It’s Fry-day – A Revisit to Mr Fish and Chips

I had a bunch of errands to run the weekend before our trip to France. The clock was striking 11 and I was getting hungry. I really didn't want to eat at any of the "chains" in the area and other places didn't open until at least 1130. Coming out of CVS; I recalled not having been back to Mr Fish and Chips in over four years! Heck; I'd be getting my share of tete de veau, foie gras, and other goodies soon enough. Why not have some fried food for a change?

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The place was pretty quiet when I arrived.

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Not much has changed over the years (can you believe I first posted about this place in 2007??); except the prices of course; the Fish Combo was now $11.99. And it looks like they give you a little "trolley" with every sauce in the world when you receive your food.

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I had no complaints about the fish…..

Mr FnC Rev 04 Mr FnC Rev 05The crisp and crunchy batter was nice; not greasy in the least. The fish was moist, with no off flavors. Of course, with this brand of Malt Vinegar I had to use a ton of it to dial it up to my "taste" (the tartar sauce is super bland).

The fries…ummm chips; were limp, dry, and like cardboard; there was no remedy for that.

The coleslaw was generically decent; I used more malt vinegar on it as I thought it needed some oomph. But it was nicely chilled, the veggies crisp, and not overly dressed.

Mr FnC Rev 06 Mr FnC Rev 07The owner was much more "chatty" then I recalled. As the place filled up, it seemed like he knew a good number of customers.

In the end; the meal was quite consistent with what I've had here over the years. And that's not a bad thing…..every four-five years or so.

Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 830pm
Fri – Sat   11am – 9pm
Closed on Sundays

 

Modena – Ristorante da Danilo

Trains are interesting in Italy; it seems like they are always late. Our train from Ferrara to Bologna was 15 minutes late; which made me worry, since we had a 14 minute transfer time in Bologna for our train to Modena. I shouldn't have worried since our Bologna connection was 25 minutes late!

We arrived in Modena and made our way to the lovely apartment which was located right the edge of downtown Modena. It was spacious and the interior had been upgraded. The owner was not able to meet us; but her dad, a jolly and friendly gentleman did. While he spoke no English; he did a great job of showing us around and even wrote down a dinner recommendation for us!

I actually tried calling the restaurant for dinner reservations; but as soon as they heard English, they hung up on me!

We freshened up and took a short stroll…..I didn't take too many photos; only a few of Piazza Roma and Palazzo Ducale.

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We also did a bit of shopping; checking out a Balsamic Vinegar (after all; this is Modena) shop and wandering around a bit.

Returning to the apartment, we took a short nap, and then decided to head out for dinner. In spite of being hung up on; we headed off to Risorante da Danilo to see if we could get a table.

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Which we did. Initially, our Server was a rather serious, not very friendly woman…….we both gave her a hearty "buona serra" and got a one-second smile before the edges of her mouth returned to their IMG_0327 locked downward position. The Missus and I just couldn't help but crack up. After seeing some of the rather demanding non-local customers during our meal; I could understand how folks here could become a bit jaded. 

And of course, some Lambrusco makes everything better, no?

We started our meal here in the same manner as other meals in Emilia-Romagna….with Salumi and of course Culatello. I just couldn't get enough of the stuff.

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The prosciutto was quite good, meltingly tender, with a nice funky-cheesy finish. The culatello wasn't of the best quality, but was sliced nice and thin. And of course the torta fritta; here it was a bit thicker; making it more crunchy than crisp, though it was still wonderful with the cured meats. The Pecorino was on the "young" side but had a nice milkiness to it.

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The Missus it seems, just couldn't get enough of the funghi in the region and went with the Papardelle con Funghi Porcini.

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Man, the pasta was perfectly al dente, soft, yet with a pleasant stretch. The porcini added such a pleasant earthy-savory, almost sweetness to things. As with all the pasta in the region; it was nicely coated, but not drenched…..you had the means of really enjoying the flavors and pasta evenly.

While the Missus couldn't get enough porcini…well; I just couldn't get my fill of……tortellini. En Brodo de Cappone of course.

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The tortellini were wonderful; slight savory-cheesy bliss, the perfect pasta….each tiny little morsel made by hand. Which is why it's usually the most expensive pasta on the menu. The broth was light but had a nice poultry flavor….that old hen surely gave her life for a noble cause.

Simple, pure, and basic seems to work the best in Emilia-Romagna.

By this time our Server had warmed up to us. We were enjoying our meal and were low maintenance, eating things as it should be…..she was actually smiling and stopping by to see how we IMG_0332were doing. The Emilia-Romagna warmth and friendliness was perhaps dormant at first…..but it could not help but push itself to the surface in the end.

