Latest Posts

Road Trip – Lunch at Spencer Makenzie’s, Palm & Boy Coffee, and a Walk to the Serra Cross (Ventura)

Caffeine Fix, Dog Friendly, Road Trip, Seafood, Taco Shops, Travel, Ventura County

We had enjoyed our previous evening in Ventura and were looking forward to our one full day in the city. The Best Western had some pastries and such, so I had one for breakfast and then we went in search of some decent coffee.

The Best Western is located on East Thompson Boulevard and right across from Plaza Park were some historic looking houses.

I would later find out that this is the Mitchell Block Historic District. Back in the 1880’s the Mitchell family purchased lots on the street and built 2 homes, they would later sell off the other lots and homes were built there between 1903 to 1905. Doing the historic architectural tour in Pacific Grove has given me some appreciation for these historic houses.

We then walked over to Main Street. Sierra, who had recommended Rumfish y Vino told me we should get our morning caffeine fix at a shop named Palm & Boy Coffee. I believe she used to work there. It was interesting finding the shop; which was located down an alleyway – courtyard and is not visible from the street. There’s no way I’d have found he place without her telling me about it.

The small shop specializes in coffee, acai bowls, and toasts

I ordered our coffee and we had a seat at one of the tables. It was quite discreet and very chill.

The cold brew was quite smooth and refreshing. I took a look and found out they use coffee from Handlebar Coffee Roasters in Santa Barbara; which we’ve been to! Small world! The Missus enjoyed Her latte.

Palm & Boy Coffee and Acai
451 E Main St. #8
Ventura, CA 93001

We then headed back out on Main Street.

We took a turn at North Palm Street, passing Rumfish and then headed up Poli Street….our destination? The Serra Cross, which was planted on the hill above Mission San Buenaventura sometime after 1782. It’s a trail which uses the winding road; though we took some shortcuts up the steep hillside. The views were very nice.

You can clearly make out the pier and Plaza Park.

And the busy 101 Freeway. The walk ends at Serra Cross Park.

The Missus didn’t want to return the way we had walked up; so we decided to head back down past the Botanical Gardens which were not open at this early hour. Descending on Summit Drive and then to Kalorama Street. Which took back down to Main Street. There were some interesting buildings here as well.

And then onto East Main Street, before the pedestrian zone. Where this house caught my attention. Turns out it’s called the Blackstock House and has quite a history as well.

From here it was back to the pedestrian zone where there seemed to be an event going on.

We walked to the Mission Park area where there was a Saturday Farmers Market going on. Sadly, dogs are not allowed so we swung back. On Santa Clara Street, in the parking lotof a pizza shop was this Vette with an “interesting” license plate.

Back on Main Street we saw this booth.

And of course we had to get JJ a “little sumtin”, right? We asked the real friendly gentleman working what was going on and he told us it was the Spring Wine Walk. And even gave us a sticker!

Downtown Ventura is very dog friendly and JJ made a bunch of new “frens”…..

And the Missus enjoyed shopping….

And She “made” me buy this for myself.

There are at least 10 Thrift/Consignment Stores on or near Main Street, so the Missus was in heaven! In fact, later that evening She’d buy something “interesting”……

As for now; after like 5-6 shops we needed some lunch. When we had checked in the previous afternoon, the nice young lady had recommended Spencer Makenzie’s for lunch. The shop was just a block away and had a dog friendly patio, so we headed on over.

The place was bustling at just past 11am! This is one of those order at the window and get your number called kinda places.

Of course we had to order the “World Famous” Fish Tacos…we got two, also a shrimp taco, and a shrimp salad.

There were three different hot sauces; all of which tended to be on the sweeter side and not especially hot.

We got our fish “tempura” style, which wasn’t particularly crisp, the batter too thick. The actual fish was pinky sized. The “tortilla” was rubbery and dry.

The fish was also on the dry side. Lot’s of cilantro and cabbage.

The renowned “Spencer Sauce” on the tortillas and with the salad tasted like tartar sauce with some added spice.

