Category: Chicken Wings

Pelicana Chicken and Sieu Sieu BBQ Revisited

Chains, Chicken Wings, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Just a couple of recent revisits.

Pelicana Chicken:

Way back when I did my post on Pelicana…like over three years ago now! I did 2 takeout visits and really wasn’t impressed. Though fellow blogger Soo commented that the chicken there is much better dining in. Which I can understand. So now several years later; in the mood for some KFC, I dropped by.

There was basically one very sweet young lady working. She greeted me and led me to a table. These days, ordering is done via a tablet……I’m sure it saves labor costs.

Anyway, I preferred the Original Fried Wings to the Crunchy for takeout, so that’s what I ordered.

Some water was brought to the table and interestingly, no mul kimchi…I guess they’ve changed it up for shredded cabbage with sesame dressing?

The wings arrived, nice and hot.

The lacquered wings were over battered for my taste, crunchy, but got soggy quickly and a bit on the greasy side. Other than salt, still very mild in flavor. I just wanted to taste the chicken without it obscured by sauces. At least the flesh though chewy, was moist, but there was still a good amount of darkened meat.

Good sized, but I think I’ll pass on Pelicana in the future.

Pelicana Chicken
7767 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Sieu Sieu BBQ:

So, on New Year’s Day, the Missus suddenly wanted Roast Duck??? Sending me out on a mission. I dropped by several places, some of which were out of duck, others had massive lines. I took a peek at Sieu Sieu and there were only three people in line, so I decided this was where we’d get our last minute NYDuck.

There were several of these folks hanging around….

In fact a woman and a young man; who I believe is her son picked up two of them! Came to over $600! Now that better be a “porky pig”!

When I got to order my duck; the woman told me “today, only whole duck, no half…..” So, that’s what happened. Got a whole duck, $34.99. Really not a bad price for these days…..

A bit better than what we’d had on our previous visit. Very meaty and on the drier side. The skin wasn’t quite as rubbery as before, but like the meat, in need of more flavor.

Good thing we had a lot of jus…..

And the air fryer….it was still on the bland side….

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

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

Odds and Ends – The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings from Taste of Hong Kong, What’s up with Oxtail Prices, what Made my Xmas Day, and Other Stuffs

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Just a couple of things as we recover from New Years.

The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings from Taste of Hong Kong:

Remember how I was mourning not ordering the Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings during my last post on Taste of Hong Kong? Well, last week we did a revisit to ToHK…I decided to not take any photos since I’d just done a post. But then the chicken wings came out.

My goodness, these were terrible! Something has changed with the batter as it was too wet-mushy and had an almost mealy texture to it. There were fried (burned) slices of garlic incorporated into he batter, which had a strange sweetness. The wings had been overfried and while the exterior was saturated, the meat was tough and dry. What a bummer!

This is what it used to look like.

Well, I guess we can cross this dish off my “favorites” list.

Taste of Hong Kong
4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

What’s up with Oxtail Prices:

The Missus had thoughts of me making my oxtail soup for New Years, so I went to Zion to see if they had oxtails….I found them, but look at the prices!

I guess I haven’t made oxtail soup in ages? I don’t remember paying this much for oxtails! I need 4-5 pounds for my soup….but yikes! I did go to other places, but all the oxtails were over $14 a pound!

Is this the norm?

What made my Xmas Day:

On Christmas day, I took JJ up the street to visit the local donut shop and grab my usual. Like I wrote back in 2020, I think these businesses are part of the “fabric” of the neighborhood and I try to support them. Especially if the place has such wonderful owners as the Cambodian couple who run TK Donuts. So, I try to visit at least once a week and I guess because I used to go there like 4-5 times a week during Covid to help them stay open, they still remember me!

And on Xmas day, after I got my usual, they asked me to wait a minute and handed me a bag with something wrapped in foil. They told me that “this is something that just finished cooking for Christmas”, it’s a traditional family recipe. What was it?

My goodness, it’s Cambodian style roast chicken! It was still hot when I got home. Actually, the Missus loved it and took most of it to work for lunch the next day!

They are so nice! And this beautiful gesture made my day and really touched me!

TK Donuts
3095 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Please be careful out there!

The major storm that hit us on Christmas must have made international news? Because fellow blogger and good friend Kat sent me an email wondering if we were ok! Bless her…Kat, you’re amazing! I emailed her back saying I didn’t think it was too bad. Then a day later, I took JJ to Western Hill Park after having my usual morning coffee and my goodness!

There were actually three trees down in the park! Yikes!

So please, be safe out there and take care!

Pho Real (Lemon Grove)

Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Recently, before the warm up I was in Lemon Grove and decided to get some pho. I saw the sign for this shop and decided to stop by. Pho Real…….

Okay….very “punny”, eh? It was just after 9am; so Negro Durazo next door, which Cathy has posted on several times wasn’t open yet.

The interior is spacious, fairly modern. The menu board was filled with boba type drinks. I was the only customer in the place.

I decided to order “Special” Combo Pho, medium size…..of course there’s no “small”, only medium and large bowls ($15.50) . And since I was hungry I also got the Garlic Butter Wings ($11.75).

I quickly started noticing some of my pet peeves when the basil and sprouts arrived.

You see why, right?

At least it wasn’t overly discolored…….

And it got even more “interesting” when my bowl arrived.

You can quickly see how defatted and thin, the rather cloudy broth is.

It also had that “San Diego sweetish” and very salty flavor I’m not fond of, that is present in many versions of pho here. Very little beefiness….basically what I call the “wave broth”…you know, it’s like they waved a beef bone over the soup to impart flavor.

And when I “dug up” the noodles…..with all the stereotypes in play……you know what I’d find, right?

Yes, the banh pho was in a huge clump at the bottom of the bowl. Well, at least the noodles weren’t mushy, nor were they cold.

So perhaps things were slightly looking up?

The flank and brisket were really chewy and strangely, also lacked beefiness. The tripe though, was nice and crunchy and the one small piece of tendon quite soft and buttery.

You know, I’ve done over 150 posts on pho over the years and this is probably the most cliched, stereotypical bowl of San Diego Pho I’ve had! Or perhaps I’m just getting too picky?

I was nearly done with my pho when the wings arrived.

Look at that giant drumette. Like the pho, I thought this was rather mediocre. The batter was mushy and lacked crispness or crunchy texture. The sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste.

Worse of all….ready for this one? Most of the meat had that blackness that I find annoying.

Usually, I prefer the “flats” to the drumettes, but in this case the meat of the wings were really chewy, like jerky. Take a look at the flat below…..

And what was that round piece of chicken? Anatomically, what part of the chicken wing is that?

This meal had me wondering if I’d been pranked, as it seemed that all those things that I find annoying about pho were present here? Was this pho real for real? Perhaps this might be the one time that I find a “punny” name of a pho restaurant to be totally appropriate! Of course, I’d add a question mark at the end of the name.

I’m glad I took all those photos to show that I’m not exaggerating things.

Perhaps this was just an off day? If you’ve visited, let me know what you think?

Pho Real
6966 Federal Blvd.
Lemon Grove, CA 91945
Current Hours:
Daily 9am – 9pm

Circling Back to Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori

Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Well, we finally got some rain around these parts! And thankfully, even though the “atmospheric river” that hit San Diego did have a bit of flooding it didn’t seem as bad as predicted. Still, while finishing up some rather late shopping for Saturday I was wanting some ramen. It had been a while since I last visited Yakyudori….like almost 5 years! And it was for takeout during Covid. And even longer since I had the ramen there. So, despite the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to find parking I headed on over.

And to my surprise, at 1115 on a Saturday, there was a lot of parking available. I’m wondering if having the Starbucks closed down and the construction of the apartments next door have something to do with things?

And even more strange was how empty the place was.

I remember when they moved to this location back in 2010 the place was super busy even during lunch hours. These days they are only open for lunch on weekends. Also these days, all ordering is done on a mobile device.

And while I was temped to have that Kanazawa Curry again; it was ramen that I was after. So, I got the Shio Ramen ($13.80) and for some reason he thought of having some Nagoya Teba ($9) triggered a nostalgic reaction, so I had to order that as well. The woman working the front of house was quite serious, but not as surly as folks I’ve dealt with here before.

My Shio Ramen was first to arrive.

While the corn really gave this bowl that “Hokkaido Shio” look; the clear broth wasn’t as strongly “umami” as other versions I’ve had. It did have a nice almost porky-poultry savory component and wasn’t overly salty.

Decent richness; especially for a shio ramen as well.

The Tamago was nicely cooked, yolk shiny and golden, decently marinated…but of course…my pet peeve? Yes, it was ice cold! Bummah, this could have been so good.

The noodles were al dente, with a good springy-slipperiness and did a good job of “picking up” the soup to coat.

This was better than I recalled. And while not in my top three for ramen in San Diego, I’d gladly return for this again.

As for the Nagoya Teba; well that was a non-starter.

I find this to be way too sweet even for Nagoya style teba and also lacking in the black pepper department. The coating; which points more toward the crunchy than crisp also gets mushy very quickly. I will say that the flat and wing tip was nice and moist. But for some reason, only one of those are provided. Perhaps they save them for the Yakitori.

The drumettes were tough and chewy.

I don’t think I’ll order these again.

Still, it was nice to get back to Yakyudori. And just eating here brought back some nice memories of going to the original Yakyudori and Hinotez 2 in Nagoya! Such great memories!

Yakyudori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone survived the rain unscathed. And with the next system coming in, hope you stay warm and dry!

Dao Xiang Noodle

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

Remember, I noticed back at the end of May that Dao Xiang Noodle was replacing Mama Lin’s in the Balboa 99 Ranch Market food court? Well, I noticed that the stand opened at 10am and waited a couple of weeks before checking them out.

I arrived at around 1015 and it looked like they were just getting set for the day. The menu was kind of “interesting”….

As were some of the “customers” milling around in the area at that time of the day.

I know I joked about Mama Lin’s selling everything from Corn Dogs to Ramen to Spam Musubi, which they spelled “Misubi”….and this menu actually did have Spam Musubi (would you believe the menu says $5 for a Spam Musubi?!?!?!) on it; at least the focus seemed on noodle, fried rice, and dumplings.

Now, thinking in terms of Dao Xiao Mian…..basically knife cut noodles; well you know I was going to order that, right? In the end, I decided on the Niu Rou Mian (Small – $12.50) and because I’m always interested in Jiaozi; I also ordered the Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($12.50).

The Niu Rou Mian was ok. The soup was too watery, lacking in beefiness, lots of white pepper and saltiness, but quite thin. The beef was quite chewy and lacking in flavor as well. The tendon was really crunchy chunks….not done to the buttery texture I prefer.

The saving grace of this bowl were the noodles; super bouncy, great texture, the definition of “QQ”.

As for the Jiaozi.

The wrappers were really thick and chewy. The filling was decently flavored, could have used more of the fragrant tones…sesame oil, ginger. Really coarse chop of the pork and napa cabbage making it also lean on the “chewy” side.

Overall, except for the knife cut noodles, fairly mediocre. Still, I wanted to do another visit. When I went for that visit, the place was strangely closed at past noon? This was when I ended up going to Potato Powder Love Noodle.

I had some shopping to be done the following weekend and when I peeked over at the food court Dao Xiang was open.

This time the Lu Rou Fan – Braised Pork Rice ($15.49) drew me in. Of course I’m still wishing for the Lu Rou Fan at Jin Feng in Taipei.

This was actually not bad. The rice was a bit on the hard side. Though the soy sauce eggs were nicely marinated, still warm, the yolks lovely.

The pork was on the chewy side, lacked the hint of anise-mild sweetness and of course the porkiness. Still, this was not terrible.

But not something I’d return for.

Still, I did return one more time. Because I saw this sign.

So, it looks like they make XLB….but it was only on weekends. Since I had shopping to do the follwoing weekend; I decided to try out the XLB ($13.99). I ordered it from the really nice guy working the counter. And since I was here; why not try the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($12.49)

The guy actually delivered my XLB to the table….and it looked really strange.

Good lord, this was more of a Baozi, with yeast raised dough! The filling was strange as it was braised pork….very tender, but obviously no porky soup.

Kinda mild in flavor but very tender. I looked at the menu on my way out and noticed they have a “Traditional” Braised Pork XLB, but it’s $14.99 and I was charged $13.99? So maybe the kitchen made a mistake? I really don’t consider any of this as traditional at all. It should be on the menu as a steamed baozi.

The Wings were “Salt & Pepper” in name only. As it was more soy sauce focused.

A bit too wet for my liking as the crispness faded quickly. The flesh very moist, the flavor fine, with a decent mildly sweet-savory tone.

Though like the XLB, not quite what I expected for Salt & Pepper Wings.

The visits were interesting. I’d return for those noodles for something else other than the NRM. With places like Me Sen at the Clairemont 99 Ranch location and Potato Powder Love Noodle opening here next to Dao Xiang, it seems we’re getting some interesting new places. Which I think is a good thing!

You can read about Soo’s visit to Dao Xiang here.

Dao Xiang Noodle
5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 8pm

Chicken Wing Wednesday – Wei Wei Asian Express

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

One of the things I’ve always loved about having this little ‘ole blog for all these years are…well you all! It’s the comments; the great emails, and of course, the recommendations! Admittedly, I’m sometimes a bit slow on the trigger, but I do try to keep track of things via and ever busy Google Map. Recently, I was craving Salt and Pepper Chicken wings. Of course, the usual suspects came to mind.

But then, I recalled some recommendations that I’d gotten years ago from two very dependable “FOYs”; Bruddah’s James and Jack for Wei Wei Express. So, instead of heading down to National City, I was off to Rolando and finding Wei Wei Express in a strip mall (of course), right off University.

I had arrived right at 11am and the place; which screamed “ABCDE” (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) was already looking pretty busy. There were four cooking stations going full blast.

The set-up is interesting as half of the restaurant seemed like a pick-up. storage area with just a couple of tables. Those boxes on the counter were for trays of food being prepared.

While the “nicer” (it’s all relative) tables were on the other side.

You can tell how much stuff comes out of here by taking a gander at the ceiling….

Anyway, the prices are quite reasonable. Figuring I needed some veggies to go with my wings; I ordered the Sautéed String Bean – the lunch special, which came with Fried Rice and a Veggie Egg Roll was just $8.45, a bargain these days.

It was simple fried rice…with just soy sauce, decently coated. The Veggie Egg Roll was terrible, chewy, no flavor.

The green beans were adequately fried, still had a nice crunch and snap, but a bit under seasoned, in need of more white pepper, salt, and garlic.

That lack of salt and garlic on the beans made me worry a bit about my Salt and Pepper Wings – 6 pieces, $9.49, but I shouldn’t have worried.

The wings were crunchy, though starting to get a bit soft after the 20 minute drive home. The seasoning was quite good…..Wei Wei does not use MSG….which I kind of liked as the wings had a decent amount of sodium. Very nicely flavored.

The flesh was moist with just the right amount of toothsomeness. No dark patches, no off flavors.

I enjoyed scooping up the chilies-green onions as it it added another layer of flavor. Of course, I preferred the wings to the drumettes.

So, I guess I really don’t need to head on down to National City or Chula Vista for my S&P Wings anymore? I was pleasantly surprised!

This also made me wonder about the local ABCDE restaurant fairly close by; which I haven’t been to since we first moved here over 20 years ago! Hmmm…….I need to be less of a snob with regards to ABC type places, huh?

And, of course I need to thank “FOYs” James and Jack for recommending this place!

Wei Wei Asian Express
6465 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92115
Current Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Super Dumpling (Carmel Valley)

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

A few months back, I heard about a new XLB/Jiaozi restaurant opening in Carmel Valley named Super Dumpling. After doing a bit of research; I found that these were the folks who owned Sunny Noodle on Clairemont Mesa, which has since been replaced by Spicy Noodle. This kinda dampened the excitement a bit since I wasn’t overly impressed with my meal there. Though the jiaozi was ok, it was definitely not in the same league as Ju Feng Yuan or Lucious Dumpling (both of which I need to return to) in my opinion. Still, a couple of weeks passed and curiosity got the better of me (doesn’t it always?) and I had some time….even with the “crazy boy” at home to head on over to check the place out.

It was an interesting drive as I really don’t get to this area off the 56 very often. It was actually a pretty quick drive. The restaurant itself is located in a large mall with a good amount of parking available.

It was just past opening time as I entered and the simple, but spacious dining room was empty.

The two folks working were really friendly and I was led to a table. There’s also the very typical dumpling making area near the counter as well.

Of course I ordered the Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi ($12.95) and was wondering about the Popcorn Chicken ($10.95) as well since I find it hard to get a good version of that here in San Diego.

The dumplings arrived in a few minutes. This was actually better than what I’d had at Sunny Noodle; though the wrappers were on the thick and brittle side thus tearing easily.

The filling was on the dry – chewy side of the scale, fairly porky, with hints of sesame oil.

Overall, not bad; though I still prefer what Ju Feng Yuan and Lucious Dumpling serves. It does seem like jiaozi is stepping up here in San Diego. My good friend “YZ” had warned me that when she visited, you could tell the jiaozi were frozen. I’m thinking that the filling might indicate that.

As for the Popcorn Chicken. Well, it was quite a large portion.

More like chicken strips than “popcorn chicken”, the batter was mealy – crunchy and somewhat hard, on the salty side with a strong pepperiness.

Though the meat had nice soy sauce – seasoning tones; the chicken itself was really tough.

Still looking for some good Popcorn Chicken here in SD.

Really nice service and the prices were not bad; so I decided to return.

This time I got the Garlic Fried Chicken Wings (6pc – $12.95). They should have called with “Sodium Bomb” chicken wings….good lord and if the chicken wasn’t salty enough, the wings were topped with even more salt! There was a chili based powder provided as well.

The batter was fairly crunchy and fell apart easily. The flesh was moist, but had so much blackish meat. It was hard getting past how salty this was.

Every so often, I get distracted by those “shiny things”…..I had meant to try the Xiao Long Bao here. And I did get XLBs…but while I should have acted rationally; like I did trying the basic jiaozi, I ended up ordering the “Signature” Xiao Long Bao ($19.95). I haven’t had much luck with these “variety” XLBs; if it be locally at Facing East or even in Taipei at Dian Shui Lou. But still, here I went and ordered it.

Yes, quite colorful. And I took some comfort knowing that all the coloring was “natural”, even the blue on the Chicken and Corn XLB, is supposedly made by red cabbage…..why it’s blue…well, you got me?

And which was the best? Well, obviously what I should have gotten in the first place; the Pork XLB.

It didn’t have a whole lot of soup and the wrappers were on the firm and brittle side; like the jiaozi…I prefer my XLB to have a more “pillowy” wrapper. But the filling was quite porky, with hints of what seemed like ginger.

The Chicken and Corn XLB was also not bad – even though that neon-ish color seemed a bit disturbing.

My least favorite were the Korean BBQ Beef XLB which had no soup and was really tough and the Black Truffle; I really couldn’t make out truffle flavor.

The two crab versions were not bad; but nothing to write home about.

I’m glad I got to check out Super Dumpling. Though now I really need to head back to Ju Feng Yuan and Lucious Dumplings.

Speaking of Ju Feng Yuan; I’m wondering if my two “FOYs” who recommended JFY; SD Julie and RD have checked this place out; and if so, what are your thoughts?

And for another view on Super Dumpling, you can check out Soo’s post as well.

Super Dumpling
3870 Valley Centre Drive #301
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Fri – Sun 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm

Chào XO (National City)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Recently, the Missus wanted Her Cheesecake fix from Her favorite place. So, I drove on down to National City. Upon arriving at the normally chaotic Bay Plaza off Plaza Boulevard I was shocked at how much parking was available. Then I quickly noticed that both Big Lots and Joann Fabrics had closed down! 

Since I made the drive down; I decided to grab some lunch. Of course Golden Chopsticks was calling to me, or even Porky's Lechon.

But then I saw this place.

Chao XO 01

Looked fairly new. I don't recall seeing it before? So, I decided to check it out.

Chao XO 18

Hmmm….though the name made it seem like a Vietnamese Restaurant; there's a poster of Pad Thai in the window.

The interior is quite lovely and bright.

Chao XO 02

And even though there was a short wait to be seen and seated; the young lady working was so sweet.

And even though the set-up looked fairly routine…..

Chao XO 06

But the menu is a whole 'nother story. Yes there's pho….but there's also Birria, Ceviche, the afore mentioned Pad Thai, "Shaken" Saltado (I'm assuming something like Bo Luc Lac), Mushroom Rice, and even a version of Kare Kare? So, I decided to order something "fusiony" and something more in line with Vietnamese cuisine…….like some pho.

Chao XO 04

As for that Anthony Bourdain Pho; well, I'd heard of a place in Irvine, that makes a bowl of pho inspired by Anthony Bourdain…and it seems like this is a copy? Sup Noodle Bar also makes a version of Lomo Saltado…so I'm thinking….. Anyway, I wasn't ordering that. I'm still haunted by the Missus coincidentally ordering what Bourdain ate for his last meal at Wistub de la Petite Venise in Colmar and hearing about folks wanting to see where he committed suicide in Kaysersberg when we visited the Alsace in the winter of 2018.

For my "fusiony" dish; I decided on trying the Spicy Birria Dumplings ($14).

Chao XO 07

Which came with some consomme.

Chao XO 08 Chao XO 09  Well, this was a miss in my book. The "dumplings" seemed like fried frozen chicken gyoza you'd get at the market. Cardboardish wrappers, salty – chewy filling.

The birria was mild in terms of complex beefy-smoky-spicy tones (in spite of being warned that it was "spicy" by the nice young lady), it was stringy and chewy. Just not good eats. 

Chao XO 10 Chao XO 11  To me; the best part of this dish was the consomme, not because it had the complex, beefy-savory tones of a good consomme; but because it at least had some decent flavor. Though, it really tasted like "San Diego sweet" pho broth with some birria and beef flavoring. Perhaps this is what the "Birria Pho" on the menu tastes like?

I also ordered the Combo Pho ($17.25), which was noted to be the "Chef Choice" on the menu. First out was the rather sparse plate of sprouts, basil, lime, and jalapeno.

Chao XO 12

I anticipated a rather small portion of these; but the basil was also starting to turn black as well.

Chao XO 13

As for the pho…..

Chao XO 14  Chao XO 15 The broth had an abundance of cilantro and scallions which was good. It was very clear, though not seriously defatted. It did lack a definite beefiness and the anise tones I enjoy. As is typical of much of the pho in San Diego, it had that somewhat sweet background to it, in addition to being a bit too salty.

There was an abundance of protein; with the pleasantly crunchy tripe taking first prize and the slightly beefy and somewhat tender flank taking a close second.

Chao XO 16

The noodles were severely overcooked and in a large mushy mass at the bottom of the bowl.

Chao XO 17

A fairly mediocre bowl of pho….though perhaps my good friend Xiāngjiāo, who dined here the day after this visit said about the pho; "well it's edible….."

And so, in this day and age with the high prices, if it was just a mediocre meal; I would have let it pass and not done another visit. But this was less than that and I felt bad. So, with the Missus in need of another cheesecake, I headed back down to Bay Plaza. And yes, I decided to do another visit.

Chao XO 19

This time; I wanted to try the wings; and the nice young lady working this lunch time recommended the Kare Curry.

So, I got things started with the Fried Chicken Wings ($13); I picked the Salt and Pepper version.

Chao XO 20 Chao XO 21 This was comprised of five pieces; two huge drumettes, and three "flats". The seasoning was quite good, some spice, perhaps a bit too much MSG, but I enjoyed it.

The flats were tender and moist; but because of the large size; the drummettes were tough and dry.

On another note; the wings were coated with a lacquer style, crisp batter. Two of the pieces were crisp and light; one had all the coating falling off, and as you notice in the comparison shot below; two of the pieces were not fried enough and the batter was soft and soggy. Still, this was the best item I had during my two visits.

Chao XO 22

The nice young lady recommended that I get the pork belly with the Kare Curry ($21), which arrived with a bowl of rice.

Chao XO 23

Looking at the dish; something Xiāngjiāo said quickly came to mind. She had visited with her family and ordered a variety of dishes. She noted that none of the dishes ordered even vaguely resembled the photos in the menu. I actually took a look at the menu and that typical "photos are for reference only" was not to be seen. Anyway, this difference was quite obvious with the Kare Curry.

Chao XO 03

Chao XO 25   Chao XO 24Not to belabor the statement; but the color is totally different! As for the dish itself? Well, the sauce/stew was super thick; way too thick, lacking in the nice smooth creaminess of kare kare. Coconut milk had been added and this was overly sweet for my taste. Think of getting a jar of peanut butter and throwing in some coconut milk…..this lacked a satisfying savoriness for me.

The rice was on the dry side, but fine.

The bok choy and the green beans were decently stir fried; but the eggplant was undercooked for my taste.

And finally, the pork belly…sigh. The slices of pork belly were fried before putting in the dish and even though the pork flavor came thru nicely were tough and rubbery.

Chao XO 26

Well, what to say….perhaps to paraphrase Xiāngjiāo, "well, it's edible…" But after spending nearly $90 for two lunches, well…..at least the service was very nice and friendly. And I am actually glad to have given the place two tries.

Chao XO 27

Chào XO
1420 E Plaza Blvd.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 11am – 8pm
Closed on Wednesday

Saigon Corner (Mira Mesa)

Chicken Wings, Vietnamese Restaurants

Recently, during the short stretch of warm weather we had here, I decided to head on over to Paris Sandwiches for a banh mi. While driving thru the parking lot I noticed a new sign posted.

Saigon Corner 01

I made a mental note to return to check it out and wouldn't you know, that very afternoon I get a text from Calvin with a photo of what looked like Hu Tieu Mi Kho. So, I made it a point to check the place out.

A few days later I returned. I entered thru the Vinh Hung Market just to confirm that yes, Saigon Corner had replaced Song Huong.

Saigon Corner 02a

And yes, as I walked past Ngon Ngon, there stood Saigon Corner. "Authentic Southern Vietnamese Food" the sign says. 

The dining room looks quite clean and spacious and three a sign for ordering over the counter.

Saigon Corner 03

An older gentleman was going back and forth from the kitchen and a really nice young lady brought me a menu.

Saigon Corner 04

Saigon Corner 05b

I had to laugh….I've always joked about Vietnamese menu syndrome….you know, those menus with every variation of every possible dish that ends up being 20 pages long. Well, this is a more abbreviated version of that with everything from Oc (snails) to chicken gizzrds to Hi Tieu and Banh Canh to Banh Cuon to even hột vịt lộn….think balut!

I was actually interested in the Oxtail Noodle Soup, but they were out of oxtails, so I went with the Banh Canh Tom Cua ($16.50), basically the shrimp and crab tapioca noodle soup and because I was curious, I got the Chicken Wings ($9.50). The young lady recommended the "Tomyum" flavor.

Saigon Corner 06

The older gentleman brought me various condiments which actually wasn't needed as the soup really had enough flavor. The broth was slightly thick and hearty while also being as hot as molten lava…this really did warm me up!

Saigon Corner 07 Saigon Corner 08  This was quite the bowl! There was shimeji mushroom, quail eggs, fish balls (not my favorite thing), some ground pork, a couple of slices of char siu-ish pork, fairly tender shrimp (not deveined), and two, really tasty fried crab.

The noodles weren't the typical "udon style" banh canh that I'm used to, but more like a tapioca based Silver Needle Noodles. Small and hard to wrangle with chopsticks, but they had a nice chewy texture.

IMG_6727

The broth was fairly thick, molten hot, quite savory. I enjoyed this bowl and would gladly have it again.

The Chicken Wings were another story.

Saigon Corner 10  Saigon Corner 11  The skin hadn't been fried crisp and were rubbery. The "tomyum" was a a packaged powder that was overly salty. The wings were moist and tender, but the drumettes really dry and tough.

I'll pass on this in the future.

The gentleman swung by as I was finishing up and dropped off a rice pudding dessert. So very nice!

Saigon Corner 12

I decided to return a few days later, with some hints as to the menu. I had sent out some text messages to friends and was warned about the Oc not being up to snuff. As for the hột vịt lộn, well, I had a nice chat with the young lady before leaving mentioning what we'd had in Sapa and she laughed and said that their version is not as "old" (as in it doesn't have feathers and feet yet). Still, I think I'll pass on that; for now.

On that visit to Paris Sandwiches when I first saw the sign for Saigon Corner, I noticed the "old timers" weren't outside drinking coffee. Well, I figured out why as I entered the restaurant from the parking lot. There were three tables of guys getting their coffee and conversation.

Saigon Corner 13

I was seated and handed a menu….in the short few days between visits; there were more items on the menu. Like now they offered Banh Mi.

Saigon Corner 15

The one thing that was the same was that they were still out of oxtail. So I went with the Hu Tieu Mi Go Sai Gon ($14.75), a very popular street noodle dish. It's basically named "knocking noodles" I've heard because the street vendors used to knock together sticks while walking the streets to indicate their presence.

Saigon Corner 16

What struck about this dish were the noodles, both the hu tieu and the mi (egg noodles) were prepared perfectly, the hu tieu had a nice pull, the mi a pull with a bit of "crunch". The soup was a bit on the salty side and there was a little bit of everything in this, some shrimp, fish balls, slices of pork; though no little fried crab and shimeji mushrooms.

Overall, I actually prefer this to any of the noodle soups LHK makes.

Saigon Corner 17  Saigon Corner 18  I like the folks working here, there is quite a variety of dishes on the menu so I will definitely return. They have some Com Tom dishes so I'll probably drag the Missus along. They have outdoor tables, so maybe JJ might join us. I know my friend "CY" said we'll grab lunch here in a couple of weeks. With Saigon Corner and Ngon Ngon basically next to each other, things are looking up in this little corner of Mira Mesa!

Saigon Corner
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 9am – 9pm
Closed on Wednesday

Saigon Corner 00