mmm-yoso – Page 494 – 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.

Hunan Smoked Pork and Fresh Bamboo Shoots

July 12, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

While in Phnom Penh, when not checking things out, or eating, the Missus was glues to the television…..and the 3 Taiwanese channels!!! Beyond the various soap operas, there were a few Taiwanese cooking shows; and one of them featured Fresh Bamboo Shoots. Needless to say, the Missus was smitten, and upon returning home, She requested a dish using Fresh Bamboo Shoots. Fresh Bamboo was pretty rare when I was growing up, and quite expensive as well. We had a neighbor, whose son would, on occasion, return from "hiking" with Fresh Shoots. These were usually eaten raw, as "sashimi", or after a few days, simmered in the water left from rinsing rice. I've read that rice bran is also used instead of the rinse water to cook Bamboo Shoots. Needless to say, the shoots we bought weren't what I would call super fresh, but they would pass muster in a stir fry.

It just so happened that we had a ton of leftover rice, and we really don't keep rice bran in the house…..so remembering the cooking show, I used 1/8 of a cup of rice instead. I cut off about 2 inches of the top of the shoot at an angle, and also about a half inch of the bottom, which had become hard. Brought the bamboo shoot to a boil, reduced the heat to a mild simmer, covered, and simmered for about an hour and a half. I knew it was cooked when I could pass a skewer rather easily into the shoot. I left it to cool in the water. Although most recipes recommend adding a few chilies to the liquid to reduce bitterness, I didn't do that. After the shoot is cool, you proceed to peel the thing. I cut off the tender tip, and gave it to the Missus as a snack. She thought it was fairly sweet, and loved the "crunch".

So what to do with the beast? Having left over Hunan Smoked Pork from another recipe, we decided that a simple stir-fry with the smoked pork and leeks on the Big Kahuna would do fine.

This is so easy, it's kind of embarrassing…..but it just shows that the simpler the better. You can do a number of things with the recipe…add chilies, other veggies, and so forth.

Hunan Smoked Pork and Fresh Bamboo Shoots.

1/4 Sliced Hunan Smoked Pork
1 Bamboo Shoot sliced
1 Leek Sliced
2 Tb Good Quality Light Soy Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

1 – In a hot wok stir fry pork until it releases some fat.

2 – Add Bamboo Shoots and stir fry, until fragrant, and it starts getting tender.

3 – Add soy sauce, and leek, and stir fry until leek is tender, but not soft and mushy.

4 – Reduce heat, taste, and adjust flavoring.

Siem Reap: Angkor Wat

July 10, 2008 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

After a quick, distracted, lunch, we headed across the street and walked, albeit slowly, in the heat(temp in triple digits, and almost equal humidity) to the causeway leading to Angkor Wat. The benefit to visiting Angkor Wat during high noon is the lack of tourists. As Narin explained to me later, "after lunch, during the hottest time of the day, all the Japanese and Korean tourist head back to the hotel for a rest. The European tourist are visiting the other temples, and will return later in the afternoon, and stay for the sunset." And he was right, the only other folks we saw were Cambodian and Thai.

Angkor Wat was built by Suryavarman II and is dedicated to Vishnu, the Hindu God who is the preserver and protector of creation. One of the texts I read, mentioned that during the time of Suryavarman II, Angkor Wat was known as Vrah Vishnuloka, "the sacred home of Vishnu." Suryavarman II identified himself so closely to Vishnu, that when he died he was given the name Paramavishnuloka – "he who has entered the supreme paradise of Vishnu". Almost a thousand years later, Angkor Wat is so ingrained into Cambodia’s National Identity, that all you need to do is to look the Cambodian flag:

Angkor Wat is famous for the spectacular Bas-reliefs that line the walls of the first terrace.

These "galleries" if you will, document great historical events, and significant Hindu legends. The galleries are meant to be viewed in a counter-clockwise direction, and we started from the Southwest corner. There’s so much here, that I won’t delve into them much. I think you’ll enjoy the photos. Click on any of the photos to enlarge.

Panel 1 – Depicts the story of the Mahabharata.

Panel 2 – Suryavarman II and his army.

This is a well known bas-relief of Suryavarman II shaded by 15 parasols:

Panel 3 – The Heaven and Hell Gallery is broken into two; the top shows heaven where people live the leisurely life.

On the bottom terrible punishments are inflicted in hell. People chopped in half, eaten by animals, and forced to watch Jerry Springer Show reruns.

Panel 4 – Is probably the most famous Bas-relief, the Churning the Sea of Milk, the Hindu creation myth. Unfortunately, part of the gallery was undergoing restoration.

The most famous portion, that of Vishnu in the middle of the 92 Gods and 88 Demons in a tug of war for the elixir of immortality was in full display.

Panel 5 – Vishnu conquering the demons.

Panel 6 – Battle between Krishna and Bana.

Panel 7 – The 21 Gods fighting the demons.

Panel 8 – The Battle of Lanka

I’m sure by now you’re relieved that I’m done with the bas-reliefs, no? Near the end of our little "tour", the Missus saw a flash of orange…it was a Monk, enjoying the bas-reliefs. Intrigued, She insisted we follow Him. I had my reservations, "There’s something just wrong about stalking a Monk. This is bad, we may get punished by being sent to one of the 32 hells….the one where we have to watch all of the episodes of Golden Girls." "Hurry up, he’s turning the corner, let’s go!"

