Closed – Page 19

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine Revisited

December 13, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Kroran has closed

I'm not sure if it's because of how I was raised, a cultural thing, or what……but even the Missus makes fun of how important "keeping my word" is….of course I've forgotten things and such….but I also remember stuff like promising to return for a revisit to a place in a few months. Such was the case with Kroran. Right before our latest trip, having some time for lunch, I drove down Genesee and had lunch at Kroran.

What was quite interesting on this visit was how quiet the place was. I was the only customer, which was in total contrast with my previous visits.

And while the Big Plate Chicken (Dàpánjī ) was tempting, it's not a dish for a solo diner. I started with the "House Laghman" ($14.99).

Which was provided in two parts. The stir fried lamb and vegetables in one bowl and the noodles in another.

The noodles were wonderfully prepared; such nice pull, just the right amount of "doughiness". Unfortunately, the lamb was really tough and dry and the stir fry really lacked flavor…I'd expected some tanginess; but this was so bland. It really could have used salt, white pepper, and that all important Uyghur flavor enhancer, cumin.

I also ordered the Lamb Kawab (yang rou chuanr -$11.99), which I'd had on my last visit. This was even worse than what I'd had before.

Tough, dry, and cold, this was too salty and didn't have enough cumin and spice. It was quite disappointing. Kroran Rev 07

While the service was quite nice, having spent over 25 bucks for a very unsatisfying lunch, I don't think I need to return. Unless one of you…my intrepid readers can compel me to do so. It's kind of sad; because I've had good Uyghur food in China.

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine
4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Pesto Craft Kitchen (SDSU area)

December 10, 2018 Cathy Italian Restaurants, Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back to reading about food in San Diego. Kirk has been working a lot of (weekend) overtime and Cathy is writing a few posts., like this one.

Customized, wood fired oven pizzas have been a restaurant phenomenon since about 2014. I've written two posts about Pieology and one post about Blaze. Pesto Craft Kitchen took over what originally was the location of Social Life Neapolitan Pizza in 2016. Pesto offers more than customizable pizza and salads.
The menu is visible when you walk in (this is an old photo with old prices because I apparently could not take a clear picture of it in the last year). (Use THIS link to see current prices on the website)
You walk along the ordering line.
A decadent snack served here are these delightful 'garlic knots', you can purchase 4 or 8 as an appetizer.
You can sort of see the fire in the oven through the protective glass.
There is an extensive selection of wines and beers.
We started with the calamari fries ($9.95) These are served with a roasted garlic spicy tomato sauce. Meaty strips of squid, breaded with a herb-y coating. A large portion, apparently meant to be shared or this could be a low-carb meal.
When we do enjoy a pasta dish, baked is preferred.In this case, four cheese ravioli ($13.95) which had craft pesto and was topped with marinara and mozzarella. The pasta, cheese fillings, pesto, marinara and even the side of toasted garlic bread were each distinctive in fresh flavors. This was a filling meal…yet we wanted more.
I went back in line and ordered a smoked ham calzone ($9.95)
Mozzarella and ricotta are the cheeses, the wood fired crust had the char that gave the crust flavor and crunch. The cheeses, the bit of marinara sauce…this was wonderful. We had a bite in the restaurant and took the rest home for dinner. A great day of meals.

Pesto Italian Craft Kitchen 6011 El Cajon Blvd, Suite A San Diego, CA 92115 (619)265-2700 Website Open Sun-Thurs 10:30-9:30, closes at 10:00 Fri-Sat

Perry’s Cafe (Old Town)

December 7, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk has a few busy workdays ahead, so Cathy is writing about food and stuff.

The Mister and I have been trying to walk a bit more (a sort of early New Year Resolution) and there are so many places around San Diego which are not filled with tourists now, that's it's nice to avoid crowds.

Old Town San Diego is a State Historic Park and is filled with tourists during the warm months of the year. Parking is free as is the ability to visit some original buildings, all with written explanations of their original purpose.

There is something to see and learn about at every turn. It's a nice place to visit and learn about the History of San Diego, at your own pace.
Just at the Southwest edge of the park (beyond the Trolley) is Perry's.
Kirk wrote about this old school diner for the first time in 2007 and has mentioned it in other posts. We were here just past noon; not in a breakfast mood.
It was crowded on this weekday and we were seated in the large 'back room'. There is a 'proper' Roman numeral clock (the '4' has four sticks, not three) here. (here are a bunch of theories why).
We each chose a soup of the day: beef vegetable for The Mister,
and lentil-pea soup for me. Each was made in-house, quite flavorful and very satisfying. One was a meal in itself…
…combined with this salad, which was blue cheese dressed (a good quality dressing). Just enough for a light meal. (soup and salad, $7.95)
When walking in the white board special of baked fish ($10) had caught our eye, so it was ordered. Two large pieces of firm white fish (maybe it was cod) lightly breaded and baked to a crisp crunch. Mashed potatoes (with a lovely gravy) and green beans completed this dish. There was enough to share.
A good meal on a nice day. {Unlike whatever happened here last night. Rain, floods and power outages!}

Perry's Cafe 4620 Pacific Hwy San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 291-7121 Open daily 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Website

Tea Station (again)

November 15, 2018 Cathy Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a break from blogging; Cathy is writing another post.

Ever since our first visit to Tea Station, and posts here on mmm-yoso!!! beginning in 2007 until 2016, (Links to Prior posts: 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013) The Mister and I enjoy stopping at the Clairmont Mesa location for quick snacks when we can meet up for lunch or early dinner.

Originally, Tea Station was only the building you see on the left, but expanded out and is a nice space to be able to enjoy a quiet meal. This is important, now that there are several other businesses in this same strip mall.

Again, I did not know which beverage to order and chose hot coffee-tea-milk ($4.50/pot) (no boba). Each flavor was distinct in each sip. A fresh coffee, a bold, dark tea and warm milk. So satisfying.
On the white board, we noticed a "Fresh Lemon Green Tea"($3.99) and had to order it. The Mister has been obsessed with fresh lemon items this summer. This was a great beverage and unique in flavor (ordered with no sweet; you could taste the tannins of the green tea along with the sour but fresh squeeze of lemon).
Tea flavored meals are why we stop here. We shared this tea flavored marinated chicken plate ($11.75), which is a favorite. The marinade has tea (of course) and the lightly breaded dark and white meat pieces of chicken are quite large, juicy and flavorful. You don't need any condiments. The side plate of three is ever changing and on this day the cold noodles had some meat, the corn tasted fresh and was crispy and the cabbage was lightly dressed and still crunchy. The rice, of course, was a flavorful sticky accompaniment.

The tea flavor dumplings ($9.25) (on the 'noodle' menu) are the reason we stop here; The Mister has cravings for them. The fillings are the same; porky with a slight tea undertone. The skins are on the edge of being too thick sometimes, but on this visit were just right. There is also a slight tea flavor to the dumpling dough.

All in all, a nice place to stop, sip, have a nice meal and catch up.

Tea Station 7315 Claremont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (858) 268-8198 Open daily 11:30-midnight Website

Tako Factory (San Diego near La Mesa) OMG (Original Mexican Gourmet)

November 13, 2018 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Tako Factory has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing; Kirk is enjoying some time off from work and from blogging.

El Cajon Blvd at 73rd. The signal light. SouthWest corner. Since 2013. Not your average Taco Shop. A bit fancier of a menu. Much more quality. A lot of people told me about it. I should have visited sooner.

Walk up, order, pay, find a seat and your food will be brought out to your table, inside or outside.
You'll get some fresh, crispy, thin, salted chips along with three salsas in a cut bag. The green salsa- mild and lime/tomatillo based. The center is a hot salsa-a habanero finish. The salsa on the right is this traditional recipe I saw on Pati's Mexican Kitchen; Chipotle (smoked jalapeño) with sesame seeds and peanuts. Yes, the salsas-each unique, each fresh made, each wonderful.
Our shared light lunch.
The shrimp tako ($4) is very good. Four large grilled shrimp along with grilled bell pepper and onion and topped with cheese and sour cream on a fresh, warm corn tortilla.
The adovada tako ($4) is served with onions, cilantro, tomato and topped with roasted jalapeño sour cream. The marinated pork is lightly grilled and has crispy bits. The marinade has garlic in it as well as a great red chile. The flavor is a new craving.
The asada tako ($4) is served with guacamole and pico on two tortillas. Quite a lot of food. The meat is wonderful- moist with a great marinade.
All day Tuesday, the chicken, asada and adobada takos are $2 each. The chicken is grilled white meat (moist and flavorful) with onions, bell peppers, topped with cheese, pico and sour cream. {These same three choices are available during 'Happy Hour' (3-5) each weekday, also $2 each. This isn't advertised anywhere.}
The asada alambre ($10) traditionally skewered meat and vegetables (alambre means 'wire'), this version is grilled asada, bacon, green peppers and onions…along with cheese and is served with four corn tortillas. Sort of a fajita (with bacon!), sort of just wonderful, quite enough food to share for another light meal.

Way above average; quality and service.

Tako Factory 7287 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 (619)741-4502 Website Open Daily 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Closed Sunday

Spicy Hut

November 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Spicy Hut has closed

Back in May; Faye left a comment on my Shan Xi Magic Kitchen post, in which she overheard customers asking if the staff from Spicy King were now working at the restaurant they were eating at. That would be Spicy Hut, you can read Faye's post here. I filed that away for a while. Then a few weeks back; I happened to mention this to "YZ", who lives fairly close by. One morning, while her kids were attending some kind of event she checked the place out. Interesting story; "YZ" actually worked at Ba Ren over one summer while in college, so she probably waited on us during our visits to Ba Ren! small world. Anyway, "YZ" walked on in; it was before opening and asked if "Shifu Hu" was there….and he was! She brought me a menu….

So, I decided to check them out a few days later.

This is in the former location of Golden State Seafood….man, the last time I was here must be over a dozen years ago!

The interior is clean, there's the de-rigueur cold case with the liang cai; cold dishes.

Chef Hu's wife, whom I met while shopping at 99 Ranch Market and on that final visit to Spicy King was working the front of house and quickly called Chef Hu out. He looked to be in good health and we quickly shook hands…..my Mandarin is non-existent and his English is limited, so we mostly smiled and had a short conversation.

So, of course I was anxious to try some of the dishes. During both visits, I went with more or less the Sichuan dishes I long for and miss.

But first, some Liang Cai.

The Fu Qi Fei Pian ("husband and wife lung pieces", lung = offal or tendon in most cases)was nicely cut; though not spicy enough, and can you tell what's missing? Yep, the tendon. It's sort of like the "husband" decided to leave the "wife" and try to make it on his own. I missed the textural contrast of not having something other than brisket in this. The pig ears were nice and crunchy, with a good amount of sesame oil, but could have used a bit more spice. The pickled long beans were good, nice and briny.

Of course I had to have the Sichuan Liang Mian; I haven't had a good version since Ba Ren closed.

The actual noodles, were passable, not over-cooked, not hard and brittle, but still lacking that nice al dente pull I like. This had a ton of garlic and vinegar, it was a bit too sour for me. The amount of soy and saltiness was perfect, but this needed that savory punch from sesame paste and more spiciness. Still, not a bad version.

Another go-to dish; Ko Shui Ji ("saliva/mouthwatering" chicken). So was this "drool worth"?

This was the best version I've had in a while! The chicken was prepared well; it had a nice toothsomeness, without being tough. The sauce had some nice heat; with decent ginger tones, a touch of sweetness, and some spice! I would have enjoyed a little "ma" (numbing) tones as this was a bit short in the Sichuan Peppercorn department.

My least favorite dish was the Ma Po Doufu.

While the texture of the tofu was excellent; this dish was sorely lacking with regards to several key ingredients; chili bean paste, Sichuan Peppercorns, not enough fermented black beans. It was, to put things mildly very one-dimensional; truly missing that "suan-tian-ku-la-xian", the sour-sweet-bitter-spicy-salty metaphor for a flavorful, yet balanced dish the Chinese use. I brought most of it home and the Missus thought it wasn't very good either.

A few days later; Calvin and "Daniel from Georgia" wanted to grab something to eat. We actually had time for lunch! I mentioned Spicy Hut and Daniel had never had traditional Sichuan food before; so it was a go. They decided that I should do the ordering. So lunch commenced as such.

