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Prime Grill Revisited

Korean Restaurants

A few weeks ago, the Missus and I decided to revisit a couple of our favorite Korean restaurants. The Missus was craving the dolstop bi bim bap and I wanted some bibim naengmyun. Prime Grill has been our favorite stop for these dishes for a while now. So, we decided to stop by for lunch.

Hard to believe that it had been over a year since our last visit. My how time flies.

The place was empty when we arrived, but quickly filled up. The same group of “ajumma” were working…..all business…you don’t mess with them!

Taking a look at prices….I know that my Bibim Naengmyun was the same as on my last visit ($16.99), but I think the Dolsot Bibimbap has gone up a dollar ($19.99). We’re still reeling from the $26 Dolsot BiBimBap at Jeju in Carmel….which didn’t even have meat in it!

Soon after our order the panchan and gyeran jjim (steamed egg) arrived.

The Baechu kimchi was looked kind of mild, but had a nice fermented-acidic-sour flavor. It was the best of the bunch. The Missus didn’t care for the over-mayo’s poatato salad, and She’s never been a fan of Eomuk-bokkeum, the typical stir-fried fishcake panchan – so those ended up being all mine.

She does however, really enjoy the gyeran jjim, which was really fluffy, somewhat savory and “eggy”.

She does enjoy some sesame oil on this, but has learned from our previous experience with the Ajumma here, to not request any for this. She polished off almost all of it Herself.

This was basically enough to fill Her up. Meanwhile, Her BiBimBap was sizzling away in the dolsot.

She has the soup, and then poured the juice from the baechu kimchi on top of things and gave it a good mix. Our baechu kimchi was refilled and the Missus went and poured that into the bibimbap. It developed a nice crust…..but the Missus was pretty full by this time and most of this went home.

As for me….well, this is probably my favorite BiBim Naengmyun.

I enjoy the spicy-sourness of this version the best. There’s a hint of sweetness. Once I’ve had my fill, I can temper things with the cold soup that’s provided on the side. The endless elasticity of the naegmyun can be a challenge; but that’s part of the enjoyment. A “four cut” with shears are a must, unless you want to have that “one” endless noodle that will not break noodle splashing your shirt with sauce as you try to consume it while trying to sever it with your teeth! A good mix coats all the noodles.

I really don’t need the hot mustard nor the vinegar that’s provided.

The Asian pear, cucumbers, and the meat add textural contrast and hints of additional flavor. I find this refreshing and satisfying on a hot day.

We both really enjoyed our lunch. There was a time when I enjoyed this dish at Buga. But sadly, after the change of ownership; things just haven’t been the same. So these days, it’s Prime Grill for these dishes. Though, if you’ve got a fave; please let me know!

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 10pm

Sunday Sandwiches – Gourmet Island Bistro

Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches

Well, I haven’t done one of these in a while…..

Recently, I had an appointment in the Ruffin Road area, between the 52 and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. I’m not super familiar with the location, but there was what seemed to be one of those mom-and-pop sandwich shops nearby, and you know how I have a weakness for those places. The name of the shop also caught my attention….Gourmet Island Bistro! Hmmm……could it be?

Doing that Google thing; it seems like the shop opens at like 6am! So, I drove on over and I arrived at just after 9am. There are several stalls reserved for the shop, which is located in a business building.

The nice woman working greeted me as I entered. There seemed to be several to-go orders ready for pick-up at the counter. Like I’ve said, these are the places that keep workers fed.

I took a gander at the menu and focused on the breakfast sandwich offerings.

I decided on the Bistro Pastrami Sandwich ($10.95). I also noticed something interesting with regards to the menu. Much like Sandwich Island sandwich shop, there were Hawaii influenced names….like the “Big Kahuna”, the “Haoli (which I think is actually supposed to be Hau’oli – happy…not Haole, which means….you know) Hero”. But the nice older woman, who seemed to be the owner did not seem like she was from the islands. Anyway, I got some water and had a seat.

And went to pick up my sandwich when ready.

The croissant of course, was nothing to add to my “Croissant Files“, which I expected. Basically Costco-ish massed produced croissants used as a bread replacement. Which did fine in this case as it added a mild sweet butteriness to the sandwich.

Overall, it was a nice breakfast sandwich. The pastrami adding a salty-savory-light smokiness. The egg was nice and runny, with no off flavors. And I could even make out the milkiness of the Swiss Cheese, which was melted adding some nice gooeyness to things.

This was pretty good!

And then it happened. The woman walked on over and dropped off a cookie for me! Such a nice gesture!

Which gave me an opportunity to ask about the name of the shop and some of the sandwiches. I came to find out that much like Sandwich Island Deli; the previous owners were from the Islands!

When this family bought the place; they added soups and hot dishes, thus adding “Bistro” to the name!

A few weeks later, I decided to make a return visit. This time to try one of their lunch sandwiches. While the Island Club called to me, I decided on the Lucky Roast Beef ($12.30)…..I guess I just wanted some horseradish sauce to clear my sinuses on this day! This time I took my order to-go.

I unpacked things at home. The bread’s crust was quite friable, flaky quite easy, the standard issue roll did fine. The Sysco-ish roast beef was decently sliced, it was lean as advertised and a bit chewy. The portion size was fine as well.

There was a combo of Ranch Dressing and Horseradish Sauce…and not enough of the latter for my taste as I wanted more pungency and too much of the former as it just overpowered everything; especially the mild milkiness of the Swiss Cheese.

Still, I can’t complain about the portion to price ratio….I may try the Club Sandwich next time. Very nice folks working here. I’m glad there are still places like this and will try to keep giving them business. To me, they are the heart and soul of our neighborhoods.

Gourmet Island Bistro
5625 Ruffin Rd. # 140
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 6am – 2pm
Closed Sat- Sun

Road Trip – Revisits to Industrial Eats (Buellton) and Alchemist Garden (Paso Robles), and Lunch at Jeju Kitchen (Carmel)

American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Dog Friendly, Korean Restaurants, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Taco Shops

Back in April/May, we took a two week Road Trip with JJ. He’d already proven himself during our road trips to June Lake, Morro Bay/Cambria and to Scottsdale/Winslow/Lake Havasu among others. We were basically doing a road trip every month and this “two-weeker” would cover two months!

This one was more “my thing” as I’m more of a city/coast kinda guy. Our northern destination was Mendocino.

Our “first leg” was going to be to a place now familiar to us Paso Robles. We decided to go up via the 101 and stop for lunch at another place I’ve posted on twice already; Industrial Eats in Buellton.

We had the same two dishes as on our last visit; the Smoked Duck Salad and Miso Cod. Both were just as delicious as what we’d had last time.

We’re still not quite sure what that avocado is for; but the cod is so buttery and the mushrooms add a wonderful earthiness.

From Buellton, it was an easy hour-and-a-half to Paso Robles. Since we started doing so many road trips during Covid; Paso Robles has become a favorite stop for us.

This time, with JJ in tow, we decided to stay at the Paso Robles Inn, which is right across the street from the Downtown City Park.

It was fairly pricey; but the location was great, as were the grounds….JJ was fascinated by the Koi Pond.

Our room wasn’t that great, the noise from upstairs and the rooms next door were fairly loud. So, while we loved the location; we’d try and find a different place to stay at the next time…..

Paso Robles Inn
1103 Spring St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Of course, once we settled in we headed out.

We enjoy stopping in at the Paso Robles General Store…….which is dog friendly.

And they stock Paso Almonds which are a must buy for snacks and gifts when we get back home.

General Store Paso Robles
841 12th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

As for dinner….well, our favorite restaurant in Paso; Les Petites Canailles is not dog friendly; so we thought we’d just grab some eats at what is possibly my favorite Cocktail Bar in California; Alchemist Garden; which I’ve already posted on three times! Though this would be the first time we’d actually be having a full meal there. We got a table on the patio so JJ could hang out with us.

Of course the cocktails were awesome!

We were pleasantly surprised at the food as well. The Bone Marrow was very buttery and though we had doubts about the Cherry Onion Jam; the sheet-acidity really paired well with the marrow.

It was also “Taco Tuesday”….so we ordered one each of the Shrimp, Duck, Chicken, and Skirt Steak Taco. Our expectations were very low….but man; the corn tortillas were decent and held up well. And the meats; especially the skirt steak and the shrimp, with a perfectly crunchy-crisp batter and tender shrimp were very good!

The skirt steak was topped with harissa; which had an almost kimchi like sour-spiciness….surprisingly good. We could even deal with the sour cream on the tacos as well!

Such a nice surprise and meal!

The Alchemists’ Garden
1144 Pine St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

The following morning we headed out to our next stop Carmel By the Sea. But first we decided to make a stop at Fiscalini Ranch. We had really enjoyed the easy trails and the views before, so we thought JJ might have fun. This time we did the Marine Terrace and Bluff Loop Trail.

Which JJ enjoyed!

And the views on the bluff trail are lovely.

And the wildflowers were beautiful.

And of course, there are the benches……

It was a fun time!

From here it was a two hour drive to Carmel. We’d be in early, so we decided to get some lunch. There is a Korean Restaurant in Carmel Plaza with outdoor seating…Carmel is known to be very dog friendly; we found street parking and headed on into the mall and Jeju Kitchen.

It was past noon, but it was pretty quiet. We easily found a table near the fire pit.

Serers were very friendly; even bringing JJ a bowl of water. Though the prices gave me pause.

The Missus got the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap. Which was $26 but had no meat!

The egg was fine; though we prefer crisp edges. Still the yolk was fairly soft and runny. The dolsot wasn’t hot enough, so no rice “crust” developed. The kimchi didn’t have a deep fermented flavor and was just salty and sour. And within the confines of the dolsot made this dish pretty bland.

Like I mentioned above; the panchan was pretty bland.

I ordered the Korean Fried Chicken – would you believe this cost $28?

The Mu Kimchi was overly sweet. The batter was too thick and initially crunchy, but got mushy pretty quickly. It was also pretty bland….something I’ll almost never say about “KFC”. I appreciate a bit of “lightness” in my KFC; but this was definitely not that. This one went in the “soy-garlic” direction. Though it was more drizzled sugar-soy. Overly sweet for our taste. Not enough sauce, lacking in depth of flavor….

The meat was chewy, but fine.

In the end, a shadow of Korean cuisine. I should have known better when I saw Miso Cacio de Pepe, Smashburgers, and Coconut Prawns on the menu. Lesson learned.

Jeju Kitchen (In Carmel Plaza)
106 Mission St.
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923

We took a stroll around the plaza….I think we prefer the shops in the Downtown Village/Ocean Avenue area.

We did manage to kill time before heading to our accommodations. We were staying at the Green Lantern Inn once again. Though this time for two nights, so we could spend a bit more time exploring!

Thanks for stopping by – hope you have an awesome weekend!

Lunch with JJ – The Kiko’s Place-The Seafood King Mariscos Truck (Morena)

Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

I was wondering where to take JJ for lunch and then I remembered the Kiko’s Place Truck which had relocated to Morena last year. Since Cole’s has sadly closed, there would be ample parking, and the horrendous street construction had now moved further up Morena. So JJ got into the car and we were off.

We arrived around 10am and were the only customers. For some reason JJ got real excited when he heard the music blaring!

The woman working was very friendly and even waved to JJ! I thoguht that the better of the two tacos I had last time was the Tacos de Marlyn (Smoked Fish) and well; I decided to try the Gobernador – boy $16 for two tacos…..who’d have thought????

We went to one of the free standing “tables” and hung out….like I said; for some reason, JJ liked the music? What the heck?

The woman called me over and handed me some consomme and this time she also gave me some very crisp and still warm chips.

The consomme was better this time around; more savory-briny-seafood flavors. And still not overly salty.

Soon enough, my tacos were ready…good lord, these were very hefty. The Marlyn was still the better of the two; though both were overloaded with cheese. I’m thinking I’ll order them easy on the queso.

The shrimp on the Gobernador was on the tougher side; slightly fishy. Luckily the lime, pickled onions, and salsa roja handled things nicely. There was less smoked fish on the tacos de marlyn then on my last visit; but the fish seemed to have much more savory-smoky flavor, and those onions and peppers come in handy. The tortillas stood up fine and didn’t fall apart….of course having that layer of melted cheese protected the tortillas.

Kiko’s was fine; perhaps I need out a Mariscos truck I like better, but it is fairly close to home and JJ seemed to be having a good time hanging out….and listening to the music!

Kiko’s Place-The Seafood King Mariscos Truck
1170 West Morena Blvd. (In the parking lot of Coles Fine Flooring)
San Diego, CA 92110

London – Barshu

Chinese Restaurants, London, Memorable Meals, Travel

I had two specific meals in mind for our last day in London. Of course, with the Missus in tow, we had to have some Chinese food right? I also wanted to check out London’s Chinatown. I know that after our fairly mediocre visit to Dishoom, the Missus was a bit hesitant about my choices. But, there was one place I just needed to check out.

Folks who’ve read our little blog knows that one of my favorite cookbook writers is Fuchsia Dunlop. From the time I purchased Land of Plenty in 2005, I’ve enjoyed her cookbooks and writing style. And, I have made many items from or inspired from her cookbooks over the years. Several of which I’ve done posts on….though I do make adjustments for the Missus’s taste. As I’ve always noted, cookbooks are inspirations and guidelines for what I make. Anyway, I read way back in 2006, that Ms Dunlop had been a consultant with the Sichuan Restaurant Barshu in London and have been wanting to visit ever since. And finally, I had my chance.

Of course, the Missus wanted to walk the 2+ miles there from the hotel, but it was a mild winter day in London.

While walking thru Soho we passed the Chinese Church in London above. Formerly the Soho Baptist Chapel, according to it’s website, the Chinese Church in London was founded in 1950.

Barshu is located on Frith Street, one block from what is considered the Northern border of Chinatown.

There’s some modern interpretations of Sichuan here; but I really wanted to try some our favorite “foundational” Sichuan dishes.

Like the Dry Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork.

Whoa….a generous portion of minced pork on this. The beans were decently dry-fried. It could have used more garlic; but the texture was spot on. Decent porkiness and spice. This was quite nice.

The rice was fine as well.

Of course we had to try the Shui Zhu Niu Rou….the classic “water boiled beef”.

Really good ma-la…numbing “hot”. Almost perfect to my taste. The sauce was a bit on the “thinner” side, but packed with flavor…..great numbing-pungent tones, not overly salty, really delici-yoso! The beef could have been more velveted; but was quite tender.

The Fuqi Fei Pian was the only “clunker” for us.

While texturally, the tripe was nice and crunchy; this was almost bland. It really lacked the “la”, was not spicy enough.

The  Ko Shui Ji (Mouthwatering Chicken) was also spot on.

The chicken was nicely prepped, so tender, and full of poultry goodness. Nice balanced ginger-savory-pungent tones, with a hint of sweet-sourness.. Loved the ma-la as well. This is one of my favorite classic Sichuan dishes and Barshu delivered on this one.

This meal lived up to expectations and made us miss an old favorite of ours which has now been closed over a decade now! My how time flies.

If Barshu was in San Diego; we’d visit quite often.

Barshu Restaurant
28 Frith St.
London, United Kingdom

After lunch we decided to check out Chinatown.

She enjoyed checking out this Chinese Herb Shop – Beijing Tong Ren Tang. Which has many locations around the globe and quite a long history.

We then took a nice stroll from the Newport Place Gate.

Down Lisle Street.

Back around the other Gate.

Then thru the “heart” of Chinatown; Gerrard Street, making a loop, before heading back to the hotel.

We were really enjoying ourselves. And I was starting to get a bit excited about dinner!

Midweek Meanderings -China Quick Wok Becoming Fujiyame (Sp?) Ramen, Mikiya Replacing Shancheng Lameizi, and is Poppy Boba Closed?

Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Here’s a bunch of “stuffs” I noticed while driving around the last couple of weeks

China Quick Wok Becoming Fujiyame:

Driving thru Liberty Park Plaza, on the corner of Mt Etna and Genesee, I noticed some new signage on the long standing China Quick Wok, so I drove on over.

And yep; it looks like the shop is becoming something called Fujiyame – hmmm….not Fujiyama Ramen? Whoa, China Quick Wok has been here forever, I recall the last set of owners taking over in 2011?

4310 Genesee Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117

Mikiya Replacing Shancheng Lameizi:

This one was quite easy to see while driving down Convoy.

Shancheng Lameizi replaced Thai House in early 2022 if I’m not mistaken. Man, they didn’t last very long. Well, one chain is being replaced by another as Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House is moving in. I know they have locations in LA and also recall seeing one of their restaurants in HNL on Kapiolani. I know folks that really like the place. So, looks like Shabu Shabu replacing Hot Pot here?

4225 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Is Poppy Boba Closed?:

Taking the quick way home from Nijiya I passed by Poppy Boba Kitchen and noticed that the sign was gone. It was just after 11am, when they would usually be open.

It seems like they were closed? I believe they just opened like 7 months ago?

So, I did a quick search and Google and the four-lettered spot said Temporarily Closed? But why is the sign gone. And there was also this note.

Hmmm……temporarily closed for like 9-10 months? Perhaps someone is going to give birth perhaps?

It’s just kinda strange to have the sign gone though….

3538 Ashford St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Dao Xiang Noodle

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

**** Dao Xiang has closed and is now Spicy Duck Wang La Ya

Remember, I noticed back at the end of May that Dao Xiang Noodle was replacing Mama Lin’s in the Balboa 99 Ranch Market food court? Well, I noticed that the stand opened at 10am and waited a couple of weeks before checking them out.

I arrived at around 1015 and it looked like they were just getting set for the day. The menu was kind of “interesting”….

As were some of the “customers” milling around in the area at that time of the day.

I know I joked about Mama Lin’s selling everything from Corn Dogs to Ramen to Spam Musubi, which they spelled “Misubi”….and this menu actually did have Spam Musubi (would you believe the menu says $5 for a Spam Musubi?!?!?!) on it; at least the focus seemed on noodle, fried rice, and dumplings.

Now, thinking in terms of Dao Xiao Mian…..basically knife cut noodles; well you know I was going to order that, right? In the end, I decided on the Niu Rou Mian (Small – $12.50) and because I’m always interested in Jiaozi; I also ordered the Pork and Cabbage Dumplings ($12.50).

The Niu Rou Mian was ok. The soup was too watery, lacking in beefiness, lots of white pepper and saltiness, but quite thin. The beef was quite chewy and lacking in flavor as well. The tendon was really crunchy chunks….not done to the buttery texture I prefer.

The saving grace of this bowl were the noodles; super bouncy, great texture, the definition of “QQ”.

As for the Jiaozi.

The wrappers were really thick and chewy. The filling was decently flavored, could have used more of the fragrant tones…sesame oil, ginger. Really coarse chop of the pork and napa cabbage making it also lean on the “chewy” side.