The grilled shrimp on both the taco and salad were cold and super rubbery.

There were only two shrimp on the taco. The Brooklyn Sauce is basically kicked up Spencer Sauce with a bit of spice, but on the sweeter end for our taste.

At least the greens were fresh……

Not sure about that “World Famous” title and I’m glad they don’t say they serve Mexican cuisine. Tacos were on the dry – bland side. A very disappointing meal. Well, at least dinner would be better!

Spencer Makenzie’s
806 E Thompson Blvd.
Ventura, CA 93001

Recently Consumed

Cookbooks, Cooking

Just some odds and ends for a lazy Thursday.

This year it’s Carolina Reaper Hot Sauce.

Basically using my Ghost Pepper Louisiana Hot Sauce Recipe. I’ve given a few folks some bottles and they seem to enjoy it.

During our last cool down; the Missus wanted some bean soup. So, I got ham hocks and Andouille Sausage from Siesel’s and some beans I had from Rancho Gordo. And made this soup.

I put kale from our yard in at the end….the Missus enjoyed it so much, I had to make another pot a few days later!

The Missus has been into watercress recently, so I decided to take my Niku Dofu recipe and add watercress.

Well, I guess we have another dish for the rotation.

And finally…….I bought Fuchsia Dunlop’s latest cookbook; Five Tastes to add to my “collection”.

So, of course I needed to make something from the book, right? The recipes are quite interesting, some almost fusiony….using stuff like okra…..and the one I made used roasted red bell peppers. With Pidan which the Missus loves.

The book states that the sauce is “Hunan” based; but was missing spicy notes. I tasted the sauce with the peppers and thought it needed some umph, so I added some chilies and doubled the Chinkiang Vinegar and garlic.

The Missus didn’t care for the texture of the peppers; but told me She’d like to use the sauce for cold noodles! Ok, we’ll see how that works out!

It looks like the rain is coming in.

Hope everyone keeps dry and safe!

BOPJO Korean-Mexican Grill (Liberty Station)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Korean Restaurants, Taco Shops

On my recent “Howl-lo-ween” post, Bruddah Kimo mentioned a shop in the Liberty Public Market named BOPJO that his friends enjoy. The stand makes “Korean-Mexican” food? Hmmm……….. I did a quick Google thingy and found a mention in this post of Eater from back in 2019. Apparently the owners are Korean-American military veterans, both of which has cooking/restaurant experience. Well, that’s something I can get behind. And since I had to be in the area, I decided to head on over to the Liberty Public Market. It was just before 11am….so I beat the crowds.

I took a look at the directory……the Public Market can be super confusing, so checking out the map for the location is a must. And wouldn’t you know it; BOPJO is booth number 1, right past the tables on the patio lining Sims Road across from the Mess Hall Bar.

They were just getting things set when I arrived. The woman working was so nice and friendly. Since Kimo had mentioned the bulgogi tacos, I had to get that. Now, you know what I think of many of these sometimes “Con” fusion type dishes. But heck, I’m from Hawaii, where the mixing of cuisines is part of the history. Plus, folks had recommended the bulgogi tacos from Kahai Street Kitchen in Moiliili and I had that on my list the last time I was “back home” but we weren’t able to make it.

Anyway, looking at the menu…..everything from Spam Musubi, Kimchi Quesadillas, burritos and stuff…..

I’d been recommended the bulgogi tacos…so I went with the 3 Taco Sampler ($12). I was interested in doing the cheese shells, but was told they weren’t ready to make that. I got one each of the bulgogi, spicy pork, and soy garlic chicken tacos. The nice lady said she’d make sure to line the tortillas with cheese for me! So nice. It was a bit of a wait; but I understand, they had just opened and the woman was working alone.

I was asked for my choice of sauce and decided on the Salsa Verde and then was warned that it was going to be super spicy.

Anyway, when ready, I took my three tacos out to the patio.

Left to right, bulgogi, soy-garlic chicken, and spicy pork.

And that Salsa Verde was no joke. See those orangey things….those are Habaneros!

I really liked this salsa. It was no joke!

As for the tacos; the Bulgogi version was the best to me. The tortillas were meh. The cheese on this was just melted…I’m looking for some cheesy-lacey crispness. The kimchi tasted pickled not fermented.

The bulgogi had some caramelization, though it was on the chewy side. The ginger flavor was quite pronounced, but this was fine. Not sure what the single leaf of lettuce really provided other than some comfort that you were getting some greens?

The cheese had developed some crisp edges on the Soy Garlic Chicken; but it was my least favorite. The chicken was tough and on the drier side. It lacked color and the flavor was really weak, almost bland.

The “Spicy Pork” seemed like false advertising to me as it really lacked spice. I was looking for something like Jeyuk Bokkeum or Dwaeji Bulgogi.

It had more of a soy sauce flavor. It was also pretty darn tough. Needless to say; this is where the salsa verde came in handy.

Well, these tacos had a decent amount of protein….and I guess Bruddah Kimo’s friend is right, the bulgogi was best of the three items, but the term “best” is relative here as this was pretty mediocre overall. Heck, I could go ahead and buy some pre-marinated bulgogi from H Mart and then pick up some “real” tortillas from Carnival Market on the way home and get a more enjoyable result in my mind.

As for Liberty Public Market; I guess I’ve yet to find something I really enjoy there. I was wondering if I’m a bit off in expecting more from a “Food Hall” than a Food Court…but according articles like this one, I should be expecting more!

BOPJO Korean-Mexican Grill (In Liberty Public Market)
2820 Historic Decatur Rd.
San Diego, CA 92106
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 8pm

Avian Sandwiches and Saigon Sandwiches & Coffee Tea House Revisited

Banh Mi, Vietnamese Restaurants

After my revisits to Banh Mi Express and Paris Sandwiches, I decided to revisit two other shops. One I pass quite often as it is fairly close. The other was one I enjoyed that always seems to slip my mind; well, it didn’t this time around. Both I hadn’t been to in over a year, so it would be interesting to see what prices are like these.

Avian Sandwiches:

Avian is a favorite of “FOY” ST. It’s also a favorite of many locals for another reason.

This part banh mi, part lottery, part water shop, is also a favorite of the Vietnamese “old timers” in the area. Over the years those gentlemen have shifted from outside Pho Hoa to outside Thuan Phat, to outside of Avian. Strangely, on this visit, I noticed the two outside tables, which always seemed full of guys having their morning coffee and chat was gone.

Well, they’ve moved the tables indoors now. So, while the space is even tighter now, at least you can get your lottery tickets faster, right?

The Banh Mi Pate Cha is priced at $8.95, which while I thought it to be on the high end on my last visit, it seems like the norm now, and the prices haven’t increased from my last visit.

And here’s what it looked like.

I liked that the banh mi exterior was nice and crusty. Though it seemed to be on the chewy side and didn’t hold up to well.

A good amount of pickled veggies and especially cilantro…..I liked that it wasn’t full of stems. The jalapenos weren’t very spicy this time around. Nice slice of cucumber.

Long slices of Cha Lua, decent spread of funky pate, but a bit too much mayo, which really sogged out the banh mi.

Not a bad banh mi, but not my first choice.

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111

I wanted to make one last revisit to complete this set of Banh Mi rounds and decided on a shop I had enjoyed last time around……

Saigon Sandwiches & Coffee:

Man, this place had some major trays of food heading out the door when I arrived.

The #10, the Cha Lua Pate here is now $8.50. It was $7.99 on my last visit.

It was a bit of a wait because of all the large orders. But I did finally get my banh mi.

Man, the pickled carrots and radish are sliced so thick here! The jalapenos were potent and there were two slices of cucumber provided. A nice “bonus” these days.

Nice smear of pate for the funk and quite a bit of cha lua stacked. Not sure if it was the quantity or perhaps the “brand”; but I could really make out some nice porkiness!

This is definitely on my “return list”. I wish it were a bit closer. And what the heck is going on with Da Nang Restaurant in the same strip mall? It just never seems open….so I went and did a search and they open at 2pm? Really weird for lunch?

