What Cathy Eats! – Page 27

R&B Filipino Cuisine (Mira Mesa)

May 20, 2019 Cathy Filipino Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! It's a food blog. Kirk has arrived at the first stop of a well deserved vacation (with His Missus) and all is well. Cathy is taking over blogging duty for the next few weeks.

I found myself at the same mini mall as T.P. Banh Bao 3, a Mediterranean grocer with an eat in food area, a Taco Shop, a pizza place and R&B Filipino Cuisine; plenty of choices for a quick meal. I followed a tried and true method, first mentioned to me in a comment from Trent on my 15th post on this blog (Crispy Fried Chicken; it's still in business)- "just look for the parked mail trucks!" . I walked in, saw the Mailman eating lunch and checked out the choices.

A pretty standard "Turo-Turo"-(Point-Point-Joint) restaurant located in the middle of a nice neighborhood. I quickly ate my lunch (without taking photos) and then went back and ordered a two item plate to take home to The Mister.
Two item combo (pancit and lechon kawali (fried pork belly)) $8.49, custom item (soup) $1. This was wonderful. The pancit was filled with a variety of vegetables and rice noodles as well as some pork bits. The fried pork was plump/juicy with a great fry of the skin. The soup was Tinola- chicken based, ginger infused with some papaya and spinach added.

We returned together the other day.

Another two item combo($8.49) (which includes rice) and this photo shows a favorite- Pinakbet (vegetables steamed in a shrimp sauce). You can see some squash and green beans, but there was also plenty of okra in this serving. A great version.
The second item was a barbecued pork skewer/kebab. The sauce is a sweet, sticky, salty, garlic delight. The meat was tender and charred and the flavor combination is great.
We also asked for an order of lumpia (three to an order; $1.25) and enjoyed these meat filled fried 'spring rolls' wrapped in a paper thin, perfectly fried crunchy shell. A perfect snack/appetizer to a nice meal.

There are some dessert type products from local Filipino bakeries being sold near the cash register, as well as a refrigerator of beverages to choose from.

As always, the Mailman knows.

R&B Filipino Cuisine 11257 Camino Ruiz San Diego, CA 92126 (858)695-8455 Open Mon-Fri 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat 8 aa.m.-6 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.-5 p.m. No website. Cash only.

Bear Buns Bakery and Cafe (Serra Mesa)

May 19, 2019 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! has another post for you to peruse this day. This one is written by Cathy, since Kirk is enjoying some time off.

Back in 2015, I noticed this humble building when leaving Kokoro after lunch. Family owned, operated and supported since 2012, Bear Buns Bakery features home-baked goods (nothing fried), organic coffees, espressos, frappes, teas, a few other beverages (including housemade lemonade), all-day breakfast sandwiches and paninis (after 11). Quiche and stratas are available on weekends.

Walk up, order, pay and your food and drinks will be brought to your table inside or outside.

This day, The Mister and I decided to share a Ham and Swiss panini (45). It comes with pickles and dijon mustard. The focaccia (baked here) looks chewy and heavy in this photo. In reality, it is quite light and crispy. The ham, cheese pickles and mustard make each bite quite perfect. A great sandwich.
The all-day breakfast menu is to the right of the cash register. You can get your sandwich on a focaccia (or bagel or croissant (for an extra fee)), we go with the Housemade roll.
This is the "Bella" ($5)- looks small; is very tall and actually a shareable sandwich.
Pesto, bacon, Provolone…
spinach, egg and sun-dried tomatoes. Again, this bread is light, soft, fresh. A great sandwich.
Of course, we had to end the meal with something sweet. The cinnamon roll (with icing, $5.25) was the choice this day.
A soft dough, cream cheese based icing, a better quality cinnamon. Not too sweet. Wonderful.

A great, local business. Other bloggers have been here, too: cc was here back in 2016 not long after Mary had visited.

Bear Buns Bakery and Cafe 3251 Greyling Drive San Diego 92123 (858)573-2327 Open Mon-Fri 6 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat-Sun 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Website

The Fancy Fish (Mira Mesa)(again)

May 18, 2019 Cathy Salads, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Sadly, The fancy Fish has closed. It will truly be missed, as it was a regular stop during the pandemic.

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is taking some time off and Cathy is filling in with posts about meals she has enjoyed.

First things first. I wrote a post about The Fancy Fish in July, 2017. The menu prices are the same. The only difference noted is there is an $8 Fish and Chips special (along with a few other items) now offered daily, instead of only on Friday (and on Friday, the Fish and Chips is $7.50).The (currently only, but soon to be referred to as 'the first' San Diego HMart is just to the right in the above photo).

Walk in, order, pay and your food is brought to your table. You'll be checked on by one of the owners during your meal.
The glassed in open kitchen can be fun to watch. In front of it, you can get your own beverage (from a Stubborn Soda machine), utensils, condiments and, if needed, to-go boxes.
We decided to try the daily $8 Fish and Chip special (there are other specials, too).
Two large pieces of white fish, lightly breaded and perfectly fried, served with a good portion of thin cut (also perfectly fried; non-greasy) potatoes and an excellent slaw. This by itself could be a light meal for two. But, we were hungry.
Seared albacore tuna salad ($12.50) was the order.
The salad is served in a very large bowl (almost three inches tall) with a choice of house made dressings (Ranch, Thousand Island, Cilantro Lime, Toasted Sesame, Honey Dijon, Berry Vinaigrette and Cusabi (cucumber wasabi; a pleasant, lighter version of straight wasabi).

Fancy Fish is an underrated, gem of a restaurant.

The Fancy Fish 9430 Mira Mesa Blvd (at Westview Parkway) San Diego 92126 (858)586-6228 Website Open Sun-Thurs 11a.m.-9 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Lenten Specialties for 2018- fish sandwiches, seafood specials and tuna pie(!)

May 16, 2019 Cathy Chains, Sandwiches, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk has written the majority of posts this year and needs a break. Cathy finally has the time and energy to write about various foods she has enjoyed; the blogging will continue, uninterrupted.

You probably notice each January that fast food places make an effort to showcase some sort of 'new'/limited time seafood based item. This is perhaps in conjunction with consumers' 'New Year Resolution' to eat less meat and/or the beginning of the 40 day religious season of Lent, which begins on the day after "Fat Tuesday" and ends on Easter, during which some Christians only eat pescatarian meals. In any case, most of the items shown here still seem to be available. For example, there is the McDonald's Filet o' Fish, which is available at a discounted price (around $2) on Fridays all year. The squared, solid, breaded and fried fish chunk is topped with a 2/3 slice of cheese and tartar sauce and served on a steamed, soft white bread bun. Of course, in March, having a Filet o' Fish along with a minty Shamrock Shake is a short-lived flavor combination. For quite a few years now, Wendy's has offered a North Pacific Cod sandwich (~$4), which is unique and excellent. The cod is flaky, the fry is crisp and not greasy, the toppings of lettuce, tartar sauce and pickles are just right. This year, a few locations of Chick-Fil-A offered a fish sandwich and fish strips on Fridays during Lent. It did not taste like chicken, the sandwich had the 'traditional' CFA topping of two pickles and was certainly different for the chicken-centric chain.
Popeye's offered a $5 " Shrimp Tackle Box" for a limited time. There were a dozen spicy battered, plump shrimp, along with seasoned fries and a biscuit in this filling meal. My friend, and fellow blogger, cc, sent me this photo of the Fish and Chips she and Bert had at Fuddruckers. $10 for three fish pieces and fries.
cc and Bert also managed to try the (real!) crab sandwich offered at Boudin. The limited offering will be back next year and I'm looking forward to trying it. Then there was the day I was in National City. There was a sign in the window and I had to stop. Yep. Tuna pie- $2.49. It's been on the menu since last summer, but I never was in the neighborhood…
It's, you know, like an old fashioned Mcdonalds apple pie- fried. Filled with a warm, creamy tuna (no noodle) casserole, this was a great snack.
Yes, I ate in my car. It had been a long day and there was going to be traffic on the way home.
I also bought a taro boba drink. It was great. Did you know Jollibee is the flagship of Jollibee Foods Corporation, the largest and fastest growing Asian Restaurant Company in the world?