We really enjoyed our dinner here.

Ristorante da Danilo
Via Coltellini 31
Modena, Italy

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We strolled through Piazza Roma again.

Past the Monument to Ciro Menotti.

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And into the Modena night…….

House of Pho

One of my coworkers wanted to know what I thought of this little shop off Plaza in National City. So, I thought I'd head down to check them out. I was forewarned about the "interesting" service that "MG" sometimes got here.

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The little shop is a simple set-up; the menu is status quo for these type of shops.

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The young lady who waited on me; was well….different; she dropped off the menu at the table and just stood there, not impatiently mind you, she just stood there blankly looking at….well almost through me, not saying a word. This wasn't say; the perfunctory service of, for example Pho Hoa, this was just silence. I placed my order, she grabbed the menu, turned and walked away; uttering not a word.

House of Pho 04 House of Pho 05I had gone with the well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe.

The portion of sprouts and basil was also average for most pho places these days; rather sparse, but at least fresh.

The broth was cloudy, not very rich, lacking in anise/beef tones, and mostly just salty. Sorely in need of a flavor injection; more cilantro, onions, or anything…..

House of Pho 06 House of Pho 07The noodles were over-cooked and on the mushy side.

The meatballs were the typical squeaky, flavorless orbs; the well done steak tasteless, the one piece of tendon thick and tough; the chewy flank had some beefiness, ditto the brisket, and there were two little "wisps"of tripe.

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My check was silently placed on my table; the silent Server, turned and walked away. I did hear her talk to the other woman working…..she just didn't speak to me at all. This was kind of odd.

There really wasn't any reason to return. But a few months later….yes months; I decided to just come back and try something else.

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The same young lady was working; same blank stare, same silence…….. I started with the Garlic Wings.

House of Pho 10 House of Pho 11Which arrived sizzling hot and crisp. It really lacked any substantial seasoning though…..not much garlic, or anything else going on here. The skin got mushy rather quickly, lots of black spots in the flesh, whose texture was a bit chewy in spots. I'm thinking there was some oxidation and freezer burn going on here as there was that slightly off flavor in spots.

I had also ordered the Bo Kho; the Beef Stew.

House of Pho 12 House of Pho 13This was basically pho broth with bo kho base. In a completely opposite manner; the broth was super greasy, had a metallic finish to it, and lacked the beefy, tangy, mild-anise/peppery spice of a decent beef stew. It was quite salty and I used a good amount of the lime trying to balance out the flavor of the broth….to no avail.

The beef in the stew were strangely provided in tough and dry "rolls"

The banh pho was decently prepped this time around and had some "pull" to them.

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My check silently arrived at my table…….

I decided to see if I could actually get a response from the young lady serving me and when I saw this…..

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I had an opening…perhaps the young lady was just shy? I asked her if the owners were from Hawaii? The young lady gave me a blank stare; took my money, turned around and walked away. She did say something to the other woman working who laughed. I guess I just wasn't worth but a single word or response. Strange…..

House of Pho
3120 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Hours:
Sun – Fri 10am – 9pm
Saturday  10am – 10pm

Revisits – Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa) and Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside

We're slowly getting to ramen weather here….so a couple of ramen revisits might be in order.

Menya Ultra (Mira Mesa):

Calvin wanted to take me to lunch before my trip, so he got to pick…….it was easy for him; he wanted to try the Mira Mesa location of Menya Ultra. Calvin had been singing the praises of MU on Clairemont Mesa since he first tried the place. While I had the broth had not sustained its excellence over time. Of course he didn't know any better. So, when we got to MU, I told him he was in for a treat as the owner, Takashi Endo was working in the kitchen area.

And this was indeed quite good; even better than usual.

Menya MM Rev 01 Menya MM Rev 02The broth was a bit richer and full bodied, the fragrance, a nice funky tonkotsu, the flavor mild and not too salty. The noodles were perfect; the ajitama, nicely done and not cold.

A really well done bowl….things are better when the boss is around.

Menya Ultra
8141 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside:

**** Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman has closed

The Missus had to work the weekend before we left on our trip. I decided to head on back to Oceanside and Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman. I'd enjoyed the noodles in their Aburasso Ramen and wanted to try out the Tsukemen….and of course that Chicken Karaage I enjoyed.

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Sadly, they weren't serving he Tsukemen on this visit. So, I ended up ordering the "Red Hot Miso Ramen Deluxe".

