Chinese Restaurants – Page 18

Dining in at Noble Chef

June 29, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

About a week after returning from Paris and Scotland the Missus was ready…..to finally dine in at Noble Chef, which had been a regular takeout spot for us during the pandemic. Of course having been thru the last 2+ years we didn't throw all caution to the wind. We got to Noble Chef at 430…….there are times when Noble Chef will only do BBQ from 230-430pm, so we wanted to be able to get all the dishes the Missus (and I) wanted.

Of course we got some Roast Duck. Actually, the first plate we got was terrible, the duck was room temperature and seemed rubbery, there was no sauce, and the skin was missing on some of the slices. We spoke to our Server, who took one look at the plate and replaced it.

NChef 01

This was much better; though I think the Missus has gotten used to eating roast duck using my toaster oven hack to crisp up the skin and heat up the flesh. The Missus thought this was just ok.

We both appreciated that the Gailan, in the Chinese Broccoli with Garlic was peeled and very tender.

NChef 02

The portion size was quite generous, though this was under seasoned. Still, peeling the gailan eliminated any fibrous textures from the dish.

The one dish I had been looking forward to eating when "dining in" was the Salt and Pepper Pork Chop. This dish just doesn't hold up real well for takeout.

NChef 03

While much better then when doing takeout, it was still not as crisp as I remember. The flavor was also on the milder side….though maybe it's a good thing not to have as much MSG??? Though to be perfectly honest, I would have loved to have it the way I remembered.

The Missus's favorite dish of the evening was the Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant.

NChef 04

While a bit short in the chicken department; the eggplant had held shape, but was so buttery in texture when consuming. Most of the salted fish was on the bottom of the dish, so a good mixing was necessary to enjoy that funky-porky-salty flavor.

And the Missus was enjoying things so much that I let Her have both of our desserts.

NChef 05

We really enjoyed just sitting and dining in at Noble Chef. Much like my good friend Candice recommended several years ago, the food at Noble Chef is better when dining in for dinner. As we were finishing up folks started arriving for their dinner….it was time for us to scoot. We're still a bit leery with regards to crowds and such, but this seemed so nice, almost normal….or perhaps the "new normal".

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Circling Back to Main Chick Hot Chicken (Clairemont) and Golden City

June 20, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants

I often say that I would not still be posting if not for all the folks who comment of our posts. The same can be said for all the great emails and recommendations I get. There’s a whole group of folks who don’t comment on our posts, but are thoughtful enough to send me emails with recommendations, observations, and really great comments. One of these folks is “ChrisR” who often has some pretty interesting and sometimes funny observations and recommendations. I look forward to his emails.

Hailing from the Big Island, Chris will often have the most interesting “Subject Lines” to his emails. Here are two of them and my subsequent revisits to those places. Main Ch 01

“The last pretty good food bargain in San Diego?”

Actually, ChrisR was the reason that I visited Main Chick in the first place….I’m not one to follow fads and at that time it seemed that all these Hot Chicken shops were popping up everywhere. Having had some good Hot Chicken in Nashville during my consulting days; all of these shops fell short. Main Chick was no exception.

But, moving away from the Hot Chicken Sandwich; Chris had this to say about Main Chick:

“But there is still one bargain left: The leg-thigh quarter at Main Chick”

“Very juicy. Comes with the same spicy aioli as the dark meat sandwich. Gotten it several times in recent months.”

Well, this location of Hot Chicken is less than three miles from our house, so why not try it out, right?

The young lady working was a joy and I liked that they have outdoor seating. I ordered it “Spicy” this time, instead of “Supreme” like I did last time. My heat tolerance has gone down in my old age…..

I was asked if I needed a “fork and knife”? Huh? This is still chicken, right? And I raised up my left hand and said “fork”; then my right saying “knife”. The young lady cracked up. I did pay a small price for this as I will note later on.

I sat outside and opened my container and I have to say; in contrast to what I’d had before; chicken with burnt spots on it and such, this looked quite nice.

Main Ch 02_02 Main Ch 04 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.

Maybe I just need to order this with no spice next time? Though I recall the “naked version” being quite bland.

Main Ch 03

But, at least it was moist and tender. And at $5.75, Chris is right, these days it’s a bargain.

And the chicken had the last laugh as I had a nice thrill when I removed my contact lenses that evening.

Main Chick Hot Chicken (In Clairemont Town Square)
4705 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117

Subject: Did Golden City hire a chef from Royal Mandarin?

**** Golden City has closed

Whoa, let’s talk about how to get my attention!

“While I waited, a waitress (one who in the good old days automatically brought me a fork for years despite my never using it) brought out salt-and-pepper chicken wings twice that looked crisp and dry and had a good portion size for $13.

So the next weekend, I got the wings. I have had them two more times since.

As good as the Royal Mandarin, IMO“.

Okay! Sold!

GC TO 01

I went and did a takeout order from Golden City. To cover myself, I also ordered the Kwai Fei Chicken, which has been a favorite of mine for years.

It did smell quite good in the car, better than a “new car fragrance” for sure. And I made the fifteen minute drive back to the office wondering if the wings would be looking like this:

Fry-Day RM 06

Opening things up, the wings looked like this.

GC TO 02 GC TO 03 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.

And to be perfectly honest; these were light years better than what I’d had from Golden City years back. So it does look like the wings have improved over time.

GC TO 04

On a sad note; it seems like the Kwai Fei Chicken has gone downhill as well.

GC TO 05 GC TO 07 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.

GC TO 08

Man, what a bummer……where do I get my Kwai Fei Chicken from now? Maybe I need to revisit Eastern Dynasty?

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Regardless of my opinions, I want to make it clear that I really enjoy and treasure these emails. It gets me “out there” checking things out and keeps it “fresh”. It’s always fun hearing from all of you and I’m flattered that you would think of me when you have an interesting or enjoyable meal.

Thanks again ChrisR!

Arizona Chinese Restaurant (Chula Vista)

June 3, 2022 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! continues as a food blog. Cathy is writing this post while Kirk continues with a busy work week.

Since 1982, this family owned and operated restaurant has been in the same location, offering a Cantonese menu. It is not an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) type of restaurant, even though no chopsticks are offered and hot tea is not free.

You may have noticed the signage and just kept driving.
The simple menu includes a page of lunch specials.
Lunch specials include this home made soup, filled with chicken and lo mein noodles. The broth is very rich and deep flavored- and not in a 'MSG' way. Every table receives a plate of fried noodles after ordering. You can ask for some sweet and sour sauce (made here) as well as Chinese hot mustard.
Chicken Chop Suey (when have you seen that on a restaurant menu?) ($9.75) is simply delicious! Fresh sautéed sprouts and snow peas in a tasty white sauce with canned water chestnuts and a lot of chicken is quite a meal. You can have white rice or cantonese pork fried rice with lunch. The pork fried rice is a meal in itself, with plenty of flavorful bits of chopped barbecue pork…notice, no egg, no pea and carrot mix with the rice. The Sweet and Sour Chicken lunch special ($10.75) emphasizes the frying expertise of the chef. Light, crispy, crunchy batter covered in an in-house prepared orange sauce which has a honey consistency. So good.
From the regular menu: Pork Lo Mein ($14.75). The wok hei- a cornerstone of Cantonese cooking- and my latest craving. The smoky/charred aroma-flavor, is perfected here in all the lo mein menu choices. The BBQ pork pieces are sweet, tender and plentiful in this dish.
Of course, I must mention the Egg Foo Young (chicken, $12.75). The patties are topped with the gravy and meat choice.
The eggy patty does contain sprouts but no onion. Crispy edges and the light center add texture to each bite with the meat. Quite a nice version.

In summary: no chopsticks, no egg drop soup, no egg or pea and carrot mix stretching out the fried rice, no MSG, no free hot tea; only quality without shortcuts. Also, there are Fortune cookies, but no photo.

Arizona Chinese Restaurant 2650 Main Street Chula Vista, CA 91910 (619)575-1513 Open Tue-Sat 11-9, Sun 12-9 Closed Monday Website

Saturday Stuffs – Diamond Palace Coming to Rolando, Chef Chin (Convoy) Has Closed, and EE Nami (supposedly) Reopening on June 1st…..now June 8th!

May 28, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Japanese Restaurants, yoso-silly

I haven't done one of these in a while; so here are a few things I saw during my wanderings.

Diamond Palace Coming to Rolando:

I saw this when I went to Northgate Market to get some ingredients to make pozole for the Missus.

In the former location of Lucky Star. A quick check when I got home yielded this post by Eater San Diego. Apparently a new Dim Sum/Chinese BBQ place run by the folks behind Golden Island. Hmmmm, based on my last couple of revisits to the place…albeit of the takeout category, I'm just not overly excited. Hopefully, I'm way off base on this.

3893 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

Chef Chin Has Closed:

I noticed that most of the windows on Chef Chin were covered when I drove past so I pulled into the parking lot.

And yep, they are apparently closed……

Haven't heard anything about what this location is going to be yet……

4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

EE Nami Closed for Plumbing Repairs, set to Reopen on June 1st , now June 8th - Supposedly:

*** Update – thanks to "FOY" Derric; it now seems that June8th is the date! Thanks Derric!

After returning from Paris and Scotland I was craving some Tonkatsu. I hadn't done takeout from EE Nami in a while, so I thought I'd do a takeout order. I checked online and found that they were "temporarily closed", which is sometimes a bad sign. So I drove on by on the way home and saw this posted on the door.

Apparently there's some plumbing work going on and according to this, they should reopen on June 1st….which is like next week! Great. Except that the multiple UPS notices on the door kinda worries me a bit?

Hopefully I'll get my tonkatsu next week.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope everyone is having a restful Memorial Day weekend!

Panda Machi (Alpine)

May 4, 2022 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy (again). Kirk and His Missus have barely begun to enjoy their vacation.

In the first months of each year, when I am driving around the County for my job, I make notes about places I see and would like The Mister and I to return to check out once things slow down.
There in the left corner-walking distance from an Ayres Hotel, Chase Bank and a Carl's Jr., I had seen Panda Machi. The Mister and I returned one weekday. This Chinese-Japanese restaurant (Panda, for its Chinese roots and Machi (means 'town' in Japanese)) is a tribute to the roots of this family owned and run (since 2020) restaurant.

The front of the extensive four page menu lists the less expensive lunch specials and appetizers.

The sushi chef was busy around noon the day we were here.
The Almond Chicken (lunch, $8.95) with fried (instead of white) rice was what we decided to order. The large plate of stir fried chicken with celery, peas and carrots included a cream cheese wonton, pork potsticker,
salad with ginger dressing and an excellent egg drop soup. The freshness of all the ingredients was notable and of great quality.
The Mister and I ordered the Assorted Egg Fu Young ($13.95), as we do on first visits to Chinese restaurants. Chicken, beef and shrimp along with fresh mushrooms, sprouts, water chestnuts, peas and carrots in a lovely gravy covered the unique omelette.
The version made here is baked in the pan (rather than fried like an omelette, with thin edges)- the top, bottom and edges were uniform and a consistent bake. The eggs were blended with lightly mashed cauliflower and broccoli. It is so interesting to see the various versions of this dish, which is basically a way to use up leftovers.

We will be returning to try out the Japanese side of the menu. So happy we stopped here.

Panda Machi 1730 Alpine Blvd, Suite 101 Alpine, CA 91901 (619) 445-6224 Open seven days 11-9 website

Sam Woo BBQ (breakfasts) (again)

May 3, 2022 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing while Kirk is vacationing.

The last time I wrote about Sam Woo was in October. This is a regular stop for The Mister and myself just before we go shopping at 99Ranch Market, across the hallway; we don't want our purchases to be influenced by hunger.

The price for breakfast has increased: now each item is $7.50 and hot coffee or hot tea is 70¢. The menu has remained the same. How different from my first post about Sam Woo, in 2007 when each menu item was $3.20 and coffee or tea was 30¢.

On this chilly morning, we chose the roast duck porridge which had some quite large pieces of fresh roasted duck. The Chinese donut is still $2 and is just the add-in that the porridge needs.
The BBQ pork lo mein is always a good choice. The pork is tender and wonderfully flavored; broth, noodles and bok choy round out this plate.

Always a filling, tasty and satisfying meal here.

Sam Woo BBQ 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 Open daily 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Cash only

You have to ask for condiments; the white pepper and red chili sauce as well as some soy sauce are sometimes needed halfway through-after eating the food as prepared.

Qin West Noodle (UTC)

April 26, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I know quite a few people who were excited that LA Based Qin West opened in UTC this past February. I figured that the place would be pretty darn busy, so I waited. And based on what I'd heard; 45 minute waits for food, mistakes on takeout orders, super salty dishes. I think waiting for a couple of months was a good idea. Finally, a few weeks ago I headed over to UTC and easily found parking at 1055 in the morning. I parked by Macy's and made the short walk over to Qin West.

It's a pretty simple interior; from the front counter where you order….

To the simple fast-foodish dining area.

The menu is clearly posted; featuring Shaanxi specialties, along with Sichuan influenced dishes.

My timing was good; early in the week and just at opening time. By the time I got my food, about 20 minutes, there was a line to the door.

I purposely ordered too much food for just my lunch…..thinking that I'd take most of it home to have the Missus sample. The one dish I made sure to order was the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($15.99). As you've probably read ad nauseum, I haven't had a decent version of this dish outside of China; Xi'an to be precise. A lot of this has to do with the lack of appropriate bread; which, you break up by hand and place in a muttony broth to soak up all the flavors. The bread looks like this.

All versions I've had whether here in San Diego or in the SGV, all have featured a waxy, slippery starchy "breadish" stuff that doesn't sop up the broth. So imagine my surprise when I unloaded my food and saw this.

I think I actually swore out loud!

I eagerly broke up the bread; it was a little too soft and leavened, but it wasn't too bad. And of course I poured the broth over everything.

The lamb was not very gamy and was leaner than I would prefer, but the broth, while a bit heavy handed with the white pepper, wasn't too bad.

This is probably the best overall version of yang rou pao mo I've had outside of China. While I've had a decent version with regards to the lamb and broth (which was better than this), Qin West has the most complete "package" overall. I'll definitely have this again.

Man, I'm hoping to have this….the version from Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) again one day….

I also ordered the Twice Cooked Pork ($14.95)….which should have been called "spicy stir fried napa cabbage"……you could count the amount of pork in the dish on one hand.

This was just oily and spicy…….not in the "ma-la" way….as in why not just drink chili oil with salt. I did notice something interesting; Qin West likes to use both dried chilies and huge pieces of jalapenos in their dishes. This was pretty bad.

I also order the combination Liang Cai ($14.75).

Two-thirds of this was pretty good; the pig ear had a nice crunch and the slices were generous; it went well with the chili oil. The Pai Huang Gua; smacked cucumbers were really bland, it just needed more garlic-soy sauce-salt, you name it. The tendon, while cut on the thick side and was fairly crunchy overall wasn't bad. The Missus did enjoy the pig ear and the tendon.

We actually had the liang cai over the course of three meals!

This was not bad overall….

A week later I decided to check out Qin West again. Same strategy; early in the week, just at opening time, for takeout.

There were already 4 customers in front of me when I arrived, but no one behind me when I placed my order. Maybe they saw the young lady working the register chowing away while she took orders???

Isn't there some kind of food handling ordinance regarding this?

I placed my order which was ready in less than 15 minutes; before anyone else's……

Anyway, folks I knew were raving about the Liang Pi ($10.95), so I ordered that.

The portion size of this was quite generous. The noodles were still nice and chilled when I got back to the office….of course it's less than a 10 minute drive back. The noodles were a bit thicker than I like my "cold skin noodles", emphasis on "skin" and not as "bouncy" as I prefer. I enjoyed the blanched bean sprouts and the palate refreshing cucumbers, a must for this dish. It was definitely spicy enough, though I do like some black vinegar tones and a hint more garlic. But this is probably the best version we've got in San Diego right now.

I was also wondering about the Cumin Beef ($16.25) and ordered it. And then second thoughts crept in as I recalled the Twice Cooked Pork Napa Cabbage. The beef however, was pretty good.

Notice the QW playbook move of both jalapenos and dried chilies? The beef was adequately tender; the portion size quite generous. While being a bit on the salty side; this really had enough cumin. In fact, when I opened up the container at my desk one of the guys in the office that day happened to be walking by and said out loud:

"What's that smell?"

I immediately apologized:

"Sorry, I ran out of deodorant this morning….."

I might have this dish again; but probably will not eat it in the office.

It does seem like Qin West is a good new addition to UTC. I need to try other items on the menu like the ro jia mo…..

Qin West Noodle
4353 La Jolla Village Drive (In UTC)
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 7pm

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Comparing Sea Harbour (Rosemead), Then and Now

April 20, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Recently we had an appointment….a looong overdue appointment in our old neighborhood. The Missus had been wanting Dim Sum so we decided to revisit an old favorite of ours, Sea Harbour before our appointment. We got there about 10 minutes before opening and we waited by the front door….and then of course the "SGV moment" happened. As the door opened, a guy and his wife just cut right in front of us and then as we stood at the host stand asking for a table for two another couple pushed right in front of us and got seated….but heck, I guess it's ok because they are regulars??? Welcome to the SGV……I'm not sure if it's because I've lived in San Diego so long, but it seems that it's even worse these days…

Anyway, we got our table and placed our order. There seemed to be a strange disconnect during our meal as things took a very long time to come out and the order in which items came out seemed a bit strange. Also, some of the dishes seemed a bit off and one was just plain terrible. So, after coming back home, I dug out some photos from previous visits to Sea Harbour over the years and did a comparison of some of the dishes.

