Ramen – Page 8 – mmm-yoso

Midweek Meanderings – Guest Kabob Replacing Hunan Kitchen, Isshido Coming to Mira Mesa, and Menya Ultra’s Second Location

August 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

So, I decided to take a the REALLY long route to this office this past weekend……well, let's call it what is was….procrastination. I ended driving up Convoy to check on Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài and here's what I found:

Hunan Kitchen being replaced by "Guest Kabob":

At least that's what the sign says.

I saw the construction on the place a few weeks earlier…..I had hoped that Hunan kitchen would stay….but looks like we're going to have the sixth restaurant in this spot in the last 7 years.

4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Isshido replacing Submarina in Mira Mesa:

I drove up to Mira Mesa….just, well, because. A bit hungry, I turned into the parking lot near Habit Grill and saw this in the now defunct Submarina spot.

I stopped and took a look. I'm not sure what type of restaurant Isshido is going to be. Doing a Google search yielded nothing. So I'm not quite sure what's going on here.

8250 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

I ended up grabbing a late breakfast/lunch across the street….that'll be in a future post. On the way out of the parking lot, I decided to check out…..

Menya Ultra's Mira Mesa location:

Which is right next to Grocery Outlet. With all that brown paper up; it's hard to tell what's going on here.

8141 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

So there you go….one morning of procrastination was pretty productive, even before I got into the office, don't you think?

Ramen Ryoma (Clairemont Mesa)

August 13, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** This location of Ramen Ryoma has closed

For some reason, the folks at work got really excited when I told them about Ramen Ryoma opening on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard in the old Bangkok West location. It has been so hot the last couple of weeks that the last thing I really wanted was ramen….especially a place that touts serving Sapporo (= rich/thick) style broth. Still, I got talked into having lunch here on a day when the temps in the area was closing in on triple digits. You know; I'm kinda wishing we were back in Sapporo right now.

We were among the first seated in the spacious and (thankfully) well air conditioned restaurant. The young lady and the really friendly guy who look like the floor leads are really nice, professional, amiable…..though the rest of the crew looked a bit lost at times.

The menu consists of several iterations of ramen, including the now de rigueur spicy ramen, and of course, since this is a Sapporo style shop; a corn and butter version as well.

I just went with the Chicken Karaage and the Deluxe Ryoma Ramen ($12.25), since folks were getting shio broth; I decided to try out the shoyu broth.

Since this is a new shop; bumps in the road were to be expected. Not all ramen places can have their act together like Menya Ultra from opening day. We watched as our ramen sat in the window for a good 15 minutes before it seems like all the floor staff noticed it there and rushed to the bowls. They then took a few minutes to double check the orders.

So when the bowls arrived at our table the broth, which I'm figuring wasn't very hot to start, was barely over lukewarm. A note about the broth; it is a fairly rich, tonkotsu-ish broth, with definite pork tones. At this temp; there was a kind of greasy tongue feel to it; not rich in say the way of the thick Iekei style or Seabura ramen we had in Japan; but just kind of oily and greasy. It was also quite salty.

The tamago was a plain boiled egg, a tad over-cooked.

The noodles had not held up well, had lost its "spring", and were a bit too mushy for my taste. Not good when using this type of thicker and wavy noodles. Also, as you can see the broth had started to really thicken and globs of it stuck to the noodles. The chashu was full of soy sauce – lightly sweet tones, but was dry and tough.

The Chicken Karaage ($6.50) looked a bit light in color, but was slightly crisp, if not perfectly fried.

It was also a bit on the bland side in terms of being karaage; as I think it needed more of that soy-mirin flavor with perhaps ginger or garlic tones; but you know how I am about my chicken karaage….and all the possibilities. I'm glad they used dark meat chicken and I think once they get everything dialed in; this will be pretty good.

I have bad habit of not following up with second visits soon enough; hence no Hachi Ramen or Trust Restaurant posts. I have to go back to square one (or square three in the case of Hachi) on those. So, in spite of the heat, I decided to return for a second visit this past weekend.

Same really nice crew working. I really like the young lady who I think is in charge of the front of house here. She is quite patient and very friendly.

I decided to go with the Shio Ramen; noodles extra firm, with a tamago…..and I got a nice laugh as one of the young ladies took my order without batting an eye; then walked over to the other woman and asked what's a "too-maa-go".

A couple of things I quickly noticed when the bowl arrived. Look at that huge piece of chashu! This time around it was nice and tender, but also very salty. Do you notice the tamago; doesn't it look like it's "seasoned" this time around?

The broth was quite rich and much like Santouka, it seems that the shio (salt) version is actually less salty than the shoyu ramen. It is a hearty broth, with some smokey tones, not bad overall.

The noodles were nice and firm; good slightly chewy-doughy texture, and you can see having the broth at the right temperature allows it to attach itself nicely to the noodles.

The egg was perfectly cooked; though it still tasted like a regular boiled egg. It was nice and lukewarm.

I enjoyed the service at Ryoma; though the ramen might be a bit too oily (and that says a lot) for my tastes. It's definitely not bad. It's really too hot for visit number three right now, so I'll wait awhile for cooler weather and give the place time to get their systems in order before I return.

On my first visit as we drove back to the office; Calvin said; "I'm glad Ryoma is here….maybe there'll be no wait at Menya Ultra anymore." We soon drove past Menya Ultra….there were at least a dozen people waiting outside with temps in the high 90's.

I don't know…..that might be wishful thinking.

Ramen Ryoma
9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Open Daily 1130am – 10pm

Please check out Kirbie's post on Ramen Ryoma here.

Monday Meanderings – Benchmark Brewing Company Opens in Bay Park, Ramen Ryoma, Bonchon, and is Hunan Kitchen Closed?

July 23, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Ramen

It's been a crazy busy day. I haven't done one of these in a while…so here goes.

Benchmark Brewing Company Opens in Bay Park:

I was driving past last week and noticed folks in the place. This past weekend; the sign was up.

I'm happy for my 'hood.

4112 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 8pm
Fri – Sat Noon – 9pm
Sunday Noon – 7pm

Ramen Ryoma opening in Kearny Mesa:

I had some free time to drive around this past weekend. I was staying away from the crowds. I noticed that Ramen Ryoma is replacing Bangkok West.

I know about the much hyped soon to be Hillcrest location of this Oregon based ramen chain. But hadn't heard they were opening in KM.

9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Bonchon Chicken opening on Convoy:

I'd read about Bonchon opening on Convoy in the Eater. It replaces the R&B Crawfish Lounge.

This chain based which originated out of Busan now has a ton of stores in the US.

4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The reason I drove into Plaza del Sol; was that I noticed Hunan Kitchen (i.e. Noodle Hut/Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜) was closed.

The signs are still up. So I'm hoping it's just for some renovation or temporary repairs.

4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

If not; this would be the fifth restaurant in this location since 2011!

Nozaru Ramen Bar

June 25, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

A few months ago; none other than Taka-san from Taisho asked me what I thought about Nozaru. Nozaru? Apparently one of his regulars and even the local Japanese newspaper had mentioned the place. Because of the crazy influx of the "ramen is the new cronut" thing, I just put it on the back burner until we got back from Italy. But after returning from that trip, I finally managed to make it to Nozaru…..which is squeezed between the Ould Sod and the Rabbit Hole on Adams Avenue.

The location is very "San Diego hipster"…..which is not a bad thing….wide open, casual….you know, right?

The ordering is the same….you can do take-out from the counter, or just occupy a seat and the really nice young man will (eventually) arrive with a menu and you can order something. There are basically four different ramen available; chicken based, miso based, spicy, and tonkotsu.

I decided to start with the Chicken Karaage.

This arrived nice and hot. Though it was on the greasy side and the batter was not crisp or light. It lacked a nice soy sauce flavor and was all white meat……to me, it was basically chicken fingers, bland and definitely not karaage. What bothered me the most; is that at first blush it seemed dumbed down.

My "Tonkotsu Heights" ramen arrived soon after.

First the good. Even though the boiled egg was cold, it was nicely cooked and decently flavored. The Chasu was tender, porky, and had a decent light sweet-soy flavor. The noodles were standard issue JFC and was a bit over-cooked for my taste. The bok choy…..in ramen….was cumbersome. The broth, while being decently hot, rather than having a nice smooth, collagen tongue feel, was on the greasy side. In terms of taste it was too salty with bitter tones. It was not the typical tonkosu that I enjoy.

It would be very easy for me to leave Nozaru with the many "one and done" visits I have…….though I usually don't do those posts….places like Trust, Juniper and Ivy, and Pardon My French….whose photos just sit in a folder, waiting for the day I might revisit. And yet, I decided to return for a second visit.

Though once seated, I had a real problem wondering what to order.

In the end, I went with the version of Abura Soba; basically ramen without broth ("oil noodles"), the "Adams Belly".

As a whole, this was much better than what I'd had before. The noodles weren't over-cooked, the poached egg really helped to coat the noodles. However, in terms of temperature, the pork and egg were ice cold, which lessened my enjoyment. The bacon bits were a nice addition, but were minced too fine….try picking all of that up with chopsticks.

For some reason, the flavor of the menma seemed to resonate through the entire dish. Perhaps it was me.

Still, I enjoyed this much more than the ramen.

I liked the nice young man working here. It is hipsterish ramen. Not much else to say about it.

Nozaru Ramen Bar
3375 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 5pm – 930pm
Friday      5pm – midnight
Satuday     12pm – midnight
Sunday      12pm – 930pm

Kyoto – Shirakawa-Minami Dori and Lunch at Ichiran Ramen

June 19, 2018 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Ramen

Do an online search on "most beautiful street in Kyoto" and Shirakawa-Minami Dori will appear. And while we've been down this street several times before, the Missus was excited to see it during Cherry Blossom season. I gotta say; even on an overcast day, it was indeed quite striking.

In fact, the drizzle may have kept folks away and even added some "atmosphere" to our visit.

Those willow trees sure add character to the photos as well.

It is, without a doubt, one of the more beautiful streets that I've had a pleasure to see, that's for sure.

Our Shinkansen was leaving for Tokyo at around 1 pm, so we'd have to head out before noon. So I thought we'd go and grab some morning ramen before freshening up and heading to Kyoto Station. The place I had in mind, Ichiran, is highly regarded with over 60 locations through-out Japan, a location in New York with crazy wait times….shades of Ippudo….at least that was my hope. The location in Kyoto is a 24 hour operation, which suited us just fine.

The drill here was initially typical….the good old ticket machine.

For us, it was tonkotsu of course. The tables are more like cubicles, with your own personal water dispenser, a divider, if you choose to need it, and a sheet of paper where you can further define your preference…be it richness (medium), flavor (medium), garlic (a little), green onions (of course), chasu (are you kiddin' me?), red sauce (1/2 portion), and noodle texture (extra firm).

The Missus and I basically got the same thing; except She got the macha dessert. And of course we "needed" to have an egg added.

Soon enough our ramen arrived and I quickly noticed that something was amiss. The bowls felt almost cold to the touch.

And that was a bad start to perhaps the worst ramen we've had in Japan.

First off, the hottest thing in the bowl were the noodles; which were slightly over-cooked, in other words, not "extra-firm". The broth was just past lukewarm and started to separate as it hit the table. It was very bitter, salty, and rather than being rich, because of the temp, quite greasy.

Neither the chili paste, nor the garlic could help this.

The boiled egg was beautifully cooked, but ice cold, as was the chasu, which was too lean and on the tough side……which would have been okay, but cold pork in a lukewarm broth? That's not good eats.

And while the Missus loved Her dessert, it didn't make up for the lousy ramen.

There was a Japanese couple sitting next to me….they kept saying things to each other during the meal. I think they were rather unhappy as well. Look what they left behind. The broth and noodles…..

I'd read so much about how great the ramen is at Ichiran. And maybe it is fantastic. But when you have poor quality control……….

Ichiran Kyoto
598 Uraderacho Higashiiru Takoyakushidori Nakagyo-ku
Kyoto, Japan

Oh well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

We got back to the apartment, packed, and made our way to Kyoto Station. We shared a bento on our way back to Tokyo.

Not too much mind you….we had reservations at one of our favorite restaurants for dinner!

Kyoto – The Keage Incline, the Philosopher’s Path, and Kogashi (“burned”) Ramen at Gogyo

April 29, 2018 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kyoto, Ramen, Travel

Based on what we saw during the previous afternoon and evening, the Missus decided that we should head back to the Philosopher's Walk, something we did on a previous visit. This time, we decided to do it from the South side.

So we headed off. While there was the possibility of rain in the forecast, it was a very nice morning.

We walked along Lake Biwa Canal, intending to cross over at the intersection near Lake Biwa Museum.

That's where we came across this interesting statue. I'm not sure what it is….all I was able to come up with is something along he lines of "statue of Huge Shine".

The other neat thing we saw were people walking below street level, along the pretty cherry blossoms.

This is the Keage incline. According to what I read, this was once a rail line which was used to carry goods to both channels. These days it's lined with cherry blossom trees. Which make for a nice photo-op. Especially for the folks taking wedding pictures….in the bottom right of the photo below.

