*** Hsu’s has since sailed off into the sunset.
Hsu’s Szechwan on the corner of Clairemont Mesa Blvd and Ruffin Road, was the scene of one of my more "interesting" encounters since I’ve been doing this Food Blogging thing. I’d been to Hsu’s once or twice before, but never had the Mongolian BBQ, so a few months back I paid Hsu’s a visit for lunch.
I’m a big fan of decent Mongolian BBQ, where you can grab some really nice thinly sliced meat, pile on fresh veggies, and add flavorings(give me lots of onions and garlic), and various sauces and have it cooked on the super hot griddle. I’ve always hesitated getting it a Hsu’s, and have never been very impressed with the food, which struck me as very generic American-Chinese-Sichuan.
The Lunch Specials are well priced at Hsu’s, ranging from $5.55(Vegetable dishes) to $6.75(Shrimp w/ Green Beans). The Lunch Special Mongolian BBQ is priced at $5.95 including an Egg Roll(all wrapper, hardly any filling), Won Ton(bleh), Fried Rice or Steamed Rice(Hint; get the steamed rice, the fried rice is D-R-Y soy sauce rice w/frozen peas and carrots), and Soup. On this day it was Hot and Sour Soup which was pretty good, nice and gooey with strip of bamboo shoots, though not spicy at all, the soup was not bad at all. So having ordered I walked up to the Mongolian BBQ, and selected some Lamb. For lunch the meat is pre-portioned in an overly small bowl. You add on additional vegetables, spilling most of it on the floor or counter, and head toward the "sauces".
The sauces are disappointing. All of them are watered down, the garlic is actually a few cloves of chopped garlic in a container of water, and so is really garlic water, same with the ginger. Looking at the "formula" placard explains all.
Try and do this with a group of people waiting in line behind you. Having no one behind me, I doubled everything. And headed over to the high heat griddle, handed the bowl over and the Young Man started cooking. I now understood why the sauces were so watery. The "Cook" just stir fries the ingredients, and doesn’t add liquid(I’ve seen a combo of wine and water used), just mixes around the ingredients and dumps it on a plate.
This is where it gets interesting. As I was reaching for my plate I heard "Hey, you, you no take pictures!" And turned around to find a little older Chinese Lady holding a stick in Her hand behind me. I instinctively raised both hands to shoulder height(guilty as charged Your Honor) and the voice in my head told me to "step away from counter". So I put my camera away, "okay, no problem". "You no take pictures here!" My response, "fine, no problem, my food is getting cold, I’m just going to eat". As I grabbed my plate I asked Her why she didn’t want me to take photos, I’m not placing any individuals in any of the pictures. Her answer? "You going to steal our secrets and open same kind restaurant across the street!" WHAT!!!! Yeah, I’m going to take photos of watery sauce, and a generic Mongolian BBQ, and open up another Mongolian BBQ in the same little strip mall on Clairemont Mesa Blvd???? OK, industrial espionage, I got it….. If anyone requests that I not take photos that’s fine with me, no problemo! But as I was walking to my table the Lady asked, "So what you take pictures for?" So I explained that I had a website(foodblog) about food in San Diego. At this point She smiled and said, "You go ahead and take all the pictures you want". Uh-uh, by this point my food is getting cold, and the dining room is pretty dark anyway, I’ve put away my camera, and it ain’t coming back out.
So the food? A pretty simple plate of stir-fry like veggies and lamb. The Lamb was decent and fairly gamey, the Young Man overcooked the veggies though. I also had to add soy sauce for more flavor. Still, for $5.95, this ain’t that bad. Not that I’ll be back soon, but it’s not terrible, just mediocre.
Some notes: Hsu’s also offers all you can eat Mongolian BBQ during dinner for $9.95 per person. Most of the menu is Americanized Sichuan; Kung Pao Chicken, Mu Shu, and such. Prices are pretty reasonable as a whole. The service overall is professional, though not very friendly. I’m still looking for decent Mongolian BBQ in San Diego, any rec’s?
Hsu’s Szechwan Cuisine
9350 Clairemont Mesa Blvd # S
San Diego, CA 92123
Hah! She sure changed her tune when you mentioned the photos were for a food site. Dunno’ if she’ll be as happy when she reads your review but since her English-speaking skills didn’t seem too good, you probably don’t have to worry Kirk.
Hey Kirk, I had three experiences just like that when I tried to take photos for my site, except there was no waving of spoons. I have a different strategy now…it’s secret! Keep it up, I love your blog. By the way, you got a TV for Valentine’s Day??? If the TV show “Wife Swappers” ever comes to town, I would like to partner up with you. Jim
For Mongolian BBQ, I’ve tried Stir Fresh up in RB. It’s a little more expensive (6.99 I think for lunch but that was a year ago so I don’t know if prices have gone up), but they let you get your own meat. The trick is to put all the meat on the bottom then use the bottom of another bowl or your fist to compact it as much as you can so you can fit more. Unfortunately, they got rid of the snowpeas, which was useful in building another wall around the rim of your bowl, basically increasing its size. The sauces here are a bit watered down too so you just have to make sure to pour in alot. In fact, if the cook thinks you don’t have enough, he’ll ask you to go back and get more. Have you tried Shanghai in Mission Valley?
