mmm-yoso – Page 164

Amsterdam – Albert Cuyp Market and De Blauwe Pan

March 10, 2018 mmm-yoso Amsterdam, Dutch Food and Restaurants, Netherlands, Sandwiches, Travel

There was really only one place the Missus wanted to visit in Amsterdam; the Van Gogh Museum. So on our last day in the city we headed off from the Jordaan, past Leidseplein, making it the museum a bit before opening. So, we had a chance to wander around and take things in. Like the "I Amsterdam" sign……a wonderful example of city "branding".

The skating rink reminded us that it was indeed winter.

The Von Gogh Museum was quite a fascinating visit. It was very visitor friendly; though no photos. Unlike what it seemed everyone else; we obeyed the rules.

The displays went through Van Gogh's life; his influences, and struggles.

My main takeaway from the museum was, that if not for the efforts of his brother Theo….who died of syphilis two years after Van Gogh at the age of 34, and mainly his sister-in-law; Johanna, Von Gogh might not have been the revered artist he is today. You can read more about that in this wonderful excerpt from Smithsonian. We wouldn't have such fascination with the "mad genius" who (might not have) cut his own ear off, whose inner demons eventually had him commit suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound. He died at the age of 37.

Whooo…boy…..

From here we decided to head off to Albert Cuyp Market. It was a nice walk, we passed places like the Royal Concertgebouw ("Concert Hall").

Albert Cuyp Market was established in 1905 and is the largest street market in the Netherlands with 260 or 300 stands depending on what you read.

So; you can imagine it's all here; from flowers, produce, and seafood……

To Vietnamese Springrolls, pickled herring, and various knick-knacks…..need a watch, anyone?

And of course, those Stroopwafels……

Our intent was to grab something to eat there; but for some reason, nothing really called to us and we weren't very hungry.

So, we decided to head on back. The sun had appeared, chasing some of the damp gloom away.

The Westerkerk Church really stood out, its bell tower stretching to the sky.

We meandered through the "Nine Little Streets" and did some light gift shopping and headed back to the Jordaan.

We searched for a couple of places on my "list"but for some reason we couldn't find them. So we just decided to stop at this quiet, sort of funky corner café.

It's one of the those places where you can get anything from coffee to beer to desserts (one woman was having a gigantic "slice" of apple pie). The prices were reasonable, though it really took a while for our food.

Anyway, it took a while but I finally got my Smoked Salmon Sandwich a bargain at 6,5 € (About $7.50/US).

The bread was decent; loved the addition of the boiled egg, the smoked salmon was also fairly good, lightly smoky, not too salty, with no off flavors. Loved the pickles and the tomatoes were ripe? Red onions and capers are the perfect foil for smoked salmon.

The Missus had a Cheese Sandwich which She also enjoyed.

After all that rather rich food over the previous few days this was a nice respite in a sort of diner-ish kind of way. The customers were also quite interesting and diverse.

Café De Blauwe Pan
Westerstraat 200
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Hourse
Sun – Thurs 10am – 1am
Fri – Sat 10am – 2am

We had thoughts of heading to the Anne Frank Museum, but were too tired. We decided to bucket that for our next trip to Amsterdam.

It was nap time.

Thanks for reading!

Revisits to Pho Ha Noi and Tim Ky Noodle

March 8, 2018 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

A few posts to help me catch up with my backlog.

Pho Ha Noi:

A few months back, when I was feeling under the weather, I really wanted some noodle soup. It's what I crave when feeling ill. I was at the office lamenting the lack of decent options in the area. One of the guys mentioned Pho Ha Noi. Pho Ha Noi? I'd been there a couple of years back a couple of times and really wasn't too impressed. But, the fellow was adamant that the "House Special Combination Noodle Soup" was going to be just the thing. So why not give it a try?

So I took the short drive over and ordered it ($9.99). And this is what I got.

Well, the shrimp was nice and plump and the slice of (pho cut) brisket tasty. But other than that……well, it's tax season, we'll call this a "write-off". I've always thought many of the dishes here were riffs on using Chinese fast-food ingredients. And this really didn't change my opinion. From the mediocre Chinese style wheat noodles, like you'll find in the cold case of your friendly neighborhood Chinese Market, to the broccoli, sliced carrots and cabbage. And that broth was really weak, with barely a hint of flavor except salt/MSG….at least it was hot.

But it did nothing to make me feel better. Funny thing, everytime I've visited this place it's been based on recommendations, ordering recommended dishes……..

Pho Ha Noi
6904 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

Tim Ky Noodle:

I had some time for lunch. I wanted Chinese Hot Pot, but Calvin wanted Tim Ky. We brought Big Daniel along….he didn't have a clue what Beef Sate Egg Noodle (dry) was, but ordered it anyway. And really liked it.

My opinion of this version of this dish remains the same as on my previous visit. The meat fairly good, decently tender; though there's a slight powdery mouthfeel to it. I feel it could use a bit more onions, sate sauce, spice, shallots, and some "umph". Still, it definitely not bad. The broth was pretty good this time around…..not too much MSG.

I gotta get my next fix from Minh Ky.

Still, it was a fast and satisfying meal.

Tim Ky Noodle
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Cloak & Petal

March 6, 2018 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants

Cloak and Petal landed with quite a splash at the end of last year. Even though the place had been open barely a month, it garnered many votes as San Diego's most beautiful new restaurant for 2017. And yes; the space is quite stunning.

As are some of the menu prices. Service was quite pleasant and knowledgeable on our three visits. It's not uncommon for me to ask a question and get blank stares and shrugged shoulders here in San Diego. But the folks serving us did well and managed to answer our questions about where the products are sourced and ingredients (i.e. New Zealand salmon – per Tommy Gomes the "best" farmed salmon). Of course we ate early with minimal crowds; but that's because we like unrushed meals.

The drinks, even the proclaimed "Flagship" "Japanese to English" are on the sweet side for us.

Here's a rundown of dishes we've had in order of preference.

The Glazed Duck Breast ($23) is by far our favorite; we've had it three times and on each occasion it's been prepped perfectly. Great mild gaminess with a very nice, just sweet enough glaze.

The kabocha puree and the sauces are superfluous in our opinion and really don't add anything to the dish, other than to garner a "look at the pretty colors" response. Still, by far a favorite.

We've had the Wagyu Roll ($25) three times. If Kobe Nigiri at Urasawa didn't convince me that great quality beef belonged on rice or with rice, the Aburi Wagyu Nigiri at Miku surely did. and the first time we had the wagyu roll it totally delivered.

Torched, buttery wagyu beef, with perfectly made rice, wrapped around a crab and scallop mixture with what seems like tenkasu – fried tempura batter or something similarly crunchy, with a wonderfully earthy-rich truffle nikiri, capped off with a slightly spicy slice of jalapeno. Man this was amazing. On the next two visits, it was not quite up to par. Once, the jalapeno seemed to be MIA once the rice was hard, twice we couldn't detect any truffle flavor in the nikiri. One out of three is great in baseball….but not for dinner.

I was excited to see Houba (Hoba) Yaki ($20) on the menu. If you've seen our posts on places in Hida-Takayama and elsewhere in Japan, you know this is one of my favorite food preparations. This version is seafood based.

While the miso here is legit, great fermented beany-nutty and not too salty, and the spot prawns quite nice; the shiromi (whitefish) was really tough and there really wasn't enough miso used to really make this sing…..

We had the Belly Sashimi ($28) twice. Just because I noticed something quite odd about the portion the first time.

While the salmon belly cut is nice and thick; everything else is cut super thin and rather long. On the first visit the salmon was mushy and watery, on the second tough. On the first visit the chu-toro was actually better than the o-toro which had a metallic finish to it. Overall, other places will do this so much better. At least they gave us real wasabi and the soy sauce was of high quality.

The Buta Kakuni ($12) was just okay.

There was a good porkiness, but was on the tough side and the braising liquid really lacked the sweet-saltiness we enjoy. The ajitama (marinated soft boiled egg) was delicious, but was ice cold.

The Mero Saikyo Seabass ($28 – 4 ounces) was a bit of an enigma to us.

While the miso flavor was wonderful, there wasn't enough caramelization to add a bit of texture to the fish. Also, after having this twice (fool me once…shame on you….fool me twice…) we came to the conclusion that seabass might be too lean for this prep as it lacked the butteriness we enjoy in this type of dish.

While the Jidori Chicken Karaage ($12) was very moist, the mild flavor reminded me of the buta kakuni.

It was also not crisp. I kind of look at Tori Karaage a couple of ways. Crisp and crunchy or less crisp, but with deep umami from something like shio koji. Of course our favorite in Japan does both. A case of good ingredient, just not enough flavor for us.

Our least favorite dish during our visit was the Cloak and Petal Ceviche ($20).

Besides the rather miniscule amount of seafood, this was way too sour, and things just seemed out of balance. There was a good amount of "sugi" (stringy connective tissue) in the fish as well.

So, after three visits, we've come to the conclusion that it's probably the "fusion" type dishes at C&P that do well, we found the more traditional dishes to be a bit mild in terms of seasoning. The ingredients for most of the dishes were excellent and nothing came across as salty. Our Servers were excellent, though the music is a bit too loud…though it could be my age showing. Also, the cheapest we got away with for any meal (without tip) was about $120. The vibe is definitely hip, the seats now that they've changed them out from the terrible lounge like chairs they had in the beginning is a definite improvement.

I'd certainly come back for that duck again, perhaps try something else, though at this price point, it's not a weekly or perhaps even monthly kind of thing for us. We'd rather save our money for our trips and meals at places like Sola (our meal there minus drinks was just a bit more than our most expensive meal here), our favorite restaurant Suzunari (remember no tipping in Japan), or if we want fusion, maybe give Maido another shot (that was about $100 pp).

Please check out Kirbie's post on Cloak and Petal for balance.

Cloak & Petal
1953 India St
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours:
Mon – Fri 5pm – Midnight
Sat – Sun 3pm – Midnight

A Walk Around Amsterdam and Dinner at Restaurant Daalder

March 5, 2018 mmm-yoso Amsterdam, Dutch Food and Restaurants, Fine Dining, Netherlands, Travel

It was an overcast as we headed out after our morning coffee. We had two full days in Amsterdam and since we had leftovers from our previous night's meal we didn't need to stop anywhere. We decided to take on a good chunk of the city during the morning.

One has to keep alert when walking the streets in this lovely city and not get sucked in by the lovely canals or the lovely houses that line them, all crowned with distinctive Dutch gables. You see, Amsterdam claims to be the most bicycle friendly capital city in the world, there are over a million bikes in the city. Most glide along quietly, so you should be aware. It's also easy to get distracted by various interesting sights as well.

Some of which are quite humorous……

We walked along the canals, making our was back along the path we took the previous night. It looked quite different during the day.

We made our way back to Amsterdam Centraal Station. The Missus wanted to take the walk outlines in Rick Steves pocket guide to Amsterdam. So we headed down Damrak. It's a bustling and busy street. Lots of tourist shops and other places.

One of the things I wanted to try in Amsterdam was Gouda cheese. We've never particularly enjoyed Gouda in the states, so we wanted to try some here. One of the first shops we came across is this location of the Amsterdam Cheese Company.

There weren't any customers in the store when we arrived….it was rather early in the morning. The young lady working here was amazing! She was quite knowledgeable, had us taste Gouda aged for different periods of time, and was just a joy. So, of course we ended up buying some Gouda. We would enjoy it in Paris.

After a brief stop for some coffee, we arrived at Dam Square. In the 13th century, a dam was built across the Amstel River to link together settlements on both sides of the river and create a village named…..you guessed it "Amstel-dam".

There's quite a bit to see here including the National Monument(above). This World War II monument is an obelisk like structure which has sculptures representing the suffering of war – there are two weeping dogs, representing suffering and loyalty. All topped with a sculpture of a woman with a child in her arms and doves flying around her representing victory, peace, and new life.

