Hello. Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! on this holiday week. Cathy is writing today.
My most recent post about Niban was about 18 months ago. This is part of the 'rotation' for The Mister and myself and I could write about meals at Niban every month, but have found restraint.
Not much has changed here other than the prices, so here we go!
The soft shell crab roll ($11) is a filling five piece meal. Soft shell crab, real crab and avocado are the main ingredients.
The fried calamari appetizer ($9) is always a good choice. Four pieces of sliced calamari steak breaded in panko, crisply fried and served with (always too much) spicy sauce.
The Vegetable Delight ($13.50) seems to be a regular choice for me; I found photos from nine different visits. Consistently the same presentation.
Eight pieces of vegetable tempura (potato, carrot, zucchini and onion), salad, eight pieces of Garden Roll, edamame, cold noodle salad, rice and tempura dipping sauce. This is a very satisfying meal with so many varied flavors and textures.
The Combination Bento ($13.95) with pork teriyaki and egg roll is also a good choice.
The Stamina Udon ($13) was a nice meal on one of the (many) cold and rainy days we had early this year. The broth has a light mushroom flavor and the ingredients (chicken, krab, fishcake, shrimp, dumplings, sweet tofu, egg, broccoli) along with the springy udon make this a very filling meal.
The Shrimp Tempura Bento ($13.50) has five shrimp tempura, lightly fried and served with a house made tartar sauce and a portion of the Seafood Salad (bottom right) which is on the appetizer menu for $5. A nice addition to this bento.
When you first walk in, before turning to the cash register, look at the wall ahead. Daily Lunch Specials from 11-2:30.
Bento Lunch ($9.75) Six pieces of California roll, one piece Inari, three pieces of fried seafood (fish, squid, shrimp), pickled vegetables and rice. This is a very pleasant lunch and good for the budget minded.
The Gyoza Lunch ($9.25) is also really nice. Six meat filled dumplings steamed or deep fried. Salad, rice and (a very good) miso soup. You might notice that miso soup is no longer included with the bento meals; it is $2.50 on the appetizer menu.
I do prefer the gyoza being steamed then quick fried 'pot sticker' style. The deep fried is a nice, crisp texture but I think overwhelms the filling.
This longstanding (first Yelps are from 2005) eatery is consistently serving good food at reasonable prices. They have started charging $1 for hot tea, which, considering how much 'free' tea we had over the years, is not a complaint. It's a good green tea.
Niban 7801 Clairmont Mesa Blvd., Suite 101, San Diego 921110(858) 268-0465 Open Lunch: Mon-Sat 11:30-2:30 Dinner: Tue-Thurs 5:00-9:00 Fri-Sat 5:00-9:30 Sunday 4:30-9:00
