Royal Mandarin reopens:
I thought it would be fun to do an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) post, in the midst of my posts on China. And the reopening of Royal Mandarin would do just fine. I first posted on Royal Mandarin waaay back in 2005. Most folks who have been in San Diego for a good number of years tell me that Royal Mandarin was the first place to sell the very popular version of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings in San Diego. These wings have become a staple at Filipino (and other) parties across the South Bay. Of course popularity breeds imitation, and now there are many imitators. By the time I held a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing comparison in June of 2009, Royal Mandarin's rings had seemed ot have lost some luster. Then, on December 30th, "Johari" left a comment, and a link which detailed that Royal Mandarin had burned down. I dropped by during the beginning of January, and the sign posted said that Royal Mandarin had not given up the ghost, and was to reopen in March. On April 3rd, I dropped by and found that while the place was being worked on, the sign now said the place would reopen sometime late in April. Of course I was gone from late April through the end of May, and since returning, the last thing I really wanted was ABCDE food…. Then on June 21st, FOY "Sandy" commented telling us that Royal Mandarin had reopened. So about a week later, the Missus and I decided to drive down and see how, or if things had changed at Royal Mandarin.
The front counter looks the same, and they've even rebuilt the divider/waiting area that blocks the view to the dining area. For some reason the interior, though it has been brightened up, with new tile, and some strange paintings of fruits and vegetables (c'mon, when you think of Royal Mandarin, do you really think about fruits and vegetables?), it still looks like Royal Mandarin. It is, without a doubt, a good example of "lipstick on a pig".
The Missus had some concerns about the food. You see after Mandarin Canton reopened following the tragic murder of the owner. The Missus took some friends to eat there, and was disappointed. The one strong point of many of these restaurants are the fried items, and everything seemed very pale, and underflavored. After mulling theories, the Missus came up with the possible reason the food lacked color and flavor. She told me, "they must've changed their cooking oil!" In Her mind, there's a vat of well seasoned cooking oil that has seen batches of shrimp and chicken wings, and like a good wok, it had become well seasoned. Actually, if you think about it…… that would be kind of scary. But since that day, we've called examples such as that "changed oil syndrome." We both truly hoped that Royal Mandarin didn't suffer from changed oil syndrome.
Frankly, there's only one thing I really like at Royal Mandarin….. and you know what that is, right? The Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings:
I was very pleased, these were even better then the last few orders of wings I'd gotten before the fire. It's like crack I tell ya'……… it was also crisp and fairly light. And yes, the full pleasures of salt and MSG is brought to it's ultimate glory…..
The Missus ordered the upside down pan fried noodles which I found disappointing.
It suffered from too little "gravy", and the noodles had a strange, almost powderiness to them. They were also too tough and chewy, and the afore mentioned lack of sauce meant that the noodles never got softer. I also can't recommend anything with chicken that's not fried. The Missus in total contrast to me, liked this.
One of the Missus's favorites here, the Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Shell, was much lighter than I recalled.
The flavor of the shrimp came through, and it was cooked well, still soft and tender, and not overcooked.
So there you have it…… Royal Mandarin…. you can still get your ABCDE Fry-o-rama on here.
Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Honey Pig revisited:
*** Update: Honey Pig has clsoed and is now Old Village ***
Recently, the Missus wanted some Korean BBQ. And She really didn't want to spend fifty bucks, which seems to be the usual lay-out at Buga. We both thought that it would be a great time to revisit Honey Pig.
Not too much to say that I didn't cover in my previous visit. The portions are about 1/2lb, Honey Pig serves Certified Angus Beef, prices run from $8.99 to $15.99 – which is for the bulgogi which is a double portion.
There's a bit more in terms of panchan served, and the service has gotten better. All the items for "bossam" are delivered on time, and seconds are brought out on request.
The bulgogi here is decent, fairly tender, not overmarinated.
By San Diego standards this was pretty good…. not too sweet.
The one surprise was what FOY "YY" recommended. On the menu it is called "Natural CAB Finger Meat", and reminds me, in flavor of Tsuruhashi's Prime Skirt, a usually tough cut. In this case, it dies have a good chew, but has a nice beefy flavor to it.
The food is perhaps a step (or two) behind LA standards, but is a good alternative to the higher priced Korean BBQs in town. And it seems to be getting better everytime we visit.
Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111