mmm-yoso – Page 438 – 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.

Pho Fusion

April 6, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

During a recent dinner with Cathy and Ed from Yuma (we missed you Tina!), Cathy mentioned that a Pho shop had opened in place of the former Fusion Tea and Boba place, which I understood made some pretty good Boba, but I was never a big fan of the food. I recently had a pretty long day, and found myself in the area one evening, so I decided to check it out.

When I saw the sign, and read the "welcome back" message, I had to chuckle. I guess Madonna's not the only one reinventing themselves. Boba and snack shop not doing well….. go with the Pho. It's now called Pho Fusion…. which if you mispronounce it, could be Pho Pho-sion, or Fu-Fu sion. Some newer furniture, and nice coat of paint, and a menu featuring more mainstream Vietnamese dishes, and Pho Fusion is born.

There are still most, if not all the various slushies and Boba drinks, and a few of the older dishes are still around, but the menu features Pho, Bun, and Com (rice) dishes.

A regular bowl of Pho will set you back $5.49, with a larger bowl going for $6.29. I ordered the #15 brisket, flank, tendon, marbled flank, and crunchy flank (which is basically the thick and chewy connective tissue pieces of flank).

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but very fresh. The bowl was fairly small as well.

I was ready to be underwhelmed, and yet, the broth was pretty good. Nice anise tones, light beef flavor, it wasn't bad. I also thought of my FOY, and fellow food blogger Dennis, who wants to Nuoc Beo everything in sight. This is one bowl that could make good use of some rendered beef tallow to add richness and oil, as it was very light. The various cuts of meat need some work, as the flank cuts were pretty dry and bland, though the tendon was decent if not quite done the way I prefer. This turned out to be a rather pleasant surprise……..

I used to grab a snack at the old Fusion once in a while, even if I didn't care for most of what they served. The folks were always very nice to me, friendly and helpful, and sometimes that's all you need. The one dish that seemed to get better with time was the Popcorn Chicken ($3.99).

Or maybe I just changed….. Basically pieces of dark meat chicken, in what seems like a corn starch based batter, served with a mildly spicy mayo… or if you want to be fancy, an "aioli". When good, it's crisp and hot. When bad, it's crumbly and bland. It also doesn't hold up for very long. It's not overly salty, and I do wish there was something more going on; perhaps garlic tones, or some sweetness, but hey, it's fried chicken.

Today it did just fine.

I was perfectly happy with my meal, and as always the folks here have always been pleasant. I was thinking that maybe I'd try the Banh Mi here again….. well, maybe not, but who knows.

Right now there's a Grand Opening, or perhaps it should be a sorta Grand re-opening special with free drinks with your meal.

Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

777 Noodle House

April 5, 2010 mmm-yoso Cambodian Restaurants and Cuisine, Chinese Restaurants

About seven or eight months ago, I noticed that a new shop had opened across the street from the now (sadly) defunct 79 Supermarket. In the place of…. if I recall correctly a Billiard Hall, was a noodle shop called 777 Noodle House.

And while I initially thought it was just another "Mi" (egg noodle soup) joint, I noticed the script on the window, along with Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang written everywhere. Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang, also known as Phenom Penh Noodles or Chazhou Noodle, a tapioca noodle based dish that from what I have read originated in Cambodia, and evolved as it made it's into Southern Vietnam, becoming a dish I've had a couple of times Hủ tiếu Mỹ Tho(named after the city of Mỹ Tho) . Much more info can be found on this post on Viet World Kitchen. I was fascinated so I decided to check the place out.

The interior is fairly spartan, and the plasma television is always on Fox News for some reason. You can see the bones of what the place was in a former life. The menu is fairly large, with over 100 dishes…. and yes, all the prices end with '7'. The prices are very inexpensive, with bowls of noodle soup starting at $4.77, and the upper range of prices of $6.77 for items like seafood dishes at $6.77.

And yes, the owners are Cambodian, and also Chazhou (Chiuchow), so in case you were expecting the fragrances of Kroeung or Prahok wafting through the air, and Khmer dishes like A-Mok or Samla Kako, you'll be sorely disappointed. Most everything takes a Chazhou turn, with a few Thai style and Vietnamese style dishes.

So of course I had the Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang (Chazhou Noodle Soup – $4.77), which is pretty much a bargain.

I believe this is the first time I've had this without any offal in it. There are two slices of pretty lean, and somewhat chewy pork, that are decently flavored, and a couple of shrimp. Some ground pork floats around in the broth which is fairly light, somewhat porky, with some nice salty tones (MSG). The blanched bean sprouts adds texture and flavor to everything. But…….. this doesn't hold a candle to the "dry" (Kho) version, also $4.77:

The noodles had been blanched in broth and was mixed with a bit of what tasted like oyster sauce. One time the noodles were perfect, the second a bit too mushy and overcooked. But what I really enjoyed about this version was the soup on the side…. well not exactly only the soup on the side.

You see what I mean, right? Honestly, which would you choose? This really isn't going to win any culinary prizes, but it left me more than satisfied. And the price was right…..

There's one more item that I really enjoyed…. the Fried Leek Cakes ($2.97):

The folks always apologize because this takes a while…. but it is worth it. The dough for the cakes is made with glutinous rice flour, making it both sticky, a bit gooey, and crunchy at the same time. The leek filling is molten as well. The flavors are like life… a little sweet, a little salty, a little bitter.

I brought my leftovers home, and the Missus really enjoyed it even though it was cold and had loss it's crunch. She wasn't a big fan of the Nuoc Mam Cham, which She found took away from the flavor of the leek cake. Speaking of the Nuoc Mam Cham. the folks here are really nice. When they packed the remaining two leek cakes to go, they made sure to add a little container of Nuoc Mam Cham. Those little things matter.

Some of the other dishes aren't as successful in my opinion. Once I had the Crispy Egg Noodles with Beef ($5.77), which was pretty cheap.

The noodles were either packaged or made far in advance. They were more crumbly than crisp. The beef was fairly tough, but at least they used Gailan. There's a combo Chinese Fast Food – Louisiana Fried Chicken Shop next door (I kid you not), and I think they share the same kitchen. This was very fast-foodish. I've heard that some of the other dishes (there are a bunch of dinner specials – many seem Thai, aka curries and tom yum) like the Fried Rice (I was listening "Little K") are pretty good.

I like the folks here, the two women are very nice, the gentleman is reserved but very nice as well. He laughed when I actually bought a lottery ticket here….. I told him it had to be lucky since I got it from "777", right? Well, maybe next time……

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Daily 8am – 9pm

Saturday Stuffs: What’s up with Royal Mandarin, Maharlika closed, Hal Mu Ni temporarily closed, and a “Main Street Meatfest” at Village Grill

April 3, 2010 mmm-yoso Iraqi Food and Restaurants

I jumped in the car this morning, and did something I hadn't done in a couple of weeks……. I headed somewhere just to see what was up. This time it was Plaza Boulevard in National City.

What's up with Royal Mandarin:

The main reason I headed down to Plaza was that the Missus was wondering if Royal Mandarin had reopened after fire had razed the restaurant. The last time I dropped by, the sign said February or March, which I thought was rather optimistic. The sign now says late April, but looking through the plate glass window, I'm thinking that might be a bit of wishful thinking as well.

Also in the same strip mall, the Submarina Sandwich shop is being replaced by Lisa's Filipino Cuisine:

I'm guessing it's the same owner as the turo-turo joint of the same name in Otay Lakes?

Maharlika no longer:

As I was driving toward the 805, I noticed that the parking lot to Maharlika was roped off. Sorry about the crooked photo; I took it while driving.

Squinting, and trying to not hit the vehicles in front of me, I noticed a couple of 8 1/2" by 11" sheets of paper, with "For Sale" printed on them taped to the windows. For some reason this made me crack-up…… the restaurant is for sale, with these notes of paper like you'd stick in the windshield of a car for sale on the side of the road. And it's really hard to read from the street……

Hal Mu Ni temporarily closed (I think):

The Missus had arranged to meet some friends for dinner at Hal Mu Ni two weeks ago. But when She arrived the restaurant was being closed down. She was told that there was a gas leak in the kitchen. We've drove by a couple of times, and the place is still closed.

