Plate Lunch – Page 5

Roadtrip to the Old Neighborhood: L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Tokyo Central, and Other “Stuffs” (Rowland/Hacienda Heights – West Covina)

April 9, 2016 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Plate Lunch, Road Trip

A few weeks back, I had to head on up to the City of Industry to take care of some business. Because of the Missus work schedule, this was a rare solo trip….in fact, we haven't found much time to head back up to the LA or even the OC very much in the last couple of years as things have been quite busy for us. After taking care of business, I needed to grab a bite to eat. My first thought was the rather new location of Chengdu Taste in Hong Kong Plaza….but man, there was a line outside the place. So I thought about doing what had been brewing in "mi cabeza" for several years. While we lived in the Rowland/Hacienda Heights area for several years, I had never really taken to the place, that is, I never felt that "this is my home". Honolulu is where I'm from and will always be "home". I now feel that San Diego is my home. For some reason, I never felt "at home" in LA, though I have some fond memories of the place, it's where I met the Missus, (well, not really as it was on a flight, She on Her way back to LA, me headed to Fort Smith Arkansas) where we got married and initially settled down.

Anyway, I decided to head to Puente Hills Mall.

Yes, strange, I know. One of the really funny things was; the first time I passed Puente Hills Mall was at night and I instantly recognized it….it was Lone Pine Mall in Back to the Future…that Robinson's May was still there back then. These days, the mall seems even more run down and seedy than it did then. Especially the Food Court.

The Missus sent me a text asking me where I was eating. When I told Her She replied "WHAT! You can do better than that!" Which is totally true. And yet, there's a story behind this. You see, the first L&L Hawaiian Barbecue outside of Hawaii opened in this mall. No big deal now….but for an ex-pat Kama'aina back in 1999-2000 it meant a lot. Back then, L&L served up a decent plate lunch……. And for a homesick local boy, it was just down the street. So now, all these years later, I decided to see what was going on here.

**** This location of L&L has closed

Back when they first opened here, I knew the owners….I wish I could remember their names, but they really worked hard to keep up the quality. I don't think they own the place anymore. It looks a bit run down….but so does the entire food court. I decided to go with a mini locomoco. This was actually the first one of the year!

There were two things positive about this loco; the egg which was nicely sunny-side up and the mac salad, which wasn't messed with too much; had the perfect amount of mayo and was ice cold. Other than that, this wasn't very good. The gravy was pasty and had no flavor, the rice was dry, some of which was hard. Worse of all was the train wreck called a hamburger patty, which was some leathery substance that I took a bite of, then put to the side. Also….no Tabasco…..

If I recall, in his spiel; Eddie Flores talks about franchisees having to come to Hawaii to learn about food prep and the "Aloha Spirit". Maybe they do….but it looks like it's forgotten about fairly quickly. I don't think there's any quality control, nor standards of service as I was treated like that hamburger patty. In some ways this was good. I now have closure and have no reason ever to return.

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue
1600 S Azusa Avenue
City of Industry, CA 91748

This visit had me wondering, what happened to some of those places we always used to visit when we lived here. We know about places like Chicken Box, Hong Kong Fishball House, Donut King, Yi Mei Deli, Shau Mei, and TS Emporium. But there were others I had in mind, so I decided to take a trip to some of the more obscure places. I did notice that the old Albertson's is now 168 Market…..which means that there isn't a "western" supermarket in this strip of Colima Road! Taiwan Deli is still there, but it looks like the menu is some pseudo Taiwanese-Sichuan mash-up?

It was nice to see Hacienda Village Meats is still there….we used to stop by for various meats and the Missus loved the variety of Italian drinks/sodas. In the same strip mall is what used to be the Missus favorite dried beef stop, which is still there.

I then set off to check out Marukai in West Covina, only to find it was now something called Tokyo Central.

And while I understand that Tokyo Central performs under the same umbrella as Marukai, that is, now owned by Don Quijote, this was quite a shock.

