Chinese Restaurants – Page 19

Takeout Revisits – Sizzling Pot King and Mien Trung

February 21, 2022 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, this weather merry-go-round has been crazy. Last weekend, we had the hottest February day ever recorded in San Diego….and the Santa Ana's really messed up my sinuses. Even after temps came down and we had some rain (!?!), I was still feeling congested. So, we figured the best way to clear things up would be…..well, some fairly spicy food.

Starting with our old standby, the Dry Pot to go from Sizzling Pot King…..instead of the medium spicy, we went with spicy.

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

Well, like almost every place else prices at SPK have gone up. The Dry Pot Combo is now $38.99! Back in December of 2020 it was $32.99. Frozen Tofu is now $3.99, add to that one order of rice and we're getting close to fifty dollar country here…whoa.

Well, on the good side, the ma-la and spice helped clear me out…it doesn't look particularly spicy above….but I dug through and found 14 dried chilies.

It's getting kinda expensive and they've cut out using Chinese Cauliflower a while back….but this is basically two meals for us.

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

Still, this didn't quite do it for me…..and with the rather wet and cooler weather, I decided to do some takeout from Mien Trung. With the Missus now preferring the Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga, I really don't get over to MT quite as often as I used to. The really nice gentleman was working and man, he was just so happy to see me. We had a nice chat while I waited for my takeout order. He asked me how long I'd been coming to MT….he laughed when I told him over 15 years now!

Places like Mien Trung and Phuong Nga do so much takeout…..I remember how I used to see those pots of Bun Bo Hue waiting for pick-up….that they really know how to pack things.

And both places slightly undercook their noodles for takeout; so that pouring hot water over them during the prep separates and heats up the noodles perfectly.

As for how this was…..well, it as just what the doctor ordered. Good spice, wonderful herbaceous – sour tones from lemongrass…nice pungency…..this cleared me up!

I'm not sure if it was a case of not having had Bun Bo Hue from Mien Trung in a while; but I thought today's bowl was very good….the thick cuts of beef weren't overly chewy and the pork hock was quite tender.

I gotta get back more often.

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for dropping by. I know this seems like one of those C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) posts….but in this case I guess it's more of a C(learing) O(ut) T(he) S(inuses) kind of posts.

Yang Rou Pao Mo to go from Shann Xi Magic Kitchen

January 17, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** This location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen has closed.

My apologies for the lack of posts. The last two weeks have been super busy for me. After finishing up work, I'd just be so fried that the last thing I really wanted to do was sit down at the PC (again, after having it in front of me the whole day). I finally actually had some time to rest this weekend….so hopefully, things will start getting better in the upcoming weeks.

Though getting this text yesterday morning did put me in that "good lord, what next" kinda mood.

Anyway, I was doing some shopping at 99 Ranch Market; the Missus was working and I decided to get something for dinner at the food court to take home with me for dinner. After taking a quick look; I decided to trying some Yang Rou Pao Mo from Shann Xi Magic Kitchen. After all, I hadn't visited since before the pandemic. Plus, after a couple of days of unseasonal warm weather – we hadn't had temps in the 70's since November, things had cooled off and we even got some drizzles….so it was good weather for some soup.

As always, the young ladies working seem to not really want to be here, but I guess I expected that. The menu now seems skewed to Sichuan dishes rather than Shanxi (Jin) dishes…hmmm….. Still I went and ordered the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($12.99) and went shopping. When I returned, I waited and asked a couple of times; before finding out that my order had been lying on the counter for a while…..

I unpacked the container upon arriving home; the soup was still nice and hot. And so I poured everything into a bowl.

And to be honest, this was better than what what I'd had before. I'm not going to beat that "too bad the pao mo here in San Diego is nothing like how it's supposed to be" dead horse anymore. If I ignore that; then I can easily say the lamb was super tender and gamey; there was nice amount of frozen tofu and bamboo shoots and best of all; the broth wasn't overly salty and had just the right amount of white pepper and muttony flavors. This might be the best version I've had in San Diego…perhaps I need to try the version from Green China Grill again?

What was interesting is that; even with the crazy price increases; the Yang Rou Pao Mo was just a dollar more than what I last paid for it in 2019……though now they charge you 50 cents for takeout containers.

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

Thanks for visiting; I've missed you all and it felt great doing a post again! Have a great week!

More Takeout from Golden Island

January 6, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

During the fall, I received news that the kitchen staff at Golden Island had experienced some turnover…..the interesting news was that the "new" folks were from China Max…which BTW, still looks quite far from any construction, even though they said they would be reopening this year (2022).