Though the bas-reliefs are the main draw of Angkor Wat, there were a few other things we enjoyed. Among them was the Hall of Echoes in the first terrace. If you lean back against the wall of this small room, and thump your chest, you’ll hear and feel the vibration echo throughout the room. Who needs Disneyland?

There’s much to see, much more than I could ever hope to capture in a single post. Here are a few more photos:

After visiting the other terraces, we were amazed…it was already 230! As we left the temple, a wave of tourists started pouring into Angkor Wat.

More on Angkor Wat from Wandering Chopsticks can be found here.

As we left Angkor Wat, Narin met us with fresh cut pineapple, iced towelettes, and iced water. We’d been out since 520 am. As we drove away, Narin, who’d started to get to know us, asked us if we’d like to visit Tonle Sap Lake. Having read in various guides to Cambodia that Tonle Sap was a bit of a tourist trap, we weren’t quite sure. But Narin said, "I think you would like it." He also told us not to worry, we’ll take care of the entrance and boat, and he wouldn’t charge us extra for time and mileage. Because of all the questions we asked, he really wanted us to see Tonle Sap Lake.

And because this is a food blog…….

While I was in the tour office purchasing entrance to Tonle Sap, the Missus caught a whiff of something that put Her on high alert:

It was the fragrance of the roasted sweet potatoes.

The Missus couldn’t help Herself, and bought a couple. The Missus devoured one, and She gave one to Narin, and saved one for later. Per the Missus, these were moist, roasted perfectly, sweet, and were the best She’s had since childhood. Sweet potato – sweet memories……

Coming up – Tonle Sap Lake.

Fredcel Lumpias & Catering Restaurant

July 9, 2008 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

This one is thanks to "Dee" who emailed me, and asked what I thought about Fredcel….. I had heard about them, but just in passing. I didn't realize they were located right off University on 38th street. The reason I hadn't seen them before is that I usually zoom by that intersection, and they are located a door or two down the street. But if you look for the bright yellow building, you can't miss them.

After breakfast at El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante, I walked on over. They were closed, but just the photo of the Sisig was enough to bring me back. I don't think I've ever been able to walk away from Sisig.

A few days later, I finally made my way to Fredcel, and walked through the door, tripping the "beeper". The interior is spartan, but clean. The tinsel around the pole made me smile…..it was cheesy, in a nice way.

The steam table held about 10 various offerings. A quiet, but nice young man helped us. I was again with MG, and we were picking up lunch for a couple of us. He was so quiet, that MG first thought he didn't speak Tagalog…..he did of course. The prices here are "bargain city". One item plus rice or pancit is $3.99, two items $4.99, a third item is $2 more.

On this day I decided on the Kaldereta Baka(Beef Kaldereta) and Sisig(my lucky day):

The portion size is not quite the ginormous Tita's Kitchenette-sized plate, but I've heard that prices have now gone over $6 at Tita's. And of course, we don't have to put up with the attitude.

The Kaldereta was interesting. The beef looked tough, but it was fairly tender, with a "fat cap". The flavor was a bit lacking in the tangy, tomato department, in addition it had a bell pepper flavor, without a hint of "heat". It was also too thin and watery. To me, it looked almost looked like a weak Beef Mechado, but I was told it was Kaldereta.

The Sisig was pretty good, at least to my taste. It had a nice bracing, puckery, vinegar flavor, a mild amount of heat, and the Lechon Kawale was still crisp. It was not greasy. A very pleasant version of Sisig.

Speaking of Lechon Kawale……I somehow managed to rationalize("this is going to be 2 meals, so don't worry"), and justify purchasing an order($2) of Lechon Kawale. Mainly because it was sitting there looking all golden and lovely. As Lechon Kawale goes, this was fair to good, crisp but not hard, the fat portions were nice and buttery, and the meat, though on the dry side was not too bad. It was a bit on the bland side, and the lechon sauce was nice, not too sweet, not too "livery".

I did end up sharing everything, which made me feel a bit better. Altogether not a bad meal.

Recently, the Missus was looking to ordering some lumpia for a party. Not wanting to drive all the way down to National City, I mentioned that the prices at Fredcel were pretty good – 100 lumpia/$30. In order to check out the lumpia, I made a Fredcel run.

Man the plate had a ton of rice on it! What really impressed me as I chomped on my lumpia(I needed a quick taste), was that I was given 6 lumpia! I ate one before deciding to take a photo. The lumpia was not bad, lots of filling, decent flavor, not oily, fairly crisp. Can't ask for much more. I'm not a big fan of the sweet and sour sauce though. It is a neon red, teeth hurting sweet concoction, that has hardened to almost a jelly like texture.

Even though I had arrived at 1130, there were only 4 items on the steam table; pork adobo(of course), the kaldereta, pinakbet(which in retrospect is what I should have ordered), and Menudo, which is what I ordered. The menudo was fairly bland, and was probably the least favorite item I've had from Fredcel.

Before we had checked out Fredcel, MG and I had wondered if people enjoyed this place simply because it was the only place that served Filipino food in the vicinity. But overall, the food was decent, and it's a good value to boot. And the Missus is ordering the lumpia from Fredcel for Her party……..