Much of the store looked the same, except for the huge prepared food area, which kind of reminded me of Todai for some reason…..

There was some kind of anniversary thing going on this day….the crowd in the fish department was quite large…..

There was even a "Ninja" in attendance…….though I think just the fact I could easily find him might make him lose his membership?

I understand that Marukai is doing away with memberships this year….though it seems that Tokyo Central has memberships for discounts. Is this the future?

1420 S Azusa Avenue
West Covina, CA 91791

Revisits: 777 Noodle House and Island Style Cafe

April 8, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

It's winter in April! At least that's what it felt like last night. A couple more revisits for your consideration.

777 Noodle House:

Another weekend, another list to take of. And another stop for a noodle soup breakfast. It seems like I drop by here every couple of months. And while Ly Heng surely tops this place in terms of Pho/Hu Tieu Nam Vang, I still like the folks working here. They are so nice and friendly…..they still call me "sir" after all these years. Looking at the dining room it struck me that 777 is just one of those places that looked worn since the day they opened.

On this day, I had my sights set on the Pork Intestine Egg Noodle Soup. Strange, but I think it's gotten better over the years, at least I believe better than the first time I had it. Or perhaps my tastes have changed. The noodles were perfect on this day a wonderful counter point to the blanched bean sprouts. The broth wasn't too salty, slightly porky, and had taken on some of the flavor from the intestine.

I've called 777 Noodle House "my neighborhood noodle shop, even though I don’t work, or live, remotely close to City Heights" and it's still true to this day. It reminds me of the neighborhood saimin shops that I grew up with.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Island Style Café:

**** Island Style Cafe has moved to Santee

So I got in my loco moco fix. It kind of happened by accident. I was going to lunch with Calvin and Deanna…..due to the rainy weather, pho sounded like a good choice….but they wanted "something different". It really doesn't get much different, even in terms of loco moco's, than the Kaloko Moco.

I thought this was better than the one I had last time, though the easy over eggs were style a bit over cooked. The crepe is such an oddity, but it just goes well with this loco……. The burger was better than what I had before and the gravy wasn't too salty…and heck; there's even some veggies! Check out the carrots! Ha!

Deanna, who is from the Midwest really wasn't ready for this, so she got the teri beef and Korean chicken….she loved the mac salad here, so maybe there's hope for her.

Island Style Cafe
5950 Santo Road
San Diego, CA 92124

Going Loco – A Revisit to L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – College Area a Decade Later

October 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** This location of L&L has closed

When I started putting together The Big List, there were quite a few instances where I wondered what was going on with places that were still around all these years later. I first posted on L&L in the College area back in May of 2005 and a second with the "Are You Loco" comparison that September. So I thought, ten years is a good long time….and even though L&L is not my first choice for Plate Lunch (let's not go into that Hawaiian BBQ versus Plate Lunch stuff….plate lunch came first….Hawaiian Barbecue is a branding/marketing strategy), I thought it was about time. Also for this one, I broke out the "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds, who measures each item on the loco moco and assigns an aggregate based on this….so no, this won't be like one of those ramen things on that "Four lettered site" that says, "the noodles were fantastic, but the soup was just okay so I give it one star…." Which will always lead to the question; "does that mean if the broth was fantastic and the noodles fantastic, the best this place could do is two stars on a four star scale?"

So, it's been over a decade. Can you imagine how many starving students this location of L&L has served? On the downside; can you imagine how many folks think that this is the best that Hawaii has to offer on a plate?

If my recent visit is any indication, they'll be serving many more classes of SDSU students.

The tables are a bit more sticky than I recalled and as to be expected, the folks here….both in the front and the kitchen can't really pronounce the dishes correctly….stuff like musubi and katsu sounds kind of odd…and to be honest, a bit painful.

But lets get down to the Loco Moco – which is now $8.99, over 9 bucks with tax. Yikes, that's over 40% more than what it used to be. It has now reached the level of, "this better be good".

And let's get it on with the Rubio scale shall we?

#1 – Burger:

Good lord, preformed and cooked to death. Lacking in seasoning. Like eating gritty bits of shoe leather….still, it was barely edible. Thank god for the gravy…well, maybe not.

1.0

Not a good sign.

#2 Eggs:

This actually saved the loco as it was easy-over. I know, everyone is afraid of eating eggs out nowadays. But this one was right. There could have been crisp edges and some browning, but this was ok.

2.5

#3 Rice:

Seems like it was undercooked and sitting for a while. Average.

2.5

#4 Gravy:

Good lord, we sent Old Betsy to the glue factory. The texture was not to my liking…too gooey/gluey, no beefy flavor, glue like texture. It was nothing without Tabasco…..

1.0

#5 Stuffs:

Of course we have to attend to the Mac Salad. This one was put together fine….all the minimum requirements and it was nice and cold. Lack of salt was an issue, but it was ok.

3.0

So we have a 10 out of 25….perhaps this is the state of Hawaiian Barbecue loco mocos these days. After all, I think they "jumped the shark" years ago.

Still, it had been quite a few years and I had to find out for myself.

A small part of me wonders how the location in Puente Hills Mall fares. It was the first location on the mainland and was just a couple of miles from where we lived way back when. It was pretty good…they brought in a bunch of cooks from HNL to get them started and the folks there were really nice…….maybe it's better that I not know…..

L&L's Hawaiian BBQ
Campus Plaza 6083 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 5B-1
San Diego, CA 92115

Ono’s Cafe

October 11, 2015 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Plate Lunch

**** Ono's Cafe has closed

Waaay back in May of 2006, I had the "malasadas" At Ono's Café. I'm always meant to return someday, especially after reading CC's post back in 2008. Now, I'm not much of a "rolls" kind of guy, but some of the other items on the menu were just the kind of "grindz" I enjoy.

Man, they've really spruced up the place since I'd last been here. When I visited the place did mainly snacks and smoothies. Now it's a proper restaurant……

Let me first say that the folks here are wonderful. I had really nice Servers on all my visits, very friendly, efficient, just great kids.

An acquaintance of mine recommended the Kalua Pork, something I grew up eating, and of course I make a version for parties and friends. And so, I ordered it.

So let's start with the good….the rice was nice. The salad with the Maguro was a nice touch, even though it was "saku" fish and the whole salad was quite large, larger than the portion of pork. The dressing was way too mild.

I didn't care for the kalua pork prep. That teriyaki sauce was cloyingly sweet and just masked any flavor from the pork. I did taste the pork and felt it was under seasoned and a bit too greasy.

Still, the folks were so very nice that I decided to come back during happy hour.

Looking over the happy hour menu; one item was a no-brainer….the Spam Musubi, which was actually some kind of Spam Roll.

Much like the kalua pork, this was a bit too much. I would have been fine without the sauce which kind of blurred the entire dish. I thought the spam could have been seared a bit, which would have added that nice crisp texture. The rice was a bit too mushy for my tastes.

Sadly, the Chicken Karaage was even worse. Just look at the color!

The temp of the oil obviously wasn't hot enough; the batter was gummy and this wasn't very pleasant to eat. Unlike the other items I had, this was also very mild in flavor. Not good eats.

And yet, the service was so very nice….so I decided to give them another try. This time I ordered a favorite of mine; Chicken Katsu.

This came with some miso soup, which didn't have enough miso in it. It was quite weak and watery.

When the chicken katsu arrived, I noticed a problem right off. A pet peeve of mine….the breading was peeling off.

And while this can happen to the best of them, there really is no excuse for it. Also, I quickly noticed how thin the chicken had been pounded. Too bad because the breading was nice and crunchy, the Asian slaw went well with the dish, and the rice was cooked nicely.

