mmm-yoso – Page 570 – 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.

Yoso-Nosey: Opening Soon in San Diego

July 23, 2005 mmm-yoso Blog

During the course of my "travels" I’m always trying to "sniff out" or find new places to eat, I sometimes see or hear of new places that are set to open. Over the last few weeks I’ve been hearing about K’s Sandwiches, a Banh Mi place opening on the corner of Mesa College and Linda Vista:

*** Update 08/25 K’s sandwiches is now open ***

Looks like they’re about ready for the grand opening. I originally heard of this place from my Buddies at Sandwich Emporium. So it seems that this place is creating a bit of a buzz. Knowing that I’m always looking for a good Banh Mi – I’m sure to be one of their first customers.

I was driving up Clairemont Mesa Blvd when I saw this sign:

*** Update 09/26 – Golden City has now opened ***

I was really depressed when Golden City closed last year. They really filled a niche – Well priced, decent, Cantonese Food. Priced right so that you could possibly eat there everyday if you wanted to. Golden City had great lunch and late night specials – like Peking Duck (two dishes) for less than 20 bucks. I still miss the Kwai Fei Chicken and Salt & Pepper Pork Chops. You could get three roasted meats over rice for $3.88. I’ve been looking fruitlessly for another restaurant to take it’s place. So I’m somewhat excited to see what this incarnation of Golden City will be. The location is the corner of Kearney Villa and Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

YOSO-NOSEY: 10 Questions with Reid from ONOKINEGRINDZ Part 2

July 23, 2005 mmm-yoso Blog

Here’s part 2 of our Ten Questions with Reid from ‘Ono Kine Grindz; enjoy! Thanks again Reid!

6 – In your opinion what are the benefits of blogging, and are there any negative aspects that you’ve encountered?

The benefits are many and the negatives, or downsides, are few and far between. For me, it’s really great to get to know people through the blog. It’s a way for me to share my experiences with food (something I love) with a large number of people and it’s a way to bring “home” to those of you that are far from it. Believe it or not, many of those who leave Hawaii don’t come back as often as we’d like to think. Besides, for me this is a way to relax and unwind after a long day at work.
So far the only negatives have been the responses to some not so good reviews that I give to some places. Case in point, Baba Neo.

7 – Do you have any specific approach when selecting a particular subject? Basically, I’m asking, what is your style?

There really is no specific approach or style, but for a while I was just going everywhere and trying to be nice about it. I’m sure you can tell that by reading my earliest posts. Now, I’m more apt to be as honest as I can be without being too brutal. When I write on my blog, I’m basically listing my thoughts, so you might hear the same things over and over again.
I’m not like the food writer who has to come up with stuff that sounds good.

8 – Ever think that’ll you’ll run dry? With “tongue firmly in cheek” (because you seem to everywhere at once) – Do you ever go back to a restaurant? And what happens if you go back and the restaurant has changed dramatically from the original post, would you repost, or edit your former post?

Well, to tell you the truth, I read somewhere that there are 2000+ food establishments in the State of Hawaii and even if I did three reviews a week for the entire year, it would take me more than 12 years to get to them all. That said, I don’t feel that I’ll run out of ideas, but I might get sick of eating out before that happens.
To answer the second part of the question – yes, I do go back to restaurants, in fact many times. A lot of them are my favorites and the new places only make up a small minority of my dining out. In fact, I can eat through my three reviews on the weekends then visit my favorite places during the week. I don’t think I’ve ever been back to a place that I’ve negatively reviewed. Case in point, Green Door Cafe. A lot of the local food critics have given that place the thumbs up, but in my opinion, it’s not authentic and not worth the price I paid.

9 – What would be the earliest recollection(s) that you have of eating in a restaurant and do you think that had any impact on the way that you view food?

The first vivid memory that I have of dining out was at the Black Angus in Vancouver when I was 7 years old. I had taken a trip there with my grandmother, my grandmother’s sister, and my grandmother’s sister’s daughter. The entire restaurant was configured with walls made out of smoked glass. Add dim lighting to the mix and the whole place turned into a very dark maze.
But to answer the rest of the question, no, it didn’t have any impact on the way that I view food in general.

10 – Does your “dream job” have anything to do with food in any way?

It’s funny that you would ask this question because for the last several years I have honestly thought of quitting my job to take up the culinary arts program at KCC. It’s not going to happen anytime soon of course, but that is something that I’m actively considering. Other than that, a friend and I have tossed around the idea of opening up a small shop selling of all things nasi lemak, Malaysian coffee, kaya toast(picture courtesy ‘Ono Kine Grindz), and Nyonya kuehs. It would really be funny if it actually happens.

Thanks for your time Reid, and thanks for the great pictures and reviews on ‘Ono Kine Grindz. Keep up the great work!

Izakaya Sakura – Nothing “Fishy” Here!

July 21, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Another updated post on Sakura from 05/19/2006 can be found here. More posts on Izakaya Sakura can be found here, a lunch bento can be found here, Cathy does Sakura for lunch here.

Izakaya Sakura, or just “Sakura” to us, is one of those places dear to the hearts of Chowhounds in San Diego. And over the last 3 years or so, Sakura has developed a bit of a cult following beyond the range of the locally stationed “Salarymen” and Japanese Nationals. Located in a strip mall between two military recruiting centers on Convoy, you’d never know it’s there, unless you really made a concerted effort to find it.

You’ll notice, no signs, no banners, no ubiquitous “Sushi” roadside sign. In fact, I believe that Sakura is slowly collapsing upon itself in a way. I remember there being some kind of store front sign the first time I recall seeing this place. And I distinctly recall some signage existing as recently as last year. Now there’s just the stark, plain entrance. When people ask for directions, I get to use a favorite line of mine, “when you see nothing, you’re there”. At least they let you know they’re open!

I met Ed from Yuma in the parking lot and we walked into Sakura. Ed started moving toward his favorite position on the sushi bar (left end), but I asked him to sit on the right corner (better light), and Ed in his easy going way moved over to the right side of the sushi bar. I had wanted better light so as not to use the flash on my camera. After all, we didn’t want to give the people passing by the wrong impression. That due to the flashing strobe, that there was some kind of “rave” going on inside! Actually, there was a “rave” of sorts going on, just not the dancing kind.

We started things off with Ed’s favorite Tako Wasabi, real wasabi is used, so the usual edges associated with a dish of this type are rounded. I also ordered one of my favorite dishes here, Shishito Tempura. The tempura was done to perfection. The batter is light and crunchy, the Shishito has become soft and creamy, a very nice play of textures. My one problem with the dish during this encounter had nothing to do with preparation. The quality of the Shishito was not quite as good as on previous visits. There is usually a very slight heat and nice sweetness, and the seeds are soft and you almost don’t know they exist. I think that the peppers were a little older this time. There were a number of hard seeds and the peppers were not as sweet as I’m used to.

Next up was the Buta Kakuni, braised pork belly, one of the standard Izakaya dishes.

There was a nice balance of flavor; shoyu, mirin, a dab of hot mustard, et al, blended together, and the pork was cooked to perfection. I think Ed enjoyed this, he ended using his chopsticks to “fish out” all the little bits that remained. As we finished our Omakase Sashimi was delivered:

Hamachi, Hamachi Toro, Maguro Toro, and Mirugai, and most of all the headliner, Aji (Spanish Mackerel) laying in all their perfection. I don’t know how, what, or where Kazu get’s and prepares his Aji, but it’s among the best I’ve ever tasted. Slightly oily, but creamy, the skin of the sashimi provides just a slight resistance, with just a bit of grated ginger and green onions. This is the star of the show! As we started in on the sashimi one of the waitresses came by and removed the carcass of the Aji, to return in a few minutes with the bones of the Aji fried! For many, this is the best part of the dish. Again, remaining completely in character the bones were fried to perfection. Usually there are always one or two bones that are hard and can’t be eaten, not in this case however! With a squeeze of lemon and a dip in ponzu, these superlative “crackers” were delici-yoso!

