Category: Korean Restaurants

BibimBoom! (Mira Mesa)

Korean Restaurants

The Missus was wanting some Bi Bim Bap recently. I’d heard about a place that specialized in dolsot bi bim bap in the strip mall that houses Cali Baquette Express on Mira Mesa Blvd. The Missus, who is not usually up to trying out new places sounded interested so we headed on over.

Well, the place has the interesting name of BibimBoom???? Hmmm……

We entered and were directed to one of the booths by the nice young man working. The place is nicely lit, tables well spaced. He brought over menus.

Which covered the dishes offered and were written in English, Korean, and Chinese. The items offered were broken up into what appears to be their own “periodic table”. Based on what type of tableware was used.

This was actually not giving us particularly good vibes as it seemed a bit “fusionized”? But we carried on and placed our order.

Panchan then arrived.

The baechu kimchi tasted somewhat fermented and was the best of what was offered. The Oi (cucumber kimchi) was the worse…tasting like some Persian Cucumbers were sliced and dumped into a kimchi based. It lacked spice or pungent tones and even seemed to need slat. This was not a great start to the meal.

Until the first item arrived. Mind this sign….it’s not a lie!

It did take a while for the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap ($21.50) to arrive.

It looked quite typical. The bugogi is on the chewy side, but decently marinated with that salty-soy-sweetness, with a hint of ginger.

There’s a ton of rice in this, but the cho-jang helps to solve that problem..

That stone bowl is no joke….it’ll start developing a really nice rice crust in no time flat. So, if you’re into that….as the Missus is, you might enjoy this.

We also dumped the baechu kimchi into the bowl…and when the young man came and got us refills, that second portion of panchan went in as well. I’m not quite sold on this, but the Missus really likes that rice crust.

Our second dish soon arrived; the Kimchi Jeon (kimchi pancake – $14.50). This was our least favorite item during this meal.

Not sure what kind of flour they use, it has a very cheesy texture and other then the edges lacked crispness. It actually stringed up like cheese when you pulled the soggy-mushy slices apart and wouldn’t even crisp up when brushed with oil in our air fryer. It could have used more spice-sour-savory tones…well, let’s put it as it could have used more flavor period.

It took a while for our final dish to arrived; the Dak Kalbi ($21.50). Please note that we ordered this without the cheese which would have been poured over the rice. Sorry, but it’s really not our thing.

This was our favorite overall item of the meal. The pan was super hot and it caramelized the onions and created some nice crispy bits as well. The spice level was nice, good savory tones, a hint of sweetness, and pleasant sour tones as well.

A nice bonus was the Tteokbokki (rice cake) which, when rested on the super hot pan developed a nice crust, thus you’d end up with a crisp exterior and creamy-chewy interior.

As we were eating, we noticed several other parties arriving. There was only one Server and he was soon overwhelmed. We felt pretty bad for him.

Overall, an interesting meal. The Missus had enjoyed the bi bim bap and we both enjoyed the dak kalbi, so we decided to return. Again, it was an 11am arrival in case it was just the young man working. This time there was another young lady.

We again ordered three dishes. This time the panchan consisted of four items. That oi kimcchi was still terrible; but the baechu kimchi seemed a bit more fermented and sour this time around.

The first to arrived was the Yuk Jeon ($16.50). On our previous visit; I’d seen yuk jeon on the menu and got a bit excited…….being from HNL, you know of my love for “meat jun”, which is also something the Missus now loves as well. So, we decided to order that….which ended up being a mistake.

The sauce on the strips of scallion was very nice. But that beef was like leather…I mean, really like leather. You could not tear it apart with your teeth. You’d end up wrapping it and then putting the whole piece in your mouth hoping you’d be able to chew it. The batter was terrible and mushy and the beef hadn’t been marinated adequately.

It was a bit of a break before our next dish arrived. This time we had ordered the Salt & Scallion Pork Bowl ($20.50).

