Loco Mocos – Page 5

Guess the revisits…plus one

November 16, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Loco Mocos, Pizza, Ramen

*** Update 11/18, 0800 - The contest is closed……. there was only one person who guessed all six restaurant correctly. Congrats to Hao! The answers are all at the end of the post. And just for laughs I gave an eCup to the person who did the worst as well.

I haven't done one of these in a while……. I'll send a Peet's eCup to the first five folks who email(link upper right) me the correct guesses of the following revisits.

For the following three, list the dish and the restaurant:

1. This one is kinda hard, but not that hard……

Someone once mentioned lucious eyebrows…….

2.. This one is the easiest.

How about some drippy yolk porn……

3. This dish used to be much better when the restaurant was under previous ownership…..

But things have been getting better as the folks making the food have been gaining more experience.

For next three, you can just name the restaurant.

4. This "little little" place used to be in a different location.

5. I've never posted on exactly this dish, but guessing the restaurant should be pretty easy.

6. OK if you can't guess this one……. well, I'm not sure what to say…..

Easy, right? That's it, get those six and be one of the first five to email me the correct guesses and you'll get a Peet's eCup….. But let me ask you, are you a gambler? Would you go double or nothing? If you guess the name of this dish correctly, along with the previous six, I'll make it two eCups…… get it wrong, and you get nothin'(be accurate – as in what kind of meat etc, or the Chinese name would be even better)……. A couple of hints, it's not from a restaurant in San Diego, and it is delicious……

I'll let things go until the morning of 11/18

Just remember, send me the guesses via email, a valid email so if you're correct I can send youthe Peet's eCup. One guess per email address please.

Good Luck!

OK, here are the answers:

#1 – It's Beef Sate Noodle "Dry" from Tan Ky Mi Gia.

#2 – The Kaloko Moco from Island Style Cafe……

Everyone who played got that one right. At first, I was a bit apprehensive about a Loco Moco with a crepe as it's base….. but here it really works.

#3 – Is The Noble Chef.

Since the new owners have taken over, my favorite dishes have been slowly getting better, as the guy behind the wok station gains more experience.

Our favorite dish here in the past was the Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice. It still lacks the punch it once had, and Wok Hay (spirit of the wok) is still lacking.

Don't get me wrong, it's a good fried rice; just not as good……

#4 – Is Sieu Sieu BBQ, which literally means "small small"…..

I had gone to Barbecues Galore to try and purchase more Ono Kiawe Charcoal. I was told by the manager of BG, that a "well known" BBQ Manufacturer had bought the company and then took the charcoal off the market because it was competing with items in their product line. I'm not going further than that since I can't confirm this info. I may try purchasing the charcoal on the Ono Charcoal Website.

#5 – Is Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori.

I'm not sure if they still serve it, but Tonkotsu style ramen was being served in limited quantities during lunch.

#6 – Is of course Pizzeria Bruno. Everyone who played got this correct as well.

That last dish is Mi Zheng Rou, also called Fen Zheng Rou….. rice steamed pork. More on that in a later post.

My thanks to everyone who humored me and played along!

Road Trip: Breakfast at Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop – Gardena (Los Angeles)

October 21, 2010 mmm-yoso Diner, Loco Mocos, Los Angeles County, Plate Lunch, Road Trip

Aahhh yes, breakfast and bowling alleys…. what could be better? Actually, you may be scratching your head a bit on this one. Back in Hawaii, there used to be some pretty good food served in Bowling Alleys. In fact, for a time, Kapiolani Coffee Shop, which used to be on Atkinson close to what was then Aloha Motors, and is now the Hawaii Convention Center, had a shop in Kam Bowl (which has closed). They made the best Oxtail soup!(Don't worry, if I recall you can get the same Oxtail soup at Asahi Grill and Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Waimalu) And in fact, The Alley Restaurant, in the Aiea bowl was on my list (most due to Pomai's post) when I returned home a few months ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to talk the Missus into eating in a bowling alley.

Still, I knew not to expect quite that, since I'd been to Gardena Bowl and the old Holiday Bowl Restaurant's before.

At 7am on Sunday, the place is half full, all old-timers, I'm the youngest by at least 15 years. I had a seat at the counter, and soaked in the atmosphere. I really can't use the word ambiance, because it seems to infer some "high maka-maka" quality. No, this was something special….. I'd never heard so much pidgin since I moved to mainland. And it wasn't just any pidgin, but "time-warp pidgin"….. I heard words, like "holo-holo", "Pake", and "manini"…. Which seemed to indicate when these folks had left for "da' really beeg island……" The folks working really didn't talk that way, but they seemed to know most of the people coming in and eating.

The menu, part of it written on the greaseboard reflected the very old-school Japanese/Chinese influenced dishes I grew up eating.

On one of the greaseboards, it said "Poi – $3.50 extra".

I of course, ordered a Loco Moco ($7.50), which came with a dish of very old-school Tsukemono, just like Mom used to make…. literally, it tasted just like her quick Tsukemono… In fact, much of this had a home made quality, albeit that being the 60's and 70's home….

I like that they didn't ask me how I wanted my egg, it was done easy-over. The gravy was very dark, and there were shreds of what seemed like roast beef in it. It wasn't as salty as I expected, rather it was thick and dense, and I love a drizzle of Tabasco on my Loco Moco anyways. The rice was perfect….

The burger patty was lean, and seemed to have little filler…. which some folks might enjoy, but it was pretty chewy. Plus, I ran into what I call "the old toenail"…. you know, you bite on a piece of bone or other hard calcified item which almost cracks your teeth. Also, the patty tasted like it was about a day or so from going South, that gamey-metallic flavor, which means you no harm (yet), but trips switches in my head.

Still, I enjoyed this meal. Just listening brought back memories, perhaps different from those that Fukagawa elicited, but very strong none the less. A nice step back to the type of "diner" I grew up eating in.

For that, I'd gladly return……… Plus that gravy ain't too shabby….. This was much like what Mom made, and as much as you criticize Mom's food, you always return for more.

Gardena Bowl Restaurant
15707 S Vermont Ave
Gardena, CA 90247

It’s called the revisits game – can you guess where? ***10/10/10 – It’s Homestyle Hawaiian/Pho King/Mien Trung

October 6, 2010 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch, Vietnamese Restaurants

I'm feeling a bit tired today, so I thought I'd minimize the writing and post mostly photos. So here are some revisits. I know I usually post the storefront before the food, but this time I'll post the food first, then at the end, I'll post the storefront. I've posted on these places maybe too many times, so if you've been reading for a couple of years, you'll recognize them right away.

So here goes…..

#1:

#2:

#3:

So, made your guesses?

All right then…. here are the restaurants.

The first place is:

That Loco Moco is from Homestyle Hawaiian.

That Hu Tieu Mi Kho can only be from….

That Pho King Restaurant! Sorry, I couldn't help with the childish humor…. in fact, I named the photos "more Pho King". OK, can I have just one more? The folks in the office enjoy…..whoa, almost did it again, they like….well…..oh geez…..you get the point! I was drinking my coffee one day, and I mentioned that we hadn't eaten here in a while. To which "MG" exclaimed loudly, "oh yes, I miss Pho King!" The expression on her face after saying that was classic…..she had that "I wish I could reach out and grab what I said and stuff it back into my mouth" look. I nearly snorted my coffee out of my nose…. and could only manage a weak…. "I think you'd better tell your husband." Such is the "Pho King effect". 'nuff said…..

And finally that bowl of Bun Bo Hue is from:

So how many of you got three out of three?

Kiki Sato’s Teriyaki and Burgers – Oceanside

July 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** Kiki Sato's has closed.

