mmm-yoso – Page 300 – 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.

Ramen Weather: Revisits to Ramen Yamadaya and Santouka

February 22, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

So last week the mercury was flirting with the 80's. I was thinking about which taco shops I needed to visit. This weekend it's cloudy and now it's starting to rain. Go figure……

The one silver lining….this gave me a chance to revisit a couple of ramen shops.

Ramen Yamadaya:

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

Since they are open all the way through from 1130 on weekends, I decided to check them out at 4pm, thinking they'd be fairly calm.

I surprised to see how busy they were….not a full house, but at least 3/4 full. They had the seat yourself thing in place, so I had a seat……they saw me, but still, I waited, and waited……and waited. Another group arrived after me and they had water served and orders taken……a couple sat on the table next to me….and they waited……while I had my order taken and another group who had come after them were being served…the woman decided to take matters into her own hands and just grabbed one of the servers……so they could finally get some water and get their orders taken. The place just seemed much more disorganized than I recalled, even with three working front of house. They seemed to spend a good deal of time huddled at the POS and doing things like organizing chopsticks while dirty tables sat…. They were really nice kids, but it seemed like they needed someone running the front of house.

When I did get my order taken – Kotteri, with Kakuni Pork, noodles extra firm, things went fairly quickly.

The Hakata style noodles were exactly as I like them. While the broth isn't quite what I'd call "kotteri" it was passable, if a bit too mild in the flavor department. Two things kind of killed this for me. While the broth was served at a decent temperature, the egg was ice cold….now if you serve it on the side, I'd be ok with that, but in my soup, no thanks. Ditto with the buta kakuni, which was adequately tender, if a bit on the bland side…..but ice cold.

Something has changed since I first visited this location in 2012. Things seem to be less consistent during our recent visits.

Ramen Yamadaya
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Santouka:

Yes again. Though the Missus is over "the Santouka effect" and is now, kinda, sorta, back on planet Earth, we're able to enjoy Santouka in context.

This was the status quo…..on this day, they were giving out the eggs……overcooked for us. The pork cheek was tender and porky, the noodles had a great chew. The broth, shio, which ironically is the least salty of all choices was scalding hot…the thick ceramic bowl kept the temperature "right" for the whole meal. The broth coated our tongues and bellies….and while it would not make us forget the best of what we had in Japan, it did the job.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Rome: Vatican City, Pizzarium, and other stuffs

February 21, 2015 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Italy, Pizza, Rome, Travel

On our third day in Rome, we set out for Vatican City. The Missus wanted to walk there…from Termini Station. We had the metro one block away! Luckily, I got myself out of a 5k walk first thing in the morning and we caught the metro. From the metro station, the walk to the gates of Vatican Museum took about ten minutes.

When it comes to most of our travel; the Missus tells me what She wants and I do the logistics, planning, and She just basically shows up. The visit to the Vatican Museum was a good example. I got tickets online ahead of time….we entered right when the place opened, going to the line for "Entrance with Reservations". We grabbed a map and headed to the one place the Missus really wanted to see; the Sistine Chapel, where we stood alone in the rare air where the Papal Conclave takes place. The Missus just stood staring at the ceiling as other visitors piled in around Her. I took a seat after a minute or two, when my neck started stiffening up. I grabbed the Missus to leave when I heard "huuuuaaackkk p-tew"…..one of the Chinese tourists had just spit on the floor of the Sistine Chapel! Good lord!

The rest of my time in the Vatican Museum was a blur of antiquities, lavish paintings, just an astounding amount of items on display. I was overwhelmed by the extravagance. I kept telling the Missus, "geeez, these folks sure have a lot of money…"

I do recall enjoying the ceiling art and spent a good deal of time just enjoying those and the paintings over doorways.

I think one needs to spend a least a couple of days here if you really enjoy this stuff. I'm sure Ed from Yuma could probably walk these halls for months!

Anyway, we worked our way back to the beginning and started out with the Egyptian Rooms, officially called the "Gregorian Egyptian Museum", which were among my favorites. After all, who doesn't like mummies, right?

I found the various hieroglyphics and of course the mummies fascinating….it touched off a the faint flicker of the little boy in me, who would spend hours pouring through books at Kaimuki Library.

The Egyptian's deities manifested themselves as various animals based on characteristics. The God Apis took the form of a bull.

I was quite fascinated with these displays.

Things just seemed really packed in…..there was something to see everywhere…

Then we went through the halls with Greek and Roman sculpture. Tons of statues….my head was spinning.

One of the most famous statues is Apollo Belvedere which was once considered to be the most aesthetically perfect sculpture of a man after being found in Italy in the 15th century.

Right past all of this was an interesting area called the "Hall of Animals". The Vatican Museum's website states that the hall "was set up under Pope Pius VI (1775-1799) with antique works of art, often much restored and sometimes completely re-worked, with the aim of creating a 'stone zoo'. Many artists worked on the sculptures in this display during the 1700s, the most important of whom was Francesco Antonio Franzoni."

On your way to the Round Room, you'll be confronted with this remnant. This fragment of a statue known as the Belvedere Torso has been revered through the centuries by Raphael and even Michaelangelo, who it was rumored, was asked to restore the statue by Pope Julius II, but refused saying it was too beautiful to be changed. He is quoted as saying, "This is the work of a man who knew more than nature!” It is said that the torso was an inspiration for Adam in Michelangelo's fresco in the Sistine Chapel.

Right past this sculpture is the "Round Hall". Here's a panoramic shot that you can click on to expand.

Look familiar? Well, it was built to resemble the Pantheon.

By this time Museum fatigue was setting in. I pretty much stopped taking photos and it's quite telling that one of the few photos taken by the Missus was Rapheal's "The Liberation of St Peter".

The one thing the Missus, a fan of Angels & Demons, had to take a photo of was the Double Helix Staircase…..which is how you exit the Vatican Museum.

Next up was St Peter's Basilica, which was easy to find. Just follow the crowds.

St Peter's Square is quite impressive….and crowded.

And of course, to get into the Basilica, you had to go through security and metal detectors and all of that as well.

It was getting to be a pretty warm day. The security points for St Peter's were moving quite slowly. Then, a group of Chinese tourists pushed their way to the front of the line, and tried to just walk through security. The guards rushed up, linked their arms and physically pushed back the crowd. Then they closed the gate……I don't know if it was protocol or just spite, but man, I was just over it. Now don't get me wrong, the Missus is Chinese, as you all know if you've read long enough, from Qingdao. None of Her family, or even family friends who have visited act this way. 'Nuff said.

Anyway, by the time we got to St Peter's, I'd had my fill of the crowds, the heat, etc….

Still, the Missus has always wanted to come here. And I truly want the Missus to see and visit everyplace She's dreamed of. I hope that Vatican water tasted sweet…..

By now we were both starving………but I had a place in mind. One that had been on my lists for ages… Pizzarium.

This place takes Pizza al Taglio – pizza by the slice to the next level with some wonderful ingredients. You just tell the guy behind the counter how much you want….it's really hard not to go overboard.

While it was still a bit too "bready" for our tastes, some of the ingredients were wonderful and we especially loved the tomato sauce….man, that was nice.

The prosciutto….the greens with the mozzarella…really good. Worth the 15 minute walk from the Vatican. Plus, the Cipro Metro Station is close by.

Pizzarium
Via della Meloria 43
Rome, Italy

Returning to our room, I badly needed a shower. After that and rehydrating, we headed off, just to hang around the area near Termini Station.

And have a little snack…..

After taking quite a long walk, we decided to stop by the nearest Hosteria and have a simple meal.

Sometimes those spur of the moment places work out quite well. Some times not. Having no idea of this place….well, it was the latter.

Oh well, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, right?

Man, that carbonara was not to my liking….so I guess this was a lose.

It was not quite the send off I wanted. The next day, we'd be back on the Leonardo Express, then to our flight to Malta….yes, Malta.

Stay Tuned!

