Bakery – Page 6

Paris – Kodawari Ramen Tsukiji

November 17, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, France, Japanese Restaurants, Paris, France, Ramen, Sandwiches, Travel

Even though we had quite a bit of walking during the day, we decided to head back out toward the 1st and 2nd Arrondissement for a nice evening walk.

Heading West on Rue Reamur, then up Saint-Denis an interesting and "colorful" area.

I've posted on some of the interesting characters in this neighborhood, the former red-light district that is becoming more gentrified with every visit.

Walking thru Passage Choiseul yet again.

The Missus exclaimed how distances in Paris were seemingly a lot shorter these days……

There was one church we had been wanting to check out in the area; Église Saint-Roch.

We had walked by many times; but had never gone in. We decided to pop on in for a look.

The church itself was built between 1653, when Louis XIV laid the first stone, completed in 1740.

Within its walls hung works of the most renowned artists of the day. Of course, the French Revolution was right around the corner and the church was looted and sacked. In fact, the famous French writer Denis Diderot was entombed at Saint Roch. When the church was looted, his grave was sacked and his corpse was left on the church floor. And his final resting spot is not known.

It's quite an impressive church! We should have visited earlier.

We decided it was time to get some dinner so we headed out. We could see the Ferris Wheel from the Tuileries Christmas Market down the street.

Things did seem much "closer" in Paris these days…..

As for dinner; well, the Missus thought some ramen would be nice on a chilly winter night. There was a ramen shop I'd been wanting to try since I first read the story of a retired French Air Force pilot who opened a ramen shop because of his love of of the dish. Jean-Baptiste Meusnier first opened Kodawari Ramen (Yokochō) in the 6th Arrondissement. The restaurant's theme was a "Yokochō" a food alley. Since we were in the 2nd, we headed to Kodawari's second location, Kodawari Ramen Tsukiji, which is based on…yes, Tsukiji. We arrived at a fairly early dinner time, so the restaurant, while busy, did not have a queue.

The interior was festooned with boxes of fish and fish market themed items stacked everywhere, the floor had even been wet to give it a real fish market feel….lucky for us, the "seafood" in the boxes weren't real nor was there the "parfum de poisson" lingering in the air. It was pretty tight quarters in the restaurant.

Of course I needed to start with a "biru".

By the time we placed our order there was a line outside of the restaurant. So we had some good timing.

Looking over the menu, I knew this was going to be an interesting meal. Based on the theme of the restaurant; this location of Kodawari featured a broth that was based on sea bream and chicken. Now, I wasn't sure how the Missus would handle that; but this would turn out to be the Missus's favorite ramen in Paris!

There are some nice appetizers on the menu, we ordered 3 apps along with the Sea Bream Paitan Ramen.

The "Sardine Shelter" was savory, umami-land.

A bit smoky, briny, good oil, rich lardo.

The Missus loved the Sea Bream Carpaccio.

The fish was fresh and firm; the grilling added a nice smokiness, the miso sauce added a layer of savory.

The Sea Bream Tartare was refreshing, with a clean flavor.

The sauce had a nice savory-slightly sweet miso and the shiso really did a nice job refreshing the palate.

As for the ramen; well, I ordered the Sea Bream Paitan Ramen. Based on previous experiences with similar versions of ramen; I wasn't sure the Missus would like this.

I was wrong; the Missus loved this. The broth was rich enough to nicely coat the tongue; the chicken flavors weren't overly strong and there was a nice balance with the flavors from the bones of the sea bream that were simmered for 5 hours. The shio tare wasn't overly salty and the sea bream was so very tender and moist. The Pata Negra Chashu was quite porky f on the more chewy side. The chili paste was totally unnecessary as this was packed with umami. The tamago was decently cooked and marinated and was warm. The noodles, made inhouse were nice and firm, with a good chew.

The Missus loved the broth.

I was worried when we got here that it was all kitsch and concept over substance, but I gotta say, Kodawari Tsukiji went past the over-the-top setting.

Look at the line outside as we left!

So yes, it was a fun setting, but the food was quite satisfying and by the Missus' request, we'd return later during our stay.

Kodawari Ramen Tsukiji
12 Rue de Richelieu
75001 Paris, France

Bellies warm and full, we enjoyed the walk back to the apartment.

Needless to say, we slept well.

To give us a nice break, I had made reservations to stay in Strasbourg, so we could once again enjoy the wonderful Christmas Markets in the city. It's only a hour and forty-five minute train ride to Strasbourg, but of course, I needed to do the very French thing and get us some sustenance for the ride. On one of my earlier visit to Boulangerie Pezeril I noticed the group of police getting sandwiches from the shop….so heck, if they are getting food from there…..

Our train left Gare l'Est right on time at 1255 and we enjoyed our lunch and desserts on the train.

Boulangerie Pezeril
183 Rue du Temple
75003 Paris, France

And we were looking forward to two fun nights in Strasbourg!

Stay Tuned!

CroBean Cafe and Bakery (Alpine)

November 8, 2023 Cathy Bakery, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for, once again, stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Cathy is still writing posts while Kirk and His Missus are vacationing.

The Mister and I found ourselves in Alpine, headed East, paralleling the Interstate 8 and stopped when we saw the sandwich board and outdoor seating with umbrellas.

CroBean has been here since November 2019. It's family owned.
There are menus on the wall, we wanted to try everything.
There were many choices of fresh bread. We ended up with a basic baguette and it was very good.

There were display cases and choices all looked good. We were overwhelmed this first visit.
So, we ended up with a ham and cheese croissant (you knew it had to be a choice, right?). This was *wonderful*- layers of buttery croissant goodness; great lamination of the pastry. The ham-so much and a great quality with just the bit of saltiness necessary. The Swiss cheese was a better quality. There was a layer of béchamel, making this a hand held Croque Monsieur. This was a meal, even though we shared.

On the counter under a dome were these sort of cookie bars. The shortbread crust was made with oatmeal flour and butter…It was thick and salty and then turned delicate, crumbling when you bit it. The layer of raspberry jam was super flavorful and not sweet. The strudel topping was also buttery and sweet and really nice.

I didn't note the prices, but all the above items and a (very good) cup of coffee were about $30 with the tip.

We will return the next time we are out East.

CroBean Cafe and Bakery 2806 Alpine Blvd Alpine, CA 91901 (619) 764-8714 Open Mon-Tue 0530-1400, CLOSED Wednesday. Th-Fri 0530-1600 Sat: 0630-1600 Sun 0630-noon

ASA Bakery a Quick Look

October 2, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts

**** An updated post on ASA Bakery can be found here.

So, the Missus on Her forays thru social media asked me if I knew about the new Japanese Bakery that opened in the East Village. Well, I'd seen the sign for ASA Bakery while taking a walk and waiting for our takeout order from Sovereign and I'd read the post on Eater. So yes, I knew about the place being opened by the owners of BeShock Ramen, they also opened a speakeasy type establishment and a omakase only sushi bar discreetly hidden on the premises. Now, in spite of my love of croissants, I was going to wait this out a bit as I figured the opening hype machine was in full swing. But since I had a weekday off, the Missus wanted me to check the place out. So, I figured I'd at least get a croissant out of it, right? Seeing that they opened at 9, I headed on down to East Village, found some parking and arrived at 920, only to see the line. On a weekday!

Asa Bakery 01

Sigh…… You know, we love lines in Taiwan, but our experiences here….well, not so much. But I'd already found parking and had walked on over…..so I guess I was (or should have been) committed.

Asa Bakery 02 Asa Bakery 03 Well, along with lines, I found that ASA likes their signs. Like the one above that states only 3 pastries per person. Good thing I didn't promise anyone else some goodies from here right?

The line moved rather slowly, though folks seemed quite excited about the place which I took to be a good sign. The gentleman to the right in the photo seemed to be a regular because he knew the employee checking the line and they had a nice chat while waiting.

Asa Bakery 04

And more signs……

Asa Bakery 05

Wow, they open at 8 and pastries are only available until 1030. Well, according to this "sign" they had opened at 9am on this day.

Well, that's some demand I guess. Speaking of demand, the clock had nearly hit 950 when I got my turn to order and take a look at what's available!

Asa Bakery 06

Whoa…it was barely 930 and there were only four items left. On a weekday.

Asa Bakery 07

I think the back kitchen must be pretty small to only be able to make small batches; for such a large space? And sigh…..no croissants aux buerre. I ended up getting my allocated three items and walked out at 940. Check out the line as I left. I'm wondering if these folks were just getting coffee or drinks because, ahem, according to the signs other stuff wasn't available until 1130?

Asa Bakery 08

On the way to the car I did get to check out some interesting machinery on display along 14th street.

After doing a bit of "Googling", I came to find out these are "Industrial Artifacts" from the Sinclair Collection, in case you're interested.

I drove home and the Missus opened things up.

Since there were only four bakery items left, I got three. One of the items was the chocolate-macadamia "baguette".

Asa Bakery 09 Asa Bakery 10 This is baguette in name only and absolutely does not have any attributes of bread. It was hard as rock….hope you have good teeth if you get this. You basically didn't tear this; you cracked it into pieces. The chocolate was fine, not too sweet, but since whole macadamia nuts were used, the distribution was haphazard and you'd only occasionally find one.

I also got the Custard Choco Crunch and the Chocolate Danish.

Asa Bakery 11

The Missus had a bite of each, made a face and put them back in the carton. She was going to throw it away; but I told Her "I spent over forty minutes in line for this, so you're going to have to finish them." She told me to have a taste of the Chocolate Danish. The chocolate on top was fine, but the pastry was hard and dry, like cardboard. Wow. I left the carton on the dining table and it "mysteriously disappeared" a few hours later. Hmmm…….

Man, this was so disappointing. We'd been to our share of Japanese style bakeries in Japan, here in the states, and other countries as well and never had anything close to this. Perhaps there was a reason these were the only items left? Though folks before me seemed to be buying them up? Oh well, after this and our visit to Jiou Chu Dumplings, if the Missus wants to check a place out and mentions Instagram, I may just run away. As for ASA, well, unless folks tell me their croissants or if any other items here are outstanding, I'm just going to stick with Izola Bakery when I'm in the area.

ASA Cafe & Bakery
634 14th St. Suite 110
San Diego, CA 92101

(They seem to keep changing hours so I'm not going to be listing any)

Paris – Trois Croissants, Ernest & Valentin Reaumur, Boulangerie Pezeril, and Liberté Turbigo

September 24, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, France, Paris, France, Travel

If you've been reading our little blog long enough, you know I've got a thing about croissants. A good croissant aux buerre is a thing of beauty to me; crisp, light, buttery….. And of course France, and especially Paris, home to over 30,000 bakeries would be the place to try them, right? Thru trying a bunch of croissants during our trips we've come up up with our favorite, which we've revisited several times. There is one interesting thing though. When I ask folks that own the apartments or work at the hotels we stay at about their favorite, they'll undoubtedly name a place within a block or two. When I mention our favorites, I'll often get an odd look. I've kinda figured things out; the French believe that a croissant, like the baguette is a birthright and with all those bakeries there's bound to be one in close proximity. I was once told that within the main arrondissements there will be one within a short walk and being a regular means that you develop a relationship with the folks in the boulangerie. The owner of our apartment told me that there were two boulangeries within a block of the flat. Well, he was wrong as there were three! One opened during our two week stay!

So, at least in terms of croissants, I decided to do the "live like a local" kinda things during our two week stay. So here goes…….

Ernest & Valentin Reaumur:

We saw this location of Ernest & Valentin, I believe there are six locations within the city limits of Paris, right when we arrived as it had a prime location on Rue Reaumur right by the stairs exiting the Arts et Métiers metro stop.

This shop was bustling, but the service was efficient and somewhat friendly.

This would be my favorite croissant aux buerre of the three I tried. It was decently crisp and flakey.

It was light and fluffy. While it could have used a bit more butter, in terms of a balance of butteriness to salt, this was the best of the three.

I would end up having this four times during my stay.

Ernest & Valentin
42 Rue Réaumur
75003 Paris, France

Boulangerie Pezeril:

A block to the East on Rue du Temple is Boulangerie Pezeril.

This was by far the busiest of the three boulangeries. There was always a line in the morning.

This place had a nice local vibe and the employees seemed to really know their regular customers.

Unfortunately, the croissant was quite over baked and hard.

While it had a decent butteriness, I didn't care for the texture. I also noticed that folks really didn't go for the croissants here. There was one good things about this visit. While paying for my croissants I noticed three police officers walk in. They knew exactly what they wanted. Each got Jambon Buerre – the ham and butter baguette sandwich. This was a great clue for me. I would end up stopping by for a sandwich to eat on the train when we did day trips. As it was pretty good.

Boulangerie Pezeril
183 Rue du Temple
75003 Paris, France

Liberté Turbigo:

One the third day of our stay I needed to head on over to the local Carrefour City and noticed that a Boulangerie was opening up.

This was to be the sixth location of the Liberté chain. A few days later they were open and I dropped by.

During my 2 visits, it seemed like the demographic skewed to the younger crowd. If I recall these were also the most expensive.

These were the largest croissants; quite substantial, but lacking in enough butter for my taste and a bit doughy as well. Still, not bad.

Liberté Turbigo
63 Rue de Turbigo
75003 Paris, France

Spending a couple of weeks in one location was fun, at least for me. And can you imagine having three bakeries all within a block of where you're staying? I was told that in Paris "there's a boulangerie on almost every corner". And, at least in this case, it seems that saying is true!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hola Paris

August 22, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, French Restaurants

**** Hola Paris has closed

Back in May, I was doing a morning walk around Old Town, when I walked into Old Town Urban Market mainly to see what was going on with the location of Barrio Donas that was opening there. You can read about my visit to Barrio Donas here. When I noticed that the shop opening right across from Barrio Donas had some activity going on. It was called Hola Paris, a name which harkens to some of our favorite places to travel, so of course I was interested. There was a nice couple setting things up, when I inquired about the name, the nice owner named Gabby is Mexican and her Husband who is handling the chef duties named Benjamin is from the outskirts of Paris! Thus, Hola Paris! Of course, I then cracked them up when I left saying "merci, adios, au revoir"!

The place opened a couple of weeks later. Looking at the menu, which featured pastries and crepes was perhaps not going to be our cup of tea. We had spent two weeks in Paris during our last trip to the city and one of the places we tried was the ever popular crêperie Breizh Cafe. It turns out that we didn't care for the savory crepes there.

Still, the owners of Hola Paris seemed so nice. So, I decided to check things out. I went on one quiet morning to the very "Instagrammable" looking shop in the Urban Market.

Hola Paris 01

Benjamin broke into a big smile and laughed when he saw me…….I guess he remembered me! We had a nice conversation and I mentioned I don't care for sweets much. I also mentioned that during our last stay in Paris, we tried crepes and didn't care for it. He asked where and I told him Breizh Cafe. Benjamin quickly explained that Breizh Cafe makes Bretonne style crepes, which uses buckwheat. The style made here is based on the sweeter style crepes made with wheat flour. He also pointed out, because of the Mexican touches, the several of offerings are quite savory and even have some spice.

Hola Paris 03

He recommended I try the Ham y Queso ($13), which includes jambon and queso fresco.

Upon turning, I noticed this sign, which gave me flashbacks!

Hola Paris 04

I asked him about it and was told Gabby loves Chanel! I mentioned the Cambon location….and apparently Gabby loves that location as well! Oh boy…….

Anyway, I went and had a seat and soon enough my crepe was delivered.

Hola Paris 05

The crepe was light and at first a bit too sweet for me.

Hola Paris 06

But as I tucked into it, the saltiness from the ham and the mild, rich milkiness of the queso fresco started coming to the forefront. While this was still a bit too sweet for my taste it was not bad!

I waited about a month, before revisiting. And Benjamin greeted me with a smile. In thinking about what I'd had on the previous visit, I thought that a bit of heat might really spice up things a bit. So, I decided to order the La Suiza ($14), which included tomatillo sauce and a green salsa.

Hola Paris 07 Hola Paris 09 This time the crepe was delivered with a fork and knife. I wasn't sure I'd enjoy chicken in a crepe, but it wasn't bad at all. Actually, the bite of tangy-sour heat from the sauces/salsa really made it enjoyable to my palate. The sweetness was tempered and the cheese really helped to balance out the flavors. I do think this could have used a bit more salt. And heck, even more spicy too!

Hola Paris 10 Hola Paris 11 I'm glad I tried Hola Paris. While it's not something I crave, Benjamin and Gabby are so nice and friendly. I really enjoyed chatting with Benjamin about Paris.

It'll be interesting to see what other savory items make it to the menu…and heck, I might even just have a Kir Royal here once day!

Hola Paris
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 9am – 6pm
Sat – Sun 9am – 7pm

2024 Rose Parade Float Road Test #2 and breakfast at Ocean Bo (El Monte) plus

July 31, 2023 Cathy Bakery, Dim Sum, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, this blog about food. Cathy is writing today because she has a post about food (and some other things) while Kirk is busy with work.

This past Saturday had us waking at 4, leaving at 5 and getting to Irwindale at 7; the start of what we thought would be an efficient morning.

2024 Rose Parade Float Road Test #1

A few floats were being tested for mechanics and maneuverability. The Oddfellows and Rebekahs float, "All You Need is Love", passed with flying colors! I can't wait to see which natural materials are used to decorate the unicorns. The Kiwanis 2024 float, "Serving in Harmony" passed its third road test, with people (weight) on board and will be ready too decorate with 'dry' materials and glue on the first Saturday in December. You can volunteer to decorate by signing up HERE.

The Lions Clubs International float, "Changing the World Through Music" has a great rendering of the Parade theme (Celebrating A World of Music; The Universal Language) and float title.
The Royal Court float was also tested; seven members will be seated here as part of their year long reign of community service. Stored inside the float barn, the Elks Clubs float with headless and handless Fife and Drum Corps is painted in (usually human 'skin' decorating, done with various spices, is separately worked on and I suspect that is why the heads and hands are not attached). The Petal Pushers and Lutheran Hour Ministries entry, "Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord" has been further painted in.
The Rotary International entry, "Clean Water, the Music of Life" with the ducks and umbrellas looks to be a winner. It's cute and conveys the message of the Parade and of Rotary.
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Being efficient, we were on the road South and got to Portos before 8 a.m..

Plenty of parking, no lines, a quick pick up of the seasonal peach tart, a blueberry croissant, cranberry orange scone, cheese roll, walnut raisin bread and a Cuban quesadilla (pretty much another form of cheesecake).

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We started on the 10 West, toward El Monte, took an exit and I made a quick stop upon seeing this signage.
The menu was outside, inside and at the counter.
We ordered #1, #3 and #7 (Shrimp Har Gow, Shrimp Shiu Mai and bean curd wrapped meat) ($18 total) and put the bag in the car. It would be a late lunch.
Very good, fresh, quite large pieces. Glad we stopped.
Hong Kong Dim Sum House, 9505 Garvey Ave, South El Monte 91733 (626) 350-7099 Open Wed-Mon 7-3, Closed Tues

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Since it was early, and we wanted Dim Sum, we we decided to try Ocean Bo again
The menu is the same, prices slightly higher by 30¢ ($4.59) than in October.

The drill was the same; check off your order on the menu and everything is brought out at once. We knew what was in the car so ordered different things here.

Steamed Fun Gor, Ham Sui Gok, Shrimp and Chive dumpling, Seafood Gow and baked egg tart (each $4.59). Hot tea was $1.80 each and the pot was constantly kept refilled.
Cross sections; different skins on each item, everything very fresh and very efficient service. A great place.

Ocean Bo 3944 Peck Road El Monte (626) 452-1818 Open daily 8 am-9 pm website

Even though we were done at 9:29 a.m. and thought we would get home quickly, that didn't happen. We drove over to the 15 and ended up getting in at 12:45. Crazy traffic! Still a nice day.

Six for Saturday Silliness

July 22, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers

Recently, when I was having coffee with our good friend "Alle" and went over my typical Saturday morning errands she was incredulous and couldn't quite believe I could make 5-6 stops and finish in 3 hours and change. So today, I decided to pay a bit more attention to things and decided to do this silly Saturday post.

My Saturday usually starts with a cold brew from Bay Park Coffee. I usually get there around 720 – 730, get my cold brew and head on down to the Little Italy Mercato. As I mentioned in an earlier post I park on Ivy, I'm usually there around 745 or so and take a nice stroll to the market. I always enjoy the art and slices of life I see along the way.

Six For Little Italy 01

Though there have been adjustments and different vendors I'll check out; the first place I stop is across Columbia Street at the Indian Summer stand, which I also mentioned in that earlier post.

Six For Little Italy 03

The proprietor, Andrew knows all his regular customers and is a really friendly guy. Andrew has 20 dozen eggs for sale each Saturday. It's kept behind the counter. It's the Missus's favorite eggs at this time, so I usually get 1 or 2 dozen each week. I'll also get various produce items as well.

I'll then cross Columbia and hit up the produce stands there.

Six For Little Italy 04

Being careful not to disturb the "Shiba gang".

Six For Little Italy 05

The Missus is currently on a blueberry kick ("it's brain food!"); so I'll pick up a three pack from here.

Six For Little Italy 06

I then cross over India to do more shopping. Right now, the Missus's favorite avocados come from this stand.

Six For Little Italy 07

The folks here are so nice. I'll tell them I need three avocados, one for tomorrow, then another two days after, and then another for one to two days after that. They'll pick out a set of fruit to match my requirements. Such great service!

Little Italy Mercato
Saturday 8am – 2pm

I'll then head back to the car either taking India Street…..

Six For Little Italy 08

Or Kettner. Anyone want to title the photo below????

Six For Little Italy 09

This morning it was 820 when I headed off to my next stop. There's not much traffic or crowds at this time of the morning on Saturday.

My next stop is just 10 minutes away as I head up India Street, then take a right up Washington to…..

Six For Lazy 01

For certain produce items (they often have decent white asparagus when in season) and specialty grocery like the stuff below that the Missus is currently obsessed with.

Six For Lazy 02

Lazy Acres
422 W Washington St.
San Diego, CA 92103

Well, remember those avocados? The Missus is still wanting avocado toast a couple of times during the week, so I have to make a stop at Con Pane for some sourdough. This morning, my drive down Washington to Pacific Highway, then Barnett took a mere 12 minutes. Yes, Con Pane is super busy on weekend mornings, but since I'm not getting sandwiches, etc, I can take the "Bread line".

Sox For Con Pane 01

Sox For Con Pane 02

Even if there are one or two people in front of me, I usually get out and to my car (I usually just park by Slater's 50/50) in 20 minutes.

Con Pane Rustic Breads & Café
2750 Dewey Rd.
San Diego, CA 92106

My next drive is the longest. I usually drop by Nijiya every Saturday morning. There's usually something we need from there; whether it's tofu or sencha for the Missus, or like right now, She is requesting Katsu Don or Kelaguen on a weekly basis and prefers the chicken from Nijiya. I make Nijiya my fourth stop since it opens at 9am. This morning, the drive took 17 minutes and I arrived at 910 avoiding the initial mass of humanity at the doors waiting for the market to open.

Six For Nijiya

Nijiya wasn't very busy on this morning, so I got out of the place in 15 minutes!

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Now on occasion I'll stop by the 99 Ranch Market on Balboa…which would make it a "seven for Saturday". But there was no need on this day so it was off to my next stop; down Balboa and onto Morena.

Six For FS

This morning it took 14 minutes to get to the Fruit Stand. I can't believe I last posted on the place 17 years ago! Anyway, more produce, especially when I'm grilling veggies for the Missus.

The Fruit Stand
4330 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

The last stop, for odds and ends, is only a few blocks from home; Sprout's. Even with the hell that is the road and pipe work happening on Clairemont Drive (we avoid like the plague during weekdays) it was but a 10 minute drive.

Six For Sprouts

On this day, it was scallions, sweet onions, alkaline water (for the Missus), and some various snacks. I take advantage of the self check-out here which is usually much faster than waiting for the cashier.

Sprout's
3015 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

I walked into the house with our bags of groceries at 1020! Just in time to start working on lunch! Sigh……

Thanks for indulging me and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Barrio Donas Opens in Old Town and Phuong Nga Restarts Dining In

June 20, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts, Exploring San Diego, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Barrio Donas has closed their Old Town location

I recently saw the banner up for Barrio Donas in Old Town when dining at El Cata (post coming up). I had been waiting for the shop to finally open in the Old Town Urban Market. I decided to check the place out the following weekend. Of course I went early, this location of Barrio Donas opens at 9, so I could find some parking.

The shop is in a nice bright stall in the market.

Still, the young lady was still putting things out and told me if could wait another 10-15 minutes. So, I decided to take a nice stroll in Old Town. Which I think is a pretty nice when it isn’t over run with crowds.

As I walked past the Church of the Immaculate Conception, I realized that I had never taken a look in the church. It was before the daily mass times, so I took a quick peek in.

I think I’ll drop by for a longer visit one of these days.

Looking across the street, I noticed that the long standing O’Hungry’s/Hungry’s had closed!

Man, I think the place had been around for almost 50 years? Quite sad…..

When I returned to Barrio Donas, half of the stock was up.

By the size of the shop, I knew that I wouldn’t be getting tortas like A la Mexicana which I enjoy so much. So, I picked out something on lower end of the sweet scale; the Horchata Donut.

Now, I could have had a seat in the peaceful patio area, which would have been great. But, since things were so quiet on this morning, I decided to head on over to one of my favorite places in the area; Heritage Park.

I’m not sure if it’s generally known.

But if you head to the right of Christian House, you’ll find a short trail.

It’s not difficult; heck I did it with a coffee and donut in hand. Just don’t fall on any of the cactus……that might not be very enjoyable.

Soon enough you’ll see a bench. There’s even a trash can there.

It was so serene on this overcast morning.

And was a nice place to have a pastry or breakfast of your choice. In this case the Horchata Donut.

And enjoy the “best seat in the house”.

Barrio Donas – Old Town
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 9am – 5pm
Mon 10am – 5pm

Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga has been a takeout staple for us the last couple of years. And on last Sunday, the Missus requested Her Bun Rieu fix so I drove on over.

Since the start of the pandemic, Phuong Nga has only been doing takeout. And in the last six month or so, the days that Bun Rieu was available had shrunk. At last check it was only available on Friday, Saturday, and Sundays.

And I’ve visited on a couple of weekends when they just didn’t have any Bun Rieu. On this day I walked on in and the young lady, the owner’s daughter I presume, smiled at me and said, “we have Bun Rieu every day now!”

And then she pointed over to the former dining area which was covered with supplies. There were now four tables clear.

She told me “we now have enough staff and can open dining in and make bun rieu everyday”. Good for them!

I did still get my bun rieu to go though. When my order was ready, “Mom” brought it out to me. She then shook my hand and told me something in Vietnamese. Her daughter translated, “she said thank you very much for helping us stay in business.” Whoa, I never thought she even knew who I was. Somehow I was deeply touched by this. It made my weekend.

Phuong Nga
4016 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

It’s those little moments that can always make my day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Big Island – Koana and Mountain View Bakery (Mountain View), Chain of Craters Road, and Suisan (Hilo)

May 27, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Hawai'i - The Big Island, Poke, Seafood, Travel

We had a wonderful first day and evening on the Big Island. Man, it's hard to believe that it had been a decade since we last visited.

And since we were staying in Volcano Village, we wanted to resurrect an old tradition we had. But first, the Missus wanted a nice cup o' joe. I had done a bit of research and found a place in Mountain View, about a 15 minute drive from Volcano Village that just seemed perfect for the "coffee snob" in the family. A place named Koana.

This specialty coffee shop only did pour over….like I said, this place would be perfect for the Missus, right?

The bright, rustic space was quite welcoming.

As was the owner; who kindly took time to explain everything they had for the day.

In addition to the local coffees the place sold….

There were other local kine stuffs as well.

The Missus immediately homed in on the Paradise Coffee Kona Geisha Champagne Natural. The owner of Koana, Brian, told us that this coffee won the 2022 Hawaiian Coffee Association competition. Oh-kay…..

While we waited for our coffee we took a quick look around…the place has a real "old time" feel to it and reminds me of Honolua, way back in the 60's and 70's.

Meanwhile, I felt a bit peckish, so I walked on over to Mountain View Bakery. Man, the last time I was here was back in 90's, before I met the Missus.

This place is famous for their Stone Cookies and has been around since 1936! It's got a real old time, small town feel to it.

I got a taro mochi donut and a Spam Musubi. Breakfast of champions!

The mochi donut is made from glutinous rice and has a bit of a chew to it. It wasn't overly sweet. I liked it, but the Missus did not.

My musubi was perfect!

The Missus loved Her coffee and wanted to buy a bag. So, we went in and took a look around and could not find the coffee. So we asked Brian who told us he had two bags left behind the counter. He sold us one. It was $95! The Missus just absolutely loved this coffee.

Thus is life in the mmm-yoso household. The Missus gets Her $95 Kona Geisha coffee and I get a……Spam Musubi! Sounds like a fair deal, right?

We also bought some other stuffs as well.

Koana
18-1325 Old Volcano Rd.
Mountain View, HI 96771

Mountain Vewi Bakery
18-1319 Old Volcano Rd.
Mountain View, HI 96771

From here we headed back into Volcanoes National Park and proceeded to do what has become sort a tradition for us; a drive down Chain of Craters Road.

It's something we've done on every visit to the Big Island since we got married years ago.

It all seems familiar, and yet, different on every visit.

It's a reminder of how amazing this "Blue Marble" we live on is. We make stops along the way. At familiar places, like the Hōlei Sea Arch.

And there's another tradition we have or at least had, which I mentioned in my post from all those years ago:

" We always drive to the end of Chain of Craters Road, park, it used to be that you'd park just a couple of yards from the flow, but now you walk about a half mile or so. I always take a photo of the Missus at the point where the lava is covering the road.

When we look back at the older photos, we've noticed that the flow has moved and even though things might seem the same when the picture is taken; looking at the photos all lined up reveals that nature never stays still. For us, this is a nice timeline of sorts….the Missus on the lava flow, moving, maybe at an imperceptible speed, but nevertheless, still slowly moving."

Well, with time comes change. What used to be this:

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In 2012, is now this in 2023. Though it's chained off.

Of course soon enough the question of "what's for lunch" came up. Well, the Missus had Her heart set on Suisan, which has long been a favorite of Hers. We'd arrived in Hilo on a day when Suisan was closed. So off we went on an hours drive into Hilo!

We were interested to see what effect the "time of Covid" had on Suisan and it was soon evident. Gone are the tables out front. You wait in line in front of the shop, there's a limit to the amount of folks they let into a shop at any one time.

Gone are the cold cases and the selection of poke is much smaller now.

We got a poke bowl with the Ahi Hawaiian and Shoyu Ahi ($15.50), a quarter pound Ahi Mango Habanero, and even went and tried the Scallop Lemon Shoyu and the Butter Garlic Prawns. We took our stuffs to the former location of the restaurant outside Suisan which is now closed and went for it.

In terms of fish quality the ahi in the Ahi Limu and the Mango Habanero was excellent, tender and almost buttery. Some of the pieces in the Shoyu Ahi had "sugi" that made it chewy. I wish there was more limu in the Ahi Hawaiian, though the flavoring for all three poke was spot on, not too salty, but well prepped and seasoned. The Mango Habanero was a nice surprise, fruity spice, perfect salt, without being too sweet.

As for the "pupus", well, the Butter Garlic Prawns were really tough, not much garlic flavor.

The Lemon Shoyu Scallops were also really chewy and there was an amount of "grit" in it that we didn't enjoy.

Still, that poke did "hit the spot". We'd return one more time before leaving the Big Island; though we'd stay with just poke on that visit.

Suisan Company Limited
93 Lihiwai St
Hilo, HI 96720

Yiko Yiko Soft Opening – A Quick Look

April 26, 2023 mmm-yoso Bakery, Desserts

The Missus was looking for some dessert (other than pineapple cake) to go with the tea we brought back from Taiwan. So, She thought we could stop by Uncle Tetsu. I mentioned reading that Yiko Yiko had opened while we were in Taiwan and maybe we should check them out. So, we headed on off to Mercury Village Shopping Center to see if they were open.

YikoYiko 01

And indeed they were.

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They're in soft opening mode and unlike what I and many other folks thought, it's not a cheesecake purveyor. I read in the Eater post that the owner is from Xi'an and the menu, at least right now is limited to what's on the hand written list.

YikoYiko 03

And on this evening, they were out of several items as well. The Missus wanted the Sea Salt Caramel Cake, but they were out.

As you can see by the "case", there's not much.

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And there were even three people still working in the kitchen at this time of the evening.

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The Missus chatted with the young lady working in Mandarin and ended up ordering the Mung Bean Cake ($15).

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From left to right, red bean, matcha, and white bean flavors.

The Missus enjoyed this and I had a taste….I enjoyed the red bean the best. These aren't sweet confections and go really well with tea. The ingredients are all organic according to the young lady. Not overly eggy or buttery, these have a nice smooth texture. And since I really don't have much of a sweet tooth (you can tell by the lack of dessert posts, right?), these did fine by me. The Missus thought they went well with the tea we got from the shop of a Tea Master in Shiding, Taiwan.

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No, this stuff isn't cheap, but according to the Missus the quality is worth the price.

The shop is still in soft opening mode, so availability of items and the hours may vary.

So, if you stop by, let me know what you think.

Yiko Yiko
8008 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111