Menma Rev 02 Menma Rev 03While not being particularly spicy; I preferred this to the rather bland shoyu ramen. It wasn't overly salty; with some decent savory tones; the thickness of the broth was pleasant, if not overly rich. The chashu was nicely seasoned if a bit on the "waxy" side with regards to texture. The menma, which I enjoyed last time still had that nice woodiness; except that it was ice cold….ditto the egg; which was also on the overcooked side for my taste. The noodles were also past the nice chewy-al dente ("katame") texture I prefer as well. Not bad…..

I was really looking forward to the chicken karaage.

Menma Rev 04 Menma Rev 05Which sadly did not live up to the level of my previous two visits. First off, notice that one piece had been sliced to check for doneness….just seeing this made me rather sad as it meant whomever was making this wasn't familiar with frying the karaage up. And yes; the sliced piece was very dry and as you can see by the photos, so were the other pieces, of which the batter was also hard instead of crunchy. While on previous visits; the flavor of the marinade had danced on the edge of salty; this went over that line as well and was really salty.

Man, what a bummer….I really enjoyed the karaage on my previous two visits.

Service was efficient, the ramen decent, but to me, this really wasn't worth the drive up to Oceanside; so I'm not sure if, or when I'll make an effort to return.

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside
509 Mission Ave
Oceanside, CA 92054

We’re Back!

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Well, as you can see by the photo above; it's kind of easy to tell where we've been….back to the Missus's favorite city.

And we revisited a couple of Her favorite sites as well.

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And even ate at a few favorite places as well.

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Though it wasn't all revisits as we had meals that went from the traditional….

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To modern…..

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To getting to know the city a bit better and trying out other places around the city…..some of which were excellent.

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Our next stop was a region known…..well for this…..

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And while we did sample our share of the "bubbly"…..

We didn't realize the amount of history that took place in the city we stayed in…..

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A cathedral where 29 kings of France were crowned…..

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Where a young girl who received "angelic orders" rallied the French and "Le Dauphin" was crowned Charles VII…..

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The land is beautiful; the bounty of the chalky soil is known around the world…..

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Our meals here also went from traditional to modern…..

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Our next stop was a city in a region we'd been to before. Yet, we probably enjoyed this city much more….it had charm in spades.

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We had a charming apartment right in the middle of the picturesque old town. The food; like on our previous visit to the region was quite hearty; though we enjoyed it here much more.

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The highlight of our stay; other than our apartment was a small group tour that turned into a private tour when we were the only two attendees for that day. We visited four amazing villages.

From one of the villages that inspired Beauty and the Beast.

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To another that is the birthplace of a famous humanitarian; but is sadly now known for a tragic and sad event a few months ago. It has now made this beautiful little village a rather strange, somewhat macabre pilgrimage site for Americans. I'd totally forgotten about what happened here and chose to partake in the beauty and history instead.

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Though we did find out from our guide about an odd coincidence we had the previous evening……

The next stop was the third most populous city in the country; the entire city center is a UNESCO site.

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But who were we kidding? We were there to eat!

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From the traditional…..

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To the Michelin starred…..

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Now we know why they call this city the "Capital of Gastronomy".

And so, we ended up where we started; except for a short side trip….

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We enjoyed our Thanksgiving meal…..

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And as soon as things started….well, they ended.

Because of a couple of travel hiccups; it basically took us twenty-four hours from the time we left our hotel, to when we walked into our house…..

So this little piggy needs a bit of rest.

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Thanks for stopping by!

Bei Jing Kao Ya (北京烤鸭 – Peking Duck) From Yummy House

In the comments section of my most recent Village Kitchen post; "Elle" asked me if I had been to Yummy House, which had just opened in the former Nolbu and Soho spot on Convoy. I'd seen the spot; but wasn't quite sure what this place was. A quick text to "FOY" Candice and things got more interesting as she mentioned Bei Jing Kao Ya….aka Peking Duck. so I decided to escape for an early lunch down to that little parking lot. The place was empty when I arrived; the Servers seemed really nice, but somewhat "green" and unorganized. But still, they were friendly.

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The menu was kind of all over the place and I tried to get a bead on where the owner and chefs were from. All I got was "Northern China"…so immediately, the Hunan and Sichuan dishes were ruled out. And of course there was the Peking Duck on the menu…..two courses for $45.98…….not cheap by any means and you had to order one hour ahead of time.

I decided to order a couple of things.

Yummy house 05 Yummy house 07Starting with the Sauteed Green Beans; which was decently pan fried, somewhat wrinkly, really mild in seasoning, but the green beans were fresh and crisp, so I didn't need too much in terms of seasoning. Though how this was flavored seemed quite "Shandong".

