mmm-yoso – Page 247 – 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.

Underbelly (North Park)

July 10, 2016 mmm-yoso Ramen

One of the guys I know loves this place and keeps telling me I need to check them out. I've told him that I'd been to the Little Italy location a couple of times and have basically found them to be more style than substance. But on a recent weekend morning I found my self in the area and thought "why not"?

Being right around the corner from Tacos Perla and right next to Modern Times Flavordome I'd passed the place enough times. Same drill as the Little Italy location, order at the counter, grab a seat at the table. I do like the lay-out; though I tend to think of ramen as being something for milder, cooler weather; all this outdoor type seating seems to be taking quite a different tangent. Still, really nice counter folks, the guy who brought me my drink was also great.

I simply went with the "Belly of the Beast". At $12, I think it's a dollar cheaper now……

The broth was just above lukewarm, not my favorite temperature for ramen broth. I'm sure the "no-spoon" thing has something to do with that…..though I understand that you can get spoons these days…by request. It was lacking in richness, and not much in terms of flavor other than being much more salty than I recalled. No deep umami, or subtle, nuanced saltiness, it was basically very dull. I left most of it.

There were even less noodles than before; pretty much standard issue, but prepped well; but too crumbly, lacking a nice pull.

If there's anything that set Underbelly apart from other ramen shops (other than the no spoons and hipster-ish-ness), it was the proteins. As before, I found the oxtail dumplings to be on the mushy side; but for some reason, it seems like there's a bit of kimchi in them now, which helped the flavor. As before, I could note no hoisin flavor on the short rib and though I liked the fat on the beef brisket, which also had a decent beefiness, the center of the meat was cold.

Now the egg was the best item, as it was decently soft boiled, and the flavor was right in the ballpark. But the yolk was ice cold….which really didn't go too well with a now almost room temperature broth.

All in all, I think Underbelly has taken a few steps backwards. I took a look at the beer list, which was pretty good. So perhaps that's what Underbelly has become. More of a Gastropub that serves ramen? Well, at least I gave this location a try.

Underbelly
3000 Upas St
San Diego, CA 92104

Dordogne – Hitting the Road, Cadouin, and Dinner at Criquettamu’s

July 8, 2016 mmm-yoso Dordogne, France, France, French Restaurants, Travel

While researching our trip it became obvious that we’d need a car to make the most of our trips in and around the Dordogne River Valley. Since this wasn’t some crazy big city I decided to rent a car for a couple of days.

I’d made arrangements for a rental to be picked at the local Europcar office in Sarlat. The process was painless, the folks there quite friendly. As I mentioned when I drove around Crete, almost every car I’ve seen is a “stick”. So I’m glad to have learned to drive in my friend’s 70 ‘Cuda, which had probably the hardest clutch I’ve ever had to use. When on these trips, I think it best to get the smallest, easiest to hande, gas efficient, car you can get. We had a small Peugeot. I also requested a GPS, which was provided. There was one little glitch…..it was in French! So what better way to learn a few words in French, than with your GPS commanding you, “Le Gauche…..La Droite….Sortie….” It was almost like a song….”le gauche, la droite, sortie….le gauche, la droite, sortie”. Basically, to the left, to the right, exit. But of course it sounds much better in French….repeat after me; “le gauche, la droite, sortie…..”

One other thing that threw me off a bit were all the roundabouts….where you gotta know when it’s your turn and then make that quick decision of which exit (Sortie) is yours. There were a few times where we took a lap or two in a roundabout.

As a whole folks were pretty relaxed out here; there’s no freeway, so no one is blasting it down the road. Once I saw an ambulance approach from the back, lights flashing. I just crept over the right. The guys actually smiled and waved at us as they passed!

The payoff was being able to see some of the beautiful countryside. It was like being part of an ever moving painting at times.

I was just trying to get used to driving in the area, so we had no particular place in mind and ended up at this impressive, yet haunting looking church.

Looking at our map we had arrived at Cadouin Abbey, founded in 1115, the church was consecrated in 1154.

Cadouin was once an important pilgrimage destination; to quote “The Abbey became a major pilgrim destination in the Middle Ages because of a piece of cloth thought to be part of the shroud of Jesus Christ. Pilgrims visiting the shroud included Richard the Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine. In the 1930s the cloth was shown to date from the 12th century and the abbey immediately lost its role as a pilgrimage destination”

The Missus, while reading the Michelin Green Guide found that in 1934 two scholars found that the embroidered bands mentioned an emir and caliph who rules Egypt in the 11th and 12th century. Man, you can’t make this kind of stuff up, can you? It kind of looks like the figure to the right has his finger in the air saying, “but wait a minute!!!!”

There was just so much to see, like this quaint little church. This town wasn’t even on our map. The GPS said it was Saint-Avit-Rivière. The Wikipedia page says the “Commune” has a population of 80.

The façade of this church was quite charming.

A few minutes later we passed through a fairy tale like forest; the trees swaying gently above us.

And ended up outside the walls of a town named Monpazier, a well known “Bastide” (fortified) town. The town was founded in 1284 by Edward I of England, basically to command and control the roads and commerce in the area. The Porte Saint Jacques was our entrance to this historic town.

We took a different route back to Sarlat; but it was no less beautiful.

The biggest challenge with the car for me wasn’t the driving, it was finding some parking once we got back to Sarlat. I finally found a spot 5 blocks away from where we were staying.

We walked on over to the restaurant the fellow in the TI recommended to us, by the name of Criquettamu’s. It was a nice place, with small out door seating along the alleyway and a decent sized dining room.

It was a good thing we had made reservations; the place filled up quickly. The menu was “interesting” as it featured some truly French styled dishes, but also some rather strange “International” dishes. The couples on the tables on both sides of us; who spoke French, both ordered “sushi”…..which looked quite bad. It really made me worried about what we had ordered. I needed some wine to calm me down.

This was quite a full bodied wine, with some tannic tones, a nice stone fruit flavor.

When our starter arrived, my doubts about this place increased a bit more. The trilogy of foie gras mi cuit was a bit of a disappointment.

All three were quite dry, almost crumbly. The version poached in red wine tasted a bit off; the best of the lot was the standard foie gras, which was still much too dry for my taste and lacking in flavor. The version stuffed with figs had a strong livery flavor. By far the most disappointing foie gras we had the entire trip.

Just as I ready to write this place off, my Duck Breast with Seared Foie Gras and Morel Mushroom Sauce arrived.

I don’t even remember the potatoes, nor the salad; but that nice, rare duck breast, and melt in your mouth, rich foie gras, topped with a sauce with the earth nutty morels, brought together with a touch of sweetness, this was very nice. The portion size was on the large size and at 24€ (about $28 at the time), this was a bargain.

The Missus’s dish was good, though not spectacular. Instead of the usual Duck Confit; She went with the Goose Confit (18€).

While I thought the skin of the goose could have been a bit more crisp; man was this rich and fatty. The texture of the meat was so velvety and rich, it basically melted in your mouth. I actually thought the flavor was milder than duck.

Overall, we thought the service, while on the slow side was quite nice. We chuckled at the presentation of the food as it looked a bit dated. We enjoyed our entrees, but that foie gras was probably the least favorite version(s) we had on our trip.

**** Criquettamu’s has closed

Criquettamu’s
5 rue Armes
Sarlat-la-Caneda, France

After dinner, we took a final lap around Sarlat-la-Caneda. Come morning we’d be moving on.

The town just seemed to have so much charm and character; we were sorry to be leaving the next morning. But we had a tight schedule to keep.

Thanks for reading!

Tokyo: Shinagawaya Yaesu

July 7, 2016 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

We got into Tokyo mid-afternoon, and proceeded to take the Narita Express to Tokyo Station. We decided to stay in the Nihombashi area fairly close to Tokyo Station. Our apartment was pretty small; like really small, though it had a laundry in the basement (remember the Jingisukan?). So we took care of all of that stuff; got in a short nap. By the time we woke up the sun had set and it was time for dinner. In spite of the hustle and bustle, we really liked this area, it made travel around the city quite easy. Anyway, with my trusty pocket wifi, I looked up our first option on my map; some Oden sounded great, but there was a huge line at Otako Honten. Plan B, grab some yakitori from Isehiro, but they were strangely closed down for the night. Plan C? I dunno….. I guess we'd grab some ramen from this little shop.

Boy did they like the signs and the posters….and the lamps! Even inside. The young lady working was a joy, very friendly, and patient.

Anyway, we ordered the Max #1 ramen, large size for me, a negi gohan, and onsen tamago for the Missus who'd of course share some of my ramen.

