As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.
Recently, I waned something a bit “different” for breakfast. It was a Sunday and JJ’s usual breakfast stop doesn’t open until a bit later. So, we walked up to get coffee and I took JJ to the park after, all the while contemplating where I should get breakfast. Being quite hungry on this morning, a place popped into my head; Thien Huong. My goodness, how long had it been since I last visited. A quick check reveals that it was back in 2023! So, I settled JJ in for his morning nap and drove on up to Mira Mesa.
Since it was just past 8am, the place was pretty quiet.
Based on my previous visits; there was just one item I was interested in…..
My favorite item based on my previous visits was the Banh Cuon Trung. I loved the softer texture and the additional flavor egg brings to the usual rice flour wrap. So, I ordered the #7, which was priced at $17, which I thought was quite reasonable for these days.
The drill was the same; order and pay at the counter, if dining in, you’re given and number. You go ahead and have a seat. After a short while, one of the folks working will do their rounds and drop off some water. And eventually, your order will arrive.
The portion size is still quite generous; though I did notice that the banh cuon seemed to have less egg than before? Perhaps I’m imagining things?
I do like the Cha Lua with the black peppercorns, it’s meaty, though not overly rubbery, and the black peppercorns adds a nice sharpness when you crack your teeth on one!
The nuoc mam cham seems to have changed from before as well….though the change seemed quite positive for me.
Even though it edges on the sweeter side; it wasn’t as cloying as before. It also had more chilies, which provided a decent “kick”.
As for the banh cuon.
It’s not quite as fluffy as before, but still not overly stretchy and sticky. I enjoy the fried shallots as well.
Not a whole lot of pork in this, though it was still decently savory.
And I got all my carbs for the day, right? Breakfast of champions…..
It’s still my favorite version of banh cuon in San Diego. And the prices seem quite reasonable. Funny thing, to me it seems like Thien Huong just opened yesterday….but man, they’ve been here for over three years already! Crazy!
Thien Huong 9349 Mira Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92126 Current Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs – Sat 8am – 5pm Sun, Wed 8am – 4pm
Well, here we go….time to prep for the weekend, right? Anyway, just a couple of quick things…..
Fish With You is Now Yonny Hot Pot:
So, remember my last post on Fish With You? Where we noticed that all the hot pot equipment was going in? Well, back on Tuesday, as I was driving to Nijiya I noticed that the sign for Fish With You had changed to something like “Yonny Hot Pot”. Sigh…. Anyway, that same day “FOY” Xiāng Jiāo texted me saying that Fish With You had closed! And then “FOY” An commented on that last Fish With You post, mentioning that the name of the place had changed, but the logo and the blow up fish was still the same. Sooooo…….on my latest trip to Nijiya, I stopped by to take a look:
And yes, it’s now Yonny Mini Hot Pot. I went and parked the car and walked over to take a peek…..the posted menu on the door looks the same, as did the menu at the counter. I couldn’t take a photo of that with all the reflections and such.
“YONNY is a flagship brand under Beijing Fish With You Brand Management Co., Ltd. Founded in 2017, YONNY pioneered the fast-casual suancai fish market, quickly sweeping across China and leading the suancai fish industry to become a well-known Chinese fast-casual chain brand.”
And even though I might be an online dinosaur….on occasion, even I can do AI…..
So, there you go. It seems like the place has expanded the offerings and concepts. So, at least for now, I can “Fish With Me” at Yonny. For now…..
Fish With You 3904 Convoy St. #101 San Diego, CA 92111
Thanks so much for thinking of us An and XJ!
Is Spicy House For Sale?
While at Nijiya the other day, I saw a guy on a ladder putting up some finishing touches to the sign at Spicy House. When I finished shopping and walked back to the car the new sign was up.
I don’t know why I took a photo…I think it was just for the Missus to see if the Chinese name of the place had changed. But no, it had not. Ok, time to delete the photo, right? Luckily, I didn’t do that too quickly as my good “FOY” YummyYummy sent me this screenshot!
Screenshot
Looks like Spicy House is for sale? So weird that I just decided to take that photo, huh?
Times are really hard on restaurants right now…..
