Month: May 2026

Stuff from Nijiya and Tokyo Central

Cooking, Markets & Grocers

Just some odds and ends for today.

Stuff from Nijiya:

Nijiya is probably a twice weekly stop…along with Tokyo Central (see below) for me/us. And I’ll often see some newer items in the deli case. Like this…..

Though there are maybe one or two sushi items I might get at Nijiya, I’m not the biggest fan of most of their fish based sushi items. But this one was interesting.

Especially based on the name and yes, the price as well!

I know…..all you ex-pat Kama’aina’s are thinking “Ohana“! And one that I showed this to, went, “what, baka ohana” (i.e. “stupid family” in pidgin). Well, nooooo….. I think that Ohana Batake means something along the lines of “field of flowers“, probably based on how the bowl looks? I’m sure “FOY” Junichi will correct me if I’m mistaken. Actually, this was not bad….I enjoyed the ikura which added some nice, briny “character” to the dish. And I think the price was quite reasonable for these days.

If you recall, I used to enjoy the karaage from Nijiya. Until they changed their recipe a couple of years ago. Well, last week, I noticed that the karaage looked a bit different.

It’s still doesn’t look like it used to, but I was curious so I bought some. Crisped up in the air fryer, I had it with some soba I made with some Moroheiya (GreeNoodle).

Much better than what I’d had previously, but still not as good as what Tokyo Central now has….so long you get the “correct” karaage. Still, with more shoyu flavor, better texture, this was an improvement.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Speaking of Tokyo Central……

I was doing some shopping at Tokyo Central last Sunday morning and walked over to the deli case. I must not pay enough attention because I never really noticed that they sell Yakitori. Not that I would really get some….but on this morning it was 20% off. I’m guessing that it was leftover from the day before? A no-no with regards to most items….but since we have the air fryer…..

So priced at $6.39, I thought it might be worth a try.

It looked fairly mediocre, and I had a taste of the tare, which was ok….truly bottled stuff, but decently salty-sweet.

What I did was microwave the skewers for a minute…then rub in whatever sauce had dripped off and what was left in the container…then went full blast in the air fryer. The result of which was definitely worth the six dollar price.

I thought the “momo” and negima…both the chicken thigh skewers were pretty good. The Missus actually enjoyed the very chicken-y tsukune.

Well, with prices these days, I’m going to be on the lookout for those 20% off specials.

Tokyo Central
8125 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Like I said, current prices have had an affect on our shopping and eating. Have they had the same effect with all of you?

Sumo Go

Japanese Restaurants

Remember back in February I noticed that a place named Sumo Go was taking over the spot formerly occupied by Bunny Chow? Recently, I was having lunch with my wonderful friends “LL” and “JP” and I mentioned this place. They live close by and told me the shop had actually opened. So, I made sure to put it on my “list”. And then, by fate, I decided to check out what was going on with Gourmet Artisan…which had closed. So, I thought it might be the right time to “go” to Sumo Go.

Even though it was before eleven, the shop was open. Walking in was interesting as this was obviously an offshoot of the “konbini” craze. You know, those Japanese convenience stores like Lawson or 7/11, now all over social media, much of it thanks to a certain gentleman who loved the egg salad sandwich at Lawson. Now, it seems like we’re getting our share of similar places.

Walking in, I noticed shelves full of Japanese snacks…..

And the typical cold case with cakes and such. Two types of sandos….katsu and tamago (of course).

What’s interesting….and really not typically “konbini like” was the menu of rice bowls and sides as these were made to order.

In the mood for something a bit more substantial than a katsu sando and having just had a pretty mediocre donburi in National City; I decided on the Gyu Don, not cheap at $18.

It turned out to be a pretty hefty bowl.

First thing I did was do a “rice check”. The rice was hot and fluffy, quite acceptable.

The beef was decent; perhaps on the sweeter end of the scale, but the texture was good, slightly toothsome, enjoyed the flavor the onions, which were quite tender, brought to the bowl.

Pretty much by-the-book, but better than what I expected based on previous experiences elsewhere. And better than what I can get from the cold case at Nijiya or Mitsuwa in my opinion. Though it is eighteen bucks and in some ways makes Tenkatori seem quite reasonable.

A few days later, I dropped by again….this time much earlier. On this visit, I took a photo of the eating area hidden behind the shelves.

I decided to get the Katsu Sando ($8.95), which was almost half the price of the version at Momo Sando.

And, to be perfectly honest, not even half as good. Starting with the Shokupan…the bread was too dense and lacking in the rich-mild sweetness I enjoy. The crusts were still on as well….a quick sign when looking at a typical sando.

The katsu had really dried out and was too chewy; though the panko still had a bit of crunchiness to it. The cabbage was fine and it wasn’t overly sauced.

Perhaps I’m too picky about my sandos….but I wouldn’t get it again. The gentleman working was very nice, and had me wondering about the background of this place. So, doing a bit of digging, I came across this.