Saigon Sandwiches & Coffee Tea House
4133 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105

It’s always fun doing my banh mi rounds! Though I’m finding banh mi’s to be pretty “stuffed” these days? Are you finding that as well?

Take Out Revisits – De Cabeza El Único and Joyee Noodle House(UTC)

Chinese Restaurants, Cookbooks, Mexican Restaurants, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

Well, the weather turned a bit cooler for about a week or so didn’t it? That meant the Missus was craving Her favorite Cabeza en su Jugo and She wanted me to drop some off for Her at work. So, off I went to:

De Cabeza El Único:

Man, I can’t believe that it’s almost been a year since I last visited. I guess the weather this year has been so much hotter for longer than usual. Anyway, I drove down to Chula Vista, went on in, said hello to the ever friendly Jesus and ordered two Cabeza en su Jugo. They were nice enough to separate the two orders. So, I could drop one package off for the Missus and take mine home to have for a hearty lunch.

Man was this good. The pungent flavor of the onion, the almost citrusy flavor of cilantro, a squeeze of lime, all that viscous, rich, collagenic beef head….so buttery in texture…so comforting.

This seemed to have more beef head pieces than I recalled. For folks having eaten at De Cabeza; I’ve seen Jesus do the “pasar por aceite”….the passing thru oil/fat on the flat top before serving the tortillas making them nice and pliable.

I could only finish a bit more than half of my soup….and when the Missus got home, She was only able to finish about the same amount. So, She got another meal to take to work the next day!

I almost wish for some nice, chilly, winter weather so we can have this again!

De Cabeza El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Joyee Noodle House(UTC):

I’m sure many of you are dealing with inflation and the crazy prices these days. It’s definitely impacted our eating and gas prices have cut down on how far or how often we’d even go and do take out. We’ve had to make compromises. I’m sure that you’ve noticed that many of my recent recipe type posts have been for side dishes. It has become part of our routine for meals these days. We now also sometimes do takeout based on how we can integrate items into meals. And prices do matter for those as well. Take for instance our usual takeout from Joyee at UTC. It’s the only two items we order, the Popcorn Chicken is $11.99, and while Soup du Jour makes better Popcorn Chicken in our opinion, with the help of the air fryer, even our one other item we order, the Smoked Duck at $19.99 works out for a couple of meals.

Again, the before above……the after below.

And integrated in various noodle/rice dishes (with for instance Moroheiya GreeNoodle) things can work out for three or even four meals.

And it even allows for some creativity. Recently, I was looking thru one of my old “local kine” community cookbooks, like this one, which belonged to my mom; which She got in 1963!

And came across a recipe for Karashi Miso dressing. I made it, then adjusted for our taste, but the Missus didn’t care for it much. I then replaced the “Oriental” hot mustard powder….back in the “old days” we didn’t have access to wasabi at typical markets….so folks would use hot mustard instead…..well, now we’re in the 21st century and we can get wasabi…anyway, I used that as a replacement. And came up with the Wasabi-Miso Dressing. We had some smoked duck left, so I air fried it and used it in the salad. Which looked like this.

Which the Missus loved! Go figure!

Anyway, it seems we’re living in the times where we have to be able to improvise a bit.

Joyee Noodle House(UTC)
8935 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92122

Hope everyone had a fun and delicious weekend!

It’s Fry-Day – The K Chicken Sandwich at Bonchon

Korean Restaurants, Sandwiches

Back in May, I went and had my K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken) fix at Bonchon. While the prices were pretty good, $12.99 for 6 wings for lunch, I noted that the wings and the sauce; the garlic-soy had always been my favorite, was not as good as what I’d had on previous visits. In the comments of that post “FOY” Franklin mentioned that he enjoys the K-Chicken Sandwich there. As a whole; I haven’t really been into the Hot Chicken – Fried Chicken Sandwich thing that has been going on for a while now. But, since I was in the area; I decided to see how this chicken sandwich measured up.

