Category: Japanese Restaurants

Circling Back to Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori

Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Well, we finally got some rain around these parts! And thankfully, even though the “atmospheric river” that hit San Diego did have a bit of flooding it didn’t seem as bad as predicted. Still, while finishing up some rather late shopping for Saturday I was wanting some ramen. It had been a while since I last visited Yakyudori….like almost 5 years! And it was for takeout during Covid. And even longer since I had the ramen there. So, despite the feeling that I wouldn’t be able to find parking I headed on over.

And to my surprise, at 1115 on a Saturday, there was a lot of parking available. I’m wondering if having the Starbucks closed down and the construction of the apartments next door have something to do with things?

And even more strange was how empty the place was.

I remember when they moved to this location back in 2010 the place was super busy even during lunch hours. These days they are only open for lunch on weekends. Also these days, all ordering is done on a mobile device.

And while I was temped to have that Kanazawa Curry again; it was ramen that I was after. So, I got the Shio Ramen ($13.80) and for some reason he thought of having some Nagoya Teba ($9) triggered a nostalgic reaction, so I had to order that as well. The woman working the front of house was quite serious, but not as surly as folks I’ve dealt with here before.

My Shio Ramen was first to arrive.

While the corn really gave this bowl that “Hokkaido Shio” look; the clear broth wasn’t as strongly “umami” as other versions I’ve had. It did have a nice almost porky-poultry savory component and wasn’t overly salty.

Decent richness; especially for a shio ramen as well.

The Tamago was nicely cooked, yolk shiny and golden, decently marinated…but of course…my pet peeve? Yes, it was ice cold! Bummah, this could have been so good.

The noodles were al dente, with a good springy-slipperiness and did a good job of “picking up” the soup to coat.

This was better than I recalled. And while not in my top three for ramen in San Diego, I’d gladly return for this again.

As for the Nagoya Teba; well that was a non-starter.

I find this to be way too sweet even for Nagoya style teba and also lacking in the black pepper department. The coating; which points more toward the crunchy than crisp also gets mushy very quickly. I will say that the flat and wing tip was nice and moist. But for some reason, only one of those are provided. Perhaps they save them for the Yakitori.

The drumettes were tough and chewy.

I don’t think I’ll order these again.

Still, it was nice to get back to Yakyudori. And just eating here brought back some nice memories of going to the original Yakyudori and Hinotez 2 in Nagoya! Such great memories!

Yakyudori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone survived the rain unscathed. And with the next system coming in, hope you stay warm and dry!

Ken Sushi Workshop

Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

I’m not suite sure who recommended Ken Sushi Workshop to me. And to be perfectly honest, I really wasn’t too thrilled about eating a “workshop”, which makes it seem quite fabricated and industrial to me? And after some really mediocre stuff at Moment Sushi, these interesting sushi locations give me pause. And yet I was curious. So I decided to drop by for an early lunch. The restaurant is located in the Carmel Valley/Torrey Hills area not exactly the hotbed for sushi/sashimi in San Diego…..

I found the restaurant in a business park-ish mall. The place definitely has an interesting looking exterior.

The reason for the golf cart soon became clear and the exterior had several plastic domes arranged….I guess for al fresco dining? For some reason, my mind immediately went back to the days of Covid.

Upon entering, the reason for the cart became clear.

The place was golf themed….I guess “Ken” is a major golfer? The woman managing the front of house was very professional and efficient. I was seated at the sushi bar, which is like those modern places that doesn’t have a glass case on the sushi bar where you can check out the fish.

I have a typical MO these days when checking out a sushi place for lunch. I am always interested in the quality of a variety of offerings and will go with the Chirashi ($24). I also saw Ankimo on the menu…man, it’s been a while since I’ve had decent Ankimo, so I ordered that as well ($18).

Soon enough some Miso Soup was provided.

Fairly rich, good miso-umami tones, pretty good!

And a few minutes later my Chirashi arrived.

Typical sashimi, though it was a step above Moment Sushi. The tako had a wonderful texture as did the almost creamy Hamachi.

The shiromi was fine and the two pieces of maguro were thickly cut, meaty, with no off flavors. The slice of salmon was quite elongated and along with the ebi, quite typical and nothing special. The Unagi was quite tender and moist.. Thankfully the unagi tare wasn’t overly sweet.

The actual highlight of the meal was the Ankimo.

Which was creamy, with briny-oceany-buttery and light offal tones. Very smooth and savory. The ponzu added a nice citrusy acidity to help cut the richness. Possibly the best ankimo I’ve had in a while!

While a pretty good meal, at over $50 with tip, this was by no means a inexpensive lunch. I was going to do a post; but I really wanted to do another visit before publishing. And I wanted that Ankimo again. So I waited…and waited……time just kind of flew by. Until a couple of weeks ago, when I just wanted my ankimo fix.

Again seated at the sushi bar.

I did notice a couple of things had changed. Like everywhere else, prices had gone up and the Ankimo was now $20. I also noticed that the miso soup was thinner with no green onions anymore.

The Ankimo arrived with one less piece.

It was still as good as before; though 11% more expensive and 33% smaller.

I had decided to go all out and ordered the Omakase Sashimi, which was, wait for it……$56!

Loved the huge slices of otoro, so rich, fatty, vitually melting in my mouth.

The hamachi was just as good as before, the hotate tender and sweet. The maguro was even better this time around. The shiromi and salmon was pretty much status quo.

Not a cheap meal at all, prices just seem so crazy….but I guess someone needs to pay for Ken’s Golf Cart.

And his Green Fees, right?

At this price point, I’m not sure when I’ll return, but the sashimi is of good quality and I saw a pooch in one of those plastic domes having lunch….so maybe if JJ hits the lottery?

Ken Sushi Workshop
11375 El Camino Real #120
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1130am – 2pm, 530pm – 10pm
Saturday 530pm – 10pm
Closed on Sunday

Lunch with JJ – Silverlake Ramen (Fashion Valley)

Dog Friendly, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Recently, I had to head on over to Fashion Valley….which I usually try to avoid. But since I going there, I was wondering if I should take JJ along and looked to see if there were any dog friendly places to eat. And there were quite a few. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Silverlake Ramen allowed dogs. It had been on the cooler side…..which I kind of look forward to since I can get all my noodle soup fixes in. So, we headed on over.

I’d actually been to the UTC location of Silverlake, but since it was a lunch with a group of people, I didn’t take any photos. And to be perfectly honest, I really wasn’t impressed with the ramen. So, this was going to be interesting……

Silverlake’s location at Fashion Valley is located right along the south side parking lots and driveway, so it’s pretty discreet. The young man working was super friendly and even though I was seated outside was on top of things. He even got JJ a bowl of water!

Which JJ appreciated…..

During my previous visit to the UTC location of Silverlake….which BTW was founded in the Silver Lake (duh) neighborhood in LA back in 2012. Anyway, I probably erred and ordered the Garlic Truffle Ramen, which was way too sweet….and the noodles were overcooked.

I was kinda hungry from having to keep up with the squirt, so I got the Combo ($20.50). Since I’d be having karaage for dinner; I went with the Pork Bun as my appetizer to go with the Classic Tonkotsu. The efficient young man brought out the pork bun soon after I placed my order.

The pickled onions were indispensable as this was really sweet and over-sauced for my taste. There was just too much of the sesame aioli. All of which combined to nullify any porkiness. That bun and the pork were on the chewy side as well.

Hmmm…..now this made me somewhat concerned about my ramen.

Which wasn’t bad. Not a fan of the overly sweet black garlic oil and I think the broth, which was on the thinner side in terms of tonkotsu has quite a bit of msg in it as I soon got the “ms-heebee-gee-bees” and actually gulped down two cups of water during my meal…..thank goodness for the great Server and another bottle in the car!

The tamago had a decently tender yolk…but sigh…..you know my pet peeve right? It was ice cold. Bummer!

The noodles were decently cooked. Nice and slippery, with a good “Q-Q” springiness them.

The pork was milder in terms of the marinade, but quite tender and you could actually make out some rich savoriness. I do enjoy some of that sweet-savory-soy sauce flavor that a good marinade provides for my chashu.

All in all, more of a “B” level ramen to me. This was definitely better than what I’d had at the UTC location and that young man provided very good service. Though I’m not in a rush to return as I’m going to have to revisit those ramen shops I consider San Diego “A” level…..hope the cool weather holds steady.

Silverlake Ramen (In Fashion Valley Mall)
7007 Friars Rd. Suite 357B
San Diego, CA 92108
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

Saturday Stuffs – Trader Joe’s Coming to Clairemont Town Square, Oi Shiba Replacing Da Nang Corner, Hongdae DakGalbi Replacing Nice 2 Meet U, and the Tacos La Chorreada Truck Has Moved Two lots Down

Food Trucks, Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Taco Shops

Here’s a bunch of things I’ve found or noticed over the last three weeks.

Trader Joe’s Coming to Clairemont Town Square:

I had to run to Ace Hardware to get something and I noticed that Burlington Coat Factory was being downsized, with a bunch of construction going on. I asked the friendly guy working what was going on. And to my surprise he told me that a Homegoods and a Trader Joe’s was coming! Which confirms what “FOY” Peter mentioned in the comments of a previous post.

Did some searching and found this on Instagram.

With this background – sorry for the terrible screen capture.

I knew that the old AMC theatres were becoming LA Fitness, but man….it’s about time, right?

Not sure what the exact address is for the new units….

Thanks for the initial heads-up Peter!

3962 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Oi Shiba Replacing Da Nang Corner and Hongdae DakGalbi Replacing Nice 2 Meet U:

I knew that Nice 2 Meet U at 4428 Convoy had closed, but then read that Da Nang Corner had closed as well.

So, I drove over and the two businesses which sit next to each other have their signage up.

Oi Shiba, is moving from PB….you know the folks, they own Steamy Piggy, Formoosa, Viet Nom, Flama Llama, etc, etc…..the one’s who will give out free desserts if you review them on Yelp. Though you gotta show the Server your review first. So let’s see, the SDB Restaurant Group does Taiwanese, dumplings, pho, Korean Fried Chicken, ramen, Peruvian….

HongDae from Seoul specializes in Cheese Dak Galbi, which I’ve heard folks call Cheese Fondue Dakgalbi.

4428 Convoy St Suites 120 & 130
San Diego, CA 92111

Tacos La Chorreada Truck Has Moved Two lots Down:

I had noticed that the Tacos La Chorreada Truck seemed MIA in the V Outlet Parking Lot.

Then I noticed a bunch of “Tacos” signs in the parking lot at 3040 Clairemont Drive; two lots down.

They actually have a nice spot with some tables and seating. I saw one of the guys who works in the truck and he told me they moved on the 2nd.

So, in case you were wondering!

The Tacos La Chorreada Truck
3040 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend!

Takeout Revisits – Tenkatori and Zgara Greek Grill

Greek Food, Japanese Restaurants

Here are a couple of revisits to places that used to be on my regular rotation that I haven’t visited in a while.

Tenkatori:

Man, has it been a year-and-a-half since I last visited Tenkatori? I was craving some karaage and decided it was time to “scratch” that itch and head on over. Like I’ve said before; with regards to Tenkatori, one should call in your order – I called in my order for the Karaage Bento Box – a reasonable $12. However, if you ordered it online – even though they said it’s “no fees” guess what?

That crazy parking lot is not so bad before 11am and I easily found parking. Strode on in, paid and got my karaage.

This is what it looked like.

Unlike on previous visits, the rice was perfectly cooked; the potato salad so creamy and nicely seasoned.

This time around, it was the batter of the chicken that was weird….it was mushy, and the pieces were stuck together? Really strange.

Maybe the 20 minute drive before eating was too long? Or perhaps the oil wasn’t at the right temperature?

The chicken itself was very tasty, perfect salty-umami-soy balance and very moist and adequately tender.

I know that “FOY” ChrisR has been mentioning trying the nankotsu, the chicken cartilage..so maybe I nede to try that next time! Still, in this day and age, the prices at Tenktori has stayed fairly stable for a while.

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

Zgara Greek Grill:

Zgara is another regular stop that I hadn’t visited in a while. Perhaps it was that on my last visit, I found out that Eric had sold the place! Though my usual; the pork gyro was quite good. I had also heard from “FOY” Ron that things had gone downhill a bit in the months following. Still, a revisit was overdue.

I did notice that the Pork Gyro Sandwich was now $11.86 a dollar more than on my last visit. Though still what I consider reasonable for these days.

And of course that’s what I ordered.

Man, this was really stuffed with nicely seasoned pork. Though I think it’s a bit chewier than I recalled.

The pillowy pita held up well, though I think with all that protein, I could have used more Tzatziki and tomatoes.

Still this was fine…..though it does seem to be missing something. But, I can’t quite put my finger on it? Perhaps it’s just a figment, right?

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Midweek Meanderings -China Quick Wok Becoming Fujiyame (Sp?) Ramen, Mikiya Replacing Shancheng Lameizi, and is Poppy Boba Closed?

Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Here’s a bunch of “stuffs” I noticed while driving around the last couple of weeks

China Quick Wok Becoming Fujiyame:

Driving thru Liberty Park Plaza, on the corner of Mt Etna and Genesee, I noticed some new signage on the long standing China Quick Wok, so I drove on over.

And yep; it looks like the shop is becoming something called Fujiyame – hmmm….not Fujiyama Ramen? Whoa, China Quick Wok has been here forever, I recall the last set of owners taking over in 2011?

4310 Genesee Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117

Mikiya Replacing Shancheng Lameizi:

This one was quite easy to see while driving down Convoy.

Shancheng Lameizi replaced Thai House in early 2022 if I’m not mistaken. Man, they didn’t last very long. Well, one chain is being replaced by another as Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House is moving in. I know they have locations in LA and also recall seeing one of their restaurants in HNL on Kapiolani. I know folks that really like the place. So, looks like Shabu Shabu replacing Hot Pot here?

4225 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Is Poppy Boba Closed?:

Taking the quick way home from Nijiya I passed by Poppy Boba Kitchen and noticed that the sign was gone. It was just after 11am, when they would usually be open.

It seems like they were closed? I believe they just opened like 7 months ago?

So, I did a quick search and Google and the four-lettered spot said Temporarily Closed? But why is the sign gone. And there was also this note.

Hmmm……temporarily closed for like 9-10 months? Perhaps someone is going to give birth perhaps?

It’s just kinda strange to have the sign gone though….

3538 Ashford St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Sushi Yorimichi 2 Opens (Linda Vista)

Japanese Restaurants

Just getting back from our most recent road trip (yes….I know, waaaay behind on travel posts) and running all those errands it looked like Sushi Yorimichi 2, whose signage I noticed a couple of months back , replacing White Rice Morena, which didn’t last very long, had opened. A quick check and it looked like they opened on the 17th.

Checking out the hours…..even though this location has much more parking than the original on the corner of Ulric and Linda Vista Road, with all of the businesses in this strip mall, parking can be a premium. I noticed that they opened for lunch at 11am….so of course I decided to head on over.

I arrived just as the open sign was turned on and walked on in. The nice woman offered me a table….I told her I would be ok with the bar; but she said “it’s ok, it’s early and I think a table would be more comfortable”. Very nice.

They’ve done some work on the interior…at least in comparison to White Rice as it’s now full of booths and dark wood. There’s also a large table with ten seats in the back of the place in addition to a small sushi bar area.

I was handed the menu which looked exactly the same as the other location’s as well as a “monthly specials” edition.

There was one item that interested me. Along with that item; I ordered a favorite dish from my previous visits and one that I had enjoyed, but seemed hit-and-miss. Of course, based on my visits to the original location, I preferred the Izakaya type dishes to the sushi, ramen, etc…..

First up was that month special; the Spicy Jellyfish ($6) aka “Chuka Kurage”.

This was quite good; a generous amount of sesame oil, good savory flavors; though not a crunchy as the version at Izakaya Masa, it was quite refreshing and satisfying. I’d gladly get this again.

Over time, my favorite item at Yorimichi has been the Kawa-su ($6.25); the chicken skin.

Love the toothsome texture and the nice savory tones of this dish. A light bit of spice, good savory soy sauce, sourness from the ponzu. A good balance of flavors. I did find the fact that the skin was stuck together in large chunks kinda strange though.

Still, it was bit spicier than what I’d had here before and for some reason I do enjoy the texture of the chicken skin.

My final dish was the Tuna Tataki, which I think is a bargain these days at $12. I’ve had this a couple of times at the OG location and it has wavered from good to mediocre. What I received was decent, though I think it was seared a bit too long as the “cooked” area was a bit too deep in the flesh for me.

Still, no off flavors, the centers had a wonderful texture. I did find the supposedl “black garlic” ponzu to be a bit weak for my taste, but the Server had kindly brought me wasabi.

Which, when mixed well with some shoyu and drizzled over the tataki, combined with the drenched onions below and the crisp onions above made the dish quite enjoyable. I also really enjoyed a slice of the tataki wrapped in the shiso leaf. I may try to get an order of that the next time I get this dish….

Yes, you read that right….I’ll be coming back. As much as I’m not fond of the mega-rolls and sushi hear; or the ramen and stuff; it’s the more Izakaya like dishes I enjoy. I know that “FOY” Junichi really used to enjoy the Tamagoyaki at Yorimichi; though I recall him commenting that it was much too salty on his last couple of visits.

The prices are quite affordable for these times….I’m sure the USD and local resident population will keep rolling with the rolls-ramen-bowls. I’m just glad that they have dishes like the Chuka Kurage and Kawa-su.

It’s a nice neighborhood Japanese Diner/Izakaya…one I wish we had here in Bay Park.

Sushi Yorimichi
5299 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Fri – Wed 11am – 230pm, 430pm-930pm
Thursday 11am – 930pm

**** Quick note – so this is my first “real” post using WordPress. As long time readers know…I like to keep things simple. But I do want to know what you all think? Thanks for stopping by and keeping me posting!

Pizza Kaiju Yoshoku Diner

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

Back at the end of April, FOY "Mar" asked me if I'd been to the new location of Pizza Kaiju which had moved from National City to Barrio Logan after the Market on 8th changed ownership. She mentioned that there were "Yoshoku" (meaning western style Japanese dishes like curry and katsu) on the menu. I hadn't really given it a thought, but seeing that they had stuff like Sisig Pizza on the menu….well, now that was kinda fascinating. One of the things that really stopped me from visiting were the hours at that time. The shop was only open from Wednesday to Sunday; with lunch service only from Fridays to Sunday starting at 1pm.

But finally, on a quiet Sunday, between road trips with JJ, I decided to head on down to Barrio Logan, which is not an area I really frequent. The restaurant is located in the huge Mercado del Barrio….which I last visited back in 2018 when I went to check out Pho Bo….which is still there.

I had fully believed that parking would be at a premium, but I easily found parking on all three visits. The restaurant is actually a combination of three concepts; Pizza Kaiju, Ultra Donuts, and what looks like a beer bar and is in a huge space right on the corner of National Avenue and Cesar E. Chavez Parkway.

Kaiju 01

What was even more interesting was trying to get into the place as they list the address as being #1115, which seemed closed; but the shop stretches over to both suite 1111 and 1113.

Kaiju 02

More confusion ensued as I tried to figure out where to look at a menu and place an order as the shop was completely empty. Until the very nice woman working saw me, smiled and waved me over.

Kaiju 03

I was shown the various menus and while the pizzas were humongous, they also sold slices. I was shown the display case with what was available by the slice on this day.

Kaiju 04

Kaiju 05

Kaiju 06

Sadly, no Sisig or Bulgogi pizza by the slice on this day, but a really nice gentleman was walking by and introduced himself as "Rob" and told me he was one of the owners. He recommended trying a slice of Potato Curry Pizza which was just finishing up and was going to be available. The slices were nicely priced at $5. Wanting to try something else off the menu and I went with the Karaage ($10) as well. This is one of those order and pay at the counter and find a table kind of places.

I had a short wait, but soon enough my dishes arrived.

Kaiju 07

First off the Potato – Japanese Curry Pizza.

Kaiju 08    Kaiju 09This was really not to my liking. The crust of the pizza was rubbery and soggy, the edges quite chewy. I don't think it had been baked long enough. It did look nice and I thought the amount of cheese was good, but in spite of the curry, I thought this a bit bland overall. The curry itself was quite thick and had some spice; but for some reason the flavor just seemed to vanish in the entire package.

As for the Karaage. Well, you know how much I enjoy my karaage and tori nanban right? I've even experimented with different recipes as well.

Kaiju 10  Kaiju 11 Well, I wasn't too inspired by the whitish color. Was not a fan of the way too soft coating which lacked crispness, something that I like in my karaage.

The flavor however was really good, nice umami tones…the soy sauce, a hint of sweetness, it was so moist and juicy. If that batter was better, it would have been among my favorites in San Diego! This was a pleasant surprise!

And since I was still curious about the Sisig Pizza; I decided to return for another visit. This was after our most recent road trip and Kaiju was now open for lunch at 1130 on weekends. The place was a bit more busy this time around and I was also shown some new menu items by that nice woman.

Kaiju 11b

But I was really just wanting try that Sisig Pizza, which they had by the slice on this day. Rob was there as well and he recommended the "Aporkalypse", so I got that as well. Slices were $5 a piece….so ten bucks for lunch….well, that's a bargain these days.

IMG_9930

The Aporkalypse was my favorite of the two slices. As you can see, the crust was much better this time around….good yeasty crispness. Loved the tangy tomato tones along with the salty bacon-pepperoni-sausage….there's a hint of spice as well, which was quite enjoyable.

Kaiju 13  Kaiju 14 As for the Sisig slice……well, this was fairly bland, even with the slices of serrano chilies; it really lacked the tangy-sour-porky flavors that make Sisig one of my favorite food items. What did help things a bit was the Black Garlic Ranch Dressing that Rob brought to me to try. It had the typical tangy-rich-sourness of ranch dressing, with the addition of some sweet pungency.

Rob came by at the end of my meal to chat. I was curious about how all of what is offered fits within his background. And man, was it an amazing story….born in the Phillipines, raised in Japan and Guam, and a graduate of Campbell High School….that would be in Ewa Beach for those not familiar. The large variety of cuisines fits within his experiences in life…….glad to know it's not just "con-fusion and cultural appropriation". I really enjoyed our chat and Rob was so generous with his time!

So, of course I had to return, right?

Kaiju 15

Rob wasn't around, but that really nice woman was. It was empty again during this weekend lunch hour.

Kaiju 16

I had thought that the karaage was so close to being a favorite, that I decided to actually try the Katsu Curry, which is supposedly done Kanazawa style. I went with the chicken katsu ($16.50) version.

Kaiju 17

Upon delivery I looked and yes, this looked like the thick-rouxed Kanazawa style curry!

Kaiju 18  Kaiju 19 The katsu was really crisp, perfectly fried….I think I'm going to ask Rob the next time I see him, what kind of panko he uses. The chicken was moist, nicely seasoned without being overly salty, though I think it could be a bit more tender. 

The curry was super thick, rich, and had a nice spiciness to it…..definitely "stick to your ribs" kinda Japanese curry. Of shredded cabbage was a must for "recovery".

The rice was perfectly cooked.

Kaiju 20

I'm thinking the Missus might like this katsu curry. I mentioned wishing that I could bring JJ here to the woman working and she said "bring him, he will be welcomed"! So, perhaps I will. At that moment, the Old Town Trolley stopped at the corner and a few people got off….some of them entered the restaurant, which made me smile. Really great folks and even though I'm not big on the pizzas here, I'd like to try some of their other menu items. I hope they do well.

Kaiju 21

Pizza Kaiju
1985 National Ave #1115
San Diego, CA 92113
Current Hours:
Wed – Thurs 3pm – 9pm
Friday           1pm – 9pm
Sat- Sun        1130am – 9pm
Closed Mon – Tues

Kaiju 00

Lunches with JJ – EE Nami Tonkatsu Izakaya and Soi 30th

Dog Friendly, Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

San Diego has the wonderful year 'round weather to support al fresco dining; but it's been an interesting challenge finding Asian restaurants that are dog friendly. With JJ, we've made a commitment to do those things that we wished we did the with Sammy and taking him to have a meal with us is one of those things. Here are two recent meals we had.

Soi 30th:

Yes, I just did a revisit post on Soi 30th back in November. Funny thing about that post. I didn't mention that we actually took JJ with us and ate on the patio. This was JJ's first week with us and he was amazing for an 8 week old puppy. So, after a walk around North Park, which always includes a stop at Dexter's Deli, we stopped back in at Soi 30th for an early lunch.

Soi 30th Rev 01

We got a table on the empty patio. I've mentioned before that I think there's a difference between "dog friendly" and "dogs allowed"; Soi fits in the "dog allowed" category. JJ was allowed to hang while we ate.

The Missus wanted the Som Tum on this day and ordered the Thai version ($10.95) medium heat.

Soi 30th Rev 02

We loved the obviously hand shredded, crunchy-crisp papaya; though there seemed to be quite a bit of cabbage this time around. The shrimp were plump and tender. The heat level was on the milder side for our taste and while I think it could have used a bit more umami-savoriness; this was quite refreshing with a good meld of textures.