Fredcel Lumpia & Catering
3876 38th Street
San Diego, CA 92105

Open – Mon-Sat 9am-9pm
Sun 9am – 7pm

Thanks for letting me know about Fredcel Dee!

Cathy and Ed’s Eating Adventure: Balboa Tofu House

July 7, 2008 ed fromyuma Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

This is a Very Special Episode of mmm-yoso!!!, documenting a very special meal. Cathy is "talking" in green. Ed will talk in blue

While Cathy and Ed both post here at mmm-yoso, before Ed’s last visit to town, they had only met once. So they were looking forward to sharing a lunch.

After exchanging some e-mails, we realized that we both liked the Balboa Tofu House on Convoy. What’s more, nobody had ever written about this place at the blog. That settled it. We were surprised neither of us had blogged Tofu House, since we both ate here kind of a lot. Apparently it was some secret neither of us wanted you to know about.

If you were paying attention to what ed just wrote, yes, it’s true. ed and I have only met for a total of four meals at this point in time, two of those with Kirk. (for you Sudoku/applied logic wizards out there, that means the three of us have met for exactly two meals together). (Sure, we post here, helping each other out and keeping this blog going when one of us is overwhelmed with life or work or is out of the country on a vacation or just doesn’t feel like it, but the three of us having an actual meeting and eating together… Twice).

Blogging. It’s magic. (sorry for rambling…on with the post!).

Because we arrived at 11:30, we each could find a parking place in the usually hellishly crowded strip mall parking lot. An auspicious omen. Note: Cathy’s picture here must have been taken some morning at 7 AM. I’ve never seen the lot so empty: (9:30 a.m.) (on a Sunday.) (Just before meeting Mr. C for dim sum across the street)

The interior of the restaurant with a lot of nice wood surfaces seemed much like it was 10 years ago when I first started coming there. One thing that has changed are the prices (not that we were expecting . . . ). The soft tofu soups now range from $7-$9. And my mouth was set or one of those soups. The menu lists numerous combinations of ingredients that one can have with the broth and soft tofu. The range of add-ins includes things like pork, pollock roe, kimchi, shrimp, mushrooms, oysters, clams, fresh peppers, and more. If my memory serves — and at my age that is always problematic — more different combinations were listed than before, and the list of possibilities ends with the challenge to put together your own combination. In addition, customers are given the choice of spice level and of regular or vegetarian broth.

I must confess that I didn’t look at the rest of the menu, but Cathy did.

ed and I had lunch the day before, at Asia Cafe, and the Nem Khao was still on my mind…

I wanted crispy -not fried- rice. OK, I *needed* some more crispy rice. So anyhow, we ordered. (I am inserting this photo of Nem Khao from Asia Cafe, so everyone will know what I am talking about).

The first food to hit the table was the pan chan. I thought the selection and quantity were little disappointing. On previous visits, seaweed covered with a rich deep chili sauce had been the highlight of the side dishes. It was woefully missing:

The kimchi, however, was quite good with a slight touch of sweetness to offset the pickled crunch of the cabbage:

Then my soup (a seafood combination with mushroom and bell peppers) arrived bubbling hot and steaming:

After taking a few pictures, I grabbed one of the eggs that sit on every table top and broke it into the soup:

Soon I broke up the egg with my chopsticks and whisked it throughout the bowl, adding touches of eggy richness throughout and cooling the soup enough so that I could begin eating.

For me, this was perfect soup. The spiciness of the broth flavored up all the ingredients. And the textures — from the creaminess of the tofu to the chewiness of the mushrooms and the crunch of the peppers — were wonderful. This is one of those dishes that tastes so much better than it looks:

Along with the soup came what they call brown rice:

Obviously, brown means different things to different folks. Actually, the color in the rice comes from the few dark grains that stain the rest of the white rice purple. It tastes slightly sweet and is chewy and hearty…Sometimes I describe foods so chewy and fiber-y as "tasting healthy" (which means no flavor) and in this case, it is just really good rice. A rice I have a craving for, and I don’t usually crave rice.

Cathy ordered Hot Stone mixed rice with mushrooms ($10)

It arrived looking like:

and it sizzled.

(here’s a detail view):

Nice close up,ed.

After mixing:

Thanks for taking the photos, ed. I was so busy waiting for the rice to get cool enough to eat after scraping the hot stone pot that I didn’t take any photos…oh, we were talking, too…

My bowl of goodness was topped with sliced enoki and shitake mushrooms, as well as cabbage, carrots, corn and some onion. It satisfied my cravings for flavor as well as texture of crispiness of the rice formed on the hot sides of the pot. The veggies were very fresh and just enough fresh in flavor which contrasted with the crispy rice I was scraping. Although, I did add kimchee for more flavor once I got to the non-crispy rice part of the meal…

and between the two of us, we ate up our pan chan…

and everything else!

The food and company were excellent. Let’s do it again. I agree!