Overall, except for the knife cut noodles, fairly mediocre. Still, I wanted to do another visit. When I went for that visit, the place was strangely closed at past noon? This was when I ended up going to Potato Powder Love Noodle.

I had some shopping to be done the following weekend and when I peeked over at the food court Dao Xiang was open.

This time the Lu Rou Fan – Braised Pork Rice ($15.49) drew me in. Of course I’m still wishing for the Lu Rou Fan at Jin Feng in Taipei.

This was actually not bad. The rice was a bit on the hard side. Though the soy sauce eggs were nicely marinated, still warm, the yolks lovely.

The pork was on the chewy side, lacked the hint of anise-mild sweetness and of course the porkiness. Still, this was not terrible.

But not something I’d return for.

Still, I did return one more time. Because I saw this sign.

So, it looks like they make XLB….but it was only on weekends. Since I had shopping to do the follwoing weekend; I decided to try out the XLB ($13.99). I ordered it from the really nice guy working the counter. And since I was here; why not try the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($12.49)

The guy actually delivered my XLB to the table….and it looked really strange.

Good lord, this was more of a Baozi, with yeast raised dough! The filling was strange as it was braised pork….very tender, but obviously no porky soup.

Kinda mild in flavor but very tender. I looked at the menu on my way out and noticed they have a “Traditional” Braised Pork XLB, but it’s $14.99 and I was charged $13.99? So maybe the kitchen made a mistake? I really don’t consider any of this as traditional at all. It should be on the menu as a steamed baozi.

The Wings were “Salt & Pepper” in name only. As it was more soy sauce focused.

A bit too wet for my liking as the crispness faded quickly. The flesh very moist, the flavor fine, with a decent mildly sweet-savory tone.

Though like the XLB, not quite what I expected for Salt & Pepper Wings.

The visits were interesting. I’d return for those noodles for something else other than the NRM. With places like Me Sen at the Clairemont 99 Ranch location and Potato Powder Love Noodle opening here next to Dao Xiang, it seems we’re getting some interesting new places. Which I think is a good thing!

You can read about Soo’s visit to Dao Xiang here.

Dao Xiang Noodle
5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 10am – 8pm

Tid Din – A Soft Opening Visit

Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Thai Restaurants

A few months past, I was driving down Linda Vista Road and noticed that Taco Bomb had closed and was being replaced by a Thai Restaurant named Tid Din. While doing a search, I found the place’s website here it stated:

And looking over the menu….even though it listed mainly English names; it stated Spicy Larb, Grilled Marinated Beef – I’m thinking Nam Tok, sticky rice, etc…. Needless to say; I was a bit excited about the place. I mentioned it to Adam who is one of JJ’s favorite “Uncles” at BHT who lives close by in Linda Vista. And wouldn’t you know, last week he texted me and said the place had opened!

So, when I had a moment, I headed on over.

I’m guessing word hasn’t gotten out yet, since I was able to get parking in the small parking lot. And I walked on in.

The young lady working was so sweet and friendly. I then looked up at the menu…….

And thought “what the heck”?

Make it a burrito? Edamame? No larb, no sticky rice…. This looked like a pseudo food court, fast foodish menu. With four different mains. Still, it said “On the grill” which had things like a good Mu Ping on my mind. It seemed weird that a “rice bowl” was an additional $5.50, but a side of Jasmine Rice was $3. I decided on two proteins; the grilled pork ($9) and grilled sliced beef ($12), with a side of Jasmine Rice ($3), medium spicy; with Tamarind and Thai Chili Fish Sauce.

It was a nice day and I had a seat on the patio until my name was called.

The nice young lady actually brought out my package…..I had gotten it packed to go since I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish things. A fork and napkins had also been packed.

I opened things up….and was disappointed.

The meat hardly had any caramelization.

The portion of rice was generous and while a bit on the harder-chewy side was fine except for one thing I noticed right off. Take a look.

There were several “streaks” of what looked like drippings or sauce or…..skid marks???? I removed all those areas.

Also of note; I ordered the meat medium spicy; but these were not. I can forgive that; since it’s a soft opening.

The beef was simply stir fried.

The beef was the typical 10up – 12up, typically used for bulgogi and such. It wasn’t marinated enough and quite bland and on the chewier side.

It lacked hints of sweetness or herbaceous, savory pungency and was basically like something drenched in soy sauce. Just salty.

While the pork was drier and chewier; it at least had some porkiness.

Still, like the beef, the overall flavor was one-dimensional. But I did prefer this to the beef as it did seem to be grilled. But it was definitely not Mu Ping.

The sauces were “interesting” as well. The Thai Chili Fish Sauce was just that….straight up fish sauce with some chilies. The proteins were salty enough.

The tamarind sauce tasted like a bottled brand…..but at least had some fruity sweetness which helped things along.

To say I was disappointed….well yes…I fully didn’t expect Pok Pok, but just decent Thai street food and got what to me, was low level shopping mall food court stuff. A bummer, because that young lady was so nice. Still, with USD near by, this place might do well….you know; like “Thai-potle”? You can now get your Thai chicken burrito and all that.

I’m hoping that the menu and food improves. And with folks like “FOYs” Denver and Junichi nearby; I’m sure they’ll keep me in the loop!

Tid Din
6725 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 8pm

London – The British Museum and Ruskin’s Cafe

Caffeine Fix, London, Travel

**** No food in this one. But if you’d like to see a bunch of stuff the British Stole (I’m joking) read on!

On our return trip to London, we had one full day. There was one item at the British Museum that I’ve been wanting to see. So, I went ahead and booked online tickets (admission is free) for the 10am opening time. One of the reasons I had planned on staying in the Paddington area was that the Elizabeth Line takes you to Tottenham Court Road Station in about five minutes after which there’s a nice ten minute walk to the Museum.

As with all our strolls in London; there’s always something interesting to see.

We were quite early so we headed up Museum Street to a cafe named Ruskin’s for some coffee. There seemed to be quite a few Japanese and Korean restaurants in the area. We even saw a Din Tai Fung! And the name of this place caught my eye!

You know why, right? I think “FOY” Junichi will get a kick out of this photo.

You order at the counter and the really nice woman working brought out our Flat Whites. No big deal; on the weaker side of the scale, but serviceable.

Ruskin’s Cafe
41 Museum St.
London, UK

After which we headed up the street to the museum. It was 20 minutes before opening and good gosh, there was already quite a line down the block….of folks who actually had times tickets!

Things did move quickly once the clock struck 10 and we were inside in good time.

The British Museum is humongous and much like the Louvre, one should have a plan and to really enjoy things, perhaps not try to see everything during one trip. Heck we’ve gone to the Louvre three times and have only scratched the surface.

Over the years, the British Museum has come under fire for their collection having been plundered from other countries over the years. The museum itself has a page on “Contested Objects“. In fact, I’ve enjoyed the Podcast “Stuff the British Stole“……. In spite of this, there’s so much historical and cultural significance to the collections, that I couldn’t help but visit. Rick Steves likens visiting the British Museum to “taking a long hike through Encyclopedia Britannica National Park.” Of course, some of you younger folk may not know what Encyclopedia Britannica is……

And like I mentioned earlier; there was one item I needed to see….this.

Yes, that’s the one and only Rosetta Stone.

It’s discovery in 1799 allowed for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The text carved into the stone; which dates back to 196 BC is of a decree from King Ptolemy V and is written in three different scripts; the top is Hieroglyphic, the center Demotic, and the bottom Greek. Thus linguists could do a translation. I had first read about the Rosetta Stone in Elementary school and even though it was obtained during military action between the French and British, Egypt has called on the British Museum to return it. I was thrilled to finally be able to see it!