From there, it was an easy walk to Nanzenji temple complex. You can't miss the large Sanmon; the main gate.

We didn't spend a whole lot of time here……I'm sure we'll return in the future…..

We did take a few minutes to take a peek at what I believe is Chou Shouin Temple.

A few minutes later we passed Eikando Temple…..

It was early and the temple wasn't yet open. Plus, the Missus was determined to get to the Philosopher's Path.

And a turn or two later….we were there.

There are quite a few….well interesting, but somewhat eccentric folks in Japan…..

Like this Cat Lady giving this feline a "massage"….you could the purring yards away.

Notice that colored cloth to the right of the woman?

Well, it was this.

Just when I think I've seen it all……

Of course the Sakura were beautiful.

The Missus even bought a cup from this lovely ceramic shop.

Everytime She uses it; She's reminded of the Sakura and Kyoto.

Man, check out all the waiting taxis at the North end of the Philosopher's Path.

"We" had decided that I needed more exercise. So we walked all the way back to the Nishiki Market area.

For lunch I had a ramen place on my radar, Gogyo Ramen, which specialized in "kogashi"……translated to "burnt" ramen. In this case, lard is heated, then ignited, giving the broth a deep black hue. And while it seemed like a gimmick, the parent company was Ippudo, which might be my favorite ramen chain in Japan. And this shop was just two blocks from the Ippudo shop in Kyoto.

We got there about 15 minutes before opening and there was already a line.

Which meant that once the doors opened, the place was instantly full.

Gogyo's signature "burnt" shoyu broth starts with a standard broth, then a few ladles of lard is put into a wok and is heated to 300 degrees Celsius….it basically ignites. This is tipped into the bowl and you get the deep, dark, black, soup.

As you can see, we ordered an extra ajitama for our bowl. The egg was very nicely done, the yolk the perfect golden orb, but ice cold. The pork was dry and also cold. The noodles were over-cooked and lacked a nice al dente pull. The broth was really thick and obviously due to the scortched lard pretty oily….but it was super hot, which kept it from getting too greasy. There's a mild bitter-smokiness and bitterness, to the broth and it wasn't overly salty. We enjoyed the broth, but everything else was average to below average in execution.

The Missus got the Kyoto Pork Bowl combination, which She enjoyed.

It looked pretty bland, but I had a taste and the pork was fairly moist, the soy-mirin-sake flavoring was nicely balanced.

Though, to be honest, I was focused on the ramen. And, while it was fun trying this, I don't think we'll be back.

Service was excellent. The space is quite large for a typical ramen shop in Japan.

Gogyo
452 Jumonji-cho
Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan

Even though this was our third time in Kyoto; things seemed to be different. Folks were walking around with smiles on their faces. There seemed to be levity in the air.

And walking back to the apartment, I found myself smiling at certain things I saw…..

Perhaps the Sakura does have a certain magic to it?

Ramen Revisits – Tajima Mercury, Ramen Yamadaya (Clairemont), and Ototo

April 26, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Before leaving the Kearny Mesa area, I did ramen rounds at some of the places that I don't visit very often or had only visited once or twice over the years. Starting with…..

Tajima Mercury:

Remember when they called this place Tajima Sushi & Japanese Tapas Restaurant (we called it Tajima 2)?

I'd actually never had the ramen at this location, usually choosing Tajima's original Convoy location. On this day; I arrived right as they opened and there was already a line!

One interesting observation while I sat and waited to order. The only folks of Asian descent were working……….

I went with the Tajima Ramen ($11) with the thicker noodles.

The broth had a tinny-salty-bitterness that I recalled from past visits. The noodles were over-cooked, the fried garlic just seemed to add to the bitterness. The pork was a pile of crumbly-salty-chewy meat. In fact, one of the customers at the table next to me actually asked the Server if they had changed the way the chashu was made. The ajitama was a nice and supple.

Too bad, because a couple of years ago I actually had a fairly decent bowl at their Hillcrest location.

I still miss the original "Tajima" back in the late 90's.

Tajima Mercury
4411 Mercury St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Yamadaya:

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

Man, had it been nearly two years since I last visited? Though it did seem that over time, Yamadaya seemed to be heading on a slow downhill slide. Still, it had been a while.

It was strangely not busy during lunch when I visited. Strange, because Yamadaya used to be pretty busy on previous lunchtime visits.

