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.
As all you regular readers can tell. there have been no posts over the last couple of days. There have been some problems with Typepad, the Web Blogging Service I use. I had a few posts in the "queue" that are now lost in the vapor of cyberspace.
But will have new posts starting (hopefully) on Sunday. I’m hoping to be back on my regular schedule.
Mahalo,
Kirk
**** Manila BBQ & Grill has closed
Back in November my Buddy Jack told me that a new Filipino Take-Out had opened up in Point Loma. So on a recent Friday that I had off I decided to pay Manila BBQ and Grill a visit.
I found the little take-out place in a stand alone "Food Court" in Point Loma Plaza. In fact, no permanent "signage" was yet in place.
I don't know what the "seafood" sign is about, there's no seafood on the menu! I looked over the 
menu and went to order. Unfortunately, my first two choices were "not ready" yet. I'd come a bit too early(1045am), and many items were not ready yet. So I finally settled on a Combo Meal with Teriyaki Short Rib BBQ (I find the Teriyaki and BBQ to be a bit redundant here), and Pork Adobo($6.50):
There were two cross cut short ribs and several large chunks of Pork Adobo served over a large bed of rice, a pretty good size portion of food. The short ribs were tender and moist, with a nice bit of carmelization, but fell "short" in flavor. In fact, the ribs were pretty bland and unremarkable. In comparison to say, L&L, I'd say, much more tender then L&L, but L&L's "Kalbi" had much more flavor. In fact, I really don't consider this "teriyaki" by any means, not even Hawaiian Style Teriyaki. It's closer to Hawaiian BBQ.
Many consider Adobo, along with Pancit and Lumpia to be
one of the quintessential dishes that represent Filipino Food. Pork Adobo for those who do not know, is pork cooked in vinegar and soy sauce, and seasoned with bay leaves, garlic, and my favorite in adobo, a touch of black pepper. This version had a pretty good sauce, with a nice touch of vinegar. But the downfall of the dish were the overly large chunks of pork. The smaller pieces had absorbed the flavor of the sauce and were nice and tender. The larger pieces did not have enough flavor and were also on the dry side; a big no-no when it comes to adobo. Also the slight hint of black pepper I enjoy was missing. On the good side, was that the Gal who put this dish together placed the adobo over the rice, making the rice very tasty.
I had made up my mind to do a follow-up visit. And so a month later I paid Manila BBQ & Grill another visit. Now open about 2 months, I was pretty sure that all the wrinkles would be pretty much worked out. I dropped by and ordered a Combo Meal($6.50) with Teriyaki Chicken BBQ Skewer(wow, talk about a mouthful), and the Chicken Adobo.
Talk about deja vu all over again! The chicken adobo were really large pieces of chicken that really didn't absorb some of the flavor. The sauce was the same as the last time, and really not salty enough. As large as the pieces were, it was mostly bone, except for a whole drumstick. As a whole I wish the adobo was placed on the rice as the last time, since there was a huge pool of sauce with nowhere to go at the bottom of the container.
The BBQ Chicken looked beautiful, and were nicely grilled. But don't lose that little container of teriyaki-ish sauce
, as a whole these were under-flavored. The chunks of chicken were moist and nicely grilled, but the overall flavoring was quite weak, though I'm pretty sure I tasted a faint peanut-butter flavor. I did pour the sauce over the chicken for flavor.
If I were to return, I'd order the Pork Adobo with the BBQ Chicken Skewer. In retrospect, I wonder if this place would survive in National City or Mira Mesa? But they have the market cornered for Filipino food in Point Loma and are probably better then some other options. The portions are large and service is very nice and friendly. So if you're in Point Loma, and really need some Filipino "grinds"; Manila BBQ & Grill is nearby. The menu is short but feature other items such as Pancit, Grilled Pork Chop and Beef Steak(I think it's probably Bistek).
Manila BBQ & Grill
3615 Midway Drive Suite C
San Diego, CA 92110
*** This location of India Princess has closed.
This past weekend, the Missus's long Indian food hibernation came to an end. We were walking past an Tandoori restaurant and she turned to me and said, "you'll think this is funny, but I want some Indian food". My reply, "so you want some corn and berries" earned me a dirty look. It's kind of a long story but, during my time doing consulting work in San Diego, the Missus became obsessed with Tandoori Chicken from a certain restaurant in San Diego. So I would have to pick up two to three orders when returning from San Diego. After four cycles of this behavior, the Missus had pretty much burned out on Tandoori Chicken and Indian food as a whole. That was five years ago. During that period we've kind of lost touch with Indian food, but it's a good thing that many Indian Restaurants feature lunch buffets; and India Princess is no exception.
This tiny storefront on Fourth Avenue is pretty deceiving. And it's a looong walk to the dining room.
Since it was the weekend, we went for the Champagne Brunch($11.95). While I went to place the validation ticket in the parking kiosk across the street the Missus got things underway. The buffet is set-up in 3 parts. A garnish, salad, chutney, and dessert section.
A middle vegetable and starch section, and a meat section.
While we were checking out the offerings our Garlic Naan arrived. The Missus forever being proactive had ordered this(it comes with the brunch) while I had stepped out. The Naan was just ok, we've had much better at other places. We enjoy ours more "toasted" and with a much more pronounced garlic flavor.
As with all buffets, there are hits and misses, Indian Princess was no exception. We both loved the Keema Mutter, basically ground/minced lamb with curry, peas, and other spices. We ate the Keema Mutter mixed with the Mint Chutney, making it delici-yoso!!! Surprisingly, I enjoyed several of the vegetarian dishes, the Zucchini Aloo was moist, mildly garlicky, with an almost buttery texture. The Channa Masala, had chickpeas(garbanzos) in a spicy tomato sauce, and was very enjoyable. We both enjoyed the Tandoori Chicken, though a bit on the milder side, was very moist, even the white meat portions. We also enjoyed a type of leavened "bread", the name of which I don't remember, but it reminded us a bit of Chinese steamed buns.
And of course there were the items that were less than satisfying. Specifically the Fish Maharani, in a coconut and curry sauce. The fish was grainy, dry, and tasted "off". It was obviously fish that had been frozen for a pretty long time. Both the Chicken Curry and Chicken Tikka Marsala were on the bland side.
Since we didn't desire any champagne, we got Diet Cokes and a Mango Lassi instead. This "sweet" yogurt drink was very refreshing, and palate cleansing. After tasting a specific dish, we'd take a sip of the Lassi to clear our palate.
If you're well versed on Indian food, a buffet may not interest you. For the fairly uninitiated, like us, a buffet allows us to get some culinary "footing". It also helps if the staff is as helpful as the Gentlemen working at India Princess. One of them actually went down the line, explaining every item to the Missus, and was oh so helpful! It also helps to go a bit early before the restaurant gets too busy.
Some notes: Indian Princess serves a buffet lunch for $8.95 from Mondays through Fridays. The Champagne Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays for $11.95 from 11am to 3pm. The staff is very helpful and efficient. During the evenings and weekends there is validated free parking in the Medical Office Building across the street. The drill is, you park your car, and when you are seated you are given a "ticket"; you then go back out and across the street and place the ticket in the appropriate parking kiosk slot.
We had such a good time, and after eating 4 plates of food were so full that I forgot to take a photo of the storefront. So I went back to get one later on:
India Princess Royal Indian Cuisine
3925 Fourth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Ok, it’s been a pretty late (day)night for me. And after getting home I start rooting around, cause I’m really hungry. What’s in the freezer, well let’s see, lots of Lean Cuisine, and frozen pizza. Well that stuff takes too long. In the frig, no tofu, no kimchee, NO RICE!!! So I started going through the cabinets, past all the long expired "stuff" and the horrible Trader Joe’s Tuna Panang Curry(I’d rather starve – though the Missus loves it). And found this:
I recall that I picked it up at Nijiya for like 97 cents. I mean, such a large package for only 97 cents, who could resist(bargain city!!!)? But I really didn’t think I’d ever really have to eat it. But desperate times…..you know? So I unwrapped it, and started reading the instructions:
Wow, and I thought programming my VCR was tough! But at least there were these "packets" to help me along:
And following the instructions, I opened the "Dry Vegetable", which should have been called "Green Paint Chips":
So I added the boiling water, and waited 3 minutes, and used the "handy-dandy" water spout to empty out the water. All the time wondering how many focus groups worked on creating this perfectly functioning package. After draining the water, I started opening all the flavor packets. Until I looked at a little scrap of the labeling and read "610 Calories" per package! Geeez, so having having to come to terms with this now steaming, unflavored, glob of noodles there was decision to be made.