LOL Kirk! I really enjoyed reading that post. That lady sounds like quite a character…I wonder if she has gone searching for your blog!
This a funny one! I like how quickly she changed her tune once you told her you were a food blogger.
Now that you’ve been blogging for so long, do you get restaurant owners who know you or the site?
I was afraid she was gonna hit you with that stick when you came to that part. LOL! Glad you escaped unscathed!
OHMIGOD! I got the same response when I took pictures of that crepe place in Irvine with the subway. The young lady behind the counter freaked when she saw me snapping away.
This was the first time this happened to me.
Later when I talked to the owner that I wanted to write about it, he was apologetic and was reallllllly happy to see me and told me to take as many pictures as I wanted. He even gave me some iced teas on the house.
Lucky for him I liked his food, otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered reviewing them at all.
Restauranteurs should really get a clue…what could possibly be culled from taking a photo of food other than publicity?!
which raises a question which restaurants maintain a website of their own, for their own benefit. That’s a good side business for an entrepreneur aquinted with restaurants to get into.
RONW, that niche in San Diego is being filled by our main newspaper site SignOnSanDiego.com. Many restaurants have a site that are hosted by SignOnSanDiego. It actually makes me a little uncomfortable because it kind of blurs the line between editorial and advertisement.
Hi James – She coulda asked me why I was taking pictures first.
Hi Jim – Secret, huh? Like maybe a fake glass eye??? LOL!
Hi Green Turtle – May need to give stir fresh a try, thanks for the tip! Just wondering, had your fill of Tommy’s yet? :o)
Hi Kathy – Don’t know, maybe she’ll find it now????
Hi Howie – That hasn’t happened yet.
Hi Beth – At least it wasn’t a cleaver, I don’t think she would’ve hit me, that would be really bad for business…..
Hi Elmo – Yep, you got that right.
Hi RONW – Many restaurants do have “websites”, most of them done by signonsandiego, as indicated by Howie.
Hi Howie – Well, the conflict has always seemed kind of strange. But of course one of the main reasons for a dining section is create a revenue stream. Sorry, cynicism is taking over….
Great story! I always worry that owners will think that I’m stealing secrets when I go to their restaurant.
Hi Kady – Funny, I’ve heard this same comment a few times, but I always wonder what kind of secrets?
Hi Kirk,
It’s interesting that you should mention this as I’ve never had any comments made yet. I guess people here are used to the Japanese taking pictures of everything! Good thing for me as I wouldn’t really want to have an altercation with someone — especially in front of other hungry diners.
That said, too bad this was average. If it were good, the restaurant would have benefitted from the publicity. Since it was mediocre, they will probably suffer.
BTW…when I initially started my site, I thought of passing out “business cards” with my web address to some of the smaller businesses. I did a couple, then stopped as people started asking more questions. Maybe you can think about something like that.
Kirk, you had me ROTF! I can’t believe she pointed a stick at you!
Fortunately, I’ve never had anything like this happen (yet); I’ve gotten a few wierd looks, but they prolly just figure i’m a tourist or something. I was also thinking about doing what Reid just mentioned about the business cards…just haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Kirk,
How terrible, she could have asked first before she pointed her stick at you.
Hi Reid – You know, I don’t think they’ll suffer at all. The place is always crowded for lunch, because it’s so cheap, and in the mind of many, Hsu’s is what Chinese Food is supposed to taste like…..
Hi Pam – I do get alot of strange looks, but this was by far the most interesting experience to date.
Hi Mills – It’s more funny then anything. Like I said, at least it wasn’t a cleaver, then I’d be really afraid! LOL!
It amazes me that this place gets so crowded. I guess it’s due to the location. Oh the secrets you could steal from here….
Hi Jack – I think that Hsu’s serves what many people in San Diego think is great Chinese food.
Everyone’s taste is different.
I’ve been eating at Hsu’s since 1978 and have introduced a host of friends to Mongolian BBQ. The quality is better than you rate it, and you simply cannot beat the price. The non-BBQ menu is extensive. The service is friendly and very attentive.
Hi Dave – Yes, everyone’s taste is different. The water-logged sauces for the Mongolian BBQ is what really turned me off, as did the overly sweet food. The prices for lunch are especially good. It’s not a bad ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establisment), but not a good one.
You are officially a snob. Hsu’s is one of my favorite restaurants!
Hi Jason – LOL! I don’t care for one of your favorite restaurants and you call me a snob, and you’ve obviously not read any other posts…..hmmm, I find that rather ironic.