Must be a pretty bad leak…. or perhaps they're just hanging it up until the space where the restaurant was supposed to move next door is finished?

The "Main Street Meatfest" at Village Grill:

**** Village Grill has closed

Some good friends and I had some plans today, but unfortunately the plans fell through. Looking for a "plan B", and knowing that these folks like to eat, I suggested Village Grill in El Cajon. After sharing the "Feast For Two" at Hammurabi Family Restaurant, I wondered if we could do some damage with something similar at Village Grill. So six of us went ahead and ordered the "Feast for Five". I won't bore you with a long and drawn out post, but let me say, we finished about 60% of it. Here are some photos:

And though I still think the bread at Ali Baba is better; I prefer the meat at Village Grill. YY and TammyC seemed to think the Chicken Tekka was the best item.

We all had our theories as to why the "Feast for Five" got the better of us. I think I shouldn't have ordered that plate of Baba Ganouj…. yes, that's it…. it was the Baba Ganouj…..

That Feast for Five at $49.99 is:

5 Skewers Beef Kabob

2 Skewers Tekka Chicken

2 Skewers Tekka Beef

Beef Shawarma (Gus)

Cream Chop (chicken)

Rice, Hummus, Salad, and of course the bread.

Everything lies on a pretty large bed of rice… so maybe that's what it was…… the rice… or perhaps that yogurt drink I had…. Oh well, whatever it may be, it is a pretty large meal. And to think that Tammy C and MrC have to go to a BBQ tonight!!!

Village Grill
550 East Main St
El Cajon, CA 92020

Hope you are having a great weekend! I gotta go take my gout medication now……

Chinese Style Spicy Eggplant

April 2, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

To tell you the truth, I don't really know what to call this dish. It is truly an "ABCD" – American Born Chinese Dish….. It takes a bit from a bunch of different dishes I've eaten. I'd love to call it "Gan Shao Qie Zi"(干燒茄子), dry braised eggplant, but this really isn't that either. The dish was born from necessity. The Missus loves eggplant, but at the time…. almost twelve years ago, all we had was a lousy electric stove. Also, since eggplant is a real "oil sponge" we really didn't want to use very much oil, especially without high heat.

I'm sure most of you have created your own hybrid dishes born of necessity. This one is ours. Basically, the eggplant starts in a smoking wok, but once color is achieved, the heat is turned down to medium.

The eggplant is flavored during cooking with some of our favorite ingredients. Items are added as the various liquids are absorbed by the eggplant.

Once the eggplant has been cooked as desired an additional sauce is mixed with the eggplant.

It's one of the dishes that we've kept since our apartment days…… It may seem like a lot of steps, but like most things I make, it's pretty easy.

And though I'm still not quite convinced this is worth a post, I'm tired of looking at the photos. Maybe you all can share the recipes born of necessity that you've kept from your college dorm or apartment days. I'm sure you've come up with some pretty innovative stuff and I'd love to read about it!

Chinese Style Spicy Eggplant:

1 1/2 – 2 lbs Chinese Eggplant cubed
3-4 Dried Chilies
3-4 Tb dried shrimp
5 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tb granulated sugar
2-3 Tb soy sauce
2-3 Tb Chinkiang Black Vinegar
2-3 Tb Shaoxing – drinking quality
Water if necessary
Salt and White Pepper to taste
3-4 Tb Canola Oil

Sauce:
2-3 Tb Chinkiang Black Vinegar
2 Tb Soy Sauce
1 Tb Oyster Sauce
1 Tb Hoisin sauce
1-2 tsp Chili Paste
1 tsp sesame oil

Chili oil
Cilantro

– Mix sauce ingredients.
– Heat a wok until smoking
– Add canola oil and scald dry chilies
– Add eggplant and dried shrimp and stir fry.