I also ordered the Crisp Intestine with Pancakes. The pancakes were fairly thin, with a bit of stretch and weren't bad at all. The intestine wasn't crisp enough, being more gummy and chewy, but was quite funky in flavor and barely seasoned.

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The best item by far was the Suan Cai Yang Rou.

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While the suan cai; the "fermented" cabbage was really mild, much too mild for our taste, the lamb was quite tender, and nice and gamey. The broth was also mild and in my opinion in need of star anise and more white pepper; though it did have frozen tofu. This wasn't bad at all. Needless to say; when I brought this home, the Missus stated how mild it was in flavor.

A few minutes into my meal and I felt a tap on my shoulder….good lord; it was Candice! Great minds think alike I guess? It was nice chatting and catching up on things a bit; I gave her a taste of what I was eating. I had to get back to the office so I soon left. Candice did mention that the best item they had was the Beef Tendon Hot Pot; so I returned to try that.

Yummy house 09 Yummy house 10This was by far the best item I had on my visits. The tendon was so tender and buttery, the beef shank tender and full of wonderful beefiness, the tomato based broth was thick, rich, and tangy, with just enough white pepper tones. This was a good, rustic dish….full of that "aaah" affect.

The really nice young lady working recommended I have the gailan which she said was fresh. It was fresh, though a bit under-cooked and under-seasoned.

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A few weeks back a couple of the folks I'm really close to at work; "YZ", "SJP", and Calvin decided that it had been a while since we'd had lunch together. We decided to check out Yummy House and try the Peking Duck. "YZ" called the day before and made reservations and ordered the duck.

We arrived right past eleven am……there was some confusion about the duck but it got straightened out….we were told the duck; even though we had ordered ahead and our time was set at 11 was going to take a while. And then we tried ordering……well…..they were out of the Tendon Hot Pot….no Ong Choy, no Spicy Clam….no Hot Tea!!!! Say what?

We ordered a couple of items including the Green Beans and rice…..to find out; they didn't have any rice?!?!?! Did somebody forget to press the "button" on the rice cooker? When was the last time you went to a Chinese Restaurant in San Diego and they were out of rice? The poor woman who was serving us felt so bad and embarrassed. So; it was going to be a "lower carb" lunch then we had planned on. The green beans were fine….soon enough the duck made its way to the table.

Yummy house 12 Yummy house 13The legs of the duck were served separately and were actually the best thing about this dish. The dan bing; the pancakes were decent; thin enough with a light stretch. The second best thing about this dish was the cucumbers….because that duck meat was so bland and dry; the duck skin wasn't crisp enough and didn't have much flavor….I mean, I wasn't expecting it to compare to Quan Ju De or even any number of now defunct and still open places in LA/OC….but good lord; I was expecting better than China Max!

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The soup that arrived was also disappointing.

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Shades of Seolleongtang; while the tongue feel of the broth was decent with a mild duck flavor, this really needed some salt, white pepper, star anise…… "YZ" also quickly noticed that it seems the tofu hadn't been drained properly as it had no flavor. It's really sad; because I believe I can do better with a leftover duck carcass. Sad…..forty-six bucks worth of sad.

We laos ordered one of the few items actually available; the "Dong Po" Pork Hock.

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"YZ" who is from Shanghai and I mentioned that the chef is definitely from the North since this had no sweet tones; like dong po rou. The brown sauce was gloppy and glue like, the skin was fairly decent as it had a bit of stretch and the connective tissue was somewhat buttery in texture; but in a good pork hock, the meat under the skin will be quite tender; this was fairly dry and flavorless. This could have used more saltiness and savory tones as well. Yummy house 18

In the end I felt really bad for our Server and somewhat embarrassed for suggesting lunch here. Though we did have fun time catching up on things other than work. Still; how can you not have rice or tea? I was tempted to run over to Chopstix and buy some rice. Actually; if the folks running the place actually had some sense; they'd send the tall young man who was just standing behind the bar to purchase some rice for their customers.

My understanding is that the owner/cooks are from either Shandong or Dongbei; depending on who you ask. They really need to work on a whole lot of things here……without even considering the food; there are many gaps to close. And it seems there's a severe lack of restaurant experience and common sense.

Yummy House
4633 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours
Mon -Fri  11am – 230pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 10pm

Revisits – Mi Quang Mien Trung and Pho Hoa

It had been about eight months since Mi Quang Mien trung had opened; so I thought it would be a good time to revisit. Plus, they open at 8am, so I can get noodles for breakfast before hitting the office on weekends.

