Road Trip – Page 36

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: Hunan Seafood – Rosemead (Los Angeles), CA – And we get the answer to an Urban Legend.

December 23, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Hunan Seafood has closed

Ever since reading this post on Eileen Likes to Eat, I've been waiting for an opportunity to check out Hunan Seafood (formerly CrownCafe). It had been an uphill fight from the beginning. You see, the Missus'sFather is from Hunan, and I've marched ourselves to a few "Hunan" restaurants that have been anything BUT Hunan. When the Missus first heard the name of this place, She scoffed, "Hunan Sea-food? Yeah, right….." You see Hunan Province, is landlocked, bordered by mountains on three sides, and the Yangtze river on one(I don't think Dongting lake qualifies). She explained it to me this way; "Iowa is located on the Mississippi River….would you eat at a place called Iowa Seafood Restaurant?" But the combination of the photos on Eileen's Blog, and the good mood the Missus was in after our "first lunch" at Food Cabin put Her in an amiable state fo mind.

Hunan Seafood Restaurant appears very bright and clean from the exterior, but is starting to show signs of wear and tear in the interior. The service is typical SGV, all business, order quickly, don't ask questions……

We started with something near and dear to the Missus's heart; the Steamed Hunan Ham, Smoked Duck & Fish ($10.98):

The Missus clearly recalls visiting Her Paternal Grandmother in Hunan when a teenager. For a city girl it was quite a shock. No electricity, no indoor plumbing, the potty being in the same shed as the family pigs (totally freaked out, She held out for several days….until Her Dad rescued Her, taking Her into the city to potty), and the very hard life of Lily Blossom farmers. Funny thing is, we now pay thousands of $$$ to experience nearly the same thing nowadays – does anyone else notice the irony? There were of course, the great memories as well……. the wonder of lying on the drying slab and clearly seeing the Milky Way for the very first time. But, as a teenager, being the nice, plump, fresh meat for the local mosquitoes was not much fun.And toothpaste being the only available remedy for mosquito bites….. I can barely restrain myself mentally picturing the Missus covered with blots of toothpaste….wearing Her Jimmy Choo shoes with Her Gucci bag in tow…..

The scent of smoke was very strong when the plate literally hit our table. Looking at the plate, I was quite sure that it had hit quite a few tables in its time. Steaming both moistened the meat, and really brought up the fragrance. The La Rou (smoked pork) had a great texture, the fat soft and buttery, and the meat while smoky in flavor was much milder in saltiness than the preserved stuff you buy in markets. It also lacked the somewhat artificial flavor. The duck was good, but it was the fish that I enjoyed the best:

Salty and intensely smoky, the Missus said this was just as good as the stuff Her Grandmother used make and send Her Dad in China. The fish was slightly dense and chewy, though not as tough as jerky. The Missus had to call Her Father immediately after tasting this…. it brought back many memories.

And then it happened. We had heard of "it" happening before, but had never seen it in person. While waiting for our rice, the Missus murmured, "oh….. my …. God! I don't believe it!" When I asked Her, "what's going on?" The Missus stage whispered; "they're recycling rice….taking the leftover rice from one of the tables and dumping it back into the pot." The ricepot in Hunan Seafood is out for all to see, and as I turned to look, they dumped yet another container of leftover rice from another table into the ricepot…mixed it up a bit and put it into a rice container, which made its way to our table…… I should've taken a photo, but was too stunned. I wish I hadn't seen that….the meat was nice and salty, and I really wanted some rice….. You know, we've drunk Chicha de Jora made from maize germinated in the mouth of the maker, so reused rice doesn't sound too bad…. but for some reason I just couldn't bring myself to eat this rice! I had heard of rice being recycled, or maybe reused for fried rice, and wasting rice is a sin…. however, faced with eating this? So I guess the urban legend of reusing rice is true.

Meanwhile, the wonderful looking Toss Fried Mutton with Cilantro ($9.98) made it to our table.

Just as with the unapologetic reuse of rice, this was an in-your-face spicy. Such is Hunan food; no goofing around with sweet, sour, or numbing flavors. The mutton was moist and tender, but was just overwhelmed with the red chilies (you didn't think those were red bell peppers did you?) and cilantro. You really couldn't taste anything else. Whomever cooked this showed some good cooking technique, but the dish seemed out of balance.

I'd gladly eat food from Hunan Seafood again, ummm…. well, maybe just some take-out, or even better, I'll just force myself to NOT look at the ricepot. We'll probably even bring the Missus's Dad here when they visit, but face him away from the ricepot. But at least we now new the answer to that old urban legend; "do Chinese Restaurants reuse uneaten rice?"

