Chinese Restaurants – Page 19

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Hunan Chilli King (San Gabriel) 7 Seven Years Later

November 1, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel

On the way back from Oxnard and our visit to Anacapa Island we decided to stay the night in San Gabriel at the newly opened Courtyard which is huge and convenient being right off the 10 Freeway. We had made reservations at the Missus's current favorite restaurant, Bistro Na's. We had made reservations for right when the place opened and were seated quickly.

We placed our order and the tea arrived and then……

Bang…..the power went out. The always friendly and accommodating staff at Bistro Na's told us we could leave if we wanted to or just wait a while and enjoy our tea to see if the power would come back on……which it didn't. After about 20 minutes one of the gentlemen came over and told out the power was out thru all of Temple City, so we decided to leave.

As we stepped out, we noticed that many folks had gathered in the parking lot…….

From here we needed to determine where we'd get dinner. I had an idea; the Missus has always been somewhat underwhelmed with the Hunan style food in San Diego, so I broached the subject to see if She was in the mood for possibly getting something "big spicy" from a place we hadn't been to in years; Hunan Chilli King. It had been a while since we'd been there and it would be interesting to see how we'd tolerate the super spicy cuisine. So, we headed on over. I parked on Valley to avoid the psycho parking lot.

The restaurant was barely one-third full, but the counter was filled with take-out orders….I counted a dozen to go orders lined up on the counter! Crazy.

We were seated at a small table near the kitchen…..right next to the chilies…..

Ah; just like old times…..

The menu at HCK has changed quite a bit since our last visit and it sees like all our favorites were gone and they seemed to have been replaced with dishes we've seen on the menus of Hunan restaurants here in San Diego…..oh well, times have changed I guess or perhaps they've changed ownership?

And around this time; the Missus was getting a bit gun shy and when we placed our order asked the young lady if we could get things "medium spicy"……there was a short pause and then the young lady shrugged and told the Missus "okay" in Mandarin.

The place started filling up as our first dish arrived, we were getting a bit nervous….the phone never stopped ringing and orders were being placed. As the first dish arrived; the La Rou with Dried Radish; I told the Missus that we're getting dishes according to how the kitchen feels they should make it. She asked how I knew and I told Her that three plates and two containers of the same dish came out of the kitchen at the same time so they were making things in large batches. So this "medium spicy" thing was just a pipe dream.

And yet, this was definitely not as spicy as I recalled; though it was quite good. Loved the smoked pork, balanced saltiness, the dried radish crunchy, but not hard, a mild bitter-sweetness to it. This was spicy, but tolerable.

We cracked up as our next dish arrived (one of three of the same that left the kitchen at the same time)…….they didn't even bother to put it on a plate!

This rather novel dish was fried boiled eggs, sautéed with chilies. Now this one was pretty darn spicy and I grabbed the handkerchief from my back pocket. Whew….. The Missus loves Her eggs so this really hit the spot for Her. The variety of chilies had varying degrees of heat and fruity-smokiness. The flavor of the eggs came thru clearly in spite of all the chilies; a nice savory-nutty-sweet-umami, with a hint of sulfur…not in a bad way. The texture of the boiled eggs was excellent as well. That extra coating added a mild crispness to things.

Of course I wanted to get some Pork Intestine and man, it seems like the dishes were getting spicier and spicier…..

And yet, while I had a waterfall of perspiration flowing by this point, I was enjoying the food! Loved the perfect texture of the intestine; a mild crunch, some firm toothsomeness, the mild offaliness…..and nothing seemed salty at all!

By this point, the place was almost full and the Missus and I started feeling really uncomfortable…in fact, I'd end up getting tested at 3 then 5 days after returning from this trip. I had no symptoms; but just wanted to make sure I wasn't asymptomatic and possibly pass Covid on to someone.

Thankfully, our last dish arrived, one that was very familiar to us….since it seems to be the signature Hunan dish here in San Diego…..we just had to try the now ubiquitous Eggplant and Chilies with Century Egg.

While it didn't look very promising; this might be the best version we've had to date. The pidan was quite creamy….I just don't know how they do that. The eggplant wasn't mashed to death, but was so smoky and velvety soft, and the chilies gave everything a bit of texture and had some heat to go with things.

By now we were ready to leave…..but not without some SGV "drama". So, there as a large table in the rear of the restaurant with what looked like two families seated. Apparently, one of the men at the table wasn't happy with something. So what he did was ignore the guy and older woman working; waiting until they walked past and then went after the quiet, rather timid young lady, and just stood up over her and screamed at her; clenching his fists and doing his best to intimidate her and unloaded……geez, really? I just wonder what kind of example he's setting for the three kids at the table?

You know; I really miss the food in the SGV….but I don't miss stuff like this.

We couldn't get out of the place fast enough.

That's what things looked like as we left. You can see the line of folks waiting for takeout.

Well, we made it out in one piece and enjoyed the food…….but I'm not sure we'd want to put up with this again….at least not during the pandemic.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Funny thing, just like our visit to Yai Restaurant on the way to Oxnard; it had been 7 years since our last visit to Hunan Chill King! What a coincidence.

Sam Woo BBQ-Eating out during COVID

October 14, 2021 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Today's post is written by Cathy. Kirk is taking a vacation with His Missus.

As you may recall, The Mister and I try to have a meal before grocery shopping. If you type "Sam Woo" in the search box at the top left on the blog, there are over 200 results where this restaurant is mentioned; a bunch of those are my posts, because this is our 'stop' before shopping at 99Ranch Market (go ahead and search "99 Ranch"; there are over 800 results).

Sam Woo was one of the first 'dining out' places we ventured out to try once dining in was allowed again. Tables were protected and distanced. It was not crowded.
When we ordered from the lunch menu (back in March) they just brought us this huge bowl vegetable soup. I assume since it was not busy and they were happy to see us again. (SW is back to bringing out individual bowls with the lunch menu).
We also received a communal bowl of steamed rice with our lunches. This was Fish in XO sauce ($12.95)(current price)(also, hot tea is 30¢) which I was craving. It was just so perfect, with the fresh vegetables, plump fish and XO umami . (They now bring out individual rice bowls).
Shrimp in Black Bean Sauce ($11.95) was my other craving that day and the saltiness hit the spot. The plump shrimp and more fresh vegetables were just so nice to have after so much at home cooking.
Of course, we try to avoid crowds when grocery shopping and Sam Woo for breakfast is our usual stop. Coffee is now 70¢ (as is hot tea) and with the condensed milk is just a perfect offset to the savory breakfast.
Number one on the breakfast menu- rice vermicelli with lunch meat (fake Spam)($6.50) is always considered. Number two on the menu is stir fried wide flat rice noodles with soy beans and soy sauce (Wok Hay!). Number three, fried (crispy) noodles with bean sprouts are also considered. Noodles with breakfast pretty much every time we go out.
Fish filet porridge ($6.50)(four other porridges as well as 14 noodle soups are on the breakfast menu) is my usual choice; it has wonderful flavor. Fried donuts ($2) are also now made here (used to have to run across the hall to pick some up at the 99Ranch steam table) making the breakfast complete.
Roast duck Lo Mein ($6.50) is always a choice when we see the ducks hanging in the BBQ area (sometimes they are not out early when we are here). Crisp skin, tender meat, savory broth along with non-mushy noodles and steamed box choy makes a great breakfast.

Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103 San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 505-9888 Open seven days 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m.

(Old photo; fond memory. You now have to request condiments)

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – The Collection Farmers’ Market, Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters (Oxnard) and Mama Lu’s Dumpling House (City of Industry)

October 2, 2021 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

We slept rather well after our excursion to Anacapa Island then dinner at Moqueca. We woke rather early and I took a short walk. We needed to refuel both on gasoline and caffeine for the drive to Monterey Park where we'd be spending the evening.

I decided to make a stop at the shopping complex called the Collection Riverpark which was right next to the 101 freeway. We had stopped here before to grab some snacks at Whole Foods, but on this morning, being a Saturday, there was a Farmer's Market. Which was pretty mellow, I guess not too many folks want to head on over to the mall at 8am on a Saturday?

Still, we enjoyed the stroll and the Missus figured out how much She enjoyed Gooseberries.

The Collection Farmers Market
2710-2780 Park View Ct.
Oxnard, CA 93036
Saturdays 8am – 2pm

The Missus had been wanting some coffee, so we headed over to the Food Hall in the complex called "The Annex" and Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters.

The Missus really enjoyed Her Pour Over and their Cold Brew was quite good as well.

