On a recent visit to the 99 Ranch location on Balboa, I headed to the restrooms and found that Dao Xiang Noodle was gone! Man, they had lasted what…maybe three months? The business that replaced it caught my attention.
Spicy Duck Wang La Ya……hmmmm…..it really got me because as much as we had enjoyed Juewei, things had changed over the last couple of months. That smoked chicken we enjoyed had become only served on weekends and then they stopped serving it altogether. Then, many of the liang cai; cold dishes were not consistently available….the yuba wasn’t available on a couple of visits…then they started doing skewers, and the hot pot???? We just kinda stopped and now they are changing concepts it seems (post upcoming). Now this was interesting as it featured all those duck parts and the cold dishes, and when I looked at the menu smoked chicken.
There was one problem though……even though the sign said “open” it didn’t seem so as all the dishes were covered and no one was manning the booth.
So, I just kinda stood around for a few minutes….until a really nice older gentleman came out. Now here’s where things get interesting…..he only spoke Mandarin! And I just wanted to try a Smoked Chicken…so, much like what I did at Juewei….I used my phone!
And even though I didn’t get any of those liang cai….which wasn’t on the menu board, I got the smoked chicken ($15).
And man, this was pretty good. You have to understand, this ain’t American BBQ ok? The meat is quite firm, there’s a nice savory-soy-winey thing going on. The Missus said it reminded Her of what She had in China…going to middle school-high school-college in Beijing. In other words, She was hooked!
And so we headed back ASAP!
This time they seemed fully opened and the Missus had a nice chat with the gentleman and came to find out that the “main” business is in Monterey Park.
And along with the smoked chicken, we ordered a bunch of other stuffs.
While he walked away, the Missus could not help but smile….I asked Her why and She told me “his accent…..I think it’s so Northern!” Turns out he’s from Shenyang. Since then, we’ve made multiple visits and here’s a summary.
The Pig’s Ears…..are nicely flavored, but in need of completion. The gentleman said add cilantro and cucumber and some chilies……and then he made the motion of drinking some beer! Lol! Anyway, I separate and trim the slices into more manageable pieces and then add Sichuan Peppercorn Oil and some Chili Crisp….and “viola”, we have a nice side dish.
One of my favorite items is the boneless chicken feet…..which always seems to be “givin’ me da’ finga la dat!”
Mild spice-sour acidity, collagenic crunch, some spice….good stuff…
The marinated bamboo shoots are by the book as well. Earthy-vinegar-not over spicy, soy sauce and crunchy.
They have two types of housemade sausages available. The sweet is a bit too sweet and not savory enough; but the garlic version is quite nice.
And the Missus has even used it in some clay pot rice! It’s precooked, so you can just eat it when you buy it.
Well, in case you’re wondering if I like everything here….well no. The Yuba, tofu skin one of my favorite liang cai items, is way too sweet and not spicy enough.
Which is a bummer; but there’s quite a bit of variety.
In an interesting public service announcement….if you speak Mandarin; they may ask you if you want something “extra spicy”….which we did with the Lotus Root. They pour on ground chili and chili oil to what’s already mildly spicy and it’s quite “hot”.
The lotus root was nice and crunchy; though I think we’ll just get it “as is” next time.
Anyway, the Missus is hooked on this place….we’ve visited four times! Though they haven’t seemed to have attracted much customers yet. In something that’s very “Asian”…..whenever we visit, people wandering the area see us waiting and then suddenly they’re interested! Lol! So very Chinese/Taiwanese, huh?
We’re hoping they do well; this location has been four businesses over the last couple of years; from Saigon 5, to Mama Lin’s, to Dao Xiang……
After all, the Missus does need Her “smoked chicken fix”….
Spicy Duck Wang La Ya
5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111