So suddenly in rationalization mode, I made my decision. I didn’t add the Mayonnaise packet, and felt alot better! When in doubt, rationalize. I dodged at least a whole 50-60 calories that way, making me feel much better???? After mixing and quickly eating, the Missus had the best description of the flavor. "It has a strange attraction, I want to throw it away, but I keep eating." I guess this "strange attraction", 97 cent Yakisoba, really can’t be that bad! The only thing that bothers me, is that there are times where you can’t really tell the difference between the noodles and the styrofoam……..
When we first moved to San Diego in ’01, Taste of Italy in Hillcrest was a part of our rotation.
Not for the Pasta(ok), or Pizzas(borderline lousy), but for the Sandwiches, especially the Chicken Pomodoro Sandwich. The sandwich was excellent, served on a crusty toasted roll, with moist chicken, and provolone cheese, in a slightly spicy tomato, garlic(lots of garlic), and basil, sauce. It was Delici-yoso!!! And priced right, $5.95. After about a year, the price was raised to $7.95, and fries were added. We still thought that the prices were ok. But after about six months the price was increased to $8.95, and we had hit our limit. And so Taste of Italy had dropped off our radar, until last week, when we decided to pay a visit to Taste of Italy in Hillcrest for lunch. Even though it was 1120, there was no one in the restaurant. As we walked in we kinda just waited around, no one even attempted to seat us! How very odd! Finally, someone dressed in "Kitchen Whites" motioned to us, to have a seat. Meanwhile several people were milling behind the counter and just ignored us. We sat, and in a few minutes, a Young Lady, walked up to us, and kinda did nothing….after telepathy ordering failed, we had to ask for our menus, which we finally got:
And Holy Crap, the sandwiches were now 10 bucks! But since we were here, we had committed to this meal, and who knows, maybe the sandwiches were a whole lot better! Next funny thing; the Gal came up and asked us if we were ready to order, which we were. But she then grabbed the menus and walked away without taking our order. How very strange….. She came back about a minute later with an ordering pad and we proceeded to order. We were asked if we wanted soup or salad, and I thought, "hey, adding soup or salad, and raising the price maybe ain’t so bad". So we placed our order. Another odd thing; at about this time we noticed that we didn’t have any napkins or silver, and none had been delivered. We mentioned this to the Gal when she brought our water. Soon our salads arrived; I ordered mine with Balsamic Dressing:
When the salads arrived, I asked for napkins. The Gal apologized and said that the Server for the lunch shift had not come in yet(it was noon), and She’s the Cashier(I guess there’s no cross training). But at least she brought us water. After several minutes I got up and walked up to the counter and asked the Gal for napkins, she gave me a stack of 10 – I guess she wanted to make sure that we didn’t run out of napkins! Back to the food; the dressing waaaay to sour, but the worst thing about the salad, was that there was a rather deep pool of water at the bottom of the bowl, the greens had not been drained properly. When we were through(notice I didn’t say finished) with our salads, the Young Lady came up to use and oddly asked if we were ready for our sandwiches. I thought that was odd, until I heard and realized that she was telling the kitchen to start firing up our sandwiches! She then came back and cleared the salad bowls. So after another rather long pause our sandwiches arrived. The Missus had ordered the long awaited Chicken Pomodoro Sandwich($10):
First thing I asked, was where are the "Italian Chips", the menu clearly states that all sandwiches come with chips. Well, we come to find out, that it’s a choice of soup, salad, or chips, even though the menu doesn’t say that. Oh, and the sandwich was fairly terrible. The former sauce, had been replaced with some mushy sauteed tomatoes, of which only the skin was left, the garlic taste was lacking, there was very little basil. And worse of all they put mayo on this sandwich, which really made everything taste terrible. The chicken was very dry and tough. And still no silver, so anything that fell out we would have to pick up with our hands and eat, but we usually just let them lie in state on the plate.
I ordered the Salsiccia Sandwich($10):
This was an Italian Sausage Sandwich with sauteed onions and peppers in a Pinot Grigio Arrabiatta sauce. Looks pretty good doesn’t it? Well the other half of the sandwich looked like this:
All of the sauteed veggies were placed on one half of the sandwich. Which would have been no problem since I could just move them myself; IF I HAD GOTTEN AT LEAST A FORK!!!!! But I guess they think using our fingers would just suit us….. This sandwich was not bad, the arrabiatta sauce was quite tasty, and the bread was well toasted, and the peppers and onions were well flavored. But the sausage was really not very good, and quite dry to boot. At the end of this so called "meal" we didn’t even get our check; the Missus went up to the counter to ask for and pay our bill. I pity the ONE other table that was there. I wonder what happened with their lunch. I did see one of the Gentlemen actually walk to the counter and get water for the others at the table. Seems like the Taste of Italy had become a self-service institution.
