**** Sizzling Pot King is now Zhang Liang Malatang
So, after a recent road trip, I really didn't feel like making dinner….I mean, an almost 6 hour drive back? Well, I must say, JJ was in much better shape than I was. So, we ended up doing something we hadn't done since the trips we made at the end of the pandemic; we decided to do takeout from Sizzling Pot King, which had been a regular stop for take out when we were too tired to go out; until prices got too high and portions smaller and they removed items from the menu. It had been two-and-a-half years since our last visit.
I drove over and was surprised to find that even more items were off the menu; no more tripe, no more tendon…so I went with our usual pork intestine with lamb and of course some frozen tofu. All said this came out to $45….which I gotta say does not seem so bad for these days.
While waiting, I decided to get the Missus a treat from Yiko Yiko…which even though we thought was seriously over priced, the Missus had enjoyed.
So, while walking over, the young lady from Sizzling Pot King actually chased me down. I stopped wondering what was going on. And she said "sorry, you ordered frozen tofu….most of our Korean customers order fried tofu…I want to make sure!" Lol! I had to crack up…..and also, I appreciated the effort. Though I did tell her that I'm Japanese not Korean, which kind of embarrassed her….but also mentioned that my wife is Chinese and She is the one who instructs me to order. I also told her that I really appreciated the effort she made to get the order right!
As before there was major sticker shock when looking at the offerings at Yiko Yiko. And after perusing what was in the case, I decided on the Durian Basque Cheesecake. In spite of the price – $14.35 a slice. Ouch!
The Missus did actually enjoy this. The young lady took the slice back and had it "torched"; though it was so lightly done that didn't really create a great crisp – burnt top like a typical Basque Cheesecake.
Still, the Missus said it was creamy, light, and there was a faint flavor of durian. Though once I told Her the price I was instructed not to get this again!
Yiko Yiko
8008 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
I walked back to Sizzling Pot King and my order was ready. Like I said earlier, $45 these days doesn't seem so expensive and the portion size was much larger than on our last visit or two.
Decent ma-la; there's a lot less veggies; especially broccoli than there used to be. The intestine was nice and "bungy" though the Missus didn't think it paired well with the lamb. There was quite a bit of sliced lamb….way more than the veggies. Which got me to wonder if we're living in a time when vegetables are now more expensive than meat???
This was fine for two meals for us…which now makes the $45 price seem more reasonable.
Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
This got me wondering…..for all you "FOYs" out there; what your experiences with places on your takeout rotation have been like recently?