Korean Restaurants – Page 7

Donkatsu from Gala Chicken (Brown Donkatsu)

March 9, 2021 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, yoso-silly

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

I had to run an errand for the Missus recently….She requested something from the Korean Market, so I headed off to H Mart, which didn't have what She wanted. So, as much as I didn't want to; I then went to Zion Market. Where, as my luck would have it, had the product on sale. After an "interesting" incident at the check-out stand (more on that at the end of the post); I decided to treat myself and grab some chicken wings for lunch. I hadn't been to Gala Chicken in a while so I decided to head on over.

I had my sights set on an order of wings; but unfortunately, the really nice guy working….he was very nice, told me that they were out of wings and weren't sure they'd be getting more. My first thought was to just cut my losses and leave; but the gentleman was really nice and I noticed a sign above the counter that I hadn't seen before; "Brown Donkatsu". Hmmmm……when did Gala start making d(t)onkatsu? Brown is a fairly well known brand in Korea. So, I decided to try the regular pork cutlet ($11.95). After about 15 minutes, my order was ready and I headed home.

The portion size of the cutlet looked quite generous.

The mac salad had been replaced by one made with penne pasta…or maybe they had just run out of macaroni? Regardless, it wasn't quite as sour as before and was seasoned well, nicely chilled, the pasta firm, though was a bit overdressed with mayo.

I think the version of donkatsu here has sealed it for me. I'm not a big fan of the watery, not overly savory typical sauce served with this version of tonkatsu. There's something weird in the texture like they put cream or milk in it? I opened up my bottle of Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce.

The rice was really mushy as well.

As for the pork…well, this was pounded really thin, so the panko to meat ratio was quite high. However, the breading was uneven, though in terms of temperature control, things must have set-up well since the breading was not separating from the meat. The pork was quite bland and very dry.

I'll pass on this next time……"give me wings or give me nothing at all…."

Gala Chicken
7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (In the Zion Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 279-7959
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 8pm
Closed on Tuesdays

As for what the Missus needed….well, ahem, I think many husbands will relate to this; She needed "fem hygiene" stuff. Anyway, I hit the jackpot, or something like that at Zion; it was on sale. And me not wanting to repeat this again for a while went and bought six boxes! So, I'm waiting in line with my basket of "stuff", maybe I should have bought other things to help camouflage those boxes, but I didn't. There were two customers in line in front of me; both older Korean women. The one in front of me looks at my basket and says:

"Why you buy so much of that; what you going to do with it?"

I could feel that bead of sweat rolling down the middle of my back as the woman in front of her peers over at what I have in my basket….

My response:

"It's for my wife. And you are really embarrassing me right now!"

The woman in the front starts laughing……

The woman's response?

"Humph…..you don't need to buy so many"

I almost say something like "well, you wouldn't know because you don't have to worry about using this at your age", but I bite my tongue and respond with:

"Well, it's so that I don't have to come back and buy more and have people in line question why I'm buying this….."

Ah yes, just another day standing in line at Zion….where the sign in the produce section says:

I have another similar story; but one much nicer about Paris….hopefully I'll remember to add that to a future post.

Kim’s Deli

February 16, 2021 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Korean Restaurants, Sandwiches

In previous posts I've mentioned the phrase "Google is your friend". Here's another example…..I went ahead and Googled "Teriyaki Beef Sandwich" and was surprised at one of the results. It was fairly close to the office, named Kim's Deli….which seemed like one of those little business park sandwich shops. Looking over the menu, I was fascinated and based on the name, well, it immediately reminded me of The Sandwich Place. I went ahead and drove on over finding the shop in (of course) a business park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

I entered and headed over to the social distancing marks….I was the only person in the place. Soon enough, a very nice Korean woman came over and I ordered the Teriyaki Beef sandwich, priced nicely at $7.

I went ahead and drove back to the office and opened my sandwich.

This was actually not bad for the price. The beef, while obviously reheated in a microwave was more tender than what I expected and while a bit on the sweeter side, nicely marinated and not overly salty. It's actually better than TSP's. The bread was standard issue a bit crumbly, but yeasty. I'm not sure about the provolone cheese on this, the jury's out…..I'll try it again and see. There was a bit too much mayo, but this was a decent sandwich….especially for seven bucks.

While waiting for my sandwich; I noticed that there were some poke bowls (sorry, not for me) and a Bulgogi Bowl ($9) available. The woman working told me it was available every day. So, a week later, I called in my order, which was ready for pick up when I arrived.

