Covid-19 Takeout – Golden City

**** Golden City has closed

I’m starting to work from home on some afternoons now that things are settling down a bit. The main reason being Frankie is getting up there; he’ll be 17 in three weeks. We’d rather not leave him alone for long periods of time. So, on the days when the Missus isn’t off, or is working a long shift; I’ve arranged the work from home stuff during the afternoon…..it’s not that much mind you; after all, I get into the office around 515on most days….so, by the time 1130-noon rolls around….. The one thing this has let me do, is to order lunch to pick-up on the (somewhat round about) way home.

The Missus was missing roast duck, and at the time of this visit Noble Chef hadn’t reopened yet (they have for takeout as of June 1). So, I decided to do an online order for my favorite item at GC, the Kwai Fei Ji and also order a lunch special of Roast Duck for the Missus.

This was an interesting visit…..as the guy working….I think he’s the dining room manager, I’ve seen him many times before seemed totally out of sorts………like in total chicken-without-a-head mode. He quickly told me “too busy….too busy…..”; in other words they weren’t doing walk in take-out. I told him it was an online order and he displayed five different pieces of paper for me….I explained what I had ordered and he said; “going to be a while……” and then busted out two order slips; one for $297 and the other for $210…..and said “only me and two cook….” Who the heck orders nearly three hundred bucks of food for lunch from GC?

C-19 Golden City 01

Sadly, all walk-in orders were turned away, like that poor woman above who was left just standing and cooling her heels until the guy made an appearance out of the kitchen to tell her that ordering take-out wasn’t going to happen….luckily, I had placed mine online….so, they had no choice but to make mine.

C-19 Golden City 02 C-19 Golden City 03As for my Kwai Fei Chicken….well, it was nice a juicy….I actually took it out of the container, put it on a plate, placed it in the fridge while I booted up my remote desktop, and got things going in my home office. When things were ready, I put everything on a plate, poured the juices back over the chicken, along with the wonderful ginger-scallion sauce, busted out my chopsticks and had lunch while on my conference call.

It was just what I needed and wanted.

For the Missus, who would not be home until later in the evening, I tried an old hack of mine that I hadn’t used in a while.

C-19 Golden City 04

I took the duck out and placed in a container, the rice in another….poured the drippings out separately. When the Missus got home and wanted Her duck; I turned the toaster oven up to broil, brushed just a bit of the sauce over the skin of the duck and broiled for 3-3  1/2 minutes on high to crisp up the skin. While not the best roast duck we’ve had; a bit too salty, it was fairly tender, mildly gamy, C-19 Golden City 05and the skin was slightly crisp. Pour the fat back over an voila! Dinner for the Missus.

Since Noble Chef is back in action, not sure the Missus will wanting anything from GC….so it’ll be Kwai Fei Chicken for me for now.

Current Covid-19 Takeout only hours – Daily 1130am – 830pm

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Turo-Turo Tuesday, the Covid-19 Edition Part 3 – Mama Cinia Rice & Noodles

**** Mama Cinia Rice & Noodles has closed

Sorry for the gap between posts…….I just didn't feel like posting after the events of the last couple of days.

But here's one that I need to finish; the last of the trilogy of turo-turo take-out from Mira Mesa – Mama Cinia.

C-19 Mama Cinias 00 C-19 Mama Cinias 01Like other places, they've blocked off the small area where tables were. The folks here are really nice and friendly, marks on the floor for social distancing, though not quite as good as Manila Fast Food and Desserts. Still, things worked out fine. I decided on the Sisig (of course) and the Pinakbet looked pretty good…..and just "half rice".

C-19 Mama Cinias 02 C-19 Mama Cinias 03The sisig was pretty good, meaty, with nice crunchy bits. In terms of texture, this was the best of the three I sampled. I still think it needs more "umph", needs to be more spicy and more vinegar, though on this visit, it was definitely better than Manila Fast Food. The pinakbet wasn't bad either, though the eggplant was a bit over-cooked and while the bittermelon had that wonderful tannic-bitterness, I think it could have used a bit more bagoong.