Anyway, if you’ve got an extra 280k lying around and want to own a Sichuan Restaurant…perhaps now’s your chance?
3860 Convoy Street #105 San Diego, CA 92111
Thanks for letting me know about this “YY”!
And lastly……
Not a big deal and I’m not too excited about this as I’d prefer more local based eateries in my ‘hood. But the former dentists office in Clairemont Village is becoming…..well, Jersey Mike’s…..
Recently, I had a craving for some K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken) and decided to finally head on over to Calvin’s, which Soo has already posted on. Strangely, they were closed…..I was to find out why soon enough….cause, you know why, right? Anyway, thinking of a “plan B”, I decided to head on over to Bonchon. I consider Bonchon, along with B.BQ Chicken (the original location – which opened in 2008), and Cross Street to be the “OG’s” regarding KFC. I drove on over and easily found parking at 1130 in what can sometimes be a chaotic parking lot.
I was surprised to see only one other table taken when I arrived.
The very nice young lady dropped off the menus…but I already knew what I wanted…..
The lunch special. One thing I quickly noticed, is that the lunch special is now $12.99. It was $13.45 on my last visit back in January of 2025. Hmmm……..
I got the Lunch Special with the 6 piece wings….after trying the different flavors, it had been the Soy Garlic for me in the past, so I went with that.
Though I still enjoy the pickled daikon….the portion is now a bit smaller than what I’d had on my last visit.
I like that it’s not too sweet and quite refreshing.
As for too sweet….well, as I started noticing on my last visit the soy garlic seems to be straying to the over sauced and sweeter end of the scale and this was even sweeter than what I’d had on that visit! If I recall they brush each wing by hand after frying…..I’d say this was a bit heavy-handed for my taste.
The batter was also not as crisp as I recall. I’m wondering if they’re even doing a double fry like they used to?
As always, I prefer the flats to drumettes.
The flats were very moist and tender.
It seems that Bonchon has gone the way of jumbo drumettes.
Which throws off the skin/batter to meat ratio for me. The drumettes also had a lot of discolored black flesh.
In spite of the price, which was super reasonable for lunch, it seems that Bonchon has slid down my “wing list” and is not a favorite anymore. Quite sad because I really enjoyed Bonchon when they first opened. Now I’m going to need to get my KFC fix done.
Bonchon Convoy 4690 Convoy St. San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Sun – Wed 11am – 10pm Thurs – Sat 11am – 1am
After my last roast duck revisit to Noble Chef, I was wondering how other Chinese BBQ places were doing. And so, I thought of returning to one of those “regular” places…… Until I went and took a look at my Big List. One place really caught my attention. A place I hadn’t been back to in 17 years! So, I decided it was time to roll the dice for a parking spot in the rather crazy corner parking lot in City Heights and head back to……
Tom’s Chinese BBQ:
Man, it’s hard to believe that it’s been 17 years since my last visit! Once upon a time, when we first moved to San Diego in the early “aughts”, we used to visit Tom’s once in a while. But, over time the roast duck became more and more bland, the meat dry and after that last visit…well, it basically fell off the radar. Until this day. And no, I was not lucky enough to find parking in that corner lot….I did find a spot further down 44th street though, and I walked on over.
Walking over, well….Tom’s looks the same…..one of those places stuck in time….
No steamed buns or dim sum ready yet on this day.
What wasn’t “stuck in a time vortex” were the prices. A half duck here now goes for $19. It’s also cash only.
Which is what I ended up getting.
This was interesting. Notice the color trends toward a redness; but it lacks any anise-five spice essensc. No jus/sauce either, just a bunch of watery drippings. This was really bland.
I enjoy the fat decently rendered in my roast duck; but this one went too far as there was a lack of richness. The skin had been over-lacquered and was hard and plasticky.
The duck seemed quite lean and chewy; decent gaminess, but really lacking in the additional seasonings, flavor, richness, et al….
Just to think that we used to come here every so often way back when. Kinda sad as a whole, but they seemed to be doing some fairly brisk business on this day.
Tom’s Chinese BBQ 4414 University Ave. San Diego, CA 92105 Current Hours: Mon, Wed – Fri 10am – 630pm Sat – Sun 9am – 630pm Closed on Tuesdays
Anyway, being quite curious, I decided to head up to Torrey Hills Center to search out Dark Horse.
Which I easily found. I noticed the Open sign and walked on over and peeked in. The place was empty…..soon enough a really friendly gentleman came over and I was seated in a booth. He introduced himself as Edgar.
And I was handed the menus……with some interesting dishes.
Of course I wasn’t interesting in the “rolls” and such; but seeing items like Anticuchos, Camaron Al Ajillo, Ahumado, Ceviche, and of course Tiradito. And well…..I love Tiradito…but with salmon? I don’t think so. Edgar came over and started explaining “Nikkei” cuisine to me…a nice gesture. Then I told him we’ve been to Peru and even to Maido and explaining the history of tiradito and things got a bit quiet. He then told me that “our dishes aren’t really Peruvian Nikkei, more of a mix of many cultures.” So, I guess Eater wasn’t quite right in their description? Not that many folks would know….
There were two dishes I was interested in and so I ordered the Mushroom Anticuchos ($14) and the Hamachi Ahumado ($24).
The texture was interesting…it was almost meat like, but perhaps on the mushier side of the scale. Some earthy mushroom flavor, but really lacking in the cumin-achiote, achiote/aji panca flavor and quite bland overall.
The presentation of the Hamachi Ahumado was very, dramatic, with the tabletop smoker cloche….which I’ve been seeing at various places over the last couple of years brought to your table.
Once the top was lifted and the smoke gone the dish was revealed.
Very nice presentation; the hamachi had not really changed in texture and was still somewhat buttery. The overall dish was much too sour, which even nullified any smokiness in the dish. The chili paste, made from morita chilies – smoked and dried red jalapenos had a bit of a kick, but was still overpowered by the sour-acidity.
While the portions seemed a bit on the small side; this was enough for a light lunch, though not cheap at nearly forty bucks. It seemed to be more about presentation-concept to me; but I felt I needed to give the place another try; so I returned.
For lunch again. The very nice and friendly Edgar greeted me once again and I was seated.
I was handed the menus again; but this time I paid attention to the lunch specials.
And no, it wasn’t the poke bowl or teri chicken that interested me. Rather, the Agedashi Tofu ($15) and looking for a more traditional dish I was going to order the ceviche; but noticed the Aguachile ($19) on the lunch special menu so I ordered that as well.
The Agedashi Tofu looked quite interesting.
This was so close to being a good dish. The batter was so light and perfectly crisp. The tofu light and creamy. I didn’t mind the creaminess of the guacamole or the crema.
The biquinho peppers added some fruity sweetness, with a hint of spice.
What was missing in this dish was a savory-umami component….you know…like what the tentsuyu provides for a traditional agedashi tofu and a pungent component like what daikon oroshi would provide.
The dish just seemed incomplete. Bummer…..
My favorite dish by far was the Aguachile.
Though I had to crack up when I saw it was served with won ton chips! I guess they had to keep something Asian in the dish?
Like the Hamachi Ahumado I’d had previously, I saw that the aguachile used the Yuzu Kosho type marinating liquid. But for reason, the bracing, acidic sauce did really good here. I’m thinking that the mild, oceany brininess of the raw shrimp and the buffering of the acidity by the avocado contributed to this dish nicely.
The slices of red jalapeno added some spice and the shrimp had hit that firm, yet tender balance.
Again, not a cheap lunch at nearly thirty-five bucks, but I was quite full when I left and thinking in terms of what a chirashi would cost. Well, this didn’t seem too bad at all.
In Luis Hara’s wonderful cookbook; Nikkei Cuisine : Japanese Food the South American Way, which I do own BTW…such is my love and respect for that type of cusine. Within the introduction is this quote regarding just throwing together flavors and the roll of various ingredients from different cultures : “without this understanding, fusion becomes confusion.” In the end; perhaps I was expecting a bit more as this seemed like “con-fusion” than fusion to me. Perhaps I was expecting a bit too much?
Edgar was very nice, warm, and friendly. Perhaps I’ll return in a couple of months?
