I’m just going to do mostly photos in this C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post. I’ve done so many posts on these places.
Smack’N Guamanian Grill:
**** Smack’N Guamanian Grill has closed
Been here so many times since they opened in 2019. I usually get the same thing; the Chebot BBQ Chicken, which is now $17.79. It was $15.79 on my last visit.
For some reason, the chicken wasn’t nicely grilled and was really chewy; the Kelaguen was super bland. This was disappointing.
This is what it looked like on previous visit.
Man, raise the prices and cut down on the quality and execution? I hope this is just an aberration, but I’m going to give this place a rest for a while.
Smack’N Guamanian Grill
9506 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
R & B Filipino Cuisine:
Another regular “turo-turo” stop for me since I first visited in 2008! 2008??? Man, what were you doing in February of 2008?
I basically get sisig and whatever just comes out of the kitchen or looks good. So this time it was the Sisig and Beef Mechado. I can’t put it away like I used to, so I go with “half rice” nowadays.
The sisig had decent spice, balanced with some good sour tones. This might be the best I’ve had here in terms of seasoning and flavor. The lechon kawale was on the chewy and hard side; but still, I liked the flavors.
R&B has this weird habit of keeping large and ponderous slices of meat in their stews, which I’ve mentioned before. The meat was tough and there was a kind of greasiness to the dish.
At least the sisig was good.
And I know what “FOY” JanFrederick was doing in February of 2008. He recommended that I give R&B a try….almost 15 years ago! Thanks Jan!
R & B Filipino Cuisine
11257 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Krispy Krunchy Chicken:
**** Krispy Krunchy Chicken is now a location of Cluck n Sip
This is totally “low hanging fruit”. It’s so easy for me when I’m shopping at 99 Ranch Market (I know of folks who still call it “Ranch 99”, do you?). I place an order and return to pick it up on my way out of the store. It always handles the trip back home with no problem. And on this day, they fried it up fresh because there were no wings ready.
Potato wedges are usually a bit on the dry side; but like the name says the Krispy Krunchy Chicken, is still indeed crispy and crunchy. For me, this always needs Crystal Hot Sauce or Tabasco to cut thru the fried tones and saltiness. It’s not amazing and worth going out of your way for, I call it “Popeye’s elevated”. But it’s a pretty consistent product, convenient to get when I go shopping, I guess it fills a niche.
Krispy Krunchy Chicken
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
These wings were just drenched in sauce. There was a huge pool of sauce at the bottom of the box. The two or three pieces on the top, while over sauced held up fine, but the pieces on the bottom were a soggy mess.
Doesn't even look like it's from the same place, does it?
The chicken held up quite well after the drive home. This batter is more of the "laquer" type and it was still quite crunchy. Not much seasoning though, so it really needs a sauce. The sauce came in a presealed container and was like a sweet (emphasis on "sweet") chili sauce that was kind of weak overall.
The wings were somewhat unevenly battered, the pieces on the top were quite crunchy, but for some strange reason, even though I liked the fact this wasn't swimming in sauce, the bottom pieces had gone mushy. For some reason, the meat of the wings were drier as well. This soy based sauce was also too sweet for my taste.
Now, the batter on the wings from GC back in the day was on the lighter side and was also quite thin and the wings got soggy quickly. In this case it was the opposite; the batter was almost hard; not crunchy…hard. Also, I'm not sure if I'm rubbing off on Calvin (good lord, I hope not), but after our first bite we both said "where's the salt and pepper"? Barely any garlic, pepper was MIA, a few slices of scallions. I mean, this was bland, and while the wings were moist, there was just too much batter. The wings were large…but heck, I could have used some "salt" on my Salt-and-Pepper Wings……..
The noodles were nicely cooked and coated. But we both noticed something right away when biting into the shrimp. You can tell by the color. It seems the shrimp were blanched and just dumped into the dish. It had absolutely no flavor. 
Turning things over was a different story as it was pretty greasy. The meat was very moist, tender, and it had that flavor of dark meat chicken that I prefer. The batter was quite crunchy but the seasoning dust is pretty gritty, though quite spicy; but there’s a lack of other flavors….at Hatties, I remember the chicken being very spicy, but it still had some smokiness, most likely from Paprika and even a hint of garlic tones.
Unfortunately, the batter of the wings didn’t hold up well, much of it getting a bit mushy and flaking off. So, if you’re ordering this, it’s probably in your best interest to eat them ASAP….maybe even in the parking lot! Lot’s of burnt garlic which was on the bitter side, though I enjoyed the spice. The flesh of the wings were nice and moist.
The chicken really just tasted boiled lacking in the mild hints of anise-wine and devoid of any salt or mild ginger tones….just plain bland. The sauce provided had brown specks in it and tasted a bit rancid and off. The chicken while cooked nicely, just didn’t taste right.