I’ll probably return to try the karaage and other hot items. It’s good to have some options for an early lunch in the area. Next time I go to “Sumo Go”.

Sumo Go
7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 9am – 7pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 7pm

Thum SD – A Soft Opening Visit

Lao Restaurants

A few months back, I noticed a Cambodian – Lao Restaurant was opening on ECB just East of the 15 right past Vallarta Taco Shop. I wasn’t quite sure of the name since the sign made it kinda hard to read. Then in my Donburi Rice Bowls post; “FOY” Elle who is nice enough to keep me informed of new openings in the City Heights area mentioned that Thum SD had opened! So, I made sure to check the opening hours and made time to visit at around 1115 on a Thursday…to find that the place was closed….sigh….. I did wait around until 1130, but there was no activity within the place, so I left. Still, I did want to try the place out so I returned on a Saturday, to find that they were indeed open.

Upon entering, I quickly noticed that this was one of those order at the counter places…..the menu board only had around 8 items on it. The really nice young lady working also informed me that they were out of several items as well.

And as far as I could tell, there was only one menu item that was Cambodian; a soup made with Kroeung, the foundational Cambodian seasoning paste that we had run into when visiting Cambodia all those years ago. In the end, I decided to just order two of my favorite Lao dishes to go. Nem Khao (of course) and Sai Oua….Lao sausage. With regards to the sausage, you have two choices, regular or spicy. This was when the really nice woman working on her laptop chimed in saying “I prefer the spicy version”. Turns out she was one of the owners. Her husband, who is Thai-Lao and co-owner is also the chef. We had a nice little chat while I was waiting. Turns out that she is Cambodian. She was so very friendly and sweet. She apologized for not having a full menu at this time, saying that many of the ingredients they needed were still in transit. She did say however, that the week of May 3rd will be grand opening, so they should have a full menu by then.

Here’s the Nem Khao.

Nice sour tones and there was actually some coconut flavor in this; something missing in most versions we’ve had here in SD. There’s also some thin slices of pork skin as well.

On the other hand, the rice was too soft and fluffy’ lacking the crisp crunchy bits and also was devoid of sausage.

Rice was not evenly coated as well.

The Spicy Lao Sausage on the other hand was a winnah! The filling was so porky, moist, and tender. It also had some good spice to it. The casing had a bit of “snap” to it.

While the Missus thought it could have used even more herbs and Makrut Lime leaves, I thought it was fine. The Missus also loved the dipping sauce which along with typical fish sauce flavor had a ton of garlic in it.

It also came with a large portion of rice.

We’ll definitely have that sausage again, though I’m going to wait to revisit until they’ve been opened for a bit.

As I mentioned above; I was told their grand opening will be this week.

Thum SD
4151 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Tues – Fri 11am – 7pm
Saturday 11am – 5pm
Sunday 11am – 4pm

Thanks again for the heads-up Elle!

Sunday Stuffs – Coco Bomb replacing Juewei, La Perla has replaced Super Mario, and Gourmet Artisan has closed

Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

A couple of things I’ve noticed while doing my “rounds” recently.

Coco Bomb is now replacing Juewei:

Well, while doing a recent takeout revisit to Eastern Dynasty, I noticed that the “coming soon” sign over what used to be Juewei had changed. Back in March, I noted that LA Hot Duck was replacing Juewei, but I guess that’s gone awry. Now it says that Coco Bomb….which I believe has a location in Linda Vista is replacing Juewei.

Which leaves me wondering if the opening of Spicy Duck in the 99 Ranch Market Food Court affected this decision? Kind of a bummer, because personally, I think we need more of those types of businesses here.

4690 Convoy St. #103
San Diego, CA 92111

La Perla has replaced Super Mario’s:

On my most recent shopping trip to Nijiya, I noticed a “Under New Ownership” sign over what was….for a short time Super Mario’s…and for what was for a longer time Palomino’s. Kind of a bummer….

So, it looks like the La Perla empire is expanding. We’ll see how this goes; because it seems, at least to me that La Perla has been quick to open….then suddenly close their shops….

3860 Convoy St. Suite 10
San Diego, CA 92111

Gourmet Artisan has closed:

It had been a while since I’d been to Gourmet Artisan…so I thought I’d order a sandwich; but strangely, their website wasn’t working. So, I thought I’d drive past to see what was up….well…it seems that they have closed.

I guess I shouldn’t be overly surprised as the last time I visited, they were using their location as a pseudo commercial kitchen of sorts. Still, it’s a place that I had visited on a regular basis before….but I guess just not often enough.

7094 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Road Trip – Shangrila Himalayan Kitchen, The Landing Lakeside Dining, and Sugar Pine Point State Park

American/New American Restaurants, Dog Friendly, Indian Restaurants, Lake Tahoe, Nepalese/Himalayan Food, Road Trip, Travel

After spending two nights at the Forest Suites Resort, we checked out. We’d be spending the next three nights at the place I really wanted to stay at; the Landing Resort & Spa. Of course we had to figure out what to do before checking in….which was really easy. The Missus really enjoyed our stay in Tahoma on a previous road trip and while the small town didn’t have dog friendly restaurants or accommodations, we headed back up so She could do some paddleboarding at Sugar Pine Point Beach. The drive there was of course quite beautiful.