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It seems like only half of the menu display was working on this day; but I knew what I wanted. I wasn't very impressed with the signature dish of this place during my previous visit; so I gave the Mi Quang another try.

M Q Mien Trung Rev 02 M Q Mien Trung Rev 03The pork this time around was vastly improved; nice saltiness, good pork flavor. After that; there was a total drop-off. Still hardly any broth and what is provided is so bland, it might as well be msg flavored hot water. The noodles were nicely cooked and I appreciated the banana blossom, which added a decent texture. The shrimp was really bad; it was over-cooked and had a very musty flavor, not good eats.

Like I said before; it's a pretty nice looking dish and maybe you'd like it….if you've never had Mi Quang before. For me, this is just so bland and lacks soul.

That said; there were a few things on the menu I had wanted to check-out, so I returned the following weekend.

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By now it seems the entire menu board is now non-functional. It's back to paper.

I ordered the Bun Hen ($8.50) and Banh Bot Loc (a small order $4).

M Q Mien Trung Rev 05 M Q Mien Trung Rev 06The Bun Hen is by far the best item I've had here so far. While not nearly as well seasoned or spice as the version at Mien Trung, the clams had a nice mildly chewy texture, had a mild savory flavor, without any sandy-grittiness. That mam nem did it's magic on the dish as a whole; adding a wonderful deep-funky savoriness to the dish. The chicharrons were fresh, light, and crunchy. The bun was perfectly prepared and there was a good amount of banana blossom in the dish. It was very satisfying…..

I can't say the same about the Banh Bot Loc, which was ice cold, really, tough, and flavorless.

M Q Mien Trung Rev 07 M Q Mien Trung Rev 08You can't win 'em all I guess.

CC recently visited Mi Quang Mien Trung as well.

**** Mi Quang Mien Trung has closed

Mi Quang Mien Trung
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

As for that "vehicle" parked in front of the 7-11….well, you never know what you'll see on ECB…..

For some reason yesterday's time change kind of messed me up….as in, I was up at 4am messed up. After trying to sleep for a few more hours; I gave up and decided to go into work for a while. But first I needed some breakfast….and perhaps some pho. I've had some pretty lousy pho recently and just wanted something decent…..plus it was 645am in the morning. I decided to head up to City Heights and have my breakfast at Pho Hoa, after all it had been over 2 years since my last visit. Plus, they open at 7am.

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Not much going on at 7am on a Sunday at Pho Hoa; just a few "old-timers"; me included. The lighting gave the place a rather eerie look.

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The drill was as expected. The menu, placed on the table, is basically symbolic, a formality, as the guy taking the order is already standing above you, pen poised in hand, impatiently waiting for you to order before you even open it.

But there was no mistaking the freshness of the basil, ngo gai (yea!!), and sprouts when it hit the table. And man, apparently there's no national shortage of basil as other pho shops will make you believe.

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Pho Hoa Rev 04 Pho Hoa Rev 05It was good 'ol #4 for me. As I mentioned in a previous post; I'm not a big fan of the rare steak here….it usually has a rather metallic taste to it.

The broth was decent; a slight beefiness, a bit richer than usual, clear, with a nice mildly pungent-anise flavor. Not overly sweet like much of the pho in San Diego is these days.

The brisket was slightly beefy if a bit on the dry side; the flank wasn't overly fatty, the tripe crunchy, but it was the tendon that took the gold medal. Nice and buttery in texture.

Pho Hoa Rev 06 Pho Hoa Rev 07Not an amazing or great bowl of pho; but passable and it hit the spot. With the state of pho in San Diego, this will just have to do these days.

Pho Hoa Restaurant
4717 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115 

Spicy Hut

**** Spicy Hut has closed

Back in May; Faye left a comment on my Shan Xi Magic Kitchen post, in which she overheard customers asking if the staff from Spicy King were now working at the restaurant they were eating at. That would be Spicy Hut, you can read Faye's post here. I filed that away for a while. Then a few weeks back; I happened to mention this to "YZ", who lives fairly close by. One morning, while her kids were attending some kind of event she checked the place out. Interesting story; "YZ" actually worked at Ba Ren over one summer while in college, so she probably waited on us during our visits to Ba Ren! small world. Anyway, "YZ" walked on in; it was before opening and asked if "Shifu Hu" was there….and he was! She brought me a menu….

So, I decided to check them out a few days later.