So, here's the meal in order.

Usually, during dim sum meals, noodles and rice comes out last…..but not today my friends…..the Seafood Pan Fried Noodles was out first.

The Seafood was excellent; cooked perfectly. The noodles not so much as some were just really hard….not crisp, hard. And there just wasn't enough sauce/gravy in the dish to help soften the noodles. There seemed to be a smaller portion of seafood as well.

Here's a photo from a previous visit.

The Durian Pastry arrived next….these were good. Light, creamy interior, crisp exterior…though more of a dessert kind of thing.

One of the two items we had that seemed basically unchanged (except for price) was the Egg Tofu with Abalone Sauce.

Wonderful creamy interior; slightly crisp exterior, nice savory sauce……

It does seem that earlier versions had a bit more sauce though….

The other was the Sticky Rice in Lotus leaf which was solid and quite filling….

Quite hefty with a decent amount of pork filling.

Next up was a favorite of ours; the Shrimp, Dry Scallop, and Chinese Celery Dumplings.

The shrimp were nice and plump, the dry scallops added a sweet-savoriness, and the celery helped provide a nice "clean" finish and crunch to things. The biggest issue for us was how thick, sticky, and rubbery the wrapper was.

I thought it was much thicker than on previous visits and also that it used to have "folds"; so when I returned home and looked at previous photos; guess what?

Here's what it used to look like.

I guess I'm not quite senile yet…..

We also ordered the Black Fungus and Celery Dumpling.

These suffered from the same issue with regards to the wrapper as the shrimp and dry scallop dumplings. Too thick, doughy, and sticky. In this case the filling just could not stand up to all that wrapper; even with chili oil…..

Here's a photo of this from a previous visit……it looks like something from a total different restaurant, doesn't it?

And yet, I knew that if the last item to arrive would be up to our Sea Harbour standards, everything would be fine and end on a high note. The Missus's favorite item from here is the Radish Cake with XO Sauce. When it arrived, the Missus and I looked at each other and said "where's the XO sauce"?

Apparently, these days, they saute the bean sprouts with the XO sauce and dump it on the radish cake. Which used to be nicely crisp on the exterior and soft and with a decadently melt-in-your-mouth tender interior. This was like eating mush….it was terrible and lacked flavor. This was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I mean look at how it used to be.

Does it even look like the same dish?

The service was uneven, the pacing terrible, the staff indifferent, all for $80 of dim sum for two. It was quite sad; Sea Harbour was once our favorite Dim Sum restaurant. Perhaps Covid has changed things….I can imagine changing portion size and using some products sparingly….but even technique seemed missing here; look at those dumplings!

We left sad and depressed, as in the days before Covid, Sea Harbour was a favorite stop for us in the SGV. I must have done at least a half dozen posts on the place and I know that Ed from Yuma had done at least two.

Looks like we'll have to find a new go-to Dim Sum restaurant in the SGV.

Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

Takeout Revisits – Village Kitchen and Chaba Thai

April 18, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

Recently, the Missus was craving Pidan….unfortunately, the dishes the Missus were craving were from places over a hundred miles away, so "sorry Charlie" it wasn't happening during the middle of the week……

So, we had to make due with what we could get. Which was takeout from Village Kitchen and Chaba Thai.

Here's the kicker for online ordering from VK……they never let you know when the dishes are ready; at least they don't let me know…..I've tried calling in the past, but when I don't speak Mandarin, they hung up on me! Then, when I arrive, the young ladies working basically just ignore me….except when the woman who used to work at Kangxi is Coming is there, she still remembers me and is always so friendly. The things I do for the Missus….

Anyway, here goes…..

Village Kitchen:

I basically ordered the the usual suspects.

The La Rou with Cucumber Skin wasn't very spicy this time around….actually, I've found that all of our dishes in this order were really mild.

Though the crunchy and nice palate cleansing flavor of the cucumber skin came thru quite well and the La Rou was fairly smoky. The dish wasn't as greasy as on previous visits.