The amount of pork was generous and again there was a ton of rice sizzling away in that molten stone bowl. The pork was simply seasoned, which was quite nice and was decently tender. The typical soy sauce-vinegar-sesame oil sauce went really well with this.

Again, we had a wonderful crust develop; though our waiting made the egg get a bit too overcooked for our taste.

This was not bad. Though we needed more sauce.

We got the Dak Kalbi without cheese on the rice again. This time it was missing the Tteokbokki.

The chicken was more tender this time around; but also a lot more salty.

It seems that YMMV here, though if you like your rice crust, this might be your kind of thing. They seemed short staffed and there were inconsistencies with the dishes and timing.

There was also one really “interesting” thing I noticed when taking our leftovers home from our first meal. It was the bag…check it out.

I was a bit surprised…I didn’t see the typical “living wall/logo” decor that places like Viet Nom and Formoosa have. They weren’t doing that get a free dessert with a Yelp review…but you have to show your Server the review first things here. And yet, looking back, I could see the “concept” approach. I checked out the SDB (i.e. “we can make any kind of Asian cuisine”) Restaurant Website and this place wasn’t listed. So perhaps they are rising above being the Consortium Holdings of Asian Cuisine and I should actually try Flama Llama and Bok Bok Dok? Of course, CH does have one restaurant we think is decent, so…..

What do you think?

BibimBoom!
9225 Mira Mesa Blvd.
110 San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Sun 11am – 915pm
Mon – Tues 11am – 9pm
Wed – Thurs 11am – 915pm
Fri -Sat 11am – 1015pm

Pelicana Chicken and Sieu Sieu BBQ Revisited

Chains, Chicken Wings, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Just a couple of recent revisits.

Pelicana Chicken:

Way back when I did my post on Pelicana…like over three years ago now! I did 2 takeout visits and really wasn’t impressed. Though fellow blogger Soo commented that the chicken there is much better dining in. Which I can understand. So now several years later; in the mood for some KFC, I dropped by.

There was basically one very sweet young lady working. She greeted me and led me to a table. These days, ordering is done via a tablet……I’m sure it saves labor costs.

Anyway, I preferred the Original Fried Wings to the Crunchy for takeout, so that’s what I ordered.

Some water was brought to the table and interestingly, no mul kimchi…I guess they’ve changed it up for shredded cabbage with sesame dressing?

The wings arrived, nice and hot.

The lacquered wings were over battered for my taste, crunchy, but got soggy quickly and a bit on the greasy side. Other than salt, still very mild in flavor. I just wanted to taste the chicken without it obscured by sauces. At least the flesh though chewy, was moist, but there was still a good amount of darkened meat.

Good sized, but I think I’ll pass on Pelicana in the future.

Pelicana Chicken
7767 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Sieu Sieu BBQ:

So, on New Year’s Day, the Missus suddenly wanted Roast Duck??? Sending me out on a mission. I dropped by several places, some of which were out of duck, others had massive lines. I took a peek at Sieu Sieu and there were only three people in line, so I decided this was where we’d get our last minute NYDuck.

There were several of these folks hanging around….

In fact a woman and a young man; who I believe is her son picked up two of them! Came to over $600! Now that better be a “porky pig”!

When I got to order my duck; the woman told me “today, only whole duck, no half…..” So, that’s what happened. Got a whole duck, $34.99. Really not a bad price for these days…..

A bit better than what we’d had on our previous visit. Very meaty and on the drier side. The skin wasn’t quite as rubbery as before, but like the meat, in need of more flavor.

Good thing we had a lot of jus…..

And the air fryer….it was still on the bland side….

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Honolulu – Ireh Restaurant

Honolulu, Korean Restaurants, Oahu, Travel

So, after our revisit to the Alley and Ko Olina we actually went to Australia, before returning to Oahu. But recently, Bruddah Kimo asked me if there were other places than Kimchi II to get some Meat Jun. He is staying at Pagoda Hotel. Well, during our return from Australia we actually stayed again at the Ala Moana Hotel. The Missus had finally taken to meat jun during this trip and I had heard of a place right on the corner of Ke’eaumoku and Makaloa in the Azure Condo complex named Ireh. So, I’m kinda doing this one out of sequence so that Kimo can get an idea…..ok?

So yes, we were staying in the Ala Moana Hotel, yet again. Because of our stays at Accor Hotels, I had a nice discount and got us an upgraded room.

Even had a kitchen….but nah…I’m “home”…I going eat out….

Still, it was comfortable room and I didn’t get the “Ji-chan treatment” (jjk) when we checked in.

With our some what jetlagged schedules going, we wanted an early dinner. I asked the Missus what She wanted and wouldn’t you know it! She wanted Meat Jun! You gotta love it!

A couple of places came to mind. Choi’s Family Kitchen used to be a favorite way back when I lived in McCully and they used to be on King Street, but we didn’t feel like driving. I searched a bit and noticed that there was a place name Ireh right on the corner of Ke’eaumoku and Makaloa. It’s a huge condo complex now; but I remember when Green Papaya and a Jewelry Store used to occupy a small two story building on the corner.

Anyway, we walked on in…since it was still early, the place was pretty empty. The woman working greeted me in Korean! I had to crack up…..my friends used make fun of me because I’d often get mistaken for being Korean when I lived in HNL!

Anyway, we were seated and handed menus; but the Missus had already made up Her mind. Since it was pretty warm I got the BiBim Naengmyun.

The baechu kimchi revealed that this was more of a true “Korean” restaurant, than a local style one. It was more pickled, but still had some fermented tones to it. The Yangpa Jjangachi had good soy-garlic-slightly sour tones and was kinda refreshing.

The Bibim Naengmyun ($16.95) was a disappointment.

The noodles weren’t very stretchy….there was no need for scissors for these. The sauce was quite watered down, having more of the sweeter mul naengmyun type of flavor. It really needed some umph!

This made me somewhat worried about the Meat Jun ($18.95), but it was quite good.

A pretty large portion of meat jun. Which was on top of the rice, which was a bit on the hard side. But of course, this was about the beef….

The dipping sauce was good; savory soy, a hint of palate cleansing vinegar.

As for the meat….this was quite good. It was very tender, the savory egg batter batter had spots of light crispness rather than the usual sogginess. The marinade had flavored the meat well; soy sauce, some sweetness, a hint of garlic.

The Missus really enjoyed this and She said it was a step above Kimchi II. Hmmm………

Ireh Restaurant
629 Ke’eaumoku St. Suite 104
Honolulu, HI 96814
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 10pm

Bruddah Kimo; if you check this place out, let me know what you think?

Chodang Tofu & BBQ (In the HMart Food Court – Balboa)

Korean Restaurants

In my last post on Woomiok, “FOY” Mar mentioned checking out the recently opened Chodang Tofu & BBQ in the Hmart Food Court. Now, what little I do know is that Chodang is an area of Gangneung that is famous for….well, their soondubu, At the time of the posting and comment, the weather was a bit too warm for that dish. But turn the page and a few weeks later, with the rain…well, things have become rather chilly…at least by San Diego terms. So, the Missus and I thought we’d go and check out Chodang.

Chodang opens at 1030 and the always busy food court in HMart was pretty mellow at a few minutes after 11.

We walked on over and took a look at the menu….and whoa; I think the prices at Chodang is the highest of any of the stands in the food court!

The prices look pretty much in line with places like Woomiok, Yuk Dae Jang, and Prime Grill….like $32 for bulgogi!

I got the Soondubu with Beef Short Rib ($21.99), the Missus was craving some Samgyetang, the Chicken Ginseng Soup ($23.99). I placed our order then we grabbed a seat. The eating area filled up pretty quickly.

After a short wait, the buzzer thingy went off and we went to get our trays.

The Samgyetang was a whole small chicken. The panchan was not good; the baechu kimchi was more pickled than fermented, the cucumber kimchi was definitely of the quick-pickle variety and was on the sweet side. There was a generous portion of rice, which was on the mushy side. The best item was the little portion of pajun…the fried pancake.

As for the Samgyetang…..well, I warned the Missus that I don’t think this would be close to what we had in Seoul….but to be honest; this was not even in the same ballpark. First off, the chicken was super tough and chewy, totally lacking in flavor.

The broth was very thin and bland, lacking in the savory-herbal-chicken flavor. This really needed the salt and pepper that was provided….but it still wasn’t enough. Where was the earthy-herbaceous-bitterness of ginseng?

The best thing about the dish was the glutinous rice that was stuffed in the chicken.

It seemed to have leeched at the poultry flavor from the dish.

As for my Soondubu….well…pretty much the same result.

That fried fish was gummy, it needed some crispness.

Two nice beef ribs; which seemed to have had all the beefiness sucked out of it, so bland! On the chewy side as well. The tofu was very soft and “buttery”, but lacking in the nice “beaniness” we enjoy in dubu.

The soup….I dare not call this thin – watery broth a “stew”, was truly lacking in rich-savory tones. I got it spicy; but that was on the mild side as well.

The egg was a travesty…..boiled to death and seemed like it had been “smushed”.

I’ll quit there…… for fifty bucks without tip…this was very disappointing.

Chodang was founded in the US (in Cerritos – though I recall seeing one of the stands in Irvine), and is rapidly expanding across the US, so it must be pretty popular, but this was not a meal the Missus and I enjoyed. Needless to say; I don’t see us returning.

Chodang Tofu & BBQ (in the Hmart Food Court)
7725 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 1030am – 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!

Yuk Dae Jang Time…..

Korean Restaurants

Well, it’s been pretty warm the last two days, huh? Coming from weather that was 45 degrees, well, we really feel it! Anyway, thought it might be a good time to get a post on our recent revisit to Yuk Dae Jang done.

The Missus was wanting the Premium Bossam in House Special Sauce from Yuk Dae Jang again. And having had the BiBim Naengmyun from Prime Grill and Woomiok, I thought trying the version at YDJ would be nice, so we headed on over.

The Missus ordered the Premium Bossam in the House Special Soy Sauce ($39.99) and I got the Bi Bim Naegnmyun. At $18.99 it was the most expensive of the three I had.

The young folks working here are always very nice and gracious and soon enough our panchan started arriving.

Like on previous visits; the baechu kimchi does not taste fermented and is pretty weak. The Missus does like the pungent-salty qualities of the buchu muchim, chive panchan and I think the eomuk bokkeum, the fishcake panchan, which is doused with a spicy marinade is pretty good.

As for the Naegnmyun. Well, this version had quite a bit of meat. In this case brisket; which was on the chewy side. Like Woomiok, both the gochugaru and naengmyun sauce was mixed in the bowl. The gochugaru had a nice kick and the sauce wasn’t overly sweet. The boiled egg was fully boiled but not overly so. The noodles were super “stretchy”. While Prime Grill is my current favorite, this was not bad.

As for the bossam?

It came with the standard panchan; the Missus enjoyed that super astringent-pungent garlic and really likes the onions soaking in the savory-slightly sweet- soy based sauce that the pork belly resides in. For some reason, the onions have an almost sweet taste to them.

Purple rice was provided….the Missus took most of this home.

The pork is toothsome and we think that the sauce brings out the flavor of the pork. Wrapping some of the onions, chive, and radish bossam in a slice of pork makes for quite a bite.

The sauce makes this a nice and refreshing dish. And for some reason, taking the leftovers home and having it soak in that sauce makes for a really nice appetizer the following day!

Yuk Dae Jang
7307 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesday

What have you been having to beat the heat over the last couple of days?

Prime Grill Revisited

Korean Restaurants

A few weeks ago, the Missus and I decided to revisit a couple of our favorite Korean restaurants. The Missus was craving the dolstop bi bim bap and I wanted some bibim naengmyun. Prime Grill has been our favorite stop for these dishes for a while now. So, we decided to stop by for lunch.

Hard to believe that it had been over a year since our last visit. My how time flies.

The place was empty when we arrived, but quickly filled up. The same group of “ajumma” were working…..all business…you don’t mess with them!

Taking a look at prices….I know that my Bibim Naengmyun was the same as on my last visit ($16.99), but I think the Dolsot Bibimbap has gone up a dollar ($19.99). We’re still reeling from the $26 Dolsot BiBimBap at Jeju in Carmel….which didn’t even have meat in it!

Soon after our order the panchan and gyeran jjim (steamed egg) arrived.

The Baechu kimchi was looked kind of mild, but had a nice fermented-acidic-sour flavor. It was the best of the bunch. The Missus didn’t care for the over-mayo’s poatato salad, and She’s never been a fan of Eomuk-bokkeum, the typical stir-fried fishcake panchan – so those ended up being all mine.

She does however, really enjoy the gyeran jjim, which was really fluffy, somewhat savory and “eggy”.

She does enjoy some sesame oil on this, but has learned from our previous experience with the Ajumma here, to not request any for this. She polished off almost all of it Herself.

This was basically enough to fill Her up. Meanwhile, Her BiBimBap was sizzling away in the dolsot.

She has the soup, and then poured the juice from the baechu kimchi on top of things and gave it a good mix. Our baechu kimchi was refilled and the Missus went and poured that into the bibimbap. It developed a nice crust…..but the Missus was pretty full by this time and most of this went home.

As for me….well, this is probably my favorite BiBim Naengmyun.

I enjoy the spicy-sourness of this version the best. There’s a hint of sweetness. Once I’ve had my fill, I can temper things with the cold soup that’s provided on the side. The endless elasticity of the naegmyun can be a challenge; but that’s part of the enjoyment. A “four cut” with shears are a must, unless you want to have that “one” endless noodle that will not break noodle splashing your shirt with sauce as you try to consume it while trying to sever it with your teeth! A good mix coats all the noodles.

I really don’t need the hot mustard nor the vinegar that’s provided.

The Asian pear, cucumbers, and the meat add textural contrast and hints of additional flavor. I find this refreshing and satisfying on a hot day.

We both really enjoyed our lunch. There was a time when I enjoyed this dish at Buga. But sadly, after the change of ownership; things just haven’t been the same. So these days, it’s Prime Grill for these dishes. Though, if you’ve got a fave; please let me know!

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 10pm

Road Trip – Revisits to Industrial Eats (Buellton) and Alchemist Garden (Paso Robles), and Lunch at Jeju Kitchen (Carmel)

American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Korean Restaurants, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Taco Shops

Back in April/May, we took a two week Road Trip with JJ. He’d already proven himself during our road trips to June Lake, Morro Bay/Cambria and to Scottsdale/Winslow/Lake Havasu among others. We were basically doing a road trip every month and this “two-weeker” would cover two months!

This one was more “my thing” as I’m more of a city/coast kinda guy. Our northern destination was Mendocino.

Our “first leg” was going to be to a place now familiar to us Paso Robles. We decided to go up via the 101 and stop for lunch at another place I’ve posted on twice already; Industrial Eats in Buellton.

We had the same two dishes as on our last visit; the Smoked Duck Salad and Miso Cod. Both were just as delicious as what we’d had last time.

We’re still not quite sure what that avocado is for; but the cod is so buttery and the mushrooms add a wonderful earthiness.

From Buellton, it was an easy hour-and-a-half to Paso Robles. Since we started doing so many road trips during Covid; Paso Robles has become a favorite stop for us.

This time, with JJ in tow, we decided to stay at the Paso Robles Inn, which is right across the street from the Downtown City Park.

It was fairly pricey; but the location was great, as were the grounds….JJ was fascinated by the Koi Pond.

Our room wasn’t that great, the noise from upstairs and the rooms next door were fairly loud. So, while we loved the location; we’d try and find a different place to stay at the next time…..

Paso Robles Inn
1103 Spring St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Of course, once we settled in we headed out.

We enjoy stopping in at the Paso Robles General Store…….which is dog friendly.

And they stock Paso Almonds which are a must buy for snacks and gifts when we get back home.

General Store Paso Robles
841 12th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

As for dinner….well, our favorite restaurant in Paso; Les Petites Canailles is not dog friendly; so we thought we’d just grab some eats at what is possibly my favorite Cocktail Bar in California; Alchemist Garden; which I’ve already posted on three times! Though this would be the first time we’d actually be having a full meal there. We got a table on the patio so JJ could hang out with us.

Of course the cocktails were awesome!

We were pleasantly surprised at the food as well. The Bone Marrow was very buttery and though we had doubts about the Cherry Onion Jam; the sheet-acidity really paired well with the marrow.

It was also “Taco Tuesday”….so we ordered one each of the Shrimp, Duck, Chicken, and Skirt Steak Taco. Our expectations were very low….but man; the corn tortillas were decent and held up well. And the meats; especially the skirt steak and the shrimp, with a perfectly crunchy-crisp batter and tender shrimp were very good!

The skirt steak was topped with harissa; which had an almost kimchi like sour-spiciness….surprisingly good. We could even deal with the sour cream on the tacos as well!

Such a nice surprise and meal!

The Alchemists’ Garden
1144 Pine St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

The following morning we headed out to our next stop Carmel By the Sea. But first we decided to make a stop at Fiscalini Ranch. We had really enjoyed the easy trails and the views before, so we thought JJ might have fun. This time we did the Marine Terrace and Bluff Loop Trail.

Which JJ enjoyed!

And the views on the bluff trail are lovely.

And the wildflowers were beautiful.

And of course, there are the benches……

It was a fun time!

From here it was a two hour drive to Carmel. We’d be in early, so we decided to get some lunch. There is a Korean Restaurant in Carmel Plaza with outdoor seating…Carmel is known to be very dog friendly; we found street parking and headed on into the mall and Jeju Kitchen.

It was past noon, but it was pretty quiet. We easily found a table near the fire pit.

Serers were very friendly; even bringing JJ a bowl of water. Though the prices gave me pause.

The Missus got the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap. Which was $26 but had no meat!

The egg was fine; though we prefer crisp edges. Still the yolk was fairly soft and runny. The dolsot wasn’t hot enough, so no rice “crust” developed. The kimchi didn’t have a deep fermented flavor and was just salty and sour. And within the confines of the dolsot made this dish pretty bland.

Like I mentioned above; the panchan was pretty bland.

I ordered the Korean Fried Chicken – would you believe this cost $28?

The Mu Kimchi was overly sweet. The batter was too thick and initially crunchy, but got mushy pretty quickly. It was also pretty bland….something I’ll almost never say about “KFC”. I appreciate a bit of “lightness” in my KFC; but this was definitely not that. This one went in the “soy-garlic” direction. Though it was more drizzled sugar-soy. Overly sweet for our taste. Not enough sauce, lacking in depth of flavor….

The meat was chewy, but fine.

In the end, a shadow of Korean cuisine. I should have known better when I saw Miso Cacio de Pepe, Smashburgers, and Coconut Prawns on the menu. Lesson learned.

Jeju Kitchen (In Carmel Plaza)
106 Mission St.
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923

We took a stroll around the plaza….I think we prefer the shops in the Downtown Village/Ocean Avenue area.

We did manage to kill time before heading to our accommodations. We were staying at the Green Lantern Inn once again. Though this time for two nights, so we could spend a bit more time exploring!

Thanks for stopping by – hope you have an awesome weekend!