Hunan Seafood Restaurant
8772 E Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

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Road Trip: Food Cabin – Rosemead (Los Angeles), CA

December 9, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

**** Food Cabin has closed

What's in a name? Alot really, but in this case? What kind of cuisine would a restaurant called "Food Cabin" serve? When I first mentioned this place to the Missus, She guffawed out loud, obviously picturing a combination "Northwoods Inn" (home of the dirty snow) meets Denny's kind of place. She gave me a look that said, "you're running out of new places to eat, aren't you?" Honestly, the name Food Cabin just doesn't really inspire you to run out to the car and visit, does it?

Yes, Food Cabin just doesn't seem to get much respect; even the Restaurant's signage plays second fiddle to "The Best Car Wash" (now that's a name!!!):

As with many restaurants in the SGV, the Chinese name, has nothing to do with the English name. In this case the literal translation of the Chinese characters is something along the lines of "Dragon, Dragon, Good Food" or something like that; not a cabin reference to be found.

Food Cabin, the Restaurant, is located on the quiet end of Valley Boulevard, in, well, something that looks a lot like the manager's office of one of those cookie-cutter apartment complexes, converted into a restaurant. Having said that, I don't think the name Food Cookie-Cutter-Apartment-Manager's-Office is particularly inspiring at all either.

The interior is kind of apartment like; the Missus and I were trying to determine which "room" we were being seated in. The place was empty except for one table when we arrived at noon on a Saturday!

The menu is large, and quite varied, with mostly Northern Chinese style favorites. There are a number of specials, posted on the ubiquitous colored paper on the walls. One of the specials is a "buy 1 beer, get one free" deal.

The woman who seated us, looked very smart in her glasses, was very nice, and friendly. Not your typical SGV server. She started us off with some pickles, good, but on the salty side, and asked us twice if we wanted more.

We started off with the "Thousand Layer Meat Flat Bread" – aka "Pork Pancake" on the menu ($5).

This was nice, not greasy, as many versions of this dish is. The texture was good, crisp crust, a bit chewy in the interior. Not much meat to be had, but that is pretty much how the home made versions of this is. With a bit of the salty-pickly spicy broadbean paste, this was quite good.

But what I'd really come for were the Shengjian Bao(10 for $6.45), a "Bao" that is fried-steamed.

The Missus told me of a stand right across the street from Her High-School in Qingdao, that made Shengjian Bao. Which would inevitably end up being Her "snack" on most days. Shengjian Bao, is a semi-leavened bun, stuffed with meat, that is of a Shanghainese origin. Being both fired and steamed means that when done right, you'll get the best of both worlds.

The Missus and I were both surprised when 10 rather large Bao arrived at the table. Glistening with oil, I expected these to be heavy and greasy. Boy was I wrong, these were very light, and I enjoyed the contrast in textures. A crisp bottom, the rest of the Bao was nice and bready. To be sure, the bottom could have been a bit more crisp, but I really enjoyed the texture.

The filling was pork, with coarsely chopped squash for added texture. Moist and light, it could have perhaps been a bit more savory, but the provided soy-vinegar-cilantro dipping sauce was the perfect match. The nice Server even provided a small container of sauce for the left over Bao we took home!

The Missus, suffering from XLB withdrawals, ordered the Xiao Long Bao (Steamed Juicy Pork Dumplings – $6):

I wasn't too impressed with this version, I thought the wrappers on the hard side, and the bottoms of the XLB were hard. There wasn't very much soup, and the filling was much too sweet, and left me with an odd, almost camphor like aftertaste. The Missus, on the other hand, ate 7 of the 10 XLB. Even though I wanted no part of it after eating the first one, She made me eat the last 2 since XLB doesn't keep and reheat real well.

We requested a few containers for our leftovers, and our check. ($18.88 – a bargain!) And the Server told the Missus in Mandarin to wait because She shouldn't miss the free dessert. Which turned out to be a sweet rice porridge….no big deal, but very nice service:

As you can tell, we enjoyed this meal. It wasn't perfect, but it sure hit the spot. We found the service to be very nice, and the pace much more laid-back than other restaurants in the area. This place started to fill up as we left, with several groups of older folks.

So next time someone asks you if you'd like to grab a bite at a "Food Cabin" don't hesitate. It might be worth your while!

Food Cabin
9510 Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

Why the leftovers you may ask? Well, you know why…… another meal was in store during this roadtrip!

Tokyo Sushi, BBQ & Crepe (in Hemet) with a random stop-at Winchester Cheese Company

November 26, 2008 Cathy Cheese, Japanese Restaurants, Ontario/Riverside/San Bernadino, CA, Road Trip, Temecula/Idyllwild/Palm Springs - Riverside, CA, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog. Bunches of people seem to read what Kirk and ed(from Yuma), Cathy and a few others write about. You are one of them. Welcome back.

Hi. So, you may remember I documented my annual drive from San Diego to Detroit last year. This year the weather is absolutely not cooperating and my mom did not want The Mister and me to take to the roads, driving 12 hours a day for three days in a row. Needless to say, I was a bit fearful also, yet I also was so looking forward to this drive. I am going crazy not spending three days in a car with The Mister, then three days with my mom and brother and his family in Detroit and then another three days driving home. In that same car. With The Mister. Really.

I know where we "should be" about now and, more importantly, what we should be eating when in that area. There are fast food joints that don't exist out here in San Diego. There are tourist traps that are so much fun. We don't plan where we will stop, but have done that trip for so many years, there are a lot of places I have not shown you yet.

So, this year is different, yet unplanned and I *really* want to just drive and stop, without a plan or schedule.

So I did.

North. To Hemet. There it was. Tokyo and winchestercheese 012

Tokyo and winchestercheese 013

These two places. In a mall in Hemet.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 001

Next to each other.

What do I do?

Hm, Beijing Hawaiian. Sounds fairly common. Heck, I just had a Kahlua pork taco in Santee the other day. Tokyo Sushi, BBQ and Crepe.

Crepe.
I had to. Tokyo and winchestercheese 003

Walk up, order, pay. Watch The Owner and His Wife cook, behind the sushi bar.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 002

Neat and clean, dark lacquered tables and a bustling take out business. Soon, my order arrived. Tokyo and winchestercheese 007

A good sized, freshly made, sesame oil and seed infused seaweed salad ($2.95). Crunchy, fresh and an excellent portion.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 008

I had a cup of hot green tea, as I always do with my meals and it came with this nice lid to help it steep properly. There is a charge for tea here. Tokyo and winchestercheese 005

Doesn't matter. This is Combo #35, Chicken Katsu. ($5.95) This had to be two chicken breasts, perfectly fried, placed on top of shredded cabbage to get rid of any excess oil (there wasn't any) and served with steamed rice and a salad covered with a wonderful home made dressing.

I asked and the dressing is made with cider vinegar and sugar and carrots and celery. A family recipe. (The katsu sauce is store bought and the container is written all in Japanese in yellow and has a bulldog symbol on it. It is vinegary and compliments the crispy katsu quite well.)

Tokyo and winchestercheese 009

The reason I chose this place. A crepe.

Filled with sliced banana, a good vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. ($5.95) Excellent.

So glad I stopped here. If you are out here, for some reason, do stop.

I decided to drive home a different way than I arrived (had taken the 215 and somehow got here); had passed SR79, which I know crossed the I-15 in Temecula, but is only 2 lanes wide.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 020

I saw this and had to stop. Actually, I had to make a U turn on the two lane route.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 016 I drove down a dirt road a short distance, seeing the Alta Dena milk cows on my right.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 017

Apparently the cheese cows were to the left.

Tokyo and winchestercheese 018

The Winchester Cheese Company.

There are samples of four different aged Gouda cheeses(minimally 60 days and the "super aged" is more than one year) and four different flavored Gouda cheeses(cumin, jalapeño, garden herb and smoked), all made from raw milk. Tokyo and winchestercheese 019

Tokyo and winchestercheese 023 I tasted all of the 'plain' Goudas and decided the least aged one had more depth of flavor to me, plus if I wanted to taste more aging, the edges are a bit dryer and should have a more aged flavor.

(I think flavored and smoked cheese is wrong, by the way.)

So anyhow, my own little vacation right here in Southern California. So far. Drive and stop; no plan.

Tokyo Sushi, BBQ and Crepe 1121 S. Sanderson Avenue Hemet 92545 (951-925-7711)

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Winchester Cheese Company 32605 Holland Road Winchester 92596 (951-926-4239)website

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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!

Road Trip: Mama’s Lu and Northern Dumpling House – Monterey Park(LA)

July 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

With gas prices at new highs, just wanting to take a road trip would probably be grounds to have us committed. But we were getting a bit stale just stewing in our juices at home. So, we went ahead with our little road trip and made the best of it. After doing our morning shopping, instead of heading toward San Gabriel, we decided on what in the good old days(at least for us) was the center of our eating universe. The intersection of Garfield and Garvey in Monterey Park. We were amazed at how light traffic was and even snagged convenient parking on Garvey. I'm guessing gas prices are affecting everyone.

Our first lunch stop was a newer restaurant called Mama's Lu….no not Mama Lu's, or even ahem, Mama's Loo(God help us all). It really is called Mama's Lu:

See what I mean? I asked the Missus what the deal was with the name. Her response? "Hey, you're the food guy, right? You figure it out." Which translated, probably meant, "I'm tired of your questions, you figure it out…." This little shop occupies the area that used to be Heavy Noodling, which I was kind of sad to see go.

The interior of "Da' House of Lu", is very clean. Not a sign of "San Gabriel sticky" to be found here.

The menu is short and concise, mostly dumplings, Shanghainese, with some Sichuan thrown in on the Chinese menu board:

I dunno if we've gotten used to prices in San Diego or what, but we had reverse sticker shock when we checked out the menu.

10 Xiao Long Bao for $4.50? You can barely get a Carne Asada Burrito for that in San Diego! Maybe this drive was worth it.

As we looked over the menu, the Missus and I hatched our plan. 2 Xiao Long Bao, and one dish we'll sample, and load into the ice chest. We started with an old favorite of the Missus, Shanghai style "Smoked Fish"($4.50), a classic dish. The Missus grew up eating the stuff.

The photo is a bit deceptive, this was a pretty large portion. This version was drier(but not dry), than versions I've had. It also didn't have a very pronounced sweet and five spice flavor. I really enjoyed it, because unlike other versions, this was not "fishy" in the least. The Missus(and my MIL) still favor the version at Chin's. But I'll take this any day of the week.

The Pork and Crab Xiao Long Bao($8.50), probably the most expensive item on the menu.

These came with each XLB(8) packed into an individual foil container. What I thought; "wow, they pack them individually, in these little dishes so they don't leak." What the Missus thought; "no wonder they're so expensive, they waste money on those dishes. If they make them right, they won't leak. And they sure better know the difference between the crab and the pork Xiao Long Bao. What a waste."

For us, a good Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao, will be rich and mildly sweet. This was bland and kind of greasy. The meat to soup ratio was not to our liking. Too much meat, not enough soup. The wrappers had a major defect; the fold was hard and chewy, and the bottom was gummy.

The Pork Xiao Long Bao(10 – $4.50):

These Xiao Long Bao suffered from the same problems as the Crab and Pork with regards to the wrapper and meat to soup ratio. Flavor wise, these were better with regards to a mild sweetness, and the meatball was melt in your mouth tender. I still think it was under flavored.

Still, I think it's better than any XLB we have here in San Diego, but when compared to all the other XLB in the area….. On the positive side, we had excellent service, our tea was refilled, and our water twice! The very nice Server, came back to check on us, something that almost never happens in the SGV! There is a booth behind the cash register that displays the XLB makers at work, a la Din Tai Fung. One more thing that I found somewhat humorous. The 'A' Health Rating is posted by the hallway door, away from the street…almost as if they're ashamed that they actually got an 'A'.

Mama's Lu Dumpling House
153 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

So why did the Missus and I exercise such restraint at Mama's Lu? Right across the street from Mama's Lu is this place.

**** Northern Dumpling House has closed

The English sign only says "Restaurant". I had read about this place on Chowhound, called Northern Dumpling House. We saved some "room" for a meal here. We planned on one order of Jiaozi and "something else". Like Mama's Lu the place is very clean, and almost too cold and sterile. The prices here are very reasonable as well.

I really wanted to try he Pork and Opo Squash Dumplings(I thought they'd be interesting), but they did not have any.

So we had the Beef and Chinese Celery Dumplings($5.50):

These Jiaozi were interesting, the wrapper was very soft and pillowy. I enjoy a bit of chew, but the Missus enjoyed these as a change of pace. She went into a lecture about making the dough of Jiaozi, and water temperature, etc, etc, etc…. The filling was undoubtedly beefy, but lacked a decent Chinese celery crunch and the only way we knew there was celery in the filling was a slight aftertaste. I'm not quite sure about these, but the Missus enjoyed them. I want to bring my Mother In Law to see what She thinks.

Looking for something that we could have a few bites of, than take home; I went for the Cumin Lamb. We thought it strange that all the stir fry dishes had prices that had been covered by blank white stickers. So at the risk of being charged some exorbitant amount, we went ahead and ordered it anyway.

If you enjoy a milder cumin taste, you'd like these. What made this dish really good was how the lamb was prepared and cooked. There were slices that were melt in the mouth soft! If not for the mild gamey flavor(not wild enough for us), you'd think that you were eating very well prepared beef. Mildly spicy from the chilies, this was even better the next day. Did you guess how much this cost? It was $5.40……on our check the Server initially wrote $4.95, but crossed it out and wrote in $5.40….I'll take that any day.

Even more than the food, there was something really interesting about this meal. The restaurant was empty except for another couple. Apparently, the Guy is a "Chef" at another restaurant, the Missus said he had a strong Beijing accent, She could barely understand his girlfriend/wife("man, her accent is really hard to make out"). After making our food the cook came out, pulled up a seat, and they started talking about business in the area. And also started dissing other regional Chinese cuisines. They were especially hard on Tianjin Cuisine("no way a Tianjin restaurant will make it, they don't make any good food, only snacks"). Stuff like prices and competition were discussed, too much to write in this post. But if you've ever wanted to be a "fly on the wall."

Northern Dumpling House
138 East Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755