Japanese Restaurants – Page 33

Lunch Revisits: Pho Paradise and Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori

November 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Pho, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

After having the hottest October on record, we've kind of settled into milder weather. Which means pho and ramen can be shoe horned back into lunch.

Pho Paradise:

** Note: Pho Paradise has closed

When Pho Paradise first opened, I thought it had some potential, even thinking that we'd finally get some decent Pho on Convoy. Even though my follow-up visit wasn't quite as good, I still believed they might have been the best pho in the area. So now, over six months later, I was wondering how things would be.

I started with the chicken wings, which looked very pale.

This wasn't too bad, the wings were fairly light and crisp, though sogginess set in rather quickly. A bit too much MSG for my taste, with that strange very salty edging on sweet taste and tongue sensation.

The pho was a disappointing.

This reminded me of the stuff Pho T Cali puts out. Barely any flavors other than being very salty with a very mild hint in the background. It was much too low in fat, the noodles, of which there was a healthy amount of, were over cooked, the proteins had no flavor and the tendon was too hard.

Well, at least the basil and bean sprouts were fresh, right?

In case you have doubts. Here's a bowl from Pho Paradise back in February.

Sad, huh?

Pho Paradise
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori:

I needed a break from the office one Friday and ran over to Yakyudori for an early lunch before the place got too crowded and the Servers too surly. It had been a while since I'd had lunch here and I went with the Friday combo. Chashu Gohan with a Shoyu Ramen.

The pork and rice came in a medium sized miso soup bowl….lots of rice in this though the chashu was good in comparison to what I'd had recently at Okan during lunch. It was tender, had some flavor, and was lukewarm rather than cold. The corn and bean sprouts added texture….but this was mostly a whole lot of rice.

I hadn't had lunch here in a while so I was surprised at the size of the "mini-ramen"….it was more mini that I recalled.

Not that I needed more carbs, but there were maybe three bites of noodles and I really wanted more soup. Overall, this was a decent bowl, just edging on too salty, but quite satisfying and the noodles were prepped well. I should have just gotten the ramen instead of the lunch special.

Since I did it with Pho Paradise, it's only right I do this here too. Here's what the mini ramen used to look like.

No wonder they give you so much rice now. They need to fill you up somehow.

At least they were a bit nicer here than on my previous visits.

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Osaka: Dotonburi and Mizuno

October 22, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Osaka, Travel

We were both excited about staying in Osaka. Even after stopping in Kobe for grade A5 beef for lunch. Wouldn't you get excited about visiting a place whose love for eating is expressed with the term "kuidaore", which means to eat oneself until bankrupt, to ruin one's self with food? In other words….eat until you drop. But first we had to find our apartment. Upon arriving in Osaka we got kind of turned around in Namba Station. Eventually, we just took an exit. We had been instructed to find a taxi at the taxi stand….which proved to be a bit problematic since we didn't know where the heck we were. Seeing a parking lot attendant I asked….in very, very poor Japanese something along the lines of "Takushii noriba wa doko desu ka". The gentleman smiled and made a motion for us to stay jogged away and came back with a cab! There were a couple of these little interactions which led us to believe that folks in Osaka were a more friendly, more outgoing, fun loving, and they all went to the right side of the escalator instead of the left! Go figure. It was a bit of an adventure finding the apartment we were staying at. But we got there, freshened up, checked our location with the map left for us by the apartment's owner….that's the view from the balcony above.

We then headed off……to try and ruin ourselves with food. In Osaka, that meant finding Dōtonbori.

I'm not quite sure how many eateries and bars are located on this street parallel to Dōtonbori and all the arteries and arcades emanating from it; but it must surely number in the hundreds. Along with all the amazing signs it's truly sensory overload.

It gets more boisterous as darkness arrives and the crowds of tourists start mixing in with the locals.

And then there's the sign that I'd seen a hundred times; the mechanical crab that is the sign for Kani Doraku Honten.

This was Osaka and I had a short list of places; none of which were particularly fancy or expensive. The one we both really wanted to try was Mizuno. So there we were, pocket wifi going strong, knowing we were close. In fact there was that dot on the screen….but it seemed we kept walking around that dot. What the heck. Finally, we saw "Mizuno" actually written on a small sign in front of a restaurant, with a pretty good sized line.

Things move pretty quick. Within minutes we were seated behind the customers, menu in hand and placed our order. When seats opened up, they'd have our order, and things would get started rather quickly.

We had ordered the "Popular Set", which included three mini (though not so small) okonomiyaki; a yamaimoyaki, "mizunoyaki", and a negi yaki.

It was a blast watching these guys work…..

The Missus favorite by far was the yamaimoyaki. She loved the lightness, creaminess, and of course, the scallops.

I enjoyed the mizunoyaki (6 ingredients)….well, there's noodles of course.

We noticed that these were much lighter than what I've had here in the states.

We had a blast.

It was delicious and we seriously contemplated returning the next night.

Unfortunately, I think things have changed since we visited. Two people whom I recommended this place to had terrible experiences with surly staff (?!?), undercooked okonomiyaki, and there's now a "no photos" rule in place. Sad if true…..because I would want everyone to have the same great meal we had here.

Mizuno
1-4-15 Dotombori, Chuo-ku
Osaka

After dinner we walked around the area……checking out the bright lights. Just walking up and down the streets is entertainment itself. As the sun set, we could see the Salarymen headed for drinks, dinner, and possibly a long evening. This was fun…..totally different from the just as bright, but quite orderly and quiet Tokyo. Folks were out having a good time laughing and carrying on.

Right across the bridge and over the canal is the major shopping area known as Shinsaibashi. As crazy as Dotonburi was, it was even more packed here.

And as boisterous as we might say folks from Kansai are….they got nothing on the packs of Chinese tourists, whom you could hear loud and clear, and see cutting in front of folks standing in line. Crazy….

There was one shop the Missus just had to check out…….

It was a multi-floor shop full of dog accessories. The Missus was smitten. I was truly afraid She was going to buy something sweaters for Sammy and Frankie. Sheesh……

Man, I was getting tired.

It was time to head back.

I was starting to feel like this little guy.

We walked the half mile or so back to the apartment. And while we could make out the bright lights of Dotonburi from the patio, it was quite and peaceful. A world away from the crowds of Dotonburi….

Thanks for reading!

Asian Star in Yuma 4 Years Later

October 21, 2015 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Ed (from Yuma) revisits a restaurant in Yuma today. Kirk and Cathy are happily doing something else.

I feel like it's time for me to start posting about the Chinese/Asian restaurants in town again because things have been changing. In fact, the only local Chinese restaurant that over the years really hasn't changed (well except for higher prices) is a favorite of mine, Yummy Yummy, a Mexicali style Cantonese hole in the wall that is still doing well.

On the other hand, back in 2011 when I first posted about it, Asian Star was a stylish new restaurant with a sophisticated space, SGV type service, and generally good Chinese, Thai, and Japanese food. Since then, however, I heard that they lost their chef and I had two poor meals, so I had not wanted to go back until their latest menu arrived in the mail and piqued my interest. Okay, time to check it out again.

The exterior is unchanged:

The ambience and decor are still pleasant:

I decided to start with lunch specials that all come with your choice of soups. The egg drop is properly eggy:

The hot and sour soup was balanced and flavorful:

The miso soup had little miso flavor, but a lot of little tofu cubes, a few pieces of seaweed, and a nice light broth:

When the Phad Thai lunch special landed in front of me, I was kind of amazed by the weirdly pink tone of the noodles:

Okay, I guess. Mostly sweet and hot. Not a great version of the dish, lacking the complexity and interplay among the various elements of excellent Phad Thai. On the other hand, I was pleased by the sizable amount of tender chicken, shrimps, and fried egg that were hiding under the noodles:

The shrimp and vegetable lunch special looked pretty normal:

There was a nice selection of vegetables, but the mushrooms and carrots seemed undercooked while the shrimp were overcooked and dried out. Not terrible, but overall meh.

