Seafood – Page 12

Easter Island – Revisiting Te Moana

August 12, 2016 mmm-yoso Easter Island, Easter Island Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

After a pretty hectic but exhilarating day we returned to our cabanas and had a short nap. Upon waking we relaxed…..the Missus fiddled around and I worked on a post. The Missus opened the front door and shrieked! The "Killer Pussy" was back! And taunting us!

I mean…there were lots of possible victims…..the chickens looked like fair game.

But no……this cat seem to want some attention, or else!

We decided to wait out the killer cat, who eventually lost interest and left. A few minutes later we headed out for a drive and dinner…..we saw the cat running toward us. Luckily, we made it to the car rather quickly.

We took a nice drive down along the ocean……ending at a nice patch of green. Man, the backdrop of the pacific makes all the photos look great.

Rather than search around for a dinner destination, we decided to head back to Te Moana.

It was much more busy on this evening, but we got the same table as the previous night. Same Server too.

This time I decided on the Ceviche Ika Mata. As before the fish was sparkling fresh, though this seemed a tad "over-cooked" by citrus.

While I wasn't a big fan of adding mustard, nor the sauce to my ceviche….red onions, cilantro, avocado, fresh fish….what's not to like? I also kind of enjoyed the garlic toast as well…..though it didn't seem to go real well with the fish.

The Missus wanted Her favorite from the previous night; the Ceviche Te Moana.

The ceviche was just as lovely this night as well. The touch of coconut milk added a nice counter-point to the citrus and also added a mild creaminess to the lovely fish. The Missus also enjoyed the shrimp. And just like the previous night; that rice was terrible. Of course we didn't order this for the rice.

I also wanted to try the octopus; which was nice and tender, very mild in flavor.

Wasn't a fan of the rather odd tasting sauce, nor the mushy, slightly water-logged mashed potato either.

Overall, Te Moana delivered, the seafood wonderful.

That sunset was fantastic as well.

Te Moana
Policarpo Toro
Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Valparaiso, Chile

There's a playground just outside the restaurant. Where kids were playing and dogs were hanging out.

The Missus decided to have a bit of fun and a friend joined Her!

He followed the Missus all over the park. Even standing guard while the Missus had fun on the swings.

We wanted to bring him home! But a few minutes later, the pup left for greener pastures.

We took the long way back. Easter Island was an amazing experience. Definitely "bucket list" stuff. But even though we hadn't seen everything, it was time to move on. Tomorrow we'd be flying back to Santiago.

Thanks for reading!

Easter Island – Orongo Ceremonial Village, Rano Kau, Ana Kakenga, and Lunch at Makona Restaurant

August 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Easter Island, Easter Island Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

After breakfast we headed off to a site I was really looking forward to Orongo Ceremonial Village. Because this, like Rano Raraku was one of the two places where you absolutely needed admission, and they didn't open until 9am, we took our time. Meandering along the shoreline near Hanga Roa.

This one spot, where the road basically ends looked wonderful on a day like today….or perhaps it always looks amazing.

We'd soon be heading up that mountain in the background. But for now, we were content to watch the waves crash onto the rocks.

There's a campground right across the street. Quite a dramatic location. Though I wondered how things were during the high winds and rain the night before.

It must be great to wake up and have a banana while watching the wild Pacific doing its thing though.

We soon headed off, up Policarpo Toro and all the guest houses up the mountain. We stopped along the way at various view-points (mirador).

Our little Daihatsu Terios was doing a pretty nice job of getting us around.

At the top is Orongo Ceremonial Village. You need to show your tickets or purchase some, you also need to sign in. At Rano Raraku, I took a look at the country of origin of parties signing in; none were from the US. It was the same here. Strangely, very few people I know even know where Easter Island is, or if they've heard of the place, don't even know where it's located.

In the welcome center, we learned a bit more about Orongo. The village resides on a cliff and was home to the Birdman Cult. Suddenly, I had sort of a flashback. To a movie I saw in the mid-90's, named of all things; Rapa Nui. Good lord, the Birdman Cult actually existed!

There are also some rather sad stories of how the site has been plundered and destroyed over the years.

Things start on a beautiful grassy trail.

Which stops on a dramatic cliff over-looking three small "islands".

It is those islands that the competitors of the Birdman Competition would swim to and collect the first seagull egg of the season. Strangely, the folks doing the actually swimming weren't considered the real competitors, but the actual "sponsors" and those holding important positions who decided who would actually perform the physical duties were. Sort of like today, eh?

Further up the trail are some restored stone "houses" made of basalt slabs. Most have been restored.

One was left half restored so we could see the tiny quarters……

It sure does look pretty cramped in there.

Further up the trail and turning the corner you see some petroglyphs. I read that there are over 1700 petroglyphs at this site, but most are in protected areas. I understand that these might be of former Birdman Competitors.

The one thing that really caught my attention when I turned the corner was this.

This is Rano Kau, the crater of an extinct volcano that has become a lake. We found this mesmerizing and just plain beautiful; a bog of reed islets.

I wanted a better look so we left Orongo and went to the Rano Kau look-out.

Looking at this amazing sight, the inner Edwin Malone of my bookworm years arose. It left so much to the imagination……

Looking at the crater below, I recall telling the Missus, "Because its protected from the elements and population as a whole, I'm wondering if there's a special little micro eco-system down there; where there might be plants that are native to Easter island that can't be found anywhere else." Ah yes, there's still a bit of fantasy and romance left I guess. Then I came home and read the story of the Toromiro Tree. Endemic to Easter island, the last tree surviving in the wild was cut down in 1960. However, Thor Heyerdahl had saved seeds from a tree in Rano Kau during his time here in 1955-56. And while the species is basically extinct in the wild, it still survives in botanic gardens. All the trees that survive are thought to have descended from this one singular tree.

