Japanese Restaurants – Page 31

Sunday Stuffs: Ajisen Ramen Coming to San Diego, Bitter Brothers Brewing Company, and Revisiting Poseidon Project

April 24, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Japanese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

Ajisen Ramen Opening in San Diego:

In case you missed the post in Eater. I noticed that the former Coco's on the corner of Clairemont Mesa and Ruffner was being built out, so I walked on over. There's no mistaking the logo…plus the "626" area code.

Not the biggest fan of Ajisen's ramen, so we'll see. Here's a little fact, I've never eaten at a Coco's or Carrow's, unless you count this one, which a landmark in Honolulu for many years.

7398 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Trying out Bitter Brothers:

My good buddy Candice expressed disappointment that I hadn't tried out Bitter Brothers since it was basically in my 'hood. So I made some time to visit recently. I like the set-up, typical industrial-hipster, but in a good way. Wide open, nice breezes blowing through. The beer server was fairly all business at the beginning, spending most of his times with his "bro's", but warmed up after I had got past the tasters phase.

I got tasters of the Little Brother Citra Session IPA and the Prickly Pear version of the Family Tart Berliner Weisse.

That Session was very nice and drinkable, that tart Berlinerweisse was really good, not too dry, but definitely a Berlinerweisse, just sweet-sour enough. I've got to bring the Missus here for this one.

I finished up with a nice Dunkelweiss, great not too overpowering chocolate tones.

Nice place, drinkable beers….nothing over 6 ABV if I recall, great for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Bitter Brothers Brewing
4170 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Back to the Poseidon Project:

The reason I hadn't been to Bitter Brothers was that I've been enjoying the Poseidon Project since they've opened. The vibe and very friendly folks keep me coming back. I'll bring in some take-out and have a nice meal when the Missus is working.

On this fine Thursday I didn't have to worry about that since two of my favorite neighborhood places joined forces.

Yep, that's my go-to neighborhood Sandwich Emporium, having a Grilled Cheese night at Poseidon.

I'm hoping they increase the number of pulls, which now numbers 8.

But don't discount the bottles….I was quite surprised to find the bottle prices in line with most retail locations. And once in a while they have some nice surprises.

Love the way they've embraced the neighborhood….the place is crazy dog friendly and food friendly. I think someone was having a birthday the other night and brought in like three boxes of pizzas……no problem.

I'm wondering what'll happen when my friends and I bring in a bushel of oysters???? For some reason, I think they'll be just fine with that.

Poseidon Project
4126 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110

Here are a couple of "bonus bottles". Interesting stuff from the Bruery.

This one I first had at Poseidon. It's a nice dessert type of brew.

For some reason; and I'm not big fan of regular Horchata, but The Bruery's Or Xata really hit a home with me. Great, balanced, not too sweet tones. Great mouthfeel. To me, the base flavor seems closer to coconut than cinnamon though……

The 2015 Terreux Rueuze was a winner for me too.

Think citrus with some hops.

This one however, really

What My Craving? Gyokai Natto Don from Izakaya Sakura

April 18, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Man, it was a bajillion degrees today…another record high for April. I wanted a respite from work so decided to head out for lunch to Izakaya Sakura a favorite of us folks here at mmm-yoso!!!

This would be my second visit since Izakaya Sakura finally put up a sign at the end of last year. I usually know what I'm going to order; the Ebi Kakiage Zaru Udon, but this time, I opened up the menu…..and to my surprise I saw Gyokai Natto Don! I'm not sure when they actually started serving this favorite of mine for lunch. Serves me right for not even opening the menu……

And while it wasn't quite as good as what I'd get when Kazu is behind the counter, this was more than enough food for me. A nice variety of fish; ranging from maguro to some shiromi….I did miss the ika which really adds a nice textural component to the earthy, stringy, flavors of the natto. Served with agedashi tofu, and the usual salad with egg yolk dressing and miso soup (that actually had flavor), this was a nice, hefty lunch.

Maybe I can talk the Missus into meeting me for lunch again.

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

What’s the Missus Craving? Tsuruhashi

April 13, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

How are you when sick? I just want to be left alone…the Missus, is well, w-h-in-ey….. She'd been under the weather for the last week and a half, so I've thinking of places to eat. I thought Boiling Passion might do the trick. But when we arrived She had changed Her mind and decided She wanted to eat at Tsuruhashi. It had been a while. Once upon a time, the place had a place in our rotation. But since we started grilling with bincho at home and Tsuruhashi raised their prices, the place had sort of fallen out of favor.

It's still our favorite shop for yakiniku in San Diego though. Not visiting in a year and half made things interesting. The customers were almost all Caucasian and Chinese, very different from how things used to be. The service was very efficient and we enjoyed our meal.

All the regulars if you've read our previous posts.

The prime tongue, grilled until the edges are crisp is a thing of beauty….the grill kept nicely greased by that piece of beef fat.

Two of my favorites, the beefy, yet tender prime skirt, lightly dipped in a nice sauce and the clean tasting yukke, raw beef, made even more creamy with the egg yolk, sweetened by the pear, and don't forget the mild thinly sliced onions hiding behind the piece of lettuce.

The Missus really enjoy the vegetables, especially the bunmeiji mushrooms and the corn….I liked the onions.

There's one item that we tried here yet again, and like before just didn't care for. We'd had some really good; make that great horumon, beef intestines during our last trip to Tokyo and even once at an izakaya in Hiroshima, so we thought we'd give it a try here again.

This just didn't do it for us; the intestines were really hard; not tough, hard when cooked and have a rather unpleasant "stickiness". I eat my share of guts and really didn't enjoy this.

This wasn't a cheap dinner, but we had all of this and shared one medium sized bowl of rice; it all came out to $50 and we had no beer. To us, it was worth it because it was just what the Missus needed to feel a little better….which is priceless.

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hillcrest Ramen Ruminations: Rakitori, Tajima Ramen Bar, and Ramen Izakaya Ouan

March 7, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Meetings in the Hillcrest area meant that I got to check out Rakitori; which lead me to wonder about the Hillcrest location of Tajima and also revisit Ouan. So here we go……

Rakitori Japanese Pub & Grill:

I recall someone; I don't quite remember who, mentioning this place, so I thought I'd give it a try.

This is a nice little spot right off hectic Washington Street….kind of trying to be hip (vegan ramen, bulgogi tacos), a few craft beers available.

Looking at the menu, I believe the place is a fusion of Korean - Japanese. The young lady waiting on me was very nice. When I ordered the Oxtail Ramen, she started explaining that this "wasn't Japanese ramen"…..so I asked if it was like Gori Gomtang……and she smiled brightly and said, "oh yes, are you Korean?"

So here's my Oxtail Ramen ($10), which had everything but the kitchen sink.

So where to start with this? There was the equivalent of perhaps one oxtail worth of fairly bland oxtail meat, really not worth the asking price. The garlic actually tasted really delish in this…..well, because Gori Gomtang needs a heck of a lot of salt added….the salt provided didn't strike me as being of the best quality, making things a bit bitter. And there was a bit of scum as well, though the amount of collagen in this did well coating the straight from Nishimoto noodles (cooked adequately though). You see, no matter how much salt or pepper you add to this; the noodles just seem out of place as a vehicle for moving flavor. And that kimchi mandu, the sour flavor, just didn't go well with this whole thing to me.

The corn was a decent addition adding much needed sweetness to the bowl, the wakame I'm not so sure about.

Good gori-gomtang needs nothing but really good sea salt and a ton of green onions….this, well, had me wishing for rice instead of noodles for some reason.

Rakitori Japanese Pub & Grill
530 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Tajima Ramen Bar:

**** This location of Tajima has closed

After Rakitori, I was curious about how much ramen was available in Hillcrest over basically three blocks, so I decided to visit Tajima Ramen Bar.

Man, remember when this was the original location of Yakyudori…then it became something else…then Tecchan Yakitori and Izakaya, and now part of the Tajima empire.I remember the original Tajima when I had my consulting gig on San Diego (late 90's) and then when we moved here (in 2001). And while I'm not the biggest fan of the various locations, you have to admit that they have a successful formula. And this location is no different. The service here was the most polished and professional of the three places listed on this post.

I like the set-up; basically two "bar" type areas for solo/duo eating, a communal table, and several four tops…..they've got that covered. Nice, modern design.

I went with the standard tonkotsu ($8.50) with the thicker noodles, which to me, would do well with a rich tonkotsu broth.

So here's the thing…I just noticed that I have an affinity for the "chopstick-noodle thing", so maybe you can tell me what other shot I can take? First off, the egg was nice, not perfect, but decently soft boiled. The chashu was fairly tender and actually had some flavor, the temperature of the broth was nice and steaming hot. Not a big fan of bitter fried garlic in this and the tonkotsu broth was really low on the collagen/fat scale. Still, this wasn't too salty, nor did it have that "tinny" flavor of an quick "base" broth. In fact, this might be the best bowl I've had from Tajima in years, strangely much better than what I've had on Convoy. This doesn't mean I'll be driving up here for my ramen fix….but it was a nice surprise.

Tajima Ramen Bar
3739 6th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Ramen Izakaya Ouan:

**** Ramen Izakaya Ouan has closed

If I was doing Rakitori and Tajima, it seemed only right to revisit Ouan.

I got there a few minutes after 5pm. I was told to take any seat I wanted. To be considerate I took a seat at the bar….which turned out to be quite, well, like a visit to the twilight zone. To the right of me was the "selfie duo", who couldn't help but keep taking selfies during the entire meal….I counted 9. To the left was the "drunk and obnoxious foursome"…..ripped at 5pm……two of them kept drumming on their plates with the chopsticks and singing along with whatever was playing overhead. And of course, service was a bit slow, so they couldn't help but flag down the Server and tell him, "look….we need your undivided attention and service….you take care of us and we'll take care of you…" Aaaah, selfish and condescending in one swoop! Meanwhile, the "selfie girls" ordered a cold sake….and decided that they didn't like it and wanted something better……like the hot sake! Shades of Navin Johnson, do you recall "snails on her plate"??? But who am I to judge, right?

Anyway, it took 40 minutes for my ramen, which I thought was really weird……even at places like rokurinsha, with a line that went down to forever….I've never waited that long for ramen. Having had some of the other ramen offerings here, I went with the simplest; the OG Ramen ($9).

So, getting down to brass tacks, how was this? Well first off, the noodles, in terms of texture were perfect for my taste. It basically ended there as the two tiny slivers of pork was tasteless and the broth too "shoyu forward" for my taste……I wanted a bit more shoyu/dashi balance in lieu of the lack of richness/fat in this type of shiru. The "onsen tamago" was ice cold, but there was an abundance of bamboo shoots….this could more accurately be called menma shoyu ramen.

At nine bucks, I think they could do better, sad because I love places like this…….but waiting 40 minutes for a nine dollar ramen…etc…..

Ramen Izakaya Ouan
3882 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

It’s back to the routine; Yakitori Taisho and Tiger! Tiger!

March 4, 2016 mmm-yoso Gastropub, Japanese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

We're sort of creatures of habit….the Missus has Her favorites and it's pretty much up to me to do the exploring and find new places these days.

Not sure why; but here are two places on our rotation that we hadn't visited this year. I think we've been busy and having two international trips fairly close together kind of messed up our schedules a bit. But anyway, we're finally getting back to some normalcy around here, which means revisiting our favorites. We've posted on these places a ton of times; so I guess this is a "most photo Friday?"

Yakitori Taisho:

A favorite of ours since they first opened, I think the Missus had Her fill of Yakitori on our last trip to Japan and needed a break. Then of course, right when She was starting to crave it again we headed off to Spain. As it stands, we returned on a Monday night and I was back at work at 6am the next morning so it took a while for me to get back in the groove.

But, if the crowd right after they opened on a Tuesday evening is any indication, they are doing just fine.

If you want some additional info, you can read any number, of posts I've done on Taisho; even a comparison of Taisho versus Yakyudori. The thing is; as Yakyudori descends, Taisho seems to have gotten even better…except on Thursdays, when Taka-san is off.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Tiger! Tiger!:

**** Tiger! Tiger! has closed

Another one of those places that I've posted on a number of times. The truth of the matter is; we were going once a week and the Missus finally got burnt out. we were still hitting up Toronado, but the Missus needed to give TT a rest. And we're glad we did….a fresh seasonal menu and fresh beer options….and instead of a large order of pate, they now offer a nice charcuterie plate. This is the half portion. That house made pancetta was really good.

Wood fired potatoes……

One great thing is that when you order the sausage sandwich without the roll, is that they'll automatically make it into a salad for you! This is the linguica.

A big plus is the beer server here; I believe her name is Dez; who is always so awesome to us!

Tiger! Tiger!
3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Nishiki Ramen Revisited

February 29, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

I do try to revisit places as much as I can….so long the food or the service wasn't terrible. And my initial visit to Nishiki Ramen during their soft opening was neither of those….though the hype machine was in full swing….shades of RakiRaki! So I waited things out and after returning from our recent trip managed to visit twice.

I will say, post grand opening hype, that things were pretty calm, even slow during my visits….though I do try to get in as early as possible. Also, the service here was really nice; the two young ladies working were very efficient and quite friendly on both visits.

So, it off to the ramen, right?

I decided to start with Nishiki's "signature" tonkotsu style ramen ($9.95), which looked sort of like what I had in my soft-opening visit. Having had a mild, poultry forward broth previously, I was kind of stunned at how salty this was. Also, the broth wasn't as hot as I'd have preferred. In spite of looks, this wasn't quite as rich, nor did it have much in terms of personality with regards to flavor….perhaps it was just too much salt? The chashu was cold, a pet peeve; though the egg was quite nice……perhaps almost perfect.

The noodles had a great texture, nice pull, though the flavor of them seemed different from what I recalled….strange, I know, but something seemed to have changed.

The Chicken Karaage was better than on my previous visit. The flavor was excellent; I'm pretty sure they use shio koji to add that extra complex depth of flavor.

When it arrived it was nice and crisp, but it quickly became soggy……..not quite worth the $6.95 I paid for it.

In order to perform my "due diligence" I returned the following week. I saw something called "Nishiki Black" on the menu…there are places that use black garlic oil in their ramen and places that use a black sesame infused oil. So why not, right? Also, I ordered this with the "thicker noodle" which in my mind would prove to be a nice vehicle to move a thicker broth.

So here's the thing about the broth……the flavors are pretty mild here overall and there was a ton of that black garlic sauce/oil in this, way too much as the flavor of the garlic, which really didn't have the nice sweetness of black garlic, overwhelmed the whole bowl. In addition, the temp of the broth wasn't hot enough for my taste as this just projected itself as greasy. The chashu wasn't cold and tasted nice, the egg was again excellent, in terms of being cooked and flavor….away from that broth.

I had ordered the thicker noodle, which, while not what you'd expect for a tsukemen, I preferred to the thinner noodle, I did expect something along the lines of what is served at, say Nagi Ramen. Overall, this was a bit too over the top for me….this coming from a guy who had pork backfat ramen in Narita! And at $10.95, I think it's a bit over-priced.

So, I enjoyed the service, the noodles…..it seemed that the "bloom is off the rose" here as the place was pretty much empty……so we'll see. I'll try to drop by again in a couple of months.

Nishiki Ramen
8055 Armour St
San Diego, CA 92111

Eating inside Mitsuwa Marketplace

February 17, 2016 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, has posts alternately written by Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. Kirk wrote most of the posts you read this year, then he went on vacation. Cathy and Ed have been posting in the interim.

A few months ago, Kirk wrote a post about one of the restaurants in the Food Court at Mitsuwa Market. It so happened I had also been to Musashiya that week and had a (blurry) photo of my meal. A few weeks later, I had occasion to return and then a few weeks after that, The Mister and I returned. Each meal was small and I figure if any of you came here with someone else, you don't have to order food at the same place, just like at a Food Court.

Looking forward when walking in, the grocery store is directly in front of you. Directly to your left are Santuoka and Musashiya. (Directly to your right used to be Matcha Love, a great place for tart ice creams, but it is gone).
Each has a large display of plastic food replicas, making ordering simplified (or overwhelming in my case); some people point at what they would like to eat, as they do with a Denny's menu. I digress.Musashiya, owned by Mitsuwa, (similar to the way Seafood City owns Grill City locations inside the Food Court areas inside their stores) has several meals which are less than $10. This one is chicken teriyaki. They make the sauce from scratch and it isn't too sweet nor is it salty. Just enough. Everything you see comes with it: the potato salad, sliced cabbage, pickles, miso, rice and in the bottom right corner, a piece of tamagoyaki, a layered omelet made with rice vinegar and sugar, which I consider 'dessert'.Santuoka also has a variety of primarily ramen choices for under $10 (the small and regular sizes; the large is closer to $12)( flavors of broth offered are shio, shoyu, miso and spicy miso) and on this (rainy) day, I chose a small bowl of shoyu ramen. The broth flavor is rich and satisfying and the noodles have a good 'tooth'. Eventually there was a day when The Mister could join me and we stepped inside the Marketplace. On the right side there are prepared boxes of meals, along with a microwave if you plan on eating in the food court after paying. There are also two islands of prepared meals and desserts.There is also this fascinating machine (which wasn't working the last two times I was there) that has push button ease (and toppings on the pans to the right) for some instant miso.Eventually we agreed on the above purchases- chicken karaage, Japanese potato salad, seaweed (all sold by the pound) and a chirashizushi bowl (on top of sushi rice) ($8) and a can of hot tea ($1.29). Heated tea cans, as well as refrigerated ones are inside one beautifully designed appliance, also against that right wall.

All in all, a great place to be able to order what you want.

Mitsuwa Marketplace 4240 Kearney Mesa Road San Diego 92111 Mitsuwa website Santuoka Website Musashiya website

COMC Noodle Soup Edition: Revisits to – 777 Noodlehouse, RakiRaki, Santouka, and Sushi Yaro

January 26, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Yeeesh….it's been a tough week and it's only Tuesday. I need my sleep and some time to regroup, so here's a Clearing Out the Memory Card Post for ya……. Not much verbiage…..mostly photos.

