mmm-yoso – Page 226 – As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.

Needing a bit of quiet time – Lunches at Okan and Chef Chin

May 9, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants

Recently, when I've been able to make time to escape for an actual lunch. during the lunch hour, I've been wanting some quiet time. Here are a couple of recent lunch revisits.

Okan:

Now you might think that quiet time at Okan really doesn't happen…..it does on occasion. Like early in the week. And strangely, even though I'm sometimes elbow to elbow with someone sitting on the bar; there's something strangely Japanese about the noise level….most of the time. I am a creature of habit it seems and just went for my usual here, the Tori Nanban.

I keep forgetting to ask for the tartar sauce on the side….very mayonnaise-sy, but the slight sweet-sour tones cut the richness a bit and the crunchy batter on the chicken holds up fairly well. Lest you think it's all about small dishes here; this lunch is pretty hefty. The rice was really good this time around.

And the sides were also to my taste.

Especially that okra….pleasantly slimy, just salty enough. And like before, this was just what I needed on this day……a nice break; fried food, mayo……

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Chef Chin:

**** Chef Chin has closed

Man, I hadn't been here in over a year. I really wanted some quiet and I got it here as there was not a single person in the place until I was leaving….when a party of 15 came in!

And I also got a nice laugh as I unconsciously started humming along with the muzak……until I noticed something….it was Christmas music……The Last Noel! Now I thought I was perhaps a bit confused, working too hard, maybe going tone deaf…but no; there it was "Silent Night". In a very strange way, it somehow lightened my spirits a bit…perhaps that's what we need to do….play Christmas Music in May!

Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the meal. Still a bit bummed by the lackluster Zui Ji I recently had at Tasty Noodle House, I ordered it here.

The texture of the chicken was lovely, but it had almost no wine flavor, and sigh……being the total opposite from the version at Tasty Noodle House, really needed some salt. The flavor tasted like some cold chicken you pulled from the fridge. Man, I should just give it up and head to Golden City.

I was in the mood for some noodle soup. Way back when; during those dark ages of 2012, the Niu Rou Mian here wasn't bad. But when I had it again it was not so good. Plus, they had changed the noodles. There were times when the Wuxi Spareribs here were decent, so I went with the Wuxi Sparerib Noodle Soup….my bad…..

Man, this broth was pretty bad, it tasted weirdly like tangy, burnt, five spice….with a cloud of sweetness hanging around. I also ended up drinking a ton of water as well. The noodles were the thin type and on the over-cooked side, heading toward mushiness. The spareribs were sadly very bland and, as you can tell, dry…..bummer.

It's back to the drawing board….but as a consolation prize, at least I got to listen to Christmas Carols in May, right? And the young lady working was very nice and I got some time to myself…

Chef Chin
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Time

May 8, 2017 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, well, well…..guess what time it is? Actually, I hadn't been here since the place was Green Papaya Vietnamese Pho & Grill. And after reading CC's post on this place which started with "Pho-ck This"….well, who'd blame me, right? There's is however, an acquaintance of mine who thought I should try the place and kept asking me if I did…..more on that later.

Anyway, the weather has cooled down a bit and the Missus had me running to Trader Joe's the next block over, so I thought why not?

The interior of the place hasn't changed much since I last visited the previous restaurant in this spot like almost ten years ago.

It looks a bit more run down and even though there's quite a bit of space in the place, it seems like they choose to kind of crowd the tables together. If you do visit, take a look upward; the high ceiling and windows are quite nice.

The menu is typical of your neighborhood pho shop, though the prices reflect this neighborhood; Pacific Beach. Though, of course, pho is hitting ten bucks a bowl at Pho T Cali. Another thing they have in common with Pho T Cali on my visits…I was the only Asian in the place on both visits.

Anyway, I went with the #4……regular size, even though the young man kept trying to convince me to order a large size. He didn't understand that I approach my ex-pho-rations with caution these days.

There were three distinct things that put this in the category of typical San Diego pho. First, the broth was seriously defatted and lacking in richness. Second, when did having an overly sweet broth come into fashion? I've been noticing that quite a bit lately. Third, pretty skimpy herbs and sprouts going on….the basil starting to turn color too. The one typical "San Diego Pho" attribute the soup lacked? Thankfully, it wasn't too heavy on the MSG. It did have quite a bit of anise flavor, but lacked any real beefiness.

In terms of protein….what you see on the top of the bowl was it…..not much. The flank and brisket really lacked flavor…..what there was of it. Surprisingly, the tendon had a nice texture, not as buttery as my favorites, but quite tender. It seemed that they tried to make up for the lack of meat with a ton of noodles! Man was there a huge clump in this bowl. A bit softer than I prefer, but not mushy.

Pretty much a typical run of the mill mediocre bowl of pho….not horrible, not good…….

So anyway, you know me……I decided to give the place another try on this past rainy weekend. I ordered the Banh Mi Bo Kho, not cheap at $9.25, and ended up with this rather spooky looking dish.

I'm guessing they don't sell too much of this stuff or it was the bottom of the pot as all that cloudy matter made this thing look dark. It kept separating on me; the top layer rather greasy, the bottom layer had a very strong anise flavor. Funny, no onions here….on the pho and on this. The carrots were almost raw….the beef very tough and too chewy.

The bread was nicely toasted and warm….the best part of the dish.

Like I said, almost like scraping the bottom of the barrel…..and almost ten bucks too!

The place actually had me wondering about Pho Sao Bien……

What was interesting is that I asked one of the friends of the guy who kept recommending this place to me why he thought this place was so good. turns out he's related to the owners. so I guess blood is thicker than water…..but it sure isn't thicker than that beef stew…..

Pho Time
1820 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Two Seafood Dinners in SGV – Seafood Palace; Newport Seafood

May 7, 2017 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Seafood, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Ed and Tina recently had an extended weekend in the San Gabriel Valley area, eating interesting food and going to interesting museums. So Kirk and Cathy get today off.

Tina had to work on Friday morning, so we came rolling into Temple City just about dinner time. After the drive, we were looking for something familiar and tasty, and Seafood Palace nee Seafood Village was certainly familiar (another post) and we hoped tasty.

We were happy to see the boiled peanut and pickled vegetable free appetizer:

Refreshing and enjoyable.

Of course, we ordered the house special deep-fried crab:

The flavors are impressive — Dungeness crab, dried red chilies, abundant small fried chunks of garlic, chopped scallions, and the crunchy tasty coating. This is no wimpy crab. Unfortunately, however, the crab itself was overcooked and lacked moist juiciness:

This was not a bad dish, it just fell short of its usual perfection.

On the other hand, the baked oysters in black bean sauce was close to perfect:

The oysters were firm and chewy, nicely breaded, and flavorful. The black bean sauce matched slight funkiness of the bivalves. We liked. We liked so much that we were halfway through before I stopped and took the photo.

And the house special fried rice was light and tasty:

The meal concluded with a small cup of sweet red bean soup:

In addition to the generally good food, we were pleased with the service; there appeared to be a floor manager who oversaw the waitstaff. Our waters were refreshed regularly, and plates full of shell bits were replaced with clean plates. The bill seemed reasonable:

Seafood Palace, 9669 E. Las Tunas, Temple City CA 91780, (626) 286-2299

For our last dinner in the San Gabriel Valley, we were looking for more seafood. Researching restaurants, we kept running across references to Newport Seafood; it seemed to be the gold standard for the area, but it was also expensive and famously over crowded, with long lines and waits of one to two hours.

Then I realized — we were planning on a Sunday night dinner, so there couldn't possibly be long lines. "But let's show up early, just in case," Tina suggested.

So at around 5:30 Sunday evening, we arrived at Newport Seafood, parking across the street to avoid the already crowded parking lot. Here's an exterior shot of the place:

Amazingly, there were already over a dozen people waiting for larger tables, but we got lucky and got the last booth. Here's a fuzzy interior shot:

There is also an area with several semi private rooms as well as the main dining room.

We had barely sat down when we were offered appetizers (not free) of boiled peanuts or cucumber chunks. We went with the cukes:

Very tasty, crunchy, spicy, and tangy — the nutty flavors of sesame oil in the background.

Since this was our splurge meal, we opted for some wine, ending up with the Raymond Napa Valley Chardonnay, which was okay though the restaurant was out of our first choice:

Then came hot and sour catfish soup:

Stunningly good. Not at all like Chinese hot and sour soup, this was redolent of the complex flavors of southeast Asia — pineapple, tomato, lemongrass, cilantro, green chilies, celery and more, closer to hot and sweet than hot and sour. Along with that good broth was a lot of catfish (wonderfully fresh, but somewhat bony) and numerous chunks of fruits and veggies along with chopped bean sprouts. A carnival of tastes.

