I’m not sure which “FOY” mentioned that Zen Modern Asian Bistro had moved from Sabre Springs to the Del Mar Highlands Sky Deck…perhaps it was Dereck or RD?
Anyway, after my rather unsatisfying bowl of NRM from Dao Xiang, along with the cooler weather; I thought it would be a great time to make the drive up the 5 and check out the Sky Deck, which Cathy has been to…but I’ve only visited the Jimbo’s in this mall.
It’s a large if rather dark space; very hip in that “you know it’s Del Mar” kinda way…..
Zen is just to the left of the entrance.
It’s got a bit of a sports bar look to it along with a dining area. It’s interesting to see that the doors to the kitchen area are automatic ones.
The young man brought me the menu; though I already knew what I was going to order.
And oh my, the NRM is now $22 and adding the suan cai is another $1!
And soon enough my order arrived. That bowl of NRM was quite large!
In many ways; it’s basically the same as I had at the previous location.
Not overly salty, mild beefiness, light soysauce, light richness, in need for more aggressive anise-beefiness for my taste.
In what was an improvement over what I’d had before was that the beef was nice and tender and full of savory-beefiness. And there was quite a lot of meat!
The noodles still lacked springiness and also didn’t do a great job of “picking up” the broth.
There’s a good amount of bok choy….in case you’re worried about getting some “veggies”!
As Dereck and RD both indicated; the must have item is the suan cai, the pickled greens.
There’s a bracing sour-tanginess to it. And while it may be slightly on the sweeter end of the spectrum to me, it really boosted the overall flavor of the broth when I dumped it into the bowl.
Overall not bad….better than many other versions in San Diego. And while it may be better than other versions, I’m not sure the price tag and the drive is worth it for me. Still, I’m glad to have tried the NRM here at the new location of Zen
Zen Modern Asian Bistro (In the Sky Deck at Del Mar Highlands Town Center)
12841 El Camino Real Suite 206
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 10am – 9pm
Friday 10am – 10pm
Saturday 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm