mmm-yoso – Page 244

Another one off the bucket list – Swordfish “Bone Marrow” at Wrench and Rodent and “Breast Beer” too!

September 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Beer, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi

It's actually more like spinal fluid/disc material…but who's keeping score, right? I had been curious about it for a while and I gotta say, I really love the texture and the mild briney.ocean flavor of Swordfish Bone Marrow….think of the mildest oyster in flavor, clean and crisp, combined with the texture of Liangfen 凉粉 – starch jelly noodles. Man, this stuff was really good!

I have to thank Tommy of Catalina Offshore for having Candice and I as his guests, along with Maria and Jonathan for being such great company!

Tommy had been trying to get Candice and I over to Wrench and Rodent for a while for a blow-out Omakase. Admittedly, I was a bit hesitant since, like Candice warned Tommy, I'm a bit of a "traditionalist" when it comes to sushi and sashimi. But you can't forget that I'm from the home of Pacific Rim Cuisine, Hawaii….which is why I hate slapped together con "fusion" dishes….. After reading Faye's post, I thought at the least, this would be an interesting meal.

I gotta say, some of the stuff Davin Waite puts out was so very creative, risky, but still trying to capture the essense of the product. I really enjoyed this meal, even though it was enough to feed an army, or at the least, one hungry Tommy.

My preferred way of having the bone marrow was plain, in the shot glass; there was something so pure and refreshing about it.

I have to say, some of the dishes were just wonderful; the bluefin collar was just out of his world….moist, fatty, like eating "buttah"…..it was well seasoned without killing the product.

I thought this pseudo gunkan maki of toro was a wonderful combination of textures. The cucumber crisp and refreshing, the masago added crunch and the flavor of the ocean, the gari, which I usually have between bites to refresh and clear my palate actually did well here.

Of the nigiri; it was the anchovy with a dengaku style miso paste was my favorite.

The Hamachi Kama was just wonderful as well.

Don't let all this fusiony stuff fool you; Davin makes a decent nigiri……

I quickly found out that Davin's sauces tend to run on the fruity/sweet side; which goes well with a pristine scallop; though I could have just eaten this plain….

I did think there was a bit too much mirin action in his nikiri for the maguro.

His pesto type concoction works relatively well with salmon.

There's no denying there's a good amount of creativity going on here. Davin takes risks and has some chops as well.

When it works, like this wonderful Opah, or was it Monchong cheek, BLT dish, it's quite delicious.

When it doesn't, you can't blame him for trying……

You'll notice, not a single Gringo roll….and only one item I say that belonged on another table.

No mayo, surimi….. though I did see a good amount of tempura/mayo/cream cheese rolls going out.

Over the years I've had a bit of sushi; from the purely traditional, to the modern-traditional, and even the sushi-kaiseki stylings of Urasawa. I gotta say, this one was an original. As is the location; inside of Bull Taco in Oceanside. I actually plan on returning in the near future….who knows what Davin will have up his sleeve.

I really need to thank Tommy for arranging this; and for being a fantastic host…..and keeping us entertained as well. You can tell that Davin loves food and creating, it was a blast talking about different ingredients, products, and techniques.

And I got to cross an item off my bucket list as well.

Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub
1815 S Coast Hwy (inside of Bull Taco)
Oceanside, CA 92054

W&R isn't the only little treasure hidden in Bull Taco. Brewmaster Havin Harris has opened a little microbrewery named Beer Brewing Company in the back of W&R.

I had a taster of the beers available and my favorite….well, I'm not so comfortable writing this; was the, ahem…"breast beer". Apparently, Havin did a ton of research and developed a beer that is supposed to aid in lactogenesis. As strange as it may seem, this was the breast, um, best beer I tasted and Candice agreed. As to it's effects on lactation…well, you're asking the wrong person!

Overall, it was an amazing night of new experiences; from swordfish bone marrow to breast beer!

I couldn't have asked for more!