Dark Horse Japanese Nikkei Cuisine 4639 Carmel Mountain Rd. #103 San Diego, CA 92130 Current Hours: Daily 11am – 9pm
Well, so finally Mama’s has moved to their new location on ECB. I initially saw the sign back in November of 2024. And from what I understand, they finally reopened in their new location last month. So, I decided it was time to give the place a revisit. It’s now in the rather new One Mississippi Building on ECB, right around the corner from their former abode.
Man, there’s a lot of outdoor seating….I felt bad that I didn’t bring JJ! Since they open at 10, it was a nice option for an early lunch.
I walked around the very modern restaurant to take a look.
Inside I saw a ladder…so I thought they are still building….but no; it was a ladder to water the plants!
As “FOY” Kenneth indicated in my last post on Mama’s….well, with the new location, prices have indeed gone up……but they have everywhere now it seems.
My usual, the Garlic Chicken Wrap, what I’ve been getting here since my first visits back in 2005, is now $13.99. Can you believe that it used to be $4.99 in 2005 and was $10.49 in November of 2024. Though for these days, the price seems rather reasonable.
It’s still quite hefty….much bigger than I recall from the “good ‘ol days“. Check out the size versus the napkin dispenser!
As for the wrap….well, I don’t know if they do things on the “sajj” anymore as the wrap was more chewy and hard than I remember.
Still, I really appreciated how things were proportioned in the wrap. The chicken, to the lettuce, to the most important garlic paste, all was there for every bite. I’ve always deemed the pickles as being quite important to cut the pungency of the garlic paste.
Lot’s of garlic paste this time around which I really enjoyed….even though I was probably socially unacceptable for a while….I can handle that!
I truly believe that Mama’s is a much beloved part of the neighborhood here and I’m glad that they are still putting out good food. The gentleman working told me that they are installing a wood burning oven and will soon have a more expanded menu. For me, I’ll just be happy that they keep doing what they’ve done for over 25 years now.
I went and took a walk to look over their former location after my lunch.
I still miss this location…..it’s a big part of the neighborhood before all the gentrification. And, Mama’s was the first place I’d really seen a parklet way back in 2016, which became such a big thing during Covid.
Mama’s Bakery 2141 El Cajon Blvd. San Diego, CA 92104 Current Hours: Sunday 10am – 4pm Mon – Thurs 10am – 9pm Fri – Sat 10am – 10pm
After a lovely afternoon slumber; we woke and decided to take a stroll and then head to dinner. This was a Thursday evening at the end of October, so things were really quiet and relaxed.
We strolled up the main street, Pine Knot Avenue. There were a lot of cool wooden sculptures along the way.
We saw the sign for this candle making bar, which stated they were dog friendly, so of course we headed in with JJ.
The young lady working was a joy…so very friendly. And she cracked up when we told her we were from San Diego. She used to live in North Park!
The Missus found a few items She ended up purchasing….some tea and other stuffs. Really nice little shop. We didn’t know they closed at 5; but the young lady kept the place open. When we found out we apologized, but she just said “don’t worry, I’ve got nothing else to do right now!”
Mystic Moto | Ritual Provisions Candle Bar 625 Pine Knot Ave. Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
We really don’t get much fall colors here in San Diego; so it was nice to see that.
We walked up to Village Drive and after stopping in a couple of shops, headed to a place recommended by one of JJ’s Aunties, Janeli. Named Oakside. We had a seat on the nice outdoor patio….the heater was already started!
The place was actually bustling, though not many people on the patio, there was a line at the door for dinner.
The menu was had things like pizza/pasta/seafood/steaks…you know, right? Anyway, our wonderful Server after asking for my taste preferences recommended the Monkey on a Mule, basically a Mule with Monkey Shoulder Scotch. A nice version of a Highland Mule, smokey, but still smooth, and not overly sweet.
We weren’t very hungry, so we settled for two appetizers, which was a good move since one of them, the Fried Green Beans was a rather large portion, of fried stuff.
Decent crisp – crunchy batter, lightly “snappy” green beans. We both enjoyed the wasabi ranch dressing….the pungency of wasabi did a nice job of cutting the richness of the dressing.
We also got the Oakside Wagyu Sliders.
