mmm-yoso – Page 194

Tokyo: Ebisu – Tatsuya and Oumiteipurasuwan

September 29, 2016 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

By the time we got back to Tokyo Station from Kamakura, dusk was quickly approaching.

We got back to the tiny apartment, freshened up and relaxed for a bit. Then it was off to Ebisu Station to meet our good friend Reiko, who we hadn't seen since we had dinner at Tanyaki Shinobu. Hearing that the Missus loved Yakitori, Reiko wanted to take us to an "old school" yakitori "joint" named Tatsuya.

It is a place where salarymen and old timers hang out shoulder to shoulder at the bar, drinking and filling themselves with reasonably priced skewers…..

The business hours; 8am to 5am (?!?) kind of tells you what kind of place this is.

To be honest; the yakitori here is fairly generic…….the Missus and cracked up when we actually had problems figuring out what was kimo (chicken liver), because all of it looked kind of alike!

It was an interesting view into life in Tokyo…….. And super reasonably priced as well. And I'm sure this stuff would be great after like 3-4 (or 5-8) beers. It was a fun experience.

Tatsuya
1-8-16 Ebisu-Minami
Shibuya, Tokyo

Reiko had another stop planned, but the place was closed. So we decided to walk into a nearby yakiniku shop.

Reiko rarely has yakiniku so she was all for it.

So we ordered a couple of plates and some beer for us.

Good lord this stuff was so good!

I mean, the beef tongue and highly marbled rib meat (A5 Kobe) was great as expected. But the Missus just loved the liver and I was just amazed at how almost buttery and tender the horumon was. And the flavor from the charcoal…….oh man!

It's amazing how a little serendipitous moment can turn into such a great meal. So now, I may have to find a great yakiniku place the next time we're in Tokyo.

There's no info in English on this shop; just a rather light entry in Tabelog.

Oumiteipurasuwan
1-8-10 Ebisu-Nishi
Shibuya, Tokyo

Arriving back at Tokyo Station….walking past all the all the men displaying what we call the "Asian Gene", we had to smile.

Yes, Tokyo is a lot of bright lights, hustle and bustle….there's something going on all the time, the folks here walk really, really fast….but a few blocks away you'll find a serene moment. It's that charm that makes me want to keep on coming back.

Kamakura: Jochiji, Lunch at Kamakura Yamaji, and the Daibutsu (Giant Buddha) at Kotokuin

September 28, 2016 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

After visiting Kenchoji we headed up the road a short way to check out Chojuji.

Founded by Ashikaga Takauji founder of the Ashkaga Shogunate around 1336.

The temple the Missus really wanted to see (among several) was Jochiji located up a trail away from the main road.

Jochiji is one of the great five temples of Kamakura.

There were a couple of interesting things to see; the Kanro-no-I, the "Nectar Well", one of the "Ten Wells of Kamakura".

But we enjoyed the statue of Hotei; the "God of Happiness". The friendly folks encouraged the Missus to rub his belly for good luck and prosperity. He does look like a jolly fellow, doesn't he?

The Main Hall features statues of the "Three Buddha's", Amida, Shaka, and Miroku.

There are quite a few caves on the temple grounds and it was quite an interesting visit.

Also, from here, if you're in the mood, is where the Daibutsu Hiking Trail begins or ends…depending on which direction you care to take.

We decided to pass. I was getting a bit hungry so we headed back to busy Komachi Street to look for something to eat. We came across this rather charming looking doorway.

Looking at the sign, there was an English translation; of which there was an English translation, it became apparent that this was a soba restaurant. We weren't quite sure to start, but decided to have lunch here.

There's a nice walkway to the restaurant. Which seemed formal, understated, but welcoming at the same time.

Heading down that walkway you enter the restaurant and we instantly saw that they made their own soba here, which sealed the deal.

The place was just starting to fill up….with tourists….Japanese tourists, which wasn't a bad sign.

Since it winter, we went with the hot soba.

The Missus had tororo; grated mountain yam…that somewhat pleasantly gooey and gluey, and mildly sweet stuff.

I went with the Tempura Soba.

The tsuyu was very pleasant, rather light, the noodles were nicely drained, slightly springy, with a nice pull. For some reason, the Missus doesn't care for the lightly battered tempura, which I like….She prefers the rather dense style you find in tempura places in the US….sigh…..