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This is in the former location of Golden State Seafood….man, the last time I was here must be over a dozen years ago!

The interior is clean, there's the de-rigueur cold case with the liang cai; cold dishes.

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Chef Hu's wife, whom I met while shopping at 99 Ranch Market and on that final visit to Spicy King was working the front of house and quickly called Chef Hu out. He looked to be in good health and we quickly shook hands…..my Mandarin is non-existent and his English is limited, so we mostly smiled and had a short conversation.

So, of course I was anxious to try some of the dishes. During both visits, I went with more or less the Sichuan dishes I long for and miss.

But first, some Liang Cai.

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The Fu Qi Fei Pian ("husband and wife lung pieces", lung = offal or tendon in most cases)was nicely cut; though not spicy enough, and can you tell what's missing? Yep, the tendon. It's sort of like the "husband" decided to leave the "wife" and try to make it on his own. I missed the textural contrast of not having something other than brisket in this. The pig ears were nice and crunchy, with a good amount of sesame oil, but could have used a bit more spice. The pickled long beans were good, nice and briny.

Of course I had to have the Sichuan Liang Mian; I haven't had a good version since Ba Ren closed.

Spicy Hut 04 Spicy Hut 05The actual noodles, were passable, not over-cooked, not hard and brittle, but still lacking that nice al dente pull I like. This had a ton of garlic and vinegar, it was a bit too sour for me. The amount of soy and saltiness was perfect, but this needed that savory punch from sesame paste and more spiciness. Still, not a bad version.

Another go-to dish; Ko Shui Ji ("saliva/mouthwatering" chicken). So was this "drool worth"?

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This was the best version I've had in a while! The chicken was prepared well; it had a nice toothsomeness, without being tough. The sauce had some nice heat; with decent ginger tones, a touch of sweetness, and some spice! I would have enjoyed a little "ma" (numbing) tones as this was a bit short in the Sichuan Peppercorn department.

My least favorite dish was the Ma Po Doufu.

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While the texture of the tofu was excellent; this dish was sorely lacking with regards to several key ingredients; chili bean paste, Sichuan Peppercorns, not enough fermented black beans. It was, to put things mildly very one-dimensional; truly missing that "suan-tian-ku-la-xian", the sour-sweet-bitter-spicy-salty metaphor for a flavorful, yet balanced dish the Chinese use. I brought most of it home and the Missus thought it wasn't very good either.

A few days later; Calvin and "Daniel from Georgia" wanted to grab something to eat. We actually had time for lunch! I mentioned Spicy Hut and Daniel had never had traditional Sichuan food before; so it was a go. They decided that I should do the ordering. So lunch commenced as such.

Liang Cai. The duck gizzards in chili and sesame oil were pretty good, nice and crunchy.

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The Shui Zhu Yu (the classic "Water Boiled Fish") dish, which Faye really enjoyed, was quite good, if a bit short in the Sichuan Peppercorn and Doubian Jian department.

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The texture of the fish was good, tender, moist, with no muddy flavors. Daniel just loved this and told he'd never had anything like this before!

The Shrimp with Dried Red Chilies was next.

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The batter was light and crunchy; though I prefer it more lacquered and not as "thick". It also could have used more Sichuan Peppercorns as this wasn't particularly spicy in spite of all those red chilies. I don't think the fried shrimp was finished correctly with the chilies.

I wanted to temper the spice with one dish and we got the Rice Crust with Three Delicacies.

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While a bit on the milder side; the texture of the sauce was good, not too thin and not too gloppy. The fish was prepared well; but the shrimp was a bit on the over-cooked side. Still as this got more and more gooey, it became quite comforting.

Overall, the food was pretty good, better, at least for now than other Sichuan options in San Diego. It's also better than what I'd previously had from Chef Hu at Fu An Garden and Spicy King. I'm hoping they can hold the course. And perhaps it's about time for me to "make the rounds" of the Sichuan shops in San Diego.

Spicy Hut
9460 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours
Mon – Fri 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 930pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 9pm

The Concorde Room (London Heathrow) and British Airways First Class London Heathrow to San Diego Lindbergh Field

While purchasing tickets for our San Diego – Copenhagen trip I noticed something that I believe was a bit of an aberration. For the return flight to San Diego; British Airways First Class was just a bit more than Business Class. I thought this would be a nice treat for the Missus. Especially since we had a 5-1/2 layover in Heathrow. So, for this slow Saturday, I thought I'd complete the posts on that trip with a short, mostly photo post.

