Korean Restaurants – Page 17

Chicken Wing Thing: BBQ Chicken, Golden City, Homestyle Hawaiian, and Empirehouse Urban Palate

Wow, it’s almost been a year since I did my last “Chicken Wing Thang” post, I guess I better do some catching up. Here’s a round-up of some (but not all) of the chicken wings I’ve had since then.

BBQ Chicken:

As a whole, I’m not a big fan of B(est of the) B(est) Q(uality) Chicken, I’ve found the the flavor, and Q(uality) just wasn’t the B(est) I guess. I’ve been back a couple of times since my post back in 2008, and am really just not wowed by the chicken.

However, a couple of years back…… yes, I can’t remember where I park my car in the morning, but when it comes to food my memory is sometimes quite sharp. I recall a conversion with my good FOY (friend of yoso) Howie, who passed on a terrible tale of having to eat the Sweet and Spicy wings from BBQ Chicken. He likened the experience to being helpless in the grasp of sticky napalm, unable to move with sauce burning a hole on his face and his fingers in fire. I laughed so hard I almost fell off my chair…. sorry Howie, I know it ain’t right to laugh at someone else’s misfortunes, but the expression on your face as you told us the story was priceless!

And after all those years, I decided to give those wings a try. First off, you gotta remember, this ain’t fast food, even though it looks like it. It’ll take a good 20-30 minutes or more for your chicken…..which is why I thought it was really funny when they actually had a drive-thru. They don’t have one any longer do they? It was pretty late when I got there, so I didn’t notice. Anyway, the wings aren’t cheap at almost ten bucks…..at ten wings, they’ve crossed into “Kyochon” pricing territory.

I will say the wings are pretty large and the bright red color looked quite impressive. Though I’m fine with smaller wings since the skin to meat ratio is sometimes better.

The chicken had retained a good deal of crunch on the drive home, and as I mentioned before these were some pretty hefty wings. In terms of flavor, these are more spicy and sticky wings……upfront spicy, kind of sweet, but lacking in any real savory component. The lack of of complexity in the flavor really makes this a one trick pony…. it is spicy (though not even close to Quaker Steak and Lube), but that’s about it in my opinion. It just seems to need something more and lacks that “I need to keep eating because I think they put crack in these wings” factor.

At a dollar a wing this really ain’t worth it in my book.

BBQ Chicken
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Golden City:

**** Golden City has closed

You know after all my posts on Golden City you knew that someday I’d have to relent and actually try the salt and pepper chicken wings here, even though I really didn’t have a good feeling about it. So here it is, in its bitter garlic, kinda soggy, dry meat glory.

Not enough salt, or I daresay MSG, hardly any spice……… it won’t keep me from ordering Kwai Fei Chicken that’s for sure…..

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Homestyle Hawaiian:

Say what? Yes, according to the sign it said Salt n’ Pepper Chicken Wings. And Mo couldn’t wait to have me try them…..

At the time I tried them; this was late last year, about the time I had the Roast Pork Loco Moco, I thought they needed a bit more leavening since they got soggy fairly quickly. The flavor had an interesting sweet tone, but not enough salt…. Mo did tell me, that at that time he wasn’t using MSG….. Needed some kick to it as well. I believe that the price is now $7.50, but I did see these still on the menu.

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

Empirehouse Urban Palate:

**** Empirehouse has closed

A FOY asked me to check out the Red Miso BBQ Wings ($7) at Empire House Urban Palate, a newer restaurant located at 127 University, a location that has been through several restaurants in recent years. Ed from Yuma did a post on The Better Half which was in this location a couple of years back. Taking a cue from the various back to comfort food style cuisine that is big in gastropubs and fusion style food typical of food trucks, this place serves a line-up of burgers, hot dogs, along with chicken karaage, tacos, and of course chicken wings. Kind of an interesting stretch….. and a lot of territory to cover.

But this is a chicken wing post, so let’s get down to those wings.

These weren’t bad by any stretch of the imagination…. I just wish that there had been a bit more imagination…. these tasted more like a usual BBQ sauce, with perhaps a touch of Hoisin for some very mild beany savory flavor and sweetness. Where was the deep salty-savory flavor of Aka miso? The wings were on the smallish side which wouldn’t have been bad if the skin had been a bit more crisp.

A bit more spice, maybe sweetness, or perhaps the kind of assertive flavor like those of Que Huong’s Fish Sauce Chicken Wings…… What these did do for me is make me wonder what kind of miso glazed wings would I make? Hmmm…. folks do enjoy the Spicy Garlic-Soy Chicken wings I make……

I will say that the young ladies working here are very friendly and enthusiastic and made eating here a pleasure.

Empirehouse Urban Palate
127 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103

There you go the latest installment of chicken wings! Thanks for dropping by!

Halmouny (Grandma Tofu and BBQ) a revisit

March 13, 2011 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

The Missus and I finally made it back to Halmouny a couple of weeks back…… it was cold and rainy, and the Missus was craving the Seolleongtang from here.

It does seem that something always changes on every visit. Now Halmouny is going for the late night Soju crowd.