It was still rather early in the day. The Missus decided She wanted to visit one more place before lunch; the lava tubes that make up Ana Kakenga. Getting there was bit interesting as there's a definite lack of signage….you just go until the road ends and keep going.

The recent rains had made for some deceptively deep "pools". While nothing of consequence at first, it steadily got worse (sorry no photos – I was just trying to make sure we didn't get stuck). Finally, there was a road block and a makeshift shack where a Park Ranger had everyone park, sign the book and head off on foot.

And so we headed off……

With not a "two legged" soul in site……

Until we came to this……

And the sign said we'd passed our destination.

So we turned back…..

And then came upon a pretty large (like six-four, probably over three hundred pounds) guy. He asked in Spanish if we'd seen "Ana Kakenga" and we said no. So we all headed back. then we heard some exclamations; apparently his young son and daughter had found the place. You gotta love the sign……

We found a woman waiting among some backpacks and what was basically a hole in the ground.

There were folks checking things out, we'd wait until they finished then go down. It was a nice time to check out the scenery.

Finally, it was our chance to go down the rabbit hole. The Missus first of course!

Next me….at which things slowed down a bit. You see, the "big dude" got stuck. Finally, his kids and wife managed to pull him through…… He really wanted to hang with his kids, you gotta love it!

You're enrobed in pitch black darkness, with rocks ready to trip you at any moment. Your iPhone Flashlight is your best friend. You see two lights in the distance and understand why it's called "windows", basically two lava tubes formed perhaps centuries ago.

You head toward the light, making sure not to fall down the steep cliff at the end. No, this isn't the United States where everything is safety friendly.

You are ultimately paid off in full by this amazing view of the Pacific.

You turn the light to the direction by whence you came and go "holy s%!+".

Can you tell I'm not a caver?

You turn tail and get the heck out of there and walk back to your vehicle without getting on the wrong side of the rightful occupants of the place.

And yet, there are those for whom this is the norm.

We got back to the vehicle and made the short drive back to Hang Roa. It was lunch time.

While I've posted photos of the horses, cows, chickens, and killer cat, I really haven't mentioned all the dogs in Hanga Roa. Much like Cusco, they are everywhere in Hanga Roa.

And yet, there's a kind of rhythm to life here. The dogs fit in, they know the rules….those that don't, well, I think they don't make it. The dogs do their thing, most of them looked cared for and what was most interesting was that they will go to the door of shops and markets, but will not go in……I guess that's asking for trouble. They know the boundaries of life. Knowing that makes it a "dog's life".

I had a specific place for lunch in mind. Even though it seemed like a pretty busy lunch hour in town, we actually found the place, which we had searched for and found closed on our first day in town; Makona Restaurant.

There were two things on the Missus's mind for lunch; ceviche….and ceviche, so we ordered ceviche.

The folks working here were very nice; just like everywhere else on the island.

And we got ceviche and more ceviche.

The fish, while not as good quality as Te Moana, was still nice and fresh. It was nicely dressed, not too much citrus, great balanced flavors.

Slight ginger tones and the pungency of onion to balance things out. Like I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of the soy sauce they use in Hanga Roa. A touch of cilantro finished things off. Simple is sometimes best!

Meanwhile, we watched this fellow….who obviously was looking for a handout.

Doesn't he seem to be asking, "anything for me?"

And yet, he would not cross that threshold.

Makona Restaurant
Atamu Tekena
Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Chile

Easter Island – Ahu Akivi, Puna Pao, and Dinner at Te Moana

July 28, 2016 mmm-yoso Easter Island, Easter Island Restaurants, Seafood

After our lunch empanadas, the Missus decided we should take a break. It was getting quite windy with occasional drizzles. Which didn't seem to bother the chickens one bit.

Our accommodations were quite large and spacious.

In case you were wondering; there is one local television station (where I watched an interesting episode of the Simpsons – dubbed of course) and two from Chile.

I enjoyed the patio and I'm sure the grill would be fun if you're here during better weather and perhaps a longer period of time.

The cooler weather helped while trying to nap and we awoke refreshed and ready to do a bit more exploring. Looking over the map, the Missus decided we should head inland and up the slopes of Maunga Terevaka, the tallest of the three extinct volcanos that make up Easter Island. Along the southern slopes is the very unique Ahu Akivi.

Unique because not only are these Moai inland, but they face the ocean instead of away from it. Also, the Moai are fairly uniform in size and folks believe that they were all built at the same time. The seven Moai are said to represent the "Seven Explorers" whom Hotu Matu'a sent toward the morning sun to find a place for his people to live.

The seven Moai are also perfectly aligned with the point in which the sun sets during the equinox.

On the way back from Ahu Akivi we stopped at Puna Pau.

Remember those "Pukao", the top knots on the Moai? They were made from Red Scoria and the only place where this is available on the island is in the crater that is Puna Pau.

It is thought that Pukao was a late addition in the construction of the Moai as there are about 100 pukao to approximately 1,000 Moai.

Much like Rano Raraku, where Moai are sprinkled along the hillside, here you'll find pukao lying along the trail.

As if a crew were going to arrive to transport these to some deserving Moai anytime now.

There's also a pretty nice view from here. You could see the rain coming in on Hang Roa.

We were getting pretty hungry. So we left Puna Pau and headed back to Hang Roa.

We headed toward the ocean and the cliffs at the edge of Hang Roa.

Stopping to enjoy the view……

The restaurant I had as number one on my list was also along the ocean side; Neptune Island which was closed during our stay, so was Vero's pick, Haka Honu (by the way, just like Hawaiian, Honu means turtle in the Rapa Nui language….Vero was tickled that I new what it meant). So we headed up to the northern edge of Hanga Roa, close to where we went looking for Moai when we first arrived. A place named Te Moana…which was open!

Apparently, this is a very popular spot because of the wonderful view.

There was no one in the place when we arrived, rather early for dinner. We sat at a small table near the back door of the dining area, which would turn out to be good location for us. Our Server was a very warm and friendly guy and he quickly brought out some rolls to start things off.

The Missus had Her Pisco Sour, not too sweet and I, a Mahina Pale Ale.

After having empanadas, hot dogs, and papas, over our last three meals, we really wanted to start eating well. This was an island…….where was the seafood?

Well here of course.

Starting with the Duo de Pescado not cheap at 17,000CLP ($25/US).

While I wasn't a big fan of the carpaccio; that cheese and fish with capers thing just didn't seem a great match. And then add mustard? Oh, and the soy sauce here is not to my liking either. But that Ceviche was divine. This version had sesame oil on it along with lime applied with restraint. The tuna was super tender, sparkling fresh, and delicious. Puts all the faux poke I've been eating recently to shame. This is in another league.

And after eating almost nothing green for a couple of days; we enjoyed the veggies.

The Missus had never had Poisson Cru, so I ordered the Ceviche Te Moana 15,000 CLP (about $22/US), which was made with lime and coconut milk much like the classic Tahitian dish.

The Missus was smitten; She just loved the clean interaction of flavors that both the coconut milk and the lime gave to this dish. The fish being sparkling fresh really helped too. The portion size was also quite generous. The shrimp was nicely fried and quite tasty. And of course…Island life, how many starches do you see? That jasmine rice was terrible, but the bananas and local potatoes were pretty good.

By now the place was starting to fill up and the service kind of slowed down….but heck, you need to slow down when you're on Isla de Pascua, take a chill pill and relax. What's the rush? After all, you can't make the sun set any sooner, can you?

As the sun started to set, I joined the Missus outside to enjoy the windy sunset.

Wonderful fish, great view, what else do you need?

Te Moana
Policarpo Toro
Hanga Roa, Easter Island, Valparaiso, Chile

The rain was starting to come down and the wind was picking up as we drove back to the cabanas. I was kind of enjoying things, having a Mahina on the front porch, when I got a visit from one of "the locals"……

Stay Tuned!

Santiago: Parque Forestal, Mercado Central, Marisqueria Yiyi, and the Lastarria Boutique Hotel

July 14, 2016 mmm-yoso Chile, Chilean Food and Restaurants, Santiago, Chile, Seafood, Travel

Our flight left Lima at 835am in the morning, and arrived in Santiago Chile at 135pm. would you believe that there's a 2 hour time change between Peru and Chile? Peru is actually in the same time zone as Easter Island, go figure. Since we had so little time in Santiago and really didn't want to deal with transportation glitches, we had our hotel, a wonderful place, named the Lastarria Boutique Hotel arrange for shuttle service. The location of the hotel is wonderful, close to everything, but still a peaceful oasis, with a wonderful, friendly, and accommodating staff. We got to the hotel at around 3; dropped everything off, and headed out. The gentleman at the front desk was very helpful and when we asked about the location of the Mercado Central, he gave us directions. One interesting thing; no less than four people during our stay emphasized how "safe" the area was. Folks seemed generally interested in making sure we knew the area was safe. We followed the sprawling Parque Forestal down to the Mercado. We loved the wonderful green space….it was a beautiful day, families were out and about….

With children of the two and four legged variety having a great time.

There were several museums, monuments, and memorials along the way including the Museum of Contemporary Art and this one, the Iquique Heroes Monument.

Which is right in front of the Mercado Central.

Things seemed so relaxed here; as folks would stop by and chat with the mounted police officers and take time to pet their horses.

In terms of seafood for sale; things were winding down in the market…..the restaurants however, were going strong. Restaurants occupy the entire center of the market.

Hawkers try and tempt you into the restaurants; it seemed so very touristy, like we've seen in cities all over the globe.

We opted to walk the perimeter, until we saw a place full of local families having a great time. Time….well, we had a limited amount of that, so we wanted something simple and local and Marisqueria Yiyi seemed to have it in spades.

The young man working here was an absolute joy…so friendly, kind, gracious, and quite mellow. Looking at the menu we ordered a dish….looking at the next table we also ordered "what he's having!"

Soon enough, some very nice bread made its way to our table, along with the classic Chilean condiment, Pebre, full of tomato, cilantro, and garlic flavors that folks from San Diego would simply call it, well, "salsa". It was nice, but quite mild, which reminded me of an acquaintance who spent time in Chile, and told me; "in spite of the name, there's not very many spicy dishes in Chile."

Sitting right outside the main dining area, we could see the women hard at work in the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the place had started to fill up.

Meanwhile our Ceviche arrived.

The last thing I want to do is to get into any contentious, nationalistic argument. But having had more than my share of Peruvian Cebiche, I found this to be quite surprising. The fish, which looked almost minced reminding me of Japanese bone scrapings were fully "cooked" in citrus. And yet, the marinating liquid seemed quite low in acid. Also, it was lemon here, not lime, adding a totally different flavor profile to things. We actually squeezed at least half a lemon trying to bring the flavor up to our tastes.

The seafood broth that accompanied this was outstanding; clear, yet full of savory, but not overly "fishy" flavors.

The "I'll have what he's having" dish was the classic Chilean Paila Marina.

Man, the shellfish and crab in this were amazingly fresh, bright, and cooked to perfection. The fish in the "stew" were a bit beyond our preferred doneness. The broth needed the help of some salt and again, to adjust for our taste, a good amount of citrus as it was very light.

I don't remember the price of our meal; but I do recall being amazed at how inexpensive it was. I was also impressed with the friendly and gracious service….I mean, everyone else in the place looked local and yet we were treated like regular customers! When we paid, I left a tip…..the young man, looking quite distressed, made sure to go over the check with me, worried that I didn't understand the currency. We really loved the people here.

Marisqueria Yiyi
Mercado Central
Santiago, Chile

We took a nice leisurely walk back to the hotel…..after all, it was a "dog day Sunday" right?

Parque Forestal was alive with activities; and yet things seemed so relaxed.

If you wanted the children's entertainment; there it was……

If you wanted a nice nap in the grass; well, you could get that too.

Our hotel has an afternoon tea/coffee. I'm thinking there weren't too many folks staying here, slow season and all. So we decided to have nice respite and some coffee. Like I said before, it was like our little, private oasis.

As we had our coffee, we had a chance to chat with the young man who served us. We mentioned how relaxed, laid back, and friendly we found Santiago. He laughed and told us, "it's because today is Sunday….there's no commute, no one is in a rush….there is no competition for space. You should be here on Monday!" I dunno….it might all be relative.

We returned to our room; relaxed and ready for a short nap before "dinner"…..which would be a tour through the various wines of Chile.

Stay Tuned!

Poki One N Half

July 11, 2016 mmm-yoso Poke, Seafood

I mentioned this place in a post back in May. During the Fourth of July weekend, I noticed the place had opened. And while I cringe a bit at those places that misspell "poke", I decided since this place was close enough to work, I should check them out.

Much like San Diego Poke Company; there's that fast-casual assembly line set-up. They feature three bowl "sizes" (small – $7.99, regular – $8.99, large $10.99) and a wrap ($8.99) Basically a 5 step process clearly outlined on signs behind the counter. Choose your base (here you can even get chips), step 2, add-ons (i.e. avocado, onion, surimi – sorry no Flamin' Cheetos here), protein, then sauce, step 5 are toppings, which I found to be a bit confusing with considering step 2, until I saw the difference in portioning. Looks like they are keeping things simple for the assembly line Keeping with "my rules" for checking out these poke places, I had to go with the tuna…..but man; that was the brightest cherry red (courtesy of carbon monoxide), saku (which you can even order from Amazon) fish staring me in the face.

Part of the dining area is set-up with a very industrial style tables and stools.

Even though the tuna turned me off rules be rules, right? To hedge my bet, I got some Hamachi, and some scallops with my bowl, with the "original sauce", which was a slightly sweet soy, with sesame oil and a bit of acid.

In all honesty, the best part of the bowl was the edamame, avocado, and the sauce, which wasn't too cloying and didn't mess up any of the flavors. The Hamachi, while slightly mushy wasn't too bad; the scallops had no flavor and I really missed the briny sweetness of scallops. Everything else was fine; the rice, the almost namasu style cucumbers. I could have used a bit more onion, but that's ok.

In terms of portion size; I'd say that this regular bowl was in line with San Diego Poke Company; though there might have been a tad more seafood in this.

And while I do have an issue with the sign; especially the "Poki (or Poke)" portion and I think they've taken the "salad bowl" portion out of context. They should be made to read Rachel Laudan's fantastic The Food of Paradise especially if they think they're providing information.

Still, the folks here were quite nice; even the older gentleman, who I believe is probably the owner or some reasonable facsimile who tried with all his heart to get me to put seaweed salad on my bowl. So I made it a point to return, the next day as a matter of fact.

This time, I went with the Tuna, Albacore, and Hamachi, with the "Hot" sauce, which wasn't very hot in my opinion. I did like the fact that they don't over-sauce anything. I decided on half and half; rice and salad.

The tuna was better this time around, but not by much…….way too much "sugi". The albacore looked a bit dry and was. The Hamachi was again the best of the three items. No off flavors though.

I liked the standard issue salad mix, though I wish these places would work on dressing the salad a bit if they're serving that. The rice was really bad this time around; dry and hard.

Ok, well, another one down. I'm getting a bit tired of all this saku fish. You know, I thought about asking how they named this place….but after consideration I decided not to since; if you'd compare this place to some of my favorites back home; it wouldn't even be one-third. So why bother? I actually prefer it to San Diego Poke Company, but that's not really saying much.

Please check out Kirbie's post on Poki One N Half here.

Poki One N Half
8055 Armour St
San Diego, CA 92111

Funny thing; I had a chat with Tommy from Catalina Offshore about all these poke places recently. He's decided not to do business with them, basically because it seems to be a "reverse arms race to see who can get away with serving the cheapest product possible." He also asked me if I was "insulted at the low quality and how they're defiling such a great food item that I have ties to." I told him that right now, I'd just be happy if they spelled "poke" correctly.

Anyway, I still think you might want to check this place out. The prices aren't bad and the folks are nice. And hey, if you live in North Park, you'll have a location near you soon.

Sapporo – The “Crab Course” Meal From Hyousetsu no Mon

June 29, 2016 mmm-yoso Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

Even though we had eaten and drank well in Otaru, there was one last, rather expensive, blowout meal that we had scheduled in Sapporo. In need of working up an appetite, we strolled around Sapporo for a while. Passing places like the Clock Tower (時計台, Tokeidai), which is a very Western style building. The clock was installed in 1881, by E. Howard & Company of Boston. Theclock in the tower still runs.