I decided to place a takeout order and headed on over.

There were actually people dining in and it just seemed quite "normal"……

For whatever that would mean. One of the reasons I keep returning is the manager, Michael is such a nice guy. I asked him about the staff change and he confirmed that yes, the kitchen staff had changed over.

So, I went ahead and ordered what I believe is one of the two items they do well; the Shrimp Siu Mai.

This was actually better than what I'd had here before; moist, tender, and just toothsome enough. Good shrimp flavor without "muddiness", the wrapper wasn't as dry and tough as before, though it's now $7.45!

I also went ahead and ordered something that was recommended to me, the Baked BBQ Pork Bun ($4.99).

Not a big fan of these; though the bun is nice and fluffy, it's quite dry and bland. The cubes of char siu are really tough and the "sauce" also seemed quite bland as well. Even though it's one of the most inexpensive items on the menu, there's a bit of a shortage of filling as well.

Well, it seems like there was some improvement; so I waited a few weeks and did a revisit. This time I ordered an item I wasn't very happy with before, the Har Gow and a recommendation, the Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf.

The Har Gow ($7.45) was a bit better.

The wrapper was a bit more pliable, the shrimp was still on the drier side, but this had a nice "shrimpiness", with no off or muddy flavors. Nice large pieces of shrimp, but I bit more chewy than I like.

Still this was definitely better than what I'd had before.

I also got the Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf ($8.69).

This just wasn't very good.

You can easily see the issue I had with this, right? First off, the seasoning hadn't permeated the sticky rice…..plus there were some undercooked rice in this; really hard and not good eats. There was a whole shrimp, which was on the hard and chewy side. And there was just not enough filling to give this much flavor. I brought one home for the Missus. After heating; She opened it…there was no real fragrance, She took a look at the fillings and gave me a look, telling me; "well, this one is for you….."

Sooo…….I decided to return in November. I had been craving Kwai Fei Chicken and the version I'd had from here on an earlier visit was one of the two items I enjoyed.

I also got the Soy Sauce Noodle ($12.99)….because you know….I needed some carbs to balance out that chicken.

This was pretty good, though I would have preferred a bit more soy sauce. Still, all the noodles were firm to crisp and well coated. The bean sprouts were also still crisp; but the dish could have used a bit more "wok hay" as well.

As for the Kwai Fei Ji ($17.99).

What the heck happened here? This was so disappointing. The chicken had all these weird and somewhat bitter "brown spots" and was very dry, the overall flavor was a bit off. The "sauce" tasted a bit off and lacked assertive ginger tones. This is basically why I ended up trying the Kwai Fei Chicken from Eastern Dynasty.

Needless to say, I was quite disappointed.

It's too bad about the inconsistency as I really like the manager here; though not quite sure on the service as I always arrived at my assigned time and always had to wait for my order.

Though they do have "Jazz Night" if you're into that sort of thing.

Golden Island
10660 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

China 1968 (El Cajon)

December 1, 2021 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, writes about a variety of places in San Diego County (as well as around the world). Kirk is usually posting here, but for now, it's Cathy.

Located in a strip mall fronted by an El Pollo Loco, with a pizzeria on one side and next to a laundromat, China 1968 has been here since 2014. Family owned, family run, everybody who works here seems to remember you, if not your 'usual' order. It's a regular stop when we don't want to 'venture West' for Asian food. There are 14 Lunch Specials on the menu, ranging from $9.49 to $11.49. Each is served with rice, (vegetarian) egg roll and cup of soup (either egg drop or hot and sour). This is the Kung Pao Chicken ($9.49). You are asked if you would like it medium-hot or hot-hot in level of spiciness. It is made to order, as is everything on the menu. This is quite good with the fresh mushroom, onion, zucchini, peanuts and smooth, spicy/vinegar-y/lightly sweet sauce with a perfect amount of heat (I asked for "medium plus a little more" in spice level). You can taste each of the vegetables as well as the juicy chicken.
The chicken corn soup (medium $7.49, large $9.49) is wonderful, tender and meaty chicken, plenty of flavorful corn bites and egg swirled in a tasty chicken broth. The large size is great for sharing.
Our "must order" at every Chinese restaurant- House Egg Foo Young ($16.99). Beef, chicken and shrimp are mixed in with the (very fluffy) eggs and the crust formed on the large pancake was remarkably lightly crisp. It's all topped with a variety of fresh vegetables (and no bean sprouts!) and a good brown gravy. The EFY here is my absolute favorite and the eggiest version I've ever tasted. One day, we saw another table ordering this and on our next visit, it was a 'must try'. Salt and Pepper Shrimp ($17.99). That is a large tablespoon with a single (no shell) shrimp in it. Plump and juicy shrimp, a wonderful, perfectly fried light and crisp salty/peppery batter with garlic and scallions and a few red peppers mixed in. This plate is a meal in itself with some white rice.

