mmm-yoso – Page 222

Westvleteren 12 at Saint Sixtus, Saint Bernardus in Watou, and Dinner at Cafe de la Paix (Poperinge)

August 15, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Our destination after Ghent was a bit different. We always try to plan one interesting "detour" during our trips; whether it be spending a night sleeping in a tent (5-star tent, mind you) in the Sahara, visiting Hiroshima, hiking the Great Wall form one province to another (not as hard as you think), or doing a hike (nee death march) after spending almost a sleepness night on the way to Sapa. It's never anything too wild; but just enough to keep the Missus happy and push me ever so closer to the precipice.

This objective; at least on this leg of the trip was to have what many consider the best and undoubtedly one of the most coveted beer in the world, Westvleteren 12. I'd already tried a bottle in Antwerp and really didn't care for it, but there's nothing like having it at the source, which is the Abbey of Saint Sixtus. Our destination was the village of Poperinge, close to the Border of France. It was an interesting train ride; most of the folks got off at Ypres, the stop before Poperinge, probably touring WWI battle sites. We got to the village and found our way to the hotel. Our room wasn't ready, so we dropped our bags off. We asked about renting some bikes. Saint Sixtus is about 4 miles from Poperinge and other than driving, the bicycle made the most sense. Unfortunately, it was the weekend and all the rentals were closed……however, the really nice guy pulled some strings and we got our bicycles and instructions on how to get to Saint Sixtus…..along with the typical, yet somewhat ominous "you can't miss it!"

So here's the deal; the Missus recalls with such nostalgia, of riding Her bike around Beijing while in High School and College….everyone rode a bike it seems. It was such a big part of Her youth that She and I really looked forward to this. However, there was one interesting twist to all of this. I hadn't ridden a bike and even when I did, I never rode it very much, since I was in Elementary School. To put things into perspective; the last time I rode a bike Gerald Ford had just become President of the United States. Soon after getting the bike, my Mom had to sell it to buy groceries and pay bills.

Remember that old adage, "you never forget how to ride a bike"? Well, it's mostly true….I did pretty well; only falling three times….. The Missus had thought this was going to be a hoot until She saw a guy laid out and in pretty bad shape after crashing his bike in Ghent. Now She wasn't so sure….until She got on the bike. I swear I hadn't seen such a look of pure joy on the Missus's face since we first brought Sammy home. It was pure bliss for Her….meanwhile it had started raining and I was chugging along.

She would stop on occasion and take photos of the beautiful farmland while I caught up; "hurry up…hurry up….you're so slow…."

The fellow below seems to be asking me; "well, who's looking like the jacka$$ now?" After all, it seemed like the hardest part of this whole bike riding thing was getting started and…well, the other real important part…..stopping.

Eventually, we saw a little sign pointing down a side road which said "Saint Sixtus"…..heading down thru the fields of hops, this area produces 80% of the hops for Belgium, we eventually came to the Abbey of Saint Sixtus.

And here we were. One quick note….this is Trappist Beer; brewed in a real Monastery, by real Monks. This is not the Stone Brewery Tasting Room and Restaurant, if you know what I mean. You can't taste beer here….you can order cases of Westvleteren, if you're lucky enough to call and make an appointment and drive to the Abbey to pick-up your beer at the scheduled time. You have limit as to how many beers you can order and from what I heard even provide the vehicle license plate number.

Unless you need a case of Westy; I'd suggest going across the street to the café owned by the Abbey; In de Vedre.

I was actually relieved to be able to park the bike and have some liquid refreshment.

The interior is quite large, very comfortable, the staff was efficient and welcoming…….

And yes; there's Westy on tap. We started with the 12 and the Blonde.

So, is the 12 the best beer I've ever had? Hard to say; I did like it, it's a quad, 10.2 ABV, but not unpleasantly boozy. There's some spice and chocolate tones and I like the "texture" as it rolled over my tongue. It was a zillion times better than the bottle I'd had. The blonde is nice; yeasty-grassy, with mild fruitiness. The Missus enjoyed the blonde but the 12 is not Her thing.

We both enjoyed a nice snack; the House Pate made with Beer….man, it was delicious.

We were probably hungry which clouded our thoughts, but man that bread was really great as well.

For dessert, I got the Westvleteren 8; which I enjoyed more than the 12. It was less boozy, had that wonderful texture and head, a bit more hops to it, and almost a bit of burnt candied sugar in my mind. I'm far from a beer snob; but this was really good.

As I was working on my beer; folks started arriving. Many of them little groups of folks on biking tours….probably biking-beers tours?

The gift shop was also doing some major business. You can buy bottles and smaller packs of Westvleteren Beer in the Café gift shop……if you're lucky. We saw four folks run out of a mini-van and charge into the gift shop looking for some "Westy to go"……

In De Vrede
Westvleteren, Belgium

We made it back to Poperinge without incident. It was the weekend and traffic was quite sparse. The Missus decided we should "park our bikes" instead of returning them….just in case, you know….. We found that our room was actually a couple of blocks from the hotel. It was quite a nice room….very comfortable.

Sometimes there's no phrase more beautiful than "shower and a nap"……I was fairly soaked from the rain on the bike back from the Abbey……..and in need of a nap as well.

After the nap…..guess what? The Missus wanted to ride somewhere. So we headed off in the somewhat opposite direction from Westvleteren to Watou, which was a pretty sleepy little village.

Now, Watou is a village of about 2,000 people….but they are also known for….you guessed it….a pretty famous brewery; St Bernardus. We had thoughts of visiting the brewery, but instead decided just to stop in one of the cafes.

The Missus wanted something light so She had the Watou's Wit Biere which is produced by Waotu's other brewery Brouwerij Van Eecke. Very easy to drink, citrusy, quite light.

I had a St Bernardus Watou Tripel.

Nice texture, a bit sweet….but not in the same class as Westvleteren……that's fairly immediate.

After our visit, we made it back to Poperinge without incident….for some reason, I did hit a curb and fell….but it was flat on my back so no harm was done. It was starting to come down again as we got back into town. We returned our bikes and passed this bar named…..San Diego! Go figure……

For dinner, I decided on a café in one of the hotels around the main square named Cafe de la Paix.

05312014 1356

The place was fairly quiet……..a few parties of what seemed like locals arrived…the Staff knew them all.

It was coming down pretty hard outside, so we were glad we made it here without getting soaked.

Upon being seated we were brought an amuse….which we both loved……meat in an aspic, chilled and refreshing. I suddenly recalled reading about a local dish called Hennepot.

I wanted something a bit lighter after all those high ABV beers I'd had during the day; so I went with a Omer Traditional Blonde.

On the way to dinner we passed a beer shop….in the window was something that caught the Missus's eye…in a very strange way. She loved the label……with this Nun on it. She described it in a fairly particular way. Looking over the beer list; I mentioned that they had this beer on the menu……so when the Server came over the Missus excitedly told him, "I'll have a SLUTTY NUN!" He raised an eyebrow quizzically and I ordered the Poperings Nunnebier……sigh.

I'll let you decide about the Missus's description……

So the nice woman working here came to take our order and we had another funny encounter. The Missus was famished and actually wanted some meat for a change. So She asked about the sirloin; whether it was grass fed, where it was from…..you know. The woman laughed and pointed in a direction and said, "our cows live there….and you ask so many strange questions." It's a different way of life, food is not the commodity stuff shipped thousands of miles away……sourcing locally is not an advertising point, but the way things are here.

Meal came with meh frites (man, this was Belgium…I expected more) and a nice salad. The beef was cooked a perfect medium, a bit more tender than I expected, considering it was grass fed, and full of flavor.

After our amuse; I just had to have the Hennepot….I was told it was rabbit, chicken, and veal, though it all had pretty much the same texture.

Not everyone's cup of tea I'm sure, but the gel/aspic on this makes the dish. I'm told it's one of the oldest local specialties. It's tangy, sour, and so refreshing. It was 90+ this morning when I started this post….I'd have loved to have this for lunch today.

Cafe de la Paix
Grote Markt 20
Poperinge, Belgium

It was indeed a fairly rainy day……

But our room was nice a cozy and had that appliance we had so many times on our trip that we actually bought….a Nespresso. So we enjoyed our short stay……

And tomorrow would be yet another day……

Thanks for reading!

What’s My Craving? Spicy City

August 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I've mentioned how much I crave Sichuan Liang Mian when the mercury rises many times before. So of course, I just needed my fix when it got really hot and muggy two weeks ago. My last couple of visits to Fu An haven't been that great. So where to go? I was thinking of getting some Ko Shui Ji (mouthwatering chicken) as well, so Szechuan Taste was out of the question. My last Sichuan Liang Mian from Dede's was a total fail as well. Man, was I missing Ba Ren. Then I remembered that the last version of Sichuan Liang Mian I'd had at Spicy City was barely ok, so why not give them another shot. I got there a few minutes after five and folks were already there!

Anyway, I got my order to go after the usual perfunctory service from the two women who work there, in addition to the guy who's a jerk. Before he passed me my order he asked, "what did you order….huh…huh…huh…." Without giving me a chance to answer. Meanwhile, I had already paid for my order and had been standing there for 15 minutes. One of the women told him something along the lines of "I'd already paid"…but he dismissed her and proceeded to practice some kind of interrogation technique on me. Finally, having a chance to answer I went, "Sichuan liang mian, ko shui ji….." He was shocked that I could pronounce the items in Mandarin. I added on "da fei zhu" grabbed my packages and left.

Actually, the joke was on me as the Sichuan Liang Mian was terrible.

The noodles were fine, but the sauce was horrendous. It was basically thin, salty chili oil…..no depth of flavor. Missing were the components that make the dish for me; a dash of black vinegar, a slight sweetness, a touch of sesame paste, all the umami had been sucked out of the dish. The Missus was eating Her salad, but tried a bite and all She could say to me was, "oh, man, I'm so sorry….."

The Ko Shui Ji on the other hand wasn't bad. Quite spicy, with some of the "ma", the numbing flavor of Sichuan peppercorns.

The portion size was quite large, it was missing some of the complex flavors of aromatics, like ginger, garlic, scallion, and five spice. It also lacked the sugar – sesame paste – vinegar tones as well. Still, it was passable.

So a partial fail for the food, total fail for the service………. Sadly, I don't think there's a fix to this craving in San Diego…..

Spicy City Chinese Restaurant
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Izakaya Kanpai

August 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Izakaya Kanpai has closed

I noticed the sign of this place back in June. They turned the renovation around pretty quickly and opened a couple of weeks ago. I decided to check them out since they're located relatively close to both home and work. One thing I quickly noticed was the removal of the "Yakitori" in the signage….I'm guessing getting that robata thing straight might have been a bit too much.

Nice wide open space……

Cathy recently mentioned that all new restaurants are required to have a wood wall (which CC also mentioned). So of course Kanpai had to have one, right?

My server on both visits was a very gracious, friendly young man, from, if I recall Latvia. He was just perfect, great timing, and for some reason, reminded me of the kind of service we received in France.

It was way too hot for ramen on my first visit, so I ordered a couple of items from the menu.

I started with the Tsukune, because I was curious as to why the "yakitori" part on the sign was removed.

This was on the tough and rubbery side. The flavor was quite mild. The tare was different, sweet with some mild spice, more like teriyaki in texture than a traditional tare.

Like that wood wall; it seems like all "New Japanese" have some kind of Pork Belly Bun on the menu.

In terms of flavor the pork was decent, on the waxy side and cold, but ok. I think heating this up a bit more, getting some caramelization on the pork would make this better. The bun was cold and dry and this seemed a bit slapped together.

I also ordered the Katsudon; you know the iconic katsu (in this case chicken katsu), egg, tsuyu, onion, scallion, and rice bowl. What I got made me laugh…….it was literally "Katsu – Don".

No egg, no tsuyu, no onions/scallions……..just overcooked chicken katsu; hard and dry….and overcooked rice….hard and dry. For some reason I just found this quite funny. Like someone figured out what "katsu" and "don" meant in Google Translate and took it literally.

Overall an interesting meal. I really liked the service, it was so very open, seemed really interested in my opinions, after a while, you can usually tell if someone is sincere when they ask for your opinion of the dishes. I did find out that the owner of Kanpai also owns Fish Attack.

With that in mind, I decided to return for lunch. On the menu there was a "special combination" menu which is ramen along with a rice bowl.

So I went with Tonkotsu Ramen with Karaage Don.

Beyond the standard Sriracha-mayo, this was good. The chicken was perfectly fried, light, crisp, not too salty, with a slight savory backbone. The rice was perfect this time around. I'd easily have this again.

I'd consider this, with consideration as a work in progress, as lower second tier ramen. The egg was fine; in fact much better than what I'd recently had at RakiRaki. The Chashu was decent. The noodles were typical wholesale ramen noodles and were overcooked. The broth was an uneven mixture of tonkotsu base with shoyu. It was much too thin, definitely lacking in richness, though the temperature was good.

I really liked the service, the folks here seem eager to please. I'll check back in a couple of months to see how the menu, and hopefully the food has evolved.

Izakaya Kanpai
5430 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Saturday Stuffs: RakiRaki (Pokirrito???) Taking Over A Cafe Spot, Yu’s Garden Closes, and Other Stuffs

August 8, 2015 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Haven't done one of these is a while so……

Pokirrito (RakiRaki) Taking Over A Café Spot:

Following up for "Sandy".

And yes indeed, the Change of Ownership sign is up……

What the heck is a Pokirrito? Some kind of Asian-Fusion burrito joint?

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yu's Garden is closed:

This one was more of surprise. I hadn't even heard about this one.

Wasn't much of a fan, never lived up to the Irvine location. I was still rather surprised.

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Lot's of stuff going on at this strip mall!

Here are some other signs of places I'm sure you heard are opening soon.

8055 Armour Street
San Diego, CA 92111

801 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Hope your having a great weekend!

Ghent: The Sunday Flower Market, Brasserie Savarin, and Dulle Griet (yet again)

August 7, 2015 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Cheese, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

We awoke to a serene Sunday morning in Ghent. After a nice cup of coffee we headed off for a nice morning walk through the formerly run down, but now gentrified neighborhood of Patershol, past where we got off the tram the previous day near Gravensteen Castle.

We crossed back over near Groentenmarkt. That's the back of the Meat Market which I described in my earlier post to the left. Things seemed so still and peaceful.

We just kind of wandered around following the few folks out walking in the morning…..

We crossed over St Michael's Bridge.

And found a small Sunday Market in the square in front of St Michael's Church.

For some reason we were lucky enough to run into a flower market in Kouter Square.

It was a charming market….full of bright flowers.

And smiling folks, just taking in the flowers, the sunshine, having a nice morning coffee from one of the stands (there's even one serving oysters and champagne!). It's these little happy mistakes that makes travelling so wonderful.

We soon saw a band warming up in the bandstand.

So we did the local thing; we had a seat on one of the benches and listened to the band.

Apparently, the Sunday Flower Market has been going on since the 18th century!

We soon saw a family of five looking for some seats; so we waved them over and took our leave.

While listening to the music, I had gotten an idea. Why not just stay in for dinner? So we headed back to the little market in front of St Michael's Church to do a bit of shopping. The riverfront was starting to awaken on this sleepy Sunday morning…..

We made a few purchases and then headed back to the apartment; taking the long way, joining all the folks enjoying the river front.

We did see one guy who had taken a pretty bad fall from a bicycle, but he looked ok, so we kept on going. Arriving back at the apartment, we took a nice little break, more coffee, a shower to freshen up…then the decision of what's for lunch….a rather early lunch (11 am). I decided that we should head down the two blocks or so to Vrijdagmarkt and see what was open.

There was a rather nice looking place; white tablecloths and all, named Brasserie Savarin that was open for service.

Since this WAS Belgium…anytime is a good time for a beer…..

The Missus had a Tongerlo Blonde; sweet, quite foamy, fairly non-descript.

I ordered the Ommegang Keizer Karel Charles Quint – A Belgian Strong Pale Ale.

Mild hops, a bit different from what I had gotten used to, a bit "clovey"….quite a bit of head.

I ordered the "Gentse Stoverij"…which turned out to be Carbonnade Flamande…. which I'd had a couple of times so far.

I had read that in Ghent they use thyme and the different beer creates a different flavor….not sure; this one was pretty much what I'd had before, honestly, not quite as good. The beef was on the drier side and the "gravy" not as strikingly flavorful.

The frites were just ok……I was still searching for some great frites in Belgium.

I did enjoy the salad though.

The Missus? Well She had Waterzooi of course!

While the presentation looked much more refined; She preferred what She had at t'Vosken the day before.

Service was ok….folks seemed to be in Sunday mode and I don't really blame them on such a beautiful day.

Brasserie Savarin
Vrijdagsmarkt 17
Ghent, Belgium

Leaving, we stared across Vrijdagsmarkt……

And of course we headed straight back to Dulle Griet.