The Missus loves crab, I have never seen anyone destroy a pile of crab with speed and efficiency like the Missus and Her Cousins. So I decided on what I read was he oldest crab specialty restaurant in Sapporo; Hyousetsu-no-Mon. Located in the Susukino district, we had made reservations on our first evening in Sapporo. We had a rather difficult time finding the place the first time and we headed over a bit early just in case we got a bit lost. Funny story about our reservation. The restaurant is multi-level deal, you have to find the level with the front desk, which we did. The studious looking gentleman behind the front desk was very professional and serious looking. He spoke decent English and we worked out a time for our reservation. Then he took down my name…..with a big look of surprise….then a huge smile, "Aaaah, Xxxxxxxxx-san, Xxxxxxxxx-san!" He was so friendly, like a different person. He didn't think I was Japanese! He then wrote my name down in the book and showed it to me. Now, I'd never, ever seen my family name written in Japanese, so I just smiled and nodded. By this time, the Missus was cracking up!

The Missus couldn't help but laugh when we walked up to the reception desk, and the gentleman saw me and called out a greeting!

We were taken to one of the private rooms. The woman serving us was probably in her 60's, but was amazingly efficient. While walking to the restroom, I saw the youngers girls trying to keep up with her. When she slide open the door, I looked at the table and went "oh-oh". I dread having to sit on the floor, it's just an accident waiting to happen. Luckily, the floor below the table was sunken. Whew.

I had ordered the Live Hairy Crab and King Crab Course for the Missus (13,000¥ – about $125/US) and the King Crab Full Course (9,300¥ – about $90/US) for me.

Of course you needed sake; we started with something from Otokoyama, the kuniyoshi nona torizake (1,010¥ – about $10). A nice, crisp, and clean tasting sake.

While we met our guest of honor.

And the appetizer course arrived.

Man, we loved the crab roe!

The Sashimi Course was three hairy crab legs

So sweet, if a bit on the chewy side.

And a nice crab claw.

I gotta say, the King Crab Claw meat has maybe the best flavor of all the pieces I had. It was really sweet and had a very clean taste.

Then a portable stove and hot pot was delivered to our table.

We were both given King Crab Legs and some vegetables for the hot pot. This was nice, but no big deal. We just made sure not to cook the legs too much. For some reason, I thought the hot pot broth tasted quite good on its own.

The grilled king crab was nice, with rich, smoky touches, and quite delicious.

Then came what I call the Missus's course; the steamed hairy crab. I let Her have all of it; She does love Her crab.

While I ordered Chitosetsuru Junmai-Daiginjo (1,375¥ – about $14/US). Floral, on the light side.

While my steamed King Crab Legs arrived.

Rich and buttery, nice clean flavors.

Up next were the tempura courses; which both the Missus and I thought were light and crisp, but nothing especially distinctive.

The next two courses weren't our favorites. The crab in a vinegar sauce was too sour and you couldn't make out anything.

The King Crab Gratin was a bit too rich for us and you really couldn't make out any crab. It was quite filling though.

Our last sake was our favorite, simply called Maruta (935¥ – about $9/US). Considered one of the best examples of Ginpu (a sake rice grown on Hokkaido) Junmaishu.

Crisp with an interesting tongue feel.

I wasn't too sure about the Crab Nigiri, but it was quite good, served Aburi (torched) style, which helped to develop the flavors and texture.

We both enjoyed the final course, which was an egg drop porridge. It helped to finish things off and really did have that "aaah" factor.

And the serving was quite generous.

The nice palate cleansing sorbet was the dessert.

This was quite a meal. You'd think we'd be stuffed. But because of the pacing, both the Missus and I, while full, didn't feel like we were bursting at the seams. The service was excellent. While I don't think we'll be doing this again, it was a fun experience and we were glad we did it.

Hyosetsu-no-Mon
Minami 5 Jonishi
Chuo Ward, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan

We really enjoyed our time in Sapporo and were kind of sad to be leaving the next day. So we took the long way back to the hotel……

San Diego Poke Company

June 20, 2016 mmm-yoso Poke, Seafood

**** San Diego Poke Company has closed

I know, it’s kind of rough doing a post on one of these fast-casual poke concept places right after doing one on the great, inexpensive seafood on rice in Hokkaido. But that’s the breaks. I’ve got really mixed feelings about the recent poke boom on the mainland. On one hand, it’s great that something I’ve eaten since “small kid time”, we’re talking almost half a century here, has gained general acceptance and popularity. On the other hand, much of it looks more style and hype over substance, jumping on the latest bandwagon, remember cronuts? Or maybe fro-yo? Or maybe (fill in the blanks). I’m not one who follows fads and I’ve always said, I’d never get poke from a place where I wouldn’t eat the fish without all the sauces or what not, but there I was in front of San Diego Poke Company. Mainly because one of their regular customers from their Farmer’s Market stall emailed me saying it was quite good.

I’d kind of made up my approach to trying these places on the way to this shop. Because I always like to experience the food at any eating establishment at its best, I’d never go on Sundays and Mondays (since I don’t know when their fish is picked up/delivered). Because, to me, poke is traditionally ahi/aku, Ala’e/sea salt, limu, inamona, and because of my background, shoyu, and onions, though I guess these days I make it all kinds of ways, I’m going to stick with fish from the tuna family at first.

The drill here is ordering perhaps a “specialty bowl”, or doing the fast-casual, have it your way thing, a base of starch plus seafood item, sauce, then any variety of toppings. Like Kirbie mentioned in her post, the world is your oyster, you can get anything from avocado to Flaming Hot Cheetos (whatever…) if you make it your own way.

Nice group of folks here, quite friendly. On my first visit, I went with the large OG SD ($11.95), which looked like a modification of shoyu poke. I thought the amount of fish used was much more generous than what I had at Poke Go back in August of last year. It also had a ton of rice.

The fish seemed to be better quality than what I had at Poke Go, though obviously not top grade. There were a couple of pieces that had quite a bit of “suji” (connective tissue) and a few pieces smelled a bit off, so I didn’t eat those. The sauce was a simple shoyu – teriyaki-ish based sauce which didn’t mess too much with the fish. Love onions in my poke, though this was a bit too much. The avocado added a nice creamy component to things. Way too much rice for me though, so I made note to just get a regular bowl the next time.

I like a good Poisson Cru and had two somewhat similar versions of it in Hanga Roa recently, so I thought trying the Koko Loko (regular – build your own bowl $9.95), a coconut, citrus, and sweet chili sauce base would be nice. Though when I asked the guy at the counter if this was similar to Poisson Cru or ‘Ota’ika, he looked at me weird and said, “no, this is koko loko….” Okay……shame on me for expecting he would actually know a bit more about something very similar. Food nerd malfunction.

The sauce was a bit too heavy in coconut for me, also a bit too sweet, and I thought it needed a bit more citrus. Cucumbers are a must for this type of poke/ceviche and I wish tomatoes were available. The fish was actually even better this time around, though I noticed that it looked like two different batches thrown together as there were some mushy pieces. For me, avocado always adds a bit of creaminess, even with the coconut based sauce, the masago adds a nice crunch as does the seaweed salad, though this “bled” all over the rice making it green. I stopped the guy after one scoop of rice in my bowl, that was enough for my carb needs.

In the end, while it wouldn’t make me forget places like Ono Seafood, Tanioka’s, or any number of places back home, this was better than other versions I’ve had in San Diego. Think of it as “Poke Chipotle”, which I guess is better than “Poke Micky D’s”. It’s worth a stop if you want something a bit more healthy and are in the area.

San Diego Poke Co
10387 Friars Rd
San Diego, CA 92120
Open Daily 11am – 9pm

Otaru: Sankaku Fish Market and Lunch at Ajidokoro Takeda

June 19, 2016 mmm-yoso Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Seafood, Travel

After sampling a few brews at Otaru Brewery we walked back to the JR Station. Just to the right of that station stands a rather nondescript street and a very discreet doorway. Behind that door is Sankaku Market. It really doesn't look like much from the outside, but walk thru that door and you'll enter a bustling little market.

Full of some of the most wonderful seafood I've ever had a chance to see.

Opposite the stands are restaurants….more like stalls with tables. One of them had a crazy line of people waiting to eat. I looked at the menu and saw that it was the cheapest place in the market.

Right before that stood another shop, this one was also busy, but we decided to just take a chance. The woman in charge gave us a paper with a number and we stood off to the side to wait.

I went for a walk to the loo….which is how I noticed that the crowds here gather around the area where the restaurants were.

After about 15 minutes, the woman in charge found us and we were seated and a little bowl of ika; which looked like it was colored with squid ink was placed before us.

We were given menus and here's where I'm glad I took a photo of the menu since folks here don't believe the prices we paid for lunch.

Not realizing how much rice was in these bowls we ordered three! Later on during the trip, Kat mentioned that we could order half portions of rice. Which we'll do when we return.

We shared the three bowls. The first to arrive was the most expensive one (2000¥) a bit less than $20. Geez Louise, look at all of that sweet crab!

Which I thought was the weakest item in the bowl. The salmon was nice and mild in flavor, fatty, with a wonderful texture. I've had Hokkaido Uni before and thought it to be very briney and intense in flavor, but this was so creamy, slightly sweet, with the wonderful flavor of the ocean. Like you took a bite of the cleanest, sweetest, water of the Pacific. The ikura were perfect, briney, not overly salty, with a wonderful snap to them. For around twenty bucks!

We also ordered this which cost 1300¥. More of that wonderful ikura and those scallops were super sweet.

The ebi were tender, but very mild in flavor and not particularly interesting….but that ikura.

I was curious what a 980¥ (about $9.50) bowl of salmon would look like. Sheeesh……

10 pieces of fresh and delicious salmon. I'm very cautious about getting salmon in restaurants; but the stuff in the market looked so fresh and of good quality. We really didn't need the wasabi as everything tasted clean and fresh, just a bit of soy sauce for the salmon. We did feel bad having so much rice left over, but we'll know what to do in the future.

This was one heck of a meal for under forty bucks….remember, there's no tipping in Japan. I came back and mentioned how good the Hokkaido Uni was to Tommy at Catalina…..which he wasn't too happy about, but what the heck.

Ajidokoro Takeda (In Sankaku Fish Market)
3-10-6 Inaho
Otaru, Hokkaido

Man, we left fat and happy. We managed to get back to Sapporo and squeeze in a nap and a nice walk before dinner, which was to be at the oldest crab specialty restaurant in Sapporo. We sure were eating well!

Lima: A Nice Oceanfront Walk, Lunch at La Mar, Lucuma Ice Cream from Blueberry Cafe, and a Stroll Thru the “Cat Park” (Parque Kennedy)

June 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Lima, Peru, Peruvian Restaurants, Seafood, Travel

Man, time sure does fly, doesn't it? Would you believe it's been almost 9 years since we were in Lima? It was time for the Missus's annual "'birthday trip". This year, I really didn't have much time. Plus, I've got a couple of big projects coming up and probably won't be able to take extended time off for a while. And so, like I mentioned in my previous post, we decided on knocking a couple items off the Missus's bucket list. Since this was going to be a short one, with many early mornings and late nights….almost like a giant lay-over at times; we decided to go for the gusto on several legs. Starting with our round trip to Lima, in which we flew Delta One. This meant that we'd actually manage to catch a short nap (I really have a hard time sleeping sitting up) and be able to use the lounges, both in San Diego and Atlanta.

Our flight got into Lima at 11pm, so basically our entire day was spent travelling. Taxis and such in Lima can be hit or miss and I really didn't want to have to deal with all that stuff, so I used a wonderful transfer service named Taxidatum. These guys were awesome; just $20 from/to the airport, the drivers were always on time, things were such a breeze. During our previous stay in Miraflores, the Missus loved the JW Marriott. Great service, comfy bed, all rooms had an ocean view, so this we were we stayed inbound to Lima.

We'd noticed that Lima had changed slightly since our last visit almost a decade ago. But one thing had gotten worse, the traffic……man, I thought it was bad before!

And yet, there was so much familiar in Parque Alfredo Salazar. As was Larcomar Shopping Center, built into the cliffs overlooking the Pacific.

Though there were new things that captured our attention. Like when did Paddington Bear get here?

According to Atlas Obscura, this was a gift from the UK. I guess Paddington was returning to his roots; though Miraflores is far from "Darkest Peru".

The grey and hazy skies were quite familiar and in a way comforting. We'd later learn, from our driver "Benjamin" that they call the skies in Lima, Panza de Burro, because the grey reminds them of a "donkey's belly". Such a perfect description.

We decided to walk along the 10 kilometer path along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific called "El Malecón", taking our time to enjoy the sights.

Near the Villena Bridge, which also has a path to the beach below, you'll come across two of Lima's most well known sculptures, the "Intihuatana" (The Sun Anchor) on one side and Parque del Amor (no translation needed, right?) with the sculpture known as El Beso (The Kiss) on the other side. I was told that on Saturdays, at around 7pm, you'll see many folks taking wedding photos under this iconic piece of public art.

For some reason, I've always been fascinated by the feet of this sculpture….well, TMI perhaps?

If the rest of the park looks familiar to you, I heard that it was inspired by Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona. Though it doesn't have the same "Tim Burtonesque – Walt Disneyfied – Dr Seussificated" (what I call Park Guell), fairytale feel to the place, it's still a nice area to stroll or even take a break.

Or perhaps even a short nap?

There's quite a bit to catch your attention along the way. Like the statue of Peru's most beloved poet.

Or perhaps a lighthouse.

Maybe you'll notice that dogs are loved in Peru, just as they are here in the states.

Or maybe you'll stop and watch some ambitious soul trying to ride his motorized unicycle thingy….

Or maybe not, as this guy drew about a half-dozen onlookers, but after about 5 failed attempts everyone pretty much lost interest…..

Still, there's a lot to see. By this point we had reached Avenida Santa Cruz and after taking our lives into our hands at several intersections, we arrived at our destination on Avenida La Mar.

During our previous time in Lima, we had a short list of cebicherias, with a final two being Gaston Acurio's La Mar, now a world wide institution, or Pescados Capitales. In the end, because we had eaten at Acurio's Astrid & Gaston the night before, we chose Pescados Capitales. So we considered a visit to La Mar to be unfinished business, which we decided to quickly address when we got to Miraflores.

When we arrived, shortly before opening, there was already a line forming. And a few minutes after being seated, the place had totally filled up. The crowd looked to be about 50-50 tourists to locals.

The crew here is very efficient and professional. One guy basically works your table, another gets drinks, and yet another goes from table to table taking orders. The plantain and sweet potato chips, crisp and light arrived quickly, along with three sauces. We enjoyed the aji rocoto the best as it had a nice "zing". We found that folks in Miraflores were really cautious about giving tourists anything spicy.

Then the wonderfully warm roasted corn kernals, cancha arrived. Oh my, how I've missed this stuff!

The Missus couldn't wait to get Her mitts on a Pisco Sour (24s/$8). This one was really boozy, quite strong, so I ended up having most of it.

As for the ordering…..well, we had things in mind, but our waiter had a problem with what we wanted as most of it seemed a bit the same. I finally acquiesced and went with some of his recommendations. The Missus was not amused. But at least we started off with what She really wanted; the Cebiche Classico – Cabrilla 59s/$20).

The camote (sweet potato) was on the dry side, but decently flavored. The fish was tender, with a slight chew, though we'd have better later on, this was a solid #3 on the cebiche list for Peru. I enjoyed the lech de tigre, though the Missus prefers something with a bit more citrus oomph. The Missus hasn't met many versions of choclo She doesn't like and this was no exception. This was on the mild side with regards to heat and we'd soon learn to ask for aji limo, chopped spicy red chilies on the side to add some zip.

We'd been talked into the Cebiche Nikei (56s/$18.75).

The Missus has come to detest overly sweet, fusion, tuna based dishes with heavy handed flavors. So this didn't make it past "go" for Her. And while I thought this was nothing special, at least they didn't just mar everything in confusing flavors like the tuna cebiche dish we had at Pescados Capitales. It wasn't too sweet, but had a bunch of flavors going on that was a bit too much for me.

We'd also been talked into the Chucuito (39s/$13). Basically a scallop based cebiche/tiradito type dish.

The scallops were very plump and sweet, but the flavors were marred with too much mayo. You really couldn't make much else out. We ended up scraping a good portion of the mayo off, so we could enjoy the flavors of the tomato, onion, and the creamy texture of the avocado, along with the scallops.

The one item I did insist on was the causa, this version is called the Miraflorina (26s/$8.75) and has shrimp and crab with an aji amarilla mayonnaise.

For me, this was the best causa I encountered during our trip. The potatoes where nice and light, the flavor of the crab came through nicely, and while this could have used a tad of acid, the tomato helped things along. A very nice causa.

Overall, we found our visit to La Mar to be a bit of a mixed bag. This ended up being our most expensive cebiche type meal (other than in Hanga Roa) and we'd have much better later on. I found that the Missus gravitated to more traditional flavoring and really didn't care for sweet flavors, other than what is provided by the seafood in Her cebiche and tiradito. And overly fusionized, somewhat unfocused versions were not appreciated. And while we'd have what I'd call one of the most fusion meals for dinner, the flavors would be focused, and the intent of the dishes were quite clear.

