Category: Japanese Restaurants

My “Bowl of Joy” at Izakaya Sakura

Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I believe I mentioned in my post on Di Chan closing about returning to some of my most posted places…..times are tough these days, with costs forcing increased prices or having to lower the quality of offerings. Everything seems to be much more expensive. And it seems that these days that only chains can open in areas like Kearny/Clairemont Mesa…the mom-and-pops are getting priced out. So, recently, I decided to see what three restaurants we’ve posted the most on in our 21 years. And I’m pretty sure you know which place has the most posts….with 41 in all! Yikes!

Yep, this is post 42 on Izakaya Sakura…..so, I’m pretty sure you’re tired of me posting on this place, so I’ll see ya’ tomorrow, yeah?

Of course, things have changed at Sakura over the years and I have experienced some mixed results and have made fewer visits. Heck, the last time I was here was over a year ago! Which would have been unheard of before the days of Covid and inflation.

I haven’t seen Kazu here in ages. The two guys behind the sushi bar spoke Spanish, several parties speaking mainly Mandarin entered as I was eating….the only folks speaking Japanese were the two Servers.

Having tried a couple of what I guess can be termed “modern” Sushi/Japanese restaurants in the last six months has made me yearn for a simple Chirashi…..no Escolar or huge slices of salmon. I just wanted a good basic Chirashi. Which at Sakura is now $36 for lunch, it was $34 the last time I visited last March.

But, to be honest….thirty-six bucks just didn’t seem too bad for these days. So I ordered it. Of course I was wondering what the 2026 version of Chirashi would look like at Sakura. And I had to smile when it arrived!

That bowl seemed to have even more seafood in it then I recalled.

And all the lunch special “Sakura usual suspects” were present.

The miso soup was hot and not watered down.

The agedashi tofu, the asazuke, and the potato salad…check, check, and check.

Of course, I was mainly here for this.

Well, first off…it ain’t a “Michelin” bowl, ok? But it was just what I wanted on this day.

I will say that the shari had a good amount of vinegar. It was still a bit too much rice for me; though I finished it!

I won’t go into minute detail here….but will detail what I enjoyed the most. Of course the Chu-toro, hamachi, and all that was fine.

But strangely, I really enjoyed the Oyako Nishin, that yellow slice of kazunoko that is attached to herring filet. I’m not sure why I enjoyed it so much…perhaps because it has been ages since I’ve had this. I also enjoyed little dollops of ikura in certain bites as it wasn’t overly salty.

And for some reason, the ikura took me back to a little restaurant in a fish market in a small harbor town in Hokkaido. Sometimes food can take you back like that!

The bite of tamago was a savory and slightly sweet ending to this meal. A yes, a “Bowl if Joy” indeed. For a moment it seems that all was right in the world. These days we need to feel that way more often.

Tell me “FOYs” what restaurant makes you feel that way?

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St Suite 121
San Diego, CA 92111

Dark Horse Japanese Nikkei Cuisine

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Mexican Restaurants

A few months back I read about a place named Dark Horse opening…..no not the coffee shop, but according to Eater a “Japanese-Peruvian” spot in Torrey Hills. Well now. If you’ve been reading our humble little blog for a while you’d know how much I enjoy Peruvian cuisine. And travelling to Peru twice has given me a real appreciation for what I consider Nikkei cuisine. Stuff like tiradito. And we’ve had the “Nikkei Experience” at Maido, which strangely, at least to me, took the title of “Best Restaurant in the World” in 2025!

Anyway, being quite curious, I decided to head up to Torrey Hills Center to search out Dark Horse.

Which I easily found. I noticed the Open sign and walked on over and peeked in. The place was empty…..soon enough a really friendly gentleman came over and I was seated in a booth. He introduced himself as Edgar.

And I was handed the menus……with some interesting dishes.

Of course I wasn’t interesting in the “rolls” and such; but seeing items like Anticuchos, Camaron Al Ajillo, Ahumado, Ceviche, and of course Tiradito. And well…..I love Tiradito…but with salmon? I don’t think so. Edgar came over and started explaining “Nikkei” cuisine to me…a nice gesture. Then I told him we’ve been to Peru and even to Maido and explaining the history of tiradito and things got a bit quiet. He then told me that “our dishes aren’t really Peruvian Nikkei, more of a mix of many cultures.” So, I guess Eater wasn’t quite right in their description? Not that many folks would know….

There were two dishes I was interested in and so I ordered the Mushroom Anticuchos ($14) and the Hamachi Ahumado ($24).

You know me and Anticuchos de Corazon, whether in a rather fancy restaurant or on a street corner in Cusco, I enjoy the texture and the seasonings. This looked quite interesting.

The texture was interesting…it was almost meat like, but perhaps on the mushier side of the scale. Some earthy mushroom flavor, but really lacking in the cumin-achiote, achiote/aji panca flavor and quite bland overall.

The presentation of the Hamachi Ahumado was very, dramatic, with the tabletop smoker cloche….which I’ve been seeing at various places over the last couple of years brought to your table.

Once the top was lifted and the smoke gone the dish was revealed.

Very nice presentation; the hamachi had not really changed in texture and was still somewhat buttery. The overall dish was much too sour, which even nullified any smokiness in the dish. The chili paste, made from morita chilies – smoked and dried red jalapenos had a bit of a kick, but was still overpowered by the sour-acidity.

While the portions seemed a bit on the small side; this was enough for a light lunch, though not cheap at nearly forty bucks. It seemed to be more about presentation-concept to me; but I felt I needed to give the place another try; so I returned.

For lunch again. The very nice and friendly Edgar greeted me once again and I was seated.

I was handed the menus again; but this time I paid attention to the lunch specials.

And no, it wasn’t the poke bowl or teri chicken that interested me. Rather, the Agedashi Tofu ($15) and looking for a more traditional dish I was going to order the ceviche; but noticed the Aguachile ($19) on the lunch special menu so I ordered that as well.

The Agedashi Tofu looked quite interesting.

This was so close to being a good dish. The batter was so light and perfectly crisp. The tofu light and creamy. I didn’t mind the creaminess of the guacamole or the crema.

The biquinho peppers added some fruity sweetness, with a hint of spice.

What was missing in this dish was a savory-umami component….you know…like what the tentsuyu provides for a traditional agedashi tofu and a pungent component like what daikon oroshi would provide.

The dish just seemed incomplete. Bummer…..

My favorite dish by far was the Aguachile.

Though I had to crack up when I saw it was served with won ton chips! I guess they had to keep something Asian in the dish?

Like the Hamachi Ahumado I’d had previously, I saw that the aguachile used the Yuzu Kosho type marinating liquid. But for reason, the bracing, acidic sauce did really good here. I’m thinking that the mild, oceany brininess of the raw shrimp and the buffering of the acidity by the avocado contributed to this dish nicely.

The slices of red jalapeno added some spice and the shrimp had hit that firm, yet tender balance.

Again, not a cheap lunch at nearly thirty-five bucks, but I was quite full when I left and thinking in terms of what a chirashi would cost. Well, this didn’t seem too bad at all.

In Luis Hara’s wonderful cookbook; Nikkei Cuisine : Japanese Food the South American Way, which I do own BTW…such is my love and respect for that type of cusine. Within the introduction is this quote regarding just throwing together flavors and the roll of various ingredients from different cultures : “without this understanding, fusion becomes confusion.” In the end; perhaps I was expecting a bit more as this seemed like “con-fusion” than fusion to me. Perhaps I was expecting a bit too much?

Edgar was very nice, warm, and friendly. Perhaps I’ll return in a couple of months?

Dark Horse Japanese Nikkei Cuisine
4639 Carmel Mountain Rd. #103
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm

Sumo Go

Japanese Restaurants

Remember back in February I noticed that a place named Sumo Go was taking over the spot formerly occupied by Bunny Chow? Recently, I was having lunch with my wonderful friends “LL” and “JP” and I mentioned this place. They live close by and told me the shop had actually opened. So, I made sure to put it on my “list”. And then, by fate, I decided to check out what was going on with Gourmet Artisan…which had closed. So, I thought it might be the right time to “go” to Sumo Go.

Even though it was before eleven, the shop was open. Walking in was interesting as this was obviously an offshoot of the “konbini” craze. You know, those Japanese convenience stores like Lawson or 7/11, now all over social media, much of it thanks to a certain gentleman who loved the egg salad sandwich at Lawson. Now, it seems like we’re getting our share of similar places.

Walking in, I noticed shelves full of Japanese snacks…..

And the typical cold case with cakes and such. Two types of sandos….katsu and tamago (of course).

What’s interesting….and really not typically “konbini like” was the menu of rice bowls and sides as these were made to order.

In the mood for something a bit more substantial than a katsu sando and having just had a pretty mediocre donburi in National City; I decided on the Gyu Don, not cheap at $18.

It turned out to be a pretty hefty bowl.

First thing I did was do a “rice check”. The rice was hot and fluffy, quite acceptable.

The beef was decent; perhaps on the sweeter end of the scale, but the texture was good, slightly toothsome, enjoyed the flavor the onions, which were quite tender, brought to the bowl.

Pretty much by-the-book, but better than what I expected based on previous experiences elsewhere. And better than what I can get from the cold case at Nijiya or Mitsuwa in my opinion. Though it is eighteen bucks and in some ways makes Tenkatori seem quite reasonable.

A few days later, I dropped by again….this time much earlier. On this visit, I took a photo of the eating area hidden behind the shelves.

I decided to get the Katsu Sando ($8.95), which was almost half the price of the version at Momo Sando.

And, to be perfectly honest, not even half as good. Starting with the Shokupan…the bread was too dense and lacking in the rich-mild sweetness I enjoy. The crusts were still on as well….a quick sign when looking at a typical sando.

The katsu had really dried out and was too chewy; though the panko still had a bit of crunchiness to it. The cabbage was fine and it wasn’t overly sauced.

Perhaps I’m too picky about my sandos….but I wouldn’t get it again. The gentleman working was very nice, and had me wondering about the background of this place. So, doing a bit of digging, I came across this.

I’ll probably return to try the karaage and other hot items. It’s good to have some options for an early lunch in the area. Next time I go to “Sumo Go”.

Sumo Go
7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 9am – 7pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 7pm

Baikohken Ramen Revisited

Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

After my last revisit to Menya, I figured I was done exploring ramen for a while. But on my way home, one other place came to mind. I’d visited Baikohken Ramen twice when they first opened in Hillcrest. Even spending like $23 for a bowl of ramen…..yikes! While I thought the ramen was overly hyped…they really pushed the Michelin Guide thing, it wasn’t in my “top tier” for ramen in San Diego. Still, because they really also push the Asahikawa Ramen thing…..and even though I prefer Santouka another chain that is originally from Asahikawa. I think it was time for another visit. This time, I wanted to get Baikohken’s shio ramen, which is my favorite at Santouka. Of course, this visit was highly dependent on finding parking…which wasn’t a problem on this day.

I strolled on in and the nice young lady handed me a menu.

I wasn’t looking for a $25 bowl of ramen……just the shio ramen which was $14.98, to which I added the tamago, a $1.98 upcharge.

Which soon arrived….and I swear, was my bowl of ramen grinning at me?

So, first things first….while the tamago is no comparison to Santouka which wins my award for worst boiled egg in a ramen, this was decently cooked, nicely flavored…but sigh…..ice cold! What’s a guy gotta do to get at least a warm tamago in this town?

The broth was lighter than Santouka’s but also much more salty. It did have that hint of seafood savoriness that the shio broth at Santouka in Asahikawa had and which Santouka in San Diego initially had when they first opened, but has since been removed. Still, in terms of tongue feel and “shio”, I prefer Santouka.

Baikohken doesn’t have toroniku, but their chashu is really tough and chewy for my taste.

It was also cold in the center! Because of this, the fat line running down the center was really waxy in texture.

The noodles were nice and slippery.

Which did a decent job of picking up the broth. Though on my last visit to Santouka, the noodles were much more firm than this. If you’ve read my previous posts on Ramen…you know I like my noodles “Katame” (firm).

In the end, close but no cigar…..I still prefer Santouka.

Baikohken Ramen
690 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 230pm, 5pm – 930pm
Closed on Tuesday

Donburi Rice Bowls (National City)

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants

I was recently in the National City area and decided to get something to eat. 8th and B Poke came to mind. I hadn’t been there in a while, but it was just past 10am and they don’t open until 11. I could have driven to Poke Etc, but decided to see if there was parking on the Market on 8th. I’d been meaning to check the place out before, but could never find parking. On this day, I kind of lucked out. I say “kind of”, because I did find a parking spot, but it was just a 60 minute stall. Which meant this would be a take out visit. So, I walked on over.

Not much open at 10am…..and there were locations of places like Kiko’s whose truck I’ve been to Morena several times. The cuisine is mostly Mexican here and most places were closed, but I did have one in mind. If only I could find it!

I checked out the map and was still a bit confused….

Though finally, I came upon the destination.

Donburi Rice Bowls was the place….I kind of knew that this would probably a Westernized fast casual kind of place. After all, “donburi” does literally mean rice bowl in Japanese….so Donburi Rice Bowls is kind of redundant in my opinion.

Anyway, I took a look at the menu; the prices seemed pretty reasonable for these days.

Not being able to make up my mind…and with the clock running on the parking, I decided on the Sumo Bowl ($17) which means you can have two items. I went with the Yakiniku and the Karaage. After placing my order, I was given one of those “buzzer” thingamajiggies. I then went to check out the market hall a bit more. Things seemed a bit cramped and thoughts of bringing JJ went out the window when I saw the pets weren’t allowed in may places…even the patio.

Eventually, the buzzer went off and I picked up my hefty feeling package and headed home. Once home I unpacked. Knowing that I’d be doing takeout, I made sure to get the Sriracha Mayo for karaage on the side.

The container was indeed hefty…there was a sumo sized portion of rice to be sure. In fact, I could only finish half of it and saved the rest.

The rice was fine….quite typical, not very fragrant, but fine.

The karaage seemed like the frozen stuff, like you’d get from Ajinomoto, or the like. The chicken was on the drier side, the thick batter kind of mushy. The flavor very generic, pulling to salty.

The Beef Yakiniku was the better of the two items. The beef had been sliced thinly and griddled nicely.

Quite a bit of gristle, but because it was sliced thinly, it didn’t bother me too much. I enjoyed the pungent-sweet onions. The marinade skewed to the sweeter end of the scale but was not bad at all. Pretty much by-the-book Yoshinoya-ish.

Overall, the beef was pretty good, pass on the karaage, fits the mold of fast-casual, food hall dining. The amount of rice was huge and the prices reasonable for these days. Not worth a special trip, but I’m glad I tried it.

Donburi Rice Bowls (In the Market on 8th)
41 E 8th St.
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 9pm

What’s My Craving? Wa Dining Okan and Chicago Fire Grill Revisited

Hot Dogs, Japanese Restaurants

It’s funny what triggers a craving. Sometimes, it’s not even food……

Like I was organizing my drawer of favorite t-shirts and came across this one.

You know where this is from?

Yep, Hot Doug’s, which I visited all the way back in 2010! The owner Doug Sohn closed up the Avondale shop in 2014, but the place is still fondly remembered by many. After all, this was the shop that Anthony Bourdain declared has “the best hot dog on the planet”. I’m sure New Yorker’s would disagree; but those who read our little blog know that I have a thing for Chicago Dogs (though that foie gras dog from Hot Doug’s was awesome). So of course after staring at that t-shirt fora while I had to head to……

Chicago Fire Grill:

It’s been a while since I’ve been here…like 2 1/2 years! The place seemed a lot busier than I recalled and the owner George (who always cracks me up) was super busy behind the griddle…he’s got two folks working for him now as well.

I was somewhat surprised to see that the Chicago Dog was still nine bucks?

Which is a bargain these days. No wonder the place is bustling. A few months back there was hot dog cart in the parking lot of V Outlet next to Bay Hill Tavern and they were selling hot dogs for $10!

Anyway, I got my order to go. When I got home, I was still pondering the nine dollar price. Perhaps it didn’t come with fries anymore? However, upon opening, I was proved wrong.

I would have been fine without the fries, since, although they are “hand cut” are usually soggy and dry. The one thing that was missing from this were the sport peppers. Now really, can we call this a Chicago Dog without those pickly-spicy-briny peppers? Hmm…..I would have easily traded my fries for those peppers.

Other than that; this was as expected.

Snappy Vienna Beef hot dog; the necessary fluorescent green relish, the slices of tomato, pickle wedge……

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

And then JJ and I were having some coffee at Bay Park Coffee and chatting with one of the regulars there. He had just returned from Japan and even though we weren’t discussing food, I had a sudden craving for Tori Nanban? What the heck????

Anyway, I had been meaning to return to…..

Okan:

I recall seeing outdoor seating and “FOY” Junichi also reminded me of this. I just visited solo for lunch to check things out and get me “fix”.

So yes, there’s still outdoor seating for lunch, but I had my usual place on the “bar”.

The Tori Nanban lunch special has gone up two dollars since my last visit in July of 2024. It’s now $16. Sitting at the counter made me miss those days when Okan had those huge bowls of Oozara Ryori on the counter…man, those were the days!

Soon enough my lunch arrived.

I enjoyed the miso soup as it wasn’t “watered down”.

The rice was steaming hot, though very mushy. I think it had just finished cooking.

The chicken was moist, tender, good seasoning and flavor, though not as crisp as on previous visits.

For some reason, I really like the rich, sour tartar like sauce, which balances out the savory-salty flavors from the chicken.

This was a nice lunch. Perhaps I’ll bring JJ along next time to eat outside when I get my tori nanban craving.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So, have you been craving anything recently?

Midweek Meanderings – Signs are up for Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa and Handel’s in Little Italy. And HNL is Losing Two More Favorites as Tamashiro Market and Fort Ruger Market are Closing

Honolulu, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Oahu, Poke, Sushi and Sashimi

I know….this post might be shorter than the title! But just a couple of quick things.

During my walk to where I park after my usual visit to the Little Italy Mercato, I noticed that the signs for Sugarfish by Sushi Nozawa and Handel’s Ice Cream are up.

I know…yet more chains! I’m sure fellow blogger Soo is going to be quite happy since he enjoys Handel’s.

And even though the original Sushi Nozawa closed up in 2012, namesake Kazunori Nozawa has created quite the empire with 18 locations currently spread around Los Angeles and New York. This will be the first location in San Diego.

Both businesses will be located at:

2100 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, California 92101

Tamashiro Market Closing on 04/30 and Fort Ruger Market Closes:

Sad to read that one of my long time favorites; Tamashiro Market in Kalihi is closing. It’s been all over the news. After 80 years, the second generation owners, the Tamashiro Brothers are closing up shop. Both brothers; aged 72 and 69 are retiring. I hope that they enjoy their retirement after giving us so much ono seafood and poke over the years.

That photo is from my visit back in 2010! In fact, Tamashiro was in my first post on Honolulu after not visiting in like a decade. Sad to think that two of the three places in that post have closed……Char Hung Sut closed in 2020.

This one caught me by surprise. I saw this on Instagram and was shocked to find out that Fort Ruger Market is closing! So, I went to double check and came across this on Facebook. What a bumma!

I think they’ve changed ownership since my last visit?

While maybe this one is deserved based on what is posted in Facebook and Reddit, it’s still sad to know that the place where I first rememba’ getting poke is going to gone.

According to the Instagram reel and “FOY” Mar’s sharp ears; this is going to be something called “CU” store?

Just kind makes me stop and wonder……..like I’ve been doing this for so long now……

Circling Back to The Original Location of Menya Ultra

Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

While I was doing ramen posts on my three favorite ramen shops in San Diego and then a revisit to Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai, folks started asking me “what about Menya”? Well, what about Menya? I recalled not enjoying my last bowl from Menya….which in fact drove Calvin and I to head to Nagi in spite of the lines at that time. Though, taking a look at that post…well, it was on the Mira Mesa location of Menya. So, I headed to the Big List to see when I last visited the Clairemont location. Now this was interesting, my last five posts on that location of Menya was for takeout! Menya was a part of our takeout rotation during the pandemic. The last time I actually ate in the restaurant was back in August of 2017 and the last time I had the Ajitama Ramen was in May of 2017….like almost 9 years ago! Sheesh!

So, I made up my mind to revisit. I arrived on a Wednesday for lunch at around 1110.

This turned out to be good timing, since it does seem that there’s still a line during opening hours as the place was over half full when I entered.

I just got the Ajitama Ramen ($17.95).

My bowl arrived in what seemed to be the blink of an eye!

This was interesting as the broth was not very hot, thus the soup had a fairly greasy mouthfeel. Nice savory tones, not overly salty. Would have been pretty good if it was nice and hot.

The Chashu was somewhat tough and chewy, but still nice and porky.

And you know my pet peeve…..well, since the broth was basically just past lukewarm….of course the ajitama was ice cold. Sigh…..

The noodles were decently firm and slippery.

Well, this could have been quite good….but there’s a reason Menya is no longer in my top 4. There seems to be a lack of quality control here. Like many other restaurants, Homestyle Hawaiian comes to mind. Expansion seems to dilute quality. Too bad, because Menya was such a hit when they first opened in 2017. I remember being like the one of the first ten people in line on their grand opening day. To me, Menya changed the ramen game in San Diego. And blew up even further after making the Michelin Guide and being named Eater’s Restaurant of the year in 2017. It’s just not on my regular ramen rotation anymore.

Menya Ultra
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 9pm

So “FOYs”…what’s on your ramen rotation these days?

Ju-ichi is now serving lunch again

Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

After having some fairly mediocre experiences with chirashi at the newish…..kinda “westernized” Kiiro and Oishi, being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I decided to head on over to one of my old favorites. After doing a bit of shopping at Zion and Tokyo Central, I headed down Engineer Road and a sign caught my eye.

It seems that Ju-ichi was doing lunch again! Back when they first opened, Ju-ichi did lunch service. In fact, one of fellow blogger and “FOY” Denver’s first posts was on lunches at Ju-ichi! Unfortunately, by the time I had decided to visit, they had stopped serving lunch.

The sign really did seem like a “sign”, so I decided to detour here. The parking lot was mostly empty, which is a rarity in the evenings, and I parked and walked in.

Walking into the place nostalgia overcame me. I was last in here when this was Sushi Yaro, which I had been a regular customer of. In fact, the very first time I dined out after Covid closures was at Sushi Yaro! I was greeted and seated and handed two menus; a regular menu and a lunch specials version.

I did want my (these days) lunch time usual…the “regular” Bara Chirashi was like $50….a bit too much to spend for a regular lunch in my opinion. The lunch menu had a mini Bara Chirashi for $18 and figuring it would be a rather “petite” bowl, I also got…yes, I’m a creature of habit…some karaage ($13).

Soon enough my order arrived.

After my last two terrible experiences with karaage; I was happy to see a more traditional version…yes, using dark meat chicken and the batter seemed to use katakuriko (potato starch) and had a decent, light crispness.

The meat was moist; light in the flavor department, it could have used more savory-soy flavor, along with some pungency (i.e. a hint of ginger). The (not) spicy aioli added additional richness and the nori in the mayo was a good savory addition. I need to be doing my “karaage rounds” again.

As for the bara chirashi, yes, this was indeed a “mini bowl”.

Being bara chirashi, I did expect the smaller cuts of fish. What I really enjoyed in this bowl was the ikura, it was savory and briney, but not overly salty. It had been preserved nicely and not over salted, which is also an indication of lower quality ikura. Nice burst of oceany-umami that went well with the tangy sumeshi. The rice was warm and soft; it had obviously just been cooked and prepped.

The salmon, hamachi, and shiromi were decent, with the meaty and tender maguro being my favorite.

Loved that there wasn’t any chewy connective tissue in the maguro, it was quite good.

And while I do miss Sushi Yaro, this was a nice lunch and I’ll probably return for some sushi and sashimi in the future as the fish seems to be of decent quality. And Denver; looks like you can get your lunches at Ju-ichi again! Hope to see a new post from you one of these days!

Ju-ichi
7905 Engineer Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs 1130am – 2pm, 430pm – 9pm
Friday 1130am – 2pm, 430pm – 10pm
Saturday 430pm – 10pm
Sunday 430pm – 9pm
Closed on Wednesday

Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai Revisited

Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

I guess after checking out Marufuku and revisits to Nagi and Santouka, I’d had enough tonkotsu (i.e. what every ramen shop has to serve in San Diego) ramen and needed a break. Of course, HiroNori and their shoyu ramen is a favorite of mine; but I‘d just been there a couple of months back. Then it came to me. I hadn’t been back to Kitakata Ramen in over a year! And even though they’ve given up and have started doing tonkotsu, it’s their signature Fukushima style shoyu ramen that I was after. As a plus, I recall being able to order my noodles “katame” (extra firm) the last time I visited.

I arrived at around 1115 and was shocked to see the place empty!

And strangely, I was the only customer dining in…there were several takeout orders during my entire meal! The young lady working was so sweet and friendly.

I was really after only one thing.

The Kitakata Ramen is now $14.45 and I added an ajitama which has an upcharge of $1.70.

Because it was really slow; my bowl arrived in the blink of an eye!

In previous visits, I’ve noted that the broth was quite salty on occasion. However, that wasn’t the case this time around. Nice shoyu-savory tones. The broth was also a bit richer than I recalled.

The ajitama was……drum roll…..warm! Hallelujah!

No cold boiled egg! It was also nicely seasoned.

The Chashu was thinly sliced, with a nice toothsomeness.

It was however, a bit more salty than I recalled. Still, not bad.

My favorite part of the dish? Well, it was the extra firm, curly noodles. Which did a great job of “picking up” the broth.

Overall, while not in the league of HiroNori’s Shoyu Ramen, this was an enjoyable bowl. I should probably visit more often….especially since this bowl of ramen was cheaper than the last couple bowls of pho I’ve had. I am a bit concerned about the place being totally empty…..I hope they manage to stay in business here. Even though many folks would disagree; I think we need more than just tonkotsu ramen in San Diego.

Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai
7951 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon-Thurs 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm
Friday 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Saturday 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm