mmm-yoso – Page 481 – 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.

Turning up the Heat Part 3 – Ba Ren

April 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Ba Ren has closed

Well finally….I guess it's about time I get around to this. In part 1, I posted on revisits to China Chef and Dede's. In part 2, it was a revists to Si Chuan Garden Spicy City, complete with the requisite drama. But what is there to say that I haven't covered in one of my many posts? To make things worse, after a while you kinda get in the habit of ordering the same thing on every visit.

I mean how many posts on Cold Chicken in Spicy Sauce, aka "Saliva Chicken" can one write?

Over the last few visits we've broken away, and ordered a couple of items we hadn't ordered before, or had ordered on previous visits and had not particularly cared for. Of course, after so many visits, I really don't break out the camera much anymore. But here are a few we took photos of.

Lamb with Green Pepper:

If you think this is bell peppers, you're in for a bit of a surprise. It's not super spicy, but the peppers are also a bit sweet, and have that familiar "green" flavor of bell pepper. The lamb was melt in your mouth tender, with a nice soy flavor.

On one of our recent visits, Wendy, the wonderful woman who runs the front of house, remembered I was Japanese. She told the Missus, that the several regular Japanese customers love this dish, Stir Fried Beef with Pickled Mustard Greens:

And I can see why, if you love Zha Cai, you'll love these….in fact, if you love Tsukemono, and the slightly bitter flavor of mustard greens, you'll love this. It is just mildly spicy, but full of savory flavor. One of these days we'll ask Wendy if they can make a version of this with lamb.

Like any restaurant, anywhere, not everything at Ba Ren is a home run for us. I recall one really nasty Bamboo Pith Fungus dish I had several years back….. And this Dried Fish with Eggplant dish will not make our rotation.

The eggplant was done perfectly, but the chewy slices of what I imagine is reconstituted fish was just salty, and not much more. The dish was flat, and lacked depth.

And I guess if there's any reason to do a post on Ba Ren, it's for the seasonal menu. We haven't had the chance to check out much of it yet, but heck….maybe another post after I do?

On this visit we had the first item on the menu, the cumin lamb ribs. Not much meat on this, but man the flavor! If you love gnawing on bones….and maybe having a Tsingtao or two.

And there's a new menu of hot pot dishes as well.

We ended up ordering the lamb hot pot…which was a pretty massive cauldron.

This was pretty spicy, and had a good amount of Sichuan Peppercorns and herbs….just like Huo Guo. There's more than enough to start a major "heat-buzz", but not enough to melt your stomach lining.

Within the writhing red liquid were large pieces of lamb(the braising portions), bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and other stuff.

Some Napa Cabbage leaves, and vermicelli noodles were also provided to add even more "bulk" to the hot pot.

This was way too much food for the Missus and I.

A dipping sauce of minced garlic, sesame oil, and scallions was also provided. The drill was that you'd add a spoonful of the hot pot broth to the bowl, and utilize that as a dipping sauce.

One more important note……on our last visit, we noticed that Ba Ren had dropped the prices on most of their dishes by $1-$2! When we asked Wendy about the price drop, she told us, "it is because taxes have gone up, and the economy is tough.

Also on our last visit we realized something….. we've been coming here for about six years! It just seems like yesterday when I made that u-turn on Diane Avenue, and noticed that a new Chinese Restaurant had opened up. Time sure does fly!

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

COMC: Phnom Penh – Psar Thmei, my most memorable meal in Phnom Penh, and other stuff

April 13, 2009 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Travel

One of the great things about Asia Hotel is the location. It's right around the corner from Psar Thmei, the Central Market. You can't miss the monolithic, kinda scary looking building.

The building is surrounded by stalls with interconnecting swatches of tarp, canvas, and other materials. I love the drainage system!

The market itself is an impressive array of goods, though I just scratched the surface since we didn't have much time.

Phnom Penh itself is a bustling city, if you wonder where all of the folks live, you just have to raise your eyes above street level.

As for the streets…… if Hanoi was controlled chaos, Phnom Penh was just chaos…..

There weren't as many motorbikes, but many more cars and Suv's, the lanes are wider, and folks drive faster.

We saw at least half a dozen accidents during our very short stay in Phnom Penh! Some of them looked pretty bad.

You know it's tough when we saw a Red Cross truck drop off these folks to direct traffic……at a traffic light no less!

And yet, it was on these streets where I had my favorite meal in Phnom Penh. Even though it was pretty early, my stomach was rumbling. We noticed a young man hauling a cart down the busy street. Every so often we'd see a signal, or hear someone call him. He'd stop, and prepare some noodles on the spot. And by the way folks were chowing down…….

We hailed the young man, who gave us a wonderful smile, and through sign language, indicated what we wanted. And he was off to work.

It was simple fare, reconstituted packaged noodles. But it was what the regular folk ate, so you know it would cure the hunger pangs. The noodles were stir fired on a metal pan, mixed with seasonings, fish sauce, and crowned with that necessary topping….a fried egg!

I remember being satisfied, and it filled me up. I may not recall how the noodles tasted, but sometimes that's not important. What I will always remember is the young man's kind and gentle demeanor…and even though we didn't speak each other's language, the smile says it all.

And it's what we'll always remember…..

One thing was pretty clear by this time. We always say, "it ain't a vacation until I fall or get bad sunburn." So I guess it was time to go home.

In Siem Reap, I made sure to put on sunblock……..but I think I missed a spot……

Sunday Stuffs: San Diego Food Blog Search, Who said you can’t get crisp sweet potato fries, and I take direction well.

April 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Indian Restaurants, yoso-silly

The San Diego Food Blog Search.

I originally saw a post by Krista, whose blog, londonelicious is required reading for yoso. In that post she mentioned creating a Google Custom Search using various London based food bloggers. In one of those "now why didn't I think of that" moments, I thought it might be a nice idea to create a Google Search Engine of San Diego Food Bloggers. There are so many excellent food bloggers in San Diego, and this might be a nice way to see what they think about a restaurant, or even snag a recipe. You'll find the search in the left sidebar, right below the site search. Let me know how you like it…..

And if you're a San Diego Food Blogger, and I have somehow missed you, please let me know…..I managed to add 48 food blogs, but am pretty sure I've missed a few. I know I should do more with regards to making things more useful….but it seems I'm always busy eating!!!

Who said you can't get crisp sweet potato fries?

I sorta-kinda remember a conversation somewhere……

Well, I recently had some pretty darn good sweet potato fries, that were crisp, and tasty.

I managed to save some for the Missus, and was even given some specific instructions on how to reheat them. Of course, the Missus disregarded the instructions, but enjoyed them all the same.

So where did I get these?

Well, it was Crab Hut. Very tasty, and kinda reminded me of the sweet potatoes used in Banh Tom. (Here's a recipe from Wandering Chopsticks)

Crab Hut

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
858-565-1678

Open Daily from 12noon – 10pm

Previous posts on Crab Hut can be found here and here.

I've always taken instruction well:

**** Surati Farsan Mart has closed

Leave it to the Missus, after my post on Surati Farsan, and my mentioning how Indian Cuisine was something She needed to be in the mood to have….she was suddenly….in the mood. So we headed off for Surati Farsan.

It seemed like an overwhelming favorite here is the Chole Samosa:

The Chole which could be described in the most simplest terms as a chickpea curry, was nice with some savory-spicy overtones. It was perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste, but when I made sure to include the onions in every bite, it became an excellent dish. The samosa was fried to perfection, and filled with vegetables, added more of a nice textural counter-point.

Even though this was pretty filling, I ordered something else I had been wanting to try. I had read an article on Vada Pav, actually it was on a chain called Jumbo King, a chain inspired by McDonald's, which took the Vada Pav, a popular street food in Mumbai, and made it a national phenomenon. You can also read another article here. So without further ado, let me introduce Surati Farsan's Pav Vada:

Yes indeed it is the one and only…..potato potato patty "burger". They come two to an order at Surati Farsan.

Nice potato flavor, mildly spiced, and crisp around the edges.The bun was quite a simple burger bun-ish, but there was a nice smear of a garlic chutney. You can also get you Pav Vada with cheese! The Missus loved the potato croquettish patty, I loved the chutney, and got many happy returns from it the entire afternoon (too much info, I know). Not quite sure if I'd get this again…..but it was amausing to say the least.

So what did the always adventurous Missus get?

Sigh….. A Masala Dosa. Oh well, at least one of us broadened our horizons a bit…….

Surati Farsan Mart
9494 Black Mountain Road
San Diego, CA 92126

My previous post on Surati Farsan can be found here.

COMC: Phnom Penh – Chinese Food…….

April 11, 2009 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Chinese Restaurants, Travel

Here's another C(leaning) O(ou the) M(emory) C(ard) post from our trip to Cambodia.

It was quite unfortunate that by the time we hit Phnom Penh, both the Missus and I were kinda bushed. On our first night we were looking for something close to the hotel. As we turned the corner on Street 136, we came across a whole street of Chinese shops and restaurants. It appears that this street is sort of a "Little Chinatown", with a grocer, and several restaurants. After walking down the street, and past the guys making lā miàn (hand pulled noodles)….

We decided to forgo our search, and have some Chinese Food. We were tired, the heat was getting to us…..and frankly, I was missing Chinese food.

We chose the Sichuan Restaurant on the row, which sounds strange because of the soaring temperatures (we visited Cambodia during April, the hottest month of the year), but we liked the look of the restaurant. Plus, when the Missus spoke to the Gentleman running the front of house, his accent was undoubtably Sichuan.

The restaurant was clean, and the menu fairly extensive…..and with a real "Cambodian" feel. There was quite a bit of seafood on the menu.

Another touch was the addition of a plate of raw garlic and red chilies to be used as a condiment.

I nspite of the heat, we found that we were ravenous and ordered a bunch of food, which finished in its entirety. The Missus consulted with the owner of the restaurant on a couple of dishes.

We started with Ma Po Dofu:

This was more of a "brown sauce" Mapo Tofu and was very mild. Very un-Sichuan like.

When in Vietnam and Cambodia, we got into the habit of ordering whatever the fresh vegetable of the day was, as it was always pretty good.

And this was no exception, as it was done simply, and cooked perfectly.

We also decided on trying the Water Boiled Beef, a classic Sichuan dish.

Again, this lacked heat, but came with a good amount of numbing Sichuan Peppercorns.

The owner of the restaurant highly recommended the live "Mekong Riverfish", so we ordered it.

The Missus calls this, "the best fresh water fish ever…." It was simply prepared, steamed, with soy sauce, ginger, scallion, and sizzled with oil, but man this fish was good! The flesh was delicate, moist, light, flakey, with a hint of sweetness. I'm not a big fan of freshwater fish, but this changed my opinion forever.

So what kind of fish was this?

You got me…the Missus asked the owner who said that he doesn't know the Cambodian name for it, and they don't have this in Sichuan, but said they call it something like "Elephant fish" in Mandarin. So maybe one of you will know the English name of this…..

Regardless, that fish was great! And paid the "exhorbitant" price of a whole $12/US for this meal. That's the price of one dish (or less) in San Diego.

"Sichuan Cookshop"
111 Street 136

The next day, we were after some lunch before our drive to the airport. We had just taken a walk through Psar Thmei (the Central Market), and headed back to the hotel, when we noticed that this restaurant:

Had just gotten their delivery of live "Mekong riverfish":

We instantly stopped, and knew what was for lunch!

The interior of this restaurant could have passed as a sibling of the Sichuan restaurant in layout.

Again, the first thing delivered to our table was again what appears to be the standard condiment, the raw garlic and chopped red chilies.

Along with a plate of peanuts….which turned out to be not such a great idea for the Missus's stomach.

And of course we had the vegetaable of the day:

And since this was a Hangzhou restaurant, of course the Young Lady running the place told us to get one of the fish "Red Cooked". In this case the fish was deep fried, than quickly braised with a pseudo-red cooked sauce.