I think this will be a nice stop for us on future road trips.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8am – 6pm
Fri – Sun 8am – 8pm

The drive to the SGV was a breeze and we headed off to our old neighborhood to do some snack shopping at Hong Kong Market, before trying to decide on what to get for a light lunch. We drove down Colima Road and noticed that a location of Mama Lu's had opened up. Some Jiaozi and Niu Rou Chuan (beef roll).

This was back in July when things were looking good, before the Delta surge hit. Still, seats were spaced out nicely. We were seated and then something interesting happened.

We heard strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy and soon a "robot" made its way past us holding takeout containers!

It followed the set "path" and took the takeout to the front, then promptly returned to the kitchen….rinse….repeat! It was quite entertaining.

First to arrive was the Niu Rou Chuan; which was quite hefty.

The bread was nicely browned and crisp and not overly greasy. The beef was a bit on the tough side and the bean sauce much too sweet for our taste. The slices of cucumber too thick and cumbersome. Not even close to our favorite version from 101 Noodle Express….though we haven't been there in ages…perhaps we'll revisit again one of these days.

And of course we got some Jiaozi….the Shrimp and Pork version.

Well, at least Mama Lu's is pretty consistent. Like my visits to other locations, the wrapper of the jiaozi was on the hard and brittle side. As my MIL taught me, it seems the dough has been over-mixed. The filling was fine, if on the salty side.

Not bad, but not great…..man this had us missing QingDao Bread!

Still, it had been a while since we'd been back and things are always changing.

Mama Lu Dumpling House
17515 Colima Rd.
City of Industry, CA 91748

By now it was time to see if we could get an early check-in at where we were staying in Monterey Park and perhaps grab a nap before dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

COMC, The B(ack) I(n) T(he) O(ffice) Edition – The Market at HFS, TJ Dumplings, and Sue’s Korean Kitchen

September 22, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Markets & Grocers, Poke, Seafood

Here's a round-up of places I've been catching up on since I've been "BITO" (back in the office). I hope you don't mind a few "reruns"…..

Another interesting observation is that all of these places opened just before or during the pandemic. Kudos to them for being agile enough to survive for over a year-and-a-half.

The Market at HFS:

A favorite from the first time I walked thru those doors. Real poke, not some concept "Chi-poke" kinda place.

I have noticed that prices have gone up a bit on my last couple of visits….for fish by the pound. The poke bowls are priced the same.

These days I get my poke bowls with half the rice….they tend to give a ton of rice and I can never finish. In fact, when I order for the Missus and I; I just get one medium poke bowl and two half pound containers….of course the Missus needs all the other "stuffs" for Hers.

The Market at HFS
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591
Covid-19 Hours:
Daily 10am – 4pm

TJ Dumplings:

**** TJ Dumplings has closed

I just wanted something small for lunch; so I decided to head on back to TJ Dumplings.

Of course I got the Baozi. Opening the box back at the office I noticed two things. First, unlike my last visit, there was no leakage. Second, there's now only six baozi instead of eight. The filling was more moist and tender than what I'd had on my previous visit and the baozi was lighter and more fluffy. It's not going to make me forget my favorite; but these are ok.

TJ Dumplings
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 830pm
Closed on Mondays

Sue’s Korean Kitchen:

Like the Market at HFS, I like the fact that Sue's opens at 10am as I often have meetings that stretch thru lunch.

It's funny, the woman working here….I think it might be "Sue" remembers me. She told me; "it's nice to see you, it has been a long time"……I guess a bit over three months can seem like quite a while.

Of course I got the Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam ($9.99). Rustic, hearty, lots of Spam. I like the kimchi they use; there's some nice fermented tones. This is always more than I can finish, so I'll take the rest home and have it for breakfast during the weekends with a couple of eggs.

Good prices, portion size, and the woman who works here is so nice.

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 352-6511
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm
Closed on Sundays

So there you go……it's nice getting back into sort of a routine.

Hope everyone is having a safe and productive week!

Sunday Stuffs – Urban Eats Kitchen &Tap replaces Hi Street, Nice 2 Meet U on Convoy, and Jim Morrison in Bay Park:?

July 11, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Exploring San Diego, yoso-silly

Just a couple of places I've seen on recent drives and one little excursion down the "rabbit hole".

Urban Eats Kitchen & Tap replaces Hi Street:

**** Urban Eats has closed

I had been wondering what was going on at 7767 Balboa since Hi Street (and a couple of other short lived places) closed down. I saw the rather interesting Help Wanted sign to the right a while back – I wonder if they ever found a "Weitress"?

And I finally saw signage for Urban Eats a few weeks past….wonder if it has any relationship to the Urban Eats that was open in Hillcrest for a couple of years?

7767 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Nice 2 Meet U Coming to Convoy:

I noticed that the space next to Da Nang Corner looked to have been filled so I drove on into the parking lot……

Well, "Nice 2 Meet U" too (two???). Wonder how its related to Nice 2 Meet U in the SGV? Hmmm……

4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Jim Morrison in Bay Park?

Last Saturday, the Missus mentioned that it was the 50th anniversary of Jim Morrison's death. Jim Morrison had kind of stuck in Her mind since our visits to Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris several years back when we stopped by his grave.

I had recalled that Jim Morrison was a Navy brat and had spent some time in San Diego. So, like I said, Google is my friend and I decided to spend a couple of minutes to see where he lived…… and oh my, I came across this.

And discovered that Jim Morrison, who lived in San Diego between the ages of 9 and 13…actually lived a few blocks from us on Arnott Street! I'm not going to list the address because I've walked and driven past that house thousands of times. And am wondering how many folks have bothered the current tenants of the house there.

He also went to Longfellow Elementary where he graduated the sixth grade and was a Cub Scout.

Longfellow still exists, but is now a Spanish Immersion Magnet School for K-8.

The most interesting item was that the Morrison's attended Pioneer Congregational Church. Which basically right at the end of the street.

I've also walked past here thousands of times in the 18+ years we've lived in Bay Park using the public walkway on the west side of the parking lot to walk down to Western Hills Park. I used to walk Sammy and Frankie down to the park and up around Kane, then Arnott, then back home.

In fact, I will still take walks down that sidewalk to Western Hills Park at times…..

This was quite interesting for me and other folks I know in Bay Park.

Midweek Meanderings – Da Kine’s Landing in La Mesa, Golden Chopsticks Opening in Mira Mesa, Romeo and Julieta Sold, and Panda Country (Clairemont Mesa) Closes

April 14, 2021 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Hawaiian Food, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch, Polish Food and Restaurants, Wine Bars/Wineries

Here are a bunch of updates for this Wednesday.

Da Kine's Reopening in La Mesa:

**** This location is closed and Nelson is currently only doing catering

**** Da Kine's has reopened in La Mesa. A post can be found here.

I gotta hand it to all the wonderful F(riends) O(f) Y(oso) out there, you are all an amazing bunch.

I noted that Da Kine's had cleaned out their Linda Vista location back at the beginning of March.

I instantly received a couple of emails…..when I went to Bay Park Coffee that weekend Noel came out and asked if I knew about Da Kine's moving….. Man, that "coconut wireless" sure works pretty fast, huh? Noel told me he had a feeling that Nelson would move his shop closer to home…he lives in La Mesa.

Move the calendar forward a month and "FOY" DerekR emails me with the screen shot to the right.

Not five minutes later I receive another email; this one from "FOY" Kerri who sent me an excerpt from Da Kine's Facebook page:

"Aloha Da Kine's Ohana! It's been a month since we've closed. We wanted to share an update with you.
Da Kine's has a new home! Our new location is off University Ave. in La Mesa. We're currently in the process of building the inside of the restaurant. Our expected opening will be mid to late summer 2021."

So, with Derek and Kerri already doing my work for me…..well, it's only right that I go check things out, right?

So, this past weekend I went to pick up some food for the Missus; She had something specific in mind for dinner after She got home from work.

I decided to Google some of those businesses on the sign and I headed off. Once arriving at the strip mall in question, I went ahead and opened up Da Kine's website to see if there were any clues…..and they made it easy for me with the new address.

And based on what I read….it seems that's going to be the new location.

I'm sad that they are leaving the neighborhood; but happy that they will keep the business going.

Call me a stalker or whateva', but I thought folks would be interested.

Awesome work Derek and Kerri!

Romeo and Julieta is sold:

The Missus and I were thinking about various Happy Hours we would like to go to once we're over the pandemic and Romeo and Julieta Wine Bar came to mind. I decided to check out the website and was sad to see that they had just closed, last day of business was April 11th, and the business has been sold.

Sad to see them go; but best wishes on their future endeavors.

4715 Monroe Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Panda Country (Clairemont) Closes:

I stopped by Mister Falafel for the Missus a couple of weeks back. While waiting for my order I decided to take a stroll. I quickly noticed that the ABCDE Panda Country looked closed, so I walked over.

And sadly, the note on the door confirmed that they have closed….after 41 years. And while, like Troy's Family Restaurant down the street, Panda Country wasn't my cup of tea, it's sad to see a place that has been part of the neighborhood for so long close down. Much like the neighborhood diner, the local Chinese restaurant has always been part of the foundation of a neighborhood.

4455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

And Finally, Yes Golden Chopsticks is Coming to Mira Mesa:

*** Golden Chopsticks has finally opened – post can be found here.

And just to end this post on a high note.

After "FOYs" Elle and Sandy mentioned seeing the sign for "Golden Chopsticks" in the comment section of a recent post, well I had to go check it out. So, I dropped by during lunch yesterday.

And yes, right were I believe Payless Shoes used to be; in the mall that holds Target, Menya Ultra, Sandwich Emporium, and a host of others, was the Golden Chopsticks sign.

And soon enough, Eater San Diego confirmed that this is "that" Golden Chopsticks. So it looks like we'll finally be getting some decent Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings north of the "94". And while I'm solidly in the Royal Mandarin camp; I'll gladly partake of Salt and Pepper Chickens Wings from Golden Chopsticks.

8155 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Elle and Sandy!

And just for old times sake, remember this blast from the past?

Have a great week everyone!

Our Pandemic Takeout Rotation

March 11, 2021 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Greek Food, Japanese Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Poke, Sushi and Sashimi

I was recently pondering what our Pandemic Takeout Rotation is….that is, the places we've done a bunch of takeout from over the last year……I'm guessing that this post is somewhat timely since (not a great thing) the WHO declared Covid-19 to be a pandemic on this day a year ago.

What I did notice is that things like weather, work, cravings, or indecision kind of drove the decision process. So I've categorized places by that process

So here goes…..

For cold weather – Menya Ultra and Woomiok:

Like I mentioned before, I'm not if it's because we're spending more time at home; but this fall and winter seems to be much colder then I recall.

So, of course Menya Ultra's Stay at Home Kit…….so well and thoughtfully put together; love the fresh noodles (i.e. fresh made and uncooked) is our rotation.

It's basically at least two meals……there often is too much noodle; so I'll often use it for another dish.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
858-571-2010

When the Missus or I feel somewhat tired……we enjoy the Emporer's Soup along with an extra side of bone broth from Woomiok.

We enjoy the restorative effects of the bone broth….even if it might be "all in our heads".

This was especially nice after the Missus or I felt some of the side effects from our vaccines.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 737-4599

And then when we're experiences unseasonal warm weather – it's the Market at HFS:

That's an easy one, right? It's also a handy fix when I'm missing "home".

Of course, you know the Missus right? Eating poke just ain't the straightforward for Her……there's a bit of prep involved. Can you imagine when I actually deliver this for Her lunch at work?

And I blew this one because one thing was missing….shiso leaves…sigh….

Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 282-0591

For that "special" takeout dinner – it's Tadokoro:

I guess this one should be pretty obvious based on some of my previous posts.

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 297-0298

And when we can't make our mind up? Well, it's probably Noble Chef or Sizzling Pot King:

For those times when we don't really know what to get.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Though I think we've been getting Sizzling Pot King weekly now.

**** Sizzling Pot King is now Zhang Liang Malatang

It's usually two meals for us…..and heck, if you're wondering what I do with those leftover noodles form Menya Ultra…..

I save all the drippings from the dry pot and use it as a sauce for the noodles….I know, kinda weird, but I like this strange version of Liang Mian…..

Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 279-0088

The Missus's weekend coffee fix from Birdrock:

I'll usually drop off pour over from Birdrock on Morena.

She loves the fruity acidity of African beans and of course when there's Geisha (caution – over $12 a cup for pour over)…..

The folks there already know me by name and make an awesome pour over……even though their spelling can be a bit iffy……

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
1270 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

And then, there's my weekly reward for working from home – Zgara Greek Grill:

Another pretty obvious pick. I'm not the biggest fan of all this WFH stuff; but Frankie needs and deserves the attention and care. So, once a week I'll reward myself.

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

You know looking at this list makes me wonder why other places from my usual rotation like Mien Trung aren't here…..there are some obvious reasons for others; like Yakitori, Yakiniku, Korean BBQ, and some of my regular Japanese restaurants….well, I just think takeout wouldn't do justice to the food…..though maybe EE Nami might make this list soon.

