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.
Well, I’ll be taking a short vacation. Be gone for a few days, not really a food destination, but hey, I’ve got to eat.
No laptop, so I’ll have very intermittent Internet access.
I’ll be back with a new post on either Sunday or Monday. Along with my vacation destination. First real "airplane" trip in two years, so it’ll be fun!
Best wishes from us at mmm-yoso!!!
Kirk
*** SF Supermarket is now GW Supermarket
On a recent trip back to Rowland Heights, I was unable to suppress a laugh when I saw this branch of Shun Fat Supermarket(aka SF Supermarket). I'm sure if you take a look at this photo, you'd have no clue as to why I find humor just staring at the front of one, of many Asian Supermarkets in the area.
Well let me explain. When we lived two blocks from here, this used to be a Vons Supermarket. Aside from the Produce Guys, this branch of Vons used to have some of the ruddest employees I have ever experienced. So rude, that we used to avoid shopping here, and would take the time to drive several miles away and shop at the Albertson's on Azusa instead. I'm sure those cashiers could now be gainfully employed at Hong Kong Market across the street, home of the ruddest(yes now that Vons is gone there has to be a #1) cashiers. So I guess I enjoyed, and savored the irony and "Karma-tic" moment.
As I entered, I passed the Tea and Boba stand, the dried and preserved snacks stand, and the bakery, and made sure to stop in…..Produce, of course!
And all the usual suspects were there, from the Celery-Lettuce(Celtuce):
I have some smoked Hunan Pork at home that would cook up real well with this.
The Chinese Celery looked really fresh:
If you've never had Chinese Celery, you'd be in for a surprise. Chinese celery, though much thinner then the varieties we are used to in the U.S., is very resilient and fibrous, and the celery flavor is much more intense then regular celery.
I thought the Pea Shoots made a nice photo-op.
As I was leaving produce, I noticed these jumbo packs of Boba. They probably should sell them at Costco….
In keeping with the standard configuration of Supermarkets, the meat and seafood section took up the entire rear of the market.
Overall, very clean, with a minimal pungency level. The selection was good, for example the selection of every part of the pig except the oink.
And what would a trip to that market be without an interesting sign.
This one was right above the "basins" that held clams and other shellfish. Can you imagine what prompted the posting of this sign???? Of course it could be that no one could understand what the phrase "plesa don't wash your hang" meant.
As I was walking along the chiller, something caught my eye:
I couldn't believe my eyes. Kohala brand kimchee, from Hawaii. Unbelievable, I can't even remember the last time I saw a bottle of this stuff.
Right across the Kimchee and milk(what a combo), was a nice collection of dried fish:
Good stuff, though I don't think I'll be bringing it to the company potluck.
There was one area in which SF Supermarket was lacking.
It was in the snack isle. Pretty unimpressive. The largest display was for this:
Well maybe tastes really are changing……
Shun Fat Supermarket
18475 Colima Road
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
After driving around a bit, we found an interesting restaurant that I really don't remember seeing before. It was on Hacienda, right next to Malan Noodle House:
The English name is Boiling Point, but the Chinese name is something along the lines of "Boiling Point, Stinky-Stinky Pot". Anyone eat here? I'd be very interested.
Asia Cafe has slowly made it’s way onto our "rotation". Apparently it has become a favorite of Ed from Yuma as well. You can read about His latest experience on Chowhound. On my previous posts on Asia Cafe, I noted the location, and ambiance.
Asia Cafe is really about good Laotian Home Cooking, and for Her fifth day of feasting, after the visits to China Max, Izakaya Sakura, Sushi Komasa in Los Angeles, and Ba Ren, the Missus was in the mood for some good home cooking.
We started with the Missus’s favorite, the Nem Khao.
With this wonderful rice crust – sour sausage dish, you experience the best of both worlds. When wrapped in a lettuce leaf, and garnished with cilantro and mint, you have wonderful flavors along with a crunchy texture.
The Missus also went with the Yum Asia.
This seafood "salad", is served with a refreshing sweet, fish sauce based dressing. We always order ours with "clear noodles". Yum is right…..
Asia Cafe also makes very good sticky rice. One order is usually enough for the both of us.
One of my favorite dishes at Asia Cafe is the See Nam Tok:
A very simple sirloin or similar cut of beef, marinated, and pan fried, and served with a fish sauce based dipping sauce.
Today we ordered something a bit different. We asked about the whole fried fish we had seen on a previous visit. Though like the Nem Khao, it’s not on the menu, the Fried Fish was available today.
Simply salted and deep fried to crisp perfection, the item that made this dish was the dipping sauce, consisting of (what else!) fish sauce, garlic, some chilies, and green onions. Very nice!
When we entered, the "Chef", the Wife of the Husband and wife team that along with their two sons make Asia Cafe "tick", greeted me with a "Hi, I haven’t seen you in a while!" And while we were eating, Johnny, one of the sons brought a plate of noodles over, and said "We’re doing some catering tonight, so my Mom wanted make sure you tasted some of this."
He called it Mee Lao, very tasty simple noodles stir fried with soy sauce and bean sprouts and topped with fried egg.
The damage? All of the dishes above with a pot of tea(Jasmine) for $27. Needless to say, we had a ton of leftovers.
I once asked a friend of a friend why there weren’t more Laotian Restaurants, and he told me that everyone believed that their Mother made the best Laotian food, so why eat out? Well, since I can’t call on a Laotian Mom to make great home cooked dishes for me, I’ll have to rely on Asia Cafe, my little gem of a restaurant on the corner of 47th street and Market street for great home style cooking.
Asia Cafe
4710 Market St
San Diego, CA 92102
I'd recently heard about a new Cuban Restaurant that recently opened in La Mesa, from reader and frequent commenter Reynila and My good friend and frequent contributor to Chowhound, Gayla. During a quick call to Habana I found out that during Happy Hour(between 4-6 pm) all appetizers are half price, and specialty drinks are $2 off! A good deal. Needless to say, we had a bunch of appetizers. All appetizer prices in the post, are the "menu" prices. To calculate Happy Hour prices, divide by '2'.
We arrived at approximately 430pm, and found Habana empty. The large dining area goes for a tropical feel.
After looking over the "Tropical" drink menu……
The Missus tried a Habanatini($7 – $5 Happy Hour). Kind of on the weak side, but ok overall.
We looked over the menu and started ordering. We decided on 5 appetizers, and ordered one entree to share.
The first appetizer to arrive were the Chicken Croquetas($3.95):
The croquettes were moist and fairly light, though I really could not taste any chicken. As a whole fairly unremarkable.
Beef Empanada ($3.95).
The empananda was quite large, and the exterior was nicely fried and crisp. The filling was pretty dry and the flavor was on the mild side.
The Maduros (Fried Plantains – $4.25), fried well, with a nice sweetness that wasn't cloying. Overall, quite nicely done.
Yuca Frita (Fried yuca), served with a "mojo" ($4.50). The Yuca was crisp on the outside, and moist on the inside. There was a mild sweet flavor to go with the slightly dense stachy interior. The "mojo" was a flavorful concoction. The menu said the yuca was served with a garlic sauce, but we were sure that there was some meat in the sauce. Our suspicions were confirmed when we asked what was in the sauce, and the word "pork" was mentioned. No wonder it was so tasty!
The Yuca con Mojo – the best dish of the night ($3.95). The boiled Yuca was served with a lemon-olive oil-garlic sauce that bordered on addictive. The sauteed onions added an almost sweet flavor to the dish.
We also ordered one entree to share. The classic Cuban Dish, Ropa Vieja($11.50), we ordered Arroz Morro and Papa Dulce Roja(Yams) as our "sides".
The dish was a disappointment. The Arroz Morro, supposedly black beans and rice simmered in wine was flavorless. The black beans were also very hard. The yams were nothing special either. The Ropa Vieja was dry and tough, and very mild in flavor. Of the four version of Ropa Vieja I've had so far, this is ranked at a solid "number 4".
Would I recommend Habana? I'd say if you want to go for Happy Hour, I would say that the food is a fairly good value. How can you argue with $2 appetizers? We probably be back to Habana for the Yuca con Mojo, and maybe try another Entree. Out total bill for the evening, for 5 appetizers, two specialty drinks, and one entree was $37. Habana also offers a Sunday Brunch:
I forwarded the photos of the menu to Jim the Brunchmaster.
One last item, our Server, Amy, was excellent. So nice and efficient.
Habana Restaurant & Bar
7777 University Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941
619-713-2011
Since we moved to San Diego in 2001, we’ve been to the Greek Festival at St. Spyridon’s Greek Orthodox Church every year except one. Though we had a pretty full schedule this year, we wanted to make sure to drop by, and get a few of our "favorites".
The Greek Festival at St. Spyridon’s on Park Boulevard has got to be one of the most well organized festivals in San Diego. Everything from parking with a free shuttle service (At Roosevelt Jr HS – Upas and Richmond St), to traffic control and crosswalk safety officers are covered. I guess it’s the experience garnered from many years(this is the 37th annual festival). The $2 admission is a mere pittance to pay for attending such an organized festival.
Arriving at 1115 this morning, my mouth was watering, as I checked out the lamb roasting.
If you checked out my post on last year’s festival, you’d know that I adore the Leg of Lamb Plate($6.00). Unfortunately, all the planets were not aligned this year, and we found that the lamb was not ready and that it would be an hour wait for it. Due to scheduling conflicts we wouldn’t be able to wait around for it. Bummer!
But at least I got my "flaming cheese" dish, the Saganaki($5.00):
Slices of cheese(the name of which escapes me….), are fried, and placed upon a fried pita. At that point brandy is added and the cheese is set on fire. Along with a joyous "Opa" from all the occupants of the booth:
The Saganaki booth is by far the festive at the festival. The cheese concoction is gooey, milky, and a bit on the salty side.
Good stuff!
I also made a quick trip to the Gyros Booth, for what else….a Gyros Pita($6.00):
This booth got very busy, very quickly.
Not a bad Gyros Pita.
While I was stuffing my face, the Missus made a quick trip to the pastry section.
And got Her Baklava, Katalfi, and other pastries:
For those desiring a more refined dining experience, the Dining Room opens at 1130, with such items as Greek Chicken, Lamb Chops, Moussaka, Spanakopita, and other yummy items.
Don’t forget to stop by the Deli area as well.
In case you weren’t able to drop by today, you’ll still have another chance tomorrow, Sunday, June 11th(from 11am – 9pm). The only strange incident that happened on our visit(other then the lamb not being ready), was a Husky Guy wearing a Pink T-Shirt peddling Mary Kay cosmetics, with Two other Women. They accosted the Missus twice, very strange.
St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church
3655 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92103
*** This location of El Comal has closed.
On a recent afternoon I was rather surprised when I asked the Missus what she felt like eating. Her answer? "Hmmm, I’d like some Mexican food, maybe some soup would be good." Wow, first she went along for some Vietnamese, and now Mexican. But as with most similar opportunities in our household there was one catch. "But make sure it’s none of that, taco shop garbage, OHHKAYYY!" Yes, the Missus has an aversion to the tons of yellow cheese, gloppy refried beans, french fries in the burrito, greasy taco shop fare that is so abundant in San Diego. Bummer…… Luckily, I had a restaurant in mind, one entry in my little notebook that had been slowly fading away; El Comal. Now as fate would have it, over the course of two days we found ourselves not only breaking bread (or is it tortillas) at the Imperial Avenue location of El Comal, but the Chula Vista location as well. What really surprised us about the meals, was that even though the two El Comals share the same menus, and Owner, the food was quite different, maybe a more of a similar, but different? But then again, I’m always mentioning the differences in the quality of food between the various locations of Sam Woo BBQ, so why should this be any different?
As I understand it, a "Comal" is a clay, cast iron, or other metal skillet or griddle. So just as any well seasoned cast iron pan or wok would have it’s own distinctive flavor, no two "Comals" would be the same, right?
Enough with this, on to El Comal, located on Imperial Avenue.
We arrived on a weekend afternoon at about 2pm, and the clean and simply attired interior was fairly empty.
As we entered we were seated by the very nice and friendly Server, given menus, and had some chips and salsa delivered.
I perhaps enjoyed the crisp and grease free chips a bit too much. I plowed through them in no time. The salsas were nice and spicy.
We placed our order and in no time the food started arriving. We started with a Potato Empanada($2.75), and a Oaxaca style Chicken Tamale($2.00).
The exterior of the Empanada was nice and crisp, though the interior was a "cheese-fest" with very little potato.
The Tamale did not fare much better. Not having any experience with Oaxacan Tamales, we were surprised at the very thin tamale delivered. The interior of the tamale was a very thin and waxy looking masa and chicken filling.
After a taste the Missus couldn’t bring Herself to finish it. So I was left with that duty.
After this very inauspicious start, we started having some doubts about El Comal. That’s when our other dishes started arriving. First the Ensalada De Nopal($6.00):
I first had the pleasure of having a Cactus Salad a few years back. The Mother of a friend of the Missus had a party and we were invited. I had two servings of what I thought was a green bean salad. I was then told that the "green beans" were in actuality strips of the leaves of the prickly pear cactus(Nopal). Since then I’ve usually ordered a Nopal Salad whenever I have the chance. Most times, I’ve been very disappointed in the preparation of the cactus. When not prepared correctly, the cactus becomes very slimy, not unlike okra. Here’s a look at the nopal in this salad.
Very well prepared, and along with the tomato and cotija cheese, and very refreshing salad. The salad did need a good amount of lemon squeezed on it to bring out all of the flavors, but once that was done, it tasted pretty good.
I also ordered a Huaraches con Adobada, in this case a Huaraches with Spicy Steak($5.00):
Huarache literally translates to "sandal", and this popular Antojito(appetizer) is a slipper 
shaped piece of grilled masa, not unlike a thick corn tortilla or pupusa. A little "smear" of beans, a portion of well flavored, nicely caramelized, slightly spicy beef(yes, in this case the Adobada was beef!) is placed on the beans, and shredded lettuce and cotija cheese finishes everything off. It’s all about balance. The only thing that really wasn’t very satisfying about the Huaraches was that it was a bit on the gummy/soggy side. Other then that, this was a very well balanced, very tasty appetizer.
Yes, you heard right, appetizer. I also ordered a Torta con frijoles, nopales, hongos, lechuga y tomate. That would be a Vegetable Torta with beans, cactus, mushroom, lettuce, and tomato.($4.50)
I thoroughly enjoyed this sandwich. And in what was a very pleasant surprise; there was a layer of a mashed potato, with seasoned tomato sauce used as a "spread". The Missus loved the bollilo(roll).
The Missus got her soup, she adores Albondingas. The wonderfully helpful Server (Osiri???), suggested she get a "small" portion.($5.00)
I am not a big fan of Mexican Meatball Soup. In most cases, it’s either too watery, too oily, too salty, the meatballs are tough, or there’s some other problem with the soup. In fact, when I had asked the Missus’s friend about His favorite Albondingas, He mentioned a canned version. Even over his Mom’s!
This version came with rice, tortillas, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and lemon on the side. Unfortunately half the tortillas where charred almost beyond recognition.
The soup itself was very good, the broth was neither too thick nor thin, and very nicely flavored,
with a slight smoky spiciness courtesy of the chipotle pepper(smoked jalapeno). The broth contained not only the usual carrots and potatoes, but pieces of chayote(mango squash), and green beans. The meatballs were melt in your mouth tender, we wondered how they managed to stay intact. The mint in those meatballs added a nice finish.
Sounds like alot of food, huh? We did take home half the salad and Huaraches. The total bill including a refreshing glass of Nuez(Walnut Shake), and Horchata came to $32.
The Service was so amazingly nice, and the Young Lady whose name I tried to write above even stopped by and started making recommendations. As we left El Comal started filling up, most people were having soup. Driving away we started talking about returning in a few weeks. Little did we know that we’d be at El Comal, but at another location the very next day.
El Comal
2822 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 239-7101
Part II – El Comal in Chula Vista coming up next week.
I don't quite remember who requested a comparison of the Chili Dogs at Woodies and Tommy's. But I'm pretty sure it's Diet Chili Cheese Fries, who probably wanted to see the word "Woodie" in print again. But since Tommy's and Woodies are just a few miles apart on the same street, I'm sure a comparison is due. So with Pepcid in hand, I headed out to try out the Chili Dogs at Woodies and Tommy's on a recent Saturday morning.
In This Corner: Tommy's
**** Tommy's has closed
If you live in SoCal you know Tommy's, so I think no introduction is necessary. But let me state clearly that my poison of choice here is the Tommy Burger. We used to live right up the street from a Tommy's, so I've had my share, but still I don't get to Tommy's very often.
I must say, that even though this location of Tommy's is so very "white-washed" and clean, the napkin dispensers make me feel like I'm eating in a bathroom.
Well back to the subject. Here's the Chili Dog at Tommy's ($2.40):
The Good? I like the chili at Tommy's, even though it's got the texture similar to that of refried beans, or a texture sort of like when you had some bread and milk and mashed it against your teeth in Elementary school to gross people out. There is a hint of pickled Jalapeno in the Chili that adds some zip, but overall the chili is very mild. Of course I love onions, so that goes without saying!
