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
Whoa those are Del Mar prices
They sure are ST!
So where do I get good Taiwan beef noodle in town?
None that I can truly recommend these days Matt!
I like lots of beef. I’ll have to try them. I like visiting Handel’s and Jimbo’s.
It’s pretty pricy Soo! Hope you enjoy it!
Looks good but the prices are crazy
The prices are quite high Franklin!
Looks like the Sabre Springs location changed names to Mein St (like the old and closed Little Italy location) but is still open and still has NRM on menu. I haven’t been in forever because like you I have trouble with $22-23 for NRM even if it’s a large bowl and a decent version. Speaking of Taiwanese dishes, I’ve been craving Lu Rou Fan recently. I’ll search your archives. Thanks for the review. We haven’t found anything we’ve liked in that Del Mar food hall. Keep meaning to try Broken English or whatever Richard Blaise’s place is called but man those prices are crazy.
The old location is under different ownership I believe RD. As for Lu Rou Fan….nothing decent in recent years…let me know if you find something you like!
It’s more fast food-y but Bei Yuan has Lou rou fan. Is it the best? No but it’ll hit the spot. I like their pickled ground pork.
There’s also Foodieslab on the delivery apps that does it but their hours are super weird and I haven’t tried it yet
Really wish we had good Taiwanese places. After Taiwan Popcorn Chicken closed I just make my own
Thanks for the recommendations Jess! Have always meant to check out Bei Yuan….so maybe it’s time!
I just tried the spicy boiled fish at Bei Yuan and it was surprisingly good. Can’t speak to anything else.
Awesome Mike! Thanks for letting us know!
Thanks! I’ve wanted a reason to try Bei yuan for a long time!
I hadn’t heard of Del Mar Highlands Sky Deck before. Seems similar to eating in an airport terminal.
Lol Dave! I think they’d prefer you say “food hall”. Though the prices do match the airports!
pricey but at least it had flavor
Yes, it was better than I recalled Kat!
Interesting! I met up with a good friend about 3 weeks ago and had NRM at the original Zen location and it was pretty good. It was also cold though, so that could swing my taste buds. I had no idea Zen had moved to the SkyDeck. That is kind of a food court without any good vibe and I’ve been several times, but it doesn’t every come up on my to go to list.
That sounds great Dereck! Got Mein Street on my list as well…so hopefully soon!