mmm-yoso – Page 190

Pho SaiGon Bliss

August 15, 2017 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Saigon Bliss has closed

Yes, the name of this place is Saigon Bliss, go figure. A couple of friends who live in Serra Mesa really like this place, so I decided to give it a try. If I recall, this used to be Kinkos….I think. This strip mall sure has changed over the years…..

Much like Pho Kitchen and other shops, the décor is what I call "modern pho"…..bright colors, clean, and a few enlarged photos of Vietnam and pretty girls to create a sort of nostalgic connection.

The young man who runs the front of house is really, really, nice….though he really doesn't need to call me "sir" every time he speaks to me.

The folks who recommended this place to me told me I "needed" to try the Nem Nuong Cuon. So I did and it was obvious they've never been to Brodard, or even Duyen Mai for that matter.

The ratios were off in the spring roll, the pork sausage wasn't grilled enough and while I admire the place giving you a hefty slice, it made the texture lean to the rubbery side. There was a single sliver of fried egg roll wrapper in this, not enough to make much of a difference. The sauce was really thin, too sweet, and lacking in that subtle savory flavor that makes so many folks enjoy Brodards.

I also got some pho; just the regular "combination" ($8.50).

The basil was starting to brown on the edges and there was hardly any sprouts, so I asked for a bit more. Of course the nice young man immediately got it for me!

Over the years, I've notice the typical "San Diego pho" broth has changed. It used to be pretty heavy on the msg……now it's typical to have the broth severely defatted, taking away the richness, with a flavor that's noticeably on the sweet side. This fits that bill.

The tripe was the best protein, nice crunch, no off flavors, not much tendon in this, the rare steak was on the dry side, and I'm not a big fan of overly squeaky beef balls. And the amount was on the scarce side.

The noodles were adequately prepared; though it was clump city all the way.

Still, the folks here seemed to be trying hard. And so…..I returned of course. But I really wasn't sure what to order. The young man told me that the Bo Kho was his grandmother's recipe.

This was actually half way decent. Though the stew was way too thin and defatted for my taste and could have used more acid to bring out the tanginess, it was fairly beefy.

Sadly, there was no tendon to be found; but the chunks of beef were tender and there were no off flavors.

The bread was light, warm, and standard issue stuff.

If you don't like a rich bowl of bo kho and hate beef tendon, you might like this. Sort of bo kho not to offend. Not terrible though and the best thing I've had here.

With this under my belt….no pun intended; I decided that perhaps a third time might be a charm and the young man had told me to try the Bo Luc Lac ($13.95).

Man, look at all those onions! I mean, I understand they need to stretch the dish and such, but golly. The beef was on the tough side and too salty for my taste. The sauce provided was sort of Muoi Tieu Chanh, but it tasted strange….perhaps using bottled lemon juice. The butter rice, colored with what seems to be annatto was moist, tender, and the flavor not too bad. I think it was the best thing about the dish as the bo luc lac seemed like something one would throw together at home, it lacked finesse.

Still, the service here is really nice. I heard that they really take care of military and veterans here. It's a decent neighborhood pho shop and I actually think it's better than some of the places around Convoy and Kearny Mesa. So I hope they do well.

Pho SaiGon Bliss
3755 Murphy Canyon Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm
Sunday 1030am – 8pm

This strip mall right off Aero Drive has always been a bit of an "odd duck" to me. It still holds a Sizzler and I think the taco shop might be the only business that's been around for a while. I remember back in the early 2000's the cook at the Chinese Restaurant in the mall was from Hawaii and on weekends they'd serve stuff like loco mocos and other stuff. Man, that seems like so long ago now.

Revisits to Places I Never Posted On – The Butcher Shop

August 14, 2017 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches

So, in need of a getaway from the craziness at work, I decided to take a trip back in time….to another place I hadn't been to in maybe 15 years.

Ah yes, The Butcher Shop……..

Once owned by the De Philippi family, it's a symbol of a nostalgic bygone era….

From the red faux leather booths to the dark wood paneling, and the photos on the wall…Frank here….Dean there……

I knew I wouldn't run into anyone from the office here.

I got the Prime Rib Sandwich….which was probably the last thing I got here way back when; though I don't think it was sixteen bucks then. But, everything costs more these days. My Server was a joy and I ordered my prime rib rare, which is how it arrived.

In a nicely toasted onion roll. The au jus just tasted mainly salty, so I let that be. The horse radish sauce was very pungent….it belonged on the sandwich, in a well measured dose. The meat was tender, but on the bland side.

As I opened up the roll to spread the horseradish on it. One side looked like it belonged on Instagram…Snapchat…or whatever the social media site du jour is these days….

While the other half of the sandwich didn't seem like it belonged on the same plate.

The fries were crisp; but everything, except the horse radish sauce seemed strangely bland.

Though there seemed to be quite a few eating on this day…..I did feel like I was the youngest person in the room. "Old School" isn't always a bad thing, but this tasted and felt dated. Though I'm sure many have great memories of this place.

The Butcher Shop
5255 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

Bun Mang Vit from Tu Thanh

August 13, 2017 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

It's seems like things are cooling off a bit. So, I decided to reward myself for working a weekend morning by heading up to City Heights. I'd make up my mind when I got there….and since it had been about a year since I'd last visited, an early lunch at Tu Thanh seemed perfect.

The menu here has expanded over the years…..

But I stick with the one dish that I first started having back…..well golly, in August of 2006, at Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang, aka Chinese Kitchen.

The Bun Mang Vit.

I love how the earthy crunchiness of the rehydrated bamboo shoots as it contrasts quite nicely with the bun. These days, I don't drink the broth which is very light, until near the end. Once you finish dunking, saucing (that wonderful gingery and sweet nuoc mam gung), the herbs and veggies, and that duck into the broth, the flavor is transformed. The duck, which I think is the source for the broth is toothsome, but that gamy flavor is still quite pronounced. And of course that little bath in the nuoc mam gung just adds another wonderful layer.

Man, this looks like a lot more duck than I used to get here. There's still rau ram in the salad, but not as much banana blossom.

Still, this is comfort food. And I always leave feeling like I'd had a meal at a friend's house. And all this is still eight bucks.

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105

Parking in the area can be a bit of a pain. On this morning, because Mucha Fruita (Cathy's post from 2015) was grilling stuff, there wasn't much parking close by. So I parked two blocks away. It gave me a chance to take a photo of this place.

Sent Cathy a text with the photo and she mentioned that this was one of three locations of the "Leaning Tower of Pizza" chain. Now it's a dive bar and tattoo parlor.

That's City Heights……

Cold Tan Tan Men at Menya Ultra and Shann Xi Magic Kitchen (99 Ranch Market Food Court)

August 9, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Cold Tan Tan Men at Menya Ultra:

Some of the folks at work thought we'd hit up Menya Ultra before things get really crazy. And yes, because it was a foursome, I actually waited in line for thirty minutes. I'd been told that the Zaru Tan Tan Men was really good; so I decided to order that with an ajitama.

The egg was very good, nicely flavored, and in this case, having it on the cold side was a plus this time. The noodles were very nice and katame (firm)….on two of my last visits I overheard folks complaining the noodles were "undercooked"…….god help them if they go to Rokurinsha, Ippudo, or just about any street corner ramen shop worth a damn in Japan. As for the rest? Well, I find this version rather bland with not enough savory umph to be satisfying to me. Even with the onions, the seasoned ground meat…..well, I'll just stick with the Ajitama Tonkotsu. Though I'm not sure when I'll be willing to brave the crowds again.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in the 99 Ranch Market Food Court:

**** This location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen has closed.

I needed something from 99 Ranch Market and it was around 11am this past weekend. I decided to check out this location of Shanxi Magic Kitchen to see how they compared to the location on Convoy.

It's obvious that the two kids working here really don't want anything to do with their customers….they'd rather work on their laptop or socialize. I was treated like a mere nuisance.

Of course I ordered the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($8.99), which is served here without the pickled garlic or chili paste….perhaps you need to ask for them? But you shouldn't have to……it's standard for the dish.

I've mentioned that I've given up on finding the Yang Rou Pao Mo that I really enjoyed in Xi'an. So how's this facsimile?

The lamb in this was very tasty, quite muttony. The meat nice and tender. The flavor of the broth was heavy in white pepper, but decent, you could still taste "the lamb". It was a bit thin for my liking….I enjoy a thick and hearty Yang Rou Pao Mo, and while this was scalding hot, it lacked the richness and tongue (and belly) coating viscousity. Not much bean thread in this, though I saw some lily buds and a few pieces of tofu which looked just like the waxy, pasty, counterfeit leavened bread. Overall, not bad, but I'll be going to the location on Convoy if I ever want this again.