The one thing both the Missus and I didn't care for was the slightly "floury" soba cooking water (soba-yu) that they provide at the end.

The Missus says it tastes just like jiaozi cooking water that they also consume in Qingdao; so go figure.

Overall a nice meal.

Kamakura Yamaji
1-7-3 Yukinoshita
Kamakura, Kanagawa, Japan

After lunch, we headed back to the train station and caught the Electric Train on the Enoden line and got out at Hase. A short walk away is Kotokuin Temple.

This temple is famous for the iconic Daibutsu; the Great Buddha of Kamakura. While the Bronze Buddha of Nara is larger; the outdoor setting makes this rendering of Amida Buddha seem more impressive.

Don't you think?

On the way back to the station we passed this tiny temple.

It's Shugenji Temple. If you scroll down a bit on this website you can read the rather interesting story of the temple and the individual who formerly lived on this property Shijo Kingo.

We contemplated checking out the nearby Hasedera Temple. But decided on returning to Kamakura on another day. We needed to get back to Tokyo, to rest up a bit and then meet a good friend of ours for dinner.

Thanks for reading!

Revisits – Pho Cow Cali and 777 Noodle House

September 26, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple more stops for "honey doo" weekends.

Pho Cow Cali:

I really wanted the Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky unfortunately, they are still still closed for remodeling. At least the sign has changed and said "closed for painting". So I decided to see how the Banh Mi Bo Kho was at Pho Cow Cali. They sat me in the section by the restrooms in back….then proceeded to forget about me. Luckily, I managed to flag one of the army of servers down and place my order ($7.25).

So, beyond the rather odd serving dish…..I'm guessing there was a sale somewhere, what to say about this. In keeping with "Cow Cali" there's quite a bit of meat….it's flank and brisket and is quite tender. I really missed the tendon though. The broth was much too thin and this was really salty…as in the "MS heebie-geebies" salty. The bread was nice and warm though I'll stick with the pho here next time.

And of course, there's the typical pho shop service.

Pho Cow Cali
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

777 Noodle House:

Even though I think that Ly Heng has surpassed 777 with regards to Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho, I still like the folks here, and the variety. I went with the Pork Intestine Egg Noodle Soup, still a bargain here at $5.77.

This was pretty good; the broth was a bit richer than what I've had in the past. The intestine was prepared well; slightly "offal-y", but quite clean. The noodles nice and chewy with a bit of stretch and the blanched bean sprouts adding a bit of crunch to things.

A bit better than I recalled….and a nice choice on this morning.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Sunday Sandwiches, the Cubano Edition – Embargo Grill, Havana Grill, Andres, and Tropical Star

September 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Sandwiches

I set out on a bit of a mission the last couple of weeks. A couple of months ago, I was asked what I thought the best "Cubano type" sandwich in the area was. I quickly said Embargo Grill. Then then quickly thought that I'd hadn't been to other places in the area in quite a while. So I decided to head off in a quest of sorts and managed to hit up four places before I'd seen enough pork, ham, cheese, and pickles for a while.

And while Embargo Grill still came in on top; here's the places in order…..favorite to least.

Embargo Grill:

**** Embargo Grill has Closed

I think the Medianoche at Embargo Grill has gotten better over time.

The pork here, sort of a "pulled pork", was nice and moist and wasn't too salty this time around. That porky flavor combined with the slightly milky cheese and just the right amount of pickles did it for me. The bread was nicely crisp, toasted well, and the bread was nice and light, not too chewy. The one component I really couldn't make out was the ham.

The Yuca Frita was nicely fried. When done the way I like it; the smaller pieces have a light, airiness to them, while the larger pieces, are denser. The mojo was better than on previous visits.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Havana Grill:

It's been about 6 months since I last visited and the menu has changed a bit; though the "El Cubano" is still there.

At first I thought this would be much too bready and not toasted enough, though it was done adequately. Here the flavor of the ham comes through quite well; teaming with the mustard and pickles. The plantain chips were cold this time around and not very crisp. The sandwich was a bit on the dry side but this is a very solid #2 pick for me.

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Andre's Cuban Restaurant:

**** Andres has closed

Good lord; could it actually be almost 11 years since I last visited!

