mmm-yoso – Page 424 – 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.

Road Trip: Breakfast at Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop – Gardena (Los Angeles)

October 21, 2010 mmm-yoso Diner, Loco Mocos, Los Angeles County, Plate Lunch, Road Trip

Aahhh yes, breakfast and bowling alleys…. what could be better? Actually, you may be scratching your head a bit on this one. Back in Hawaii, there used to be some pretty good food served in Bowling Alleys. In fact, for a time, Kapiolani Coffee Shop, which used to be on Atkinson close to what was then Aloha Motors, and is now the Hawaii Convention Center, had a shop in Kam Bowl (which has closed). They made the best Oxtail soup!(Don't worry, if I recall you can get the same Oxtail soup at Asahi Grill and Kapiolani Coffee Shop in Waimalu) And in fact, The Alley Restaurant, in the Aiea bowl was on my list (most due to Pomai's post) when I returned home a few months ago. Unfortunately, I was unable to talk the Missus into eating in a bowling alley.

Still, I knew not to expect quite that, since I'd been to Gardena Bowl and the old Holiday Bowl Restaurant's before.

At 7am on Sunday, the place is half full, all old-timers, I'm the youngest by at least 15 years. I had a seat at the counter, and soaked in the atmosphere. I really can't use the word ambiance, because it seems to infer some "high maka-maka" quality. No, this was something special….. I'd never heard so much pidgin since I moved to mainland. And it wasn't just any pidgin, but "time-warp pidgin"….. I heard words, like "holo-holo", "Pake", and "manini"…. Which seemed to indicate when these folks had left for "da' really beeg island……" The folks working really didn't talk that way, but they seemed to know most of the people coming in and eating.

The menu, part of it written on the greaseboard reflected the very old-school Japanese/Chinese influenced dishes I grew up eating.

On one of the greaseboards, it said "Poi – $3.50 extra".

I of course, ordered a Loco Moco ($7.50), which came with a dish of very old-school Tsukemono, just like Mom used to make…. literally, it tasted just like her quick Tsukemono… In fact, much of this had a home made quality, albeit that being the 60's and 70's home….

I like that they didn't ask me how I wanted my egg, it was done easy-over. The gravy was very dark, and there were shreds of what seemed like roast beef in it. It wasn't as salty as I expected, rather it was thick and dense, and I love a drizzle of Tabasco on my Loco Moco anyways. The rice was perfect….

The burger patty was lean, and seemed to have little filler…. which some folks might enjoy, but it was pretty chewy. Plus, I ran into what I call "the old toenail"…. you know, you bite on a piece of bone or other hard calcified item which almost cracks your teeth. Also, the patty tasted like it was about a day or so from going South, that gamey-metallic flavor, which means you no harm (yet), but trips switches in my head.

Still, I enjoyed this meal. Just listening brought back memories, perhaps different from those that Fukagawa elicited, but very strong none the less. A nice step back to the type of "diner" I grew up eating in.

For that, I'd gladly return……… Plus that gravy ain't too shabby….. This was much like what Mom made, and as much as you criticize Mom's food, you always return for more.

Gardena Bowl Restaurant
15707 S Vermont Ave
Gardena, CA 90247

Road Trip: Izakaya Bincho – Redondo Beach (Los Angeles)

October 20, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Izakaya Bincho has closed

Before leaving for Gardena/Torrance I emailed Akira a list of places, about seven, that I wanted to try. On that list was Musha and Izakaya Bincho, a darling of many CH's and Food Bloggers. Apparently, Akira's been to Musha more than a few times, it's his favorite Izakaya in the area, so he wanted to try Bincho. Akira called and made reservations, and I arrived at the Redondo Beach Boardwalk a bit early just to walk around a bit. It's been at least twelve years since I've been here…..

The Redondo Beach Boardwalk you might ask. I think most people knows Quality Seafood.

But an Izakaya? On the boardwalk? Among the fish joints and bars(don't forget the churro stand)?

It would seem to be a bit of a odd location. But yes indeed, there smack in the middle of the boardwalk was Izakaya Bincho.

This little shop is run by a husband and wife team, just the type of shop I love. Strangely, we were approached with a bit of reserved caution. The shop is strangely quiet for an Izakaya…..people speak in hushed tones, closer to a library than an Izakaya.

I let Akira do most of the ordering, except for a couple of requests…… the Butakakuni and the Ginnan Yaki. I also wanted Nankotsu (deep dried chicken cartlidge) but they were out. All chased with a pitcher of Sapporo.

So without further ado…. the Ginnan Yaki (salt roasted ginko nuts):

Shelled Ginko Nuts roasted on a bed of salt, mild salt flavor, slightly bitter, quite a nice combination of flavors. When I last spoke to Akira this past weekend during one of his visits to San Diego, we both thought this was the most memorable. For Akira, it's comfort food, for me perfect in it's simplicity.

The Butakakuni (Briased Pork Belly)…..

Redolent of sweetened soy yet mellow in flavor, this was good. It fell short, being a bit more stringy and tough than I'd like. Still it was rich without seeming greasy or fatty.

The Tori Karaage fell substantially short.

I prefer my chicken karaage to have some crunch, and to have less ginger flavor than this version. There was also a few very tough pieces. I actually enjoyed the sesame dressing on the shredded cabbage more…..

Nasu Dengaku.

The nasubi wasn't broiled/grilled enough, and was also pretty bitter. The miso based concoction was much too salty for my tastes.

Though we both had eaten fairly substantial lunches (I also had the benefit of a pretty hefty breakfast). We decided to order one more dish. I suggested the Agedashi Tofu, which comes with some high recommendations. In the end we decided on the Agedashi Nasu.

I once had a version where the nasubi was positively creamy and volcanic, barely held in place by the katakuriko (potato starch). The eggplant was just slightly North of what I enjoy in doneness. The tentsuyu was excellent though, balancing the mild dashi base with sweet and salty.

After the meal, I asked Akira where he rated Izakaya Bincho. He had it about where I did, good, but not great. In fact, he thought that Izakaya Sakura was every bit as good.

Izakaya Bincho
112 N International Boardwalk (The Redondo Beach Boardwalk)
Redondo Beach, CA 90277

Still, you can't get this view on Convoy, can you?

Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang) Revisited – This time it’s Banh Canh

October 19, 2010 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Chinese Kitchen has closed

You know, I had one of the young ladies who works at the dry cleaners flummoxed…. she just couldn't figure me out. I'd run into her twice at Que Huong, once picking up a sandwich at Cafe Dore, once while eating at the now defunct Huynh Hoa Tuu. She knows I live nowhere near those places, and yet we're there eating…… She knows I'm not Vietnamese, but there I am tucking into Bun Oc. I think she finally figured out that I just love to eat when she saw me getting something to eat at Chinese Kitchen. I guess in her mind, I must really love to eat, if I'd make the effort to head out to "Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang" for soup. All of this led to a conversation one day about Chinese Kitchen. I mentioned to her that I'd been going there since 2006, when you were served from an actual little hole-in-the-wall from this actual hole-in-the-wall. I also told her that all I get there is the Bun Mang Vit…… the young lady told me that I needed to try some different things, and recommended the Banh Canh, a soup with noodles made from rice flour and tapioca flour that reminds me of udon.

And this weekend's rainy weather seemed just perfect for a nice bowl of Banh Canh, so I headed out to Rolando, and Chinese Kitchen.

I hadn't been back here since May of last year, and it seems that on every visit there's a change or two made to the place. This time it was the bright blue signs.

All that Chinese fast food stuff is still served here, but it's what's on the smaller menu on the side wall that matters. Prices have gone up a mere 50 cents in a year and a half, but it's still pretty cheap.

The mustard yellow paint job, that seemed so sparkly and new is starting to fade a bit…. but I've never come here for the ambiance.

Things move here at a relatively measured pace…. which for some reason made me think of Laos. After ringing the bell out front, placing my order, and having a seat, waiting about 15 minutes, my Banh Canh Tom Cua ($5.50) arrived.

The soup seemed a little light, but it had a nice clean flavor, wasn't too salty, and the addition of a squeeze of lime really lifted it. It was also piping hot, something I look for in my soups. The noodles were prepared to a perfect slippery al dente.

And yes, there were actually a couple of pieces of real crab (not surumi) in the soup.

Not a whole lot of crab, but hey, when was the last time you actually saw real crab in a soup that's five bucks and change in San Diego? For some reason this really took me back to a stand we called "same-same" in Luang Prabang.

The nice woman also brought me out a little pot of tea (gratis), and asked me the inevitable question, one she's asked me before; "are you Chinese?"

When I finished eating, she actually brought me a toothpick dispenser! No tax either…… she simply told me "Five-fifty….."

Though the Bun Mang Vit is still my favorite here, another customer told me to order the Chao (rice porridge) here next time…. so maybe I will.

Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang)
6160 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Postscript: As for the girl at the dry cleaners. I once dropped off a menu for The Original Sab E Lee. Guess who I've seen twice while waiting for takeout at TOSEL??? It is indeed a small world…….

Road Trip: Torrance Farmer’s Market, I-naba Restaurant, and a quick shopping stop – Torrance (Los Angeles)

October 18, 2010 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Following breakfast at Fukagawa, I set my sights on the Torrance Farmer's Market. I've posted on the Torrance Saturday Farmer's Market a couple of times already. But, I'll just say it again…."boy do we miss the Torrance Farmer's Market".

There's one stand that we've been hitting for years.

This stand has a huge variety of Asian Vegetables and fruit.

There's a very diverse variety of leaves and greens……

Anybody got a recipe for Ampalaya or Okra leaves? I'm pretty sure I'm going to pick-up the yam leaves next time as well.

On this day, the Jujubes looked wonderful……

The Missus thought these were the best She's had in a while. I also bought three types of pluots, Chinese eggplant, Asian pears, baby bok choy, and these lovely Taiwanese white bittermelon. After all, I had to fill up that large ice chest I had in the back of the car, right?

Torrance Sat CFM
Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw
Sat, 8A-1P

My next stop, was a bit farther away….. but since I had some time to kill before lunch, I did a short detour at…..

I spent a good amount of time sniffing and shopping……..

I displayed amazing restraint, and spent less than $20……

I also asked the very friendly woman at the register if Penzey's would be opening a shop in San Diego anytime soon. I was told that there's been mention of Penzey's opening perhaps late next year….. I do hope so.

Penzey's Spices
21301 Hawthorne Blvd
Torrance, CA 90510

By this time, I'd pretty much digested breakfast, and was ready to move on to lunch. I'd pretty much whittled my choices down to Sanuki No Sato or I-naba. Since it was fairly warm, and I was already near Hawthorne, I chose I-naba.

Eating solo, I was shown to the Tempura Bar.

The environment is somewhat austere, though the people working here are very friendly. Five minutes after I was seated, the dining area of the restaurant was packed. There was only one other person at the tempura bar though.

I was once told that the tempura at I-naba was top notch, so I decided on the Zaru Soba (cold soba) with Ten Don (Tempura Rice) combo ($9.80).

This was a good amount of food.

First off, let me say that this was the best soba I've had in a while. Nothing in San Diego even comes close to this.

The noodles made this dish….. more stretchable and chewy than the norm, and with a more pronounced….. I can only say, almost nutty flavor, I could really get used to eating this quite often. When I mentioned how good the noodles were; the Server, a very nice young lady said it was their own hand made soba. The Tsuyu was good, not as salty as I'm used to, and quite refreshing….. needless to say, I was a very happy slurper on this day.

The tempura on the other hand, the reason I'd been recommended I-naba, did not quite live up to it's reputation. I found the batter a bit gummy for my tastes, and it was also on the oily side. The ten-tsuyu was delicious, as was the flavor of the shrimp. I'm not quite sure if the tempura chef was having an off day….

I'm definitely coming back for the soba.

I-naba
20920 Hawthorne Blvd
Torrance, CA 90510

Thanks to Kat, I won’t ever have to say, “I’ve never won anything in my life.”

October 17, 2010 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Back at the end of September, one of my favorite blogs, Our Adventures in Japan turned five. I tend to think that being able to last five years in the ever changing and fickle world of blogs is quite an accomplishment. Like many of her readers, I made sure to add a congratulatory comment to that post. What I really didn't pay attention to was the contest Kat was holding as part of their "blogga-versary" celebration. A couple of days later, I received an email from Kat telling me that Satoshi had pulled my name as the winner of the contest! Wow…… truthfully, I've never won a thing in my life…. and I really didn't know how to react. Anyway, I forwarded our address to Kat…. and last week, after returning from a pretty tough day at work, the Missus told me that a box was waiting for me. The Missus hadn't opened it, instead She wanted me to fully enjoy the moment.

The box was stuffed….literally overflowing….

On many items, Kat had written a very neat and tidy description of the item and attached it to the back of the packages. Like these two "Deco-Furikake".

The Missus loved the tea, and has been enjoying it daily.

Even though I don't have a sweet tooth, I really loved the Dark Chocolate Kit Kat's. You can read more about it in Kat's post. I also enjoyed the Lemon Cream cookies.

The Missus, who does have a sweet tooth also loved those Kit Kats, and really took to the cream soda candy.

I also really enjoyed the curry flavored fried okara…… the texture and taste was right down my alley….

The Missus loved the food containers and the utensil set.

And it was all topped off with a really cute t-shirt!

Reading blogs like Kat's, has allowed me to live vicariously through the eyes of another. So thanks so much for the wonderful box of goodies…. but most of all, thanks for sharing your "Adventures in Japan" with us!

Spicy Misoyaki (Saiyko Yaki) Black Cod

October 15, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

There comes a time when you make something literally hundreds of times where it just kind of loses its spark. It seems that my Misoyaki Black Cod (aka Misoyaki Butterfish). I've added the Saikyo Yaki description for the sake of my buddy Akira, who keeps telling me that I should call it by its appropriate Japanese name Gindara Saikyo Yaki…… even though I use White Shiro Miso, finding most Saikyo Miso to be too sweet.

The Missus hadn't asked for my misoyaki in a while, so I decided to have some fun with it. Spice it up a bit, and this what I came up with.

This is a good recipe if you think that my original recipe is on the sweet side.

If anything, I think it sure looks pretty……

If you've ever read my post on Misoyaki Black Cod, you'll notice that I enjoy adding a bit of Aka (Red) Miso to add additional savory notes. This recipe is basically that basic recipe minus the Aka Miso, replaced with this:

Yes, Kochujang and garlic in place of Aka Miso. Not even close to traditional in any way. I've found that I like to use Sunchang Kochujang. I found the flavor of this Kochujang to be a bit more spicy, and not as sweet as other brands. Apparently, this Kochujang is made in the city of Sunchang, with sun dried peppers and sweet rice.

You can really tell the difference in look and smell. Take a look at the two:

Versus my more traditional version.

Instead of the usual three day marinade, the strong flavor of Kochujang means that I'd recommend making this after 1day, 2 days max. After that it gets exponentially more spicy. Also, remember to save maybe 1/3 cup of the marinade to use as a glaze before broiling. My usual way of making this is to start in a 400-425 degree heated toaster oven until almost cooked, then adding a layer of glaze and broiling to finish.

In the end, the Missus thought this was good, but really enjoyed the batch of my usual misoyaki, so next time it's back to the same 'ol same 'ol…… unless I find another new way of making this!

Spicy Misoyaki Black Cod:

3/4 Cup White Shiro Miso
3-4 Tb Kochujang
2 cloves garlic finely grated
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Sake
1/4 Cup Mirin
1-2 Tsp Whole Bean Real Soy Sauce

Combine Mirin, Sake, Garlic, and Sugar in a small pot. Bring to a simmer stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until all the alcohol burns off.
Remove from heat, and add Soy sauce to stop boiling.
Slowly add Miso and Kochujung mixing until sauce is creamy.
Do Not ever boil miso.
When sauce is cooled marinate black cod completely coating the fish.
Marinate for at least 1 day, not more than 2.
If using a conventional oven, pre-heat at 450 and bake fish for 8-10 minutes.
When fish is almost cooked baste with some left over sauce if desired, then broil for an additional 2-3 minutes until well caramelized.

Hangzhou: West Lake and Zhiweiguan

October 13, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Hangzhou, Travel

At then end of my last post on Hangzhou I mentioned that we were still a bit confused as to the exact location of the famous Xī Hú (West Lake) I was looking at a pagoda on Wushan Hill, when I heard a woman talking to the Missus. I was to find out later that the woman told the Missus that there's nothing really worth Her time on Wushan Hill. When the Missus asked the woman which direction to West Lake, the woman pointed up at this sign…..

Sigh….. can you say clueless tourists? Actually, this woman was really friendly, born and raised in Hangzhou, and told us to follow her; she'd show us to the bus stop that would take us around West Lake.

And even though there were times that the Missus could only understand every second or third word due to the woman's accent, She did learn quite a bit. The woman told the Missus that most of the young people working the restaurants in all the tourist areas are not from Hangzhou, and really don't care about anything except making money. This was a theme we heard everywhere, if someone was rude or provided terrible service, someone would say that "it is because they are not from here." The woman gave the Missus a few tips and pointed out the bus stop. The Missus was also told that there was a Silk Expo taking place, where everything was real silk, and prices were good. We caught the bus and arrived at the building right across from the famous Long Jing (Dragon Well) Tea Farm.

And did some shopping……

After doing some shopping, and buying a couple of gifts, we got back on the bus. The Missus pointed out a gentleman who had an entire Jinhua Ham lying on the console behind the driver……

The woman we had net told us to get off at the Qu Yuan Feng He ("lotus in the breeze at crooked courtyard") stop.

The woman was right, this turned out to be the part of West Lake we enjoyed the most.

Even though it was pretty hot and humid, this area felt fresh and cool. I'm sure some of it was due to the immense beauty.

Walking along the causeways things started getting a bit crowded, though there were still areas where folks had carved out an area to peacefully read and relax.

You started seeing tourist cruise boats taking people on tours of West Lake.

As we circled the North part of the lake, things started getting a bit more crowded.

The views were still quite beautiful, in spite of the crowds and noise.

There are tons of things to see, including one that got the attention of the Missus; the Tomb of Wu Song. Wu Song, is one of the great heroes of Classic Chinese Literature. According to the Missus, when She was young, all children knew the story of how Wu Song "killed the man eating tiger with his bare hands." Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classic Classic Novels of Chinese Literature tells the story of Wu Song.

By the time we got to the Eastern part of West Lake, I was bushed, sweaty, and had pretty much burned out on West Lake. Plus my left foot was starting to ache pretty good.

You could really tell that the Missus felt pretty tired as well since we started noticing the people more than the views. Like the guy at the right in this photo…..

We started counting the "crimes against Western fashion and mores" this guy was commiting. A short list:

1 – He was carrying his wife's/girlfriend's handbag.

2 – He was wearing capri pants!!!

3 – He was wearing a long sleeved dress shirt tucked into those capri pants.

4 – He had his shirt tucked in, but wasn't wearing a belt

5 – And last, he was wearing capri pants, but had dress socks on!!!

As you can tell, it was time to move on; we were hot, tired, and sticky….. and hungry.

The one restaurant we had heard about before setting foot in Hangzhou was Lou Wai Lou (楼外楼). When the Missus mentioned Lou Wai Lou to the woman earlier in the day, She recommended Zhiweiguan instead. She told us that this is where she brings guests who want to taste Hangzhou food. Zhiweiguan is a monstrous restaurant by Western standards at over 7,000 square feet, and four stories. The area outside the restaurant sells snacks and take-out food.

Like most of these multi-story restaurants, the first floor did snacks, fast-food, and cafeteria style service. It was just packed like crazy on this evening.

Wanting something less chaotic, we skipped the first floor, and went to the third floor. (The second floor did seafood, and the fourth floor holds the banquet rooms and bar). As we stepped up to the third floor, we realized that even though this place was less chaotic, it was just as packed! We won't complain about the service here, as the Servers and staff was literally running from table to table!

Though it was much cooler here, we could tell that the A/C was working full blast.

We were both bushed, and the heat and humidity had sapped our appetite. We just ordered a couple of items.

The Missus wanted ot taste the Nian Gao (rice cake) which She really loved.

The wrappers on the Xiao Long Bao were really thick and gummy.

I thought the filling was decent, but the Missus thought it to be too sweet. In fact, the Xiao Long Bao being served downstairs looked better.

The Missus enjoys a good Jiu Niang Tuan Yang (Fermented Rice with Sesame Balls 酒釀湯圓), and really enjoyed this version.

One of the most well known dishes of Hangzhou involves pork belly…. so you know that I was going to have Dongpo Rou! Named after famous Song Dynasty poet and artist Su Dongpo (Su Shi). According to the story, Su Dongpo had a visitor arrive, and decided to simmer some pork. Su Dongpo and his friend became engrossed in a game of chess. Suddenly realizing that he had left the pork simmering, Su Dongpo rushed to check on his pork. he was amazed when he saw that the pork had attained a beautiful color, and the juices created were wonderful. At least that's how the story goes……

This classic dish is pork belly (aka streaky pork) cooked in a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and Shaoxing (which is about 60 km from Hangzhou).

We decided to order two of these.

Man this was sweet…. like pork candy, much too sweet for me. It was also tougher and drier than I would have thought that braised pork belly would be. I wasn't really satisfied with this, I needed to have it again to see if this was really how Dongpo Rou should be……..

We returned to our room exhausted, though I had Dongpo Rou on my mind as I drifted off to sleep……

Com Tam Thuan Kieu – San Diego

October 12, 2010 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** This place is back to being Nhu Y

A couple of weeks ago, FOY (Friend of Yoso) "Yummy Yummy" told me that the folks from Song Huong had taken over the Nhu Y location. When I saw the new name of the place, I got a bit excited.

Yes, that's right….. Com Tam Thuan Kieu, the same name as the small chain of restaurants in Orange County and San Gabriel. I recently did a post on the Garden Grove location. Now I'm pretty sure that this restaurant isn't affiliated with those, and the menu pretty much confirms this……

It's the same menu as Nhu Y… in fact on this first visit the menus still said Nhu Y. In fact the only thing that had changed were the prices…. Still, perhaps I could still hope for some decent Cơm Tấm in San Diego.

Not much much different in decor following the hand-over either.

The Missus loves a good Tan Hu Ky – Fried Bean Curd Wrapped Shrimp Paste. So She went for the Bun Tan Hu Ky ($7):

The portion size was fairly generous, and the Missus enjoyed the flavor of the Tan Hu Ky. Since my dish hadn't arrived yet, She gave me a taste. The flavor of shrimp really came through. I do prefer the bean curd skin (aka Yuba) done a bit lighter and crisp.

Since this place is called Com Tam Thuan Kieu, of course I had to have the Com Tam Dac Biet.

Also known as Com Tam Bi Cha Tan Hu Ky Thit. This came with the usual bowl of broth, which was pretty weak. The Bi (shredded pork) was moist, but a bit short on flavor.

The Cha (steamed pork-egg "cake") was nice and moist, and I would have really enjoyed this, had it not been for the camphor-like background flavor.

I've already covered the Tan Hu Ky……

The grilled pork chop had a nice, not overly sweet nor salty flavor, if on the tough side. The Com Tam was moist, though it wasn't the most fragrant broken rice I've ever had. Overall, I thought this was decent.

A couple of weeks later I returned. There was one dish that I usually ordered at Nhu Y, the Bun Mam. I was wondering how the Bun Mam($8) fared since the change in ownership. By this time, the covers of the menus had been changed and now read Com Tam Thuan Kieu. For a minute I thought that perhaps the menu had changed, but no, only the covers of the menus were new…..the menu was still the same as Nhu Y.

I could smell the pungent bowl of Bun Mam before it hit the table, the strong smell of fermented fish arriving before the bowl. I had forgotten how much food this was. A large plate of veggies and herbs, another plate heaped with Bun.

The broth was as before, salty, slight sweetness, pungent, and spice, all converging in a bowl.

The bowl was loaded with eggplant, two slices of surprisingly unmuddy catfish, and of course there's the pork belly. Perhaps a bit on the tough side, but possessing some nice pork flavor.

Using up all the ingredients meant eating three bowls of Bun Mam….. a good amount of food for one.

Did I notice a difference since the change from Nhu Y? Not really…. I have a feeling that the same cooks are at work in the kitchen.

So perhaps the Com Tam is not Westminster level, but it's not bad. That Bun Mam is still my favorite version in San Diego…….

Com Tam Thuan Kieu
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115

Road Trip: Fukagawa Soba & Udon – Gardena (Los Angeles), A breakfast from memory lane….

October 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, yoso-silly

With a tip of the hat to Jimmy Buffet:

"I took off for a weekend last month
Just to try and recall the whole year.
All of the faces and all of the places,
wonderin' where they all disappeared……."

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Atittude (1977).

The Missus told me that I needed a short respite, and if anyone would know, She would. This past weekend, the Missus had events planned with Her friends, so I thought I'd take a drive up to LA, and eat a bit, meet a good friend of mine, then meet even more friends of mine, and just basically wander around aimlessly….. I thought I'd start driving early and hit the Torrance Farmers Market, which I've written about several times before. But this time around, I left San Diego extra early, like 530 am early. I decided to grab breakfast…. a kind of special breakfast, at a restaurant called Fukagawa.

Fukagawa is located in the same plaza as Marukai Pacific Market, but is kind of hidden away in a corner. You'll first have to see the Fukagawa sign.

Then look down the hallway to find Fukagawa……

You may ask why a Soba & Udon (& Shabu Shabu) restaurant would be opening at 7am from Mondays to Saturdays?

I mean, the place doesn't look much different from a hundred, or even a thousand other Japanese restaurants…..

What makes Fukagawa rather unique in my mind is that they serve a "Japanese Breakfast". A simple, yet soulful combination of dishes and flavors that may seem a bit strange to many Westerners, but is very familiar to me, as something similar was my Mom's special breakfast that she made on occasion for us.

Something resembling "Combo B" was what we ate for those meals…. so of course it's what I ordered.

Just the smells brought back memories…….

The miso soup presented me with a bit of nostalgia as it had sliced onions in it. My grandparents and mother used to put onions in their miso soup….. but I don't recall having miso soup this way outside of home.

That's Natto (fermented soybeans) on the left, and Hiyakko Tofu (cold tofu) on the right.

Of course growing up, we didn't make things quite as fancy….no katsuobushi(shaved dried bonito) for our tofu, and no quail egg or even mustard (I don't think Mom would have enjoyed that) adorning the natto.

As for the natto….. my grandparents were from Fukushima-ken, and as long as I remember, whenever someone asked where my family was from in Japan and I answered "Fukushima", among the first things mentioned was, "oh, so you must eat a lot of natto, huh?" Actually, I really don't love natto, in fact, the Missus enjoys it much more than I do. But over time, I have eaten my share……

And is it just me, or does today's natto not smell quite as bad?

But for me, the most important item was this:

Lest you wonder why the heck I think a boiled egg is so important to me….. well, it's not a boiled egg.

And in spite of the recent Salmonella Egg recall and warnings, the dish would not be the same without this.

You add a little shoyu…..

Mix…..

Pour over hot rice (in all honesty, the rice should have been hotter) steal some green onions from my tofu, and mix…….

Creating a dish known as "tamago-meshi". One of the earliest (and few) memories I have of my grandparents, is my "Ji-chan" (grandfather) waking before dawn. Even though the plantation days were behind them; the plantation ways were still strong. Neither Grandparent spoke much English, and always had problems with my name. Ironically, they ended up calling me "Keiki" (which means "child" in Hawaiian). To this day I'm not sure if they actually knew what keiki meant, or of they just chose that word because it kinda sounded like my name, and was something they'd heard before. Anyway, my job was to climb the ricketty ladder up to papaya tree and pick two of the ripes papaya. My reward? My Grandmother would have a steaming bowl of rice, mix the raw egg with shoyu, pour the egg over the rice, top with green onions and mix……. tamago meshi. This in turn was topped with natto. I was also given half a papaya (to help me digest), and a cup of coffee (!!! I was maybe 7-8 years old) with tons of cream and sugar. A perfect breakfast for getting out there and working the fields…….

I really haven't had this in years, perhaps a decade (or two!), but it just seemed like the perfect thing to get this road trip started.

My friend, Akira, who I had dinner with later that evening, cracked up when I told him about my breakfast. Even though he lives in Torrance, he'd never heard of Fukagawa. And no, coming from Osaka, he's not much of a natto, or tamago-meshi fan. Still, he appreciated the fact that there was at least one place serving this in LA.

I do realize that this is something I can do at home. It may be a bit much for a weekday. But this just seemed like the right thing to start my short road trip.

I don't think younger people eat this much anymore. In fact, much like the next morning's breakfast (an upcoming post of course), everyone here was at least a decade older then me. And no one got the egg raw…….they all requested the egg over-easy……

The Japanese breakfast is available for lunch and dinner, though there's an upcharge of $1 for lunch, and $2 for dinner.

Fukagawa Soba & Udon
1630 W Redondo Beach Blvd.
Gardena, CA 90247

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill- a little lunch

October 9, 2010 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk is taking a short vacation, ed(from Yuma) is enjoying his weekend (in Yuma) and Cathy is writing a little bit today.

Hi. I wrote about the Pacific Beach Bar & Grill about three years ago, so it's time for a revisit-for you. We were back again last week for a light shared lunch.

..and some football. Beers on tap are $2.75 during Saturday games, Pear Cider is $5.50. If you care. Yes, there are about 30 taps…
Nut crusted brie, served with an apricot and mango chutney (lots of red peppers and cilantro) and olive oil herbed crusty baguette is regular $8.50, but $3 off all appetizers during College football games.
The Brie is warm and oozing….very good.
We ordered the Seafood Louie salad ($10.50), told our waitress we were going to share and it was brought out on two plates (no extra charge). ..so this is a photo of a half salad. The shrimp are very large and flavorful, the crab meat was also very fresh and tasted good, without the need to add condiments.
We also ordered a bowl of French Onion Soup ($3.25)(only 50¢ more than a cup, and considerably larger), which was made with a good, rich, not salty beef broth, sweet, not mushy onions and topped with croutons and slices of Swiss cheese, melted just right.

The food here isn't quite 'bar food' and is very good. There are sliders and nachoes and that type of thing on the menu, all kind of high end. PBB&G has weekday specials and a very good Brunch. More information is on the website (which has music attached, so if you click on the link, you may want to turn down the sound). It's good.

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill 860 Garnet, San Diego 92109 (858) 272-1242 Website