mmm-yoso – Page 230

Pho Hung Cali (Chula Vista) and Pho Saigon and Grill (Rancho Penasquitos)

April 6, 2015 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

"What's this thing with you having pho for breakfast every Saturday?" Asked the Missus. My reply; "well, some of these errands I have to run for you mean a bit of a drive and pho is always easy, plus these places open rather early, 8 or 9 am, and aren't crowded at that time."

Which is how I came to have two bowls at almost opposite ends of the map the last two Saturdays.

Pho Hung Cali:

I'd heard some good things about this place from folks who live in the South Bay. "Buddha" who often comments also mentioned the place to me in an email. So since I was in the area, I thought why not?

the place was very easy to find; basically katty-corner from Aqui es Texcoco. Strange, I'd never even noticed the place before.

The interior is much larger than it looks from the outside….though a lot of the space is empty.

The service is typical pho shop…perhaps a bit more friendly, but mostly all business.

I went with the #18 – Rare Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe ($5.95).

I think I've had too many bowls of pho…I recognized the pattern on the bowl; it's the same as the bowls at Pho Cow Cali and Pho Hiep and Grill. Sheesh. The broth though, being on the "sweeter" side reminded me of Pho Fifth Avenue. It wasn't quite as beefy, though it had some anise tones. A decent broth, a bit too light, but not overly salty. It was also a bit on the cloudy side.

I appreciate the generous amount of nicely prepared tripe; though the rare steak was totally cooked by the time the bowl reached me and rigor mortis had set in. The rest of the meats were meh……tasteless, much of it falling apart, the tendon tougher than I prefer.

The noodles were overdone and mushy.

Overall, not a bad bowl, possibly the best I've had in the area. If I were in the area, I'd stop by again. The broth wasn't bad, the prices decent, and one other thing….the hot tea was free….I know, it's usually only a buck…..but for some reason I appreciated an ok pot of tea gratis.

Pho Hung Cali
1060 Broadway Chula Vista
Chula Vista, CA 91911
Hours:
Mon – Sun 8am – 9pm

Pho Saigon and Grill:

**** Pho Saigon and Grill has closed

This place is located right across from 24 Hour Fitness on Carmel Mountain Road. The place I needed to be at wasn't open until 10 am so I decided to grab some breakfast here.

The folks here were really nice.

I got the Pho Dac Biet (small – $6.95), which arrived super piping hot. The presentation reminded me of Pho Paradise.

The herbs and sprouts portion was on the small side.

The broth was highly defatted, but had a nice dark hue. It didn't quite deliver on it's color being very light in flavor and quite salty.

The tendon, as you can tell was good, as was the brisket, which had kept a nice beefy goodness. The flank was too tough, the rare steak cut too thick, and the tripe MIA.

The noodles were dead on perfect. Not sure why all places can't do it this way?

Overall a nice experience with regards to the staff. The pho was decent, but nothing worth going out of my way for.

Pho Saigon & Grill
9975 Carmel Mountain Rd
San Diego, CA 92129
Hours
Mon – Sun 9am – 9pm

Of course, the underlying question is; which of these two bowls did I enjoy more? I've got to say Pho Hung Cali, based on the broth, which was more complex and had more flavor.

Happy Easter!

April 5, 2015 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Been strangely busy doing "stuffs" this weekend, but wanted to wish everyone a wonderful Easter.

Though, for some reason, Sammy dreads Easter…..I'm not sure why…..

He's such a grump sometimes!

Anyway, hope you had a great Easter!

Recently Consumed

April 3, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking

I haven't done one of these in a while. So perhaps it's time for another recently consumed post. We've been eating fairly simple and grilling and smoking quite a bit. The Missus loves roasted vegetables. But man, it's been so hot….I really don't feel like having that oven on. So what we've started doing is roasting vegetables on our Weber after a grill session. It's get's nice and hot. I'll get some of the small wood chips and soak it in water and throw it on the charcoal.

Using the carry over heat form the grill session, this works out real well. You just need to stage the vegetables.

I'm finally finding the time to cook a bit on weekends. So the Missus get's Her fish again. In recent weeks, the Monchong at Catalina Offshore has been excellent.

But it was the sculpin that Tommy told me that I "had to get" that was the real winnah! I seasoned it with cumin, harissa, ghost pepper salt, etc….. Dusted it with potato starch.

Good lord this was good.

The Missus likes organizing potlucks at work….easy to do when I have to do the cooking, right? So they recently had a Mexican food themed potluck and the Missus had me make my Carne Guisada (with chicken).

Now folks are asking for the recipe……they must have enjoyed it. The Missus came home empty handed.

