarian
4332 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm

Midweek Meanderings – Junior’s Mediterranean Eats Replacing Fujiyame, Recently Consumed, and a Dolly Parton Story

Cookbooks, Cooking, Mediterranean Restaurants, yoso-silly

I saw this sign a few weeks back in the former location of Fujiyame:

A few days later; Tanje of the always informative guide Explore Clairemont mentioned the place in a post on IG. Unfortunately, I’m not able to find that post. Anyway, to sum up what I read; it’s the owners of PB’s Shawarma Shack that is behind this upcoming business.

4310 Genesee Avenue Suite 108A
San Diego, CA 92117

Consumed by the Heat:

Right? Been hot and humid enough for you all lately? At least it seems to be cooling off for the moment. Anyway, I’ve noticed that a lot of what we’ve been eating looks like this:

Yep, tofu with okra and mizuna from the yard, with pidan. And of course, the Missus just “needed” to have some ohitashi…..this one I made with kale from the yard.

I picked one of my chilies which gave it a good kick!

I made this tofu dish with watercress.

Based on one of the recipes from Aloha Veggies cookbook.

I deviated from the published recipe a bit; but it turned out good. Quite refreshing.

And since yesterday was “Meat Day” at Nijiya and the weather had cooled down a bit; the Missus wanted some Soboro Don. So, I complied.

Of course, we just “needed” some fukusai…..so I made two side dishes.

The Missus enjoyed the meal and was satisfied…..for now….

What have you been eating during this recent heat wave?

And Finally……

I was sad to hear of Dolly Parton‘s passing last month. I’ve read that She really loved the islands and even had a short lived restaurant there.

I even saw her having dinner one night in Kapahulu. Yes, that’s right. Back in the late 80’s, I was having one of my “date night” dinners at one of my favorite restaurants at that time; Keo’s which was located at the corner of Kapahulu and Mo’oheau Avenue at the time. My date and I recognized the tiny woman with the big hair seated at one of the discreet tables in the place…it was Dolly Parton! Of course we couldn’t help but stare. Instead of giving us the “stink eye”, she gave us the warmest smile, which immediately made me feel guilty for staring. So, we tried not to keep staring over our “Evil Jungle Prince”. As she and her entourage left she turned to us and said “enjoy your dinner darlings!” You gotta love it!

That photo above is from Vaquero Bar in Solvang. I remember seeing the photo the first time I visited during Covid. I recall telling the bartender that story about running into Dolly back in my old neighborhood of Kapahulu. And of all the interesting coincidences; the other bartender told me that Dolly Parton had a house in Solvang! You can see more on that here! Funny thing; I also remember seeing Steve Perry and Journey having dinner at Keo’s as well.

Anyway, thanks for letting me share this! Hope you’re having a great week!

Weekend Onigiri Lunch at Komatsuya

Japanese Restaurants

A few weeks past, the wonderful photographer James Tran pinged me via IG, mentioning that Komatsuya was doing onigiri for lunch on weekends. Now, I’ve known about Komatsuya for a while, but the Missus just wasn’t too interested in heading up to Mission Hills and trying to find parking for dinner, so the place had been on the back burner. But doing Onigiri for lunch….especially based on the location sounded interesting so I decided to get to the area and find some parking….which I did. And then I walked on over……

And the sign was out….

And I was greeted by the very friendly and professional Hiroka, who was so nice. I was handed the onigiri menu; which gave me a moment of pause.

Well, ok……$6.50 for a kombu onigiri….this for sure wasn’t your local konbini onigiri, right?

I decided to order the Kombu Onigiri and for some reason, I was intrigued by the Saikyo Yaki & Garlic Chive ($8) version as well. I as told that for $7 more I could make it a “set” with karaage and tamagoyaki, so I decided to go for it.

My table, which was out front brought a smile to my face.

The last time I was at this location; it was Fools and Kings and we were seated at the exact same table.

Soon enough my onigiri and tamagoyaki arrived.

Hiroka said here’s your onigiri….and I said “oh, Sumotori onigiri huh?” Which made her crack up. Yes, these were literally bursting at the seams it seems….. I did find it kind of rustic looking with rice and sesame seeds falling along the nori and the uneven shape. Perhaps because Komatsuya is a omakase – sushi restaurant I expected the onigiri to be a bit more refined looking? Well, at least you knew this was made on the spot by hand, right?

I bit into the Kombu Onigiri and quickly noticed how much kombu was in the rice ball!

Enough to make two to three kombu maki! So, I guess if we’re looking at things that way; the $6 ain’t too bad, right? You could make out every grain of rice, which was perfectly tender. The onigiri was warm, the nori was crisp and not soggy.

As for the Tamagoyaki.

It was nicely layered. Nice egginess and savory touches…..a big plus was that it wasn’t too sweet. I did find the egg to be a bit on the drier-harder side. I prefer my tamagoyaki a bit more fluffy-tender.

The Karaage arrived next. In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed in having only two pieces.

I really liked the crisp texture of the smaller piece in the back….it had that perfect light crunch I enjoy. The bigger piece had already started getting soggy.

As you can see, the chicken was really moist, pleasingly tender. Nice savory tones, low in terms of pungent flavors (i.e. garlic/ginger). A very nice version.

And last, I finished with the Saikyo Yaki & Garlic Chive Onigiri.

Again with the perfectly cooked and prepared rice. This was less stuffed than the kombu version, the fish nice and moist.

The flavor wasn’t quite as sweet as I expected from a saiko yaki preparation, but the fish was quite savory without being overly salty. I really enjoyed the pungency of the garlic chives.

So there you go….one of these days…in the future, I can tell someone about the time I paid over twenty bucks for two onigiri! In Mission Hills of course! Just kidding…..

Overall…well, I was stuffed after the two large onigiri. And in thinking about prices, perhaps I’m just trying to justify the price of the onigiri by framing things into how much would a makizushi with these ingredients cost. Though I’m not sure about the tamagoyaki and two pieces of karaage being priced at $7.

One interesting note……I recalled that even when we visited during the time Fools and Kings was in this spot, we dined on the patio. So, I had never seen the inside of the place. I went to the restroom so I could finally see what the tiny dining room looked like.

Nice service and I did leave stuffed!

Komatsuya
4015 Goldfinch St.
San Diego, CA 92103
Onigiri served on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 2pm

Thanks again for the heads-up on this place James!

Yuk Dae Jang Revisited

Korean Restaurants

Ok, looks like I’ve recovered from our last road trip….man, was I tired. So, I can get back to posting right? With the recent hot weather; the Missus was craving something from Yuk Dae Jang. And “FOY” Mar had gone ahead and visited YDJ, posted a nice looking meal in IG…….

After our last dining fiasco here, I made the Missus promise to just stick our favorite items. Which can be found on the bottom of the menu…..

We arrived for an early dinner, so the restaurant was really quiet.

We went ahead and placed our order. Which led to the panchan arriving soon after.

Man, the baechu kimchi was maybe the best I’ve had here. Nice sour-fermented tones.

We got heukmi bap – purple rice to accompany our meal.

A bit on the chewy side; which is the tendency for purple rice, but not bad. We could taste a mild nuttiness this time around as well.

Way back when we first visit YDJ, we had the Kimchi and Pork Mandu. We thought it was not bad, so we decided to try it again ($12.99). This time around the wrappers were much better. It had a mild fluffy “pull” to them.

There was a generous amount of filling….of which the sour-mildly tones and light crunch of the kimchi stood out.

And then of course; we got the Premium Bossam in House Special Sauce, not cheap at $39.99, but still our favorite item here.

Funny thing, it comes with the traditional sides, like fermented baby shrimp and fermented bean paste. But we just like the bossam in the Janggajji like sauce, with the sliced garlic and jalapenos.

And while the nicely flavored pork is supposed to be the star of the dish….for some reason, the Missus really enjoys the onions in this dish….it’s quite mild, lightly sweet, and goes well with the savory-slightly sweet-mildly sour sauce.

And of course we had leftovers. The Missus had finished all the onions and chives during our meal at the restaurant….but wanted more! So, I did something I hadn’t done since I worked in a restaurant a zillion years ago. I sliced onions and soaked them in ice water for about a half hour before draining well. This reduced the pungent-sulphuric bite and enhances the savory-sweetness. So, this is what YDJ leftovers look like. I wish we had some watercress; which I think would work well with this.

We added in some okra from the yard, cucumbers, tomatoes for sweet-acidity, some chilies I’ve been growing. Funny thing….the Missus actually seemed to enjoy this even more!

Thanks for the YDJ reminder Mar!

Yuk Dae Jang
7307 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesday

Where in the altitude were we????

Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

How’s that for a bit of a change from my typical “where on the road” posts? Because yes….we were on yet another road trip; though this time we had a cabin without cell or wifi for four nights. At an altitude of 9,400 feet! It was a new experience for me to be sure! I was a bit out of sorts…but both JJ and the Missus loved it.

At least the cabin had a full kitchen.

Though the lodge and nearby resort had small shops and places that served breakfast and lunch our meals basically looked liked this…..

Yes, we packed stuff from Carnival Market, etc…..to get us by, so not sure how many posts I’d get out of this road trip.

Each day would start with a hike….usually at a trailhead with an elevation of 10,300 feet! Oh, and I wasn’t prepared for the morning temps!

I packed one long sleeve pull over and had a windbreaker….so the first part of our hikes was…well, freezing….but things would warm up and the views were; well, outstanding.

Even JJ thought so!

All these morning hikes would be 4 1/2 to 6 miles long and have elevation gains of 800 – 950 feet. So yes, I was huffing along.