And once we got to Sugar Pine State Park, well, the Missus got to doing Her “SUP” thing ASAP. Which initially included JJ.

Who soon got tired of the whole thing. After which, I just took him to explore the area, which I was somewhat familiar with from our previous visit.

He enjoyed the walk and exploring.

Though he did miss his “mom”.

And then I saw this sign……which was indeed a “sign” for us to take our leave…..

On the way back into South Lake Tahoe, we decided to stop for lunch. The Missus waned something “different” so I found a place named “Shangrila Himalayan Kitchen”, a bit off highway 50 for lunch.

There was ample outdoor seating…..

And though the place was quite busy, the folks working were really accommodating as we sat outside.

We started with the Vegetable Pakora, basically vegetable fritters.

We enjoyed the sauces, because the fritters were on the bland side and the texture was quite “gummy”.

The Garlic Naan was fine, if a bit doughy. At least it had some nice garlic flavor.

The Lamb Curry was fine. Though the lamb was on the tougher side, at least it was quite aromatic, with a decent savory-richness. And quite hearty.

Really thick in texture…and we would have enjoyed a bit more spice.

We didn’t leave hungry though.

Shangrila Himalayan Kitchen
1142 Ski Run Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

We stopped to do some shopping on the way to check in…… We both cracked up when we saw this shirt.

And were tempted to get for….well…someone!

We then went over and checked in at the Landing Resort & Spa. I just wanted to stay here for the location. I enjoyed the view.

While JJ enjoyed…….

We just really enjoyed the fact that it was across from Lake Tahoe.

We decided to dine at the hotel’s restaurant; the Landing Lakeside Dining. The menu was no joke with entrees hitting the sixty dollar mark. Luckily, we weren’t very hungry and just did some cocktails and two apps.

The Duck “Nachos” were really like two tostadas.

The butternut squash sauce seemed a bit on the “thin” side and was too sweet. The duck confit tasted fine; good savoriness, but was on the chewy-dry side.

The Pork Belly just had too much going on.

With the yuzu emulsion clashing with the passionfruit glaze. Not sure why this needed chorizo, since the pork belly was nice and porky, and quite tender. The little dollops of parsnip puree was not enough to really contribute to the dish.

Really nice service with a good view of Lakeside Beach, but the dishes were a bit too over-the-top for us.

The Landing Lakeside Dining
4104 Lakeshore Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

But staying right across the street from Lakeside Beach had its benefits.

And dogs are allowed on the beach during the summer months; which is when we were here.

JJ does love the sand!

This was a lot more relaxed and peaceful than the busy Heavenly Village area. We enjoyed watching the sun set over the horizon!

Roast Duck from Noble Chef and Tacos from the Tacos La Chorreada Truck

Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

I’m still kinda “feeling it” from all the recent driving so just a quick post on some recent takeout revisits.

Roast Duck from Noble Chef:

I was in Balboa Crest Shopping Center checking on something, when I decided to pop into Noble Chef to see what roast duck prices were like. It had been a while since we’d been to Noble Chef. The prices and our visits to Eastern Dynasty have basically kept us away. The last time I’d had roast duck from Noble Chef it was a whopping $28 for a half duck! What the “duck” is going on? I was curious so I popped my head in…..

And to my surprise; on this day the half roast duck was $20.95. Like the same price as Eastern Dynasty. Hmmm……I’m wondering if there’s some competitive pricing going on now?

So, here’s what it looked like.

The skin was nice and firm and most of the fat had been rendered off nicely.

The meat was toothsome and moist-juicy. It did seem a bit short in flavor, really lacking in the five-spice/anise tones, sweetness, though it was nice and savory. Also, the duck seemed a bit leaner then on previous visits.

Still, perhaps our favorite roast duck in San Diego……I guess I’ll keep popping in and doing price checks for duck. The other dishes here just seem over-priced still.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

I’m always up to try some roast duck if anyone has a current favorite!

The Tacos La Chorreada Truck:

On a recent hot afternoon; the Missus just wanted a light dinner and figured three tacos from the La Chorreada Truck would fit the bill. I actually had not visited since the truck moved two lots over back in November. So, JJ and I walked on over. I ordered my tacos “para lleva” and JJ and I went to have a cerveza at BHT. We then returned for my tacos.

They actually have a pretty nice sitting area set-up now.

Anyway, here’s our taco threesome…..

From left to right. Lengua…nice and waxy, fatty-beefiness. The cabeza…the best of the bunch on this day, very beefy, great with the salsa verde. And the smoky-savory-lightly spicy chorizo and the “neba-neba” of the nopales.

This was a nice and light dinner for us. It fit the bill since we weren’t hungry in the least on this day.

The Tacos La Chorreada Truck
3040 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!