Woomiok with JJ

Dog Friendly, Korean Restaurants

We had a pretty hot end of August – beginning of September. And for that reason, over the space of a couple of weeks, I was really craving Bi Bim Naengmyun. While checking for dog friendly Asian places….which is a rarity here in San Diego….I saw Woomiok mentioned several times! And while we’ve mostly done takeout from Woomiok since the days of Covid. It had been a while since I’d last visited. And I’d never had the naengmyun from the place….and even though I’ve seen the tables along the walkway. I had never seen anyone sitting there. So, this was going to be an interesting one!

We arrived right at opening and I peeked my head into the restaurant and asked if JJ and I could sit at an outdoor table. In my experience with Woomiok, folks have always been very nice and this time was no exception. I will say, that sitting on the walkway is kinda interesting…

As folks keep walking past…..though many of them smiled at JJ and a couple even asked to pet him!

The folks working were very nice….but as I’ve mentioned before; there’s “Dog Friendly” versus “Dog’s Allowed”; Woomiok falls in the latter category. But, no complaints as the service was very attentive considering I was sitting outside and a bit out of the way from folks.

I order the Bi Bim Naengmyun which is prices at $16.99 for lunch.

The panchan was better than I recalled; especially the baechu kimchi – so refreshing, fermented nicely, with good spice. And the Musaengchae was quite crunchy…..nicely pickled as well. This was a nice start.

Soon enough the standard accoutrements arrived. Pungent mustard and vinegar. I usually don’t need this for my Bi Bim Naengmyun, but for the version that Woomiok serves, it came in handy.

Of the three versions I had during that two week period; this was my least favorite version. For some reason, the noodles weren’t as “rubber-bandy” stretchy and chewy. Strange. The boiled egg was severely over cooked….look at the grey ring. I’m used to having the standard soup served with ice on the side….this was served in the bowl along with the usually spicy Gochugaru, which watered things down. For some reason, it seemed on the blander side of the scale and I actually added mustard and vinegar for some “zip”.

Well, I’ll pass on this in the future. As I mentioned earlier; the folks working were so nice and seeing the outdoor tables at Okan made me wonder if JJ would be welcomed sitting outside there as well?

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm

Paris – L’Escargot Montorgueil Revisited, CIAL Restaurant Coréen (since closed), and a place I’ve posted on a zillion times

Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, France, French Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

**** I’m not going into too much detail since there’s a revisit and CIAL has already closed.

I guess we’ve been to Paris so many times that it feels like my second home….at least the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Arrondissements do. And since our stay was basically a four nights to link the Cinque Terre/Milan to London, we really didn’t make too many plans as we figured we’d be returning soon. This was, of course before we got the “little squirt”, so perhaps we should have done a bit more….but still, this was like our 9th time in Paris.

Staying at the Citadines, near Les Halles is quite convenient. The studios have a full kitchen and we really enjoyed the view of square below.

As you can see, it had been raining the night before. And being the creatures of habit that we are, headed off to our usual stop for morning coffee and people watching on Rue Montorgueil; Café du Centre. As always, some cafe allonge and “une carafe d’eau”.

And watch the “theatre of life” pass before us.

After which we headed on out to wander aimlessly. You’ll always see something interesting in Paris. On this day, there was a huge line in front of this shop.

Looking in the window…well, I cracked up as it looked like stuff based on Manga characters. Looking up the place, I found out it’s a yearly pop-up for Maison Ghibli! A store featuring “stuffs” based on Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli! In Paris! My goodness! Paris is always full of surprises!

And of course, we love the names of businesses here!

The clocks seems to move so quickly here! Before we knew it; it was time for lunch. I’d usually plan for our meals….but since we just wanted to relax and enjoy ourselves we hadn’t made any plans. The Missus di want some Asian food. One of the great things about Paris is having access to a decent variety of cuisines. I mean, we have our favorite “neighborhood” Sichuan and several Ramen shops that we frequent. Heck, we’ve even had decent hot pot….though we’re still searching for some good jiaozi.