Still, not bad at all.

Mama Cinia Rice & Noodles
9178 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

All three places had processes in place, which while perhaps not perfect, did the job. So, Spam comment dude, you got it all wrong man. Enough with all this stuff already.

Food should bring us together; my grandparents working on the plantation enjoyed an interesting variety of dishes…..because, even though the plantation management tried to keep all the nationalities apart to control them, they all had lunch together in the fields. A shared experience, one where in spite of the jokes we make about natto, balut, and harm ha, respect for each other is gained, smiles and food are shared, a wonderful cultural exchange. As travel has taught me….we are more alike than we are different.

Covid-19 Takeout – Smack’N Guamanian Grill

**** Smack’N Guamanian Grill has closed

These days, I usually get to work between 515-530am….and sometimes, like on this day, there’s an unending chain of meetings, calls, and fires to put out. It was past noon and I decided to call Smack’N Guamanian Grill to see if they were open. And the young man who answered said they are open from noon from Monday – Saturday right now, so lucky me I guess since if I’d called earlier there might have been no answer and I would have assumed that the place wasn’t open.

Anyway I placed my order, jumped in the car, and went down the street to Snack’N.

C-19 Smackn 01

At this time, Smack’N is only accepting Credit Card transactions; no cash.

My BBQ Chicken plate was waiting; it was less than 5 minutes to pay, grab, and go.

Returning to the office, I removed the plate from the package and opened it……the first thought that went thru my mind when I saw the plate was; “sheesh, even my lunch is wearing a mask now!”

C-19 Smackn 02

C-19 Smackn 03a C-19 Smackn 05This might be the best plate I’ve had from Smack’N! The chicken was much better, nicely “grilled”, fairly moist, decently tender, good salty-soy tones, much better then what I had before. The best thing about having the chicken on top of the red rice was that the drippings had permeated the rice; adding additional moisture and flavor, a winning combination.

The Kelaguen was pretty much what I’d had on my previous visit; lacking in coconut and spice, with good citrus tones and not overly salty. Sadly I was given one small container of finedene.

C-19 Smackn 04 C-19 Smackn 03aOverall, this did the job….and it was way too much food. The chicken was much better than what I’d had previously and better than what I’ve had at other Guamanian/Chamorro places in San Diego…..heck, I’d even take it over most of the generic Hawaiian BBQ places in town.

I ended up taking most of the Kelaguen home to have the Missus try it out….She wasn’t too impressed and ended up pouring a ton of the stuff I had in the fridge on it. And guess what the Missus had me make that sweltering weekend?

Still, I did enjoy that chicken, so I’ll definitely return.

Smack’N Guamanian Grill
9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Currently open at noon (closed Sundays) and only accepting credit cards

Hope everyone is safe and in good health!

Covid-19 Takeout – LouZiana Food

**** LouZiana Food has closed

I was wondering if LouZiana Food was open during the current pandemic. I went ahead and called just to see and the nicest gentleman answered the phone. So, I ended up placing an order and fifteen minutes later (man, no traffic on Miramar Road) I was walking into the restaurant.

I decided to get the Red Beans & Rice and the Gumbo. Really liked the gentleman working the front counter, so friendly and warm….so when he said I really needed to try the Bread Pudding….well, even though I'm not a "sweets" guy, I ordered it.

Louziana C-19 01 Louziana C-19 02The Red Beans & Rice here is solid, slightly smoky, good amount of sausage this time around…..decently creamy.

I ordered the Gumbo because I really didn't care for it last time. I enjoyed much more this time around; it wasn't quite as greasy this time around and the chicken wasn't reduced to stringy bits, the Gumbo was nice and rice, without the bitter tones I detected last time.

The bread was too dry and crumbly for my taste.

Louziana C-19 03

And my coworkers enjoyed the bread pudding!

Louziana C-19  04

Overall, I enjoyed the food more this time around and really liked the guy working.

LouZiana Food
7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Covid-19 Takeout – SuperNatural Sandwiches (Miramar)

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

Man, it was a hot couple of days, huh? Record high temps, 20 degrees above the norm. It was definitely sandwich weather. I decided to call in and do some takeout from a regular on my "sandwich rotation"SuperNatural Sandwiches.

I arrived a quarter after eleven, it seems that their current hours are from 11am to "between 230 and 330 PM", Monday to Saturday. There were already three people in line waiting for their order.

C19 SuperNatural 01

I was a bit confused about where the walk up window was as the "order here" mark on the ground was tight in front of a closed door and folks waiting just seemed to be hanging out with no social distancing. But all was fine once the nice young lady arrived at the makeshift counter to the right and greeted me. From there, it was a fast process and my order was ready to go.

C19 SuperNatural 02 C19 SuperNatural 03

There was no confusion as to  how good this was. And as "FOY" Loren recommended before, the fries are quite good and hold up rather well for an hour or so.

Plump, moist shrimp, the roll held up well.

Delivered as expected. I actually wished they still did their sandwiches as salads during this time, but totally understand the limited menu.

C19 SuperNatural 04

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Hope everyone is in good health and staying sane during this challenging time!

The Pacific Seafood Mariscos Truck

I noticed that this Taco Truck is again parked in the lot of V-Outlet, so I thought I'd go ahead and do the post.

A couple of months back, I noticed a Mariscos Truck parked in the lot of V-Outlet.

Pacific Seafood 01 Pacific Seafood 02It's been a while since I recall a Mariscos Truck in the area. So, after a bunch of delays, I managed to make a visit.

It seems to be a nice husband and wife team running this truck. Their young daughter helped mom put the sign and up kept herself amused on the wall in back of the truck.

On this visit, I decided to get one fried and one none fried taco….I really wanted a Gobernador, but didn't see it until after I ordered ("Governor"), so I got a fish taco and a shrimp a la diabla and ate on the hood of my car.

The woman kindly offered me some consommé……

Pacific Seafood 02b

Super hot, though lacking in seafood flavor and too much celery.

The beer battered fish taco was the better of the two.

Pacific Seafood 03

The tortilla was basic, but decent. The batter on the fish was light and crisp. The fish while not being of the highest quality (what do you expect for two bucks?), was moist and tender. The cabbage was crisp; the tomatoes in the pico….well, wasn't fully ripe, but the textures were nice. not bad.

The Shrimp al la Diabla, wasn't my favorite.

Pacific Seafood 04

Well, this wasn't very spicy, though those cebollas de habanero had quite a kick and added to the taco. The taco was quite hefty, though there didn't seem to be much shrimp in this and it was fairly greasy and really lacked flavor. The double tortilla was a good idea, but this was just mediocre overall.

Well that fish taco wasn't too bad, so on my next visit a couple of weeks later, I decided to go with something fried (shrimp taco) and the "Governor" (Gobernador). I was again graciously given a cup of the consommé, which tasted the same as on my previous visit.

The Beer Battered Shrimp Taco was probably the best thing I've had from this truck.

Pacific Seafood 05b Pacific Seafood 06There was a good portion of shrimp, like the fish taco, the batter was crisp and fairly light……as before the pico de gallo left something to be desired, but this was pretty good….I'd have it again.

The Gobernador; while not as bad as the Shrimp Diablo left something to be desired.

Pacific Seafood 05

I did enjoy the avocado, but again there was too much vegetables and "stuff" compared to shrimp, which was overcooked and on the rubbery side. It also was on the greasy side and fairly bland. Pacific Seafood 07

Overall, some nice folks, the food is definitely not on par with the Mariscos Trucks in the South Bay. The shrimp taco was decent….I think staying with the fried stuff here might be the way to go.

And yes, I just passed by today and the truck was in the parking lot.

Pacific Seafood Mariscos Truck
In the Parking Lot of V-Outlet
3020 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Pacific Seafood 08

TJ Dumplings – Almost Gou Bu Li (and no “TJ” does not stand for Tijuana)

**** TJ Dumplings has been replaced by Tenkatori.

It's been a busy couple of weeks, so not much time to have lunch. I headed out to grab a sandwich and noticed a new business in the former location of Lai Chen and BT Chinese Kitchen, so I headed into the parking lot.

TJ Dumplings 01

TJ Dumplings????? Even though the sign said they open at 1130; it was 11 and the place was open, so I decided to head in.

TJ Dumplings 02

The menu was quite small; Xiao Long Bao, Baozi, Guotie, Jiaozi, and stuff like Pineapple Fried Rice and Kung Pao Chicken? No Chinese, all in English.

TJ Dumplings 02b

I asked the nice gentleman behind the counter about the name and was told; "it's our hometown". To which I asked "Tianjin?" He immediately brightened up and let out a sigh; "I know, we didn't think when we named the place….people think we mean Tijuana!" I was also told that they had just opened two weeks prior.

TJ Dumplings 03

I immediately asked if the steamed bun was "Gou Bu Li" (the famous baozi of Tianjin)  and he smiled and said; "it is based on Guo Bu Li; even the amount of folds!" So, of course, how could I resist. I got an order of the steamed buns and potstickers to go. I liked that the baozi took about 15-20 minutes, it meant they were steamed to order. I was happy that they packed Chinese black vinegar with my order.

TJ Dumplings 05 TJ Dumplings 06When I got back to the office, I noticed that Calvin had finished his lunch, but still seemed hungry, so I shared some of this with him. It was too much for me. The bun was decent; it was slightly fragrant and fluffy, the filling by the book; moist, porky, good savory tones (slight ginger/scallion), fairly tender. Not bad at all…..no, it's not the best I've had, but perfectly fine for lunch.

TJ Dumplings 07

The baozi had 15-18 folds which puts it in gou bu li territory.

I didn't enjoy the guotie much though.

TJ Dumplings 08_00 TJ Dumplings 09It was mostly about the wrapper and cooking technique than the filling; which was basically the same as the baozi. The wrapper was too thick; chewy, and it had a certain greasiness to it that I didn't particularly care for. Call me spoiled by QingDao Guotie….yes, I've been indoctrinated.

Still; those baozi were pretty good. So, on one of the days where I was able to get away and Calvin had a meeting running thru noon, I headed back over to TJ Dumplings for baozi. Upon entering I quickly noticed all the "Peach" insulated bags on the tables and seats.

TJ Dumplings 10

So, I guess delivered food is a big part of the business here.

I got the baozi, jiaozi, and Calvin was really curious about the Xiao Long Bao, so I ordered that as well.

TJ Dumplings 11 TJ Dumplings 12First things first; the baozi on this visit was better than on my previous visit. The dough fluffier, though it also had a bit of sweetness this time; not sure if they are stilling trying to get their formula right. The filling tasted the same; but there was a bit of "soup" in the baozi making it very moist. Also, the meat in the baozi wasn't formed as tightly, making it very tender.

TJ Dumplings 12b

The jiaozi was just ok…..here's one I'm not going to order take-out in the future as the wrappers stuck to the take-out container. The wrapper were fine, a bit more doughy-chewy than I prefer.

TJ Dumplings 13

While not even close to being my favorite or my MIL's, this would have been decent home-made jiaozi. One funny note; the lady working asked me how I knew the Chinese names of the dishes and I told her the Missus is from Qingdao. As I took my package to go she told me; "sorry, no pounded garlic for you." Which cracked me up. Pounded garlic with black vinegar is the signature accompaniment to jiaozi in Qingdao.

As for the XLB.

