Filipino Restaurants – Page 11

Goldilocks Asian Cuisine

June 12, 2008 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

Here something I didn't know until recently, June 12th is Philippine Independence Day, which marks the day that the Declaration of Independence of the Philippines was signed in 1898. All these years, and I never knew this until recently. Of course, there are those who think it should be a different day, but understanding that all Filipino's I know are always up for a good time…..

So what better on this day than a post on that Filipino institution Goldilocks. No, not the Fairytale Goldilocks, but the very successful Goldilocks Bakeshop and Restaurant chain, which according to both the company website and Wikipedia was started out of an apartment in Makati City. Now with over 200 locations world-wide, I guess you could call this success story a real life fairytale. To be honest, when I first found out that Goldilocks was opening up a location with not only a bakery, but a restaurant as well in National City, I wasn't too excited. I've eaten at Goldilocks in Artesia, and also had "turo-turo"(steam table) food from the now defunct West Covina location, and had never been too impressed. However, the always reliable MG told me that the menu at Goldilocks had been revamped, and the food had improved. So recently, MG, MrB, and I descended upon Goldilocks. Goldilocks is located in the same strip mall as Seafood City(which has really been spruced up inside), Golden Chopsticks, Ohana Hawaiian BBQ, and Asian Noodles among others. There are times (think weekends) where this is a strong contender for most insane parking lot in San Diego.

The dining area of this location of Goldilocks is clean, though it was a bit smaller than it looks from the outside.

In what would be the first of many small missteps, we were basically ignored while waiting for a table. There was no else waiting, the place was empty, and the woman doing the seating was just standing ignoring us. Finally, without a word, the woman grabbed some menus and walked us to a table, where we were basically forgotten. After 15 minutes, MG tried to flag down one of the 6 or so workers, but was ignored. After another wait, another Server came by, and took our order, and disappeared. We had ordered drinks, but they never appeared.

Finally, when our first dish arrived, MG asked for water in Tagalog, and we received it soon after. Our first dish was the Beef Salpicao($8.49):

The very tender slices of beef, chopped peppers, and onions arrived on a sizzling plate, and was topped with a nice sprinkling of garlic. It was, however, strangely bland, and greasy.

A few minutes later our Sizzling Sisig($7.49) arrived:

This version of Sisig was quite bland as well; almost no vinegar flavor, nor spice, and the pork, though nice and fatty, was more greasy than rich. I liked the raw egg cracked on top of the pork, but I ended up adding a ton of vinegar, and even some salt, which I almost never do, to give this flavor.

Soon enough, our Crispy Pata ($13.49) arrived.

Though not a gargantuan version of the wonderful simmered, dried, than deep-fried pork leg dish(which is probably for the better), this was a nice rendition. And even if this version was lacking in the gelatinous goodness department, the skin was perfectly fried, and the meat amazingly moist. The sauce had a nice sour-tart-saltiness that I really enjoyed. I'd have this again.

At this point our biggest problem was that our rice had never arrived. We had ordered both steamed and Adobo Rice, and expected that the steamed rice would be arriving soon. How can you eat this without rice? After trying to flag down several people, MG finally found someone who would get us rice. But of course, our rice was still MIA. Meanwhile……

This location of Goldilocks features something they call "Pick A Pika", various menu items served in smaller portions a la Dim Sum. In fact, the dishes are wheeled around in a Dim Sum Cart.

And served in little bowls in Dim Sum Tins. All of the items(about 20 or so) are $3. It is nice because you can select from a good variety of items, and try out things you may not be sure of. Be aware, that even though it may sound like a bargain, the portion size of each dish is only 2-3 bites of food, so you can easily spend $18-$21 dollars. Especially if you don't get your rice………

MG wanted to try what we both thought looked like Beef Mechado, but was actually Beef Kaldereta:

This was a winner, with a good beefy-tomato flavor. The beef was quite tender. MrB, MG, and I each had 1 bite.

MG had wanted me to try an Ilocano dish called Beef Pinapaitan, and this was a good way to try it.

I was told that "pait" means bitter, and they sure weren't kidding. Man, this was a puckery-bitter that elicited a "whoa" from me. MrB took the severe sour looks on MG's and my face as a signal that perhaps he should pass on this. A few days later, after doing some research, I found a Pinapaitan recipe, and one of the key ingredients of the dish is bile. The combination of sour and bitter was quite strong. I took this little sampling home for the Missus to try. Her reaction, "ouch"…yes, ouch. Must've been so bitter it was painful!

Meanwhile, we were still barely picking at our food. Why? We still had not gotten our steamed rice! In fact, after our Adobo Rice arrived, MG had to flag down one of the Servers and ask about our steamed rice.

I really enjoyed the Adobo Rice, nice hints of soy-black pepper-vinegar, with a small amount on diced chicken. I'd like this with a couple of easy over eggs. Finally, a few minutes after our Adobo rice arrived, we also received our steamed rice, and really dug in.

Overall, the food, if on the pricey side, was not bad, better than I expected. The service however, left much to be desired. There looked to be no table or section assignments, so things ended up occurring in a rather haphazard manner, with things slipping through the cracks. I'm not sure if I'll go back. Maybe your luck with the service will be better than ours…..still, who can refuse Crispy Pata.

Goldilocks
1420 E. Plaza Boulevard
National City, CA 91950

Open 8am-8pm – Closed on Tuesdays

Wednesday Wanderings

February 27, 2008 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

Just a few items for your "hump day"!

Jeong Won Korean BBQ:

During our visit to Spicy City I noticed the sign for a new Korean BBQ opening up next door:

I asked around and was told one of the former Owners of Arirang House has decided to get back into the restaurant business. There sure seems to be a lot of activity in the Clairemont area. The location is 4690 Convoy St.

China Chef Temporarily Closed:

During one of my trips to the Mira Mesa area, I noticed that China Chef appeared to be closed. I did a U-turn and drove into the mall to check things out. Per the sign it looks like they are temporarily closed, and set to reopen on March 3rd.

Party, party, party!!!

To quote my "nephew"(my good friend's son)….as a 2 year old, whenever we were set to go to the zoo, Sealife Park, or someother activity. I sure do miss those days.

In that vein, I recently celebrated yet another Birthday. MrB and I both celebrate our Birthdays in February, so it has become sort of a tradition over the last few years to get together and have a party of sorts. MG is the most generous Hostess, and always feeds us well. And as you'll notice, most of the dishes are pretty much targeted toward my appetite.

MG's knowing that I love Kaldereta had her cousin make some Kaldereta! delici-yoso!!!

I was asked for the one dish that I wanted. Having heard so much about the Sisig from Conching's Cafe, but never having the planets aligned during my visits, I requested it:

It is as good as advertised, perfectly balanced. Even the Missus, who "doesn't eat pork" (somehow Bi, Crispy Pata, et al aren't pork?), had 3 servings.

The rest of the good stuff:

AmyA baked us a wonderful cake….but please don't ask what the "numbers" mean…nothing good can come out of that!

There are few things better than a Filipino party! There is a downside though; hearing me sing "Achy Breaky Heart" on the Magic Microphone is enough to spoil the heartiest appetite. As always MG, thanks for your warmth and generosity!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

R & B Filipino Cuisine

February 25, 2008 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

I'm constantly amazed at the amount of recommendations I've received from FOYs(Friends of Yoso) since I've started blogging. Restaurants in locations that had never even entered my mind. A good example is R & B Filipino Cuisine in Mira Mesa. R & B is located on Camino Ruiz, North of Mira Mesa Boulevard, an area that I hadn't ever visited. But thanks to FOY JanFrederick, who mentioned R & B in several comments, I made an effort to check them out.

R & B is a little Mom and Pop "turo-turo" joint, that offers about 20 or so different steam table options daily. The Lady who works the counter is very nice, always smiling, and chatting in her relatively high pitched voice, the Gentleman who works the front is on the quiet side, but still very nice.

The prices are reasonable, $3.99 for 1 item and a starch, $5.79 for 2 items and a starch. On this day, I decided on the (what else) Lechon Kawali and Beef Mechado(Beef Stew), which at first I thought was Kaldereta.

The Beef Mechado was good, though it did not have as much gravy as I would have liked(probably why I thought it was Kaldereta). Nice tomato tartness, the beef was fairly tender, with a touch of black pepper flavor.

We had times our visit pretty well, the lechon kawali was moist, and not too waxy, nor greasy. The skin was crisp, not hard, making this a pretty good version of lechon:

What I didn't care was the lechon sauce, the liver based dipping sauce. It was too bitter for my tastes. Still this was a pretty good meal……

Which led to another visit, where I again got the 2 item combination:

This time with Pancit Bihon….which wasn't greasy, and had a decent flavor….but it was almost all noodles….in fact, other than 1-2 pieces of stray cabbage, and 1 small piece of chicken, this was all carbs.

Because of the hour (10am) not everything was available, so I got the lechon kawali again.

This time the lechon was on the dry side….

Now where's the "missing item" you ask? Here it is:

This was something I'd never had before, Kilawing (per the menu, I've also seen it spelled as Kilawin) Puso, banana blossom simmered in a vinegar based sauce. I could also identify a bit of pork, but not much else. The banana blossom had the texture close to that of artichoke. Overall, this was a very bracing dish. Per instructions, I ate the Kilawin with the pancit, a touch of Kilawin on top of a bite of pancit, the saltiness helped to cut the sour flavors.

Did I mention Filipino Breakast? On weekend mornings R & B offers Tapsilog, Tocilog, Dasilog (Bangsilog), and of course the classic Longsilog, all for $4.50. All the dishes come with 2 eggs(any style), and Garlic Fried Rice. I recently had the Tapsilog:

The Tapas wasn't bad, more tender than most versions, and decently flavored. The Garlic rice, didn't have enough garlic for my tastes(but very few do), and the rice was hard and dry in sections. The easy over eggs were overcooked, the yolks hard. Still, not bad for $4.50……less than a bowl of Pho.

A friend's Husband who eats here once in a while told me the Pork Adobo is pretty good, JanFrederick enjoys the Sisig, and the Hamonado has also been recommended. Unfortunately, I haven't run into any of them in my visits….always Chicken Adobo, never Pork! Hopefully, I'll be more lucky in the future.

R & B Filipino Cuisine
11257 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Mon-Fri 930am-730pm
Sat 8am – 7pm
Sun 8am – 6pm

Thanks again for the recommendation Jan!

Eddels – Who you calling Puto???

January 17, 2008 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

*** Eddels has closed and is now Chibugan.

With a name like Eddels Deli, you'd think perhaps a European Deli….bakery…..hmmm… And that name does look out of place on the sign for Vinh Hung Super Market on Mira Mesa. Though if you've taken the opportunity to check out Eddels, you'd know that it's a Filipino turo-turo (point-point, steam table fast food) and dessert joint.

Oh yes, In fact, you don't have to walk through Vinh Hung Market to get to Eddels….you just follow the sign:

Yes, that little sign.

You'll enter the little turo-turo joint and your senses may be overwhelmed by the various wonderful fragrances wafting through the air. The signage says that Eddels specializes in Cebuano Cuisine, food from the island of Cebu. And though I've had some of the specialties like Tinola, I'm far from an expert on regional Filipino Cuisine.

The fairly dark, interior of Eddels has that slightly organized, but disorganized, look that many turo-turo joints like Point-Point Joint have, the ubiquitous television running FTV soap operas, the Pepsi clock, the large map of the Philippines, next to a hanging planter with faux plants…..

To say that the prices at Eddels are reasonable would be an understatement. 1 item and a starch is $3.99, 2 items and a starch, is $4.99, and looks something like this:

First off, let me just say that I like the Pancit Bihon at Eddels. I think they use a good amount of broth or stock to flavor the pancit…even the Missus thought it was pretty good. Texture was decent, not mushy.

On this day I had some Paksiw na Baboy. Paksiw, if I recall correctly is a way of cooking that utilizes vinegar-sugar-soy, and usually uses leftover pork or lechon…or even pata. This version had nice sweetness, if a bit short in in the flavor of vinegar. And though the pork was a tad on the tough side, I enjoyed it.

Of course, once I saw the Sisig, I had to have that as well:

The Sisig was very moist, and not oily. There was much more "stuff" like red bell peppers, a few chili peppers, than I'm used too. And though Cebuan cuisine is known for the use of sili (Chili Pepper) I didn't find this to spicy at all. It was not bad, not great…too little vinegar and spices, but not bad. This version of Sisig, as is typical in San Diego uses left over Lechon….it just struck me, I ate two dishes of leftovers! It was very good leftovers though!

I had been told that Eddels was also known for their Puto…no NOT that kind of Puto….this kind of Puto:

Basically a rice cake, in this case steamed in a banana leaf. The Missus really enjoyed it, I didn't get a shot…..in short She told me, the "flavor of the banana leaf, and the fact that it isn't too sweet, and very moist makes this."

There's another version, that is caramelized, available as well. Both are $1.99:

The people at work enjoyed this version, but the Missus prefers the steamed-only version. Regardless, I've been told, this really good Puto!

On another visit this is what I decided to get:

To bad the Lechon Kawali had all the life sucked out of it by the heat lamps. It was more like dry, flavorless chicharron.

On this visit the really nice lady who appears to run the place started handing me samples. Noticing my non-Filipino-ness, She told me, "You know, I make the best BBQ" while handing me a piece of BBQ pork on a toothpick. And it was indeed pretty good…so I had some of that as well.

A bit on the sweetish side, and maybe too chewy, but overall not bad.

In case you aren't totally fried on the food at Eddels….here's BBQ Chicken and Pork Adobo:

The pieces of pork in the adobo was cut too big, making it very dry, and the meat flavorless. I also enjoy a bit of black pepper flavor in my adobo which this lacked.

The BBQ Chicken was okay, and bit too tough and dry this time. I enjoyed the nicely flavored charred bits though.

I wish I had brought my camera along on a subsequent visit…I was starving, and had a wonderful Kanding Caldereta(goat stew). I'll bring my camera next time…and hopefully they'll have that caldereta.

The Lady who runs Eddels is very warm, always smiling and nice. The Gentleman who works there is a bit of a grump, but is okay. The prices are very reasonable for the area(Mira Mesa) and portion size. For less than the price of a bowl of Pho at most places in the area…you can have 2 meals.

Eddels Deli
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

(858) 527-0072

Hours to the right:

Maharlika Cafe & Grill

December 11, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

*** Maharlika has closed

Sisig……isn't that a lovely word…say it again…Sisig….. There are very few things that will increase my pulse rate than the phrase, "really good Sisig." And I've received a few emails, and have been told that Maharlika in National City made the best Sisig bar none, in the San Diego area.

My previous experiences with Maharlika had not been very successful, but now with the possibility of Sisig dangling in front of me, I was hooked. Just to be clear, most Sisig in San Diego is not the traditional Sizzling Pig Head dish, but simply leftover Lechon Kawali stir fried with chili peppers, vinegar, onions, and green onions. Motivated by Sisig possibilities, I headed on down to Maharlika. If you've ever taken the 805 freeway south, and have gotten off at the Plaza Boulevard exit, and drove west, Maharlika is hard to miss.

On this visit, I found Maharlika to be much cleaner, and free off the abundant amount of Musca domestica encountered on my previous visit. I had arrived at about 1030 in the morning, on the prowl for Sisig. But as I headed for the steam table, no Sisig was to be found. When I inquired, the lady behind the counter clucked in disapproval, "no, no Sisig, until 11." Making me feel like I was the only person in San Diego County who didn't know that Sisig wasn't available until after 11.

Not quite knowing what to order, I decided on a 2 item combo($5.75). And because I had a steaming pot of rice waiting at home, I started with some pancit.

Which I thought were on the dry side and pretty bland.

The two items I selected?

The choices were pretty large and varied, but I settled on Ampalaya(Bitter melon) and Eggs, and Pork Adobo.

The portion sizes were quite generous, each taking up it's own container, which I found to be nice….no sauces overlapping, and less of a mess overall. I'd had Chicken Adobo at Maharlika before, and the pork suffered the same fate……waaaay to greasy, even for me. The Adobo was very mild in flavor, and lacked the sour-salty-peppery points that I enjoy. I could only handle a few pieces. Usually the oil from adobo is great over rice, but this version was too mild even for that.

And though the Ampalaya was also heavy on the oil, I enjoyed the bitter and salty flavor provided.

Not a very successful visit……so knowing how obsessed I get about these things, a few weeks later I found myself on the doorstep of Maharlika once again……looking for that Sisig.

I walked in, and surveyed all the items in the steam table……and no Sisig! But being under the watchful eye of the young lady manning the counter, I knew I had to order something, and went with the Lechon Kawale.

This version of Lechon was also on the "heavy" side, and the skin was not as crisp as I would like. The flavor was also very mild. What was good was the Lechon Sauce, just the right amount of sweet that I enjoy. A combination of guilt, fat induced dizziness, and waxy richness made me unable to eat more than 2-3 pieces.

So that's how the story ends, right?????

Well not so fast, you see, after the young lady had piled the lechon kawale on my styrofoam plate, I spotted a pan out of the corner of my eye (isn't peripheral vision wonderful?). And there it was Sisig. So I ordered Sisig, which caused the young lady to purse her lips and frown, "you want lechon and sisig….together?" Which when I come to think of it, is sort of like ordering French fries with your baked potato, since the Sisig here is made with lechon kawale. Still I did get me Sisig……

In the end, I was a bit disappointed with the sisig, first, the lechon had been cut into large chunks, that didn't go well with the smaller chopped onions and green onions. Though the sisig wasn't as greasy as I thought it might be, the flavor was very mild…not enough vinegar, and not spicy in the least bit. I added my own dose of vinegar at home.

Still, I did finally get my Sisig!

As you probably noticed Maharlika is a Turo-Turo(point-point) steam table joint. Though the place is never full, there is a steady stream of customers, and the portion sizes are rather generous. The Ladies working the front are very nice and accommodating. I still think the food at Maharlika is a bit too greasy for me….in spite of the sign which says, "We use no transfat." Which I found to be a bit ironic……

Maharlika Cafe & Grill
1819 East Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Pinoy Fiesta

October 16, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

**** Pinoy Fiesta has closed

Pinoy Fiesta is a tiny "Turo-Turo"(point-point, aka steam table) joint, that sits rather quietly in the strip mall on the corner of 8th Street and E Avenue.

It does seem like much more attention is lavished on Villa Manila, which shares the strip mall, and Zarlitos right across the street. In fact, I never even knew it was there, until it was recommended by a friend last year. She had told me that the food at Pinoy Fiesta was good, and a bit "less oily" than many other Turo-Turo places in the vicinity. So a few months back, I was in the area……..

The exterior of Pinoy Fiesta may lean toward the low keyed side….but the interior is quite, ummm….sunny(?) and bright. For those who always complain to me about the somewhat worn and gritty interiors of some of our ethnic eateries, this one is quite clean.

On this visit, I noticed that though the restaurant doesn't appear very busy, there is a steady stream of customers, and quite a few catering orders being filled. Usually, when people recommend a Turo-Turo joint, I ask what the "signature" dishes are at the place. But in this case, I'm not sure if I didn't ask, or if I asked and couldn't remember. Could this be the beginning of many "senior moments" perhaps? Lucky for me, ordering on this visit was very easy. I went with the 2 items + rice($5.25):

As I entered a tray of Lechon Kawali was brought out, you knew it was coming by the chopping noises emanating from the kitchen…man did it look good! This lechon delivered as promised, it was still warm when I ate it, the fat was silken, but not greasy, the skin was light and crisp. This version of lechon was much "lighter" and not as chewy as many I've had. I thought it to be quite good. I was not a fan of the Lechon sauce, it was gummy and pretty weak in flavor…but this needed no sauce.

I'm usually not a big fan of Filipino Menudo, but in this case it looked so good, I ordered it.

The thick stew had a nice mild tomato flavor. I find the addition of raisins in menudo is sometimes too heavy handed for me making the dish much too fruity and sweet, distracting my tastebuds, and I'm not a fan of it. But here, the raisins added only a nice faint sweetness, complementing the rest if the dish, and I enjoyed it. No tripe in this version, but lots of pork. The plate comes with 3 scoops of rice, and I ate it all, in 2 installments.

On this past weekend, I had another opportunity to grab some food at Pinoy Fiesta. One of the great things about these restaurants is that you can enter, grab some food to go, and depending on how busy it is, you can make it back to your car in a blink….sometimes as quickly as 5 minutes, like I did. This weekend we've been checking out the San Diego Asian Film Festival like we do every year. On this day, the Missus was tied up, so I was left on my own. I decided to make the extra trip and grab a plate at Pinoy Fiesta(there are just so many hot dogs a person can consume). Again I went with a 2 item combination:

Unfortunately, the family in front of me grabbed all of the lechon…each of the 4 plates were piled high with the moist, crisp, pork. So I went with the Chicken BBQ:

This was not bad, the skewered chicken was dark meat(yay…flavor!), and quite tender. The sauce tasted a bit on the sweeter side like bottled teriyaki, and overall this was fine…not great, not good, but okay.

And though, I wasn't able to get any Lechon, I noticed that on this visit there was a pan full of Sisig, one of my weaknesses.

As good as the lechon was, the Sisig was disappointing. Gummy and greasy are the two words that come to mind. Flavor wise, I enjoy my Sisig to be a bit more assertive. I prefer a bit more sour and spicy notes. I did enjoy the nice onion flavor, but had a hard time getting over the grease.

Though not as popular as Tita's Kitchenette, the service at Pinoy Fiesta was much, much, nicer. The young man behind the counter is very pleasant. Service is pretty fast and the prices and portion sizes are good.

Pinoy Fiesta
550 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950
Phone: (619) 434-6255

Open 530am(!!!) – 730pm Daily

Chow King- Great Filipino Fast Food in San Diego

May 9, 2007 Cathy Chains, Chinese Restaurants, Filipino Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog. I am one writer of the blog. I am Cathy and I am *so* Caucasian as is The Mister. Kirk and His Missus are Asian; they can describe stuff better than I can, but still, I know what I like. Here goes!

Hello one more time. Chow King is the #1 Oriental Fast Food chain in the Philippines. It has been around since 1985 and in 2000, became a wholly owned subsidiary of Jolibee, the *other* major fast food chain in the Philippines. In fact if you Google "Chow King" The first things that pop up are the Chow King website, Wikipedia with a description of Chow King and Jolibee.

Of course, being as Caucasian as I am, I had not heard of Chow King before seeing it in front of Seafood City.

So, it is fast food. Bright, happy, formica’d tables and chairs and a nice menu above the cash registers.

Here is a take home menu you can use to phone in an order so you can just walk in a pick up.

We decided to try a bit of everything basic. The Mister tried the "personal size" beef noodle soup with a pork Siopao. ($5.25)

The noodles were eggy and not overcooked; the beef was tender, had some fat on it (which we like) as in stew meat ; the broth was rich and very nice, and the vegetables were put in at the end, so were still crispy fresh/not mushy.

The Si0pao was:1. Huge and B) tasted fresh with lots of shredded pork on the inside. I forgot to take a photo of the cross section. It was not a skimpy fill at all. A nice, slightly peppery (not very sweet) sauce came with the bun and complimented the flavors, but was not necessary.

There were some large ads by the cash register for a new "hot" beverage- a Taho- ($2.99 for a "classic"- I had ube added for another 25¢). I thought when I saw "new" and "hot" it just meant a neat drink. It was a hot drink- hot soy, with boba on top and sweet ube on the bottom. It was really nice and I got my soy fix for the day. Yes, I said "hot" and "boba" in the same sentence; we will explore the entire concept of boba in a later post.

Anyhow..so I wanted to try the fried chicken, called "Mandarin fried chicken". Just a two piece box, with rice and a choice of sides( Bihon, Canton {egg noodles}, egg roll or pot sticker) I wanted to see how the Bihon (rice stick noodles) were prepared here. ($4.95)

Oh my- that fried chicken is great!. A light batter, crispy with mild spices, the chicken meat has such flavor and is moist. If this place was closer to home, I would be buying the ‘party pack’ every chance I got, and eating it in the car on the way home (and I drive a manual transmissioned car, which would not be a good thing). The rice was good, the Bihon was fresh and good with several small shrimp in it- a nice surprise. This two piece meal was quite filling.

A lot is offered in "party pack" or "value pack" sizes, which say they are good for up to eight persons. There is also a Breakfast menu- part of which is only available from 7-11 a.m., but another part which is available all day ( I know Dale was talking about longanisa at a good price in a note to Kirk the other day- the all day Kings Breakfast for $4.75 includes 2 main items, plus scrambled eggs, plus rice and longanisa and boneless bangus {milkfish}).

The Mister and I decided to splurge and see what the Halo Halo here was like for our dessert.

Excellent- only $3.25 and made with crushed ice, ice cream, a nice blend of canned sweet beans, canned fruit, coconut gel and what seemed to be toasted rice. It was one of the better Halo Halo’s I have had.

All in all, I was surprised at how fresh and non-Sysco’d the food was, even though it must be in some way standardized. I know there is a Jolibee just down the way, also on Mira Mesa Boulevard and another set of Jolibee/Chow King restaurants in National City {both are on East Plaza Boulevard}, so I would imagine the supply truck hits all of them with the same or similar stuff regularly.

The Mister and I were the only Caucasian people in the restaurant and, even though it was a busy Sunday, the Manager came by several times to ask us if we had any questions and was extremely friendly and helpful as was the Gentleman who took our order at the register. It was a very enjoyable experience, with food, that did not seem to be fast food at all.

Chow King 8955 Mira Mesa Boulevard (right next to, with a door into Seafood City) San Diego 92126 (858) 653-4977 Open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. 7 days Click here for website.

Leocynn’s Lumpia- another hole in the wall

April 26, 2007 Cathy Filipino Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is never on vacation. Someone is always blogging, because one of us has most likely had something to eat. This time, its Cathy. Kirk is too busy with something else today.

Hi again. I was driving about aimlessly one day, sort of near the Spring Valley Swap Meet, just off of the 54, on the edge of San Diego and Spring Valley and saw Leocynn’s, where I remembered having a nice meal quite a long time ago. It’s still there, and the sign on the front is thanking people for patronizing for the last four years. Well, it’s lasted this long, so still must be good.

There is a steam tray and two tables inside, a menu on the wall and some handwritten ‘specials’, all of which consist of the items in the steam tray and all of which cost$5.75. The generic (ground pork/ground beef/veggie) lumpia can be purchased individually from the steam tray for 54¢ each, or certain ones can be made special for $1 each, or you can order in bulk. All are made on site. Nothing frozen here.

I opted for 2 of the freshly made ground meat/veggie ones and the pork adobo/rice/pancit meal. The total cost was $6.83.

Excellent adobo- a nice twang of vinegar. The pancit wasn’t watery and really fresh tasting, the veggies were crispy and there were plenty of pork pieces interspersed and the rice was absolutely perfect and plentiful! When I ordered, the nice lady went in back and told me I would have to wait for the rice. (Less than 3 minutes).

A cross section of the other lumpia.

You can see there is plenty of meat and a small amount of carrot. The crust was definitely fresh and crispy. It came with a home made sauce, more sour than sweet, which complimented the meat well. I would rather have sour than sweet any day. Leocynn’s has withstood the test of time and is great.

Leocynn’s Lumpia 8360 Worthington (at Paradise Valley Road- Take the Jamacha Exit from 54) San Diego 92114 (619) 267-8210.

M-F 11:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m./ Sat 11:00 am-7:00 p.m./ Sunday 11:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Phil-Am Kitchenette

April 12, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

*** Phil-Am Kitchenette has closed. It's now Homestyle Hawaiian

I'd seen a sign similar to this one countless times while waiting for the traffic light to change at the intersection of Mesa College Drive and Linda Vista Road.

And I've probably made a mental note to check this place out just as many times, only to file it in the nether regions of my grey matter……

During a recent lunch hour, I decided to grab a bowl of Pho, only to find the restaurant closed when I arrived! Somehow, two of my lonely three remaining brains cells managed to rub against each other, and produced a memory of said sign. I arrived to a little shop that looked like a small convenience store located in a strip mall on Mesa College Drive.

With some hesitation, I entered the small and dark shop, past the shelves of Boy Bawang Cornicks and other snacks, and up to the little steam table set-up. I had also snuck up on the poor lady behind the counter and scared the crap out of her in spite of the fact that I set off the entrance "chime" when I walked in. The steam table held 8 trays of various items, some of which looked pretty good, some of which looked a a bit off….in fact the heating lamps for the steam table was turned off, doing their part to conserve energy perhaps? But when the lady saw me she smiled and turned the lamps on.

I chose a 2 item and rice combination, which went for the standard price of $5.50.

Along with the huge amount of rice, I'd ordered Longanisa(Filipino sweet sausage), since I figured that if you can't make Longanisa, you really can't make anything…

The sausages done well…no burn marks, fully cooked through. You can't really go wrong with Longanisa. I also opted for the Pork Tausi.

Now if you think this looks strangely like Pork with Black Bean, you'd be right…."Tausi" is fermented black bean…also known as "Dau See" in Cantonese. Of course the similarities in name are not coincidental. The pork was tender and had a decent, not overly salty flavor. One other thing, it was not as fatty as most versions of Tausi I've eaten. Also, even though the portion sizes were not as large (obscene) as those at Tita's Kitchenette, it was more than enough food for me, in fact I shared some of the food with our Filipino Administrative Assistant, who thought it pretty good as well.

I also grabbed a handy dandy pseudo-menu….

What I really enjoyed was the daily menu portion…."great, I can plan my lunch around what's on the menu…" Until I read the bottom portion(always read the fine print) which listed "alternate" dishes that may be substituted. I think there were 15 or 16 different dishes. To me this meant that they'll make what ever they feel like…I mean they could substitute every item on the daily menu twice over if they decided, right? This really cracked me up!

The other thing on the menu that caught our eye was the coupon, a buy 2, get 1 lunch free deal. Baaaarrgain City! Which meant a few days later we were back at Fil-Am. The problem this time was that we arrived at about 1115 am, and not everything was ready. It was a Friday, but there were only 2 items that matched the scheduled "menu". We still made the best of it….$11 for 3 plates is a bargain.

This time I got the Pork Adobo. The cubes of pork was fairly tender, and the flavoring was on the milder – black pepper side. In keeping with my previous visit, it was also less fatty, and not as salty as many versions at Turo-Turo(Point-Point) places.

The Nilaga Baka had a mild flavor, but was passable.

The meat was tender, and the veggies surprisingly were not over cooked. Best of all we got another coupon!

So, being the ravenous bargain hunters we are, we returned on another day. As before, most of the items served did not match "the list". But we did manage to find items we liked….You know I can't turn down Lechon Kawali(boiled than deep fried pork belly).

The lechon was on the "tough" side, the "skin" very hard and chewy, and the meat on the dry side. What really tasted good was the Beef Mechado(Beef Stew). (And it's not even mentioned on the menu!)

The chunks of beef were very tender, and the "sauce" was full of tomato-y goodness, nice and rich, not overly fatty. This was great with rice. No more coupons for us after this trip…I think we used up our quota!

To sum things up, the food a Fil-Am Kitchenette is a mixed bag, you never know what's on the menu for any given day(except Longanisa), but some of the dishes are prepared well, and have lots of flavor. The portion size is decent, as is the prices. I don't know if I'm the only one who noticed that the food is not as rich as most turo-turo places. For example check out this 2 item combination plate from Tita's Kitchenette:

So much food(at least 3 meals), so rich, so fatty, so good…so much guilt!

The two ladies at Fil-Am are very nice, and I'm pretty sure you'll find two items to your liking, I just wouldn't follow the listed daily menu. Fil-Am fills a void in an area filled with Pho restaurants and Taco Shops, not a bad thing necessarily, but it's nice to have choices. Fil-Am also serves breakfast, according to the menu:

So if you're in the area, and are longing for some Longsilog and Garlic Fried Rice…..

Fred’s…Ummm Ed’s Bistro

March 25, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Sisig

*** Ed’s Bistro has closed.

I’d heard about Ed’s Bistro in National City a while back…well I thought it was Fred’s Bistro.

Tucked on a side street between 8th Street and Plaza Boulevard in a very unassuming space next to a barber shop and laundromat, I’d say that Ed’s is in a pretty strange location. I was also told, that Ed’s (Fred’s) was well….."a bit different". I kinda got a hint about the name when I saw the Application for Ownership Change posted alongside the front door. As for a "bit different", when we entered, "Ed’s" revealed itself.

And I couldn’t stop smiling! Call it a "lounge", "bar & grill", "pub", or in this case "bistro", Ed’s was an honest to goodness "bar"! The large karaoke set-up, really cheap furniture, 3 "lounge lizards" sitting at the small makeshift bar toward the rear of the dining area gave it away. You see I grew up with what I call the "Pau Hana Time Generation"…in this context, Pau Hana means "finished with work", and Pau Hana Time means basically Happy Hour! So "back home" there would be a "phone chain" of sorts, and without fail a few(or more) times a week, the phone would ring, and the following "conversation" would take place:

"Yeah?"
"So wea?"
"xxxxx"(name of the place)
"wat time?"
"’bout 5?"
"’kay den…."

So whether your pleasure was darts, karaoke, or just having "a few" and some good "grindz"(guess which I was), we had a pretty regular rotation. And it goes without saying that we all had our favorite dishes at the various places; be it the "Fat Fat Chicken" at Fat Fat Bar and Grill(it is a real place lovingly called "8 Fat" by us, RIP Sy – we all miss you), Steak and Mushrooms at Hibiscus Club, maybe something from Anyplace Cocktail Lounge, or some really good grinds from Side Street Inn(also nice post here.) You get the picture, some of the best food was to be found in these, dark, sometimes a bit seedy, neighborhood bars…though Side Street has risen above it all when it comes to "Pupu" culture, with mentions in Savuer and Gourmet magazine.

The preferred language at Ed’s is Tagalog, and the menu is a study in Filipino Bar Food:

There was one main reason we came to Ed’s, it was for the Goat Kaldereta(Goat Stew – $13.95), we both love Kaldereta….though we often have to deal with, "you know this is goat, right?" At first the Missus was somewhat concerned with the price, but when the food arrived we realized the portion size was on the large (as in family-style eating size):

Though a bit short on the nice and gamy goat, this was some reaaal good Kaldereta, a bit salty, the tomato sauce based "gravy" was nice and tangy. The best part were the potatoes, which seemed to have been roasted before entering the stew, and the olives which added a nice briny flavor to the dish…there’s not enough rice in the world for this dish.

Not knowing how large the portion sizes where we ordered some Pancit Bihon (Stir fried noodles – $8.95):

I’ve had better pancit, but this was a nice version with lot’s of black pepper. The photo belies the size of this dish, to this day we haven’t finished all the pancit. We got our money’s worth on this.

I couldn’t leave without ordering what I consider one of the ubiquitous bar dishes(along with garlic peanuts), the Sisig(not the Pampangan Sisig, but the regular – $8.95). Just a side note…I didn’t which photo to use for this. Was it this one?

Or perhaps this one?

The Sisig was good, though I enjoy mine a bit more sour and spicy, but the Lechon Kawale used for the Sisig was plentiful and very good, I’m used to Sisig made with leftovers and lot’s of onions so this was a ncie change. At this time, Ed’s started getting filled up, and Karaoke was going full blast, and every table had a plate of Sisig on it, so I guess I made a good choice. The Sisig tasted better the next day. I also wanted a beer to have with my Sisig, and in keeping with the atmosphere, there’s no frou frou microbrew beer served at Ed’s…don’t get me wrong, I love Stone Brewery, and my trip to Portland was an education in microbrews…but the selection at Ed’s is simple, "MGD, Bud ,Bug Light, Miller Light…and the premium beer, is Heineken!" Bottles, of course……

As we left Ed’s the place was going full blast, there was a large family, with kids in tow celebrating a retirement…..a Gal had come in to help keep everybody in beers and handle the Karaoke. And I felt a twinge of homesickness…….

Some notes on Ed’s: The lady working was very, very, nice, and was the young lady who came in later, and tried to get me to sing. At heart this is a Mom and Pop Bar and Grill, so don’t expect your food to arrive at your table in a blink of an eye, there’s just one guy cooking in the back, and it’s pub grub after all. The portions are pretty large, we made the mistake of ordering waay too much food(of course we ate a lot of rice as well), though leftovers are a good thing. Even though most of the people converse in Tagalog, everyone understands English…what a nice bunch of folks, and I’ll never forget the lounge lizard who made sure to sing 2 BeeGees songs before heading home….sigh. There are times that I miss home!

Ed’s Bistro
933 S Harbison Ave
National City, CA 91950

Open Tues-Thurs 5pm – Midnight
Fri-Sat 4pm – Midnight

We’ll be back…and I think I’ll do a post on our next visit…..

Did someone say Sisig????