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Khao Mun Gai from Kin Len – Thai Street Eats

Dog Friendly, Thai Restaurants

In the comments section of my post on craving and getting some Khao Mun Gai from Me Sen, “FOY” ST mentioned that his sister enjoys the Khao Mun Gai from Kin Len. Which I found interesting since I don’t recall seeing Kau Mun Gai on the menu there. But since ST is of Thai heritage….well, I just needed to do a revisit since it’s been a while. Plus, they have a covered patio so I could bring JJ. Looking at the hours I noticed that they are open to 1am on some evenings……I guess they’re looking for that post “North Park night” population, huh?

So, we found parking fairly close by and walked on over to Kin Len. I peeked in and the nice young man told me to sit wherever I wanted, so I took the covered corner table. He soon came out and brought me a menu and water for both JJ and I. When he saw me giving JJ ice cubes; he was so nice and proactive and brought JJ an entire cup of ice just for him!

So JJ was immediately on “team Kin Len”!

Looking at the menu I realized why I hadn’t noticed the Khao Mun Gai here before.

While many of the dishes feature the Thai name for the dishes….Khao Soi, Pad See-Ew…..many dishes feature English names and the KHao Mun Gai here is “Sous-vide Chicken & Rice”. Which is what I ordered ($17.95).

Soon enough my plate arrived.

Man, those pieces of chicken were gigantic! Of course, the first thing I went for was….the rice! It was on the hard side and not quite as rich and “chicken-ny” as I like.

The bowl of soup that came with the dish was quite large; scalding hot….nice chicken flavor, strong white pepper tones.

Not overly salty….I enjoyed it.

As for the boneless chicken; in terms of texture it was tender, though not falling apart, which I liked. Mild chicken flavor….more moist and tender than the version at Me Sen. The sauce was a lot stronger in terms of sour-tangy fermented soy bean paste, though not as spicy as I enjoy.

I do enjoy hints of ginger and slight herbaceous tones, but this was pretty much straight forward. And yes, those pieces of chicken were quite wide and thick.

Overall, a decent version….though I’m pretty much into the rice and so for that I’ll stick with Me Sen, which is like $4 cheaper as well. Still, this was not bad and service was very friendly and nice…so perhaps we’ll return (if we can find parking) to try some other dishes. It gives us another option to Soi 30th in the area for Thai food..

Kin Len – Thai Street Eats
3934 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Sunday 12pm – 9pm
Mon – Wed 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm
Thursday 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 1am
Fri – Sat 12pm – 1am

K Bakery Scheduled to Open August 10th, Fujiyame Ramen Appears Closed, and Spicy House Under New Ownership

Bakery, Chinese Restaurants, Ramen

Here’s a bunch of updates that I’ve noticed or heard about in the last week.

K Bakery Scheduled to Open August 10th:

While heading to Nijiya to do some shopping; I noticed the “Gae-Up”……a typical grand opening gift next to the door of K Bakery which I first noticed back in June.

Thinking the place might be open, I walked on over and saw this sign.

So, it looks like they are set to open on Monday, August 10th!

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Fujiyame Ramen Appears Closed:

So, “FOY” Matt sent me an email saying he and his friends were curious about Fujiyame Ramen, which I posted on back in April. When they arrived the place was closed.

So, last Sunday I dropped by at noon and the place did indeed look closed. Just to verify, I went again today at 1130 and it was still closed.

I didn’t notice any signage or anything……..so perhaps they just “disappeared into the night?”

4310 Genesee Avenue Suite 108A
San Diego, CA 92117

Spicy House Under New Ownership:

Remember that I mentioned that Spicy House was for sale? Well, I’ve had two people mention that thy are now under new ownership.

It’s been a few years since I last visited; so perhaps it’s time to go check things out?