Brno: The Cabbage Market, Spilberk Castle, and Sklizeno Foodie Market

September 13, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Republic, Markets & Grocers, Travel

The Missus seemed a bit pooped on our first morning in Brno, so I decided to let Her sleep in a bit and took a walk around the neighborhood.

There were quite a few apartments in the area we were staying. A street parallel to ours seemed to be one of the main avenues in the area; with quite a bit of bus and tram traffic. There were a good number of little shops on the street, several bakeries, convenience stores, a burger place, and the little shop with the humorous name to the right….at least you can't accuse them of false advertising, can you?

I got a couple cups of coffee and a pastry for the Missus…no, not from Junk Food Cafe…..

Bolstered by caffeine, we soon headed off, back up the street named Husova. While walking up the hill, something caught my attention…..

I pointed out this mannequin seated on a chimney which looked like a commode.

We walked off to one of the side streets to take a better photo of…well, what was it, an art piece? A political statement? Or perhaps yet another example of the quirky, sometimes odd, but totally funny Czech sense of humor?

Before getting to the main intersection which heads up to Cathedral of St Peter and Paul, we headed up some steps on the side of the road and ended up in a nice little park. We came to find out the name of the park is Denisovy Sady – Denis Park.

The park is situated on part of what was the city walls and was built between 1814 and 1818….which is pretty significant. There's is a obelisk in the park which was built in 1818 to commemorate Naploleon's defeat. You can read more about the park and the French occupation of Brno here.

There were some nice views from the park; this one is facing the area where our apartment was located. Though, I'm not sure what it looked like from above.

A street or two above the park is the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul. Which I mentioned, along with a neat story about why the noon bells ring at 11am in this post.

We took a quick look inside…..

Then headed to the back area of the Cathedral…where we noticed gardens and terraces nad also a nice view. This is to the area at the intersection of Husova and Nadrazni….. I'm not quite sure why that tram goes right through the grass on the street, I thought it odd.

To the left you can see the train station, which we thought was kind of seedy. Also, the Tesco at which we shopped is also in view.

Notice also the stairs heading down from the former city walls. We knew that the Nadrazni went right around Petrov Hill, but never knew what a short distance it was….we'd found a faster way to Freedom Square! We ended up going down the stairs, past the still closed shops…passing Malinovsky Square along the way. On the square resides Mahen Theatre, a significant building….it was the first theatre in Europe to be completely lit by "Edison Bulbs", electric light bulbs. In fact, Thomas Edison actually designed the plans to light the theatre.

We were headed to a green belt/park area to the east of Petrov Hill….

It was along this area where Zdenek had indicated that the "Cabbage Market" had relocated while the original location was being renovated.. At the end of the park we noticed booths and tents set-up.

We ended up getting some tomatoes and headed off to our next stop; Špilberk Castle. Overlooking Brno, the castle has a long history.

The paths up were an easy little walk; though I was glad it wasn't raining anymore. The walkways would be pretty slippery when wet.

There were several monuments on the way up. This one is of Jean-Louis Raduit de Souches, who if you're keeping score saved Brno from the Swedes during the Thirty Years War.

The castle currently houses the Brno City Museum. I castle is quite understated and not quite what you'd think upon hearing the word "castle".

The view though is wonderful.

After a short visit, we decided to head back to the apartment for lunch. We stopped off at a market we'd seen earlier in the day.

Appropriately named, this little market chain has a nice collection of upscale and health food products, nice meats, cheeses, and beer. The folks here were really nice, even though no one spoke any English, it was easy communicating and getting what we wanted.

Sklizeno Foodie Market
Josefská 14
Brno, Czech Republic

With leftovers from the previous day, tomatoes from the Cabbage Market, and some salumi from Sklizeno, we ended up having a very nice lunch.

Which provided us a perfect reason for a nap!

Symi, Greece: Breakfast, Gialos Harbor, and a revisit to Taverna Trata

September 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Symi, Travel

You really can't complain about the view of Pedi Harbor frrom our room.

There was something wonderfully chill and relaxing about the place; though I had a hard time falling asleep because it was so quiet.

And for some reason we were famished…..

