Chinese Restaurants – Page 38

Village Kitchen – A Bunch of Meals

January 5, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Back during the first week of December, I noticed that a place named Village Kitchen had just opened. At first indication, it seemed like a Hunan restaurant. I was interested. I was even more interested when one of my readers "SZ" sent me an email with a photo……of that classic Hunan dish; Fish Head. I sent the photo to a friend of mine and suddenly her dad insisted on going…and last I heard he's visited 6 times since!

I knew after looking at the menu on my first visit; with my coworkers Lily and YZ (YZ has been back with her friends since), that this wasn't typical "San Diego" (where everyone makes the same thing) type dishes, there had to be a story behind this. After visits with Calvin and one (overdue) blow out meal with my good friends, I'd gotten a bit of the background. The young man who owns and runs Village Kitchen has an interesting genealogy; his father owns Dong Ting Chun the Hunan restaurant located in Focus Plaza, in San Gabriel. In fact, if you look at photos on that "four lettered site", you'll find many of the same dishes served here. His background is also interesting; perhaps I'll tell it one day. But let's just say he is highly educated here in the US and I'm guessing he'd rather do this than have a career in science.

One other thing that makes this place interesting; especially for cuisines of the type….the don't use any MSG!

The interior is clean and bright. Don't let the empty tables fool you. The place always fills up soon after opening. Almost all the customers are Chinese.

Some interesting things; if you want water here, you grab a plastic cup and get it from the self serve containers at either the front or the rear of the dining room. Tea is $5; but it is pretty good quality.

Not much more left but the food, right? So here we go…..

My favorite dish….and there's never leftovers for this one is the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg ($10.75).

The dish is served up in a mortar; the chilies are mild green chilies and the eggplant seems to have been flame roasted and is both smokey and creamy. Love the flavor of the "pidan" (Century Egg – 皮蛋), the sulfuric finish is still there but tempered. The sauce has two of my favorite flavor components, fermented bean curd and fermented black bean. It's a unique dish and doesn't seem Hunan at all, regardless, it is very delici-yoso…..

I also enjoyed the Stinky Tofu Stew ($11.75).

So did Lily, YZ, and Calvin. It had a nice sour flavor, wasn't too spicy, the earthy, smelly tofu flavor was balanced out by other flavors in the dish. The tofu soaked up all the nice broth which completed the slightly "ripe" flavor of the tofu. The second time I had the dish (photo on right), it was even better, the flavor of cumin coming through. Of course, the Missus believes that if I can eat the ChouDofu, it isn't any good (remember Hangzhou?) Tasting the leftovers; She did say that the second one was better than the first, but this just wasn't spicy enough.

After trying many of the dishes here, I can vouch that this ain't Hunan Chilli King, but the next two dishes are decently spicy.

The Grilled Octopus ($13.75), which has been sliced rather thinly, and is served on a heated chafing dish is the most spicy dish I've had here.

The texture of the octopus was pleasantly chewy and nicely prepared. The portion size was quite large. A very nice dish.

The pickled/sour flavors of the Specialty Fish Fillet ($13.75) heightened the chili flavors in this dish.

The "soup" is full of preserved mustard greens, which actually makes it better than the fish; while not muddy in flavor, it was a bit too mushy for my liking. Still, I'd have this again.

The Hunan Style Lotus Roots ($8.75) was nice and crunchy.

Nicely flavored, but not quite as spicy as I like it, nor could I make out a slight vinegar flavor, which the versions I enjoy the most have. It actually tasted better the next day.

The classic Three Steamed Meats ("Country Smoked Meat Medley – $13.75) was a mixed bag.

The La Rou – smoked pork was fine, better than most, but still nowhere near the versions we enjoy the most. The smoked fish was really bony as was the duck….the smoked flavor was quite good for those though and the Missus, who loves gnawing on things actually enjoyed it.

The Steamed Fish Head with Red Chilies ($17.75) had some delicious components.

The bean curd did well with the chilies, as did the yam noodles. In one aspect, this really reminded me of Hunan dishes I've had…the salt level teetered on the edge of being too salty, but was just enough…. The fish was nice and tender, but a bit too muddy for my taste.

I strangely ordered some Liang Cai; a cold dish on one of my visits; Pig Ear.

The pig ears were sliced nicely and were quite crunchy. Decent flavor; perhaps in need of a bit of black vinegar and a bit of chili oil.

The case of the Salted Long Beans with Smoked Pork ($12.75) is an interesting one.

YZ told me I had to try this after ordering it during a meal with her friends. I thought it was ok; no one at the table enjoyed it, so I took most of it home. The Missus enjoyed this. Salted, preserved long beans is one of Her Father's favorite items. Being from Hunan, the Missus had eaten this when visiting Her Grandmother who, I was told, made a fantastic version of this dish. Of course, this was nowhere as good, but for the Missus, it was a moment of nostalgia.

One of the most interesting items on the menu is called Rock n' Roll Pig Feet ($12.75). I gave the Missus a copy of the menu and asked what the translation of the Chinese name of this dish was……and was told it is a literal direct translation. So, here we have Rock n' Roll Pig Feet. When arriving at the table, the pot (covered of course) is shaken vigorously……rock n' roll!

This was fairly aromatic and the flavor was decent if on the mild side and I think it could have braised a bit longer making it more gelatinous. Not quite "I Love Rock and Roll", but I'm game to giving this another try.

I actually enjoyed the Baby Taro and Baby Turnip Stew ($9.75).

The broth was nice and rich and the flavoring quite good.

The Hunan Classic, Dong-An Chicken ($15.75) just barely missed the mark.

The chicken flavor was excellent; I was told it was very good quality chicken, never frozen. The versions I've tasted have had a bit more of a complex flavor; vinegar, more ginger, a tad more sesame oil. While traditionally not a very spicy dish, I think this could have benefited by maybe one more chili?

Lastly, the one dish that really could have been a winner; the Zi Ran Yang Rou – Cumin Lamb ($14.75).

In terms of the quality of the lamb, to the amount of cilantro (maybe a bit too much), and how the lamb was stir fried, this was spot on. The one big missing thing? There was no cumin flavor here…plus, I like mine with a bit of garlic. I guess I'll need to keep making it at home.

Overall, I'm quite excited about the arrival of Village Kitchen in San Diego. The food is different, interesting, and I'd like to try more. It might even get the Missus out eating Chinese regional cuisine in our fair city again. I'm looking forward to returning and trying even more dishes. The service is decent, they do get a bit confused at times….the business is new, so of course there are little bumps in the road. But you sure won't get "Spicy City service" here. Even though it doesn't quite line up with my favorite Hunan places in the SGV, I urge you to check Village Kitchen out and come to your own opinion.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Midweek Meanderings: Village Kitchen opens, Qi Wei becomes Sizzling Pot King, Pho Convoy Noodles House closes, and The Big List has been updated

December 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Haven't done one of these in a while, so here goes…..

Village Kitchen Opens:

This one snuck up on me. I don't even recall seeing much activity here.

According to the sign it looks like Hunan style food.

In the same strip mall as Little Sheep and Yamadaya.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Qi Wei Kitchen becomes Sizzling Pot King:

Just about a year? Qi Wei we hardly knew ye, but I guess they'd seen enough?

8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Convoy Noodle House Closes:

This one I first noticed a while back, during my last visit to Dede's, but didn't have the chance to post.

They had a good run, but things seemed to be going downhill over the last couple of years, it was just a long demise. Sad to see them go, but I'm kind of glad they decided to pull the plug.

Pho Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And lastly, I found some time to update the Big List – San Diego Restaurants page. Added a couple more photos that hadn't been used in the blog and updated thru November, 2015.

Happy Wednesday!

Yuma Palace & Asian Gourmet

November 29, 2015 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

This post by Ed (from Yuma) is here today because Kirk is jet lagging and Cathy is resting up for the holidays.

I cannot remember a time in my life before Chinese food. Of course I am not speaking of truly authentic Chinese food as found in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, or Chengdu, but of the more pedestrian Americanized versions that exist in places like Columbus Ohio, Long Beach Washington, Monterey California – or Medford Oregon, where I grew up.

My mom had a rule – she cooked six days a week, and like God, she rested on the seventh. That meant we went out to eat once a week. My dad had lived several years in Asia and truly loved rice. That meant I grew up eating a lot of “Chinese” food at Kim's Restaurant on S. Pacific Hwy at the south edge of Medford back in the 50s and 60s.

Therefore, finding edible sortof-Chinese food wherever I am living is important to me. Which is why this post focuses on two "Chinese" restaurants in Yuma. First, Yuma Palace: The last time I posted about this location, it was called Grand China, so it is still a large traditional Americanized Chinese restaurant space. This picture just shows part of the half of the restaurant where the current management seats people most days: The other restaurant is named Asian Gourmet (do not confuse it with Asian Star): When I moved to town, AG was called The Fortune Cookie. Then it became another location for Highway 95 Café. After a long slow decline, the ownership changed (though some of the old crew are still around), and the restaurant was remodeled and given a new name. Here's a shot of the new interior: I like eating out for lunch, so I love lunch specials. Asian Gourmet has 20 different ones (currently $6.55 or $7.55). Yuma Palace offers more choice – around 40 options – at $6.25 or $6.99. All of them come with rice (white, brown, or fried) and a cup of soup.

Yuma Palace offers four different soups. Egg drop: Wonton: Miso: or hot and sour: The egg drop has a good broth and plenty of egg. Although the wonton soup broth is good, the filling reminds me of hamburger more than traditional porky mystery meat. The miso is pretty standard with some miso flavor and a fair amount of tofu. The hot and sour is spicy and assertive.

At Asian Gourmet you can choose one of two with your lunch. Egg drop: or hot and sour: The egg drop is a particular favorite of mine with a rich broth and some vegetables along with the egg. Compared to Yuma Palace, the hot and sour is less strongly flavored, but has more complexity.

It's interesting to compare lunch specials from the two restaurants. Here is mix veg shrimp from Asian Gourmet: And rainbow shrimp from Yuma Palace: While the shrimp taste fresh and well-prepared at both places and the range of vegetables is similar, the portion size is larger at Yuma Palace. Of course, at Asian Gourmet, the specials come with a fried wonton and eggroll.

Here is the orange chicken from Asian Gourmet: And from Yuma Palace: There are some similarities. In both cases, the chicken was fried well. The differences, however, are more striking. At AG the chicken pieces are more uniformly sized and come with several steamed pieces of broccoli. I also loved the dice of fresh onion and bell pepper – extra texture and color. Again, the portion size at YP is larger, but the chicken pieces are more heavily breaded and the single broccoli floret looks very lonely on the plate. The sauce at YP, on the other hand, is much more strongly flavored with bits of orange peel and charred dried chili throughout.

Since YP offers more choices, I have more pictures of their specials. When I'm feeling like a vegetable, I can have garlic sauce on either eggplant: or string beans: While the Thai curry chicken doesn't really remind me of an authentic Thai curry, it is nicely crunchy, very spicy, and curry flavored: Even though I don't quite understand having rice alongside a noodle dish, YP offers some noodly specials. Here’s lo mein with pork: A little greasy for my taste, but I happily ate it all.

The phad thai special: Okay, but not real good.

Noodles, on the other hand, are a specialty at Asian Gourmet. I think their phad thai is the best in town with pretty much the right taste and a pleasant complexity of flavors and textures: The house combo lo mein is pretty standard but also pretty good: Chow Kueh Teoh, a Malaysian seafood noodle dish, is simple but very tasty. The egg, squid, shrimp, and mussels come together nicely: Noodle soups are also featured on the menu at AG. Here is the roast pork with wonton noodles soup: I like the broth, and the wontons and vegetables are fine. Sadly the char siu slices are dry and chewy, but this filling bowl of soup is only $.26 more than a lunch special.

The seafood tom yam noodle soup is very tasty and very spicy: To my gringo palate, this tastes like authentic tom yum soup broth with distinct chile hot and lemon grass sour flavors, a lot of noodles, and some seafood and veggies.

The coconut curry noodle soup has a lightly spicy, rich and mellow curry broth: Along with the pieces of fried tofu, chicken chunks, shrimp, and some veggies hide amidst the spaghetti like noodles.

One can also have the a similar Curry flavored sauce (or teriyaki) on a bowl of noodles (or rice) either with just mixed vegetables – as in this picture – or with barbecued pork, jumbo shrimp, or teriyaki chicken: Actually cheaper than a lunch special.

At current prices, all of the noodles I've pictured are well under $10 – that’s a good deal to me. For just a few additional shekels, you can get this beautiful “Julianne Pan-Fried Noodle": The crunchy golden nest holds a nice combination of beef, chicken, shrimp, and assorted vegetables in a mild sauce. As well prepared as the somewhat similar dish at China Max.

Yuma Palace, on the other hand, also has some real strengths. It has a liquor license, so you can get basic beer, wine, or cocktails. It has enough room for sizable group of people. It also has a lot of choices and a wider range of "Chinese" dishes. While the egg rolls have never impressed, other appetizers, like the sesame pork ribs, are pretty tasty: The sauce was a bit sweet and a touch too syrupy, but we ate every piece.

They have standards items like mushu, or shrimp in lobster sauce, or this double cooked pork: Tina and I also enjoy the black bean shrimp:and the Hunan chicken: YP also features some sauces unusual in Yuma. Here is shrimp in sacha sauce: and cumin sauce with beef: Yeah, I wish it were cumin sauce with lamb, but still a tasty dish.

Also notice the variations of veggies in each of these YP entrees.

Along with standard fried rices, they offer a pineapple and seafood version: or this house special: Bear in mind, however, that Yuma Palace launches a few duds. Avoid the homestyle bean curd with its dense chewy tofu triangles: and the crispy sesame tofu was god-awful – not crispy, not flavorful, just cloyingly sweet. Similarly, the Japanese offerings are (at best) hit or miss. Here's a Bento box: The picture largely speaks for itself . Still way better than Asian Star.

The sushi and sashimi lunch special looks okay, and would probably be fine if bathed in enough wasabi/soy sauce, but . . . (I am picky about sushi). Also a bit confusing for me putting this post together is that the online/to go menu isn't identical to the one in the restaurant. Not sure why that is.

Asian Gourmet, though having a smaller menu and mercifully no attempts at Japanese cuisine, does prepare a range of standards such as a decent twice cooked pork: a fresh tasting champagne fish with some complexity in its sweetish sauce: and a pretty boring moo goo gai pan (called mushroom chicken on the menu): My favorite entrée at AG is pattaya shrimp. This picture shows why: The plentiful shrimps have good flavor, complemented by numerous chunks of fresh pineapple, abundant slices of onions, bits of dried shrimp and whole dried chilies. The sweet tangy chili sauce brings it all together.

I am glad both of these restaurants are in Yuma. Their cuisines (and ambience) are markedly different from the simple Mexicali/Cantonese of Yummy Yummy. It is interesting to me that none of these three are typical old school ABCDE places – though they all certainly cater to Americanized Yuma tastes.

If you have read this post all the way to the end, I want to thank you for your patience and persistence.

I also want to wish every reader Happy Holidays and remind everyone that the 2015 Somerton Tamale Festival will take place on December 19 in Somerton Arizona. It’s certainly the biggest food event in Yuma County, and you won't believe the quality and variety of the tamales – muy rico!!

Chowking (Mira Mesa)(revisit)

November 12, 2015 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Filipino Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk needs a break, Ed (from Yuma) is on a break and so Cathy is writing the posts for a few days.

As mentioned in prior posts, The Mister and I choose a different ethnic market each week when it's time to go food shopping. There are several locations of Seafood City in the county, but the one in Mira Mesa is closest to home. There is a (new) food court inside, but just next door is a storefront location of Chowking, which I've posted about, a couple of times. Chowking is a subsidiary of Jolibee, the largest fast food chain in the Philippines. Straight ahead in this photo is the front door to Chowking; there is another door where you can enter from inside the Seafood City store.The menu is pretty straightforward and contains breakfast and lunch/dinner items as well as snacks and sweets. There's even a small freezer which holds Siopao to take home (Filipino-Chinese buns that can be steamed or heated in the microwave for a few seconds).This is what we ordered for one lunch the other day. That's a coffee milk tea (because I can never decide). I like how the styrofoam packaging is manufactured with steam holes, so the contents, if fried, will remain crispy.The 'Chinese Style Fried Chicken' plate ($4.99) is pretty much my go-to item here, because the fry is always fresh, crispy, not greasy and so very tasty. It's 'Chinese' because of the spices used-and because Chowking is (and initially was only) a fast food Chinese restaurant before it was bought out by the Philippine based company (notice the Chinese lettering on the front of the counter, two photos up). The steamed rice, with egg and vegetable is always fresh.The Garlic Chicken Lauriat ($5.99). A 'Lauriat' is a rice meal, so is essentially the meat (nicely battered and fried dark meat chicken pieces) and rice along with veggie Canton noodles, two small veggie spring rolls and two red bean paste filled sesame balls…not lumpia, not pancit…Chinese food… Remember this hot days we had not too long ago? The mango shaved ice here is only $2.99. Quite large, with lots of ice, mango and condensed milk; it's a refreshing break.

I hope your week has gone well!

Chowking 8955 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858) 653-4977

Revisits: Tasty Noodle House and Dede’s

November 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

Some Chinese food for you. One place new, the other has been around for a while.

Tasty Noodle House:

So, since the place first opened up at the beginning of September, fellow esteemed food bloggers like Jinxi, Faye, and Kirbie have all rotated through TNH…..and the results have been a bit mixed; especially with regards to the SJB. My good buddy Candice has gone a few times as well. So I thought it time that I rotate through and see what's going on.

So with coworker Calvin in tow, we went for an early lunch. Funny thing, our Server wasn't Chinese and couldn't pronounce any of the dishes, but was really very nice and tried real hard.

I thought the Chao Nian Gao on Kirbie's and Jinxi's post looked pretty good. So I ordered it.

I like this prep because there are subtle indications of the chef's skill in terms of handling the wok and seasoning. The flavor is usually nice and mild so there a nice balance between the slightly bitter vegetable – Jì Cài (薺菜 – Shepherd's Purse) comes through, usually with a touch of sesame oil. The rice cakes were a bit under done and on the hard side, but this wasn't bad at all. I think the version at Chef Zhu is better.

My favorite from previous visits, the Zui Ji – Drunken Chicken.

I like the version here because it's not timid, the wine flavor is upfront and strong. Most folks I know don't care for this cold chicken dish. Personally, I enjoy the bracing flavor.

This time around I decided to go with the crab and pork Xiao Long Bao…..

I'm pretty much done with the XLB here. This wasn't very good. The filling was too hard; there was a leakage problem, and the XLB that hadn't leaked had too little soup.

Calvin is a growing boy, so I needed to order something filling and went with the Mei Cai Kou Rou (steamed pork belly with preserved vegetable)….I know; it's a Hakka dish and the menu here leans toward the Hu Cai (Shanghai Cuisine) - Su Cai (Jiangsu Cuisine) style dishes. I thought the Hong Shao Rou I had on my previous visit wasn't cooked properly and was a bit under flavored so I thought we'd give this a try.

This wasn't very good. The pork was fairly hard and strangely dry, the preserved vegetable had no flavor, and the dish was spoiled by too much sesame oil which was basically the only thing you could taste.

Service, as on my previous visits was very nice. I was told that they do a decent chou doufu (stinky tofu) dish and that the Xun Yu ("cold smoked fish") is worth a try as well, so I'll probably return in the near future.

Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Dede's:

*** Dedes' has closed

It has been a while since I'd really had a meal at Dede's. I had dropped by about a year and a half ago and had a terrible version of Liang Mian (Cold Noodles). But it had been a good long while since I've really had a meal here. Lunch was with two of my favorite people; Reza and Lily, so we got to try a bunch of different dishes.

The Liang Cai (cold dishes) was nothing short of terrible.

The cucumber really lacked flavor and the fu qi fei pian was tough and dry, the flavor bitter from chilies that seemed to have been burnt, not scalded. It had no "ma", numbing effect, as in there was a lack of Sichuan Peppercorns, nor was there any depth of flavor from say, a dash of black vinegar….

The Fish with Pickled Peppers was ok.

It wasn't particularly spicy and the broth seemed to have a rather strong poultry flavor. The fish was tender, but also a bit gummy; perhaps from using too much cornstarch during the marinade process.

The dish I'd long been coming to Dede's for is the Cumin Lamb, Zi Ran Yang Rou.

So how was this years later? There are a lot more onions and the meat is lower grade and a bit tougher now. The flavor of the cumin was good, but I think this needed a bit more salt and I like a bit of garlic in mine as well. Not quite as good as I recalled.

We also got the Fried Intestine with Chilies.

This was actually a decent dish; the intestines were nicely prepped and fried; very crisp. The dish was not oily at all. Sadly, there wasn't enough Sichuan Peppercorn in this as well, making it seem quite incomplete in terms of flavor.

Dede's doesn't seem to have held up very well over the years. Kind of sad in a way as I can't seem to find a favorite in terms of Sichuan food. Though I recall Jinxi mentioning that Spicy House has relatively new owners yet again. So perhaps hope springs eternal, right?

Dede's
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

What My Craving? Minh Ky

October 25, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Love the cooler temps in the morning. It means I can grab a nice bowl of noodles for breakfast. I'd been wanting some Sate Beef Egg Noodle "Dry", so I headed over to Minh Ky. It has been a good 7-8 months since my last visit and it never fails to amaze me how this place can pack it in at 815 on a Sunday morning….for noodle soup.

The tables turn over quickly and there were twice as many take-out orders….

My usual here; the Beef sate Egg Noodle Soup "dry" – soup on the side. Still nicely priced at $6.45.

A nice portion size, the beef relatively tender. I always say the sate could use a bit more "oomph", but those places that are a bit more spicy tend to not have that nutty-pungent-onion-y flavor. The egg noodles were a bit past perfect this time around, but nice and hot. The soup on the side was slightly porky – I can say this since it was much less salty than usual. So was the sate as well.

For under seven bucks….I'll take it.

Minh Ky Restaurant

4644 El Cajon Boulevard

San Diego, CA 92115

Open at 8am

Asian Star in Yuma 4 Years Later

October 21, 2015 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Ed (from Yuma) revisits a restaurant in Yuma today. Kirk and Cathy are happily doing something else.

I feel like it's time for me to start posting about the Chinese/Asian restaurants in town again because things have been changing. In fact, the only local Chinese restaurant that over the years really hasn't changed (well except for higher prices) is a favorite of mine, Yummy Yummy, a Mexicali style Cantonese hole in the wall that is still doing well.

On the other hand, back in 2011 when I first posted about it, Asian Star was a stylish new restaurant with a sophisticated space, SGV type service, and generally good Chinese, Thai, and Japanese food. Since then, however, I heard that they lost their chef and I had two poor meals, so I had not wanted to go back until their latest menu arrived in the mail and piqued my interest. Okay, time to check it out again.

The exterior is unchanged:

The ambience and decor are still pleasant:

I decided to start with lunch specials that all come with your choice of soups. The egg drop is properly eggy:

The hot and sour soup was balanced and flavorful:

The miso soup had little miso flavor, but a lot of little tofu cubes, a few pieces of seaweed, and a nice light broth:

When the Phad Thai lunch special landed in front of me, I was kind of amazed by the weirdly pink tone of the noodles:

Okay, I guess. Mostly sweet and hot. Not a great version of the dish, lacking the complexity and interplay among the various elements of excellent Phad Thai. On the other hand, I was pleased by the sizable amount of tender chicken, shrimps, and fried egg that were hiding under the noodles:

The shrimp and vegetable lunch special looked pretty normal:

There was a nice selection of vegetables, but the mushrooms and carrots seemed undercooked while the shrimp were overcooked and dried out. Not terrible, but overall meh.

Here is a shrimp tempura bento box:

Those two cubes in the middle of the box had a pleasant seafoody flavor and a faux scallop texture. The best part of the lunch.

In the upper right corner was shrimp and vegetable "tempura":

Except for being deep-fried, this has little relationship to real tempura. The vegetables were heavily breaded and a bit greasy. I liked the juiciness of the mushroom and the freshness of the zucchini slice. On the other hand, the thin slices of eggplant and carrot were lost in fried batter. The shrimp had a bit of Panko crunch, but were desiccated and flavorless.

Look at the salad:

The ice cold iceberg lettuce tasted like crunchy cold water. The dressing was mostly pure gloppy goo without much redeeming flavor. For some reason, every time I look at this picture I think about the last time our dog was sick.

Even the rice was disappointing:
Odorless, flavorless, and chalky.

The worst component of the meal, the California roll, actually looked promising:

Pick up a piece, add a touch of wasabi, dip one corner into soy sauce, pop into the mouth, chew, and begin to swallow – and then OMG, the overwhelming taste and odor of foul ammonia throughout the mouth and nose. Yuck!

Yuckyyuckyyuckyaarghghghgh.

Without question, the worst California roll I have ever tasted.

In the worst bento box I have ever been served.

Your results might differ – for your sake, I hope so. But I have no plans to return.

I do not enjoy badmouthing local eateries. However, . . .

COMC: Aqui es Texcoco, Pho Lucky, and 777 Noodlehouse

October 18, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

The recent shifting of the weather (a bit, it's still waaaay too hot for October) meant a shift in our eating as well. We've posted on these places many, many times, so I thought I'd C(lear) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard).

Aqui es Texcoco:

A lovely Mixiote and a milky, salty(in a good way), Quesataco with huitlacoche, which added a nice earthy flavor to the crunchy, oozy-gooey, texture.

And of course I've noted how much the Missus loves the Plato Azteca. The Missus almost considers this combination; nopales with two choices which are always huitlacoche (of course) and flor de calabaza (squash blossom).

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky:

Of course.

Full of tendon, tangy, savory, richer than usual……

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

777 Noodlehouse:

While I think Ly Heng now makes a better version of Phnom Penh Noodles, I still think this place is quite a bargain.

The Shrimp Fried Rice is very "old school".

And the simple Pig Intestine with Preserved Vegetable, which has become comfort food for me.

Sour from the preserved mustard greens, which along with the bean sprouts add a crunch. I love the earthy flavors from the intestine. Nothing fancy, not earth-shattering …….just good cheap eats.

Plus, I love the folks who work here…….

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

I hope you had a great weekend!

Szechuan Chef

October 7, 2015 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. The technical difficulties Kirk has been experiencing have increased exponentially. Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying his lack of technological complications (in Yuma). Cathy has had some posts accumulating because her technology level consists of downloading photos almost immediately after a meal. She's posting.

Long story short, in November there was an incident involving the necessity for The Mister to begin using a variety of prescription pharmaceuticals, the side effects of which are His having periodic cravings for certain foods; a majority of them spicy. After *much* trial and error, He whittled his favorites down (His favorite being Mr. Spicy). Szechuan Chef (Kirk was here in 2013; didn't like it) is in the Top Ten, primarily for one dish.Can't place it? Right next door to Myung In Dumplings, which Kirk wrote about earlier this year. The line at Myung In is sometimes out the door… The other anchor in this parking lot is Boba Time.The eating area is pretty spacious and always clean.Near the kitchen is an area of cold dishes. We have ordered, by pointing, not knowing how they will taste or what all of the ingredients might be. All have been pleasantly fresh and none have been too spicy-hot.We have turned into those typical touristy 'white people' and have ordered by pointing at photos on the menu. The above photo has been the most accurate one.The House Special Shrimp ($12.99) with a side of rice ($1) The shrimp are plump, juicy, nicely cooked. There is a bit of heat flavor and the slices of cucumber are a nice interlude.However it is not as spicy as you would think, considering all of these peppers…The won ton in chili sauce ($5.99) was nice. The chili sauce was fresh tasting and packed a back-of-the- tongue heat. The won tons were thin, quite filled with pork and tasted good without the sauce and nicer with it. This was different from Kirk's experience (linked above) where the word 'insipid' was used.Choosing to order a scallion pancake ($2.50) was a good idea on my part. Dipping it in the sauce helped me to taste the sauce in a more 'plain' way and enjoy the freshly made pancake a bit more. The twice cooked rockfish ($10.99) is always ordered (it's the 'craving' one that The Mister must have), because of the good fry methods used as well as the strong turmeric and light chili flavors. The cooked, chopped thin Chinese celery as well as onion and a few red bell pepper slices add more texture and flavor.The shrimp wonton tofu ($8.99) was a more of any typical Chinese restaurant meal. No heat, plump shrimp, soft tofu and the ever present peas and carrots. It didn't give me any sort of MSG reaction, so that is good. Nothing special; nothing bad.The Braised Fish Garlic Bowl ($10.99) is also a typical flavor mix, has nice spice of garlic without Szechuan heat and is quite large; all fish in that bowl along with roast garlic and scallion.