And another sign near the door announces breakfast! Man, this place is trying to cover every meal. Throwing every idea at the wall to see what sticks. To me, this seems a bit discouraging……

Prices here have also risen a couple of bucks. I was considering the Galbi Jjim but decided against that since I wasn't sure what was going to come out of that kitchen. In the early days of the restaurant I thought the Galbi Jjim was decent, but something changed, and on one visit with Ed from Yuma it had become a whole different dish. I probably would have still ordered it, if only to see what had become of that dish, but it was now $18.99, four dollars more than at the same time last year.

Soon after placing our order, the panchan came out.

I know folks often wish for different and creative panchan; but most times I'm happy with the standards if they are done well. I still think the Baechu Kimchi, the standard Napa Cabbage kimchi is missing a level of savory flavor. Still, the gamja jorim (simmered potatoes) here are one of my favorites, and I'll admit tastes better than my version (for now).

In spite of the ever changing food here, the panchan, and the very nice service has always been a constant for us. The young lady serving us kept asking us if we wanted refills, and we went through for bowls of the potatoes.

When our bowls of rice came out, the Missus peeked and exclaimed, "oh no, I hate this stuff…."

I'm not sure when Halmouny started serving the "healthy" purple rice (rice with adzuki beans)…. It turned out that the Missus actually kinda enjoyed this version.

Her Seolleongtang ($9.99) was a different story. This dish looked like a totally different dish from what we had a year ago. It was impressive looking though……

I guess the additional two bucks tacked on in recent months meant you got huge rib bones sticking out of your soup? This dish tasted off, the meat had a flavor reminiscent of that stale refrigerator taste. That flavor permeated through the broth, making this rather unpleasant.

I went with something I hadn't had here before, the Ttukbaegi Bulgogi ($15.99):

Basically a clay pot – stew usually consisting of bulgogi, vegetables, and cellophane/glass noodles. I just love the dramatic bubbling cauldron action as it arrived…

I had imagined a flavor close to Yook-soo Bulgogi, but this was way too sweet. The beef was also not as tender as I recalled.

Overall, this wasn't the most stellar meal we've had at Halmouny. It also got me wondering if the gul and jokbal bossam is still as good. Walking out of the restaurant, I noticed they had a lunch special menu…….

Personally, I just wished that the food here was more consistent.

Halmouny – Grandma Tofu and BBQ
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Saturday Stuffs: Honey Pig is now Old Village and Silver Ark is gone(or has been for quite a while), and would you hold it against me if I ordered a Ma-ka-ka Burrito?

February 5, 2011 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

Honey Pig is gone:

Man that was quick. I first heard about it from "YY", and saw that a new business had quickly moved in. It's now a place called Old Village… and the sign says "Korea's best Chef in twenty years!"

It makes me wonder what the saturation point is for Korean Tofu Houses…. well, I guess it's much higher than the saturation point for Korean BBQ's, huh?

Silver Ark has been gone for a while:

A couple of days ago, the Missus asked if we needed to do a revisit of Silver Ark after our last not so good visit. I told Her that Silver Ark has been gone for a while, and is now a Thai Restaurant. I then displayed photographic evidence. Which made Her ask me why I hadn't mentioned anything…..

She had a good point…… so here's a mention several months after I actually took a photo of what was Silver Ark and is now Siam Nara. I've heard that they are associated with Amarin. Anybody been there yet?

And finally…….

I've been waiting months trying to figure out when to do this post. And have come to the conclusion that there really wouldn't be a perfect time. It involves Vallarta Express on Genesee, a place Cathy has posted on. I really don't eat too much taco shop fare anymore, perhaps I'm still suffering from post tramatic shock from Howie's "Battle of the 'berto's", but I just have kinda stopped eating Carne Asada and California Burritos. But to paraphrase a much more interesting man then me, "I rarely eat Carne Asada Burritos, but when I do, I prefer Vallarta Express." Well kinda…… for some reason, when the carne asada is on it's quite good, I think they use soy sauce……but I've had my share of clunkers as well. The last time I stopped in at Vallarta Express was back in October. I was tired, on my way back home from a long day at work, and a trip to Henry's, and I just decided to grab a California Burrito….. I hadn't had one in a while. I even took a photo of Vallarta Express….which I think came out pretty peachy-keen and neato-rooney….

It almost says….. "aaaah Vallarta Express at sunset", huh? But on this day, the food was really secondary…and knowing me, what I eat rarely takes a back seat. I was in the drive thru, behind a Lexus SUV. The woman sticks her head out and orders a "Cho-rye-zo burrito". The disembodied voice blares from the speaker "so that will be a chorizo burrito?" The woman, using her best "outside voice" says "ummmm yes, and one more thing, can I get a ma-ka-ka burrito?" I'm laughing so hard I almost take my foot of the brake. The Lexus doesn't move, mainly because not an utterance comes out of the little speaker box. Perhaps they're searching for some "ka-ka"? Having worked in restaurants and fast-food, I can only imagine what is currently going on in that little shack…… Yes, one could only imagine……

The woman finally moved forward, puzzled look on her face and eventually made her way out of the drive-thru….. I hope she got her "ma-ka-ka", or reasonable facsimle.

In comparison, my CAB…. that's a California Burrito, not you CAB was totally anti-climatic.

OK, so I "set-up" the burrito by taking my photo of it leaning up against a container of brown rice…. perhaps it's a Jungian duality statement….. but maybe I just needed to lean my burrito against something.

This wasn't the best burrito I've had from Vallarta….too much sour cream in this one.

But just having that moment was, at least to me, worth $5.25………

Have you ever had one of those moments?

Vallarta Express
4277 Genessee Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117

Open for "Ma-ka-ka and Cho-rye-zo" 24 hours a day.

Scenes from A Taste of Korea Harvest & Wine Festival

September 26, 2010 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Korean Restaurants

I'm sure you could tell from this post, that I was fascinated with the "Taste of Korea Harvest and Wine Festival". So yesterday, I parked in Old Town, and took the trolley down to the Gaslamp.

And got off at the Convention Center stop, which is but a few steps from the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center.

The event was combination of a wine tasting, cooking contest, and a celebration of Chuseok, the Korean Harvest Festival.

The schedule looked pretty jam packed, with the tasting of three wines, entertainment, food, and three culinary challenge matches.

Arriving early, I had a chance to chat briefly with Cathlyn Choi. Energetic, with a great sense of humor, Cathlyn managed doing several things at once, all while dressed in a formal Hanbok on one of the hottest days of the year!

There were three different wines featured during the event; first a Makkoli, a rice wine.

Which was quite refreshing. This wine is made by fermented rice and water, and looks very much like Nigori Sake. It is not quite as sweet, and the alcohol content in Makkoli is a bit lower than Nigori. In fact, I like this a bit more than Nigori Sake. It is easy to drink.

The second wine was a Bek Se Ju, made from glutinous rice flavored with ginseng and other herbs, this was quite medicinal, but ok overall. The last wine was a Bok Bun Ja, a raspberry wine that was a bit too sweet for my tastes. It was fun trying these out, and I think I'll be getting some Makkoli for the Missus one of these days.

Of course there was food……

My favorite item was the Dduk Boki which Cathlyn made, there was also food provided by some pretty familiar names……

There was also entertainment, which included a Gayaguem performance.

And a very enjoyable performance by Fairfax High School's Korean Drum Group.

Of course, I was most interested in the cooking contest. Even though the six Chefs competing aren't quite household names, by the end of the evening it was pretty obvious that they all had some cooking chops.

I snagged a seat at the table right behind the judges, the most well known to food folks might be Myung Sook Lee, who is most well known for Her appearance on the original Japanese version of Iron Chef. You can see a video of her match against Chen Kenichi in the "Liver Battle" here. Chef Lee, is also the Executive Chef of Soban Restaurant in Rancho Bernardo. She is also a force of nature, and was all over the place during the matches, often stepping behind the counter to sample and sniff sauces, give advice, and watch what the chefs were doing up close.

She also looked like one tough customer who could snap me in two over her knee should she so desire. Folks in San Diego would probably also recognize C S Keys.

My personal favorite judge was FOY (Friend of Yoso) Candice Woo.

The rules of challenge itself was fun. Each of the six chefs picked a slip from a bag. A different traditional Korean Dish or food item was on each slip. The chefs were divided into twos with thirty minutes to make the dish. A basket of ingredients was provided for each chef. What was very entertaining was that several of the chefs had never seen nor eaten the dish assigned to them!

The first two up were Jean-Michel Gottlieb who owns Bella Catering and Phillip Soriano Sous Chef at the Marine Room.

So how's this for a challenge, Chef Jean-Michel was to make Japchae, but he had never even heard of the dish! Given the ingredients, Chef Jean-Michel made what looked like deconstructed Japchae, with all the ingredients prepared seperately. The two other Judges, Sookhee Jung, Food Columnist for The Korean Times and Ena Yu, Columnist for The Korea Daily, found his dish a fascinating take on Japchae.

Chef Phillip was to make BiBimBap, and by the look of his dish, it was quite apparent that he's had his share of BiBimBap as his version looked the most like the traditional dish.

The next pair up were Lance Roll, aka The Flavor Chef, who is quite a character. He had selected KimChi…… and had to pull that off in 30 minutes! Alongside Chef Roll was Pam Schwartz, CIA Graduate and Program Coodinator for Sur La Table.

Chef Pam used a handy dandy Vacu Vin Instant Marinator to get her selection of Bulgogi ready in fifteen minutes. She got positive nods from the Judges for her addition of Sesame leaves for wrapping the bulgogi.

Chef Lance, who had the task of making KimChi, used a quick saute with garlic and oter seasonings to get his Kimchi started. He also added bell peppers, utilized the freezer to bring everything to temp, and a creative presentation to complete his dish.

His dish was most surprising, as I got a taste of it. It was quite good, and tasted like good tsukemono! Pretty amazing for something made in 30 minutes! He really got the judges attention with his effort.

Next up were Chef Maria Sparks, co-owner of Cork and Platter, and Rene Fernandez. Chef Maria had Dak Galbi, and had no idea what that was! Still she was a very good sport, and seemed to have fun with the dish.

She added a very different ingredient to her chicken stir-fry……. Curry! Which drew some ooohs from the Korean women sitting on the table behind me.

In the end, the finished product was very tasty, and I really loved her presentation.

Chef Rene had Dduk Boki on his hands……

And I enjoyed his hearty, soulful version of this dish the most of what I was able to taste.

I'm not going to tell you who won…. since this is going to be televised, I'll ask Cathlyn if I can reveal the winner.

Though the event ran pretty long, I hope Cathlyn does this again…. and lets me know about it!

So I can let you all know about!

Royal Mandarin reopens and Honey Pig revisited.

July 20, 2010 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Royal Mandarin reopens:

I thought it would be fun to do an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) post, in the midst of my posts on China. And the reopening of Royal Mandarin would do just fine. I first posted on Royal Mandarin waaay back in 2005. Most folks who have been in San Diego for a good number of years tell me that Royal Mandarin was the first place to sell the very popular version of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings in San Diego. These wings have become a staple at Filipino (and other) parties across the South Bay. Of course popularity breeds imitation, and now there are many imitators. By the time I held a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing comparison in June of 2009, Royal Mandarin’s rings had seemed ot have lost some luster. Then, on December 30th, “Johari” left a comment, and a link which detailed that Royal Mandarin had burned down. I dropped by during the beginning of January, and the sign posted said that Royal Mandarin had not given up the ghost, and was to reopen in March. On April 3rd, I dropped by and found that while the place was being worked on, the sign now said the place would reopen sometime late in April. Of course I was gone from late April through the end of May, and since returning, the last thing I really wanted was ABCDE food…. Then on June 21st, FOY “Sandy” commented telling us that Royal Mandarin had reopened. So about a week later, the Missus and I decided to drive down and see how, or if things had changed at Royal Mandarin.

The front counter looks the same, and they’ve even rebuilt the divider/waiting area that blocks the view to the dining area. For some reason the interior, though it has been brightened up, with new tile, and some strange paintings of fruits and vegetables (c’mon, when you think of Royal Mandarin, do you really think about fruits and vegetables?), it still looks like Royal Mandarin. It is, without a doubt, a good example of “lipstick on a pig”.

The Missus had some concerns about the food. You see after Mandarin Canton reopened following the tragic murder of the owner. The Missus took some friends to eat there, and was disappointed. The one strong point of many of these restaurants are the fried items, and everything seemed very pale, and underflavored. After mulling theories, the Missus came up with the possible reason the food lacked color and flavor. She told me, “they must’ve changed their cooking oil!” In Her mind, there’s a vat of well seasoned cooking oil that has seen batches of shrimp and chicken wings, and like a good wok, it had become well seasoned. Actually, if you think about it…… that would be kind of scary. But since that day, we’ve called examples such as that “changed oil syndrome.” We both truly hoped that Royal Mandarin didn’t suffer from changed oil syndrome.

Frankly, there’s only one thing I really like at Royal Mandarin….. and you know what that is, right? The Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings:

I was very pleased, these were even better then the last few orders of wings I’d gotten before the fire. It’s like crack I tell ya’……… it was also crisp and fairly light. And yes, the full pleasures of salt and MSG is brought to it’s ultimate glory…..

The Missus ordered the upside down pan fried noodles which I found disappointing.

It suffered from too little “gravy”, and the noodles had a strange, almost powderiness to them. They were also too tough and chewy, and the afore mentioned lack of sauce meant that the noodles never got softer. I also can’t recommend anything with chicken that’s not fried. The Missus in total contrast to me, liked this.

One of the Missus’s favorites here, the Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Shell, was much lighter than I recalled.

The flavor of the shrimp came through, and it was cooked well, still soft and tender, and not overcooked.

So there you have it…… Royal Mandarin…. you can still get your ABCDE Fry-o-rama on here.

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Honey Pig revisited:

*** Update: Honey Pig has closed and is now Old Village ***

Recently, the Missus wanted some Korean BBQ. And She really didn’t want to spend fifty bucks, which seems to be the usual lay-out at Buga. We both thought that it would be a great time to revisit Honey Pig.

Not too much to say that I didn’t cover in my previous visit. The portions are about 1/2lb, Honey Pig serves Certified Angus Beef, prices run from $8.99 to $15.99 – which is for the bulgogi which is a double portion.

There’s a bit more in terms of panchan served, and the service has gotten better. All the items for “bossam” are delivered on time, and seconds are brought out on request.

The bulgogi here is decent, fairly tender, not overmarinated.

By San Diego standards this was pretty good…. not too sweet.

The one surprise was what FOY “YY” recommended. On the menu it is called “Natural CAB Finger Meat”, and reminds me, in flavor of Tsuruhashi’s Prime Skirt, a usually tough cut. In this case, it dies have a good chew, but has a nice beefy flavor to it.

The food is perhaps a step (or two) behind LA standards, but is a good alternative to the higher priced Korean BBQs in town. And it seems to be getting better everytime we visit.

Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

Dinners with Friends – Revisits to Mariscos Los Koras and Halmouny (Hal Mu Ni), and some well wishes for Ed from Yuma….

June 23, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

I don't know if you can tell, but I've been in a bit of an "eating rutt" since returning from China, where every meal, good or bad, was at the least interesting. Since returning from our trip, I've been cooking at home a lot. Whenever I get into these dips, I can always count on my friends to help lift me up. And having a monthly "eating club" consisting of Candice, Howie, and Jenne, is a sure remedy. This month, Howie was in the mood for Mariscos, so it was……

Mariscos Los Koras:

**** Mariscos Los Koras is now Mariscos Altata

I've posted on Mariscos Los Koras before, this Nayarit styled seafood restaurant lies right off the I-805 Martket Street exit, sort of standing all by its lonesome. I'm fairly certain the very nice lady working here didn't quite know what to make of us. She did find out something fairly quickly…. we like to eat, as after placing our order, she moved the four of us to a larger table.

Howie wanted to taste the Aguachile, so we started with that.

The citrus cooked shrimp came out in a large molcajete, which I could barely budge. This place tends to make some pretty bracing cocteles, and this was no exception…. it was quite sour, but wasn't very spicy.

I've always wanted to try the Sarandeado (Grilled whole fish) at Los Koras, so what better chance than on this day, with Howie on hand?

The flavor of smoky mesquite permeated the fish, which I think was a bit under-cooked. It was moist though. Unfortunately, the largest fish on hand on this day was 1 1/2 pounds, and Howie can do that solo…..

Of course it comes with all the fixins', salsa, tortillas(which were refilled a coupla times), and beans…… beans that we all found quite good, very tasty, better tasting than beans should be….

Until Candice said, "I know why….. I just bit on a piece of pork."

A couple of years…. well sheesh, now nearly five years ago, I visited Ed in Yuma. And the one item I clearly remembered were the empanadas from Mariscos El Nayarita. So of course I couldn't help but get a couple of orders of Nayarit style Shrimp Empanadas, right?

These weren't bad, but were a far cry from those empanadas. While those were light… you could eat them by the dozen, and crisp, these were almost flakey, and filling as heck. One was more then enough.

Funny thing was, the item everyone enjoyed the best was the one item I didn't take a photo of. Mainly because you can see it on my previous post. It was the Filete Los Koras, that green sauce is fantastic. The flavors emanating from that sauce…….

Sharing food, laughter, and stories amongst friends is always a great time. Of course, a couple of Micheladas, that beer-lime juice-chili concoction, sure helps as well!

Mariscos Los Koras
4297 Market St
San Diego, CA 92102

Halmouny (Hal Mu Ni) with Ed from Yuma:

A couple of weeks back, Ed from Yuma rode into town. We managed to grab a bite at Halmouny. I broke out the camera, even though I've posted on the place a couple of times already. The new shop looks pretty nice, much better than the modified fast-food look of the previous location one door down.

Funny thing, I always thought Kabul Market was pretty large, but looking at the space since Halmouny took over, it really looks pretty small. Must be all the dividers.

The panchan were all the usual suspects, but done pretty well. Our favorites (gamja jorim) were refilled…..

Knowing what a pork lover Ed is, I ordered the Gul Bossam – steamed pork to be wrapped, in this case, with cabbage leaves.

I've had this a couple of times here, and I gotta say, this was best so far. On occasion the pork has tasted flat and bland. Today, it was mildy sweet, and, can I say it? Actually tasted like fatty pork. A nice dab of bean paste and some radish and oyster, wrapped up in the napa cabbage leaf, this was pretty darn good. There were several moments when Ed was pretty close to doing the "delici-yoso dance".

The Galbi Jjim was a different story.

This was totally different from what we had before. In fact, check out the photos in my previous post and compare. On the good side, the meat on the thick beef ribs were tender, and of course that egg…. well say no more. This dish lacked the tangy-beany savory flavor of the previous versions, and wasn't nearly as spicy. Which led me to believe that either some of the cooking staff or the recipe has been changed.

The service was friendly as usual, and I think Ed even revisited after this meal, and enjoyed himself. I'm thinking of checking this place out again soon…. i'm wondering how many of the other dishes have changed?

Halmouny
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

We'd like to send out get well soon wishes to Ed from Yuma:

Unfortunately, Ed from Yuma is out of action for a bit. He was working on a post for us when the accident occurred which makes me feel kinda bad…..

Rushing to finish a post, Ed's arm broke….

Damn, tripped up by a Dangling Participle…. those always get you! Seriously, Ed got tripped up in "some computer cords" and fell hard, resulting in a broken arm. Ouch! The good news is Ed is alright, and he did let me know that modern medicine is a wonderful thing. I'm also sure that Tina is taking good care of him. Lucky for Ed that it is his left, non-eating arm, otherwise he'd be sharing a bowl with Lucy.

We wish you a speedy and successful recovery Ed! Take it easy my friend.

What's the deal with the broken arms here…. a couple of years back Cathy breaks her arm, and now Ed. Wait a minute…. that means I'm next…. I think I'll go out and prophylactically get a full body cast…..

B.H. Chung- Korean and Japanese (Icy Cold Hiyashi)

May 11, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

BH Chung has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! a food blog with photos, descriptions and observations about meals, condiments and other things a few of us want to write about. Feel free to read about our adventures. Today, Cathy is writing. Kirk is on vacation. If you want to know where He and His Missus are, here's a clue: Since April 21, I have not done any post with cuisine from the country they are visiting.

Hi again. A few weeks ago, I found a parking spot in the Crab Hut /Crepe World /Shabu Shabu House / Yogurt World/Tapioca Express/Tofu House /O'Brien's parking lot and was happy. This mostly food mall area may be referred to as 'The Parking Lot From Hell' by most of you, since more than 75% of the businesses here are restaurants(8 I can think of) with seating capacities for at least 20 inside each. I had to decide what I wanted to eat.
B.H. Chung's won. A Korean BBQ and Japanese restaurant, I have found the food here always to be very well made, tasty and filling. In addition, it could fulfill two cravings at one meal.
So we ordered. Japanese items. Still, we were served panchan.
the mildest, shredded daikon in front. The bean sprouts in back had a nice red pepper kick. The bamboo on the right had jalapeño/green hot chiles. (The far left is the dipping sauce for our tempura appetizer).
Vegetable Tempura ($7.99). Lightly breaded, crispy fried and drained vegetables- onions, squash, carrots, green and red pepper and broccoli.
The Mister ordered the Katsu Fish plate ($8.99). The pieces of fish were standard cuts from frozen, again lightly breaded and fried-the fish itself was a nice flavor and flaky. The rice was good and the salad dressing was house made. The tempura dipping sauce was not sweet and may have been house made. It was not disappointing, but not a "wow". However…
I wanted cold noodles. Hiyashi. I ordered Hiyashi Soba ($8.99). This is what I got. Fresh cooked, really good soba. In broth. Cold broth. See the ice cube?

This was *really* good and nothing like I had ever had before. The broth was rich, did not taste watered down, the noodles were excellent. Just the carrots, onions and bean sprouts, as you can see. Sesame oil definitely in the broth…the half hard boiled egg, no meat. Wonderfully unexpected and really good and filling.

Everything was unexpected and good, if not great.

B.H. Chung 4646 Convoy, Suite 110 San Diego 92111 (858) 495-0059 Website

Honey Pig – A first look

April 13, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Update: Honey Pig has closed and is now Old Village ***

So why have I posted a photo of Korean Meat Market, when my post is titled "Honey Pig?" Well, a couple of days ago, FOY "YY" informed me that the owner of KMM had taken over the Arirang House space, and opened a Korean BBQ. So of course, the Missus and I had to try it out.

It turns out that Frank, has renamed the place "Honey Pig", which I sorta recalled is the name of a Korean BBQ in Koreatown.

The interior looks pretty much the same; though the buffet area has been boarded up.

We walked in, and almost scared the daylights out of the nice young man busy waiting for food to come out of the kitchen. He regrouped quickly, and sat us at a table. As fast as lightning, even before ordering, dishes hit the table.

You could tell by what was brought out that this was a "Bossam" style Korean BBQ, as rice paper sheets and thin slices of radish, along with some really great tasting greens were quickly provided. In other words, you'll be wrapping your BBQ with rice paper and radish. Sesame Oil and Salt, along with raw garlic and sliced jalapenos were also provided.

There wasn't much panchan, only some great tasting tofu, and pretty bland radish.

A simple menu card was handed to me…….. just eleven meat items…..

Knowing that the owner runs a meat market, where I've purchased some pretty good quality beef before, I was expecting something good. And the menu clearly states that the beef here is "CAB", no not that CAB (and don't even think about Carne Asada Burrito), but Certified Angus Beef. As to whether he's able to make, or has hired someone who could do good Korean BBQ…. well that remained to be seen. The woman and two young men working the front of house were obviously a bit disorganized. After I placed my order with one of the young men, the other came over a few minutes later to take my order. After I explained to him that I'd placed my order, about two minutes later the woman came over to take our order. This made me a bit nervous….. but the young man who originally took my order assured me that my order had been placed. You can tell they were really trying hard, and need to work the kinks out.

First out was the CAB Chuck Flat Meat, something "YY" recommended ($11.99), which the woman brought out and immediately placed on the cast iron griddle.

Quite soft for chuck, just be sure not to overcook it….. rare is the way to go. On item that worked to our disadvantage was that the rice paper and daikon wrappers were placed in single bowls which meant much reaching over and passing around. Hopefully, in the future, they'll give each individual their own bowls of each. This was mildly beefy, and not bad.

We contemplated ordering the pork belly, but the Missus was just not in the mood for pork. So we went with the Bulgogi (portion for 2 – $15.99). All items on the menu are portioned to about .45 lbs. So three orders for two sound about right. Since the Bulgogi is a double portion things worked out right.

I think the marinade needs some tweaking as it is way too mild, but the meat was very tender.

As you can see, these aren't AYCE meatfests, but along with the greens, eating Bossam(wrapped in the rice paper and daikon) style, and the bowl of rice, we were pretty full. Total bill came out to about $30 for two.

Overall, I'd say a notch below Buga, but above places like Seoul BBQ, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. As we were eating, Frank happened by, and recognized me because I've shopped in his store a few times. I was told that they won't be doing a grand opening quite yet, since they are still working things out. He has minimized the panchan to keep prices low, though we were given refills, and were even offered more.

The meal was good enough that we'll return to see how things are progressing. Plus, since it's named Honey Pig, I'll have to try the pork…..

Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

Hal Mu Ni (Hal Mo Ni or Halmouny) – More dishes

February 9, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

Over the last month or so, with all the rain and wind, Korean food just seemed so warm and comforting. So far this year it seems that we've been hitting up Hal Mu Ni (Grandma's) quite often. I thought I'd do another post to go with my first post, showing a few other dishes.

Of course there's panchan. Nothing fancy here, but most of it is fairly solid.

There are usually five to six items, and the portion size is decent. On the last two visits, we've had our panchan refilled without request…. very nice!

The young ladies working here are sometimes not the most efficient in terms of motion and service, but they are very nice, and do handle some of the details…. such as providing little containers of Cho Kochujang, or other sauces when we have leftovers to take home without having to request them. Perhaps that's what keep us coming back.

The Bulgogi ($11.99) here is served sizzling on a hot cast iron plate.

The meat was just tender enough, and thought the marinade for the Bulgogi ran on the sweet side, I enjoyed the dish. Enough so, that I've had it a couple of times so far. By itself or in combination with a soondofu dish. We also found this to be a little less oily then the typical Korean BBQ served on a sizzling plate. As comparisons are concerned, this has head and shoulder better, in quality and flavor then the Bulgogi at Chon Ju Jip.

Speaking of Chon Ju Jip……. one of my favorite local food blogs is Kirbie Cravings. One of Kirbie's posts included the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap from Chon Ju Jip. Frankly, the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap at Chon Ju Jip is terrible, mainly due to the fact that it is served on a metal plate instead of the usual stone bowl. This means that you never get the great crust provided by a stone bowl. It doesn't help that dolsot is literally the name of the stone bowl/pot. In Kirbie's post it became apparent that the recommendation had come from a list of "50 things to eat in San Diego before you die." Well, here at Hal Mu Ni the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap ($9.99), like most other Korean Restaurants in San Diego, is actually served in a dolsot:

Lest you think that a stone bowl isn't very important…. check out the crust that develops after a short time.

After eating stuff like sannakji and dduk, I've become convinced that textures are of supreme importance in Korean Cuisine… from that creamy oyster combined with the firm mu kimchi you bite into when having bossam, to the varied crunchiness of different panchan… finally to the crisp texture of the rice crust combined with the rest of the Bi Bim Bap. As Bi Bim Bap goes, this is not bad…. the Bulgogi has flavor, there's a raw egg hiding below the nori providing richness to the dish. The only negative item that really stood out, was how weak the Cho Kochujang (the sauce) tasted.

One evening we sampled the Kimchi Chigae ($7.99):

Like just about everything here, it arrived bubbling so wildly that expect it to overflow. If you order this, be prepared….. this was pretty sour, salty, and there's some fatty pieces of pork floating around. As Kimchi Chigae goes, this is ok, though the Missus loved how sour it was.

When this arrives at your table, you know what's coming next, right?

It was for the Soontofu, part of the Soontofu/Bulgogi combination ($12.99):

I never got a taste, but the Missus told me it was on the fishy side flavorwise.

During one of our meals, the young lady working brought us small bowls of bone soup:

I really enjoyed the richness. The broth had that nice collagen-ny, mildly coating my tongue, without being too rich and oily.

Which led me to order the Seolleongtang(Sullungtang – $7.99).

Lest you think this boiling cauldron is not very hot, see the photo to the right. I just couldn't get a photo without steaming up my lens. At first I thought the scum floating on the top of the bubbling broth would be a problem, but it was not. The soup was full of slices of beef, and had the usual mild beefy flavor. The appropriate addition of sea salt brought the dish up, and made it into comfort food for the Missus, who ended up eating a good amount of it.

The Missus has often told me about Her Parents or Grandmother making bone soup to provide calcium for the family, or as a tonic when She was ill. So it goes without saying that once a spoon of this made its' way into Her mouth, She'd want more….. comfort food….

One evening I order the Spicy Galbi Jjim ($14.99).

I have mixed feeling about this dish…. I had hopes of getting the same wonderfully tangy-spicy sauce that I had with the Galchi Jorim. And that was delivered, with the addition of some beefiness. The thick cut ribs were much too tough, and very hard to eat though. I'll probably order this again in the future to reassess.

The only dish I've had here that I haven't enjoyed was the Haemul Pajun (Seafood Pancake – $12.99):

There wasn't much seafood in this, and it was on the greasy side. The batter was gummy and tasted like raw flour, and indeed the middle of this wasn't cooked.

As you can tell, Hal Mu Ni has become a regular stop…… the prices are in line with other similar restaurants in the area (i.e. Chon Ju Jip), and we think the dishes are prepared adequately. The young women working here have always been nice. The interior may still look like a steam table Chinese fast-food joint, but the food is definitely not.

Hal Mu Ni Soon Dubu
4425 Convoy St. #217
San Diego, CA 92111

Hal Mu Ni (Hal Mo Ni or Halmouny) Soon Dubu aka Grandma’s Soon Tofu aka Korean BBQ & Tofu – A first (short) look.

January 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

Geez quite a mouthful, huh? Well, the reason for the multiple names is that all the sign says in English is "Korean BBQ & Tofu". In Korean, the name of the place is Hal Mu Ni Soon Tofu….. which leads to the translation…. "할머니" is Grandma in Korean, thus Grandma's Soon Tofu. At least that's what my dining companion MrS told me……

One thing is for certain….. this used to be the Rice King on Convoy. A couple of weeks ago I noticed that it had changed ownership, and identity. Mentioning this to MrS, I was told that the former Owner of Arirang, the one who is well known for her panchan, son runs the place. My first response was "doesn't he own Jeong Won?" MrS replied, "no it's her other son…. oh, and by the way, the son who used to run Jeong Won doesn't any longer. He got divorced and his wife got the restaurant." Which kinda explains why my last visit to the place was pretty bad overall. All of which led us to the place last evening…….

Man was the restaurant packed! It sure seemed like everyone was checking the new place out. The interior still shows it's former fast-food bones, as the tables and seats have been kept the same. And the former steam table is still displayed prominently.

The next interesting item; even though the place has Soon Tofu and Korean BBQ in it's name, neither is really the specialty of the house. The soondae guk is tempting at 2 for $9.99. MrS told me that Soondae, Korean blood sausage is made inhouse, and that we should order that. Let me be very clear that my experiences with Soondae in San Diego have been, well, terrible. The worst Soondae I attempted to eat was so bad, that I brought it home, and tried to give it to Sammy & Frankie, and they wouldn't even touch it! You know it's bad sausage when your mutts reject it……

There were a bunch of items that interested me, and we eventually came to a compromise. After placing our order, the panchan arrived.

A variety of five arrived, good, but not great……

The portions were generous, but I was disappointed in the Baechu Kimchi…. the basic Napa Cabbage Kimchi which was missing the level of savory flavor hidden below the spice that I enjoy.

As you can see with the slices of jalapeno and garlic….. I wanted the Gul or Jokbal Bossam….. Mr S found a way to get both, along with Soondae as a "combination bossam" ($21.99):

My goodness, this was a lot of food…. there seemed to be half a head of napa cabbage, along with the soondae, gul (steamed pork), and jokbal (pork hock).

The steamed pork was not as tender as the version at Chon Ju Jip, but had better flavor. Here the raw oysters and radish kimchi garnish was mixed, and served in a pretty large bowl:

This was excellent, spicy and savory, but still refreshing. Good heat level, the radish and oysters together made for a wonderful "Ying-Yang" in textures, and when combined in a cabbage leaf with soy bean paste, garlic, some chili sauce, along with the pork of your choice, it was heavenly. Heck, I could have possibly even done without the pork…. possibly.

The pork hock was a nice combination of skin and gelatin, chewy and substantial. The bones made for some good gelatin gnawing……

What about the Soondae? Well, it was better than I've had in a while. Perhaps still a bit too mushy, and I'd prefer a more firm casing, but the sausage had a nice nuttiness to it. A dip in salt added a bit to the flavor.

Mr S wasn't through, he had also ordered the Galchi Jorim (갈치조림 – basically simmered Beltfish).

I may not have been a big fan of the overly bony Beltfish, but I thought the sauce was fantastic. Tangy, spicy, with a nice "umami" flavor hanging around in the background…. I loved just having the sauce on rice! I later found out that the Missus grew up eating Beltfish, and loves the stuff, so I may be having this again soon.

Overall, Mr S, our dining companion "U Lee", and I had a very satisfying meal….. made more enjoyable for U Lee and I was the fact the MrS doesn't eat pork hock…..

Some notes: The place was quite busy, probably since the Owner's Mother is pretty well known inthe Korean community in San Diego. Seating is pretty limited, ambiance can appropriately be called "remade fast-food". On our visit, I was the only person not of Korean heritage in the place. Service was efficient and businesslike, and we were offered refills of our panchan. The "grand opening" banner says Soondubu 2 for $9.99. My first impression is that the food is a notch above Chon Ju Jip.

Hal Mu Ni Soon Dubu
4425 Convoy St. #217
San Diego, CA 92111

*** You can find a post with even more dishes here.