Man, that was shredded scallion allright….with some nice pieces of pork and a quail egg.

This was actually pretty tasty as they sauced the rice. Plus, the Missus loved the egg.

The ramen was different from other versions I've had.

That broth was really fatty, the texture was almost like oil. It had some definite chicken tones and some porkiness as well….but good lord it was so rich to be almost greasy. It also bordered on being quite salty. Good thing it was quite hot or we'd have some sludge on our hands. That egg was quite good, nice flavor, and nicely soft boiled. I really enjoyed the noodles which were fairly thick, a bit flat, but had been prepared to a wonderful pull and chew. I don't know why places here in San Diego have such a hard time getting it right, when this random ramen place on the corner here in Tokyo nailed it? The pork was a bit on the chewy side, but had decent flavor.

The quail egg and the spinach was an interesting touch. Walking back to the apartment, I suddenly realized we'd just had Yokohama style Iekei Ramen. I remembered reading about the shop that spawned this style of ramen, Yoshimura in Yokohama. And the thing that really made this place a legend was that the owners of Yoshimura-ya actually gave away the recipe to anyone who wanted it!

This was actually pretty good, if a bit too greasy and salty for my taste. No complaints for a random ramen shop we found.

Sorry about the address; I couldn't find a Romanized version of it.

Shinagawaya Yaesu
八重洲2-3-9
Chūō, 東京都〒103-0028, Japan

We walked back to the apartment with warm bellies. Tomorrow would be a rather early day as we were heading to Kamakura.

Thanks for reading!

Midweek Meanderings – It is Great Wow Restaurant, FuAn Garden Changes Course, Prime Grill Soft Opening, and Marukai is no Longer a Membership Market

July 6, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Markets & Grocers

Quite a bit of stuff happening on "Da Mesa's".

It is Great Wow Restaurant:

Remember the somewhat cryptic hand written sign on cardboard I posted on several months back?

I had thought that it might have been a typo. But apparently it's not. Meet the soon to open Great Wow. My sources told me there's a Beijing connection on this one. Wow…..

In the former location of Goldfish World.

3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Fu An Garden Changes Course:

Well, I think it was inevitable. The folks that used to work at Ba Ren bugged out a while back and my last meal there was terrible. So meet Fuan Garden Seafood Restaurant.

Same source told me that there's a Jasmine connection with this one….so perhaps I'll temper any excitement I may have.

Fuan Garden Seafood Restaurant
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ready for Prime Grill's Soft Opening?:

Back in January I noticed that the old (Blue) Korea House was becoming something named Prime Grill.

Then in April, Eater mentioned that this will be a "High End" Korean Barbecue. That might be something to get excited about! Passing by this past weekend I noticed a sign for a soft opening from July 11th. So there you go!

4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Marukai is No Longer a Membership Store:

At least the SoCal stores. As of July first. They replaced my card with one that acts like the typical supermarket discount card, but also allows you to accumulate points. Not sure for what, but I guess I'll find out.

Also of note, I was told that Marukai in Hawaii will be using a different system….so we'll see what happens when I travel back "home".

Marukai Market
8151 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Sabores Colombianos

July 5, 2016 mmm-yoso Colombian Food and Restaurants

In the comments section of my post on Tamales from El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante; "Black Belt Jonez" (BTW, I love the Handle – I actually saw the movie starring Jim Kelly at the old American Theater on Hotel Street in Chinatown) mentioned Sabores Colombianos which was close by. Funny thing, I had just noticed the place on the drive up to El Salvador Pupuseria. So, I put the place on my "list" and managed to visit a couple of times over the last few months.

The restaurant is located on the corner of University and 37th street. If I recall, this used to be a Thai Restaurant for a while. The folks working here always seemed so friendly and welcoming; though timing and service can be a bit spotty. The dining room is simple and functional.

Part of the strangeness is that the register and reception area is in a totally separate room, so if you walk into the dining area, they might not even know you're there for a while. These days, I grab a menu by the door and just walk to a table.

On my first visit; I went with a favorite from Antojitos Colombianos; the Lengua en Salsa. Here they give you a rather large bowl of soup to start.

Man, this was pretty hefty for an accompaniment. Nice chicken flavored broth, with some whole potatoes and a couple of crunchy, but pleasant pieces of tripe. Decent flavor, not too salty.

The flavor of the Lengua en Salsa was good, the tangy sauce and vegetables; the condensed beefiness of the tongue. The portion size was quite large.

On the other side of things; the tongue was a bit more tough than I enjoy and the yucca frita wasn't crisp. The plantain was delish and I enjoyed the creaminess the avocado brought to the dish.

A few weeks later, I was in the area and thought I'd drop by for a snack….which would be anything but a "small bite".

The experience took on a rather strange tone as this woman walked up to the front of the place and started to display some rather odd behavior; like praying to the trash receptacle, then making stabbing motions at the telephone pole. Then, gasp….she saw me inside the restaurant and started making strange faces, then turned her back and started making bizarre hand signals to me. Since there was no one else in the place, I changed tables. Soon after, the police arrived and sent her along her way….apparently she was bothering some other folk as well. This is sad. I hope she gets some help with dealing with whatever demons she is dealing with.

I ordered an Empanada and also without really thinking the Arepa con Chicharron.

The empanada exterior was light and slightly crisp, though perhaps a bit more chewy than I prefer. The beef filling was tasty, but the shredded beef was a bit tough and stringy which meant that in one bite you'd take some of the nice crust, but pull all the filling out. The salsa was a nice, tangy, not very spicy addition.

I'm not quite sure why I ordered the Arepa con Chicharron. Perhaps it was a moment of weakness. But man, that was so much pork, for such a small arepa.

The arepa was quite nice; this wasn't stuffed, just a plain, moist corn cake. The pork was a mixed bag; the rind was super hard and tough, but everything else was a nice, fried, porky place. I used the salsa from the empanada, along with the lime to combat the richness.

We had a couple of fairly "cool" days this past May and on one my "shopping Saturdays", I decided to drop by Sabores Colombianos for some Ajiaco, the chicken and potato soup.

The portion size was quite large. Plus, it came with rice, capers, green salad, and the ever present half avocado. The soup had a distinctive grassy-bay leaf-artichoke flavor. When I asked, they told me it was a herb known as guasca, a traditional flavoring component for dishes like Ajiaco. There was a generous portion of shredded chicken and quite a bit of potato in this soup. Great flavor, but my only complaint was that it was served a bit too cold and quickly started to develop a "skin".

Still, quite a hearty meal in a bowl.

A couple of weeks later; after returning from our trip to Lima, Santiago, and Easter Island, I decided to take the guys to lunch. I thought they'd enjoy trying out some Colombian food, so we headed up to City Heights and Sabores Colombianos. I had them try some empanadas and also ordered a Papa Rellena.

This version was filled with beef, which was on the chewy side and could have used a bit more seasoning. Still, that crunchy crust, with a nice potato flavor with the boiled egg. This was quite filling.

Calvin got the Lengua en Salsa and I decided on the Sobrebarriga, which was flank steak with basically the same sauce as the Lengua en Salsa.

This was a bit more tender than the lengua, but was also no the stringy side. I do enjoy the tangy tomato based sauce. The yucca was as before, on the gummy side.

So JohnF is quite the eater, so I ordered the Bandejas Paisa for him.

Which he said was delicious and to both Calvin and my amazement polished off; after having an empanada and half the papa rellena! Good lord!

On one of my visits, I saw a gentleman who I believe was one of the Servers at Antojitos Colombianos. I'm not sure if there's any connection, though the food is a bit different. In my mind, I thought the dishes at "AC" were a bit better, but its been awhile, so perhaps I need to revisit. Still, I thought the food here was good in a rustic, homestyle kind of way and I don't think you'll leave hungry.

Sabores Colombianos
3695 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Happy 4th!

July 4, 2016 mmm-yoso Cooking

"It will be nice that you'll have a couple of days off to rest." So said the Missus, before She gave me the list of items I needed to make for Her potluck. The Missus usually works on the Fourth of July and I'm kind of used to making something for the potlucks She organizes. But man; I've been beat. But I guess it's a compliment that nowadays folks request their favorite items. Still I think it's quite interesting, the stuff that I make that they enjoy; like my Red Beans and Rice or my Chili. Too hot right now for that; but I was shocked that they wanted more Kim Chi Fried Rice!

And grilled Teri Beef for sliders.

I also made some namul, grilled king mushrooms. grilled Vidalia onions, and a smoked corn salad.

And you know the Missus; even with all this food, She wanted Her own private bowl.

And I got to hang out with Da' Boyz…….

Oh, and I made myself some Kalbi, just using cross cut ribs this time. That smoked corn salad sure was good…..

Anyway, the gang here at mmm-yoso wishes everyone a happy, fun, and safe 4th!

Dordogne – Market Day in Sarlat-la-Caneda and Beer From Bière de Sarlat

July 2, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Cheese, Dordogne, France, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Hope you're having a great Saturday. I thought I'd share what our Saturday morning was like in Sarlat. It started with a huge breakfast at our B&B.

Man, there's no way we'd be able to have lunch after this!

We left the B&B and headed up Avenue Thiers, which, after crossing a pedestrian only stretch, became the main street of the town; Rue de la République. It was still a bit early at 8am; the vendors usually open at about 830. Still, it was a nice and relaxing stroll up the street.

Where you could glimpse of all of those food products that the Dordogne is famous for.

Though there's not just food for sale here……

The Missus actually bought a little wooden nut cracker in the shape of a mushroom. She loved the walnuts in Dordogne and would crack them one-by-one savoring each bite!

The market actually takes up the entire length of the street and then stretches into Place de la Liberte and up side streets.

I can see why this market is also popular with the local residents; you can get it all here.

By 9am, things had picked up significantly.

And the crowds kept on growing.

I took time to stop and smell the fromage!

Behind the huge doors of the former Church of Saint Marie resides another covered market and a panoramic elevator which wasn't in service yet when we arrived. Plus, there were too large a crowd here anyway.

We took our time, exploring the side streets and alleyways; which looked totally different from the previous day.

You could make out a literal buzz in the air! It was only 10am and we needed a break. So, using a technique we learned in Rome, we sought out the Cathedral of St Sacerdos also known as Sarlat Cathedral, to escape the crowds and noise.

The TI is steps away from the Cathedral, so we decided to take a look and grab a map.

This is where I really started getting an understanding of folks in, at least this area of France. We stood in line and the very pleasant young man got us a map. As we were turning to leave, I happened to ask the young man for a dinner recommendation; a place he enjoys. He smiled and opened another map and started going over his favorite spots in town, cheerfully pointing them out. I looked at the line forming behind me with some concern. He smiled at us and said; "do not worry, I take my time with you, and all our customers." I got it! We'd have this experience a couple of times more during our trip. Ask a question, and many times, the folks in France will want to give you the most perfect, complete answer. The young man actually called one of the places to make dinner reservations for us, but there was no answer. He then marked the way to the place so we could walk over at our leisure and make reservations. Coming back to the states, it seemed that we're in too much of a rush and when someone has a question we'll often give, not the best answer, but the easiest and the shortest.

By now, things were going full tilt.

Remember the bronze statue of a boy sitting named "Le Badaud", the Onlooker, that I mentioned in my previous post? I was wondering what he was looking at. Well, I'm pretty sure it's the crowds on market day (see above photo).

It was just past 11 now and we were feeling a bit peckish. We decided to grab some cheese, a baguette, and find the quiet place to eat.

There was one fromage stand that was doing great business, so I decided to get into the queue and pick up some cheese for us.

After getting our cheese and bread, we decided to walk on over to the restaurant the fellow in the TI recommended to us and make dinner reservations which was located in the tiny side streets west of Rue de la République. Things were a lot quieter here. As we left, I mentioned that there was a brewery nearby; located one street above République.

The place was quite easy to find; just follow the signs.

And you'll literally walk into; well; for lack of a better phrase, a medieval nano-brewery.

I was told that they make all of their beer on premises! No bright stainless steel kettles here.

What the heck; we bought a bottle of the Blonde. She got us a bottle without a label and charged us less…..

Bière Artisanale de Sarlat
2 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Sarlat-la-Caneda, France

We skirted the crowds by heading south, around the market areas, finding the Jardin Public, above the busy parking lots, this was a nice, quiet little oasis.

We had our baguette and cheese; one a typical, light Cabécou, the other two, aged, one of them with a fine coat of ash and mold. Both were nice a creamy; though not too pungent. Quite easy to eat.

We wrapped what we had left and saved it for later.

We took a 'roundabout way back to the room. Taking time to enjoy the architecture.

And to meet some of "the locals".

We stopped by our room, freshened up and headed back out. It was time to pick up our car rental. Now things were going to get interesting…….

Thanks for reading!

Sapporo – Breakfast and the Wonderfulness of New Chitose Airport

July 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Breakfast/Brunch, Hokkaido, Travel

After dinner at Hyousetsu no Mon, we decided to take our time walking back to our hotel. There was a wonderful, crisp chill in the air, and for some reason, a holiday feeling that just kind of resonated. Folks were out and about enjoying the Christmas lights and displays in Odori Park. I guess this is why we decided to visit Sapporo. It was just joyfully chill; both figuratively and literally.

Odori Park sure was lit up brightly with a number of displays. There's just something about this place that felt right.

On an interesting note; we really enjoyed the snacks in Sapporo….man, all the shops and samples really lured us in. We bought so many snacks for my MIL, that we had them shipped to her from the Post Office here in Sapporo!

We slept well and awoke the next morning refreshed; though not quite ready to leave.

The Missus had what She has deemed Her favorite breakfast buffet. No kidding…..look at what She ate!

She had always said that shiokara was one of the worst things She's ever eaten. And yet, do you see it on one of Her plates! Apparently things have changed!

I was going to miss the black bean natto, which I loved.

Man, what a breakfast.

We checked out and left a bit early for New Chitose Airport. For some reason, it's one of our favorite airports. It's not super huge, but there are a ton of shops.

With tons of food!

Just in case you needed to pick up some seafood for that person you forgot about……

I think one of the reasons we loved the airport were the easily accessible lockers and all the samples.

There's this one chocolate corn snack that I just loved……melon flavor….I know…me…mister I-don't-really-like-sweets. But man, that was so good. We'd arrived early so we could check out Hokkaido Ramen Dojo in the airport. But ended up stuffed by all the samples folks kept handing to us, that we were too full.

That will have to wait for the next time we're here.

I'm thinking it will be a matter of when; not if.

Before we knew it; we were on our flight, on JetStar Airlines.

Next stop: Tokyo!

Revisits to Places I’ve Never Done Posts On – Karihan Filipino Food

June 30, 2016 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

Doesn't quite make sense, does it? A couple of months back, while grabbing something to go it occurred to me that there's quite a few places that have been around for years that I'd eaten at, but had never done posts on. These places are mainly convenience stops for me, places I don't usually visit. For a few, it had been over a decade……like Karihan for example. Karihan is one of those "old school" turo-turo joints that have been around forever. I hadn't been here since maybe right after we moved to San Diego. First off, the parking at Grove Plaza can be pretty terrible, but that doesn't mean I hadn't tried visiting in the past. I recall huge portions of rather mediocre food, except for the Kare-Kare which I thought was decent.

So made up my mind to do this pseudo-revisit……man, they don't use MSG here….so says the sign dated 11/09! And when did that Japanese looking booth thingy arrive in the dining area?

So, I recall someone commenting on a post from a now defunct restaurant saying the Karihan made some good lechon kawale, so I got that with some Kare-Kare and Pancit ($8). Man, this plate was even larger than I remembered.

Good lord, how can anyone polish off all this food? Look at all that lechon…..

I found the pancit to be very bland, though the texture of the noodles wasn't too bad. I should have just gotten rice, though it might have fed us for a week! The skin on the lechon was hard as rock and the meat quite dry. The Kare-Kare had a nice piece of tender oxtail meat on top, no tripe, a few small pieces of pork hock, and the rest of it was mostly bone, the texture a bit on the gluey side, a nice amount of green beans, but one tiny piece of eggplant, and this was on the bland side as well. I was searching for any trace of savory flavor that I enjoy in a good Kare-Kare. No amount of bagoong could revive it. I don't recall things being quite this bad before?

Has the arms race for portion size caused this? I mean, Tita's is a few yards away? Kind of sad; the young ladies working here were a lot friendlier than I recalled. I'd say this place is definitely for the quantity over quality set. MG once told me that "Karihan" meant something like "Cafeteria" in Tagalog. On this occasion it was that all right……but not in a good way.

Karihan Filipino Food
2220 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

While we met our guest of honor.

And the appetizer course arrived.

Man, we loved the crab roe!

The Sashimi Course was three hairy crab legs

So sweet, if a bit on the chewy side.

And a nice crab claw.

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

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

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

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

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

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

While my steamed King Crab Legs arrived.

Rich and buttery, nice clean flavors.

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

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

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

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

Crisp with an interesting tongue feel.

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

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

And the serving was quite generous.

The nice palate cleansing sorbet was the dessert.

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

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

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