Across the way is the Royal Palace, which was once the Town Hall. The structure became the "Royal Palace" when Napolean installed his brother as King.

There's a shopping street which parallels the main avenue named Kalverstraat…..it's truly pedestrian…..folks need to walk their bicycles on this street.

Ducking down a side gate we came across what might be our favorite stop of the day; the Begijnhof. This wonderful Hofje ("Courtyard") dates back to the 14th century when it was built as living quarters for the pious Begijntjes a Catholic sisterhood, who lived a semi-monastic life dedicated to God, even though they took no vows like Nuns.

This beautiful and quiet courtyard is rung by lovely homes that still houses older single women, though the last Beguine died in 1971.

Off to the left we saw a simple black door. This is the entrance to Begjinhof Chapel. Often called the "Clandestine Church" this was built in 1680 by combining two residences. When Catholicism was banned in the 16th century all the churches had to be given up….which is what was done with the brick church across the way. Catholics had to worship in the privacy of their own homes. Eventually, the Protestant city council approved the building of this church….as long as the building did not look like a church.

The interior is Spartan and quiet. One could imagine needing to worship in silence in fear of prosecution.

Across the way is the former Catholic Church that became the English Reformed Church.

This church was built in 1420 for the Beguine to worship. It was converted during the Reformation.

It is said that many of the Pilgrim Fathers fleeing persecution in England made their way here before leaving to form a separate congregation in Leiden and eventually sailing to the New World in 1620. The only stained glass window in the church depicts the Pilgrims praying before boarding the Mayflower. It was a gift from Edward William Bok to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the departure of the Pilgrims.

The bible on the altar dates back to 1763.

We really enjoyed the quiet, which gave us time to really take in both churches.

We exited Begjinhof and headed right, to an area known as Spui.

We did a bit of window shopping…..some of the displays are quite amusing. I believe this one is from a Cheese/Gourmet Shop named De Mannen van Kaas.

Eventually we wandered our way to the Flower Market.

Full of bright colors.

And then a bit further, the very popular area known as Leidseplein.

We decided to head back to the apartment, have our leftovers for lunch….then it would be nap time.

We wove our way through the shopping area known as De 9 Straatjes (Nine little streets).

We stopped by several shops, people watched, and enjoyed some of the more entertaining window displays…..like this one….notice the mannequin giving you the one finger salute?

We stopped by the Marqt on Wolvenstraat; sort of like a cross between Trader Joe's, Sprouts, and Whole Foods and picked up some drinks and more Stroopwafels for the Missus.

After a filling lunch we had a nice restful nap and got up in time for….well, dinner of course!

I'd made reservations at a popular place that I'd read about named Restaurant Daalder. It was located just a few blocks away and the food seemed an interesting pseudo Modern Dutch cuisine.

We both liked the cozy, under-stated, unpretentious, almost bistro-like interior of the restaurant.

We went full speed ahead; the "Daalder" course tasting menu with one wine pairing (we've learned our lessons) and the foie gras supplement (of course). This came out to about 100 € each, very reasonable. Especially since we'd just come from Scandinavia!

The Amuse started with jamon in a roll made of airy-light meringue. The "rolls" were slightly sweet and savory and melted in your mouth.

Along with a foamy, almost yogurt, fruit compote. The lemon foam was quite good.

The first course was a Tuna Tartare, which totally reminded me of poke.

Topped with avocado and watermelon; this would have been passable if not for the bitter-salty-tar like kombu reduction which just killed the poor fish dish.

The next dish was interesting; a poached egg enrobed in cauliflower puree. There was a dusting of coffee powder on the dish which really blended in nicely; adding a layer of pleasant savory-bitterness to the dish. The egg was poached perfectly and there were tiny pieces of crouton on the bottom of the bowl to add a nice textural contrast.

The scallops were good; crisp exterior, cooked perfectly, nice and sweet.

The turbot was cooked perfectly, but the dish was again marred by that kombu "tar".

The duck was quite good; though not as tender and gamey as what we had at Arakataka.

We both enjoyed the pistachio crust and the earthy, but slightly sweet jus really did well paired with the duck.

We were glad to have the foie gras supplement. The duck livers on toast were quite good. Caramelized onions just goes so well with duck livers.

Our favorite item of the night was the foie gras. It was seared so perfectly, slightly crisp, with a creamy interior. The tart, yet slightly sweet lychee just went so well with this little morsel.

And the Missus got Her dessert.

Service was relaxed, yet professional. We enjoyed the wine pairings.

Though I could tell the Missus had gotten Her fill of "tasting menus" for a while.

Still, a nice meal.

Restaurant Daalder
Lindengracht 90
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

We rolled on back to the apartment.

Good thing we had a bit of walking planned the next day.

Thanks for reading!

Sunday Sandwiches – Goumet Artisan

March 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

Even though we've moved offices; one thing remains the same. I still eat lunch at my desk more often than I prefer. And with the latest move, the variety I have close access to has also declined. There is one item that will often have other folks in the office walking by my cubicle (yes, I no longer have an office either), often just to say "hello"…..hmmm…..quite suspicious that it's when I have one of these.

The folks around know that there's no way I can finish this sandwich up AND eat all those truffle-parmesan fries. So I'll often give most of the fries away.

Where is this from? Well, one morning after moving offices, it was around 10 am and I was hungry. Having meetings starting at noon, I headed over to Supernatural since on my previous visit they were serving breakfast from 9. Unfortunately, they were closed and I had to wait to get my fix. I noticed this shop in the old location of Supernatural.

It's like the ultimate hipster wood-paneling guy went a bit crazy here. I did like the menu though; fairly tight, burgers, salads, flatbreads, and a few odd and end items that seemed a bit out of place…..Buffalo Chicken Wings???

On my first visit, I got the Prosciutto Sandwich and it's been my usual order since. At first I thought it to be bit pricey at ten bucks. Until I saw all those fries you can get a salad instead, but why?).

And while meat lovers might complain that there's not a whole lotta meat in this….well, it's prosciutto, not the best quality, but quite decent….it has a good amount of flavor and the burrata and arugula does quite well too. It does edge on the "too much bread" end of things; but I like that it's toasted and still rather crisp. My one complaint is that the sandwich has both mayo and pesto making quite rich. I've asked for the easy on the mayo; and both times they left off the pesto. So now I ask for it on the side.

And those fries usually stand up real well to the 10 minutes or so back to the office. Being thin they stay crisp for a whole and you get a whole lot more cheese/truffle oil to potato. Those who like wedges and dinner fries may not care for these. The folks in the office never complain. As an aside; my favorite panini on the press we have at home is prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula, and pesto….go figure.

Over time I've tried a couple other sandwiches like the Vegetable ($9).

Roasted eggplant sounds like a good ingredient for a veggie sandwich; but it wasn't enough on it's own to do the trick. There wasn't enough salt or acid…..even the Balsamic Dressing was too weak and not enough roasted red peppers. This is when you really notice the "too much bread to fillings" ratio is off.

The Turkey Panini ($9) was decent.

Again it was the case of nice textures; crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, without enough flavors to stand up to the bread. The tomatoes weren't ripe enough and on this occasion, the sandwich could have used more pesto. I did order this once with Garlic Aioli which did make a difference; but I think it still needs some umph….

The Italian Sub ($9) was also decent, I'd have it again.

Though again, the sandwich just edges on that meat-to-bread cliff. Also, I thought the Swiss Cheese wasn't a good match for this sandwich. This and the prosciutto sandwiches do remind me of lunch sandwiches in France, though a little lighter in filling than Italy.

Some of the folks in the office mentioned that the sandwiches didn't have enough meat for them. Fair enough…..I've always been about a balance of textures, flavors, and bread. And I've never been able to finish the entire sandwich and fries without some (convenient) help.

Things sometime take a while to make at Gourmet Artisan, so if you're in a hurry you might want to call in your order.

The folks are quite friendly and they write nice little notes on my take-out package.

Gourmet Artisan
7094 Miramar Rd. Suite 105
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 6pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 4pm

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Tiger! Tiger!