Each dish is made to order and everything here is fresh and flavorful. A great place for great food.

China 1968 500 Broadway El Cajon 92021 (619)593-0495 (619)593-0498 Open Mon-Tue 2:30-8, CLOSED WEDNESDAY, Thurs-Sun noon-9 p.m. Website

Eastern Dynasty – A Couple of Takeout Visits

November 29, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

Back at the end of September, I noticed that new Chinese Restaurant had opened in Convoy Pointe Plaza; in the location that had become "Guest Kabob" and had previously been Xi’an Kitchen and Jin's Pot. A couple of days later I did a takeout visit…..which was interesting as the menu looked quite familiar.

I asked if anyone at Eastern Dynasty had been at Noble Chef and was told; "no, absolutely not….why would you think that?" I pointed out several items on the menu that looked suspiciously familiar. But was again rebuffed. Of course, a couple of days later it became clear that there was a link to Noble Chef.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've done a couple of visits….sorry to say, that unlike Soo (please read his post for another viewpoint on Eastern Dynasty), I've been kind of underwhelmed. Perhaps dining in makes all the difference? But, because of the seating arrangement and how crowded the place has been on all my visits….even at opening time, I'm holding off for now.

Here's a listing of the dishes we've had from Eastern Dynasty.

Decent:

Kwai Fei Chicken:

I recently had some very disappointing Kwai Fei Ji from Golden Island and decided to try the version from Eastern Dynasty.

On the good side; this was tender and moist. On the other end of the scale this was really quite bland and the sauce seemed watered down as well. It could have used more sesame oil and ginger tones. At least it was texturally good.

Soy Sauce Noodles:

Something I usually order from Noble Chef.

Not a bad version; decent "wok hay", though it needed a bit more soy sauce and it was cooked unevenly. There were hard pieces of noodles stuck together in clumps. Also, the noodles seemed to have been chopped into short strands as well.

Mediocre:

Eggplant with Salted Fish and Pork:

This one had potential; the eggplant was perfectly cooked; quite creamy in texture. You can see what the issue here is, right? Where's the salted fish and pork….well, there are a few "crumbs". Usually, the salted fish acts as a "foil" for the eggplant, which has been fried and can be somewhat greasy. This was one bland and greasy dish.

Roast Duck:

I know folks rave about this…..but we didn't for it very much.

The duck looked good; but both the Missus and I noticed something right off….where was the fragrance of five spice? The skin was hard, not crisp; the flesh was tough and bland. The Missus had two bites and told me; "the rest is yours……."

Shrimp with XO Sauce:

Here's another one where the stir fry was done well; the shrimp plump, though lacking in flavor and the snow peas crisp.

Not enough seasoning; not enough XO sauce, this was so bland.

Not Good:

Fried Tofu with Two Mushrooms:

Another dish that looks strikingly familiar, right?

The tofu as cold inside; the sauce was overly thick and as you can see, really light in color; it needed more soy sauce.

Pork Maw with Preserved Vegetable:

On two occasions I was told "not" to order something and recommendations were made. I tried to order the Pork Intestine with Preserved Vegetable, but was told to order the Pork Maw with Preserved Vegetable instead.

Now, I do like pork maw (the exterior wall of the pig stomach)…but where's the preserved vegetable? It's MIA. This, like many of the other dishes was really bland…maybe because there was "something missing?"

Mei Cai Kou Rou:

On one visit; I tried to order the Steamed Pork with Salted Fish and was told that it was "too salty" and asked to order something else. I was recommended the Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable.

Good lord, this was so greasy and bitter. It was just really hard to eat.

I as told that the Salt and Pepper Pork Chops are quite good; so I think I'll wait until I feel ok with dining in here.

The Missus did say something kinda interesting; remember when I was told to get dinner from Noble Chef after a not so great lunch there? After confirming the Noble Chef connection She asked me; "is the old Noble Chef lunch cook the one at Eastern Dynasty?"

Eastern Dynasty
4690 Convoy St. #109
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm

Golden City-more lunches

November 18, 2021 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, again. Cathy is writing while Kirk is busy at work.

