Closed – Page 102

Ben’s 1615 – Dine and Dish??

December 6, 2005 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

**** Ben’s has closed

Ya’ know, I’m not really good at all these “blogging event” kind of things – except if Reid or Alan asks me to do something. After all, they may “know somebody, who knows somebody, who knows somebody, who’s related to me”. Maybe I’m really a “Flakey-flake” like Professor Salt says! LOL! But when I saw the subject of the most Delicious Sarah’s Dine & Dish no. 5 – Asian Persuasion, I thought I had it made. After all, a good 70% of what I post is “Asian”, and even more amazing I’m Asian! And so is the Missus! But of course, I have a bad habit of not being able to follow my instructions; so I had to ask Sarah if I could do Filipino:

Kirk said… Sarah – Is Filipino OK?

kirk: ANYTHING asian…though i will be honest i may have to check with some filipina friends because i’ve never been quite sure if filipino is asian. but no FUSION!!
(did i mention i have very strong feelings about asian “f*ew*sion”? LOL!)

Okay, I screwed up again! I ended up eating at a Filipino-Fusion Restaurant, and no it’s not Yi Cuisine in LA. This one is called Ben’s 1615 and is located in National City:

Located on Sweetwater Road, Ben’s is owned by a local Physician and offers a variety of Filipino, and Fusion Filipino dishes. The restaurants decor is a definitive Southeast ASIAN, featuring bright colors and clean lines. There’s even a “waterfall fountain”. The menu is varied and divided into separate sections featuring Soups, Salads, Pasta(???), and Traditional Filipino “Favorites”.

So after looking over the menu, we made our decisions, and were served these “buns”, that really looked like…..well, you know!

Actually these pseudo-Pan De Sal, were nice and warm, but really just plain.

But if there was any doubt; that this was Asian food, this pretty much answered all questions for me. A true monument to all that is Asian! The great pyramid of rice:

At sunset no less! This monument to rice came as part of the Crispy Pata($13.75) that the Missus ordered. For those that don’t know what Crispy Pata is; in short, it’s a stewed pork leg(pata), that is then deep fried.

In this case, the “pata” is actually removed from the bone and chopped, much like lechon kawali. This actually decreased the “pork-fat” guilt. The ~~lechon~~ pata was fried to a perfect crisp and was alot milder in flavor and less greasy then the “normal” pata. I really don’t know if I consider it more refined, but it was definitely alot milder in flavor. A ramekin of tasty adobo-like sauce(not quite lechon sauce) was provided for dipping as well.

I ordered the Chicken Pandan($8.50):

There were three large chunks of chicken, marinated in coconut milk, lemon grass, and sesame oil, then wrapped in Pandan leaves and deep fried. The chicken was very moist, with a nice crust developed from the frying, and a very pleasant mild flavor. The only item that didn’t belong was the lousy sweet chili sauce. Adding the overly sweet sauce to any of the mildly flavored courses would just mask any flavor. The Missus actually enjoyed the chicken alot more then the pata, but the tastes and presentation left us a bit intrigued, and we’ll be back to try other dishes.

Some Notes: As with many “fusion” type dishes “your mileage may vary”, I’ve heard that there are some real “clunkers” on the menu. Specifically, I’ve heard from more then one person that the Pasta dishes are borderline terrible. Especially the “adobo-pesto’s” . I’ve also heard that the “bar” upstairs serves up some pretty good eats (specifically the “spicy seafood”).

I don’t know if this will qualify for Sarah’s Dine & Dish, but I need to send some “gratitude” her way – especially for always being a good sport! LOL Sarah!

Ben’s 1615
1615 Sweetwater Road
National City, CA 91950

Da’ Kitchen – Finally Good Local Kine Grindz in San Diego

December 5, 2005 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** Da’ Kitchen is now Mo’s Island Grinds, same great people, the food is also the same!

Every few months or so, I either hear of a new Plate Lunch or "Local"(Hawaiian) style restaurant in San Diego, either through the "coconut wireless" or Emails, that go something like this:

"I just wanted to inform you of a new Hawaiian place that my husband and I ate at that’s soooooooooo good! they have the best Kalbi and loco moco I have ever had……." And while I really enjoy and appreciate the comments and recommendations (keep ’em coming folks), most of them usually end up being L & L knock-offs. Nothing wrong with L&L, but to me, a "real" plate lunch, has a certain vibe, taste, and character. While I do eat at L&L, I kind of equate them to the Starbucks of the plate lunch world. The closest we have to a plate lunch place here in San Diego, albeit mediocre, is Da’ Kines, until now that is.

You see first of all the name of this place was Da’ Kitchen, and years ago I ate at Da’ Kitchen on Maui. So now you’ve really got my attention.

Getting out on the Carroll Canyon Road exit off the 15 Freeway I got to Da’ Kitchen, and parked my car. First thing I noticed was just a simple sign over the entrance. Da’ Kitchen had just been open 2 weeks. I looked over the grease board "menu", and the first thing that struck me were the prices. Kalbi for $9.95? Sheesh! But I went forward and placed an order. While waiting for my order, I had a nice chat with Jocelyn, one of the Owners, along with her Husband who runs the kitchen. If these plate lunches were as good as Jocelyn was nice and friendly, it was going to be a pretty good meal.

Here’s the Kalbi ($9.95):

Well first off, there were 5 pieces of cross cut kalbi, 5 pieces! These were well marinated and fairly tender, which is what you want. Most times they are too tough and rubbery, or over marinated and mushy. The marinade was excellent, just slightly sweet, and the ribs were nicely grilled. The plate came with one large scoop of rice and a macaroni-potato salad, which was kind of bland, and in need of salt. Overall, a good example of "local style" Kalbi, which differs a bit from Korean style.

I also ordered the Hawaiian Plate($10.75):

As a whole this was just okay. The laulau was nice and moist with alot of luau(taro) leaf, but with very little meat. The Chicken Long Rice had too much ginger in it. The Kalua Pork on the other hand was very moist, with a mild smoked flavor, and was the best item on the plate. This plate came with rice and the macaroni-potato salad, which was put in a container of it’s own.

The Fish Tempura($8.95):

Imagine five pieces of fish(I think it was Mahi Mahi??), yes the plate has five pieces of fish. What surprised me the most, was that the fish was still very crunchy and moist after the drive home. The tempura batter has what looks like furikake(Japanese Seaweed condiment) in it that adds to the taste. I wasn’t too crazy about the tartar sauce, and ended up using malt vinegar, which made it delici-yoso!!!

But the plate that brought tears to my eyes was this:

Yes, it’s a Loco Moco($7.75). If you read this blog regularly, you’ll know that I love "loco’s". This was a good one! As explained by Jocelyn, a 10-12 oz. homemade patty, 2 extra-large eggs easy over, brown gravy, topped with mushrooms and onions, rice, and macaroni-potato salad. A true thing of beauty! And they sneaked in an extra scoop of rice under the Burger! So I thought I’d use the infamous Modified Rubio Scoring System developed by James of Big Island Grinds.

Here’s how it measured up:

BURGER: Handmade and moist, and pretty huge. Maybe a bit too much filler, but nicely seared and seasoned. 4.0

EGGS: Cooked well, easy over, and yolks still runny. Could have been more crisp around the edges. But extra large eggs means bonus points. 4.5

RICE: Perfect, not dry. And those sneaky Bugga’s wen stash one scoop unda da burga la’ dat! You gotta love that. 5.0

GRAVY: Very nice color and texture, velvety, deep and dark brown. The taste was mildly beefy, but could have been better flavored. 4.0

STUFFS: Not enough flavor in the salad, actually tasted better with the gravy on it. And I really didn’t think the mushrooms and onions brought anything other then a bit of eye appeal to the dish. 3.0

Overall 20.5 points, the most I’ve ever given a Loco (so far)! How I finished it, I’ll never know.

Today I though I’d try the Chicken Katsu($7.75):

This was a "triple-decker" Katsu monster, fried golden brown, moist and delicious. And best of all, real Katsu sauce, not that runny sweet sour, garbage that L&L serves up. And the macaroni-potato salad tasted better today, just a bit of salt, that brought out the potato flavor. I only made it through 1 1/2 layers. As I was leaving, Jocelyn asked me how I did, so I showed her. She gave me a smile of pitying disapproval; sort of a "you’re a girly-man" sort of smile.

I also got a plate of the Korean Chicken($7.75) to go:

These are pieces of chicken marinated in a sweet soy mixture, then battered and fried. It comes with a mildly spicy and sweet soy sauce concoction. Sweet, salty, crunchy, and slightly spicy, a nice combination of taste and texture(think almost mochiko); this is the Missus’s favorite by far. In fact, I think I’ll get the dipping sauce for the Fish Tempura next time!

The restaurant, though sparse, gives off a laid-back vibe. And I get the feeling that no matter how crowded it might be here, it would still feel very relaxing.

As you can tell, Da’ Kitchen has been added to our rotation. So bring your appetite and give them a try!

By the way Jo, they have a branch in Mountain View!

Da’ Kitchen
9823 Carroll Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92131

Open Mon-Sat 10am – 8pm

Santana’s Mexican Grill – Hillcrest

December 4, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** This location of Santana's has closed and is now Tony's Mexican Food

Santana's is part of the "rotation" at the office, along with El Cuervo and ~~Chi-Poodles~~ Chipotle. We usually order from one of these three places about once a week.

Doesn't it look like Santana's is having a little cerveza there? Once one of my favorites, I've been rethinking that designation based on 3 "surprises" on my recent orders.

I really only get two items from Santana's; either a Carne Asada Burrito(CAB) or my favorite cholesterol bomb; a California Burrito(Cali). The Burritos that Santana's serves is relatively large, and wrapped in the usual flour tortilla:

Well here's the first surprise. Santana's had raised their prices 50 cents since our last visit, and the Cali now costs $4.25. Not really a big deal. For those who don't know what a California Burrito is; in San Diego, it's a burrito that contains at minimum Carne Asada(marinated and grilled beef), Cheese, and most importantly, French Fries. Santana's version also has pico de gallo(tomato, onion, cilantro, and chile garnish).

This burrito had a pretty good amount of carne asada, and fries and cheese are always great, right? But here's the next surprise, the carne asada was extremely salty. So salty, that all the other flavors were eliminated. It had become a "salt lick" burrito……The usual starchy, meaty, cheesey, and mildly spicy burrito was utterly ruined.

Well, two weeks later the office decided that it was time for another Santana's run. This time I decided on a Carne Asada Burrito($4.25). I had believed that my previous experience was just a blip on the Taco Shop radar, I opened up my burrito:

First thing I noticed was that my burrito was somewhat "swollen", in a water balloon like way. Sorry to say that this is the only photographic evidence that I have of my Xiao Long(soup) Burrito. For as soon as I cut into it to set-up a photo, a huge amount of liquid poured out everywhere; creating a new office game – chase the soup. My third surprise! I really don't know how Santana's managed to get all of that brown meaty liquid and salsa into the burrito. At least this time it wasn't too salty! Could you imagine if I had just held my burrito and bit into it? Saved by Food Blogging again. Maybe Santana's has been dipping into the cerveza……I'm just wondering what surprise is in store the next time, if there is a next time!

Santana's Mexican Grill
719 W Washington St
San Diego, CA 92103

Bamboo Hut

December 1, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Plate Lunch

I’m really con-"fused" about Bamboo Hut, a little Japanese-Plate Lunch-Filipino-Asian restaurant located on Mira Mesa Boulevard. I took a detour , and instead of going to Pho Hoa Cali, ended up having a late lunch here.

The restaurant was totally empty, and the employees were having a "break" and chatting outside when I entered; so I sat Myself. For some reason the two "Guys" looked really irritated; I guess I interrupted their break, but the Young Lady quickly came over and handed me a menu, and asked me if I had any questions. I looked over the menu, and there was everything from Spam Musubi to Lumpia, to Kalua Pig, to Nabeyaki Udon, to Kalbi, to Sushi(mostly specialty rolls) on the menu. But for some reason this really didn’t seem like a "plate lunch" kind of place.

I did find an interesting item on the menu; "Tuna Poki"($7.95):

What I got was somewhat a surprise. I guess I have a different picture of what "poke" should look like. I now understood why this item was under the heading "Salads" on the menu. This large goblet of maguro, various greens, and seaweed salad was not a very satisfying dish. First of all, there was too much togarashi(Japanese Chili Pepper), so that you could taste nothing else. The fish was also very dry, and the grade of fish was fairly low; there were alot of fibrous pieces making the few chunks of fish somewhat tough; what I call "buffet grade" Maguro. Cross any possibility of sushi at this place off my list. As you worked your way down the goblet you hit the next layer. Apparently all the "dressing" resided in the bottom of the glass, so you went from lip numbing, to very sour as you ate the other half of the dish.

I also ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry($5.95):

The panko(Japanese breadcrumbs) breaded Chicken Katsu was delivered to my table in a plate along with two scoops of rice(good start), a green salad dressed with a mild Asian dressing(ok), terribly bland macaroni salad(can you please use some mayo…please!!!!). The Katsu itself was perfectly fried, the panko coating was nice and crunchy, and not oily at all, and the chicken was very moist. The "curry" was a bit strange. I read the fine print on the menu, and it said "curry sauce". Well no kidding! It was literally curry sauce, not the usual beefy, thick, dark, and slightly spicy curry. The taste was not bad really, slightly spicy, with a mild curry flavor, I wish there was more of it though. Again, kind of a "mixed bag".

I don’t know, maybe someone who eats here alot can clue me in, I’m a bit con-fused. This lunch didn’t really give me a reason to pay another visit here. Especially after an acquaintance of mine told me that the kalbi here was the absolute worst he ever ate; and the service was terrible. I thought the Gal who served me was very nice, though the two Guys behind the Sushi Bar kept staring at me. Since I was the only person in the place, they probably wanted another break.

Bamboo Hut Pacific Grill and Sushi Bar
9172 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Andres Cuban Restaurant

November 28, 2005 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants

**** After 40 years in business Andres has closed

After passing Andre's Patio Restaurant on Morena Boulevard hundreds of times we finally decided to drop by during the past weekend to grab some Cuban Food for lunch:

The restaurant was fairly empty except for a family of 8 having a large lunch and another couple at a nearby table. After looking at the reasonably priced menu we ordered a few "standard" Cuban dishes to get our bearings.

We started with 1 Cheese ($1.50) and 1 Beef ($1.75) Empanada:

This was a rather inauspicious start, as the Empanadas were pretty soggy. The Cheese Empanada was especially bland. We soaked the empanadas in Habanero Hot Sauce in order to make them palatable, and didn't even finish the cheese empanada. I was starting to write this place off when the Yuca con Mojo arrived, and not a moment too soon:

This wonderfully flavored dish is delicious simplicity at it's best. Simmered Yuca is served with a slightly citrusy Garlic-Herb Olive Oil, very similar to Mojo Criollo(Spanish Garlic Sauce). If you've never had yuca, it will fool you the first time you eat it. As you initially bite into the yuca, the texture is like potato; but as you bite further you realize how really dense and starchy this tuber is. Dipped into the garlic oil, it is simply delici-yoso dense and starchy goodness.

The Missus ordered the standard Cuban beef dish Ropa Vieja ($8.95):

Literally translated as "old clothes" Ropa Vieja is beef that is stewed with onions and other herbs in a tomato based, wine "sauce", then shredded. The result here is a very tender, flavorful, and rich dish. Served with nice fragrant rice and velvety black beans, that were a bit too loose, almost like a bean soup, though the flavor was nice and mild. Altogether this is what I would consider to be a very pleasant home style meal. The portion size was excellent, and I enjoyed the "peas" as well.

I ordered the usual Cuban Sandwich ($6.95):

A classic " sandwich mixto" is a pressed roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, and dill pickle sandwich, served on "Cuban Bread", and "pressed". This process creates a very crisp crust, with a somewhat gooey interior. Though this sandwich did not really meet all the criteria, it was still good. The outer portion was crusty, and the combination of flavors were excellent. The funny thing with this sandwich is that if you remove the components and tasted each individually, you really wouldn't think much of it. It's the sum of all the ingredients that makes this sandwich, and creates a nice texture and taste. I don't think the "classic" Cuban Sandwich includes mustard, but it sure worked here.

Andre's food and atmosphere does create the relaxing impression that you are just enjoying a nice homemade meal. The service, though not very friendly, and a bit on the slow side, was adequate, and I think we will be back soon. It seems that Andre's is doing pretty good business, they are expanding into the space next door, creating a larger space that looks much more refined, though I think I enjoy the casual "patio" space.

Andre's Cuban Restaurant
1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Cotijas – Clairemont Drive

November 22, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** This location of Cotijas has closed.

Cotijas is one of three "Taco Shops" in our neighborhood. This is about the only view we've ever had of Cotijas:

You see we've never been in Cotijas, we've always just used the drive thru, aren't they wonderful?

And in the several years we've lived around here, we've only ordered two dishes. Either this:

Or this:

Yes, look closely, these are two different dishes. The first is an artery hardening American Mexican concoction called Carne Asada Chips, the second is an equally cardiac unfriendly creation called Carne Asada Fries(both $5.09). Whoever invented these are obviously on the Surgeon General's ten most wanted list.

But oh, man these a really pretty darn good! I could go on and make glib, obtuse comments of how all the major food groups are represented; but I'm sure you can see them for yourself. The chips are in my opinion better then the fries, which get soggy much too quickly. I like versions with larger cut fries. But why split hairs? If you do need an inventory of what's in this, I'll list a few; sour cream, two cheeses, guacamole (not bad), Salsa Fresca, carne asada(little too mild, but what the heck), refried beans(luckily, not too much), cilantro, green onions, and either fries or chips. Now I know I've missed a few, but what the heck. Oh, and don't forget the hot sauce…….

Calories, we don't care 'bout no stinkin' calories, right? But in all honesty you really don't want to eat too much. Why? If you can't figure it out for yourself, let me spell it out for you:

As we're exiting the drive-thru I always laugh at this sign:

Yeah, if I live that long…..

I've never had a Shrimp Burrito from here. Can't get past those chips. I'm still trying to figure which is the lesser of two evils; this or Loco Moco's. Would it help if I said, "I just tasted, but I never swallowed?" Hmmmm, didn't think so.

Cotijas Mexican Grill
3066 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Golden City Part 2 of 3 – Late Night Supper

November 17, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Golden City has closed

*** As of July, 2006 Golden City is under new Ownership – posts on the “New” Golden City, can be found here, here, and here.

After my first visit to the “new” Golden City for lunch; I thought I’d give them a few weeks to get their act together. So after one evening of a few movies at San Diego Asian Film Festival this past October, the Missus and I paid a visit to Golden City to partake of the “Supper Menu” served between 9pm through Midnight. We arrived at Golden City at just past 9pm:

When we entered, just a few tables were filled along with one rather large, raucous party where the Older Chinese Men were pounding a few beers. One of the great things about the “old” Golden City; were the reasonably priced late night specials, and though the prices have gone up a bit at this new location they are still reasonable. Most dishes range from $5.25 – $6.95 from 9pm til closing.

So we started ordering; first with the Roast Duck ($5.95 – 1 piece):

The “old” Golden City made pretty good roasted meats, and I understand that the Chef used to work at Emerald making the roast meats. So I was looking forward to this. The skin was nice and slightly crisp, and the meat was nice and tender. But the flavor was a bit off; it did taste like roast duck, mind you; but the flavor was strangely muted, as if it was a mere shadow of its former self.

Rock Cod with Black Bean Sauce ($6.15):

One of the Missus’s favorites, the fish fillets were cooked to a moist and tender state, and the onions were cooked through perfectly. However, the Bell Peppers were undercooked and very raw tasting. The sauce suffered from a lack of Black Bean taking away any personality from the dish.

Goat with Dry Bean Curd ($5.95):

Per the Missus’s instructions, I’m not allowed to eat this. Between bites, she did say it was just as good as she remembers.

Lastly out came “My” dish; Kwai Fei Chicken ($5.95):

One of my favorite dishes back home in Hawaii is what is called Cold Ginger Chicken; basically cold, Poached Chicken served with a ginger-scallion oil. I’ve never really found a version of this dish that I’ve enjoyed on the Mainland. What I did find was Kwai Fei Chicken. Basically, chicken is rubbed with seasoning, and steamed. This dish is also served at room temperature or cold with the heavenly ginger scallion oil. Golden City used to be a regular stop for this at their old location. Tonight, the chicken was over cooked making it tough and dry. And not even the scallion oil could cure it. So in the end; I ate most of the oil on rice (it is really delici-yoso), and took the chicken home for Frankie and Sammy.

In the end it seemed as if Golden City was literally a “shadow of it’s former self”, as all the flavors seemed strangely muted. Though as we left groups of people started streaming in; searching for reasonable Chinese Food at 10pm.

In the last installment we have a “regular” dinner; and I’ll have the same dish for lunch that I had on opening day.

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearney Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

Pearl

November 13, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

**** Pearl has closed

Having already visited the "Convoy Dim Sum" trinity of Emerald, China Max, and Jasmine, with mixed results, not to mention a horrible experience at Lucky Star. We decided to finally retry Pearl in Rancho Bernardo:

We'd first set foot here back in '04 when they first opened. At that time I thought they took a back seat to their sister restaurant Emerald; but based on recent comments here, I was made to believe that Pearl has overtaken Emerald.

We arrived and were immediately seated:

And in a flash we had tea, ice water, and the first carts arrived! Needless to say, I was impressed. We got some shrimp and chive dumplings:

These were very tasty with a nice shrimp and chive flavor, though the wrappers were a bit dry, but not a bad start.

Vegetarian Bean Curd Roll:

These rolls were filled with bamboo shoots and cloud ears fungus, the soy based broth was so very rich, and the chilies added a mild heat. These were excellent, both in taste and texture.

Fried Chive and Shrimp Dumplings, one of my favorites:

These were cold, which made them taste somewhat greasy, and the shrimp rubbery. I also noticed that these dumplings were somewhat smaller then I'm used to seeing, although there were 4 of them instead of the usual 3.

Shrimp Cheong Fun:

We really noticed the size difference with this dish. Though the noodle was cooked perfectly, slightly chewy, with a nice "pull" to it. These were quite small, and only had 2 small shrimp in each. About this time I noticed something; all these hard working servers were smiling; our water was being refilled on a regular basis. I really only needed to make eye-contact with a Dim Sum Lady, and she would make her way to our table. I was in total shock, was there some mind-altering hallucinogenic substance in my tea?

I was snapped out of my trance by the next cart with the Beef Tripe:

Now this was the tripe I remembered from Emerald, nice and crunchy, with a slight amount of heat from the chilies, in a slightly chicken flavored broth. Very nice!

Chao Zhou Dumplings:

These dumplings are a real challenge. In many cases the wrapper is not cooked correctly, and ends up being a sticky mess, with all the filling(chopped bamboo shoot, etc) falling all over the place. Not in this case, though. These were cooked well, and there were nice whole dried shrimp in each dumpling. Very well done.

At about this time, one of the Waiters came up to use and asked if everything was alright. What!!! In a move that I thought was tempting fate; the Missus mentioned that she hasn't seen any Fried Taro (Taro Gok). The Waiter quickly asked one of the "Ladies" something; turned to us, and said "We don't have any right now, but we can make some for you, how many would you like…." As soon as I was able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I choked out "Just one will be fine…".

