Orange County – Page 6

Road Trip: Hwang Hae Do Korean BBQ – Garden Grove (OC)

February 2, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip

**** This location of Hwang Hae Do has closed

I took a day off right after the New Year, for the purpose of going on a short eating road trip to LA and the OC with two of my friends, MrS, and the entity that is known as the EatingMachine. We started at Mei Long Village, for Xiao Long Bao, and a few Shanghainese cold dishes. Next it was off to Food Cabin, for more Xiao LongBao, Shengjian Bao, and other assorted dishes. Lucky for us, "DaMachine" was running smoothly, easily eliminating any possibility of leftovers. On the way back, we decided to stop for a "real meal" in the area of Garden Grove Icall Koreatown South. I had written down a few listings in my "black book", but Mr S, pulling from his Korean roots dismissed my list, brought out his cell phone, and went off on a speed dial frenzy. The consensus, was for Hwang Hae Do….. which was one of the places on my list! Ha!

Hwang Hae Do looks quite humble in comparison to some of the newer and more fancy restaurants in the area. And boy does this place love its photos, posters, and fliers.

The interior is "old wood rustic", with the ever present Plasma Television going strong.

Hwang Hae is a province in North Korea, so if the name meant anything, this would be North Korean inspired food. I had written down the dishes that I wanted to try at Heang Hae Do, and looking down the list, after all the XLB, I crossed off the mandu, but had something else in mind. And MrS, after chatting with the really nice lady, came to the same conclusion. And, of course it was one of the items on the myriad of flyers posted everywhere around the place.

After Mr S placed our orders in Korean, the panchan arrived. There were a few items, I enjoyed, the baechu kimchi (Napa Cabbage kimchi) was very good. And I don't recall seeing dotorimuk (Acorn Jelly) much in San Diego. But most of it was pretty mild in flavor.

Pretty soon a metal "pan" of sorts was placed above the BBQ brazier. The pan had a "moat" of sauce encircling it.

It was Yook-soo Bulgogi($18.99/order – minimum 2 orders) time! A huge platter of thinly sliced meat, onions, scallions, and mushrooms arrived, and was piled on the top of the pan.

For ease of use, part of the meat was portioned off on a bowl placed on the table.

While the rest remained on the platter, table side.

Sheesh, do ya' think this was enough? And what is even more impressive…..this was only 2 orders, and came with rice, and 2 beers (OB).

For those who have never had Yook-soo Bulgogi, I think I can best describe it as a Sukiyaki like dish.

This broth was mild and balanced in flavor, just lightly sweet. There are places in San Diego that make this, but most versions are much too sweet and heavy. The meat was good in quality, soft, and almost melted in your mouth.

And while we were waiting for our meat to cook, MrS had ordered us Mul Naengmyun, the classic North Korean cold buckwheat noodle soup dish.

The tangy broth, even when tempered with liberal doses of vinegar sent my tastebuds into overdrive. It was a nice foil to the meat, and was a very effective palate cleanser. Even with all the meat, I managed to finish my entire bowl. Yes, we each had an entire metal bowl. In case you're interested there's an interesting post on Naengmyun in Pyongyang which can be found here.

As if to add the "cherry on the top", at the end noodles are placed in the meat infused broth.

After all of that food we had earlier, I can't believe we finished everything in fine fashion. Total damage, 2 orders Yook-soo Bulgogi, 3 Mul Naengmyun – $62.

The only problem we had was staying awake on the drive back to San Diego.

The service was efficient, the lady was very nice. Not much English spoken, but there are all those posters everywhere….

Hwang Hae Do
9567 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92842

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Road Trip: Ajisen Ramen & Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center – Irvine (OC)

January 21, 2009 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Ramen, Road Trip

**** This location of Ajisen has closed

I had purposely not gotten a large bowl of Pho at Pho Thanh Lich, so that I'd have a chance for another meal on my way back from the 'OC'. Plus, I wanted to check out the new Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center. I had decided a nice bowl of ramen would do the trick, and selected Ajisen Ramen.

Now, I know that Ajisen is a Chinese run Ramen chain, with over 300 outlets around the world, that according to Rameniac has strayed far from its Kumamoto roots. Still, I'd gotten a few recommendations, so I thought I'd check it out. At the time I arrived there were only a few tables occupied in the place. The dining area was ind of cramped, and not in the cozy ramen shop-izakaya kind of way.

The second thing I noticed, was a lack of a certain sound….slurping. There were folks having bowls of ramen, but not a single one of them were slurping….which made me feel a tad uncomfortable. You see, over the years, I've gotten used to, and now, relish the noise that a good bowl of ramen makes. It's almost like you can hear a great bowl of ramen before you smell or see it. I once knew a very proper Japanese girl named "Reiko". Now Reiko-chan, would never think or even conceive of slurping down some Chow Mein, or Spaghetti, but place a good bowl of ramen before her, and she would be instantly transformed into a slurp machine befitting of a certain truck driver many are familiar with.When asked why, she explained thusly: "Kirk-san, you cannot help it, when it tastes good, you must!" 'Nuff said….

All I wanted was a basic bowl of Ramen, so Iordered the Ajisen Ramen ($7.50), which also was the most inexpensive ramen.

Being used to Santouka portion sizes, I found the bowl that arrived to be pretty large. There was also quite a bit of cabbage, wakame, and hijiki in the broth, and the scent and flavor of the garlic oil, wakame, and hijiki, wiped out any subtle flavor the broth would have. The broth was lukewarm, which would usually be a real a no-no with a rich tonkotsu style(rapidly boiled pork bone based) broth, but in this case the broth was so thin it didn't really matter. No matter how cold the broth got, I doubted that a "skin" would ever develop. From what I've read Kumamoto style noodles are known to be softer than the more well known Hakata Ramen, and yes the noodles were a bit softer, and lacked a nice elasticity that I enjoy. The chashu (braised pork) had a nice caramelization, which added some texture, and tasted a bit on the sweeter side. It was probably the best part of the dish.

The service I received was curt, but professional. And the young lady managing the front was really very, very, nice, almost respectful….probably because I seemed to be at least (at least) a decade older than anyone else in the room.

The restaurant had filled up by the time I left, a mere 30 minutes later. Without a doubt, Ajisen is quite popular. Still, tilting my head toward the mass of ramen eaters, I could here nary a slurp….and that says a lot in my book.

Ajisen Ramen
2700 Alton Pkwy
Irvine, CA 92606

Elmo article from OC Weekly, here.

Ajisen Ramen is located in Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center which is a far cry from the typical LA Asian Stripmall, or even Focus Plaza, in it's size, and breath:

The focus is multi-cultural, and perhaps multi-con-fusional, with Crepes de Paris, next to Capital Seafood, next to BCD Tofu house, across from BBQ Chicken, which is next to a Greek Restaurant, with Tokyo Table on one end. In spite of the rather large parking lot, I think this place must be a zoo. Especially since there is only one small parking lot entrance. In fact, as I left, the parking lot was full, and the mall is only half occupied.

The mall is anchored by an outlet of the Korean Supermarket Chain H Mart, which strangely enough, has a fairly small parking area allocated in front of the market.

For those who fear the sights, scents, and sounds of Asian Markets, H Mart is for you. No worries of seeing or smelling piles of dried squid or dried filefish here. In fact, the first thought that came to me when I entered H Mart, was….. Whole Foods:

Everything is nicely wrapped, or behind glass, with no odors assaulting you.

Things are tidy, and the store is very clean. The prices of the produce seemed on the high side, but I found the meat, and other items to be reasonable.

And yet, I felt something was missing……but it was probably just me.

Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center
2700-2750 Alton Parkway
Irvine, CA 92606

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Road Trip: Pho Thanh Lich – Westminster (OC)

January 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Orange County, Pho, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Thanh Lich in Westminster has closed

I'll be the first to admit that most of my Pho photos look the same. In fact, I've been accused of using a "stunt bowl" on occasion. Let me be very clear…. I have never, and will never use a "Pho double". Hopefully this time you'll know it wasn't just "any" bowl of Pho.

During a recent shopping trip to the "OC", I was in the mood for a bowl of Pho, and decided to stop in Westminster. In retrospect, I should've gotten the blessing of the "Don of Little Saigon", FOY Beach! But this was a last minute decision(and New Year's eve to boot!) on my part, so I'm hoping he'll forgive me. I arrived on Bolsa, the heart of Little Saigon at just about 10am, after seeing the my first option was not yet open, I headed up Brookhurst, and stopped at the corner of Bolsa and Hazard, at Pho Thanh Lich. It's one of a seemingly endless number of Pho shops in the area, and like many of them, shows signs of having a past……the facade indicates perhaps a Pizza joint?

From the fragrance of simmering beef and herbs, to the workers watching a Vietnamese variety show, all things felt right…. as did the requisite slightly sticky tables.

Funny, I took several photos of the interior but the only one that came out was this weird one. It happened when I placed my camera on the table, and accidentally snapped a photo. Go figure; so much for my photographic capabilities.