I was quite surprised at the heftiness of my package and when opened was surprised at the quantity of food.

I cracked up when I opened my "box" up….as this was bit more than a "bowl"; but beyond that, the plate totally reminded me of something I would get from a lunchwagon back in my hanabuddah days or if they added in some, say namul and kimchi, it would look like one of the "local kine" (I always say local style meat and three) Korean takeout places.

Nothing fancy here; the japchae was straightforward; on the salty side and mostly just noodles.

The Bulgogi was the same meat as the teriyaki; but more tender this time and fairly well marinated.

Again, no frills, straightforward.

I mean, really, what do you expect at this price point?

The green salad was fine, fresh, with a sesame dressing.

The extra sauce for the bulgogi tasted like Yoshida's.

The rice was plentiful, but on the dry side.

No complaints really; I felt I got what I paid for…….

After this visit; I decided that I needed to try a deli sandwich to just complete the set. I called in an order for the Green Chili Roast Beef ($7). Again I called in my order which was ready for pick-up when I arrived.

As you can see; the sandwich used a standard issue telera style roll; though it was a bit more substantial than some I've had.

This one fell a bit short for me; mainly because I wished for a bit less lettuce and more roast beef. The slice of green chili only covered half the sandwich as well. There was quit a bit of avocado in this though. It was on the bland side overall.

Kim's seems to be a good place for hard working folks to get decent food at a good price.

Folks who are regular readers of our little blog know that I have a definite affection for these family owned, mom-and-pop places. Nothing fancy here; just decent food at good prices and on many days….well, that just fits the bill.

Kim's Deli
8515 Arjons Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-0370
Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 2pm
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays

The Lunch Special To Go from Bonchon (Convoy)

January 19, 2021 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

A few weeks back, I was craving some chicken wings; so I thought why not grab some K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken). It was lunch time and I decided to see if and how Bonchon was doing and was happy to see that they still did the lunch special for wings (8 Pieces + side, $10.95) and haven't raised the price, even during the pandemic.

I was quite impressed with the whole online process. I placed my order, got a text message letting me know when it would be ready. Right when I got to the parking lot, I got another text asking me to respond when I arrive. I responded and when I walking into the restaurant, the young man asked me my name and my order was right there. Really efficient.

I initially was just going to order the Soy Garlic Wings; but decided to give the Spicy one more try and got half and half.

I didn't order the Soy Garlic easy on the sauce; but it wasn't too over-sauced and sticky, nicely lacquered, moist, and retained a good crisp crunch without being too hard. Not overly sweet….though I could always go for more garlic, these are definitely my favorite at Bonchon.

I'm kinda giving up on the spicy….unlike on previous visits, the Spicy wings were actually spicy! However, I could not detect the savory, almost beany flavor that was present on past visits. These too retained a good measure of crispy-crunchiness and were moist. They seem to take really good care of the wings here.

I do miss the wing tips though; as it seems those aren't included on the wings anymore. I get great pleasure munching on those. It seems the drumettes are getting a bit larger….I prefer them a bit smaller to enhance the skin to meat ratio, but these were fine.

I got my usual accompaniment to these wings; the pickled radish, which was decent this time around, nice and crisp, though still a bit too sweet for me. It still does a decent job of restoring my palate after all the fry-o-lated goodness.

I was really tempted to do what FOY Junichi recommends when having these wings……go for a cold one; but I was still on the clock. Maybe next time!

The lunch specials are available from 1145am – 245 pm Tuesdays to Friday.

Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 836-1287
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1145am – 930pm
Fri – Sat 1145am – 10pm
Sunday 515pm – 930pm

Emperor’s Soup To Go From Woomiok

December 28, 2020 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

So, the Missus as a frontline healthcare worker got the first course of the Pfizer Vaccine last week. I anticipated the possibility of some mild side effects and felt She could probably use some Emperor's Soup ($17.99) from Woomiok. So, I placed my order to go and then went over to Nijiya to do some shopping. Also of note, you can order an extra portion of bone broth for $6-$8….depending on who is working that day. I'm often happy with just the soup and rice made into sort of a porridge….so it works out well for us.

As before, nicely packed.

This time I used our Iwatani Butane stove to heat things up at our dinner table.

Even though the Missus had minimal side effects….Her arm hurt like hell and there was a mild rash that broke out around the injection site, She did enjoy having a nice tongue and tummy coating soup, seasoned with salt, tender oxtail, tendon, ox knee, etc. This was good on a fairly chilly night here in San Diego.

Even though both the baechu kimchi and kkakdugi (radish kimchi) were a bit on the weak side this time around, the soup did hit the spot. Because I ordered more than twenty bucks worth of food (with that side of bone broth), two soft drinks were given to us gratis.

Just what we needed on a chilly evening.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 737-4599
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm

On a side note; I'm scheduled to get my Covid-19 Vaccine soon…..are you planning to get the vaccine?

Tofu House (Mira Mesa)

November 5, 2020 Cathy Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, is being written by Cathy today. Kirk and His Missus are really enjoying a well deserved vacation.

I hadn't realized how long ago Ed(from Yuma) and I had met for lunch at Tofu House. I will miss his wit, wisdom and sense of adventure. When restaurants were allowed to reopen and we started being less afraid of COVID-19, The Mister and I decided we wanted to get food we could not replicate at home: Korean, in particular. Cravings, you know.

As usual, we drive without a plan and look for open restaurants. We also now look for tents outside of businesses and noticed the other location of Tofu House was open. As part of our "COVID-19 Caution", we think getting somewhere right when it opens means the tables are freshly sanitized.
When we left, it was getting busy.

There are giant menus on the exterior of the building,

As well as a QR code on each table, so you can read the menu on your phone. Once you order, your condiments and utensils are brought out.
An appetizer (or possibly complete small meal), the crispy fried dumplings ($8) are good to share. The Korean 'pot stickers'/mandu have a thicker skin and are primarily meat filled. These are very good. Crispy fried tofu with mushrooms and seasonal vegetables ($12) is a very satisfying meal. The fresh fried tofu as well as the stir fried melange of vegetables have a variety of textures and bright flavors. After eating about half, I added some kimchee/spicy condiments to the plate. It was a whole new set of flavors.
The Hot Stone crispy rice Meat Party ($12) was the choice of The Mister on one visit. Marinated rib eye, beef short ribs and chicken served on top of the rice, sizzling in the stone pot (creating such a lovely crust of rice to enjoy at the end of the meal), this was a fragrant, nicely spiced good sized serving of all the ingredients. I could still taste/discern the various flavors of meats and enjoyed each of them.
The Boiled Tofu Seafood Special Combo ($11) is my personal favorite item to order. Shrimp, clam, scallop, fish ball, calamari, beef and pork as well as the soft soon tofu all served as a bubbling, flavorful stew.
The bulgogi with glass noodle (no tofu) ($12) is another good selection on a cool day. Another stew, the marinated rib eye, shiitake and white mushrooms along with seasonal vegetables is another flavorful choice.

The stews come with either white or multigrain rice (which is sort of purple in color and has a wonderful nutty flavor).

Tofu House 9089 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego CA 92126 (858)860-5296 Open noon-8 daily website

PLEASE NOTE: This location is currently (November 2020) only doing Take-Out. The 4646 Convoy Street location has Outdoor Seating

Takeout from Prime Grill

August 18, 2020 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

Man, talk about hot…..man, talk about us being wimpy….especially after reading that Death Valley recorded what might be the second hottest temperature ever! I mean, we've been getting mid to high 80's here in Bay Park and we're complaining. Though we don't have A/C…..we did purchase two portable units; but our place was built in the 50's…..before the time of air conditioning it seems. So, we've been kinda sweating it out. Usually, we'd be heading out, trying to beat the heat, with cooler dishes and some nice A/C. Which, well, just isn't possible this year. Still, I'd been wanting some Bi Bim Naengmyun, one of my favorite hot weather dishes. So the Missus told me to just go ahead and order takeout from Prime Grill.

Here's where it gets kinda funny….I call and order the Bi Bim Bap for the Missus and then try to order the Bi Bim Naengmyun. The woman on the phone quickly asks me how far I live from the restaurant. I tell her about 15 minutes and she says "too far away, bi bim naengmyun is no good after that time….too far away…..no good to order!" Wow…ok….. I guess some folks would get a bit upset; but I took her statement to mean that she wanted me to have the best experience with the dish. The Missus told me to order some Dak Bulgogi; so I went with that.

I drove on over to pick up our order and cracked up. Not only had the side portion of the parking lot Prime Grill shares been converted to what almost looked like a Pojangmacha! There was a huge sound system blasting in front of the restaurant which the folks sitting outside of Min Sok Chon were enjoying as well. A older gentleman was working with a saw on a couple tables…..more capacity for the outdoor eating area I guess.

I went up to the older woman who was working and told them I was here to pick-up my order. She quickly got it and as I was leaving told me; "come back and have the bi bim naengmyun here…." I had to laugh.

Anyway; I got home and unpacked things.

The Missus and I quickly realized that something was definitely missing when ordering this way. The bim bim bap had kind of lost its personality….. The rice had lost it's heat; the heat from fried egg had started making the other items slightly soggy. Of course; there would be no wonderful crustiness from a dolsot, but we expected that.

The panchan, specially the baechu kimchi, which Prime Grill usually does fairly well was missing a nice slightly funky, but delicious fermented flavor.

The Dak Bulgogi (BBQ Chicken) didn't have any caramelization and looked a not-so-appetizing grey in pallor.

In terms of flavor, it wasn't bad, but the texture was too chewy and gummy, and I missed the extra texture and charred deliciousness of some browned and crisp edges.

Perhaps we've been pushing our luck a bit with all of our takeout successes and this was a bridge too far.

I guess when I feel comfortable actually eating in a restaurant (parking lot); I may just give in and have the bi bim naengmyun…..might be more sooner than later if this weather keeps up. Probably not though…..

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

On a side note….we worry about Frankie keeping cool; so I bought a little swamp cooler for him. We get a kick checking on Frankie when we have it on……he'll cool off a side of his body; then move around to get another area cool. He's doesn't enjoy having a fan blow directly on him; so the gentle breeze of the swamp cooler does just fine.

What a character.

He is enjoying that little portable cooler.

Frankie hopes everyone is being safe and keeping your cool; physically and mentally!

He sure is…..

Thanks for stopping by!

Takeout from Cross Street Chicken and Beer

July 14, 2020 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

In my last revisit to Cross Street, I mentioned wanting to try the garlic parmesan wings. So, last week I placed an online order before heading home to check on Frankie. Interesting set-up; there are two lines one for take-out/pick-up, the other for seating on the patio. There were actually three people waiting to be seated, but my line had no one. There were quite a bit of staff on hand….which made me happy….people working, getting paid….I'm trying to tip at least 20% when I can…..I think of it as not having to pay a delivery fee and I'm hoping it's my little bit to keep places in business. Anyway, up to the window and out in five minutes….heck it took me longer to find parking.

So, a half order of wings ($10) and I couldn't help but order the Corn Poppers ($8) which I had really enjoyed on my last visit.

There are now five wings (instead of six) in a half order; but if anything, these are even larger than before. Not sure what is going on, but the wongs just seem to be bigger on every visit. And that one drumette was huge……it was also tough and dry. Like I always say; I'm all for wings that are smaller, but have a nice batter/skin to meat ratio. I did prefer this flavoring to what I'd had before, not overly sweet, perhaps edging on the salty side, but not bad. Again the batter here is more crunchy than crisp. The wing pieces were decently moist, with no dark spots or off flavors, if a bit on the chewy side.

I was really "on the fence" when thinking about ordering the corn poppers. I really wasn't sure they would hold up well on the rather short trip home. And indeed, these were starting to crack and deflate. The flavor was still that slightly sweet corn, bacon, some mild spice….it's just that the breadcrumb exterior was starting to break down and the textures, which was part of what I had previously enjoyed about these were starting to go down hill; the crunchiness was gone, the creamy bechamel had started to get somewhat gluey, with a slight grittiness…..I really missed that molten, tongue melting, but creamy feel.

Oh well, I'll just have to wait until I'm feeling comfortable with eating in I guess.

Good to see that Cross Street seems to be doing well.

Cross Street Chicken and Beer
4403 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 430-6001
Current (Covid-19) Hours
Daily – 1130am – 10pm

It’s a Woomiok Wednesday!

July 8, 2020 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

In my post on doing Covid-19 takeout from Et Voila (man that was May, but it just seems so long ago); "FOY" Jason mentioned Woomiok, which, shortly after opening became a favorite of the Missus. It just seemed too hot for Woomiok at that time. But when the weather cooled down substantially a few weeks back….well, it was time for the Missus to get Her fix.

I placed my order online, then went over to pick my stuff up. It was ready right on the table at the designated time. I paid and then hele'd back to my car…then home.

We basically went with the Emperor's Soup ($18.99) the bone broth with oxtail, brisket, ox knee, cheek meat, shank, and king mushrooms. Of there's kkakdugi and baechu kimchi, a nice portion of rice and some noodles. Salt and scallions completed the package.

Along with some veggies, this was actually enough for both the Missus and I. The cheek meat and the tendon like ox knee were favorites of the Missus. I enjoyed the very beefy oxtail.

I actually heated the soup up in our dolsot and got it good and boiling. We did need to add a bit more salt than what was provided, but that was fine.

The baechu kimchi wasn't bad; but definitely less fermented in flavor than I prefer. The kkakdugi (radish kimchi) was nice and crunchy; somewhat refreshing in a way. The Jangahjji (pickled peppers and radish) also really added to the meal.

This was perfect for the Missus whose stomach was bothering Her after eating all that spicy stuff from Village Kitchen for several days. In fact, the Missus had me order this three more times over those two weeks! At times; I'd just have whatever bone broth that was left over and mix it with rice and the noodles as sort of a porridge…..

Then of course, it got really hot and even though the Missus was wanting more bone soup, was really much to "atsui" for it. And then I saw Bossam ($34.99) on the online menu….I swear it wasn't there before. It had been a while sine we had decent bossam; Grandma's Tofu (Halmouny) used to be our favorite in San Diego, but the last time we had; things were just not the same. I just decided to order it.

Just take a look…..man, this was so much better than I thought it would be!

The pork belly had been nicely simmered; with a bit more soy sauce flavors than what I'm user to in bossam. Also, while it looked really fatty; this was very tender, not waxy, and definitely not greasy. The oysters….something that we're just suspicious of in this dish, was fresh with no off flavors.

This came with two large portions of rice and also baechu kimchi….way more than we could eat.

There as also the standard and much needed garnishes; shrimp paste, bean paste, and sliced raw garlic (which the Missus just loved on this), jalapenos, and especially Musaengchae (thinly sliced radish kimchi). The napa cabbage had been brined; which changed the texture and added another layer of flavor.

It made for some very nice bites indeed!

So, it looks like we've got a new favorite for bossam in San Diego….and no; it's not like what we had at Samhae Jip in Seoul, but it's pretty darn good in it's own right.

A quick hint if ordering online….I'd recommend ordering a bit ahead of time. Often, pick-up times close to when you place your order aren't available.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Missus is already considering ordering the Assorted Boiled Beef in Stone Pot (a favorite of ours at Woomiok) for take-out. Mid-80 temps be damned!

Thanks for the "Woomiok reminder" Jason! What would we do without all of our great "FOYs"?

Clearing Out the Memory Card – Revisits to Tribute Pizza and Woomiok

February 20, 2020 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Pizza

Here's an unlikely pairing….though both places are pretty much on our rotation. Tribute was our last meal before heading to Mexico City and Woomiok our first restaurant meal after returning. As with our COMC posts; verbiage is at a minimum.

Tribute Pizza:

Our fridge emptied before our trip; the Missus wanted to head to Tribute, which I've posted on a number of times.

And the food did hit he spot as usual.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104

Woomiok:

Returning from our trip; the Missus needed something to fortifying. I suggested Woomiok, which did the trick.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I understand that perhaps you drop in to see something new; bright and shiny….but in all honesty, I don't think that's how most people eat…..someplace new everyday. And I'd like to think we're pretty much normal folk. I'll have something new soon; but for now, thank you for dropping by. And……

What have you been craving lately?

Bonchon Revisited

January 30, 2020 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

Man, has it already been over a year since I did my post on Bonchon? Time sure does fly. I'm always curious how a place is doing after all the hype has worn down……plus, I was wanting some wings; so I decided to head on back to Bonchon.

And while the parking lot was a total mess…..folks often take up two parking stalls here; Bonchon itself was quite empty at 1130am; on a Wednesday.

They now have lunch specials……

I went with the Half & Half; Soy Garlic and Spicy, with the Pickled Radish as my side ($10.95)….I chuckled at the calorie count….which version of this meal would have just 640 calories???

The wings stayed nice and crisp through my entire meal; though the drumettes seemed a bit more ponderous than before. The chicken was nicely twice fried, crisp, moist, no off colors….decent QC there. Not as evenly coated as when the place was in soft/grand opening mode. I always think the Soy Garlic is going to be much too sweet, but these weren't bad. The Spicy isn't very spicy to me….more savory-beany. And as always, I enjoy gnawing on the wing tips….though I know folks complain about that.

The pickled radish was a bit too sweet, not pickled enough, and kind of mushy in texture.

Overall though, Bonchon is pretty much holding the course and I prefer it to other options in the greater San Diego area. Heck, even though these weren't perfect; I enjoyed them more than some of the "KFC" we had in Seoul. And while I think most folks want to see the "latest, hippest, and most shiniest", I think it's good to do revisit posts. It's always good to see how a place is doing.

Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111