The brioche like slider rolls were nice and fluffy. The almost thousand island like sauce wasn’t too thick and it wasn’t over sauced.
The beef was juicy and decently tender. Mild beefiness.
The cheese had been nicely melted as well.
Most of all; the Missus, who is not a “burger person” actually enjoyed this. It qualified for Her “once a year burger”.
Service a bit slow, but heck this is Big Bear and we’re on vacation, right?
Oakside 40701 Village Dr. Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
We headed back to the Marina Riviera and decided to get a nightcap. There a restaurant and bar with outdoor seating. It has a great view of the lake, but of course it was dark by this time. The place was doing some good business. We peeked into the bar and the bartender, named Kinzey waved us in telling us, “come on in, you can see, we love dogs”!
And so we had a seat at one of the tables. I had an Old Fashioned which was a nice way to end the evening.
They made us feel so welcomed that we’d either have drinks or dinner here during the rest of our stay in Big Bear.
De la Nonna Big Bear (In the Hotel Marna Riviera) 40770 Big Bear Blvd. Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
This was a nice way to spend our first evening in Big Bear!
Just a month after returning from Tahoe, we were off again. I really didn’t want to be doing that 7 plus hour drive like I’d done the previous month. So, I got the Missus to agree to Big Bear, which we’d never been to, then a couple of nights in Idyllwild again.
I’d gotten us a nice room at the Marina Riviera, perched right on the shore of Big Bear Lake. It had also just reopened a few months before after some renovations and turned out to be very dog friendly.
Our room was ready when we arrived and we were able to check in. We had a nice view of the lake and beachfront from our room.
Right across the street was a restaurant I wanted to check out named Tropicali. You see, the restaurant had just been named as having the best poke in America (not only on the mainland), by that four lettered website. And you know I don’t take all the stuff from that website seriously, right? Though I understand that it did make some major waves, check out this from KHON and Sam Choy! Ho, like beef, huh? Anyway, that was written a few months after my visit; though this one Reddit stuff…….. I just had to check it out.
Anyway, the restaurant has an interesting entrance. You walk in thru the mouth of a shark sculpture.
So, of course JJ had a photo-op…..
They really go all in with the Tiki-ish sterotypes here…… A bit over-the-top……I can see how some Kama’aina’s can get a bit irritated by the cliches.
You order at one of the very colorful kiosks……
Anyway, I placed my order and then joined JJ and the Missus on the lovely deck.
Soon enough my name was called….they try to be funny announcing names, like “Gunnar xxxx” doing pirate themed thing….so of course when my name was called it was “Captain” you know who…..
Anyway, I had ordered two bowls. The rice for both bowls were nicely cooked.
The first was the “Kraken”, which used unagi sauce and was topped with won ton chips.
At least this wasn’t one of those “chi-poke” places. The fish was of decent quality, not too much “sugi”; though the fish was over sauced and the sweetness really overpowered everything. The sprinkled panko was kind of strange as it added a weird grittiness to the dish.
The Pele Bowl was the better of the two. Again decent fish and rice.
The cucumber tasted like Kyuri Asazuke, slightly pickled, which we thought added to the dish. Especially since this was also a bit over sauced and even though was obviously a version of spicy ahi was also too sweet for us. I think some limu and salt would bring back the ocean to the ahi here.
To me, poke is first about the fish, the sauce enhances the experience. Here it overwhelms the dish. That’s probably why I prefer HFS in San Diego to this place. Honestly, it’s not bad; but to me it’s not in the same class as Tanioka’s or Ono Seafood.
Tropicali 40771 Big Bear Blvd. Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
After lunch we crossed the street back to the hotel and took a short stroll along the lakeside.
Out of the blue; the Missus requested Yuk Dae Jang. So, we headed over for an early dinner. I was quite surprised when She didn’t want what we usually order; the Premium Bossam.
She said she wanted to try something different. And so we got the Prime Beef Bulgogi with Glass Noodle ($33.99).
The panchan was pretty much like it was on our last visit; the Missus enjoys the buchu muchim (chive panchan). The baechu kimchi is still on the milder, less fermented side of the scale for us.
As for the Bulgogi dish. Well, you can kinda tell by the color, right?
