mmm-yoso – Page 349

La Fachada

February 25, 2010 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

A couple of Saturdays ago, during the big rainstorm, a couple of good friends and I decided to do a taco crawl. The weather refused to cooperate, howling wind and pouring rain, but I gotta give it up for JohnL and TammyC, they handled the dripping canopies and pouring rain like troopers, and we managed six stops, and about a dozen tacos a piece (including a coupla gobernadors, etc). In need of a stop where we didn't have to suffer through water pouring onto our tacos, and us. I suggested La Fachada. It had been a whilem and I thought after doing the mariscos thing, a coupla street sized tacos would make for a nice change of pace. Of course, the La Fachada I'm mentioning is the trailer parked in the lot of the restaurant.

And they were doing some pretty good business, even on a stormy Saturday……

Each of us went with tres (three) tacos. I selected Birria de Res (spicy braised beef), lengua (tongue), and cabeza (beef head), a buck-sixty each.

Much of it was like I remembered, the tortillas, even though hand made (pressed), tasted mass produced. The birria was on the stringy side, and the chili flavor was a bit muted. The lengua was a bit too waxy. The cabeza was very nice though, moist with an intense gamey-beefy flavor.

One thing that I didn't recall, was how spicy the pickled onions with habanero were…… pretty darn hot! The salsas are tried and true, nothing spectacular, but it met my expectations. Overall, a nice stop. So a couple of weeks later, I was in the area, and decided on a nice breakfast of a couple of tacos.

This time it was (from let to right) carnitas, adobada, and cabeza(again).

The real winner of the bunch was the carnitas, crisp, rich, and full of flavor, it really hit the spot. The adobada was pretty weak and too tough. The cabeza was even "beefier", and perhaps a bit less fatty/greasy.

I really enjoyed the carnitas, and may make it a point to drop by more often then the every coupla years thing I've been doing. Funny thing is, I've never been "in" the restaurant, as I've always eaten at the taco cart, so I can't help you there.

A couple of weeks after our taco crawl, JohnL contacted me…… at the end of the email he wrote "maybe over some tacos LOL I've been taco crazy ever since…." Looks like we'll go for more than a dozen next time?

La Fachada
20 25th St
San Diego, CA 92102

Road Trip: Com Tam Thuan Kieu – Garden Grove (Orange County)

February 23, 2010 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

A while back I was in the Little Saigon area, and being quite hungry, I was in the mood for a Cơm tấm (broken rice) dish. Almost right across Viendong Restaurant is Com Tam Thuan Kieu, which with over a hundred different combinations of item topping broken rice, you could say, ahem…. specializes in Com Tam.

The restaurant itself is fairly neat, and no frills, reminding me of a more run down Banh Cuon Tay Ho. The service is also no frills, you sit, menu arrives and you order, if you're able to pick out what you want from the huge amount of items. There's a steady stream in and out of the restaurant as all the men seem to need to step out for a smoke before, during, and after a meal. In fact, if you have a problem finding the place, just look for all the men smoking……

Chilies, chili paste, and fish sauce, the standard seasonings are provided. I chuckled when I saw the spoons labeled as "spoon" and the forks as "fork", I would have never known. Want some hot tea? Mine was delivered in a large water glass. The knife was delivered with the Nuoc Mam Cham, which wasn't watered down, like some versions in San Diego.

Like I mentioned before, the menu seems to be an endless list of com tam "combinations"….. it is a classic case "Vietnamese menu overload", if I've ever seen it. There are a couple of gut-busting combinations which run up to nine bucks, and includes everything you can think of. Even the seven item combinations, like what Elmo had is enough for a family of two. I went with my tried and true Com Tam Bi Cha Tan Hu Ky Thit (Broken Rice with shredded pork skin, steamed egg, shrimp paste in bean curd skin and charbroiled pork), which at $6.25 is to me, a bargain.

The charbroiled pork looked tough, but was fairly tender, and the marinade was less sweet than most versions. The Bi was nicely flavored but a bit on the dry side, which the nuoc mam cham easily fixed. The Cha, the steamed egg with pork skin and cloud ear fungus was very good, perhaps a bit on the dry side, but chocked full of earthy flavors. They didn't skimp on the fungus in this version.

The Tan Hu Ky really wasn't my favorite, as I enjoy a nice crisp and light bean curd skin, and this was soggy. The shrimp paste was a bit too "squeaky" for me, but the flavor was good. The com tam was fairly fragrant and moist, and better than just about anything in San Diego.

While eating, I was wondering why my meal didn't come with any broth. Well, just as I was finishing up, a bowl of broth was dealt out on my table…. sigh….. Here's another variation of the "appetizer sin", you know, when your appetizers come at the end of your meal. I guess in this case, the broth was dessert?

Along with marking the forks and spoons, serving my hot tea in a water glass, and my soup arriving when I had just finished my meal, I thought the door to the restroom was kinda, well, odd. It was lined with stainless steel looking more like a walk-in door than one for the restroom. It made me feel like I was going into a "deep freeze".

Speaking of deep freeze, I'd been sitting on these photos for a while, thinking I'd be returning. But it just seems like that won't be happening for a while, so I hope you don't mind a very short post.

Com Tam Thuan Kieu
14282 Brookhurst St Ste 2
Garden Grove, CA 92843

Maguro many ways – Maguro Tartar, Maguro Carpaccio with Salsa Cruda, Maguro-Natto Don, and Maguro Yamakake

February 22, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Poke, Recipes

For this past Valentines Day, we picked up a nice 1 pound piece of Maguro in LA. A nice splurge for us. I was going to come home and do the usual thing……

The Missus however, had other ideas, and wanted something new. I was told that there would be no more this:

And don't even think about making that:

I guess I'd been going "to the well" much too often, and I don't blame the Missus of being tired of poke and crusted maguro….. So what to do?

While staring at my Maguro, some ideas entered my mind. We'd stretch the block into four dishes, starting with some fancier dishes for lunch, followed by some more traditional preparations for dinner. This would even solve the "tuna dilemma"…… just about everytime we'd buy Maguro, there would be a nice portion that is pristine, dark and deep red. But there's always a bit of the tough and fibrous parts as well. By planning out the meal a bit, I could utilize the maguro more efficiently.

So for lunch, I made a Maguro Tartar, using my basic shoyu poke recipe, but utilizing a finer cut for my fish.

I mixed about 3 ounces of finely diced maguro with good quality shoyu, a few drops of ginger juice, 1/2 clove of garlic grated, 3 tablespoons of red onion brunoise, and sea salt. I placed the mixture in a clean Coral tuna can, and topped it with 1/2 small avocado diced, followed by 1/2 roma tomato, which was seeded, and diced.

The can was inverted over a plate, and the whole thing was "coaxed out". I garnished the dish with ground chili, scallions, and wasabi tobiko.

For my other dish, I decided to do a tuna carpaccio, topped with greens and a salsa cruda.

I made two plates, so I used about another 3 ounces of maguro, a total of four slices which I placed between plastic wrap and pounded paper thin.

The salsa cruda consisted of red onion brunoise, capers which were rinsed, than coarsely chopped, cucumber brunoise, kalamata olives brunoise, 1/2 serrano chili minced, and tomato brunoise. This was mixed with some good quality extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice for some acid. Sea salt and some lemon zest completed the salsa cruda. The paper thin slices of tuna were placed gently on the plate, topped with the salsa cruda, and finished off with mixed greens tossed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Served with some toasted baguette, this filled out our fairly light lunch.

For dinner we wanted something more substantial, and the Missus decided She wanted Maguro-Natto Don, a tuna and natto rice bowl. The Missus and I often order this from Izakaya Sakura.

This was pretty easy, and I think you can figure out what is what here.

I did flavor the maguro with some soy sauce, sea salt, and ginger juice. The natto rested on some shiso leaves. I heated the natto slightly and added a touch of soy sauce, and topped it with a chiffonade of shiso leaves and shredded nori. Dabs of both prepared wasabi and hot mustard were provided for extra zip.

My dinner consisted of themaguro yamakake and rice. I used the lower grade portion of the maguro, which I mixed with soy sauce and scallions. I topped the whole thing with a good amount of grated yamaimo, which made it nice and "snotty". A topping of shredded nori and a dab of hot mustard finished things off. This was gooey-snotty heaven, and the yamaimo even tasted a bit sweet.

Grated yamaimo (tororo) is fairly substantial, and combined with the maguro and rice, was a filling, and satisfying end to the block of tuna.

So 1 pound of tuna, four dishes, two meals, and undoubtedly an increased mercury level………

San Diego Tet Festival 2010

February 19, 2010 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Vietnamese Restaurants

We are pre-empting Burger Week to let you know it's that time again…. Yes, the 2010 San Diego Tet Festival started today, running through Sunday 02/21. So I made sure to drop this evening.

If you've been to the Tet Festival before, much is the same. The location is still Balboa Park. This year things are much drier than last year, even though there's rain in the forecast.

There are of course, all the various rides and games.

And all of the various booths, from community organizations, different vendors, and sponsors. Like last year, I arrived pretty early and most of the booths weren't set-up yet.

There is a schedule full of events as well.

Don't forget the Cultural Village.

Of course, i know you're most interested in the food, right? Like last year, the food booths occupy one entire side of the festival.

This year, the booths I was interested in weren't ready for me. Also, I noticed that the offerings are a bit more "varied" with even less traditional Vietnamese items available. Still there are enough vendors to keep you satiated.

Some like Ba Le are quite familiar…. but what really got my interest was that Ba Le was serving Kao Piek (Khao Piak Sen), a noodle soup dish we're familiar with. Which led me to wonder….. since when has Ba Le been serving Lao food????

There was one booth that immediately caught my interest.

Lee's Sandwiches had a booth at the festival! I made a beeline toward the booth which was serving only snacks and drinks. I was intercepted by a nice young man offering samples. While munching on a piece of sweet toast, I inquired about Lee's in San Diego. I was told that there are plans for Lee's to open in San Diego within the next eighteen months!

Even though it seems that this years Tet Festival's food offerings are a bit watered down, let me say that you can still find interesting stuff you you look hard enough.

So it might be worth your while!

Adult Admission is $5.

San Diego Tet Festival at Balboa Park

Friday 2/19/2010 4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Saturday 2/20/2010 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Sunday 2/21/2010 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

It’s Burger Week (again) – Burger Lounge – Kensington

February 18, 2010 mmm-yoso Burgers

Burger Lounge seems to be quite a polarizing chain. Some folks I know, sing high praises of Burger Lounge. But the only thing that bothers me about the things they say about BL, is that most of it centers around BL's use of Tallgrass Beef, and most of them recite this in a mantra like fashion. Very few things are said to me regarding the taste. One good thing is…. that I love good grassfed beef, it is much more "beefy" in flavor. On the other hand, posts by other food bloggers seemed to align the burger at BL with fast food burgers. Or perhaps even worse. We were curious, so on a recent evening, the Missus and I headed out to Burger Lounge's Kensington location.

Upon entering, I was struck at how "fast-foodish" the place looks. The menu is short and sweet, 3 types of "burgers" (beef, turkey, and veggie), three salads, chicken tenders(no mention of how the chickens were raised), fries & rings, and cupcakes.

As I placed my order, the young lady manning the counter, made sure to inform me that the burgers are "grilled medium", which sounded just perfect to me. This young lady was a joy to watch, she was efficient, yet very nice, especially to the older customers and children (and their parents)who came in later.

The Missus, still recovering from Her burger at The Waterfront, again went with a Veggie Burger ($7.95):

The Missus, a big fan of quinoa, loved this burger. I was told that the veggie patty had a bit of spice to it, and good heft. Based on Her enthusiasm, I may even (gasp!) try it myself next time.

Of course we got a "half and half"($4.95), the combination of fries and onions rings, which is delivered in a sorta-kinda cool looking cardboard take-out box.

The rings were nicely breaded with a good crunch, just the way the Missus enjoys them. The fries were on the dry side, and as with "fresh cut" potatoes, wilted pretty quickly. Both were seasoned with a parsley-salt mix in a very even-handed manner.

Of course, I ordered the Grilled Lounge Burger ($7.95), sans dressing since I really wanted to taste the beef.

I also chose the white cheddar which was nice and mild, and fresh onions to add a bit of punch to the burger. On the good side, I've had my share of grass fed beef that has been on the dry side. This burger was juicy, maybe a bit too juicy. The roll didn't hold up very well, but did have a distinct flavor. The onions were diced, which proved to be a bit problematic, as it kept falling all over the place.

One of the two biggest issues I had with the burger is illustrated below:

What happened with the "our burgers are grilled to medium rare" policy? Also, the burger lacked flavor, I'd been expecting some of the wonderful grass fed goodness to seep through. When I broke off a piece of the patty for tasting, I noticed that it also lacked seasoning. As I later explained to my "go green" friend, you need to season your meat. I've bought stuff from Lobel's in the days before a porterhouse would run into the triple digits. And if you don't season that hundred dollar steak (or $20 ground beef), it won't taste right. Same holds true here……

One more thing….. this burger cost $7.95…… compare that to the burger at The Counter, which I put in the same basic category. That burger was just 55 cents more…..

I've heard that the Turkey Burgers at Burger Lounge are good, and the Missus really enjoyed that Veggie Burger. Maybe it's those two items that put the "burger" into the Burger Lounge. For me, the Lounge Burger was a disappointment.

Burger Lounge
4116 Adams Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116

It’s Burger Week (again) – The Waterfront Bar & Grill

February 16, 2010 mmm-yoso Burgers

During every burger week, I try to get at least one of the species I call a "pub burger". A few of my acquaintances look down at pub burgers. But I enjoy the simple, straight forward, unpretentious burgers served at places like Rocky's and Mr Peabody's. When someone tells me these burgers are mediocre, and I admit there are a few that are, or that it tastes like something their Mom would make, I ask, "what's wrong with your Mom's burgers?" And automatically peg them as being unsentimental. My next question would be, if these burgers are so simple, why is it that copycat corporate pub burgers never measure up? Maybe because the burger lacks soul? Or perhaps there's something about a well seasoned grill or griddle, at a joint that has obviously served thousands at varying levels of impairment…. a place like The Waterfront Bar and Grill, around since 1933.

Open from 6am in the morning, just in case you need a few "hairs of the dog", or prefer a full breakfast(yes, this place has a non-liquid breakfast menu) the place always seem to have a few "lounge lizards" occupying the bar.

All of which reaches a crescendo during the "hour of happiness", with the bar packed with everyone from the suits to laborers, and the professional imbibers. The usual Server working here is efficient, funny, and no nonsense. You will provide your ID and credit card for a tab…….

It says quite a lot that the Missus had Her one burger week hamburger at The Waterfront. The Missus chose the Blue Cheese Bacon Burger ($10.25), a half pound burger smothered in melted blue cheese, topped with thick cut bacon(and let's not forget the grilled onions). As if this wasn't enough, it comes with fries…..

The fries are the ever-crisp "floured fries" which delivers what the beer drinker wants, fries that'll stay crisp during the beer session. I'm thinking the Missus really enjoyed this, since She wiped the whole thing out, telling me "ddddisss wizzzz weeely delisssssshhhhis" while finishing up the last bite. Pretty impressive.

I went with The Texas Burger ($8.40), a half pound burger topped with grilled onions, which also comes with fries.

I always enjoyed the grilled onions, it adds a nice savory sweetness to the burger. As for the burger, it is handformed, and not as greasy as I remembered. The patty was decently seasoned with salt and pepper. If anything, it is perhaps pressed too hard when formed, as it is a bit "chewy". The roll is a generic "Acme sesame seed bun".

One of the signs of a classic pub burger, is that the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles are served on the side. Also, all the various "sauces" are either on the table, or served on the side with the burger….. after all, they've got to keep moving in the kitchen, and don't have the time to dress your burger…. you can have it your way, so long you do it yourself!

Don't even think about a medium rare burger here, they don't. At least I won't be asked how I want my burger done, and have it delivered well done anyway.

Overall, a decent burger, even without cheese, nor any "dressing". No pretense, no fuss, no muss except for trying to keep the fries on your plate. In these days of frou-frou burgers, I find this refreshing…..

The Waterfront Bar and Grill
2044 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

Open 6am to 2am daily

It’s Burger Week (again) – The Counter – Carlsbad

February 15, 2010 mmm-yoso Burgers

**** This location of the Counter has closed

*** An updated post on The Counter can be found here.

Let's see….. it's mid-February, about the time most of us have said, "what the heck" and have let those New Years resolutions fall by the wayside. Or perhaps you're like FOY and fellow food blogger Masa Assassin, and have already reached your goals for the year! Hmmm, don't you hate people like that??? Just kidding…. I just figured it was time for another burger week. So hang on, loosen up the ol' belt a coupla notches, and let's get going.

I first read about The Counter when Kat of Our Adventures in Japan ate at the Kahala location during one of her visits home. The first thing that struck me was how good the onion strips looked, I was literally wiping drool off my chin. The second thing that entered my head was, "wait a minute, Honolulu gets a location of The Counter, and we're left high and dry in San Diego?" Talk about burger envy….. If that wasn't bad enough, Rosa, The Catty Critic, did not one, but two posts (make that three posts) on The Counter. But like most food bloggers, Rosa is quick to lend a hand and provide information. The Catty Critic quickly informed me that The Counter had opened in San Diego….. I quickly found out that The Counter had opened… all the way up in Carlsbad! Sigh. Then it struck me… I have no problem driving down to Chula Vista for tacos, which is about the same distance as Leucadia, so why would I make a big deal about driving up to The Forum in Leucadia?

The Missus and I haven't been back up here since Anthropologie opened up in Fashion Valley. I believe this used to be Sushi on the Rock. We arrived just as the shop opened and were led to a seat. The ceilings of the restaurant are pretty high, and all the hard surfaces make for a pretty loud space.

The menu at The Counter is pretty interesting, you can select a "signature burger", or go through a six step process to design your own burger. It's a BYOB (Build your own burger) process.

It's really not that complicated…. you don't need to be like the guy sitting next to us who had to read each step…. and each item out loud, in his "outside voice"!

Of course, I just needed to try out the onion strings, so we got a "fifty-fifty" of onion strings and fries ($4.95):

First off the BBQ sauce tastes pretty artificial and didn't go real well with either item. The "ranch" was very watery….. ketchup was the way to go for us.

I loved the onions strips, which were thin, crisp, with a good ratio of batter to onion (for me), was basically a bit greasy, but in the most fulfilling way.

The Missus prefers breaded onions rings, so She didn't enjoy these as much as I did. It also struck me that this will be great as a burger topping….. and it is offered as a premium topping ($1 more).

The fries were of the thin-cut shoestring variety, which makes for maximization of a crisp exterior.

the fries had a nice crisp texture, but were way over-seasoned. The potatoes were so salty it tasted metallic and bitter. Even the Missus, who loves salt could only eat a few fries.

The Missus wasn't feeling like a burger, so She got a 2/3 lb Veggie Burger (!) in a bowl ($1 more), with organic mixed greens, etc, etc….. All I can say, is that it looked like a pretty huge salad ($11.50):

The Missus enjoyed the 2 veggie patties and the pesto. The Danish Blue Cheese was very salty, and would probably have fared better inside two buns. This was a good amount of food, and the Missus couldn't finish it.

Even though I was quite taken by the menu and options, I'm in the habit of minimizing all the toppings and frills the first time I have a burger at a restaurant. Not wanting to get fancy, I got a 1/3 pound burger (medium), on a hamburger bun, with Gruyere, red onions, lettuce mix, and tomatoes ($8.50):

The Gruyere was nicely melted over my burger, it was creamy and mild. When I cut my burger in half I was over-joyed!