Liang Cai. The duck gizzards in chili and sesame oil were pretty good, nice and crunchy.

The Shui Zhu Yu (the classic "Water Boiled Fish") dish, which Faye really enjoyed, was quite good, if a bit short in the Sichuan Peppercorn and Doubian Jian department.

The texture of the fish was good, tender, moist, with no muddy flavors. Daniel just loved this and told he'd never had anything like this before!

The Shrimp with Dried Red Chilies was next.

The batter was light and crunchy; though I prefer it more lacquered and not as "thick". It also could have used more Sichuan Peppercorns as this wasn't particularly spicy in spite of all those red chilies. I don't think the fried shrimp was finished correctly with the chilies.

I wanted to temper the spice with one dish and we got the Rice Crust with Three Delicacies.

While a bit on the milder side; the texture of the sauce was good, not too thin and not too gloppy. The fish was prepared well; but the shrimp was a bit on the over-cooked side. Still as this got more and more gooey, it became quite comforting.

Overall, the food was pretty good, better, at least for now than other Sichuan options in San Diego. It's also better than what I'd previously had from Chef Hu at Fu An Garden and Spicy King. I'm hoping they can hold the course. And perhaps it's about time for me to "make the rounds" of the Sichuan shops in San Diego.

Spicy Hut
9460 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours
Mon – Fri 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 930pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 9pm

Sunday Sandwiches – Al Calozzi’s Cheesesteaks

October 28, 2018 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

**** Calozzi's Cheesesteaks has closed

After my last couple of Cheesesteak posts; I got a couple of recommendations. Strangely, both of them are in PB. I thought I'd try out Calozzi's first.

Calozzi's is a tiny little shop squeezed in right next to Latin Chef. There's basically two sets of counters with chairs; inside you can watch your cheesesteaks being made.

Or you can dine outside and watch PB roll on by…..

The menu is simple and straightforward; a handful of cheesesteaks, in Philly style they come "wit" or "witout" (fried onions). The folks working here; especially the young lady are very friendly.

Of course I just went with "The Cheesesteak" ($10.75). Man, this was totally a meat-bomb.

When I broke apart the two pieces; "meat-shrapnel" flew in all directions. Of course, much of the meat was piled on the top. The White American Cheese provided just enough of the volcanic creamy-gooey texture to provide enough lip searing moisture and milkiness to the sandwich. There was a decent beefiness; with little seasoning, which was just fine in my book. Since I had this "wit"; I quickly noticed that the onions were really stringy, not a big deal, but still noticeable.

For me; it was that bread, there was just too much of it, that took away from this sandwich. I'm fond of the crusty, with gritty textured Italian Hoagy bread of places like Amaroso, which have a nice yeasty flavor, and stand up to all the meat juice and gooey cheese.

In the end; just too much bread.

Still, not a bad sandwich. And you'll need to familiarize yourself with the "condiment" rack….not necessarily for the peppers and such; but that's where the napkins and forks (should you need them) are assembled.

After this meat-bomb; I needed a month to recover. So, I recently revisted and had myself the "Donnie"; Calozzi's version of a Mushroom Cheesesteak.

This version; with provolone was much drier; the meat much more caramelized. It was a bit too dry for my taste as there was so much bread. The mushrooms were chopped in large pieces; I'd have preferred a more finer chop and more integrated into the cheesesteak. It was again; a huge amount of beef, so I'm sure it'll impress those who love this portion size.

For me, Calozzi's, which also has a location in Seattle, is more about quantity….you will get your money's worth here. If you want that "meat-bomb" this might be the place.

It's not necessarily my favorite cheesesteak as proportion and the right "roll" matters; at least for me.

I will say; I don't think you'd go hungry here.

Recently; I went searching for photos form that long ago trip to Philly; waaay back in the nineties; when we still used a thing called "film" for photos. Hopefully, I'll find those one of these days. I'll surely scan them and perhaps do a post.

Al Calozzi's Cheesesteaks
1146 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Open Daily:
11am – 9pm

Popcorn Chicken

October 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

**** Popcorn Chicken has closed

Interesting how things go. One day I noticed this place had opened in the same strip mall as Lolita's and Katsu Café.

The sign said "Taste of Taiwan", so I was somewhat intrigued. I did a brief search online and figured out that this is a Taiwanese "snack/street" food chain with two other locations; one in LA and the other in the OC. So, I decided to walk in and check them out.

They seemed to be doing some decent business; also looked like sort of a Taiwanese Fast-Casual place in the same vein as any number of Tea/Boba shops that are scattered around San Diego. It seemed even more strange that Tea Station was just a few doors over.

The menu consisted of various Taiwanese snack type dishes; chicken wings, sausages, a whole slew of fried stuffs, and basically many of the same dishes with rice and veggies, called "bento boxes".

The prices of the bento boxes seemed quite inexpensive, like six bucks, so I ordered the namesake Popcorn Chicken Medium Spicy Bento Box along with the Chicken Wings Spicy ($5). This is what I picked up when my number was called.

That little bag held the popcorn chicken, fried a bit too hard, more crunchy than crisp, unevenly breaded and seasoned. I actually enjoyed the fried basil the best, the crisp, with anise tones. The seasoning was quite simple and the spice level was decent. Very straightforward.

In that plastic "box" was a very generous portion of rice, with a drizzle of a soy sauce – pork – mildly sweet sauce. And a few small pieces of meat.

The boiled egg was on the over-cooked side for my taste, the yolk was d-r-y, but it was mildly seasoned and not terrible. The veggies were simple steamed zucchini, corn, and a green bean and carrot mixture….the corn and the carrots seemed fairly straight from the frozen food isle.

I was looking forward to trying the chicken wings which was decently fried, but on the dry side.

I really didn't care for the powdery, bitter, seasoning….it was fairly one-dimensional, just adding spice to the chicken and not much else.

Still, I thought this was well worth the price; six bucks for the popcorn chicken and five for the wings (well, maybe not the wings).

I happened to mention this to a few of my coworkers…..they love fried food, donuts, Chik-fil-a, you get it. So, they wanted to check the place out and I said ok.

By this time the Bento Boxes had gone up by $2 and was now eight bucks. I got the fried pork chop.

I noticed that the zucchini and corn had been replaced by sautéed cabbage. The boiled egg was much better this time around and there seemed to be even more rice.

That breading on the pork chop would have been fine if most of it hadn't peeled off the meat when placed in the bag. The seasoning on this was decent, enough salt and pepper, and probably a good amount of MSG. The pork chop was a bit on the chewy side but not bad.

The folks from work, especially "Pam" really enjoyed the place. We returned a few weeks later.

I tried the Popcorn Chicken Bento again.

The chicken was even drier than before though I preferred this to the spicy versions as you could actually taste the chicken. The breading was more crisp and lighter than before, though there was less fried basil than before. Notice that it's just a drizzle of pork based broth on the rice now; no hint of meat or anything else. The rice was moist and there was a lot of it. The egg, while decent on the previous visit, was back to being over-cooked.

Still, my coworkers……

I figured I'd had enough, but with things cooling down a bit here in San Diego, I was in the area at around 1130 on a recent weekend, so I decided to try the Niu Rou Mian….which they didn't have on this day. So, I went with the Braised Beef with Rice ($9). Man, did they give me a lot of meat.

Which was barely lukewarm, bland, and on the drier side. At least it wasn't tough, but could have really been braised in a more flavorful liquid. The egg was really nice this time around, while hard boiled, it wasn't dry and didn't have that ugly purple ring. The rice was moist, fluffy, and the best I've had here. And guess what? Zucchini was back in style; at least for today.

The most surprising item was the broth….well stew or more appropriate "gravy" as it was quite thick and almost gluey; not the most pleasurable texture, but it had a nice peppery tanginess; with a hint of spice, and was hot. It edged on being too salty (with a mild sweetness – MSG?), but that actually helped all the beef which I plopped into the stew. The carrots were a bit undercooked, but not terrible.

After this visit; I think I'm done with Popcorn Chicken for a while. I'm sure Kirbie is laughing about these visits as I'm probably the wrong demographic. I will say this; yes, it's basically fast/snack food and in spite of the uneven cooking, seasoning, serving, and the ever changing portions, if you're more about quantity over quality, this place might do it for you. And to be perfectly honest; I'd take this over food from one of the corporate mega-chains any day of the week…..just not for a while……

Popcorn Chicken
7309 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Open Daily 1130am – 930pm

Fools and Kings

October 16, 2018 mmm-yoso European Restaurants, North African Food, Peruvian Restaurants

**** Fools and Kings has closed

One evening a few months back, I was looking for a place to grab an early dinner with the Missus. She wanted something different. I returned to the menu at Fools and Kings, a fairly eclectic collection of small plates….with dishes from some of our favorite places; Spain, Peru, and heck even North Africa. Over the next month or so we visited this quaint and rather discreet little eatery in Mission Hills.

Come to think of it; we've always had a table on the little patio out front….I don't think we've stepped into the dining room!

The menu is a fairly tight one, not too many dishes, but the range, at least in geographic terms is vast. The menu is broken up into five sections; Salads, Bocaditos (appetizers), Crudo, Flat Breads, and A la Carte items. All items are meant to be shared.

Funny thing; I'm not much of a Sangria person, but I did enjoy the White Sangria, especially during the hot spell we had a few months back. While it edged toward the sweeter side; I think the lychee and cinnamon gave it a nice refreshing and "clean" taste.

On our three visits, we were basically the only people eating at Fools and Kings, of course it was early in the week and for dinner; like 430-5pm or so.

Each meal started with some Canchita, which always made us smile as it reminded us of our favorite little place in Miraflores.

Anyway, just like other posts of the same ilk. Here are our picks and pans.

Our favorite here is the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers ($10).

The peppers are stuffed with crab and goat cheese, a nice, rich combination….creamy, savory, sweet, milky, a tad of mild heat from the peppers. Served on a toasted and pressed, yeasty and light bread, it was very much a "Montedito". This was by far our favorite dish and we had it on every visit. The simply dressed greens added a nice bitterness and "green" flavor to temper things a bit. In fact, we thought the greens in most of the dishes were nice and simple.

We both also enjoyed the Lamb Sausage ($14).

This reminded us of Merguez, a bit more meatier, but it still had those nice spices that reminded us a bit of what we had during almost every meal in Tunisia.

The Missus enjoyed the Lentil and Burrata Salad ($8).

Of course, She loves puy lentils and corn…and Balsamic Vinegar. The burrata had a light milkiness, a mild acidity, and was very soft, but not runny. I actually enjoyed the yeasty bread, as I thought this salad was like something I make at home.

I really didn't care much for the Sauteed Wild Mushroom with Burrata ($10).

For some reason, I didn't care for the milky-acidity of the burrata, along with the texture of the cheese combined with the earth flavors of the mushrooms. It was a bit to much with the truffle oil; even for me a truffle oil lover. I mainly enjoyed the greens and the bread.

Sadly, our two "pans" were both of the Crudo we had.

We gladly waited the 20 minutes or so for the Cebiche ($14), you know how much the Missus loves Her cebiche. And this would have been pretty good; that leche de tigre was nice and bright in flavor, great acidity, I even asked for another spoon to eat my canchita in the leche de tigre.

The problem was that the fish was still partially frozen; we bit into ice crystals with every bite. It had also spent a bit too long in the leche de tigre. The camote, sweet potato had very little flavor was quite mushy.

On our next visit we tried the Tuna Carpaccio ($15). I dunno about combining Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Soy Sauce….like that Yellowtail with Olive Oil and Soy Sauce in in my previous post on Sushi Noguchi; I find the flavors really clash.

The fish was decent quality, but also on the mushy side….I believe they mix duck pate in with this? It was just a strange mish-mash of flavors and textures for us.