Overall, the (lack of) service and broth was subpar.

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Soda & Swine (Liberty Station)

August 8, 2017 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Gastropub

**** Soda & Swine has closed

So, the Missus really wanted to try someplace different and She's been missing poutine since leaving Montreal/QC and as a plus, Soda & Swine specializes in meatballs, another favorite of the Missus. I'd been to Soda & Swine before; the Adam's Avenue location and thought it was pretty good. We didn't want to deal with the parking hassle, so we headed on down to Liberty Station.

Remember when this place was Roseville Cozinha? The Missus actually enjoyed the place during it's all too short run.

So now it's the second location of Soda & Swine, part of the Consortium Holdings kingdom.

I really liked the set-up; you can either order at the register right when ordering, or head to the bar for typical bar service. The area is nice a breezy, even on an especially warm day and we've always had good service here.

I started with a beer, but the Missus wanted a cocktail and ordered the "Oaxacan Old Fashioned". She loved the lingering smokey finish to this spin on the Old Fashioned.

I guess She's got a new favorite.

It was also Happy Hour and since we weren't too hungry, we decided to order the two dishes on the Happy Hour menu.

We ordered the Happy Hour specials; starting with the "Dirty Fries" ($5 – Half Order). S&S goes for a rustic approach to serving….it's either in little cast iron pans or metals trays here.

Basically nice and crisp fries, mushroom gravy, topped with a meatball of your choice (smoked pork), lardons, shaved parmesan, and some diced jalapeno peppers.

I gotta say, this wasn't bad at all, the fries were decent, the gravy added some creaminess, not to the level of, say a good poutine, but it wasn't bad. The meatball….well, the Missus does like Her meatballs, was smokey and tender, the shaved parmesan was barely discernable, the pork belly lardon….bacon if you will added a nice textural contrast to things, with the peppers adding a tiny bit of heat. We felt the aioli's weren't really necessary as they tended to detract from the fried loveliness of the dish. Not quite poutine, but it'll do for now.

The Fried Chickpeas ($1) were a nice distraction, slightly crunchy at first bite, then mildly creamy. A decent bar snack.

We weren't very hungry, so this was enough for us on this visit.

Since then we've returned a couple of times and have tried some items on the menu. Here's how they rank.

It's still the Dirty Fries that the Missus enjoys most. We now just get a full order ($9.49) which is enough for an entire meal for the both of us with leftovers. The best combination of meatballs is chorizo and smoked pork.

On occasion we've had a batch that was too salty. And while it won't make the Missus forget about poutine and I'm sure She'll tire of these, we're riding out the craving.

Tied for next is the Skillet of Three Meatballs ($8.29) tied with the Scotch Egg ($4.13).

Feet to the fire; I think the Missus prefers the Scotch Egg….because if there's anything the Missus enjoys more than meatballs, it's a soft boiled egg. The yolks on these at nice and soft, perhaps a tad past where the Missus likes them, but it's wrapped in a layer of chorizo before the nicely seasoned breadcrumbs.

The first time had the meatballs we had sauce and cheese on it which was just too much stuff and took away from the flavor of the meatballs. I'd say, if you're just going with the beef version, which is on the dry and tough side have at it. On our next visit, we decided to have the sauce on the side and stuck with marinara. To me, it's still the smoked pork meatball that's the best; relatively moist, not too salty, mild smoked flavor.

We didn't enjoy the two vegetable dishes we've tried here.

The Broccolini ($4.19) was overcooked and under seasoned, very bland as a whole. I tasted little or no garlic and for some reason it seems the parmesan they use here is very bland.

The Brussel Sprouts ($4.29) were a bit too charred and hard, while the interiors were mushy.

They really didn't use enough fish sauce to provide enough salty-savory tones for us….the best part were the lardons of pork belly.

So, I guess until the Missus needs a break from the fries here, we'll stick with those.

And a couple of Old Fashions…..

Soda & Swine
2750 Dewey Rd. Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 10pm
Sat – Sun 11am – MN
Happy Hour:
Mon – Fri 3pm – 6pm

And now for a short break in the action…..

August 6, 2017 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

It's been a busy year for me and I haven't been able to see my dear friends much this year. At least not all together. But this being "C's" Birthday….well, I just couldn't say no.

And it was such a beautiful day. So, while I still put in some hours at work today, I met them afterwards for dinner. Plus, these are the folks who take whoel roasted pigs to Karaoke and hold Thanksgiving in August, who roasts whole pigs in their parent's backyard. I think "C" wanted seafood……so here's the spread.