Here is a shrimp tempura bento box:

Those two cubes in the middle of the box had a pleasant seafoody flavor and a faux scallop texture. The best part of the lunch.

In the upper right corner was shrimp and vegetable "tempura":

Except for being deep-fried, this has little relationship to real tempura. The vegetables were heavily breaded and a bit greasy. I liked the juiciness of the mushroom and the freshness of the zucchini slice. On the other hand, the thin slices of eggplant and carrot were lost in fried batter. The shrimp had a bit of Panko crunch, but were desiccated and flavorless.

Look at the salad:

The ice cold iceberg lettuce tasted like crunchy cold water. The dressing was mostly pure gloppy goo without much redeeming flavor. For some reason, every time I look at this picture I think about the last time our dog was sick.

Even the rice was disappointing:
Odorless, flavorless, and chalky.

The worst component of the meal, the California roll, actually looked promising:

Pick up a piece, add a touch of wasabi, dip one corner into soy sauce, pop into the mouth, chew, and begin to swallow – and then OMG, the overwhelming taste and odor of foul ammonia throughout the mouth and nose. Yuck!

Yuckyyuckyyuckyaarghghghgh.

Without question, the worst California roll I have ever tasted.

In the worst bento box I have ever been served.

Your results might differ – for your sake, I hope so. But I have no plans to return.

I do not enjoy badmouthing local eateries. However, . . .

Jinya Ramen Bar – Pacific Beach

October 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** This location of Jinya Ramen Bar has closed

About the same time Nishiki Ramen opened with a great deal of hype, the first location of Jinya Ramen Bar opened in PB, to what seemed to be a lot less fanfare. Maybe it's me, but I think many were paying attention to the upcoming Hillcrest location. Jinya has several locations in LA and one in Vegas. And while Jinya has Jonathan Gold's seal of approval, the locations in LA seem kind of interesting; Studio City, Santa Monica, and now here in Pacific Beach.

My memory might be foggy, but I think a couple of businesses ago this was the location of Ed from Yuma's favorite Thai Restaurants, Karinya.

Man, this was one nice restaurant….looking very modern gastro-pubbish…….

Nice bar area….and very friendly folks…even though one of them did call it "Tonkatsu style Ramen"….

This young lady eating at the bar was really funny. After trying with chopsticks for a few minutes, she waved the white flag and asked for a fork.

I thought the menu, besides the ramen quite interesting…there were the "classics", rice bowls, chicken karaage….and other items I would never have ever thought of seeing in a ramen joint. Quinoa Salad, anyone? Well, the Missus does like Her quinoa, which She really started enjoying in Peru back in 2007.

Of course I got some ramen. I decided on the Jinya Tonkotsu Black ($10.80).

The bowls were very nice; though I did notice that the actual portion size of the ramen might be a tad smaller than it actually looks. First off, the egg was nicely flavored, but over-cooked, the yolk dry. Speaking of over-cooked, the Hakata style noodles were also not to my liking, being too soft and mushy. The chashu was nice, but could have used more flavor. The broth wasn't hot enough, which led to this really rich pork tonkotsu developing a "skin" rather quickly and also attaining a greasy texture. Too much bitter garlic messed up the flavor as well…don't get me wrong, I love garlic, but this was a bit too much for me.

I could tell the ramen had potential and all the hiccups could be remedied. After all, they had just opened.

Seeing Pig Ear Chicharron ($8.50), I just had to order it.

I really enjoyed this dish. The pig ears were fried crisp and rather light. The harissa added a nice flavor and the fried, crisp kale was nice as well. The onsen tamago threw me at first as it was ice cold. But it was beautifully runny and added a nice creamy-richness to the whole mess…..it was a lovely mess.

I was pleased enough with what I had, that I was actually able to talk the Missus (who was quite dubious of going to PB for ramen) into having an early dinner here.

The main selling point being the Tempura Brussel Sprouts ($5.80). The Missus loves Her Brussel Sprouts. At one point last year, I was making bacon fat sautéed Brussel Sprouts in a balsamic reduction 3-4 times a week!

The Missus likes Her tempura either light and feathery, or full on thick and crunchy. This was the latter. The Missus also loves truffle oil…guess what was drizzled on these? This was quite good, though I couldn't help but think how good a tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce) would go with these as well. No complaints from the Missus.

Her Pork Chashu Bowl ($8.00) was quite large.

That egg was quite good, cooked nicely. The sauce was also decent and the rice cooked well. The pork was on the dry side, but passable. I don't think we'll have this again though.

We won't be having the Caramelized Cauliflower ($5.80) either.

I think of cauliflower as being a wonderful palette for different flavors, but this seemed uninspired….not roasted nearly enough, with too much citrus that just overwhelmed the whole dish.

This time, I got the Tonkotsu Assari ($8.80). When I think of Assari Ramen I think of a light broth. This was still a bit thicker than what I expected, but I'm not complaining.

The broth was nice and porky while perhaps on the higher end of the sodium scale, but not terribly so. The broth coated my tongue nicely and I'd say it was better than what I've had recently at Yamadaya. The thicker (it's all relative) noodles were prepared well, nice and al dente, a touch of chew to them. You can tell that the egg this time around was better as well. The chashu was the same as before. Overall, this was a much better bowl of ramen……

Of course I got the Pig Ears, but the Missus, who loved the egg, kale, and harissa, didn't care for the pig ears, which weren't quite as good as on my previous visit.

Strange. What She really wants is something crisp on the exterior, but still having that crunchy-chewiness in the exterior. She believes that doing this to pig ears defeats the purpose of using it as an ingredient. Of course conversation went to the fantastic pig ears we had in Hiroshima, but that was a totally different prep. Oh well, I'll still be ordering this.

Strangely, Jinya wasn't very crowded on either visit, but it could because they've recently opened and we usually eat fairly early. As with my previous visit, people watching is half the fun. I'm wondering if they had some kind of doll making class nearby…otherwise this photo of the young lady having ramen while her doll "watches" seems kind of weird.

It seems like Jinya is trying to please a variety of different folks…quinoa salad, craft beer, and French fries on one hand….the classic trio of ramen, gyoza, and rice bowls on the other. Who knows, they might just pull this off. I know I'll have to return….especially since I totally forgot to try the karaage!

Jinya Ramen Bar
825 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Nishiki Ramen – A First Look

September 30, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Folks know I'm not real keen on being among the first in the door when a place opens. But sometimes curiosity gets the better of me and with all the hype Nishiki Ramen was getting…when Candice asked me if I was up for lunch…..during their soft opening; I just couldn't help myself. Still, I tempered my expectations. I mean, even my initial visit to Santouka when they first opened was not very good….and we really don't need to mention Dumpling Hut.

The interior of the shop is wide open and there were perhaps just a dozen people in front of us….something to do with the 1230 opening I think.

The young guys working here are very nice; friendly, pretty well versed in the product, and kept our waters filled….I know; it's a soft opening….but isn't that the purpose of doing that?

The menu for today was simply one ramen ($10), boiled egg is extra ($2), something called "Volcano Sauce" ($1.50) and Chicken Karaage ($7).

So this is the one time I can accurately claim to have had everything on the menu!

So after all the hype over the noodles???? I gotta say, it delivered; nice pull and chew, great texture, maybe the best I've had since Ippudo in Osaka. That red paste in the little bowl is the Volcano Sauce, basically a mildly spicy bean/miso paste which tasted like Gochujang. Overpowers anything in the ramen, but was decent on the chicken karaage. The broth was chicken forward; I believe it's a pork-chicken combination, it's not too thick, but also not overly salty (I was told no MSG is used). Really nice flavor, the black sesame oil was pretty mild. I think it's better than RakiRaki's Premium Ramen. The Chashu is sliced a bit too thin for my tastes. It's very tender and moist, but needs a bit more flavoring. I really couldn't detect any special flavor from the "sea salt seasoning" for the egg; but it was prepared perfectly. My favorite thing? The noodles…..

The Chicken Karaage had nice flavor, but wasn't light and crisp like I prefer.

It's passable but nowhere near as good as my favorites…it's missing a nice deep savory flavor, but did fine dipped in the Volcano Sauce.

While I think the prices are on the high side, I do think I have another place for my ramen rotation. Enjoyed the service, and really liked the noodles. I understand that there's another, thicker version that I'm looking forward to trying.

I'm glad to have had a chance to check this place out. I was told that the planned grand opening is scheduled for Sunday, October 4th. Until then it's the limited menu.

Nishiki Ramen
8055 Armour St
San Diego, CA 92111

Nigiri Break at Sushi Yaro

September 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Man, it has been a tough week. I decided to give my self a break and headed over to Sushi Yaro. It had been a while. I arrived right at opening, so as not to tax Sam and the staff too much.

I simply told Sam, "can I just get 8 pieces of nigiri……you choose". This turned out to be quite a meal. It seems like Sam's recent trip to Japan has energized him a bit and he's trying a few new things.

Anyway, here are the photos…..

That Sunazuri Hamachi was really good.

At the end of the meal I saw Sam laughing to himself……he then passed this to me. Sheesh…what the heck… It was like a half piece of unagi. I put my chopsticks next to for scale.

Apparently one of Sam's sushi stops in Tokyo made something like this…….

Needless to say; this was a very nice meal and it really hit the spot. Sam needs to take trips more often I think!

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Yakitori Taisho

September 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I guess we've finally settled back into a regular routine.

Toronado and Tiger Tiger on Fridays or Saturdays and Yakitori Taisho.

I've done more than enough posts on the place, so you can refer back to those for details.

A couple of updated details, then it's basically just C(learing) O(ut) the M(emory) C(ard).

It's kind of a bummer since we like to eat early, but from Tuesdays thru Saturdays they now open at 6pm. Sundays at 5pm.

Also, Taka now has Thursdays off….I've been there when his back-up is working at it's just not the same. There's something about the almost anal attention Taka pays to what he's grilling…..and you can tell the difference.

Anyway….more photos.

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Sat 6pm – 1130pm
Sunday 6pm – 10pm

What’s My Craving? Hinotez……

August 31, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japanese Restaurants, yoso-silly

This past Saturday I went out to fill the "honey do" list. It was :meat day" at Nijiya and since I was going to grill later that afternoon I had all kinds of shopping to do. We like to take advantage of our grilling time and make multiple dishes, and since it was so hot, I'd be roasting vegetables over the charcoal. It was a typical day, Starting at Sprouts, then Marukai, then 99 Ranch Market (Da Boyz needed rice). It was still too early for Nijiya and I didn't want to seem too excited about meat day and be there when the doors open.

Every so often I miss the typical breakfast I'd have when visiting my maternal Grandparents or on special weekends. To copy a passage from an earlier post on Fukagawa Soba & Udon:

"One of the earliest (and few) memories I have of my grandparents, is my "Ji-chan" (grandfather) waking before dawn. Even though the plantation days were behind them; the plantation ways were still strong. Neither Grandparent spoke much English and always had problems with my name. Ironically, they ended up calling me "Keiki" (which means "child" in Hawaiian). To this day I'm not sure if they actually knew what keiki meant, or of they just chose that word because it kinda sounded like my name, and was something they'd heard before. Anyway, my job was to climb the ricketty ladder up to papaya tree and pick two of the ripe papayas. My reward? My Grandmother would have a steaming bowl of rice, mix the raw egg with shoyu, pour the egg over the rice, top with green onions and mix……. tamago meshi. This in turn was topped with natto. I was also given half a papaya (to help me digest), and a cup of coffee (!!! I was maybe 7-8 years old) with tons of cream and sugar. A perfect breakfast for getting out there and working the fields……."

