Japanese Restaurants – Page 16

Covid-19 Takeout – EE Nami (Revisited) and The Original Sab E Lee

May 28, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

EE Nami (Revisited):

Well, in my previous post on EE Nami, I did mention my desire to revisit to try out the Pork Filet Tonkatsu. And of course, I try to be a man of my word….honestly, the Pork Loin Tonkatsu was easily the best I'd had in San Diego, so I'd make up any excuse to return to try the filet version.

Which, like my previous take-out tonkatsu from EE Nami, this was still crisp when I got home to consume it.

The pork filet is a lot thicker, meatier, and tender….though I think of it as being a bit "mushy-moist" than the pork loin version, which is more toothsome and has a nice chewy "fat cap".

So, you can pick your poison based on your preferences…..both were quite good, though I prefer the pork loin.

Current, Covid-19 Takeout Hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
858-246-6903

The Original Sab E Lee:

**** TOSEL is now Zab Linda

Usually, when the weather starts warming up, the Missus starts craving take-out from Thai Papaya. Unfortunately, Thai Papaya is currently closed….with signs saying that The Original Sab E Lee is currently open seven days a week.

So, I decided to head on over to place a take-out order. Sadly, no Som Tom Khai Kem…….no salted egg at TOSEL. On the very nice side of things; the young man working often works at Thai Papaya and was so happy to see me that he made me a Thai Iced Tea without asking and I was obligated to take it. Really nice gesture.

I got the Issan Sausage, which was as expected, the duck larb was very nice once chilled, we got the regular papaya salad…heat level 5, which was spicier than we recalled…..must be getting soft in our old age. While we missed the layer of savory flavor the salted egg usually brings to the papaya salad, it was decent….not perfect, but ok.

The Missus loved the little dry shrimp in the papaya salad….and I pretty much enjoyed the cabbage and the sauce.

Nice lunch, but we can't wait until Thai Papaya opens back up.

Current Covid-19 Hours are 11am – 330pm and 5pm – 930 pm Monday to Friday and 11am – 930pm Saturday and Sunday.

The Original Sab E Lee
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 650-6868

A “BC” (Before Covid) Revisit to Yakitori Taisho

May 21, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

At the dinner table a few nights back the Missus and I like I think many other folks are these days, were discussing about where we'd want to have our first dinner out "AC" (After Covid)……whenever that would be……I'm not sure how or when we'd feel comfortable enough to actually dine in; nor are we sure what changes would be in store for dining in. Yakitori Taisho was definitely on the top of that list. Granted, we haven't been back much after Taka-san left, but we were and are, craving yakitori.

By coincidence, on March 12th the Missus had plans to have dinner with Her friends so I decided to pay Taisho a visit.

It had been quite a while since I had walked thru the door at Taisho and hadn't visited since they expanded. The place now holds twice the amount of people, though it seems to have lost that cozy, intimate atmosphere…..which, in light of our current situation, may play in their favor when they do try to reopen.

I was greeted with a big smile from Kuma-san; who still remembers us from our visit to the original location of Yakyuudori in Nagoya, where he was manning the konro on that evening. He cracked us up, when he'd declare he was "better than Taka" while handing us our skewers! He does have some major Yakitori chops.

And of course; things started with some draft Sapporo.

And I was happy that nankotsu (chicken cartlidge) was on the menu. I really enjoy the distinct, crunchy-chewy texture of nankotsu.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Yakitori. I did notice that while Taka-san often had a lighter touch in terms of tare, salt, and carmelization; Kuma is more flavor forward…..knowing the personality of both of them, it just makes sense. It's all good!

Man, I really miss our meals at Taisho, what took me so long since I'd last visited? When the Missus got home from Her dinner, we chatted about Taisho and made plans on having dinner at Taisho in the near future. Then of course, March 16th came along. So, we're hoping to be able to safely and comfortably visit Taisho when we get on the other side of this pandemic. We're hoping……

Yakitori Taisho
(Currently Temporarily Closed Due to You Know What)
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

I'm sure many of you are thinking about places you're missing, and hoping to have meals at once restaurants open for dining in and you feel comfortable with eating in a restaurant.

Where would that be?

Covid-19 Takeout – EE Nami

May 18, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Back in the beginning of April, I noticed that Ramen Yamachan (which was around for just a blink of the eye after replacing Ramen Yamadaya) was gone and replaced with something called "EE Nami", I was just driving past, so really couldn't make much else out and didn't even think the place had opened yet. In the comments of my Easter post; FOY Jason mentioned if I had tried the new Izakaya on Clairemont Mesa…..which was EE Nami. I waited for a couple of weeks before checking out their website and calling tp pick up lunch on my way home during the weekend.