After several years, and many bowls of Pho in San Diego, I've lowered my expectations with regards to rare beef(Tai). It is usually dry and tough Beef Eye of the Round. I used to get the meat on the side, but to me the difference was minimal and not worth the effort. As they say you "can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear". When ordering Pho at a shop I haven't been to before, I still order the rare steak, but I've set my bar very low. Such is not the case at Pho Thanh Lich. Why?

That my friends is Filet Mignon. For me, you need to order it rare and on the side. The prices here are not bargain basement. The regular bowl, with Filet costs $6. You want the beef on the side, add 50 cents. The young lady who served me was a joy, nervous, and I think new on the job, she led me to my table, and while having some difficulties with my order; she told me, "I so sorry, only Freshman….." Which I took to mean she was new at this….. and any attempts at ordering in butchered Vietnamese would probably only confuse things.

The herbs soon arrived, sparkling fresh. Not the largest portion I've ever had, but very fresh, especially the Ngo Ngai (Culantro, Saw Leaf Herb). Along with soup, it made a nice "family photo":

The broth was interesting, beefy, with a strong ginger/galangal flavor. The broth wasn't the clearest I've had, though not very dark.

Someone once told me this place had very oily broth. I didn't find this to be the case, it seemed to have a decent amount of oil, giving it a nice richness, and I didn't find it to be overly salty(MSG).

I found the noodles to be bit overcooked and mushy. The other cuts of meat, especially the brisket was full of flavor. I had also been told that the brisket and flank here, tastes "offal". All I tasted was a good beefiness.

One more thing; the broth came scortching hot. The better for this:

Very mild in flavor (the brisket will take care of that), but it melted in my mouth.

And a little dessert as well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable bowl. It is not a "meat-fest", but in my opinion does well in the flavor department. The Older Woman manning the register, even smiled at me, and told me "thank you, come again." I think I will. I still have Pho Kimmy in my sights, but did not feel shortchanged by eating here. And you can tell, no "stunt bowl" right?

Pho Thanh Lich
14500 Brookhurst St.
Westminster, CA 92683

Why the regular bowl instead of the large? Well, I wanted to squeeze in one more "snack" before heading home from Orange County.

Road Trip: Daikokuya – Costa Mesa (Orange County)

October 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Orange County, Ramen, Road Trip

**** This location of Daikokuya has closed

I've long been a fan of Daikokuya, though not a big enough fan to wait 1-2 hours in line….for me the return on investment was just not there. Well maybe an hour, but no longer…..except when it's kinda cold outside, but only then could I wait maybe an hour-and-a-half…..or if I'm really Jonesing for a bowl of the super rich and fatty Kotteri broth, maybe…..

So when I read that Daikokuya was opening up in the Food Court of Marukai Costa Mesa, I was overjoyed, and quite excited. Until I read Elmomonster's post on his disappointing visit to Daikokuya Costa Mesa. Still, I thought that I needed to find out for myself.

After seeing the "menu"(written on a piece of construction paper) and the "crew", I pretty much knew that this, at the best, would be a stripped down Daikokuya experience.

Being not very hungry, the Missus and I decided to split a bowl of ramen ($8.50). We were handed one of those vibrating coaster like thing-a-majiggies…. And before you knew it, the bugger got all lit up and vibrated its way off the table. I guess my bowl of ramen was ready!

As I moved the bowl from the plastic tray to the table, I noticed that it was not very hot, which for tonkotsu (boiled pork bone) style broth is the kiss of death. It ends up being oily. The first thing the Missus went for was the boiled egg, one of Her favorites, and Daikokuya, as I remembered it was one of the few places that would make their eggs "hanjyuku" style…soft boiled. As I fished the egg out, the Missus let out a gasp:

Talk about lousy quality control; this egg had cracked during the boiling process, causing the albumen to get stiff, and the yolk would obviously be overcooked. The Missus wasn't going to take this sitting down, and marched the bowl back to the counter. What She got from the young lady was a titter, and the statement, "wow, that's an ugly looking egg". You gotta love the attention to detail. After a short discussion, we got a replacement egg. It was not soft-boiled, but acceptable.

The broth itself was a disappointment, bland, somewhat greasy, almost what we would consider "stagnant". I had expected the Chashu to be lousy as well, but it was pretty good, with a nice mildly sweet "porkiness" to it.

The noodles were as good as mass-produced standard ramen noodles could be prepared. It had a nice chew to it, and was not overcooked. The Missus's assessment? "We came all this way for this? You better get some fish from Marukai and make me Karei Karaage when we get home!" Which I did.

I should have known better and taken Elmo's word on Daikokuya….but I had to find out for myself. Still, they seemed to be doing okay business in the Bermuda Triangle that is the Marukai Costa Mesa Food Court. But to me, it is a mere shadow of the Little Tokyo location.

Daikokuya
2975 Harbor Blvd (In the Marukai Food Court)
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

I just realized that I chose what may be one of the hottest days of the year to post about ramen…..maybe I just wanted to share my pain?

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Road Trip: Beach’s Big Little Saigon Food Tour Part 2

September 20, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Bun Bo Hue, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

After making 5 stops on Beach’s whirlwind tour of Little Saigon, Beach turned to me and said, "ok, Kirk, let’s get some real food now…."

5 – Cho Cu Bakery:

Beach had remembered that I had become fond of the "bread" in Vietnam. It was light, very flaky (vs crusty), and had a nice yeasty flavor. So our next stop was Cho Cu Bakery, which is located in yet another strip mall in Westminster.

I purchased a baguette ($1), and a Banh Mi Bi for the Missus. Even though the Banh Mi Bi sat in a car for 4 hours or so, it held up well. The Missus really enjoyed the Bi.

The bread, is light, and fairly flaky. A bit more substantial than baguettes we had in Hanoi, but it was the closest I’ve had since we returned. I used half of the baguette for Banh Mi Cha Com, and the rest became breakfast. A simple baguette with smiling cow cheese brought back memories of breakfast in Sapa.

Have you ever noticed that the worse the parking lot, the better the food????

Cho Cu Bakery
14520 Magnolia St
Westminster, CA 92683

6 – Quan Vy Da:

With Beach skillfull dodging of flying autos, we managed to extricate ourselves from from Cho Cu’s parking lot. Beach turned to me and said, "let’s eat lunch!" Beach decided to randomly check out a restaurant, and knowing my affinity for Bun Bo Hue, we made a lunch stop at Quan Vy Da.

Of course we both got Bun Bo Hue:

I thought the meat provided was the best I’ve had in a traditional (non-Pho shop) Bun Bo Hue. Soft, tender, and full of flavor. The noodles were cooked perfectly, not overcooked like many places tend to do. The soup was topped with Rau Ram(Vietnamese Coriander) in addition to the cilantro. The plate of herbs provided was adequate, and included thinly sliced banana blossom. I thought the soup could have been hotter, as I believe that the "garnishes" should be softened by the broth to add more flavor. The broth had a decent lemongrass flavor, but the heat was truly lacking. Both Beach and I noted how mild the broth was. Overall, this was pretty good.

The Banh Beo, those little discs of steamed rice flour, were the best I’ve had.

Wonderfully pliable, moist, with a mild chew, these were great. The ground shrimp topping these wonderful little discs added texture and saltiness. The overall effect was a fantastic savory, with just a hint of sweetness in the background. A splash of fish sauce topped everything off with a touch of umami.

This was a wonderful way to end this road trip for me.

Quan Vy Da
9950 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683

Driving home to San Diego, with my back seats full of my bounty, I could only marvel at how blessed I’ve been. Food Blogging sometimes has its down days, but there have always been more "ups". Without doing this food blogging thing, I would have been deprived of knowing so many wonderful and generous folks. Like Beach…..

Thanks again for your warm and generous heart Beach!

Roadtrip: Beach’s Big Little Saigon Food Tour Part 1

September 15, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Bun Bo Hue, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

I’ve mentioned our good friend Beach, a few times. He’s a force of nature, with the energy and personality to match. It’s really hard to describe him, OC Food Blogger extraordinaire Chubbypanda called him "brash, generous, bold, gregarious, earthy, charismatic, and charming." And he’s well known as The Don of Little Saigon to those OC Food Bloggers. Beach has always been amazingly generous to the Missus and I, in fact, we owe much of our Vietnam trip to Beach, who helped us plan it every step of the way. Needless to say, I don’t think we’d have had such a great trip without his help. So recently, I met up with Beach, I’ve covered one short leg of it earlier, in the post on Be Thui. That was but one short part of a whirlwind 2 hour tour of some of Little Saigon’s little shops and eateries. And being Beach, he focused on some of the items we had in Vietnam.

So hang on….here goes!

1 – Thach Che Hien Khanh:

This busy little dessert shop with a line going out the door, specializes in Che, a coconut milk – tapioca ball dessert…I’m simplifying the definition of Che…there are so many variations!

But we weren’t here for the Che…Beach had his mind on a few snacks that I could take home to the Missus. The selection is immense, and the colors vibrant:

From Black sticky rice to the Green rice:

So what did I Beach suggest for the Missus?

The Green Rice had a very mild sweetness and coconut flavor.

But the Missus really enjoyed the Durian Rice!

Though when Sammy caught a whiff of this, he left the Country! I think She’ll gladly have this again.

Thach Che Hien Khanh
9639 Bolsa Ave., #A
Westminster, CA 92683

For much more info on Thach Che Hien Khanh, please read Elmo’s post and Wandering Chopstick’s post, you’ll be glad you did.

2 – Huong Huong Food to Go:

Beach also recalled how much the Missus loved the Banh Gio in Hanoi, so our next stop was Huong Huong Food to Go.

For us it was 2 Banh Gio to go. The restaurant has a ton of steam table type dishes…the smells are really tempting. You can read about Huong Huong’s offerings, albiet the Westminster location in Elmo’s post.

But I was saving myself. When I arrived home the Missus eagerly went for the Banh Gio, heating it up in the microwave.

So how was it? These were much more substantial than what we had in Hanoi. It was much heavier, and the rice flour "wrapper" had a more solid texture. The filling, was well…..very filling, and featured a Quail Egg as the "cherry on the top".

But it was close enough to bring back memories of having breakfast, sitting on kiddie stools, on a street corner of Hanoi.

Huong Huong
9892 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove, CA 92844

3 – Cho Ben Thanh Market:

Stop number 3 was Be Thui, you can read that post here.

4 – Thai Binh:

Beach recalled the Pork and Green Rice Patties we had in Bac Ha, and our next stop was Thai Binh. One of those little shops on Brookhurst. From the name, you could tell they specialized in various sausages.

So what did I get here?

According to Beach, it’s called Cha Com. This was the defatted lean pork sausage, studded with green rice, which gave it a mild, sweet, nuttiness. It wasn’t quite what we had in Bac Ha, which was more crunchy, not as lean, and had a stronger pork flavor. This was a sausage, what we had previously were more like fried fritters. That’s not to say this wasn’t good….it was quite tasty, if a bit on the oily side, and made some pretty good sandwiches. In other words, if you’re selling this…sign me up.

Thai Binh
14186 Brookhurst St
Garden Grove, CA 92843

And would you believe we still had 2 more stops! Let me tell you, Beach has more energy than a mallrat with a brand new credit card! I know Beach will call me a tease, but I’ll be stopping here for the night, and let you tell me about some of your favorite places in Little Saigon……

Part 2 to come!

Roadtrip: Be Thui from Cho Ben Thanh Market – Westminster (Orange County)

August 24, 2008 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

A funny thing has happened since I’ve started this little ol’ food blog. Among the emails I receive, there’s always bound to be one naming some dish I’ve never heard of before. And it usually goes something like this: "Kirk, have you ever tried xxxxxx? I don’t eat it myself, but my (fill in the blank – Father, Mother, Uncle, Grandfather) just loves the stuff." I guess it’s just a sign of old age, I’m getting lumped in with what "Dad" eats. However, this one came from a good "FOY" (friend of yoso!!!), TammyC. The basic gist of the email was that her Dad loves what she called "almost raw baby cow meat dip" from Cho Ben Thanh Market in Westminster. Not quite the most appetizing of descriptions, but TammyC knows my "tastes" pretty well, and recommended I try it out. I understood that I was a bit out of my depth here, and perhaps needed a bit of help. This, of course, was a job for the man we simply call "Beach"! Of course he knew exactly what I was describing. Always generous with his time, Beach agreed to meet me, and in fact took me on a whirlwind little tour of some of Little Saigon’s little shops and eateries. It was a wonderful 2 hours, and will be the subject of a future post.

Our fourth (yes fourth) stop on the tour was Cho Ben Thanh Market…..and a plastic vat of pinkish meat covered with a powdery substance….. Be Thui. Beach explained that this version is roasted veal, dusted with rice powder, and is eaten with a ginger based dipping sauce and basil. The market itself is fairly busy, and the shoppers (mostly women) are pretty aggressive.

You haven’t lived until you’ve seen an anxious group of women with tongs (not thongs) attack a steaming vat of intestines. The gentleman manning the register seemed to grow 2 extra pairs of arms as he deftly handled all of the transactions coming at him. Beach made sure I got what I came for, the gentleman covered his hand with a plastic bag, grabbed a handful of the meat, folded the bag over, and that was it. I paid, and fearful of what damage ladies with tongs could do, beat a hasty retreat.

After I arrived home, I opened up my little package and checked out my Be Thui.

Slices of very pink meat along with fat and skin, coated in rice powder and sesame seeds. I tried some straight out of the bag, and the meat had a chewy texture almost like that of cured meat. Being veal, the flavor was very mild, and though the fragrance had a bit of a "metallic" edge to it, it was not reflected in the meat, as the rice powder had absorbed much of the moisture of the meat, and provided a bit of a nutty flavor to the whole thing. The pieces of skin were on the crunchy side.

And so I made myself a plate.

The real star of the show was the dipping sauce, made with what Beach said was Tuong Cu Da, a fermented bean sauce. According to Wikipedia the sauce is made in a town in the Hà Tây Province, which as of 2008 is now a part of Hanoi. It was the ginger in the fairly salty sauce that really shown through. Though the Missus wouldn’t touch the Be Thui, she kept tasting the sauce. The combination of the dipping sauce and the basil gave the dish a very clean and refreshing flavor.

As Beach pointed out, this would be pretty good with a "cold one". Should you want to brave the "women with tongs" you can get Be Thui, and a whole range of Offal at Cho Ben Thanh Market.

Cho Ben Thanh Market
9172 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683

I’d never had thought to try this without that wonderful email from TammyC, and Beach’s(who should do food tours of Little Saigon) help. So thanks again to both of you!

Hanoi & Cambodia: First we had to get there – Dumplings, A Lee’s Pit Stop, EVA Airlines, Taiwan International Airport, Hello Kitty, and other stuff…….

April 12, 2008 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Banh Mi, Orange County, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

We had been planning a trip to Hanoi and Cambodia since we had returned from Peru in September of last year. By the time we hit US soil, the Missus was already pondering our next trip. Over the next 7 months, with the help of "Beach", we slowly saw our plans come to fruition. On the day of our departure, the Missus decided that Jiaozi was our good luck talisman…..on our trip to Peru, Her Mom made us Jiaozi before we left, and since everything had turned out so well, why mess with a good thing? So there we were, running to Ranch 99 Market shopping for the fixins for some dumplings. The Missus, who had unofficially retired from Jiaozi making rolled out the dough, I did the filling, the Missus formed the dumplings, of which I boiled half of the dumplings, and fried the other half.

After a busy morning of Jiaozi making the Missus promptly "re-retired".

"What about tradition, and good luck?"
"We'll have to come up with another tradition, good luck is over-rated!"

These were pretty darn good; the chives at the market looked horrible, so we settled for shrimp, Chinese celery, and scallions.

We had packed light…..I mean very light for our 15 day trip. I'm definitely not a "backpacker" like Miss Oishii-eats, and I'm several decades(and probably an entire universe) removed from even remotely thinking of backpacking, but the thought of running through so many locales made the thought of traveling light quite attractive.

For a self-proclaimed "soft American", I think I did pretty good….plus, still-damp T-shirts washed in the bathroom sink felt pretty good in the heat and humidity of Siem Reap.

We turned da' Boyz over to our house sitter, and headed up to LAX. About an hour into our drive the Missus got hungry, and we made a short detour…

Yep, Lee's Sandwiches….cheap, and relatively fast. After getting to the airport, getting through security, and making our way to the our gate, we had our sandwiches.

I still have the same opinion about Lee's, the baguette is too dry, doughy, and the crust too hard, lacking crackle, but for $2.50, this 10 inch Cured Pork(Ba-chi), and Pate will fill you up.

The Missus enjoyed the flavor of the Bi(shredded pork), but it was dry as heck….She chugged down a whole bottle of H2O. I also noticed, that just like in movie theaters, smells carry really far in airports…..so if you happened to be on the same flight as us….yes, that was me….'ol Banh Mi breath.

Lee's Sandwiches(They're everywhere…..)
9261 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683

Beach had made our flight arrangements….suggesting that we fly EVA Airways, with Elite Class seats. Boy was that great advice……with the extra leg room I was able to catch 2 or 3 20 minute naps(I'm usually unable to sleep at all on flights). And the Missus liked all the "stuff", like slippers:

And other "stuff"….

I swear, the Missus would have sold Manhattan for a handful of trinkets…..the selection of movies and shows on the "video on demand" touch screens kept us entertained.

The food was an interesting mix of Asian and Western…..each meal had 1 Western type entree(i.e. chicken with pasta), and one Taiwanese-Chinese entree, like the Seafood Rice Porridge:

There were several "snacks" on the way to Taipei….I saw a Guy put away 3 servings of instant noodles! I wonder what his MSG level was????

14 hours later…..we were in Taipei. Here's the flight crew……

The airport in Taipei is interesting……and quite quirky. Here's the huge Hello Kitty/Sanrio area.

In addition to the Sanrio store, there's a children's area, and a television to keep the youngsters ~~hypnotized~~ occupied.

But the most interesting feature of this Pepto-Bismol Pink area is…….the gate….yes, this is the Hello Kitty Gate!