We spent our time between the Egyptian and Greek collections. Luckily for you, I managed to take photos of the signs of things I thought were interesting so you won’t have me droning on…..

Pretty cool, huh?

From here we headed to the Greek Collection.

And then it was off to the Parthenon Galleries.

Which were removed from the Parthenon by Thomas Bruce; the 7th Earl of Elgin during the early 1800’s. It is said the the Earl had his men chisel and saw the marble off the Parthenon. Thus these are called the Elgin Marbles. Though these were taken during the Ottoman rule of Greece, it has been a source of contention for many years. Having been to the Parthenon, it saddened me to know that only half of the sculptures are at that site, the other half here. I’m hoping they can settle this once and for all.

There was one other display that caught my attention; it’s a collection of 30,000 clay tablets, dating back to the 7th Century BC discovered in what is now known as Northern Iraq. This is known as the Library of Ashurbanipal, named after the “last great king of Assyria“.

The city where the “library” resided was consumed by fire as the Babylonians attacked the city in 612 BC. All the wood and parchment documents were burnt, but these clay tablets survived. At the time of our visit, it was being cataloged. We really enjoyed the translations. Especially this one; which has a statement I still hear today.

You’ve heard it or said it before, right? “I give, I give, I give, and what do I get????”

On that note….

The British Museum
Great Russell St.
London, UK

It was time to head on out and get some lunch! And I had a place on my “list” that I’d been wanting to try for years!

Thanks for stopping by!

London – Dishoom (Carnaby)

Indian Restaurants, London, Travel

After settling in and taking a nice afternoon nap; we decided to set out for dinner. After enjoying our meal at Tamarind and since well, we were in London, I thought we’d use that opportunity to have Indian cuisine again. Several folks I know recommended Dishoom and since we enjoyed strolling around London, I decided on visiting the SOHO location in Carnaby.

We enjoyed our walk on this winter evening from our hotel in Paddington.

Finally to Carnaby and then Kingly Street.

Arriving at Dishoom….well, the place was bustling, and would be even busier when we left as there was a small table available for us.

Service was on the slower side and pretty much all business….though I can totally understand based on the crowds. I ordered the one dish that came highly recommended, along with two others. There was a 30 minute wait for our first dish which arrived with a trio of “chutneys”.

The Chutney did have some heat to them; but for some reason seemed on the watery side. That Coriander and Mint Chutney reminded me of a weak salsa verde.

The first dish to arrive was the Prawn Koliwada – basically prawns tinged with the coriander and mint chutney.

The prawns were overcooked and on the chewy side. The charred edges provided some bitterness that we didn’t care for.

This was fairly bland in terms of Indian cuisine and we made good use of the Coriander and Mint Chutney.

The one dish everyone recommended to us was the Chicken Ruby, which is what Dishoom calls it’s Butter Chicken.

Hmmmm……we liked the texture of the sauce, it had some hints of ginger, but was very mild, except in the sodium department. The chicken was toothsome, but pleasant.

The Naan arrived with this.

Thin, but overly chewy, not very good.

The final dish was the Chilli Chicken which we were told reflects more of a Chinese-Indonesian influence as soy sauce was used.

This had a definite hint of sour-vinegary tones, not overly salty, decent savory flavors. It could have used more “heat” and spice. And the chicken was on the tougher side of the scale.

Hmmmm……not quite sure why folks seemed to like this place so much??? Perhaps it was an off night? But, to be perfectly honest, this really did seem like chain restaurant food. Oh well, you can’t win ’em all, right?

Dishoom Carnaby
22 Kingly St.
London, United Kingdom

Right around the corner from Dishoom is Liberty Department store and we stopped in to browse. The Missus loves the department stores in London!

And we had a nice stroll back to our room.

We had one more full day in London….and after Dishoom, the Missus was kind of concerned about the places I had chosen…..

Stay tuned!