Balboa Tofu House 4646 Convoy San Diego 92123 Website

Sunday Shopping

July 6, 2008 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Are food prices affecting the way you shop? That was the question posed by Caron, who does the fine San Diego Foodstuff Blog, in her May 28th post. I recall reading the post, and for some reason it has occupied a place in the back of my mind for several weeks. If you’re like us, fuel and food price increases have had an effect on how you shop, eat, and play. I’ve noticed that we’ve been eating at home more. And over the last couple of months, there’s been sort of a shopping "rotation" that occurs on either Saturday or Sunday. And at first I thought the rotation was purely random, until I realized that there was a reason, some of them having nothing to do with $$$ cost, but still a reason for doing things in the order I chose. Yes, you’ll finally be able to get a look into the anal-retentive mind of yours truly. I’ve always been a bit odd in that way. My late Mother always enjoyed kidding me about my childhood hobby of reading flight schedules. I remember my favorites were the schedules of the now defunct Western Airlines(who remembers, "It’s the oooonly way to fly!" ). I also hate crowds, so early weekend mornings are best for me, even back "home", my friends used to kid me, saying, "you like to shop with the Obachans(Japanese for Grandmothers)".

So the mmm-yoso express is taking off…….

Stop 1 – Henry’s Farmer’s Market – Clairemont:

Why? Well first off, the place opens early, 7am. I usually get there at about 800-815. There are always a few cars in the parking lot, but the place is pretty empty. This location of Henry’s is also only 3 miles from our house.

For what? Mostly cheap, basic produce. And the Missus always has a list of bulk items. The mid-week ad helps us decide.

Henry’s Farmers Market
4439 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Stop 2 – 99 Ranch Market:

Why? Next stop, 3 miles from Henry’s, and 99 Ranch Market opens at 8am. I’m usually there a bit after 830 (you’ll see why next). I hate crowds, and especially hate the shopping cart demolition derby that occurs later on in the day. It’s nice to see the parking lot looking like this.

At this time of the day you won’t have to worry about coming back to your car to find a whole new set of dings in your door.

For What? All the Chinese ingredients that are running low at home. Chinese greens, and other vegetables, the fruit at 99 Ranch is a bit disappointing. And if you want help at the meat or seafood counter you never have to worry about getting "hip-checked" by grandma…..

The empty aisles also allow for some nice browsing. No matter how many times I shop here, I always find something Id never seen before. I’ve mentioned my preference for shopping here at an early hour before.

"Chinese Spaghetti Sauce" anyone?

99 Ranch Market
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Stop 3 – Zion Marketplace:

Why? Only 1.24 miles from 99Ranch Market. Zion also opens at 9am…even on "Holy Days". This is one market that gets crowded pretty quickly, so I want to get in and out ASAP. I’ve been jostled, knocked aside, and almost run over by many customers here. I want my shopping experience to be as enjoyable as possible, not something akin to a blood sport. Plus, this parking lot is hell…even with the parking lot across the street. Seeing it like this brings a smile to my face.

What for? Zion always has fruit on sale, also the garlic is usually the cheapest and best quality, along with other produce. Of course there’s the panchan, and the meat. Among other things….

Zion Marketplace
4611 Mercury St
San Diego, CA 92111

Stop 4 – Nijiya Market:

Why?: 1 mile from Zion, Nijiya opens at 9am but is not as busy until later on.

What For? Most Japanese staples, some fish, one of the few places we’ll by chicken. Has always been our dependable standby.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Sometimes I’ll drop by First Korean Market, but usually it’s.

Stop 5 – Mitsuwa Marketplace:

Why? .41 miles from Nijiya. I know it’s backtracking, but there’s a reason. Mitsuwa opens at 9am.

What For? Stuff I can’t find at Nijiya. I enjoy selection of tsukemono at Niitakaya’s little "alcove".

Mitsuwa Marketplace
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119
San Diego, CA 92111

Stop 6 – Marukai:

Why? Marukai opens at 930, that’s why I backtrack. .34 miles from Mitsuwa.

What For? We get the monthly ads for Marukai, and because all the sale items are sold at LA/OC prices, they are pretty cheap. So we can plan on what we need from Marukai.

Marukai Market
8151 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Sometimes, I’ll hit Vien Dong on Linda Vista, and backtrack home on Genesee. Or like on this morning, I’m finished at 940…just in time for Costco…..

So, how have gas prices affected your eating and shopping habits?

So, what’s cooking this (long) weekend?

July 5, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

It’s really nice when Independence Day falls either on a Friday or Monday. You really get to enjoy a nice long weekend. I usually do double duty on the first weekend in July….both to celebrate the 4th, and to celebrate Sammy and Frankie’s Birthday. This year, instead of grilling, I decided to stay indoors. I dropped by Iowa Meat Farms and grabbed a 2lb Beef Tenderloin. If anything, I’ve always gotten pretty good service at IMF, they cut and tied a tenderloin while I waited. I also picked up some beef rib bones for Da’ Boyz. At home I sliced off about one-fourth of the tenderloin, this was their share. I seasoned the tenderloin well, and seared it in my cast iron skillet, and finished in the oven. No rocket science, here.

While waiting for the tenderloin to finish, I smoked some corn in my stovetop smoker.

I had also browned the Da’ Boyz share of meat and bones, thrown that in the oven as well. Sammy, who really doesn’t care much for all the chopping, hacking, and pounding in the kitchen, going against character, kept hanging around. I think he knew something was up.

As much as I love Beef Tenderloin, I enjoy Beef Tenderloin sandwiches even more! So while I’m waiting for the beef to finish off, I prepped some Roasted Mushrooms. This time, I just used some white button and criminis. After mixing, I dumped it on a large piece of foil, made s double layer of mushrooms:

I folded up the foil into a little pouch. I also sliced 4 bulbs of garlic crosswise, topped with sea salt and olive oil, and wrapped in aluminum foil.

Then I started up on some mirin caramelized onions. Real easy stuff:

Mirin Caramelized Onions

2 medium sweet onions sliced
4-6 Tb Mirin
2-3 Tb White Sugar
2 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Cracked Pepper to Taste

1 – Place onions is a cool dry pan.
2 – Turn heat to medium. Stir onions every few minutes.
3 – After about 5 minutes, when onions start to soften, add Olive Oil, 2 Tb Sugar, Salt and pepper, and stir.
4 – When onions have started getting translucent add 3 Tb mirin, stir turn heat down to low, and cover.
5 – Check onions and stir about every 5 minutes or so. When onions start getting "sticky" taste, and adjust flavoring.
6 – When onions are golden, soft, and "sticky" they are ready.

You can adjust the recipe for any number of uses…add garlic, butter, rosemary, oregano, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper, etc, etc… I gave "ballpark" amounts, because they’ll have to be adjusted based on the sweetness of the onions.

So, even though I had a nice Beef Tenderloin Salad.

I was thinking ahead to today’s sandwich:

Some prepared Horseradish mixed with roasted garlic, a layer of beef tenderloin, a layer of mirin caramelized onions, some roasted mushrooms….

On Ciabatta I got from Bread and Cie. Topped with local tomatoes(from the Fruit Stand), onion sprouts, and arugula.

Of course while eating the sandwich, I was already thinking ahead. Hmmm, maybe a nice pasta with the roasted mushrooms and garlic?

We hope everyone is having a fun, safe, and delici-yoso long weekend!

Siem Reap: Morning at the Temples of Angkor

July 3, 2008 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

I know many have been waiting for more on the Siem Reap portion of our trip. The biggest problem for me is trying to figure out which photos to use. Over the course of our trip we took over 4500 photos, and discarded many. But we are still left with about 3700! But without further ado, let’s move forward.

We had no problem waking at 430 am in anticipation of our 520 pick-up. The combination of our still present jet lag, and our excitement over-rode our internal clocks. Our Driver, Narin was there to pick us up exactly at 520am. Narin seemed to be a very nice, mild-mannered, calm individual, and once the Missus started up with Her incessant questions(everything but "why is the sky blue") , Narin warmed up and started smiling a lot more. He took us to get our passes(with your photo), and asked us what we had in mind, and helped us plot out the day. And soon we were off. On some very good advice, we had decided on hiring only a driver. Drivers are allowed to drop off and pick-up tourists, but not enter the temples. Only official guides (costs $2000, + a test, + some, ummm, "connections") are allowed on Temple grounds. At every site you’re supposed to show your pass to the guards. Some are a bit more diligent than others.

The main reason for the early wake-up was for the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We looked for the classic shot of sunrise at Angkor Wat, from the pool on the Northwest side.

What this photo doesn’t show is that everyone else is trying for the same shot.

Even though we had been told by several people how annoying all the clicking of the cameras and jockeying for position was, we never did get that feeling. Perhaps deciding to visit during the hottest month of the year wasn’t too bad an idea. By this time we decided to extricate ourselves from the crowd, crossed over the causeway and took more photos of the sunrise.

Knowing that we’d be returning later that day, we quickly made our way back out to the car. we quickly arrived at Phnom Bakheng. Phnom Bakheng, situated up a hill(sometimes called, "The Strong Hill") was one of the first major temples built in the Angkor era, at about the 9th Century AD. It is believed that the first capital of the Khmer Empire, Yaśodharapura(City that Bestows Glory) was built around the Phnom Bakheng, by Yasovarman I. Due to the hilltop location, Phnom Bakheng is usually packed with tourists during sunsets. All this traffic has badly damaged the original stairways up the mountain, which are now closed off.

Instead, a trail wound it’s way around the mountain, and since it was still fairly early in the morning, the weather was still cool, and we only had the constant electrical buzzing of Cicadas to keep us company for the short walk up the hill.

Having the Phnom Bakheng to ourselves only heightened the feeling of awe and wonder.

And while the Missus was climbing about exploring, I just circled. I still had some reservations about walking on the ruins. And though I would get over the feeling that I was somehow a party to destruction, the thought was always hovering about in the background.

Because this site is elevated it is very popular during sunset. In fact, I’ve heard it’s downright sardine city! During the evenings you can catch elephant rides up and down the mountain as well.

The next stop, Angkor Thom. Many persons I know who have heard of Angkor Wat, believe that Angkor Wat is the only ruin in Siem Reap. They’ve never heard of the "Great City", Angkor Thom. In the 12th Century, the Kingdom of Champa, and the Khmers were at war. In 1166, the Khmer ruler Yasovarman II was assassinated, supposedly by one of his subordinates, Tribhuvanāditya. Sensing the instability in the region, the Cham, in war canoes crossed Tonle Sap Lake and invaded Angkor, destroying Yaśodharapura, and killing Tribhuvanāditya. under the leadership of the person soon to known as King Jayavarman VII the Cham were defeated and driven out. Seems that Jayavarman VII was quite the builder, and one of his greatest achievements was the centralized city of Angkor Thom. I’ve read accounts that have said that within the 9 square kilometers that comprised Angkor Thom resided anywhere from 100,000(low end) to over a million(high end estimate) people. After reading a bit more about Angkor Thom, I couldn’t help but admire the combination of practicality: the city was surrounded by walls 8 meters high, and huge moats, that provided water, as well as protection. Hard to believe from this pastoral scene, but I was told that they used to have the moats filled with crocodiles….for a bit of extra "insurance".

And spirituality: From accounts I’ve read, Jayavarman VII was a fervent Buddhist, so when he was inaugurated, so was Buddhism, replacing Hinduism. I’ve also read that when the Khmer fell to the Cham, so did their faith and belief in Hinduism.

The South Gate is probably the most famous entrance to Angkor Thom. The entrance portal was built to accommodate elephants entering the city.

The causeway to the gate is guarded by 54 "Gods" on one side:

And 54 "Demons" on the other:

It makes for quite a sight. You can read more on The East Gate, and on Angkor in general on Wandering Chopsticks post here.

For me, the one thing that always stood out, and what I consider to be sort of the "trademark" of Jayavarman VII is this:

Each head faces one of the four cardinal directions.

If that weren’t enough, our next stop was one of my favorites. The Bayon. From afar, it looks like a pile of ruins, with spires rising out of it.

But each of those "towers", holds 4 faces, each face has that mysterious, sly-knowing smile….the "smile of Angkor". According to literature, there used to be 54(yes, numerology is very strong) towers, but now only 37 exist at this temple.

The Bas-reliefs at the Bayon are also magnificent. They are carved much deeper into the sandstone, really projecting the various scenes. I’ll go into these a bit later on. We enjoyed The Bayon so much, we decided to return later on.

The temple consists of 3 enclosing walls and a top terrace, where the forest of towers reside. There are a few stairways, and one good metal staircase. You need to watch your step, some of the stairs are really worn down.

At the top you can get up close and personal with the faces. One thing I noticed, look through any window, and you’ll see at least one, or more heads. I’m sure this was by design. But it really gave me a strange and eerie feeling. The only feeling more strange than those provided by those enigmatic faces, was that in the back of what little grey matter still exists, I could hear the faint sound of a song:

"I always feel that somebody’s watchin’ me
And I have no privacy
I always feel that somebody’s watchin’ me
Is it just a dream?"

Egad! You gotta be kiddin’ me…..I’m standing among one of the great wonders of the world, and the best I can do is a "Bad 80’s" song by Rockwell?

Now for the, "yes we’re tourists, and sometimes we do cheesy tourist things" portion. The Missus had always wanted to do this…so for $10 a person, we rode an elephant around the Bayon. I was a bit concerned for the elephant’s sake, but was told that if this elephant wasn’t giving rides, it would be doing logging work. So I guess this is the lesser of 2 evils. So what about the ride? It’s bumpy, and really no big deal. We can now cross the elephant ride off our list….no need to do it again. We were also told that the elephants have set hours, with breaks. Must be a pretty good union…. We did see elephants trotting "home" for lunch. They can move pretty fast.

Our next stop was the Baphuon, just North of the Bayon. The Baphuon was built around 1060, and is still undergoing restoration. For us, the most interesting feature of this temple is the raised sandstone causeway leading to the temple.

It’s hard to see that the causeway is raised in that photo, so maybe this is a better one:

Here’s a view from under the causeway:

Next stop was the Terrace of the Leper King and the Terrace of the Elephants. The place was fairly crowded when we arrived, but we enjoyed the view, and the various amazing Bas-reliefs.

We took a walk across the road to Prasat Suor Prat, the so called "towers of the tightrope walkers".

The most popular story is that tightrope walkers walked on ropes tied from tower to tower. Another says that the 12 towers were used to resolve disputes. The individuals were placed in different towers, and after a few days the person who was in the wrong would become ill. To his day no one is sure.

Behind Prasat Suor Prat are 2 buildings called the Khleangs.

No one is sure what the purpose of these buildings are.

After walking about, Narin asked us if he could drop us off for lunch. One of his customers needed a ride to the airport. We would have lunch at one stands across from Angkor Wat, and than head on over to Angkor Wat right across the street. This wasn’t a problem with us. We just wanted something small to eat…the combination of excitement and heat had repressed our appetites.

The menu at this place was pretty extensive…but the Missus wanted…drum roll please! Yep, Fish Amok($8.00):

We had a large order, which was served in a coconut…all it needed was an little umbrella to complete the picture. Actually, this tasted much better than what we had at Khmer Kitchen. Much richer, and not as sweet.

And after having all of that very low grade rice in Vietnam, we really enjoyed the rice.

Of course, I was a bit distracted….because right across the way some "dancing girls" were calling to me…..

Pho Ca Dao – Mira Mesa

July 2, 2008 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I don’t know what it is, but this year, even as we approach the heat of summer, I’ve still been eating Pho. What’s even more interesting, the Missus, never a big fan of Pho, has now developed a taste for it. Recently, we had decided on grabbing a bite at Pho Ca Dao on El Cajon Boulevard. But realizing that we had never eaten at the Mira Mesa location, and since the Missus was having one of Her "I’m so easy going" moments, headed off in that direction instead.

One thing became very apparent as we entered the restaurant. It was very clean, and the folks working were smiling, and quite friendly. No having to know what to order before your butt hits the Naugahyde here. Looking around, I thought I was eating in, perhaps a Marie Callenders?

We saw Servers getting balloons for kids, chatting up the customers. No, menu’s weren’t dealt out on the table like Texas Hold’em, no one hovering around in the "universal Pho ordering stance". They really put you at ease.

The Missus, feeling that it was a bit too hot for Pho, went with the Bun Bi Cha Gio($5.70):

The portion size was quite good, but the Bi(shredded pork and pork skin) was dry, the noodles mushy, and the Nuoc Mam Cham(fish sauce dip) tasted watered down. The Cha Gio("egg rolls") were crisp and hot.

Having not visited this location of Pho Ca Dao, I wasn’t sure what meat offerings were done well here. So I went with the Pho Dac Biet(special – $5.50):

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, but did include Ngo Gai(Saw leaf herb – Culantro) that was starting to brown. On the good side, this place was so accommodating that I could request a bit more basil and Ngo Gai without worrying about ending up with a sharpened pencil in my neck.

The broth had a nice light brown color, and was relatively clear. It also had a nice clove-anise "nose" to it. Unfortunately, this didn’t translate to the flavor, which was overwhelmingly salty. The Rare Steak was decent, not too dry, the very scant amount of tripe was fine, the brisket had nice flavor, but was on the dry side. Just like it’s namesake on El Cajon Boulevard, it’s the tendon that stands out. It is perhaps not as soft and buttery, but it is close enough.

Like I mentioned earlier, we had very friendly and accommodating service. This alone put us into a nice, relaxed state. Even the the wanna be "Gangsta’s" hanging out in the parking lot looked at lot more like over-fed Mama’s Boyz who went on a shopping spree at a gold shop, than hardened young men. I’m not sure if I’ll be eating here again soon, but I wouldn’t feel bad if I had to.

Pho Ca Dao
8373 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Open 7am-9pm Daily

Road Trip: Mama’s Lu and Northern Dumpling House – Monterey Park(LA)

July 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

With gas prices at new highs, just wanting to take a road trip would probably be grounds to have us committed. But we were getting a bit stale just stewing in our juices at home. So, we went ahead with our little road trip and made the best of it. After doing our morning shopping, instead of heading toward San Gabriel, we decided on what in the good old days(at least for us) was the center of our eating universe. The intersection of Garfield and Garvey in Monterey Park. We were amazed at how light traffic was and even snagged convenient parking on Garvey. I'm guessing gas prices are affecting everyone.

Our first lunch stop was a newer restaurant called Mama's Lu….no not Mama Lu's, or even ahem, Mama's Loo(God help us all). It really is called Mama's Lu:

See what I mean? I asked the Missus what the deal was with the name. Her response? "Hey, you're the food guy, right? You figure it out." Which translated, probably meant, "I'm tired of your questions, you figure it out…." This little shop occupies the area that used to be Heavy Noodling, which I was kind of sad to see go.

The interior of "Da' House of Lu", is very clean. Not a sign of "San Gabriel sticky" to be found here.

The menu is short and concise, mostly dumplings, Shanghainese, with some Sichuan thrown in on the Chinese menu board:

I dunno if we've gotten used to prices in San Diego or what, but we had reverse sticker shock when we checked out the menu.

10 Xiao Long Bao for $4.50? You can barely get a Carne Asada Burrito for that in San Diego! Maybe this drive was worth it.

As we looked over the menu, the Missus and I hatched our plan. 2 Xiao Long Bao, and one dish we'll sample, and load into the ice chest. We started with an old favorite of the Missus, Shanghai style "Smoked Fish"($4.50), a classic dish. The Missus grew up eating the stuff.

The photo is a bit deceptive, this was a pretty large portion. This version was drier(but not dry), than versions I've had. It also didn't have a very pronounced sweet and five spice flavor. I really enjoyed it, because unlike other versions, this was not "fishy" in the least. The Missus(and my MIL) still favor the version at Chin's. But I'll take this any day of the week.

The Pork and Crab Xiao Long Bao($8.50), probably the most expensive item on the menu.

These came with each XLB(8) packed into an individual foil container. What I thought; "wow, they pack them individually, in these little dishes so they don't leak." What the Missus thought; "no wonder they're so expensive, they waste money on those dishes. If they make them right, they won't leak. And they sure better know the difference between the crab and the pork Xiao Long Bao. What a waste."

For us, a good Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao, will be rich and mildly sweet. This was bland and kind of greasy. The meat to soup ratio was not to our liking. Too much meat, not enough soup. The wrappers had a major defect; the fold was hard and chewy, and the bottom was gummy.

The Pork Xiao Long Bao(10 – $4.50):

These Xiao Long Bao suffered from the same problems as the Crab and Pork with regards to the wrapper and meat to soup ratio. Flavor wise, these were better with regards to a mild sweetness, and the meatball was melt in your mouth tender. I still think it was under flavored.

Still, I think it's better than any XLB we have here in San Diego, but when compared to all the other XLB in the area….. On the positive side, we had excellent service, our tea was refilled, and our water twice! The very nice Server, came back to check on us, something that almost never happens in the SGV! There is a booth behind the cash register that displays the XLB makers at work, a la Din Tai Fung. One more thing that I found somewhat humorous. The 'A' Health Rating is posted by the hallway door, away from the street…almost as if they're ashamed that they actually got an 'A'.