The Mister and I have been venturing out for meals a bit more lately, visiting places we haven't been since BC-Before COVID and are quite happy for the places which have survived this pandemic. My last post about Golden City was in December 2019. Kirk did write about takeout in June 2020, in the midst of COVID-19. The parking lot can be difficult to navigate at lunch hour because of all the businesses, even though Subway has closed. We usually just park on the street or around the corner.
The interior remains the same; clean with tablecloths. The people who work here are so nice.
The pink menu is the lunch menu and the one printed on yellow paper is the daily menu. I do prefer being able to hold a menu than to scan a QR code and read my phone screen; always think I am missing something.
For our first visit, we had to order our favorite, #45, Egg Foo Young (Choice of beef, pork or chicken) $10.95. It remains one of our favorite versions. Vegetable and egg filled with a crisp crust, even through the gravy. The pork and peas and carrots topping the platter blend in with each bite.
#62, Fish Filet with Tofu ($11.95) is quite wonderful. Fried breaded fish pieces (many) along with strips of wrinkled tofu skin, fried tofu cubes and mushrooms in a gingery sauce has become a new favorite.
Most of the lunch specials come with a choice of soup (egg drop or hot sour), a vegetable egg roll. those crunchy wonton strips and plum sauce.
#32, Chicken Chow Mein ($10.95) satisfied the texture craving for lunch one day. The crunch of vegetables and tender slices of chicken along with bites of the crisp and semi soft (because of the gravy) noodles was something we didn't realize we missed.
#82, Sautéed shrimp and Fish Filet ($12.95) was another flavorful meal. The quite large, plump shrimp along with the thick pieces of fish and the variety of vegetables had textures and colors and distinct flavors. I hadn't realized how much I missed snow peas!
#19, Duck with snow cabbage and vermicelli soup ($9.95) really hit the spot on a chilly day! An overload of duck pieces, bean sprouts, pickled snow cabbage along with firm but non-clumped vermicelli. The flavors were distinct and comforting.

Under the radar, after all these years. Soo had a wonderful dinner here a few years ago!

Golden City Chinese Cuisine 5375 Kearny Villa Road San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 565-6682 open seven days 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and Grill (again)

November 17, 2021 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog, is being written by Cathy today while Kirk is very busy at work.

The last time we went to Little Sheep was in February 2020, BC (Before Covid). The spicy broth, multiple flavors and textures were a craving, while the ability to use metal utensils and cook a meal at the table was something we just wanted to do.
Things look the same inside. There is still a special lunch menu.

We decided on the House Spicy Soup base, mixed with the mushroom/vegetarian base (not yin-yang style, which I suppose would be a prettier photo, but the flavor blend was great) (soup base is $4.25/person).
My choice was the fish filet lunch. ($9.70) Five large, thick portions of fish along with fresh noodles, frozen tofu, assorted (beef, pork and lamb) meatballs, pieces of 'krab', shiitake mushrooms, potato slices, squash, cabbage and chrysanthemum greens (tangho).
The Mister decided to try the Beef Belly Lunch ($9.70) All of the accompaniments are the same for all of the lunches.
We also chose add ons of wood-ear mushroom and soft tofu ($1 each). Cooling bites if not put into the broth but also tasty when cooked.

Little Sheep Mongolian HotPot 4718 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego, 92117 (858) 274-2040 Website Open Mon-Th 11:30-9, Fri-Sat 11:30-10. Sun 11:30-9:30
Some of the broth leftovers.

Takeout from Yummy House (Again)

November 16, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

During the last spell of cooler weather….before we got the recent record heat I had a strange craving for the beef tendon pot from Yummy House. Even though the portion size for takeout was kind of "manini" the last time; I thought I'd give them a try.

I drove over, walked into the abandoned looking restaurant…..it took a while but eventually a gentleman walked out of the kitchen and seemed shocked to see me.

I placed my order, then ran some errands….when I returned my order was ready and waiting.

The containers seemed pretty hefty this time around. And the portion size for the Beef Tendon Pot was much larger than before.

Man, lot's of meat, though the "stew" was on the thinner and greasier side this time around. Love the beefiness. Wish they had more tomato and the stew also lacked the tanginess I really enjoy. Still, not bad.

I wanted to order the wintermelon soup for the Missus, but they were out. So, I went with the old standby, the lamb with suan cai.

This wasn't very good; the suan cai lacked fermented flavor and we had to add the last of our homemade…..I guess with the cooler weather we'll (hopefully) be getting we can start making batches of the wonderful stinky fermented napa cabbage again. Anyway, we even had to add a good amount of the fermented liquid to even give this thing some flavor. The lamb wasn't very gamey and was on the dry side. Obviously, the Missus wasn't very happy with this…..

Oh well…..

Also, YH has stopped doing online ordering.

Yummy House
4633 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 730pm

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)