I retrospect this was almost so pathetic as to be funny. I know that the Young Lady is the "Cashier", but apparently common sense was on Holiday. So what happens when your Server doesn’t show? In places I worked, the Manager takes over, or someone is called in. Or maybe, God forbid, she was the Manager!!!!! I almost told the Young Lady not to quit Her day job, but then I realized, it was Lunch, and this could possibly be her "day job". In the end Taste of Italy, became a waste of time and money. We won’t be back.
So here’s the info for Waste Taste of Italy:
Taste of Italy Hillcrest
1013 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
Here are a few follow-ups of places (new and old) from our rotation.
We finally made it back to El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante on a weekend and had a chance to try the "weekend soups". There are two Salvadoran Beef soups features on the weekend.
The Sopa De Res(Sabado y Domingo – $6.95):
A nice rich semi clear broth, featured squash, yuca, a huge hunk of cabbage, and beef still on the bones. This soup tasted very "clean" and soothing, with bay and cilantro overtones, though the meat was rather tough.
I ordered the Sopa De Pata($6.95):
This soup was a direct opposite of the other soup. Thick and tomato based, with bay and black pepper flavor. There was a reason this soup was so thick. You see this is a "gelatin" lovers dream. There was really no "meat", just bone and lots of gelatin – which I happened to enjoy. as with the previous soup, there was a piece of squash, yuca, and cabbage. There was one item in each soup that we didn’t enjoy; the piece of corn was really tough, and almost broke my teeth! These soups are served with Salvadoran Tortillas, which were just like pupusas without filling. A very filling meal.
Of course we’ve been going back to Da’ Kitchen. Here’s the Chicken Cutlet I had today:
It was the "triple-decker" Chicken Katsu, with a brown gravy, topped with mushrooms and onions. I bought it with "all rice" today; and there were 3 scoops of rice, with one scoop hidden underneath! Delici-yoso!!! (And the Missus finished a whole Fish Tempura Plate by herself!).
Finally, I guess there comes a time that we all have to face our fears. This year the Missus wanted one of these(but I’ll be the one using it):
Yep, that’s a Pressure Cooker; for some reason I’m terrified of pressure cookers, and have never 
used one in my life. I’ve got those stories of exploding pressure cookers, although I’ve been assured that newer models are extremely safe. So we’ll soon see how I handle the "pressure".
Dum-te-de-dum-de-dum-dum..Under Pressure….
*** 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.
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.
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):
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):
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.
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):
More like Won Ton in teriyaki sauce. Not spicy, quite sweet. Won Ton skins were really thick.
Szechuan Chicken($8.25):
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):
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
A few days ago I had a whole half salmon waiting for me when I arrived home. It seems that the Missus decided that she wanted "blackened salmon" for dinner. So I whipped up a real quick rub with Alaea, Sea Salt, Granulated Garlic, Togarashi, Cayenne, Paprika, Oregano, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Onion Powder, a touch of soy sauce, and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
The one problem in our household is when you cook over high heat and sear, you'll be smelling the "essence" of what you cooked for several days afterwards floating around the kitchen. Enter the Big Kahuna! In addition to the 55,00 BTU, meaning you'll be able to get a good carmelization, you're outside, meaning the "essence of salmon" won't be floating around the kitchen for the rest of the week.
In addition, it's great for the "flambe-pyro maniac" that resides in me, when I add a bit of sake:
After the towering inferno is done, reduce the heat, and you get a nice crusted salmon, with a medium-well interior. Not to mention no fishy residue floating around the kitchen! To complete this "orange" meal, the Missus's latest obsession is Fuyu Persimmons:
It seems that this is the year of the Fuyu. I've seen posts from Japan to Guam to Hawaii! Usually the Missus enjoys Hachiya Persimmons, but I've been told that this has been a good year for Fuyus. This bunch is from Zion Market, and were a very bright orange, with no sun damage(black spots), and no "cracks".
You'd almost mistake them for tomatoes……..
**** Ben’s has closed
Ya’ know, I’m not really good at all these “blogging event” kind of things – except if Reid or Alan asks me to do something. After all, they may “know somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody, who’s related to me”. Maybe I’m really a “Flakey-flake” like Professor Salt says! LOL! But when I saw the subject of the most Delicious Sarah’s Dine & Dish no. 5 – Asian Persuasion, I thought I had it made. After all, a good 70% of what I post is “Asian”, and even more amazing I’m Asian! And so is the Missus! But of course, I have a bad habit of not being able to follow my instructions; so I had to ask Sarah if I could do Filipino:
kirk: ANYTHING asian…though i will be honest i may have to check with some filipina friends because i’ve never been quite sure if filipino is asian. but no FUSION!!
(did i mention i have very strong feelings about asian “f*ew*sion”? LOL!)
Okay, I screwed up again! I ended up eating at a Filipino-Fusion Restaurant, and no it’s not Yi Cuisine in LA. This one is called Ben’s 1615 and is located in National City:
Located on Sweetwater Road, Ben’s is owned by a local Physician and offers a variety of Filipino, and 
Fusion Filipino dishes. The restaurants decor is a definitive Southeast ASIAN, featuring bright colors and clean lines. There’s even a “waterfall fountain”. The menu is varied and divided into separate sections featuring Soups, Salads, Pasta(???), and Traditional Filipino “Favorites”.
So after looking over the menu, we made our decisions, and were served these “buns”, that really looked like…..well, you know!
Actually these pseudo-Pan De Sal, were nice and warm, but really just plain.
But if there was any doubt; that this was Asian food, this pretty much answered all questions for me. A true monument to all that is Asian! The great pyramid of rice:
At sunset no less! This monument to rice came as part of the Crispy Pata($13.75) that the Missus ordered. For those that don’t know what Crispy Pata is; in short, it’s a stewed pork leg(pata), that is then deep fried.
In this case, the “pata” is actually removed from the bone and chopped, much like lechon kawali. This actually decreased the “pork-fat” guilt. The lechon pata was fried to a perfect crisp and was alot milder in flavor and less greasy then the “normal” pata. I really don’t know if I consider it more refined, but it was definitely alot milder in flavor. A ramekin of tasty adobo-like sauce(not quite lechon sauce) was provided for dipping as well.
I ordered the Chicken Pandan($8.50):
There were three large chunks of chicken, marinated in coconut milk, lemon grass, and sesame oil, then wrapped in Pandan leaves and deep fried. The chicken was very moist, with a nice crust developed from the frying, and a very pleasant mild flavor. The only item that didn’t belong was the lousy sweet chili sauce. Adding the overly sweet sauce to any of the mildly flavored courses would just mask any flavor. The Missus actually enjoyed the chicken alot more then the pata, but the tastes and presentation left us a bit intrigued, and we’ll be back to try other dishes.
Some Notes: As with many “fusion” type dishes “your mileage may vary”, I’ve heard that there are some real “clunkers” on the menu. Specifically, I’ve heard from more then one person that the Pasta dishes are borderline terrible. Especially the “adobo-pesto’s” . I’ve also heard that the “bar” upstairs serves up some pretty good eats (specifically the “spicy seafood”).
I don’t know if this will qualify for Sarah’s Dine & Dish, but I need to send some “gratitude” her way – especially for always being a good sport! LOL Sarah!
Ben’s 1615
1615 Sweetwater Road
National City, CA 91950
*** Da’ Kitchen is now Mo’s Island Grinds, same great people, the food is also the same!
Every few months or so, I either hear of a new Plate Lunch or "Local"(Hawaiian) style restaurant in San Diego, either through the "coconut wireless" or Emails, that go something like this:
"I just wanted to inform you of a new Hawaiian place that my husband and I ate at that’s soooooooooo good! they have the best Kalbi and loco moco I have ever had……." And while I really enjoy and appreciate the comments and recommendations (keep ’em coming folks), most of them usually end up being L & L knock-offs. Nothing wrong with L&L, but to me, a "real" plate lunch, has a certain vibe, taste, and character. While I do eat at L&L, I kind of equate them to the Starbucks of the plate lunch world. The closest we have to a plate lunch place here in San Diego, albeit mediocre, is Da’ Kines, until now that is.
You see first of all the name of this place was Da’ Kitchen, and years ago I ate at Da’ Kitchen on Maui. So now you’ve really got my attention.