So, what to say….I love the folks who work here, but the food? Well, call me picky, but each dish on my visits seemed to have one, or more issues. Too bad, because I really like the staff and the vibe of the place.

Ono’s Cafe
4154 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

The New Midway Location of Homestyle Hawaiian – A quick look

July 19, 2015 mmm-yoso Plate Lunch

I mentioned finding out that Homestyle Hawaiian had opened a location on Midway during a recent visit to HH in Chula Vista.

I had a chance to check them out recently. It's in one of the numerous strip malls on Midway. This used to be the location of Jin's Grill.

This place is a fairly good sized space; the menu is basically the same as well.

I went with what I'd normally order; the Korean Chicken and Katsu with Gravy. Back home, Katsu is with Katsu sauce and Chicken Cutlet is Katsu served with gravy. I'm pretty sure I would have gotten a blank look if I ordered a combo Korean Chicken – Chicken Cutlet.

The Korean Chicken flavor was a bit on the weak side and perhaps was not marinated long enough? The katsu and gravy was nice, notice no breading falling off? It was also moist and the gravy (plus a dash of Tabasco) added layers of texture and flavor. I had one spoon of the mac salad which tasted a bit off…..a bit sour, so I decided to 86 that.

The portion size looked smaller than the CV and LV locations, but was still more than enough food for me.

I'm glad HH is doing well. Unlike many of the local "Hawaiian Barbecue" places, this isn't just a money grab. I'll probably return once I recover from all that rice and fried food.

Homestyle Hawaiian
3445 Midway Dr
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Tues – Sat 11am – 8pm

What’s My Craving? Homestyle Hawaiian (Chula Vista)

July 7, 2015 mmm-yoso Plate Lunch

Man, it had been a while since I had a plate lunch……a real plate lunch. I was craving some "Korean Chicken" from Homestyle Hawaiian. It's been almost a year since I dropped by. Since it's been even longer since I checked out the Chula Vista location, I decided to take a drive.

The place looked pretty much the same and I ordered the same thing I ordered on my last visit. The combination plate; Korean chicken – chicken katsu. I am a creature of habit I guess.

Was there ever a time when I could have actually finished all this food? Hard to believe. Instead of going "all rice", I'd never been a fan of Mo's mac salad, but today it was passable…more flavor than usual. The Korean chicken, with the teriyaki and mild spice, deep fried to add texture has always been a favorite. The katsu looked quite light in color, but was nice and crisp, and to be totally honest, I've been missing the ketchup based "local kine" katsu sauce too. I barely put a dent in the plate, taking most of it to go. I brought it home and the Missus whacked it. I guess She'd been missing this too.

I didn't see Mo. But I did see a sign announcing the opening of their third shop; on Midway. So I'll probably be getting another plate lunch fix in fairly short order.

Homestyle Hawaiian
1558 E H St
Chula Vista, CA 91913

Leilani’s Cafe Revisited

April 28, 2015 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

Leilani's Café:

If you think it's been awhile since I've had a loco moco, you'd be right. These days the joyful combination of rice-eggs-hamburger patty-gravy is a treat…something I'll have maybe 2-3 times a year. Perhaps it's been about 8 months since I've had a locomoco; it's been over 8 years since I've visited Leillani's Cafe on Cass. I'd been to the now defunct location in Serra Mesa as recently as 2009, but it's been a mighty long time since I've been around these parts. not since I visited Alex's Brown Bag inside Latitude 32.

While Leilani's might be a bit more spiffed up from what I recall; it's still that tiny shop….truly a café. I'd attempted visiting one time before, but the place seems to be doing a nice amount of business. However, on this rainy weekend morning. One in which I sorely missed a loco, there was room for me….and my Hilo Loco:

For some reason; I think the Hilo Loco is better than I recalled. Perhaps time has made the heart grow fonder….but having time between these will make sure my heart doesn't stop mid-beat.