777 Noodlehouse:

While I think the Hu Tieu Nam Vang at Ly Heng has surpassed 777, you can't deny this is a good deal for $5.77……though the portion is a bit smaller now.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

RakiRaki:

Can this place even serve the noodles cold upon request? The noodles a bit overcooked….the place a lot over-hyped…..still, if you must, I think the Rikimaru Miso Tonkotsu Tsukemen might be the way to go. I will say, there's much more pork these days and the egg, while still overcooked wasn't tragically dry.

RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Santouka:

Because I had to after checking out the Flagship Store in Asahikawa….yes….we caught the train there.

While the broth and the pork didn't come close to what we had (no Santouka effect this time); I still think this is the best that San Diego has to offer when it comes to ramen.

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

Sushi Yaro:

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Not for sushi…..but I needed a break and dropped by to see Sam and grab a bowl of Soki Soba.

Nothing earth shattering mind you, but I like this style of broth….though it could be a bit richer.

Being really busy means I'm not able to hang with my friends…..I am so looking forward to doing so again soon.

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope you're having a great week!

Revisits: Pho Hut and Hinotez

January 4, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, work has been busy. And there were a couple of cool/rainy days, where I just wanted a bowl of noodle soup, and some quiet. Here's where I went.

Pho Hut and Grill:

I didn't expect much based on my previous visits. I wasn't sure what to order and ended up going with the Mi Sui Cao, dumpling egg noodle soup, not cheap at $8.50, but based on those earlier visits, I really didn't want pho.

The bowl was generous and it was better than I thought it would be.

While the broth was a bit heavy with regards to the MSG, it wasn't bad, decent flavor. The egg noodles were done well…..the dumplings were typical, a bit on an under-performer because all of them were torn open and falling apart. Not bad….but perhaps a bit over-priced in my mind.

Pho Hut & Grill
5252 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Hinotez:

When I want a quiet lunch, I'll sometimes hit up Hinotez. There's usually no one sitting at the bar when I at there if it's early enough. And like other visits, the place was empty. Instead of the usual item I order; the Shio Ramen, I went with the Shoyo Ramen.

This was actually a bit better than the last couple of shio versions I'd had here in the recent past. It was piping hot, had a mild, but not too salty flavor. The egg was decent, but the chashu was again cold and dry. The standard issue noodles were prepared decently….could have been more firm, but was a tad better than average. It won't win any awards, but I wanted a quiet and peaceful meal and I did get that…..

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Yamadaya Finally Opens Downtown

December 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

Just like Cathy and The Mister recently did, I had to perform my civic obligation. That would be Jury Duty.

On the good side, I'd read that Ramen Yamadaya's Downtown location had finally opened. I'd first heard about this back in Spring of 2013. Over a year later, I noted that the sign had finally gone up. They must have run into some major problems…..over two years in the making! Even though my last couple of visits have been less than stellar, I wanted to check them out.

The area look a bit smaller than I thought it would be. There's a three table and four seat "bar" looking area near the entrance and a sunken area with tables and another bar; I didn't see any seats, but am pretty sure they'll be there soon.

Upon arriving, it took a bit to be noticed. I was told to sit anywhere I wanted. The service was friendly, if a bit on the slow side…..going thru those opening jitters.

I went with the Kotteri Tonkotsu, done "Yamadaya Style", which made my bowl $12.95. Wow, more expensive than places I'd been to in Japan like Nagi, Ippudo, and Rokurinsha!

So you're basically getting one extra piece of chashu, another half an egg, and a cube of kakuni pork for three bucks. The broth was actually a bit richer and more flavorful than what I'd had on my previous couple of visits to the Clairemont location. The flavor is still not quite "there" for me. It needs a bit more porkiness and oomph. I forgot to order the noodles "katame" and was punished with weak, soggy noodles. Historically, I've not been impressed with the chashu at Yamadaya. It is often cold, dry, and flavorless. This was actually decent, it was warm, and while still not great, at least it had some flavor. That piece of kakuni was terrible though. Hard and chewy, lacking in flavor. The egg was good, just making the cut in terms of doneness, had some flavor and was also warm, which added to the enjoyment.

In spite of all my criticisms, I believe in terms of broth, this bowl was much better than what I'd recently had at the Clairemont Mesa location. I recognized two of the staff working in the kitchen, though it did take a while to get to my table.

Will I return? Well, it seems that I have jury duty every year, so maybe……if I'm in the area, perhaps. Will I be making a special trip here? Not really…..though I'm sure it's a boon for folks who work and live downtown.

Ramen Yamadaya
531 Broadway San
San Diego, CA 92101