And, like I said, we've been using the smoker a bit.

I hope everyone's been eating well!

Malta: A Trip to Mdina and Lunch at Piadina Caffe

April 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Malta, Maltese Food and Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, Travel

We awoke bright and early after a wonderful first day in Valletta. Now of course, after our morning walk, the question arose…..we're here, now what? I had made a few plans, but nothing for this day. So we decided to go ahead and catch the bus to Mdina, called "the Slient City" a walled city with a history going back to 4000 B.C. and first fortified by the Phoenicians as far back as 700 – 1000 B.C.. That's Malta, they talk about things based on centuries.

The bus bays are located right outside the City Gate of Valletta. The city of Floriana basically starts right where Valletta ends.

Finding your bus is easy. Go ahead and get tickets at the booth, ask the very nice lady for the bus going to Valletta, and walk to the bay, in this case #9, where the buses to Rabat go.

While waiting you can take in the Triton Fountain and the various statues like "Christ the King" (to the right) which was designed Maltese sculptor Antonio Sciortino.

Since only residents, emergency, and government vehicles are allowed within the wall of Mdina, you'll get off a short walk away, in the city of Rabat, which is right outside the walls of Mdina.

We saw quite a few tour buses out side the city walls. So, on this day, the "Silent City" wasn't so silent.

Because of the location, high on a hill, Mdina had a strategic significance. When under the rule of the Roman Empire, Mdina was where the Governor built his palace. The Normans conquered Malta in 1091 and further fortified the city with a large moat and thicker walls.

One of the main reasons we visited Mdina was to see St Paul's Cathedral. We were told that it was the equal of St John's Co-Cathedral and also had some historic significance. Supposedly, the Cathedral is built on the spot where Governor (now Saint) Publius met the Apostle Paul who was shipwrecked on Malta. The original cathedral was of Norman design and was destroyed in an earthquake in 1693. The current structure was designed by Lorenzo Gafa and finished in 1702.

Like St John's Co-Cathedral, one of the more interesting features were the tombs laid in the floor. Most of these were of various clergymen.

The Missus noticed something interesting about the tombstones; the Galero and Tassels. We both had no idea what it represented.

We queried one of the very friendly attendants on the significance of the hat and tassels. We were told these represented clergy; the tassels represented their rank and accomplishments within the church. A single tassel would be a priest, two tassels represented a rector, six tassels on each side is a bishop. interesting, huh?

When did find quiet backstreets, less than 300 people live within the walls of Mdina, the place did take on a mysterious air.

Most street were busy, though not extremely so. Another one of our favorite places was the Carmelite Church and Priory. The monks of this priory follow a strict rule of separation from the external world. In other words, it's a cloistered order. We were told that the monks still live in the buildings and above the priory. It's an interesting view into a different world and definitely worth your time if you're in Mdina. During the French occupation, all the silver was removed from the church. In September of 1798, the French returned to finish off the job. The story goes that a young boy climbed to the top of the belfry to sound the alarm and Maltese Rebels locked the doors of the church, starting the Maltese Revolt.

By now, more tourists had arrived. So we did a quick walk and took some photos of Malta from the city ramparts.

I believe we found the only cloud over Malta on this day!

It was getting hot and crowded, so we decided to depart. But not without first taking a short walk around Rabat. We found the streets interesting….everyday life happens here. We had a cup of coffee at one of the shops and when we saw what looked like the trimmings of a recent festival…we followed.

And ended up at St Paul's Church and Grotto.

The church is built on the site where St Paul stayed and preached when shipwrecked on Malta.

From here we walked back to the bus stop and headed back to Valletta. It was pretty warm and we wanted something light to eat. On one of the sloping side streets I located one of the places I had read about named Piadina Caffe. A Piadina is an Italian flatbread. Considering Matla's location relative to Italy, I thought this would be a nice little stop.

This tiny shop specialized in Piadinas (of course), foccacia's, salads, and coffee.

It would turn out to be a favorite of the Missus who just really wanted a salad as an alternative to all the rather heavy food we'd been eating on this trip.

She got a quinoa salad….strange I thought, but well priced. She loved it….I guess She had been missing salad.

I had the Prosciutto, mozzarella, and rocket (gotta love the British influence) piadina (4 Euros), which was surprisingly good.

I love the ratio of ingredients on this one…the salty and savory prosciutto, milky mozzarella, the peppery bite of the arugula. The flatbread had been pressed and was crisp. This was just what I wanted and needed…something not too heavy, but satisfying.

The Missus enjoyed this so much…..we ended up returning later on our trip.

Piadina Caffe
24 Triq Santa Lucija
Valletta, Malta

Bolstered by caffeine……we were ready to do a bit more exploring.

Thanks for reading!

Midweek Meanderings: From Mignon Pho + Grill to Lucky Crab to Mignon Pho + Seafood in three weeks and Taisho closed until April 5th

April 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

From Mignon Pho + Grill to Lucky Crab to Mignon Pho + Seafood in three weeks:

I usually stop by Nijiya a couple of times a week. Once for shopping and once or twice to pick up a bento rush for lunch.

Imagine my surprise when I found that Mignon Pho + Grill had become something called "Lucky Crab"?

So, yet another one of these Cajun/Creole Crawfish/Seafood places?

Not so fast Kemosabe……..two days later I'm at Nijiya again, and it's no more crabs?

Now it's sort of back to Mignon Pho….minus the "grill" plus "seafood"…… How's that for commitment to a "brand"?

This might set the record for most name changes in 2 weeks?

At least they just had to buy 7 letters for the last name change.

Still owned by the same folks…….

Restaurant name this week
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Taisho is closed until Sunday April 5th:

So no Taisho stop for us this week. The Missus is having withdrawals…..

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Clearing Out the Memory Card: Aqui es Texcoco, Oscar’s Mexican Seafood, and Sieu Sieu BBQ

March 31, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

Time to clear out some photos that have been taking up space on my hard drive for a while now.

Just a quick post for tonight.

Aqui es Texcoco:

We don't get down here often enough. But when we do, it's always a nice meal.

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Oscar's Mexican Seafood (Hillcrest):

Was in the area after a meeting finished early, so I thought I'd drop by for a revisit. The Taco de Marlyn (Smoked fish taco) was actually better than before, though the flavor was still too mild and that tortilla wasn't very good.

The fried shrimp in the Fried Shrimp Taco was greasy and the batter started falling off and got gummy quickly…..and the tortilla also failed fast.

There's much better down south, but this is pretty much the only show in town.

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood
646 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Sieu Sieu BBQ:

Another place I haven't been to in a while. Is it just me or has Sieu Sieu aged faster than a second term President? The place is looking pretty beat.

That I think that the Chinese BBQ here is better than Sam Woo should provide me some consolation…..I guess. That rice was horrible by the way.

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Myung In Dumplings

March 30, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

**** Myung In has closed

** Note: Myung In Dumplings has moved to the Zion Market Food Court

Back in February, I noted that Myung In Dumplings was moving into the space formerly occupied by Voltero's. soon after they opened rather quietly. I decided to drop by and check them out. After all, it's been a while since I've had a decent Wang Mandu.

The first thing I noticed were the two women making dumplings behind the counter.

The second thing I really noticed after sitting down were the prices! Mandu, ten bucks! Then I was handed a menu with prices that had been marked down a buck. Not cheap, but a bit better.

So I placed my order and went thru the rest of the menu.

Meanwhile, the dipping sauce, and some panchan made its way to the table. The sauce was on the mild side, but it seemed to have black vinegar in it which I thought was a bit strange……I welcomed it, but it was different.

I had ordered two items, starting with the Wang (King) Mandu ($8), the pork and vegetable version.

Man, these were humongous. I only finished one. I ended giving the rest to "YZ" for her to take home to her daughter.

The actual steamed bun seemed way too "white" and reminded me of something else, but I couldn't place my finger on it. It was very fluffy and fairly nice, if lacking in the great yeastiness of a Wang (King) Mandu dough.

The filling was a bit too crumbly for me, but was moist, though a tad light in flavor.

Yeah, I know….too picky with my steamed buns and dumplings. But I can't help it.

Curious, I also ordered the Boiled Dumpling with shrimp, pork, and vegetable. I don't ever recall seeing this in any of the mandu shops I've been to. You should have seen the look on my face when this arrived…..it was jiaozhi!

These were actually ok. The dough was lacking in the slight chew, stretch, and tenderness that I like in a good dumpling. In case you're wondering where I get this from…well, here's how my MIL makes Jiaozi. Of course, this was not even close to QingDao Bread Food. The filling was also a bit too loose and on the bland side. Still, better than Dumpling Inn. To put things in perspective, below average for me, better than average for San Diego. So I gotta give this a not bad.

The woman serving me was very nice. I mentioned that the dumplings seemed very Chinese, I was told that the owner is Korean, but from China. I was really intrigued. A few days later, I mentioned the place to "Mr.S" who was shocked that a Korean place opened in San Diego without he knowing. When I mentioned the name of the place to him, he looked at me in surprise. He asked me if they had locations in LA and I didn't know. We decided to meet for lunch the very next day. Upon arriving, Mr.S assured me he had eaten at the Koreatown location of Myung In. When he spoke to our Server, who according to Mr.S spoke both Korean and Mandarin, she did confirm that the restaurant had several locations in LA. Looking at the back of the take-out menu confirmed that.

We ended up ordering a pile of food. Starting with the Pork and Kimchi Wang Mandu.

Same huge steamed buns. As for the filling, I prefer the pork and vegetable version. When I mentioned that the dough really reminded me of something else, Mr.S said, "yes, this is like Jjin Bbang…." He was totally right……by the way, they do have red bean seamed bun on the menu.

The item we enjoyed the best was the mandu guk – the mandu soup.

For some reason, the dumplings did really well in this broth, which had enough salt and other flavor to help things along. The wrapper became almost noodle-like and this might be the way to go in the future. It was very hearty and satisfying.

The last thing we had were the spicy steamed roll dumplings. The wrapped meat rolls weren't what made this spicy…it was the accompanying chili paste. Sigh.

Kind of tough and not something I'd order again.

Our server also mentioned that the owner was originally from China and even said where, but I couldn't make it out. Anyway, the next day, I read Kirbie's post on Myung In Dumpling, where she mentions Anthony Bourdain's visit to the LA location. Call me out of touch with mainstream food media. Following the Google trail, I came to find out that the owner is of Korean ancestry, but originally from Shenyang, China. Interesting path.

As for the jiaozi, I think it's decent, better than any other alternative in San Diego. Though I think I may try other stuff….and get the mandu guk the next time. Still, if you can't wait for another trip to the SGV for your jiaozi fix…..

Myung In Dumplings
4344 Convoy St,
San Diego, CA 92111

Visiting The Original Sab E Lee at its New Location

March 29, 2015 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of TOSEL is now Zab Linda

Sab E Lee holds a special place in my heart. Starting as the "little restaurant that could"….could do well making real deal spicy Issan style Thai Food in San Diego and thrive. It's been quite a ride for SEL, from the beginning, with Koby at the helm. It soon became part of our "rotation". Eventually, Koby sold the place to Maylee and company, and proceeded to open up Sab E Lee 2 in Santee, we now had twice the fun, as SEL2 featured a more Bangkok-centric menu, but the cooks were still form Issan. Koby then sold his share in SEL2 and disappeared into the ether……man of mystery, I've heard a couple of stories, but am still not sure what happened to him. The Linda Vista location rebranded and became "The Original Sab E Lee". Then in 2013, TOSEL opened a location in Rancho Penasquitos. Things have changed a bit over the years, TOSEL seems to have plateaued…there seems to be an ever changing cast of front of house staff and there have been times where the food did not live up to expectations and the service bordered on surly. However, back in November, i had a really good meal, and noticed that one of the old cooks was working the kitchen. A few days later I saw the sign on the old Bale location……"coming soon, The Original Sab E Lee….." Which is where we are now.

I did take my time in visiting the new location.

But last week, I finally did; twice. This spot is not too large, 11 tables, but probably three times the size of the old location. Still, it wasn't so large that they'd kill the kitchen.

Interesting mix; young Thai Kids, mixed groups, gringos ordering Won Tons and eating sticky rice with a spoon.

I did recognize one of the servers…he does double duty at the PQ location. Other than that none of the faces looked familiar.

The food? I'm happy to say, just about everything was pretty much spot on. You can read all my previous posts and get the lowdown…..

The Koi Soi – Koi Neua (Spicy Raw Beef) had been "cooked" too long in citrus and was much too sour and the texture wasn't right. It's usually a very refreshing dish. Over the years, my heat tolerance has gone down…..I can no longer get this as a "10" and these days settle for a "7".

Still, it was fine.

I once thought that SEL had no ceiling, unlimited potential. These days I consider it good grub, a place that makes me feel like I walked into a little restaurant in Issan and had a nice meal. And I'm more than happy to settle for that.

The Original Sab E Lee
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Honolulu: Gina’s Korean Bar-B-Q, Honolulu Coffee Company, and other Stuffs

March 28, 2015 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Honolulu, Korean Restaurants, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Travel

The Missus and I have a pretty nice routine for our "easy" days when we visit "home".

Things start with breakfast. The Missus can never get enough papaya…….there's nothing even remotely close to this stuff on the mainland. And I love good pineapple. What do you expect from the grandchild/child of Maui Pine plantation workers?

We then head off to the Missus's favorite swim spot; of all places, Ala Moana Beach.

We head out right after the morning rush hour….it's a week day so it's all the old timers, students, and Japanese tourists taking wedding photos.