Like many I know, when I first moved to the mainland, I really missed my "local kine grindz". So finding April Hiraki-Morris's Southern California Plate Lunch Connection back in 1998 was a godsend for me. On occasion, April will send out one of "update" style emails, it's good to know that "One Scoop Mac, Two Scoop Rice" is still going strong…. for ova' ten years now! I recently received an email from April announcing that a new place called Kiki Sato's had opened up in Oceanside. I read it, but still, it was up in Oceanside. A few days later I received an email telling me I needed to check this place out. It was a "one-off" email from someone I hadn't received anything from before. This would usually set off the "shill alarms"….. and depending on interest, I'd usually just ignore. But there was one thing in the email that made me think that it wasn't a shill. The person kept misspelling the name, typing "Kinky Sato's" instead of Kiki Sato! A few days later, April forwarded an email from someone who ate at Kiki Sato's, and extolled the virtues of the Loco Moco. That triggered off something in my head….. after all, how long has it been since I'd had a Loco Moco? Which is why I set off on the 35+ mile journey to Ocean Ranch Plaza, and Kiki Sato's…. so new, that a banner still announces that you've arrived.

The interior suits the mall, which houses a Roberto's next door. It is of course, brand new, and quite colorful, and fast-foodish in character.

The menu is fairly small, which can be a good thing, and as you can tell by the "Teriyaki" in the name of the restaurant, there's a definite Japanese slant to the menu. I'm thinking FOY Dennis, being the big time Mapo Tofu fan might be interested in the Mapo Tofu and Pork.

There was a moment of levity when the very nice young lady asked me if I wanted brown rice instead of white rice with my Loco Moco. Laughing, I replied, "brown rice would kinda defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?" Which made her crack-up as well.

All plate lunches comes with Miso Soup…. a pretty large bowl of miso soup.

Which tasted pretty much like an after thought. Not that I expected anything more.

Here's the Loco Moco ($7.49), which I chose with a hamburger (you can have it with Spam if desired):

So how did this measure up? The portion size is on the smallish side, again, based on the artery clogging potential of the Loco Moco, this ain't necessarily bad. The rest I'll leave up to the "Modified Rubio" scale, which I first described here. So here goes:

BURGER: Hand formed, pressed really tight which made it tougher than it needed to be. The grind is really fine, and there's a strong black pepper component to the flavor. Still, this heads above the typical "Hawaiian BBQ" mass produced burger – 4.5

EGGS: Or should I say egg? It was just ok…. I'd prefer a softer, more runny yolk, and some salt on the egg. 2.5

RICE: Excellent, you could count every grain if you wanted to. – 4.5

GRAVY: It's a onion brown gravy, as with much of the dish, a bit lower in the sodium department . There was not enough of it to cover all my rice, and even more strange, it seemed that the rice was placed in the gravy, instead of being poured over the rice. I know, leave it to me to complain about gravy placement. Still, it does matter. 3.0

STUFFS: Plate lunches here come with both Mac Salad and a choice of a green salad or a spicy edamame salad. I got the edamame which was ok, not very spicy, but at least the edamame wasn't cooked to death. I thought the Mac Salad was very good; nicely chilled, not over-mayo'd. It could have used a bit more of a savory presence, but it was quite good. 3.5

TOTAL: 18 which is pretty good. Way above all the Hawaiian BBQ places, but still below, say the Kaloko Moco.

The service is very friendly, and I'd surely try other dishes on the menu if I lived, perhaps 10-15 miles away. As it stands, I may drop by again if I'm in the area, after all…. I want to see what the Wasabi Burger is all about….

Kiki Sato's Teriyaki & Burgers
3617 Ocean Ranch Blvd.#105
Oceanside, CA 92056

Mo’s back at Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food

September 3, 2009 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** A short update can be found here.

I know a lot of folks were really sad when Mo's Island Grinds closed down. Over the last six months, I was wondering what happened to Mo. I know he was going thru some pretty rough times personally. Then about two weeks ago I get a really strange comment on my A & D Hawaiian BBQ post, "hey kirk, check out this place that just opened up. It's called homestyle hawaiian. Your going to get a kick out of this place. " It from someone named "Mo". Could it be??? Unfortunately, no address or general location for a place called Homestyle Hawaiian. The email address was bogus……. Strange, a mystery, many questions…..

The story finally broke when I received a couple more comments from "Mo". Which led me to the strip mall on the corner of Mesa College Drive and Ashford. Those who've read long enough may recognize this as the former location of Phil-Am Kitchenette.

The old signage is still up, but a banner had been placed on the awning. It read "Homestyle Hawaiian", so I guess I was here? A folding grease pencil board was up in front of the entrance, and in the classic "Mo's" style all the offerings for the day were listed.

The interior is a bit cluttered with Hawaiian kitsch-y knick-knacks, doo-dads, and thing-a-ma-jiggies……

The floors could maybe use a bit of a scrubbing….but there he was, Mo, in the flesh. Open only for about ten days, hadn't really told anyone about opening. Over the last six months, Mo has been keeping himself busy with catering gigs, and just plain laying low.

Of course I wanted my favorite dish, the Korean Chicken, and maybe some Katsu, but Mo was having a new fryer installed, so I'd have to wait until the weekend for that. I settled for a Loco Moco:

Mo told me that portions were a bit smaller than the gin-normous sizes back at Mo's, and prices now start at five bucks for some items. The loco moco was one of the items that has remained the same, three scoops rice (double-deckered, plus one under the burger), 12 oz patty, etc, etc, etc….. It tasted just the way I remembered, you can read about it here.

I realize that Loco Mocos aren't for everyone, but this a pretty good version.

So there you go, Mo is back in action. Currently, he is the only employee, so he'll be taking your order, cooking your food, and working the register. I'm hoping things work out, and will be back for some Korean Chicken in the near future.

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

A & D Hawaiian BBQ – National City

June 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** A&D has closed

Well, there I was in Grove Plaza Center with the intent of grabbing a bite at Karihan. Unfortunately, there was no Kare-Kare on this morning, and for some reason, all of the food looked like it had been "sitting around" for quite a while….at 11am in the morning. So I decided to head next door to A&D Hawaiian BBQ.

I've been kinda down on the whole Hawaiian BBQ thing………most of it seems to be a bunch of folks who could care less about what they plop on a plate, who are just looking to make some $$$ (replacing Spam with Treet – heresy I say!). And frankly, after looking over the menu at A&D, full of the usual suspects, I wasn't particularly moved. But it had been so long since I've had even a borderline terrible Lau Lau, that I was willing to sell my soul, and drop my standards. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, there was no Lau Lau, only Kalua Pork available.

So I made an adjustment, and placed my order, and waited. Meanwhile, I gazed upon the borderline neon green walls. During my wait, the very nice Woman manning the counter was constantly cleaning. Now A&D isn't the most visually pleasing little place, the tables have various names, initials, and other verbiage carved into them, and it does look a bit aged for a place that's only been in this location for a year, but man this woman was really cleaning……

Unable to make a decision, I had ordered the ubiquitous "BBQ Mix" ($7.29). The nice lady brought the styrofoam container over to my table, and when I grabbed it, it felt like it must've weighed two pounds…..

And everything was hot…so hot that it steamed up my camera lens, and I had to wait for a minute or two to take photos. As with all these BBQ Mix plates, all the regulars were in attendance. The BBQ Short Ribs…please don't call them Kalbi….they are about as close to Kalbi as I am to Brad Pitt. That said, these were not bad, not as tough as the usual cross cut short ribs are, the marinade is not as sweet as many, which is fine with me.

The BBQ Beef was well marinated, pulling toward more of a ginger-shoyu flavor. It was also fairly tender, and without the usual "sugi", which is what we call nylon fishing line back home, the usual tough, and inedible tendon that is usually found.

The BBQ chicken looked on the light side, but was pretty tender. The norm would be chicken that had been marinated, pre-cooked, dumped back into a steam tray with marinade, and reheated before serving, making it really tough. I really got the feeling, based on the wait time, and how hot everything was, that these folks cook their stuff to order.

