mmm-yoso – Page 400

Poke on Maui: A Tale of Two Safeways…yes, Safeway

October 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Maui, Poke

I'll readily admit that I was sniffing around for Poke from the moment our plane touched down. There are many creative and tasty version of this classic Hawaiian dish on the Mainland, but many times I just want simple down home Poke, made with fresh ingredients, and with the classic flavoring that I grew up eating. The Missus has also been caught in my "Poke madness", on a vacation with Her girlfriend on the Big Island last year, She ate Poke at least once a day(even 3 times on an occasion). They basically lived out of KTA Superstores….. I've been known to haunt Tamashiro's, Tanioka's, Foodlands, Als Moana Farmers Market, and on and on……

Which lead to our first stop for Poke….Safeway(yes, Safeway) Kahului.

We marched into Safeway, and searched for a Fish Counter. The Market has to have a fish counter. Sorry, but prepackaged Poke won't cut it with me.

When we arrived at the Fish Counter I noticed something interesting….

There was Poke made with fish with a "previously frozen" tag as well as Poke made with "fresh" fish. Of course we went with the fish labeled fresh…..

The Ahi Poke(Yellowfin or Big Eye Tuna).

Dry and a bit off tasting.

Aku Poke(Skipjack):

Aku is known to be a "fattier" Tuna, and thus will have a stronger flavor. This poke had alot of the white tough and inedible connective tissue. It was also on the "dry" side. Not very good at all. Makes me think I maybe shoulda tried the Poke made with the previously frozen fish?

One of the Missus's new obsessions; Tako Wasabi. Raw Tako marinated in a slightly sweet-wasabi marinade, this was as good as any I've had.

Even though the Poke was lousy, we did a return visit so the Missus could get Her Tako Wasabi fix. The service was rather disinterested, and this really did show up in the flavor and quality of the Poke….Auwe!

Safeway
170 E Kamehameha Ave
Kahului, HI 96732

So having been truly disappointed, we started asking around….and got alot of "this place makes good sashimi", and that sort…. Finally, a few locals recommended Safeway, but "not da' one stay in Wailuku…but right hea' in dis mall". Which happened to be the Lahaina Cannery Mall.

By this time we were a bit doubtful, until we marched up to the fish counter, and started ordering.

At which time this Gentleman put the brakes on the ordering.

He froze me with His steely gaze, and said "how do you know what you like, if you nevah' tasted?" And held up samples of the different versions on toothpicks. He went on to explain on how he made each version, how fresh everything was; "we get da' fish at 430am, clean 'em and……." Now this was a Guy who was proud of the fruits of His labor!

So the Ahi Limu:

Very clean and refreshing, with flavors of the ocean. The fish was fresh, and the texture(crunch of the Limu, meatiness of fish) pretty good, though the Missus thought it was under salted.

The Ahi Shoyu was by far the Missus's favorite, to the tune of going back for this four times.

Great balanced flavor, not too salty, with a touch of sweetness provided by the uber-fresh medium quality fish.

The Tako Poke.

The Missus didn't care for the large pieces of Tako, but I enjoyed the sweet onion.

The Ahi Poke was my personal favorite. This Ahi Poke was updated with the flavor of wasabi, so it had a slight kick. Delici-yoso!!!

The Kimchee Tako Poke was pretty good, though maybe a tad too sour. But it still disappeared….

Well how's that? Two Safeways, two different Fish Counters, big difference!

Safeway
1221 Honoapiilani Hwy
Lahaina, HI 96761

For more info on Poke; Alan, who does the Food Blog Ma'ona has written what I think is probably one of my favorite posts ever on Poke. And just for the heck of it, here's my humble Poke Recipe.

One morning the Missus, My MIL & FIL decided to take a walk down at the end of Office Road. We walked along the edge of the Golf Course which featured a nice view of Fleming's Beach.

After skirting along the edge of the Golf Course we came to the lava formation called Dragon's Teeth. Created during one of the last lava flows on Maui, the forces of the wind and sea created this novel lava formation.

This pleasant little walk provided glimpses of nature's, and man's creations. As viewed by this maze we found.

At the end of the walk is Makalua-puna Point, capping off a walk with the glorious view of the ocean's power.

If taking this walk please respect the Honokahua Preservation Site, where ancient Hawaiian burial sites were discovered when ground was broken for the construction of the Ritz Carlton. In it's time the discovery created quite a stir.

Niu Rou Main-nia: Jamillah Garden’s version

October 24, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

*** Jamillah Garden has since closed.

I think most regular readers already know that I love a good bowl of Niu Rou Mein, the savory Chinese Beef Noodle soup. According to Wikipedia, Chinese Beef Noodle soup was created by the Hui, an Islamic Chinese people during the Tang Dynasty. According to the story, when the Koumintang fled to Taiwan they brought along Niu Rou Mein. And Taiwan has truly embraced Beef Noodle Soup, to the extent that Taipei now hosts an annual Taipei Beef Noodles Festival. Enough to make a "Noodle-Head" quiver in excitement, no?

So far, I’ve had a few bowls of Niu Rou Mein in San Diego, and my favorite by far is the version served by Shanghai City. But a few weeks ago, I decided to go to the "source", and finally have a bowl of Niu Rou Mein from the local Islamic Chinese restaurant, Jamillah Gardens. One item of interest is that as noted in my previous post on Jamillah Gardens, is the availability of Knife Cut Noodles, which are flat noodles cut from a rolled piece of dough. The noodles are of various width and length, and when done right has a mildly chewy and doughy texture.

Add a dollar to the regular price of the Niu Rou Mein($6.95 + noodles = $7.95), and you get the Niu Rou Mein with Knife Cut Noodles.

The broth had a good amount of oil, with a mild beef flavor, and was quite weak overall. Nice body….but no soul. Some of the pieces of beef were on the gristly-tough side, but had a decent amount of flavor. To me there needed to be a stronger beef and 5 spice flavor, along with a bit more sweetness.

The noodles this time around were on the gummy side, and were not as enjoyable as I’ve had on previous visits.

Which kind of shines a light on the various meals I’ve had at Jamillah Gardens; wildly fluctuating in flavor and quality.

But still, another Niu Rou Mein crossed off my list. And in order to keep track, I’ve decided to start a Niu Rou Mein category. I think there are still at least six or seven more Niu Rou Meins to try in San Diego……so I’ll keep on ca-noodling along.

Jamillah Garden Chinese Islamic Restaurant
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

One last note: I’ve gotten a few Emails requesting that I add a few categories, and after going through all my old posts I can understand. So in addition to Niu Rou Mein, I’ve added these:

Hopefully, I’ve updated old posts accordingly. I aim to please…so whoever "ItsBasedonADare" is, hang in there. I’ll let you know if I find Haggis! LOL! BTW, IBAD(yoso-clever), I know what movie that came from.

Maui: Honolua Store

October 23, 2006 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Markets & Grocers, Maui, Plate Lunch

Located right next to the Kapalua Villas Reception Center, is the Honolua Store. As I walked to check in, something clicked, and I turned and took another look. And yes, it was the Honolua Store that I remembered, though when I last saw it, it was on a dirt road, and green washed. Now it’s right up the street from the Ritz Carlton! Times sure have changed.

In fact, I remember the reception center as well, it used to be the Post Office. You see, my Mother was born and raised in Honolua Town. The last time I was in the area was circa 1969, by the early seventies my Grandparents had moved out of the area, but I have some really fond distinct memories of the area. How much of it is based on a child’s view of the world, I’m not quite sure, but they are some really nice memories.

For this trip, the Honolua Store is probably the only place to get reasonably priced "grindz".

Yes, you can get breakfast for under five bucks…on Maui!!!! The service at breakfast can be rather surly, much of it due to "tourist burnout". But most items are located precooked hot table items, and your eggs, and other items are cooked up fresh to complete the breakfast.

The are also "quick" items, ala’ convenience store, that are available.

As you can see, there are items for both the locals, as well as guests of the Ritz. Manapua and English Muffin Sandwich, anyone?

As to what I ordered……of course it had to be….

A Loco Moco($4.75) of course. It was pretty good, the eggs(2) were done a nice easy over, the gravy had nice flavor, though the hamburger patties were bland and "mushy".

In reality, this could have tasted like garbage and I still might have enjoyed it. There’s nothing like sitting on an empty beach, and having some good grindz…..

This is Oneloa Beach(aka Ironwood), at 730 in the morning. Not a place to swim(the Missus still tried…sigh), but a pretty nice to have a peaceful quiet breakfast. Which is what I did while the Missus was collecting strawberries on Her knees(I warned Her…). It was the second beach of the day.

Every morning, still caught in the web of Pacific Standard Time, we’d be up at 5 or 530 am, and end up hitting Kapalua Beach by 6am, where the Missus would get Her morning swim in the calm protected bay, and I’d do some light running or go snorkeling.

Kapalua Beach is alot smaller than it seems in the photos, and the small parking lot can be rather hard to find. You need to look for the large Napili Lani sign, and the parking lot is right before the sign, right past a fire hydrant. Usually we’d just be leaving as a few people would start arriving.

Honolua Store
502 Office Road
Lahaina, HI 96761

Tomorrow, I’ll be back in San Diego, before a "return" to Maui……

Maui: Honokowai Okazuya & Deli

October 22, 2006 mmm-yoso Maui, Plate Lunch

The afternoon had been rather stressful, we filed a police report, drove to Kapalua and checked in, and went shopping for replacement clothes, and other items(talk about sticker shock!!!). Before we knew it, we had missed lunch, and the sun had gone down. So on the way back from Ka’anapali, we took a left on Lower Honoapiilani Road and made our way to Honokowai Okazuya and Deli.

Honokowai Okazuya & Deli is located in a strip mall(my favorite place for eateries), next to a storage rental facility. In fact, I think the strip mall is called AAAAA Rent-A-Space Mall! HOAD, is not quite what I would consider a "local style" Okazuya to be, but more of a plate lunch place. And this little hole in the wall was quite busy. The place is so tiny, with only a few stools and a small counter, that most of the orders are for take out.

There were quite a few people manning the various stations in the kitchen, readily visible while waiting for our order. And the smells were very tempting.

HOAD’s menu runs the gamut, and straddles the line between pleasing both the locals(Chicken Katsu, Beef Chow Fun), as well as the tourist, and other non-locals (Mahi Mahi Lemon Caper, Pasta Primavera). There is a bit of sticker shock here as well; when we walked in an order of four plate lunches was rung for…for nearly Fifty-Five bucks!!!! But when placed in context with the prices at other places; we saw a Guy at Star Market buying a premade sandwich, some chips, and Miller Lite for over twenty bucks, the prices were fairly reasonable. So we placed our order and headed back to our rental Condo.

The Missus went with the Chicken Katsu Don($8.75), with Stir Fried Vegetables(.95 more).

The Missus has a current obsession with Chicken Katsu Don, and was overjoyed at seeing it on the menu. She also thought is was good, the Chicken Katsu was still crunchy in certain areas, the egg, though a bit strange looking was nice and light, and most surprisingly, the sauce had a good, slightly sweet-soy flavor. But the Missus thought the stir fried veggies was the best item on the (styrofoam) plate. Sauteed over high heat(it was what being cooked in the photo above), with a mild Chinese fermented black bean flavor, the combination of Zucchini, Red and Green Bell Peppers, and other veggies was seasoned perfectly, moist, and indeed quite good.

I had my old standby, the Chicken Katsu($7.95).

The white meat chicken was still moist, and fried to crisp perfection. I didn’t care for the Katsu Sauce, it was much too sour, but the macaroni salad was excellent; the optimal amount of mayo and egg, with enough salt for a change. I was impressed with the attention paid to the side dishes.

We also ordered the Korean Style Chicken BBQ($7.95).

Mildly flavored, it was much to dry for me, but the Missus enjoyed the texture and flavor of the chicken.

I understand that the former Owner of HOAD was a Chef at Mama’s Fish House, considered by many to be the best restaurant on Maui, and the current Owner has been faithful to the recipes. As it stands the Honokowai Okazuya & Deli is an oasis of reasonably (for Maui) priced food on West Maui.

Honokowai Okazuya & Deli
3600 Lower Honoapiilani Rd Ste D
Lahaina, HI 96761
(808)665-0512

Open Mon-Sat Lunch – 10am-230pm
Dinner – 430pm-9pm
Closed on Sundays

So where did we stay? I found a really good deal on a large two bedroom Condo at the Kapalua Villas.

A two bedroom unit was required since the Missus’s parents were flying from Oahu and spending a few days with us. The unit were large, with a panoramic view, of both a wonderfully kept golf course…..

And the ocean…talk about great sunsets!

The units were very large with two good sized bedrooms and the two bathrooms had sunken tubs, etc….

But most importantly, each unit had a full sized kitchen with cooking and table ware, appliances, and this one even had a rice cooker.

All the units are managed by the Ritz Carlton, and the very unobtrusive service(we really didn’t want to be bothered anyway) was good. I had gotten the unit at half price, and was very pleased.

Maui: Tasaka Guri-Guri

October 20, 2006 mmm-yoso Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Maui

I must admit, you all are a sharp bunch. Yes, it is Maui, and yes, that was a really nice little cup of Guri-Guri(2 scoops/$1). And on Maui, the "only" place for Guri-Guri is Tasaka Guri-Guri.

Located in, of all places, the Maui Mall in Kahului, the Tasaka Family claims that Jokichi Tasaka invented Guri-Guri somewhere around 1920, way back in plantation days. Guri-Guri and I go back a long way…from what I remember my Mom told me that Guri-Guri(called Goodie Goodie in Honolulu) was one of the two items She craved while pregnant with me. Being a good Maui Girl, I have no doubt that She craved Guri-Guri. If you really want to know, the other item She craved was Saimin….a yes, I wuz a noodle head, from da’ beginning!

The Missus first had a version of Guri-Guri, called Goodie-Good at Cafe 100, during one of our many visits to Hilo when we had friends living there. I had always told Her that it was nothing compared to the "real thing" at Tasaka. So of course our first stop after picking up our rental car was Maui Mall and Tasaka Guri-Guri, which was quite busy, even during a mid-afternoon during a weekday.

After standing in line, the Missus got Her Guri-Guri(there are 2 flavors, Strawberry and Pineapple – I think Strawberry is the better flava’), and I can truly say after having a spoonful, or two, that it tasted exactly the same as I remembered, one of the few items that still tastes the same from waaay back in hanabaddah days. So very "clean" and refreshing…….

So what is Guri-Guri? Well, it’s sort of a Sherbet. The flavor is sweet, and slightly milky. In fact Reid of Ono Kine Grindz even has a recipe, located here. The Tasaka Family recipe is a closely guarded secret.

If you want Guri-Guri, you’ll have to go to Maui, you won’t find it in Honolulu. In fact, I’ve heard of people taking the 2 Quart "Cold Pack"($10) all the way back to the Mainland.

I’m sure many of you are wondering, "what’s the big deal, it’s a sherbet". But it’s not only a a frozen confection, it’s a part of my childhood, part of a simpler time, and many generations of Kama’aina’s are addicted to it. Hey, former President Clinton even stopped at Tasaka on His visit to Maui. Which I think would have been a quite interesting event.

Tasaka Guri Guri

At the Maui Mall in Kahului. You really can’t miss the mall……

So why Maui? Well, it seemed that everyone was going to, or had gone to Maui, from our favorite Newlywed, Pam, who got married there, to other Friends. By this time, the Missus decided that She really wanted to visit Maui. Though, my Mother was born and raised on Maui, I had last visited Maui once in the last 30(yes "3-0") years, and on that visit, I barely recognized the place. Of course no mo’ Liberty Restaurant, wit da’ Chow Fun served in a butcher paper cones, or real Maui Hot Dogs…..

But of course the scenery is still beautiful….

One last side note: In what almost ruined our vacation, during our visit to Maui Mall, probably during our shopping at Long’s Drugs, some miscreants broke into our rental car, and stole everything that looked like a backpack. Which meant all of the Missus’s stuff, and some of my stuff. So suddenly our vacation took a turn, we had to wait for the Police to file a report, we had to go shopping to find clothes, and other personal items, including a charger for my camera, and a bunch of other stuff. But after the shock and anger wore off, and a high stress afternoon, we decided to make the best of things…..

To be continued…….

I’m Baaaack!!!

October 19, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Hey everyone….well, I’m back, somewhat rested and refreshed.

First off, I’d like to thank Cathy for doing a great job while I was away. I really can’t thank Her enough! Since I’m pretty sure all of you will miss her posts; I think/hope She’ll do this again in the future…maybe with some persistent begging. Whaddaya say Cathy???

As for the vacation; well the Missus and I did spend a few days away, but spent most of our time at home, enjoying our favorite restaurants, cooking, and attending the SDAFF. I really didn’t take many photos, but I did miss you all.

As for our trip…..well, you know me, I’m not going to make it that easy for you all. Though, this one might be really easy. Here are a few photo hints:

Nice pine trees…now where could this be?

How about a nice rock formation?

Or two…..

I’m sure you notice the ocean…..so here’s a shot of the "beach". But what’s that in the distance?

Since this is a Food Blog, I guess I better get around to some food.

This one makes it easy.

But where, exactly? Here’s the best hint:

All wrapped up in a nice sunset.

See you tomorrow, with a new post!

Sunday Stuffs

October 1, 2006 mmm-yoso Blog

Let Me Introduce to You……..

MMM-YOSO is a true labor of love for me. I’m always so amazed and so very appreciative of most of the individuals who actually take time out of their day to visit mmm-yoso.

So when the Missus and I arranged a vacation, not a short trip, but a real vacation, I was torn. The first thing I thought was "what about my blog???" Sounds strange I know, but when I started this little ol’ blog, I made a commitment to attempt to do it to the best of my abilities.

As fate would have it, a friend of mmm-yoso stepped up to the plate, and has agreed to provide mmm-yoso with Her own brand of humor, insight, and most importantly her opinions.

So let me turn over mmm-yoso to Cathy, a frequent commenter, the same Cathy who often accuses me of being a restaurant stalker, since we have often eaten at the same restaurants during the same period of time. Cathy is a longtime San Diego resident, one thing I’m not, and can provide much background on various topics. Cathy is also well traveled(hint: don’t replace her chopsticks with a fork and spoon….), and has great taste…since we often have the same opinion and observations on various restaurants. LOL!

Thanks so much for graciously taking the wheel Cathy! I’m forever indebted to you!

Just one more item, and I’m on vacation(I will be checking in though):

Dont forget about the San Diego Asian Film Festival.

One of the many personalities of the blogger sometimes known as ChiliCheeseFries, known as Ron will have a full length feature film that he Co-Directed and Wrote called Asian Stories (Book III) shown. Tickets can be purchased here.

If you want some free tickets, I have 3 pairs. So first 3 emails I get requesting tickets will get those….again it’s emails. Just send me an email requesting tickets and I’ll respond with an email requesting mailing info.

Just snack before I go:

That’s some Ika(Squid) Shiokara on the left, Tako(Octopus) Wasabi on the right – from Sammy’s.

Hey Ron, I bet this is the first time Asian Stories has been mentioned along with Fermented Squid Intestines and Octopus!

See you all in a few weeks!

Without further ado….let me formally turn over the reins to Cathy.

Restaurant Yakata Part 2

September 28, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

This past Saturday, the Missus was in the mood for some sushi and Japanese food, but I was a bit too tired to drive all the way to LA to Sushi Komasa or Sushi Gen. We also just wanted a quiet evening, so having recalled what Makoto at Restaurant Yakata said on my visit, "Saturdays nights are my slowest…" We decided to see if this was true, and drove down to National City. Well Makoto-san was correct, it was 630pm, and only two tables were taken, and the sushi bar was empty.

Being absolutely ravenous, we decided to order some food from the menu, and also a 10 piece Nigiri combination. I told Makoto, not to worry about price, just give us a variety.

The Missus started with Tempura Soba($6.50):

Soba, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura, in a light broth, the Missus really enjoyed this.

I ordered the Tempura-Teriyaki Chicken Combo ($7.25). The dinner came with a bowl of miso, that was salty, but strangely very weak in miso flavor, and a green salad with a ginger-sesame dressing that was pretty good.

The Chicken Teriyaki was very uninspired, the sauce too sweet and watery.

The Tempura on the other hand was very good.

Though not very large, the shrimp had the perfect amount of crunchy batter, and the shrimp was cooked perfectly, soft and moist. The vegetables included were a broccoli floret, a thin slice of Kabocha, and a thin slice of Eggplant. The Tentsuyu(tempura dipping sauce) was fine, though I would have enjoyed some Daikon Oroshi(grated daikon) for the sauce. Still, this was a good amount of food for the price.

While we were eating the Nigiri arrived:

The Missus went straight for the Unagi, which is always the safe choice for Her and She enjoyed it. The Maguro was okay, and the Hamachi not as good as my previous visit. I thought the Sake(salmon) was quite good, as was the Saba. I had the Missus try the Mirugai(Giant Clam/Geoduck), which She really enjoyed, and the Hokkaido Hotategai(scallop) which She adored. The Tako(Octopus) was fine, as was the Ika(Squid), and Hirame.

Having figured out what She enjoyed we went for another round:

More good Mirugai, and excellent Hotategai. Makoto even remembered how I enjoyed eating my Aji. Up to this point in time, the Missus had always refused to eat Aji, associating it with the sometimes very fishy Saba. But tonight, She decided to give it a shot. As She ate the piece of Nigiri, Her eyes opened wide….."Wow, this is really good, almost milky in flavor, the texture is awesome!" I guess we’ll be fighting over the Aji from now on.

All told, our fairly hefty dinner(no alcohol) came out to about $50, without tip. By no means cheap, but quite satisfying. As we left Yakata, the restaurant was totally empty. I guess Makoto is right about Saturday nights…..

So if you want to grab some pretty good sushi on a Saturday night, and not have to deal with noise, crowds, or traffic, Restaurant Yakata might be a good choice.

Restaurant Yakata
2424 Hoover Ave
National City, CA 91950

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant: Fastest Pho in the West?

September 27, 2006 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant, otherwise known as Pho Hoa Linda Vista, or just plain Pho Hoa, is known for two things in my book.

Pho Hoa has some of the darkest Pho broth I’ve seen in San Diego, and some of the fastest service I’ve encountered. It is possible to to get out of Pho Hoa in less than half an hour, if you keep up your side of the bargain…then again, it’s almost as if they can’t wait to get rid of you.

Pho Hoa, is slightly hidden, behind Yum Yum Donuts, and Le’s Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese restaurant on Linda Vista avenue. But that hasn’t stopped Pho Hoa from being very popular.