Mama's Lu Dumpling House
153 E Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

So why did the Missus and I exercise such restraint at Mama's Lu? Right across the street from Mama's Lu is this place.

**** Northern Dumpling House has closed

The English sign only says "Restaurant". I had read about this place on Chowhound, called Northern Dumpling House. We saved some "room" for a meal here. We planned on one order of Jiaozi and "something else". Like Mama's Lu the place is very clean, and almost too cold and sterile. The prices here are very reasonable as well.

I really wanted to try he Pork and Opo Squash Dumplings(I thought they'd be interesting), but they did not have any.

So we had the Beef and Chinese Celery Dumplings($5.50):

These Jiaozi were interesting, the wrapper was very soft and pillowy. I enjoy a bit of chew, but the Missus enjoyed these as a change of pace. She went into a lecture about making the dough of Jiaozi, and water temperature, etc, etc, etc…. The filling was undoubtedly beefy, but lacked a decent Chinese celery crunch and the only way we knew there was celery in the filling was a slight aftertaste. I'm not quite sure about these, but the Missus enjoyed them. I want to bring my Mother In Law to see what She thinks.

Looking for something that we could have a few bites of, than take home; I went for the Cumin Lamb. We thought it strange that all the stir fry dishes had prices that had been covered by blank white stickers. So at the risk of being charged some exorbitant amount, we went ahead and ordered it anyway.

If you enjoy a milder cumin taste, you'd like these. What made this dish really good was how the lamb was prepared and cooked. There were slices that were melt in the mouth soft! If not for the mild gamey flavor(not wild enough for us), you'd think that you were eating very well prepared beef. Mildly spicy from the chilies, this was even better the next day. Did you guess how much this cost? It was $5.40……on our check the Server initially wrote $4.95, but crossed it out and wrote in $5.40….I'll take that any day.

Even more than the food, there was something really interesting about this meal. The restaurant was empty except for another couple. Apparently, the Guy is a "Chef" at another restaurant, the Missus said he had a strong Beijing accent, She could barely understand his girlfriend/wife("man, her accent is really hard to make out"). After making our food the cook came out, pulled up a seat, and they started talking about business in the area. And also started dissing other regional Chinese cuisines. They were especially hard on Tianjin Cuisine("no way a Tianjin restaurant will make it, they don't make any good food, only snacks"). Stuff like prices and competition were discussed, too much to write in this post. But if you've ever wanted to be a "fly on the wall."

Northern Dumpling House
138 East Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755

Restaurante El Salvadoreno – A Revisit

June 29, 2008 mmm-yoso Salvadoran Restaurants

It sure feels like I’ve been doing this for a long time. I remember doing a post on El Salvadoreno way back in August of 2005. A few months later, the restaurant moved into its new digs right next door. And though I’ve driven past the place dozens of times, I never took the time out to grab a meal until recently.

Here’s what the "old" El Salvadoreno looked like back in 2005.

If you think that is a big change; check out the dining area.

Wow. Here’s the old 7 table El Salvadoreno, which I thought had a nice quaint charm.

Wood siding, nice tile work, it really looks like a very nice and proper restaurant. A far cry from the greasy spoon decor.

About this time I started wondering if anything else had changed….like maybe the menu? If I had any doubts, one look at the menu told me otherwise. I noticed all of the dishes I’d had before. As with the everything else, the sticky two page laminated menu, had been replaced, "now with 100% more color photos!"

Since I had my first Pupusa at El Salvadoreno, I decided to stick with that. Soon enough the hot sauce arrived.

And instead of the usual "communal tub" of Curtido, the lightly pickled cabbage slaw. A bowl of Curtido was brought to my table.

Today the Curtido was crisp and fresh, with a nice oregano aroma, though not as "pickled" as I recalled.

I had ordered a Pupusa Revuelta Con Todo (a mixed Pupusa – $2.25), a Pupusa de Chicharron($2.00), and a Pupusa de Queso and Calabaza($2.00).

The Pupusas arrived steaming hot, and the fillings were molten. The texture of the exterior of the Pupusa was even better than I remembered, slight crunchy and crusty. As you got past the crust, a slight corn-masa flavor hit you, and the "tortilla" got a bit more chewy. The Revuelta was by far my favorite, a nice contrast of flavors, with the jalapenos adding a nice surprise zip now and then. I received the Chicharron con Queso, instead of de Chicharron. It was fine, nice and gooey, but came up short in the "porkyness" territory. The de Calabaza con Queso was very blah. I wasn’t paying attention. I should have ordered the Pupusa de Loroco con Queso. In this case the Calabaza was plain and simple zucchini.

3 Pupusas were perhaps, 1 too many for me. Still, you can’t beat the price, a filling breakfast for under $7. I’ve always received very nice and friendly service at El Salvadoreno. There are those who believe the area is on the "sketchy" side. But I’ve never had any problems in the neighborhood. All of the old favorites, like the fried chicken and the tamales are still on the menu. I need to make an effort to revisit other places that I haven’t been back to in a while.

Restaurante El Salvadoreno
2845 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102

I keep forgetting to keep some room for this:

Right across the street. Maybe next week?