The Concorde Room:

The flight from Copenhagen to London-Heathrow was short and sweet; we went through the usual hassle at LHR, the second set of security, not knowing what gate our flight was going to be at, etc.

One thing did make this lay-over a treat was the Concorde Room, unlike Galleries Club in Terminal 5, set for Business Class and the Galleries First, which, even though it says" "First" caters more to elite status fliers, the Concorde Room, which has it's own door after security where you can bypass all the shops and such, is for only passengers with First Class BA tickets or those with a Concorde Room card.

This large lounge has four basic areas; the lounge and basic seating area…..

LHR Concorde Room 01

You can even pre-book a "Cabanas"; basically a day-room, which I understand has a private bathroom, shower, day-bed, and television.

LHR Concorde Room 02

The Restaurant, with booths, and a separate menu.

LHR Concorde Room 03

And our favorite area; the Terrace, with couches, chairs, and day-beds, which I made really great use of during our lay-over.

LHR Concorde Room 05
LHR Concorde Room 05

From the Terrace you can view the tarmac…..

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And the bustling terminal…..if you look closely, you'll notice a place where we had a rather mediocre meal on a previous trip.

LHR Concorde Room 07 LHR Concorde Room 08The menu outside of the dining area is a simple abbreviated one.

It's all table service; so you won't find the chafing dishes and the buffet line here. I found the service to be quite professional.

The Missus decided on a breakfast sandwich; but couldn't decide on the filling, so the really nice Server asked Her if She wanted all three on Her sandwich. Which is what She ended up getting. I got the Smoked Salmon and Scrambled Eggs.

LHR Concorde Room 09
LHR Concorde Room 09

and two glasses of Champagne later; I had a short nap while the Missus watched Her Netflix.

Because of the lay over; we were asked about lunch, but we were still full from breakfast. The flight desk was really good about letting us know our gate and other info and soon enough we boarded.

In a nutshell, the key difference I saw between Business and First on this BA flight was the space and the service. The pod was surprisingly large.

LHR - SAN First 01
LHR - SAN First 01

Please take note of the seatbelt on the "footrest" section of my pod.

After the usual glass of sparkling wine to start things off……

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LHR - SAN First 04

We were asked if we'd like to dine together! Really! And you know what? They did a second setting and the Missus and I shared a nice dinner…..

LHR - SAN First 05

I don't think the food is really different between Business and First; though the presentation is…..

LHR - SAN First 06
LHR - SAN First 06
LHR - SAN First 06

LHR - SAN First 07
LHR - SAN First 07
LHR - SAN First 07

Man, that cheese plate was quite generous…..

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Best of all, was the lie-flat bed….with a much larger area then the usual Business Class Pod.

LHR - SAN First 13

So there you go. I'm not sure when or if we'll be able to do this again; but it was a nice way to end our trip.

LHR - SAN First 14

Copenhagen – Our Last Day and Restaurant Schønnemann

We got into Copenhagen from Paris at 930pm. Getting to Nørreport Station from the airport is a snap; our hotel was further down Vendersgade this time; around the corner from the last place was stayed at. The room was large, the floors creaky, and the bathroom; yet another "wet room", had the worst configuration I've had for a bathroom since probably that boat on Halong Bay. Everytime you showered, you had to make sure to remove all the T.P., close the seat, etc….

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You'd think for $280/night they could come up with something better….like maybe shower curtains?

Oh well; at least breakfast was good, not as good as the Ibsens hotel, which we stayed at during the beginning of our trip. Still, breakfast was quite filling; more than enough to keep us most of the day.

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After breakfast we headed out. We'd spend our last full day in Copenhagen just strolling around and exploring. The Peblinge Sø, one of the Three Lakes on the west end of Central Copenhagen was right across the street from the Hotel.

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We walked along the lake and down Nørre Søgade until we came around to busy H.C. Andersens Boulevard and headed toward City Hall.

IMG_8118 IMG_8119The skys were overcast, but it wasn't particularly cold, and it was a nice walk along the Boulevard.

We noticed a few things that we hadn't recalled seeing during our previous visit; like the Memorial of the First and Second Schleswig Wars, a conflict between the Danish and Germans as to who ran the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. It was a very complex situation, called the "Schleswig-Holstein Question", so confusing was this issue that Lord Palmerston was quoted as saying, “The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe have ever understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. The second was a German professor who became mad. I am the third and I have forgotten all about it.” 'nuff said.

They were a bunch of other events happening at City Hall Square, so we didn't dally very long before heading off.

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That's the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek below, a famous art mesum.

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IMG_8126 IMG_8127We crossed on a bridge and walked along a canal.