A typical lunch goes like this. I walk to the door, one of the Servers(all male, all looking like they’ve had severals cups of high octane) points to a table. As I arrive at the table, a menu is dropped, and one of the Servers is standing there looking at me, pencil at ready. And I haven’t even picked up the menu yet…… Feeling the pressure, I open the menu and blurt out "number one", mainly because it’s usually the Pho Dac Biet($5.20). As I do this one of the Servers walks double-time to the kitchen, while the Dude with the pad walks to the counter and drops off the order at the cash register.

In a blink my water arrives at the table. Within a few seconds my garnishes arrive, at light speed.

A bit on the stingy side, but with Ngo Gai(Saw leaf), one sprig of Basil, lime, bean sprouts, and some Jalapeno slices.

Within 2 minutes my Pho arrives.

Todays broth is merely a light brown, I’ve had it when the broth looked almost like Niu Rou Mein(Chinese Beef Noodle Soup) broth. The broth is usually on the very cloudy side, I’ve been told that a muddy broth is a no-no, but the broth at Pho Hoa has always been pretty good. Dark Pho broth does not necessitate a richer soup, as it’s charred green onions, onions, and ginger that will impart much of the color to the Pho broth. Todays broth was mildly beefy, a bit too salty, and without any real distinctive anise or clove flavor. That’s not to say the broth was bad, I usually find it satisfying, because the large amount of green onions and the basil impart alot of flavor to the broth.

The meat at Pho Hoa is usually pretty good, and today the rare beef and tripe were very good.

The tendon was a bit hard, and the brisket had nice flavor, but the fat was too tough. Still not bad, it’s hard enough to get decent rare beef.

One other item I notice about Pho Hoa, since everything is put together so quickly, is that the noodles are really hard when the Pho arrives, but gets soggy very quickly. I’m not quite sure if anyone who has eaten there has noticed this.

Still, I’m quite sure that I got out of there in under 30 minutes.

Sooooo, recently, in need of some amusement, and in my own typical weird fashion, I decided to make my lunch at Pho Hoa a sporting event of sorts. I call it the "how fast can you have lunch at Pho Hoa" event. My objective, to have lunch at Pho Hoa in under 30 minutes from the time I enter the restaurant, to the time I leave, without causing myself any gastric or other related distress…and of course without making a mess of Myself.

I set my stopwatch as I stepped to the door front, and was waved in. I walked to my table as if flames were licking at my butt(9 seconds). The menu was placed on the table, but instead of taking time to actually open my menu and order, I just blurted a number out. I don’t even remember what it was(10 seconds), and zip the Dude was gone. A minute later(actually 30 seconds) my water arrived, and 90 seconds later my hot tea. 3 minutes later I found out what I had ordered, Com Tam(broken rice) with Charbroiled Pork($5.20):

This is when I decided to slow down a bit, and try to enjoy my food. The portion size was quite good. The dish came with a bowl of very well flavored broth and Nuoc Mam Cham, the usual dipping sauce. On the good side, the Com Tam was steaming hot and sufficiently moist; too many times I’ve had hard and dry broken rice. The meat was also moist, and though very tender, it was still devoid of the tough inedible connective tissue we call "sugi" in Hawaii, named after nylon fishing line. I did find the meat to be rather bland, and though the Nuoc Mam did help, I still didn’t think it had a whole lot of flavor. I think I’ll stick with the Pho’.

As I stood and walked to counter to pay, the rather stoic Gentleman who I think is the Owner, looked at me and said; "aaah, you eat fast", and I felt like I had just won the Gold Medal at the Pho Hoa Games…….Total time 20 minutes, 35 seconds!

Seriously, the Pho at Pho Hoa will appeal to those who enjoy a darker, medium oil, balanced broth. The meat can be wildly inconsistent, but on this visit was good. The service is fast, but you may feel rushed. When in doubt, there’s always number 1……….