TJ Dumplings 14 TJ Dumplings 15I was surprised they made it back to the office intact. The wrapper is thinner than most; but a bit too brittle and lacking in a nice pillowy pull.

The filling was basically the same as the jiaozi, but with a tad more sweetness and just a few drops of soup in them.

This wasn't bad; I've had worse, but it's definitely not the headliner here. For me, it's the baozi.

TJ Dumplings 16

Which is not bad. A solid version.

And so, I'll try to drop by and actually eat in the place when things slow down a bit.

So there you go; it's "TJ" as in Tianjin, not Tijuana. And almost Gou Bu Li.

TJ Dumplings
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Pupuseria Salvadoreña & Mexican Food (El Cajon)(revisit)

mmm-yoso!!! is written by Cathy today; Kirk (and His Missus) are enjoying a three day weekend.  

Ever since The Mister and I stopped at Silvia Pupuseria in December, He has been on the prowl for Salvadorean foods (especially pupusas).  Revisits to our 'local' Pupuseria, which I wrote about in 2009 and again in 2010 have occurred.54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A
 3BEA88CA-C373-427E-95FB-1A23F884E029 Not much has changed, other than the prices.
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4AFreshly prepared curtido is brought to the table when you order pupusas. Also, a plain tomato sauce is an accompaniment.  There is a house made a chili based hot sauce (usually used with the Mexican side of the menu) which I requested.
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A You can hear the corn based dough being prepared for stuffing as your order is prepared. The plate of freshly grilled and stuffed flatbread is beautiful.
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A A cross section photo of the stuffed dough doesn't quite do it justice.  The calabaza (zucchini squash) with cheese was light and refreshing.  The revuleta (beans, cheese and chicharron) was almost too 'bacon-y' in flavor. 46C07BC9-19D7-42E7-A54D-C58B02D0A32EThe spinach and cheese filled pupusa is wonderful.  
54B97D2F-3569-440F-B02C-E1758EAFAB4A Of course there is Mexican food on the menu.  We tried the carne guisado con arroz y salad (beef stew with rice and salad) ($9.99) and it was wonderful!- large pieces of beef, potato and carrot (along with the required olive)in a thick yet smooth gravy.  The rice along with the cucumbers and tomato on top of some lettuce are perfect accompaniments.  (Those are not pupusas, but fresh hand made thick corn tortillas on the side). B576CD62-DCBD-4996-A1DD-34E13791FA4B There are photographs of meals on the walls.  The Mister and I pointed to one and ordered it.  Chicken soup ($8.99) which arrived with this wonderfully fried quarter of a chicken on the side, a bowl of rich chicken broth filled with vegetables and the sides of rice and salad (and tortillas) as well as onion, jalapeño and lime wedges.  After eating the chicken skin and trying some of the vegetable filled broth, shredded chicken was added to the soup and gave the meal another great flavor combination.  We will order this again. 

D32C7DC7-B068-40EB-B261-E5225B2A528EThere are tamales on the menu; this one is pork ($2.50) and it was particularly good; the masa has lard in it. The banana leaf wrap seems to add a different dimension from the corn husk/traditional wrap.  We plan to order some for the holidays later this year.

Pupuseria Salvadoreña 1207 East Main Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 447-2501 Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 10-9

ED3F1D24-DB84-4378-88FE-4A2308120657In winter, we enjoy the atole de elote, a hot corn and masa based beverage ($2.50) made fresh here. 
 

A Collection of Dishes from A-Bowl

**** A-Bowl has closed

Cathy did a post on A-Bowl a few months back and over the last couple of months, both "YZ" who is from Shanghai and Calvin joined for multiple meals at A-Bowl. We had a nice smapling of the menu and some of the dishes multiple times.

So here's a collection of dishes; from the picks to pans….

Favorites:

So, YZ's favorite dish at A-Bowl hands down is the Crispy Fish Fillet with Seaweed. One of her friends (and folks on Weichat) recommended we order this dish. I've had it three times so far.

A-Bowl 02

It's been crisp, light, the fish moist all three times I've had this. It's mild in flavor so the nori adds a nice oceany-savoriness. It's lightly salted and seasoned and not a bad dish at all.

Calvin's favorite dish is an easy pick. He wanted it on our first visit, but was told it would take 20-30 minutes to prepare and we didn't have the time. So on a day where it seemed all our meetings were cancelled we headed over….and as we walked in the door, Calvin ordered it; even before we got our menus. Yes, he was determined to have this… yes, we waited for the Pork "Elbow" with House Sauce.

A-Bowl 03 A-Bowl 04And it was pretty good. Not overly sweet, the skin held form but was nice and gelatinously gooey. The flesh was fork/chopstick tender. Nice pork flavor, moist, not overly salty…..a pretty good job on this!

Speaking of pork; I actually enjoyed the "Crystal Pork Jelly".

A-Bowl 05

I enjoyed this version of jellied pork; it had a good amount of fat to pork and was pretty tender, but not falling apart. Loved the crown of "aspic", nice swiney notes. I really enjoyed the sauce as it was salty-sour-pungent-sweet; nice amount of garlic and black vinegar and quite to my taste.

Inconsistent But Will Try Again:

There were a couple of dishes I had twice and were good on one visit and not so good on another.

The Mei Cai Kou Rou was pretty good the first time I had it.

A-Bowl 08 A-Bowl 07On the first visit; the pork was a luxuriously fatty, melt-in-the mouth tender. The sauce while being quite rich, had a decent soy sauce-sweet-acidic balance, and the preserved vegetable, which looked mushy, actually had a nice, mild crunch to it.

The next time we had it; it was too salty and pork was drier and tougher.

The Shanghai Marinated Duck also followed the same pattern.

A-Bowl 09 A-Bowl 10On the first visit; the color of the duck wasn't great, but this worked out fine as the duck was tender, full of flavor, and the sauce just sang in harmony….it elevated the dish. The second time around, the duck was tougher, the sauce way too sweet and sticky….it was trying to be the star of the show and just over-shadowed the duck.

Perhaps Will Try Again:

On that visit where we couldn't wait for the Pork Knuckle, the really nice young lady working recommended we order the House Special Pig Feet.

A-Bowl 06

This was not bad; but the skin was a tad on the chewy side and the sauce way too sweet.

The Deep Fried Corn with Salted Egg Yolk was nice and crunchy.

A-Bowl 11

But the salted egg yolk flavor was muted, making this a bit on the sweet side. Still, I really enjoyed the crunchiness.

A-Bowl 12

Probably One and Done:

Minced Cumin Lamb with Pancake.

A-Bowl 13 A-Bowl 13bWhile this definitely had enough cumin for me; I missed the palate cleansing flavor of cilantro. This was also salty and I wasn't a fan of the lamb used; it lacked the nice gaminess and had a mealy-chewy texture to it. I think I'll try the regular cumin lamb out.

While the Sheng Jian Bao was better than the version down the street at Tasty Noodle House, it wasn't even close to those served at Tasty Noodle House in Hacienda Heights….which by the way, isn't even close to my favorite pan fried baozi being served at a Tasty Noodle House.

A-Bowl 14 A-Bowl 15While the bottoms were decently crisp, the rest of the baozi was doughy and wet…it lacked any fluffiness. The filling was on the sweet side, but kind of tough.

I might try this again, but am not sure.

A-Bowl 16

One and Done:

The Xiao Long Bao was a disappointment.

A-Bowl 17 A-Bowl 18I can sum this up quickly; no soup, wrappers too thick and rubbery, folds hard and chewy…..I'll stop there.

The Beef Noodle Soup wasn't to my taste.

