Category: Japanese Restaurants

Weekend Onigiri Lunch at Komatsuya

Japanese Restaurants

A few weeks past, the wonderful photographer James Tran pinged me via IG, mentioning that Komatsuya was doing onigiri for lunch on weekends. Now, I’ve known about Komatsuya for a while, but the Missus just wasn’t too interested in heading up to Mission Hills and trying to find parking for dinner, so the place had been on the back burner. But doing Onigiri for lunch….especially based on the location sounded interesting so I decided to get to the area and find some parking….which I did. And then I walked on over……

And the sign was out….

And I was greeted by the very friendly and professional Hiroka, who was so nice. I was handed the onigiri menu; which gave me a moment of pause.

Well, ok……$6.50 for a kombu onigiri….this for sure wasn’t your local konbini onigiri, right?

I decided to order the Kombu Onigiri and for some reason, I was intrigued by the Saikyo Yaki & Garlic Chive ($8) version as well. I as told that for $7 more I could make it a “set” with karaage and tamagoyaki, so I decided to go for it.

My table, which was out front brought a smile to my face.

The last time I was at this location; it was Fools and Kings and we were seated at the exact same table.

Soon enough my onigiri and tamagoyaki arrived.

Hiroka said here’s your onigiri….and I said “oh, Sumotori onigiri huh?” Which made her crack up. Yes, these were literally bursting at the seams it seems….. I did find it kind of rustic looking with rice and sesame seeds falling along the nori and the uneven shape. Perhaps because Komatsuya is a omakase – sushi restaurant I expected the onigiri to be a bit more refined looking? Well, at least you knew this was made on the spot by hand, right?

I bit into the Kombu Onigiri and quickly noticed how much kombu was in the rice ball!

Enough to make two to three kombu maki! So, I guess if we’re looking at things that way; the $6 ain’t too bad, right? You could make out every grain of rice, which was perfectly tender. The onigiri was warm, the nori was crisp and not soggy.

As for the Tamagoyaki.

It was nicely layered. Nice egginess and savory touches…..a big plus was that it wasn’t too sweet. I did find the egg to be a bit on the drier-harder side. I prefer my tamagoyaki a bit more fluffy-tender.

The Karaage arrived next. In all honesty, I was a bit disappointed in having only two pieces.

I really liked the crisp texture of the smaller piece in the back….it had that perfect light crunch I enjoy. The bigger piece had already started getting soggy.

As you can see, the chicken was really moist, pleasingly tender. Nice savory tones, low in terms of pungent flavors (i.e. garlic/ginger). A very nice version.

And last, I finished with the Saikyo Yaki & Garlic Chive Onigiri.

Again with the perfectly cooked and prepared rice. This was less stuffed than the kombu version, the fish nice and moist.

The flavor wasn’t quite as sweet as I expected from a saiko yaki preparation, but the fish was quite savory without being overly salty. I really enjoyed the pungency of the garlic chives.

So there you go….one of these days…in the future, I can tell someone about the time I paid over twenty bucks for two onigiri! In Mission Hills of course! Just kidding…..

Overall…well, I was stuffed after the two large onigiri. And in thinking about prices, perhaps I’m just trying to justify the price of the onigiri by framing things into how much would a makizushi with these ingredients cost. Though I’m not sure about the tamagoyaki and two pieces of karaage being priced at $7.

One interesting note……I recalled that even when we visited during the time Fools and Kings was in this spot, we dined on the patio. So, I had never seen the inside of the place. I went to the restroom so I could finally see what the tiny dining room looked like.

Nice service and I did leave stuffed!

Komatsuya
4015 Goldfinch St.
San Diego, CA 92103
Onigiri served on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 2pm

Thanks again for the heads-up on this place James!

Circling Back to Tsuruhashi

Japanese Restaurants

Recently while heading to Nijiya with the Missus, She mentioned Tsuruhashi. Which had me wondering when was the last time we visited. Getting back home I took a look and oh my gosh! It’s been over ten years! Kind of crazy since there was a time when the place was on our “rotation”. I’m not sure what happened here….prices had gone up….then Covid….then it kind of slipped our mind? Anyway, since JJ is good at home for a couple hours by himself these days, we decided to head on over for dinner.

We arrived and were seated quickly. Of course things have changed over the last decade…you now order on the iPad…..another change…remember when I was complaining about dinner costing us fifty bucks? We now it’s……

And while we really don’t go too crazy over the meats…we ordered what we remember enjoying over the years.

For some reason, the beeru seems a bit smaller now?

The premium beef tongue still comes with that all important cube of beef fat to get the grill nice and “lathered”.

We’ve always enjoyed the mushrooms here……

The key is to put them on the griddle once things are cooking. We put them at the bottom where all the drippings flow……to get them nice and fatty-moist.

The Kobe Outside Skirt is a must as it is so beefy, while a bit toothsome, the wonderful flavor is so worth it.

These days, it’s not drenched in sauce which suits us just fine as we’re after the beefiness in texture and flavor. Of course you must have this medium rare at the most.

We needed some rice and the Missus wanted to try the Bi Bim Bap….which was interesting.

This was interesting as while the items were typical, the veggies skewed toward ohitashi and Japanese pickled items….I guess as it should. The Missus enjoyed the egg and rice was nicely cooked. The Missus ate most of this.

And then there was the dish I was most looking forward to….the yukke, raw beef.

While being a bit more chewy than I recalled; this was still very refreshing; clean tasting, the quail egg yolk adding richness.

This was an enjoyable meal….I’m not sure why we hadn’t returned sooner! I kind of laugh when thinking about grumbling at the fifty dollar price tag back then! Now it’s double that! How times have changed. And then there was a really special moment. As I was walking to the restroom I ran into two of my favorite people…..”XJ” and her hubby. I was so honored to have officiated their wedding what seems a lifetime ago! It felt so special….and the hubby’s parents still call me “Uncle Kirk”! Life just hands you these magical moments at times……

I’m sure we’ll won’t wait ten years to return!

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sunday 4pm – 10pm
Mon – Thurs 5pm – 10pm
Friday 5pm – 1030pm
Saturday 4pm – 1030pm

Nankotsu from Tenkatori – The Power of Suggestion

Japanese Restaurants

You know….I’m so easily swayed by the wonderful folks who comment on our blog. Back in August, “FOY” Junichi mentioned getting Tenkatori….which is always a good choice for me. But, he also mentioned that they still didn’t have nankotsu, chicken cartiladge, something that I really enjoy. I know “FOY” ChrisR has always been mentioning that to me in emails over the years.

So, I decided to take a chance and headed by last week for lunch. And regardless if they had nankotsu or not….I was craving some tori nanban anyway.

Well, I did order my Tori Nanban Bento which is now $14.30 and asked if they had Nankotsu….and was surprised when the nice young lady said “yes”! So guess what….I placed an order for a small portion ($8.30). There was one caveat though….I was told that it was chicken knee cartilage – Hiza Nankotsu, not the typical Yagen Nankotsu, the stuff that I’m used to. Still, I was kind of excited about trying it.

I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but the portion size seems to have increased since my last visit?

And way more tartar sauce too! I did kind of the enjoy the sauce, which had a nice sour-tanginess and wasn’t overly mayonnaise heavy…at least to me. Huge pieces of chicken…perhaps a bit too large as it cut down on the batter to chicken ratio; but it was nicely seasoned, the flesh moist.

The large portion of rice was decently cooked and the potato salad was nice and creamy as always.

As for the Nankotsu……well, this was a bit different from what I’m used to as it was more meaty. I did enjoy the crunchy batter and the use of togarashi which gave it a bit of spice.

While I still prefer the larger crunch of Yagen Nankotsu, I still enjoyed this….especially the seasoning and when you did get a nice crunch!

So, Junichi….I’m not sure if you have a preference with regards to your chicken cartilage…..but it seems that they have it back in stock…sort of!

And yes, the inspiration and power of suggestion that exudes from all your comments comes thru so strongely!

Tenkatori Miramar
6780 Miramar Rd Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92121

Hiyashi Chuka and Karaage from The Bowl Ramen & Izakaya (OB)

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

After my last post on having the Hiyashi Chuka from Santouka, “FOY” Matt sent me an email. Apparently, his friends live in OB and really enjoy the ramen and “stuffs” from a place named “The Bowl”. He was curious to see if I’d been there…or even the places parent restaurant named “the Joint”? Talk about the perfect name for a place in OB, right? I’ve never been to either place; the Joint claims to serve “sushi and tapas”? They must be quite popular since they’ve been around since 2011……. And since it was a bajillion degrees out and the Bowl seemed to serve Hiyashi Chuka…I thought why not? So, I headed over for a Sunday lunch. Now, this being OB and with the Bowl located right on Newport….add in that the place doesn’t open until noon, well, I thought parking might be an issue. But surprisingly, I found two hour parking right across the street form the place.

And the crosswalk led right up to the place.

Walking in, the nice young lady greeted me and told me to grab a seat wherever I wanted.

In keeping with the location, the place gave off a pseudo Japanese – beachy vibe. In fact, it would probably fit in well “back home“. The place seemed more of a bar than restaurant….but heck, it claimed to be an izakaya, right?

And yes, there’s ramen on the menu…but also Smashburgers, Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwiches, Kale Caesar Salads…..along with a load of “rolls”. Yikes! I started having some doubts here.

Anyway, I did order the Hiyashi Chuka ($14.95) along with a “small” Karaage ($7.95), from the very friendly young lady.

First up, the Chicken Karaage, which I got with the spicy aioli….sort of like the Spicy Kewpie mayo or a Sriracha mayo.

Not as crisp as I prefer, but dark meat chicken was appropriately used. Decent toothsomeness, good soy flavor. This would have been ok, except for one thing. Take a good look at this piece. See all of those little “grains” on the karaage?

Yep, that’s salt….oh man…and combined with the rather salty spicy aioli? Sheesh. Now, if I was having a couple of “biru”….this might have been ok….but in this framework it was a major sodium bomb.

And then the Hiyashi Chuka.

I actually enjoyed the texture of avocado in this…along with the sneaky jalapenos, both of which are not traditional ingredients. I’m guessing the chilies kind of replaced the benishoga? A good portion of “krab”. I did miss the tamago in this version. The tare was salty and sour. Perhaps some yellow mustard would have balanced things a bit? The cilantro was also a good addition.

As for the noodles? Well, as much as I enjoy my noodles katame – firm, these were more katai – hard. Really kind of difficult to eat. It’s like they just took it out of the bag and dumped it in the bowl.

Well, this was an interesting experience. Definitely westernized, a bit heavy handed in the sodium department, perhaps the regular ramen might be better? It looks like a nice place to grab some cocktails or a beer….perhaps a Smashburger? The woman working was very friendly….I’m thinking it’s a nice neighborhood place…just not for my “neighborhood”.

The Bowl Ramen & Izakaya
4953 Newport Ave.
San Diego, CA 92107
Current Hours:
Monday 420pm – 830pm
Tuesday 12pm – 830pm
Wed – Sat 12pm – 930pm
Sunday 12pm – 830pm

Thanks for letting me know about this place Matt! After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained…...

Having the Toroniku Hiyashi from Santouka

Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Man, it’s been so hot this year….at least to me. It seems like there’s even less of a marine layer as well. I have to say, I’ve never really craved Hiyashi Chuka much….but for some reason this year…..I just needed something with a bit of an aaahh effect. So, I decided to head on over to Santouka which usually has a version every year…and of course they did.

They’re calling it Toroniku Hiyashi now…even though it’s been on this dish for years…even back in August of 2019 when I last had this here. Back then it was $12.50; these days, the cheapest version with Shoyu Tare is $16.50 for the “medium” size. Still, here I was and there was no going back into the summer heat without some Hiyashi Chuka. I got the shoyu version, medium size. I paid and was given the handy-dandy buzzer thing. And when it went off, I went to pick things up.

First thing I noticed was how much more toppings and garnishes there were from what I’d had before. It now featured corn, “krab”, a lot more eggs and kikurage (wood ear). And those slices of toroniku seemed quite large as well….or perhaps there were less noodles than what I’d had here before?

And since I’m doing this a lot these days – here’s what it looked like in August of 2019.

There was basically little or no strategy this time as I piled all the “stuffs” on.

Then did an initial mix….then added the pungent mustard…a must since the broth while slightly savory is on the milder side. Though this time, it had some nice sour tones, which I found refreshing; though I think a hint of sesame oil would be a big plus. The toppings were quite nice; though I leave the ginger out and use to cleanse my palate between bites. That cucumber, scallions, daikon sprouts were nice and refreshing; the corn added a nice sweet-crunch…the wood ear really added some crunch as well. Though there wasn’t enough tomato to make much of a difference and that fake crab really didn’t bring much to the dish other than an illusion of fancy?

The two slices of toroniku were fairly tender. And were quite large.

The noodles were perfectly cooked, nice and chewy the way I like it. I think it could be that that I preferred the ratio of broth to noodles this time around as well?

I don’t know if I’m getting soft in my old age; but I actually enjoyed it much more than I did when I last had this six years ago. It wasn’t perfect, but it did “hit the spot”.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd.(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

So, please share what you’ve been dining on to beat this heat!

Boto Sushi (Del Mar)

Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Waaaay back in November of last year, in the comments of my post on Ken Sushi Workshop, “FOYs” Dereck and Jack recommended Boto Sushi for good, reasonably priced sushi in the area. Now, the name gave me pause….I know that “boto” means “boat” in Japanese…but it has more of an interesting meaning back home in Hawaii. And that Jack, an ex-pat Kama’aina ate there cracked me up. So, of course after having some “kiki“, I needed to get some boto ummmm, check out Boto, hmmm….. you know what I mean, right?

The restaurant is located in a rather unassuming spot in Beachside Del Mar Shopping Center which is right off the I-5 on Del Mar Heights Road. This mall also cracks me up because it’s named Beachside, but is like over a mile from the beach!

The place opens at noon for lunch, which is right when I arrived. I took a seat at the long and rather expansive bar.

I was handed a sushi-sashimi check-off menu and also a food menu. Interesting thing I didn’t notice until right before I left; there’s a “Signature Dishes” and items “from Japan” written on the wall.

I would have ordered more items from that list, like shirako….still I did get a few items.

First up was some O-toro and Hotate (scallops).

The nigiri were pretty large; the rice decent.

The O-toro was sliced thick, which I kind of liked. Not quite as fatty as other versions I’ve had, but still quite good. Tender, buttery texture.

The Hotate was also quite large, I enjoyed the savory tare.

There was a kind of a fishy finish to it though.

The Hamachi looked really dry; but it was very tender.

The not overly invasive shari went well with this as I could make out almost a mild, creamy sweetness.

The Karaage was interesting.

It looked quite typical, flavor a bit on the saltier side, but perfectly fine.

Unfortunately, I believe the batter was mostly katakuriko…potato starch and was not crisp at all. I enjoy my karaage more crisp. Also, for some reason, the chicken thighs were super tough.

And the gummy coating just made things seem worse.

The last item was definitely the highlight of my meal. I ordered the Ankimo and was told they make it inhouse and it is a real specialty. Man, this was so good!

First off the texture was so creamy…..the flavor super savory, slight hint of the ocean, a touch of sweetness. Probably the best ankimo I’ve had in ages! I’d return just for this! So this really fills that category of “foie gras of the ocean”.

And so, in spite of the name, I might return to “get some Boto (I do mean to try the Shirako there)”! Ahem….I’m sure my “FOYs” Mar and Jack will get a kick out of that.

Boto Sushi Del Mar
2628 Del Mar Heights Rd.
Del Mar, CA 92014
Current Hours
Mon – Sat 12pm – 230pm, 4pm – 830pm
Closed on Sunday

Saturday Stuffs – The Signs for Marugame Udon, Pepper Lunch, and Chagee Tea are up. And the Missus’s Favorite Tea from the LV Farmers Market

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Desserts, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Japanese Restaurants

Funny thing, on the days I shop at Zion Market, I’m usually quite focused….I just want to get in and then out of that crazy parking lot, dodge those aggressive shoppers, and perhaps even dodge flying fruits and vegetables. Frankly, I don’t shop at Zion too often these days.

And you know; I hadn’t even noticed that signs had gone up for businesses coming to the area. But on a recent weekend; I arrived before the opening time and without all the construction equipment and vehicles in the area I noticed the signs for several new businesses.

It was actually the sign for Marugame I noticed first.

Man, can you imagine folks lining up here like they do at UTC? Also, I cracked up seeing the “Coming Soon Spring 2026” sign! I guess I missed the Grand Opening? Maybe they should change that?

I believe the address is:

8316 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

And right in the back courtyard are these two signs.

Chagee Teahouse and Pepper Lunch, two more chains.

8322 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

It’s going to be interesting, since the parking situation here is already pretty bad. Plus, while the old Zion Market location seemed to have a few local mom-and-pop eateries in the food court along with chains like Cocohodo. It seems that based on the size and location of the businesses it’s all major chains. I’m hoping that the proposed Rooftop Foodhall for Zion will come to fruition.

The Missus’s favorite tea from Chafolio at the Linda Vista Farmers Market. So, before things got too hot around here, I decided to take JJ to the Linda Vista Farmers Market, which I hadn’t been to in a while. This young lady at the Chafolio stand was so sweet and nice.

That I went and bought a bag of Jasmine Green Tea…even though it was $30!

When the Missus got home, I showed Her the tea and She freaked out that it was so expensive.

But you know what? She made herself a cup and really enjoyed it!

So recently, after that bag of Jasmine ran out….guess where we went to?

The Missus enjoys the teas; even though it does cost thirty bucks a bag. Based on what I read on Chafolio website is that most of the tea comes from Fujian Province.

Chafolio is at a bunch of Farmer’s Markets in San Diego. More info here.

6939 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Thursdays 2pm – 7pm

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Little Kiki Katsu & More (Carlsbad)

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

I heard about a Katsu place opening up in Carlsbad named Little Kiki. Now, of course the name of the place had my good friend “CC” cracking up….because, you know what that means in Filipino (Tagalog) slang, right? Then I noticed a bit of buzz being created on IG….so, well…..I decided to check out the “Little Kiki”…….

The shop is located right on Madison Street off of Carlsbad Village Drive. There’s an actual parking lot right next door. So, I parked and walked on over. It was right at the 1130 opening time on a Saturday and there were already some customers being seated. I was met by a very nice woman and I told her since I was by myself, I’d gladly sit at the bar.

It’s one of those high counter bars, so you really can’t see what’s happening on the other side. I also noticed that there’s a door to Blue Ocean Robata & Sushi Bar next door which was open, so I figured it was the same owner. I came to find out a bit later that the couple that owns Little Kiki also owns Harumama and Love Boat Sushi, which based on my meal makes sense. More on that later.

The woman quickly brought me water and a menu. I noticed the two pour containers which held sauces I assumed were for the katsu.

Well, it seemed like prices were in line with my favorite Tonkatsu shop in town, and other than the lunch set, everything would be a la carte….i.e. you’d pay $3.50 for rice! That lunch set seemed a bit pricey at $33, I think even more than EE Nami these days, but it also had sashimi. But at least the tonkatsu is Berkshire Pork Loin, that is supposedly dry aged. Which is what I ordered.

Soon, the woman return with a Gomasuri-Ky (sesame seed grinder) with some sesame seeds she had ground up while walking back to my seat. Interesting touch……she was very nice and surprised when I actually knew the name of it! I think she was surprised that I was Japanese?

After a short wait my lunch set arrived.

A nice looking set!

I started with the miso soup, which was very good. This had some nice assertive flavors and was definitely not watered down. While a bit on the saltier side, I really enjoyed it.

Just looking at the color, I’m thinking Awase Miso, which is a mixture of Shiro and Aka miso was used? Anyway, it was probably the item I enjoyed the most.

The “Chef’s choice” of sashimi were three thick but small slices of typical salmon. Definitely not among my favorite item with regards to sashimi. I would prefer that the “chef” make some better choices?

There was a large portion of decently shredded cabbage and very hipster looking pickled veggies.

The rice wasn’t fragrant and was on the dry and hard side. It was a decent sized portion.

Ok…ok, I know, you’re here wanting me to “get to the point”, right? What about the tonkatsu.

First off, I didn’t care for the panko used as it was on the softer side…which I think is ok for chicken, but I prefer my panko used for tonkatsu to be flaky and crisp. I guess I enjoy that “crunch”?

I know I’m kinda doing this a bit too much these days…..but please view the evidence submitted below which is how I like my tonkatsu breaded.

I went and sampled the two sauces at the table.

The “spicy” version on the left just didn’t have enough of savoriness and at least for me, seemed to taste a bit like Sambal? So, I stuck with the basic tonkatsu sauce provided.

I drizzled the sauce and sprinkled the ground sesame seeds…which, by the way added a hint of nuttiness to the dish. The loin itself was interesting. The edge pieces were nice and fairly moist, though the meat got drier and chewier as you got closer to the middle. The middle slices were a bit too cold for my taste, but it could be because of the amount of time the pork was rested.

Several of the slices had the panko separating from the meat, though it wasn’t overly prevalent.

There was some decent porkiness to this. It was a pretty good tonkatsu, but definitely not in the same league as EE Nami. It would probably be really good in a properly made Katsu Sando.

I did enjoy those pickled veggies; especially the cauliflower, which was pleasantly salty, yet, still crunchy.

I thought the service was very good, though I think I even prefer the Tonkatsu at Sakura more….though perhaps Musashiya sits a bit below this? I believe that this skews to more of a fusion (it makes sense that the owners own Harumama and Love Boat Sushi), than traditional Japanese, with some performative touches. While the price point is a bit high, I would occasionally drop by if the place was in my neighborhood, but if it were on Convoy, I’d stick with EE Nami. As this was a 60 mile round trip drive.

As I was leaving I took around the dining room which was packed and quickly noticed something. I was the only Asian dining in the restaurant at that moment……

Little Kiki Katsu & More
2958 Madison St. #101
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Monday 5pm – 930pm
Wed, Thurs, Sun 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 930pm
Fri – Sat 1130am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Closed on Tuesday

And “CC”…now that I’ve had “Little Kiki”, is it time to get some Boto…ahem, as in sushi?

Mazemen, the July Special from Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai

Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Recently, I needed some work on my car done in the Convoy area. Since it was kind of a long wait, I decided to find a place to grab lunch, I really wasn’t feeling like getting Greek or mediocre Taiwanese…..and of course ramen was not really on the list of items I’d be wanting to have on this warm day. Until…….well, I saw a poster for a limited time offering at Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai. So, I decided to check it out.

The place was not busy at all….I mean ramen in this weather?

The item that interested me was this special for the month of July…..

Yes, RedDevil I know you asked about Mazemen in my last post on Baikohken Ramen. To be honest, I hadn’t had a decent Mazemen in SD….though what really made me hesitate was that I haven’t even had a decent version Hiyashi Chuka either! They had two versions available. One with Mentaiko Cream…which really isn’t my thing and a basic version. You can even add more tamago, chashu, and nori for $2.50. Which I really didn’t need to do.

I just got the original ($16). One of the good things about Ban Nai is that you can request your noodles “katame”; extra firm which is what I did.

I got a kick out of having oi-meshi, basically rice served with this dish. It’s literally called “follow-up rice” and you mix it with whatever tare and leftovers you have after you finish your noodles. That onsen tamago was super runny, as I gleefully mixed everything together making a mess.

There was a ton of scallion, both the green and white parts, as is typical with versions I’ve had. The shoyu tare was on the milder side, but quite thick. Which were nice and chewy. The noodles, the curly, “Kitakata” style is good at picking up the thick tare. It was my favorite part of the dish. There was quite a bit of noodles as well.

I didn’t care much for the addition off gyofun in this as it added a bit too much fishiness to the dish…but perhaps that mild tare needed it. The chashu was, like on my previous visit, on the chewier side, but it did well in small cubes, mixed in with everything.

And then of course……

The oi-meshi, which was on the firmer side…..was actually perfect for mixing with and soaking up all the leftover drippings, nori, scallions, and whatever else was sticking to the bottom and side of the bowl.

In the end, perhaps not the best mazemen I’ve had….but I did have a lot of fun eating this. Though my mom would have slapped me upside the head for “playing with my food”.

So, RedDevil, perhaps you can enjoy “playing” with this version of Mazemen. Though it’s only available for the month of July.

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

Arbor Sushi & Grill Express in the 99 Ranch Food Court (Balboa)

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

So….there I was finishing up my Saturday shopping at 99 Ranch Market on Balboa and feeling a bit peckish. I walked past the food court and noticed that Arbor Sushi & Grill, which had replaced Potato Powder Love Noodle had opened….it was a shade past 10am and the shop was open for business. Hmmmm……now, I did hesitate for a minute. This was random and unplanned….I had no clue what the menu looked like. But hot off my recent, fun visit to George’s Cafe, I thought why the heck not?

Now, let’s be clear on something right away……this isn’t Japan, Taiwan, or even say….. HNL. I wouldn’t be having sushi in a market food court. There were some…what looked like aburi style sushi under the heat lamps on the counter and a menu of Westernized Rolls. Not my kind of thing. I heard the woman at the front counter speaking Mandarin to someone in the kitchen. There was however this sign that actually caught my attention.

Well ok. A teriyaki chicken bento, which comes with shrimp tempura priced at $11.99 as a grand opening special. Heck, that’s cheaper than Yoshinoya these days, right? Got nothing to lose, so I decided to go ahead and try it out.

The woman manning the counter was really nice and very mellow. I placed my order and was given one of those buzzer thingies and had a seat. When my order was ready, she actually came and dropped off my bowl at the table herself!

The bowl was quite hefty.

You can have white rice, fried rice, or chow mein with your bento bowl. I chose white rice, which was Jasmine and decently cooked.

It had what looked like two slices of Caterpillar Roll. It was as expected, “krab” and mayo, wrapped with perfectly fresh avocado.

The rice, which was not jasmine, was on the harder side and the shari was vinegar forward. Not my thing, but perfectly fine.

Not a fan of the “shrimp tempura”. Batter not crisp and lacquered.

Overcooked and rubbery shrimp.

The Tentsuyu was almost flavorless.

The Gyoza….was well….

The wrapper was so thick and chewy, the filling salty and very one dimensional.

I would not be surprised if this came from the frozen isle.

And finally, the teriyaki. Well, it was dark meat which is a plus…….chopped chicken thighs, pre-cooked, reheated, then “glazed” with a pretty weak sauce. Not terrible, but on the blander side. I actually enjoyed the mushrooms that accompanied the dish as the earthiness really provided a nice savoriness to the dish.

Overall, fine for pseudo Japanese fast-food….though I wouldn’t be getting sushi from here. The portion size was generous. And at $11.99….well, at least right now, it’s worth the price. Not sure I’d be paying more than that though. Just don’t be expecting “Japanese” cuisine.

Arbor Sushi & Grill Express
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1030am – 8pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 8pm