Antwerp: Frituur No 1 and other stuff

February 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Beer, Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Travel

Heading back from our visit to MAS, we stopped off at Grote Markt. Things were quite festive here as there was a children's festival….at least that's what I think it was, going on.

As we walked back to our apartment, there was a bit of unfinished business to take care of. We'd been in Belgium for a while already and I still hadn't had any frites. This was easy enough to resolve as Frituur No. 1 was right at the top of the street we were staying on, Hoogstraat.

I stood in line with the combination of locals and tourists and got my frites……with curry mayo, which I really didn't care for. The frites were decent, nothing amazing….in fact the Missus was totally unimpressed. Not light and crisp enough on the exterior…lacking that richness and not quite fluffy enough inside.

Still, I finally got some frites, right?

Frituur No. 1
Hoogstraat 1
Antwerp, Belgium

One thing we loved about our street was that there seemed to be a lot of local traffic on it in spite of being one of the streets leading to Grote Markt.

We could get meat, vegetables, bread, a few steps form where we were staying.

On our last evening, we decided to just relax….I used the kitchen, which like the rest of the apartment was amazingly set-up with pots, pans, seasonings, dishwashing liquid….you name it. The place is called Apartment Ahome Awayfromhome, and rightfully so. The owner Gis was so easy to deal with and all the details were just perfect.

From the De Koninck to the laundry detergent the place is probably among the top 4-5 apartments/residences we've stayed at….totally worth it, even with the 55…yes we counted them; steep steps to climb. In case you're wondering; you can find more info about the place here.

Anyway dinner was simple……ingredients from right up the street.

After dinner we took a walk. Things had kind of settled down……

We took a nice stroll, then returned to the apartment.

I watched the news, the Missus caught up on emails….I did a post, then we set out again. Like I've said many times, Antwerp is very relaxed and easy to enjoy….though it kind of gets you itching for more and I could tell the Missus was ready for a change. This was perhaps a bit too sedate for the Missus.

There is quite a diversity to the city. We especially noticed it at night. As groups of young men…and women of all ethnicities headed to their favorite watering hole.

And still, things were quite calm. The music on the street ended by 10pm. I had my Floreffe Tripel and watched the news on the television while the Missus went to sleep.

Tomorrow, we'd be back at that beautiful train station; headed to our next stop.

Thanks for reading!

Taqueria Revolucion

February 18, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** This location became Tacos Frontera which has closed

Man, when was the last time I had honest to goodness tacos…….work has kept me busy, so trips outside my usual "range" had been put on hold. I'd heard about Taqueria Revolucion a few months back, but was too busy to check them out. I mentioned them to my coworker Karina who went to check them out the next weekend. She came back and told me the place was worth a visit.

Recently, I was craving some tacos….and of course Tacos el Gordo comes to mind, as did Fernandez Catering and a couple of others. But I thought why not take the time to drive a bit further to San Ysidro and check out the revolutionary taqueria?

The place is fairly nondescript, I almost passed it….

The interior is unassuming and quite plain, the menu simple, but solid and the young lady working quite hard to take orders, work the register, then deliver the goods to each table….and man, the burritos looked titanic.

But I'm a taco kind of guy and I ordered three along with some Consomme de Birria ($1.25).

I gotta say, this was my favorite item of the day. It was fairly thick, beefy, mildly spiced, with just enough salt and lime to keep me happy. Quite good.

I also ordered tres tacos.

The Adobada was decent, loved the way they did the tortillas, dipping them in the drippings. I prefer mine a bit sweeter, but he texture was nice, and it was satisfying.

I had originally wanted a Nopal Queso Taco, but they were out. So I quickly replaced it with Carne Asada. Which was better than I thought it would be.

It was stuffed with finely chopped beef, which had a pleasant chew. The flavor was nice….I swear, there's some soy sauce/maggi or something like that in here. Not too salty, light citrus tones; much better than I expected.

The Birria Quesataco was good. Though the birria was on the milder side, which played up to the queso, adding a nice milky component to the whole thing. The birria, though mild needed no salt and just a touch of lime from me.

I enjoyed the tortillas, perhaps a bit harder than preferred, but I believe they are made inhouse.

I enjoyed my meal and will probably be back if I'm in the area, especially for some of that consomme. I'd been craving some decent tacos for a while and this hit the spot. The owner, whose name is Emilio I believe, came out and stopped by to chat with all his customers…….mostly regulars it seems, but a few newbies as well. Very friendly guy.

After waiting for a few months, I finally got my taco fix…..

Taqueria Revolucion
362 E San Ysidro Blvd
San Diego, CA 92173

Yakitori Story Part 4: Yakyudori versus Taisho

February 17, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I guess this post was inevitable. Back in 2012, I did a series of posts comparing Yakyudori to Koubou. It was pretty much no contest. Now, over two years later, there's Yakitori Taisho. In spite of my impressions eating there, I just had to see. Which would I prefer, Yakyudori or Taisho. In spite of having the same owner, the two places are quite different. Taisho is rather quiet and sedate, if you have reservations, you'll have it basically for the whole night until you leave….Yakyudori is an elbow to elbow zoo, which starts serving yakitori at 530pm. They also do ramen an lunch.

That said, it's all protein on a stick, right? Not so as I recently did a couple of visits…..for research purposes of course, just to compare. Here's what we found……

So let's start with he Butashiso….pork rolled with shiso leaf.

Taisho on top, Yakyudori below. It's kind of easy to see; Taisho's version was more moist and nicely grilled over bincho. Yakyudori gave you more, but was drier, tougher, and more salty.

Taisho 1 Yakyudori 0

Up next, Tsukune, once one of Yakyudori's strong points. However, some time in the last year or two, the recipe seems to have changed and it's now rather tasteless and not as tender.

Good lord, the version at Yakyudori was almost incinerated, it was quite bitter. What happened here?

Taisho 2, Yakyudori 0

The teba, chicken wings are a Yakyudori signature item in my opinion. Here it's a wash.

The wings at Taisho are more moist. Both places have a nice crisp skin.

The wings at Yakyudori is more salty, which I really like with a nice cold Sapporo.

Taisho 2, Yakyudori 0, even 1

The Missus loves Her chicken livers.

It's gotten to the point where Taka-san just puts two on the grill when we arrive…..he doesn't need to ask. And yet, while the version at Taisho is more refined and meaty, what Yakyudori serves seems much more smoky, though dry.

So again it's a wash.

Taisho 2 Yakyudori 0 even 2

So let's move on to those Nagoya Wings…..I love them both, but the Missus has a preference.

She preferred the version at Yakyudori because it wasn't as sweet as Taisho and in spite of the looks, the black pepper flavor wasn't as prominent.

Taisho 2 Yakyudori 1, even 2

And then there's chicken karaage.

Here's where it's interesting again. The version at Taisho, on this visit, had a nice savory flavor.

The version we had at Yakyudori, was more crisp and light.

Taisho 2, Yakyudori 1, even 3

You can see, it pretty close….I will say that as a whole, the standard non-chicken proteins (other than the buta shiso) would probably be better at Yakyudori. Taisho is a bit more refined, less salty, but also not quite the busy scene of Yakyudori.

There are, of course the items that Yakyudori has that Taisho doesn't and the menu is larger.

The Kawasu – chicken skin salad is a favorite.

The natto gohan – natto rice bowl, used to be until it just became a ton of rice and just a bit of natto, which threw the ratio off.

At Tasiho, the kawa – chicken skin is grilled, it often takes a while and the tare gives it a nice sweetness. The texture is crisp around the edges and melt in your mouth in the exterior. We often call it our "dessert".

There's also some interesting specials. Though the Babylon Snails I had the last time weren't nearly as sweet as what I had on a previous visit. The menu is also more limited.

So there you go….I think it's all about what you prefer….the atmosphere and such. Still, it was fun to compare…..

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yakitori Taisho
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

So maybe you should check them both out and see which suites you the best!

Chef Zhu revisited

February 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Chef Zhu is now a location of Chin's

With the Lunar New Year quickly approaching, my coworker "YZ" decided that we should go out and grab some lunch. I knew she had been missing dishes from her hometown of Shanghai, so I suggested Chef Zhu, since it had been a while since I last visited. Since YZ has been in san Diego for a while, she had also eaten at the owner's previous restaurant, Shanghai City, and was curious as to how the dishes would compare.

As I mentioned before, the previous "ABCDE" (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) menu is in place and folks come in calling the place "Double Happiness", so it's an interesting crowd.

"YZ" let me do the ordering, just like when we were in Madison for business.

We ended up ordering three dishes, all of which I've had before and thought were the three strongest on the menu. They did not disappoint.

Starting with the Yin Doo Xin, which is my favorite item on the menu.

A deceptively simple pork + (preserved) pork based broth. Clean, just salty enough, satisfying.

With the New Year on the way, I thought we should order the Chao Nian Gao.

Nicely texture, not too chewy or soft. I thought it could have a bit more saltiness….but YZ and SJP who joined us for lunch sure enjoyed it. SJP who is Korean seemed surprised to see that nian gao was essentially "dduk"….or perhaps visa versa.

We needed a bit of meat……well, just because. I went with the steamed pork with preserved vegetable which was better than I recalled.

Not too salty, balanced sweetness which cut the richness of the pork, this was pretty good overall.

In the end, we all had a nice meal, and even better conversation. I wish our busy work schedules allowed for more lunches like this..

Chef Zhu
1011 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014

A short stop in Kobe at Mouriya – you know why, right? Plus, Nankinmachi (Chinatown) and other stuffs…like do you want to pet an owl?

February 15, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kobe, Travel

We left Hiroshima for Osaka fairly early in the morning. Somewhere along the line, the Missus said, "Kobe is on the way, right? Why don't we stop in Kobe……." I took little convincing (you know why, right?). Admittedly, we had done no research (on sights) in Kobe, so we just winged it. Japan is one of the most convenient countries we've visited. We got off at Shin-Kobe Station, found the information booth, were recommended a couple of sites, got directions to storage lockers and were off.

Now, it was explained that we should catch the subway to Sannomiya, where Kobe's city center. But if you've read enough travel posts, you know the Missus….."it doesn't look too far on the map, we can walk there." And it really wasn't. We wandered about, taking some time to check out the Kobe location of Tokyu Hands…no it's not what you think. Tokyu Hands is a chain of Department Stores. You haven't lived until you visit a couple of department stores in Japan, it's quite an experience….and if you're a guy, shopping in one of those packed by the square inch places will make you wish you were dead…like Matsumoto Kiyoshi in Shinsaibashi, but that's for later.

A short way up the street from Tokyu Hands was this shrine, Ikuta Jinja.

Here's the sign with the history and story.

Soon enough we started getting hungry. Because of the rather impromptu nature of this stop, I had to dig through by ever fading memory and come up with something. Along the way, I saw a sign, and I knew we were covered.

We'd lucked out, this, along with Wakkoqu were the only two places I could remember.

This location of Mouriya had just opened for lunch and we were the first customers of the day. The place is obviously aimed at tourists, but I was fairly certain we'd be able to get what I wanted here…..

There was a brief discussion….well not so much a discussion, as I explained to the Missus that it was "A-5, or we might just as well leave." After all, when would we be back in Kobe? Here's more information on Kobe/Wagyu Beef than I could ever hope to include in a post.

I thought a 150 grams, about 5 ounces or so per person would be more than enough….it's rich stuff, not "all you can eat prime rib."

While the chef prepped the teppan, we had a Kabocha Bisque…

And a green salad, which the Missus, missing green salads inhaled.

And then it was the star of the show.

We selected one sirloin(the Missus) and one rib (Me).

Good lord, look at all that marbling. When asked about doneness we queried the chef. He said for A5 medium is preferred, except for certain parts of the sirloin….too rare would be like eating "all fat". So we left it up to him.

Each piece is divided up by section, leaner pieces get trated a certain way, the fat another, the mega-marbled yet another.

Watching $100 pieces of meat being cooked in front of you is quite mesmerizing……

Sauces were provided, but I can't tell you what they were since I never used them. The Missus and I swapped as we saw fit; the very rare pieces of the sirloin came to me…..just buttery, beefy, and almost sweet. The Missus also gave me the seared fat cap, telling me, "you can't say I don't love you now, can you?" Oh my…..oh my…..the term melts in your mouth is over used in my opinion, except in this case. That wonderful flavor of beef fat as it melted on my tongue is unforgettable.

As we left, the place started filling up……mostly tourists as far as I could tell. I hope they appreciated the treat that was in store.

I couldn't help but think that this is why the Missus and I work so hard…..for these 3-5 weeks of the year, when we get to explore and enjoy what the rest of the world has to offer.

Mouriya
2-1-17 Shimoyamatedori
Chuo-ku, Kobe, Japan

As we left the restaurant, the Missus told me, "okay fat boy, let's burn off some of those calories….."

I'd seen "Nankin-machi" on the map…..Chinatown. I have fascination with Chinatown's across the world, so of course we had to go and check it out.

We found people in Japan to be ever so polite if not especially warm. Folks in Hiroshima and Osaka were even more so to us. Twice when we stopped to look at our map, folks came up to us to point us in the right direction. One of the people who stopped to help us, smiled, pointed, and said, "Daimaru…..Daimaru". And yes, it right across the street from Daimaru.

It was quite fascinating……that Baozi place above was doing some major business. There were street hawkers inviting you into their restaurants.

It was also a heck of a lot cleaner than just anout any Chinatown we've visited.

The Missus enjoyed checking out the various menus……though I don't think we'd want to partake.

The most interesting business we saw was this one.

Love the section under system:

– You can touch owls and take pictures in our cafe

Ok, so this might be really cool for you….for me….not so much.

Well, I think this was a sign that we needed to head back.

So we walked back to Shin-Kobe.

I was surprised to see a Honolulu Coffee location in Kobe!

We had a fun time in Kobe, but it was time to head to Osaka….and take a nap!

Antwerp Day 2: Restaurant A La Ville and the views from MAS (Museum aan de Stroom)

February 14, 2015 mmm-yoso Belgian Cuisine and Restaurants, Belgium, Travel

After our stop at The Chocolate Line, we did a short backtrack. We stopped at Wapper Sqaure and took a look at the Rubens House, the former residence of Peter Paul Rubens. In the end, the Missus really wasn't feeling much like visiting places like these so we headed back to the Grote Markt area.

We were getting hungry, it was time for lunch. We headed past the square, near the old meat hall…..I had thoughts of stopping at Hofstraat 24, but the Missus decided to try somewhere else.

On the street named Zirkstraat, the Missus found the place where She wanted to have lunch. It was named A La Ville. When the Missus asked me what that special was; Parmentier de Carnard, I told Her it was like a duck shepherd's pie…..She was sold. The Missus wanted a break from the hearty, somewhat heavy food we'd been having, so this Mediterranean – French Bistro just seemed to fit the bill.

The menu seemed very French, the hostess was quite nice, not overly friendly, but quite accommodating. The interior is the basic white and black, with concrete walls. Behind those black curtains is quite a large dining area; I guess for dinner and such.

The Missus of course, got the Parmentier de Carnard, which started with quite a sizeable salad. Dressed simply, topped with a quail egg, after days of hearty, hefty, meals in the Czech Republic and Antwerp, was something She really enjoyed.

The parmentier was without a doubt the highlite of the meal. Nicely flavored shredded duck confit, quite a bit of it actually, mixed with nicely seasoned mashed potatoes, It was the exterior was nicely browned and crisp.

It was quite rich and filling.

I ordered a couple of items, starting first with Bone Marrow and Escargot.

The sauce, which was beef based was nice and light, the bone marrow rich and buttery, and the snails were much more tender than I expected.

I also ordered the Leek with Duck Bacon and Quail Egg.

This was probably our least favorite dish; the cured duck was quite bland and dry, the leek was fine, but this is like something I'd make at home and really didn't seem to be worth 14 Euros.

As we ate, we noticed several older couples arriving. The Servers seemed to know them all, I guess they're regulars. It was kind of nice……something we don't do here in the States. Enjoying a nice leisurely lunch is a lost art it seems.

Overall, a nice meal and good counter-point to all the Czech and Flemish meals we'd been having.

A La Ville
Zirkstraat 37
Antwerp, Belgium

After lunch, the Missus wanted to check out the view from MAS, the Museum aan de Stroom – "Museum on the River" for the views of Antwerp. Thing was, She wanted to walk through the short Red Light District…..a strangely quiet, kind of seedy couple of blocks on a pedestrian street. The Missus didn't even know we were passing through when I told Her to check out the, ahem, "window displays". Some of those women looked pretty tough…..like they could probably body slam me if I made a wrong move. The Missus suddenly realized that all the other folks walking were men……and a few, rather scantily clad women….. For some reason, the vibe just gave me the creeps.

Located on the site of the old dockyards, the Museum aan de Stroom is quite impressive looking. It celebrates Antwerp's history as a major maritime center. For more about MAS, check this out.

We had come to check out the views. Just take the 10 story escalator ride up to the viewing deck.

You can see Cathedral of Our Lady in this one…..

And here's one of the Scheldt River. That castle is called t'Steen and is the oldest building in the city.

We were having a very relaxing time in Antwerp…..

84 Degrees in February – Getting my Liang Mian and Liang Cai fix from Fu An

February 12, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Fu An has closed

I get to work pretty early in the morning. It's still dark out. The day had been busy and I didn't step outside my little molehill/bunker/office until 1pm. Holy smokes! I check the temperature and good lord it's 84 degrees! Like what is this, Yuma? Just kidding Ed!

It's strange, but for whatever reason, I crave Sichuan Liang Mian and Liang Cai (cold dishes) when it starts getting warm. Were this before February of 2012, the choice would be easy; it would be Ba Ren. And while the assistant chef from Ba Ren now resides at Fu An, things have been inconsistent to say the least.

Still, I needed my fix, so that's where I headed.

The cold dishes weren't bad…..but there's still something missing…the amount of spice, the amount of vinegar, the slight touches that make all the difference. Still, it's not terrible.

Same can be said of the Sichuan Liang Mian. The flavor is almost there….there's even a bit of that Sichuan Peppercorn tingle….but it too is missing those last pieces of the puzzle. And the noodles are hard, stiff, almost like they needed to be cooked ever so slightly more.

However, we beggar's can't be choosers. I got my fix in…….

Fu An Garden
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Looking at that temp…..I wonder, if it was another degree hotter, would I have thought of going here?

COMC – Oahu: All those familiar places – Fresh Catch and Tanioka’s

February 11, 2015 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Oahu, Poke, Travel

Funny, the Missus says that my demeanor changes as soon as I get off that plane and the island humidity hits me. Something happens. I'm able to fall right back into my "old self", relaxed, laid back…and then the pidgin starts!

Of course, the next thing we're looking for is poke. Like I've mentioned before, I'm a "townie"….to me there's only one decent place to get poke in the Waipahu/Ewa Beach area and that would be a place i've posted on several times before….

Tanioka's Seafood and Catering:

We always visit a couple of times…….

Much has changed over the years….the question used to be, "limu or shoyu?"

Nowadays, it runs the gamut….

Not the prettiest presentation….Styrofoam and sauce "all ova' da' place."

But it hits the spot.

Tanioka's Seafood and Catering
94-903 Farrington Hwy
Waipahu, HI 96797

We also hit a place around my old neighborhood. Usually it's Ono Seafood, but the Missus wanted some smoked marlin, so here's another I've posted on before.

Fresh Catch:

Man, I remember when this was Pizza Hut!