Category: Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion

Dark Horse Japanese Nikkei Cuisine

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Mexican Restaurants

A few months back I read about a place named Dark Horse opening…..no not the coffee shop, but according to Eater a “Japanese-Peruvian” spot in Torrey Hills. Well now. If you’ve been reading our humble little blog for a while you’d know how much I enjoy Peruvian cuisine. And travelling to Peru twice has given me a real appreciation for what I consider Nikkei cuisine. Stuff like tiradito. And we’ve had the “Nikkei Experience” at Maido, which strangely, at least to me, took the title of “Best Restaurant in the World” in 2025!

Anyway, being quite curious, I decided to head up to Torrey Hills Center to search out Dark Horse.

Which I easily found. I noticed the Open sign and walked on over and peeked in. The place was empty…..soon enough a really friendly gentleman came over and I was seated in a booth. He introduced himself as Edgar.

And I was handed the menus……with some interesting dishes.

Of course I wasn’t interesting in the “rolls” and such; but seeing items like Anticuchos, Camaron Al Ajillo, Ahumado, Ceviche, and of course Tiradito. And well…..I love Tiradito…but with salmon? I don’t think so. Edgar came over and started explaining “Nikkei” cuisine to me…a nice gesture. Then I told him we’ve been to Peru and even to Maido and explaining the history of tiradito and things got a bit quiet. He then told me that “our dishes aren’t really Peruvian Nikkei, more of a mix of many cultures.” So, I guess Eater wasn’t quite right in their description? Not that many folks would know….

There were two dishes I was interested in and so I ordered the Mushroom Anticuchos ($14) and the Hamachi Ahumado ($24).

You know me and Anticuchos de Corazon, whether in a rather fancy restaurant or on a street corner in Cusco, I enjoy the texture and the seasonings. This looked quite interesting.

The texture was interesting…it was almost meat like, but perhaps on the mushier side of the scale. Some earthy mushroom flavor, but really lacking in the cumin-achiote, achiote/aji panca flavor and quite bland overall.

The presentation of the Hamachi Ahumado was very, dramatic, with the tabletop smoker cloche….which I’ve been seeing at various places over the last couple of years brought to your table.

Once the top was lifted and the smoke gone the dish was revealed.

Very nice presentation; the hamachi had not really changed in texture and was still somewhat buttery. The overall dish was much too sour, which even nullified any smokiness in the dish. The chili paste, made from morita chilies – smoked and dried red jalapenos had a bit of a kick, but was still overpowered by the sour-acidity.

While the portions seemed a bit on the small side; this was enough for a light lunch, though not cheap at nearly forty bucks. It seemed to be more about presentation-concept to me; but I felt I needed to give the place another try; so I returned.

For lunch again. The very nice and friendly Edgar greeted me once again and I was seated.

I was handed the menus again; but this time I paid attention to the lunch specials.

And no, it wasn’t the poke bowl or teri chicken that interested me. Rather, the Agedashi Tofu ($15) and looking for a more traditional dish I was going to order the ceviche; but noticed the Aguachile ($19) on the lunch special menu so I ordered that as well.

The Agedashi Tofu looked quite interesting.

This was so close to being a good dish. The batter was so light and perfectly crisp. The tofu light and creamy. I didn’t mind the creaminess of the guacamole or the crema.

The biquinho peppers added some fruity sweetness, with a hint of spice.

What was missing in this dish was a savory-umami component….you know…like what the tentsuyu provides for a traditional agedashi tofu and a pungent component like what daikon oroshi would provide.

The dish just seemed incomplete. Bummer…..

My favorite dish by far was the Aguachile.

Though I had to crack up when I saw it was served with won ton chips! I guess they had to keep something Asian in the dish?

Like the Hamachi Ahumado I’d had previously, I saw that the aguachile used the Yuzu Kosho type marinating liquid. But for reason, the bracing, acidic sauce did really good here. I’m thinking that the mild, oceany brininess of the raw shrimp and the buffering of the acidity by the avocado contributed to this dish nicely.

The slices of red jalapeno added some spice and the shrimp had hit that firm, yet tender balance.

Again, not a cheap lunch at nearly thirty-five bucks, but I was quite full when I left and thinking in terms of what a chirashi would cost. Well, this didn’t seem too bad at all.

In Luis Hara’s wonderful cookbook; Nikkei Cuisine : Japanese Food the South American Way, which I do own BTW…such is my love and respect for that type of cusine. Within the introduction is this quote regarding just throwing together flavors and the roll of various ingredients from different cultures : “without this understanding, fusion becomes confusion.” In the end; perhaps I was expecting a bit more as this seemed like “con-fusion” than fusion to me. Perhaps I was expecting a bit too much?

Edgar was very nice, warm, and friendly. Perhaps I’ll return in a couple of months?

Dark Horse Japanese Nikkei Cuisine
4639 Carmel Mountain Rd. #103
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm

Road Trip – Tropicali (Big Bear)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Dog Friendly, Poke, Road Trip, San Bernadino County, CA, Travel

Just a month after returning from Tahoe, we were off again. I really didn’t want to be doing that 7 plus hour drive like I’d done the previous month. So, I got the Missus to agree to Big Bear, which we’d never been to, then a couple of nights in Idyllwild again.

I’d gotten us a nice room at the Marina Riviera, perched right on the shore of Big Bear Lake. It had also just reopened a few months before after some renovations and turned out to be very dog friendly.

Our room was ready when we arrived and we were able to check in. We had a nice view of the lake and beachfront from our room.

Right across the street was a restaurant I wanted to check out named Tropicali. You see, the restaurant had just been named as having the best poke in America (not only on the mainland), by that four lettered website. And you know I don’t take all the stuff from that website seriously, right? Though I understand that it did make some major waves, check out this from KHON and Sam Choy! Ho, like beef, huh? Anyway, that was written a few months after my visit; though this one Reddit stuff…….. I just had to check it out.

Anyway, the restaurant has an interesting entrance. You walk in thru the mouth of a shark sculpture.

So, of course JJ had a photo-op…..

They really go all in with the Tiki-ish sterotypes here…… A bit over-the-top……I can see how some Kama’aina’s can get a bit irritated by the cliches.

You order at one of the very colorful kiosks……

Anyway, I placed my order and then joined JJ and the Missus on the lovely deck.

Soon enough my name was called….they try to be funny announcing names, like “Gunnar xxxx” doing pirate themed thing….so of course when my name was called it was “Captain” you know who…..

Anyway, I had ordered two bowls. The rice for both bowls were nicely cooked.

The first was the “Kraken”, which used unagi sauce and was topped with won ton chips.

At least this wasn’t one of those “chi-poke” places. The fish was of decent quality, not too much “sugi”; though the fish was over sauced and the sweetness really overpowered everything. The sprinkled panko was kind of strange as it added a weird grittiness to the dish.

The Pele Bowl was the better of the two. Again decent fish and rice.

The cucumber tasted like Kyuri Asazuke, slightly pickled, which we thought added to the dish. Especially since this was also a bit over sauced and even though was obviously a version of spicy ahi was also too sweet for us. I think some limu and salt would bring back the ocean to the ahi here.

To me, poke is first about the fish, the sauce enhances the experience. Here it overwhelms the dish. That’s probably why I prefer HFS in San Diego to this place. Honestly, it’s not bad; but to me it’s not in the same class as Tanioka’s or Ono Seafood.

Tropicali
40771 Big Bear Blvd.
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

After lunch we crossed the street back to the hotel and took a short stroll along the lakeside.

Before heading in for a short nap.

Roadtrip – Kalani’s Revisited, South of North Brewing Company, and the Echo Lake Trail (Lake Tahoe). A revisit to The Alchemists’ Garden (Paso Robles)

American/New American Restaurants, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Beer, Dog Friendly, Lake Tahoe, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

On our last full day in South Lake Tahoe; the Missus chose the Echo Lakes Trail, which you need a permit for. It was a pretty easy trail.

There’s an area called Echo Pass which has wonderful views.

The trail is basically along the lake.

JJ’s not fond of the heat and direct sunlight, so we’re glad we made an early start.

Another benefit of getting an early start is that we easily found parking. The lot isn’t very big and was full to the brim upon our return. The trail was starting to get busy, so we were happy to leave and head back to the hotel.

For lunch, we just stopped by the Whole Foods and got some prepared food and it enjoyed it on the porch and relaxed. And of course we had a nice nap!

When dinner time arrived, we strolled on over to Heavenly Village. This was a Tuesday evening so things weren’t quite as hectic.

We had enjoyed Kalani’s the previous evening; so we decided to head on back.

We walked in, fully intent of doing HH in the bar area again; but strangely, it was quite busy. The wonderful hostess just sat us in the dining room. As it was just past 5pm, we were the only customers.

I only got a mocktail on this evening….which was quite refreshing.

The Missus wanted those Brussel Sprouts again, which were just as good as what we’d had the previous evening.

And of course that crisp; then buttery textured pork belly.

Though we tried it with the sauce again….well, it’s still “no bueno”. The lovely pork belly was just perfect for our taste as is.

The Missus wanted one more dish and decided to try the Baby Back Ribs.

The Ginger-Soy-Garlic sauce was pretty good; if a bit strong in terms of ginger flavor; but the ribs were super tough and chewy. We probably should have stuck with the Miso Chilean Sea Bass.

Still, if we’re in the area, we’ll definitely return to Kalani’s. Here’s some history on Kalani’s if you’re interested. The founders are from Oahu.

Kalani’s
1001 Heavenly Village Way
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

On the way back to our room…..well..to give the Missus a break I took JJ to South of North Brewing.

It was a nice outdoor, really mellow area.

And we had a nice Blonde Ale……

And all seemed right in the world…….

South of North Brewing Co.
932 Stateline Ave.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

The next day we had head back home……

But my goodness, a direct 7-8 hour drive wasn’t going to do it for us. So, we stopped in an area we had been to several times…….Paso Robles.

And then, after doing some shopping, had dinner a a place we’d been to many times before….The Alchemists’ Garden.

And while there were other places we’d prefer to dine at; the rail here was so very convenient. And having been here so many times; things were kind of easy.

The cocktails here are “king”….. I had the Nicolas Flamel…nice and spicy…..

The Missus got the Fifth Heaven, Mezcal with Dragonfruit and apricot…..

The last time we’d been here we thought the food was pretty good. So, we had dinner here.

This time though, it wasn’t quite as enjoyable.

The Yellowfin Tostadas were really fishy.

In fact, the Missus had one bite and couldn’t bear with anymore. It was on the very “pungent” side and quite assertive in flavor.

And then there was the Deviled Eggs.

Very strong tumeric tones….on the bitter end of the scale.

At least the bone marrow was still as good as before.

That cherry onion jam went really well with the rich, fatty, savory bone marrow.

Still, one out of three wasn’t really great for us…..we’ll need to find other options next time we’re in the area.

The Alchemists’ Garden
1144 Pine St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

As for where we stayed….well, the Missus has developed an affinity for boutique style motels….and the Stables Inn really was that.

I mean…..it was a very hipster style motel…..very convenient.

I guess we’ll be staying here whenever we’re back in Paso Robles.

Road Trip – Dinner at Kalani’s, Hiking Big Meadow, and Ha Noi Pho (Lake Tahoe)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Dog Friendly, Lake Tahoe, Pho, Plate Lunch, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

We really enjoyed our stay at the Landing Resort & Spa. It wasn’t right in the middle of everything and was still on Lake Tahoe. There was a beach right across the street and like I mentioned in my previous post, we loved the view from our patio.

For hike that morning; the Missus chose Big Meadow to Round Lake. There was a 1,200 foot elevation gain, but it didn’t seem to bad and about 6 1/2 miles out and back.

And JJ of course, handled it like a champ….always making sure that Daddy is not going too slow…..

The starting portion is near a main road, that goes uphill. And yes, the trail goes to a lovely meadow area.

And the lake is indeed “round”.

It was quite a way to start the day.

On the way back to the hotel, I noticed a Vietnamese Restaurant and decided to make a stop for lunch.

We weren’t too hungry, so we went with the pork spring roll and the combination pho.

The Nem Cuon was interesting. The pork was nicely griddled.

It was quite hefty, but lacking in herbs….no mint, basil…..just basically lettuce. The dipping sauce seemed like it was out of a bottle and was much too sweet.

Still, that was much better than the pho……

Broth was made by what we call the “wave method”…where upon you wave beef bones above boiling water….it was so thin and lacking in beef flavor. Lots of white pepper and quite salty.

Noodles were overcooked and mushy……

The tripe wasn’t bad at all; but the other cuts of beef were really lean and tough….totally lacking in beefiness.

Man, this was even worse than what we expected.

Service was fine….but this is a no-go pho…..

Ha Noi Pho
3330 Lake Tahoe Blvd.
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

We made a couple of stops on our wat back to our accommodations….doing a bit of shopping; then had a nice siesta in our room.

When dinner time came along; we headed back to the very touristy Heavenly Village.

There was a restaurant in Heavenly Village that I’d actually read about….years ago in Bon Apetite…and of all things they served Hawaiian Regional Cuisine…in South Lake Tahoe! The owners are from Oahu and the place is named Kalani’s.

I know…in Lake Tahoe? Anyway, we walked on over…the place is dog friendly and we actually had a table in the bar….named the “Puka Lounge”….now this was getting kinda cliche for us, but still; the Ginger Rye Old Fashion was quite good!

As for food’ we decided on one app, a main, and a side……

First up were the Lemony Brussel Sprouts. You know hoe the Missus loves Her Brussel Sprouts; except She doesn’t care for how most places make it. In most cases it’s mushy, overcooked, and over sauced. This however was quite good.

Not overcooked, this had a nice crunch to them. Not over sauced, simply seasoned, citrus tones, good acid, perfect amount of salt. Well, we found some Brussels that the Missus enjoyed that weren’t made at home!

The one dish that I’d read about here at Kalani’s was the Chilean Sea Bass Miso Yaki. So, you know we had to try this, right?

Decent miso yaki flavor…perhaps a bit on the mild side, with a bit more sweetness than we like, but still nice and savory. It as the lovely, rich texture of the Chilean Sea Bass that made this dish….so lovely, almost creamy….it basically melts on your tongue! The ponzu butter sauce was fine….we expected a bit more fruity acidity, but it wasn’t overly rich. The mased potatoes had nice anise tones from Thai Basil. Overall, a good fusiony dish.

The one menu item we really enjoyed was the Crispy Roasted Pork Belly. Think “crisp and rich”.

The the light crispness of the batter that gave way to the rich and tender pork belly. Nice and porky, perfectly seasoned; it went well with a squeeze of citrus. We didn’t care for the basil puree which almost had a greasy tongue feel to it and just over powered the flavor and texture of the pork belly.

Kalani’s was a totally unexpected, nice surprise for us. We’d end up going back the next evening.

Kalani’s
1001 Heavenly Village Way
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

We made our way back to our accommodations. I went to refill our water and saw this.

Interesting, huh?

And of course, just like the night before, we watched the sun set over the lake!

Thanks for stopping by!

Donburi Rice Bowls (National City)

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

I was recently in the National City area and decided to get something to eat. 8th and B Poke came to mind. I hadn’t been there in a while, but it was just past 10am and they don’t open until 11. I could have driven to Poke Etc, but decided to see if there was parking on the Market on 8th. I’d been meaning to check the place out before, but could never find parking. On this day, I kind of lucked out. I say “kind of”, because I did find a parking spot, but it was just a 60 minute stall. Which meant this would be a take out visit. So, I walked on over.

Not much open at 10am…..and there were locations of places like Kiko’s whose truck I’ve been to Morena several times. The cuisine is mostly Mexican here and most places were closed, but I did have one in mind. If only I could find it!

I checked out the map and was still a bit confused….

Though finally, I came upon the destination.

Donburi Rice Bowls was the place….I kind of knew that this would probably a Westernized fast casual kind of place. After all, “donburi” does literally mean rice bowl in Japanese….so Donburi Rice Bowls is kind of redundant in my opinion.

Anyway, I took a look at the menu; the prices seemed pretty reasonable for these days.

Not being able to make up my mind…and with the clock running on the parking, I decided on the Sumo Bowl ($17) which means you can have two items. I went with the Yakiniku and the Karaage. After placing my order, I was given one of those “buzzer” thingamajiggies. I then went to check out the market hall a bit more. Things seemed a bit cramped and thoughts of bringing JJ went out the window when I saw the pets weren’t allowed in may places…even the patio.

Eventually, the buzzer went off and I picked up my hefty feeling package and headed home. Once home I unpacked. Knowing that I’d be doing takeout, I made sure to get the Sriracha Mayo for karaage on the side.

The container was indeed hefty…there was a sumo sized portion of rice to be sure. In fact, I could only finish half of it and saved the rest.

The rice was fine….quite typical, not very fragrant, but fine.

The karaage seemed like the frozen stuff, like you’d get from Ajinomoto, or the like. The chicken was on the drier side, the thick batter kind of mushy. The flavor very generic, pulling to salty.

The Beef Yakiniku was the better of the two items. The beef had been sliced thinly and griddled nicely.

Quite a bit of gristle, but because it was sliced thinly, it didn’t bother me too much. I enjoyed the pungent-sweet onions. The marinade skewed to the sweeter end of the scale but was not bad at all. Pretty much by-the-book Yoshinoya-ish.

Overall, the beef was pretty good, pass on the karaage, fits the mold of fast-casual, food hall dining. The amount of rice was huge and the prices reasonable for these days. Not worth a special trip, but I’m glad I tried it.

Donburi Rice Bowls (In the Market on 8th)
41 E 8th St.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 9pm

Fujiyame Ramen or is it 858 Ramen?

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Ramen

Back in October of last year; I noticed that the long standing China Quick Wok was gone and was being replaced by Fujiyame Ramen. Well, I guess we hadn’t hit ramen saturation yet here in San Diego? In November, I read that they had opened. I headed on over at the beginning of December to find them closed. I returned a few more times…and each time they were closed, even though I had arrived during stated hours. So, I just waited a bit….well, more like three months! I finally took a chance and drove into that strip mall which houses El Pollo Loco and Mike’s Red Tacos. And yes, they were open!

Ample parking in the lot was available on this day, so I parked and walked on in.

The menu was small…though on an interesting note, I knew someone who visited initially and told me they had stuff like orange chicken and popcorn chicken on the menu which he thought was strange. They must have straightened out their menu, because other than the braised beef rice, the menu looked like thoose of a typical fusion ramen shop.

Ordering seems to be done by kiosk here. As I was checking things out, a very nice gentleman came out and recommended one of the “combos” as a good value. Well, being that the Tonkotsu Ramen here was $12.99…..which is right now really well priced. Getting a combo for $15.99 is even better, right?

I got the Tonkotsu Ramen, some chicken wings, and a drink for $15.99.

The Tonkotsu Ramen looked quite different from what was pictured.

No corn, but the addition of what seemed like chicken katsu? It was salty and fairly dry, breaded white meat chicken. I did find the addition of carrots a bit strange.

The chashu was quite chewy and fiberous.

The noodles were interesting, on the softer side, but not mushy, lacking the chewiness of ramen noodles. Things started clicking in my head. These noodles seemed more suited to Niu Rou Mian, than ramen…but perhaps I was imagining things?

The tamago was nice and warm, the yolk nicely cooked for my taste.

The broth was quite thin for tonkotsu, very salty, lacking in savory tones and the nice tongue coating texture.

Not my favorite bowl of ramen. This was kind of interesting, as I got to thinking the folks running this shop were not Japanese? And then my Chicken Wings sealed the deal so to say.

These were actually pretty good. Though not evenly coated, the batter was nicely seasoned and crisp. What sealed the deal in thinking the owners were not Japanese was the generous amount of dried chili on the wings. Don’t get me wrong, I did really enjoy this, but I don’t think your typical ramen shop would put all this chili-salt-white pepper on wings. The wings were nice and moist. I enjoyed this the most of what I’d tried at Fujiyame.

And then there was something I kept seeing; on the menu board, on the napkin dispenser.

Just then, the really nice gentleman came out of the kitchen. This was a one man show; he did everything! He introduced himself as “Chen”! A-ha, I knew it! We had a nice chat and he mentioned how the menu had changed since opening as folks didn’t care much for the ramen, they’ve made many changes. They redid the kitchen and menu, thus shutting down for a few months. Ok, so now I got it! As they made major changes, they started calling their ramen “858 style” – as in the area code for this part of San Diego (Northern), to indicate it isn’t traditional ramen. Interesting, huh?

I did see something “interesting” on the menu, so I decided to return. When I did, I noticed the 858 Ramen menu in the window.

I walked on in and now knowing the drill proceeded to order from the kiosk.

I ordered the Braised Beef Rice ($12.99) which was indicated as being “spicy”. Soon enough, my bowl arrived. And like the ramen, looked nothing like the photo on the menu. The menu says this has “potatoes”, but what arrived did not. And this had corn, pickled onions, and seaweed salad, which is not on the menu photo, nor indicated on the menu as well!

The rice had apparently just been cooked as it was steaming hot. Not very fragrant, a bit on the drier side but ok.

The corn, tart and sour pickled onions, and seaweed salad was just basically window dressing for me as I was interested in that beef.

The beef was toothsome, but not overly tough. And it did have that anise-soy flavor with hints of ginger, but I did not pick up any spiciness.

To me, this was more like Hong Shao Niu Rou than a typical Japanese braised beef which would be sweeter, usually with onions. Perhaps when the photo was taken, they were trying for something like Nikujaga…thus the potatoes in the photo, but in the end, it seems like one’s heritage always comes to play.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens over the next few months. Will they officially change their name to 858 Ramen? Or perhaps totally change concept. Based on the braised beef, I’d be glad to try the Niu Rou Mian here. As for the fusiony mashup? Well, you gotta remember, I’m from the home of Saimin….. and after all, there’s Underbelly, right?

Who knows what I might find then?

Fujiyame Ramen
4310 Genesee Avenue Suite 108A
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 11am – 830pm
Closed on Wednesday

Soup du Jour – What’s in a name?

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Dog Friendly, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

In my revisit post for Ju Feng Yuan, I mentioned my current favorite popcorn chicken was from Soup du Jour. Now, I honestly thought I had posted on the place. But as I looked to create a link for the post, I discovered I had not! WTH??? So, I set out to correct that mistake. And went searching for photos and than did a couple of revisits.

I came across the place after returning from Taiwan in 2023. I was looking for some Taiwanese food and along with the usual, not-so-good suspects, Soup du Jour appeared. So, I decided to head on over. Soup du Jour was a very odd name and the location is in the Corsair Apartment complex on Aero Drive.

Looks familiar? Well, this was the former location of Carve Modern Deli & Beer on Aero Drive. Way back when, my office was located on Aero Drive, this place would have been in walking distance!

Parking is fairly limited and the restaurant’s interior looks basically the same, if a bit more packed with “stuffs”.

Anyway, when I first started visiting, I tried a whole of items from the very “diverse” menu. This is what it looked like back then.

Everything from Rotiserie Chicken to Congee to Ribeye Steak to Youtiao to ????

And I tried a whole bunch of stuff that, well…to put it honestly I didn’t care for. Like the Lu Rou Fan….the photo of which I couldn’t find! But here’s a few other one and dones….

The Daikon Soup….

The Asian “Meatball” Soup.

I was going to basically give up, but decided to do one more visit….because the owner, whose name was Claire was so nice!

And she was from Chiayi, one of our favorite little cities in Taiwan. We chatted about Taiwan while waiting for my food to go, so I finally asked her for some recommendations and she told me to try the Street Chicken, which she said was Taiwan style Popcorn Chicken and the Honey Glazed Spareribs, both of which were winnahs!

These are photos from several takeout meals I ordered that were supposed to be part of that non-existent post.

Loved the legit fried basil…which seemed to be missing in this box; but was actually underneath the chicken.

And the spareibs, were nice, looked tough, but quite moist with a touch of sweetness, smokiness, and Asian touches in flavor.

Though I’ve never been able to resign myself to those roasted veggies……

And so, I thought I did my post???? I did do some additional visits; the Missus also enjoys the chicken and ribs.

And then we got JJ. I recalled that Soup du Jour had a nice patio area, so I took JJ over for lunch!

By this time, I noticed that the menu had changed and also instead of Claire, a young guy and lady were running the place. The menu had also expanded.

And I saw Jiaozi on the menu, plus I’d always wanted to try the Salt & Pepper Wings ($14) to go with my Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($13.99).

The jiaozi was a non-starter; the wrapper was really think and very chewy. The sauce had a weird sweetness to it.

The filling was a coarse cut; something I prefer to overly minced fillings, but this was also a bit on the chewy side; though the flavor, porky-sesame wasn’t too bad if a bit mild.

As for the chicken wings; the were seven in an order. I had them put it into a take out box for me in case I couldn’t finish.

Like the jiaozi; this didn’t quite hit the spot. I like a nice garlic topping, but this was burnt and bitter. The batter was uneven and soggy. Decent saltiness with a hint of pepper and spice, but nothing special.

The flesh was fine, a bit overcooked. All in all, this could have come from Panda Express…..

And then I did the JFY post and realized I missed the boat on doing a SdJ one! Unless maybe I did actually do a post…..which took place in another dimension? Anyway, the Missus was wanting the Street Chicken, which was now $15. So I did a takeout order.

This travels well. The batter is more on the crunchy side. The Missus is especially fond of the white pepper tones, five spice, saltiness, and that fried basil. It heats up well in the air fryer too.

Pretty moist, decent toothsomeness, also hints of other pungent spices, with a very mild hint of sweetness. It is by far our favorite version in San Diego. You hear that Bopomofo? Though I still need to check some other places. Let me know if you have a recommendation!

Deciding that I needed to at least try those Honey Glazed Spareribs again, I drove over for lunch with JJ.

Now priced at $17.50, you also add brown rice for 50 cents more; which is what I did. Good nuttiness from the brown rice which wasn’t overly chewy.

I’m still not the biggest fan of the roasted veggies that come with this as it just seems out of place.

Still, I was here for the ribs, which were moist, falling off the bone, and had a nice sweet-savory flavor, with a hint of smokiness.

The Missus actually enjoys these as leftovers. She enjoys the flavor and prefers it much firmer. It was good to know that it was still a dish we enjoyed.

Though I did not see Claire on this visit either; so I asked the young lady working and was told that Claire had sold the business to them a while back! Bummer; I hope she’s doing well! I always enjoyed chatting with her. I was happy to note that the dishes we enjoyed were still good.

And so, I was finally ready for a post, right? Well, I was until I saw this sign posted.

Well, I guess I needed to make one more visit…..

I’m guessing the new ownership are adding items to the menu. It’s good to see that.

The Hainan Chicken Rice was just $13.99.

I ignored the sweet-soy dressing and stayed with what I’m used to with this dish.

First off; I did not like the rice which was super dry and hard.

In spite of the color; it lacked that rich chicken flavor I expect in the rice with this dish.

The chicken itself was not bad. Quite moist, but very mild in poultry-ness.

The typical sauce, lacked scallions, had a bit too much garlic for my taste, and was starting to discolor.

I also think it needed a bit more oil for texture.

Not a terrible Hainan Chicken Rice, especially for the price, but I know I can get much better here.

Still, I know I’ll be returning when the Missus wants Her fix…..

So here you go…..finally got this done. Soup du Jour….what’s in a name???

Soup du Jour
8583 Aero Dr.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 8pm
Closed on Sunday

Momo Sando & Omakase

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Momo Sando & Omakase just opened in the spot that was occupied by Kumo Japanese Sando in the Plaza Sorrento Food Court. I heard that there was a “soft opening” period before the announced Grand Opening date of January 5th. Being curious about this “grab and go” sandos and sushi, by a former Executive Chef at two Nobu locations…and also, what made this concept different from say….Nijiya and Mitsuwa, I decided to drop by. Thinking that there might be some crowds based on the hype, I had a Plan B of Sue’s Korean Kitchen, which is located next door.

I arrived at a quarter to 11 and there was a short line waiting. So, I got into the queue.

The line grew exponentially as the minutes passed, so if I had arrived even a minute or two later, I’d have gone to Sue’s. Soon enough the door opened and we entered the small shop, with display cases of prepacked sushi and sandos. The woman working the register was like a Carnival Barker yelling out what each customer was purchasing! The line moves pretty quickly.

There are some special, limited offerings. On this morning, there was some uni available, but it was gone after the third customer!

As for me, I used the chance to peruse what was available and in the end; unlike the $90 purchases being made by the two customers in front of me….I just wanted to test the waters….

And simply got a Tonkatsu Sando ($15).

Check out the line as I walked to my car!

As for the Sando.

The shokupan, the bread, was on the drier side, lacking the mild, buttery-sweetness that I enjoy in that type of bread. On an interesting note, some of the crust was sliced off, and some left on?

The Tonkatsu, was pleasantly toothsome, the panko crust still had a good amount of crunch. I enjoyed the crisp-crunchy cabbage and the by-the-book katsu sauce. The bread was starting to get soggy by the time I got to the last slice seen above.

The sando was not bad, better than many of the other versions in San Diego. So, I decided to return the next day to try out the fish. I had the same strategy, which worked out about the same.

There’s quite a selection of fairly standard sushi/sashimi options and stuff that is on the “fusion-y” side…of course, dealing with a former chef of Nobu’s that’s to be expected. To be perfectly honest, we’ve been to Matsuhisa when we lived in LA back in the 90’s, and it was fine; we’ve been to several locations of Nobu and have always been a bit disappointed.

Instead of going with a standard futomaki, nigiri, or chirashi offering, I decided to getting something a bit different. There’s an option with black truffle on toro, but this one caught my attention.

As you can see….this ain’t no Nijiya sashimi set, being priced at $35! Yikes! Miso soup and the shoyu-wasabi-ginger are included.

This is what it looked like unpacked.

The miso soup was decent, not watered down.

Real fresh wasabi is provided, though as you can see, it’s starting to oxidize and brown.

The fish was of good quality; though I wasn’t a fan of the nakaochi – the tuna scrape which was really mushy and had a metallic finish to it.

The akami (maguro) was decent sushi-bar quality, nice texture, but in my opinion didn’t need the chili crunch.

Strangely the rice was hard and chewy……not a great standard to set.

The shari…sushi rice seasoning seemed quite aggressively seasoned, very vinegar forward which wasn’t too bad.

As for the toro….as you can see; much like the wasabi, the fish was starting to brown.

Still, it was very fatty and tender; quite good with the wasabi and shoyu.

It was quite interesting. It seemed like most of the customers were late generation Millennials or GenZers. I felt like jichan again. The quality of the product seems pretty good….though it’s very “concept heavy” to me. That “grab and go” toro was more expensive than the last 4 chirashi I had in actual restaurants. But perhaps it’s the perfect place for the tech crowd and that population who can afford $30+ for lunch. As for me; I need to wait and recover a while before visiting.

Momo Sando & Omakase
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 4pm

Road Trip – Morimoto Napa and The Fink

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Japanese Restaurants, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel

There was a restaurant I wanted to check out just a half block from where we were staying in Napa. Several decades back, I recall the Missus and I being glued to our television watching the original Iron Chef. And when I was in Philly for a conference, I remember being so excited having the chance to check out Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s restaurant there. Sadly, it was quite disappointing. But now, over two decades later, a few steps away from us was the Napa location of Morimoto. I thought it would be interesting to check out all these years after having dinner at the Philadelphia location.

And they had a patio! So I made reservations.

Upon walking over, we were greeted and seated on the patio. The service here was super friendly, the staff so warm and sweet. Folks came out just to meet and greet JJ! He was brought water….totally the definition of dog friendly. In fact, the next day while I was walking JJ, some of the folks working saw him and called out “hi JJ, hi JJ, how are you???”

The place wasn’t overly busy. Looking at the menu…well, it was obviously not going to be cheap!

I saw Sawara (Mantis Shrimp) on the menu; one of my favorite things, but they were out! Bummer….

Anyway, we placed our order and soon enough our food started to arrive.

First, the Toro Tartare ($32). This was kind of weird as it was so finely minced that it was more like Nakaochi (Tuna Scrape) making it really mushy.

The ponzu sauce was overkill; since it came with wasabi, nori paste, and other seasonings on the side along with sturgeon caviar. The sauce just basically nullified everything but the wasabi.

We got some Sushi….here they charge you by the piece.

Man, the quality of the seafood was top notch, though I would have preferred not having my o-toro ($16/ea) slightly torched, but it was still quite buttery, and don’t get me started on Hokkaido Uni ($20/ea) ok? Good lord, so melt-in-your mouth, buttery, and sweet-oceany tones…it took me back to Otaru! The Aji ($8) was a bit on the overly chewy-slightly metallic side and the Madai ($8) had too much wasabi. Still, this would have been really great, but the rice was hard and under-cooked and the sushi meshi was too strong. Sorry, but if I’m paying $88 for six pieces of nigiri…..

We ordered the Braised Black Cod ($43).

This was a non-starter as it was overcooked; even the sauce, which was overly salty could not save it. Such a waste of a nice piece of fish.

The actual “best” dish of the night was the Duck Confit Fried Rice ($20)

The Jasmine Rice was a bit on the dry side; the rice itself decently coated with a soy sauce – basil type sauce. You could make out the flavor of the duck in the rice; I’m thinking they use the confit duck fat for this as well. Loved that perfectly cooked egg, with the crisp edges and gooey yolk.

Overall, we loved the folks working here, but the food just fell short. The products seemed top notch, but the execution did not do it justice. And at this price point, well…. It’s kinda like what my experience was at Morimoto in Philadelphia.

Morimoto Napa
610 Main St.
Napa, CA 94559

We took a short stroll after our meal. Right around the corner from Morimoto Napa is a location of Morimoto Asia. I know they have one in Waikiki as well. I took a looks at the menu; with stuff like XLB, Peking Duck, Sisig (!?!?), Pad Thai (double !?!?), Tonkotsu Ramen, etc, etc….

And then the faux Terracotta Statues…can you say PF Chang’s, in the image of Masaharu Morimoto???

What the heck???? Yikes!!!

Anyway, we walked along the walkway and promenade, enjoying the artwork.

We returned to our room….JJ was pooped, so I decided to walk a couple of doors over and check out the Cocktail Bar named The Fink.

I liked the somewhat nautical theme of the place. It was really quiet on this evening. I found it interesting to note that all the other folks at the bar were regulars.

The bartender was really friendly as was the gentleman talking to everyone. He introduced himself and I came to find out that he’s the owner of the place; Judd Finkelstein! Really friendly guy! I got to meet the “Fink” himself.

I got a favorite of mine; a Penicillin, which was nice and stiff!

Chatting with the bartender; I mentioned JJ and she asked me why didn’t I bring him in! So nice!

So guess who was coming with me to The Fink the next evening!

The Fink
530 Main St.
Napa, CA 94559

Common Table (North Park)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Taco Shops

**** Common Table has moved to Coin-Op and is now known as 86’d

I had to head to North Park to do some shopping and found parking on Illinois Street and was walking west on University when I noticed some new signage on what was Rising Sun Collective. Looks like the place is named Common Table.

Well, looks like Rising Sun didn’t last for even a year? Look, I’m not going to belabor the point….but being from Hawai’i, I do believe in “Bachi“. And I can’t help but think that having a place named Rising Sun and determining that your Grand Opening is on December 7th….well, you get it, yeah?

Anyway, I decided to have a look and quickly noticed this sign out front.

Hmmm….Katsu Sando, huh? The place looked like it was open so I took a step inside. And the place pretty much looks the same. Well, I decided to give that Katsu Sando a try. The place is one of those order at one of the kiosks, get a number, grab your utensils, and have a seat. The menu, which is very Asian-“Fusiony”, think Adobo Tacos, Bossam Spring Rolls, Longanisa Burger, is quite limited right now and they were out of several items as well.

There a list of beers on tap; but heck, this was lunch, you know?

Soon enough, the very friendly young man brough my Katsu Sando ($16) over. He introduced himself as Nate and was super nice. As for the sandwich.

This was an interesting; “two fisted” sandwich. The chicken was super moist and the crunchy-crispness held up thru the entire meal. The seasoning was good, not overly salty, and in fact would have just been great without that “Nanban” Ketchup, which was gloppy and overly sweet. Nate later told me that it is based on what he had with tori nanban in Osaka. Of course, to me, it wasn’t even close to being the tartar sauce like versions I’ve had here, in Japan, and other places around the globe.

There was just too much sauce and the light, brioche like roll, which goes well with this type of sandwich, didn’t stand a chance. I did enjoy the pickled cucumbers, thinly sliced, it had a nice vinegar flavor, with a hint of sweetness, sort of like Asazuke. The cabbage was great, but again way over-dressed for my taste.

This ended up being a hot mess.

I will say that I’d gladly have this again; but would probably want the place to go easy on that overly sweet nanban ketchup. I need to figure out how to do that from the order kiosk.

That sandwich wasn’t bad, so I decided to head on back. Again, I arrived right after opening time. They were still out of several items, but I decided to try a couple of things.

No Adobo Tacos, so I went with a Chashu Taco ($5).

I needed something else to go with this, so I noticed they has Shishitos on the menu….I did crack up when I saw how they spelled “shishitos”.

Nate saw me and remembered me, thanking me for returning. Like I said, such a nice guy. We had a short chat and he told me he used to work at Koubou and Animae.

There was one other young lady sitting at the counter; busy taking photos with her phone in various angles and poses. Could it be that I’ve just seen an “influencer in the wild”!

First up was the Chashu Taco. Now this was made with beef, not pork. It was fairly mild in flavor and I really would have wanted more of the meat to really make a statement.

I really like pickled onions, but here it made too large of a “statement” as it over-powered the beef. I do think that pork would be better in this. The Queso Oaxaca was nicely melted, protecting the tortilla, mild in flavor, but great texture. I couldn’t make out the wasabi crema. The tortilla was nicely griddled and was almost crisp.

I do want to try the Adobo version of this.

As for the Shishitous Shishitos.

I like my Shishitos to be a bit more charred; but the peppers were very tender. And as bonus; I got to play “shishito roulette” as every once in a while I’d get a spicy one. The fried shallots were a nice touch, crisp and almost sweet. I really like the sour and acidic sauce, which had a touch of spice. Nate told me it was Calamansi Ponzu. Now this is some “fusion” I can get behind.

As I always say; coming from the home of Pacific Rim cuisine; there’s a fine line between “fusion” and “con-fusion”. For now, it seems that Common Table is trying to honestly meld the culinary styles, products, and flavors. So, hopefully they’ll have more of a complete menu when I return. Nate did ask me if I had anything I wished for and I said……”sisig tacos”!

What do you think?

Common Table
3914 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Tues – Sat 12pm – 8pm
Sunday 12pm – 6pm
Closed on Monday