And I do enjoy tomatoes and cucumbers with breakfast.

After breakfast we took a walk and sat in front of the general store watching folks going to church. As it got a bit hotter we headed back to the room, showered, checked out, and caught the bus back to Gialos. Somehow, time had passed quickly and we were getting a bit hungry. So we walked along the waterfront and alleyways looking for a place to eat.

Most looked like tourist traps and we weren't inspired by the looks of the food. We decided to head back to Taverna Trata, where we had a pretty good meal the day before. The gentleman running the front of house recognized us and was happy to see us back. No, we didn't order any Symi Shrimp this time, something I kind of regret, but we did have a decent meal anyway.

The Missus really enjoyed the garlicky eggplant salad the last time, so we started with that.

I decided to try some Taramasalata – Cod Roe Dip, looking quite pretty in pink. At least it didn't have too much food coloring.

This was a likable version. Not too fishy, slightly smokey flavor, more creamy that gritty, perhaps a bit on the salty side, but this was much better than many versions I've had.

The Missus loves "gigantes", the large white beans in tomato sauce.

This, while not the best, was still filling and tasty.

By this point we were joined by a local resident……

Like all of the tavernas in the area, Trata has a fish case, so we decided to get a grilled fish….

Nicely grilled, well seasoned, crisp skin…….

Taverna Trata
Near the bottom of the Kali Strata steps
Gialos, Greece

We still had a good amount of time before our ferry arrived, so we decided to head on over to the other side of the harbor, passing the clock tower which guards the harbor.

There's no denying just how picturesque Gialos Harbor is. Every shot is postcard material here.

Once past a couple of shops and bars, you start seeing a bit more of the residential side of the colorful harbor.

As we reached the other end of the harbor, the Missus noticed a church up on the hill. She decided to walk on up to check it out.

Me, well, I was feeling a bit hot and bothered so I decided to have a nice cup of coffee, check email, and I even got a post done.

And while the Missus got some pretty good photos from up on the hill.

I had a table at the waters edge, where the view wasn't too bad either……

Soon enough, the Missus returned, our boat arrived, and before you knew it, we were headed back to Rhodes. We enjoyed our time on Symi. It gave us just the short break we needed, a diversion, after which we were ready to continue on……..

I think breaks like this during trips lasting multiple weeks are a must; at least for us.

Thanks for reading!

Lunch Revisits to Kokoro

September 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

As much as I (and Ed from Yuma) enjoy dinner at Kokoro, I believe there are places that do better. What I really enjoy about Kokoro is the Nigiri lunch, which is a nice splurge for me at $15.

I really enjoy the miso soup and also how Akio-san seasons his rice, which is just about right for my tastes. Though the fish are the usual suspects; maguro, salmon, etc….. I always enjoy the anago, which I was told is steamed, making it a melt-in-your mouth experience. The tamago isn't too tough and nor overly sweet as well.

Recently, I read a post on the lunch Chirashi by Dennis. It looked lovely (the power of suggestion), so I just had to order it on my next visit. It's quite a generous sized affair, in my mind worth the $18 price tag.

Akio-san dips a bit deeper into his stock of fish for this; on this day, the katsuo was outstanding and the uni creamy, oceany, and refreshing. The rice was as usual perfect for me; though there was too much of it. I think I'll see if he'll do a sashimi lunch for me one of these days since I just can't put away the carbs like I used to.

It's really nice to have a little splurge lunch spot, for those weeks that I feel in need of a little R&R – reward an respite from the grind.

Kokoro Restaurant
3298 Greyling Dr
San Diego, CA 92123

In case I'm in need of some variety; what are your favorite splurge lunch spots?

Midweek Meanderings: Rumors about Hana Mart, growing mutant okra, and recently consumed

September 10, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Rumors about Hana Mart:

Poor Hana Mart. I recently heard from two very reliable sources that the former U Mart will be changing hands again soon.

I find this kind of sad. Even though I believe the produce, meat, and other items are better than what Zion Market sells, the place just can't seem to get any traction.

Bummer. I did ask if the place was going to go through another name change, but no one knew….. I hope they eventually find their way. Competition is a good thing.

Hana Mart
4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111

We're growing mutant okra:

Our recent crop of okra kind of freaked me out.

We let them go for a couple of extra days and they went crazy. The plants that we're using drip irrigation on are doing much better than the ones being watered conventionally, in size and flavor as well.

These were a bit tougher, but super sweet and moist. Here are a few photos to give you some perspective.

Crazy, huh?

Recently Consumed:

It's been mostly lighter fare…….

On the top is a pork-jalapeno sausage topped with a stir-fried okra – ghost pepper relish on top of lettuce from our yard. On the bottom is a smoked scallop "roll". I quick smoked some smaller scallops from Catalina Offshore, finishing with a quick sear. I made a stir-fry for the Missus (see below), and put the rest in the fridge. The next day I chopped up what was left over, added in some scallions and celery from our garden, mixed in some mayo, and seasoned to make a nice refreshing dinner.

And then of course, we're really enjoying our latest batch of Utopenci. Nice and refreshing with a beer on a hot day…. which seems to be everyday over the last couple of weeks….

Tell me, what have you been doing to stay cool?

Circling Back to Izakaya Masa

September 8, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Here's the latest in my "circling back" series, you know, revisits to places that I've posted on and have gotten a bit of flack over. Many folks just love these places, but I really haven't been that impressed. Though I'm always up for a recommendation, something to show me how wrong I was……and folks I know really like Izakaya Masa. Personally, I've thought the food here was decent, but nothing to go out of your way for…..my buddy and fellow food blogger, Dennis, has called the place the Sandra Lee of Izakayas, as in items there are "semi home made". Still, a few folks pointed out that I've spent way too much time on the ramen at Masa in recent years and not enough effort on the other items here. Fair enough, my last non-ramen centric post on the place was over 7 years ago, though I've been coming here since it was Teriyaki Cowboy, which in truth, I loved as a little bento shop, much more than Izakaya Masa.

I hadn't in over a year and the place has been opened up a bit; more tables, but still with that bar/counter area….. you're literally rubbing elbows with the person next to you when the place is full. Which seems like most of the time based on my recent visits.

Like my other posts of this ilk, I ordered something which I thought was pretty good during my pasts visits along with something either new, or which had been recommended to me.

On my first visit, I started off with Agedashi Nasu.

First the good; the dashi was fair, not too salty, nice sweet-salty balance. The skin of the eggplant was super tough, versions I've had of this dish, the eggplant has been deep fried, then hot water is poured over the eggplant ot remove excess oil, it is usually tender, this was pretty tough. You might find this strange, but the thing that I really didn't like about this was the daikon oroshi. For some reason it was really dry, like all the liquid had been squeezed out of it and it had been sitting around that way for a while…hard with no flavor.

I've always enjoyed the Chuka Kurage – Jellyfish Salad, it is by the book, and was fine as always.

No complaints.

Curious, I ordered the Grilled Beef Tongue ($9.50).

Man, this was a pretty large portion of tongue. It wasn't seasoned enough, nor grilled enough (I love crisp edges) for my taste. Too chewy and rubbery. I didn't expect the "kiss of bincho" and got none. If you want quantity over quality/technique, then by all means have at it.

Still, as you can tell, I didn't leave hungry…..

Since I was going to do a circling back post, I had to visit one more time…….

I hadn't had the ankimo here since I first visited in 2007, it's now $7.95.

As with my previous experience, this left much to be desired……it lacked any creaminess and the flavor seemed dulled. It really was like ankimo flavored cheese curds since the slices almost had a squeak to them.

One of my favorite dishes at Teriyaki Cowboy was Masa's Fried Chicken.

Over the years, it seems to have gotten less crisp, on this day it was almost gummy. Also, the distinct flavor, that I likened to a taste of kimchi base has been dulled as well. I appreciate the fact that it is dark meat chicken, much more flavor and moisture, though I wish they'd bring the more assertive flavor back.

The last item was an impulse order, the Yamaimo Steak. Yep slices of mountain yam, with sort of a wafu style sauce.

I really enjoy the slime-then-crunch texture, though I found the sauce to be too greasy for my taste….slimy and greasy is just not among my favorite textural combination. Also, the sauce was too bland; it could have used a bit more vinegar to give it a kick and more katsuobushi (bonito flakes) for a nice savory punch.

During my meals I kept asking myself; if I lived within a few blocks of Masa, would I be a regular? My honest answer? Probably not….I'd drop by now and then, but I'd be better off driving a couple of miles more to Sakura. Still, I prefer Masa to Ouan. I haven't been to Tajima in Hillcrest yet, but based on past experience, I'd guess Masa would come out ahead.

The woman who runs the front of house is a perfect reflection of her staff. On my visits, I've seen her, and them, fluctuate from surly to funny to sweet….. sometimes half the fun is watching her interact with the customers.

All of this brings me back to a conversation I overheard years ago. I was in Tajima where a young man was describing how great Masa was; it "changed my opinion of Japanese cuisine". The other young man sitting across him came up with one of the best responses, "you better not go to Sakura then…."

"Why?"

"Because your head will explode….."

Izakaya Masa
928 Fort Stockton Dr
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tues – Sat 6pm – 1am

So what do you do on a hot and sticky day? Well, get a $10 cup of coffee, have some pho (at Pho Lucky), and end your night at Izakaya Sakura of course!

September 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Japanese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

The Missus has a style all Her own. She keeps me on my toes; I never know what Her latest obsession will be. Recently, She's become a bit of a coffee nerd, pour over coffee to be precise. One morning She sent me a text telling me She's ordered V60 "stuff"…..my response was "what do you need a missile launcher for?". I came to find out that She wasn't planning on taking out any tanks, but rather, was ordering the gear she needed to make pour over coffee at home. Of course, what's coffee without beans, right? Which is how we started visiting places like Dark Horse and Portola, with me having stuff like Kyoto Drip Coffee. Anyway, Her favorite current source of beans and a nice cup of coffee is Bird Rock and on this morning She was thrilled…..they had something called Panama Geisha, supposedly the best Panama has to offer. It was ten bucks for V50 pour-over, yikes! Still, I believe it was important for Her to try it….once….since She's really enjoying Her coffee. The guy working here was really nice and told the Missus, "it's perfect……I want to make sure you enjoy every last drop!" Which She did….It's really smooth and fruity….a bit too smooth for me…it is quite lovely, but I like a bit of acid and bite in coffee. I am glad She got a chance to try it. She also bought some Kenyan to grind (by hand) at home….She's started to keep the labels of the various beans She buys to remember what She enjoys. My goodness, I'm married to a coffee nerd in training.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
5627 La Jolla Blvd
San Diego, CA 92037

Then it's off to Pho Lucky:

So it's like in the 80's at 8 in the morning. What does the Missus want to have? Well, pho of course…. wha???

We actually ordered the same items as on this visit. Today the broth wasn't too salty and loaded with MSG, there was a nice clove-5 spice backbone to the broth. Lot's of tendon which the Missus gave to me…..along with all those perfectly cooked noodles….She stayed with the broth and meat. I'm still not a fan of the Missus dumping all those jalapenos into Her broth, but hey, it's Her soup, right?

I ordered the combination broken rice; most of which (except for the Bi, which the Missus inhaled) came home for a light lunch. I was too full after eating all those noodles.

Things were divided up as follows, pork chop and rice for me, shrimp stuffs for Her. She also had the "cha" which seemed like it had been sitting around for a while, it was too dry for my tastes, but the Missus enjoyed it. Such is how couples who have been together forever eat I guess…..

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Gyokai Natto Don from Izakaya Sakura:

I was on my own for dinner. All this hot and sticky weather has me craving certain "comfort" food…..specifically natto. I hadn't been here in a while, and not for dinner in ages.

In fact, I hadn't been here since they cleaned up their menu….it's much more easy to read now…it made it so easy to find the Nankotsu Karaage – fried chicken cartilage. I love the crunch of well prepared chicken cartilage and this was fried perfectly.

The coating was nice, light, and crisp, though I think I'll need some togarashi next time as it needed a bit of umph…..

The combination of raw fish and ika (squid) combined with the sticky stringy natto was just what the doctor ordered. Soy sauce and wasabi just brought everything together for me. The agedashi tofu that comes with this wasn't cooked properly, the coating was gummy and didn't hold up…. otherwise, this was the perfect meal for today.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

So. You see what we've been eating during this hot and sticky weather….what have you been eating?

Brno: The “Indecent Little Man” of St James Church, a Mediterranean Festival, and a little self catering

September 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Travel

As I mentioned in my previous Brno post, it was drizzling as we walked through Freedom Square. The rather dreary weather really didn't dampen our spirits though as we found the area to be quite interesting…..in that rather odd "Czech" way. Everything had some strange twist to it; an odd story……something would catch our eye that just seemed out of place.

Take for instance, historic St James Church. Along with its long history, going back to the 13th century, it also houses the largest ossuary in the Czech Republic, the second largest in Europe housing the remains of over 50,000 bodies. As I mentioned in my post on Capela dos Ossos in Evora, the Missus really isn't interested in this stuff so we skipped it.

Still, the interior of the church is quite impressive.

Beyond all of this, there was something odd about one of the statues on the exterior of the building.

Can you see it? No? Well, how about a closer look?

Doesn't it look like the little guy is mooning us, with his hand going up his……??? We thought this rather odd, so we did a bit of research and found this little guy is called "Neslušný mužícek" – the Indecent Little Man. Ah yes, the Brno twist. Depending on your source, this is a fairly normal type of sculpture of the late gothic period…or……the statue is facing his butt to the Cathedral on Petrov Hill, due to some rivalry or other colorful story. You know which story we prefer, right?

We walked a bit further, then headed off to Tesco to buy some items for dinner….all of the heavy food we had at lunch needed to be balanced out a bit.

After a short nap, we headed back out, back up Petrov Hill……it was still misty and damp.

Well, there's the Old Town Hall, so I guess there has to be a New Town Hall, right?

We then headed back down to Freedom Square and some familiar sights.

In what was a bit of good luck, we had noticed tents being set-up as we passed earlier…..

There was now music playing to the sparse crowd.

It turns out this was a food festival……I was told it was the "Mediterranean Food Festival", though all the booths were French. Regardless, this was nice…..

We picked up some cheese, grabbed some charcuterie….

The young man in the booth selling pate was so nice….he took time to chat with us about the various terrines. We ended up buying some rabbit pate that we brought back home to the states with us.

I even got some escargot to snack on.

All under the watchful eyes of the Four Atlantes (athletes).

It's too bad the weather wasn't cooperating as I'm sure the food festival would surely have been a hit.

We decided to head back to our apartment, skirting Petrov Hill and taking the round-about way back, passing the Cathedral of J. A. Comenius, also know as the "Red Church"…..

As we walked down the street, the Missus stopped and went, "oh no…Chinese…" Good God, you could hear them talking three blocks away!

Just as when we arrived in Beijing, I heard one of the guys go, "huuuuaaackkk p-tew"….. Yikes! Let me tell you, you haven't lived until you heard someone letting go of a big wet one in the Sistine Chapel….

We made it back to our apartment and put together a nice simple, but satisfying dinner.

After all that meat, we needed some salad and my favorite beer in the CR so far, Starobrno.

We noticed Utopenci at Tesco, so we just had to try some…..the young lady manning the deli was so nice; she made sure to have some onion and pickle in each of the sausages.

There was all the great stuff we picked up at the food festival.

Of course the Missus needed Her fermented cabbage…..

As I looked out the window of our apartment, I thought we'd had a very nice day in spite of the weather.

And I was looking forward to another fine day…..

Thanks for reading!

Guess where this is…… yep, it’s The Noble Chef

September 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Have you seen this place? Does it look familiar?

Anything ring a bell? The decor? Furniture???

How about the Chinese BBQ case, not bad looking eh?

Well, walking in here was a bit of a shock…….the place went from this:

To this…..

Yes, that's right it's The Noble Chef….

Oooops, I mean The Noble Chef.

You know, I've been coming here since 2002, and first posted about the place in June of 2005. I've seen the old owners retire, taking their wok skills with them. And while, the couple of items I thought were pretty good on the menu were never quite the same, it was passable and even improved over time.

Thanks to FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Jess", I found out that The Noble Chef was finally reopening on September 3rd.

Imagine me walking in to a menu full of Cantonese dishes facing a case of Chinese BBQ. I decided to just try out the roast duck; I needed time to look over the menu to see what new and maybe promising, and also to see if my old favorites were still there. So I got a half roast duck ($12). Getting home and opening up the styrofoam container, I felt like there was bait and switch going on. The ducks in the case were a nice, lacquered brown….this was a rather beige looking beast.

Skin like rubber, meat moist, but lacking flavor…skin almost without flavor, where was the five spice, the salty, the sweet? I also question the cooking temp/technique as this seemed greasy, not rich with oil, but greasy. This has got to be the worst Chinese Roast Duck I've had in quite a while.

Let's add insult to injury, it seems that many of the dishes I thought were decent at Noble Chef are no longer on the menu; Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice, Shrimp Tomato Sauce, Shrimp and Egg on Rice….in fact, it looks like there aren't very many shrimp dishes on the menu. To make things even worse; one of the lousiest dishes I'd ever had at Noble Chef, the Hainan Chicken Rice is on the lunch menu.

So what to do? I'm not sure….I guess I need to check out some of the lunch specials at the least. Lunch is served until 4pm, which is great……but I'm not so certain about the food. Really nice folks, they seem to be trying hard, but this just didn't do it for me.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Tu Thanh Revisited

September 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

As the weather cooled for a couple of days last week, I looked forward to having some noodles…..the hardest decision was, "what to get?" It was still a bit too warm for Bun Bo Hue from Mien Trung, on my last visit to Pho King I was accosted by some dude asking me for money twice, once before I went into the place and once leaving…..I also spotted him looking into the windows of my vehicle….man, what's going on here? And while Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho from 777 sounded good, I wanted some soup. So I decided on heading back to Tu Thanh. I'd only visited once, back in December, and really enjoyed the Bun Mang Vit – Duck and Bamboo Shoot Soup. So it was time for another visit.

The place really looks like a proper restaurant now; there were several tables filled when I arrived, a very nice sign. The young gentleman working here will surprise you; he looks caucasian, but speaks Vietnamese….he's also efficient as heck. I also found a couple of parking stalls right past the restaurant, which was nice….I hadn't even noticed those before!

The broth was scalding hot, clean tasting, and fragrant, the bun perfectly prepared, and the bamboo shoots (you need to use dried bamboo shoots for a proper bowl) nicely stepped and rehydrated, adding a nice earthy scent to the broth, but still nice and crunchy.

The "goi vit", basically the duck and "salad", a combination of greens, herbs, and shredded banana blossom proves a nice counter-point. The duck, sliced, nicely flavored with a bit of chew.

And then of course there's the dipping sauce; savory nouc mam cham; sweet, the heady flavors of ginger, I'd say it's almost drinkable.

I did hit the spot!

One of the more interesting things, at least for me, is that I like ot eat this a number of ways…dip the duck in the broth, add a touch for the dipping sauce. dip the salad into the broth, then the dipping sauce, just go for the duck in the dipping sauce, just the veggies in the broth, just the dipping sauce like a true salad, add a touch of the sauce to the broth about halfway thru……heck, just drink that sauce….

As I walked to my car, I wondered how Chinese Kitchen was doing without Chi Tu Thanh making the bun mang vit? I guess I'll need to check them out….someday.

Tu Thanh
4804 University Ave. #A
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Thurs – Tues 9am – 9pm
Wednesday 9am – 5pm