I arrived for lunch on a Wednesday, a shade past 11 and there was only one other table occupied. The woman working was very friendly and I was handed a menu with specials and such. I went ahead and ordered the K-Chicken Sandwich; soy-garlic (of course) flavor. It seemed nicely priced at $14.99 as it came with fries.

It was a bit of a wait; but my sandwich soon arrived. It looked like a decent amount of food for lunch.

The fries were the type that’s “dusted” so it stayed fairly crisp during the entire meal. They automatically included ketchup as well.

As for the sandwich….well, after ordering I had some reservations about ordering the soy-garlic flavor as the sandwich came on a brioche bun. The wings I’d had the last time almost seemed too sweet to me. But this wasn’t bad.

I didn’t think the brioche bun would hold up for the entire meal; but it did fine. The chicken breast was somewhat chewy, but wasn’t overly dry and I think thee bulk of it really tampered the sweetness. Hints of savory garlic, not over sauced……the woman told me that they don’t “dunk”, but rather brush on the sauce which I think makes a difference. And the circumference and thickness of the chicken helped to tamper the sweetnesss as well.

I enjoyed the palate cleansing oi muchim kimchi which added some tanginess and additional crunch. The brioche bun did have a mild butteriness which, along with the kimchi-slaw complemented the chicken.

No, it’s not spicy…this ain’t “hot chicken”, but it was sweet-savory-crunchy-buttery with the oi muchim, more of a quick cucumber kimchi adding almost as refreshing component.

Not bad at all; decent pricing as a lunch special for $14.99, I’d have this for lunch again.

Bonchon Convoy
4690 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sun – Wed 11am – 10pm
Thurs – Sat 11am – 1am

Road Trip – Rumfish y Vino and Leashless Brewing (Ventura)

American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Dog Friendly, Latin American Cuisine, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

After returning from a rather long road trip; the Missus still wanted to head somewhere for a few nights with JJ. After going thru the usual suspects, I thought we’d head out to an place we hadn’t been before; downtown Ventura. Yes, we’ve been to Ventura Harbor, which we thought was fine and we’ve stayed in Oxnard when we visited the Channel Islands. But we’ve never really stayed in downtown Ventura….in fact, I’d really never had recommendations for the area even when we lived in LA. Until, when one of the young ladies who used to work at Bay Park Coffee told me she went to school in the area and said, you and the Missus might enjoy downtown Ventura. She said it’s very relaxed and chill, and most of all, knowing the Missus said there are like 8 consignment-thrift stores along Main Street. So, we decided to head on over and spend two evenings in the area. We stayed at the Best Western Ventura Pier….since…well, we were tourists, right?

We were basically across the street from a lovely park; Plaza Park.

And, as we strolled thru the park, we came across this huge tree.

It’s a huge Moreton Bay Fig tree that was planted in the 1870’s! You can read more about it here!

Main Street is basically a block away. And most of it is pedestrian only.

There are a number of restaurant, bars, and yes many shops along the corridor.

The Missus would spend a good amount of time there the following day and I’d even purchase something for myself!

And near the end of the street is Mission San Buenaventura, which is one of the 21 missions on the El Camino Real.

Sierra also recommended Rumfish y Vino, telling us it’s quite popular with the locals. She told us to go during Happy Hour, which extends to the patio area and can be quite busy. Well no kidding; this was before five on a Friday.

Luckily, HH extends until 6pm during the week. The prices seemed super reasonable compared to SD as well.

I went with a Smokey Tamarindo, which I enjoyed.

Sierra had told me to order the Mussels during Happy Hour which was just $10. The Missus wasn’t too sure about it; but it turned out to be Her favorite dish of the evening.

Nice mild garlic tones, very savory broth, some acidity, I’m thinking from the beer, with the mussels being very plump, tender, and sweet. It took us back to the meals we had enjoyed in the Cinque Terre.

On the other hand, we didn’t care for the House Ceviche, it was too watery, the fish too chewy, not enough acidity. Though it was hard to complain at the $8 price.

