mmm-yoso – Page 49 – 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.

Superbloom Coffee & Juice

May 25, 2024 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Exploring San Diego

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! I'm sure folks are either busy doing stuff or hopefully having a restful time. So, I'm just doing a quick post this afternoon!

It's kind of strange; even though we live right up the hill from Mission Bay, we hardly ever visit. We used to take Frankie and Sammy for walks at Fiesta Island and evening strolls along the bay; but after they left us, we just weren't motivated to visit. Frankly, if I wanted to "hit the beach", I'd much rather head on "home". Plus, it gets pretty crowded at times.

Still, recently, I decided that a nice stroll along the bay might be nice. I started near Fiesta Island, right where the Birthplace of the Modern Triathlon plaque is.

And I just headed north on the bike and pedestrian trail.

Past the Mission Bay Resort and Leisure Lagoon. Soon enough I was at the location of what used to be the the Mission Bay Visitors Information Center. A landmark and historical building designed by Richard Lareau.

Superbloom 01

It has now gained new life as the Mission Bay Beach Club and what I heard is a coffee shop named Superbloom.

Superbloom 02

It's a nice looking stand that serves coffee, tea, beer, wine, and various sandwiches. It was fairly busy on this weekend morning.

Superbloom 03

Superbloom 04

Due to the location, I expected prices to be higher, and my cold brew clocked in at $6.50.

Superbloom 05

Instead of getting a table, I headed around the back of the building, the side facing the bay and saw some nice seating.

Superbloom 06

I plopped my self down and enjoyed my cold brew, which wasn't bad; a bit on the lighter side, but definitely not watered down, nor overly bitter. And there was the bonus of having a view of the bay.

Superbloom 07

Superbloom 08

It was a pretty nice and relaxing time. I then headed home as the place started getting crowded.

I had noticed that Superbloom featured a "Happy Hour" from 4 – 6pm during the week, with $2 off beer and wine. So, a few weeks later, the Missus and I decided to take the walk down to Superbloom, a nice 20 minute walk.

The Missus ordered a glass of Chardonnay ($11 Happy Hour) and I ordered a Harland Japanese Lager ($7.50 Happy Hour). We took a bit of time to take a look at the grape vines planted around the building.

Superbloom 09

Superbloom 10

Before picking up our drinks. I quickly noted that my pour was just around three-fourths of the glass and the temp wasn't right.

Superbloom 11

The Missus thought the Chardonnay, by Sonoma's Bold Wine Company was decent; some citrusy notes, smooth, with a hint of acidity.

While sitting with a view of the bay; we noted how nice watching the sunset would be; the problem being our sunsets were now occurring after 730 pm and Superbloom closes a 6. Well, maybe in the future.

Superbloom 12

Speaking of the future, it looks like a restaurant will be opening at this location as well.

Superbloom 12b

While I don't anticipate Superbloom being a regular stop for us; especially with the "busy" season approaching, it's nice to have another spot within walking distance.

Superbloom 13

Superbloom
2688 East Mission Bay Dr.
San Diego, CA 92109
Current Hours:
Daily 730am – 6pm

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Taipei – Addiction Aquatic Development (上引水產)

May 23, 2024 mmm-yoso Memorable Meals, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi, Taipei, Taiwan, Travel

You know, there are times, even in these "influencer – make things look great online" times where you might only need a photo or two of a delicious, memorable meal instead of extensive verbiage. And I think that these two photos are all that are necessary.

Add to that the fact that each of these nigiri "plates" was less than $25 each?!!?!?

Ok, I'm going to go now, see you tomorrow! JJK!

Though honestly, you could stop here if you'd like to…..

Otherwise, here goes…..

After spending most of the day checking out the National Center for Traditional Arts and Kavalan Distillery, we headed back to Taipei. On the way back, I thought stopping by a fishmarket-dining hall named Addiction Aquatic Development would be nice for dinner. The Missus agreed and we told our driver to drop us off in front of the market hall.

Our wonderful driver dropped us off right in front of the place which is located in a part of the Zhongshan District we hadn't been to yet.

We entered the huge market hall, historically this was the Taipei Fish Market and was transformed into the AAD in 2012. The morning fish market is now held next door. As we entered we came across tanks of seafood….wonderful looking seafood.

The Missus, who had become quite the social person in Taiwan asked one of the workers where all the seafood came from and he answered Her say, "mostly Japan!"