My goodness; stepping in here is like talking a walk back in time. Plus, this was the only true "restaurant" of the places I visited.

The Cubano here was fairly mediocre.

The bread to filling ratio stood a bit too far on the "bread side" for my taste. The pork was rather dry and tasteless; though the nicely melted cheese shone through quite nicely, but it all came through as rather bland. Luckily, I ordered the Yuca Frita….I ended up pouring a good bit of the mojo on my sandwich. For some reason, like Tropical Star below; this was just too much for me to finish.

The Yuca Frita was decent; loved the smaller pieces which were crisp and creamy. The larger slices got cold pretty quickly and became quite hard. I do like the mojo here; while it could perhaps use more citrus; it is very garlicky and it looks like there's bacon or ham in it.

If you've ever walked to the back or the side banquet room at Andre's, you'll realize just how large the place is. The small façade belies that. This place is in my 'hood, I really should get here more often.

Andre's Cuban Restaurant
1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Tropical Star:

Here's another place I haven't visited in a while.

I had noticed that over the last couple of years; TS had expanded, then retracted back to what it once was. A charming little Latin Grocery that served rather inexpensive Latin American food. I thought it right that I should have the Cubano here.

This was totally by the book; slice of pork, check, thin slices of ham…check….cheese on both sides, check…pickles, yes indeed. It was indeed pressed; though the bread had seen better days. Overall, quite filling….partially because of all the fries; nice and hot, but lacking salt…but I only finished half.

I don't recall seeing Diet Inka Cola before……..even in Peru!

So not quite stellar, especially when compared to the others….but it was the most inexpensive. Plus, I like the older gentleman behind the counter. I always bus my own table and he seems to appreciate that.

Tropical Star
6163 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Silvia Pupuseria

September 20, 2016 mmm-yoso Salvadoran Restaurants

I first noticed this place during my first visit to Poke Etc back in early summer. I really hadn't noticed it before.

It got me thinking…when was the last time I had decent pupusas. The answer would be, perhaps several years.

My curiosity piqued, a took time out on a weekend morning to visit. It's nice that they open at 930am.

The gentleman working was quite friendly and was fascinated that I asked about a couple of dishes on the menu; specifically Pacaya, the male inflorescence of the Chamaedorea tepejilote a species of palm. We really enjoyed the version we had in Honduras and while versions we've had in San Diego were obviously bottled and not as good, we still enjoyed the texture and slight bitterness.

But I was here for the pupusas and I ordered the Chicharron and the Loroco ($1.99/each). Things started off with some pretty good chips; crunchy, not greasy, with the typical Salvadoran style thin "salsa".

I also ordered some Horchata; which wasn't overly sweet, but also seemed a bit too watered down for my taste.

The pupusas arrived nicely griddled. I thought it was perhaps a bit burnt, but that wasn't the case. I thought the tortilla to be on the thick side for my taste, but it was fairly crisp.

The loroco was the better of the two. The pork in the chicharron was rather greasy and quite salty throwing the overall flavor out of whack. And while the flavor of the Loroco, the green bud of the Fernaldia pandurate was rather mild, I really enjoyed the flavor of the slightly milky queso and the rustic tortilla. I'm thinking the simple queso con frijol (cheese and beans) might be worth trying.

The curtido; the slightly fermented; in this case more like pickled cabbage was fine, it would have been better being slightly more sour and tart, though it had a nice oregano and an almost clove-fennel flavor, along with obviously being pickled with beet juice.

This was decent, if not outstanding, and as I usually do when trying out places, I returned for a follow-up visit.

I had Pacaya on my mind. Unfortunately, it was not to be as the young lady told me, "no pacaya today"! Bummer, so what to do? In need of some healthy collagen, I went with the Sopa de Pata, cow hoof stew ($8.50).

This was an interesting, almost roller-coaster ride for me in a way. When the bowl arrived, I was shocked at how much tendon was being served….it really seemed like an entire lower cow leg. The tendon was wonderfully prepared, gelatinous without being too hard and chewy. The overall soup however, left something to be desired. First off, the soup was very thin and much too light, even bland, in flavor and texture. It truly lacked richness, something that hoof soup should not be. I'm used to some tripe in my sopa de pata, also at least one nice chunk of potato, and corn, all of which was nowhere to be found. There was some sliced cabbage and carrot sticks, like you'd find in the produce section of the local supermarket. Not quite the sopa de pata I know and love.

