Thai Restaurants – Page 15

Chiang Mai: Huen Phen

July 3, 2009 mmm-yoso Chiang Mai, Thai Restaurants, Thailand, Travel

Man, I can't believe it's been over 10 months since we returned from our Laos – Thailand trip, and I still haven't finished my vacation posts yet! So to make sure that I get these posts done, I thought I'd deviate from my usual chronologic posts and start with our favorite meal(s) in Chiang Mai.

We kind of regret that we didn't check out Huen Phen until our last day in Chiang Mai, we'd surely have wanted at least another lunch there. Huen Phen is located down Thanon Rachamankha, in a more sedate area of Chiang Mai.

Huen Phen itself is actually two different restaurants. During the evening, it's the crowded antique filled restaurant. During lunch, the area to the front left of the restaurant serves up steam table and noodle dishes.

The lady behind the counter was very nice, and even provided samples. I even sampled the broth for the Khao Soi, which only confirmed (this was third version I tasted) that I didn't care for it. Of course everything we asked about was met with a, "it's good…you try, you try….." Which is kinda what happened, we ended up eating enough to feed a small army. And incredibly we finished everything.

I've suddenly realized that if I went over every single dish, I'd still be writing on Monday, so I'll keep this to mostly photos. Let me just say, that I really enjoyed some of the dishes, especially the various Nahm Prik (dips/pastes) which is one of the signature dishes of Lanna (Northern Thai) cuisine. So without further ado, here are the photos:

We enjoyed lunch so much, that we returned for dinner!

Though we enjoyed lunch more, dinner was no less yummy! Especially the Nam Prik Ong, the classic Chili and Pork dip…think Thai Bolognese sauce. As much as I enjoyed that, the version with crisp pork skin was even better!

So here are the dinner photos:

Just a quick note, wouldn't you know that the only dish we didn't care for was the Morning Glory pictured above! Of course the Northern style Fish Soup was super!

I think there are times when the photos speak for themselves.

Huen Phen
112 Thanon Rachamankha
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Sang Dao through Other Eyes

June 28, 2009 ed fromyuma Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!! — Kirk's foodblog. Sometimes he lets Cathy post here, and today he's letting ed (from Yuma) post about a meal that you may have read about once or twice already.

On my last trip to San Diego, America's finest city, I fortunately arrived on the same day that Kirk, Howie, and Candice were planning a visit to Sang Dao, a Lao/Thai restaurant recently relocated on to El Cajon Blvd. I managed to finagle an invitation to join them there.

Like many good dining spots run by recent immigrants, it is located in a somewhat dicey neighborhood, between a gold buyer and a payday advance place: I never expected to post about the meal, but it seems that I took the most photos. Anyway, thought some readers might enjoy looking at more pictures of the food. But be sure to read Kirk's account of the restaurant and Candice's too – to get expert opinions.

First, the raw beef salad: In this case, my picture is not especially good although it does show the wealth of greens that accompany the salad. I thought it tasted fine and liked the slight background bitter touch of bile. It was was not as beefy and, mercifully, not as overwhelmingly hot as the version at Sab-E-Lee (prepared Thai spicy for Kirk) which he and I had enjoyed around New Years.

Next we were served spicy offal soup (anybody remember the name?): This was really good. The broth was deeply savory and lit up with chile spices. I kept shoveling various organ meats into my mouth, chewing them up, swallowing them, and going back for more. Even when I had no idea what I was eating: One dish that I wanted in particular was whole fish — which I guess is kind of an obsession of mine. I thought that the tilapia arrived looking very pretty: The taste matched the look of the fish. The first flavor notes that hit my palate were touches of sweetness, but the sweetness was nicely balanced with citrus flavors. The sauce did not overwhelm the flavor of the fish. I was also impressed by the quality of the frying. Though the skin was crisp, this fish remained moist from head to tail: Next to arrive was the offal noodle soup: This soup was less enticing to any of us. The numerous slices of liver dominated the flavor of the bowl. I crave liverwurst sometimes, but this soup proved that I am not a true liver lover. The super soft noodles seemed OK, but added little. I would try a different noodle dish on a future visit.

My only other complaint about the meal - the sticky rice tasted a bit dried out.

Candice insisted we try a red curry shrimp dish that she had had before. I'm glad she did. As you can tell by the brownish color of the curry, the sauce had intense and complex flavors. It was so good I forgot to take a picture until almost the entire serving was gone:
I should probably add that I was the one who finished off the last of this wonderful curry.

The final item served was certainly one of the most impressive. It was a chopped long bean salad prepared with Lao spicing: In some ways, this resembles an extremely funky green papaya salad. Look at the color of the dressing. The pungent flavor of fish sauce (and/or fermented shrimp?) infused every bite of the salad. The diced chilies raised the spice level high. But even with all these other flavors, the intense green bean taste and green bean crunch stood out in every mouthful. A texture/taste treat. For me, this was an amazing and exciting dish. Nothing like it in Yuma!

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed more pictures. And I hope Kirk, or Howie, or Candice feel free to correct or add to this discussion. Compared to most Thai food, this seemed more in your face funky with more salty than sweet flavors. I, for one, appreciated the extensive menu (unlike Asia Cafe), which seems to invite return visits.

When the bill came, we were all amazed at the low cost for the all the food we'd eaten. No need to sell that wedding ring or borrow til payday to have dinner here.

Sang Dao Restaurant, 5421 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115, (619) 263-0914 :

Thai Pepper Cuisine

June 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

Now here's a place that without a heads-up from "FOYs" Farrah and Trent, I'd have totally missed altogether. Thai Pepper Cuisine is located in Serra Mesa on Sandrock, across from the strip mall that has been sorta depressed since Henry's left a few years back. I believe that a restaurant called "The Three Chefs" or something like that used to occupy this space.

On my first visit to Thai Pepper, I was accompanied by some great FOYs (Friends of Yoso). It's not very often that I get to share a table with a Zompus and a Paparatti, so Iwas indeed honored!

The menu is what you'd expect from a neighborhood Thai restaurants, sections of "choose your protein, choose your sauce", various curries, and similar items make up the offerings. This is not a bad thing, if done well, those dishes are wonderful. The interior of the restaurant is small with maybe ten tables. I found the chairs to be interesting; I swear that they are those ergonomic, office chairs that wouldn't look out of place in the average conference room.

Our Server for the evening was an adorable woman named Oy, friendly, and gracious to a fault, She projected that gentle demeanor we found during our trip to Thailand and Laos.

We started with one of those "basic" items, the Som Tum, Papaya Salad ($6.95):

This was fairly average, a bit on the overly sweet side. It was put together well, but lacked the wonderful savory flavor some salted blue crab, or even dried shrimp.

The Spicy Fried Rice with Beef ($7.95), even though lacking in heat was good, with a nice dose of fish sauce. It was just a hair from being very good. Though the rice had some nice caramelization, it was a bit too mushy. The beef was adequately tender, and this dish wasn't overly sweet.

The exotic sounding Wild Boar Curry ($8.95) was the only dish I wasn't too fond of.

This was slices of very dry and tough pork in a very mild curry. I also started realizing that this place loves white mushrooms……

Another of my go-to Thai dishes is Pad See Ew (with shrimp – $9.95).

Personally, I find this simple noodle dish to be a great test of a cooks skill. Temperature control, along with balancing the salty and sweet flavors is very difficult. Though there was no "wok hey" (burnt does not equal wok hey), the overall flavor was nicely balanced, and the noodles were cooked well, though not all the noodles were flavored. Not bad.

And I'm sure the wonderful company of Mr & Mrs Zompus added to the meal as well.

A week later, I dropped by Thai Pepper for another meal. This time, I decided to try the Yum Nua, the Beef Salad ($8.95):

Based on my previous visit, I ordered this "Thai spicy", but of course, it was not served that way. I was pleasantly surprised to find ground rice powder, even though it was ground a bit too coarse, was used to add a mild nuttiness to the proceedings. In direct contrast to what I had encountered in previous dishes this was really fish sauce heavy, borderline salty, and lacked balance, but it was not boring in the least(more white mushrooms?). The beef was tender, and this went well with jasmine rice.

I also ordered a dish I was eyeing on my last visit, the Homestyle Duck ($14.95):

There was nothing "homestyle" about this well prepared dish. Duck breast, flavored with hoisin and other spices, had been deep fried, and much of the subcutaneous fat had rendered off. The skin was crisp, the portion below the skin like great duck jerky, and the meat soft and moist.

The duck rested on a bed baby corn, mushrooms(yet again), and broccoli in a brown, mildy tamarind and ginger flavored brown sauce…an after-thought in my book. I took most of this dish home, and the Missus thought it to be pretty darn good.

During dinner I had a chance to chat with Oy, and the nice folks here. It appears that even though I had ordered my Yum Nua Thai Spicy, they noted that I wasn't Thai or Lao, so they held back! After talking to them about food, and various dishes, I think I convinced them to actually make my food spicy on my next visit, which may not be too far down the road.

Thai Peppers is a really nice restaurant of what I call the "neighborhood Thai" category. The service is friendly, and the food is pretty easy to take. Nothing really exotic, the menu sticks to the tried and true, Bangkok/Royal Thai model. The prices are reasonable as well. The turnover of businesses in the area makes me depressed, so I'm hoping that Thai Peppers changes that trend. Every neighborhood should have a nice place like this.

Thai Pepper Cuisine
3361 Sandrock Road
San Diego, CA 92123

Thanks Farrah and Trent

One last thing:

I usually don't post on various links and such, but I was just tickled when Caroline Russock, who does the Cook the Book post for the one and only Serious Eats mentioned us. I was flattered to be sure. But I was also puzzled when the first person to comment said this:

"I'm disappointed to hear you thought mmm-yoso! was your saving grace for San Diego! All I found on that site was mostly a bunch of fast food Hawaiian and "Asian" restaurants that make Panda Express look good."

Egad! I haven't felt so puzzled since the time a fellow food blogger told me, "I know why you post so often….it's because you have such a big ego that needs to be fed". Yeow….I think I'll leave now, and try not to trip over my ego!

Sang Dao – A revisit (sort of)

June 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

On May first, Sang Dao opened in new digs on the corner of 54th and El Cajon Boulevard. A week later, I decided to check them out. It had been a while, but now since they've a bit (just a bit) closer, I really had no excuse.

Though located next to one of the "check cashing" places, the interior of the "new digs" is much different from the Sang Dao I knew on National Avenue! Bright and shiny like a new penny…..

And since my post back in 2005, I think I've learned a little bit about Lao cuisine.