The Chou Dofu; Stinky Tofu Stew was a lot milder than usual.

The Missus had one bite and turned it over to me……..She already thinks that if I can eat chou dofu without blinking an eye it's already kinda wimpy….and so, this was obviously perfect for me? The dish lacked the standard spice and for some reason the tofu wasn't very savory-funky; just kinda mushy.

And finally, the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg. I didn't order this the last time I did takeout, because on the visit previous to that, it was so terrible. Here's what it looked like on that fateful takeout sojourn:

Thankfully, this time around it was back to the status quo…..

Not as greasy as usual and the Missus enjoyed it; which is the main thing.

Honestly, it's not Hunan Chilli King, but it was fine in a pinch.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Chaba Thai:

As for the other stop….yes, the Missus wanted something from that, ahem "Chubby Thai" place. I ordered the same two dishes. Take out here is pretty much on the mark during my previous visits.

The Spicy Basil Chicken with Century Egg was quite good this time around. In fact, it was the best dish of the night by far. Good spice, the minced chicken was moist and surprisingly tender; the pidan intact with an excellent texture, slightly toothsome out layer, creamy yolk, with the slightest funky-ammonia finish. I agree with "FOY" Si O that the spicy basil dishes here are inconsistent. I'm just happy we ended up on the positive side of the equation on this visit.

Sadly, my favorite dish here; the Khao Kluk Kapi with Honey Pork was not very good.

You can tell how dry and tough that pork is by the photo. The rice didn't have enough shrimp paste and was under cooked with some hard grains in it. Bummer.

Chaba Thai Kitchen
8010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Well, at least the Missus got Her pidan fix and with the price of gas these days we didn't have to drive to the SGV and Hollywood for Her fix!

Happy Monday everyone!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Odds and Ends Edition; Ragamuffin Coffee Again (Oxnard), Bistro Na’s Yet Again (Temple City), and Stuffs from Etto Pastificio (Paso Robles)

March 26, 2022 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Cooking, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

*** Just a quick post to tie up "loose ends" of our road trip to Yosemite and Groveland.

The morning after our dinner at Six Test Kitchen we headed on out. We had decided to just take our time back and spend a night in the SGV. There was one place the Missus wanted to revisit in Oxnard; Ragamuffin Coffee in Oxnard, so we stopped at the Collection at River Park for our caffeine fix.

And man, the place was doing some good business on this Saturday morning.

I got a cold brew and the Missus…..well She got a Pour Over (of course) – a barrel aged Ethiopian named "Strawberry Fields Forever" and really loved it.

So much, that we ended up getting it thru mail order until they ran out a couple of months ago.

The Missus has now moved on and we've ordered a couple of other roasts, but according to the Missus, none are quite as good as the Strawberry Fields Forever.

She's hoping they bring it back.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036

Getting to LA, we had decided to stay at the new Courtyard by Marriott on Atlantic….a huuuuge place. We loved the freeway access; right off the 10 and the rooms were large.

Though the view…..well, it left something to be desired……

For dinner; well we went to Bistro Na's which I've posted on a bunch of times already, so I won't drone on about it.

We ordered our usual dishes and a couple of new ones.

Funny thing about trying newer dishes at Bistro Na's, there always seems to be a clunker in the mix. The "Princess Sweet and Sour Fish" was terrible! It had a "muddy" taste and was super sweet, lacking in nuance…..it was more Panda Express than "Imperial Chinese Cuisine" in our book.

The Smoked Duck Breast was amazing though! We ended up getting another order to go.

Bistro Na's
9055 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780

The next morning we got home easily.

For dinner, I decided to use some of the items I'd bought from Etto Pastificio in Paso Robles. We had been served some pasta from Etto at Les Petites Canailles and while we weren't fond of the overall dish, we loved the texture of the pasta. So, on our way to Six Test Kitchen we stopped by the shop…..the photos didn't turn out; so all I have is a photo of what we bought.

And then the dish I made using that pasta and the Pesto Genovese (you can get this Pesto at Mona Lisa in Little Italy), which is now my go to for bottled Pesto (when She's not having me make it from scratch).

I used some cherry and sun dried tomatoes…..

The Missus loved it.

Etto Pastificio (In Tin City)
3070 Limestone Way
Paso Robles, CA 93446

So that's it…….though even before we left on this road trip, the Missus had me planning another one! Stay tuned!

Hope you're having a great weekend!