Rickshaw Corner

Chinese Restaurants

*** Update – Rickshaw Corner has closed

The mention of Rickshaw Corner to many people I know elicit comments such as "you'd never catch me dead eating there", and "WHAT, that's like one step above Panda Express".  I guess part of the problem is the sign that says "Chinese & Japanese Cuisine", that scares people off, and smacks of fast food.

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The interior doesn't really do anything to change your opinion. Nor does the plastic "menu", a plastic sheet with "Chinese Menu " printed on one side, and "Japanese Menu" printed on the other.

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So what makes Rickshaw rise above the usual neighborhood generic Asian restaurant?  I usually visit Rickshaw once or twice a year, when the weather gets a bit colder, and only get one dish. The spicy Chow Ma Soup Noodles(Chow Ma Mein-$5.95):

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Rickshaw04 Now I haven't had this at any other restaurant, so have not  developed a "baseline" for comparison. The Missus has heard of Chow Ma Mein, but has never had it. So what's to like? The nice spicy broth has a real "Korean" flavor, like the broth in Soon Tofu. I'm not a real fan of food being first stir-fried and then dumped on top of a soup, but in this case it's not too bad. Mainly because the pork, shrimp, bamboo shoots, and other vegetables are stir fried with dried chilies that adds another layer of heat. In addition there are large slices of garlic and several pieces of Zhacai (Sichuan preserved vegetable) that help give the soup even more "zip". The Bad? Well the noodles pretty much suck, no better then brittle "spaghetti" in broth. And of course there the bad side of stir-frying ingredients, then adding them to a soup often times mean that flavor that can be imparted to the soup never makes it. I thought it was rather ironic that one of the most inexpensive items on the menu, is probably the best. Another funny thing; every time I order this, I'm asked if I'm Korean……

On one of my recent visits, when looking up at the pictures of dishes above the counter I noticed what was called Chef's Special Beef Noodle Soup. I asked the Young Lady if the Beef Noodle Soup was Niu Rou Mein, and in a very surprised manner said "yes…". I guess I wasn't supposed to know that? So I thought I'd make a return visit and try the Niu Rou Mein($5.95):

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Rickshaw06 Well, I had a feeling it was going to be the stir fried beef dumped into soup; but I just had to find out for myself. And unfortunately it was just stir fried beef dumped on top of the soup. The soup was nice and spicy, but was rather weak in the "beef flavor" department. The beef was fairly tender, but didn't have much flavor. And I really don't know what to do about the stir fried tomatoes. The same lousy noodles really didn't help this dish very much.

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So that's about it, right? Well not quite; as I was paying, a Gentleman walked up to the counter and picked-up his order, and was conversing in Mandarin. He was the first Asian I recall seeing here. As I left I held the door open for Him as he was carrying a pretty large order. So we struck up a brief conversation. Seems that he's been coming here for over 10 years! He made some recommendations of a few items I should try. So I made one more take-out visit.

Hot and Spicy Won Ton($4.25):

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More like Won Ton in teriyaki sauce. Not spicy, quite sweet. Won Ton skins were really thick.

Szechuan Chicken($8.25):

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Rickshaw10 Basically, battered and deep fried chicken strips with a gooey brown sauce. The sauce was too sweet and very one-dimensional. The chicken were expertly fried and moist. But not really worth the eight bucks.

And lastly, the menu item that came with a strong recommendation. The Chicken Wings in Hot Garlic Sauce($8.25):

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This chicken was puzzling to me. There were chilies, but not very much spice. I really couldn't detect much garlic flavor. The chicken was obviously fried, but not crunchy. There was not much of a soy sauce flavor, and though it was slightly "sticky", the wings were not very sweet. I truly wish that there was something taste-wise that stood out, but nothing really did. Call it non-committal wings. Not bad, not great, not what I'll order again.

I'll still go to Rickshaw, but I'm sticking with the Chow Ma Mein. If anyone knows of any other restaurant that makes a good Chow Ma Mein here in San Diego, I'd like to know. Rickshaw is a nice neighborhood Chinese/Teriyaki joint, and is a step above those Chinese Fast Food joints.

Rickshaw Corner
10428 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92124

18 comments

  1. Hi Kirk,
    Funny…those noodles do look like spaghetti. I still haven’t had my niu rou mein yet, but I’m planning on having some this weekend. Wish me luck.

  2. I can’t keep up with you Kirk! I want to comment on all of the new posts that I like, but they keep coming!
    As for the “best Rickshaw dish,” from the pictures, you’re right–it’s the chow ma soup noodles. I wonder how hard it would be to make that soup dish. Maybe we could try it. It probably shouldn’t be hard since you are a rock star when it comes to making niu row mein. (That’s how I found your website: Dylan referred me to your niu row mein post. . . THANK YOU DYLAN!!)

  3. We had a joint like this in Hayward. Dee & I went there for the siu mai. They were excellent to the point that they were always fresh and you frequently had to wait for them because they had to fry up more. EVERYbody had to order some. The rest of the stuff was mediocre but palatible and the price was right.

  4. Hi Reid – I’m sure a full report will be in order! And yes those noodles really did remind me of spaghetti.
    Hi PE – Rock Star???? Maybe Wok-Star? LOL! Thanks for the compliments, but I’m pretty sure that people who know me are having a pretty goods laugh! BTW, have you tried the NRM recipe? I don’t think the Chow Ma Mein is too difficult….but would like to sample a few “other” versions before I try.
    Hi Jo – Thus the “One-Trick Pony” monnicker!

  5. Mmm, haven’t had Chow Ma Mein in a long time…my fave is from this place called 168 up north in El Cerrito, tho’ I hear there’s a branch in Rowland Heights too. Their version is “gon chow”–cooked more on the dry side but has just a teeny bit of soup to make it hearty.

  6. Hi Pam – We have a 168 here in San Diego – it’s a Taiwanese Place. I’ll double check the menu next time we eat there.

  7. I LOVE Chow Ma Mein…although I had no idea that was what it’s called.
    My favorite Chow Ma Mein is from this joint in Rowland Heights in the 99 Ranch Plaza. It’s the noodle shop with the picture of the owner being hugged by Ahnuld.
    They’ve gone downhill, I heard, but all through high school and college, this is the place my family and I would go to for those squiggly noodles and that spicy red soup.

  8. Hi Elmo – Wow, you mean we lived among a plethora of Chow Ma Mein for 4-5 years, and never even knew it??? Geez….

  9. Thanks to you, I’ve had the Chow Ma soup here a number of times. It’s pretty good, but you’re right the noodles suck (ha!). One time I brought this home for take out and instead of using their noodles, I used some noodles I had in the freezer. It was much better.

  11. Kirk,
    I have noticed that some Korean restuarants when they offer some Chinese dishes this is one of the few they they offer. It is quite interesting, because I rather eat Jjang Pong (spicy seafood soup) than Chow Ma mein maybe because I have always been dissapointed. Maybe I need to hunt down some really good Chow Ma Mein.

  12. Hi Jack – Actually, that’s a pretty good idea.
    Hi sailaja – Thanks for taking time out to comment; I appreciate it. I’m sure I’ll be checking out you blog:
    http://indiacuisine.blogspot.com/
    To learn more about Indian Food!
    Hi Mills – I would like to know how a “really good” Chow Ma Mein tastes…..

  17. i really like the shrimp fried rice. It’s just delicious i definately recommend it! =]

  18. Hi Rose – Thanks for the recommendation, I’ll try it out next time I’m there.

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