Things were much quieter at this time for the day…….

Which gave me a chance to take a good look around……

The Missus got a really nice Geuze from Brouwerij Drie Fonteinen. Floral with citrus tones; with a nice funk, fairly light and very pleasant.

I got the house blonde, light, pleasant, and easy to drink.

Dulle Griet
Vrijdagmarkt 50
Ghent, Belgium

We then took a leisurely post lunch siesta……a very under-rated and appreciated event.

Before dinner, we got back out and took a walk.

The one place I do regret not visiting in Ghent was St Bavo's Cathedral; it was under going some restoration when we were in town. I understand the artwork and altarpiece are quite stunning. But I mostly wanted to go to see the statue of someone near and dear those who know a bit about the history of Hawaii; Pater Damiaan; more commonly known as Father Damien who was born in Belgium. I'll make sure to visit next time.

Dinner was simple affair…….chicken wings and some cheese.

We'd end up buying cheese and carrying it with us for the rest of the trip.

Taking our post dinner walk we found that even on a Sunday night the Groentenmarkt was a happening place.

We really enjoyed Ghent and would miss this town. We stood and just soaked in the sounds and sights before heading back.

As we got back to Vrijdagsmarkt we were suddenly possessed and had to make a right turn back into Dulle Griet! For one last beer; the missus had Her Duchesse De Bourgogne and I a Leffe Royale. A nice end to our stay in Ghent.

The next morning we would be off, taking two different trains, in search of what some consider to be the most coveted and best beer in the world……

Stay Tuned!

Trying to beat the heat. Revisits to RakiRaki and Pho Ha Noi

August 5, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Don't want to bring too much attention to it….just in case you hadn't noticed. But man, it's still some kind of humid isn't it? On the good side. Well, I've been getting a nice amount of recommendations recently. Here are two of them.

あまりにも多くの誇大宣伝の家 aka RakiRaki:

That would be "Amarini mo ōku no kodai senden no ie". You can kind of figure out what I'm referring to based on my previous posts. It just seems at times that RR's biggest fan is themselves. On a good note, I think the product, while still far from great has been getting better over the last couple of years. And I received an email by "one who wants to remain anonymous" with two rec's. The first telling me that the Rikimaru Miso Tonkotsu Tsukemen was the way to go. So it's the way I went.

First, some housekeeping items…I ordered my noodles cold, but I guess the kitchen didn't get the memo and over-cooked them instead. Maybe to teach me a lesson for being a pain and ordering them cold? That egg was tragically over cooked, dry, and quite bland to boot.

I usually avoid miso based ramen broth because it's either much too salty, or all you end up tasting is the miso base. In this case it worked out quite well. Not too salty, faint miso flavor, the broth's almost citrus like "bite" tempered a bit. Decent amount of pork in the soup. This might be the way to go for me in the future…… In spite of the $13 price tag.

I heard through the grapevine that RR had purchased the lease to the A Cafe space, so it will be interesting to see what happens here.

RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Ha Noi:

There was a second recommendation in the email. I was informed that the best item on the menu at Pho Ha Noi was not the Pho, but something called Spicy Beef Salad, which just sounded right on one sweaty day.

Pho might not be the way to go here; but it sure didn't seem that way since the other three folks in the place were all getting pho.

The young man serving me was very nice and friendly. He also asked me twice if I could eat "spicy" when I ordered the spicy beef salad.

This is an interesting riff utilizing the typical stir fry beef which has been flavored with soy and fish sauce; a little sweet of course, but a bit under flavored for me. It was adequately tender and there was a fairly generous portion of protein. The "salad" is basically cabbage (aka coleslaw) mix with some, a bit too little slices of herbs mixed in. The "spicy" wasn't very spicy at all, basically a watered down nuoc mam cham with chili paste mixed in.

As a pseudo fast food dish, this wasn't bad. And I got my veggies……. Still, I'm not sure I'd have this again.

Pho Ha Noi
6904 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

Our "FOY" (Friend of Yoso) really wanted my opinion on these two items. So there you go! Thanks so much for taking the time out to email me!

So, a guy walks into a bar and asks, whose Al Pastor is better, JV’s Mexican Food or Lalo’s?

August 3, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

You've heard those arguments, right? You stop in a bar for a beer and two knuckleheads gentlemen at the bar are doing the "who is better" thing……Ryan or Koufax, Montana or Elway, Kikaida or Kamen Rider? Kikaida or Kamen Rider??? Believe it or not….two guys at my favorite watering hole "back home" almost came to blows over that one! So there I was, listening to these two guys go at each other over Al Pastor….interesting! It became a lot less interesting after I found out that they were comparing JV's and Lalo's. No offense, but there's a lot better to be had here. Still, it made for some fine entertainment and it had been a while since I'd been to either place, 8 years since JV's and a whopping 9 1/2 years since Lalo's. So why not? I started with…..

JV's Mexican Food:

I'd say this place is timeless. As in the sign has kind of faded and the prices have gone up, but the place looks basically the same as I recalled.

I've always had friendly service here and on this visit it was the same. What was different was that they have "street tacos".

Three Al Pastor Tacos go for a wallet friendly $4.50.

As before, the Al Pastor lacks that trompo crusted texture and is less sweet than I prefer….actually, it's a bit on the bland side. The tortillas are typical, not terrible, but nothing special. The salsas are decent and this all works together adequately. It's not terrible, JV's will never be the first that comes to mind, when it comes to Al Pastor…..but it's decent rather cheap easts.

JV's Mexican Food
1112 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Lalo's Tacos Al Pastor, Etc:

**** After many years Lalo's has closed

It literally feels like a lifetime since I've been here.

I think the guy here was having a bit of a bad day….he couldn't wait to get rid of me….

The same $4.50 got me this – two small Al Pastor tacos.

Liked the guacamole, the tortillas weren't very good. The al pastor lacked color and the texture was on the mushy side and quite bland. The salsas here are pretty good, the picante is truly spicy. Yet I can't help thinking that time hasn't been real friendly to Lalo's.

Lalo’s Tacos Etc
1266 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

In the end, I really can't recommend either location for Al Pastor; though perhaps JV's might be a ahead.

So what about that Kikaida versus Kamen Rider argument? I guess in this case it would be Rainbowman. So how's that for a nostalgic walk back to "small kid time"?

Ghent Day 1: ‘t Vosken and Dulle Griet

August 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

Having put away a couple of beers, we thought it would be a good time to grab a bite to eat. We headed back up to St Bavo's Square. Right next to the Dutch Theatre is a brasserie that was recommended to me for typical Ghent style Flemish food named 't Vosken. The place was pretty crowded; though most of it were tourists having beer on the patio.

The menu did indeed have some dishes we were interested in.

I started with a Palm Royale; fairly sweet, apple/pear thing going….not too boozy, pretty light and easy to drink.

I ordered the House Rabbit; which came which was a nice braised rabbit. The sauce was obviously beer based and it reminded me of carbonnade.

The rabbit was decently tender and the dish came with frites (not very good) and apple sauce which went well with the rabbit.

The Missus chose Ghent's signature dish, which originated in this city; Waterzooi. 't Vosken only serves the chicken version. The dish really looks strikingly different from other Belgian type braised and stewed dishes we'd had so far.

The color comes from the combination of egg yolk and cream used to add texture to this broth…..it was originally a very simple stew, I was told that "waterzooi" basically means to "boil in water". The Missus really enjoyed this.

We finished up with a Rodenbach Grand Cru…..a favorite of mine with nice stone fruit flavors that we love in Flanders Reds. The Missus loves Her Flanders Reds….

‘t Vosken
Sint-Baafsplein 19
Ghent, Belgium

Lunch was fairly heavy so we walked back to apartment.

There was quite the shindig going on at the Groentenmarkt and band playing, folks having drinks….notice the singer in the band is using a "cheat "sheet"!

One of the vendors had this beautiful looking dog……

When I bent over to pet her, she turned over submissively…..so she got a nice belly rub….

After our nap, we headed back out. We'd be eating in that evening, but decided to take a pre and post dinner walk. By this time the day trippers seemed headed back to Brussels or Bruges……

After returning and having our dinner….cheese, bread, and some charcuterie we headed back out and had a nice walk. The Town Hall was lit up nicely. The building itself is kind of odd as it looks like several buildings of distinctly different styles were grafted together. Somehow, in Ghent, it just seems to work.

The Belfry and the Dutch Theatre looked quite dramatic at dusk…..just like a movie set.