The menu at this new location, looks the same, though I decided to stray a bit, and started asking about a few items. I think it's unfortunate that dishes like Or Lam, Mok Pa, and Kaeng Nor Mai Som aren't represented on the menu. In speaking to one of the young men, I was told that items such as those would not sell, though they make them for their own family meals at home. There are a few items that aren't on the menu, one which is the Raw Beef Larb:

Though you'll often hear folks say that "Issan Food is the same as Lao Food"(though often said by folks with a political agenda), and I do believe that in general, the differentiation is one of borders, not cuisine, I do note differences. And one of the dishes where this is reflected is in the Raw Beef Larb. There's an interesting Lao saying that you'll see everywhere on the Internet, something along the lines of "sweet makes you dizzy, but bitter makes you healthy". Funny thing was, I was told just about the same thing at my cooking class in Luang Prabang. In those restaurants where you find the cook/chef is from Issan (Northeast Thailand), such as Sab E Lee, you'll find the Raw Beef Larb to be more citrusy, the dish a bit lighter.Here at Sang Dao, it is full on Lao, except in heat, I think that even though I ordered this spicy, they took it easy on me. First, was the inclusion of offal, which added an earthiness to the dish. Second, was the addition of a good amount of beef bile, which adds, at least to me, a nice bitterness to the dish. Sab E Lee and Lotus of Siam, will add it to your dish, but not in large amounts.

For me, the addition of those notes made this dish much more substantial, and along with the required sticky rice, it can be treated like a proper entree of sorts.

As I was taught in Laos, no meal is complete without a soup, which is not to be treated as a soup in Western terms, that is, as a "starter", but to be eaten along with the meal. I really didn't feel like having the recommended Tom Kroung Nai, Intestine Soup, so I went with the other recommendation, the "Jungle Curry':

A curry without coconut milk is termed a "jungle curry", though this was more of a soup. It was pleasant, and I enjoyed the eggplant and other veggies in the soup. Not overly rich, this was a nice foil to the larb. It tasted like a nice "homestyle" soup. I brought the remainder home, and though She declared it to be weak in the heat department the Missus enjoyed it.

If you visit Sang Dao, remember to spend a minute or two at the take-out counter, you'll find a good selection of Jeow (Dips). I think one of these days, I pick up a variety, along with some sticky rice. On this day, I bought the Naem Khao from the take-out counter. This may look a bit different from say, the version at Asia Cafe.

The dish is sold deconstructed, though they'll mix it for you if you want. The Missus said this was good, though She still prefers the version from Asia Cafe.

Even though the location of Sang Dao has changed, the food has not, many of the dishes are distinctly country-homestyle. And in case you're not in the mood for Raw Beef Larb, or Intestine Soup, many of the Curries and other dishes are quite good. Ed from Yuma, Howie, and I had the pleasure of sharing a meal at Sang Dao with Candice Woo, some of which is included in Her article, so please check it out.

Sang Dao Restaurant
5421 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
(619) 263-0914

Las Vegas: Lotus of Siam

March 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Las Vegas, Thai Restaurants, Thailand

In the world of food forums and food blogging, you know something or somewhere has pretty much "made it" when it becomes a generally accepted abbreviation. Case in point; Din Tai Fung, is now called….."DTF", and they are well known for their "XLB"…Xiao Long Bao, a double whammy in this case. Back in 2005, Dylan, the mind behind the magic of Eat, Drink, & Be Merry, did a joint post on Niu Rou Mian, which we simply started calling "NRM". Now I'm not going to make any Al Gore-ish claims to have invented anything (it was all Dylan, he-he-he), but I see "NRM" abbreviations everywhere. And so we get to "LOS"….…. an abbreviation you'llsee everywhere this restaurant is mentioned.LOS = Lotus of Siam is a "GAA" (generally accepted abbreviation). In many ways for me, Lotus of Siam represents the best of what Chowhound was. In fact, I've bookmarked the very first time I read about LOS, in this post from 2000, by Dave Feldman. Over the years, LOS became an interesting case study for me. I believe it was with LOS that I first really noticed "the contrarian", you know them…he in the name of "honesty and truthfulness" who goes to a restaurant that folks love, who orders to the exact weakness of a restaurant, who desires to "balance the scales" and cut through the hype. He who in the end creates his own negative hyperbole, by exaggerating every possible negative thing they can think of about a restaurant. Of course, it didn't help that Jonathan Gold declared Lotus of Siam the "single best Thai restaurant in North America." That's some major real estate……..even after our first visit in 2001, where I really enjoyed the food, but still wasn't really sure about the "the best" title. In fact, if you'd like to go back in time, you can check out this post from CH in 2001.

Over the years, I'd been to LOS 4 times. You can find a photo from a visit in 2002 in this post. And I've got to say, even though we encounter 1 sort of clunker of a dish during every visit. LOS is still the, or among the, best Thai Restaurants I've ever been to. But this visit was different, I hadn't been to LOS in five years, the Missus six. During that period of time, we've gone through a heck of a lot of Thai Food…here…and in Thailand. And time has a way of working on you (thank goodness for the food blog), even with such revered bloggers such as Elmo to keep you up to date. But still you tend to wonder……..was LOS still that good? Upon our arrival, LOS still looked as it did the first time we visited…….looking just like another restaurant awash in the sea of strip malls in a sort of seedy part of Sahara Avenue.

There were two major changes on our arrival, the crowd of people waiting to get in, and all of the awards, clippings, and magazine covers that now cover almost the entire wall at the entrance of the restaurant. Still, the rest of the restaurant seemed the same…from the stained acoustic tiles on the ceiling, to the tacky lattice w LOS03 ork.

We found the familiar surroundings comforting…we even laughed as we ticked off and identified the different tables we've had over the years.

Since I had forgotten our ice chest, the strategy for the evening was to minimize left-overs…..bummer. We also decided to order from three different regions.

We started with the Crispy Duck with Chili Mint Leaves ($19.95):

Crisp duck, mildy sweet, with just the hint of five-spice. Topped with fried Thai Basil leaves, just like Bangkok.

This was a good dish….good crisp skin, not greasy in the least bit. As with many of this type of Thai dishes, the flavors were very familiar.

We also ordered the Issan Sausage ($9.95):

I did mentioned that with every meal there was a "clunker" right? Well this was it. We loved many of the sausages we ate in Thailand, and none of them tasted like this. I love the sour-fermented flavor of Thai Sausages….but these tasted rancid….it was also dry. Not good eats…..

We had considered getting a nice Northern Larb, but in the end decided on the Koi Soi (Spicy Raw Beef Salad – $13.95). LOS was the first place I ever had Koi Soi, and I remember enjoying it, so I was curious to see if my opinion would still hold true. Let me just say that it was even better than I remembered:

First off, the meat used was tenderloin….fresh and tender, and sliced into small cubes like tartar, the beef was of excellent quality. Second, the roasted rice powder, was just that, a very fine powder, that still added texture, but without the the intrusive tooth cracking that the occasional large piece of coarsely ground rice powder would add. Third was balance, the salty-sour-spicy balance was perfect, as were the fine chiffonade of kaffir lime leaf, cilantro, and other herbs, creating a harmonious dish. Ummm, harmonious, in a spicy sort of way…….

I love the Koi Soi at Sab E Lee, but this was in another league…much more refined, much more balanced. It was by far, my favorite dish of the short trip.

Having really enjoyed the various "dips" in Chiang Mai, we went for the Nam Prik Hed (Spicy Mushroom Dip – $9.95):

The earthy tones of the mushrooms, combined with the sharp flavors of the herbs, and the even sharper heat, along with blanched veggies made this a wonderful dish. It was also the spiciest…..just as spicy as the Nam Prik we had in Chiang Mai. We were instantly transported to a restaurant called Huen Phen in Chiang Mai. The flavors were right on…..as was the heat!

The long beans were especially good, young and sweet.

We had 1 order of sticky rice for our Koi Soi and Nam Prik, which was cooked to perfection. And I mean perfect. And 1 order of steamed rice for the crispy duck.

In this rare case, I'd say that our meal had exceeded our expectations….it was better than I recalled. We drew a few stares from the tables around us. Most of those folks ordered stuff like Wor Won Ton Mein, Tempura(???), Tom Yum, Pineapple Fried Rice, and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce (contrarians perhaps?). Best Thai Restaurant in North America? I don't think I'll ever be able to answer that. Great Thai food that's worth the trip to Vegas? You bet…..

Some Notes: Times have changed since we first started going to LOS, make reservations. And do yourself a favor, unless you want to be a "contrarian", don't do the buffet, and give something different a shot. Bill Chutima is a well known wine enthusiast, so you might enjoy the wine list.

Lotus of Siam
953 E. Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89104
(702)735-3033

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Imperial Thai Cuisine

March 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

*** Thai Garden Restaurant (actually a Lao Restaurant) is now at this location.

It seems that this location on 47th Street changes owners as often as I visit the area. Back in 2006, it was Vientiane Food to Go. In 2007, it became Mekong Village, with the small steam table and take out business, along with an attached market. The market has been abandoned (hopefully, only for now), and the little restaurant is now called Imperial Thai Cuisine. And….they serve everything in the book…Chinese, Thai, and Lao!

And if you haven't noticed…Pho….more about this later. As I parked my car, and walked through the door, and older gentleman greeted me with the all-to-familiar "sa-bai-dee…." And that's when I knew, the Owners were Lao. And a sign on the flourescent green painted wall, confirmed my suspicions.

There were construction paper signs with Chinese stir-fries and the like on the wall, a menu that featured various noodles soups, and a steam table. Talk about covering all your bases!

Because I responded to my greeting with a Sabaidee of my own, the very friendly, jolly, older woman started talking to me in Lao. At which time I shook my head vigorously, I said, "oh no, I only know Sa-bai-dee…." Which cracked the woman up. It turns out that the woman hails from outside Luang Prabang, and we started discussing, well, food of course. Jeow Bong, Khai Pene, Or Lam…and all sorts of stuff. But of course I was here to eat….and the woman insisted on making me, "big bowl of Lao noodle soup". How could I resist?

In my minds eye I could see a large bowl of Khao Pak Sen, the wonderful soup we had every morning in Luang Prabang hitting the table. But instead it was a humongous bowl of Lao "Foe", the style of Pho you'll see in Laos.

In Laos, Foe is pretty much a create your own bowl of soup kind of thing. This bowl had a large amount of meatballs, "squeeky", but not overly tough. The meat, as expected in the homestyle soup were the tough flank cuts….rather tough, but with good flavor. A big difference was the quantity of meat in the soup….it would have been enough for 3-4 bowls of soup in Luang Prabang. The noodles were routine rice noodles, and the broth was fairly straight ahead, and mildly beefy in flavor.

In Laos you'd have a plate of basil, cilantro, perhaps green beans, "kapi"(Shrimp Paste), etc, at your disposal….here it was some bean sprouts and lime. But luckily, the woman brought me, "something special" for my Foe…..a little dish full of her home made Jeow (dip).

This was a wonderful Jeow, sweet, tangy, sour, and mildly spicy. It added life to the somewhat mundane soup. I had no doubt that this was an off-menu "MP" (market price) item, it was quite filling, and came in at $8.

As I was paid, and was about to leave, I noticed that the Young Man who took care of the steam table items, brought out some fried chicken:

I did a double take….it looked like…could it be? "TFC" (Thai Fried Chicken???) I could not take my eyes off the pile of poultry. I asked the woman what this was, and of course she said ("LFC"), "Lao Fried Chicken". Four pieces $5. So, of course I bought some.

Unfortunately, the chicken was very greasy, and lacked flavor. It was also tough as heck. Sigh…..my search for TFC goes on.

The woman who runs the place is quite talkative, jolly, and quite the saleswomen. I believe she found this little Asian guy who can only say hello and thank-you in Lao, but will talk your head off about Khai Pene, Jeow Bong, An Thao, and Or Lam, kind of strange and amusing. The gentleman, who I assume is her husband is more quiet and serious. The restaurant isn't the most sparkling clean place…though I'm sure when you shut off the lights it'll glow in the dark. The food was pretty much homecooking so I'm not quite sure if I'll be back….but the woman's last words to me, "next time maybe we have Or Lam", sure has me considering it.

Imperial Thai Cuisine
110 47th St
San Diego, CA 92102

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Saturday Stuffs: Some revisits to Sab E Lee and Hogetsu Bakery, I finally get some fro-yo at Yogurt Lounge…

February 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Desserts, Thai Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

Some revisits to a few places on our rotation.

Sab E Lee:

**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed

Sab E Lee, has been a weekly stop(or more) for us since they opened last August. Just when I think I've got the menu covered, I notice something new. The latest item I noticed was "Thai Fried Chicken." On our visit to Bangkok last November, the Missus andI loved the "TFC" (Thai Fried Chicken) so we were excited to see it on the menu. Unfortunately, much like the Koi Soi there was a short wait while the chef tried to source the "right chicken" for the dish. Finally, last week, when I dropped by to pick-up atake-out order, Koby smiled and said, "Kirk, we're marinating chicken, so you can come by and get chicken from tomorrow." We finally made it back this evening. Being aware that Sab E Lee had been reviewed in the Reader, we dropped by early, at about 430pm. Three tables were already full, and by the time we placed our order, there was a line of folks out the door, and a waiting list of folks! Call it the "Reader effect," I askedKoby about all these folks, and he told me, "these are all new customers, I've never seen any of them before!" So just be prepared if you intend to drop by for some Pad See Ew!

I've basically stopped taking photos at Sab E Lee, but decided to take one of the chicken:

This version was very moist, if a bit short in the spicy and sweet flavors of Thai street cart chicken. I've though of trying uber Food-Blogger Chez Pim's recipe, which looks so good, that I'm afraid if I made it, I'd never stop eating..…..

Of course we had some of the usual suspects like the bamboo shoot salad.

Issan Sausage.

And one of the Missus's favorite things, Salted Fish Fried Rice (not pictured). By this time the little shop had gotten so crowded, that we felt bad about taking up space so we packed up our leftovers and headed home.

We're so happy for Koby and the gang……hard work, and making great food pays off!

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hogetsu Bakery:

In need of some "Omiyage", I headed off to Hogetsu Bakery, one of my favorite spots. When we arrived, the little shop was quiet as it usually is. But by the time our orders were ready,the place was getting crowded……..perhaps this is the Candice Woo effect? What I found slightly humorous was that a group of young folks were carrying cameras! he-he-he……. Personally, I think they need to lose the flash though…. As always, the Missus got Her dozen manju as well:

Being told by the lady that I've been coming here for about 10 years gave me pause, we've only been living in San Diego for almost 8 years. But she was right, I used to come here before heading home when I did consulting work in San Diego back in '99. Sharp memory……

Whatever the reason, I'm glad to see this wonderful family owned business doing well.

Hogetsu Bakery
1210 3rd Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

And finally, I do a Fro-yo post!

**** This location of Yogurt Lounge has closed

Yes, I've given in…….I'm doing a Frozen Yogurt post. And being the typical totally oblivious, and unhip person, I think I'm what, maybe only 3-4 years too late? When the Missus wanted some frozen yogurt one day….well, I didn't have a clue. Lucky for us, Howie, the brains behind The Foodieview, did all the work for us already. Over the course of a week, we tried some of the top entries in Howie's "Yogurt War." And as usual Howie, and his intrepid, non-lactose intolerant group of yogurt testers were right on. Our favorite was:

Yogurt Lounge on Clairemont Mesa. To us the yogurt here was not too sweet, not too milky, and not super tart. Our favorite is a combination of the Green Coconut and Plain. Can't eat too much of it, since my lactose intolerance will kick in. But it does a nice job of clearing the palate after a spicy or rich meal. I still find fro-yo to be overpriced….it seems no matter how small the cup or bowl is, you'll end up spending four to five bucks.

Yogurt Lounge
7317 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Ka Ti Thai Cuisine

January 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** Ka Ti Thai has closed

I was driving past Montgomery Field on Aero Drive, when I noticed a tiny sign posted on the grass in front of one of those non-descript grey colored strip malls. Craning my head to read it, I almost drove right off the road! Sheesh, if you thought texting or cell phones were major driving hazards…… But there was a payoff for my pulled neck muscle. The sign read "Thai Food". I took a right on Glen Curtiss Road, and another right onto Gibbs Drive, which, along with running parallel to Aero, is the only way you'll get in to the parking lot of these strip malls.

And lo' and behold, what was once a pizza shop, was now a Thai Restaurant! In the oddest of locations. Unfortunately, the place was closed.

Luckily, I found myself in the area around lunchtime several days later. I parked and entered the tiny restaurant.