I'll probably try and return, just to try out the pacaya…if they have it. Other places don't have it on the menu anymore. I think I need to check out El Salvadoreno, it been a while.

Nice folks, cash only, they open at 0930am.

Silvia Pupuseria
916 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950

Revisits – Lunch at Okan and Koon Thai

September 19, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

A couple of lunchtime revisits….in the same strip mall even.

Wa Dining Okan:

I wanted some Tori Nanban, so I decided to head over to Okan, where I can get tori nanban and get away from things for at least a half hour or so.

I must be getting old as this seemed to be quite a bit of food for me. The chicken was nice and lightly crisp; the flavor of rice vinegar present….I may ask them to put the tartar sauce on the side next time as it was a bit too much mayo goodness for me. The imo nimono…simmered potato was quite good….a nice meal for ten bucks.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Koon Thai:

While checking out Okan, I looked over to Koon Thai and wondered how they were doing. So, a few days later I dropped by. Man, they are pretty darn busy for lunch….and the rather jaded attitude of the staff shows! Well, whatever. On this visit, I decided not to order my usual, the Khao Karr Moo and instead went with the Khao Moo Dang Moo Krob ($9.95), a literal pork-fest.

I gotta say; that typical Thai style sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, was quite good. The BBQ pork was on the dry side and the roast pork….well was very nice, except for the skin which was really hard like plastic. I thought the lup cheong was quite good in the sweet-salty sauce; the egg perhaps overdone…..still that sauce was quite good. It was all about that. More quantity over quality in my book, but not bad at all,. Next time, I'm sticking with my favorite.

Koon Thai Kitchen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Saturday Stuffs – Char House and Yum Cha Cafe Closes and the Sign for the New 99 Ranch Market is up.

September 17, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Markets & Grocers, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here are a couple of items Cathy mentioned to me.

Char House Closes:

Man, they just opened in April! Cathy sent me a text about this and I went to check out their Facebook Page:

"Char House
September 14 at 9:03pm
To our valued guests, Char House is now CLOSED. Thank you for your support and we hope to continue serving you at our other location in Hillcrest: Pho Fifth Ave. 3807 5th Ave, San Diego, CA 92103."

I drove by yesterday…..

Geeez…..the Grand Opening sign is still up…..

7765 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Yum Cha Café Closes:

Cathy also mentioned this to me as well. Notice the trash bins in front of the door. The place caused a bit of buzz and opened to lines. But slowly got worse and worse and based on what I had during my last visit, they really did seem like they were circling the drain.

6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Since we've been on 99 Ranch Market watch here at mmm-yoso…… The sign has been up for a couple of weeks.

5950 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Seville – Plaza de Espana and Lunch at Petite Comite

September 16, 2016 mmm-yoso Seville, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine

There was something about Seville. It was lively, vibrant, but not overwhelming. It seemed fairly laid-back, but full of color and history. We'd started the morning by walking to Mercado de Triana and now; the Missus had Plaza de Espana squarely in Her sights. so we crossed back over the Puente de Isabel II and headed down Paseo de Cristobal Colon…named after well, you know. It was overcast and fairly cool (remember, this was back in February) and the walk was quite easy. You do pass quite a few landmarks; like the Plaza de Toros (bullring), which I read could seat 12,000 people.

A bit further down; where Paseo de Cristobal Colon becomes Paseo de las Delicias is the Torre del Oro (the Gold Tower).

Built in 1220, the tower was once part of the city walls and also used to guard the river. According to accounts, a large chain connected the Torre del Oro to a tower on the other side of the river in Triana. It was also used as a prison for a period after the Reconquista.

This impressive building is the Palacio de San Telmo; San Telmo Palace.

It has a long and rather interesting history. It was originally built as a Navigator's College and then sold to the Duke of Montpensier who made it his palace. In 1893 it was donated to the city and is currently the residence of the President of the Regional Government of Andalusia.

That fountain and monument above is the Glorieta de los Marineros, dedicated to Juan Sebastián Elcano, who after Magellan's death, completed the first circumnavigation of the Earth.

Plaza de Espana is located in Maria Luisa Park, a very nice green area, full of fountains and gardens. Of course the main attraction for most; the Missus and I included is the Plaza de Espana, built for the 1929 World's Fair. Walking down the short tree lined street to the grand curved building makes quite an impression.

It is quite a bit to take in……

The curved façade makes it look quite grand and very harmonic to the eye.

The two towers at the end are connected by a gallery and the center structure provides a nice view as well.

And the acoustics near the main stairs are pretty good.

Our favorite part of the plaza was the former Spanish Pavilion where the façade of the main structure is lined with 58 benches. Each bench features wonderful tile work. Each one depicts a historic scene from the history of each province of Spain.

It was fun walking past the benches; the provinces are ordered alphabetically, and see all of the places we'd visited during our trips to Spain – Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, Vizcaya…. And take in some of the interesting details that'd we'd recognize; like the coat of arms for Madrid; the Bear and The Madrono Tree.

Soon it was time to leave and head off to lunch. We headed north a short ways and down a rather small street to Petit Comite, a place that I'd read quite a bit about.

The folks here are very friendly, the atmosphere somewhat cozy, the menu full of interesting, sometimes "fusion" raciones and tapas. Of all the places we ate at in Seville, this one felt the most like a true restaurant.

The Missus started with a glass of wine; I had a beer. And with the help of our friendly Server, put together what he considered a "nice" meal….'not too much, not too little" with a few signature dishes. Oh, did I mention his English was impeccable……which made me somewhat worried, but heck, we found that just about every place we visited in Seville, there was someone, at least one person who spoke English…….and it seemed most of the young folks did speak some English. It kind of made me embarrassed that I really don't know another language.

First up; the Duck Risotto with Pumpkin and Foie Gras (8,2€ – $9).

I've mention my leeriness of typical restaurant par cooked risotto before, but this was mentioned as a house specialty. It came out in minutes and the texture was rather uneven, sometimes too hard and chewy, though the pumpkin did help to add additional creaminess to the dish. We also thought the kitchen was a bit heavy-handed in the sodium department which really affected the flavors.

The Broken Egg with Foie Gras (6,9€ – $7.75) was better.

At first I thought the egg was over-cooked, but it was decently runny. Again, the flavors seemed a bit uneven to us…the egg had too much salt and the foie gras mousse was really sweet.

Thinking that we had ordered too much food, we almost didn't order the Octopus with Truffle Parmentier, but our Server told us it was one of the restaurant's signature dishes, so we got a media racione (5,5€ – $6.25)

I'm glad we got this as this was by far our favorite dish of the meal. Nice combination of flavors and textures; the truffled potatoes were delicious, the octopus flavorful and just slightly toothsome. The egg added an even richer texture to the dish, almost, but not sending it over-the-top.

We finished with the Angus Pastry with foie gras (6,5€ – $7.25)

Yes, it's a burger….sort of…the puff pastry is a whimsical play on the bun…there's a fairly decent sized piece of foie gras under that puff pastry. Loved the texture of the bun….and of course the foie. Found the burger to be pretty good, but underseasoned as were the vegetables.

We really loved the service here, but found the food to be a bit uneven and though Petit Comite was far from mediocre, it paled in comparison to all our other meals in Seville. Perhaps it was just an off day?

Petit Comite
Dos de Mayo #30
Seville, Spain

All of that rather rich food for lunch left me ready for "siesta time". But the Missus wanted to visit one last place before heading off to slumber land. So we headed under that arch and off to our next stop which was surprisingly close.

Thanks for reading!

Lima – Panchita Sazón Criolla

September 14, 2016 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Peruvian Restaurants, Travel

After a fairly busy couple of days on Easter Island, we decided to take a little break during our first day in Lima. We had a wonderful lunch at El Veridico de Fidel, managed to check into a pretty nice upgraded room…..freshened up, then took a nice nap. It was starting to get dark when we awoke.

So, it was time for dinner! We headed out, taking our time……

We passed this fountain looking thing on Tarata Street. It's called the Monument Paseo de la Solidaridad.

We ambled our way to our dinner destination. Right before walking to Maido the night before heading to Santiago, we stopped by a restaurant to make reservations for our first night back in Miraflores at Restaurant Panchita Sazón Criolla, part of the Gaston Acurio empire. Pachita celebrates Perivian Criollo (think Creole) cuisine; the multi-national influenced dishes that equates to comfort food to many in Peru. The Missus headed to Panchita with a bit of apprehension after our so-so meal at Gaston Acurio's celebrated cebicheria La Mar. Still, I was looking forward to some anticuchos. The Hostess had remembered us from the evening we dropped by and made reservations.