– When the eggplant starts to color add Shaoxing and turn heat to medium.
– Add black vinegar, garlic, and sugar, and mix. Cover for 2 minutes to soften eggplant.
– Uncover and stir fry over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, and eggplant starts to turn "dry".
– Add soy sauce and keep stir frying.
– If eggplant has not softened add water 2 tablespoons at a time, mix, cover, and repeat, until eggplant is fully cooked through.
– Taste the eggplant, it should have some flavor even without the sauce.
– Using your Chinese spatula, manipulate the eggplant until the desired texture is achieved.
– Once the eggplant has reached your desired texture, add the sauce, mix quickly, and remove from heat.
– Add chili oil to taste, and garnish with cilantro.

Midweek Meanderings

March 31, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I was surprised that a few folks wanted to know what we did with "Daikon-zilla".

Other than a bit for oroshi, we decided to make Turnip Cakes, which well, isn't made from turnips…perhaps it once was, but nowadays, radish is used. Funny thing, over the years my post and recipe for turnip cakes has been pretty popular.

I realized after shredding the daikon, that this was going to make a whooooole lotta turnip cakes. Meet mount daikon:

After simmering the daikon, and waiting for it to cool……

I went to owkr on the other ingredients. I decided to use twice the amount of dried shrimp and lup cheong this itme around. I also added dried shiitake mushroom that had been soaked for about twenty minutes or so.

This time, instead of soaking the shrimp in water, I started the stir fry with the sausage and shrimp in about 2 tablespoons of oil, and added a a couple of tablespoons of the mushroom soaking liquid before adding the mushrooms. Scallions go last. I stir-fried the whole thing until the liquid evaporated….

I ad the cilantro directly into the batter before steaming. Man, this made four pans of turnip cake……

We gave some of it away…. but we'll be eating this for a while.

Of course the Missus needed something for lunch…… so I made some Karei Karaage.

So easy it doesn't deserve a recipe…. potato starch, sea salt, shichimi togarashi……

Oil at 350……

Fry away……

Turn once…..

When the bubbling starts to slow down…..

It's ready, freddy……

I cut slits in the fish….. this allows the bones to cook, making them crunchy and edible. Afterall, one must get their calcium, right?

So what did I eat? (yes, the Missus ate both of these) I had some of the lup cheong, shrimp, and mushroom mix, and made an omelet…. man was that good!

So what did you eat this past weekend?

Beef Sate Egg Noodle Soup overload – Minh Ky, Cam Ky, Hao Vi, and Tan Ky Mi Gia times 2

March 30, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

I first tasted Vietnamese Beef Sate Noodle Soup a couple of years back. And for the last couple of years, anytime I've been feeling a bit congested, or under the weather, I'm looking to get some Beef Sate Noodle Soup. Funny thing about BSNS (yes, I'm too lazy to type the whole thing out); almost every "Mi" (Chinese-Vietnamese Egg Noodle) joint serves it. But, as you'll soon see, each one is unique. In most places, it's just the house soup dressed up with Sate. But next time you're at the Vietnamese Market, check out the variety of Sate sauces, and read the labels. There's only a few items that are the same across the board, chilies, shallots, and oil……. some of the sauces look like they use a good amount of oil. And though peanuts come to mind, not all of this type of sate sauce utilizes them. At it's best, the sate adds deep savory-salty-spicy tones to the noodle soup. At it's worse….. well, I've never had a bad bowl of sate soup, though the other items, especially the beef falls short. Well, enough of that, let's get our soup on……

Minh Ky – Best Bang for the Buck:

Actually, the Beef Satay Egg Noodle "dry" ("Kho") is really good, and you can check out Gastronomer's post, but the BSNS ain't bad either. For me it's a great tonic when I feel a bit under the weather.

To me, it's a great bang for the buck…. the price is not the cheapest at $5.50, but it has a ton of egg noodles, which seems almost unending at times. The beef is usually fairly tender, the portion generous, and usually arrives rare ready to cook and soak up the broth. The sate here is not particularly spicy, but it is rich, perhaps a bit oily, but it does grab you, causing the inevitable utterance; "aaahhhh….."

Let's just say it all together; "aaaahhh….."

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Previous posts including Minh Ky can be found here, here, and here.

Welcome to Funkytown – Cam Ky and Hao Vi:

**** Both Cam Ky and Hao Vi have closed

If there was any doubt that BSNS ranges wildly from place to place, I'm sure the versions at Cam Ky and Hao Vi, both appearing very Chaozhou would be good examples. I found it interesting that one of the women at Hao Vi didn't speak Vietnamese, and seemed to talk to her coworkers in a Chinese dialect. One of the women who used to work at Cam Ky spoke Cantonese and Mandarin.

My bowl of BSNS looked very different here. It didn't "smell like turpentine" but looked kinda like India Ink (extra points if you can guess the reference).

Actually, the texture was like motor oil, perhaps of a lower viscosity, but this was almost like a gravy. It was very low on the oil end, and didn't have a whole lot of hard, gritty bits. The spice level was a low medium, and the flavor tending toward a porky, garlic-shallot.

The beef was the toughest of all the soups sampled, but the tomatoes were pretty ripe and did add a nice tangy flavor. There was a nice portion of egg noodles, which were severely over-cooked.

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ
4141 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

My previous post on Cam Ky can be found here.

Meanwhile, the broth of version at Hao Vi, while being very thick, is also the spiciest, but also very interesting in flavor, with hints of clove and cinnamon.

This was super thick, just as before the gravy like "soup" rested on top of the noodles. A quick shift of the noodles with a chopstick, and there's almost a "gloop" as the soup proceeded to overtake the noodles. No tomatoes in this bowl, but for some reason I didn't miss it. The egg noodles were cooked perfectly, though this was the smallest bowl overall.

Hao Vi Chinese Restaurant
4451 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Tan Ky Mi Gia times two…. Mira Mesa and El Cajon Boulevard:

**** Both locations of Tan Ky Mi Gia have closed

The BSNS at Tan Ky Mi Gia in Mira Mesa used to be my favorite.

But the last two times I've had the BSNS it seemed to be missing something. I just can't put my finger on it. So let's call it missing that "je nais sais quoi".

I think the beef here is the most tender, though I once got a bowl with beef that tasted off. When I mentioned that to the folks here, they were quick to replace the bowl.

On this visit, I found it strange that the tomatoes were missing….the acid from the tomatoes help to cut the oil. I'm pretty sure this version of sate uses nuts, as there's a hint of nuttiness… though it could just be a figment of my nuttiness.

The one thing the Missus and I find amusing about Tan Ky Mi Gia, are all the photos everywhere. It seems that everytime we visit there are more photos posted on the windows, and even on the walls…..

Just like that movie star with body dysmorphic disorder who thinks that just one more tattoo will make her/him look more attractive, it seems that the folks who run the place believe that maybe, just that one more photo will make folks order more.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

Other posts featuring Tan Ky Mi Gia in Mira Mesa can be found here (check out the windows), here, and here.

By far the BSNS I enjoyed the least was from Tan Ky Mi Gia on El Cajon Boulevard. It also was the cheapest at $5. I noticed that the place is looking a bit worn nowadays, with tables sticky enough to be found in the SGV.

The flavor of the broth was rather weak for BSNS, and it felt a bit greasy.

The beef was rather tough, though the egg noodles were cooked perfectly. Roma tomatoes in this bowl.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Previous posts that include Tan Ky Mi Gia can be found here, here, and when it was called Hing Ky, here.

I hope you enjoyed with noodle soup-pa-palooza. I'm sure I missed a few places, so fill me in on those.

A revisit (yet again) to Ba Ren

March 29, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

*** Ba Ren has closed.

With this wonderful weather, I'm wondering, what the heck are you doing here???? I am glad to know you're reading though. The longer I do this blog, the harder it is to try new places. It is easy to settle into a routine of "wow, it's Thursday….. Ba Ren day." So here's yet another revisit to one of the places on our rotation.

Yes, it's Ba Ren again:

If you've got better things to do, I wouldn't blame you for moving on, and just doing other things…. contemplating your navel, perhaps? I'll try to have something new and fresh tomorrow! Meanwhile, here's some stuff on Ba Ren. We're slowly approaching 1400 posts, and I suppose some folks think that at least 700 hundred of them have been on what we've eaten at Ba Ren. Like I said; I wouldn't blame you…..

Shao Kao at Ba Ren:

If you've driven by, perhaps you've seen this sign:

Or perhaps the sign to the right provides more info. Basically, Ba Ren is now doing Shao Kao, basically grilled (aka BBQ'd) items for a buck-fifty. The set-up is a bit odd, as the BBQ is ordered separately, and you pay the young man who does the grilling, as it is not part of your bill.

On one visit, I finally gave in and had the lamb….. ok, I love lamb, and couldn't wait to get my grubby mitts on that skewer….

Surprisingly, this skewer was more tender, and was better than what I had at Shao Kao 818 in San Gabriel. It was very moist and reasonably tender, with good salt. The skewer was short on the cumin, and frankly wasn't gamey enough for us.

The new seasonal menu:

Yep, there's a new seasonal menu at Ba Ren. Of course it used to be that you'd be forced to have someone translate this, but now of course you can just turn it around, and you'll have the menu translated into English. The Missus joked that "no one will read your blog anymore since they've started to translate the menu." Of course I laughed…. ummm… you're still there, aren't you? Ummm.. hello….

Two of the items, the Lamb Ribs and the Dry Cooked Mushrooms are holdovers. I've been unsuccessful in getting the Missus to agree to order the Frog Legs.

There is one real winner on this menu. It's the Deep Fried Shrimp with Egg Yolk($12.99):

I'm not sure if you all remember the Sweet Corn with Pine Nuts, but if you do…. think of that dish made with shrimp. A nice egg yolk, lacquered, almost tempura batter coated shrimp. The dish is topped with panko coated with egg yolk, salt, and possibly that impossibly good three lettered flavoring ingredient.

This was so filling I could only eat about three shrimp…. and a whole lot of the panko on rice, though I wanted more. Another thing; this is a good dish for those who can't handle the heat.

Speaking of not spicy:

I've been asked via email, about non-spicy dishes at Ba Ren. And I try to make recommendations, of course the rice crust and the "pot roast" (actually a pork shank and lion's head meatball in broth) immediately come to mind. But recently, the Missus decided to throw me a real Birthday party. I was really touched, I can remember only two other birthday parties I've had in my life, and this would be my third. Of course we knew that there would be folks who couldn't tolerate very spicy food. So we tried to balance the menu. And when working with Wendy on dishes, She recommended a dish we hadn't even thought of ordering. The Jing Jiang Rou Si…… why would we ever think of ordering Pork Strips in Peking Sauce at Ba Ren?

Man, this was good. Just the right ratio of salty and sweet, and a nice savory bean paste kick with perfectly wokked pork. So here's another dish for those who can't tolerate spicy.

I've also noticed that there's another group. Folks who can eat all the chilies in the world, but don't do too well with Sichuan Peppercorns. If you want perhaps the hottest dish at Ba Ren, order this:

The fish itself isn't really spicy, but when you get to the bean thread on the bottom……

I made sure to order this for the Beer Week Dinner, just so folks know that Ba Ren does indeed serve spicy food.

And yes:

Ba Ren still serves all of those oldies but goodies…….

I think the folks who attended the B-Day thingy really enjoyed themselves…. of course it could have just been the beer…..

This post is for one of my favorite FOYs (Friend of Yoso), who once thought that you could only get this dish on your Birthday:

The Missus and I thought that was so cute……

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Road Trip: El Rocoto – Gardena (Los Angeles)

March 28, 2010 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Peruvian Restaurants, Road Trip

"Ooo and it's alright and it's comin' 'long
We got to get right back to where we started from"……

Right Back Where we Started From – Maxine Nightingale.

Other then showing my age, what does this golden oldie from the seventies have to do with El Rocoto?…. well maybe not much….. perhaps.

Though I had always been interested in food, most of it was based on what I ate back home in Hawaii. The Hekka, Portuguese Bean Soup, plate lunches, etc…….. When I moved to the mainland, a whole new world of eating opened up. Working in Georgia and Arkansas exposed me the "real" food of the South, but it was the diverse cuisines offered in Los Angeles that got my attention. And while Rachel Laudan's The Food of Paradise really covered the food that I was surrounded by most of my life, suddenly there was so much more…….

When talking to folks, I can easily identify those moments that got me going; the first whiff of all the smells permeating the air at Chung King Restaurant in Monterey Park, the huge scallion bread, and lamb hot pots at Tung Lai Shun and VIP Restaurant…. and then there's El Rocoto. By the time we first ate at El Rocoto back in '97, we'd already eaten at El Pollo Inka across the street, but it was just Pollo ala Brassa. I distinctly recall the dishes at that first meal at El Rocoto, especially the Lomo Saltado…. what the heck were french fries doing in this dish… and why did it have so many Asian flavors… and why is part of the menu Chinese? Instead of making fun of the inclusion of papas fritas, like a fairly well known "foodie" in San Diego did(of my Lomo Saltado photos), I went directly to the library to find out why. I've already covered much of this in posts on Latin Chef, and much more ground was covered on our trip to Peru. But what about El Rocoto, that restaurant that helped to stoke my interest in Peruvian food? Thinking that perhaps much had changed since our last visit over twelve years ago, I just seemed to avoid revisiting El Rocoto all these years later. But yesterday, instead of going to the SGV, and hitting Gardena on the way back, we went straight to Gardena….. the weather also seemed perfect for some Cebiche……

The front of the restaurant looked basically the same.

And the menu still has a section for all the "Chifa" dishes, a long one and half pages of items from "Wantan Frito" (deep fried wontons) to Tallarin (Chow Mein) to Chaufa (Fried Rice).

The interior though, had been significantly changed. El Rocoto has taken over the space next door, and looks much more stylish that we both recalled.

First to arrive were some rolls and two sauces….

A spicy Aji Rocoto, and a somewhat refreshing and sweeter Aji Jalapeno.

The Aji also went well on our dishes.

Of course we started with the Cebiche de Pescado ($12.95). The fish "cooked" in citrus was piled high on the plate. The cancha, the fried corn kernals were excellent, light and crunchy…. possibly the best I've had outside of Peru.

The Leche de Tigre ("Tiger's Milk"), the marinade that supposedly has restorative properties was a bit too salty, with a touch too much lime for us. The fish was cut into pretty large chunks, some of which were a bit too fibrous. It wasn't bad by any means, but I prefer the version at Mario's, or even Latin Chef on a good day.

The camote, the stewed sweet potato lacked the tenderness of the version, at say, Pescados Capitales, but the flavor, with just a hint of cinnamon was right on the mark. The yucca was dry and fibrous, and we got regular yellow corn instead of chocolo.

The Missus got the Pescado a lo Macho ($15.95):

Holy smokes, I don't remember the portions being this big! All of the seafood, from the squid to the shrimp (7 of them!), to the lightly breaded fish fillet were cooked to perfection. The Missus even ate the pieces of octopus, something She usually won't. I believe the scallops were among Her favorites, as I never got a shot at them.

The sauce, built on a seafood base, fortified with butter, was too rich for the Missus…. but I loved it. And the leftover were most welcomed.

I went with the Lomo Saltado ($11.45):

Another very large portion. The beef was thickly sliced rib eye, with just the right amount of chew. The dish had a smokiness to it, and the onions added a good amount of light pungent flavor, the tomatoes a tangy note. I could have done with more papas fritas, but hey, I love my carbs. The sauce had a decent amount of salt, but lacked that little zip of herbaceous flavor….. perhaps they don't use Huacatay?

Still it was quite delicious……

We found the service to be very…. "Peruvian", laid back. The ingredients were of good quality, and the dishes done quite well. We'll probably be back a bit sooner than twelve years next time.

El Rocoto
1356 W Artesia Blvd
Gardena, CA 90248

Saturday Silliness

March 27, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Farmer's Markets/Night Market

Man, this daylight savings thing really fools you….. when evening finally arrives you think well, it's still pretty early, and wham….. it nine pm!

Today was a beautiful day, and we decided to drive up to Gardena, and do some shopping at Marukai, and of course grab some lunch (a later post). Because we were a bit early, the Missus suggested that we stop by the Torrance Saturday Farmers Market, which used to be a favorite of ours when we lived in LA.