The first thing I noticed was the decor………wow, lot's of lace. It looked more like a Southern Tea Room than a Thai Restaurant.

I had spied a list of Lunch Specials ranging in price from $6.95 to $8.95 on the billboard outside.

I was greeted, and seated by a smiling Young Lady and was handed the menu. I was positively famished so I ordered a few items.

I started with the Som Tom (Papaya Salad – $7.95). In keeping with the S(tandard) O(perating) P(rocedure), I was asked for a "heat level". My reply of "Thai spicy please", was met with a gasp, an uncomfortable smile, and a "please, one moment". At which time the young lady, scurried to the kitchen. I could overhear a discussion, and there was some moving noises…perhaps preparing the defibrillator, and maybe the fire extinguisher? The Server returned, and obviously concerned with my survival, verified that I indeed wanted my Papaya Salad spicy. After reaffirming my commitment to chilies, she gladly placed my order.

The Som Tom arrived, nice, bright, and fresh. The young lady thoughtfully included some extra napkins for me, which came in very handy. As for the salad itself, it was very "HWOP", that would be "hot with out pungency". I enjoyed the sweat inducing spiciness, as well as the good amount of tart-sour lime in the dish, but there was a lack of fish sauce; and no other component (dry shrimp, salted crab) to add that umami bang to the dish.

I also ordered the Spicy Noodles with Chicken (lunch special price – $6.95). It arrived looking pretty good.

This was pretty much a drunken noodles type of dish. The chicken was moist and soft. The noodles sorely needed a bit of "wok hay" as it presented itself as flaccid edging on mushy. The dish was very tamarind heavy, making it too tart….. you know the phrase, "too much of a good thing….." The heat level was decent. I took my leftovers home, and the Missus had a taste of it, and responded with a "whoa……..puckery." Still, the service was very friendly, and I wanted to give this place another shot.

So, with the Missus occupied for the evening, I dropped by Ka Ti for take-out. I had wanted Nahm Tok, but they were out, so instead I went with the Marinated Pork Ribs ($12.95). Which, according to the menu, were pork ribs marinated in Coca-Cola. While waiting for my order, I heard the microwave pinging, not once, but three times, which did not bode well for my meal. When I arrived home and removed the plastic cover from my tray, this is what greeted me:

The ribs looked very pale, I had expected something with more caramelization. The flavor was very reminiscent of braised sweet-sour pork, and was not bad. The texture of the ribs were very soft, too soft, again much like something braised. My first thought was that they could have just used pork shoulder with a Coca-Cola braise and achieved something better than this for less. The veggies were very routine broccoli and carrots. I was provided with a good sized container of Jasmine Rice as well.

You know, I like the staff at Ka Ti, they are warm and pleasant folks from just outside Bangkok. I want them to do well, especially in this location. But I found the food to be mediocre Americanized Thai, though I've done much worse, and paid much more for Thai in San Diego. Still, this is the best, if not the only Thai for at least a mile, and adds more diversity to what is offered around Serra Mesa.

Ka Ti Thai Cuisine
8690 Aero Drive #114
San Diego, CA 92123

Open Mon – Fri – 9am – 7pm

View Larger Map

Our Revised Rotation – What is yours?

December 18, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

So finally…… I've revised our "Rotation Page". And removed a few places, a few because they've closed down (Sammys and Mo's), and one because, well, we hardly go there anymore (Mama's - which may make a comeback when the weather gets a bit warmer).

In place of those 3, I've added 2.

**** Pho Lucky is under new ownership.

First, folks keep asking about my favorite Pho shop. And my quick response is Pho Lucky.

There are places that have better tendon and places that have better overall meat, and on any given day there are several places that can do a great job. But for my money, I enjoy Pho Lucky. In fact, when FOY (Friend of Yoso) the "CAB" asked about my favorite bowl of Pho, I was quick to recommend Pho Lucky. You can read about her experience in this post.

I also enjoy the Banh Mi Bo Kho(Vietnamese Beef Stew w/Baguette) here as well. But on one recent visit with Cathy and Ed from Yuma, I was less than pleased. So before doing this post, I (well the weather helped me to) decided to have the beef stew again.

On my visit with Ed and Cathy, I found the beef to be tough, and the broth to be lacking in flavor. On this visit, everything was as I remembered. Hopefully, that was just an off day. The bread itself is unremarkable, I'm pretty sure they get it from Le Chef, as I've seen tags from their packages lying around. Still, I enjoy the beef stew here.

So if you hold my feet to the fire, I'd have to recommend:

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

And of course, Sab E Lee would have to be added. We've been eating there at least once a week. I still go for most of the larb and salad style dishes. Like the Larb Pet (Duck Larb):

Recently, I got to sample a new addition to the menu Naked Shrimp, served the right way…. that would be raw:

The first time I had this dish with a group of FOYs, I thought it pretty good, but a bit out of balance with regards to the amount of citrus. But a few days ago, I tried it again with Ed from Yuma, and it was very good. Nice heat from the chilies, with the bite of raw garlic, topped off with tangy citrus. Ed compared it to Camarones Aguachile, but with a more interesting and complex flavor. As I mentioned before, for me it's the Issan dishes that shine here, so of course it's a bit humorous to hear folks saying the food here isn't "Northern Thai" because it's not like what they had in Chiang Mai (which is Lanna, not Issan). Issan is Northeastern Thai food..…..

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

So if you're interested, our updated Rotation Page can be found here.

And I'd love to hear what's on your rotation this winter!

