Chinese Restaurants – Page 11

Golden Bay Asian Food (La Mesa)

April 30, 2024 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Cathy is writing for a few days while Kirk and His Missus are vacationing.

The mall at the corner of Avocado Boulevard at the 125 is anchored by a Smart and Final market and fronted by a McDonalds and Starbucks along with about 40 other businesses surrounding a very large parking lot. Last February, Golden Bay opened, replacing another Chinese restaurant.

A lot of the business is take out, but we managed to grab a seat at one of the five tables inside.

There is a menu on the front window and we were handed menus when we sat down. There are lunch specials! The Mister ordered a lunch special, which came with a chicken based, thick egg drop soup. Complimentary 'crunchies' were brought out with the silverware.

Soon, our orders were brought out. Egg Foo Young (because it was our first visit and I always order EFY on my first visit to any Chinese restaurant-everyone makes EFY uniquely). Lunch Special #23- Salt and Pepper Fish.
The Lunch Specials are $11.95. The Special comes with steamed jasmine rice or fried rice and a vegetable egg roll in addition to the soup (choice of egg drop or hot and sour). You can substitute steamed vegetables and chop suey for additional fees. The batter and fry of the fish was excellent- not greasy, light and crisp. The fish was light and flaky. This was tasty and a good portion.
Mixed Vegetable Egg Foo Young ($14.95)-what a delightful version! Three large patties, filled with bean sprouts, broccoli, peas and carrots and so eggy, fried nicely with a light and crisp crust and topped with a proper (not thick, not salty) brown gravy. One waitress brought us more gravy halfway through- which was just enough to take home with the leftovers.

Very fresh, flavorful and with fair prices. Nice people working here. We will stop by to try more of the menu.

Golden Bay Asian Food 3641 Avocado Boulevard La Mesa, CA 91941 (619) 660-7777 Open Wed-Mon 10:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. Closed Tuesday

Taste of Hunan Revisited

April 21, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Recently, the Missus wanted some Hunan style food. We'd had our fill of Cantonese offerings here. So, naturally She wanted Village Kitchen, which is perfectly fine. I on the other hand had been wanting to revisit Taste of Hunan. It had been ages since I had eaten there and though we did takeout during Covid, it was not quite the same. Plus, we could hit up Trader Joe's after our meal. The Missus complied and we headed on over.

Taste Of Hunan Rev 01

We went for an early dinner on a weekend and the place was pretty chill.

Taste Of Hunan Rev 02

The menu had changed a bit, but most of the "usual suspects" were there. The Missus was missing those dishes with preserved and pickled vegetables, so it was easy ordering for us.

First to arrive was the Minced Pork with Preserved Green Beans ($17.99).

Taste Of Hunan Rev 04

This was a bit short in terms of minced pork, but there was an abundance of crunchy, briny, green beans, which is what the Missus enjoys in this dish. A bit of spice, a lot of sour tones, the Missus enjoyed this.

One dish that we had enjoyed on previous visits was the Stir Fried Chicken Gizzards with Pickled Long Beans ($18.99). This time though, it was a bit different.

Taste Of Hunan Rev 05

Previously, the gizzards were cut thin, almost shaved, which added a nice, almost crisp-crunchy texture to the nicely sour-salty pickled long beans. On this visit, the gizzards were chopped thick, hard, and the offal-ish-livery flavor permeated the dish. This was our least favorite dish if the evening.

The Missus enjoys La Rou and Celtuce, so the Smoked Pork with Chinese Lettuce Stem ($21.99) was a must order.

Taste Of Hunan Rev 06

While the pork was on the rubbery fatty side; it was nice and smoky. The cucumber-nutty-chlorophyllic flavor of the celtuce, along with the crunchiness made up for that. A simply seasoned dish that highlited the ingredients.

Last to arrive was the Beef with Chives and Tofu Skin ($18.99).