Of course we got our usual; the Chinese Broccoli with Pork Belly ($16.95).

Soi 30th Rev 03

Just like our last visit, this was a winnah! The gai lan was nice and crisp-crunchy, with a pleasant earthy-bitterness tempered by the sweet-savory notes of the sauce. The pork belly was pleasantly toothsome, wonderfully sweet-savory; the rice perfectly cooked. The one thing we decided NOT to get with this was a fried egg; which now costs $3 to add! This is obviously our go-to dish here and we've filed one bad visit away.

JJ did fine as usual; though he was rarin' to go once we were done eating.

IMG_9905

Soi 30th
3442 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri  11am – 3pm, 430pm – 9pm
Sat – Sun   12pm – 930pm

EE Nami:

I was looking for a place serving Asian food a bit closer to home….it was an interesting challenge, but EE Nami showed up as being dog friendly. Hmmmm……we had kinda put lunch at EE Nami on the back burner, much preferring dinner, but heck, dogs seemed to be allowed on the patio…so why not?

So JJ and I cruised on over arriving right at the 1130 opening time for lunch. We were greeted with smiles and seated at one of the four tables on the patio. I'm glad we arrived at opening, since the patio was filled up within fifteen minutes of our arrival.

EE Nami JJ 01

The woman working was so sweet, especially to JJ…whom she called "handsome"…..which cracked me up!

EE Nami JJ 02

The positive vibes and cool covered patio set JJ at ease. As did the wonderful bowl of water the woman brought out for J.

EE Nami JJ 03

Of course I was having tonkatsu here, I decided to go with the more fattier Loin Katsu ($23.50). Of course I needed rice, so I made it a combo ($3.50) which included rice and miso soup.

EE Nami JJ 04 EE Nami JJ 05 Well, this was quite a hefty lunch! The miso soup was fine; not watered down like many other versions these days.

The finely shredded cabbage with sesame dressing was a nice crunchy "refresher" between bites.

EE Nami JJ 06  EE Nami JJ 07 The rice was moist, tender, and fragrant; though the portion size was a bit too large for me. I think if I go solo again I'll make sure to get a half portion of it. I was really heading into "kanak attack" territory here.

As always, the tonkatsu was moist and tender. The panko breading nice and crisp; and not falling away from the pork.

EE Nami JJ 08b EE Nami JJ 09  I waffle between getting the filet or loin cut….after this meal, I guess I'm back on "team loin"? I really like the meaty texture, fat content, and the porkiness. The sauce tends to the sweeter side in my opinion, so I use it sparingly.

I really enjoyed this meal and they treated JJ so well! I do want to return; though at over thirty bucks for lunch it's hard to justify. I think it'll be the Missus, JJ, and I for dinner next time. The nice woman who JJ really liked advised me to make reservations for the patio ahead of time because they are usually quite busy for dinner. Advice I'll be sure to follow!

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EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours
Wed – Sun 1130am – 2pm, 530pm – 10pm

Sunday Stuffs – Beard Papa Coming to Convoy and Sushi Yorimichi 2 Coming to Linda Vista

Desserts, Japanese Restaurants

Here are two places coming soon that I've noticed while driving around.

Sushi Yorimichi 2 Coming to Linda Vista:

While driving up Linda Vista Road I noticed an ABC Application of Ownership Change posted at the former location of White Rice Morena, so I took a turn into the parking lot and JJ and I walked on over.

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And this one was a surprise to me.

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It looks like Sushi Yorimichi is doing quite well….well enough to open a second location!

Good for them! I hope they do well and am waiting to hear what "FOY" Junichi has got to say about this!

5299 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92110

Beard Papa Coming to Convoy:

While taking the turn at Balboa and Convoy I saw another sign in the newish strip mall on the corner. So I drove on into the parking lot.

And yes…it was indeed…..

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I had to laugh……like two decades later, we're getting a Beard Papa's in this area? Sheesh…back in 2008 I visited the now defunct location at Plaza Bonita. And I know there was a location in La Jolla that closed last year. 

I'm thinking that this is probably where they should have opened years ago. Of course they chose a strip mall with like a dozen parking spaces for customers where Origami Handroll x Kushiyaki Bar is opening.

Not sure if BP's is even suited for Convoy these days; I'm thinking that Westfield UTC would probably be a better location, but we'll see.

4488 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!