Anything here is large enough to be shared. We always end up taking home leftovers, as have more than 90% of the tables every time we've stopped in for lunch.

Szechuan Chef Cuisine 4344 Convoy Street, Suite F San Diego 92111 (858) 279-8881

No hours posted, but it's open by 11:30 every morning; maybe sooner.

I hope your week is going well, without interruptions by technology.

Manna Restaurant (Chula Vista)(Pancake House/Chinese Fast Food)

October 3, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

We here at mmm-yoso!!! are all enjoying this remarkably beautiful weekend. Kirk is relaxing after a solid week of craziness, Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying all that Yuma has to offer and Cathy is writing this short post, so that you have something different and perhaps interesting to read when you stop by to visit.

Apparently, there are a couple of all you can eat Korean BBQ places around San Diego County named "Manna". That's not what this post is about. The Chula Vista Manna Restaurant is not only a place to get a great breakfast, but also a place to get Chinese fast food, burgers and sandwiches.

About the third paragraph on my Vanessa's Deli post, I mentioned that we went to Vanessa's the first time because there was a line of people waiting to get into Manna. Both of those restaurants in this small strip mall, anchored by a Liquor Store and Laundromat (with a gas station in the middle of the parking lot) are constantly busy.Possibly because of the prices, but also because of the unique food selection and proximity to the above mentioned Laundromat.The owner, an older Chinese gentleman, supervises in the kitchen but comes out in front greeting people regularly throughout each hour; you'll see him at least once on each visit. He is very nice.

Booths and tables, two televisions, part of the menu photographed and displayed behind the cash register (those three photos of teriyaki plates at the bottom right side are *not* the same), this local owned diner type restaurant has been in operation at this location since 2009. On weekends, only breakfast is served.After much trial and error, we have found the chicken fried steak ($8.99) with eggs, toast and home fries is our breakfast preference. The crispy coating is just right and stands up to the home made peppery sausage gravy.The pancakes here are made from their own mix of ingredients and are fluffy, a bit crispy on the edges and always so good. Above, the special on the window not photographed ($3.99) of two pancakes, two eggs and two sausage. Just right flavors, really nice sausage and more than enough food for a breakfast.

Here is the menu, just click to enlarge. The Chinese Fast Food Menu is the third one above.

There is a 'Combo A' ($4.99) and a 'Combo B' ($5.99) on the menu. Each has fried rice, chowmein and a choice of two items (of 13 choices). The 'Combo B' includes two (vegetable) egg rolls. Above, the two items chosen are the garlic chicken wings and Kung Pao Chicken. Amazingly good. Not salty, fried correctly, sauces made here and not from a bottle or a can.This is the teriyaki chicken plate ($6.99). The teriyaki sauce is not sweet, salty or sticky. It's really quite good. You can see the portion size is excellent. From the 'American' part of the menu. The bacon cheeseburger ($5.99) ($6.99 with fries or slaw) is pretty standard. The toasted bun and thick bacon are nice and the burger is flavorful. It's a good choice for someone who is not adventurous.The Top Sirloin plate ($9.99) is also pretty standard; I have come to prefer the chicken fried steak over this. The hash browns are a crispy excellence though and I must say the eggs are always perfectly prepared.

All in all, a nice, local choice. I was happy to have told cc and her family about this West Chula Vista gem that I'd been keeping my little secret. They've been here, twice now.

Manna Restaurant 600 F Street (at Broadway), Suite C Chula Vista 91910 (619) 425-9270 Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m.