By the crowds it was apparent that a lot of folks had the same idea.

We picked up a few things, but something caught our eye on the way out…….

It was probably the largest Daikon I've ever seen. The Missus rationalized buying one of these since we'd need some daikon oroshi (grated daikon) for the Karei Karaage I was going to make. Of course this would probably make a ton of oroshi…. so I'll have to come up with something else…..

It's hard to gauge the size of the daikon in the photo, so I decided to compare it against Frankie…. who apparently thought this large creature was his new brother, or something like that.

Playing with my food – more fun with Maguro Tartar:

We liked the maguro we saw at Marukai, and picked up a block, and of course much like my previous post on Maguro Tartar, the Missus wanted something a bit different. So with all the same ingredients, I came up with two more appetizers. You can see my recipe in this post. I built the dishes after getting all my mise together, and built the first one before mixing in the cucumber, tomato, and avocado into the tartar. I grabbed a really old, and kinda tacky glass and built it up layer by layer. A dab of wasabi paste was spread on the bottom, followed by cucumber, tomato, avocado, followed by the maguro mixture.

I had coated the rim of the glass with a mixture of Korean Chili powder and sea salt, and topped the whole thing off with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. A couple of slices of avocado dipped in chili powder finished it off. The Missus made some Strawberry-Peach Sangria, and had that with the meal.

The second item was some slices of cucumber topped with a dollop of tuna tartar. At this point I had mixed in the avocado, tomato, and added some sesame oil.

The Missus actually preferred this.

Anyway, there you go….. we hope everyone is having a great weekend. I think it's time to eat….

Hey, I think Sammy's just asked to see the wine list! "Can anyone get some service around here!"

Toan Ky Restaurant – A (quick) first look

March 25, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Toan Ky has closed ***

A couple of weeks ago, Toan Ky Restaurant officially opened. Replacing LV sandwiches, and before that Le's, from the name and the look, I thought this would be one of those "Mi" shops a la Minh Ky and Tan Ky. Linda Vista could use a good noodle soup shop, since Mi Ngoc So 1 folded its tent, and was replaced by Thai by Tara, and then (thankfully) Sab E Lee.

The main renovation has been done to the entrance area, where the "bar" has been removed, and a smaller counter with the ever present cash register resides.

The menu, fortunately or unfortunately still has some Thai dishes on it, but Banh Mi is still available; and yes, all the standard Hu Tieu and Mi soups are available. The prices at first glance are about in line with other shops of this type….. but hold on for more…..

The Missus went with Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup ($5.50). When the bowl arrived, I noticed something right away.

The portion sizes were pretty small compared to other shops. This was about the size between a small and medium Santouka Ramen. There were only three dumplings in the soup, but it was supplemented with a shrimp, a fish ball, meat ball, and slice of fish cake. The Missus thought the dumplings were passable, and gave me a taste, which I thought was bland, but much softer than the typical hard packed meatballs of these type of shops. The Missus declared the broth tasty, but light, and believed that only a minimum of MSG was used.

I ordered the Duck Leg Egg Noodle Soup ($6.75):

The broth of this soup was dark, I'm assuming fortified with the drippings of the duck. I usually pour in some of the drippings when I get duck egg noodle soup served with the duck on the side. This duck was braised, and frankly, quite bland, lacking in the richness of say, a roast, or barbecued duck. The soup was fairly good, with mostly a soy sauce flavor. I would have preferred something like what you see here, which is cheaper than this, and twice the size. There were about three to four bites of egg noodles. This was gone pretty quickly.

Our first impressions are mixed. The food is decent, but the soups seem to be snack-sized, and in fact most other tables ordered an additional item with their soups. The Missus has a saying about most of these type of soups…. "the more I eat, the more there is", which wasn't true in this case, as She had almost finished by the time my soup arrived, a mere five minutes. I believe that much of the reason places like Minh Ky and Tan Ky are successful is because of value, this is a bit different. The service was efficient, but indifferent, pretty much what we expected. I dunno……. I'm sure we'll check in again, so stay tuned…..

Toan Ky Restaurant
6925 B Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Open 8 – 8 daily