It's the breakfast of champions…… To my knowledge, the only place that serves anything like this in San Diego is Hinotez which opens at 8 am every morning.

It's a pick your poison kind of menu. A base with whatever you want to add for additional cost. What I ordered used to be six bucks and now that I add one other item, is now seven. Still cheaper than a sandwich at most places.

I get the three minute egg (not quite the raw egg, but it'll do), natto, and for some reason I love the extra "goo" of tororo (grated mountain yam). If anything, it's too much rice for me. I think in the future, I'll ask for less rice and more green onions.

First goes the egg…then the tororo…which is mixed together with the rice, then the natto, green onions and shoyu.

It's such a lovely mess of a breakfast.

I'm glad it's not one of those Japanese breakfasts we had in Japan. I would have just driven back home after eating and go back to sleep!

I do love my Spam and my Loco Mocos; though I enjoy both in moderation. But it's this breakfast that takes me back to where I come from and what I am. The grandson of immigrant plantation workers who toiled in the fields for Maui Pine.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Post #2999: Some Sashimi and the “Big List”

August 29, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

It was nice of some of you to notice that out 10th year "blogga-versary" came and went back in May. I guess we'd celebrate….but it seems that we're never home and I kinda stopped all that stuff a few years back. I did notice however that we were coming up to post #3000 soon. Considering that I started this little blog with no objective in mind….it was the suggestion of Reid from Ono Kine Grindz (we miss you man). His blog really hit home for an expat Kama'aina….the things I missed, the food mainly. So I just started typing…and we haven't stopped since.

With that milestone in sight, I decided to finish something I started back at the end of 2012….yes, 2012. I call it the "Big List". It's a listing of all the restaurants (I might have missed a few) that we've done posts on going back to the beginning. I completed it a few weeks ago. It's an interesting list and you can find it under pages on our sidebar. I've also included photos that were sitting around in folders that for some reason I forgot to delete, or have posted only to my Flickr account. For me, it's the listing of places that have closed (at the bottom) that brings back a nostalgic feeling….. Thanks to the folks who have already noticed it and commented. Please check it out and let me know what you think. I'll try to create pages for our travels as well.

I can't go further without thanking Cathy and Ed from Yuma. Without their help, this blog would not exist. It is as much their blog as mine. Much has changed over the years; social media and instant delivery (and gratification) has taken over….we just keep chugging along. Just think, we started in 2005; the first iPhone was released in 2007, Twitter was launched in 2006, remember MySpace?

Anyway, I decided to celebrate and went to Sushi Yaro and had some sashimi.

This is after all, still a food blog.

I'm not sure if anyone has been with us since the beginning, but a really warm mahalo to you if you've been here all these years.

And just to go off on one of my usual digressions, Sammy and Frankie have been along for the ride the entire way. And this gets me thinking about when they first became part of the family.

As always….thanks so much for visiting, reading, and commenting….all these years!

What’s My Craving? Kayaba

August 24, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

**** Kayaba has closed

Every so often I get the craving for some Tonkatsu. And my go-to, based on price and execution is Kayaba. And so I headed to Mitsuwa Marketplace and waited my turn in line for my Tonkatsu ($8.50). What I got was rather surprising.

Notice how dark the cutlet is? Man, this was totally fried to death….and maybe beyond. The panko breading was hard as rock….it had separated from the meat during the cooking process. There were actually gaps between the breading and the protein, which by the way, was dry as heck.

Bad technique and poor quality control, what a bummer. I've usually had decent meals at Kayaba and I'm hoping this is just an off day. At least the potato salad was as good as ever….but I didn't pay like nine bucks for a scoop of potato salad.

Much like my previous craving, this one goes unfulfilled…….

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 – In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111