In the comments of my post on trying out the Lu Rou Fan at Bei Yuan Tea & Boba, “FOY” Franklin mentioned enjoying the LRF at Facing East. Facing East? Well, that’s interesting since I’d really not enjoyed any of my meals at Facing East, seeing it as a gimmicky Asian fusion kind of place, with those multi-colored XLB, serving everything from Ramen and Karaage to BiBimBap to Kushiyaki……. Still, I felt I should give the place a try since it’s been over 7 years since my last visit! It would be interesting to see if things had changed.
Checking out the hours online was interesting as the place did open for lunch on Fridays to Mondays, but only from noon.
And yes, looking at that menu….it’s still all over the place. Though I did a laugh seeing that they served “Dumlings”……well, I hoped that I wouldn’t be a “dumling” for revisiting the place!
I walked in and was given the opportunity to pick my own table. Ordering was done as is kind of the norm these days….via QR code.
I went and ordered the “Braised Pork Rice”, unlike what the posted menu listed, it’s priced at $14.50, which is still a decent price. Based on that price, which was even cheaper than the ramen, I was not expecting the size of the bowl that arrived!
Those chunks of pork were cut quite large, but were decently tender. The sauce was quite salty; with a bit of a greasy mouthfeel, and lacking in any sweet-pungent-wine tones. It wasn’t bad, just a bit one dimensional with regards to flavor. Also, the pickled vegetables tasted like Takana-zuke; Japanese pickled mustard greens. Which I do like, but not with my Lu Rou Fan.
I ended up using the chili oil to help cut the saltiness of the pork.
The rice was decently cooked, fairly moist. The boiled egg was adequately done, no gray-green ring, perhaps a bit overcooked for my preference, but totally fine. It wasn’t cooked in soy sauce though.
Man, this was quite a large portion.
Perhaps this might be better for a late night meal with a couple of beers. Not too bad, but I think Bei Yuan is a bit better. Still, I appreciated the recommendation Franklin. It’s great to get out of my “comfort zone” and revisit those places I hadn’t been to in ages.
Facing East
4647 Convoy St Suite 101C
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Monday 12pm – 4pm, 5pm – 930pm
Wed – Thurs 3pm – 930pm
Friday 12pm – 4pm, 5pm – 1030pm
Saturday 12pm -1030pm
Sunday 12pm – 930pm
Closed on Tuesdays
And I’m still looking for “that bowl” of Lu Rou Fan!