As the Waiter left we were immediately scanning the room; this service made us really want to get more Dim Sum. Wait A Minute! That's what it was; Pearl was using "reverse psychology" to try and get us to order more Dim Sum!

Tofu in Chili Sauce:

Beautiful aren't they? But these are best admired from a distance. This had to be the sweetest chili sauce I've ever had. In fact, I couldn't taste anything for a while after eating this. Ick!

The Missus flagged down the dessert cart and got some desserts:

You'll have to ask the Missus how they were.

She said they were "just okay", before inhaling them……

Our blessed Fried Taro Ball:

These were brought to our table piping hot! Though on the smallish side each one of these were topped with Masago (Flying Fish Eggs), which added a nice saltiness, and hid a scallop inside! The pork and taro filling was mixed to the perfect ratio. These were among the best I've eaten – delici-yoso!!!

We also got Sticky Rice Wrapped in Lotus Leaf:

These were also on the small side, though like most everything else; was done very well. About this time the Waiter walked up to our table, and apologized for taking so long with the taro. Welcome to the Twilight Zone! Are we really eating Dim Sum? The Waiter also asked us if he could get us anything else….why? Because if you buy ten dishes you get two free!!! Amazing…. We ended up getting another order of sticky rice to go. The damage? $36.91, not bad really.

The last most surprising thing happened while I was waiting for the Missus, who needed to visit the Restroom before we left.

While I was standing "holding up the wall". One of the Waiters walked up to me. The little voice in my head went "oh-oh, here's where we come back to reality…" But he just wanted to make sure we got our free Dim Sum, and struck up a conversation, telling me to come back for dinner, and started showing me the "specials". He surely thought that I was a bit strange, looking back and forth. I was searching for the "hidden cameras".

Needless to say; this is the best service I've ever had in a Dim Sum establishment. It's as if the Dim Sum God was trying to make amends for all the lousy and mediocre Dim Sum experiences we've had recently. I'm going to have to return, to see if history will repeat itself!

In a nutshell Pearl on this visit provided excellent service, good Dim Sum with a contemporary flair.

Pearl Chinese Cuisine
11666 Avena Place
San Diego, CA 92128

Hawaiian Express BBQ

November 12, 2005 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

A few months ago, this Hawaiian BBQ was brought to my attention by Jack & Terry R., two readers of this blog. So one day a few weeks ago I had the chance to drop by Hawaiian Express BBQ.

This Hawaiian BBQ is located in the Food Court of Plaza Bonita Shopping Center in National City. I’m sure you’ll find it; just look for the bright "neon". The menu contains two interesting "characteristics". First, there are no "mini" plates, they have been replaced by "Medium"($4.49-4.99) plates. Call it a marketing move I guess. Secondly, there are a few items on the menu that are somewhat unique. A Fries, Cheese, and BBQ plate(fries, cheese, and BBQ chicken???) and Walnut Shrimp stand out.

Jack and Terry recommended the BBQ short ribs here, so I definitely had to give those a try. I got a "medium" BBQ Short Rib plate($4.49):

This was a pretty large mini…ooops, I mean "medium" plate. It included one scoop of rice, a useless bland egg roll, and the absolute worst macaroni salad I’ve ever had. Note to plate lunch makers; macaroni salad has mayo in it! But the ribs made up for the salad, they were thicker and alot more tender then the usual Hawaiian BBQ ribs. Usually at L&L, the ribs are cut very thin and are tough as a rubber slipper, with pieces of inedible gristle. These were very soft and tender. The marinade could probably be flavored better, these were a bit on the bland side, but overall were pretty good.

I also ordered a Medium Chicken Katsu($4.49):

The first thing I noticed when I opened this, was the lack of any "katsu sauce". Instead there was some liquid poured over the chicken. The fairly large portion of chicken was cooked well, but the semi-sweet sour sauce poured over the katsu made the pieces soggy, and really did not taste very good.

If I’m in the area, I’d try Hawaiian Express BBQ again. I’d lose the salad and egg rolls, and add another scoop of rice if I can. The service is typical food court, manned by indifferent students (unless you’re their friends, they get great attentive service!), but is adequate. Prices of "Large" plates range from $5.99-$7.99, portions are large, and prices are pretty good.

Hawaiian Express BBQ
3030 Plaza Bonita Rd (In the Plaza Bonita Food Court)
National City, CA 91950

Thanks for the recommendation Jack & Terry!

Asian Noodles – I Want My Mami

October 30, 2005 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

*** As of August 2011 Asian Noodles has closed

We pass this shop just about every time we go to Golden Chopsticks and Seafood City in National City.

And the Gal who works there is always waving us in whenever we're looking in the window. So I asked around about this place and found that they make their own noodles, and that the dish to order was the Pancit Canton(Chow Mein – $6.50).

And so one afternoon we gave in to temptation and decided to have a snack, and ordered the Pancit Canton:

What came to the table was a very large plate of stir-fried noodles with beef, pork, shrimp, chicken, and various vegetables. The sauce was very thin, soy sauce based, and very, very salty. And the noodles were much too soft, almost mushy. This was a dish that was really not to my taste. I found out later that the noodles were supposed to be cooked soft, so I thought this was pretty much the end of this. Just something that I would post about on when I had time. But that was not to be so.

You see, I made a point to make sure to see a Documentary called Chinese Restaurants on The Islands during the San Diego Film Festival. It was an engrossing film that looked at the Chinese diaspora, through the Chinese Restaurant. The film covered three different Families on the islands of Trinidad, Mauritius and Cuba. In each location "Chinese cuisine" had evolved to account for tastes and resources. During the film, the front window of Asian Noodles stuck in my mind:

It said, "Home of the Famous Ma Mon Luk Family", "From Manila Chinatown". I just knew that there was a story here. So again I asked around and mostly just learned that Ma Mon Luk was a famous figure in "Chinoy" cuisine, the blending of Filipino and Chinese food, that includes Siopao and Siomai, the Filipino version of Charsiu Bao and Siu Mai.

After googling Ma Mon Luk, I found an article in The Manila Bulletin Online about Ma Mon Luk. In short Ma Mon Luk, was a poor migrant from Canton, who traveled to the Philippines in 1918. Though trained as a teacher in his homeland, he found his fortune creating and peddling what is now known as Siopao and Siomai; and most importantly, the dish now known as Mami; the Chinese based noodle in broth. My favorite quote from the article: "In prosperity Ma Mon Luk was dressed in a felt hat, de hilo amaricana cum vest and glittering gold watch chain across his chest. It hid the fact that his left shoulder was lower than his right, a result of supporting the pinga (carrying pole) in the hard beginning days of his youth. Tango shoes hid his feet calloused from a once-daily routine of walking over the bridge to the ice plant to save 5 centavos on caretela fare."

So what did this mean? It meant I had to pay a visit to Asian Noodles, and get me some Mami! So I found myself in the restaurant, and again the Ultra Energetic Liza, the Gal who always tried to wave us into the place, took my order. This time for the Beef Mami ($5.50):

In all honesty I was expecting to be underwhelmed. But to my surprise, this was a decent Beef Noodle soup. No, it wasn't Niu Rou Mein. The broth was a light beef broth, just faintly beefy, I'd been expecting the noodles to be mushy, but they were pretty good. Think somen in flavor and width, with a little bit more "pull", not bad, really. There were 3 "won tons", that could have been a bit more flavorful; but the beef made up for it all. The pieces of beef were very tender, with a bit of fat and tendon on each piece, and because of the nice soy and sweetness was obviously braised separately. Though it was not an especially large bowl, it filled me up. I'd definitely have this again. This beef noodle soup with a history…….

Asian Noodles
1430 E Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
10am – 8pm Daily