Anyway; here's looking to brighter days….I'm hoping the light at the end of the tunnel is coming into view.

And of course, I want to know, what has your takeout rotation been?

Takeout Revisit from Golden Island

February 24, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

And so it came to pass….a few days ago I went into the office and due to vacations, etc, I was the only one there. A huge office space that once held maybe over 75 people, was left to me. Of course I was used to an empty office when I get into work at around 515am….but by 830, there I was, all by my lonesome. Then around nine-ish I went to refill my water bottle, when I noticed the motion control light in the back was one. There was one other person in the office…..being from a different team/department, we often passed each other and said hello, but never really spoke. But today, well, while filling my water he came into the kitchen area to use the coffee pod machine and we had a nice short chat. At the end of which, he mentioned it just having been Lunar New Year and yet, he hadn't had any Chinese food this year. I think he thought I was Chinese. Anyway, I ran into him again when going to the restroom and he mentioned he'd be getting lunch at this place he had wanted to try called Golden Island. I mentioned that I'd visited for takeout a couple of times and what I knew about the place. I also told him he could order online and not to freak out at the prices. Anyway, he decided to go for it and told me that if I wanted to place an order he'd be happy to pick it up for me. It had been nearly five months since I last visited and I had been thinking about the getting the Kwai Fei Ji from there….about the only thing I really enjoyed. So I went and placed an order, gave the dude some cash, and he went tp pick up my order….hey, who needs Uber Eats/Doordash/etc, etc, etc!

Anyway, he returned at around 1130 with my order. In addition to the Kwai Fei Chicken, I ordered the dim sum item that was at least decent during my visits, the Shrimp Siu Mai (now $6.69 was $6.19 a few months ago) and decided to try something new, so I went with the Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Dumpling ($6.69).

When I opened my package, I knew something was amiss….do you see what it is?

No, it not the Shrimp Siu Mai, which again, while being a bit on the tough side, was perfectly serviceable…..perhaps a bit mild in flavor…it could have used more of the briney-sweetness of really good shrimp. I brought two of them home and the Missus thought they were not bad.

I'd never seen Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Dumplings that looked like this:

What the heck is going on with the wrappers? Jiu Cai Jiao wrappers are usually made with combination of wheat and tapioca starch or glutinous rice flour. When pan fried, this allows for a nice crispness, and a pleasant, very mild sweetness. This looked like they just went with some leftover siu mai wrappers, then threw in in pan to get a hint of "brown" on it. The filling as almost all chive, which over-powered everything else.

This was so weird. I mean, the online process is – you place your order and wait for an acknowledgement, you get a confirmation email where the restaurant can update your order….the guy in the office ordered turnip cake, but they were out so he replaced it with something else. I'm thinking they should have done that here? I only ate one, I brought the other two home and when the Missus saw this, She just plain refused to eat it.

In case you're wondering what this should look like…..

At this point, I was kind of worried about my Kwai Fei Chicken ($15.99). But I was relatively happy with what I got.

The sauce wasn't quite as good as what I'd had the last time. It had much more oil and not enough scallion, the flavors seemed a bit muted, but it wasn't terrible.

As for the chicken, well in terms of the nice winey-anise-poultry flavor, with a bit more salt this time which actually helped. I did find the white meat on the dry side, but the dark meat slices were very nice.

So no complaints with that.

I do wish I could find some other dish at Golden Island other than the Kwai Fei Chicken….let me know of any dish you recommend here.

Golden Island
10660 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
858-578-8800
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 930pm

Takeout Revisits – Sizzling Pot King and Village Kitchen

February 12, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Sizzling Pot King is now Zhang Liang Malatang

Man, what a difference a year makes. Last year, we kind of celebrated the Lunar New Year by taking a trip to San Francisco (I'll finish those posts one of these days). The LNY fell on January 25th last year; quite early. This year, well it's a whole different story….a whole different world it seems. Hard to believe that I first started working on Covid-19 items on February 10th of last year!

Still, we wanted to have some Chinese food; nothing fancy….we knew for sure that places would be swamped and really just wanted a dry pot to go from Sizzling Pot King; which has been a recent favorite of Hers.

So, I headed over to SPK and got there right when they opened and placed an order. Of course they were busy and I was told that instead of the usual 15-20 minute wait, it was going to be at least 45 minutes. Anyway, I placed my order and walked back to my car……and then it came to me; why not do a short version of the Missus's "I want it and I want it all"? Thinking about timing and such; I decided on Village Kitchen, which is about a 10-12 drive from SPK.

So, I headed over and there was a small queue, but after 10 minutes, I managed to make a takeout order, which I was told was going to take about 30 minutes. Perfect! I jumped back in my car and returned to SPK where my order was just being packed…….

After which I headed back to VK and after a five minute wait, my order was ready to go.

So, the Missus got Her fix from Sizzling Pot King (and I was told on a previous visit, no more cauliflower).

Good "ma-la" and spice, even at medium heat. The trip was quite good on this day.

And was pleasantly surprised by the "bonus dishes".

The La Rou with Cucumber Skin was on the greasy side and not very spicy. There was a lot of smoked meat though.

The Stinky Tofu "Stew" had some decent spice and funkiness, with a touch of acidity.

After our last experience with the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg, I decided not to order it.

And so, we'll have leftovers for a couple of meals, which suits us just fine. Maybe I won't have to cook as much this weekend!

Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Yes, it's almost like we're living in a different time these days. Still, whether you say “Gong xi fa cai”, “Gong hei fat choy”, “Chuc mung nam moi”, or "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo", we'd like to wish you a healthy, safe, and wonderful 2021. A much better year than 2020.

Take care!

Takeout From Green China Grill

February 10, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

When I did takeout from Bonchon, I look over and realized I hadn't been to Green China Grill in a while. A week later, I was working from home and it was pretty chilly, so I thought the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage might be good on a chilly day. I did a quick search and found that GCG did online ordering and placed n order for the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage, which is now $11.99. I then headed over to pick-up my lunch.

Man, I remember when this parking lot used to be pretty crazy, but on this day there was so much parking available at noon. Sign of the times.

I walked into the doorway and up to the table.

And told the young lady my order; which was ready to go.

This time around, wanting something a bit more substantial, I went with the flat noodles. Things were packed quite well.

While I got the broth up to the temp I wanted, I put the noodles, pickled mustard greens, I liked that there was a pretty generous amount provided, and was quite happy to note that the noodles weren't clumped together.

This was actually not bad, still a bit too much MSG and white pepper for my taste, but the broth, a pretty simple one, wasn't too bad.

The slices of beef looked tough, but were fairly tender, and full of nice beefy tones and I detected a hit of anise as well.

The straight forward pickled greens were briny and also added that sour-pickled palate restoring taste that I enjoy.

The noodles….well, I know I usually go with the regular Lamian here, but these were nicely prepared, with a nice pull and al dente chew that I may just order things this way in the future.

Overall, nothing fancy, but quite simple and satisfying….just what I wanted on this day.

A couple of Friday's back, I was working from home and the weather was crazy, rain pouring like a river in bursts of 10-15 minutes, thunder, and hail….hail! I actually went out looking for clouds of locusts and wondered if we would be having three days of darkness!

I was actually going to order the same noodle soup from GCG again….but after taking a look at the menu online, I saw that they had Yang Rou Pao Mo……like I've said before; I've given up on finding "true" Yang Rou Pao Mo, like we had in Xi'an in SoCal, with a thick, rich, very gamey broth and hearty, but not waxy-dense-slippery-noodley unleavened bread.

So, like my previous visit, I placed my order, had a super easy time finding parking, and my Yang Rou Pao Mo ($12.99) was waiting when I walked to the table…..in and out in less than three minutes! The bag felt pretty darn heavy…..and sheesh looked at all the pseudo pao (soaked) mo (unleavened bread).

Because of the density of the dish, it was still steaming hot when I unpacked it at home. I just had to pour it into a bowl.

In terms of how this compares to Shann Xi Magic Kitchen and other versions, I thought it a bit better for a couple of reasons. The broth had a much stronger gaminess, though it did have a bit too much MSG for my taste. The lamb was super "ewe-y" and fairly tender, though there wasn't much of it. What there was a plethora (sorry, I always think of this when I hear the word "plethora") of was the waxy faux pao mo….though it wasn't bad, not overly hard….I just think of it being more like noodles….like in alphabet soup.

And this sure did warm me up on a wet and chilly day.

In case you were wondering what I'm all waxing nostalgic about:

From Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) in Xi'an.

Oh well; it wasn't too bad, though I think I'll stick with my "usual" the next time around.

Green China Grill
4688 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 292-5555
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 1130am – 10pm