mmm-yoso – Page 58

Hi! Dumplings

January 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

I know; you were probably expecting Bafang, right? I'm kinda waiting until all the grand opening craziness subsides a bit before visiting. So, I thought I'd go ahead and do a post on Hi Dumplings which took the place of the Mr. Spicy which Cathy posted on at the end of September last year.

Anyway, I had to take my car in for servicing in the area and getting out at just before eleven gave me the perfect chance to check the place out.

Hi Dumplings 01

The interior is rather spartan, I was greeted by the really friendly young lady working. She was there on all three of my visits and was so nice.

Hi Dumplings 02

I was handed a menu, which seemed to have everything from Xiao Long Bao to Niu Rou Mian, to La Zhi Ji and Orange Chicken, Chow Mien and Spring Rolls.

Hi Dumplings 03

I guess they're casting a wide net for customers since this isn't Convoy or Mira Mesa?

Anyway, I was in the mood for something with some spice, so I ordered the Kou Shui Ji (Mouthwatering Chicken – $8.99) a favorite dish of mine. What arrived took me by surprise.

Hi Dumplings 04

Can you figure out what's missing? There was a base concoction of kou shui ji; sesame paste, vinegar, peanuts, garlic…..but where the heck was the chili oil? I asked the young lady and she apologized and brought me out a little dish of the chili oil.

Hi Dumplings 05

Which wasn't enough and I asked for another. The chicken was really tough and the dish didn't make my "mouth water" in the least bit. This wasn't a very good version of the dish.

Of course, the sign says "Dumplings", right? And as I will usually do when trying out a jiaozi place I ordered the basic Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($11.99). You can order this steamed or boiled, or even pan fried ($1 upcharge). The young lady suggested getting them steamed and I complied.

Hi Dumplings 06 Hi Dumplings 06b These dumplings were fairly hefty in size. The wrapper of these steamed jiaozi was on the thicker side, chewy, and too brittle.

The filling was flavored well; though it was on the tougher end of things. Good light sesame oil-porkiness-salt and a bit of "juice" to boot. The black vinegar helped things along.

While this obviously seemed quite fresh I actually made wished that I'd ordered the basic boiled dumplings.

Hi Dumplings 07

There was only one other table with customers during my entire meal; though they were doing some good takeout business. The table was having the XLB and it really didn't look very good.

Before I left, the friendly young lady and I had a short chat. I suddenly realized that I didn't know where the Chef as from. I was told Dongbei….. I should have asked before I placed my order.

I was in the area a couple of weeks later and returned.

I was interested to see what the Signature Chicken Wings ($7.99) would be like. The ever friendly young lady told me that even though there was a chili pepper next to the dish on the menu; it wasn't very spicy. They had put it there after some young kids had the chicken and thought it too spicy for them.

Hi Dumplings 08

This was a bit strange for me; the skin was on the chewy side. It seems like these wings were skewered and grilled. The chicken was dry and tough. The seasoning was salty, but lacking in much else.

I was set on ordering some jiaozi boiled and decided on the Pork and Shrimp Dumplings ($12.99).

Hi Dumplings 09

I don't know if it's just me; but I've noticed that Dongbei style jiaozi tends to have thicker and chewier wrappers. So this pretty much fits the bill. The boiled versions were a bit more tender. Another thing I noticed were how large these dumplings were.

Just for a comparison to the chicken wings.

Hi Dumplings 10

Overall, I prefer the pork and cabbage filling to this. The filling was tough and chewy, the shrimp seemed undercooked and crunchy. The seasoning milder than the pork and cabbage version. So, I'd probably go with the pork and cabbage boiled.

And so, I figured that I'd had enough for a post. But then I found my self in the Grantville area again. It's been pretty cold by SoCal standards recently and a bowl of Niu Rou Mian sounded good. Plus, that young lady who works at Hi! Dumpling is always so nice and friendly, I thought I'd drop by and give the NRM a try.

Funny thing, the young lady remembered me. I got the Braised Beef Noodle Soup ($12.99).

Hi Dumplings 11 Hi Dumplings 12 My first thought when the bowl hit the table? What the heck is broccoli doing in this soup? The beef looked tough, but was adequately tender. The broth had a good amount of anise flavor and apparently even a more hefty amount of msg as I kept on chugging water after my meal. The soup was on the thinner side, needed more richness and beef flavor. The noodles were on the mushy side for my taste as well.

I don't think I'd have this again.

It's kind of sad overall since the gal working here is so nice; but the food just doesn't give me a reason to return. On the good side, it seems like dumplings of all kinds are really coming into their own in San Diego!

Hi Dumplings 13

Hi! Dumplings
6618 Mission Gorge Rd.
San Diego, CA 92120
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesdays

777 Noodle House Revisited

January 8, 2024 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

My (rather) recent revisit to Minh Ky was a good reminder that I hadn't been visiting all those places that were fairly regular stops for me over the years. Man, had it been over a year-and-a-half since my last visit? I guess these times have had an affect on me…….I don't go to far afield these days when perhaps I should. So, I decided to head on over to 777 Noodle House.

It was a weekend morning, but things were pretty quiet.

777 Rev 01

The staff working were the same from my first visits way back in 2010.

I simply ordered what had become my usual here over the years, the Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho.

777 Rev 02 777 Rev 03 I was interested to see if things had changed much. So, like before, the Hu Tieu was in the bottom of the dish, where the savory-mildly salty and sweet sauce resides. There have been times when the hu tieu was over cooked and mushy. But gladly, this was not one of those days has the noodles had some good al dente pull to them.

There was less ground pork than on previous visits and basically only one sliced fish ball, so it seems that the economics of the times are catching up. The shrimp was over cooked and tough. I've always enjoyed the blanched bean sprouts.

One of my favorite items is stewed pork hock in broth. There's something just primevally wonderful about gnawing on that bone. On this day however, the provided "broth" was thin, watery, tasting like MSG-water.

777 Rev 04

Sadly, the overall dish just seemed a mere shadow of its previous self. I'm hoping this was just a one time experience. It would be sad if this is the new "norm".

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

This visit had me wondering if you've been having disappointing visits to places that were once regular stops for you?

Sunday Stuffs – Eat Crispy Burger Coming to Convoy, Bann Korean Cuisine Closes, and News on China Max

January 7, 2024 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

A couple of things I've seen during my shopping trips to the Kearny Mesa Area.

Eat Crispy Burger Coming to Convoy:

While passing the building housing Starbucks and Yakyudori, I noticed some window signage in one of the units.

SS Eat Crispy 01

So, I took a quick turn into the parking lot.

SS Eat Crispy SS Eat Crispy

So, it seems that a location of Encinitas Eat Crispy Burger is coming to this location. I guess they want to give The Friendly some smashburger competition in the area?

4898 Convoy St. #104
San Diego, CA 92111

Bann Korean Cuisine Closes:

Recently, the Missus needed some cosmetics from the shop in H Mart. I really don't get over there too often, basically because of the parking situation, but we headed on over and scorede a parking spot. While the Missus was paying for Her "stuffs", I walked on over to the food court and noticed that Bann Korean Cuisine had closed.

SS Bann Closed

Bummer. Though I really didn't visit the place as much when they moved to the H Mart food court, I used to visit quite often when they were located on Miramar Road. Perhaps moving to this location was not a great move? It's seems that turnover here might be pretty high as Katzya closed up shop here recently as well.

7725 Balboa Ave. (In the H Mart Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

And finally, News on China Max:

In one of my posts last month, I mentioned dropping by the location of China Max's reconstruction. In the comments "FOY" Julie asked if I knew what was going on. Well, this past week Eater San Diego had an answer.

SS China Max

In case you hadn't read or heard; the original owners of China Max had decided to sell the restaurant. The new owners also own Taste of Hong Kong. Per the reporting from Helen I Hwang in the Eater post:

"Its food focus is still developing, but options include Szechuan cuisine, a noodle house, or dim sum and a Cantonese menu similar to China Max."

Not sure how I feel about that.

Can you believe that it's been almost four years since the fire at the restaurant?

4698 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111

Paris – Bercy Village, Kodawari Ramen Tsukiji Revisited, and Takumi Patisserie

January 6, 2024 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts, France, Japanese Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

It was a winter Sunday morning in Paris and after my morning croissants we had to decide what to do for the day. We had already spent nearly two weeks in Paris and the Missus was getting fidgety and really needed different stuff to do each day. So, I thought that Paris might be pretty crowded on this day, so why not head out to Bercy Village, formerly wine storehouses the area was converted into a "shopping village" in 2001. It was just a 15 minute metro ride from Chatelet to Cour Saint-Émilion. Plus, we'd never really visited the 12th Arrondissement.

It was an easy walk to the Village.