We were lead to our table, passing trays of skewered meat….various parts of different creatures.

The woodfired oven looked ready for action.

The customers were a mix of Peruvians and tourists. The service was decent….some bumps in the road but good overall.

I started with a Cusquena Dorada Golden Lager, slightly sweet, mild malts, very nondescript.

Of course the Missus got a Pisco Sour, requesting it not too sweet. This was good, but nowhere near as good as what we had at Maido.

We were asked about bread and had initially thought about skipping it. But decided on getting it after all. If I recall 7 S/ (about $2) per person. This wasn't very good…very much like typical heat and eat stuff.

The Missus was fascinated by the various braised dishes and is a fan of Seco, the traditional beer-cilantro sauce. so She ordered the El Ossobuco Entero (88 S/ – $26), which featured "seco gravy".

We actually had to send this back initially because it was below room temperature. When heated properly, this was quite nice. Rich, a complex, mild herbaceous-sweet-savoriness, and the Missus loved those beans. The ossobuco was very tender and mild in flavor. This is total comfort food. The rice was meh……

I first ordered the Sweetbread Anticuchos (36 S/$10.50).

The sweetbread were lovely, very creamy interior, smoky, rich. Very nice. The Missus loves the potatoes in Peru and this was no exception….and of course, She could never get enough Choclo, the crunchy, large kernel corn, of Peru which She plowed through in a matter of seconds. Starchy instead of sweet crunchy, Choclo differs from Hominy in that it is not dried and treated with lye.

Still, I needed my Anticuchos de Corazon (39 S/ $11.50), beef heart, one of my favorite Peruvian dishes.

This might be the best anticuchos I've had. It had obviously been grilled, but not to the point of getting too firm and chewy. The texture was very nice; firm to the bite, but also quite tender. The marinade was nice, as it wasn't too salty. The Missus wiped out the Choclo again; though I got the potatoes this time. I'm not sure what it is about potatoes in Peru; but they always seem to taste better than what we have here in the states.

While we were eating, this older couple sat at a table nearby. The Missus told me, "they look familiar…..you know, that painting?" Good lord, She was right; give the guy a pitchfork and they'd fit perfectly in a Grant Wood painting!

We really enjoyed our meal at Panchita and the Missus has the place on Her list for a return visit if/when we're back in Lima.

Restaurant Panchita Sazón Criolla
Calle 2 de Mayo, Miraflores, Peru

We rolled back to the Courtyard bellies full. The night was getting a bit chilly. We'd had a great day. It was Friday, so the main streets of Miraflores were full of people and cars. But the area around the hotel were much less hectic. We'd have a nice night of sleep.

Tomorrow, we'd be flying over the Nazca Lines.

Thanks for reading!

Pho Duyen Mai

September 13, 2016 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Duyen Mai is under new ownership

A couple of weeks back, I noticed that a place named Pho Duyen Mai had replaced Pho Nhu Y up on Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

What really piqued my interest was when my good friend "YummyYummy" told me that this place had some relationship to Pho Ban Mai. I also noticed that the place opens at 9am, which was great. As I mentioned earlier, my schedule is now chocked full of meetings, often between 11 am and 1 pm. So having another early lunch option was great. One morning, having had meetings from 7am all the way to 930, I was starving. I usually get to work between 6 and 630 and hadn't eaten anything that morning. I had meeting scheduled out to the early afternoon, so I escaped for a quick meal at Duyen Mai.

They've done a nice job with the place….actually done a bit of renovation. The menu really did look like Ban Mai.

I was ravenous, but really didn't want any noodle soup….I had on a light colored shirt and really didn't want to embarrass myself with blots of soup stains on my shirt. I just don't wear them with as much style as Ed from Yuma does after a meal at Mien Trung!

I decided to try the Chicken Wings in Fish Sauce ($9).

These were nicely glazed, though not as crisp as I prefer. The sauce was adequate, slightly sweet, savory, with the distinct flavor of ginger. The actual meat was on the dry side. Adequate, but nothing special.

