Chicken Wing Wednesday – Gala Chicken

Gala Rev 01**** Zion Market has moved and Gala did not make the move with the market

I had to drop by Zion Market to pick some stuff up….mainly beef knee bones. Yep, beef knee bones. At the end of my "smoke session" I'll do the knee bones and give them out as gifts to folks who have dogs……the pooches really love the stuff.

Anyway, it nearing lunch time and I decided to grab something to eat. Gala Chicken had moved from their original location in the market, to the spot that Myung In had before they recently closed.

I decided to order the Chicken Wing combination….though in retrospect; maybe I should have just ordered wings.

Gala Rev 02 Gala Rev 03In terms of wings; this might have been the best I've had at Gala. I'm glad they don't cut into the chicken anymore to test doneness and the batter wasn't too crumbly; like I've had here twice. The chicken was very moist; though it wasn't evenly coated in batter….it was also slightly greasy, but not in a bad way. In terms of seasoning; I still like some hot sauce on the wings….though not the overly sweet stuff that's provided.

Gala Rev 05 Gala Rev 04Overall; all that rice seemed like overkill to me; they were quite heavy handed with the vinegar in the mac salad; but it was nicely chilled and along with the shredded cabbage helped to cut any greasy tones and richness. And the shredded cabbage made me feel like I was actually getting some vegetables…….along with cutting the richness, it helped to cut the guilt as well.

Not the best wings; but still decent, and better than I'd had here in the past.

Gala Chicken
7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd (In the Zion Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues – Sat 11am – 730pm
Sunday      11am – 630pm

Eating to Beat the Heat – Buga

I think we're at the point where people are asking; "when is this heatwave going to end?" And it looks like another hot week ahead of us.

I stopped off at Buga for lunch between meetings last week. The location; right off the 805 is a pretty convenient stop. It was hot, and muggy. Instead of going for the Bi Bim Naengmyun, I decided on trying the Yukhoe Bi Bim Bap. It had been over four years since I'd last had it at Buga.

Buga Rev 01 Buga Rev 02Like I mentioned in my previous post on Buga; the panchan here is not as good as it used to be "back in the day". The nsmul was fine; but the baechu kimchi didn't have any fermented tones to it; it simply tasted pickled.

Still, I was here for the Yukhoe; which turned out to be pretty good. The beef was sliced into nice thin strips; not a huge portion, but good enough for me. No off flavors; very clean finish, and they've reinstated the egg yolk. Lots of tasty veggies, made for a really healthy and satisfying meal. Rice is served on the side here. And while the beef wasn't as good in quality as what I've had at Prime Grill, this was well worth the $17.99.

Buga Rev 03

And while this obviously wasn't in the league of Brother's Raw Beef (형제육회), it did "hit the spot".

Buga Korean BBQ Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Eating to Beat the Heat – Revisits to Iron Pig Alehouse and Prime Grill

Here are a couple of more revisits to places during the recent hot and sticky weather we've had.

Iron Pig:

**** Iron Pig has closed

I'm not sure why we don't drop by Iron Pig more often. Actually, I do know why; these days the Missus is more into wine and cocktails and beer has lost favor with Her. She is also not fond of the tumblers used for wine here………yes, She's becoming a bit of a snob I guess.

Still, on one of those hot days, I wanted one of my favorite salads….the "Man Salad". Which, by the way; the Missus enjoys as well.

Iron Pig Heat 01

Smoked brisket, goat cheese, arugula, Portobello mushrooms, and yes, French fries. With a nice vinaigrette that doesn't over power nay of the ingredients. Great crisp textures, combined with beefy-milky flavors. Definitely a favorite of mine.

That said; I'm not a big fan of the BBQ here; though the Missus does enjoy the rib tips….She likes chewing on the cartilage and crunchy bits. It's also one of the few items still on the Happy Hour menu.

Iron Pig Heat 02

Sadly the smoked wings; which I enjoy here, is no longer on HH menu.

So, we'll save that for our next visit.

Iron Pig Alehouse
1520 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

 Prime Grill:

For some strange reason; the Missus enjoys a nice Dolsot Bi Bim Bap when it gets really hot. I was glad to know that even though Prime Grill now has an AYCE menu; it still features good quality items on the menu.

Though I think the panchan here has definitely taken a step down from when Ed from Yuma and Cathy joined myself back 2016 when the place first opened. It is still a step above all the other Korean BBQ places in town.

Prime Heat 03

Over the last couple of years; the Bi Bim Naengmyun at Prime Grill has over taken the version at Buga as my favorite. The noodles are not under cooked, but not mushy, and are the thinner version.

Prime Heat 01

On this visit; they provided a good amount of the spicy-savory sauce; add some cho-jang, vinegar, and I'm good to go.

And the Missus got Her Dolsot Bi Bim Bap.

Prime Heat 02

And all was good in the world. At least until we had to step back out into the heat and humidity.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

What have you been eating to beat the heat the last couple of weeks?

IMG_5016

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki

**** Bann in the H Mart Food Court has closed

**** Bann has moved to the H Mart Food Court

I saw this place during one of revisits to Pho 46 (I'll get to that one of these days). It was before eleven am, so I peered at the menu and was intrigued.

Bann 01

So, a couple of days later I returned. The young lady who manned the front counter was very sweet. She told me that everything here is cooked to order.

I decided to order the Kimchi Fried Rice ($9.95).

Bann 03 Bann 04Which came with some tiny, yet nicely stuffed fried mandu. Closer to the stuff you'd buy in bags at the market, but with much more filling, and a decent pork taste to it.

I enjoyed the fresh green salad; the croutons and edamame were my favorite components. The dressing seemed based on red wine vinegar.

The amount of fried rice was fairly generous. It was scalding hot, topped with a sunny side up egg; crisp around the edges. A good amount of decent quality kimchi; not much fermented flavor, but lots of it. The rice was coated well, though the flavor was pretty one-dimensional.

Still, not bad at all.

On the way from meetings, I did the Spicy Pork ($8.95), a riff on daeji bulgogi.

Bann 05 Bann 06Man, this was a lot of food. The steamed rice was just perfect……fragrant, fluffy. The pork had been stir-fried with onions and peppers, but it was fairly tender and had a nice savory-mildly spicy kick to it, which kept my interest while eating it. Of course I couldn't finish this, so I shared it with one of the guys in the office.

Totally worth the price.

Bann 08

Since I hadn't tried any of the namesake items….that would be the cutlet or teriyaki; I ordered the Chicken Cutlet Plate ($9.95) on my next visit.

Bann 09 Bann 10This was an interesting "mixed bag". The rice this time was horrid, dry, with hard pieces.

Cooked to order, this took a while but the chicken cutlet was fried perfectly. Even though it was white meat; it was moist and tender. The breading stuck onto the chicken and didn't peel off, adding that nice crunchiness to things. This was; I daresay, a bit lighter than other versions of katsu I have. On the other side of the coin; those two sauces were terrible; from the runny, what seemed mayo based (hana battah) sauce, to the other, mildly salty, runny sauce….it just didn't stand up to the fried food. I think I just might tell them to forgo the sauces the next time and bring my own katsu sauce.

Bann 11

By this time; the young lady had remembered me, and she recommended I try either the Spicy Chicken or the Marinated Beef Plate. I went with the Marinated Beef Plate ($9.95).

Bann 12 Bann 13As you can tell by the photo; this pseudo "bulgogi cum teriyaki" was really bland. It had too much vegetables; which really watered down any soy-sweet-savory flavors. The beef was also on the tough side. This really tasted like Bann tried to add to the portion size by cutting it with veggies…..

Pass. Bann 14

If you consider Bann to be "fast-casual" food; I'd say it's pretty good. The price point isn't too bad, the ingredients are decent, and that green salad quite good. Items are cooked to order and the young lady who works here is very nice.

Also, if you visit, take notice of the certificates from Le Cordon Bleu which got my attention. Yep, it's from Le Cordon Bleu alright…..Seoul. First time I've seen certificates from the Seoul campus. And it's for pastry and boulangerie…maybe why I like those croutons so much and my friend likes the biscotti they sell on the front counter.

For me; coming from a plate lunch and what I call "Korean meat-and-three" background, this isn't too bad.