Finally, a perfect medium burger…. at a chain no less! Those of you who have read my previous posts on burger joints will remember what a hard time I have getting a medium burger. Many places will ask you how you want you burger, but you'll always get it well done, or over-done. I've started to call that the burger "shibai". This on the other hand was a good burger, moist, with a nice char on the exterior. The char added a nice flavor, and good resistance when first biting into the burger. The beefiness of the burger was better than another burger chain which serves grass-fed beef. Man did this hit the spot.

Now that I've got the first visit over-with, I'm ready for the next step… hmmm…. onions strings? A fried egg? Soft ripened brie perhaps? Heck, maybe I'll just have the same simple burger again, because it was sure hit the spot.

Some final thoughts…. you ever know where all those yuppies went to when they had kids and hit middle age? Carlsbad… The service is kinda hit and miss, one young lady was very nice but spaced out, another young man was very efficient. The counter, has a counter ( bar), and it looks pretty well stocked. We saw two women boozing it up pretty good…. at 11 am! These are "gourmet burger" prices, but I felt we got what we paid for.

The Counter
1923 Calle Barcelona
Carlsbad CA 92009

Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Capers and Mint

February 14, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Xin Nian Kuai Le, Cung Chúc Tân Xuân (or is it Chúc Mung Nam Moi maybe someone can tell me?), Happy Valentines Day, and happy President's Day, all rolled into one! That's one heckofa holiday weekend that much is for sure. As is usual for us, we're kinda laying low, and will have our big meals a bit later on….. or perhaps the Missus actually believes me when I say, "but honey, every day can be Valentine's day!" Hmmm, probably not…..

Still, the Missus gets whatever She wants to eat today, and what She wanted was a BLT with thick cut bacon and sprouts on sourdough, and a potato salad! Huh? I can however, understand Her thinking….. the temperature today was in the mid-seventies, more like late spring than mid-February weather…. so you want a BLT, fine! Of course the potato salad wasn't going to be your basic potato-mayo combination salad. The Missus was thumbing thru Wanda Adam's The Island Plate II (I really can't say reading, because She's just looking for photos), and saw the recipe for Beau Soleil's Aegean Potato Salad. Which is sorta what She wanted…. I'll say sorta, because of course there were adjustments…..

The Missus wanted to use Blue Cheese instead of Feta, and told me to lose the Italian Parsley, but add scallions. I was interested in making the salad because it used both capers….

and mint….

Items that I've never used in a potato salad. Also the lack of mayo was something different for me as well. In order to have a reasonable portion for the Missus and I, the amount of potatoes was cut in half, but the amounts of other ingredients have been kept the same (or increased), since the salad sounded a bit bland to me, and my hunch was right. I really enjoyed the salad, the flavor of the mint was faint(if you were a poet, you could say, it was a "hint of mint"), and if you didn't know it was in the salad, your mind might be asking you, "what is the flavor, it's familiar, but I can't place it."

What was an even bigger coincidence was that I was born and raised in Kaimuki, and I have taken food to go from Beau Soleil when it was located on Waialae Avenue! Sorry to say, Beau Soleil moved back to Manoa, then closed down a couple of years back.

Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Capers and Mint.

1 1/2 lbs red potatos cubed
4 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2-3 tb Red Wine Vinegar
1/3 Cup crumbled blue cheese
3 tb capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped
1/2 medium red onion minced
2 tb chiffonade of mint leaves
4 tb chopped green onions
Salt to taste

– Cook potatoes in salted water until tender.
– When potatoes are tender enough to pierced with a skewer, drain in a colander. Rinse immediately with cold water to stop cooking and remove excess starch, and drain.
– While potatoes are still warm, gently mix together all ingredients. Don't forget to taste, and adjust seasoning. Also, remember that flavors will be more intense after the salad "sets".
– Serve at room temperature or cooler.

So while the Missus had Her BLT and potato salad….. I had me some refreshing Cold Sichuan Noodles (Sichuan Liang Mian):

And I made this…..

Can you guess what it is????

Would you believe that it's dog food??? Yes, it's true, I cook for Da' Boyz, and for the next 4-5 meals it's be lean chopped pork and carrot rice with their kibble. We've noticed that since we've started cooking rice… usually rice with white meat chicken for Da' Boyz, Sammy's fussy stomach issues have not been a problem. Of course it could be that they are Asian Mutts! Still, for some reason I find the fact that Sammy and Frankie consume Three Ladies or Buddha Brand Jasmine rice, or Koshihikari rice a bit strange……

I hope everyone is having a great multi-holiday weekend!

Gomoku Takikomi Gohan – Five Ingredient Rice

February 13, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

As I mentioned earlier, I'd made a pretty large amount of dashi around the holidays and needed to find a way to use it up. I decided on making a pretty common mixed rice dish called Gomoku Gohan. In fact, I've seen various frozen instant version of Gomoku Gohan, but making it yourself is pretty easy….. after all, it's just rice, right?

The basis of the dish, at least the version I make is mushrooms, and I was quite impressed with the quality of the Gobo (burdock root) available this year, so I thought why not….

There a couple of key points I follow when making this dish; first, for once, I actually follow the rather draconian rules for making rice. That would be rinse, then drain the rice (koshihikari in this case) for 30-40 minutes in a colander. I also parcook the vegetables in my dashi-soy sauce-sugar mixture before mixing with the rice. I do my chicken separately. This is so I can taste the simmering liquid of the vegetables, and make adjustments. The flavoring of the rice can be pretty bland, so getting the simmering liquid up to your tastes is imperative.

Gomoku Takikomi Gohan:

3 Cups Rice, rinsed, drained in a colander for 30-40 minutes
1/3 lb bones skinless chicken thighs cut into small cubes
1 medium carrot julienned
1 Gobo, skin scrapped off, julienned
4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in 1 1/2 cups hot water, sliced.
1 cube of konnyaku, quickly "rinsed" with boiling water to remove smell, sliced

For the vegetables:
1 1/2 Cup dashi
1 Cup mushroom soaking liquid
3-4 Tb Shoyu
3-4 tsp White sugar
1 Tsp Mirin
Salt

– Place the liquid in a pot, add vegetables and simmer.
– Add 3Tb Shoyu, 3tsp sugar, and mirin and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
– Taste and adjust flavors. Add salt to taste.
– Place a sieve or strainer over a large bowl or pot.
– Pour the contents of the pot into the strainer, letting the simmering liquid drain into the bowl.
– Let everything cool completely.

For the chicken:
1 tsp sake
1 tsp soy sauce

– Rub the chicken with sake and soy sauce and let stand for 10 minutes.

Put it all together:
– Place the rice in the cooker.
– Add the vegetables and chicken, and mix lightly with the rice.
– Pour the simmering liquid into the rice pot, until the correct liquid level is reached. Use dashi if more liquid is required.
– Once rice has cooker has turned off let the rice stand covered for 15-20 minutes.
– Mix the rice well before serving.

Top with green onions, sesame seeds, nori, etc, etc,……..

Hal Mu Ni (Hal Mo Ni or Halmouny) – More dishes

February 9, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

Over the last month or so, with all the rain and wind, Korean food just seemed so warm and comforting. So far this year it seems that we've been hitting up Hal Mu Ni (Grandma's) quite often. I thought I'd do another post to go with my first post, showing a few other dishes.

Of course there's panchan. Nothing fancy here, but most of it is fairly solid.

There are usually five to six items, and the portion size is decent. On the last two visits, we've had our panchan refilled without request…. very nice!

The young ladies working here are sometimes not the most efficient in terms of motion and service, but they are very nice, and do handle some of the details…. such as providing little containers of Cho Kochujang, or other sauces when we have leftovers to take home without having to request them. Perhaps that's what keep us coming back.

The Bulgogi ($11.99) here is served sizzling on a hot cast iron plate.