Spicy House
3860 Convoy Street #105
San Diego, CA 92111

So, there you go! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Galapagos – Gianni Arismendy Environmental Interpretation Center (San Cristobal) and Heading Back to Quito

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

We spent our last evening in the Galapagos heading from Puerto Ayora back to San Cristobal where everything started just a week ago. Though we had seen so much in that time…it was such an epic trip, and yet it was only half of what could be done!

Dinner that last evening cracked us up as it was totally kinda Asian fusion!

From the sushi rolls to the seared tuna….it seemed a bit cliche, and yet we got a kick out of it!

Those won ton strips in the salad!

The langostinos…more like lobster tails were actually quite good!

And morning found us back in San Cristobal.

And after breakfast, we boarded the ferry to take us to the dock.

Several folks were headed back from San Cristóbal Airport fairly early, so they had one of the vans take those folks, while the rest of us had a noon flight. This meant that there was one other stop that could be made. Just a bit out of town is the Gianni Arismendy Environmental Interpretation Center.

The most interesting part of which was the inhabited history of the Galapagos.

The one that I was really interested in; was about a book I’d read and several podcasts I’d listened to about the Galapagos Affair, which has also spawned a documentary.

Floreana is actually on the Southern Itinerary along with Española Island (to perhaps visit Diego??), so perhaps this gives me reason to want to return!

But for now; I could just look at the map of the Galapagos and see all the wonderful places we’d been!

We were then dropped off at San Cristóbal Airport for our flights back to Quito. Unlike our trip to the Galapagos, we had a short, 45 minute layover in Guayaquil before getting to Quito.

Our flight back to San Diego was not until 1130 pm on the following day. I planned things that way on purpose to give us a buffer “just in case”. We stayed at the Wyndham at the airport, which featured an interesting buffet dinner. They had several types of ceviche at the buffet!

Along with some interesting soups….

We had read that the yellow dragon fruit is endemic to Ecuador and though we had seen it at Mercado Santa Clara, we hadn’t had a chance to try some. So, the Missus was happy to be able to sample some…..and actually had “thirds”! She enjoyed it so much.

And since we had almost an entire day…I had booked an day trip for the Missus and I….where we’d have a very memorable experience on a trip full of them!

Stay Tuned!

Galapagos – Charles Darwin Research Station and Fausto Llerena Breeding Center (Puerto Ayora)

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

After lunch and a short break we headed back to Puerto Ayora. This time we were in the town of Puerto Ayora itself. With a population of over 12,500 Puerto Ayora is the most populous town in the Galapagos. Our destination was the Charles Darwin Research Station.

Established in 1959 by the Charles Darwin Foundation, it’s basic function is that of research and conservation.

There are several areas that are open to visitors. We were first led to the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center, whose purpose is to restore endangered tortoise and land iguana populations. The center collects hatchlings and eggs of the 12 unique species of tortoises, raising them until they can released on their respective islands.

It was quite amazing to see!

There are also adult tortoises that are endangered and are being preserved to keep the species going.

I also got to chat with our guide about Diego. You know that story, right? Back during one of the expeditions in 1934 several tortoises from Española Island were sent to the San Diego Zoo. In the 1960’s, the rather new Galapagos National Park Service from the Charles Darwin Research Station did a survey of the island and found only 14 of this species of tortoises left on the island! The 12 females and 2 males were sent to the Charles Darwin Research Station to start a breeding program. It was then that a male of the species was found at the San Diego Zoo and in 1977 returned to the Galapagos. The rest is history as the breeding program released over 1,800 hatchlings back in Española Island. According to this post by the Galapagos Conservation Trust, genetic testing revealed that the tortoise, now named Diego “fathered almost 60% of all the captive-bred hatchlings”. In 2020 Diego along with the other 14 were returned to Española Island to enjoy their retirement! And according to this Diego is still enjoying his retirement! So there you have it, a San Diego connection!

We were told that over 200,000 tortoises were taken from the Galapagos for food and other purposes.

And then there’s the story of Lonesome George, who was the last of the Pinta Island Tortoises.

Tortoises were taken as food and then goats were introduced to Pinta Island. And by the mid 60’s Pinta Island Tortoises were thought to be extinct. And then in 1971 George was discovered and in 1972 was moved to the Breeding Center. Further expeditions were done and inquiries were made around the world, but no other Pinta Island Tortoises were to be found. Attempts to have George mate with Volcán Wolf giant tortoise which are the closest match genetically to Pinta Island Tortoises failed. And in June of 2012 George died, the last of his kind.

After his death he was sent to the American Museum of Natural History and their team of Taxidermists went to work. He was then on display there until 2017 when we has returned to the Galapagos and the Fausto Llerena Breeding Center where he now resides.

On the panel outside the display are these words: “Whatever happens to this single animal, let him always remind us that the fate of all living things on Earth is in human hands.”

We spent a bit more time checking out the displays and things at the research center.

We then walked back to Puerto Ayora where we did some shopping and explored a bit.

We noticed that folks used cones to mark off where the sea lions were located.

And we headed back to the port at our assigned time for the ferry back to the Evolve.

Back on board we had a nice cocktail hour.

And got to watch the sunset over Puerto Ayora.

Then freshened up before meeting everyone on deck for a lovely farewell cocktail with the crew.

Hard to believe that this was out last evening in the Galapagos!

Bacari (North Park)

Mediterranean Restaurants, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine

The Missus was having Her hair done in North Park and I was passing time with JJ. We were walking on 30th Street when I noticed the host stand outside what used to be Urban Solace which was a favorite of the Missus.

I recalled hearing of a restaurant with several locations in LA taking over that spot a while back…it just kinda seemed like a hipster-chain so I really didn’t pay much attention. But while waiting for the Missus, I took a look at Bacari North Park on my phone and it was both dog friendly and the patio was covered. They also open at 430 for dinner service….so I figured why not? I made reservations for patio seating and once the Missus was done we walked over for an early dinner.

The patio is nicely covered and JJ was quite comfortable.

It was quite relaxed and empty when we arrived, but the place filled up quickly after 5pm.

The service was quite friendly and the gentleman, who I believe is the manager was super nice and even brought J some water.

We were brought menus, which are just a single sheet, but it’s just crammed with dishes.

All the dishes are designed for sharing and we were told that 2-3 dishes per person is the norm….so we went ahead and placed our orders and the Missus got a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc.

The first item to arrive was the Salatim ($16.50), a term I actually remembered from when we visited Israel as meaning something along the lines of salad and similar items. This was an interesting array of vegetarian style “dips” which mimic items like pate and muhamarra. The pitas were almost fluffy, seemed so fresh, arriving hot, and were quite good.

My favorite item hands down was the Hazelnut Beet Muhamarra. I really do enjoy traditional Muhamara, the roasted red bell pepper – pomegranite dip…but man, this was so good…it was slightly spicy, tangy, somewhat earthy, with savory tones, and seemed to have a slight butteriness to it. The Tahini Hummus seemed almost ordinary in comparison, but was still good, very rich, not super acidic. The cashew pate was vegan, but still quite savory and nutty. But that Muhamarra was so delici-yoso!

Next up was the Lamb Hummus ($16) which featured ground lamb in what was called a Lebanese Stew placed in some of that nice Hummus.

It came with large crudites….which were kind of unwieldy, the carrots being somewhat past their prime. The lamb stew was quite gamey, nice savoriness, not as spiced as I expected.

The one dish that we really didn’t care for was the Flat Iron Steak ($18), which, while done to a nice medium rare was really tough, lacked seasoning.

Look at the size of those zucchini slices! The bearnaise sauce was creamy, but really lacked that “rich zip” and herbaciousness that I like.

The Missus really enjoyed the Lamb Pistachio Kebab ($17), though I thought the three sauces (kale, tumeric, and beet tahini) were a bit of an overkill.