A-Bowl 20 A-Bowl 21Actually not to Calvin's either. We shared this and after one spoonful of broth and a bite of the mush noodles we both were silent….then we cracked up. The broth was very one-dimensional with some spice; but that's it. No beefiness and a certain greasy tongue feel; not even the preserved vegetable helped. The beef was very tough as well. This was just not an enjoyable soup.

And yet, I thought the Chao Nian Gao was even worse than the NRM.

A-Bowl 22

I'm not sure what happened to the wok skills of the chef on this one. The Nian Gao were mushy, there was very little flavor….not enough vegetable. The pork was tough, chewy, and had no A-Bowl 23taste. There was a strange greasiness to the dish; as if it wasn't stir-fried at the right temperature.

So there you go; a collection of dishes from A-Bowl. I'm sure the folks from work will want to return; they enjoy this place way more than Tasty Noodle House. So pork knuckle here we come……

Check out Kirbie's and Faye's posts on A-Bowl as well.

A-Bowl
4690 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar-a first look (Clairmont Mesa)

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Cathy is writing today while Kirk stays busy at work.

Another revolving sushi bar has opened in San Diego. Located at the South West corner of Clairmont Mesa at Ruffner, in the same mall as PT Eatery, Katsu Cafe, one of the original Lolita locations, the Tea Station location  I write about.  The corner across Ruffner Street has the Original Tommy's.  The other corner, across Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, has Ajisen Ramen.  The parking area is plentiful and free (compared to the parking area by the other San Diego revolving sushi restaurant, Kura).

84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6 D7EC2148-0074-48A1-8C2E-88FBC4F0D071 The Mister and I were here on a weekday (and Mikami is still in the 'Soft Opening' stage) and only one Conveyor was open.  The second photo is looking into the Bar area, which has no conveyors, but where appetizers, entrees and 'buckets' can be ordered.
84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6The rolling conveyor (kaiten) had a good variety of choices, although a good 1/3 were salmon based (The Mister doesn't really like salmon), each group of plates proceeded by a plate with a description on one side and number on the other.  All conveyor plates are $2.80.  Beverages are $2.85 (and the hot tea is really good).
84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6As always, we like to try the salad offerings. This was plentiful and filling.  Fresh vegetables as well as good quality krab along with avocado. 
84C7CAAD-1BA5-4E5C-8843-7295938923D6 We got all wild and crazy and chose a 'Las Vegas Roll' from the rolling belt.  The breaded fried roll had a filling including real crab and cream cheese.  It was fresh and tasty.39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE We also shared this half and half (tuna and salmon with cucumber filling) roll, which was also fresh and well made.

79AA2EC0-5F8E-46D6-9B34-5B9E34B8D51D Then we set our eyes on the touch pad ordering system. Pretty simple to navigate; we did order one item at a time.  First we decided to try the fried calamari rings ($7). 

39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE 01C6D9FC-2010-48CD-B3B6-19148BED84D1 The smooth running wood railed trolly delivery system was pretty much silent.  Once you take your order off the rocket ship, you can send it back by pushing the button on the table or it will eventually automatically go back to the kitchen.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EEThe sea salt topped (where else does salt come from?) fried calamari rings were quite nice, well fried, not greasy, and served with a slightly spicy dipping sauce.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EE We also ordered a Blue Crab hand roll ($2.80) which was quite large and fresh made (the rice was still warm). Really nice quality.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EEThe soy wrapped spicy scallop hand roll (also $2.80) was  wonderful and also much larger than expected.  I would much rather have this than three smaller spicy scallop rolls from the conveyor for the same price.
39C0F7BB-CB93-4F78-BE78-394D4610B9EEWe didn't see any soft shell crab on the conveyor nor on the menu, however when we asked, found out it's the 'Spider Roll' (again, $2.80) and wow, we will order two of these next time!  Perfectly fried half of a soft shell crab.

A nice alternative in a good location.

 
Mikami Revolving Sushi and Bar 7319 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 Sun-Thurs 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
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