But we had really come for lobster. The menu offers five different lobster presentations (including simply steamed), but whichever you choose, you get an entire lobster. We opted for the Newport special preparation. It arrived looking very special:

Chopped green chilies, diced scallions, and black pepper were the dominant seasonings. Lobster flesh exposed by the chopping had been breaded before the lobster was fried. While not as moist as steamed lobster, the meat was flavorful, fresh, and juicy when extracted from the shells:

The first-rate New England lobster was a real treat, and the preparation was flavorful.

We also ordered the clams in black bean sauce:

The black bean sauce didn't seem quite as tasty as the one at Seafood Palace two nights before. The clams, however, were perfect –exceedingly tender and mildly clammy, highest-quality bivalves treated well.

By this point of the meal, we realized a certain unplanned similarity between our two seafood dinners. Yes, Seafood Palace features chiu chow cuisine, and Newport Seafood is in the style of Tan Cang, a small port by the Mekong River estuary, but chiu chow dishes often show Southeast Asian influences. And yes, the fried crustaceans were different, as were the mollusks in black bean sauce, but the overall pattern of the dinners was largely the same, hence this post.

Anyway, at the end of the meal at Newport, we received a complementary chopped orange:

And the bill for the meal:

The overall experience Newport was positive. While the waitstaff was not as attentive as Seafood Palace, it was certainly professional and unobtrusive. The food was excellent. So we were happy as we walked out of the restaurant past the couples and families waiting for the next table to open up.

We had a good time in the SGV.

Newport Seafood Restaurant, 518 W. Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel CA 91776, (626) 289-5998 (website)

Dijon – Back to Église Notre-Dame de Dijon and Dinner at Chez Leon

May 6, 2017 mmm-yoso Burgundy, France, French Restaurants, Travel

Remember that I made wish when rubbing the "Owl of Dijon"? Well, it wasn't an outlandish wish….nothing like world peace and goodwill to men….not even monetary wealth. I made a humble little ask….for dinner of course! You see, one of my objectives for our time in Burgundy, was to try the regional specialties, especially items that the Missus had never been particularly fond of. I had a place named Chez Leon in mind, but had not been able to get thru and make reservations. My thought was to drop by during lunch service and make reservations then. But, by the time we arrived, they were closed.

Bummer…..but then, I think "The Owl" came through. A young lady walked out to update the chalkboard….and guess what? We had reservations. The Missus thinks "the owl" thing is just silliness. Me, well, I dunno…….

We got back to the hotel, checked into our room, and took a short nap. We awoke refreshed and the Missus just wanted to get going. Our reservations were for 7pm (when they open) and we still had some time to kill. so we decided to explore Dijon a bit more.

The was in the process of setting when we arrived in front of the Église Notre-Dame.

We found that the doors were wide open, welcoming us to enter.

The one item to see here is the Statue of Notre-Dame de Bon-Espoir (Our Lady of Good Hope). It is thought that this wooden statue dates back to the Eleventh or Twelfth Century.

There are several miracles attributed to this statue. You an read about them on the French Wikipedia site for Église Notre-Dame de Dijon.

Walking around during the evening seems to add an air of mystery…….like something is going to happen around every corner.

The architecture sure adds to the atmosphere.

As do the citizens….both the two legged and four legged ones.

We arrived at Chez Leon right as the doors open. The two women working here were really friendly and nice. The atmosphere, simple and welcoming.

It was a good thing we made reservations; the place filled up rather quickly, and folks without reservations were turned away…..even some rather unhappy locals who seemed like friends of the owner! The menu is simple….and only available in French.

The Missus selected the wine and dessert and left the rest to me.

I had always wanted to try Oeufs en Meurette; a classic Burgundian preparation of poached eggs in a red wine sauce. It looks kind of messy, but man, this was good.

You know the Missus loves Her eggs, right? This was very nice; a little tanginess from the Pinot Noir sauce, nice richness, great with bread.

The Missus had never been a fan of escargot. And in fact, didn't want me to order it. But since this is one of the specialties of Burgundy…well, we had to try it right? Oh, and this converted the Missus into an escargot lover.

Though the Missus ended up ordering escargot at almost every meal in Burgundy; I thought, in terms of the snails, this was the best. They were plump, mild in flavor, and pretty tender. For the Missus, I found that it was the garlicky parsley butter that makes the dish for Her.

The Missus ordered the Souris d'Agneau; lamb shanks. This one with a very nice risotto and a wonderful jus, with just enough rosemary.

The lamb was wonderfully gamey and fork tender….as in, not falling to pieces, but tender enough to cut with a fork.

Of course I got the boeuf bourguignon. After all….we were in Burgundy!

The sauce was a nice beefy-wine sauce with hints of onions. The beef was very tender and bursting with beefy flavors….nothing fancy mind you; but good, solid, comfort food.

The Missus enjoyed the dessert; especially that sorbet.

The service was friendly, the atmosphere relaxed and unpretentious, the food solid, the prices quite reasonable…….what's not to like?

Plus, we were in Burgundy, feasting on Escargot and Boeuf Bourguignon.

This was a nice way of getting ourselves familiarized with the flavors and food of Burgundy.

Chez Leon
20 rue des Godrans
21000, Dijon, France

And we just knew we'd be having a great time!

Thanks for reading!

Burgundy – Doing the “Parcours de la Chouette” (The Owl’s Trail) in Dijon

May 4, 2017 mmm-yoso Burgundy, Desserts, France, Travel

The Missus was rather reluctant to leave Paris behind, but we had plans to visit Burgundy on this trip. Taking the TGV to Dijon from Paris-Gare de Lyon Station was a snap, though in the typical way, there's basically a cattle call….everyone watches the schedule to figure out what track your train will be leaving from. When they finally list your track…everyone heads off.

Our hotel; the Hostellerie Du Chapeau Rouge was just a short walk from the train station. The staff was wonderful and the room while small, was comfortable enough for a one night stay. There's actually a Michelin Two Star restaurant in the hotel; but I had other things in mind for our short stay. Like dropping off our bags and heading on a nice little walk. The Owl ("Chouette") is the city's symbol and I'd read about a nice little walk known as the Owl's Trail. So we basically headed off found the brass Owl signs on the sidewalk and headed off.

The walk takes you past and thorugh most of the major sights in Dijon, like Place de la Libération…

Place François-Rude, also known as Place du Bareuzai for the statue of the basically nude winemaker treading the grapes, is considered the heart of the pedestrian zone in Dijon.

There a quite a few structures with what is called "Toits Bourguignons", the Burgundian polychrome roofs in the area.

We decided to take a break….the Missus wanted a snack and some coffee, so we stopped in this very colorful shop.

Where we got our caffeine fix and the Missus sampled some macarons.

Which the Missus really enjoyed.

Fortified, we headed off down Rue de Forges, a pedestrian "historical" street full of wonderfully kept and restored structures. You'd head through a doorway and down the dark entrance and find yourself staring at an interesting courtyard. This one is at number 38 Rue de Forges; the former residence of the Jean Maillard, the Mayor of Dijon, originally constructed in 1560.

Finally ending up at Église Notre-Dame de Dijon a good example of Gothic design.

The church is well known for several features; the Gargoyles; 51 of them on the Western side of the church.

There is also the clock, with its Jacquemart is also well known. You'll notice that along with the Bell-Striker, there are several other "automatons". According to the story, the Jacquemart was placed there around 1500. It soon became a favorite of the citizens of the city. To the point that they started worrying about its mental health……thinking that loneliness and extended celibacy might be weighing heavily upon the poor guy. So around 1650 or so; he was blessed with a wife; they called her Jacqueline and the shared duties striking the bell. In 1714 poet Aimé Piron asked that this poor chaste couple be given a child and so a son, Jacquelinet was "born". Needing someone to share the duties of striking the bell on the quarter hours led to Jacquelinette, a "daughter" being added in 1884.

There was one thing I really wanted to see….or actually rub. Around the corner, on Rue de la Chouette (Owl Street), you'll see a rather worn carving in the side of the church.

This is the "Magic Owl of Dijon". Rubbing the sculpture with your left hand while making a wish, will make it come true and I think it worked; more on that in a later post.

After rubbing the owl…..for some reason that sounds somewhat profane, we decided to slow down and relax a bit. So we headed back, stopping at a couple of…..well, this is Dijon, right? Mustard shops to sample the nasal clearing condiments.

As we headed back to check into our room.

So what was it I wished for?

Stay tuned!

Facing East

May 3, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

Man, has Facing East been open almost 6 months now? They created a bit of a buzz when they first opened with Mary, Jinxi (BTW, hope all works out for you Jinxi!), Faye, and Kirbie making their way to the site that used to be Dede's for over a decade. I actually made 3 visits in the first 4 months and each time left shaking my head…..not quite sure what was going on here. Granted, these were lunch visits, but each was uniquely odd….and each was made with friends; the first two with "C" and "YZ" who both have Shanghai connections, both were really interested in the somewhat faddish version and conventional versions Xiao Long Bao, the last with "W and A", whom I ran into in the parking lot….we ended up sharing a not so good lunch together.

Each took over an hour for lunch. The first time we went we got there at 1145, the open sign was on, but he place was completely dark. We waited a bit and walked in….turns out the front of house staff hadn't shown up yet and we were shown to a table, where we cooled our heels sitting in the dark, until staff showed up at noon.

By my second visit, word had gotten out and the place filled up really quickly. Lunch took about an hour and a half and of course the staff could feel the pressure. We saw several of our dishes head to wrong tables before making its way to us and we had one dish delivered that we hadn't ordered. The saddest thing was this dude who I could see was getting agitated waiting for his XLB. But this….well, let's be polite…guy….well two of his servers were guys and he held his tongue. Then the young lady went over to bring him his XLB and he totally unloaded on her, screaming and swearing. Of course, he wouldn't do that to any of the guys; he waited until the tiny young lady came along.

The third visit….lunch took two hours and I realized that I was done with the place for a while. In current state this means the difference between a ten hour day and a possible twelve hour day. Still, for some reason I decided not to do a post. I held my tongue until a few weeks ago; a fourth visit, which will be at the end of the post.

Facing East has an interesting "fusiony" and somewhat ambitious menu with everything from Tacos Al Pastor (on our first visit, we found that the family has a Chinese Restaurant in Ensenada), which I think is now off the menu, to Chicken Karaage, to a somewhat "Bo Luc Lac-ish" Filet Mignon with Rice, and Kimchi (and cheese!) Fried Rice.

Anyway, I'm sure you're most interested in the food. Here's a summary of what I had during my first three visits, first to worse.

Interestingly, the best dish I had…even "YZ" enjoyed it was a version of Mei Cai Kou Rou.

The pork belly was just tender enough, the soy-sugar ratio was good in the sauce; the preserved vegetable was tender and not too salty. The rice was a bit on the dry side but this wasn't bad at all.

The Chicken Karaage was interesting. As the batter was more of a lacquer – crunchy, "toriten" style and the chicken was served in a sweet-vinegar style sauce which went well with the fried chicken.

The chicken was moist, the flavors, while teetering on salty, was balanced out by that dressing.

The best XLB I've had here…..I've had it twice, is the (almost) Foie Gras, basically a goose liver version of the bao. Another thing of note; I've had 6 orders of the XLB here……in each order there was at least one XLB that had leaked.

Also of note; several times, the top knot of the XLB was hard. Also, and I find the XLB here lacking in soup and the pork versions are rather tough. I think the foie gras adds enough of that slightly livery-rich flavor to offset some of the shortcomings.

The chicken wings could have been a winner; it was crunchy and moist.

But on both occasions I've had this; they were way too salty. You basically couldn't taste anything else in spite of the five spice sprinkled on the wings.

Taking a totally different road from the fried chicken; the Cured Meat Rice Kettle was really bland, the gailan under cooked, there was not enough sauce, and the rice at the bottom of the kettle was rock hard.

There is of course, the Squid Ink – Black Truffle XLB.

Which does make quite an impression visually. The skins on these had a bit of a strange texture to both "C" and I. There was also not enough "soup" in these. Yes, truffle oil flavor, but not much else…oh, and I tried eating these in the traditional style with ginger and black vinegar…man, that was a mistake. 2 of the 10 XLB had also leaked out.

Of the two more conventional XLB…..the Pork and Crab is better.

The straight pork filling is on the tough side….and this'll be strange coming from me if you know me…the broth wasn't sweet enough and was in short supply. The wrappers, while not terrible, doesn't allow for what I call the "XLB Hang".

When visiting with "W and A" we ordered two rice plates; the first (both W and A are ethnically Vietnamese, so I knew they'd go for this) was the Filet Mignon Rice.

Slightly toothsome, but weak in flavor, with a tinge of that rather unpleasant metallic flavor.

The Oxtail Rice had a decent sauce that edged on being too salty.

The oxtail were really tough, which made eating this messy and rather unpleasant.

So yep, that was it……I realized that I just wasn't hip or perhaps not sequacious enough to enjoy and appreciate the food. Or perhaps, it's my lack of a sweet tooth that has me not order any of the desserts. I will say this though….none of my eating partners ever went back to Facing East.

Still, I decided to wait things out a bit and returned a few weeks ago. Strangely, the place was empty for the entire hour I was there, not a single other customer.

Could it be that lunch is just not the time to eat here? Or perhaps folks have learned that lunch might just too long…..

Deciding not to push my luck with ordering the XLB or anything that might extend my lunch; I went with the Niu Rou Mian; Beef Noodle Soup. After all, I was told they make their own noodles and this, at heart is a Taiwanese Restaurant, right?

The soup was very hot; I enjoyed the preserved vegetable, which really helped the flavor of the broth which seemed to have a whole bunch of white pepper in it, but wasn't overly salty. The beef – soy sauce – anise tones were really in the background; though there was a bit of spice to things. Just two small pieces of tasteless beef in this. The noodles were decent, a bit overcooked, but had a nice doughy-pull to them…except for that giant clump of noodles in the center of the bowl.

Still, an hour for a bowl of noodle soup? With my schedule at work these days, I just can't do that. I mentioned having to wait over 40 minutes for some noodle soup to the young man working. His response? A shrug of the shoulders….it's not his fault things took so long, but perhaps he could have said something like, "I'll mention this to the kitchen….." Or something like that.

So perhaps….if…a BIG IF….I return it'll be for dinner. The service is quite hit and miss…..the folks are as a whole nice; but I saw a lot of mistakes/mix ups….though hopefully things are better now.

Facing East
4647 Convoy St Suite 101C
San Diego, CA 92111
Open Daily:
1130am – 1030pm

Revisits – Tasty Noodle House and Prime Grill

May 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Man, when did summer start? I've been craving a few of my "warm weather" favorites recently. Here are a couple more…..

Tasty Noodle House:

Remember, back in October I was craving some Zui Ji (Drunken Chicken) from Tasty Noodle House and they were out of it? Well, it was warm enough that I was willing to brave that horrid parking lot and return to see if I could get some thing time around.

And guess what….they had it.

Now the version here had always had a strong wine flavor and been on the salty side. Today, it was much too salty, as in almost unpleasant to eat. Too bad, because it was fairly tender and almost boneless. But man, this was way too salty.

I also ordered the Chao Nian Gao (stir fried rice cakes), which, while usually a bit undercooked on past visits, had been decent overall.

In terms of flavor, this was fine, a light touch of sesame oil, the mild bitterness of the Jì Cài (Shepherd's Purse). But today this was overcooked and mushy.

Sadly, I'd been waiting for warmer days to return here, but the food just didn't measure up this time around. I think I need to switch things up a bit.

Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Prime Grill:

One of my favorite warm weather dish is Bibim Naengmyun…something about those chilled and chewy noodles combined with a bit of spice that I find refreshing. Calvin wanted some Korean food for lunch….but not barbecue or anything like that….. So we thought we'd hit up Prime Grill. Funny, Calvin didn't even know what Bibim Naengmyun was…..

The variety of panchan wasn't particularly good this time around; though I think they make the best baechu kimchi. While it's doesn't compare to Korea, it has a touch of fermented flavor and isn't overly salty as most restaurant versions in San Diego.

While a bit under-sauced, I prefer the way the noodles are prepared here in comparison to…say, Buga. They use a thinner version of the buckwheat based noodle; while still chewy, it isn't like eating rubberbands. I'm not sure if it's just me; but I find the cho-jang here to be a bit more sweet than other places. A dash of vinegar a bit more sauce….a touch of sweat on the brow and I feel refreshed.

We also ordered the Yukhoe. Sorry about the photo, the nice lady mixed everything, the egg yolk, pear, pine nuts up right when she brought the dish to the table. The meat was a bit too frozen when the dish arrived, but the texture got better, and we could make out the other flavors especially the hidden pieces of garlic which had some major bite as the dish thawed. Not too sure I'd order this here again though….even though it's a favorite dish of mine.

Just in case this wasn't enough, I ordered the Kimchi Pajun. Since I enjoyed the baechu kimchi here, I wondered how it would taste in savory pancake form.

While this could have been a bit more crisp, it wasn't soggy nor too doughy and you could taste the kimchi. Not a bad dish….though we could only finish a slice a piece. Calvin took the leftovers home.

Overall, a nice meal…..the Missus and I returned a couple of days later and though I didn't take any photos, I thought the Bibim Naengmyun was even better. What was even more interesting was that all the Korean customers were getting that….so I guess it is a nice remedy to the warmer weather we're having!

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Nagoya – Kaburaya (Main Store) and Kinshachi Nagoya Akamiso Beer

May 1, 2017 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Nagoya, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

We were feeling a bit tired after having a full day. So we decided to stay close to the apartment. With ESCA and whole bunch of other shopping centers the choice for dinner was endless. The Missus was fascinated with a place just a block away. Upon entering this place looked basically like an Izakaya……the day was finishing up for folks here in Nagoya. And folks were enjoying a beer (or two) and a bite (or more) to eat.

Looking at the menu cracked me up….along with a bunch of "obanzai" style dishes, there seemed to be every Nagoya specialty on the menu….from Nagoya Teba, to Miso Katsu, to Hitsumabushi, to Kishimen! And some of the menu translations were quite humorous as well…….

We ordered a random collection of dishes and were quite surprised at how good some of them was.

The Missus isn't a fan of Kushi Katsu; but She went for it ordering two Miso Kushi Katsu.

The miso here isn't overly salty, a tad sweet, a thick, hearty texture, the panko was still crisp, the pork surprisingly tender.

The Missus was totally in love with offal in Japan, so the "Gacchan"; pork stomach stew was a natural choice.

Again, with miso, this was very nicely sweet – miso umami, comforting, the pork stomach had a nice chew…….again, surprisingly not very salty.

Out of curiosity, I ordered the kishimen, Nagoya's signature noodle soup. Not expecting much, we, especially the Missus, was pleasantly surprised.

The broth had a nice, almost a condensed, dashi flavor, deep umami. The flat, udon like noodles, had a good stretch to them and the texture stood up for the entire bowl. The Missus enjoyed this so much, she asked me to find one other shop for this before we left…….that was going to be a bit of a challenge, but I did find a shop (stay tuned) in an interesting location.

We were really enjoying ourselves and decided to try some other items….including this.

Yep, local beer….made with red miso? Ohhhh-kay.

Interesting flavor; slightly sweet salty-caramel, mildly malty. Not something I'd crave….but nice to try once.

I just couldn't "not" order the Unagi Honsenbei…..but man, this was way too large a portion.

Crisp, crunchy, nicely salted……. the Missus got tired of this fairly quickly.

We decided to end with the Tori Nanban….it's usually chicken karaage, topped with vinegar and tartar sauce. What we got was a bit too over-the-top for us.

The flavor of the karaage itself was fairly neutral; decently fried, a bit of soy and some nice savory tones. That sauce was a bit too much……like a crazy thousand island dressing; mayo-ketchup, with green onions, celery……carrots! Overpowering the chicken. We'd obviously hit the wall after this one……..

Kaburaya was a pleasant surprise and the Missus really enjoyed Herself. In fact, She'd want another Izakaya during this trip.

The service here was quite friendly. We loved the young lady who Served us, "my English is pretty good, yes?" Yes, it was.

Kaburaya Main Store
15-8 Tsubakicho Nakamura-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi, 453-0015
Chitose GL building B2 – 1F
Open Daily 11am – 1130pm

Pho Banh Mai Revisited

April 30, 2017 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

The opening of Pho Duyen Mai (whose owners used to run Pho Banh Mai) has cut down on my visits Pho Banh Mai. But a few months back, I started wondering how things were going at PBM, so I headed over for breakfast since PBM opens at 9am on the weekends.

Things were pretty quiet on this weekend morning.

I had, for all intents and purposes decided to check out the Banh Xeo, to compare it with the version at Duyen Mai. But I got distracted along the way with the "new" specials menu.