The Bad? I hated the slice of American Cheese thrown in on the bottom of a dry bun, a full one-third of the chili dog had no cheese. The Hot Dog is pretty mediocre, just like you can buy in any market. The slices of pickles and a whole slice of tomato is ponderous, unless you want to make a mess..
The Verdict? This Dog depends on the chili.
So some Diet 7-Up to clear my palate(we wouldn't want to one taste to corrupt the other….but what to do about burps?) and a few miles later……
In This Corner: Woodie's
*** Update, Woodies is now Waldos
A Hot Dog "stand" in the Clairemont Square Shopping Center.
Here's the "Woodie Dog" at Woodie's($2.50):
The Good? A good natural casing dog, with "snap". The shredded cheese that covers the entire dog, and partially melts is an improvement over Tommy's. I also like the care that is lavished upon my Woodie…..it is assembled well, and doesn't go falling all over the place. We all know the problems associated with walking with a "Woodie", so I won't go into those.
The Bad? Well, I think the Chili is a very generic, chili con carne-ish concoction.
The Verdict? A good dog that I enjoy dressed differently.
So which Dog reigns supreme? Well there's a reason they call it Tommy Burgers. I'll leave it at that. On a side note; I noticed a sign that said that the Clairemont Mesa Woodies was for sale, so if you're inclined, you can have a Woodie of your very own!
Original Tommy's
7415 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Thanks for humoring me! No heartburn to be had as well – I've only had heartburn once in my life, maybe one day I'll tell the story. Tomorrow it's back to Earth, San Diego to be specific…….
"Hey you want a Woodie?"
How do you follow up on Peking Duck from China Max, excellent Karei Karaage from Izakaya Sakura, and some good sushi from Sushi Komasa? Well, if you're us, you go to your favorite restaurant, which left me in a bit of a quandary? You see, I've already posted on this restaurant here, and here, here, and even here. But the Missus's Birthday week celebration wouldn't be complete without a visit to our favorite restaurant. Yes, it Ba Ren, again…….
So if you're fed up with my Ba Ren posts, it's time to leave, quickly….. If you decide to stay, we've got a few "new" dishes for you. On our Huo Guo visit, we noticed a placard with new "special" dishes written in Chinese:
After being seated and a brief discussion about the dishes we placed our order. We started with a twist on a classic; "Three Cup Duck" (second item down on the placard – $12.99):
An interesting "take" on the Classic Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken dish. In this case the basil and scallions were replaced with leek, and I also think the sesame oil was replaced with sugar. To me, duck dishes 
were never a forte of Ba Ren's, but this dish was quite nice, in a "must have at least 3 bowls of rice way." The Bamboo shoots and mushrooms held up well to the soy-wine-sugar flavor, and the red chilies added a nice amount of heat. I'm still not convinced that Ba Ren does a really great duck, but this dish was nice.
Beef Tendon with Konnyaku (eighth item down – $12.99). Now I love tendon that has been cooked perfectly. That would be to the state where a slight resistance exists when you first bite into the tendon, followed with a texture that is almost a perfect gelatinous-buttery in nature. The tendon was pretty close to perfect in this dish, and I was in tendon heaven.
The sauce for the dish was very similar to the sour and spicy flavor of Sichuan "pickled pepper" type dishes. Lot's of garlic, ginger, and scallions gave the tendon some flavor. I was in tendon heaven.
The Missus was not so thrilled. She had thought that perhaps there would be some "meat" along with the tendon. She still doesn't understand why I enjoy well made tendon dishes. She did enjoy the Konnyaku and the sauce.
Between these two dishes we ordered one of my favorite "snack dishes", the Sichuan Cold Noodles (#552 – $5.99). I could probably eat this wonderful salty-sweet-sour-spicy noodle dish every day. What I think is funny for a third generation AJA(American of Japanese Ancestry) from Hawaii, is that beyond all of the Japanese dishes I love; I crave these noodles. Go figure…..
The last item we ordered were the Salt and Pepper Eel (Sixth Item on placard – $14.99). Of all the dishes we thought that this was the weakest:
It's not that this was a bad dish; but after all of the really powerful flavors of the previous dishes, this tasted really, really, mild. The thin slices of Eel were coated with almost a laquer, tempura style batter, and deep fried. We were expecting a peppery-spicy-sweet flavor like that of the wonderful Prawns with Chilies. On the positive side, the dish wasn't very oily, and wasn't especially spicy. It's almost tailor made for someone who hasn't had Eel before.