Tacos were six bucks a piece for Happy Hour; which seemed a bit pricey, but both choices were pretty good.

The Cochinita Pibil was slightly tangy-smokey, with a mild sweetness.

Loved the pickled onions and the tortilla, though a bit stiff, had some good maize tones. Our lovely Server told us they make their own tortillas.

Though the pork ran a bit on the sweet side, it had a nice toothsome texture.

The aioli really did well on this somewhat hipster taco, adding richness and a mild acidity.

This was a fun dinner and the overall price seemed quite reasonable. And those mussels……..

Rumfish y Vino
34 N Palm St.
Ventura, CA 93001

After dinner we headed back to the Best Western, then took JJ for a walk. We enjoyed the location of the hotel, it was close to Main Street, and also just a block away from the bridge over the busy 101 to the beach. We crossed over the freeway and then took a short stroll on the Ventura Pier.

Which had an interesting mix of tourists and locals who were mostly fishing.

We would take a walk down the following afternoon.

Back at the room, we relaxed a bit; JJ had his “dinny”, then Momma needed some time. I had a place in mind I’d seen earlier on our way to Main Street.

I loved the name of the place; Leashless Brewing! So, you know I had to take JJ there. Man, it was bustling, yet when the nice young lady running the bar saw JJ she smiled and said “come on in” and even pointed us to some open seats.

Looking at the selection, I quickly noticed that Leashless is a certified organic brewery. I also noticed how much fun folks were having.

Especially that gentleman with the Aloha looking shirt and hat….he was just having a blast, dancing by himself! I have a video of him boogieing out…you know

“So let’s sink another drink
‘Cause it’ll give me time to think
If I had the chance
I’d ask the world to dance
And I’ll be dancing with myself“

Dancing with Myself by Billy Idol. Yes, I’m that old……

Everyone, even the pooches were having a good time!

I got a “250”, a Belgian Dark Ale. Good boozy – fruity tones, but what at kick at 10.3 ABV!

The nice gal manning the bar told me the food truck was quite good, but I told her I’d already had dinner.

JJ and I enjoyed our nightcap…..in fact we’d return the following evening!

Leashless Brewing
585 E Thompson Blvd.
Ventura, CA 93001

We had never really given thought to staying near downtown Ventura. I’m glad Sierra recommended it for a visit!

Don Maguro – A lunch visit

Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

In my post on Me Sen, “FOY” Elle mentioned Don Maguro opening in Mira Mesa. I had already heard of the shop; a rebrand of Tora Tora Sushi, which had taken the spot of the Sandwich Emporium in Mira Mesa. Now knowing that the owner of Otot (sorry CC, couldn’t help it) Ototo was the same as Tora Tora…well, I just wasn’t inclined to visit. Plus, even though I understand that “Tora” means “Tiger” in Japanese; it has a deeper meaning to me as well. Anyway, I recall telling Elle that I was waiting to see if Don Maguro was going to open for lunch. And guess what? Last week, they posted that they were opening at 1130 from Fridays thru Sunday. So, I decided to drop by for lunch.

I’m guessing word hasn’t gotten out about the lunch hours yet as the place was fairly empty. I was hoping the place wouldn’t be pricing like Momo Omakase and was glad to see the prices seemed rather reasonable.

Three basic Kaisendon on the menu, plus gyoza, uni pasta, and salmon curry fried rice.

No menu overload analysis paralysis here. There was just one thing I was looking for….something that reminded me of this, even in just the slightest manner would be a wonderful meal.

Such a memorable bowl from Ajidokoro Takeda in Sankaku Fish Market in Otaru!

I ordered the Uni-Ikura Don ($28) from the nice young man. Soon enough, it arrived.

Well, as you can clearly see, this wasn’t going to give me even an inkling of that bowl in Otaru!

The three pieces of uni…seemed like a half slices; just a few pearls of Ikura, some takuan, and shiso.

I went and made sure to try the rice first; it was nicely cooked, you could see every grain and the shari was on the milder side.

The negi-toro was a bit on the mushy side, but was fine. There were pieces of shiso…though I wish it were sliced so I could have some in several bites.