Taste Of Hunan Rev 07

This was interesting as the "beef" was like brisket cut for pho, a bit on the chewy side. It was lightly seasoned with cumin, which lifted the dish. The tofu skin was on thicker side, but added a crunchy texture to the dish. The chives were quite mild. We enjoyed the leftovers of this as a liang cai "cold dish", which was quite good.

I had always preferred what Taste of Hunan served versus Village Kitchen and I think that the Missus now agrees with me.

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St.
San Diego, CA 92131
Current Hours:
Mon – Tues, Thurs 1130am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm
Friday 1130am – 230pm, 5pm – 930pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 930pm
Closed on Wednesday

Roadtrip – Brodard (Fountain Valley), Wing Hop Fung, and Mandarin Noodle House (Monterey Park)

April 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Road Trip, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel, Vietnamese Restaurants

A few months back, what is now several road trips ago, we decided to head on back to one of our favorite lunch restaurants in Santa Barbara County. Instead of making it a single over night stay, we decided to stretch things out into three nights. We'd be doing a bunch of shopping along the way and be able to take our time. We'd spend the first night at the huge Courtyard by Marriott again, then head off the next morning.

We started off early, with thoughts of hitting up Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ again. But we had gotten an early start and the Missus changed Her mind and suddenly requested a visit to Brodard. Brodard! I told Her that Brodard had moved since we last visited over a decade ago(!). Cathy has visited the "new" (it's all relative) location a couple of times.

We arrived a shade past 9am.

The place was almost empty, with one two top occupied.

The restaurant is quite large, with a dedicated takeout area. The space is modern and clean.

I could never have imagined Brodard being this quiet.

Service was quite pleasant and relaxed.

Of course we had to order the Nem Nuong Cuon. These days you can order just two rolls if you want for $2.50 each!

These seem a little smaller than I recall, but the sausage was nicely grilled and the proportion of ingredients seemed right, so one could enjoy the salty-sweet-savory flavors of the "bouncy" nem nuong and the crunch of the crisp egg roll wrapper. The wrapping was done perfectly, neither too loose nor too tight which would make the rolls tougher, creating what I'd call "bad botox spring rolls". The sauce was as before slightly sweet-sour, with garlic and umami tones. I does seem a bit more watered down than I recalled.

We also got the Banh Khot ($14.95).

I did notice that one of the shrimp was "MIA". Still, the Missus enjoys the crisp rice flour cup/shell, which has a hint of coconut. The shrimp were plump and tender, nicely cooked. These are quite a treat with the mung beans, pickled veggies, the anise-citrusy tiet to (perilla), and the slightly sweet-chili-fish sauce concoction.

We're glad we stopped by and will make sure to visit more often.

Brodard Restaurant
16105 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Hours:
Daily 8am – 9pm

We then headed off to the SGV. We did some shopping at the TS Emporium off Rosemead (I'll do a bunch of shopping/misc posts later) and some other stops before heading to the Courtyard. We were lucky enough to be able to check in early and spent the rest of the afternoon napping.

We hadn't made any plans for dinner. We were just going to play it by ear. It was a Wednesday, so we didn't expect things to be too crowded. The Missus wanted to walk to our dinner destination, so we headed down Atlantic, pausing at Daikokuya, then crossing over and taking look at a couple of places. We crossed back over Garvey and noticed Wing Hop Fung in the strip mall that housed 99 Ranch Market.

IMG_1146b

We had passed by many times over the years, thinking this was something along the lines of TS Emporium. But once entering….whoa….

The Missus made a beeline for the teas.

And really took Her time checking out the Pu-Erh. Well, this was no cheapo shop.

It seemed like some good quality products here.

And in case you have $1800 lying around.

And the wine/liquor section was no less intense.

They also carry a good selection of Kavalan, one of our favorite brands. My favorite over time has been the Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Malt Whiskey. Our visit to the Kavalan Distillery affirmed that it is still my favorite. You can get that here. It's ahem, "only" $549 a bottle. I'll just admire it from afar for now….

We enjoyed our time in Wing Hop Fung, it looks like the herbs/tea are high quality and the selection is vast. I understand that for many years Wing Hop Fung had a very popular store in LA's Chinatown. Though I really don't recall that.

Wing Hop Fung
725 W Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

We walked out of the store suffering from a bit of sticker shock. We decided to get something comforting and simple for dinner. We had passed a Taiwanese place right around the corner named Mandarin Noodle House many times over the years . It had been around back in the days when we lived in the SGV! I was really missing the pork chops I'd enjoyed in Taiwan, so I thought it would a great time to finally stop by. We turned the corner and there it was.

The restaurant is simply adorned, a typical mom-and-pop type establishment that immediately made us comfortable. The prices seemed so reasonable.

The gentleman working was nice and efficient. Ordering was a breeze as we immediately set our sights on two dishes.

Of course I wanted the Pork Chops. At $14.95, this seemed a bargain for these times.

The rice was decently cooked, the pickled greens were fine. The soy sauce egg had been cooked to death, the yolk dry. I enjoyed the Taiwanese spinach. The pork chops had a good amount of pepper, but not enough five spice flavor, was on the salty side, and really tough and chewy. Sadly, it did not remind me of Taiwan.

The Missus got the Pig's Feet ($14.95).

Which came with the same cooked to death soy sauce eggs. But after that, things got so much better. The wonderful porky-sweet-savory-soy based sauce had been poured over the rice. Oh man, talk about comforting! The pigs feet had been cooked perfectly; still intact, but the skin was so tender, the flavor of the cooking liquid had permeated every nook and cranny of the trotters. Once the skin was off, the meat fell of the bones, porky deliciousness. We got a winnah here!

By this time, folks had started coming into the restaurant. Different nationalities, all classes, from guys in workwear and boots speaking Spanish, to three guys in suit and ties, an older couple who knew the guy working. All converging on this little business, it was great to see. Looks like Mandarin Noodle House might be what I call a "thread in the fabric" of this neighborhood!

Mandarin Noodle House
701 W Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Hours:
Daily 1030am – 9pm

Taste of Hong Kong Revisited

April 1, 2024 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

As I noted during my post on revisiting Eastern Dynasty, the Missus wanted to compare Mei Cai Kou Rou. So, a couple of weeks ago we headed back to Taste of Hong Kong. After all, I really wanted those Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings again.

We got in right before 5pm and the place was fairly quiet. We ordered three dishes and soon enough our food started arriving.

Starting with the Roast Duck (of course).

Rev Taste of Hong Kong 01

This was very moist, though not quite as good as what we had on our last visit. The flavor was a bit "lighter" in terms of five spice-winey-sweetness and the skin was limp and flabby. Seems like consistency is a factor here.

Thankfully, the Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings were just as good, if not better than last time.

Rev Taste of Hong Kong 02

Crisp, edging toward crunchy, with moist flesh, it's the savory-eggy-salty treat for me!

As for the Mei Cai Kou Rou; well, that was not very good.

Rev Taste of Hong Kong 03

The pork was barely lukewarm, making it quite waxy. As you can tell by the photo, the sauce was too gloppy and lacked flavor. It was gluey blandness. There was lack of preserved vegetable as the bottom was mostly napa cabbage.

Rev Taste of Hong Kong 04

Sigh. I wish I could find something to accompany those chicken wings.

What's even more interesting is that the folks that own ToHK has purchased China Max and according to this post in Eater should be reopening in August of 2024. We'll see. What I thought was interesting is in the last paragraph of that post – to quote:

"the team tells Eater that they’re planning on changing the focus of Taste of Hong Kong."

Hmmm…..maybe I better load up on those wings while I still can?

Rev Taste of Hong Kong 05

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

Taipei – Chia Te and the Taipei 101 Food Court

March 22, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

So, now that we were back in Taipei, it as time to resume our hunt for Pineapple Cake for my MIL. We had a specific target on our schedule; but first….well, the Missus needed Her tea and I wanted a cup of coffee. Que in Wilbeck, a shop right around the block from where we were staying.

A decent Americano for $50NT – $1.25/US and the Missus got some tea as well.

Interesting place…..

And then we were off…..we had started collecting Pineapple Cake in Taichung at Dawncake and a couple of other places in the city, then at another place in Chiayi. But the one place the Missus was looking forward to getting pineapple cake from was this one.

Google best Pineapple Cake in Taiwan and Chia Te will just about always be on the list. Established in 1975, Chia Te has won best Pineapple Cake at the first Taipei Pineapple Cake Festival in 2006 and from what I gathered four more times after that. Add to things that Chia Te has only one shop, located in Taipei (though I understand you can order delivery and get boxes at the airport), you can understand this:

Yes, a line of course. We had arrived at around 815, Chia Te opens at 830, but the line already stretched all the way down the block and around the corner. Unlike typical lines in Taiwan; this one didn't move quickly. It took us nearly two hours to get into the shop.

They kept posting signs listing items they were out of.

The actual shop is tiny, we got our act together and ended up getting all of this.

I will say, that I really enjoyed this. I wish I got more than one small box.

You can get Chia Te in the states; but it is $$$. Though I'm not sure I'll want to stand in that line again when we return to Taipei.

IMG_7553_0A

Chia Te Bakery
No. 88, Section 5, Nanjing E Rd.
Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan

By the time we finished it was time for lunch. Being on this side of the city, Taipei 101 was a 30 minute walk away. I thought it would be fun to check to grab lunch at the food court there. Yes, I said food court. I know most folks would head to Din Tai Fung here, but we'd already been to the original location of DTF in Xinyi and as tempting as that was; I'd read about a Chinese BBQ Hawker with a Michelin Star having an stand in the food court. So, we headed to the basement of Taipei 101.

It was just past 11am when we arrived, so the place wasn't overly busy, though that changed quickly. And we quickly found the shop I was looking for.

And the Missus ordered some Roast Duck and Char Siu.

We saw this stand.

And we'd been wanting to try an oyster omelet, so we walked over and ordered that; along with another item….

We had no problem finding a table. We were lucky because in what seemed like a few minutes later, the place was packed.

First up; the Oyster Omelet and of course a pork chop.

We enjoyed the oyster omelet, even the sweet-sourish gooey sauce which added a nice acidity. The eggs were nicely tender, the small oysters meaty-briney; there were some nice greens mixed in. Overall, really savory and good.

And of course, the pork chop.

Nicely pounded, salty-peppery-porky; some mild garlic tones, mild crispness. Yes, I know, "I didn't meet a pork chop I hated in Taiwan".

On that note; the duck and char siu were diappointing.

The duck was dry, lacking in fattiness, the skin hard, not crisp, without enough five-spice flavor. That pork was tough as leather the edges strangely bitter, and also lacking in flavor.

Well, you can't win 'em all. Though about that Michelin Star thing……

No.45 City Hall Rd.
Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Taiwan

All was not lost though as we saw this on our way out.

And yes, more pineapple cake to carry back with us.

I'm sure we'll be back to the area. We need to check out the observatory at Taipei 101.

From Taipei 101, it was a 30 minute metro ride back to the hotel.

We had time to rest and relax. And wonder….we had reservations at a Michelin starred restaurant for dinner. How would that fare?

Midweek Meanderings – Mama Lin’s Replacing Saigon 5, it’s now Ujin Ramen instead of Hanyuzu Ramen, Honeyjam Chicken Looks ready to open? And the new sign for Golden City

March 20, 2024 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, here's some "stuffs" I found while driving around. Actually, this is just a couple of places, there's much more, but the title of the post was getting too long!

Mama Lin's Replacing Saigon 5:

So, on a previous visit to 99 Ranch Market on Balboa, I noticed that Sip n' Cluck was replacing Krispy Krunchy Chicken. Imagine my surprise on my last trip to 99 Ranch when I went to the restroom and saw that a stand named Mama Lin's was replacing Saigon 5!

Mamam Lin

Makes me wonder if business in this food court is not particularly busy. The place never seems busy…..

5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111

It's now Ujin Ramen instead of Hanyuzu Ramen:

**** You can find my post on Ujin here.

So, I've been avoiding Renaissance Towne Center because of all the crazy road work. Heck, I have to deal with the ever changing traffic patterns on Clairemont Drive; why would I want to expose myself to more of the same? Still, after 7 months or so of avoiding the area, I decided to to head on over to Chicago Fire Grill to see what's going on. In the end, I ended up trying a new place that opened up there (post upcoming) and got to see what was going on.

Ujin 01 Ujin 02 Since I arrived before 11, I took a stroll around the strip mall. It was quite interesting. Back in August of 2022 it seemed like a shop named Ramen Hanyuzu was coming to this mall. In June of 2023, ditto. But now, in March of 2024, it looks like Ujin Ramen is coming to this spot?

My goodness……

8935 Towne Centre Drive #113
San Diego, CA 92122

And what about Honeyjam Chicken?:

Good question. I mean way back in 2021, this spot was going to be JJ Chicken. Then, in October of 2022, "FOY" Patty and Rena alerted me to changes. Apparently, the place was now going to Honeyjam Chicken. Of course, it's now March of 2024.

Honeyjam opening 01

Well, there seems to be some work going on here. Still, not sure if or when they will open. It must be so frustrating for folks in the area who are looking forward to these businesses open. But can you imagine; that we're hiring sign has been up since I first saw the place in October of 2022. I mean, really, you want staff…….do they think folks will wait a year-and-a-half for work? It's quite sad….

8895 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

The new sign for Golden City:

This is an interesting one. I saw a change of signs occurring for Golden City earlier in the week. Then "FOY" Derric sent me a message asking what was going on.

GC New Sign

When I first saw the sign, I drove into the parking lot and peeked into the restaurant…..the guy working and the decor looked the same. My one source said it was still the same with a change in the Chinese name of the place. The Missus said that in Chinese the name is now something along the lines of "Prosperity Palace". So we'll see…..

5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

And there's more; but I'll save that for a future post. Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Spicy Noodle (Kearny Mesa)

March 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

I really wasn't too interested in checking out Spicy Noodle when I first noticed the place back in September. The restaurant had been Sunny Noodle for what seemed to be a blink of an eye. I had thoughts that perhaps the place had just changed names and redirected the "ship" to another destination of sorts. But, while looking at some info on the place a few months back, I noticed that the place opened at 1030 am, which for me, not being too interested in crowds, seemed like a good time of the day. So, I decided to head on over to Mercury Village Shopping Center to check the place out.

Spicy Noodle 01

It was a rainy day here in San Diego, so I thought it would be a perfect time to get some Niu Rou Mian.

Spicy Noodle 02

The interior looks basically the same as when the shop was Sunny Noodle, except for the pictures of various dishes and the menu and ordering process is still QR code based. The woman working is quite friendly, at least to me.

I ordered my Beef Noodle Soup ($15). Soon enough it was delivered to my table.

Spicy Noodle 03 Spicy Noodle 04 This was a fairly straight-forward bowl. The broth had a decent beefiness, hints of five spice, and was not as spicy as it looked. The broth was not very rich either.

There were five "chunks" of beef in the bowl, the beef was mildly flavored, though it was more tender than it looked. It could have used more flavoring and been simmered longer.

The big difference between what I'd had at Sunny Noodle and Spicy Noodle was…well, the noodles. These were thicker, with a decent "spring" and pull to them if a bit on the doughy side. Much better than what I'd had at "Sunny".

Spicy Noodle 05

This was fine, if not outstanding. Of course I needed to return, but wasn't quite sure what I would order. Then the Missus and I drove past and I pointed to the shop. The Missus told me the name in Chinese is "Chongqing Spicy Noodle", so perhaps I needed to try that on my next visit. Of course, the Missus wasn't going to join me for that visit!

Spicy Noodle 06

The woman remembered me from my previous visit and seemed happy to see me. I decided to try an appetizer as well as the Chongqing Xiao Mian. I was tempted to order the cucumber or kou shui ji, but those are more like "summertime" dishes for me. I decided to try the Spicy Crispy Pork ($9).

Spicy Noodle 07 Spicy Noodle 08 Man, this as a mistake. The pork, which seemed like strips of super lean, pounded pork chop were really tough, almost hard and dry. The batter was on the chewy side as well. The strips were lightly seasoned and not particularly spicy. I ended up using the dried chilies and a big splash of chili oil to help me consume this. I had a ton of it left over.

I also got the Chongqing Spicy Noodle ($12) and added an egg ($2).

Spicy Noodle 09 Spicy Noodle 10 In retrospect, the egg was also a mistake, it was ice cold, the yolk severely overcooked and dry.

On the interesting end of things; I'm thinking that the pork sent some kind of telepathic message to this bowl of noodles as it was serious spicy! Not much in the "ma" (numbing) end of things, but definitely "la" (hot and spicy). Being that Chongqing Xiao Mian differs form the usual dan dan mian in having a broth, this got me sweating in no time. The woman working saw this and cracked up, bringing me an entire pitcher of H2O.

Not a fan of the ground pork mixture as it was mealy and kind of bland….in total contrast to the broth!

Spicy Noodle 11

The noodles were the same as on the previous visit and did a great job of picking up the broth; to the detriment of my sweat glands!

Well, at this point I thought having two visits meant I'd get a post done. However, I noticed a dish ordered on the only other table occupied during my visit. It seemed like something I'd enjoy. So, a couple of weeks later I returned.

The Server, remembering my previous perspiration filled visit smiled and instantly brought me an entire pitcher of water! I guess I must now have a reputation, eh? I had actually brought a handkerchief this time and showed it to her which cracked her up.

Spicy Noodle 12

On the previous visit, the bowl I had seen is called the Fat Intestine Noodle ($15), which is what I ordered.

Spicy Noodle 13 Spicy Noodle 14 I don't know if they went easy on me, but this wasn't particularly spicy…I mean, it did have some heat, I actually enjoyed the funk induced broth, which was lightly permeated with the flavor of the "fat intestine". The broth edged on the salty side but was by far my favorite of the three visits. I enjoyed the offal-ly, funky, earthy pork bung. Yes, it was a bit chewy, but in a pleasant way.

The noodles seemed a bit different on this visit.

Spicy Noodle 15

Thinner a straighter, lacking in the nice broth lifting springiness that I enjoyed. It was cooked adequately, but I would prefer something with a bit more pull and heft. I'm hoping if I order this again, I'll have the other noodles.

Yes, I said order this again. I'll probably return when the weather turns warmer to get some of the liang cai and perhaps a bowl of bung noodles…… I think Spicy Noodle is a definite improvement over Sunny Noodle.

Spicy Noodle 00

Spicy Noodle
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 1030am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm

Midweek Meanderings – Krispy Krunchy Chicken (Clairemont) is Now Cluck n Sip, Moon Night Replacing Otori/O-to-San, and Hi Guest Replacing Khorasan

February 21, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

So, I go on a trip for a week and return to find so many changes in Kearny/Clairemont Mesa? While taking care of errands before I return to the office here's what I saw.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken (Clairemont) is Now Cluck n Sip:

While doing some shopping at 99 Ranch Market, I decided to take a look at the food court and oh my……this location of Krispy Krunchy Chicken is now Cluck n Sip.

Which has a very popular outlet in Hillcrest that I have on "my list".