Still we left Ba Ren, with leftovers to last for at least two more meals, and full stomachs. Fully satisfied, until the next time………
It's pretty nice to know that our favorite restaurant is not staying "stagnant", and that new dishes are being developed. The only problem is that my list of "favorites" is getting longer and longer…..
Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117
*** Nhu Y is now Com Tam Thuan Kieu you can find an updated post here.
A few months back "Larry" commented on my post on Saigon Restaurant, and mentioned a few interesting dishes, one of which I've heard of, one which I'd never heard of, both of which I'd never tried. He mentioned eating these dishes at Nhu Y' Restaurant. On a recent quite warm afternoon, I asked the Missus what she'd like to eat. When she mentioned Vietnamese, I jumped on it! Mexican Food and Vietnamese Food are not among the Missus's favorites, so when She is in the mood for it, I really do try to take advantage of the opportunity.
Nhu Y' fronts the same very busy strip mall that contains Kim Chan Sandwich Shop. We had been to Nhu Y' a few times, but mainly for Durian or other drinks served there.
We'd always noticed that the clean but spartan dining room was never full, but that a few tables were always occupied. And this afternoon was no exception.
A serious Older Gentleman brought us our menus, which as is the norm, was quite large.
We started with the usual Cha Gio(Egg Rolls – $4.50):
These wonderfully crisp Cha Gio were served with the usual lettuce leaf, mint, and in this case Tiet To, the purple Perilla (Akajiso) minty flavored herb. The egg rolls were generously filled, though we thought the Nuoc Mam Cham was a bit on the sweet side. The Cha Gio were also fried very well, they were not oily in the slightest bit.
Due to the warm weather, the Missus decided on the Bun Chao Tom Cha Gio(Rice Vermicelli with Shrimp & Spring Rolls – $5.95):
Yes, more Egg Rolls! The Missus also was a bit disappointed with the shrimp. Instead of the "BBQ Shrimp" in the menu, she received "Shrimp Cake". Again, the Nuoc Mam Cham provided was a bit on the sweet side, and this dish tasted very routine, though the vermicelli had the perfect amount of pull and chew for our tastes.
I on the other hand was somewhat obsessed with the "Dac Biet" portion of the menu:
And there I saw it; "Bun Mam". Now I had heard about Bun Mam; someone had told me that it was a fermented fish or fermented shrimp based spicy broth. So when Larry mentioned Bun Mam at Nhu Y', I knew I had to try it. So of course I ordered it ($6.95). The first item to arrive was the mixed greens, much like I get for Bun Bo Hue. The one thing that kind of turned us off, was that some of the mint leaves were very brown and wilted. All the other garnishes were fine.
A dish of "Bun" also arrived. A thicker version of the Rice Vermicelli, also similar to the noodles in Bun Bo Hue. And soon enough the large bowl of soup, with a dark colored broth arrived.
One thing gave me pause; it was the cross cut slices of Catfish. Those that know me, understand that I rarely get catfish, I can't stand the muddy flavor of many fresh water fish. When I had ordered this, the Gentleman had told me there was Eggplant, pork, and "fishies", in the sauce. I had thought He was warning me about the fermented fish used in this dish, but I guess I was wrong. First off, the broth was rich, a touch sweet, salty, and slightly spicy. Yes, it was very "pungent", but I enjoyed it. The Missus didn't enjoy the broth on the first try. But a few minutes later she tried a sip again, and said, "it's pretty good, a little spicy, and rich." Amazingly, I enjoyed the catfish, no muddy flavor(probably due to the strong flavor of the broth), and very tender. Watch for those bones, though. The Eggplant was nice and tender; but my favorite part of the soup was this:
Yep, it a nice thin slice of fatty pork belly. Not "the other white meat" pork, but full flavored pork belly. Good stuff! Not quite knowing what to do, and seeing that the soup bowl was quite full, and that we were given two bowls(The serious Gentleman, was now smiling, I guess He enjoyed seeing that we really enjoyed ourselves), I put veggies in the bottom, some noodles, and then some broth, and ate it all up. Usually, I'd do the "dip" thing for the noodles, and pile the garnishes into the bowl; but it was ponderously filled. This was good stuff; highly recommended, if you don't mind a bit spicy, and slightly fishy. I told Ed from Yuma that He'd love this.