During our walks, I’d noticed a Korean restaurant, on one of the side street of Rue Rambuteau. Named CIAL Restaurant Coréen.

It was a bit chilly, so I thought the Missus would enjoy a Dolsot BiBimBap and perhaps I could get some Tofu Jigae.

It seems the place was quite popular with the French folks for KBBQ. It was quite interesting as I was greeted with “Annyeonghaseyo”! All the staff on this day were Korean and they thought I was as well!

Anyway, from what I understand this place has closed since our visit, so I won’t go into too much detail. The baechu kimchi was pretty good, fermented tones.

The Missus’s Dolsot BiBimBap was ok. The dolsot wasn’t hot enough and the rice never developed a ncie crust.

I decided on some Doenjang Jigae; the fermented soybean based stew. It was fairly weak in flavor, but really did warm me up.

Basically mediocre Korean. Still, it’s interesting to see the variety of cuisines available in Paris!

CIAL Restaurant Coreen (Since closed)
16 Rue Mondétour
75001 Paris, France

We did a typical after lunch walk and took in the sights….

Before heading back to the Les Halles area.

And indulging in another typical travel habit….the afternoon nap!

Upon waking, we relaxed, had some tea, before deciding to head out for dinner. And of course, there was something happening close by….on the stage right outside Les Halles shopping mall.

For some reason, I felt like the “musicians” were having just as much fun as the folks listening!

While in Milan, the Missus really became attached to Aperotivo time and of course, She wanted to experience the same here! So we headed back up to Rue Montorgueil and Café du Centre.

Though we’ve had drinks here before; we’d never had little bites with our wine and Kir Royale before!

This was quite nice!

Café du Centre
57 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

As for dinner? Well, I hadn’t made any reservations for our last evening in Paris. My initial thoughts was to hit up a Boullion, perhaps Bouillon République again? But the Missus really wanted to have the Escargot at L’Escargot Montorgueil once again! I guess She wanted to make up for the dozens of times we walked past the place thinking it was tourist hell…..and then finding out that it was quite good. We entered doing our best “marcher avec grâce” (walking with grace)….well, at least the best that a Sansei from Hawaii with two left could do…..

Our Server was again Olivier, whom we thought was a caricature of the stereotypical French waiter. But much like what we thought about L’Escargot Montorgueil we were wrong.

Olivier had a great sense of humor….drier than a French Sauvignon Blanc, delivered with a totally straight face! When we asked him how long he’d been working at L’Escargot Montorgueil, he told us “many, many, years…..longer than the furniture here has been in existence, older than Monsieur Escargot on the sign!”

Of course we ordered the Escargot and the Foie Gras, both of which were as good as what we had on our previous visit.

And of course because I’m so predictable these days….in the comments of my previous post “FOY” Kenneth asked how the Chanterelles were….because he knew we must have ordered them the next night, right?

Oh man, the boiled egg with a sinfully oozing yolk, the sauce so rich, a light acidic sweetness to go along with the earthy, yet lightly sweet-savory tones of the chanterelles.

There was not enough baguette to sop up all the drippings. We went thru three baskets of them!

The Missus really enjoyed the wine picked out for us. In spite of what we were eating, She wanted a white, so Olivier chose this.

The Missus also enjoyed the Creme Brulee for dessert.

While I had a lovely Vermouth.

This was a lovely last meal in Paris. And, I’ve learned my lesson to not disregard places just because of their location.

L’Escargot Montorgueil
38 rue Montorgueil
75001 Paris, France

After dinner we took a nice stroll up Rue Montorgueil….just enjoying the vibe.

Before heading back to the hotel. We’d be getting a nice night of sleep before heading back to London. Instead of flying, we’d be getting there a way I’d been wanting to travel since I first read about it many years ago. Boy, was I excited!

Thanks for stopping by!