It was a nice paved, pedestrian street. Surprisingly quiet for a Saturday morning.

We'd arrived just before most of the shops opened, at about 945. And just strolled up and down the courtyard. The Missus explored some shops, but didn't find anything of interest. There were quite a few chains represented; Sephora, Five Guys, Nicholas, etc. I'm thinking this must be nice for locals, but it was not very interesting for us. Except for a few things.

There is a really nice park right across the street from the mall and we really enjoyed our walk there.

Then we decided to head on back. While on the metro, the Missus decided that She wanted the ramen from Kodawari Tsukiji again. The Pyramides stop was just one further from Chatelet.

The shop still had open seats in this most interesting seafood market themed ramen shop….

Not being too hungry, we got the Sea Bream Tatare.

Loved the shiso in this dish as it added a nice palate cleansing mintiness to the dish. The fish was tender; the rice a bit mushy, but the beany-sweet miso and shiso tones carried the dish.

Like on our previous visit; we got the Sea Bream Paitan Ramen.

And any doubts about the Missus having truly enjoying this on our previous visit was erased as She loved it just as before. Maybe She is ready to have niboshi ramen again on our next visit to Japan! The broth as a bit richer this time around, the noodles slippery with a nice chew. As you can see, that tamago was perfect and still warm….you know my pet peeve regarding cold eggs. The sea bream was tender and we finished the entire bowl…again.

Looks like the Missus has Her favorite ramen spot in Paris now!

Kodawari Ramen Tsukiji
12 Rue de Richelieu
75001 Paris, France

The Missus wanted something for Her "tea time" and I thought that perhaps getting some Japanese Cheesecake might fit the bill. It would also be interesting to see how that measured up in Paris. And since we were in the area of the city dubbed "Little Tokyo", I thought it might be fun. I had a place named Takumi Patisserie on my list which was close by on Rue des Pyramides, so we headed on over.

There's quite a selection here. The young man working was really friendly as well.

The Missus inquired about the cheesecakes and then decided upon Her "test". She asked about how "jiggly" the cheesecake was. Apparently, the young man was ready for this as he brought out a cheesecake and proceeded to show us how it jiggled like a true Japanese cheesecake. The Missus was sold. So we bought one. And when it became le goûter (tea time) the cheesecake was presented.

So, this was bit sweeter and more dense than what is preferred for Japanese Cheesecake. It wasn't bad. And…….when I tried to wiggle it around; it didn't do the "jiggle". Hmmmm. To this day, the Missus and I joke about seeing that jiggling demonstration at the shop. We think they have a "stunt cheesecake" on hand to show folks!

Takumi Patisserie
29 Rue des Pyramides
75001 Paris, France

Honolulu – Fort Ruger Market a Quarter Century Later

January 4, 2024 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Markets & Grocers, Oahu, Poke, Seafood, Travel

The Missus and I were looking at some of my old photo albums and flipped the page to my third grade class photo. I started cracking up and the Missus gave me a quizzical look. I then pointed something out to Her. All the boys were wearing long pants (no shorts were allowed in those days), Aloha Shirts (after all, it as class photo day), the girls Mumu's, but…….most of us were barefoot! I explained to the Missus that until the fifth grade, many of us actually did walk to school barefoot (though not uphill both ways). I mean this was the late 60's, early 70's, and things were different then. Plus, as I mentioned in my post on my "old neighborhood", Ali'iolani Elementary was just a block away from where we lived.

And this kinda brings me forward to this post. On our last trip back "home", the Missus asked me when I first remember having poke. We had just finished doing some stuffs at Ala Moana and I decided to show Her. Way back, when I was in the 5th or 6th grade, my Mom had an appointment in the Fort Ruger area. I was raised by a single parent and my Mom never ever drove, so we had to catch the Ruger bus and I waited while my Mom did her thing. After the appointment, we walked over to Ruger Market, and that's where I first remember having poke I really liked, over 50 years ago! I'd probably had it before; of course during the holidays there was sashimi and stuff, but I remembered the poke from Ruger Market clearly. Later, when I was older, my friends and I would drive on over after going to Cromwell's (I can't believe the cove is still around, though maybe not for long) and grab some poke, then go for a drive around Diamond Head Road and eat at the lookout or hele on over to Kapiolani Park or Paki Park and grind there.

So, we drove on over….and heck, I hadn't been to Ruger Market since before I left the islands; which would be over 25 years, but the place looks pretty much the same.

IMG_5734b

Though it's more of a seafood- Filipino/Hawaiian restaurant these days. When I was growing up, this was the neighborhood grocery for the area.

Different grades of Ahi is available, you can get poke made with pre-frozen Ahi (nah) or with fresh Ahi, what is called "Auction Fresh Ahi" on the sign.

You know what we got, right?

We'd already had some small stuffs to eat at Foodland Farms and this was a kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing, so we didn't go too crazy. We got one poke bowl, with brown rice, the chicharrons looked really good, so we got that, and also some boiled peanuts.

And then we headed off…..just like those hanabuddah days, I drove around Diamond Head Road to the lookout.

You can find the Amelia Earhart Plaque here as well.

As well as the "best seat in the house"….at least on this day.

And the local "security detail".

We headed on down and found parking and a table at Kapiolani Park and proceeded to dig in.

I was surprised to find that the kimchi was decent; not overly fermented, but still quite refreshing. The brown rice added a nice nuttiness to the bowl. The quality of the fish was good; tender and buttery in texture without connective tissue. We preferred the restrained, classic, soy-saltiness, with a hint of oceany sweetness of the Local Style Ahi. The Spicy Shoyu wasn't very spicy and was a bit on the salty side. Still, the quality and prep was way above anything here in San Diego.

The Chicharron was as good as it looked.

Crisp, with a slight crunch; porky and savory, which just enough salt. Talk about a guilty pleasure.

As for the boiled peanuts, well, the Missus was saving them for later. Though this little fella tried to make a move on the legume.

The Missus loves Her boiled peanuts, so he didn't stand a chance!

It was good to know that Ruger Market still makes decent poke.

The older I get, the more I treasure and appreciate those times and the chances I get to reflect on them. And it was wonderful to share a bowl of memories with the Missus.

Fort Ruger Market
3585 Alohea Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816

And I also want to thank you for sharing in those memories with me! Thanks for stopping by!

Revisits to Noble Chef

January 3, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

It seems that even though we'll eat Chinese food on our trips, one of the first thing the Missus wants when we return is…..drum roll please, Chinese. Upon returning from our last two trips, the Missus had been wanting to eat at the Noble Chef. It had been over a year since we'd last dined in, so we headed on over.

It was a Saturday just past 530pm on a when we arrived….and holy smokes, the place was humming.

Noble Chef Rev 01

We were lucky to get one of the two tables still available.

Having had the food from Noble Chef so many times, it was a regular stop for us during the pandemic and the Missus has some dishes that She enjoys. So, the basic ordering was easy and we decided to try one dish that we hadn't ordered before.

Of course we started with the Roast Duck, which was a take out favorite of ours, but we hadn't enjoyed as much during our last dine in visit.

Noble Chef Rev 02

Well, this was much more meaty than we recalled and the skin a bit more chewy. In terms of seasoning it was good. The leftovers did much better as we got more sauce and I heated it in the air fryer.

The Salt and Pepper Pork Chops here are a favorite of mine.

Noble Chef Rev 03

These were crisp, though a bit thicker than we prefer. Nicely seasoned, good salt, mild spice.

A favorite of the Missus is the Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant.

Noble Chef Rev 04

Nice funkiness, good sodium control, but the eggplant was on the stringy side and undercooked for our taste.

For some reason, the Missus ordered the Hunan Seafood. As I figured, this really wasn't "Hunan".

Noble Chef Rev 05

The seafood was nicely stir fried; the shrimp was especially tender and buttery. The dish was quite bland and had barely any spice and the vermicelli noodles were mushy.

Another favorite of mine is the Soy Sauce Chow Mien. Man, this was a huge portion.

Noble Chef Rev 06

This was unevenly stir fried and not all the noodles were coated well. Some of the noodles were undercooked and hard.

The Missus enjoyed the dessert as always.

Noble Chef Rev 07

Well, not a particularly stellar meal. Still, we decided to give Noble Chef another shot when returning from our last trip.

This time the Missus went with the Salted Fish and Chicken with Tofu.

Noble Chef Rev 08

This was quite good, the funky flavors of salted fish came thru clearly; the tofu was soft and velvety, the dish was quite savory, though not overly salty. I think this is what the Missus will be ordering from now on.

Of course we got the roast duck again.

Noble Chef Rev 09

This was on the bland side and the duck didn't have enough sauce. That was quickly remedied by request. The skin was on the tougher side as well. Looks like we'll have to look for other options for roast duck!

We also got the Seafood XO Sauce Fried Rice. When the dish arrived, we quickly took a look, and the question was raised; "where was the XO sauce"?

Noble Chef Rev 10

There was a good quantity of shrimp in this; though the rice wasn't evenly coated, nor was there a detectable hint of the pungent, fragrant, umami-forward XO Sauce in this dish. Pass on this….

I decided to get the Black Pepper Pork Intestine.

Noble Chef Rev 11

I really enjoyed the pungent-offaly-salty flavor and the toothsome texture of the intestine. The Missus thought this to be too sweet, but I enjoyed it.

The Salt and Pepper Pork Chops were even better this time around.

Noble Chef Rev 12

Thinner, crisper, more evenly seasoned. This is how I remembered the pork chops being in the good 'ole days.

So, what's the takeaway? Well, I guess YMMV here; though the prices were decent for this day and age; the pork chops and duck does well in our air fryer as leftovers. The service was very nice on both visits. So, I guess we will be back; unless we can find something better in the area? Let me know if you have any recommendations!

Noble Chef Rev 99

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Happy New Year!

December 31, 2023 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

After forgoing the usual thing last year, this year, well it was back to heading out to get Osechi for New Year's day, much like I'd done for most years since way back when. Even excluding the "Covid years", I had noticed quite a decline in offerings over the years. So, this year, I had noticed the adjusted 8am opening time for Nijiya and got there right at 8. There was no queue of folks and I was pleasantly surprised at what seemed like more of a selection.

I quickly got a couple of things and then headed on out.

Surprisingly, Marukai had almost nothing! Regardless, we're ready for tomorrow!

And so, we're closing the books on yet another year here at mmm-yoso! I'd like to propose a toast!

IMG_4369a

Ooops….sorry for the "dad joke"!

I'd like to raise my glass and propose a toast:

"To all of you, who read our little blog. Here's wishing you all a wonderful 2024"!

Cheers – Happy New Year!

Taipei – Din Tai Fung, the Original Location (Xinyi Road)

December 27, 2023 mmm-yoso Chains, Chinese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel, Xiao Long Bao

We were a bit sad to be leaving Chiayi. We'd had such a fun time, wonderful people….and that turkey rice! But it was time to move on. We made good time on our return to Taipei. I picked interesting accommodation in Taipei. Since we had upcoming travel and staying in the vicinity of Taipei Main Station would be beneficial; I elected to stay at Sky 19 Hotel as it was right along an exit of Taipei Main Station….we really never figured the Main Station out, but the locale was great. The "hotel" was actually located on a single floor (the 19th of course) of a high rise. It was actually a great location for us. We were staying in Taipei for 1 night before heading to our next destination, then returning two nights later.

So, here we were back in Taipei when the question arose, "what's for dinner"? Actually, we had kinda planned things out. We had always wanted to dine at the original location of Din Tai Fung and this was our opportunity. So, we walked to Xinyi, and got to the original DTF on Xinyi Road.

And of course, this being Taiwan, there was a line. Which in this case is a good thing!

We checked in and provided our cell phone number; we'd be called when there was a table available and went for a walk.

After a bit we returned and even though we hadn't been called, when the Missus asked, we were told that there was a table available.

Img DTF xinyi

As with all the locations of DTF I've been to; you can watch dumplings being made.

This shop has multiple floors and we were seated on the third floor.

The service was very efficient and professional, without being "stuffy". You are provided with a order sheet which you fill out and hand to the Server.

There is actually an "instruction card" on each table with directions, in 3 languages no less, on how to devour your XLB.

In the blink of an eye, a little dish of soy sauce-vinegar and ginger is provided. The Missus also requested some black vinegar which was provided as well.

Soon enough our dishes started arriving. We had really been enjoying the veggies in Taiwan; it's usually perfectly blanched and simply flavored. I've always loved Warabi/Pohole back home in Hawaii, so when I saw stir fried Bird's Nest Fern on the menu, I just had to have some.

For me, when it comes to fern shoots and such, it's mostly about the texture and these did not disappoint. So tender; a mild sweetness, lightly seasoned with soy and a bit of garlic. Man, this was so good. From this point on, I'd make sure to order this if I saw it on a menu.

Speaking of having to order something……well, like the Missus said regarding my fondness of a certain cut of swine in Taiwan, "you didn't meet a pork chop you didn't like." And the version here was no different.