Thailand: One Night in Bangkok Part 2, and the Naga Festival in Nong Khai

November 6, 2008 mmm-yoso Bangkok, Nong Khai, Thailand, Thai Restaurants, Thailand, Travel

After wandering around Banglamphu for a while, we returned to our room, caught a short nap, woke, showered, and went downstairsto check-out. Lamphu House gladly stowed our backpacks, and we decided to do some sightseeing. Road traffic in Bangkok has earned some notoriety, and rightfully so, the city seems to caught in the grip of an eternal traffic jam. Luckily, there are several excellent mass transit options in the city. One of which is by boat. We were within easy walking distance of Phra Athit, and it was just a short boat ride to our destination Tha Chang.

The experience was an interesting one. The most amazing thing to me was how the young lady kept track of who had gotten on the ferry at each stop.

She would march up and down the boat, shaking her fare container, automatically stopping at every new customer.

Two stops later we had arrived at our destination. And wouldn't you know it, we stepped off the dock…into a rather large and busy "food court". And the fragrances made us realize it was time for breakfast.

From this shop…..

I ordered the Roast Duck Red Curry (35 Baht – about $1):

The curry was mildly spicy, and as seasoned well. The duck was pretty tender, and the flavor was on the "wild" side, which kinda freaked the Missus out. The Missus loves gamey flavors in most meats, but is of the opinion that all duck must taste of 5 spice. Needless to say, I enjoyed it much more than She did.

The Missus ordered Her "breakfast" from this booth:

It was a very tasty plate of deep fried fish with basil (40 baht):

The crosscut slices of fish had been, as the Missus put it, "fried to death, in a good way" and had the texture of a salty-peppery-savory jerky.

As a little bonus, the Missus had been curious about another dish. When She inquired about it, She was told it was "minced bird", and was given a little sample.

It was quite spicy, and on the chewy side, but very good nonetheless. All in all, a very nice breakfast.

We arrived at the gates of Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace a bit early. And saw this procession of soldiers walking across the street.

The Missus, always the curious one, actually followed the soldiers across the street. As they sat down to breakfast……She started with the questions, as only the Missus can. Stuff like, "what are you here for, is there a parade?" I finally pulled Her away when, poking at their guns, She asked, "is this real?" It's amazing what She can get away with….had I gone down the same road, I'd probably be singing my own version of "One Night in Bangkok".

While we sat and waited for the venue to open, a very well dressed gentleman walked up to us, and informed us that the Grand Palace was closed for a Holiday, but never fear, he'd arrange to have us taken on a "special" tuk-tuk tour of some little known Wats. We almost felt honored to have been selected for the classic "Grand Palace is closed" scam! Of course the Grand Palace wasn't closed, and we saw students in school uniforms, so it obviously wasn't a holiday!

After paying the almost $10 entrance fee, we made our way into Wat Phra Kaew. I really loved the outline of the Stupa and various Temples against the Bangkok sky.

After walking along the grounds of the Wat for a while it struck me……Wat Phra Kaew was Bangkok in microcosm. Things seemed to be really packed in, a bit cramped, and crowded, but colorful and vibrant…full of life. The famed Emerald Buddha is quite tiny, and sits on a stand that is quite high, and so somewhat hard to see.

The Grand Palace itself seemed a bit anti-climatic.

We left, skirting the Palace walls, and made our way to Wat Pho(Temple of the Reclining Buddha). After paying the 50 Baht admission, we entered the main building. Prepared to be underwhelmed, I turned to the Missus and said, "ok, where's the reclining Buddha?" To which the Missus replied, "just turn around stupid….." I turned, and my jaw hit the floor….

It was a pretty impressive sight……..150 feet long, and 50 feet high.

The grounds of Wat Pho is less cluttered, and much more relaxing than Wat Phra Kaew. It is also the oldest Wat in Bangkok.

After wandering the grounds of Wat Pho for a while, we noticed it was getting a bit late, and we went on our way.

On our way back to Tha Chang, the Missus and I detected a scent that rose above the usual cooking smells of Bangkok. Curious, we ventured down an alleyway.

And our noses led us to this:

A quantity of seafood in various levels of fermentation, and barrels of dried shrimp, fish, and squid.

Quite an impressive array……

A few minutes later we were on our back to the Guest House to pick up our gear.

And headed back off to the Airport. As fate would have it, we found out our flight had been delayed, "for maybe 2 hours…." OK, so what to do at Suvarnabhumi Airport? We found that seating is rather scarce, and the Airport crowded, and the best option to find someplace to sit was at one of the fast-foodish restaurants. And there was one that I found a bit intriguing.

It is called 'R Burger', and is a Roppongi based Japanese-style "burger joint". If you are used to American burgers……the term burger is used in a rather loose context here. "Chicken burger garnished with Shiso and Ume dressing" anyone? How about a salad "stick"…..basically a Japanese riff on a Vietnamese spring roll. The burgers were pork, chicken, maguro….and announcing the newest addition to the R Burger line-up…the novel concept of a beef burger! (Looks like they are made from one-eyed cows, huh?)

And most importantly…..you just can't go without that special added ingredient….collagen ?!!!??!

It seems that the buns at R Burger are processed with Marine Collagen….I guess they inject their buns…to smooth out our "buns". In fact, you see the words "collagen", "healthy" and "smooth" strategically placed throughout the restaurant. Personally, I find that "Hot Dog", "Fried Potato Wedges", "collagen", and "healthy" a bit confusing. What was even more confusing was the "Avocado Salad Dog"…..which has no "Dog" and was basically a bun (don't forget the collagen), served with "hydroponic vegetable"…..to put it in overly blunt American terms…this was avocado, tomato, and lettuce, in a bun. All slathered with that most healthy of toppings; wasabi mayo…..hey, if the collagen doesn't smooth you out, the mayo surely will, right?