I really liked the Mac Salad, it was nice and cold, with a perfect amount of mayo, and some salt for a change. The rice was a bit hard and dry, though.

There was one more item that I had to order. On the door is a sign. That sign says "6 Piece Chicken Wing Special – $1.99". Yes, it seems that A&D is in the Salt and Pepper Chicken wing business.

The batter on these is light, and crisp, and the chicken is juicy, but it does not hold up well, and lacks the "crack-like" addictive flavor.

This way too much food for me, so I took half of it home. What I thought was interesting, was that the Missus had pretty much the same opinion. And I didn't even tell Her what I thought of the food. They say after you've been married for a while……….

A few weeks later, I was in the area, and decided to drop by A&D again. This time I paid a bit more heed to the menu, and had to chuckle at the "Healthy Meals" portion. since when is Chicken Katsu or Crispy Shrimp, considered healthy? Perhaps they mean a "healthy appetite"?

Being the predictable person I am, I of course ordered:

Yes, a Loco Moco ($6.99). I readily admit that I have a thing about the two easy over eggs, hamburger patties, gravy, over rice. It is something that I long for on a visceral level. So how does this rate on the modified "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds. For those not familiar with the scale, you can check out my post from waaaaay back in 2005. And in case you're wondering, why the Big Island? It is believed that the Loco Moco was created on the Big Island circa 1949. Sorry to say that I wasn't able to sample the Loco from the Lincoln Grill, but the Missus and I have had more than our share from Cafe100.

So moving right along…….

#1 – The Burger – Pure and simple pre-formed. Tough. – 2.0 points

#2 Eggs – A bite overcooked for me. But worse of all, they didn't clean the griddle before frying the eggs. Too many black, "mystery bits". – 1.0 points

#3 Rice – Perfectly cooked this time. – 3.0 points

#4 Gravy – Wow, really salty….really, really, salty. I've hardly ever left gravy to sit and congeal, but had to this time. – 1.0 points.

#5 Stuffs – In this case the Macaroni Salad, which wasn't as good as my previous visit, but still pretty good. – 3.0 points.

For a total of 13.0 points, which ranks it as being fairly mediocre, even by Hawaiian BBQ standards.

Overall, A&D serves up standard Hawaiian BBQ fare. I felt that with regards to the BBQ, you get a pretty hefty size portion of food, which was pretty good. There are also $4.99 specials such as Chicken Katsu. The service was, at least for me, a notch above the standard indifferent service at most of these places.

A&D Hawaiian BBQ
Grove Plaza Center
2220 Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Open Daily – 11am – 9pm

Some Revisits: Do Re Mi House and Leilani’s Restaurant

March 30, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** Both Do Re Mi House and the Serra Mesa location of Leilani's have closed

Do Re Mi House:

Hard to believe that I hadn't been back here for over three years. Sometime during that period the lettering on the windows have been redone, and now in addition to the Korean Food, it says they serve "Japanese Traditional Food"?!?? The menu looked pretty much the same, as did the restaurant, though they've removed the back partition to the place. And lunch is still pretty cheap, the Bulgogi Lunch Special at the time of my visit (December) was still $5.99. Looked exactly the same as well.

Funny how tastes change, I found the Bulgogi to be on the sweet side, though it was fairly tender, and the mandoo were better than on my last visit. Still, not bad, if the price is still $5.99.

And I still love the potatoes here. If this visit is any indication, service has now become the typical "dump and duck"…..

Do Re Mi House
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste M
San Diego, CA 92111

My previous post on Do Re Mi House can be found here.

Leilani's Restaurant:

Also from back in December. I got my Loco Moco fix from Leilani's Restaurant. This of course meant a Hilo Loco for me:

In some ways it was the same dependable Loco……nice gravy, hand formed patty, lean, and perhaps on the tough side, but the same as usual, as were the eggs, which could have been a bit more crisp, but were decently runny……

And there was a good amount of gravy over everything. But on this visit, I felt like something was missing…….there was a good amount of Kielbasa and Portuguese Sausage in the fried rice, which was cooked just right, but the entire package tasted strangely bland…….like they forgot to season things……

With this costing ten bucks, maybe I'm just expecting more, or maybe it was just an off day? Though the mac salad was really, really, good on this day…so good I forgot to take a photo! Maybe I need to head back to PB, and see how Leilani is doing?