Nicely seasoned; just enough soy-five spice-white pepper, with a mild sweetness. A slight crispness, nice pork flavors. Yes, the streak continued.

And then our first XLB arrived, the version with Green Squash and Shrimp.

First thing I noticed was how delicate the wrappers were; quite light. The filling had a mild "crunch" to it courtesy of the shrimp, along with a slight briney-sweetness from said crustacean. Just on its own, it tasted a bit lacking in the sodium department; but that's what the soy-vinegar-ginger condiment was for.

The wrappers for the Spicy Pork and Vegetable won tons were equally as delicate and light.

They've really got a handle on creating a pork filling here; it's very tender, just perfect amount of flavoring to add a touch of savory and sweetness, which highlights the oinkiness of the filling. That spicy sauce was a bit too mild for us…probably because we're used to Sichuan ma-la. Still, this was quite good.

Then the pièce de résistance arrived; the Pork Xiao Long Bao and I've got to say, in my opinion, the "DTF reputation" is totally earned.

I thought the wrapper looked a bit thick; but it was soft and delicate. The filling had a wonderful pork flavor and was quite tender. The dumplings were very "juicy", the soup wonderfully flavored. These were easily the equal of the amazing Guan Tang Baozi in terms of wrapper and seasoning, but possibly a step above in refinement. It's certainly the best XLB I've had to date.

Last up was the Crab Roe and Pork XLB.

Same wonderful wrapper, tender filling, perhaps a bit on the sweeter side, and less "juicy".

In the end, the food was wonderful, though we'd definitely go with the "OG" pork XLB all the way. The Service was efficient, and we had a memorable meal. I'm sure we'll be hitting up DTF whenever we're in Taipei in the future.

Din Tai Fung Xinyi Restaurant
No. 194號 Xinyi Rd.
Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

After dinner we wandered around the area a bit; then took a nice leisurely walk back to the hotel. We'd be heading to Hualien the next day; but not before exploring a bit more.

Thanks for stopping by!

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara (Chula Vista) Revisited

December 26, 2023 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

Recently, the Missus had an appointment in Chula Vista which finished fairly early at 930am. Since we don't get to this area very much these days, we decided to get something to eat. Of course, De Cabeza/El Único came to mind, but the Missus was craving some Menudo. In the days "BC" (before Covid) when we were in this area much more often; the obvious choice would have been Talavera Azul. But, on our last visit, the offerings just didn't seem to be as good as on previous visits. So, I suggested we check out Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara on Broadway. It had been over six years since my previous visits, which had been done solo. So, we headed on over and easily found parking in the small lot.

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara Rev 01

The woman who seemed to be running the front of house was so very warm and welcoming. When placing our order I asked if the same ownership group was opening the location in City Heights I'd seen a couple of months earlier and was given an affirmative on that!

Of course, the Missus got the Menudo Rojo. And just like on my previous visits we could make out the definite "offaly" fragrance as the bowl made its way to our table.

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara Rev 02 The Missus loved the rich "thickness" of the broth. Which, She brought up to Her preference in flavor with the provided lime, cilantro, onions, and the fairly picante salsas. The richness of the broth had accents of boviney-offal tones. There were various type of tripe provided; really buttery honeycomb tripe, firm book tripe, and blanket tripe.

The tortillas were much thicker than I recalled, but the maize flavor came thru. I will say this; the tortillas had no problem keeping form after dunking.

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara Rev 06

And for me….well, it just had to be Birria de Chivo. As with the menudo we could make out the fragrance of the bowl before it hit the table. I do prefer the more traditional birria de chivo to the quite fad-driven de res.

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara Rev 03

The broth did have a decent gamey flavor, but could have used a bit more richness. I added a good amount of cilantro and onion. The meat provided was on the stringy and chewy side. In fact, the Missus didn't care for this much. I gotta get back out there to find a good bowl of birria de chivo. I'm sure that "FOY" Ivan might have some suggestions.

The Missus did enjoy the menudo and the service was wonderful, so I think we'll need to check out the City Heights location. We might wait until all the crazy road work happening on University is complete though.

Birrieria Y Menuderia Guadalajara
396 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Current Hours:
Daily 8am – 4pm

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2023 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

It's hard to believe that it's our 19th Christmas here at mmm-yoso!

I just took a look at that post from 2005! My goodness!

Anyway, as always, we hope everyone is having a fabulous holiday season!

Merry Christmas!