Overall the service was friendly and relaxed. Our dishes did take a while, but we were in no rush. Prices aren't bad….but this might sound a bit strange based on the wide geographic swath of the various dishes. But the menu just seems a bit limiting for us; there isn't that two or three dishes we want to return for. At least not for a while. Maybe when the weather turns warmer that White Sangria will call to me. Until then I might just "wander very far, Very far, over land and sea….." Yeah, go ahead and call me Nature Boy:

"And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

Fools and Kings
4015 Goldfinch St
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tues – Fri 430pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 2pm, 430pm – 10pm

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside

October 9, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside has closed

Now here's a ramen spot with origins in Japan that I had read about several years back. Ikebukuro's Basso Drill-Man ramen is fairly well known by ramen junkies, mainly for the Tsukemen and Abura Soba; basically "oil noodles" in which thick and hefty noodles are coated in "oil" in many cases rendered pork fat with various seasonings. I was quite happy that another ramen shop with a true ramen background was opening up. The catch; Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman was opening in Oceanside. Oceanside!

So, when Eater announced the opening of the shop in June; I just knew I had to check it out. It was just a matter of having the time and making the 30-plus mile drive up to Oceanside.

I find the location interesting, it's not quite Convoy or even Mira Mesa as the restaurant, which has a rather spartan interior is basically across the street from Swami's.

I arrived just as the open sign was turned on and lead over to the bar area. I recall being told that this used to be an Americanized sushi bar. The two women working were quite nice and friendly.

Ordering for me was a no-brainer; being a lover of Sichuan Liang Mian and still make my version of "Oil Noodles"; I just had to try the Abura Soba, which they call Aburasso here. I ordered the "deluxe" version, not cheap at $15.75.

I'm glad I also got the Chicken Karaage, which at $4.25 for four pieces was not cheap. But let me tell you; this is the best karaage I've had in a while. And I got five pieces instead of four.

The coating was so crisp and lightly crunchy, and the dark meat chicken was so moist that it basically exploded when I bit into it…..it was more juicy than the recent XLB I had at Din Tai Fung. It had been marinating for a while as there was a deep soy flavor; perhaps edging on being too salty, with a definite lightly acidic tone, I'm fairly certain they use shio koji or something similar. There was a slight hint of ginger as well. This was quite good.

The Aburasso was soon passed to the Server who brought it over to me. I had seen the medium-thick noodles being mixed with the oil base. I had also seen one of the egg yolks fall out of the white and the poor fellow wrestle with getting it back into place.

The noodles were topped with the afore mentioned egg; nicely flavored, and for once, not served cold as it was nice and warm. The chashu had a very nice soy-slightly sweet flavor and while nice and fatty was on the more chewy side. Not sure about the blanched cabbage, as it brought nothing to the dish.

The flavored oil was on the bland side, with a hint of spice and smokiness. I was looking for a more intense, maybe porky essence. But this wasn't bad at all and several levels above the Abura Soba at hipsterish Nozaru Ramen.

It did a great job of coating the noodles though. And those noodles….you'll either love them or hate them. I enjoyed the wonderful toothsome chewiness….these were noodles with heft and would obviously be great if they were also used in the Tsukemen. Very nice noodles, it looks like you won't have to worry about the noodles being mushy here!

As much as I was looking forward to he ramen here, it was the karaage that fueled my return the following weekend.

The karaage this time around was even better than on my previous visit. A bit lighter, less salty, but still with a deep soy flavor.

So crunchy and moist, it was a joy to eat.

I had thought of going with the Tsukemen, but in the end, I chose the Deluxe Shoyu Ramen ($14.75). And while my main motivation was to see how the broth was at Menma, I regretted not getting the Tsukemen as this was less than satisfying.

While the egg and chashu was better this time around, both in terms of texture and flavor, I'm not a fan of the thinner noodles here as it lacks the springiness and toothsomeness of the thicker noodles.

The broth was very one-dimensional, it just seemed dashi heavy and salty, lacking any real savory tones. And while it appeared rich enough it strangely lacked that wonderful tongue coating "aaah" appeal.

My favorite component was strangely the menma, the bamboo shoots were initially crunchy, with an almost meaty finish, making it very satisfying to eat.

The two women working on both visits were very pleasant. And man, that karaage. But all of this comes with an investment for someone living within San Diego. Think of it as being about thirty-five bucks if you include gas and tip. And I was eating solo.

And yet, that karaage beckons me…….and perhaps that tsukemen…….just to see how it compares to Rokurinsha.

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside
509 Mission Ave
Oceanside, CA 92054
Hours:
Tues – Sun 1130am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm