Category: Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion

Hiyashi Chuka and Karaage from The Bowl Ramen & Izakaya (OB)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

After my last post on having the Hiyashi Chuka from Santouka, “FOY” Matt sent me an email. Apparently, his friends live in OB and really enjoy the ramen and “stuffs” from a place named “The Bowl”. He was curious to see if I’d been there…or even the places parent restaurant named “the Joint”? Talk about the perfect name for a place in OB, right? I’ve never been to either place; the Joint claims to serve “sushi and tapas”? They must be quite popular since they’ve been around since 2011……. And since it was a bajillion degrees out and the Bowl seemed to serve Hiyashi Chuka…I thought why not? So, I headed over for a Sunday lunch. Now, this being OB and with the Bowl located right on Newport….add in that the place doesn’t open until noon, well, I thought parking might be an issue. But surprisingly, I found two hour parking right across the street form the place.

And the crosswalk led right up to the place.

Walking in, the nice young lady greeted me and told me to grab a seat wherever I wanted.

In keeping with the location, the place gave off a pseudo Japanese – beachy vibe. In fact, it would probably fit in well “back home“. The place seemed more of a bar than restaurant….but heck, it claimed to be an izakaya, right?

And yes, there’s ramen on the menu…but also Smashburgers, Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches, Kale Caesar Salads…..along with a load of “rolls”. Yikes! I started having some doubts here.

Anyway, I did order the Hiyashi Chuka ($14.95) along with a “small” Karaage ($7.95), from the very friendly young lady.

First up, the Chicken Karaage, which I got with the spicy aioli….sort of like the Spicy Kewpie mayo or a Sriracha mayo.

Not as crisp as I prefer, but dark meat chicken was appropriately used. Decent toothsomeness, good soy flavor. This would have been ok, except for one thing. Take a good look at this piece. See all of those little “grains” on the karaage?

Yep, that’s salt….oh man…and combined with the rather salty spicy aioli? Sheesh. Now, if I was having a couple of “biru”….this might have been ok….but in this framework it was a major sodium bomb.

And then the Hiyashi Chuka.

I actually enjoyed the texture of avocado in this…along with the sneaky jalapenos, both of which are not traditional ingredients. I’m guessing the chilies kind of replaced the benishoga? A good portion of “krab”. I did miss the tamago in this version. The tare was salty and sour. Perhaps some yellow mustard would have balanced things a bit? The cilantro was also a good addition.

As for the noodles? Well, as much as I enjoy my noodles katame – firm, these were more katai – hard. Really kind of difficult to eat. It’s like they just took it out of the bag and dumped it in the bowl.

Well, this was an interesting experience. Definitely westernized, a bit heavy handed in the sodium department, perhaps the regular ramen might be better? It looks like a nice place to grab some cocktails or a beer….perhaps a Smashburger? The woman working was very friendly….I’m thinking it’s a nice neighborhood place…just not for my “neighborhood”.

The Bowl Ramen & Izakaya
4953 Newport Ave.
San Diego, CA 92107
Current Hours:
Monday 420pm – 830pm
Tuesday 12pm – 830pm
Wed – Sat 12pm – 930pm
Sunday 12pm – 830pm

Thanks for letting me know about this place Matt! After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained…...

Cake de Partie

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Thai Restaurants

“FOY” Franklin emailed me asking what I thought of the wings at Cake de Partie. To be perfectly honest, I’ve taken the Missus there so She could have some of the desserts, but unlike Cathy, who did a post on the place back in 2021, I’d never tried any of the savory food there. So recently, I decided to head on over and get some lunch.

I do think the parking situation there has changed? There’s a free 25 minute parking for some of the other businesses in the buildings, but otherwise it’s pay parking. I ended up parking on Brinell Street and walking over. Even though it was right after opening the place filled up quickly.

Sidling up to the counter, I looked over the posted menu.

Even though the Zapp wings interested me; I decided to just try the Original Chicken Wings ($10). And since man, or at least this man can’t live on wings alone, I decided on the BBQ Pork Bowl ($13), which Cathy seemed to like on her visit.

I then took my number and had a seat on one of the smaller tables…..the place was getting busy, so I didn’t want to take up more space than I needed.

First to arrive was the BBQ Pork Bowl. The portion size was much larger than what Cathy had when she visited.

The rice was moist and tender. My favorite item was actually the salad, which had a slightly sweet, but not overly sugary strawberry vinaigrette. It was quite refreshing.

The pork was interesting as I was wondering if it was going to be like Moo Ping? This was basically marinated and stir fried slices of pork, which came with a dipping sauce like Jim Jaew, but was more on the salty side.

On the order board, it is said that it’s “Honey BBQ Pork”…which was really interesting since this was super salty and really could have used some sweetness and pungency to cut all that sodium. It really seemed like a very homestyle marinated sliced pork.

The pork was on the chewier side of the scale and some caramelization might have created a more interesting texture and developed the flavors a bit more. Still, for thirteen bucks these days….well, I don’t think I should have expected anything more.

When my wings arrived, I had to crack up. Can you figure out why?

Well, look at all those pin feathers! Basically, these chickens were having some new feathers come out. Not very picturesque and they are totally edible, but of course it does sometimes look “interesting”. Well, at least I wouldn’t have to floss my teeth after eating these, right? The batter on these was just a light dusting, which I kind of prefer as when done well, it’s really nice and crisp. Though it didn’t hold up real well and started getting soggy rather quickly.

Not a fan of the sweet chili sauce as it was way too sweet and sticky.

As mentioned earlier, the wings were initially crisp, with a very simple seasoning; which like the pork edged on the very salty side.

Lots of dark spotting, these had probably been frozen for a while. No off flavors, adequately moist and tender. Like the pork, just a very simple prep and straight forward flavor.

Overall, pretty much straight forward, almost fast-casual meal. There’s much better wings to be found within a mile of Cake de Partie. Prices are not bad and perhaps one day I might return to try the Zapp Wings….maybe….

Cake De Partie
4685 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sunday, Wed, Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Closed on Monday and Tuesday

So, there you go Franklin! Thanks for getting me out of my usual doldrums and having me try some new things!

Soup du Jour and Joyee Noodle House (UTC) Revisited – A Popcorn Chicken Compare (and other stuffs)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chinese Restaurants, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

Ever since they opened in Renaissance Towne Center back in April, Joyee’s has been a fairly regular take out stop for us. I’d place an order online and sometimes take JJ on over to pick up our food. It’s always the same two dishes…the Smoked Duck and Popcorn Chicken. I then have to actually use the air fryer to heat up the popcorn chicken to make it palatable. But the Missus insists it’s Her favorite…though I honestly think it’s because of the price, $11.99 and portion size. I mean, I have to actually cook it to make it edible for the Missus?

Personally, I thought the popcorn chicken…it’s called Spiced Street Chicken on the menu at Soup du Jour is actually better overall.

So recently, I decided to try them both over the course of a couple of days……..

Soup du Jour:

I know, interesting name for a place that makes a bunch of Chinese/Taiwanese Dishes in an apartment complex. I really hadn’t been back since I did my mega post back in January.

Even though the patio is dog friendly…it was just too hot to take JJ…so I just went and did a take out order.

Along with an appetizer of Spiced Street Chicken ($15.50 – you can also get it as a plate), I got the Honey Glazed Spareribs ($17.50) which the Missus enjoys.

Here’s what the chicken looks like.

It’s quite crunchy, has a nice white pepper – salt – basil flavor, good aromatics. Mild five-spice. Nice and fragrant.

Moist meat.

The Missus’s main gripe is that it doesn’t refry well in the air fryer.

The Missus enjoys the kind of Asian Fusiony Honey Glazed Spare Ribs.

No, these aren’t smoked pork ribs. It is supposedly braised overnight and has a nice balanced umami-sweet-savory flavor. I know it doesn’t look very pretty or tender…..but looks are deceiving.

It’s quite moist and tender and comes right of the bone. The Missus actually likes the leftovers along with the roasted veggies….which I still kind of find weird, over rice the next day.

The portion size is quite generous for the price….for these days.

Soup du Jour
8583 Aero Dr.
San Diego, CA 92123

And then a few days later…..

Joyee Noodle House(UTC):

It’s really easy online ordering, then pick-up. The same ‘ol, same ‘ol.

The Popcorn Chicken ($11.99) and the Smoked Duck ($19.99).

Let me tell you….that Popcorn Chicken just doesn’t look very good.

I had the Missus try a piece before doing the air fryer thing and She took a bite and made a face and put it back in the box!

The Missus says the smoked duck tastes like how they make it in Shandong….very savory.

They’ve been getting kinda sloppy recently and seem to just throw stuff into the container…..pieces stuck together, skin fallen off….. Still the Missus enjoys the flavor.

Here’s what things look like after the air fryer and air roast.

The Popcorn Chicken is still fairly moist, but becomes crisp.

The texture is more like what we like in Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken…..I believe they are using potato starch for the batter. It’s a bit milder in flavor, but nice and crisp-crunchy.

I put the skin back on the pieces of duck and air roast.

And this suddenly looks much better too, right?

Still, I don’t think I should go and to takeout, then have to cook the food again to make it to our standards, right? What do you think?

Joyee Noodle House(UTC)
8935 Towne Centre Drive
San Diego, CA 92122

And, I’m open to any Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken recommendations…though let’s not do Bopomofo ok?

Cherry Blossom Burmese Cafe & Sushi (Carlsbad)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Burmese Food and Restaurants, Chicken Wings

You know, I’ve been craving some interesting things during this heatwave, starting with that Chicken Tawook and Garlic Paste from Alforon. Anyway, I woke one morning craving Laphet Thoke….yep, Burmese Tea Leaf Salad. So Burma Place immediately came to mind….but to be honest, I was somewhat underwhelmed at the Tea Leaf Salad there during my visits. I’d gladly revisit again; but wanted to try a new place. An acquaintance of mine had recommended a place named Cherry Blossom, but it was all the way up in Carlsbad. He did mention Cherrywine in La Jolla not being as good and told me they actually had different owners even though the name sounded similar. On this morning, I didn’t care if it was an almost 60 mile round trip to Carlsbad Airport Road….I needed my Tea Leaf Salad fix! And traffic wasn’t bad at all. The restaurant is located in a strip mall that features a bunch of chains; Five Guys, Jersey Mike’s, Noodles and Company……..

It’s a very fast-casual looking place…….

The gentleman working was really friendly…..though the menu gave me pause.

An entire page of sushi rolls and a bunch of poke bowls!!! Lumpia? Gyoza??? I casually asked the gentleman if he was from Hawaii; just to kinda see….but he laughed and assured me he’s Burmese. He used the term “Bamar”? So, ok I ordered the “Iconic” Tea Leaf Salad ($15.99).

I cracked up seeing “Wangs” on the menu! I did consulting work in Georgia and other areas in the Southeast in the late 90’s! I hadn’t heard that term in ages!

Since the salad seemed to be priced reasonably and one could order wings by “the twos”….even though they were priced at two bucks each, I decided to get 2 spicy garlic “wangs”.

Soon enough my salad arrived.

At first, I didn’t really get that pungent aroma of fermented tea leaves, but as I dug around I found quite a few clumps of it. Emphasis on “clumps”, as I put in a good almost ten minute effort to break things up and try to get a good “mix” in.

There was an adequate amount of laphet in this, to add that earthy, pungent-atringent bitterness, I enjoy, with a dose of sour. This salad did skew toward sour; though I enjoyed it much more than what I’d had at Dutchess in Ojai and even Irrawaddy in Stanton. The salad also had a sneaky spiciness that I kind of enjoyed as well.

The shredded cabbage added a refreshing crunch; I wish the tomatoes were a bit more ripe as some sweet-acidity would have been great. The nuts are a must. There were a couple of small slices of green beans….a bit more would have great as well.

Still, this was pretty good.

The wings took a while, but when it arrived I was given an extra wing for the wait! Very nice! I liked the size of the wings…many places tend to serve gigantic wings these days. I prefer a good skin to meat ratio.

These were simply fried….I prefer my wings to be more crisp. But man, that chili oil – chili crisp was potent…..combined with an underlying sourness…well, this is Burmese, it got me sweating real good! I really couldn’t make out much garlic flavor…because of that spice.

The meat was tender and moist. Man, if this had a more crisp skin instead of the rubberiness, I’d want to have it again!

While I was eating, several tables were filled…all of them getting sushi rolls! I guess the place fills a niche in the area? I did think the tea leaf salad was decent….though I’m not quite sure it was worth the 60 mile round trip. The gentleman working was so nice, gracious (hey, I got an extra wing!), and friendly. I’m glad the place seems to be doing well as it’s the only mom-and-pop restaurant among all the chains in this strip mall. I’m thinking I need to revisit Burma Place when my laphet cravings rise again.

Cherry Blossom Burmese Cafe & Sushi
2521 Palomar Airport Rd.
Carlsbad, CA 92011
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 3pm, 4pm – 8pm
Closed on Sunday

Saturday Stuffs – The Signs for Marugame Udon, Pepper Lunch, and Chagee Tea are up. And the Missus’s Favorite Tea from the LV Farmers Market

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Desserts, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Japanese Restaurants

Funny thing, on the days I shop at Zion Market, I’m usually quite focused….I just want to get in and then out of that crazy parking lot, dodge those aggressive shoppers, and perhaps even dodge flying fruits and vegetables. Frankly, I don’t shop at Zion too often these days.

And you know; I hadn’t even noticed that signs had gone up for businesses coming to the area. But on a recent weekend; I arrived before the opening time and without all the construction equipment and vehicles in the area I noticed the signs for several new businesses.

It was actually the sign for Marugame I noticed first.

Man, can you imagine folks lining up here like they do at UTC? Also, I cracked up seeing the “Coming Soon Spring 2026” sign! I guess I missed the Grand Opening? Maybe they should change that?

I believe the address is:

8316 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

And right in the back courtyard are these two signs.

Chagee Teahouse and Pepper Lunch, two more chains.

8322 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

It’s going to be interesting, since the parking situation here is already pretty bad. Plus, while the old Zion Market location seemed to have a few local mom-and-pop eateries in the food court along with chains like Cocohodo. It seems that based on the size and location of the businesses it’s all major chains. I’m hoping that the proposed Rooftop Foodhall for Zion will come to fruition.

The Missus’s favorite tea from Chafolio at the Linda Vista Farmers Market. So, before things got too hot around here, I decided to take JJ to the Linda Vista Farmers Market, which I hadn’t been to in a while. This young lady at the Chafolio stand was so sweet and nice.

That I went and bought a bag of Jasmine Green Tea…even though it was $30!

When the Missus got home, I showed Her the tea and She freaked out that it was so expensive.

But you know what? She made herself a cup and really enjoyed it!

So recently, after that bag of Jasmine ran out….guess where we went to?

The Missus enjoys the teas; even though it does cost thirty bucks a bag. Based on what I read on Chafolio website is that most of the tea comes from Fujian Province.

Chafolio is at a bunch of Farmer’s Markets in San Diego. More info here.

6939 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Thursdays 2pm – 7pm

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Little Kiki Katsu & More (Carlsbad)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants

I heard about a Katsu place opening up in Carlsbad named Little Kiki. Now, of course the name of the place had my good friend “CC” cracking up….because, you know what that means in Filipino (Tagalog) slang, right? Then I noticed a bit of buzz being created on IG….so, well…..I decided to check out the “Little Kiki”…….

The shop is located right on Madison Street off of Carlsbad Village Drive. There’s an actual parking lot right next door. So, I parked and walked on over. It was right at the 1130 opening time on a Saturday and there were already some customers being seated. I was met by a very nice woman and I told her since I was by myself, I’d gladly sit at the bar.

It’s one of those high counter bars, so you really can’t see what’s happening on the other side. I also noticed that there’s a door to Blue Ocean Robata & Sushi Bar next door which was open, so I figured it was the same owner. I came to find out a bit later that the couple that owns Little Kiki also owns Harumama and Love Boat Sushi, which based on my meal makes sense. More on that later.

The woman quickly brought me water and a menu. I noticed the two pour containers which held sauces I assumed were for the katsu.

Well, it seemed like prices were in line with my favorite Tonkatsu shop in town, and other than the lunch set, everything would be a la carte….i.e. you’d pay $3.50 for rice! That lunch set seemed a bit pricey at $33, I think even more than EE Nami these days, but it also had sashimi. But at least the tonkatsu is Berkshire Pork Loin, that is supposedly dry aged. Which is what I ordered.

Soon, the woman return with a Gomasuri-Ky (sesame seed grinder) with some sesame seeds she had ground up while walking back to my seat. Interesting touch……she was very nice and surprised when I actually knew the name of it! I think she was surprised that I was Japanese?

After a short wait my lunch set arrived.

A nice looking set!

I started with the miso soup, which was very good. This had some nice assertive flavors and was definitely not watered down. While a bit on the saltier side, I really enjoyed it.

Just looking at the color, I’m thinking Awase Miso, which is a mixture of Shiro and Aka miso was used? Anyway, it was probably the item I enjoyed the most.

The “Chef’s choice” of sashimi were three thick but small slices of typical salmon. Definitely not among my favorite item with regards to sashimi. I would prefer that the “chef” make some better choices?

There was a large portion of decently shredded cabbage and very hipster looking pickled veggies.

The rice wasn’t fragrant and was on the dry and hard side. It was a decent sized portion.

Ok…ok, I know, you’re here wanting me to “get to the point”, right? What about the tonkatsu.

First off, I didn’t care for the panko used as it was on the softer side…which I think is ok for chicken, but I prefer my panko used for tonkatsu to be flaky and crisp. I guess I enjoy that “crunch”?

I know I’m kinda doing this a bit too much these days…..but please view the evidence submitted below which is how I like my tonkatsu breaded.

I went and sampled the two sauces at the table.

The “spicy” version on the left just didn’t have enough of savoriness and at least for me, seemed to taste a bit like Sambal? So, I stuck with the basic tonkatsu sauce provided.

I drizzled the sauce and sprinkled the ground sesame seeds…which, by the way added a hint of nuttiness to the dish. The loin itself was interesting. The edge pieces were nice and fairly moist, though the meat got drier and chewier as you got closer to the middle. The middle slices were a bit too cold for my taste, but it could be because of the amount of time the pork was rested.

Several of the slices had the panko separating from the meat, though it wasn’t overly prevalent.

There was some decent porkiness to this. It was a pretty good tonkatsu, but definitely not in the same league as EE Nami. It would probably be really good in a properly made Katsu Sando.

I did enjoy those pickled veggies; especially the cauliflower, which was pleasantly salty, yet, still crunchy.

I thought the service was very good, though I think I even prefer the Tonkatsu at Sakura more….though perhaps Musashiya sits a bit below this? I believe that this skews to more of a fusion (it makes sense that the owners own Harumama and Love Boat Sushi), than traditional Japanese, with some performative touches. While the price point is a bit high, I would occasionally drop by if the place was in my neighborhood, but if it were on Convoy, I’d stick with EE Nami. As this was a 60 mile round trip drive.

As I was leaving I took around the dining room which was packed and quickly noticed something. I was the only Asian dining in the restaurant at that moment……

Little Kiki Katsu & More
2958 Madison St. #101
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Monday 5pm – 930pm
Wed, Thurs, Sun 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 930pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Closed on Tuesday

And “CC”…now that I’ve had “Little Kiki”, is it time to get some Boto…ahem, as in sushi?

Arbor Sushi & Grill Express in the 99 Ranch Food Court (Balboa)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants

So….there I was finishing up my Saturday shopping at 99 Ranch Market on Balboa and feeling a bit peckish. I walked past the food court and noticed that Arbor Sushi & Grill, which had replaced Potato Powder Love Noodle had opened….it was a shade past 10am and the shop was open for business. Hmmmm……now, I did hesitate for a minute. This was random and unplanned….I had no clue what the menu looked like. But hot off my recent, fun visit to George’s Cafe, I thought why the heck not?

Now, let’s be clear on something right away……this isn’t Japan, Taiwan, or even say….. HNL. I wouldn’t be having sushi in a market food court. There were some…what looked like aburi style sushi under the heat lamps on the counter and a menu of Westernized Rolls. Not my kind of thing. I heard the woman at the front counter speaking Mandarin to someone in the kitchen. There was however this sign that actually caught my attention.

Well ok. A teriyaki chicken bento, which comes with shrimp tempura priced at $11.99 as a grand opening special. Heck, that’s cheaper than Yoshinoya these days, right? Got nothing to lose, so I decided to go ahead and try it out.

The woman manning the counter was really nice and very mellow. I placed my order and was given one of those buzzer thingies and had a seat. When my order was ready, she actually came and dropped off my bowl at the table herself!

The bowl was quite hefty.

You can have white rice, fried rice, or chow mein with your bento bowl. I chose white rice, which was Jasmine and decently cooked.

It had what looked like two slices of Caterpillar Roll. It was as expected, “krab” and mayo, wrapped with perfectly fresh avocado.

The rice, which was not jasmine, was on the harder side and the shari was vinegar forward. Not my thing, but perfectly fine.

Not a fan of the “shrimp tempura”. Batter not crisp and lacquered.

Overcooked and rubbery shrimp.

The Tentsuyu was almost flavorless.

The Gyoza….was well….

The wrapper was so thick and chewy, the filling salty and very one dimensional.

I would not be surprised if this came from the frozen isle.

And finally, the teriyaki. Well, it was dark meat which is a plus…….chopped chicken thighs, pre-cooked, reheated, then “glazed” with a pretty weak sauce. Not terrible, but on the blander side. I actually enjoyed the mushrooms that accompanied the dish as the earthiness really provided a nice savoriness to the dish.

Overall, fine for pseudo Japanese fast-food….though I wouldn’t be getting sushi from here. The portion size was generous. And at $11.99….well, at least right now, it’s worth the price. Not sure I’d be paying more than that though. Just don’t be expecting “Japanese” cuisine.

Arbor Sushi & Grill Express
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1030am – 8pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 8pm

Buldak Chicken from George’s Cafe (City Heights)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Diner, Korean Restaurants

Ever walk into a random eating establishment and get totally surprised? Well, it happened to me this past weekend. It was an odd hour and I had skipped breakfast. I was close to City Heights, so the “usual suspects” came to mind. However, this time, I was driving down 43rd Street when I saw a place I’d been meaning to dine at for years.

The place had been around for over 50 years! And was still in business despite all the new development going on around it. There’s limited hours, just 8 to 2…..and on this day there was ample parking close by so I decided to head on in. I quickly noticed that the owner was Asian and he smiled and pointed me to a table.

The Server was very friendly and handed me a menu….I was totally fixed on just getting the typical 2 eggs with protein and potatoes kind of thing, when I saw this.

What the heck? Along with the burgers, sandwiches, and typical American Breakfast items, there’s teriyaki, bulgogi, even orange chicken! I’m guessing the kitchen staff is Mexican, because you can even get fish tacos and chorizo with your eggs, not surprising to me. But Buldak Chicken seemed rather random. If you’re not sure what Buldak is; it’s a rather modern name for spicy Korean chicken (i.e. “Fire Chicken“). This place obviously didn’t seem like one of those concept “Asian fusion” type of places, or even a food court stand, and with all those typical diner dishes on the menu?

The Server, who one moment was speaking Spanish to a table of what seemed like regulars, came on over and was kind of shocked when I ordered the Buldak. Telling me “it might be too spicy for breakfast….are you ok eating spicy for breakfast?” I really appreciated her concern, but yes…I told her I wanted to try the buldak and to please don’t mind all my sweating! She laughed and placed my order.

There’s a tiny window in the corner where food comes out of the kitchen and I saw my plate appear. Which soon made its way to the table.

So, I loved the perfectly easy over egg….totally diner style, right?

The rice was decent; perhaps a bit on the mushy side….but coming from a place that specializes in hash browns….well….

I liked that the chicken was dark meat and it was indeed spicy. Usually, I’d expect cheese or tteokbokki , but c’mon, it’s a diner.

Like I mentioned, I liked the spice, the savory tones were decent, I’d like a hint of sweetness with this; it’s definitely not a place you’d find on Convoy, but all in all it was better than what I expected. Good portion size as well. The rice and simple “coleslaw” did the job of buffering the spiciness.

I also enjoyed the vibe, tables where folks were speaking Spanish, the table behind me were speaking Vietnamese. It took me back “home”…….back in Kaimuki in the “old days”…..where places like Aotani Fountain would serve “cone” sushi….with Green River….or on a special occasion we’d be heading to Kaimuki Inn or my Mom’s favorite Alakea Grill (by bus)….where you’d get a burger with oxtail soup or spaghetti with a side of kalbi or pork chops…..and butter rolls! We didn’t have much money, I was raised by a single Mom who never learned how to drive. So those places hold a special place in my heart.

And no, it’s not “that George’s“, but in this day where division, hate, and anger seems prevalent, it’s places like this that can bring a community together. I’d take that any day of the week!

George’s Cafe
4012 43rd St.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 8am – 2pm
Closed Sundays

Facing East – Lu Rou Fan, Reader Recs

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chinese Restaurants, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

In the comments of my post on trying out the Lu Rou Fan at Bei Yuan Tea & Boba, “FOY” Franklin mentioned enjoying the LRF at Facing East. Facing East? Well, that’s interesting since I’d really not enjoyed any of my meals at Facing East, seeing it as a gimmicky Asian fusion kind of place, with those multi-colored XLB, serving everything from Ramen and Karaage to BiBimBap to Kushiyaki……. Still, I felt I should give the place a try since it’s been over 7 years since my last visit! It would be interesting to see if things had changed.

Checking out the hours online was interesting as the place did open for lunch on Fridays to Mondays, but only from noon.

And yes, looking at that menu….it’s still all over the place. Though I did a laugh seeing that they served “Dumlings”……well, I hoped that I wouldn’t be a “dumling” for revisiting the place!

I walked in and was given the opportunity to pick my own table. Ordering was done as is kind of the norm these days….via QR code.

I went and ordered the “Braised Pork Rice”, unlike what the posted menu listed, it’s priced at $14.50, which is still a decent price. Based on that price, which was even cheaper than the ramen, I was not expecting the size of the bowl that arrived!

Those chunks of pork were cut quite large, but were decently tender. The sauce was quite salty; with a bit of a greasy mouthfeel, and lacking in any sweet-pungent-wine tones. It wasn’t bad, just a bit one dimensional with regards to flavor. Also, the pickled vegetables tasted like Takana-zuke; Japanese pickled mustard greens. Which I do like, but not with my Lu Rou Fan.

I ended up using the chili oil to help cut the saltiness of the pork.

The rice was decently cooked, fairly moist. The boiled egg was adequately done, no gray-green ring, perhaps a bit overcooked for my preference, but totally fine. It wasn’t cooked in soy sauce though.

Man, this was quite a large portion.

Perhaps this might be better for a late night meal with a couple of beers. Not too bad, but I think Bei Yuan is a bit better. Still, I appreciated the recommendation Franklin. It’s great to get out of my “comfort zone” and revisit those places I hadn’t been to in ages.

Facing East
4647 Convoy St Suite 101C
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Monday 12pm – 4pm, 5pm – 930pm
Wed – Thurs 3pm – 930pm
Friday 12pm – 4pm, 5pm – 1030pm
Saturday 12pm -1030pm
Sunday 12pm – 930pm
Closed on Tuesdays

And I’m still looking for “that bowl” of Lu Rou Fan!

Friday Findings – Potato Powder Love Noodle, Di-Chan Thai, and Makai Sushi Closes

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chinese Restaurants, Poke, Thai Restaurants

Man, there seem to be so many places closing recently….all the rising costs and such. I saw these three in just the last week….

Potato Powder Love Noodle Being Re[;aced by Arbor Sushi & Grill:

It seems that the food court at the 99 Ranch Market in Balboa has become a revolving door. There was Dao Xiang Noodle, which replaced Mama Lin’s, which replaced Saigon 5. Dao Xiang that didn’t last a year and was replaced by Wang La Ya in February. Back in August of last year Potato Powder Love Noodle, another chain with locations in the SGV, replaced the rather long running Shann Xi Magic Kitchen.

Imagine my surprise when I took a peek at the food court and noticed that the place is gone!

Sheesh…another place that didn’t last a year. I only made that one visit and was meaning to return…but I guess not now! I think it’s kind of how things might go with regards to chains?

So, it’ll be interesting to see how a sushi and “grill” does in this space.

5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Makai Sushi Being Replaced by La Rotonde:

Now this one was another surprise which I saw when driving down 5th Avenue.

I know I was really intrigued as to why a fellow from Kauai would open a poke/sushi place here. During my visit the really friendly owner, Matt, who is from Poipu explained that the place kind of found him. I’m guessing that it was perhaps almost a spur of the moment kind of decision? So perhaps I shouldn’t have bee overly surprised at this?

I did a little searching and found that Matt is currently back on Kauai…..hmmm……I’m wondering if he’ll return?

3968 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103

Di-Chan Thai Closes:

Now, both of the previously noted closures were short timers. This one however, is for one of those businesses that has been around seemingly forever. On Tuesday, I went over to Leilani’s Attic to get some “stuffs”. Man, that strip mall….Madison Place has gone thru some major renovations and the businesses looked empty. I did notice that Ma’s House was still open. But Di-Chan Thai seemed closed so I drove on over.

And I quickly saw the sign on the door, “after 25 years we’ll miss you all”.

Whoa….though I’ve never been a huge fan of Di-Chan; I know quite a few folks who enjoyed eating there, so this is kind of a sad one!

5535 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Time’s seem to be hard on businesses right now…..I think I need to head to some of my favorites to give them support!