Leilani's Hawaiian Restaurant
3232 Greyling Drive
San Diego, CA 92123
858-565-4637

My previous post on Leilani's can be found here.

NaniMoku Hawaiian BBQ

February 20, 2009 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** Nani Moku has closed

I realize that over the last couple of years, I've kinda gotten away from all da' plate lunches, and stuff like that……. Still, once in a while, I just need a plate lunch. And in spite of the many Hawaiian BBQ joints in San Diego, a good plate lunch is hard to come by. As I mentioned before, for me, all Hawaiian BBQ is a subset of plate lunch. And most Hawaiian BBQ places do not offer the variety, nor quality of food that an old school plate lunch joint would.

I wondered, what exactly would Nani Moku be….just another Hawaiian BBQ rehash, or perhaps a good solid plate lunch.

I had made a trip to Nani Moku's back in September of last year, thinking I'd be visiting Da' Kine's. I was shocked to find Da' Kine's gone, and Nani Moku in its place. But after looking at the menu, it looked just like Da' Kine's with a new name. Even the staff looked the same, as did the "daily specials….. Except for a little placard that had "Loco Moco" specials….. did you say Loco Moco specials? I was so there, tucked in the pocket of my personal, gravy laden, comfort zone. I ordered the Chicken Katsu Loco ($6.95). Which to me was basically what we call a "Chicken Cutlet" back home. In Hawaii, the term Chicken Cutlet is synonymouswith Chicken Katsu with Gravy. Which this was, except for the easy over egg…….

And I enjoyed the very runny easy over eggs. Many places nowadays are starting to hard cook their eggs, but this was wonderfully runny, if unseasoned. I'm sure the eggs could have been a bit more crisp around the edges, but that may have been asking a bit much. The cutlet was full on Da' Kine's, thin, with lots of breading. It was moist, which was nice, and the gravy was dark and seasoned. The macaroni salad was chilled, though still lacking in salt, but better than it usually is.

Can you tell that I enjoyed it? I told myself to hang in there, save the photos, and return later on. Soon enough, it was a new year, and I still hadn't returned to Nani Moku. One day, I was going through and deleting photos, when I came across the Chicken Katsu Loco….. and I knew where I'd be headed for lunch……

I returned to Nani Moku, walked up to the counter……

And no moa' Special Loco's…. and what the heck is a "Kaluha Plate?"

You may say; "you know what they mean……" To which I'd reply, "oh, like ordering some Dung Pao Chicken?" At this point, the menu was Da' Kine's recycled, which, if done well is not a bad thing.

So I ordered a Three Item Mix ($8.75) to get a taste of several menu items, which was a good amount of food:

The Chicken Katsu was a safe bet, and was fine as always, along with the ketchup based Katsu sauce:

You can tell by the photo the problem with the Kalua (not Kahula) Pork and Cabbage:

Once upon a time, this might have been half decent, with a good pork to cabbage ratio, but what I got served was the stuff scrapped from the bottom of the chafing dish…hard and dry.

The Teriyaki BBQ Chicken was moist, but lacked a nice marinated flavor.

The Mac Salad was again, nicely chilled, with a perfect amount of mayo, but lacking in salt, or a good savory flavor.

Overall, pretty much typical inconsistent Da' Kine's…except for one thing….the rice. Da' Kine's had a bad habit of serving mushy rice. On both visits to Nani Moku, the rice was good….at least that was consistent. As to whether I'd be back…. I dunno…..

Nani Moku
1635 Sweetwater Road
National City, CA 91950

Sun – Thurs: 11am – 8pm
Fri – Sat: 11am – 9pm

Island Style Cafe

September 10, 2008 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

I must admit I was in a bit of a rut for a while. I was getting stale; and a bit bored with the places I had sampling. I have a pretty good collection of meals to post about, but could not muster the energy to post about them. But just like that; things would turn around. Starting first with Sab-E-Lee, followed by Wa Dining Okan, I’ve regained my enthusiasm. Fast forward to about a week ago….. I received an email from FOY "Shawn", who mentioned a new Hawaii kine grindz place that had opened up in Tierrasanta. Having read about my obsession with Loco Mocos, Shawn had taken the time out to send me an email about Island Style Cafe. With nice folks like TanyaS and Shawn keeping an eye out for me, it’s almost as if I have my own Loco Moco Patrol out there! And I appreciate the effort. Shawn had even done my research for me: "The restaurant is owned by a husband and wife. The husband cooks while the wife takes care of the tables. The husband worked as a chef at the Four Seasons prior to moving here. The wife worked for Aloha airlines until they went out of business. They had initially planned on helping their brother/brother-in-law start a restaurant and commuting back and forth from Hawaii. Well, once Aloha went out of business they said what the heck and moved here to make a go of the restaurant business." After reading that story, I made it a point to check the place out.

The interior of the restaurant is spartan, but very clean. The menu is interesting to say the least; all the regulars are represented; Teri-Beef, Hamburger Steak, Korean Chicken, and Chicken Katsu, are on the menu. What really stands out on the menu are the presence of crepes! Crepes? There are 4 "sweet crepes", and 4 "breakfast crepes" on the menu. This place is really into breakfast, as breakfast items comprise almost half the menu.

The other thing that stands out is Teri, who handles the front of house. She exudes warmth, and has the most sincere, wonderful smile. Once She found out that I’m from Hawaii(they are from Kona), the pidgin starts leaking out…from the both of us.

The Loco Moco-ish item on the menu is called the "Kaloko Moco". Unfortunately, the menu says it’s served until 11am, and it’s a bit past that when I entered the restaurant. But with Teri; all things are possible, and getting my Kaloko Moco($8.75) is not a problem. This is one pretty original Loco, I’ll say that much!

It is very pretty, at least to me. If there is ever anything that I’d want a plastic version of, a la Japanese Plastic Food, it would be this.

This Loco came with the standard equipment, 2 eggs easy over (nice and runny), a hand formed hamburger patty (grilled with great flavor, but dry and tough), and gravy (Ono-licious, tasted like it was made from scratch). In addition, it was upgraded with Fried Rice, which I’ve had with a Loco Moco before. The fried rice had a generous amount of chopped Spam and Ham, and if a bit on the mushy side, had really good flavor, without being too salty. The item that was really different was the crepe! Yes, all of this cholesterol goodness was placed on top of a savory crepe. I wasn’t sure if this would work; but the crepe was studded with chopped Spam and Ham, and even though there was a very mild sweetness, it didn’t detract from the overall flavor. In fact, I thought it was a nice combination. And in a nice touch, Teri recognized I was a Kama’aina, and brought the required condiment to my table, a bottle of Tabasco, without a single utterance from yours truly. And though I’ve really cut down on my Loco Moco consumption, I’ll have this again, without doubt.

On another visit, I decided to try out some of the items on the Plate Lunch menu. I went with a "mix plate" of 2 items ($9.75). I chose the Chicken Katsu – Korean Chicken combination.

A bit on the high side price wise, but this was pretty good. The Katsu was chicken breast, and very moist. The cutlet was fried to perfection, the panko crust crisp and light. The Katsu sauce was very "local style", ketchup based and tangy. The Korean Chicken was nicely marinated, and had obviously not been laying in a pan, and reheated. It was moist and tender, I enjoyed the marinade, which had a nice flavor, if a bit on the sweet side. The macaroni salad was spot on with regards to the amount of mayo used. It was also nice and cold, which is exactly the way I like my mac salad. I’m not a big fan of tuna in my mac salad, which is a personal preference, so this version is not my favorite.