I purchased an R Dog "combo" which came with potato wedges and a drink. I chose a Green Tea drink…..which in a direct contradiction to everything else on the menu was exactly that, cold green tea…..nothing else.

The potato wedges were fried nicely, and if you're used to American portions, you'll be in for a shock…there were 7 wedges, served in a rather large paper sack.

Soon enough my 'R Dog' arrived.

It was a pretty large dog, long and thin, with a natural casing, but very little flavor….add to that the fact that I still can't get behind the idea of ketchup on a Hot Dog…though the Missus likes Her dog that way. What I really enjoyed was the bun….it was light, the crust was crisp, the bread a bit sweeter, but not too sweet….must be that collagen magic at work! And since we all know that collagen is the "glue which holds our body together" I had the added satisfaction of knowing that none of my limbs, or other body parts for that matter, would suddenly decided to take leave…my mind on the other hand, well, that's another story.

Finally, after what seemed forever…….our flight left for Udon Thani. One quick note on AirAsia, the flights are cheap, but as with any budget carrier, they will try to squeeze every Baht they possibly can from you…from charging for water (10 Baht), to charging for checking luggage. Luckily, the Missus and I were traveling light…..only carry on for us. The original plan was to arrive in Udon Thani at arround 4pm; catch a Tuk Tuk to the Bus Depot, and catch the bus to Nong Khai, which resides on the Thailand – Laos border. This way we'd make it into Nong Khai before dark. Unfortunately, our flight was delayed, and night falls like a dark, black curtain in this part of the world. We arrived to darkness, and the Missus was feeling a tad uncomfortable…..after a brief discussion I made an executive decision; we'd catch the shuttle from the airport to Nong Khai, and take our chances. Most of the folks getting on the shuttle were headed straight for the Friendship Bridge…the Lao border. We decided to get a good night's sleep…..in need of a destination, I muttered the only Guest House I knew of in Nong Khai….they very popular Mut Mee. We arrived to a driveway in almost pitch black darkness….but the really nice driver pointed down the pitch-black driveway, and smilingly said, "Mut Mee…down there". And, yes it was. We could hear the muttering of voices as well approached the end of the drive way….we made a turn, and arrived at a little desk fronting a kitchen area. A fellow with a British accent (Harps) greeted us with, "you are pretty late..…" And went one about the scarcity of rooms…..call it good timing if you will, but we arrived during the Bun Fai Phaya Naga, the Naga Fireball Festival. During the full moon of the 11th month, a mysterious event occurs in Nong Khai….mysterious fireballs arise out of the Mekong River…legend has it that mythical serpents create the fireballs. So, would we be able to get a room? Harps looked at us and apologetically said: "I'm sorry..…but it has been very busy….thousands of people. Even one of the Princesses visited! So the only thing we have is Julian and Pao's suite…and it is rather expensive…660 Baht a night." Are you kidding me? Less than 20 bucks a night…sold! Harps guided us over to the "suite"….and we freshened up…..(more on Mut Mee in a future post). Harps had also mentioned the festival, telling us it was about a 20 minute walk along the Mekong…and we could hear music playing. And soon enough we saw this from our front window:

Which only served the purpose of making us hurry even more…..plus we were pretty darn hungry. The banks of the Mekong in this area is paved, and well served with a walkway….which made things quite easy for us. Most of the restaurants alongside the Mekong were closed, the bars were of course open! And many of the businesses were releasing lanterns into the air:

This one had the unlucky fate of landing on the balcony of an abandoned building…starting a small fire…..it was handled with much good natured giggling……

As we approached the festival it slowly got more and more crowded…..and the every present fragrance of food was as intense as the music was loud. As we found throughout Thailand and Laos, everyone is up for a good time!

Along with the entertainment on a stage at one end of the festival:

Was this affair on another stage…..

Some kind of couples pageant….don't ask me to explain, I haven't a clue. I can say, that there was a speaking portion….but it looked like all the good looking young pairs from the area were involved….

Regardless, the Missus found this to be "really cute and charming" and stayed to watch for a while.

But eventually hunger trumped any desire to see who won the contest, and we walked pass all the food booths. As would be expected for a city along the banks of the Mekong; seafood was in abundant display.

Alongside the usual "meat on a stick", sweets, there were several Oyster Omelete booths.

And what Festival would be complete without a insect booth?

In the end, the Missus and I settled for some pretty basic stuff.

I went with some Pad Thai from this Father and Son team.

Kind of greasy, and lacking in tamarind tanginess, but serviceable.

The Missus went with a Papaya Salad from the smiling young man to the right. Quite pungent, with a bunch of fermented fish paste, it met the expectations of fair food. Nothing outstanding, but it quelled our hunger.

For dessert, I had some fried duck:

Tough, but with decent flavor……

The Missus went for a frozen popsicle like treat.

We hadn't seen any fireballs rising out of the Mekong….but had a fun time anyway. We walked back to our room, grabbed a beer and some water from the fridge at reception (Mut Mee works on a "honor system"….you grab stuff from the fridge, write down what you took in a book up front, and pay for it a check-out….I love it)., sat on the porch overlooking the Mekong, and along with counting the geckos on the ceiling, we counted our blessings as well…….hard to believe we'd only been in Thailand for a bit over 48 hours.

I know this has been a long post……but I thought you might enjoy it! Thanks for hanging in there!