I ordered my usual; the Tonkotsu Kotteri, with the noodles "extra firm".

Man, this broth was terrible. Fatty yes, but barely over lukewarm, it was like licking lard….and heck, this from a guy who had seabura (pork backfat) ramen in Japan. There was a greasiness and weird blandness to the broth that even the sweet and slightly pungent black garlic oil couldn't solve. I mentioned this to the young lady serving me…..something I would rarely do and got a blank stare, then an "ok, I'll let the kitchen know…." And then not another response for the entire meal. Like previous visits, the chashu here was dry, tough, and cold. The noodles were fine as was the egg…….though it was ice cold.

I had ordered some chicken karaage……is it just that I missed things or is the Tori Nanban no longer on the menu?

Anyway, if there was anything worse than the ramen, it was the karaage.

Good lord; no color, no crispness, gummy, with no flavor. What's up with the temp of the oil?

Man, this was pretty bad……really sad because the place had to much potential when they first opened up here in 2012.

Ramen Yamadaya
4706 Clairement Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Ototo:

After my terrible ramen at Yamadaya, I thought I should give Otot…um, Ototo another shot even though I thought the ramen here was typical of a "roll and teriyaki" joint….in other words, third tier. Still, it had been about two-and-a-half years since my visit.

I went with the White Tonkotsu Ramen along with some Chicken Karaage.

I went with the shoyu tonkotsu this time around, rather than the shio version I had on my previous visit. While lacking in richness and having a mild bitterness, the broth was fine…..a least it was hot. The noodles were the standard issue, mass produced stuff that's everywhere and it was a bit on the mushy side. The egg….well, it wasn't ice cold, which helped things. The chashu was rubbery.

And guess what? While the chicken karaage wasn't amazing….it was moist and had a "by-the-book" karaage flavor – soy sauce, a touch of ginger, a bit too salty.

It could have used a bit more crispness and a more complex flavor, but this was decent. And it actually looked like chicken karaage.

One more thing. The young lady who waited on me was amazing. There was a family with a young son who came in a few minutes after me. Apparently they were regulars. She was so friendly and engaging, taking time to chat and play with the young boy, while still remaining on top of things. She had that balance of efficiency, friendliness, and professionalism. So heck, I might come back one of these days. Maybe…..

Ototo Sushi Co
5651 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Revisits – Santouka and Grandma’s Tofu & BBQ

December 19, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Ramen

I've been a bit under the weather. This past weekend was especially tiring. I guess getting in from Copenhagen after 8 in the evening and heading right back to work the next morning at 6 might do that to you. Then there's the fact that a bunch of folks at work are sick as well, it inevitable I guess.

Anyway, here's what I had to put me back on the road to recovery.

Santouka Ramen:

With the cooler weather, there's no way the Missus would turn down Santouka. she really enjoys the Shio Toroniku Ramen. To the point that we had to make a pilgrimage to the original location of Santouka in Asahikawa. We had the usual; a large shio toroniku to share and a bowl of natto gohan, also to share.

While the broth still falls a bit short of the versions in Japan; this still hits the spot. Not too greasy, a wonderful tongue a belly coating richness. Just enough saltiness. The thickness of the bowl keeps the broth hot; something you definitely need in Asahikawa where the coldest temperature in the Japan history was recorded(-41°). The pork was nicely flavored good porkiness and soy, but was on the tougher side this time around. The noodles were just short of excellent, a bit too soft.

But it did hit the spot. Menya Ultra might be getting all the publicity these days, declared Restaurant of the Year for 2017, but Santouka is comfort food for the Missus and I.

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

Grandma's Tofu & BBQ:

I was feeling a bit congested and the Missus suggested Grandma's Tofu & BBQ. It had been a while. We went with the Heukyumso Jungol, Korean Black Goat Stew. We hadn't had that in a couple of years.

This was much better than what we had on our last visit here. The broth was spicier, which really helped to clear me out. The goat meat was nice and gamey and quite tender to boot. Love the flavor of sesame leaf; it adds a nice fibrous texture and anise flavor to things. A lot heartier than on previous visits as well.

Too bad the panchan was second rate. As you can tell; it was fairly dried out, the baechu kimchi, which we consider a staple was quite fishy, too salty, without a nice fermented flavor.

We stopped by Nijiya nad Zion on the way home. Firm tofu from Nijiya. and while I'm not such a fan of Zion anymore, they had the good packaged "old style fermented kimchi" in stock. Not cheap, but it kind of reminds us of the versions we had Seoul, along with sesame leaf. It was even more spicy and much richer the next day.

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

Putting me on the road to (hopefully) recovery.

Hope everyone is keeping warm and in good health this holiday season!

Cold Tan Tan Men at Menya Ultra and Shann Xi Magic Kitchen (99 Ranch Market Food Court)

August 9, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Cold Tan Tan Men at Menya Ultra:

Some of the folks at work thought we'd hit up Menya Ultra before things get really crazy. And yes, because it was a foursome, I actually waited in line for thirty minutes. I'd been told that the Zaru Tan Tan Men was really good; so I decided to order that with an ajitama.

The egg was very good, nicely flavored, and in this case, having it on the cold side was a plus this time. The noodles were very nice and katame (firm)….on two of my last visits I overheard folks complaining the noodles were "undercooked"…….god help them if they go to Rokurinsha, Ippudo, or just about any street corner ramen shop worth a damn in Japan. As for the rest? Well, I find this version rather bland with not enough savory umph to be satisfying to me. Even with the onions, the seasoned ground meat…..well, I'll just stick with the Ajitama Tonkotsu. Though I'm not sure when I'll be willing to brave the crowds again.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in the 99 Ranch Market Food Court:

**** This location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen has closed.

I needed something from 99 Ranch Market and it was around 11am this past weekend. I decided to check out this location of Shanxi Magic Kitchen to see how they compared to the location on Convoy.

It's obvious that the two kids working here really don't want anything to do with their customers….they'd rather work on their laptop or socialize. I was treated like a mere nuisance.

Of course I ordered the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($8.99), which is served here without the pickled garlic or chili paste….perhaps you need to ask for them? But you shouldn't have to……it's standard for the dish.

I've mentioned that I've given up on finding the Yang Rou Pao Mo that I really enjoyed in Xi'an. So how's this facsimile?

The lamb in this was very tasty, quite muttony. The meat nice and tender. The flavor of the broth was heavy in white pepper, but decent, you could still taste "the lamb". It was a bit thin for my liking….I enjoy a thick and hearty Yang Rou Pao Mo, and while this was scalding hot, it lacked the richness and tongue (and belly) coating viscousity. Not much bean thread in this, though I saw some lily buds and a few pieces of tofu which looked just like the waxy, pasty, counterfeit leavened bread. Overall, not bad, but I'll be going to the location on Convoy if I ever want this again.

Overall, the (lack of) service and broth was subpar.

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Midweek Meanderings – The Wait at Menya Ultra is About to Get Longer, Thai House Under New Ownership, and Is H Mart Coming to Balboa?

July 26, 2017 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Ramen, Thai Restaurants

I haven't done one of these in a while; so here goes.

The Wait at Menya Ultra is About to Get Longer:

So, for those that don't follow Eater San Diego (you probably should). Some "personality" was in town filming a new show. Among he places he hit? Menya Ultra. So, it's probably going to be on the new show….especially when you have that person Tweet that it "might be the best ramen in America". In spite of the pet peeve mine in the Tweet….calling it "tonkatsu" ramen instead of "tonkotsu"….I'll let that go as a 140 characters or less fail. The bottom line is; you'll probably have to wait a lot longer for this in the near future.

Our current strategy is to drive by and if there aren't too many people in line; stop. Otherwise always have a plan B.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Thai House Under New Ownership:

**** Thai House has closed

I've got some great readers. Most of whom don't comment on the blog. No less than three people sent me emails telling me that Thai House was under new ownership.

And while I haven't had the chance to drop by for a meal recently; I did a quick turnaround in the parking lot. And yes, it seems there's an ownership change….just a few months after my last post on the place. I've been told that the offerings have taken a change for the good.

Thai House
4225 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Is H Mart Coming to Balboa Ave?:

So, "FOY" Sandy in a comment in this post, mentioned that H Mart was coming to Balboa Avenue in the old Sports Authority location. SJP and one other person also mentioned this to me. So I drove over and took a look. No sign of anything yet.

This sounds much like the info I got about Zion Market's new location back in 2012, so I thought I'd include it in this post. Speaking of Zion Market; I've got kinda tired of quality being lowered over time, customer service being zip, surly customers (remember the "Please Do Not Throw Fruits & Vegetables" sign), that this might be a welcomed addition. Plus, I've heard a bunch of stories about how Zion went out of their way to put Hana Mart out of business.

So, we'll see if karma strikes….

7725 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111