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki
9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm

Revisits – Prime Grill and Minh Ky

Prime Grill:

I had seen the sign and also read that Prime Grill had gone to an AYCE format; which left me wondering if they had "jumped the shark". A friend of mine wanted to have some Korean BBQ and I wondered, even though Cathy, Ed from Yuma (oh how Ed loved his Korean BBQ), and I shared an excellent meal there a few years back. It's even a favorite of the Missus; who, while not being a big fan of Korean BBQ these days, enjoys other dishes there. I was worried about those as well……

So I dropped by for lunch. And, as you can see, at least for the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap; there's nothing to be worried about.

Rev Prime Grill 01 Rev Prime Grill 02Fresh, bright, and vibrant colors. That egg yolk hiding under the shredded nori. The big weakness of the usual bi bim ap we have here is the meat; but it was nicely grilled this time around. While waiting for that nice crust to develop.

Waiting allowed me to go through the panchan. Which was not quite what I had enjoyed here in the past; especially the baechu kimchi (napa cabbage), which really lacked that fermented finish I enjoy.

Rev Prime Grill 03

And while the panchan wasn't up to snuff, I noticed that Prime Grill still has their "prime grade" items ala carte, separate from the AYCE. So, I'd probably be dropping by for Korean BBQ with my buddy; though I'll probably put off the Yukhoe until later.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Minh Ky:

I mentioned needing to revisit Minh Ky in my last post on Tim Ky a week or so ago. This morning's wet and blustery weather was the perfect for that revisit.

So here's the Beef Sate Egg Noodle – Dry.

Back to Minh Ky 01 Back to Minh Ky 02Man, this was even better than recalled. The egg noodles weren't over-cooked and still had a nice stretch. The sate sauce here is full of shallots and onion; it's has a bit more savory "umph" than the version at Tim Ky. The meat is also more tender, though I thought the broth during my last visit to Tim Ky was better than on this visit. While in need of a bit of spiciness, this was definitely good.

The portion size was quite generous; especially since this is still $6.75. Hard to believe I've been coming here for over twelve years now. And yes; that parking lot is every bit a horrible as it was a dozen years ago. But it ain't so bad at 830 on a Saturday morning.

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Buga Korean BBQ for Lunch

I'm still somewhat sad about having moved offices out to Towne Center from the Convoy area. There's really a dearth of decent, non-sandwich places. So, every so often, when the stars align, we can grab lunch. We often have to make it a place close to the 805, so we can get back to the office quickly after lunch.

Buga was one of those places we used to eat at quite often, you could say it was on our rotation for a while. Then came the ownership change and while things had improved during our last visit, things here haven't been the same. But we actually had time for lunch! And I thought doing a lunch visit to Buga might be a good idea. So Calvin and I headed on down the 805.

I seldom come here these days, so every time I visit I notice changes. This time, I noticed they are actually serving the whole menu during lunch now. For a while it was only combos. Too bad we both had meetings in the afternoon….the last thing I need is to be in a meeting with waves of "eau de kalbi" emanating from my clothes. So we stuck to the lunch specials. I ordered the Bulgogi Box Lunch ($11.99), Calvin did the Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Pork) Box Lunch ($12.99).

But first, the panchan.

  Lunch Buga 01a

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Except for the Kkakdugi (spicy daikon), everything else was really bland. The baechu kimchi was just plain sour, with no true fermented tones.

Calvin and I split the proteins. And I have to say, in terms of portion size, this is pretty hefty.

  Lunch Buga 02 Lunch Buga 03The bulgogi was terrible. Under marinated, cut too thick, quite tough. The pork; while on the chewy side had a nice bit of spice, mild sweetness, balanced salt, but perhaps a touch too much sesame oil, but was decent overall. The tempura was decent; the batter a bit too thick, but still crunchy and there was even a shrimp, though it was fairly puny under the batter. I enjoyed the veggies more. A decent green salad and passable Chapjae rounded things out.

Lunch Buga 04 Lunch Buga 05I left with mixed feelings. While I probably will return to retry the BBQ and the portion sizes look quite generous, Buga is definitely not as good as it once was.

Buga Korean Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Revisits – Santouka and Grandma’s Tofu & BBQ

I've been a bit under the weather. This past weekend was especially tiring. I guess getting in from Copenhagen after 8 in the evening and heading right back to work the next morning at 6 might do that to you. Then there's the fact that a bunch of folks at work are sick as well, it inevitable I guess.

Anyway, here's what I had to put me back on the road to recovery.

Santouka Ramen:

With the cooler weather, there's no way the Missus would turn down Santouka. she really enjoys the Shio Toroniku Ramen. To the point that we had to make a pilgrimage to the original location of Santouka in Asahikawa. We had the usual; a large shio toroniku to share and a bowl of natto gohan, also to share.

IMG_8167 IMG_8169While the broth still falls a bit short of the versions in Japan; this still hits the spot. Not too greasy, a wonderful tongue a belly coating richness. Just enough saltiness. The thickness of the bowl keeps the broth hot; something you definitely need in Asahikawa where the coldest temperature in the Japan history was recorded(-41°). The pork was nicely flavored good porkiness and soy, but was on the tougher side this time around. The noodles were just short of excellent, a bit too soft.

But it did hit the spot. Menya Ultra might be getting all the publicity these days, declared Restaurant of the Year for 2017, but Santouka is comfort food for the Missus and I.

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

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ:

I was feeling a bit congested and the Missus suggested Grandma's Tofu & BBQ. It had been a while. We went with the Heukyumso Jungol, Korean Black Goat Stew. We hadn't had that in a couple of years.

IMG_8178

This was much better than what we had on our last visit here. The broth was spicier, which really helped to clear me out. The goat meat was nice and gamey and quite tender to boot. Love the flavor of sesame leaf; it adds a nice fibrous texture and anise flavor to things. A lot heartier than on previous visits as well.

Too bad the panchan was second rate. As you can tell; it was fairly dried out, the baechu kimchi, which we consider a staple was quite fishy, too salty, without a nice fermented flavor.

IMG_8177

We stopped by Nijiya nad Zion on the way home. Firm tofu from Nijiya. and while I'm not such a fan of Zion anymore, they had the good packaged "old style fermented kimchi" in stock. Not cheap, but it kind of reminds us of the versions we had Seoul, along with sesame leaf. It was even more spicy and much richer the next day.

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Putting me on the road to (hopefully) recovery.

Hope everyone is keeping warm and in good health this holiday season!

Beating the Heat – Revisits to Prime Grill and Take-out from the Original Sab e Lee and Thai Papaya

I realize that I'm kinda late on these posts. I'm not sure who asked what we were eating during the wonderful heat waves of August; but here's a couple of meals from then.

Prime Grill:

Our instinct is to basically do take-out and hang at home or find a place with good A/C. Add a nice cold noodle dish and some decent panchan to the equation and you have Prime Grill. The Bibim Naengmyun here has replaced the version at Buga as my favorite.

Prime G Heat 01 Prime G Heat 02The noodles are stretchy, but not like rubberbands. The sauce has some nice heat for isn't overwhelming; just a touch of vinegar and perhaps even a squirt or two of cho-jang and I'm a happy camper. The portion size is rather large, but I can finish it all when I'm hungry. And in case you need to chill out, you're provided with a bowl of iced broth as well.

The Missus has started to enjoy the Dolsot Bibim Bap here; but She has a secret.

Prime G Heat 03

When the stone bowl arrives; She waits….munches on some panchan, has some of my naengmyun. After 5-6 minutes, She gives it a first stir, then She takes the juices from the now empty plates of baechu kimchi and kkakdugi and mixes it in with some chojang….and waits. We get another serving of panchan and eventually She starts eating, after a nice crust has formed. It's about patience and using the kimchi juice.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Original Sab e Lee:

**** TOSEL is now Zab Linda

I'd kind of avoided TOSEL after my last meal here a few months back. Items such as Catfish Larb and Salted Fish Fried Rice has been removed from the menu. But on one of those super hot Thursdays; Thai Papaya is strangely closed on Thursdays. I decided to do some take-out fro, TOSEL.

SEL Fix 01

Things were a bit better this time around; though the Pad See Ew with Beef was kind of weak in the flavor department…..strangely, it lacked that hint of sweetness that balances out the soy flavor. In addition, when did they start asking how "spicy" you wanted your Pad See Ew? The noodles were dry; there was no wok hey……

SEL Fix 04

The Nam Tok was decent and much better this time around as it had a nice kick.

SEL Fix 02

More on the sour than salty side this time around.

The Issan Sausage is a standby.

SEL Fix 03

And it delivered as usual. A peanut, sliver of ginger, wrapped in cabbage, and you have a nice sour-porky-nutty-pungent bite.

The Original Sab E Lee
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Thai Papaya:

**** Thai Papaya has closed

Though this didn't stop me from hitting up Thai Papaya the next time the mercury headed up that thermometer.

Thai Papaya Heat 01

I find the dishes at Thai Papaya spicier and more soulful than TOSEL. Of course, it's "different strokes for different folks" and all that.

Thai Papaya by Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111 

What are your favorite "beat the heat" dishes?

Cross Street Chicken and Beer (Pre-Soft Opening)

Cross Street has fascinated me since I first noticed that Your Story was closed back in June. I'd heard that the place was going to do KFC….you know K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken), which was confirmed by Eater a few weeks later.

While driving by last week, I noticed that the place looked open. I sent a text to "YummyYummy" who through her connections verified that they were in "Pre-soft" (???) Opening mode. Soon enough, "YY" and "Xiāng Jiāo" and I decided to meet up.

Cross Street 02 Cross Street 03The place is dressed up in the very modern; industrial style that is popular these days. Lot's of staff on hand….super friendly young folks. This being "before" the soft opening, I expected some mishaps, but there were none. Some scrambling, but these folks seem up to the task.

Cross Street 04

The menu is mostly made up of fried foods, with Chicken Wings (of course) being the focus. It's basically $11 for 6 wings prepared in one of six "styles".

But first that popular Korean drinking snack, Corn Cheese ($8).

Cross Street 05

These were pretty dull for corn cheese, not enough cheese, the corn not sweet enough.

And some Beer Battered Fries ($6), which I found to be ok.

Cross Street 06

I thought these could have been more crisp and the fries got soggy fairly quickly.

So, what about those wings. Well, before folks freak out about the $11 for six wings thing; I'll say this, the wings are pretty large, in my opinion too large as I prefer a small to medium size wing….better skin to ratio. The wings were good quality; tender meat, juicy, no broken bones, no off colors.

As to how these compare to the KFC we had at, say, Mirak or Kkanbu in Seoul? Or even Gala, "Bee-Bee-Q", or Kyochon? Well, let's take a look.

The Original……

Cross Street 07

I was told these were the "signature" wings, but though while it had enough salt, it needed some zing. The wings are so large that I think the double fry method doesn't work as much magic here as all of the fat under the skin did not render down all the way and the batter got soft rather quickly. This was the only wings we had that were served with a "salad" rather than the traditional mul kimchi….which would have done good in this case.

Salt and Pepper…..

Cross Street 08  Cross Street 11Royal Mandarin, Mandarin Canton, and the rest have nothing to worry about for now as again the coating didn't hold out too long. It also wasn't very light and crisp on this version. The flavor was very mild for S&P wings and was a bit greasy as well.

Here's the classic, very typical, sticky, Spicy Korean style wings you get at many places.

Cross Street 09

I expected a bit more heat, but we were told that they were worried about it being too hot and scaring away the non-Korean customers. It was sweet and sticky. This got soggy really quickly and the young man who I think is one of the owners really apologized about that and tried to take it off the bill. But that's not our style…..hey, they're not even in Soft Opening mode!

I thought the best wings we had was the Soy Garlic…..

Cross Street 10

While on the mild side with regards to garlic flavor; it wasn't too sweet, had a decent bit of saltiness, the batter was a bit thick, but held up the best of all the wings. This ain't no Kyochon, but I'd take this over "BBQ Chicken" and Gala.

The owners were very nice and gracious….they asked us our opinion….usually we'd balk, but this time we were very honest. We were thanked for our opinion and told to please return because they're hoping to "get better every day"! There was such sincerity in that declaration, that having to run some errands for the Missus, I returned the very next day…..

Cross Street 12 Cross Street 13They were a lot busier this time around, but the service was still very friendly….everyone smiles here. At least on my visits they did.

This time around I had Max Cream, an all malt beer, brewed by Hite. This wasn't too sweet, very light, unobtrusive, slightly winey (cat pee), easy to drink.

I actually ordered way too much food, but really enjoyed myself.

