I was craving some Nian Gao (sticky rice cakes) and noticed that Chef Chin doesn't have it on the menu anymore. So I headed over to Tasty Noodle House since it had been over a year since I last visited. even though it was just past eleven (there was still parking in the worst lot on Convoy), the place was about a third full already!
Looking at the menu I decided to order a couple of items; even though the Mei Cai Kou Rou (steamed pork belly with preserved vegetable) wasn't very good the last time I had it; I ordered it again. I was a bit worried when it was the first dish to arrive….in like five minutes after I ordered it. Can you say microwave?
Still, while not particularly hot, this was much better than what I'd had here before. The pork was very tender, moist; though a bit underwhelming in terms of porkiness and soy sauce flavor. The preserved vegetable was basically cold, but had some saltiness, and a mild, pleasant bitterness. I actually took most of this home….the Missus heated properly in a microwave and proceeded to devour the whole thing……so I guess it must be pretty good?
I saw the Green Chilies with Black Bean Sauce on the menu and decided to try that. Man, the portion size was pretty large.
The mild chilies were nicely charred, but the sauce was way to sweet, obscuring the savory-fermented flavors of the black bean. The pork was on the chewy side and a couple of pieces….well, have you ever bitten into a piece of meat and felt like you got a toenail? There were several very hard, tooth chipping piece amongst the chewy minced pork.
As for the Chao Nian Gao…..well, it was not stir fried well; some pieces were really hard and others over-cooked and too mushy.
And I've noticed how stingy they've become with the Jì Cài (Shepherd's Purse), the green vegetable that adds a nice vegetal sweet-bitterness to the dish. The pork was actually not bad if a bit on the tough side. Decent seasoning; enough saltiness and a light hand with the sesame oil.
A fairly uneven meal, though the young man who waited on me was quite nice and friendly. And while I was tempted to order the Zui Ji ( Drunken Chicken), perhaps I should have.
I think these days it's all hot pots and meat skewers with regards to Chinese food in San Diego. We seem to be in a slump with regards to decent regional cooking.
Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111