And that party at Groentenmarkt was still going strong. Different band, but maybe, the same folks were still hanging out?

On the way back, we stopped in at what is probably the Missus's favorite bar in the world; Dulle Griet.

A combination of locals and tourists, this slightly dumpy and divey joint, with somewhat grumpy staff and a beer list of over 250 was just the right fit for us. We just felt at home.

We quickly noticed that there were several people walking around with only one shoe on. Apparently, if you order a "max beer", which looks like a liter, you need to leave a shoe as collateral. It is then hoisted in a basket to the ceiling. To prevent folks from stealing the glass perhaps?

I guess once you pay your tab, you get your footwear back.

And then there's our infamous "Duchesse" experience. The place had Duchesse De Bourgogne on tap, the Missus's favorite. So we ordered it….well, we tried to order it. The woman kept going "huh?" So I showed her the beer list and she went "oooohh, Doo-Chezz….doo-chezz….ha-ha-ha-ha, snort, snort." She then pointed us out to the other server and they giggled and snorted, I guess we were the big joke of the night. Anyway, this was the best "Doo-chezz" I've ever tasted….slightly pruney, balsamic like tones…the temperature was perfect. Much better than what I've had back here in the states….even on tap. We'd noticed that something is lost when beer is transported.

My Bornem Trippel seemed so mild in comparison…..

We loved this place…….even though we were now known as the "Doo-chezz" couple.

Dulle Griet
Vrijdagmarkt 50
Ghent, Belgium

And we sure were enjoying Ghent!

Ghent Day 1: Tierenteyn-Verlent, Kaas Mekka, Yuzu Chocolatier, and Gruut Brewery

July 31, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgium, Cheese, Chocolate, Markets & Grocers, Travel

If you'd ask the Missus and I what our favorite city in Belgium was, the answer would be unanimous. It would be Ghent. Unpretentious and quite easy to like and navigate, not quite as touristy as Bruges, we loved the vibe that this city of 250,000 gave off. Ghent is but a 40 minute train ride away from Brussels. And like Bruges, Ghent has those wonderful canals as well.

It's just not crawling with all those tourists……

And a strange thing happened to us here….in a way, we even forgot we were tourists. That part of the brain which dictates the places to be and the places you need to see got shut off. Instead, we just enjoyed the city. From the time we caught Tram #1, getting off near Het Gravensteen (The Castle of the Counts), walking to our apartment near Vrijdagmarkt, we felt so at ease.

The city is full of "market squares". Indeed, we were staying one block away from Vrijdagmarkt – Friday Market Square. Having stowed our stuffs, we headed out, down the street to Groentenmarkt – Vegetable Market, which ironically has the ever bustling Meat Market right next to it.

The interior of the structure is quite impressive; the place was built without nails, and hams still hang form the ceiling……this was once the only place in the city where meat was allowed to be sold. These days it's a bustling restaurant.

Right across the way is this famous shop.

Tierenteyn-Verlent is known for their mustard and has been selling it since 1790. I read that it is still made in the basement of the shop.

It's some heady stuff. Guaranteed to clear those sinuses and quite good as well. We bought a small jar, but it cracked before we got past Bruges.

Luckily, I've got some great friends and Candice bought us a bottle when she returned from her trip to Ghent.

Tierenteyn-Verlent
Groentenmarkt 3
Gent, Belgium

We were having so much fun that I totally forgot to take photos until we were close to City Hall. Along the way there's a little portal and a street; Werregaren Straat, walking down the alley, the faint smell of urine in the air, you'll be on "Graffitistraat" – Graffiti Street.

This is Ghent's solution to Belgium's strict laws on graffiti; it is basically illegal and the penalties stiff. Ghent has designated this street as an expression free zone for Ghent's graffiti artists.

Some of the creations are quite amazing…..

We passed many landmarks along the way, like Saint Nicholas' Church which was built between the 13th and 15th century. This is considered one of the "three towers of Ghent".

Most of the grand historic structures in Ghent are in the area of Saint Bavo Square.

In retrospect, we should have been better at playing the tourist, but we were just enjoying the city.

South of this area, down what seem some rather small streets is Ghent's shopping area, full of interesting shops. We saw this one; named Kaas Mekka.

This was cheese heaven. We couldn't help but purchase some for our next two dinners.

Delici-yoso!!!