This was a bit of overkill. The sauce overpowered the delicate flavor of the fish.

We ordered the other fish done simply with a ginger-scallion preparation, like we had eaten the night before.

Again the fish had a wonderful texture and flavor. In this case however, it was not prepared with quite the same amount of finesse as the fish we had the previous night. There were a few sections of the fish that were still raw.

Still, for ten bucks, this wasn't bad at all. And we got to bid the other fish farewell before we left the restaurant, and made our way to the airport.

Hang Zhou Restaurant
81 Street 136

There's a part of me that wished that I gotten some Cambodian food for lunch….but there's another bigger part of me that is so happy I got to sample this fish…whatever it is.

COMC: Surati Farsan Mart

April 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Indian Restaurants

**** Surati Farsan Mart has closed

*** A short update can be found here.

As I mentioned in my post on Punjabi Tandoor, we kind of have to be in the mood for Indian Food. And after our trip to Cambodia, the Missus found Herself wanting some Indian Food. But that window is usually pretty small, and after a couple of visits to Surati Farsan, it seems that the window has closed. So, here's another C(lean) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post from visits back in June of last year. I'll keep it short and sweet.

From what I've read Surati Farsan specializes in vegetarian snacks, and sweets from the state of Gujarat, and you can find a ton of posts on Surati Farsan on Chowhound, and elsewhere. On our three visits from last year, all of the customers were Indian, though I'm sure much of that has changed.

There are basically two reasons we come to Surati Farsan…the Dosas…and the Dosas, and no matter how hard we try, we just can't break our habit of getting those Dosas. I did try to break away once, and tried the special "Thali of the Day." But was disappointed, both in the dishes, which I found a bit off-balance in flavor, and lacking in complexity, and myself, since Indian Cuisine fills me up quickly, and I could hardly put a dent in this.

The Missus always goes for the Masala Dosa, which seems to stretch from one end of the table to the other. The rice batter crepe is wrapped around what amount to a potato subzi. It is mildly spicy, fairly rich, and within all of this, the potato flavor is not lost.

Over the years it seems that both the Missus's and my tastes have converged. We tend to like the same flavors, and often reach the same conclusions about what we eat.

For instance, we both find the Sambhar which accompanies the Dosa to be very bland, and sometimes on the oily side. Pouring it over, or dipping the Dosas in it, does nothing…….

And for the Masala Dosa we find the overly sweet coconut chutney detracts from the flavor of the Dosa.

I usually get the Mysore Masala Dosa:

Wonderful Dosa wrapped around a fiery concoction.

In this case, the coconut chutney helps to cool the burn, and the sweetness of the chutney adds to the complexity of flavor.

As I've said many times, Indian Cuisine is still pretty much a mystery to me. Though the first time I tasted that Sambhar it rung a bell……I remember having a similar Sambhar in LA…and lo' and behold, Surati Farsan has a branch it Artesia…could it be?

We have had problems stretching our wings here. We love the Dosas, and don't want move on. Though we've tried, as in the case of the Bataka Vada.

Think of it as a croquette or fritter, made with a wonderfully flavored mashed potatoes. I enjoyed the cilantro chutney with these, but could only finish two of them, and half my Mysore Masala Dosa.

I'm not quite sure when the Missus will again want something from Surati Farsan Mart. But let's try this; I know there's a bunch of you out there who love the place….. why don't you help us decide what to order. We may visit next week, next month, or next year, but we'll make sure to try what you recommend!

Surati Farsan Mart
9494 Black Mountain Road
San Diego, CA 92126

$1 Wednesday?: Spicy Cucumber – Qiang Huang Gua

April 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

OK, so you may never read mmm-yoso again after this recipe…. The Missus and I were shopping at Zion Market, when I noticed good quality English Cucumbers priced at 2 for a buck! Suddenly the idea I had of doing a silly 3 dollar Thursday had gotten even better. I could try to bring this in at under a buck. Again I chose a recipe from Land of Plenty. And just like my Pan Fried Perilla with Cucumber recipe, I again stir fried cucumber(ever so briefly). I realize stir-frying cucumber may sounds strange to most folks, I know it was to me. I distinctly remember the first time I dug to the bottom of a wonderful hot pot, only to bring up a translucent mass of wilted iceberg lettuce. Over the years I've gotten used to it, and in many cases really enjoy vegetables that I ate raw growing up cooked. And those who really can't even think about eating a warm piece of cucumber, don't worry, you'll eat this dish the day after making it, chilled.

This recipe is so easy, and without nature's warning color, the bright and blazing red to warn you, the dish looks fairly benign, but it can be pretty "mala" (numbing hot).

Like most recipes, I've made a few adjustments to suit my taste, and I'm sure you'll do the same if you try this recipe out. I added some Clear Chinese Rice Vinegar and sugar, to help round out the rather straight-forward numbing-heat. I also found that due to the rather uncomplicated flavor of the dish, peanut oil should be used. This dish also uses whole Sichuan Peppercorn. Lastly, is this really a $1 dish….well, you figure it out, 50 cent cucumber plus ingredients, all of which I had in my pantry. I guess if cucumbers weren't on sale, it might be a 2 dollar Tuesday, or something like that.

Spicy Cucumber Salad

1 large English Cucumber
2 Tb kosher salt
2 Tb Peanut oil
6-8 Dried Red Chilies, with the top snipped and seeds removed
2 tsp whole Sichuan Pepper(not roasted)
1 tsp Clear Chinese Rice Wine
1/2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp Sesame Oil

– Peel the cucumber and slice into 2 – 2 1/2 inch lengths, Cut in half lengthwise, and remove seeds. Cut into quarters, than eighths lengthwise, into a baton shape. Place cucumbers into a colander set over a bowl and add salt. Mix well, and set aside for at least 2 hours to draw moisture out of the cucumber..
– After the salting period is complete, shake the cucumber and drain well. Dry with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
– Heat a wok over high heat until smoking. Add the peanut oil, and swirl to cure the wok. Add dried red chilies and Sichuan Peppercorn and turn the heat to medium. When the chilies are scalded and fragrant add the cucumber.
– Stir fry the cucumber for a few seconds, add vinegar and sugar, and stir to coat, and dissolve sugar.This process should not last for more than 10-12 seconds. Do not brown the cucumbers.
– Remove the cucumber from heat, add sesame oil, and remove to a container. When the dish has cooled, place into the refrigerator overnight.

You can eat this like any cold dish or pickle.

COMC: Phnom Penh – Kampong Thom Market, Asia Hotel…and something else.

April 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Chains, Markets & Grocers

COMC, definition: When a kind of forgetful blogger tries to "Clean Out the Memory Card" and posts on events that happened quite a while back.

Recently, the Missus reminded me that I had never posted on our two days in Phnom Penh. I didn't believe Her…."there's no way I forgot to do posts on Phnom Penh." And yet I did. So pardon me while I C(lean) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) and catch up on all those potential posts that have been languishing on my hard drive.

We had decided to "bus it" to Phnom Penh from Siem Reap, it was cheap, and it gave a glimpse of the countryside. The bus happened to make a stop in Kampong Thom. And while everyone rushed into the nice and clean restaurant and shop. We noticed something several blocks away. It was a rather large market. It was situated on a large dusty, drab, patch of dirt, with piles of garbage lying around, but it was interesting. It was also fascinating to note that no one on the bus ventured even close to this market. So here's a few photos:

How's this for a big pile of bugs?

Andof course there's always prepared food….. just as in Vietnam, Baguette Sandwiches are very popular.

And there were several of these typical eating stands.

Each stand had pots or trays lined with dishes…a steam table, without steam. You were free to peer into the pots, and eyeball the various items.

You pick out what you want, and the dishes usually come with rice…..have a seat and eat.

Unfortunately we had a bus to catch…..

We made it into Phnom Penh, and in spite of the very comfortable bus ride on the very clean Mekong Express Bus ($10 Siem Reap to Phnom Penh), after hitting the National Museum of Cambodia I needed a rest. Instead of staying along Tonle Sap, we decided to stay on busy Monivong Boulevard. Our Hotel was the Asia Hotel. This hotel has a special place in our heart…..it was quite quirky in several ways. First, many of the folks working here are somewhat detached, but the folks who are nice, are really…well kinda overboard nice. The lobby smelled kind of strange…the fragrances from the attached restaurant permeated everything as the lobby did not have great ventilation. And then there were the signs….everywhere….. Tons of signs in the lobby of things you cannot do:

Everything from No Cooking and No Durian, to no drying laundry, to no bringing strange women (!) into your room. And it seemed that management would not be responsible for anything!

And to top it off there was this sign…yes you too can fire off a B40 Rocket Launcher for just 200 bucks!

When I read the ($8 US) "go to shooting by taxis 2 ways"…..I couldn't stop laughing. I hope no one took that literally! BTW, I saw a couple of young men "packing" when we went for a walk….I'm guessing this is legal in Cambodia. And there was a fridge in lobby where you could grab a bottle (or two, or three, or….) of beer, and an attendant would pop the top, and you'd trot off to your room…..

And then there were the hallways. Did you ever see the movie "Ju-on" (the Grudge)? I found the perfect setting for a sequel. The gloss white along with bad flourescent lighting, combined with rather tight hallways, is not very flattering.

In spite of these somewhat amusing quirks, the rooms were very large, clean, and the hot water was….well hot!

And thankfully, the A/C worked well, and the beds were comfortable.

And on the cleanliness note. This young lady was death on two legs for any flying insect in the lobby. We called her the "Ex-term-in-NATOR", and she worked with a dedicated fervor. I'm still looking for one of those battery powered fly zappers……but I don't know if they sell them here in the states.

And yet, there was something even more amusing……

When we checked in, one of the young men, looked at me proudly, and guided me toward an adjoining doorway, telling me: "we are very modern, and advanced…."

So what was he talking about…..some kind of cutting edge technology?

Something advanced?

"We are the first to have……" He proudly puffed out his chest.

"A KFC in Cambodia!"

Yep folks, you heard it right here. And this KFC did bang up business…plus the Missus turned out to be quite fond of Mirinda Orange.

Of course this KFC had it's own regional specialty:

Called Colonel Rice (which I believe is a Malaysian KFC item), which I tried….it's rice in some bland seasoning with sweet raisins (ick) covered with gravy. One thing I did like was the inclusion of chili paste with everything.

Just think, among all of the strong selling points of the hotel, big rooms, cold A/C, comfy beds…..KFC outshone them all!

Seafood Island – A first…actually a third look.

April 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Seafood Island has closed.

Sometimes the third time is a charm. Seafood Island is located in a bit of an odd location amongst all the home furnishing stores. When they first opened, the Missus and I dropped by for lunch and the place was half full, but it looked like the employees were running around like crazy. We were told at least half a dozen times that our table would be ready in "just a while", meanwhile half the tables in the place were empty, and the food coming out of the kitchen looked like pseudo Chinese fast food fare, a la generic Kung Pao Chicken. After 15 minutes or so, we told the folks, "that's ok, we'll be back next time." And left. I returned on a Sunday for lunch, and was seated. The young lady who served was very, very nice….but when I tried to order, first the Bun Mang Vit…negatory, then the Bun Bo Hue…sorry not today, Banh Mi Bo Kho….we don't have that today, Bun Rieu……sorry it is not ready yet. Yeow! I know the menu is huuuge, talk about "Vietnamese menu overload", this one is probably the largest I've seen. I ended up ordering a Com Tam(broken rice) dish, with Grilled Pork and Bi (shredded pork skin), and really ended up with just the grilled pork. Too bad, the grilled pork was pretty tasty, if a bit on the sweet side, and since this place also serves "Korean BBQ", I could make out the flavor transition. This place also goes pretty easy on the fish sauce. The broken rice was nice and fragrant, and the price was not bad – $5.25. And the Server, whose name if I recall was Desiree was fantastic, and was amazed that I like Nuoc Mam. She also told me that weekday lunches are the busiest, and gave me a flier with $4.99 Chinese lunch specials…..Orange Chicken and such. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, my photos didn't come out….memory card malfunction. So I recently decided to check them out again. this time for a weeknight dinner.

Based on the "specials" sign, I knew that today I'd be getting something other than Com Tam, Kung Pao Chicken, or Orange Chicken.

Like my previous visit, my Server today was a total joy. And I started with the Bun Cha Hanoi ($6.50), the wonderful grilled pork meatball and grilled sliced pork in a broth dish. The Bun and Garnishes arrived in a flash.

The Bun had been chopped into shorter pieces, and was on the soft and mushy side…..which amazingly was just like what we had in Hanoi! The herbs and greens were the appropriate purple perilla, mint, and lettuce, which was just North of wilting, but fine overall.

The Bun Cha was interesting….

The broth was quite sweet, the patties hard, and the sliced pork…in this case pork belly, was quite tough. There was a shortage of pickles, with daikon in place of the standard papaya and carrots. I hadn't expected this to be even close to what we had at Bun Cha Dac Kim(aka #1 Hang Manh) in Hanoi, or even Ha Noi Restaurant in Westminster, and I knew it wouldn't even approach what FOY Beach makes. I was just looking for a fair to middling Bun Cha, and I think this fell a bit short of that. Still, for $6.50, not too bad.

I also ordered the Goi Xoai Ton Thit (green mango salad with pork and shrimp – $9.99).

This looked lovely, thinly sliced pork, a bit on the bland side, but tender, a good amount of shrimp over shredded green mango and carrots, topped with chopped mint and basil. The dressing was again, a bit long on the sweet, and short on the savory, but it had a nice, not too strong, sneaky heat. In this instance, the usual sesame crackers were replaced with Chinese Shrimp Chips.

It was a decently put together dish, and quite refreshing. It may just bring me back again.

I like to think of the Vietnamese dishes at Seafood Island as being sort of Que Huong "light". The dishes I've had are on the sweet side, and seem to lack a savory-pungent punch. It is the "safer" choice if you are a bit hesitant to try out some of the more interesting Vietnamese dishes. For more on the Chinese dishes at Seafood Island, check out Kirbie Cravings, post, which you can find here. The service can be a bit disorganized, but all of the folks I've had contact with have been very nice. The restaurant is large, new, and clean.

Seafood Island Restaurant
7580 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92126
(619) 838-0571

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Crêpes ‘n Cafe: French Cuisine in Yuma

April 5, 2009 ed fromyuma European Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

This is Kirk's wonderful foodblog, mmm-yoso, where Kirk and friends share food experiences that range from ohso yummy to ohso different. Today ed (from Yuma) wants to share a place with you folks that is both yummy and different.

[Sad to report that this place is closed. Supposedly, the owner is looking for a restaurant location]

Great News!! The truck has moved out to Foothills and is now at 11350 Fortuna Rd. It's open 7am to 7pm Tuesday through Sunday with much the same menu. 928-785-7581.

March 2011 update: The truck has now gone permanently. Too bad.

The most recent news concerning the culinary scene in Yuma is the grand opening of our first authentic French restaurant, one with an actual French person as the chef. Who would have thought such a thing was possible here? And who would've thought that our first French restaurant would look like this?

I recently pulled into the parking lot outside the Del Sol Market at the corner of 16th St and 4th Ave, hungry for breakfast. Almost instantly after placing my order with the waiter/chef/owner, I received a cup of the coffee deluxe($2):

This cup of powerful and dark coffee was topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips and dusted with a generous shake of cinnamon. But the beverage was just the introduction, for soon I was presented with this crêpe, adorned with whipped cream and fresh blueberries: The first time I ordered a meal at Crêpes 'n Cafe, I was surprised to receive a squarish packet because all of my previous (limited) experience with crêpes was with the rolled variety, the ones that look something like enchiladas. I have since learned that this rectangular style of crêpe is very popular in France and is called crêpe de Bretagne since it is a specialty of the Brittany region.

But one does not discover the real joy of any of these tasty treats, until one cuts into them and exposes the secret interior: This one was filled with fresh blueberries and blueberry juices ($6). The flavor match was nearly perfect as each bite began with sweet blueberry goodness, but finished with a slight tangy tartness that refreshed the palate. A perfect breakfast — way better than a Danish.

But crêpes are not just breakfast food, and in fact, the majority of items on the small menu here are savory crêpes. Unlike the sweet crêpes, these are made with a buckwheat blend flour and are always accompanied by a little lettuce for textual contrast:

In fact, this is the first one I ate at the restaurant, and it is called the Jacky ($5). As you can see, it contains mushrooms, cheese, and garlic:
As I started tasting this wonderful concoction, I realized it was love at first bite. The classic flavor profile of cheese and garlic made my mouth truly happy. So happy, in fact, that I went for hours without brushing my teeth just so that taste would not go away.

Very similar in flavor is the crunchy ($5), which gets its name from the breadcrumbs that accompany the cheese, garlic, and olive oil:

Another favorite is the Popeye ($6), in which the cheese is complemented by sour cream and spinach. After finishing this one, Tina's first words were, "we've got to go back to this place again." "Soon."

Another savory variation is the blue potato ($6), a combination of potatoes, blue cheese, mushrooms, and sour cream. The chef has mastered balancing the ingredients, so that the cheese flavor extends throughout the crêpe without stifling the other tastes:

Another style of crêpe is what I call dessert crêpes. Of course, they would be great for breakfast too. One of the most beautiful is the "no comment," a delightful combo of whipped cream, white chocolate, and sliced fresh strawberries:

It tastes as good as it looks:
A good way to end this post is by a look at another true dessert crêpe, the bourse ($6), which means purse in French. The word also means stock market, but clearly the healthy shape of this treat precludes that meaning: This particular crêpe is always filled with ice cream and whipped cream. While sometimes done with chocolate syrup, the day I ordered it, the bourse was covered with strawberry syrup and tied shut with a whip of red licorice, making it almost as attractive as it was sweet and flavorful.

Cut into, this purse spilled its contents over the paper plate:

Now that looks more like the stock market!

For the most part, I think this little crêpe cart is a wonderful addition to the Yuma dining scene. Everything I have eaten from this place is well prepared and very tasty. The flavor combinations are classics, and are classics for good reason. Except that sometimes the line of customers and the wait for the food get too long, the place has few shortcomings. Opening daily at 7 am, it seems to stay open through the dinner hour. Crêpes 'n Cafe is both very good and (at least out here in the desert) very unique. Vive la France!

Saturday Stuffs: United Oriental Food Market closed, what’s going on in the Osaka Kitchen location, and I salute our FOYs.

April 4, 2009 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

United Oriental Food Market is closed:

This one was from FOY, Saya, who mentioned in passing that United Oriental had closed. I always drive past this location, but I guess I wasn't paying much attention.

The sign doesn't say much. Too bad…….

More about the old Osaka Kitchen location:

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the folks who own Okan are taking over this spot. I recently had the pleasure of grabbing a bite with Ed from Yuma and Cathy at Okan. At the end of the meal, I had a chance to speak to Nanase, the young lady who does a fantastic job of managing Okan. I mentioned the Osaka Kitchen spot, and was told that this location will specialize in Nabe and grilled items. And was most surprised to learn that they intent to open this month! No wonder the place is being worked on during weekends as well.

From the it's right under my nose files:

This place has opened in Diane Village shopping center.

And being the bozo that I am….I didn't even notice until recently. Well, that's to be rectified soon…a post is coming right up.

A salute to all our FOYs:

I had notice something interesting a while back………. the mention of oatmeal in the wonderful comments. At first I thought it was just "Judy", but after reading through some older posts, I noticed that Oatmeal seemed to be the FOY's (friends of yoso) breakfast item of choice. It all came to a head in the comments of this post. So let's hear it….. am I correct?

Anyway, to all our oatmeal eating FOYs, I salute you:

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!