The rice was nice (how's that for a rhyme), nice pieces of Portuguese Sausage give it enough spice and mild heart, making it even more hearty. The gravy is by the book; no complaints here. The hamburger patty is still a bit overworked, too lean, and tough for me.

The eggs….well, while I'd have loved some crisp edges….I'm not going to complain when oozy yolk is staring me in the face.

Leilani has carved out a nice little niche for herself. She even has a shop next door to this cozy little cafe. It's good to know that the Hilo Loco….well…is still a Hilo Loco.

Leilani's Cafe
5109 Cass St
San Diego, CA 92109
Open Daily 7am-3pm

Honolulu: Gina’s Korean Bar-B-Q, Honolulu Coffee Company, and other Stuffs

March 28, 2015 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Honolulu, Korean Restaurants, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Travel

The Missus and I have a pretty nice routine for our "easy" days when we visit "home".

Things start with breakfast. The Missus can never get enough papaya…….there's nothing even remotely close to this stuff on the mainland. And I love good pineapple. What do you expect from the grandchild/child of Maui Pine plantation workers?

We then head off to the Missus's favorite swim spot; of all places, Ala Moana Beach.

We head out right after the morning rush hour….it's a week day so it's all the old timers, students, and Japanese tourists taking wedding photos.

I've always been amazed at how they seem so easy going, wearing wedding gowns and tuxedos in humid, 85 degree weather. But after chatting with folks like Kat, I understand.

On this morning it wasn't one, but two sets of couples taking photos.

While the Missus swims, I usually do a complete lap of Ala Moana Park and sometimes even head off toward Ward Avenue. On days like this one, I can't help but think, "man, to believe that I used to take all of this for granted".

Once out and dry, the Missus and I will head off across the street to Honolulu Coffee Company for a Kona V60 pour over for the coffee snob.

And while it doesn't wow Her like it used to. It's still a good cup of coffee.

Honolulu Coffee Co (in Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Ste 3066
Honolulu, HI 96814

We then head off and do our various errands. On this day, we decided to head off to Kahala Mall; Whole Foods and the Apple Store were calling. I decided on stopping off at another of my old favorites, in my 'hood, Gina's Bar-B-Q, still going strong 23 years later.

Gina's Bar-B-Q:

You know, I remembered when this place first opened. It's typical Local style Korean, our version of a Meat and Three. You order your entrée(s) and get three of what we call "vegetables", basically panchan, and the proteins are cooked to order.

It's a very popular style, the most popular is probably a chain called Yummy Korean BBQ. Every one has their neighborhood favorites when it comes to the local kine Korean BBQ places. I used to like Kim Chi II, though I haven't been there in maybe 20 years. My mom liked Choi's Family Restaurant, many of my friends love Soon's in Salt Lake (Oahu, not Utah….).

I'm old enough to remember when Foodland, which is now on the other side of the parking lot used to be in this spot. My good friend's second job was with Foodland. I also remember when there was a very popular video game place here called….if I recall, "The Space"???? I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I remember once going to use the restroom and finding two huge bags of pakalolo right on the washbasin!

Anyway wanting to check out the state of the food at Gina's, I ordered a "special", still a bargain at eleven bucks or so. It comes with bulgogi, kalbi, and the item I used to really enjoy (second best – the spicy chicken was #1), the BBQ Chicken.

Anyway, we took it to go, got a small salad at WF in Kahala and proceeded to dig in. The bulgogi wasn't up to snuff, dry, bland, and tough. The kalbi was typical local style, nice flavor, but not the best. That chicken was still a winnah! Nice shoyu flavor, slight sweetness, chewy, but in a good way. There was of course, the equivalent of three scoops of rice under all of this, soaking up the juices and drippings. The "vegetables" were passable….I'd say, even better than what I get here at some of the rather pricey Korean places.

Even though it's more about a good value, the chicken is not bad.

I'm hoping to head back to Gina's for the spicy chicken next time. Hopefully, I won't have to wait another decade.

Gina’s Bar-B-Q
2919 Kapiolani Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96826

Revisits: Grandma’s Tofu & BBQ, Homestyle Hawaiian, and Santouka

August 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch, Ramen

Some revisits for a sizzling Thursday.

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ:

The Missus was craving Jokbal Bossam and it had been a while since we've had it here, so the timing seemed perfect. I do wish they'd choose something other than napa cabbage, but other than that, this was porky goodness. In spite of the name, it's dishes like the jokbal bossam, heukyumso jungol, kimchi dolsot bi bim bap, and on good days the seolleongtang that works for us here.

The panchan on this day was good. I think folks have gotten used to the "quick kimchi" style panchan, and this sometimes is a bit too fermented or salty for its own good.

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Homestyle Hawaiian:

Not much to say about this than I need a nap after eating this.

If you want more, you can read one of my previous posts on the place.

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

Santouka Ramen:

Santouka, that chain that originated in the coldest city in Japan, Asahikawa, has long been my go-to ramen spot. As with many places I eat at, there's one item I usually order. Here it's the shio ramen – toroniku style.

After going to all the major ramen shops in San Diego back in February 2013, Santouka still was my favorite. the rich, stick to your ribs broth, the nice firm noodles, and the pork which, when "on" has a wonderful, almost smooth texture with a nice pork flavor.

I know, it's really hot out….but on this, a cooler day, it hit the spot.

Still my favorite and I think Jinxi also agrees.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Revisits: The High Dive, Kayaba, and Island Style Cafe

August 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

Some revisits to start off the week.

Tonkatsu from Kayaba:

**** Kayaba has closed

I guess it’s strange that I go to a “food court” when I want my Tonkatsu fix.

But for under nine bucks, this tonkatsu is a favorite of mine in San Diego…….

Crisp, usually moist, love that mashed potato salad.

‘Nuff said.

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 – In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111

The High Dive:

So, the Missus has become a big fan of the Tap Hunter app. I guess She’s now an offical Beer Geek. Anyway, there are places that are real good at keeping Tap Hunter up to date and places that are kind of blase’…..Common Theory, I’m looking at you. For all its short-comings, mainly food-related, The High Dive seems to do a good job keeping things updated. Recently, when the Missus was busy with work, She noticed that one of our favorite beers, La Fin du Monde was on tap. I was ordered to head on down and report back post-haste.

And of course, when I arrived, it was there, poised and ready. There’s some flavors with “La Fin” that we enjoy, a mild fruit, with flavors that seem like clove and other spices, which make it fine match with spicy food for us. The flavors seem to go really well with anything I make with ghost peppers, strange as that may seem.

This draft version seemed a bit lighter without the spice notes. Maybe for the first time, I preferred the bottle to the tap….weird.

I Buffalo Wings were adequate and by the book. Nothing to make them stand out, but no complaints.

I thought it was a bit too heavy in the sour end and the wings were fried way past well done, but that would be nitpicking.

High Dive Bar and Grill
1801 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Getting my “loco fix” at Island Style Cafe:

It was time for my bi-annual locomoco fix……well, strangely, it would be the first “loco” I had this year. I’ve got some catching up to do! Anyway, I went with the Kaloko Loco at Island Style Cafe. A rather unconventional Loco Moco; usually I’m not a fan of fried rice for my loco and this one even has a crepe, but it all seems to work out for me.

Like my good FOY CAB says, there’s an interesting, yet complimentary interplay of sweet with savory going on that I enjoy. The eggs were overcooked for “over-easy” on this visit and I’ve kind of gotten used to jasmine rice so the calrose got my attention….I gotta head back home for an attitude adjustment soon! I think the burger here is still too tough and lean, but that’s nit-picking as this is still my favorite loco moco in San Diego.

Island Style Cafe
5950 Santo Road
San Diego, CA 92124