Kaas Mekka
Koestraat 9
Ghent, Belgium

Exploring further down the street we started coming across crowds of people….apparently there was some kind of major sidewalk shopping festival going on.

A very festive kind of vibe going on…….even a band or two along the way.

It looked like some folks even brought their own chairs and sat outside restaurants and bars….enjoying the sun and a nice beverage (and a nap?) or two.

It was in the area right across the river that we found the first spot I wanted to "hit". We were on the hunt for chocolates for my MIL and I'd heard some great things about a shop named Yuzu.

This shop is the result of former archaeologist Nicolas Vanaise's passion for Japanese and Middle Eastern Culture and chocolate. The flavors presented are a product of his travels. This was by far the best; and most interesting chocolate we bought on this trip…..flavors like Whiskey and Cuban Tobacco…..

Yuzu
Walpoortstraat 11
Ghent, Belgium

This made a nice addition to the "collection" we put together for my MIL.

Right around the corner from Yuzu was another one of my target destinations. Even among the beer-focused Belgians; Gruut Brewery is unique. Before hops were used for beer making, a mixture of spices were used instead. This medieval mix was called gruut; the namesake of Gruut. Annick De Splenter is the owner and brew master here.

The place looks quite low keyed from the outside, but was quite busy. There was one large table of folks who were obviously on a "beer tour" and each beer was introduced and explained to them in detail. Meanwhile other folks were reading, chilling, just hanging out, and having a nice time.

We basically tasted everything before deciding on what we really wanted. My favorite was the Amber; which had some caramel tones, and a touch of sweetness. The beer has a really nice tongue coating texture and there is even a mild bitter finish so you're not really missing the hops.

It was a nice beer and we ended up buying a four pack to take with us back to the apartment.

Two ambers and two of the Missus's favorite.

The Blonde, which was very drinkable, light, fizzy, with an interesting herbaceous finish. Nice beer for a hot summer day….I'm kind of wishing for a pint of this today since it's been really humid here in San Diego.

They gave us a couple of Gruut Coasters when we bought our beer.

One quick thing. If you visit Gruut and are male, make sure to drink enough beer so that you'll be able to visit the restroom. The urinals are quite "unique"…..

"Feed me, Seymour - Feed me all night long…….."

Gruut Stadsbrouwerij
Grote Huidevettershoek 10
Ghent, Belgium

As you can tell….we were having a blast!

Thanks for reading!

Revisits: Sang Deuan and Tim Ky Noodle

July 29, 2015 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

A couple of short revisits to two places that just opened up in the last year.

Sang Deuan:

**** Sang Deuan has closed

I hadn't been back since my first couple of visits in March. So I thought why not? I was kind of craving some Nem Khao….but like many of my first visits, it was "no bueno"…..

So I went with some Salted Fish Fried Rice.

A decent version, not too salty, rice a bit more mushy than I like. If you don't like chunks of preserved fish in your fried rice; this version might do it for you as the salted fish is finely minced.

I was looking for something to have with my meal and the Whole Fried Fish was recommended. I must have had vapor lock since I just went ahead and got it without asking what kind of fish…..tilapia….sigh….

Fried to death and beyond…….dry flesh, but at least it didn't taste too muddy. I've got stories about tilapia and growing up in Hawaii….sometimes called "the mahimahi of the Ala Wai Canal".

Sang Deuan Thai & Lao Kitchen
3904 Convoy St. Suite 112
San Diego, CA 92111

Tim Ky Noodle:

Well, it had been over 6 months since my last visit, and in spite of the heat, I thought I'd get some Bun Suong. Which unfortunately is no longer on the menu, which look a bit abbreviated from what I recalled. So I went with the Won Ton and Dumpling Egg Noodle soup which I recalled was pretty decent compared to other versions in San Diego.

While I don't expect excellence in won tons and dumplings in "Mi shop" versions, these weren't quite as good as I'd previously had. They were still more tender than say Luong Hai Ky or Minh Ky. The real difference between what I'd had before was how bland the broth was; there was a shortage of flavor and richness in this bowl. Just compare it to what I had on my previous visit:

Quite a difference, eh?

It's hard to complain about a bowl of noodle soup that is cheaper than a sandwich (not of the banh mi species), but this was nowhere as good as what I'd had before. Disappointing and kind of sad….I'm hoping this is the exception and not the rule.

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