The menu is different from KKC, but the staff looks the same. I'll make sure to check them out soon.

5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Moon Night Replacing Orori/O-to-San:

I was driving down Convoy when I noticed that Otori Yakitori is going to be something called Moon Night.

Man, talk about a revolving door of restaurants, I went when it was O-to-San and was not impressed. Never made it to Otori, though I really didn't make an effort to visit. Here's hoping this iteration is better.

4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hi Guest Replacing Kroran/Khorasan:

I knew that Kroran had become Khorasan a while back but never had the time to visit. While driving down Genesee, I noticed a new sign, "High Guest Music BBQ", so I turned into the strip mall. And yes, looks like Khorasan is now Hi Guest.

As to what this concept is……could it be skewers and karaoke??? Your guest guess is as good as mine. Perhaps a FOY will let us know?

4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

So there you go….I leave for week and look what happens! Be back with another post tomorrow!

Afternoon Tea menu at Tam’s Noodle House II (Roland Heights)

February 20, 2024 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for once again stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and His Missus are still enjoying a short vacation and Cathy is still writing.

You might recall my post about the 2024 Rose Parade road test in October, when The Mister and I found ourselves at Tam's Noodle House in Rowland Heights and had a delightful breakfast.

It turns out that in December, we had time to decorate Rose Parade floats on three occasions from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. and wanting a nice meal before heading home in traffic, we decided instead of driving aimlessly to look for a place to eat, we would return to Tam's. The Mister began reading directions from the phone (since I don't know how we got here the first time) and at one signal light, noticed Mountain House restaurant, which Kirk had posted about in August. It was less than a mile from Tam's!
It turns out there is an "Afternoon Tea" menu offered daily from 3-5 and we were just before 5 and were able to order from this special menu.
Y1.- Wonton Noodle Soup ($12.99). A very large bowl of a not-salty but deep flavored pork based broth filled with ten thin-skinned wontons, each filled with meat and shrimp. Bok choy and springy noodles filled this bowl. Very filling and flavorful.

The Mister decided to order the Y10. – Deep Fried Chicken Wings with Salt & Pepper ($12.99). Four large, meaty drums and four large meaty flats, fried to a delightful crunch while lightly coated in salt, pepper and topped with garlic, chili and green onion and not really spicy.

This Afternoon Tea menu, just like the Breakfast Menu, includes a beverage. The lemon tea was great- a very strong tea with lemon slices and the coffee, served with a small pitcher of Black & White brand evaporated milk were kept constantly refilled.

So happy we found this restaurant.

Tam's Noodle House II 19035 Colima Road Rowland Heights 91748 (626) 820-9977 Open daily 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

Golden Chopsticks (Mira Mesa)

February 19, 2024 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today. As you know, Kirk and His Missus are enjoying Island food.

Kirk wrote about the wings served at Golden Chopsticks in October 2022. I've noticed that wings at Golden Chopsticks are what people talk about in online foodie forums. We did not order the wings.

It was a first visit for us and we were going to order our 'usual' sort of baseline items.
The interior is kept clean and everyone seems very organized. We were helped by at least five different people after being seated.

Mabo Tofu ($15.95) was a hefty serving. The soft tofu was plentiful and added a calming touch to the spicy pork based sauce. It was good, definitely made with quality ingredients but missing a bit of saltiness (we both added soy sauce from the table) or maybe the 'umami' that The Mister enjoys in other Mabo sauces. Still, there were leftovers. The large bowl of rice was $3.75. A pot of hot tea was $2.25 per person.

My 'baseline' order, vegetable Egg Foo Young ($16.95). I always enjoy seeing how different chefs prepare this common dish. The version here was filled with vegetables (peas, carrots, onions, mushrooms and a few bean sprouts) and the pancakes were nicely eggy. Crisply fried and covered in a not too salty gravy with some more peas, carrots, mushrooms and onion, the crunch lasted for the majority of the meal.