**** This location of Nozomi has closed
To appease those who are concerned about the lack of "green" in my diet (various garnishes excluded), I dropped by Nozomi on Convoy. As our very own Cathy mentioned in Her post, Nozomi is a Korean owned "mini-chain" of Korean-Japanese restaurants.
Now Nozomi is a pretty popular lunch spot, known for large portions. In keeping with these type of operations, Nozomi also seems to serve every single version of Westernized sushi roll known to mankind.
Not my cup of tea…but if it floats your boat…..
There's really only one thing I order at Nozomi, and I always call it the "Hwe Dop Bop", I think it's called the Chirashi(scattered) Salad on the menu ($11.45). It is a ginourmous salad bowl with mixed greens on rice, topped with a variety of medium quality fish…maguro, hamachi, sake(salmon), ebi(shrimp), tobiko(flying fish roe), etc….
Now I really wouldn't want any of this fish topping a piece of nigiri sushi, but in this case I'm fine with it. Why, you may ask? Well it's because I end up pouring a ton of the Gochujang based sauce (Cho Jang?) all over the salad. The drill is simple, you mix all the salad ingredients together, spoon into accompanying bowl, top with a generous amount of sauce, and have at it. Try not to let the sweat pouring off your chin, nose, and down your back deter you from completing your mission.
That mission would be to finish all 8 or so bowls of salad….. like Momma always said, remember to clean your plate(in this case bowl). On this day, the maguro was not very good…which meant more sauce. During a single meal, I will sometimes go through almost a half bottle. As for flavors, I enjoy the flavor of the mizuna and the peppery kaiware(daikon radish sprouts). The sauce while not the best I've had, has a mild sesame oil – vinegar flavor, it could stand to be a touch sweeter. If you really think about it…I'd still eat this without the fish(except the tobiko, which adds a nice crunchy texture), but hey, you need your protein, right?
I have seen 2 people splitting this, but on this visit I watched in amazement as a tiny Korean Lady polished this off, along with a roll. And she finished before I did! Well, I did get my greens, and also approached food coma status without the aid of gravy, red meat, mayo, or any of a number of fried items. Eight bowls of salad…..my body's going into shock!
Nozomi Noodle & Teriyaki
4637 Convoy St Ste 104
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-7773
Speaking of sushi…..during a recent visit to Mien Trung, I noticed this sign in the window of what used to be La Basil Thai. Looks like a sushi joint called "Sushi Diner" will be taking the spot of La Basil. But tell me…..are you ready for "Diner" sushi?
Hey-I just had a Chirashi at Happy Meal!
I can just go to that parking lot and spend the day eating…K Sandwiches for breakfast,coffee and free wifi, Mien Trung for lunch and then Sushi Diner and liquor for dinner. Whoo hoo!
omg, tiny korean ladies are AMAZING! Sometimes I have lunch at Palama Market and I never fail to witness one or two tiny korean ladies pack in a ton of food in record time! How they do it, I’ll never know…but I never cease to be impressed! π
ha ha ha! I had to laugh because you’re like my husband when it comes to eating vegies, without sauce he wont eat any! Hurray for the korean lady!
btw I’ve favor to ask Kirk. Could you please change my link from ‘www.thesserie.com/eetsmakelijk’ into : http://eetsmakelijk.thesserie.com‘ (which was my mistake for giving u the wrong link)..the latter is the correct link.
Thanks a lot Kirk!!
Always wondered about this place. And now I know where to go for the green stuff!
I usually get mine with extra rice, and end up taking half of it home with me.
As you know, I like hwe dup bop also. Is this version better than the one at Seoul BBQ? There you get the sesame oil and hot sauce in separate squeezers.
LOL, I noticed that Sushi Diner the other day too. Get ready for chicken fried sashimi. π
I love Nozomi. That salad is definitely one of the best things there. The only complaint I have is that sometimes they are SOOOO slow, even when it’s not super busy. Well that and I guess parking in that strip mall sucks too π Overall though, I think it is worth the wait in general.
We’ve been talking about this dish in the office. I’ve shared it once with an eating buddy and loved it. Could have done without the rice but overall pretty yummy.
How does the Gochujang based sauce compare to Sriracha sauce?
“Now I really wouldn’t want any of this fish topping a piece of nigiri sushi, but in this case I’m fine with it. Why, you may ask? Well it’s because I end up pouring a ton of the Gochujang based sauce (Cho Jang?) all over the salad.”
Your food philosophy holds much to be admired, Kirk.
I always feel a bit embarassed to eat it out of that giant bowl. At least their chirashi bowl is far healther than KFC’s “famous” bowls.
coincidence.. i went to Sushi Diner #1 last night. my friends thought it was good. you get what you pay for there and it’s good for those who don’t really eat sushi.
Hi Cathy – LOL! You could end up in a never ending loop…..
Hi Kathy – How those little ladies put it all away!!!
Hi Thess – I’ll go ahead and make those changes.
Hi Michael – The portions at Nozomi are quite large, but I only get the Chirashi.
Hi Fred – Extra rice…hmmm….sounds like a good idea.
Hi Ed – The sauce and everything else is better at Seoul(it’s also more expensive if I remember)….but the last two times I’ve had the most heinous seafood, it was just plain terrible.
Hi Jan – LOL! Hamachi and bisquits…
Hi Bryan – Yeah, I feel your pain. I usually go right at 11am to avoid the crowds, and get a parking space as well.
Hi Charles – Well the rice makes it a complete meal, I guess!
Hi CJ – They are 2 totally different items. Sriracha, at least the versions that are most widely used locally is basically a hot sauce made with chilies, garlic, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Kochujang or Gochujang is a chili paste, and I usually get the one made with soybean or soy flour, glutinous rice, and chili powder. The thing that gives the paste it’s personality is that it is fermented. Good brands have a nice depth of flavor.
Hi GC – Yeah, you don’t expect top notch sushi grade fish at this price…..especially if your pouring kochujang all over it.
Hi Trent – I don’t feel real comfortable eating out of that salad bowl either…it just feels wrong. So I scoop it all into the small bowl provided.
Hi CSB – I’m not a big fan of Sushi Deli, and those type of places, but it is just a personal preference. There is a large market for sushi for those who “don’t really” eat sushi…..or don’t even know what real sushi is.
Hi Kirk,
The few times I’ve been to Nozomi I find that the fish there is *not* quite fresh. I always worry that after a meal there, I would have a terrible tummy ache, but fortunately that has never happened. I’ve tried a few of their rolls and I have to give them points for presentation, but they definitely lose on quality. But I always tell myself: you get what you paid for…and this is certainly true for Nozomi. Great post!
Hi May – I agree, but the fish is never what I would call terrible….it is buffet quality. I’m not much of a “rolls” type of guy, unless you’re talking about negi-hama or negi-toro. I couldn’t agree more, the portion sizes are quite large, and you get what you pay for.
Kirk when you refer to the sweat pouring off of your back, is that because Nozomi lacks the civilized luxury of air conditioning? Or because it was spicy? π
Hi Dave – I’m referring to the bodily response of consuming almost half of that bottle of sauce!
hi kirk! i saw people ordering this when we ate there last — and kept wondering which dish it was!! now i know, and now i have to go back and give it a try too!!
Hi Annie – The fish on this is not the best….but it works as a pretty sustantial “salad”…..