Korean Restaurants – Page 18

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.

Monterey Peninsula: Shin La Korean Restaurant

January 3, 2010 ed fromyuma Korean Restaurants, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Welcome to mmm-yoso – a little foodblog hosted by Kirk, who sometimes lets his friends post here. Like today, for example, when ed (from Yuma) writes about some things he ate on his summer vacation.

Although I have not lived in the Monterey area since 1997, I am fortunate to still have friends on the peninsula. And fortunately for me, many of those friends are almost as food obsessed as I am. With their help, I am able to eat in restaurants far from the beaten paths, places with no tourists in sight (well, except for me, I guess).

Last summer, Jack, Sarah, Lance, Tina, and I descended upon one such place, Shin La Korean restaurant.:
This small restaurant is located in a little strip mall on Carmel Ave, a few blocks east of Del Monte Blvd in Marina, California. In fact, if one wanted to hide a restaurant in a location where almost nobody could possibly find it — this'd be the place. The neighborhood is mostly residential and Carmel Ave is such a secondary street that there is no stoplight for it on Del Monte Blvd.

Previously, this space and been occupied by Shinra Korean restaurant, which served me a couple excellent meals before it went downhill. I have no idea when the new owner took it over.

In some respects, this incarnation is not as good as its predecessor. In particular, the ban chan currently lacks tremendous variety and outstanding quality. At Shin La, the ban chan were pretty ordinary – though properly prepared:

On the other hand, our first dish, fried mandu ($10.99), was first rate:
Each of these giant ravioli was stuffed with lightly spiced ground beef and had been nicely grilled like a good potsticker. The spicy dipping sauce was a nice complement.

We also loved the gal bi ($17.99):
Although the short ribs were cross cut, they were tender and pleasantly marinated.

We also were impressed by the cold noodles ($9.99):
Although the basic ingredients were just typical, the noodles had a nice pull to them and the broth (does anyone know what is in the broth for Korean cold noodles??) was very good. We were also impressed by the accompanying stoneground mustard seed:
The highlight of the meal was probably the Black goat soup ($29.99), which was served in a metal bowl placed on a heating element to keep the soup warm:
All of us were impressed by the soup itself. As you can see by this picture, numerous slices of goat meat were combined with a lot of cabbage in a rich and spicy miso broth:
The five of us ate until we were stuffed like dumplings and agreed that the food overall was pretty darned good. The next time you're in the Monterey Peninsula area, stop at Shin La for a meal and say some friends recommended the place.

Shin La Korean Restaurant, 265 Carmel Ave, Marina CA (831) 384-8956

Chon Ju Jip

September 24, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

I was pleasantly surprised when FOY, Vicky emailed me and said she had a post ready! It was sorta like an old friend popping in for a surprise visit. It also seems that Vicky has a few posts in the pipeline, so I'm sure we're all looking forward to that! So I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on a restaurant Vicky first posted on back in February of 2007, Chon Ju Jip.

We used to grab a meal here when the restaurant was named Ko Hayang Jip, it then became Go Ba Woo, and now Chon Ju Jip. I've been told that even though the name(s) and menus have changed, the main cooks have remained the same. I'm not certain, but I can say that this place does some major bang up business later in the evenings. Go a bit early on, and the tiny place is usually pretty empty.

There are several dishes we enjoy, and though you won't see the hot pot, because it's been too darn hot for it, there is a decent variety represented on the menu. For us the dishes run from good to some fairly mediocre items. So I think we'll start with a few of our favorites, and work backwards.

But of course, no proper meal at a Korean restaurant can start without some panchan!

The panchan varies on each visit, so I won't go into each item. I will say that you'll probably find something you enjoy. We did notice that the panchan is on the salty side. One of our favorites is the Sesame Leaf (Kaennip – Perilla) panchan:

In a salty bean paste, this is really good with rice.

As I mentioned before, there's always a good variety, usually eight items, and we've been offered refills on each visit.

So let's start with the good. The Missus really enjoys the Kimchi Chigae.

Spicy and salty, with a good amount of pork belly lining the bottom, what's not to like?

It's a well put together version of this comfort Korean Dish, with a nice savory component you can taste beyond the spice.

I was surprised at the tenderness of the Daeji Bulgogi (Spicy Pork):

Melt in the mouth soft without being mushy, this was a pleasant dish. It was perhaps a bit short on the spicy end of the spectrum, but with a nice slightly sweet and fruity finish, I really couldn't complain.

But of all the dishes, our favorite is the Bossam:

Though I would rather have had lettuce as my wrapping tool instead of the hard slices of Napa, you won't have too many more complaints from me. After all, tender, well flavored pork belly, on a leaf with daikon kimchi, a smear of bean paste, chilies, and a slice of raw garlic, what's not to like?

Whether its Buta Kakuni, Dong Po Rou, or whatever, I have a special place in my heart for velvety pork belly dishes.

The dish also came with some pretty low quality oysters, which were pretty much an afterthought in my opinion.

We ordered the combination Bossam and Den Jang Chigae ($19.95).

The Soybean Paste Stew was quite salty, and had a fishiness to it that caught you by surprise. After a few sips it seemed that our tastebuds adjusted. This was ok.

And here we start on some other dishes that were ok, but nothing special, like the Hamul Pajun (Seafood Pancake):

Fairly gummy in texture, and not very much seafood, this was fairly mediocre.

The Kimchi Jun suffered from the same gumminess:

This was also strangely bland and suffered from not enough kimchi. The center was not fully cooked as well.

Unlike the Daeji Bulgogi, the Bulgogi tasted under-marinaded, and the quality of meat used was very low, as it was rather tough.

Much like it's predecessor, the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap is served on a metal plate rather than a stone bowl. Dolsot means stone bowl………

For some reason, the crust that forms on these metal plates is not nearly as good as what is formed in a stone bowl. Overall, other than the egg, there was nothing of interest about this version of Dolsot Bi Bim Bap which was topped with a skimpy amount of namul, shredded daikon, and what seemed to be a tablespoon of Bulgogi.

Our overall least favorite dish we've had a Chon Ju Jip was the Dduk Bokki (rice cakes in spicy sauce – $7.95):

To be fair the Dduk (rice cakes) were cooked perfectly, and the sauce was spicy, but sorely lacking in salt, or any other savory flavor. The boiled egg was a nice touch, but what's up with the mushy, overcooked, packaged ramen noodles? There were hardly any pieces of Dduk in this dish, and we were less than satisfied with this.

Like many of these places, YMMV – your mileage may vary, it's mostly a matter of watching what other folks are eating, and just trying various dishes to see what works out for you. I would encourage you to check out the Bossam though. And the various hot pot casseroles look really good, so I'm sure we'll be back for those.

Chon Ju Jip
4373 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 368-0835

House of Orchid- Korean and Japanese Restaurant

August 6, 2009 Cathy Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is this. The Blog that you are reading. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy today, so Cathy is writing.

Hi. A new place opened just behind China Max about three weeks ago and The Mister and I decided to go there for dinner the other night.

It has only been open for about three weeks now and the staff is very enthusiastic and helpful. Pretty much at all times, at least two, and sometimes three people were at our table asking if we needed anything. The owner also came over to ask us how we liked everything. Twice. The interior is neat and clean, as is the fish tank, which housed a very large, flat, monkfish when we came in. (Whole fish prices range from $75-$150).

We were first served some iced barley (or maybe it was brown rice) tea, placed our orders.

Soon, we each were given these bowls of slightly spicy vegetables and "noodles" made of acorn powder mixed with agar. See those crinkle cut things at the bottom of the bowl? It was chilled and refreshing. A nice interlude.

Soon, The Mister's 8 plates of panchan arrived.

As did my bowl of miso soup (which had a good amount of excellent tasting tofu at the bottom of the bowl).

The Mister's beef bul go ki ($11.50) was tender, well flavored, plentiful and had many onions cooked with it (which all became my onions. Yay!)(I still think someday he will change and like onions, but am getting less hopeful as the decades of marriage roll by).

My Hwe Dup Bop (Korean Chirashi) ($15 at dinner, $11 at lunch) arrived at the same time.

Five types of raw fish and fish eggs on top of some fancy lettuces, on top of some iceberg, on top of warm rice, topped with some sliced seaweed. In a VERY large bowl.

After a while, tasting all of the seafood and lettuces with the sesame oil based dressing it came with, I added the spicy hot red sauce that was placed on the table and mixed up the ingredients for a variation on thesecond half of this bowl of goodness.

We each were given small bowls of warm sweet something which had pine nuts floating in the mix. It was very refreshing and a perfect, light ending to our meals.

Service was more than attentive, with at least two (young) waitpeople coming by to ask us how we were doing and the owner coming out from the kitchen twice always asking if they could help us with anything.

The "Japanese" part of the menu seems to be sushi and rolls are 50% off. There are daily lunch box specials to go for $5.99 and daily roll specials for $4.99.

It is nice and clean, the food is fresh and good. I would not hesitate to go back to try the rest of the menu which includes many stews of kim chee, soy bean, steamed black cod,monk fish and kalbi as well as flat noodles and ox bone soup and the whole fish.

House of Orchid 4698 Convoy, San Diego 92111 (858)776-9205 (858) 277-8949 Same parking lot as China Max, behind that building.

Just for the Hal-i-but (sort of): The Live Halibut Dinner at Wal Mi Do in photos

May 20, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Wal Mi Do has closed

I was a bit surprised when I asked the Missus what She wanted for Her Birthday dinner….She told me She wanted the Live Halibut Sashimi dinner from Wal Mi Do! We've had this a few times already, usually with friends so I've stowed the camera. There are several "sizes" of Halibut Sashimi, this one is the "small" and is "recommended for two people". Tell me what you think……..

So without further ado, it's just photos from this point on. I don't think you'll need much narrative on this one. Yes, we finished just about everything.

I just realized I forgot to take photos of one item, the rice! But I think you get the picture. FOYs (Friends of Yoso) Ed from Yuma, Howie, and Candice have shared this meal with us in the past, so maybe they'll be able to "fill" you in. Naturally some items (on this day the Abalone Rice Porridge, and the Missus loved the snails) are better than the others (I could only manage a small nibble of the deep fried sushi roll)……… And the halibut was wonderful as always. It would've taken me the better part of a week to do a post, so I hoped you enjoyed the photos.

I really do need a nap right now.

Wal Mi Do
4367 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope everyone's having a great week!

What are you craving?

May 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

It's just that simple question for today. Since we've returned from vacation, the craving bug has it……some of them have been kinda strange, like Magnolia Coconut Ice Cream, others like rice(Jasmine and Koshihikari) are not so strange. Since we've been hitting places that I've posted on many times before (i.e. Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky), I haven't bothered taking photos.

I was looking through some of my photos….and suddenly another craving hit.