The young lady on the phone was very pleasant and told me they were serving an abbreviated take-out menu. I placed my order and headed over.

So, looking at the sign….."Tonkatsu Izakaya"….nice, it's been a while since I've had decent Tonkatsu in San Diego. It's definitely a niche to fill in my opinion.

I was in and out in a matter of minutes as my food was ready when I arrived.

I ordered the Loin Katsu, which looked very good when I opened it upon arriving home.

A couple of things I noticed as I went and tasted everything. The katsu sauce here is a bit more on the sweeter side; not cloying or anything, just a bit different from the typical Japanese Tonkatsu sauce, though definitely not a ketchupy as the katsu sauce in Hawaii. It was nice and thick and quite good. The miso soup is nothing to write home about and I really didn't expect much anyway.

But of course you wanna know about the tonkatsu, right? I really enjoyed how this was breaded; the panko wasn't coming off the meat a sign of good temperature (both in prep and cooking), it was super crisp even after the 15-20 minute drive home. The pork loin had a very pleasant texture…..a slight toothsomeness and was pork was decently moist. This was the best I've had in a while.

The following weekend I ordered the Menchi Katsu, basically breaded and fried meatball…..man, when was the last time I had this?

I didn't find this to be quite as good as the tonkatsu. While again nicely breaded, I thought the ground pork was rather bland and while moist, it was a bit too mushy in texture for me. I prefer my menchi katsu to have some heft and meatiness to it. The cheese would have been a good textural contrast if the meat wasn't so mushy.

I had planned on doing another visit, but for some reason things kinda fell by the wayside. Until "Elle" asked me about EE Nami in the comments of my latest post on R&B….it was a great reminder. So between meetings I called and placed an order. The guy who answered the phone was really friendly and told me they were out of Pork Filet and the Sandos (sandwiches). I had been wanting to try the karaage before finally doing my post, so that's what I went with.

I'm thinking that word is getting out on EE Nami as there were two customers waiting outside and two inside when I arrived.

There were take-out packages lining the counter and the young man running the front was really hustling.

While doing a great job of disinfecting the counters, anywhere customers touched, and especially the handles on the doors. And he was super efficient as well. Kudos to him.

I did have short wait for my order; as the folks who were there before got their orders; two phone orders and two walk in orders were placed.

I picked up the Loin Tonkatsu for one of my coworkers (which he loved) and got my Chicken Karaage.

This style of karaage were chicken thighs (as it should be), basically half thighs, instead of cut into smaller pieces. It wasn't heavily battered and not particularly crisp….I prefer my karaage to have some crunch to them (with more potato starch and baking soda, as in what I make at home – though I have about a dozen different recipes). The chicken was very moist, but I think it was marinated too long and was on the salty side.

I definitely think the tonkatsu here is a keeper and I'll definitely return for more….maybe this week even! I got to peek at the entire menu, which looked promising and can't wait until we're past our current state of things to try some what I saw.

Really liked the folks working here as well. It seems like they're doing fairly well, I'm hoping for the best.

Current, Covid-19 Takeout Hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 11am – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
858-246-6903

Covid-19 Takeout – Sushi Tadokoro

May 3, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I know we're all making sacrifices during this time. And I know it can get to you. We all need to find that little pocket of comfort that can add some normalcy to our day. Work has been grinding the Missus down, the long hours, and when you do get a day off, well, you need to stay at home…so perhaps it's just better to keep working. So, it was quite a happy moment when FOYs "Yummy Yummy" and "Yummy Kiwi" (I know…what's up with the name….well, they are sisters…..I guess I'll call them the "Yummy Sisters"?) told me that Sushi Tadokoro was opening for take-out starting on May first. So, on Friday, the first, I called in an order for Saturday. The post I saw said they had lunch hours, but the young lady told me they were currently only doing dinner, Thursday to Monday 4pm – 830pm.

I placed my order for a 430pm pick-up.

There's a makeshift pick-up area set-up and I walked on over said hello, paid, and got my order to go.

I got the Omakase Set and the Omakase Sashimi…it ain't cheap, but this Tadokoro…..and as a whole, I don't go for cheap sushi/sashimi. And boy, this was a lot of food……which looked almost too good to eat….

We busted out the tokkuri we had in the cabinet and our chilled bottle of Yaegaki Mu and had ourselves an awesome dinner. It was quite a bit of food.

The Missus and I smiled, enjoying our meal….while the Missus does enjoy my cooking, well, this gave us both a nice break, a bit of an escape.

Man, that buttery toro sashimi……..the scallops……that little mini ikura-Hokkaido uni gohan…….whoa……real wasabi

As we finished dinner; the Missus told me, "we need to do this again".

I replied, "sure, anytime".

She said "like tomorrow….."

And soon I was on the phone ordering tonight's dinner. The young lady laughed when I gave my name and number; "did you finish dinner already?"

Which found me returning this late afternoon at 430 again.

This time we ordered a more manageable amount of food.

The Chirashi Box and the Nigiri Plate….and two pieces of Toro…….oh man…..

Two wonderful and special meals, over two nights, made our weekend where the Missus got called in twice; once at 330 in the morning. It gave us a nice moment of shared enjoyment as we're not able to go out. While it's not quite the sushi bar experience….half the fun is going to a place where the Itamae knows and interacts with you….where, because he understands your tastes and preferences, designs a meal that fits your taste. Still, this is as close as we can get right now and we'll gladly take it.

As I grabbed my to go package and said my thanks to Take-san, the nice young lady bowed slightly and said; "we'll see you tomorrow!"

And if you know the Missus….well, anything is possible!

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Covid-19 Takeout – Menya Ultra (Clairemont)

April 20, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

On the first Sunday of this month; I managed to escape work at around 1030. I'd heard a bit about doing take-out from Menya Ultra (you can read FOY Jason's opinion in the comments of this post). I decided to call in my to go order right before I left work….they picked up on the first ring; I placed my order – they were giving away extra noodles for free! And was told to come pick my order up in 15 minutes! I was told that they didn't open for walk-up or online ordering apps until eleven, but took phone orders from 1030. I arrived, they had things nicely set-up, hand sanitizer right by the makeshift counter in the doorway. I was in and out in less than five minutes.

I got the tonkotsu chashu with a tamago.

This was probably the most well put together take-out I've had so far during the outbreak.

A couple of key points:

1 – Put the broth into a pot and get simmering….not boiling, simmering.

2 – Get another pot of about a quart-and-a-half of water up to a rapid boil

3 – Put noodles in a noodle strainer or colander

4 – About 2-3 minutes before serving place egg into broth

5 – Pour half the boiling water into the bowl you'll serve the ramen in.

6 – Pour the other half of the water over the noodles, quickly shake and drain well, separate noodles. No wants the dreaded "clump"; especially with nice, chewy noodles.

7 – Pour the hot water out of the now warmed bowl.

8 – Dip the chashu into the simmering broth quickly.

9 – Arrange the well drained noodles in the bowl and pour the broth over the noodles

10 – Arrange the rest of the bowl

11 – Eat!!!!

This was very good….and like Jason said: "I've been enjoying Menya takeout, I actually prefer it more than eating at the restaurant! Don't have to deal with waiting in line or checking in early." Thanks Jason!

And Menya has something called the "Stay Home Ramen Kit"; which is basically four orders of Ajitama Ramen, which might be worthwhile for a family or major "ramen heads".

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Covid-19 Takeout – Santouka

April 13, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

I've got a couple posts on places that are on my rotation that I managed to do take-out from. Santouka is a favorite of the Missus and I decided to order take-out when I had to drop by Mitsuwa to pick up some groceries. I placed my order….the young lady told me she really liked my "mask" and I told her that it's an improvement over the way I look without it, which cracked her up.

Anyway, they were out of shio ramen, so I got the shoyu….toroniku style of course. After doing my shopping I walked over and my order was waiting on the counter.

Everything was packed really neatly. That pork cheek was so tender and full of soy sauce flavor. The noodles were a bit softer than I prefer…..I'm guessing they didn't travel really well; even though it was packed on the side. Like I mentioned earlier; this was the shoyu version; which is bit too salty for my taste….though I must be missing ramen since I scarfed the darn thing up anyway.

Oh, and one last blessing…..in case you're looking at that tamago and think Santouka has changed their ways….well, no; I made the egg.

This was fine; no muss, no fuss, I was going to Mitsuwa anyway, so there was no extra effort. Though I can't wait to return for a proper bowl once we're over this outbreak.

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

Eating (and Drinking) in the Time of Covid-19 – Take-Out from Poseidon Project and Wa Dining Okan

April 6, 2020 mmm-yoso Beer, Japanese Restaurants, Pizza

A few more take-out orders….

Poseidon Project:

My favorite weekly "pau hana time" stop is now doing take-out pizza, beer, and family meals. So, how can I not support the place?

Mostly stopping to pick up a couple of beers now and then; though the Missus has really taken to the Wild Barrel Vice with Passion Cactus Dragon Fruit. I knew the Missus would enjoy this Berlinerweisse the first time I tasted it. I'm happy to get it for Her while they still have it in stock.

And once in a while; one of their pizzas will hit it out of the park…..

Poseidon Project
4126 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

Bentos from Wa Dining Okan:

If you're standing in line to get into Nijiya, you can't miss their signs.

I called while waiting in line at Nijiya and ordered the Karaage Bento. When I finished my shopping, I popped in.

While the karaage didn't hold up over the trip back home; I thought this was pretty good.

In fact, I kinda prefer this to my recent sit-down lunches.

And the miso soup was perhaps the best I've had from Okan.

I decided to order again on my last trip to Nijiya and this time ordered the Buta Kakuni.

And while I wish the eggs weren't cooked so much; the pork was surprisingly tender and full of flavor.

I might do this again while waiting in line at Nijiya.

And this post on Okan goes out to "FOY" (friend-of-yoso) ChrisR, who is always the first to gently remind me via email, of how wrong I am whenever I type a negative word on Okan. I hope you and yours are safe and in good health Chris!

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Take care everyone!

Circling Back to Sushi Tadokoro

February 3, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

On a recent weekend, while grabbing an Americano, I heard someone call out my name, "Kirk-san, Kirk-san, how are you?" My goodness, it was Take-san from Sushi Tadokoro! We stopped and chatted…and I realized, it had been a while since we'd visited. Like over four years! Oh my…..how time flies and all that. I needed to correct that situation ASAP. So we headed back down to Tadokoro.

Sitting in front of Take-san was a treat. It was the usual for us; make sure the Missus gets Her Ankimo, and nigiri (and sake) until we say "no mas".

Things started out with three wonderful dishes.

From right to left; a perfectly fried, meaty Shishamo (smelt) wrapped in shiso which added that nice herbaceous almost mint life flavor, the crisp tempura batter adding texture, the wonderful reduction contributing a nice acidity and a mild spice to really balance things out. In the middle was what I thought perhaps might be goma tofu; but I was told it was "Yuba"…..it was so smooth and creamy, amazingly beany.

And of course, the Missus's favorite, the savory-oceany Ankimo, still as good as ever.

Take-san served us items with his tare or seasoned in a way that we didn't need that bottle of soy or wasabi.

A good example was the amazingly tender Hirame (halibut), treated with a nice balanced tare.

Really enhancing the mild sweetness of the shiromi (whitefish).

The Aji (Spanish Mackerel) was amazing in texture, tender and meaty, unlike the usual chewy Aji.

This was prepped perfectly, the mild savory tones enhanced by a touch of ginger and scallion. Still, that texture was quite surprising. Take-san told me this Aji was line caught "Ougon Aji", which makes a lot of difference.

The tare really brought out the richness of the Iwashi (sardine) and the acidity really balanced out the oily-richness of the fish.

So meaty and savory…..

The Missus is not a fan of Saba….but in this case, Take-san told me he doesn't over-cure his Mackerel and there seems to be a nice balance achieved.

Meaty-moist, slightly rich, not overly salty, not overly fishy-oily. That thin slice of seaweed really did wonders for flavor….Take-san told me that there are only two women he knows of that still make this.

The Maguro-zuke is a standard for us here. Though this time he added yuzi kosho, for a nice, mild, spicy-citrus hit.

Next up was a surprise.

At first glance, I didn't know what it was. Take-san told me he had a surplus of Kinmedai (Golden Eye Snapper), so he simmered it with bones and all in a typical soy based sauce until the fat-bone-connective tissue gave off all the flavor and gelatin. This was so savory….it had the Missus wishing for rice!

We love Hokkaido Uni, to us, even though it's smaller, the uni in Hokkaido is sweeter and wonderfully briny.

This was no exception.

By this time, the Missus and I had thrown in the towel….we were perfectly satisfied. But Take-san asked if he could make one more item for us. He brought out a package of nori and made us an Ikura Hand Roll……the amazing thing about this wasn't the ikura, nor the perfectly seasoned rice, but the nori. It was crisp, like it had been toasted, there was a smokiness to it.

During his last trip back to Japan, he decided to taste as many different nori from the Sea of Ariake, an area known for having the best seaweed in Japan. This is the one he brought back with him. It was a wonderful end to a fabulous meal.

It had me wondering…since it had been several years since we last visited. While Tadokoro still deals with tons of sushi rolls and such; it seems that Take-san has stepped up his game. Or is it just me?

As we walked out of Tadokoro the Missus told me; "this has me really missing Japan." I guess I know where we're going later on this year!

Sushi Tadokoro
2244 San Diego Ave
San Diego, CA 92110

Like I said before:

Go early for best selection and a more relaxed pace and atmosphere. Even better, make reservations and go early.

Lunch Revisits – Wa Dining Okan

January 29, 2020 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

A while back I noticed that Okan Diner stopped serving lunch and went more the route of Yakitori and such. Based on my visits, no big loss. At the same time I noticed that the lunch menu at Wa Dining Okan added dishes that Okan Diner used to serve….which kinda got me worried. After returning from our trip to Israel-Jordan-France, I had a rather hectic day and thought it was time for a lunch revisit since it had been a while.

I got in right at 1130 when the place opened. I also noticed that folks were waiting for Okan to open. A good sign I guess. Since the menu had changed a bit, I decided to try one of the "Okan Diner" dishes; the Katsuni, which was actually cheaper ($11) than what the price used to be at Okan Diner. It was also quite a bit more food.

The side dishes were really bland; the sweet potatoes ice cold and dry….and of course, I find seaweed salad a sad sign; basically the easy way out…premade stuff.

The rice was perfect; fluffy, hot, and the portion quite large.

That tonkatsu was terrible; the panko was burnt in several places, the pork dry and tough. The egg was overly sweet with too much liquid.

The miso soup was quite good; perhaps a bit too much seaweed, but not bad overall.

But miso soup and rice does not make this a good meal. It was strangely mediocre. What was going on here? After returning from San Francisco, on the way back to the office between meetings I stopped by and order my "usual" lunch here; the Tori Nanban ($11).

The miso soup was again quite tasty and not watered down. The sides….well, at least the tamago was decent. The rice wasn't hot enough on this visit, but that's splitting hairs I guess.

The usual, almost lacquer batter on the chicken was too soft and almost mushy. The tartar sauce this time around lacked balance and the mayo to vinegar ratio was off….too much mayo. Like the tonkatsu on the previous visit; there seems to be a real temperature issue with what's being fried here.

Kinda sad especially since I've been a customer since they opened over eleven years ago. These two meals had me wondering how Okan was doing for dinner these days. The Missus really hasn't been keen on having dinner at Okan over the last couple of years. Another interesting tidbit; while there were many Asian customers on my two lunch visits; none of them (except me) seemed to be Japanese….lots of Mandarin speakers though. Looks like I've crossed Okan off my lunch list for a while.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar-a first look (Clairmont Mesa)

January 17, 2020 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk stays busy at work.

Another revolving sushi bar has opened in San Diego. Located at the South West corner of Clairmont Mesa at Ruffner, in the same mall as PT Eatery, Katsu Cafe, one of the original Lolita locations, the Tea Station location I write about. The corner across Ruffner Street has the Original Tommy's. The other corner, across Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, has Ajisen Ramen. The parking area is plentiful and free (compared to the parking area by the other San Diego revolving sushi restaurant, Kura).

The Mister and I were here on a weekday (and Mikami is still in the 'Soft Opening' stage) and only one Conveyor was open. The second photo is looking into the Bar area, which has no conveyors, but where appetizers, entrees and 'buckets' can be ordered.
The rolling conveyor (kaiten) had a good variety of choices, although a good 1/3 were salmon based (The Mister doesn't really like salmon), each group of plates proceeded by a plate with a description on one side and number on the other. All conveyor plates are $2.80. Beverages are $2.85 (and the hot tea is really good).
As always, we like to try the salad offerings. This was plentiful and filling. Fresh vegetables as well as good quality krab along with avocado.
We got all wild and crazy and chose a 'Las Vegas Roll' from the rolling belt. The breaded fried roll had a filling including real crab and cream cheese. It was fresh and tasty. We also shared this half and half (tuna and salmon with cucumber filling) roll, which was also fresh and well made.

Then we set our eyes on the touch pad ordering system. Pretty simple to navigate; we did order one item at a time. First we decided to try the fried calamari rings ($7).

The smooth running wood railed trolly delivery system was pretty much silent. Once you take your order off the rocket ship, you can send it back by pushing the button on the table or it will eventually automatically go back to the kitchen.
The sea salt topped (where else does salt come from?) fried calamari rings were quite nice, well fried, not greasy, and served with a slightly spicy dipping sauce.
We also ordered a Blue Crab hand roll ($2.80) which was quite large and fresh made (the rice was still warm). Really nice quality.
The soy wrapped spicy scallop hand roll (also $2.80) was wonderful and also much larger than expected. I would much rather have this than three smaller spicy scallop rolls from the conveyor for the same price.
We didn't see any soft shell crab on the conveyor nor on the menu, however when we asked, found out it's the 'Spider Roll' (again, $2.80) and wow, we will order two of these next time! Perfectly fried half of a soft shell crab.

A nice alternative in a good location.

Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar 7319 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.