As I’m writing this post, I’ve come to the realization that these folks get it, with regards to the food they serve. It is well made, the little things matter (the temperature of the mac salad), they care about what they serve, and it comes across as not just being "a business". At least that’s what I think so far. It helps that Teri is warm and welcoming. The menu has several salads, and I overheard that some of the dressings(Mango Vinaigrette, Papaya Seed) are made in house. Burger are also featured prominently, and I think Dennis will be happy to know that there’s Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich on the menu, though I gotta talk to them about the pineapple ring!

Even though the menu lists the hours being 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, I don’t think they’re open for dinner yet.

You know, 2 out of the 3 of the restaurants that I’ve enjoyed lately have happened because of recommendations. What would I do without you all!

Island Style Cafe
5950 Santo Road
San Diego, CA 92124

Thanks for the recommendation Shawn, this place is a winna!

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ

August 26, 2008 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** Junz has closed

This one is for TanyaS who is always nice enough to let me know when She sees something "new".

It looks like North Park now has a plate lunch shop. Junz Teriyaki & BBQ opened in the beginning of July, and all it took was the mention of the word "Loco Moco" courtesy of an email from Tanya to get me in the front door of Junz.

If I recall, this was a Gyros & Fried Chicken Shop. But man, it's sure been "prettied up"(is there such a phrase?).

And, if you really need it, you can still get a Gyros or Falafel Sandwich…with a side order of Spam Musubi.

So what did I get? Well, being the consistent (a nice way of saying predictable) guy I am, I got the Loco Moco ($5.95). On the menu it's the "Loco Moco Hawaiian" which I think is kinda, well insulting…perhaps it should be the Hawaiian Style Loco Moco? This was the first of many signs that perhaps this was just another attempt at cashing in on "Hawaiian BBQ". The next indicator was when the Loco Moco arrived:

What the heck? I had not read the part that said, "Gravy Teriyaki Sauce"…..actually it was just teriyaki sauce. I did enjoy the egg, which was a very Bi-Bim-Bap-ish perfect, and for the price expected the preformed hamburger patty, which was unexpectedly cut into 4 pieces. But the rest of this was a train wreck. From the teriyaki sauce to the mixed peas, corn, and carrots mixed into the rice…to the soggy iceberg lettuce, to the mushy rice, this wasn't very good.

At least the Teriyaki Sauce wasn't overly sweet. This was just a bit strange. Just one more thing, on the menu it says "Hamburger Patties" and "Eggs". Last time I checked, those are plurals, as in "more than one".

Not that I need to do any additional damage to my cholesterol level……but perhaps this should be fixed in future editions of the menu? I'm still trying to figure out which "Island" this "Style" of Loco Moco is from. And here I thought that the Loco Moco that Kat posted about was a bit odd!

Still, that egg was mighty good, and in some very strange way I really wanted to like this place. I liked the decor, and the ladies are very nice. So I decided to give it another go. This time, because of the that egg, I thought perhaps there was some Korean roots to the food, and thought that perhaps the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki($6.95) would be a good item to try. I mean, a nice Dak Bulgogi style chicken with Kochujang for a tad of heat.

It was not to be, it was just "spiked" teriyaki sauce, on top of fast-foodish, food courtish, chicken. The 1 scoop of rice, was cooked perfectly this time, and the macaroni salad was a bit too runny, but tasted fine.

There was very little to separate this stuff from what you'd get at generic shopping mall food court…you know, the "same chicken, different sauce" syndrome. Perhaps I should have had a Spam Onigiri (Falafel Sandwich?).

It's kind of a bummer. Like I said, the ladies working here are really nice, and the place is sparkling clean and bright. As I looked at the take-out menu, I noticed that this place is run by the folks who own North Park Sushi & Grill across the street, and Hanaoka Japanese Restaurant, which I understand has been in National City forever. The menu has items like Saimin, Gyoza, Hummus(!), and Teriyaki in several forms. Maybe someone can tell me what I need to order from Junz!

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ
3010 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am – 9pm

Thanks for letting me know when you see something you think I'd be interested in Tanya!