After having mixed things up a bit; I decided to not mix in the wasabi. What I ended up doing was to use brush a bit on the nori, then add the rice and the seafood, making a temaki of sorts.

I really enjoyed the raw egg yolk in a touch of soy sauce.

And what I ended up doing is mixing in a bit more shoyu and wasabi and dipping my temaki like creation into it.

So yes….in the end, I basically had two negitoro temaki since there just wasn’t enough ikura or uni to make much of an impact. This is also where I wished that there were strips of shiso instead of two torn pieces.

The ushiojiru was very clean tasting and fine.

Overall, I was a bit underwhelmed by this kaisendon. Hardly any ikura or uni, the negitoro on the mushy side. I understand costs these days, but at $28, I’d consider it a bit pricey…heck, this is $36 at Izakaya Sakura.

So, while Don Maguro seems like a nice concept; that’s just what it is to me; a concept. And that bowl I got didn’t quite look like the photo on the sign….

Not bad, but not quite “luxury in a bowl” for me.

Don Maguro
8155 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 830pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 9pm
Sunday 1130am – 830pm
Closed on Monday

Tu Thanh Revisited

Cambodian Restaurants and Cuisine, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

I’m actually enjoying the cooler weather. It means that I can get my noodle soup fixes…which means I headed on up to City Heights and Tu Thanh.

I’d actually been craving some Bun Mang Vit for a while and tried to visit Tu Thanh a couple of times. First off, parking in the area can be a challenge. Second, I had actually found parking twice and walked over to find the place closed at their posted opening time. I thought I’d give the place one final chance….you know; “three strikes and you’re out”. And it must have been my lucky day….they were actually open at 915am!

I was greeted by the very friendly Hispanic woman working and she pointed me to the seat. It was interesting as she was the only employee in the shop. It had been over four years (!!!!) since my last visit and I was wondering how things were.

I placed my order for Bun Mang Vit and just kind of sat back.

Places like Tu Thanh really gives me perspective on how long I’ve been doing his blogging stuff. My first visit with this shop was back in 2006. Back then, there was a “ABCDE” shop on University Avenue named Chinese Kitchen. It served typical Chinese Fast Food….but, there was a not so “secret” menu that listed Chao and Banh Canh….and of course Bun Mang Vit…which called themselves Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang. And you think these “ghost kitchen” thingies are a rather new concept, right? Anyway, it became my favorite place for Bun Mang Vit. In 2013 Tu Thanh made its move and opened up their own restaurant also on University and I have visited many times over the years. Through the years like almost every Vietnamese Noodle Soup shop in San Diego, there have been changes; banana blossom stopped being served, the Nuoc Mam Gung had changed, but at least on my last visit it was fairly close to what I’d had before. The amount and quality of the bamboo shoots had changed as well…….

And when my bowl arrived; well…….

I don’t know what’s up with that hard, tasteless strings of bamboo shoots they use these days is; but it’s not a nice texturally and lacks the flavor and fragrance of what they used to serve.

Case in point…..this was circa 2018.

And this is what I got on this visit.

The broth was also a bit more cloudy than I’m used to, but not overly salty. And it does get better over time as there’s a bunch of “dunking” and mixing in of veggies and such going on.

The Nuoc Mam Gung was not as good as on my last visit.

As it seemed to lack as much fish sauce as I like; but at least it wasn’t overly sweet and had enough ginger in it. The amount of sauce is less than before; but I’m fine with that as for me a little goes a long way.

Thankfully, the duck was as it always was, savory, nice toothsome texture, and absorbs the flavor of the dipping sauce nicely.

Did you notice anything about the plate? Well, everything was in a pool of water, it was just heavily dripping off the cabbage. I’m guessing it wasn’t drained very well? All that needless liquid will water down the flavors.

And lastly, the noodles.

Which were nice and slippery, but chopped into short, little strings, which made it really hard to eat.