La Mar Cebicheria
Avenida La Mar 770
Lima, Peru

After lunch we decided to walk back to the JW Marriott (this IS the Missus, right?). The Missus had getting some Lucuma Ice Cream on Her agenda. I also wanted a nice Inka Cola. For some reason, Inka Cola tastes much better in Peru! So we stopped at the nearby Metro Express, which had the ice cream booth and I grabbed an Inka Cola while the Missus stood in line for some Lucuma Ice Cream. While I was waiting to pay for my Inka Cola, I noticed the Missus came around front sans ice cream. She told me that the folks in the booth took all the orders for the locals in line, even those behind Her and totally ignored Her, so She decided "screw them". Very sad, though this was the one and only time we were treated this way during our time in Peru.

A few blocks down the street we found this place.

And the Missus got Her Lucuma Ice Cream. In case you weren't reading all those years ago and don't know what the heck lucuma is; it is also known as "egg fruit" and is quite gritty and powdery in raw form. But made into ice ream, the custardy-sweet potato flavors come through perfectly.

Blueberry Cafe
Calle Schell 285
Lima, Peru

The Missus and I found a bench and enjoyed our ice cream chased with Inka Cola. It was so nice to be back in Lima!

There was one more place I wanted to check out on the way back to our hotel. Right along the intersection of Larco and Oscar R Benavides in Parque Kennedy. Yes, it is named after John F Kennedy, due to, from what I understand is the aid he provided Latin America during his presidency. It is a nice, relaxed green space, but there's one interesting feature of Parque Kennedy. It is home to either 80 or 100 stray cats, depending on which post/article you read.

These are not your typical stray/feral cats. They seem clean, well fed, and healthy. And also quite friendly, though the Missus is not fond of our feline friends.

According to this post, no one knows how all the cats ended up here. I had several cats as pets growing up, so I'm somewhat fond of them. There is a group of people who monitor the cats, making sure the park is clean and pet safe disinfectant is used twice a day. The cats also receive vet care and are all neutered, so who's going to complain about these, right?

And there are those somewhat eccentric characters we saw…..

And some that were so adorable…..

I think this sculpture in the park should be replaced with one of a cat, right?

We got turned around a bit and ended up walking in the wrong direction for a few blocks after Parque Kennedy, finally righting ourselves. Getting lost is half the fun anyway…so long you don't end up with trouble on your hands, which is hard to do in Miraflores….lovely Miraflores, literally to "watch flowers".

Getting back to the hotel, we showered and took a short afternoon nap. We were looking forward to dinner. It would be quite the adventure….

Thanks for reading!

La Sinaloense- Mexican and Seafood (Spring Valley)

May 29, 2016 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for taking the time to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, on this long weekend, culminating in Memorial Day and its observance. Kirk is out of the Country while Ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma and Cathy is in East County, writing today's post.

Lately, I've had the chance to visit Spring Valley, which I suppose some of you might consider 'East County'. The area is neighborhoods interspersed with small businesses and parks (as well as a large and busy weekend Swap Meet).Taking the 54 to the Jamacha Road exit, heading East, the road name changes to Apple Street at Grand Avenue and La Sinaloense is at the North East corner. I think I saw it for the first time in 2012, but it may have been sooner. In any case, it is under New Management (family owned) and serves breakfast all day and has a Mexican/seafood centric menu.There is plenty of covered outdoor seating as well as a handful of indoor tables at this established location.Chips and salsa are brought out before ordering. {Breakfasts will be a separate post; served all day and fairly basic, with the unique choices including Ortega chili, chorizo, pork chops and chicken breast.}

Usually a cup of consommé and plate of limes (or lemons, depending on what is in season) is brought out after you place your order. The consommé is a slow simmered soup with a variety of vegetables.The shrimp quesadilla ($8.25) is a meal in itself. Large, plump, flavorful shrimp are used.The 'Filete al Mojo de Ajo' ($11.50) Pretty much a garlic and butter sauce on a nice thick piece of lightly floured and sautéed sea bass. This was quite amazing in size and flavors.

There is a separate, one page, two sided menu which you may receive or have to ask for. It is not written in english, has no explanations, quite a few photos and some prices.

The shrimp in culichi sauce plate ($13) was wonderful. The poblano-cream sauce and large shrimp were just perfect together.

Likewise, a culichi shrimp taco ($4) as well as a simple fish taco ($1.75) (fish tacos are $1 all day Monday) also were enough to make a meal.

On that smaller menu is a photo of some stuffed clamshells (Almeja gratinada) (one clam/two halves is $7; this plate was $14). There was minced clam, scallop, 'crab' and tender squid, topped with cheese and bacon. A wonderful, flavorful hot dish. I think one order would be enough, depending on what else you are having (various salads are on the menu).

Also on the other menu is listed a Botana for $22. Essentially an appetizer of cold mixed seafood (in this case freshly cured in lemon and lime juice/a sort of ceviche) we asked if we could have a larger order ($30). Two types of shrimp, scallops, octopus, squid, snail along with cucumber, onion, avocado and cilantro served in a giant lava stone molacajete (the mortar part of a mortar and pestle). So fresh, so flavorful, so large (we took home leftovers in a quart container) so very good. Other people in the restaurant asked to take a photo of our order, so I didn't feel self conscious of taking more photos myself.

We have returned here many times and will probably have tried out the entire menu at some point soon.

La Sinaloense Restaurant 9410 Apple Street Spring Valley CA 91977 (619)933-2992 Open Sun-Thurs 7a.m.-9 p.m., Fri & Sat 7 a.m.-10 p.m.