Month: July 2020

It’s a Woomiok Wednesday!

Korean Restaurants

In my post on doing Covid-19 takeout from Et Voila (man that was May, but it just seems so long ago); "FOY" Jason mentioned Woomiok, which, shortly after opening became a favorite of the Missus. It just seemed too hot for Woomiok at that time. But when the weather cooled down substantially a few weeks back….well, it was time for the Missus to get Her fix.

I placed my order online, then went over to pick my stuff up. It was ready right on the table at the designated time. I paid and then hele'd back to my car…then home.

We basically went with the Emperor's Soup ($18.99) the bone broth with oxtail, brisket, ox knee, cheek meat, shank, and king mushrooms. Of there's kkakdugi and baechu kimchi, a nice portion of rice and some noodles. Salt and scallions completed the package.

Woomiok Wed 01 Woomiok Wed 02Along with some veggies, this was actually enough for both the Missus and I. The cheek meat and the tendon like ox knee were favorites of the Missus. I enjoyed the very beefy oxtail.

I actually heated the soup up in our dolsot and got it good and boiling. We did need to add a bit more salt than what was provided, but that was fine.

The baechu kimchi wasn't bad; but definitely less fermented in flavor than I prefer. The kkakdugi (radish kimchi) was nice and crunchy; somewhat refreshing in a way. The Jangahjji (pickled peppers and radish) also really added to the meal.

Woomiok Wed 03

This was perfect for the Missus whose stomach was bothering Her after eating all that spicy stuff from Village Kitchen for several days. In fact, the Missus had me order this three more times over those two weeks! At times; I'd just have whatever bone broth that was left over and mix it with rice and the noodles as sort of a porridge…..

Then of course, it got really hot and even though the Missus was wanting more bone soup, was really much to "atsui" for it. And then I saw Bossam ($34.99) on the online menu….I swear it wasn't there before. It had been a while sine we had decent bossam; Grandma's Tofu (Halmouny) used to be our favorite in San Diego, but the last time we had; things were just not the same. I just decided to order it.

Just take a look…..man, this was so much better than I thought it would be!

Woomiok Wed 04The pork belly had been nicely simmered; with a bit more soy sauce flavors than what I'm user to in bossam. Woomiok Wed 05Also, while it looked really fatty; this was very tender, not waxy, and definitely not greasy. The oysters….something that we're just suspicious of in this dish, was fresh with no off flavors. 

This came with two large portions of rice and also baechu kimchi….way more than we could eat.

There as also the standard and much needed garnishes; shrimp paste, bean paste, and sliced raw garlic (which the Missus just loved on this), jalapenos, and especially Musaengchae (thinly sliced radish kimchi). The napa cabbage had been brined; which changed the texture and added another layer of flavor.

Woomiok Wed 06

It made for some very nice bites indeed!

Woomiok Wed 07 Woomiok Wed 08So, it looks like we've got a new favorite for bossam in San Diego….and no; it's not like what we had at Samhae Jip in Seoul, but it's pretty darn good in it's own right.

A quick hint if ordering online….I'd recommend ordering a bit ahead of time. Often, pick-up times close to when you place your order aren't available.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Missus is already considering ordering the Assorted Boiled Beef in Stone Pot (a favorite of ours at Woomiok) for take-out. Mid-80 temps be damned!

Thanks for the "Woomiok reminder" Jason! What would we do without all of our great "FOYs"?

Takeout from J&T Thai Street Food

Chicken Wings, Thai Restaurants

You know; I was wondering if you, our dear readers would have had enough of all these "take-out" posts….then of course came today's announcement (not that I was surprised)….well, at least you can have outdoor dining this time around. So, I just decided to go ahead with this one.

On my takeout visit to Da Kine's, J&T Thai Street Food came back into view. It had been over seven years since my post. So, a few days later, before heading home to check on Frankie, I went and did the online ordering thing.

C-19 J&T 01

I drove on over; things were divided up nicely, I got into line, my order was ready….I had paid online so it was really quick.

C-19 J&T 02.

Not quite sure what I really wanted to order; I went with the BBQ Pork on Rice ($8.75)….and man; they weren't kidding about the "rice" part.

C-19 J&T 03

Not a fan of the sweet chili sauce. Overall, a very generous portion for $8.75. The pork was rather unevenly cooked; some pieces weren't marinated very well. It was typical soy-sugar-fish sauce type marinade; not overly sweet, and a bit on the chewy side. I actually had this for two meals and the rice lasted for yet another meal. Can't complain about the amount of food.

I had always thought that the best item I'd had from J&T as the chicken wings. So, on another afternoon, I decided to order the chicken wings ($5.50). Not sure what else to get; I really didn't feel like ordering anything too big, I recalled seeing the fried tofu appetizer in Ccathy's post from back in 2015. So, I decided to order that ($5.50) as well.

Again, picking up my order was a breeze and the young lady working was simply wonderful…..offering up spicy vinegar and chili paste.

C-19 J&T 04

I guess is an appropriate meal for Fryday Friday, right?

C-19 J&T 05 C-19 J&T 06The chicken wings were solid, just as on my previous visits. It was still fairly crisp, moist, good seasoning….but even better when alternating dips into the vinegar or chili paste.

The Fried Tofu was just plain tasteless….a bit weirdly dry and cardboardish in texture….it didn't hold up real well on the 10-15 minute drive home. No amount of sauce could help this out. The cilantro was browning as well.

So, I guess it's still just the chicken wings from J&T. I really like the folks working here; so if you have any recommendations on dishes to try (not the Khao Man Gai/Duck Noodle Soup/Curries/Fried Tofu), let me know…..

J&T Thai Street Food
5259 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Takeout Hours
Sunday    11am – 830pm
Mon – Sat 11am – 945pm

Hope everyone is holding up well. Take care!

Takeout from Village Kitchen

Chinese Restaurants

The rather recent cooler weather had the Missus craving some spicy food…..that meant it was time to start doing takeout from Village Kitchen.

C-19 VK 01 C-19 VK 02Of course the Missus couldn't be bothered with actually calling the place. Luckily, I had of copy of the takeout menu.

I called and managed to get my order in.

A few minutes later I was on my way.

The restaurant actually has a couple of tables set-up; the front it almost blocked off and I stood and was handed my order and was on my way. As a bonus, the really nice woman from Kangxi is Coming was now working here! It was nice to see her.

I was interested to see how this was going to be since our last couple of visits had been rather lackluster.

C-19 VK 03

Man, the portion sizes were pretty hefty.

Of course the Missus had to have the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg.

C-19 VK 04

Man, there was a ton of pidan in this! In terms of flavor; it was fairly good; smoky eggplant, not enough green chili for me. It was however, super greasy…..man, how much oil did they use on this?

One of the Missus's favorite dishes; the La Rou (Smoked Pork) with Cucumber Skin was pretty good.

C-19 VK 05

Decent spice, a good amount of La Rou; the crunchy, dried cucumber skin added a nice palate cleansing mild brininess, and this had a decent amount of spice as well.

My favorite dish of the meal was the Stinky Tofu "Stew".

C-19 VK 06

Well, I think this might be a better look?

C-19 VK 07

I always heat this on the stove; it just does better…..the slightly chewy, funky, savory chou doufu….just stinky enough for me…….which, of course meant that it just wasn't smelly enough for the Missus. Loved the savory tones, so pretty good heat here. Nice dish.

A week later, the Missus wanted me to order from VK again. This time, I noticed that the dried radish with La Rou on the menu….they'd been out of this several times on previous visit….along with the version with the smoked bamboo shoot version as well.

I decided to try and order this….which was interesting…..I called, a woman answered in Mandarin. As soon as I spoke English she hung up on me! Usually, I would just quit right here….but the Missus was at work and was looking forward to having VK when She got home. So I called again and managed to place my order.

We got the Eggplant again (with less pidan, but still just as greasy) and the Stinky Tofu Stew (even more spicy this time…..).

And of course the La Rou with Dried Radish Skin.

C-19 VK 08 C-19 VK 09This was quite good; the smoked pork was not overly waxy; great smoke-salty-savory flavors. Good variety of textures. Nice spice, perhaps a bit too salty, but pretty good overall.

There are aspects of doing take-out from VK that we prefer to eating in the restaurant……service has always been a weal spot; though now that my favorite Server from Kangxi we might enjoy eating there more. But who knows when that will be as we're definitely not ready to eat out yet.

The portions we've had for takeout are quite large, the eggplant is not nearly as good for take-out; but the La Rou dishes and that smelly tofu seem to do real well for takeout.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

We're hoping everyone is staying safe this July 4th weekend. With the way things are going, bars and other places closing, Oceanside closing beach parking lots, restaurants closed for indoor dining in OC along with beach parking lots closed, beaches closing in LA, but staying open in San Diego……..well, 'nuff said.

So, please, stay safe!