March 2, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Gastropub

**** Tiger! Tiger has closed

I love being wrong……I do. I visit every place, whether it's new or on our rotation hoping for a great meal. And for places we love….well, sometimes, it ain't so great. At the beginning of 2018, we visited Tiger! Tiger! a couple of times and were quite disappointed. I believe I mentioned that in a post somewhere….of course, a week after I wrote that, the Missus decided we should pay them another visit….and, of course we enjoyed ourselves.

So here's a round-up of recent dishes at Tiger! Tiger! And….I'll preface things by saying that having something like Pliny the Younger….does help things!

Even at $15……you should try this once…..great balance…..amazing tongue feel……and 10 ABV….well, don't have too many!

The Missus has been enjoying the really spicy….and I do mean legit spicy Mushroom Sandwich……

While I enjoy the sausages…whether the Bratwurst….

Or the Kielbasa….it's made inhouse and has great snap and flavor. And when the potato salad is "right"…..like on our most recent visit, the perfect amount of mustard and studded with just the right amount of slices of pickled celery…well, it was quite good.

The Missus has enjoyed the Kim Chi Brussel Sprouts….though it's not always perfect for Her tastes.

Still, there's a nice umami touch that helps move things along, even when not cooked perfectly.

And of course, old favorites like the charcuterie…….

And certain soups the Missus enjoys…..

And even though there are certain "clunkers" we don't enjoy…like the under-flavored and usually over-cooked broccolini….which isn't a good value…..

We still go by the specials board and not the menu.

Plus, we like the relaxed atmosphere……. So, Tiger Tiger is back on the rotation….for now…..

Tiger! Tiger!
3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

And….everytime we visit….I think of Sammy…….

Mister Falafel Revisited

March 1, 2018 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants, Mediterranean Restaurants

**** Mister Falafel has closed

Another stop before our offices moved last year; trying to go through all those places one more time. This time it was Mister Falafel, which I thought was quite good when they forst opened in 2013, but just hasn't been as good during my most recent visits.

Still, the folks here are so sweet and gracious.

I got the Falafel Sandwich($6.75).

Everything here is made to order, which is a good thing. The wrap was still nice and warm when I got back to the office. It was however, just a shadow of its former self. Something has changed in the recipe for falafel here. This time it was on the mushy – gritty side, with not enough crunch, the flavor milder than I recalled. Luckily, I got some garlic paste this time around (no meetings on this afternoon), which kind of saved things. This version of garlic paste is nice and pungent and really helped the sandwich, since the tomatoes weren't ripe and there just wasn't very much parsley. Also, the tahini here is not my favorite as I find it on the bland side.

Still, I really like the folks who work here, so I wanted to make sure to drop by one more time before we moved offices.

Mister Falafel
4461 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday 1100am – 800pm

Turo Turo Tuesday – Manila Fast Food and Desserts Revisited

February 27, 2018 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

Working long hours; but managed to escape for lunch, albeit on the early side and purely take-out from Manila Fast Food and Desserts. An early lunch here can actually be better since the steam table stuff might be fresher and less greasy.

On this day I got Beef Mechado and Sisig.

The woman behind the counter actually laughed at me when I told her to give me half the amount of rice. That's half rice in the photo above. There was a time when I thought MFF was pretty good; but they seem to have fallen off in recent years.

Case in point; the Beef Mechado was salty, lacked tanginess, and that beef was dry and tough. The sisig was dry, needed more of a vinegar punch, the lechon was hard, though it did have nice pungency from the onions, though there was way too much of it in the dish.

Sigh……mark another one off "my list" for a while.

Manila Fast Food and Desserts
8979 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

The Patio Marketplace at Axiom

February 26, 2018 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Sandwiches

**** The Patio at Axiom has closed

The ever expanding Patio Group recently opened another location of what Eater San Diego called their "corporate hospitality arm", the Patio Marketplace right up the street from our offices. It's located in the Axiom Office Building. It's pretty much in walking distance, so I decided to drop by for an early lunch.