Thanks for reading!

Charlie’s Best Breads (Pacific Beach)

April 16, 2019 Cathy Bakery, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog with posts about random eating places in and around San Diego and the world. Today's post is in San Diego. It's written by Cathy.

On one of those rainy days earlier this year, a client and I decided to meet at Charlie's Best Bread (instead of the usual Starbucks) in Pacific Beach. I hadn't been here since the 'expansion'. In 2011, I had posted about a second Charlie's Best Bread location in Point Loma, which has since closed and is currently Point Loma Fish Shop.This is the same location in the mall on Garnet between Lamont and Kendall as has been for more than 30 years…but it used to just be a small walk up joint where you could get a sample, order and pay and go.

Now, you can walk in, see displays, still get samples AND you can have a seat, some artisan (Cafe Moto) coffee and…
order one of the sandwiches or toasts, displayed behind the glass there and enjoy yourself and a quick meeting with a friend.
On this visit I did grab a loaf of raisin cHalla to go (it's Challah; a 1.8 lb loaf ($8)). This Jewish egg bread is always a favorite for The Mister and I at home; just with butter, sometimes toasted and occasionally made into French toast.

One of the sandwiches this day was turkey, on a (fresh baked) ciabatta loaf ($6.75). A good quality turkey, Swiss, arugula, tomato, avocado and spicy aioli was just the right size and combination of flavors to satisfy.
I brought half home for The Mister and we will be going back soon.

Charlie's Best Bread 1808 Garnet Avenue San Diego, CA 92109 Open Mon-Sat 7-7, Sun 8-7 Website

Niban (more visits)

January 27, 2019 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back to peruse more meals consumed. Kirk is still busy and Cathy is writing again.

In 2006, again in 2010, once more in 2011, part of a mixed post in 2016, I've written about this fast/casual, inexpensive, good Japanese restaurant which has been part of our 'regular rotation' for more than a decade. This post is about our December and January visits.

The key to some of the more interesting items here is to check the walls and windows, although the menu itself is simple and good. One of the December window posters was this-Cheese Curry (with chicken) ($8.95). This included salad and a beverage. Well, this was different. Kirk said it is Yoshoku Food, - Westernized Japanese. The curry was, as always, great (there are shredded pieces of beef along with large pieces of carrots, onion and potatoes in the slightly sweet mixed flavor sauce). The cheese topping was different and a nice texture along with saltiness made this bowl of comfort a bit different. The window next to the entrance not only has a large menu, but the shelving underneath has a display of four specials for that day. On this day, the ginger chicken with fried gyoza Bento box ($8.25) was one of the specials. The dumplings can be steamed or fried; the top right corner has two small 'salad' sides- one of soy marinated bean sprouts and the other a salmon based chilled salad. The regular salad has a fresh ginger dressing and the ginger chicken was juicy (dark meat) along with mushrooms and zucchini. A hearty lunch.
When you walk in, just above and behind the cash register (where you order and pay before finding a table) is a small chalkboard with two 'Daily Lunch' Specials (now $7.25; each was $6.75 in December). This one is the 'Gyoza Lunch'. These are the steamed gyoza, which I like just a little more than the fried ones. The filling is the same (more pork than vegetable) the skin is nice and thin. The miso soup is standard and good, as is the salad and (large serving of) rice.
The Bento lunch ($7.25) has three pieces of fried seafood (shrimp, fish and squid in this case), one inari (sweet tofu skin filled with rice, topped with crab), six California rolls and some of that salmon salad. Again, a good lunch.

There is a six seat sushi bar, where many people enjoy their meals (walk up and have a seat and pay after).

Niban 7081 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (858)268-0465 Open Mon-Th 11-2:30, 5-9:30 Fri-Sat 11-2:30, 5-10 Sun 4:30-9:30

P.F. Changs (a first visit)

January 26, 2019 Cathy Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chains, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk is out and about and taking a short vacation. Cathy is writing about a meal.

Yep, this is another Gift Card post. I don't regift and have friends who sincerely want The Mister and I to try some of their favorite places; we have never been to P.F. Changs and were in Mission Valley on a beautiful, clear day and I had the Gift Card in my pocket. The surreal Las Vegas casino-like giant horses out front of each location of this Asian themed, casual chain restaurant greet you.

Along with a tastefully decorated interior.
A pot of (caffeinated) ginger-peach tea was ordered ($3.75). It's by Republic of Tea and very similar to the Plantation Peach tea I usually buy from the Charleston Tea Plantation (the only tea grown in America). I must have hot tea with Asian meals.
As we were being seated, we noticed that every table had this: the first choice at the top left of the menu (under "Street Fare"). So, we had to. Lettuce Wraps (chicken or tofu; we chose chicken) $11.50. A 'secret family recipe', 'signature dish', the do-it-yourself slightly sweet, slightly spicy chopped melange of chicken, water chestnuts, green onion, crisp noodles and chilled iceberg lettuce with a bit more of the sauce was delicious.
Also from the 'Street Fare' section: Tempura Shrimp and Vegetables ($11.95). Lightly battered plump, sweet shrimp, bell peppers spinach and carrots served with a Sriracha/sweet aioli. This was also quite good.
From the 'Lunch' section of the menu, we decided to share the Chiang Mai Noodle Bowl ($11.95). Egg noodles and marinated chicken in a coconut curry broth, some crispy wonton strips with fresh grape tomatoes and flat leaf parsley. Once all mixed, this was also a great mix of flavor and texture. Quite satisfying.
We still have more than $50 left on the gift card. It's good food and there is much more to try.

P.F. Changs 7077 Friars Road San Diego 92108 website Open daily 11-11

Eating inside HMart

January 24, 2019 Cathy Korean Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food, again. Welcome. Kirk is enjoying some time off and Cathy is writing.

We've had HMart in San Diego since 2012. There are only a few 'food court' selections inside the store, unlike at the Super H Mart in Diamond Bar (mentioned in the middle of that post). There is one "Enter" and one "Exit" door. To the right of the 'Enter" is a small kitchen, cooking and wrapping food for those who want to 'Grab and Go'. There is a small seating area (including two corner chairs which are useless). The kitchen prepared meals are pictured above the 'By the Pound' items. ($8.50/lb)(Hot or Cold)
The hot items are plentiful, protein based (other than rice) and kept fresh, since the cooking area is three steps behind the trays.
The cold area has a great selection, especially if you are thinking about buying something you've seen pre-packed in the refrigerated area of the store. There's also sliced sushi roll pieces, pork and tofu if you want cold protein.
We grabbed a few items on this visit before beginning to shop. Cold items were kimchi, seaweed salad and marinated mushrooms. All were good (nice flavor/mild heat of kimchi) and complimentary to the hot items- fried squid, fried head-on shrimp and breaded, fried pork in a sweet sauce. Total for these two boxes was $6. The item on the bottom right was just packed (still warm) and placed in the open refrigerated area.
Pan fried crab cake ($3.50). Fresh vegetables, plenty of crab, crispy fry. A good meal on its own.

There's a dispenser of hot water, cups, utensils and condiments in the eating area, so you can have a decent meal.

HMart 9440 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858)577-0060 Open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. daily Website

NEW LOCATION (opening in February): 7725 Balboa Avenue (SE corner at the 805) San Diego 92117 (same parking lot as the 24 Hour Fitness)

Point Loma Fish Shop

January 23, 2019 Cathy Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!, a food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk is researching something to write about.

The Mister and I wanted to go to Point Loma Seafoods, but the line to the parking area was backed out onto the street. We started driving around and saw what had opened in the old Charlie's Best Bread (Point Loma location) on the corner of Rosecrans at Cañon, just across the street from Harbor Town Pub. An open air dining concept, the space is quite large.
Walk up, order, pay, find a seat and your food is brought out to you. That's the whole menu.
There's a small bar area next to the cash register. Behind it is the 'Dog Friendly' area-bar height seating and essentially opposite from the low tables.
Since this was a first visit, we decided to try some 'basics', like the clam chowder (cup, $5). WOW. This was so rich; tasting of cream and butter and clams. If you've ever had She Crab Soup (and we have, many times, when living in Virginia), the bisque-like texture and and mouthfeel is the same…just no sherry (or crab).
The menu style is "1. Pick a fish, 2. Pick a marinade, 3. Pick a style". So, this was albacore with lemon butter as a salad ($12). Another WOW. The fish was rare-seared, moist, flavorful. The mixed greens salad had pickled onions and capers as well as cucumber and cherry tomatoes. We chose the house made ranch dressing, figuring it would be a 'neutral' flavor.
There were several ads for the 'Fish Shop Seasoning' on the tables and ordering area. We were curious about the description of 'a little sweet with a mild spice' and ordered the jumbo shrimp only-grilled with this seasoning ($11). There were seven shrimp which were plump and juicy-perfectly cooked. The seasoning was a Cajun dry rub-you can taste the smoky first, notice the sticky (brown sugar) and still can get the briny sweetness of good quality shrimp along with a nice spice end note. These were pretty much perfect. The house made side sauce (chipotle aioli) was complimentary and went with the shrimp. (I tried some bites of shrimp with the Ranch dressing, but it didn't 'go' with the other flavors).
We also decided to try something fried and this small side of onion rings ($3) was our order. I think you might be able to tell these were perfectly battered and fried to a good crunch. The thick slices of sweet onion were crisp/fresh.

As always, I researched after going home and having the meal. There's a sister location. The Pacific Beach Fish Shop has been on Garnet since 2010; I remember seeing it when working for the Registrar of Voters for the two Special Elections but never remembered to go back. cc was here, in 2014 (Happy Birthday, Bert!) Kirbie was at PB Fish Shop in 2014, too! Oh So Yummy was here in 2017. The Point Loma Fish Shop location opened about a year ago. Mary was here in March. We will be back; there's parking, fair prices and the food so far has been great.

Point Loma Fish Shop 1110 Rosecrans Street #100 San Diego, CA 92106 (619)794-2449 Website Open daily 11-9

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill (Chula Vista)

January 22, 2019 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

The name has changed (Aqui Es Texcoco), the ownership is the same. Still great food.

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog name. Bloggers are (usually) Kirk and (today) Cathy. Posts are random: locations, type of food, liked or not. Today: Chula Vista, Mexican, liked.

I had heard of it: Kirk posted last June and again in October. It's owned by the same person who owns Aqui es Texcoco (where I've gone for breakfast). In late December, cc and I had a little 'food crawl', stopping here.

The clean 'Mexico City' decor has televisions scattered throughout and it's not busy in the early morning. The Mister and I returned a week later. This post shows both visits and breakfasts ordered.

The first menu page (top, far left) is 'breakfasts', but both menus are served all day.

We ordered a Chicharron de Queso ($6.50). Simple grilled, rolled cheese along with simple guacamole. Excellent.
Al pastor ($2.50), costilla (rib meat)($2.75) and chuleta ahumada (smoked pork chop)($2.65) tacos. We liked the al pastor best; the spit grilled, pork based, chili/spice marinated, pineapple topped meat was moist, flavorful and satisfying. The costilla was good, basic quality meat, needing some of the tabletop condiments at some point. The smokiness of the chuleta was nice, but pretty much smoked ham (which I love, but this, too, needed some hot sauce to taste 'finished').
After having Alambres at Tako Factory, The Mister and I were curious to see what this version was like. We were able to choose two meats, so thought the bistek along with the smoked pork chop (The Mister loves smoked meats) would be good ($9.75) and we did add cheese ($1.25) just because. Well, the freshness of the tortillas, meats, bacon, grilled onion and peppers along with the creamy cheese was just about perfect. I can see why Kirk's Missus likes it here.
A mollete is a a fresh, split, toasted bollilo topped with beans and cheese ($3.75). You can add chorizo for $1 and we did (on both visits, choosing the milder green chorizo)(description of green chorizo is on this link-scroll down to Mexican Chorizo) (basically, tomatillo, chiles, cilantro and garlic). I remembered fondly having a mollete at Tropifruit, in 2014 and the version here is great.