We did notice a large number of males….especially young men, refused to sit in the Hello Kitty area, and sat near the automated walkways…and as far as possible in some cases. I'll have another post on this gate later on…..

With a 4 hour hour layover in Taipei, hunger pangs eventually set in….and we were drawn in by this sign:

It was a pseudo food court, made up to resemble a collection of street food stands…

Yes, we were suckered in…….and ordered a few items. Starting with the Pig's Feet with Rice:

This was the best dish overall….mostly rice, but the sauce was well flavored, as was the 2 pieces of pork.

The Pork and Mushroom Soup

More like a potage…the broth tasted okay….but the pieces of pork were inedible….

A pork steamed bun…..which was an interesting thing, the Missus broke it open, sniffed it, and said, "don't eat this….."

All sucked down with "Coke Light"…..it's kinda funny, I haven't had anything with saccharin in a while, so the difference in flavor was very pronounced. This turned out to be one of the more expensive meals on our trip $14 US.

Soon enough we were on our way to Hanoi……….

Road Trip: Binh Dan Restaurant – Westminster(OC)

February 10, 2008 mmm-yoso Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

Since starting this blogging thing, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting meeting so many wonderful individuals. The larger than life person we know as "Beach", dubbed the "Don of Little Saigon" by the OC Foodbloggers, that esteemed group that includes, Elmomonster, ChristianZ, and the one and only ChubbyPanda, is one of those individuals. I’ve been the recipient of Beach’s generosity before, as documented in detail by CP. Beach has been helping the Missus and I with a current project, and on this day, I needed to drop by Beach’s, so I made my way up to OC. Beach in his usual generous way, made time for even though it was Tet Weekend. Imagine my joy, when we had completed what we needed to, and Beach said, "okay, what for lunch?" I proceeded to walk(sprint actually) to my car, and bring out my wad of crumpled post-it notes that listed various restaurants in the OC that I was interested in trying. Taking off toward Westminster, I started reading off my almost indecipherable scribbling. Driving on Bolsa, I was amazed at Beach’s encyclopedic knowledge of every restaurant, no matter what size, and an intimate knowledge of the various specialties….. We had decided on Pho Tau Bay, but when we arrived, we found them closed until February 15th. Next on the list was Binh Dan Restaurant…and wouldn’t you know that Beach is a "regular" there! Beach turned to me, and said, "are you sure, this is a real hole-in-the-wall, and they serve what we call beer food?" That sounded perfect to me.

Yes indeed, with the 4 or so thrift shop dining sets…this was indeed a hole-in-the-wall. It looked like the kitchen area took up more than half the restaurant. All of the fragrances from the kitchen seemed to make its way into the dining area…on second thought, maybe that’s by design…..

The menu was perfect…..I barely knew anything on it! I could make out a few words here and there("nuong", "bo"), and I’ve had a few items before("gia cay heo", "bo luc loc") but that was about it. Luckily, I had the perfect guide in Beach. After discussing the menu we placed our order, and soon enough a plate of very fresh herbs arrived:

Along with a plate of lime slices and chilies, and 2 small bowls of very pungent Mam Nem, fermented fish sauce. This is powerful, and tasty stuff.

I watched and mimicked Beach’s technique for incorporating the chilies into the Mam Nem….this added a nice bit of heat to the salty and slightly sweet flavor.

Soon enough a plate of Toasted Sesame Crackers made its way to the table:

The reason that I had Binh Dan on my list was that the specialty of house is goat(De). And if you know me, you know I love goat! Soon enough, the first course arrived, De Nuong:

This was marinated and grilled goat, slightly tender, with decent flavor. The drill was place some herbs in the bowl, dip the meat into the Mam Nem, and eat with herbs and crackers.

Beach had told me, that because the Owner’s Father owns a Goat Farm in Riverside County, the goat is fresh, and also the staff of Binh Dan really knows how to prepare goat, removing the smell. I found this to be very mild in flavor. If I gave it to a person who had never had goat, they’d have no problem believing this was beef.

The next dish, De Nuong La Lot Mo Chai, arrived soon thereafter.

Oh my….talk about delici-yoso!!! These were basically minced goat meat, and seasonings, wrapped in Caul Fat…grilled and ooozing with juice and fat! Eaten alone, it was very rich…but wrapped in a few basil leaves, and dipped into the Mam Nem…….oh my(again)! I think in this case, the photos say it all.