It's a huge space; like 8,000 square feet; with outdoor and indoor eating areas and a bar.

Since they had just newly opened, there was basically no one around during my two visits. The place features a coffee bar and is only open until 6pm from Tuesdays to Wednesdays right now. I was told…..the staff here was very friendly and chatty on my visits, that breakfast is basically only grab and go stuff from the cold case.

The lunch menu featured three sandwiches, three salads, and two flatbreads, with basically nothing under fourteen bucks

I went with the Carne Asada BLAT Club ($15).

The sandwich was no joke. Quite hefty, a bit too much bread that was a bit too hard for my taste. The thick cut bacon; Nueske's I'm told was thick cut and nicely done; there was a nice single layer of decently done beef. It wasn't overdressed, though the tomatoes were under-ripe. I usually enjoy a certain proportion when it comes to sandwiches; perhaps excluding a smoked beef sandwich from a place like Schwartz's. This was too much bread for me. Though a rather decent "corporate" sandwich.

The fries didn't hold up on the short walk back to the office and were soggy and over salted.

A couple of days later, I decided to visit again. The menu, which is rather limited at this time, left me wondering what I should get…..salads were from $12-14, but if you wanted some chicken it was 5 bucks more, carne asada 6 bucks more. So, I went with the Speck Ham Flatbread ($14).

I enjoyed the crisp speck, nice saltiness, though it was kind of over-kill with the bread again. I'd have preferred this amount of protein on a smaller and more crisp flatbread, without whatever made this very salty and the middle really soggy, keeping the nice, milky, Havarti. The entire middle section was saturated and not pleasant to eat. I appreciated the pungent red onions and the bitter-peppery arugula which also added texture to this dish.

Overall, really nice folks. It's probably better to call if you're doing take-out, both of these took at least 20 minutes wait time. The food is not bad; it's just not something I crave or am searching out; especially with $15…for lunch, without drinks, on the line everytime. I mean I love charcuterie and all, but am not quite sure about having a charcuterie board for lunch ($19), then heading back to work…..but maybe that's just me.

The Patio Marketplace at Axiom
4535 Towne Centre Dr
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours
Monday 7am – 3pm
Tues – Thurs 7am – 6pm
Friday 7am – 3pm

Buga Korean BBQ for Lunch

February 25, 2018 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

I'm still somewhat sad about having moved offices out to Towne Center from the Convoy area. There's really a dearth of decent, non-sandwich places. So, every so often, when the stars align, we can grab lunch. We often have to make it a place close to the 805, so we can get back to the office quickly after lunch.

Buga was one of those places we used to eat at quite often, you could say it was on our rotation for a while. Then came the ownership change and while things had improved during our last visit, things here haven't been the same. But we actually had time for lunch! And I thought doing a lunch visit to Buga might be a good idea. So Calvin and I headed on down the 805.

I seldom come here these days, so every time I visit I notice changes. This time, I noticed they are actually serving the whole menu during lunch now. For a while it was only combos. Too bad we both had meetings in the afternoon….the last thing I need is to be in a meeting with waves of "eau de kalbi" emanating from my clothes. So we stuck to the lunch specials. I ordered the Bulgogi Box Lunch ($11.99), Calvin did the Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Pork) Box Lunch ($12.99).

But first, the panchan.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Except for the Kkakdugi (spicy daikon), everything else was really bland. The baechu kimchi was just plain sour, with no true fermented tones.

Calvin and I split the proteins. And I have to say, in terms of portion size, this is pretty hefty.

The bulgogi was terrible. Under marinated, cut too thick, quite tough. The pork; while on the chewy side had a nice bit of spice, mild sweetness, balanced salt, but perhaps a touch too much sesame oil, but was decent overall. The tempura was decent; the batter a bit too thick, but still crunchy and there was even a shrimp, though it was fairly puny under the batter. I enjoyed the veggies more. A decent green salad and passable Chapjae rounded things out.

I left with mixed feelings. While I probably will return to retry the BBQ and the portion sizes look quite generous, Buga is definitely not as good as it once was.

Buga Korean Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117