So where's the seafood? Ummm, here…..

Happy Birthday C! Here's to many more!

Thanks for indulging me folks!

Saturday Stuffs – How About a “Poke-silog” for Breakfast (Zarlitos), The Fire Spot Coming to Convoy, and Other “Stuffs”

August 5, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants, Poke

**** Sorry, no moa' poke at Zarlitos

Pokesilog?:

So the Missus wanted a nice, early weekend breakfast at one of Her favorite spots. We were met by the same very sweet and pleasant young lady, that usually works on the weekends.

We were seated and handed the usual brown, sticky, well-worn menus. I was going to get "the usual", a Chicksilog. But as we sat, the young lady handed us this additional menu. "Zarlitos Family Restaurant Secret Poke Menu" it says.

Along with the poke on one side, it also lists….good lord….Poke Fries? Shades of Pokiritto; Poke Burritos? Even more hilarious, something called "Hashbrown Thing". Hashbrowns topped with spicy tuna, Spam, and an egg? I think this takes the poke on everything fad a bit too far…..

Somehow, the Missus talked me into ordering the Pokesilog ($9).

Ok, so the Missus got the egg, which She enjoyed, the rice was hard and not so good. You know what I think about the so-called "Seaweed Salad", but the Missus had no qualms about that and the Tuna Scrape; you know, the stuff they put into that spicy tuna roll you get at those gringo sushi shops; probably from True World Foods, was nice and spicy. That was a large batch of surimi…all fine. I chose the Spicy Garlic Poke, which was perhaps a bit too sweet, but I couldn't complain about the quality of the fish on this visit. And only nine bucks…..take that "Chi-poke" shop!

The menu is currently only available from 8am to 2pm during weekends.

And, if you actually do try that "Hashbrown Thing", tell me about it, ok? I'm probably going back to my Chicksilog next time.

Zarlitos Family Restaurant
505 East 8th St.
National City, CA 91950

The Fire Spot Coming to Convoy:

I noticed that some work was going on at one of the shops in that strip mall with the worst parking on Convoy. So I took a quick look and found that something called "The Fire Spot" was taking the Print Shop's place.

Couldn't find much online.

So your guess is as good as mine……hot pot? Sichuan? Meat Skewers?

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

My favorite license plate frame of the week….or maybe year:

Obviously a very proud mom!

Is the 'C' supposed to be a 'G' or am I supposed to add an 'R':

I noticed this sign while waiting at the traffic light on the corner of Convoy and Clairemont Mesa.

I never noticed this sign before, but am pretty sure it's been here for a while. You'd think they'd fix it, right?

It did have me thinking what the correct spelling should be….'Massage' or add an 'r' and it becomes 'Massacre'…..

And then I got this texted to me:

Wow, who knew…..

Though I did ask the question; shouldn't it be 2 eggs and 1 wiener?

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Beaune – Dinner at Maison du Colombier

August 4, 2017 mmm-yoso Burgundy, France, French Restaurants, Travel

We'd had a great time at the Saturday market and had been charmed by the countryside. It was like we opened a book on France and walked into one of the pages. After consuming part of the bounty we got at the market, we….of course, took a nice short nap. We awoke right before dusk and took a short walk around. It was Saturday night and things were still rather lively at this hour.

The Missus really wanted to take one last drive and I needed to refuel the car before returning it; so we headed out. Just a short way. To the outskirts of Beaune. Up one of the side roads. To just take it all in.

Man this place is beautiful.

And while I'm sure that we couldn't live here; I'm fairly certain we could visit quite often.

We filled the gas tank, headed back to the apartment, freshened up and off we went to dinner.

Our last dinner in Beaune and Burgundy for that matter, was a bit different. The menu was far form the stick-to-the-ribs cuisine of Burgundy. The restaurant we selected was in a structure dating back to 1574, sharing the building with five vacation apartments which were in the tower.

Maison du Colombier bills itself as a "Gastro Bar". The chef, Roland Chanliaud, was once the chef of one of the local Michelin star restaurants. The set-up is interesting; the ground floor (I keep forgetting, in Europe it's level '0'), features a wine bar, charcuterie from Spain, with a service that resembles tapas. There are also tables down in the "cave" in the lower level. We decided on making reservations for the small dining area on the second floor.

