Month: October 2026

Noodle & Bun (Gaslamp)

Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Xiao Long Bao

I recently had to take my car in for servicing again. Though instead of waiting around or heading for lunch at somewhere close to the dealership, I decided to jump on the trolley. And while there were several places on my “list” that were close to a MTS trolley stop….I really didn’t want to be changing lines, I settled on a place that opened in the Gaslamp last year. Noodle & Bun. I had heard that the Owner/Chef is from Shanghai. The shop is located on Fourth Avenue. I thought the address seemed familiar and one look at the location had me smiling.

Yep, this is the location right on the street of what used to be called Horton Plaza; who knows what its name is now? But, for a short time, it was the location of Sultan Baklava, which has since moved back to El Cajon. I had heard that the place made good hand pulled noodles and XLB. So, in spite of this being a rather hot day, I was all for trying it out!

The place was pretty quiet during my entire meal. The two young men working were really nice….they actually started speaking to me in Mandarin when I entered!

The kitchen area is open for folks to watch the noodle making taking place.

And the condiments were in place as expected.

Looking over the menu, the place features hand pulled noodles, knife cut noodles, and wide noodles. Along with three main noodle soups; Langzhou style, Beef Brisket Noodle, or Spicy Beef Brisket Noodle. All priced at $15.99. I went with the Beef Brisket Noodle. I also decided to try the Xiao Long Bao ($11.99) as well.

The Beef Brisket Noodle arrived first.

I thought the broth was on the thin side, fairly salty, with a hint of anise-five spice flavor. It struck me as being fairly bland, so I boosted the flavor with a good amount of chili oil. I’m guessing I should have ordered the spicy version.

The beef was a plus-minus. Some pieces were really nice and tender; others super chewy, but the five spice-soy sauce beefiness came thru nicely.

The highlight of the bowl were the noodles; which were perfectly tender and springy….the definition of “QQ“. I’m thinking that most of the other NRM places and even Lanzhou Noodlelicious is preferred; but the noodles here were excellent.

Look at how nicely the noodles picked up the broth.

Like I said, if I return…maybe the next time I get Jury Duty, I’ll get the spicy version.

As for the XLB ($11.99); it was kind of “meh”.

First off; you know my pet peeve with XLB, right? Yep as you can see four of the XLB wrappers were broken and the “soup” had leaked out.

And check out this hammajang looking one!

As for the rest…well, the wrappers were too think and chewy for my taste. The “soup” what there was by the book, though a bit light in porkiness. The filling was on the chewy side and mild in flavor.

I’ll probably pass on these next time.

Still, it was interesting to see a place making hand pulled noodles in this area. Just as it was surprising finding Silk Road Lanzhou Beef Noodles in PB!

Service was very nice and as I mentioned above; I’d probably revisit when I’m in the area again. I hope they are able to do well in this area.

Noodle & Bun
770 Fourth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sun 11am – 10pm

Sydney – A Nightcap at Maybe Sammy

Australia, Buffets, Cocktails, Sydney, Travel

After our dinner at Midden we strolled around the Opera House taking in the light projection show.

It was something to see!

We then headed back in the direction of our accommodation. But, instead of stopping at our hotel, we strolled a few blocks west, over to Harrington Street. You see, there was a cocktail bar nearby named Maybe Sammy……so of course we had to visit right? We’d already gone to a Cocktail Bar named Frankie’s in Oceanside. And so, I’m sure this was Sammy’s request for equal time! As a plus, Maybe Sammy is named as one of the top 50 bars in the world! Leave it to Sammy the over achiever!

The bar has a Rat Pack (named from a 60’s Vegas sign at the Sands, “Dean Martin, maybe Frank, maybe Sammy.”), 1950’s-60’s Hollywood theme.

It was a Wednesday so things were pretty mellow. The bartender, dressed in a pink pastel jacket really played the “role”.

And if you really wanted to, you could get your drink via the roll of the dice!

I’m not sure what the Missus got; but I got the “Nightcap” which was really good as it featured Bourbon, Oscar Bianco, Ginger, and Shiso Bitters. There was also a light placed under the drink creating a more dramatic affect. It was quite balanced overall, not overly sweet…..enjoyably boozy; great savory-pungent tones.

This was a lot of fun and a nice way to end the evening…..

And of course, it made us think of our Sammy-boy!