So, choosing where we were going to eat was pretty easy.

We picked the sushi bar of course! What's interesting about the sushi bar in AAD is that it's a stand up operation.

The young lady who served us was unusually serious compared to what we had encountered in Taiwan, but would prove to be quite good to us later on.

Anyway, instead of ordering the usual combination from the menu, we picked our own nigiri to start, based on what I saw in the counter case as I walked by. Our initial a la carte foray cost us a handy $10200 NT, now if that sounds expensive to you, well, it was about $30/US at the time of our visit. Pricey by Taiwan standards, but let's look at what we got.

We liked that the rice was on the smaller side and the shari wasn't overpowering. And yes, that buttery Otoro, Hokkaido Uni (!), so umami-sweet and creamy, tender-sweet-oceany Hotate, and Amaebi!

We also got two Temaki, the Ebi-Asparagus was $75 NT, about $2.25/US and the Uni $150 NT – $4.50/US.

These were fine, but not nearly as good as the nigiri.

We went with the standard "Addiction Sashimi" $240 NT, think $7.25 US!

Now, I think we had been spoiled by the nigiri as the typical maguro, which was fine and the thick slices of hamachi, etc, was perfectly fine….but we wanted more nigiri.

So, we decided to order a second round of nigiri. Now this is when the young lady came in really handy. I started ordering using the Japanese names; you know, hotate, otoro, uni, when she stopped and said something to the Missus and walked away. I was wondering what was going on. Apparently, she told the Missus, "you like fatty, we have something for you!"

And wouldn't you know it; when our nigiri arrived there was the great otoro, hotate, and uni….but also engawa, which was so collagenic and sweet!

Man, this was a great meal and when you totaled things up, it came to $ 2425 NT, big bucks right? That's about $75 US! For real…..

We had myriad of great meals in Taiwan, but man, this one really spoiled sushi for us.

Addiction Aquatic Development
No. 18號, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu E Rd.
Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491

Can you believe this?

Revisits – Avian Sandwiches and Paris Sandwiches

May 20, 2024 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, I'm going thru a bit of sticker shock…..I recently paid $23 for a bowl of ramen, yikes! And then I dined at a kind of hipster sushi place for lunch and the menu prices really got my attention; though I did eventually get the sashimi lunch combo which was priced at……yep $23, same as the ramen? What is going on here?

To calm down, I decided to get a Banh Mi wondering what prices were going to be like. Here's what I found.

Avian Sandwiches:

During my shopping rounds I wanted some breakfast and strangely enough there's a real shortage of places that open early in the Kearny Mesa area, though I understand that Banh Mi Express now opens at 8am. Still, it had been a while since I last visited Avian Sandwiches (remember when they were just a water and fro-yo shop?) I stopped by on my way to Nijiya which opens at 9, getting there around 845 on a Saturday.

Avian Rev 01

There seems to be several groups of "coffee old-timers" who hang out in this strip mall; the group who hang in front of Avian and those who do Pho Hoa Huong. Anyway, the interior of the shop still seems packed to the gills with snacks, lottery stuffs, water, and various knick-knacks.

Avian Rev 02

I decided on the Banh Mi Nem Nuong ($7.95). I believe this has gone up $1 since my last visit. I found a corner to hide in while I waited for my sandwich which was ready quite quickly.

Once at home, I opened up my sandwich.

Avian Rev 04

This seemed fairly hefty.

Avian Rev 05

Splitting the halves, I was shocked at the amount of pickled veggies!

Avian Rev 06

Also, the position of the nem nuong…perhaps my mouth isn't big enough, but it was impossible to get everything in one bite at the middle of the sandwich, you'd get the pickled veggies and the really potent jalapeno, but no pork. Things got better as you worked your way to the ends. Glad to actually have cucumber in my banh mi which seems to be a rarity these days.

The bread was on the dry and crusty side, but better than what I'd had last time. Too many stems from the cilantro, I prefer mostly leaves. A bit heavy handed on the aioli, but at least it was spread evenly and helped when getting a mouth of pickled veggies, cucumber, and jalapeno. The nem nuong seemed to have been seared, enhancing the sweet-porkiness.

Avian Rev 07

To me a certain proportion of protein to veggies to bread is important and this was a bit off.

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 8am – 7pm

This sandwich had me kind of wondering what was going on in terms of banh mi, so I decided to head on over to one of my newer favorites, Paris Sandwiches, which just opened in Mira Mesa a little over a year ago. So, I decided to head on over and grab a Banh Mi Nem Nuong here as well.

Paris Sandwiches:

Paris Rev 01

Like Avian, there are a bunch of guys hanging out on the tables to the side of the shop.

The Banh Mi Nem Nuong is now $7.05, it was $6.75 last July. I walked up to the counter and placed my order, then retreated to the counter to wait.

Paris Rev 02

On a funny note, the gal who brought the sandwich to the counter called out my number….in Vietnamese! After trying a couple of times, she called out "39", I cracked up and walked on over to pick my sandwich up. She also had a nice laugh as well. As did the woman standing next to me, who laughingly said; "no, you don't look Vietnamese!"

I know where the bread is baked, thus know what to expect in that category.

Paris Rev 03

The bread this time around was really light and crackly….like so flakey it exploded upon my first bite! I actually found "baguette shrapnel" in the pocket of my shirt later that evening!

This sandwich was more balanced in terms of ingredients, though I missed the cucumber and the jalapeno was not nearly as hot as Avian's version. It was also put together so you could get all of the ingredients in each bite,

Paris Rev 04

I did like the nem nuong from Avian better and the cucumber, but in terms of bread and proportion of ingredients, I though Paris won out.

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 730am – 630pm
Saturday 730am – 6pm
Closed on Sundays

This was fun little comparison. I should do them a bit more often. This brought back some fond memories if doing a Mira Mesa banh mi comparison over a decade ago and that when I did my very first Banh Mi post back in 2005, the Banh Mi Thit Nuong cost $2.50! Yikes…..

Pork Fat Rules at Taste of Hunan

May 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Sorry to say that the Pork Lard dish is no longer on the menu at Taste of Hunan. There are some newer good dishes though. You can find an updated post here.

So, the Missus's current favorite Chinese restaurant in San Diego is now Taste of Hunan. In fact, we've already gone twice since returning from Ecuador/Galapagos. Even though it's a bit of a drive, we've enjoyed our meals.

In addition to other items we enjoyed during our previous visits, the Missus likes the Tea Smoked Duck here.

Very smoky, edging on being too salty, with a nice "duckiness" to it.

I have also found a favorite, though I'm only going to order it on every other visit or so…..well, because it's listed on the menu as "Stir Fried Pork Lard with Green Pepper". Leave it to me to find the fattiest dish on the menu!

Yes, this is pork fat, more like cracklins' that I had when I worked in the South all those decades ago. It seems to have been lightly dusted and then stir fried so when served there's a bit of solidity when biting into this swiney piece of heaven. Because of the spice, the black beans, and a good acidity this seems less "sinfull". Though let me assure you, it's worth trying.

Like I said, perhaps once a month or so……I can treat myself.

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St.
San Diego, CA 92131

So, please share with us your current "guilty pleasure"! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Taiwan – Dongshan River Forest Park, National Center for Traditional Arts (Wujie), Bajia Fish Farm 八甲休閒魚場 (Yuanshan), and Kavalan Distillery

May 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Distilleries, Seafood, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

**** This is a pretty long post so I'm not going to spend too much time on food (and whiskey), so if you'd like to return tomorrow I wouldn't hold it against you. But, if you'd like to see more of Taiwan, read on….

Time was flying. It seemed like we had just arrived yesterday and here we were leaving in two days! Wanting to make the most of our remaining time in Taiwan, I went ahead and booked two private tours/drivers. On this day, I wanted to visit one of my favorite whiskey makers while exploring a part of the island we hadn't been to yet.

Our driver was right on time and while she spoke no English, the Missus's Mandarin came in handy. Our driver had an end destination and we left it up to her to make stops along the way.

The first stop was in Yilan. A rather newish "Ecopark", the Dongshan River Forest Park. Opened in 2016, it was a wonderful green space, with art installations along the way. And the railroad still passes thru the park as well.

We enjoyed wandering around and just taking in the art and the beautiful sunny day.

We had some coffee and then headed off to our next stop. Apparently, our driver just got a sort of "vibe" from the Missus for our next stop.

We stopped in Wujie Township at the National Center for Traditional Arts. This 60 acre "town" is devoted to preserving and accenting the heritage of Taiwan, be it crafts, arts, music, and so on.

The various structures represent various architectural styles of Taiwan as well.

There are even temples onsite.

And performance areas as well.

And of course art abounds.

While one could take in the art…..

Or perhaps take a boat ride in the lake…..

There was some serious shopping to be done here.

There ere workshops with artisans in residence actually doing their "thing"!

And you were free to watch.

The one shop were I wish the Missus actually bought something was the one dealing in Black Jade.

Some of the item were just plain stunning.

In the end, after being tempted so many times……

We found something we both liked.

This was fun. We actually spent almost 3 hours here!

And when we left; it was time for lunch. Our driver headed into Yuanshan. We parked and then were led past pools of fishes and other creatures being raised.

This was the restaurant of Bajia Fish Farm. As a whole, a tourist type restaurant.

The interesting thing being that the main product of this "fish farm" is Ayu, also know as "sweetfish". I was quite interested to see how it would taste.

I had read about the fish smelling like watermelon, being sweet and fruity and so on. Basically, this tasted like a milder version of sanma to me.

I was glad to have tried it here, but it wasn't anything special to me. Perhaps being farm raised changed things a bit?

Bajia Fish Farm 八甲休閒魚場 (Yuanshan)
No. 1之10號, Bajia Rd
Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 26444

After lunch we headed down the road a bit, soon arriving at the Kavalan Distillery.

When planning our trip to Taiwan, I had really wanted to visit Kavalan. I first had Kavalan in, of all places Paris at Arnaud Nicolas. The Missus and I really enjoyed it, when having it again at Seven Grand and found that Old Town Liquor carried Kavalan, though I really didn't get the expensive stuff. Over time, I found that I really enjoyed the Solist Amontillado Sherry Cask, but heck, I ain't spending $500 a bottle for it. Anyway, our driver dropped us at the front of the distillery. And we headed in.

Because of the amount of time we'd spent at the National Center for Traditional Arts, it was getting later in the day, and we decided not to do a tour. Instead, we went to the "main" tasting room.

And the Missus and I shared the "World Championship Series" tasting.

And with a touch of water to "open things up", the Amontillado Sherry Cask, with the rich, slightly smoky-nutty-stone fruity flavor was again our favorite.

We really enjoyed this stop!

Kavalan Distillery
No. 326, Section 2, Yuanshan Rd
Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 264

Soon after, it was time to head back to Taipei. It had been a fun day, but now the question was; "what's for dinner?"

Stay Tuned!

Revisits – HFS at Centerpark Labs, Sue’s Korean Kitchen, Ngon Ngon to Go, and Tenkatori

May 16, 2024 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Poke, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, I've noticed something about many of the places I head to during lunch. I get into the office rather early and start getting hungry at 10am or so. I also don't care much for crowds. Thus, I've developed a habit of heading to places that open a bit earlier than the usual 11am start time. Also, for these takeout visits, I usually don't stray too far afield.

Having done multiple posts on all of these places, I thought I'd just do a "COMC" (Clearing Out the Memory Card) post.

HFS at Centerpark Labs:

A regular stop on the rotation since my first visit back in August of 2020, HFS has since moved their retail location. It's still a stop when I want decent poke here in San Diego. And they've become quite popular. Heck, there were folks waiting at ten minutes before the opening time on this day.

HFS TO 01

HFS TO 02

For lunch I'll usually get the medium poke bowl with brown rice ($19) and can usually get out quite quickly. I stay with the ahi choices here. Not a fan of the salmon and stuff.

HFS TO 03

On this day it was the "Pearl Harbor", which had some good spice and the Shoyu Ahi which had a better quality of fish; quite tender and creamy.

It's still my first choice for poke in San Diego.

HFS at Centerpark Labs
6835 Flanders Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 10am – 8pm
Wednesday 10am – 6pm

Sue's Korean Kitchen:

I've done a number of posts on Sue's since I first visited back in 2021. I like that they open at 10am and basically stick with one item on the menu, the Kimchi Fried Rice ($12.99). Though I've encountered "shrunken portions" at times, on my last two visits, things seem back to normal.

Sues TO 01

Sues TO 02

And though I've encountered "mushy rice syndrome" on a couple of visits, that was not the case this time around.

Sues TO 03_a

Sues TO 04

A nice Spam-i-fied, mildly spicy, fermented, carb load. The woman here cracks me up as she seems to remember me and what I order!

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm

Ngon Ngon Food to Go:

Ngon Ngon might be as far as I would usually wander for lunch. They open at 9am, though are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays……need to remember that. I've kinda stuck to one item since my first set of visits when they opened a year ago, the Bo Luc Lac.

They've kinda rearranged things in the small space within Vinh Hung Market.

NgNg 01

I'll call in my order for #27, the "Cubed Beef Filet Mignon with Steamed Rice" ($16). Now while the though of comparing this to gourmet filet mignon might be a stretch, the beef is not bad. Slightly toothsome, edging on a bit too salty, with a touch of savory-sweetness.

NgNg 02

I'm not the biggest fan of the salad as at times the greens have been starting to brown, but this time it wasn't bad.

NgNg 03

NgNg 04 (2)

NgNg 04

Ngon Ngon To Go
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 9am – 8pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Tenkatori:

And finally, Tenkatori. Another regular stop since I first visited two years ago. The place opens at 1030 on weekdays, which is great since I hate that parking lot. There is one key thing when I do take out. I always call in my order when they open at 1030. The online ordering ordering, even though it says no service fee adds on $2-$3. For instance, I ordered the Mega Karaage Don on this day. I called in my order which was $17.30, using Uber Eats for Pick-up it's $22.80! Ordering Door Dash pick-up it's $22.50. For pick-up!

Tenkatori TO 01

Actually, I'm not sure why I ordered the Mega Don as it was way to much food….but what the heck; the chicken heats well in the air fryer.

Tenkatori TO 02

Tenkatori Miramar
6780 Miramar Rd Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92121
Phone – (858) 200-2016
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1030am – 2pm, 4pm – 8pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 230pm, 4pm – 8pm

So there you go…my recent early takeout lunch habits. I'm going to do turo turo in a separate post.

In your opinion, am I missing out on anything? And what have you been getting for lunch recently?

Road Trip – Bar le Cote (Los Olivos)

May 15, 2024 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Seafood, Travel

After spending the evening in Monterey Park and having dinner a Mandarin Noodle House we headed up to our destination. We'd be spending the night in Buellton with reservations for lunch the next day at one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Bell's. Of course we couldn't check in until 3pm, so we needed a a place to pass the time and also for some lunch.

We had always enjoyed Los Olivos; we had enjoyed our first lunch there back in 2018 at the now defunct The Bear and Star and had always enjoyed strolling and shopping the town. Even though our last meal there at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe was just passable, we love the vibe of the town. We'd gladly stay there except that hotel and AirBnB prices there are way too expensive for us! Thus, we'd be staying in Buellton.

I had read that the owners of Bell's were now co-owners of a Seafood forward restaurant named Bar le Cote in Los Olivos and it seemed like a nice lunch and shopping stop for us. So, I made reservations for a nice Thursday lunch. The place opens at noon, and we got into town a bit early, which gave us some time to do a bit of shopping.

The Missus loved this shop.

It might have been this that drew Her in.

Avec Moi Decor
2906 Grand Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

The shops kept us occupied until the clock struck noon and we walked over to the cottage which housed the self-described "Seafood Tavern".

We waited a bit to be noticed and when the rather abrupt hostess came over, we chose to eat al fresco since it was such a nice day.

The woman Serving us was very professional and nice.

We ordered a couple of dishes I'd read about and since I was a fan of the beef tartare at Bell's, we ordered that as well.

First up was the Peel & Eat Shrimp ($18).

We found the "BLC spice" a bit on the saltier side which nullified the flavor of the shrimp. The shrimp were also over-cooked and rubbery. In this case adding the cocktail sauce or the aioli just further distracted one from the shrimp.

The dry aged Yellowtail Crudo ($24) had a wonderful, firm, yet almost cheese like texture and the flavor was quite mild.

We enjoyed the acidity from the lemon vinaigrette as well.

Next up, the beef tartare ($28).

The fried oysters were an interesting touch, I guess it was there to replace the usual egg yolk, and of course BLC is a seafood based restaurant. but we didn't care for the fishiness it added to the beef which was almost mushy. The horseradish cream was excellent; adding the palate and nasal cleansing pungency to things. It seems like everything was minced too finely. The fries were crisp and lightly dusted with what seemed to be the "BLC Spice". In this instance it seemed to work fairly well.

Last up was the Crispy Skin Branzino ($34).

This was the best item of the day; the skin was very crisp, yet light, with a briny edge. The flesh of the fish was tender, moist, with a hint of oceany sweetness. The charred lemon added a smoky-citrusy-sweetness. The Romesco Sauce was fine, but not needed. The greens were crisp and fresh.

Overall, an inconsistent meal which ran over a hundred, plus an automatic 20% (which we have no problem with) was not quite what we expected. I don't think we'll return. Which is too bad since we'd enjoyed Bell's so much.

Bar Le Côte
2375 Alamo Pintado Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

Then it was time to head on over to Buellton.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shanghai Alley (Clairemont) – Hidden in Plain Sight

May 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Xiao Long Bao

**** I understand that Shanghai Alley is no longer at King Bistro

I was driving along last week, minding my own business, when I noticed something. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but it looked like a folding restaurant sign, but not with the name of the place generally associated with the location.

Shanghai Alley 96_b

Shanghai Alley? Well, that was a new one to me. I believed that I had a pretty good idea of all the restaurants in the area, but I guess I was mistaken? Upon returning home, I went and did that "Google thing". And yes indeed, there was a new restaurant named Shanghai Alley. The interesting thing is, this version of the restaurant does lunches, while the "original" place takes over in the evening. Can you guess where?

Well……

Shanghai Alley 99

Yes, it's the location of King Bistro, which is in the location of what used to be our favorite restaurant in San Diego, Ba Ren. I'm not going to drone on about how we miss Ba Ren. And even though I had never visited King Bistro, Shanghai Alley had me interested. I noticed online that the place opens at 10am….and you know how I'm an "early lunch" kinda guy these days. So, I drove down and arrived the very next day right after 10am.

In the back of the sign is more info.

Shanghai Alley 97

I walked in and immediately noticed a chalkboard menu leaning up against the counter.

Shanghai Alley 01

The prices seemed very reasonable and the young lady working was very sweet and friendly. She told me that Shanghai Alley started business a month ago. She was going to hand me a paper menu, but I just went ahead and placed my order and had a seat.

Shanghai Alley 02

Looking around I quickly noticed how worn the place looks.

Shanghai Alley 03

The young woman quickly brought out black vinegar and chili oil for me.

Shanghai Alley 04

And soon in enough, my Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi ($13.99) and Niu Rou Mian ($14.99) arrived.

The jiaozi was super hot!

Shanghai Alley 05 Shanghai Alley 06 The wrappers were good when the dumplings were first delivered, fairly tender, but got brittle and chewier as the dumplings cooled off. The filling was tender, moist, nicely seasoned, and full of pork flavor. This was a pleasant surprise. The filling was more finely chopped than many versions I've had recently. I think this compares favorably with Ju Feng Yuan. And does have a definite "homestyle" edge to it.

I was not as fond of the Beef Noodle Soup.

Shanghai Alley 07 Shanghai Alley 08 The pieces of beef were decently tender and nicely flavored, good anise tones, with a hint of sweetness. The soup was of the clear variety and had some five spice and white pepper seasoning going for it, but it lacked beefiness and decent richness. At least it wasn't overly salty. The noodles were overcooked for my taste and lacked the springiness I enjoy.

Overall, a pretty good meal. There was one item I wanted to try before doing a post. So, I returned a couple of days later; again at a bit past ten. This time a gentleman was working. I went ahead and ordered the Xiao Long Bao ($9.99).

It did a take a while for the XLB to arrive, which was fine since I wasn't very hungry. I did notice on this visit that there were quite a few delivery orders being picked up during my meal.

Soon enough, the XLB arrived.

Shanghai Alley 09 Shanghai Alley 10 There were 8 dumplings in all, enough for a light lunch. One of the XLB, the one on the bottom had, ahem, an incontinence leakage problem and all the soup had leaked out. The rest were fine. The wrappers, while on the thicker side were again decent, perhaps even better than the ones on the jiaozi. There was an abundance of tasty "soup", the filling was tender, moist, full of swiney goodness. And like the jiaozi, it does have a homemade feel to it.

Shanghai Alley 11

I was pleasantly surprised with the XLB and the jiaozi here. The prices aren't bad. I'm hoping they'll expand their menu a bit. I'll definitely have the dumplings again and definitely try the intestine and pig feet noodle soups.

Just goes to show; you never know what's "hiding in plain sight".

Shanghai Alley (In King Bistro)
4957 Diane Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 10am – 3pm

Revisits – Hola Paris and T.P. Banh Bao 3

May 12, 2024 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, French Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

You know, I will often complain about the lack of decent, diverse eating establishments here in San Diego. But then I'll look at my photos and realize while I believe there could be so much more to offer, I should be thankful for what we have here.

Case in point, having to catch up with things and recover from my jet lag, I made the two following breakfast stops this weekend. Yesterday, it was a savory crepe from Hola Paris in Old Town and for strange reason I was craving the "FBB" (fried banh bao) from T.P. Banh Bao 3. You really can't get more diverse than that, right?

Hola Paris:

**** Hola Paris has closed

On my way back from my typical Saturday morning "rounds", I decided to stop by the Old Town Urban Market to see what was going on since Tuetano moved out. Walking past Hola Paris, the owner Benjamin saw me.

Hola Paris Rev 01

He came out to say hello and mentioned that it had been a while since he last saw me! It's quite nice that he remembers me. He also mentioned that they've added a couple more options with regards to savory crepes. I guess he also remembers that I don't have much of a sweet tooth as well!

Hola Paris Rev 01b

After chatting a bit, I decided to order one of the savory crepes and went with the Milo.

Soon enough it arrived.

Hola Paris Rev 02

Well, this was quite good. I loved how the salty-savory Prosciutto and the earthy-milky-nutty Brie balances out the sweetness of the crepe. The tomatoes added a nice acidity and I wish there was more of that.

Hola Paris Rev 03

This was deceptively filling and rich. I enjoyed it and am glad I have a "go-to" here. I really enjoy chatting with Benjamin and will try to stop by more often.

Hola Paris
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9am – 4pm
Wednesday 9am – 2pm
Sat – Sun 9am – 6pm

T.P. Banh Bao 3:

While completing some shopping, I was strangely craving something……fried. Of course we didn't get any Asian food in Ecuador, but I'm not sure what brought on this sudden craving for a fried bao? Perhaps it's because it had been over three years since my last visit? Anyway, I decided to head on over.

TP Banh Bao Rev 01

I really didn't want to wait for them to fry up the version with the salted egg, so I just got two of the pork, sausage, and egg which they had in the display case. The woman working was a hoot. She placed several napkins in the bag telling me "just in case you can't resist and have to eat them while driving!" Lol!

I was able to resist temptation and waited until I got home to enjoy these brown orbs of artery clogging deliciousness.

TP Banh Bao Rev 02

The fried bao was still crunchy after the drive back home! There's an interesting combination of sweet-savory-porky-salty crunchiness with these. Oh, I could only finish one before needing a "timeout". I'll have the other one a bit later on.

TP Banh Bao Rev 03

This was a nice guilty pleasure. I'll probably wait awhile before having these again, since like "FOY" ChrisR mentioned to me in an email "I loved them, but I feel like they subtract weeks from my life expectancy."

T.P. Banh Bao 3
11271 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm
Sat – Sun 730am – 6pm

So I guess I need to stop whining about the lack of choices in San Diego, right?

We'd like to wish a most wonderful Mother's Day to all Mom's out there!

Where in the world were we?

May 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Ecuador, Galapagos, Latin American Cuisine, Travel, yoso-silly

Whew, ever had a trip that was so amazing that time flew by and having done so much, when thinking an experience that happened just a few days ago it seemed like weeks ago? Well, we're back from that amazing trip. In spite of the combination of flight time and layovers taking 15 hours plus each way, this one was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences, from the time we landed in the country's capital at 9300 feet we were entranced.

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From the UNESCO World Heritage Capital.

To the even higher surroundings.

The diversity is amazing. In fact, there are 4 different geographical regions in this fairly small country!

Another interesting fact, the Country is named for the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and takes great pride in being called the "middle of the world".

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And yet, things really got even more incredible when we did our cruise. To an archipelago I had always dreamed of exploring. And now have a better understanding of how a famous Naturalist became enchanted and inspired by his visit here when still a young man. And whose most well-known publication is inextricably linked to the islands.

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Our 7-day cruise explored the Northern portion of the archipelago and in all we visited 7 islands. And amazingly, the terrain of each one was different.

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