I recently revisited Nhu Y' alone. And the first thing the Gentleman asked me was, "Where is your pretty Lady?" I told Him She had to work, so it was just a solo visit. I asked Him for a recommendation, and he pointed to the Bun Cha Ha Noi($5.95). Such a coincidence, since this was the other dish that Larry recommended. It is also a favorite of Noodlepie. This quite large platter arrived:
Though the vegetable and herb garnishes are much different from the versions I've read about in Vietnam, and Nuoc Mam Cham is used instead of broth, this was a very flavorful and satisfying dish.
Two types of meat was provided; sliced BBQ Pork, and meatballs:
The BBQ pork was nice and tender, slightly charred, but a bit under flavored/marinated for my tastes, though the ground peanuts were a nice touch. The grilled meatball was good, meaty, not too tough, slightly charred, with a slightly peppery beefy flavor.
The drill started out with me grabbing a few leaves placing some Bun, garnishes, and meat; dipping in the Nuoc Mam, and so forth. It evolved to me making lettuce rolls, and eventually, finishing everything up mixed in a bowl.
Pretty darn good for about 6 bucks, eh? As I left, one of the Guys asked me "Are you sure, you don't need to get something for your wife?" Once you get past the serious and stoic front; pretty nice folks. Here's another post on Bun Cha.
Nhu Y Restaurant
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115
Open 730am – 9pm, 7 Days a Week
Thanks for the recommendation Larry!
Every year, for the last 14 years, the Community of City Heights and the City Heights Community Development Corporation have put on the City Heights International Village Celebration.
For those not familiar with the community of City Heights, it is considered one of, if not the most, racially diverse communities in the United States. It would not be unusual to hear ten or twenty different languages being spoken while walking down University Avenue. Along with the benefits of diversity comes problems. And the International Village Celebration attempts to address these problems. A large portion of the celebration is dedicated to a Health Fair, which offers free screenings, and much helpful information on various health care related subjects. And a Job Fair.
The fair takes place on University Avenue, and stretches all the way from Fairmount to Euclid, which can seem like forever on a hot Saturday afternoon. There are three stages, with entertainment ranging from various dance performances, to local Jazz and R & B groups performing throughout the day. And of course, there are those rides for the kids.
So where’s the food? Well we’ve kind of got that covered as well. There were many temptations, but we decided to minimize our calorie load….well somewhat. The Missus couldn’t resist an refreshing Agua de Sandia(Watermelon Drink) from this booth.
They also had Tijuana-Style Hot Dogs going at the same booth. But my nitrite-meter wouldn’t allow me to get them.
As I was passing by this booth, something caught my eye.
Here’s the close-up:
Let me tell you, it’s very hard to resist Al Pastor cut fresh from the Trompo. But, we kept walking….
Until we saw this:
Check out the custom made trailer, and the smoker in the back. As I was snapping a photo, "Ernie"(I’m assuming it was Ernie), waved us in:
For a closer look at his spotless cooking area, and His smoking "gear".
Now "Ernie" told me His style of BBQ is called Louisiana Style BBQ, which I’d never heard of previously. So based on Ernie’s hospitality, and basic curiosity, we had to give it a try.
The Missus ordered the Rib Sandwich($7.95):
This was generous plate of 5 smoked ribs, 2 slices of wheat(gads!) bread. Some BBQ sauce, and Potato Salad. The ribs had a mild smoky flavor, with a very light "rub", they were on the chewy side.
The "BBQ" sauce was kind of interesting:
It was a chunky tomato based sauce, with distinctive chunks of onions in it. It slightly tangy, but not very spicy. As a whole, we decided not to use the sauce. The potato salad had a generous amount of egg and herbs in it, and was rather light on the mayo. I liked the salad, but the Missus didn’t care for it.
I ordered the Brisket Sandwich($7.95):
Now this was pretty good eats. Nicely smoked(dig the "smoke ring"), tender slices of beef brisket in a roll. No need for sauce, dressing, or whatever. Not the best BBQ brisket I’ve ever eaten, but it’s good for "fair food".
After eating we made our way to the other end of the Fair, at Euclid, and walked back. (Had to burn off that brisket) All the while enjoying watching people of all races, ethnicity, sizes, and shapes, walking side by side. All the while talking about how the City Heights International Village Celebration seems to get better every year.