You may think that this would be enough, quite a grand meal. But oh no, not for “me and Ed down at the Izakaya” (sorry Paul Simon..). Ed ordered Ika no Shiokara! For those who don’t know what this is….to put it simply it’s salted or fermented squid intestines.

I have had Shiokara before, and had found it to be really terrible, bitter, salty, yuck! No Mas! But this version was a revelation. Slightly salty, sweet, with a nice aftertaste. Mid-bite I asked Ed to try and describe the taste, which made him stop mid-bite as well. Kind of at a loss for words or at least colorful adjectives, I thought Umami with a touch of bitterness. This little “cup of guts” kept us occupied, grasping for a description. As Ed began to speak, I waited in anticipation for maybe an Shakespearean Sonnet or two. He answered simply, “savory”. Anti-climatic, but good enough!

The last time we had sushi at a different locale, Ed noticed the Sushi Chef grating a long tubular radish looking vegetable. I told him it was naga-imo, he seemed interested. So to finish our dinner off, I ordered Maguro Yamakake. Diced Maguro is seasoned with a bit of shoyu and is covered with gluey, gloppy grated Mountain Yam (naga-imo) and topped with shredded nori with wasabi on the side. Forget the wasabi, no need for it. Naga-imo is pretty much tasteless, and looks alot like Elmers Glue, but in this mix it somehow seems to amplify both the salty and sweetness in the maguro, and the texture is unique. Another dish that’s hard to describe, I think you’ll need to try it to see, it was an apt end to a great meal. Thanks for coming along Ed!

Notes: Ed and I were amazed that it even though it was Wednesday, the place was packed when we left, not only with the “usual” clientele, but with a really diverse group. The price for dinner was $75, without any alcohol. There is a pretty extensive sake list, and beer and wine are available.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

Poke’ – As in Po-Kee…OK????

July 20, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Poke, Recipes

The entire reason for my foray to Los Angeles was to purchase some ogo to make poke'. For those who don't know what poke is…. Poke in Hawaiian literally means to "slice or cut crosswise into pieces". Alan on his wonderful Food Blog ma'ona has a wonderful post on poke'. In it's most simplest form, poke consists of fish cut into bite-sized pieces seasoned with "Hawaiian" (sea) salt. Today, there are many variations of poke' with main ingredients that range from the traditional Aku and Ahi and Tako (octopus) to newer versions that use tofu and artificial crab. And poke' can be found everywhere in Hawaii from the Supermarkets to upscale restaurants such as Alan Wong's and Roy's. On any given day, there may be up to 20 -30 types of poke' sold from "deli-cases" in "local" Supermarkets in Hawaii.

Everybody I know who makes their own poke', has their own little "twist" or indispensable ingredient. Be it inamona (roasted kukui or candlenut chopped, crushed, or mashed into a paste) to limu (seaweed), or even shoyu (soy sauce). Ogo originally is the Japanese name of a specific type of limu, but nowadays, many, including myself use the terms limu and ogo interchangeably. I apologize in advance for any inaccuracies provided by my over-racked brain.

For me the item that I need for my poke' is ogo, thus the trip to Marukai in Los Angeles. Marukai flies in farm raised ogo from Honolulu, and though it's not the "best grade", I think it's good enough for poke'. I have found ogo in San Diego, but it is usually so old and oxidized, that it would probably smell and taste like ammonia! The other thing I need is some "fish". I had the fish cutter at Marukai cut me a "block" of Maguro that weighed a little over a pound.

I separated the fish into approximately two half pound "batches". With the first I made my "standard" poke:

1/2 Lb Ahi, Aku, or Maguro cut into bite sized (1/2-3/4") pieces
up to 1/4 Cup Aloha Shoyu (or Yamasa)
1/4 of a Sweet onion (Maui or Vidalia – heck I'm so desperate I just use brown onions) sliced thin.
2 Stalks Green Onion – Green parts only
1/4 cup Ogo Chopped.
Sea salt to Taste (I use Ala'ea, which is a sea salt colored with red clay)
Either Chili Paste, Chili Peppers, or Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Sesame Oil to taste
Toasted Sesame Seeds

Place cubes of fish into a bowl and add shoyu, a little at a time, to the point that the fish is only moistened. Add sea salt. Add onions and ogo and mix. Taste and adjust salt/shoyu as necessary. Add Chili Paste and sesame oil and mix. Top with Sesame Seeds.

Than I made my twist on Shoyu Poke:

1/2 Lb Ahi, Aku, or Maguro cut into bite sized (1/2-3/4") pieces
up to 1/4 cup of Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/4 tsp Grated Ginger
1/2 clove of garlic grated fine
1/4 cup Ogo
2 Stalks Green Onion – Green parts only
Sesame Seeds

Mix all ingredients, top with sesame seeds. Serves 1 hungry Ex-Pat Kama'aina with a major Poke' "Jones".

Easy to make, huh? Just remember one thing, poke' is an easy dish, but will reflect the quality of the ingredients you use! My recipes should be used as a very, very, broad guideline.

For those still interested, Sam Choy has a great little book on poke. I could go on and on about poke', how it's the original "pacific-rim, fusion" dish, about how every ethnic group has created and contributed to the vast varieties of poke'. Or how it feels like I'm really finally "home" when I buy a couple of different types of poke from Tamashiro Market, grab some musubi, and head to Kewalo's or some other beach and just sit down and "grind" – delici-yoso!!! Have fun "playing with your food"!

Linda Vista Food to Go:Crouching Restaurant, Hidden Banh Mi

July 19, 2005 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Update Linda Vista Food to Go has been replaced by Mi Ngoc So 1, you can read a post here.

02/13/2008 – Mi Ngoc So 1 is now gone as well….this location is now home to Thai by Tara.

Do you have a restaurant that you pass on a regular basis, that you know is there, that you glance at, but have never had any reason or desire to patronize? I’ve been glancing at this little hole in the wall for almost five years. It’s readily visible from the intersection of Linda Vista and Ulric St. For some strange reason I’d always thought that this was a Mexican restaurant, and had developed no real desire to check this place out.

But now, under the guise of Food Blogger, I actually have a (flimsy) reason to enter through those doors. And to my surprise, it’s a little Vietnamese take-out restaurant! Even better, there’s Banh Mi on the menu, though it seems that it’s not the main product that this little place is trying to sell. At 7 am on a Sunday morning there are 2 Vietnamese Women rolling spring rolls and loading them into trays, seems like there’s a major catering operation going on. So I step up and order the "Dac Biet" Banh Mi and a tray of spring rolls. The Banh Mi cost me $2.50, even though the sign said $2.25, I figure that the extra quarter was probably a penalty for my lack of patronage over the last 5 years, or more realistically, they probably had raised prices and not changed the signage. The spring rolls set me back 3 bucks.

This sandwich was on the smallish size, and had cross sliced cucumber and a green chili, the usual pickled carrot and daikon, and two sprigs of cilantro. The meat filling was ham, pate’, and sausage. The bread had a good crust and minimal bread filling, the pickled veggies were under marinated and quite tasteless, the cucumber was fine, but the green chili was not hot at all and had that "green" taste that under-ripe peppers have. The meat was sorely lacking and the sausage really brought nothing to this sandwich. And one of my pet peeves are the long "branches" of cilantro. All in all, the poorest Banh Mi I’ve had so far.

The spring rolls were pretty good – lot’s of "Bun", and the lettuce was folded around pork in the bottom of the roll. I thought these were pretty decent.

The verdict? I really didn’t miss anything by passing by this place for last few years, though I liked the spring rolls. Who know maybe the other dishes are pretty good, and I may try them in the future, but not the near future. Another funny thing, the hours listed on the business card are Mon-Sat 6am-5pm, closed on Sunday; but the day I visited was Sunday. Maybe that’s what the extra quarter was for….a convenience charge!

Linda Vista Food to Go
2405 Ulric Street
San Diego, CA 92111
858-279-1491

LA Road Trip Part 2 – Rutt’s Cafe

July 18, 2005 mmm-yoso Diner, Loco Mocos, Los Angeles County, Plate Lunch, Road Trip

*** Update – On a recent trip to the area, I noticed that Rutt’s Cafe has been replaced with another restaurant. Something along the lines of Don Carlos……

In the first part of the road trip I picked up some ogo from Marukai in West Covina, and went over the purchase of "stinky tofu" from Shau Mei Deli. I had initially, planned on picking up some "local kine grinds" from either Harry’s Aloha Chop Suey or Bruddah’s Hawaiian Food in Gardena. But since I ended up in West Covina, that was pretty much out of the question. While driving up Azusa I saw this sign:

So I drove up and did a u-turn on Azusa, and then did a right turn and went around onto Valley Blvd, under the Azusa overpass. In this no man’s land strip mall, with a Carniceria, 99 cent Chinese Food, and other businesses, stood Rutt’s Hawaiian Cafe on the corner. Now having lived a few miles from here for 4 years, I knew that this couldn’t be an optimal location – Valley Blvd, on the border of City of Industry and La Puente. This mall can be more than a little scary, especially at night.

So I went in and there were no "Hawaii kine" people to be found, but I had a seat at the counter, had a menu handed to me, and looked it over. There were a ton of "royales", that is, an omelet over rice, or over fried rice. This was definitely a "breakfast" kind of place. Many dishes came in Junior, Regular, and King sizes and ranged from$4.25 to $8.45. There was Portuguese Sausage and Kalua Pork on the menu. I went ahead and ordered a regular size Loco Moco $6.35. The waitress was apparently a bit new and had to check the menu herself to see what options there were – I chose the macaroni salad, and eggs over easy (is there any other way to serve eggs for a loco moco?). I also ordered an iced tea, which came in a very large cup. After about 10 minutes my "loco" was served:

The plate a had 2 easy over eggs over a large hamburger patty on gravy over rice, macaroni salad, and a roll (?). The gravy was country style, not what’s usually served with a loco – it’s usually a brown gravy. The gravy was lumpy and had ok flavor, though I’m used a more beefy brown gravy. The hamburger patty was tasty, with a hint of sweetness, and lots of onions and green onions – a plus in my book. The macaroni salad had a good amount of mayonnaise, but was also flavored with relish, yuck, one of my pet peeves, couldn’t finish the salad. And the roll, I really didn’t know what to do with the roll…. The eggs, well let me say this. If there was a College degree for Short Order Cooks, whomever cooked the eggs and the burger would have a Masters Degree, they were cooked to perfection. Nice and runny yolk, the whites crisp around the edges and yet soft, excellent!

The service was friendly and attentive, and a person who I think is the owner was helping to wait tables, and it seemed like it was his Daughters that were helping him out. I found out later that the owner of the original Rutt’s had sold the name and restaurant, and this location had been open for about a year, but it looks like they’re really trying hard here. Before leaving I saw a huge platter of fried rice with char siu in it, and was told it was the King Sized "Hawaiian" Royale with Portuguese Sausage and Char Siu, looked big enough to feed a family of four. So would I return? Sure, I consider this a pretty good diner, with excellent portions. The location is kind of strange, I really wouldn’t want to be around here at night, but I’d definitely return.

Rutt’s Cafe
17371 East Valley Blvd.
La Puente, CA 91714
(626) 839-6312

LA Road Trip – Marukai West Covina and Shau Mei Restaurant; Ogo and Smelly Tofu?

July 16, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip

*** Note: Marukai West Covina is now Tokyo Central

Feeling really ambitious, I decided on a Road Trip to LA. The objective; Ogo from Marukai. I left at 715, and actually got to the Marukai in Gardena, 10 minutes before opening time (115 miles in 90 minutes – talk about making great time!). I decided to call the fish Dept and ask if they had Ogo; well they told me that they were out, and so it seems was I, out of luck that is! Well, just to follow-up I called Marukai in West Covina, and was told that they had Ogo. So I decided to go for it! What the heck, another 40 miles really wouldn't make a difference. When I drove into the parking lot of Marukai I noticed that there was alot of work going on the storefront.

I walked in, and there it was, Ogo – $7.98/lb. So basically a package of ogo cost less than 3 bucks. One really good thing about the West Covina branch of Marukai is that they are less busy and thus able to give really good service. I looked at the tuna in the fish case and none of them looked really good, plus all were less than 3/4 of a pound, and I wanted a larger quantity. So I asked the fish cutter if I could get a piece that was about a pound or more. His response "of course", and went and cut me a fresh piece. I also picked up a few goodies like One Ton Chips.

After grabbing a pretty huge lunch, I was ready to hit the road! But I decided to take a drive down Colima Road, through our old neighborhood of Rowland Heights, and there have been a ton of changes since I'd been here last. But Hong Kong Plaza was still there, and crowded and bustling as usual. You basically take your life into your hands when trying to park here on a weekend. We lived a half block away and used to walk here. In Hong Kong Plaza is the Taiwanese Deli Hsia Hsia Shau Mei Restaurant, home of the smelliest of the smelly tofu I've ever encountered!

So smelly, I can't even eat it! But the Missus loves it. This little deli/restaurant serves "hot table" dishes, has a menu of over 100 items, and also serves an array of Taiwanese "shaved ice", drinks, and snacks. Watching me place my order, was the stuff sitcoms are made of! You see I realized, that in all the times we'd been here, I had never placed an order, I let the Missus order in Mandarin. Also I don't really speak any Mandarin! So I tried to place my order for "Cho' Dofu", "huh?", "Cho' Dofu", she shakes her head and holds her nose, "No you don't want!". So I laugh and go, "than i want 2 order", and she laughs and rings it up (fried tofu w/odor, $3.50/ea). It was quite a wait, I really don't know why, everything else here is really "fast", but it must be something to do with the preparation. Come to think of it I really don't know much about Smelly Tofu at all. Here's a scientific article on "stinky tofu" courtesy of eatingchinese.org. She handed me the bag of Cho Dofu and I walked to the car and gingerly placed it far from everything. Unfortunately, some of the smell of the tofu had come off on my hand, ick! So what's the smell like? Well, if "Faces of Death" had "smell-a-vision"…. I arrived home and one order of tofu was devoured in a minutes flat, amazing! While reading the menu my wife noted, "hey look, they now have "Hot & spicy fried tofu w/odor", great, a double whammy…..

A couple of notes on Shau Mei, most of the business is conducted in Mandarin. Prices for most dishes range from $3.50-$6.00. We've received some really rude service here on occasion, especially when it's busy, most of the time it's just indifferent, today it was really nice. Don't let my story of Smelly Tofu deter you from trying this place. I've had many dishes here and some have been pretty good. I've also had smelly tofu at other restaurants, and have enjoyed it. It's only that this version is a bit much for me.

Hsin Hsin Shau Mei Deli
18438-1 East Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
626-964-1833

So what happened with lunch and what about the poke? Well I had the worst commute I've ever had on the '5' returning from LA – 3 hours! So I'm a bit tired, I'll post the other items in the (very) near future!

Sorrento European Bakery – Some Banh Mi with your Chocolate Mousse?

July 15, 2005 mmm-yoso Bakery, Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Sorrento European Bakery has closed

I had heard about a “Vietnamese Bakery” in Mira Mesa that made good Banh Mi. So with some rudimentary instructions we headed off. We came across a mall on Mira Mesa Blvd, that had an interesting Food Court and right next to the Food Court was Sorrento European Bakery. The little sign outside said Vietnamese Sandwiches.

We walked in and were met with a case of wonderful looking cakes and pastries like the mango mousse pictured on the right. I thought “no way can this be the place”. But the owners looked to be Vietnamese (and spoke some pretty good Mandarin too).

And there was a grease board with 10 sandwiches listed; the five on the left were stuff like roast beef and turkey. On the right it said “VN Sandwiches”, bingo! There were 5 sandwiches listed, all priced at $2.50, so I chose the #1 – Dac Biet. And while the poor Missus waited to pay and ogled the pastries and cakes, I wandered around the Food Court. We ended up doing a “Mini – Food Court Crawl”, which I’ll post later. The owner told my Wife that they bake their own bread for the sandwiches daily – so the bread is always fresh!

So how was the Banh Mi (please excuse the bad picture – I was over come by hunger) ? This was the “lightest” Banh Mi I’ve had by far. The bread was light and crusty, and a bit yeasty, with a really nice texture. The “ham” was very tasty, as were the veggies, but there was a spread (mayo??) that detracted from the taste a bit. The rest of the meat was good as well – no roasted pork this time, but the pork in the roll was good – I tasted all the meat separately. Not enough cilantro and the green chili’s on the sandwich were really mild. Rich, but light, good enough for a return visit. I’d order at least 2 sandwiches for me the next time though. The sandwich was good but there is something missing, I need to re-evaluate (poor me…) whether it’s a lack of filling, or a taste component was missing, I just can’t put my finger on it, so I’ll try again. Maybe someone else should try and let me know if I’m missing something?

Very nice and friendly service – the pastries looked very tempting, but I was focused on the Banh Mi. I think another visit is in order, the jury’s out!

Sorrento European Bakery
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd #117 – in the Sorrento Plaza Shopping Center
San Diego, CA 92121
858-909-0599

Yoso-Generous Reid!

July 15, 2005 mmm-yoso Cookbooks

Overall it has been a pretty good day, first I finally got my new car – oh, the smell of a new car, one of my favorites, right alongside garlic, a new book, and others…..

Than I get home and there’s a box waiting for me….from Amazon, great! But wait, I didn’t order anything from Amazon recently; so what the heck is this! So I gingerly open the box; Heck No! I ripped the darn thing apart, and there laying pristine in the bottom of the box is this:

I had asked Reid from ‘Ono Kine Grindz for a recommendation for reading material on Singaporean food after reading all of his "Live from Singapore" posts. He had recommended Shiok by Terry Tan, so I added it to my list at Amazon. In fact I was going to order this next month (I allow myself an Amazon order every other month). Well now thanks to Reid, I can order something else. Just paging through Shiok is in itself an education for me, and the pictures are wonderful – almost as good as Reid’s photo’s!

Thank You Reid, for being so generous! First you graciously allow me to grill you, than you get me a book – Me no understand, but I thank you anyway!

It’s been a good day, first I get the smell of a new car. Then I get to smell a new book. Let me go fry some garlic now, so I can complete the set! It doesn’t get much better than this…..

Yoso Lazy:Kim Chee & Rice – Very, very, nice…

July 14, 2005 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

It was a very tiring day, feeling mentally drained (doesn't take much actually), I didn't want to think too much….even "what's for dinner". The weather's been hot lately, and a bit more humid than usual. I wanted something spicy, but not hot in the temperature sense. So I headed to Zion Market, and picked up some Kim Chee. And had just Kim Chee and rice, and it was soooo good!

So I had, and I hope Sarah fromThe Delicious Life will correct me, if I'm wrong or inaccurate. Oi Sobaegi – stuffed cucumber Kimchee, stuffed with chives, and with the distinct taste of garlic, this is my current favorite. Napa Cabbage Kimchee (Baechu Kimchee), the strange thing about this was that there was a very strong fishy scent, I had heard that fish paste, or fermented fish was used, but I had never really noticed until today – but it wasn't fishy in the least bit. Good, not great. And lastly Namul, too mild, and just ok. But all perfect with a hot bowl of rice. Delici-yoso!!!