The texture of the kebab was really good, so tender, while still being slightly gamey. The pistachio added a nice textural contrast and an almost sweet nuttiness to things. Like I said, the Missus really enjoyed this.

We did order a bit too much food for us and had leftovers. Though the lamb kebab in the sauce didn’t heat up well.

We both enjoyed this meal and the Missus wants to return soon. We’ll probably do an early dinner again as the place was getting quite busy and loud as we left. A lot of folks were headed upstairs to the bar. Great service and some delicious dishes. We’ll be back.

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

Having the Toroniku Hiyashi from Santouka

Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Man, it’s been so hot this year….at least to me. It seems like there’s even less of a marine layer as well. I have to say, I’ve never really craved Hiyashi Chuka much….but for some reason this year…..I just needed something with a bit of an aaahh effect. So, I decided to head on over to Santouka which usually has a version every year…and of course they did.

They’re calling it Toroniku Hiyashi now…even though it’s been on this dish for years…even back in August of 2019 when I last had this here. Back then it was $12.50; these days, the cheapest version with Shoyu Tare is $16.50 for the “medium” size. Still, here I was and there was no going back into the summer heat without some Hiyashi Chuka. I got the shoyu version, medium size. I paid and was given the handy-dandy buzzer thing. And when it went off, I went to pick things up.

First thing I noticed was how much more toppings and garnishes there were from what I’d had before. It now featured corn, “krab”, a lot more eggs and kikurage (wood ear). And those slices of toroniku seemed quite large as well….or perhaps there were less noodles than what I’d had here before?

And since I’m doing this a lot these days – here’s what it looked like in August of 2019.

There was basically little or no strategy this time as I piled all the “stuffs” on.

Then did an initial mix….then added the pungent mustard…a must since the broth while slightly savory is on the milder side. Though this time, it had some nice sour tones, which I found refreshing; though I think a hint of sesame oil would be a big plus. The toppings were quite nice; though I leave the ginger out and use to cleanse my palate between bites. That cucumber, scallions, daikon sprouts were nice and refreshing; the corn added a nice sweet-crunch…the wood ear really added some crunch as well. Though there wasn’t enough tomato to make much of a difference and that fake crab really didn’t bring much to the dish other than an illusion of fancy?

The two slices of toroniku were fairly tender. And were quite large.

The noodles were perfectly cooked, nice and chewy the way I like it. I think it could be that that I preferred the ratio of broth to noodles this time around as well?

I don’t know if I’m getting soft in my old age; but I actually enjoyed it much more than I did when I last had this six years ago. It wasn’t perfect, but it did “hit the spot”.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd.(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

So, please share what you’ve been dining on to beat this heat!

Sunday Sandwiches – Kearny Mesa Deli and a Revisit to The Sandwich Place

Sandwiches

Well, the recent hot weather has me hitting up those sandwich shops again. But this one was quite random as I’d never heard of it before.

Kearny Mesa Deli:

I was cutting thru Ronson Road to Kearny Mesa Road when I saw this sign.

Hmmm……if you’ve been reading our little blog long enough you know that I have a fondness for these business park type sandwich places. They keep the masses fed. I was thinking it might be nice for an early lunch so I went and parked in the one of the complex’s stalls and walked on over.

Like many of these type of shops, it is a bit cramped, with drinks, chips, and breakfast items being offered in addition to sandwiches.

You know what I decided to go with, right? Yes, I’m so predictable…..I got the California Club, which for these times was priced at a reasonable $11.49.

I took sandwich to the table outside. It seemed a bit “light in the wrap” if you know what I mean.

Two slices of Swiss, a nice amount of thinly sliced turkey, bacon, a smear of avocado, a larger smear of mayo, and lettuce on fluffy, mild sourdough. I do prefer my bread at least slightly toasted, but it held up well.

Nothing really stood out and though the bacon was crisp, there just didn’t seem to be enough of it. So, I went and opened up the sandwich.

Well, yes maybe one whole slice of bacon with some crumbs…..

Overall, just an average, by-the-book sandwich, but enough for a light lunch. Convenient and reasonable prices if you work in the area, but not worth a special trip.

Kearny Mesa Deli
8125 Ronson Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 2pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

I thought the prices at Kearny Mesa deli was quite affordable for these days. But it had me wondering about some of the inexpensive little sandwich places I used to visit. And the Sandwich Place came to mind. Even though I only did one post on the shop…like over 12 years ago…I did visit on a fairly consistent basis until our offices moved a few years later. It was the definition of a little mom-and-pop sandwich shop discreetly positioned on Convoy Court.

Revisit to The Sandwich Place:

So, I decided to head on over to grab lunch.

The same really sweet couple still run the shop. And prices, while it used to be under $6….most things are still under $10.

I was just going to order a Clubhouse Special which at $9.85 is now priced in “Banh Mi territory”!

There is one personal, ongoing issue I have here though. I even posted on the results all those years ago. I get distracted by the “Today’s Special” board.

And yep…being so easily distracted, I ended up getting the “Bulgoki” Wrap, which happened to be the most expensive item in the whole shop at $13.65. It truly didn’t hurt my wallet much!

Opening the wrap, well lookee here!

Don’t you look like a darling carne asada burrito? Perhaps I need to name you “El Bulgogi”?

Anyway, the mass produced flour tortilla had been decently heated. And wouldn’t you know, other than the meat there’s avocado, a fairly spicy pico de gallo, shredded lettuce….

Not a whole lot of meat in the middle; there was more at each end of the “boo-rit-to” (부리또) umm wrap.

As expected, the meat wasn’t caramelized as I could hear that microwave pinging in the background while waiting. It could have used more sweetness and some sesame oil. But honestly, what would one realistically expect from this little mom-and-pop shop.

At least this wasn’t bland and was quite filling, mainly due to that wrap. In this case, I had a bit of fun trying this out. Now it’s time to move on.

The Sandwich Place
7112 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 6am – 3pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

Road Trip – Revisiting Blue Moon Over Avila and Checking Out Some Other Places

Dog Friendly, French Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After hitting up some of our favorite places the day before, then spending the night in Solvang we headed up the 101 to a stop that we had enjoyed a few months before; Avila Beach.

On the way up, we stopped in Los Alamos. The Missus had always enjoyed shopping at Los Alamos Gallery.

As there were always things that She never knew She needed!

Los Alamos Gallery
515 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

Still running a bit early, we made a stop in Pismo Beach, so that the little “crazy guy” could run around on the beach.

With a stick he found of course.

We got to Avila Beach and was able to score an early check in.

And after taking a break, we went to our favorite restaurant in Avila Beach; Blue Moon Over Avila.

Which is open all the way thru from 1130am….so we did a late lunch-early dinner kind of thing. The place is totally dog friendly and we got seats at the rail so we could see what was happening on Front Street.

Since we had a fridge, we ordered more food than we needed.

Like this huge Charcuterie Board.

Nothing fancy mind you; but quite satisfying; I enjoyed that cheese that seemed like Manchego which was nice and milky. We saved a good amount of this to have as an evening snack.

We also got the Beef Bourguignon, which was just as good as on our last visit.

Not overly “winey”, it was quite savory, with the mushrooms adding the perfect earthiness, the lardons saltiness. We saved some of this for later as well.

And I was glad to know that our favorite item from our previous visit; the Croque Monsieur was just as delici-yoso!

That perfectly crisp layer of Gruyere makes this for us. It’s a bit milky-savory, with a hint of what seems like sweetness.

Buttery Bechamel, rosemary ham, and a nice yeasty sourdough completes the set. Man, I wish this place was in San Diego. Totally our favorite Croque Monsieur!

Blue Moon Over Avila
460 Front St.
Avila Beach, CA 93424

Sadly, my favorite stop for a local brew, Locals Taproom was closed because it was a Tuesday, but because it was early in the week; all the kids from SLO and other visitors weren’t around. So it made a nice afternoon; then evening stroll really nice.

Of course we took a walk down the pier with J.

This little town of about 1,600 is quite mellow during days like this. And JJ even met a “cousin”!

We then headed on back to the hotel…relaxed. They had a free wine tasting during the evening which the Missus enjoyed. I had also gone to the little market and got myself a brew to have with the leftover Beef Bourguignon. We enjoyed a nice night of sleep and of course JJ got me up at 430am!

The beach is open to pups before 10am and after 5pm daily. So once the sun was up, we took JJ for some fun on the shore.

And there’s always something “new” to notice!

Our accommodations serves breakfast which is nice. We checked out and then headed back South.

We made a couple of stops on the way to our final destination for the road trip. Since this was in early December, I decided to stop at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove. Which is a well known migration spot for Monarch Butterflies between November and February.

There were a couple of people on the trail…two folks with major camera gear. But unfortunately we saw maybe 4-5 Monarchs.

I read that there’s been a 90% drop in the Monarch Butterfly population in recent years. So sad…..

We took a short stroll around the Meadow Creek area.

Before heading back to the car and our final destination….we were actually taking a bit of a longer route since there was a place I wanted to stop at!

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

Revisits to Taste of Hunan and Eastern Dynasty

Chinese Restaurants

We recently did some revisits to the Missus’s current favorite Chinese Restaurants here in San Diego. I did manage to take a few photos and in one case we tried a new dish. So, I guess we’ll just “Clear Out the Memory Card” (COMC) on this one!

Taste of Hunan:

Well, the last post I did on Taste of Hunan was actually for the La Rou, which they sell by the pound back in March. Our last dine in visit was back in February! Whoa!

Anyway, the Missus was wanting the La Rou with Bamboo and I always enjoy the Xiangxi Style Beef Entrails, so we headed on over.

And both dishes delivered!

We also decided to order an item we hadn’t had in a while.

Last time we had the Braised Intestines was back in summer of 2024 and it was priced at $18.99! Now it’s $21.99!

This was actually much better than what we’d previously had. The intestines, while on the chewier side, was quite savory with mild offal tones; nicely flavored with soy sauce, and hints of sour tones. Check out the whole garlic! I think it could have been more spicy; but it was enjoyable.

Since I’m doing this quite a bit these days…..here’s what the dish looked like in August of 2024.

Looks like a totally different dish, right?

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St.
San Diego, CA 92131

I know “FOY” Dereck enjoys the food here. Hopefully you’ve had some good dishes recently Dereck!

Eastern Dynasty:

I know I just posted on the place a few weeks for the Roast Duck compare. But, on this visit we didn’t get the roast duck….so here goes…..

The Missus was craving one of Her favorite dishes from Eastern Dynasty; so we stopped by. Instead of going “full force” and getting 4-5 dishes; we stuck with just three.

Speaking of intestines….well, I got my favorite dish here the Sauteed Intestines with Chinese Pickles.

Man, the preserved vegetables had a wonderful sour, umami-ness…good crunchy textures to contrast the rather rich-tender intestines. Onions…a touch of Black Beans all add to the dish.

We got some Soy Sauce Noodles….which even the Missus enjoyed!

We hadn’t had this here in years and it was much better than we recalled. Evenly coated with soy sauce, some crunchy bits……

The Missus was craving the Steamed Blue Diamond Shrimp with Garlic Sauce.

These Blue Diamond Shrimp were a bit larger than on previous visits. The flavor is slightly sweet and mild….if I recall; Blue Diamond Shrimp are of a fresh water variety. The flesh is moist and tender….though it’s quite a challenge to eat them properly with shopsticks….so we just end up going “full hands on”…..

And the Missus really enjoyed this….I guess She got Her fix, right?

Eastern Dynasty
4690 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Cherry Blossom Burmese Cafe & Sushi (Carlsbad)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Burmese Food and Restaurants, Chicken Wings

You know, I’ve been craving some interesting things during this heatwave, starting with that Chicken Tawook and Garlic Paste from Alforon. Anyway, I woke one morning craving Laphet Thoke….yep, Burmese Tea Leaf Salad. So Burma Place immediately came to mind….but to be honest, I was somewhat underwhelmed at the Tea Leaf Salad there during my visits. I’d gladly revisit again; but wanted to try a new place. An acquaintance of mine had recommended a place named Cherry Blossom, but it was all the way up in Carlsbad. He did mention Cherrywine in La Jolla not being as good and told me they actually had different owners even though the name sounded similar. On this morning, I didn’t care if it was an almost 60 mile round trip to Carlsbad Airport Road….I needed my Tea Leaf Salad fix! And traffic wasn’t bad at all. The restaurant is located in a strip mall that features a bunch of chains; Five Guys, Jersey Mike’s, Noodles and Company……..

It’s a very fast-casual looking place…….

The gentleman working was really friendly…..though the menu gave me pause.

An entire page of sushi rolls and a bunch of poke bowls!!! Lumpia? Gyoza??? I casually asked the gentleman if he was from Hawaii; just to kinda see….but he laughed and assured me he’s Burmese. He used the term “Bamar”? So, ok I ordered the “Iconic” Tea Leaf Salad ($15.99).

I cracked up seeing “Wangs” on the menu! I did consulting work in Georgia and other areas in the Southeast in the late 90’s! I hadn’t heard that term in ages!

Since the salad seemed to be priced reasonably and one could order wings by “the twos”….even though they were priced at two bucks each, I decided to get 2 spicy garlic “wangs”.

Soon enough my salad arrived.

At first, I didn’t really get that pungent aroma of fermented tea leaves, but as I dug around I found quite a few clumps of it. Emphasis on “clumps”, as I put in a good almost ten minute effort to break things up and try to get a good “mix” in.

There was an adequate amount of laphet in this, to add that earthy, pungent-atringent bitterness, I enjoy, with a dose of sour. This salad did skew toward sour; though I enjoyed it much more than what I’d had at Dutchess in Ojai and even Irrawaddy in Stanton. The salad also had a sneaky spiciness that I kind of enjoyed as well.

The shredded cabbage added a refreshing crunch; I wish the tomatoes were a bit more ripe as some sweet-acidity would have been great. The nuts are a must. There were a couple of small slices of green beans….a bit more would have great as well.

Still, this was pretty good.

The wings took a while, but when it arrived I was given an extra wing for the wait! Very nice! I liked the size of the wings…many places tend to serve gigantic wings these days. I prefer a good skin to meat ratio.

These were simply fried….I prefer my wings to be more crisp. But man, that chili oil – chili crisp was potent…..combined with an underlying sourness…well, this is Burmese, it got me sweating real good! I really couldn’t make out much garlic flavor…because of that spice.

The meat was tender and moist. Man, if this had a more crisp skin instead of the rubberiness, I’d want to have it again!

While I was eating, several tables were filled…all of them getting sushi rolls! I guess the place fills a niche in the area? I did think the tea leaf salad was decent….though I’m not quite sure it was worth the 60 mile round trip. The gentleman working was so nice, gracious (hey, I got an extra wing!), and friendly. I’m glad the place seems to be doing well as it’s the only mom-and-pop restaurant among all the chains in this strip mall. I’m thinking I need to revisit Burma Place when my laphet cravings rise again.

Cherry Blossom Burmese Cafe & Sushi
2521 Palomar Airport Rd.
Carlsbad, CA 92011
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 3pm, 4pm – 8pm
Closed on Sunday