There were also so many beautiful lakes……

Which JJ also loved.

Each afternoon we’d hike along the nearby creek, where JJ would just avail himself of sticks and the clean water. And then……

It was an interesting experience. I did several posts ahead of time. And also we did two quick afternoon trips to places where there was cell service so I could check comments and such……

I especially loved the oncoming fall colors….I’m guessing it occurs much earlier at this altitude?

Anyway, even though we got back over 48 hours ago, I’m still recovering from the 8 hour drive.

So, thanks for dropping by and please enjoy the view……

While I catch up on some rest and get my act together!

Thanks for stopping by!

Circling Back to Tsuruhashi

Japanese Restaurants

Recently while heading to Nijiya with the Missus, She mentioned Tsuruhashi. Which had me wondering when was the last time we visited. Getting back home I took a look and oh my gosh! It’s been over ten years! Kind of crazy since there was a time when the place was on our “rotation”. I’m not sure what happened here….prices had gone up….then Covid….then it kind of slipped our mind? Anyway, since JJ is good at home for a couple hours by himself these days, we decided to head on over for dinner.

We arrived and were seated quickly. Of course things have changed over the last decade…you now order on the iPad…..another change…remember when I was complaining about dinner costing us fifty bucks? We now it’s……

And while we really don’t go too crazy over the meats…we ordered what we remember enjoying over the years.

For some reason, the beeru seems a bit smaller now?

The premium beef tongue still comes with that all important cube of beef fat to get the grill nice and “lathered”.

We’ve always enjoyed the mushrooms here……

The key is to put them on the griddle once things are cooking. We put them at the bottom where all the drippings flow……to get them nice and fatty-moist.

The Kobe Outside Skirt is a must as it is so beefy, while a bit toothsome, the wonderful flavor is so worth it.

These days, it’s not drenched in sauce which suits us just fine as we’re after the beefiness in texture and flavor. Of course you must have this medium rare at the most.

We needed some rice and the Missus wanted to try the Bi Bim Bap….which was interesting.

This was interesting as while the items were typical, the veggies skewed toward ohitashi and Japanese pickled items….I guess as it should. The Missus enjoyed the egg and rice was nicely cooked. The Missus ate most of this.

And then there was the dish I was most looking forward to….the yukke, raw beef.

While being a bit more chewy than I recalled; this was still very refreshing; clean tasting, the quail egg yolk adding richness.

This was an enjoyable meal….I’m not sure why we hadn’t returned sooner! I kind of laugh when thinking about grumbling at the fifty dollar price tag back then! Now it’s double that! How times have changed. And then there was a really special moment. As I was walking to the restroom I ran into two of my favorite people…..”XJ” and her hubby. I was so honored to have officiated their wedding what seems a lifetime ago! It felt so special….and the hubby’s parents still call me “Uncle Kirk”! Life just hands you these magical moments at times……

I’m sure we’ll won’t wait ten years to return!

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sunday 4pm – 10pm
Mon – Thurs 5pm – 10pm
Friday 5pm – 1030pm
Saturday 4pm – 1030pm

Bacari Revisited

Mediterranean Restaurants, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine

The Missus had enjoyed our meal at Bacari so much, that when the heat wave hit recently, guess where She wanted to go? Yep, back for an early dinner at Bacari. Though this time, it was just to hot to have JJ along……

We again had 430pm reservations, so the patio was nice and chill…though once 5pm came along, the place filled fast.

We got our two favorites from our previous visits, along with trying something new from the massive menu. The Oyster Mushroom Shish Kabob ($16). The Missus loved the salty-tangy-savory-earthy flavor of the rather crisp oyster mushroom prep. The pita for this dish was also on the more firm and crisp side.

Loved the rather refreshing sauce and the veggies. Our only complaint was how small the portion of oyster mushrooms were….it kind of got lost in this dish.

Of course we got the Salatim! That hazelnut beet muhamarra is probably my favorite item here.

It has some nice earthy spice, with a light sweetness. Goes so well with the pillowy pita.

On a really nice note….the manager working the front of house noticed how much I enjoyed it….and when we got our leftovers to go he gave us a little container of muhamarra since I had finished all of it! Such a nice touch!

We got the Lamb Pistachio Kebab again. Though this time we ordered it on pita ($3 upcharge) and this is totally the way to go.

Mainly because that sauce, that can be somewhat overwhelming is placed in a container on the side. You can choose which sauce you prefer and control the amount as well.

We enjoyed this meal and can’t wait to return again. It was even better than our first visit with really wonderful service.

Bacari
3823 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Mon – Wed 430pm – 1030pm
Thursday 430pm – 1230am
Friday 430pm – 1am
Saturday 1030am – 230pm, 4pm – 1am
Sunday 1030am – 230pm, 4pm – 1030pm

If you’ve recently visited Bacari, what dishes did you enjoy?