The marinade was on the weaker side; not enough sweet-savory tones. The menu says this is Prime beef, but it was pretty chewy. The glass noodles were overcooked and mushy as well.
Lesson learned; stick with our favorites here.
Yuk Dae Jang 7307 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92111
Zab Linda Vista:
Well, the Missus enjoyed our visit back in March, so She wanted to return. Like Yuk Dae Jan, She wanted to try some other items on the menu.
She went with the noodle dish we order to see how simple dishes are executed; Pad See Eew. She ordered this version with duck. This was actually pretty good. We were asked for a spice level; something not very common when ordering Pad See Eew. We said medium spice and it did have a nice kick to it.
Nice savory to sweet balance for our tastes. The only complaint was that the noodles were on the mushier side. The duck was quite meaty and flavorful though.
Then She ordered a surprise dish. One that we seldom order unless the restaurant….usually Lao has proven to be a winnah! Mok Pa. We are quite picky with regards to mok pa….I mean, I learned how to make it at the Tamarind Cooking School in Luang Prabang and make a version at home as well.
This was was pretty good; the fish had a slight muddiness, but was very moist and buttery.
Good amount of dill, nice herbaceous tones, light savory touches.
Could have used more fish sauce, though we could make out the the earthy-smokiness that the banana leaves lent to the dish. We’d gladly have it again!
We were quite happy with this meal. It’ll be interesting to see what the Missus tried next time!
Zab Linda 6952 Linda Vista Rd. San Diego, CA 92111
I’ve often mentioned my “list” in posts. Places that I’ve listed to visit or revisit….it’s actually a Google Map that keeps getting more and more “crowded” on a daily basis it seems. Well, I only got one stomach so…..
Anyway, sometimes I take too long to visit and places will close before I have a chance to check them out. Case in point Voqozo. And sometimes I’m in for a surprise. Last year an acquaintance recommended a taco stand that opened off of Park named Tacos el Flaco. So, I put it on my map and read that since it’s a trailer set-up with outdoor seating; well, JJ could hang with me.
Recently, I took JJ to Old Trolley Barn Park for a little change of pace. And when things started getting a bit on the warmer side I thought it would be nice to grab some lunch. I initially thought of heading to BFD, since I hadn’t been there since they moved. But, in the end, I thought I’d try Tacos el Flaco. I lucked out and found parking on Park, then went looking for the taco trailer.
Finding this “clue” along the way.
Even though the address listed is for Park Avenue; the place is located on Lincoln Avenue. And even more to my surprise, it’s not Tacos el Flaco, but Tacos Minali!
Hmmm……well now I wasn’t too sure, but then I spied the trompo! Sorry about the terrible photo!
So, I knew I had to try this place out. Next, the prices gave me pause…….the Tripa Tacos were $4.85. The birria and adobado $4.25! Ouch!
Anyway, I ordered and JJ and I had a seat.
And soon enough my tacos were ready. They looked quite good.
I started with the Adobada, which turned out to be the best of the three.
I did find that mashed avocado to be a bit odd, but quickly got past that. I enjoyed the nice crisp and charred edges; really good caramelization. Savory-smoky, a touch of spiciness, I did miss the hint of acidic sweetness….if I ever have this again, I’ll do what the guy who came by as I was finishing up did and make sure to get some pineapple on the taco.
That salsa had some good heat and the tortilla was nice and maizey and held together well.
The tripas was my second favorite.
I loved the crisp and charred pieces, such good texture. The flavor was earthy-savory, not overwhelmingly “offalish”. The onions, cilantro, and other toppings went well with this.
I was not impressed with the birria. I did appreciate the fact that the double tortillas were crisped up; almost like vampiros, thus it held up well.
The beef was a bit too fatty, the seasoning on the milder side, and for some reason, it was a bit weak in the beefiness department.
Overall, two out of three ain’t bad. And JJ enjoyed himself.
Kind of pricey for tacos; especially from a trailer, but I’m glad to have tried it. The 9am opening time might also get me back here…though I’m sticking to Birrieria Enriquez in area for birria.
Tacos Minali 4005 Park Blvd. (actually on Lincoln) San Diego, CA 92103 Current Hours: Daily 9am – 11pm