Which, as you can see, is quite eclectic and well, groovy. The menu is written on a chalkboard with very non-traditional Bourgogne items such as polenta, chorizo, and shiitake mushrooms.

The Missus availed Herself of the wine by the glass list which features 5 white, 5 red, and 3 sparkling…these were of course, all local.

We started with an interesting salad; Cod, Broccoli, and Tomatoes.

Dressed perfectly, the cod resembling scallops, the broccoli actually a puree, the tomatoes seemed confit, the flavor intense.

There was of course, the foie gras dish.

A perfectly workable version; earthy, with the fig chutney providing the sweetness necessary to cut the offal richness.

The next two dishes blew us away.

The first; 63 Degree Eggs with Burgundy Truffles. Good lord, look at all the truffles!

Beautifully cooked, probably sous vide eggs, rich and creamy, with what seemed like a touch of butter and cream….and look at all those truffles. While not as fragrant as what we ran into in Dordogne; these added a wonderful earthy decadence to the dish. You could have at least a slice of truffle in every bite.

Next up the Cepes, Rosemary, Black Olives, and Polenta.

While the Missus is not particularly fond of rosemary, it really help to raise the savory level of dish. And yes, those are super fragrant, earthy, savory porcini mushrooms. The polenta was creamy and gave the dish some bulk. This was so good.

Man were we going to miss Beaune!

Maison du Colombier
1 Place General Leclerc
Beaune, France

Things had quieted down by the time we finished dinner and headed back to the apartment.

Where we organized ourselves and packed. Then finished the last of the wine in the fridge.

The next morning. before we headed out to return the car and head to the train station, there was one more small errand.

Back to the boulangerie I'd gone to on our first morning in Beaune.

This time for a baguette. And while we thought croissants here were just average; the baguette was good.

We enjoyed the leftovers from the Saturday Market and enjoyed the train ride from Beaune to Dijon….then back to Paris.

Thanks for reading!

Steamy Piggy – A First Look(s)

August 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

While driving by last week, I noticed that Steamy Piggy, whose signage I saw back in January, was finally going through a "soft opening". Since that "helluva" (the one with Tajima/Liang's/Josun) parking lot was empty at 11am, I turned around and decided to give the place a try.

Even though the "open" sign was displayed, they didn't seem quite ready for prime time when I arrived…..which I'm sure they'll straighten out.

So I was seated outside. Pretty nice space, though there was water everywhere….I think they had hosed down the patio right before opening and the tables already felt a bit "sticky".

I was presented with an abbreviated menu. Since the specialty here is supposed to be dumplings, ordering that was a must. Unfortunately, they only had the Pork and Cabbage and the Pork and Shrimp versions and only pan fried. No problem, I wanted to see what the skill set of the cooks were, so simpler the better and I went with the Pork and Cabbage.

Needing another dish form the abbreviated menu; I went with the "Steamy Piggy Noodles" ($13.50), which was supposed to have Pork Ribs, Pork Belly, and Chicken.

Man, this was a load of carbs…..I mean a load….I barely finished half the bowl. The pork ribs were "MIA", the pork belly was a bit on chewy side for me, but the flavoring had nice hint of anise and soy flavor. There was a plethora of chicken. The noodles were overcooked and on the mushy side, but most of all, there was a certain greasy-blandness to this dish. Like something you'd make at home. I did like the "Steamy Piggy Sauce", a soy-chili oil concoction that was quite nice. I ended pouring almost a quarter of the bottle on the noodles to give it some flavor.

The filling for the pork and cabbage pan fried dumplings ($8)….I dare not call it guotie, were decent. Moist, not too salty, pleasant texture. I thought the wrappers were too thick and it wasn't panfried long enough or the temp was off as the bottoms weren't crisp enough and as a whole the wrapper was gummy. I'm not sure that this is worth eight bucks……

The young man who waited on me was awesome, friendly, gracious, and very nice. Sooooo…..I decided I needed to return.

This time I tried the shrimp and pork pan fried dumplings….called "Pimp Shrimp" ($9) on the menu. Sometimes I feel so old and out of touch….

In terms of cooking; these were better as the bottoms were more crisp. Other than that; the dumpling skins were the same, on the thick and gummy side. The filling on these were seasoned nicely with a definitive shrimp flavor.

And yet, I enjoyed the chili oil based sauce the best again.

Because the pork belly I had in my noodle dish seemed to have potential; I ordered the Red Cooked Braised Pork Belly ($8.50).