Cheers Sammy, wherever you may be….we still think of you all the time!

Maybe Sammy
115 Harrington St.
The Rocks NSW 2000, Australia

Returning to our room….I just sat and enjoyed the view……

In the morning, we had breakfast at the hotel……

Which was really mellow on this morning.

Before checking out and heading to the Circular Quay Metro link…..

Back to the airport and our next destination.

Thanks for stopping by!

Since it’s Fry-day – Time for a revisit to T.P. Banh Bao 3

Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Every couple years it seems, I’m wanting that fried bao from T.P. Banh Bao 3. And since I’ve held off my cravings for what the folks in the office used to call “dem balls” for over two years, it was time for me to get my fix.

So I made the drive up to Camino Ruiz in the Mira Mesa area. And headed into “TP”.

They open at 730am on weekends, so there wasn’t anyone in when I arrived.

I decided on the Pork, Salted Duck Egg, and Sausage, now priced at $2.75. And of course I wanted the baos fried, which has a 50 cent upcharge. There’s also a minimum order….I decided to order six and share the joy of “dem balls”……

While waiting, I snuck into another of my favorite stops here a few doors down.

When I return my fried bao were ready.

These days, just one of these fills me up; so I decided to share the wealth with some of JJ’s favorite aunties.

Once at home, it was time to have at it.

I think the bao are now a bit smaller, but were still crisp when I sliced into them. The filling was nice and moist with a pleasant toothsomeness.

Very rich and porky; nice, pleasantly salty umami from the salted duck egg yolk with mild funkiness. Like I’ve always noted….more than one of these and I’d probably need to be hosed down….or immediately made an appointment with a Cardiologist…..”be still my heart”…literally. These are so rich that I can only put away one these days.

I was quite happy to get my “fix”.

See you a couple of years T.P. Banh Bao 3!

T.P. Banh Bao 3
11271 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri  8am – 7pm
Sat – Sun   730am – 6pm

Tacotarian (North Park)

Latin American Cuisine, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

After having an enjoyable visit to Mesa Agricola, I decided to try another of these “new style – concept based” taco shops. I had enjoyed the Hongos Al Ajillo at Mesa Agricola; so the possibility of Vegan/Vegetarian tacos had me a bit intrigued. I had passed the San Diego location of Tacotarian (their other locations are in Las Vegas) many times while driving down 30th Street. So, I decided it was time to check them out.

I found parking on ECB and walked on over.

It was just after 11 and the place was already starting to get somewhat busy. It’s one of those order and pay at the counter, then take your number and have a seat kinda places.

Tacos here run at $4.47 and up, I ordered three.

The gentleman running the counter was very friendly and asked me what kind of salsa I wanted….he asked me if I like “spicy” and recommended the habanero salsa….which is what I got.

Number in hand, I had a seat in the very airy dining room.

And soon enough my tacos arrived. Top to bottom, Barbacoa, Al Pastor, and Carne Asada….all priced at $4.47 and with “” marks, cause you know, right?

And some habanero salsa; which had some really acidic heat. This was no joke.

So, I first went with the Carne Asada, which is made with Satan seitan. I have usually enjoyed item made with Seitan at Kindred so this was an easy choice.

The tortillas were decent; they held up well, but was very mild in terms of maizey tones. The queso fresco had a weird mouthfeel and seemed a bit on the sour side. The Pico de Gallo was by the book and the avocado creamy with a hint of sweetness.

One of the good things about seitan is that the flavor is mild and the texture has a sort of almost fishcake like meatiness, so it’s a good meat replacement. The flavor was nice and savory, with a bit of smokiness and I could make out garlic and some pungency. This was by far my favorite item of the day.

Next up, the Al Pastor, also made with Seitan.

This was way too sweet for my taste, missing the complex smokey savoriness of the real thing. This may sound strange; but I do enjoy my al pastor having a “pass thru the oil”, this was lacking the richness of that.

My least favorite was the Barbacoa….the portion of shredded jackfruit was quite small.

Though it really looked like shredded meat; the texture was on the mushy side and the seasoning was too puckery and sour for my taste, even though this was mostly tortilla.

I was glad to have visited and tried some of the tacos here. I see that it’s a great option for Vegans and Vegetarians. But unlike Kindred, I’m not quite taken by the food. So, unless someone has a great go-to item here; this is probably one and done.

Tacotarian
4332 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm