We continued our roast duck quest with a visit to a place we had only done takeout from; Eastern Dynasty. We hadn't enjoyed the dishes much from Eastern Dynasty, and the last time we did takeout, other than the Kwai Fei Ji, which the Missus specifically said we weren't going to order, well this was going to be interesting.
Parking at the Convoy Pointe Plaza can get pretty tight during prime time; but we arrived during the middle of the week at 5pm for dinner and had no issues finding parking. Eastern Dynasty had just opened and we were the first customers.
We placed our orders and soon enough the dishes started arriving.
First up, the Roast Duck.
This was totally different from what I'd had from here previously. It as still on the mild side in terms of flavor, definitely in need of more assertive anise flavor. But the skin, while a bit too soft was passable, and the meat was very moist and tender. Not great, but not bad at all.
Previously, when I had tried to order the Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant, I was told "not to order it", and when I went ahead anyway, my goodness, it was waaaay too fishy! But here we were a year later.
Whoa, like the duck, this was surprising, though unlike said fowl, it was not in a good way. This hardly had any salted fish in it and was very bland. Did they have a shortage of salted fish? Or perhaps they've changed chefs?
We also ordered the Salt and Pepper Pork Chops.
I liked the seasoning on this, good amount of pepper, perhaps a bit too much MSG. But the pork was tough and the coating lacked crispness.
For the last dish; the Missus wanted the Mei Cai Kou Rou. I reminded Her how greasy and bitter it was the last time we tried it. She was undeterred. And it turned out to be the best dish of the meal.
Man, this was a nice surprise. The pork was tender, not overly fatty, and braised well. Mei Cai Kou Rou can be overly sweet, but this was nicely balanced, good salty-savory-ginger-anise-sweet balance. It was also not overly greasy and we could taste the preserved vegetable, which added pleasant sour notes, and a slightly crunchy texture to the dish. This also had julienned napa cabbage, which one could complain is filler, but it added a hint of sweetness and a nice contrast in texture. This dish got the Missus to exclaim, "when we're done with the roast duck exploration, let's do Mei Cai Kou Rou!" Be still my arteries!
This was an interesting visit. I'm wondering if there's such a large gap between takeout and dine in here? Or perhaps the kitchen staff has changed since our last visit? I'm hoping that it's not a matter of consistency in the prep of the food.
Have you been to Eastern Dynasty recently? If so, how did it compare to earlier visits? Do tell!
Eastern Dynasty
4690 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 230pm, 5pm – 830pm
Yes, that's what the plate looked like. Man, those…in very loose quotes "won ton" were like a cardboard gau gee, time didn't do the wrapper any favors as it was quite chewy.
The chicken wings were still a crisp-crunchy when I got back to the office, but had way too much MSG and had me gulping down water in no time at all.
It seems that I had a "shift" in the tomatoes on the drive back to the office. I was just happy to have tomatoes on my dog which were MIA on my last visit. The fries, which were crisp on my last two visits, were soggy and dry this time around; though I kinda liked the pieces that had celery salt on them.
All the chicken, both the karaage and the wings were nice and crisp and very moist; nicely seasoned, a hint of soy, but not overly salty. The best I've had from Tenkatori thus far.
Decades ago, this location was the first restaurant where The Mister and I had Dim Sum (carts and all). The area at the front door had a window counter display case of roast ducks and roast pork; we would stop here for some roasted treats to take home if not going to Woo Chee Chong down the street.
Fried squid appetizer ($8.99). This came out last and was freshly fried to a nice, light crunch, not oily and was an excellent version, with garlic and peppers. This could have been my meal, but we shared.
House Special Pan Fried Rice Noodle ($17.95). Beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, egg, rice noodles all stir fried with a smoky wok hey comfort flavor. A nice plate that we enjoyed.
Combination Platter-Choice of Two roasted meats from the window display at the back of the eating area ($19.95). Roast duck and roast pork belly. Juicy, fatty, crisp skin with moist, flavorful, meaty goodness. Enough left over for a nice dinner. 
Prices are in line with other Cantonese style restaurants. Quality is great. Service is excellent. We will try again.
See-the hanging ducks and pork are back in the corner display case.
The skin on the Roast Pork was slightly crisp, but the flavor was way too sweet and the flesh was too hard and chewy. The skin on the roast duck wasn't bad, the fat had been rendered nicely, unfortunately this too was quite bland and tough.
The noodles were the same as the NRM. The duck was much better this time around; you can tell by the color, there as much more five spice flavor and the meat, while on the tough side had taste. The skin was still a bit rubbery for my taste, but the fat had been rendered nicely. This was a definite improvement.
The former movie theater, now a Vietnamese Market, with the Cantonese restaurant in the former lobby has survived Covid-19. 
From the small Dim Sum menu, we ordered XLB-soup dumplings ($6.38). A nice bite and, as you can see, not quite perfect, but no soup was actually lost because of the creative steaming system.
From the 'appetizer' portion of the menu, we ordered the 'Double Delicacy' ($19.95) because we couldn't decide on roasted pork or roasted duck and this was a way to get both (there were leftovers) (both of these meats are really good; tender meat, crisp skin, not too salty.).
Lately, Chow Fun fulfills the craving I've been having for noodles. The wide, flat, rice noodles, stir fried to get that smoky 'wok hei' flavor always seems perfect. (This order was shredded pork with preserved vegetable chow fun ($14.95). I enjoy the briny 'pickle-ness' of preserved vegetables in any dish and combined with the smoked noodles, each bite was delightful).
Hot tea is always free. We did have to ask for chopsticks.
I gotta say, that Kwai Fei Chicken was the best I've had in a while. Moist, tender meat, decently seasoned. The sauce, while still high in the oil to ginger, was much better than last time. Really good. Alas, the Missus is not a big fan of Kwai Fei Ji. 