The next dish up was the De Xao Lan:

Along with the De Nuong La Lot Mo Chai, this was on all the other tables, and Beach told me that most of the people queuing up waiting for take-out had ordered this as well. This was a stir-fry, using the tougher cuts of goat, along with the skin. Flavored by a mild curry, and Ngo Om (Rice Paddy Herb), which had a mild citrusy tumeric-cumin taste, this was excellent. The onion and bell peppers added a touch of savory sweetness to the dish.

Wouldn’t you know, that about this time a group of men that Beach knew arrived…… Beach had been thinking of another dish, and asked his friend about the Ve De Nuong, but the friend said not to bother….so no Grilled Goat Nipples for us! Instead, Beach ordered Oc Noi Hap La Chuoi:

The best I can describe these is a snail-pork-cloud ear fungus dumpling filling, wrapped with a banana leaf, and steamed. Dipped into some Nuoc Mam Cham, these were mildly sweet and earthy. There was a combination of chewy textures that was not unpleasant. Nice dish!

As we were eating, Beach, always on top of things, made sure to order a few items "to go" for the Missus. soon enough we were finished, so satisfied, and happy. Next time perhaps I’ll try the De 7 Mon….seven course of Goat, though I don’t know if I’m up for Goat Blood.

As I went on my way……Beach said to me; "next time Kirk, we’ll go to the place that makes all the good Rabbit dishes!" I can’t wait!

Binh Dan Restaurant
10040 McFadden Ave
Westminster, CA 92683

As always, thanks for being such a generous guide and host Beach!

Sunday Shopping…..

February 3, 2008 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Road Trip

Price Wars……

I was interested to see what the reaction to the opening of Marukai would be. So earlier this morning I decided to do a quick "run". Since Nijiya, Mitsuwa, and Marukai are just within a mile of each other, it will be very easy to "cherry-pick" your way through the 3 markets(and you can include Zion to make 4). Since both Nijiya and Mitsuwa open at 9am, and Marukai opens at 930, the timing is pretty easy as well.

I arrived at Nijiya at about 910am…and probably because of the weather(rainy and windy) and the Super Bowl, the place was relatively empty.

I noticed a bunch of sales, and purchased just a few items:

It would seem to be nothing Earth-shattering….Yama-moto-yama tea bags….not high quality, but good to have at the office. At 2 for $1, a major bargain for me! That’s a shade over 3 cents per tea bag. And the Pocky…well to quote the Missus, "what, regular Pocky? I’ve soooo moved on from that…." Until I told Her…also 2 for $1! I think the sale is only for the weekend, but it seems that Nijiya is taking the competition seriously. I’ll keep close eye on Nijiya flyers in the future.

Arriving early had its benefits, I got out of Nijiya by 925am…and by 930 reached Mitsuwa. The only thing I noticed at Mitsuwa was a giant poster….sorry, but my photo didn’t come out. You get one item free (i.e. miso….) with a $10 purchase.

I arrived in the empty parking lot at Marukai (I took note of the empty parking lot, because this may be the only time I ever see it empty) at 940am. And entered Marukai. As I took a lap around the store, I noticed a few additional things. First, the fish department is up, but it was slim pickins’ at this time of the morning.

There were some great deals:

The only thing I got was this for the freezer…..its good to have on hand, for those days when you feel lazy, and just want something simple at home. And at 98 cents a package, another bargain:

Of course my camera can’t ever resist an "end" display of Spam:

Though if you want something a bit more high-end, there’s Wagyu Beef from Japan:

"Only" $68.99 a pound!

Looks like competition will be a nice thing for us customers, just as prices came down at Mitsuwa once Nijiya renovated and moved to their new location.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Mitsuwa Marketplace
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119
San Diego, CA 92111

Marukai Market
8151 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

And just to make it an even "foursome":

During my trip down to Garden Grove, and after my lunch at Anna’s Mondu, I drove the block and a half down the street, and dropped by Hannam Supermarket:

Though this location was a bit "worn", and the variety was not a great at the Di amond Bar location, it was still nice to stretch my legs and do some browsing. I hadn’t intended on taking any photos, but I came across this magnificent display of "Spammy goodness", and could not resist. Huge display with almost every version of Spam known to mankind…….amazing! SPAM® Cheese! SPAM® Hot & Spicy! I think I saw all the different varieties, except for SPAM® Garlic(maybe they were sold out…).

The prices were quite reasonable, especially the dried Filefish and dried squid:

The Missus thought this dried filefish was excellent when roasted…it was chewy, but not hard, and had a nice salty-fish flavor, with a slight hint of sweetness. I’m glad I didn’t come home empty handed….Oh, and dried squid, toasted, chopped, and dipped into mayo with a touch of soy sauce….delici-yoso!!!

Hannam Chain Super Market
9772 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92844