So, where to start? Too tough, salty, no sweet tones, and greasy to boot. Kind of sad, since I enjoy red cooked items. This was mediocre at best.

I could only manage 2 bites or so of what was in the tiny pot. I took the rest back to the office, "YZ" only had one bite; which was basically the consensus across the board.

I gotta say; while it looked like there were some service hiccups with other guests……the place filled up fast and I heard no less than three tables mention they read about the place on Eater. I had the same Server who was great….I think his name is Ivan.

Since this is still the soft opening period; I'm going to give this place a pass for now. I'll return in a few months to hopefully improved food and a more diverse menu.

Also, I'm vastly aware that the target audience for this place; much like Facing East is the younger crowd. Perhaps looking for well prepared, executed, and tasty food is not what it's about anymore. Perhaps style now matters more than substance…perhaps (I hope) I'm wrong. We'll see in a few months.

For a different look at Steamy Piggy, check out Kirbie's post.

Steamy Piggy
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Open Daily 11am – 11pm

Rowland Heights – Chengdu Taste and a Walk Around Hong Kong Plaza

July 31, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

It was that time of the year again; time to head up to City of Industry. This time, like the previous, was a solo trip. Last time, I went and checked out the "West Colima – Azusa – Haceinda Heights side of things. I did this because there was a line outside of the one restaurant I wanted to try; Chengdu Taste. when Chendgdu Taste opened it really created a buzz; some said it to be "the best Sichuan restaurant in America", so forth and so on. Soon enough, it became it's own empire with locations in Rosemead, Houston, Las Vegas, and even Honolulu to go with the original shop in Alhambra. So here I was over a year later and guess what?

No line! So in I went…..

The place sure is a step up from restaurants we used to eat when we lived a few blocks away!

I ended up getting a small variety of dishes; starting with the "Pork with Garlic Sauce". Which came in a very nice presentation.

While I thought the pork more tender and flavorful in the version at Shufeng Garden across the street; I think the basic chili oil-garlic-soy-sugar here was superior. The pork was very fatty and a bit more chewy than I prefer; but man, that flavor was good.

If you've read our little blog for a while; you know I love Zi Ran Yang Rou; cumin lamb. I often make this at home, it's not hard, and yet it seems really hard to get a good rendition at most restaurants that serve the dish. So I had to order the signature and now much copied "Toothpick Lamb".

So, let me just say…I'm not a big fan of toothpicks in my food. As for everything else? Well, for once there was a nice amount of cumin in the dish….I could have done with more, but this is fine. There's a touch of heat from the chilies, but not too much. There's some Sichuan Peppercorns in this version, something I do with lamb loin chops, skirt steak, and even chicken at home. The meat was toothsome but not tough. This was very good. I do think onions and more cilantro would add to the dish.

Feeling a bit guilty, I felt I needed to order a vegetable dish; I ordered the Garlic Eggplant, which was the only mediocre dish of the set.

While it was cooked very well; the interior of the eggplant slices were creamy and molten, I felt the flavors fell short. Too sweet, not enough pungency, in spite of it being called a "garlic" dish, not enough spiciness, just kind of weak on the flavors.

I've been missing a couple of simple Sichuan "snack" dishes….the versions here in San Diego are not very good. So I ordered the Won Tons with Hot Sauce.

While the won tons were totally routine; not quite having that "kou gan" (口感 – mouthfeel) which makes for an excellent won ton. Thought it was not hard and tough, it's when you mix things up…..

And while I could have done with a bit more spice; this hit the spot. It's not quite like what I enjoyed in Chengdu or even what I had at No. 1 Noodle House years ago (my sources tell me it's not close to being the same these days), but I finished the whole bowl.

Leftovers to boot. Surprisingly good service, even friendly. Make me want to head on out to Alhambra to try…Szechuan Impression! Which my friends tell me is even better. Hopefully, I won't have to wait another year to get some decent Sichuan Food. Sorry to say; San Diego does not measure up.

Chengdu Taste
18406 E Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

After lunch I took a walk around Hong Kong Plaza.

I've done posts on this place going back to 2006, we used to live just a few blocks away. Things have changed quite a bit over the years. And new businesses always seem to be opening.

There are places that are still there from back in the late 90's when this was our neighborhood.

Places that I've done posts on over the years.

I even offered to get the Chou Doufu from the place She used to get it from weekly; Shau Mei. The sign has been freshened up and it had me wondering if the Missus would still enjoy the stinky tofu from here.