We both cracked up when we saw a gentleman park his walker in front of this bar then walk inside for what I assume is his morning "hair of the dog"?

We found ourselves in the Christianshavn neighborhood.

I had recalled seeing a church on the map and we soon found Vor Frelsers Kirke (Church of Our Saviour) with its distinctive spire a little more than a block down the street.

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From here we crossed back over and somehow ended up back in Nyhavn, where we enjoyed all the little Christmas booths set-up along the canal.

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After walking for a few more minutes, the Missus decided She needed a caffeine fix. We were near the ILLUM Department Store, so we decided to stop by the Copenhagen location of Eataly.

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For some coffee and a few snacks for the Missus.

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Our late lunch stop was one of the oldest and most treasured purveyors of the Smørrebrød, the classic Danish open-faced sandwich since 1877, Restaurant Schønnemann. Restaurant Schønnemann is a lunch only place; with basically two seatings, one at 1130 and one at 230pm. Reservations are a must; you step inside the restaurant a few minutes before your designated IMG_2804time; check-in and then go back outside to wait in the ever expanding line. At right about 230pm, folks were being escorted to their table.

I had been forewarned about some rather brusque service; but the nice woman who served us was anything but that.

She was indeed very efficient; you don't survive the daily crowds here if you're not. But she was also quite warm and really tried to make our visit as enjoyable as possible.

Speaking of drinks…..folks having lunch here were really having a great time. we watched the older folks at the next able put away several glasses of drinks each, along with a couple of Aquavit.

IMG_2800 IMG_2799As for the Aquavit, after having it at Arakataka in Oslo, it had to be the Aquavit Linie, which is aged in oak casks. "Linie" literally mean "line" and true to the name, Aquavit Linie are put onto boats and are sent around the world, from Norway to Australia, crossing the equator twice along the way! The woman suggested the Aquavit Linie Christmas Edition, which was excellent, with more caraway and anise tones. It was like drinking a wonderfully smokey bagel.

As for the smørrebrød, we started with the Marinated Herring; which was lovely.

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The herring had an almost "buttery-meaty" texture; with a nice surprisingly clean finish to it. The egg was wonderful and the curry salad and pungent red onions really helped to cut and oiliness. The nutty rye bread was fantastic with this.

Speaking of oiliness; the Classic Spicy Pickled Herring was a bit much for the Missus.

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This definitely had a funky cheesiness to it and had that typical high oil fish flavor.

We were fascinated by the "Greenland Shrimps" in a Pyramid. Man, this was quite a bit of shrimp.

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Which were a tad over-cooked for our taste and on the bland side. The shrimp really didn't have the sweetness we were expecting and the white bread just didn't do it for us.

We finished with the Tenderloin Steak of Pork, which came in a larger than expected portion.

IMG_8145 IMG_8146The crisp rind of the pork was amazing; crunchy, porky, just good stuff. The meat was toothsome, but not tough, and more moist than expected. And, it had that nice porcine flavor that has been bred out of the "other white meat" here in the States. It was pretty rich, just a few steps away from "meatsweatland", but we enjoyed this. And of course; that wonderful, nutty, rye bread. IMG_2872

And the Missus let me have another shot of Aquavit Linie Christmas Edition to boot! So it was a nice and fitting last meal in Copenhagen. Schønnemann was a fun place for that meal.

As for the Aquavit Linie Christmas Edition; I saw that they had it for sale at the Duty Free Shop in the airport, so I bought a couple of bottles.

Restaurant Schønnemann
Hauser Plads 16
Copenhagen, Denmark

Darkness was already falling as we left the restaurant at 4pm.

IMG_8150 IMG_2805I knew we weren't going to be able to manage eating anything else this evening. And we'd be leaving before breakfast was served the next morning, but we weren't too worried since I think that pork would do a fine job of holding us.

As I usually do during our trips, I grabbed a beer on the way back to the hotel room, popping the bottle as we relaxed before bed. It gave me time to reflect on our trip; this one had been a long one, over three weeks, taking us from Copenhagen, then to Oslo via Overnight Cruise, from Oslo we flew to Tromso, where we "chased the Aurora" and experienced Polar Winter, then next we were off to Amsterdam, then to the Missus's favorite city, soon enough we were headed to Strasbourg, where we got to enjoy the sites of this UNESCO Heritage City and its wonderful Christmas Markets. Back in Paris, we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Restaurant Alliance and continued with our exploration of the city. And here we were. Early tomorrow morning we'd be flying back home. But there was one more interesting experience to come….so stay tuned!