If there was one dish which almost never let me down at Pho Ban Mai, it was the Banh Xeo ($8.50).

This was pretty much like what I had on my last visit to Pho Ban Mai early last year. The batter was light, though without as much coconut flavor as I recall, and not too oily at all. It was pretty light in the filling department; especially with regards to pork. Still, it's all about proportion with this, so this was not bad. The nuoc mam cham tasted a little watered down; but the herbs and lettuce were sparkling fresh. I could only finish half and took the rest back to the office; where "R" just devoured it. Apparently, she's a fan of Banh Xeo.

The folks here are very nice and friendly. I had short chat with the woman who I believe is the owner. She informed me that the had sold Pho Ban Mai a while back and after a break decided to open another restaurant.

I returned that weekend. I was surprised to see the place doing decent business on a weekend morning. While the customers seemed split 50-50 on my previous week. This time all were Vietnamese.

I recalled that "JanFrederick" had mentioned the Bun Bo Hue in the comments on my original post on Pho Ban Mai. I'd really never had the chance to try it. So, I decided to finally order it ($8).

In terms of Pho Shop BBH, this was ok. Basically, doctored up pho broth. It had some sneaky spice and the noodles were firm and slippery, but it really lacked the deep lemongrass-funky flavor of a great bowl of BBH. Not a fan of the beef which crumbled into little pieces when I tried to pick it up with chopsticks.

The herbs and greens were on the sparse side, but very fresh. I might try this again one day, but not for a while.

Returning to work and more lunch time meetings, I returned to Duyen Mai. This time I wore appropriately dark clothes. It was also about time I try the Nem Nuong Cuon.

Yep, these were the same "Brodard light" rolls as I'd had at Ban Mai. On the good side, not too tightly wrapped, fresh, herbs, and scallion. On the other hand; I find the dipping sauce to be rather bland and am not fond of the texture of it and on this visit, the fried egg roll wrapper was on the burnt side and gave off a bitter flavor.

I also ordered the Pho Filet ($10)….but due to mental vapor lock, forgot to ask them to put the meat on the side.

So of course the beef was overdone by the time it got to my table. In spite of that; the beef was very tender and had no off flavors. The clump of noodles at the bottom of the bowl was decent, not overcooked. The broth was interesting; perhaps a bit too defatted and quite dark. The flavor was onion forward, almost no beefiness, light anise, but at least it didn't have too much MSG. In spite of the rather over-powering sweetness of the broth, I think I prefer Char House.

Like all previous meals; while light on the quantity, the sprouts and basil were very fresh. I probably should drop by and try their house pho one of these days.

One tip….right now, all the spring rolls are a buck a piece. I don't see it mentioned anywhere. Even though the typical order is 3; they'll ask you how many you want and just charge you $1 each!

Finally, this past weekend, one last weekend visit. Again, all the customers seemed to be VN.

I ordered the Goi Cuon Bi – the spring rolls with shredded pork and pork skin.

This was pretty good; it was wrapped a bit too tight, but the "bi" wasn't too dry and actually had rice powder on it. Loved the herbs; the mint really brought the flavor of this up. The nuoc mam cham on this visit was quite good and not watered down.

Not feeling like soup or anything heavy; I ordered the Goi Ngo Sen ($10.99); the Shrimp and Pork Lotus Stem Salad.

I haven't had this in ages. Apparently this version has jellyfish in it….I saw but a few thin strands. This was mostly julienned carrots and cucumbers, with a generous dose of bean sprouts. There were quite a bit of shrimp; which had been sliced in half lengthwise. Not much pork and a few lotus stem, which were buried away at the bottom of the salad. It was dressed a bit too light for me, so I dumped the remaining sauce from the Goi Cuon Bi on it which helped. At least I ate healthy, right? And those spring rolls were still just a buck a piece…..

I really like the folks here; they smile and are pretty friendly. If I bring folks here; I'd probably stick with the spring rolls and the banh xeo….I'm sure folks would enjoy them. The menu is rather vast; I recall enjoying a couple of other dishes at Ban Mai, so I'll probably try them here in the future. Hmmmm…..I need to return to Ban Mai as well……

You might as well check them out while they're still a dollar a piece. I have a feeling that when that Grand Opening sign comes down; the prices will go up!

Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
Open Daily 9am – 9pm