Getting out on the Carroll Canyon Road exit off the 15 Freeway I got to Da’ Kitchen, and parked my car. First thing I noticed was just a simple sign over the entrance. Da’ Kitchen had just been open 2 weeks. I looked over the grease board "menu", and the first thing that struck me were the prices. Kalbi for $9.95? Sheesh! But I went forward and placed an order. While waiting for my order, I had a nice chat with Jocelyn, one of the Owners, along with her Husband who runs the kitchen. If these plate lunches were as good as Jocelyn was nice and friendly, it was going to be a pretty good meal.
Here’s the Kalbi ($9.95):
Well first off, there were 5 pieces of cross cut kalbi, 5 pieces! These were well marinated and fairly tender, which is what you want. Most times they are too tough and rubbery, or over marinated and mushy. The marinade was excellent, just slightly sweet, and the ribs were nicely grilled. The plate came with one large scoop of rice and a macaroni-potato salad, which was kind of bland, and in need of salt. Overall, a good example of "local style" Kalbi, which differs a bit from Korean style.
I also ordered the Hawaiian Plate($10.75):
As a whole this was just okay. The laulau was nice and moist with alot of luau(taro) leaf, but with very little meat. The Chicken Long Rice had too much ginger in it. The Kalua Pork on the other hand was very moist, with a mild smoked flavor, and was the best item on the plate. This plate came with rice and the macaroni-potato salad, which was put in a container of it’s own.
The Fish Tempura($8.95):
Imagine five pieces of fish(I think it was Mahi Mahi??), yes the plate has five pieces of fish. What surprised me the most, was that the fish was still very crunchy and moist after the drive home. The tempura batter has what looks like furikake(Japanese Seaweed condiment) in it that adds to the taste. I wasn’t too crazy about the tartar sauce, and ended up using malt vinegar, which made it delici-yoso!!!
But the plate that brought tears to my eyes was this:
Yes, it’s a Loco Moco($7.75). If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that I love "loco’s". This was a good one!
As explained by Jocelyn, a 10-12 oz. homemade patty, 2 extra-large eggs easy over, brown gravy, topped with mushrooms and onions, rice, and macaroni-potato salad. A true thing of beauty! And they sneaked in an extra scoop of rice under the Burger! So I thought I’d use the infamous Modified Rubio Scoring System developed by James of Big Island Grinds.
Here’s how it measured up:
BURGER: Handmade and moist, and pretty huge. Maybe a bit too much filler, but nicely seared and seasoned. 4.0
EGGS: Cooked well, easy over, and yolks still runny. Could have been more crisp around the edges. But extra large eggs means bonus points. 4.5
RICE: Perfect, not dry. And those sneaky Bugga’s wen stash one scoop unda da burga la’ dat! You gotta love that. 5.0
GRAVY: Very nice color and texture, velvety, deep and dark brown. The taste was mildly beefy, but could have been better flavored. 4.0
STUFFS: Not enough flavor in the salad, actually tasted better with the gravy on it. And I really didn’t think the mushrooms and onions brought anything other then a bit of eye appeal to the dish. 3.0
Overall 20.5 points, the most I’ve ever given a Loco (so far)! How I finished it, I’ll never know.
Today I though I’d try the Chicken Katsu($7.75):
This was a "triple-decker" Katsu monster, fried golden brown, moist and delicious. And best of all, real Katsu sauce, not that runny sweet sour, garbage that L&L serves up. And the macaroni-potato salad tasted better today, just a bit of salt, that brought out the potato flavor. I only made it through 1 1/2 layers. As I was leaving, Jocelyn asked me how I did, so I showed her. She gave me a smile of pitying disapproval; sort of a "you’re a girly-man" sort of smile.
I also got a plate of the Korean Chicken($7.75) to go:
These are pieces of chicken marinated in a sweet soy mixture, then battered and fried. It comes with a mildly spicy and sweet soy sauce concoction. Sweet, salty, crunchy, and slightly spicy, a nice combination of taste and texture(think almost mochiko); this is the Missus’s favorite by far. In fact, I think I’ll get the dipping sauce for the Fish Tempura next time!
The restaurant, though sparse, gives off a laid-back vibe. And I get the feeling that no matter how crowded it might be here, it would still feel very relaxing.
As you can tell, Da’ Kitchen has been added to our rotation. So bring your appetite and give them a try!
By the way Jo, they have a branch in Mountain View!
Da’ Kitchen
9823 Carroll Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92131
Open Mon-Sat 10am – 8pm