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant
6921 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily 7am – 8pm

Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge

September 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Poke

*** Mr Tiki like most fad restaurants has faded away….

Last year I actually won something, man was I thrilled, mainly because I never win anything. On one hand I was really excited, it was two $50 gift cards…on the other hand, it was for a Cohn Restaurant Group restaurant. Most of our experiences at Cohn Restaurants have been of the "all style, no substance" variety. So here it's almost a year later, and we're thinking we better use these soon. So the Missus chose Mr. Tiki in the Gaslamp.

One thing you've got to give to the Cohn Group is that they are masters at the art of marketing and creating theme restaurants. Mr Tiki is a restaurant with a pseudo-Polynesian, Tiki Culture theme, serving Asian Fusion style dishes. Items like Kona Coconut Crabcakes, Miso Salmon Dumplings, Korean Style Smoked Ribs, along with a "Poke" and Sushi Bar on the premises. Now I really enjoy Pacific Rim style cuisine when done well, but in most cases it's a train wreck of mismatched flavors waiting to happen.

The Missus and Her Girlfriends have been to Mr Tiki several times, and had always enjoyed the experience. So I was all for giving it a try, especially with a $50 card, and a $10 off coupon, and arriving during Happy Hour to boot! The first thing the Missus noticed was that the menu had changed since Her last visit, and Her favorite dish, a Miso Salmon served on a pseudo Yaki Onigiri was no longer on the menu.

So the Missus decided to drown Her sorrows in a glass of Coconut Kiss($4 Happy Hour – $8 regular):

A coconut-pineapple-rum concoction with a hidden kick. She did enjoy it while it lasted.

The next thing the Missus noticed was that all the Fish Fillet, Whole Shrimp, and other dishes were now conspicuously missing from the menu.

We started with the Island "Poke" Platter ($18):

According to the menu, all these dishes are made for sharing. The Poke Platter had Lime Ceviche on one side, Poke on the Other, and Taro Chips scattered around the plate.

The Lime Ceviche, was indeed Lime Ceviche, that's all you could taste. The Ceviche was lip puckering sour, very one dimensional, though the fish had a nice firm texture, it was not particularly enjoyable.

The Poke was okay, much too salty, and the marinade was wet and runny. The fish was of decent quality. Though the portion looked to be fairly decent, the fish was served in a banana leaf cone which was empty.

The Taro Chips were good though!

By this time the Missus ordered something called a "Volcano" ($7 Happy Hour):

Think of it as being a bowl of slushy Mai Tai, with a little(luckily) bowl of lit 151 proof Rum in the center. We were given two looong straws, though I wasn't drinking on this evening. The Missus stayed with the Mai Tai portion, and enjoyed it. She managed to drink about a third.

The Missus ordered the Mini Ahi Sliders($13):

I clicked this photo, and realized, that I couldn't see the Ahi, so the Missus opened up one of the sliders.

My first reaction was "ugh, grey food…". The Missus thought these were pretty good, even though cooked "well done", the fish "cakes"(I don't know what to call them) were very juicy and moist. I thought these were much too sweet, and a strange sour flavor(I believe it was lemongrass) really didn't help much. The Sesame Aioli was so mild, that you couldn't taste it at all. The fries were excellent, and we enjoyed those.

I ordered the Sesame Grilled Lamb Chops($15):

First off, the Lamb Chops were very soft and moist, though all the "wildness" was taken out of the chops. The flavor was very mild, I really couldn't taste any marinade. On the other hand the flavor of the Pineapple-Mint Chutney tasted so very strange…almost like eating pieces of oregano and onion flavored pineapple. The Sweet Potato Cake, is a Mashed Sweet Potato Crouqette with just a touch of spice, otherwise not much going on here. Still the Lamb Chops were soft and moist…too bad that taste wise, it could've been chicken.

Still I thought this meal was worth the price we paid…it came to about 3 bucks and change after the gift card and coupon, without tip! We did tip really well, since we received very good service; friendly, efficient, without being obtrusive. But would we have spent $60 for this? I really don't think so.

In the end, nice theme, nice drinks(per the Missus), very good service, the food needs some work.

Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge
801 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
Dinner Nightly from 530pm