I've always been amazed at how they seem so easy going, wearing wedding gowns and tuxedos in humid, 85 degree weather. But after chatting with folks like Kat, I understand.

On this morning it wasn't one, but two sets of couples taking photos.

While the Missus swims, I usually do a complete lap of Ala Moana Park and sometimes even head off toward Ward Avenue. On days like this one, I can't help but think, "man, to believe that I used to take all of this for granted".

Once out and dry, the Missus and I will head off across the street to Honolulu Coffee Company for a Kona V60 pour over for the coffee snob.

And while it doesn't wow Her like it used to. It's still a good cup of coffee.

Honolulu Coffee Co (in Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 3066
Honolulu, HI 96814

We then head off and do our various errands. On this day, we decided to head off to Kahala Mall; Whole Foods and the Apple Store were calling. I decided on stopping off at another of my old favorites, in my 'hood, Gina's Bar-B-Q, still going strong 23 years later.

Gina's Bar-B-Q:

You know, I remembered when this place first opened. It's typical Local style Korean, our version of a Meat and Three. You order your entrée(s) and get three of what we call "vegetables", basically panchan, and the proteins are cooked to order.

It's a very popular style, the most popular is probably a chain called Yummy Korean BBQ. Every one has their neighborhood favorites when it comes to the local kine Korean BBQ places. I used to like Kim Chi II, though I haven't been there in maybe 20 years. My mom liked Choi's Family Restaurant, many of my friends love Soon's in Salt Lake (Oahu, not Utah….).

I'm old enough to remember when Foodland, which is now on the other side of the parking lot used to be in this spot. My good friend's second job was with Foodland. I also remember when there was a very popular video game place here called….if I recall, "The Space"???? I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I remember once going to use the restroom and finding two huge bags of pakalolo right on the washbasin!

Anyway wanting to check out the state of the food at Gina's, I ordered a "special", still a bargain at eleven bucks or so. It comes with bulgogi, kalbi, and the item I used to really enjoy (second best – the spicy chicken was #1), the BBQ Chicken.

Anyway, we took it to go, got a small salad at WF in Kahala and proceeded to dig in. The bulgogi wasn't up to snuff, dry, bland, and tough. The kalbi was typical local style, nice flavor, but not the best. That chicken was still a winnah! Nice shoyu flavor, slight sweetness, chewy, but in a good way. There was of course, the equivalent of three scoops of rice under all of this, soaking up the juices and drippings. The "vegetables" were passable….I'd say, even better than what I get here at some of the rather pricey Korean places.

Even though it's more about a good value, the chicken is not bad.

I'm hoping to head back to Gina's for the spicy chicken next time. Hopefully, I won't have to wait another decade.

Gina’s Bar-B-Q
2919 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96826

Portland: Breakfast at Cheryl’s on 12th

March 27, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Portland, Oregon, Travel

Our last morning started just like the previous one did. The Missus slept in a bit and I took a walk, much shorter this time, and no donuts. We would be grabbing breakfast before checking out and heading to the airport. The Missus really wanted to go back to Tasty N Alder yet again. However, they didn't open until 9, which would be cutting things a bit too close.

So instead we walked one block over to Cheryl's on 12th which opens at 8am on Sundays.

The space reminded me a bit of the London Plane, not as fancy or hip, but this was part market, bakery, deli, as well as restaurant.

We were greeted with a bright smile and led to a nice little table.

Ordering for me was quite easy, though the Missus needed a bit of time.

Meanwhile, our coffee arrived along with some very light, warm, beignets.

The Missus went with the Wild Mushroom Omelete ($9):

While it kind of looked like a hot mess, the flavors were good, sweetness from the caramelized onions and the milky-salty feta cheese balancing out the earthy mushroom flavor. The potatoes were mediocre, bland, greasy, and without color or and crispness.

My breakfast took me home, the Portuguese Fried Rice ($10).

Minus the avocado and this could have easily been served at, say, Like Like Drive-In, or some other local spot on Oahu. There was a generous portion of sliced and nicely sautéed sausage, decent flavor, nicely spiced, lot's of sausage in the fried rice as well, though the rice was much too hard and needed some shoyu to kick it up a bit. Still, the Missus poached a good amount of the sausage (and the avocado), and this was well worth ten bucks.

Nice folks.

Cheryl’s On 12th
1135 SW Washington St
Portland, OR 97205
Hours:
Mon – Sat 7am – 8pm
Sunday 8am – 4pm

In retrospect, we could have easily spent a few more days in PDX. As it was, we missed a few places we had on our list….unfinished business as it were.

But heck, that just gives us reason to return.