A few weeks back I did a takeout revisit of Golden Island. I had heard that the kitchen staff had changed (which was true – post coming up) and saw that Gemmae's was now Trining's Bakery & Cafe. So, a few days later I decided to drop by to grab some lunch.
It was just before 11 and there was a steady flow of customers…..most of whom seemed like regulars.
The woman working the front was quite friendly and when I asked about the name change, she smiled and said "don't worry, it's all the same people!"
The drill for lunch is; you look at the white magnet board; whatever is ready is moved from the board on the right, to the board on the left. I had been wanting to try the sisig, but it wasn't available, so I made due with the Kare Kare and Beef Nilagang.
I was kind of afraid of the "three scoops of rice", but it was a manageable amount. The rice was also decently cooked and fairly moist.
Sadly the beef in the nilagang was super tough and chewy and the soup was really salty….I really couldn't finish it.
There was one wonderful piece of buttery tripe in the kare kare, which was not bad if a bit on the greasy side. Maybe it was because the nilagang was so salty, but it seemed a bit on the bland side as well. I actually used up almost all the bagoong alamang. Well, at least this was edible.
While this was a less than stellar meal; I decided to return a week later; this time closer to noon. And this time there were more items "available" on the board.
And this time; I did manage to get the sisig, along with beef kaldereta.
The kaldereta was pretty good, nice tanginess, mild beefiness, the meat fairly tender. It is by far the best item I've had here.
Because, well, I really didn't care for he sisig. The diced lechon kawale was super hard….not crisp, not crunchy…hard. I did appreciate the sliced red chilies, but this really didn't have enough spice or sour tones for my taste.
I guess I'll have to stick with my regular stops for Filipino food in the area. Though I do recall having a decent "silog" here years ago when it was still Gemmae's. Perhaps that's the way to go? It would probably have to be on a weekend or day off though, since I'd probably head right back to bed after having all that rice early in the day. So maybe…..
Trining's Bakery & Cafe
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Tues – Sat 5am – 7pm
Sunday 5am – 6pm
Closed on Mondays