I’m not sure what is going on here…maybe it was just a bad day? Or perhaps I’ve just been coming here for too many years that I’m living in the past? I guess that’s the bad part of having a food blog for so long…I remember when the stuff they served looked like this!

And perhaps that’s why it took me over four years to return to a place that I’d visit at least a couple of times a year?

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105

Odds and Ends – Randy’s DawgHouse, Sun Dry Opens, and a Revisit to Superbloom Coffee & Juice

Caffeine Fix, Food Trucks/Carts, Hot Dogs, Markets & Grocers

Just some odds and ends for what seems like the first weekend of winter (finally)?

Randy’s DawgHouse:

When I first visited the Bello’s Tacos and Burritos Trailer, I noticed a cute little food cart shared the parking lot if V Outlet.

Named Randy’s DawgHouse. So, on one of the afternoons I decided to try them out. The woman working was so sweet. And, I was somehow not surprised at the nine dollar price for a hot dog……I guess I’m getting immune to sticker shock.

I did see that they didn’t take credit cards, which was fine, and while they were out of several versions of hot dogs…at least they had Chicago Dogs.

So, I went and ordered one.

JJ and I then strolled home. I guess I hadn’t read the description of the Chicago Dog provided clearly enough; as I was shocked at the inclusion of cheese? And no poppy seed bun, sport peppers, or celery salt! Can you imagine if, say Gene and Jude’s or heck if even Chicago Fire Grill did this? Well, at least they didn’t commit what is defined as the greatest sin…..putting ketchup on a Chicago Dog!

The dog had decent snap; which is what I totally expected from a typical Nathan’s Famous. Though, as you can see, the dog fell short in being “bun length” as advertised.

While this was not appropriately “dragged thru the garden”, it was fine, though not something I’d crave, not quite a Chicago Dog to me.

A week later, the trailer was gone…..I’ve seen it parked along some of the side streets while walking JJ, so I’m thinking the owners live somewhere in our neighborhood? Still, I’ve not seen it operating anywhere. Perhaps one of you…my “FOYs” have?

Sun Dry Opens in 99 Ranch Market (Balboa):

The Missus was quite excited to see Sun Dry open in 99 Ranch Market.

As She really likes all the types of dried fruits and stuff we call “crack seed” back home.

She has become addicted to the freeze dried strawberries.

And can easily finish a half pound of thee in a couple of days.

So, of course I’ve been trying to coordinate my shopping at 99 Ranch with the hours that Sun Dry is open.

But I think, like many businesses these days they are having problems staffing as several times I’ve gone during their posted open hours to find them close. This photo was taken at 2pm on a Sunday!

When they are open; the young man and young lady working are very nice! I’m sure the Missus is hoping they make it!

Sun Dry
950 Balboa Ave. #2712 (In the 99 Ranch Market Building)
San Diego, CA 92111

Superbloom Coffee & Juice Revisited:

Recently, on a Sunday before the rain and time change, I was looking to take JJ for coffee before the Sunday opening time for Bay Park Coffee which is 730 on that day of the week. Usually, we’d go up to Clairemont Coffee on Sundays, but I thought we’d do something different. Then it came to me….heck we hadn’t been to Superbloom since Memorial Day! Thy open at 7am on Sunday, so JJ and I could walk down and be there before any crowds settle in. We walked down Clairemont Drive and arrived right at 7am.

I went ahead and ordered a Cold Brew, which is now $7.25….it was $6.50 like five months ago! I thought about a breakfast sandwich, but sheesh….$15 for avocado toast? Ouch!

The young lady working was so sweet and got JJ a pup cup!

Which JJ couldn’t wait to attack!

I got my cold brew…it was I remembered…a bit on the lighter side.

And we took a seat in the back…..

Mission Bay is quite relaxing without all the crowds….though it had obviously been a pretty busy weekend….I feel so bad for the folks that have to clean all this stuff up!

So, not my first choice for my morning coffee…..but fine for an occasional change of pace.

Superbloom Coffee & Juice
2688 East Mission Bay Dr.
San Diego, CA 92109
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 7am – 630pm
Fri – Sun 7am – 7pm