The meat was just tender enough, and thought the marinade for the Bulgogi ran on the sweet side, I enjoyed the dish. Enough so, that I've had it a couple of times so far. By itself or in combination with a soondofu dish. We also found this to be a little less oily then the typical Korean BBQ served on a sizzling plate. As comparisons are concerned, this has head and shoulder better, in quality and flavor then the Bulgogi at Chon Ju Jip.

Speaking of Chon Ju Jip……. one of my favorite local food blogs is Kirbie Cravings. One of Kirbie's posts included the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap from Chon Ju Jip. Frankly, the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap at Chon Ju Jip is terrible, mainly due to the fact that it is served on a metal plate instead of the usual stone bowl. This means that you never get the great crust provided by a stone bowl. It doesn't help that dolsot is literally the name of the stone bowl/pot. In Kirbie's post it became apparent that the recommendation had come from a list of "50 things to eat in San Diego before you die." Well, here at Hal Mu Ni the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap ($9.99), like most other Korean Restaurants in San Diego, is actually served in a dolsot:

Lest you think that a stone bowl isn't very important…. check out the crust that develops after a short time.

After eating stuff like sannakji and dduk, I've become convinced that textures are of supreme importance in Korean Cuisine… from that creamy oyster combined with the firm mu kimchi you bite into when having bossam, to the varied crunchiness of different panchan… finally to the crisp texture of the rice crust combined with the rest of the Bi Bim Bap. As Bi Bim Bap goes, this is not bad…. the Bulgogi has flavor, there's a raw egg hiding below the nori providing richness to the dish. The only negative item that really stood out, was how weak the Cho Kochujang (the sauce) tasted.

One evening we sampled the Kimchi Chigae ($7.99):

Like just about everything here, it arrived bubbling so wildly that expect it to overflow. If you order this, be prepared….. this was pretty sour, salty, and there's some fatty pieces of pork floating around. As Kimchi Chigae goes, this is ok, though the Missus loved how sour it was.

When this arrives at your table, you know what's coming next, right?

It was for the Soontofu, part of the Soontofu/Bulgogi combination ($12.99):

I never got a taste, but the Missus told me it was on the fishy side flavorwise.

During one of our meals, the young lady working brought us small bowls of bone soup:

I really enjoyed the richness. The broth had that nice collagen-ny, mildly coating my tongue, without being too rich and oily.

Which led me to order the Seolleongtang(Sullungtang – $7.99).

Lest you think this boiling cauldron is not very hot, see the photo to the right. I just couldn't get a photo without steaming up my lens. At first I thought the scum floating on the top of the bubbling broth would be a problem, but it was not. The soup was full of slices of beef, and had the usual mild beefy flavor. The appropriate addition of sea salt brought the dish up, and made it into comfort food for the Missus, who ended up eating a good amount of it.

The Missus has often told me about Her Parents or Grandmother making bone soup to provide calcium for the family, or as a tonic when She was ill. So it goes without saying that once a spoon of this made its' way into Her mouth, She'd want more….. comfort food….

One evening I order the Spicy Galbi Jjim ($14.99).

I have mixed feeling about this dish…. I had hopes of getting the same wonderfully tangy-spicy sauce that I had with the Galchi Jorim. And that was delivered, with the addition of some beefiness. The thick cut ribs were much too tough, and very hard to eat though. I'll probably order this again in the future to reassess.

The only dish I've had here that I haven't enjoyed was the Haemul Pajun (Seafood Pancake – $12.99):

There wasn't much seafood in this, and it was on the greasy side. The batter was gummy and tasted like raw flour, and indeed the middle of this wasn't cooked.

As you can tell, Hal Mu Ni has become a regular stop…… the prices are in line with other similar restaurants in the area (i.e. Chon Ju Jip), and we think the dishes are prepared adequately. The young women working here have always been nice. The interior may still look like a steam table Chinese fast-food joint, but the food is definitely not.

Hal Mu Ni Soon Dubu
4425 Convoy St. #217
San Diego, CA 92111