That Vietnamese Steak and Eggs (with pate!); sounded really interesting, so there was a change of plans and I order that. What arrived was a sizzling plate; with a pseudo bo luc lac and an egg frying.

Man, look at all the oil in the plate! It did make this kind of a greasy breakfast. The meat wasn't very tender, very mild in flavor, it could have used a more effective marinade, and it eventually bled all over the egg. I actually used all the nuoc mam cham on the meat. I rescued the egg before it started getting burnt, the yolk still soft and enjoyed that with the cube of pate provided on the banh mi.

I couldn't help thinking that I should have ordered the Banh Xeo…..

And that was it for a couple of months. Then, a few weeks before our trip, one of my meetings finished early, so a colleague asked me if I wanted to grab some lunch. And let me choose; so it was off to Pho Banh Mai. She got to choose a dish and I got to choose one. Oh, and those "specials" were no longer to be seen.

Sadly, even after explaining that the Nem Nuong Cuon and the Chao Tom Cuon were better than the Goi Cuon (she kinda freaked when I mentioned shrimp paste or pork "sausage") here, she insisted on getting that.

Man, this was really dry and tasteless, lacking in any herbaceous flavors….it was also two shrimp slices per spring roll. The best part of the dish was the dipping sauce; which had just enough sweetness to balance things out.

I must have done better describing the Banh Xeo to her as I was allowed to order that. Of course, when it arrived, she stared at it like it was going to jump up and bite her. In the end, after demonstrating how to eat it; she loved it.

Actually, I think this version is a tad better than what I've had at Pho Duyen Mai; it's a bit more crisp, the filling moist….not super stuffed, but a nice light arrangement of pork and shrimp. The lettuce and herbs were sparkling and crisp; though the nuoc mam cham seemed a bit more watered down than what I recalled from previous visits. I do think the Banh Xeo has actually gotten better here over time.

So, while I probably won't be having lunch with this person anymore. I'll try to drop by Pho Banh Mai more often. The service was different during my two visits; perfunctory during the breakfast, but friendly during lunch.

Pho Ban Mai
8991 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

The Nakasendo Trail – Onward to Tsumago

April 29, 2017 mmm-yoso Hida-Takayama and Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Travel

After heading uphill at Magome; the well marked trail meanders off; up and downhill, across roads and sometimes for short spans alongside the highway.

Occasionally, you'd hear the ringing of the "Bear Bell" off in the distance. So, we started doing the same as well when coming across those bells.

You'd sometimes come across a small village…..

Some of which look like the real life rendition of a painting.

There are a couple of restrooms along the way and a few rest stops. The mild drizzle, wasn't much more than a mild nuisance. After heading down from the summit of the Magome is this place; the Tateba Tea House (Ichikoku Tochi Tateba Chaya), a nice rest stop.

Volunteers from the local preservation association runs this quaint, rustic tea house, and it gives you insight into life during the days before electricity and other conveniences.

A "kagizuru", the traditional Japanese hearth is central heating; though there was also a wood burning cast iron stove onto one side. We learned that the smoke keeps insects and pests out and helps to harden and treat the wood.

There was a tour group of German and French who were just getting ready to leave when we arrived. The guide greeted us in Japanese and I answered. When I thanked her for the nice history of the building she looked shocked, then laughed. I guess we really can pass for Japanese here! You get a nice pot of tea and some snacks gratis. Just don't forget to leave a small donation so this place can keep on doing their thing.

It seems that everything has a story here. Like this union of two cypress trees that have been joined as one.

A "Husband and Wife" tree.

The forest near the halfway point between Magome and Tsumago is quite beautiful. Tall, straight trees reach to the skies…..

The crystal clear water in streams roll pass…..

Much like when we hiked the Samaria Gorge; we found some fallen branches and ended up using them as walking sticks.

Leaning them against a wall at the outskirts of Tsumago, thinking they may be of help to folks walking in the opposite direction one day.

Eventually, you get to the hill that overlooks a couple of villages with Tsumago in the distance.

And you follow the signs as the trail leads to Tsumago.

Tsumago itself is quite atmospheric; you feel like you've stepped into the past.

And the overcast skies and occasional drizzle seemed to add to things…….

We came across this display in one of the buildings.

Man, it was quite an impressive Hinamatsuri (Girl's Day) display. According to the sign; this region celebrates Hinamatsuri one month later than other areas.