Starting with the Fried Pickle Spears ($8).

Cross Street 14

While I thought the breading was really hard; I really enjoyed the tart-sour of the pickles….it really got my attention; especially when I took a big first bite.

The Beer Battered Fries were better this time around.

Cross Street 15

Staying nice and crisp.

I ordered the Original Wings again.

Cross Street 16

While the flavor was still rather plain and the wings didn't quite have that signature light crispness of good KFC; in terms of keeping a nice crunchiness throughout the meal; this was much better.

As were the Soy Garlic wings.

Cross Street 17

A bit more garlic; lighter crisper coating that held out well, this was much better than the previous day. They just need to get a handle on rendering out a bit more fat and I think this is a keeper.

So, I guess the really nice folks here weren't kidding when they said things "get better every day". At least it did for me. Cross Street 18

I like these folks, I hope they do well.  Though I'll wait until or maybe after their upcoming Soft Opening.

I also need to order the Garlic Parmesan wings that Kirbie enjoyed in her post on Cross Street.

Cross Street Chicken and Beer
4403 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Revisits – Tasty Noodle House and Prime Grill

Man, when did summer start? I've been craving a few of my "warm weather" favorites recently. Here are a couple more…..

Tasty Noodle House:

Remember, back in October I was craving some Zui Ji (Drunken Chicken) from Tasty Noodle House and they were out of it? Well, it was warm enough that I was willing to brave that horrid parking lot and return to see if I could get some thing time around.

Tasty N Rev 01

And guess what….they had it.

Tasty N Rev 02

Now the version here had always had a strong wine flavor and been on the salty side. Today, it was much too salty, as in almost unpleasant to eat. Too bad, because it was fairly tender and almost boneless. But man, this was way too salty.

I also ordered the Chao Nian Gao (stir fried rice cakes), which, while usually a bit undercooked on past visits, had been decent overall.

Tasty N Rev 03

In terms of flavor, this was fine, a light touch of sesame oil, the mild bitterness of the Jì Cài (Shepherd's Purse). But today this was overcooked and mushy.

Sadly, I'd been waiting for warmer days to return here, but the food just didn't measure up this time around. I think I need to switch things up a bit.

Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Prime Grill:

One of my favorite warm weather dish is Bibim Naengmyun…something about those chilled and chewy noodles combined with a bit of spice that I find refreshing. Calvin wanted some Korean food for lunch….but not barbecue or anything like that….. So we thought we'd hit up Prime Grill. Funny, Calvin didn't even know what Bibim Naengmyun was…..

PrimeG Rev 01

The variety of panchan wasn't particularly good this time around; though I think they make the best baechu kimchi. While it's doesn't compare to Korea, it has a touch of fermented flavor and isn't overly salty as most restaurant versions in San Diego.

PrimeG Rev 02 PrimeG Rev 03While a bit under-sauced, I prefer the way the noodles are prepared here in comparison to…say, Buga. They use a thinner version of the buckwheat based noodle; while still chewy, it isn't like eating rubberbands. I'm not sure if it's just me; but I find the cho-jang here to be a bit more sweet than other places. A dash of vinegar a bit more sauce….a touch of sweat on the brow and I feel refreshed.

PrimeG Rev 04 PrimeG Rev 05We also ordered the Yukhoe. Sorry about the photo, the nice lady mixed everything, the egg yolk, pear, pine nuts up right when she brought the dish to the table. The meat was a bit too frozen when the dish arrived, but the texture got better, and we could make out the other flavors especially the hidden pieces of garlic which had some major bite as the dish thawed. Not too sure I'd order this here again though….even though it's a favorite dish of mine.

Just in case this wasn't enough, I ordered the Kimchi Pajun. Since I enjoyed the baechu kimchi here, I wondered how it would taste in savory pancake form.

PrimeG Rev 06

While this could have been a bit more crisp, it wasn't soggy nor too doughy and you could taste the kimchi. Not a bad dish….though we could only finish a slice a piece. Calvin took the leftovers home.

Overall, a nice meal…..the Missus and I returned a couple of days later and though I didn't take any photos, I thought the Bibim Naengmyun was even better. What was even more interesting was that all the Korean customers were getting that….so I guess it is a nice remedy to the warmer weather we're having!

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111