Closed – Page 21

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki

July 2, 2018 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** Bann in the H Mart Food Court has closed

**** Bann has moved to the H Mart Food Court

I saw this place during one of revisits to Pho 46 (I'll get to that one of these days). It was before eleven am, so I peered at the menu and was intrigued.

So, a couple of days later I returned. The young lady who manned the front counter was very sweet. She told me that everything here is cooked to order.

I decided to order the Kimchi Fried Rice ($9.95).

Which came with some tiny, yet nicely stuffed fried mandu. Closer to the stuff you'd buy in bags at the market, but with much more filling, and a decent pork taste to it.

I enjoyed the fresh green salad; the croutons and edamame were my favorite components. The dressing seemed based on red wine vinegar.

The amount of fried rice was fairly generous. It was scalding hot, topped with a sunny side up egg; crisp around the edges. A good amount of decent quality kimchi; not much fermented flavor, but lots of it. The rice was coated well, though the flavor was pretty one-dimensional.

Still, not bad at all.

On the way from meetings, I did the Spicy Pork ($8.95), a riff on daeji bulgogi.

Man, this was a lot of food. The steamed rice was just perfect……fragrant, fluffy. The pork had been stir-fried with onions and peppers, but it was fairly tender and had a nice savory-mildly spicy kick to it, which kept my interest while eating it. Of course I couldn't finish this, so I shared it with one of the guys in the office.

Totally worth the price.

Since I hadn't tried any of the namesake items….that would be the cutlet or teriyaki; I ordered the Chicken Cutlet Plate ($9.95) on my next visit.

This was an interesting "mixed bag". The rice this time was horrid, dry, with hard pieces.

Cooked to order, this took a while but the chicken cutlet was fried perfectly. Even though it was white meat; it was moist and tender. The breading stuck onto the chicken and didn't peel off, adding that nice crunchiness to things. This was; I daresay, a bit lighter than other versions of katsu I have. On the other side of the coin; those two sauces were terrible; from the runny, what seemed mayo based (hana battah) sauce, to the other, mildly salty, runny sauce….it just didn't stand up to the fried food. I think I just might tell them to forgo the sauces the next time and bring my own katsu sauce.

By this time; the young lady had remembered me, and she recommended I try either the Spicy Chicken or the Marinated Beef Plate. I went with the Marinated Beef Plate ($9.95).

As you can tell by the photo; this pseudo "bulgogi cum teriyaki" was really bland. It had too much vegetables; which really watered down any soy-sweet-savory flavors. The beef was also on the tough side. This really tasted like Bann tried to add to the portion size by cutting it with veggies…..

Pass.

If you consider Bann to be "fast-casual" food; I'd say it's pretty good. The price point isn't too bad, the ingredients are decent, and that green salad quite good. Items are cooked to order and the young lady who works here is very nice.

Also, if you visit, take notice of the certificates from Le Cordon Bleu which got my attention. Yep, it's from Le Cordon Bleu alright…..Seoul. First time I've seen certificates from the Seoul campus. And it's for pastry and boulangerie…maybe why I like those croutons so much and my friend likes the biscotti they sell on the front counter.

For me; coming from a plate lunch and what I call "Korean meat-and-three" background, this isn't too bad.

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki
9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill

June 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** Al Pastor has changed back to Aqui es Texcoco

I happened to notice this shop in one of those empty strip malls on the corner of H Street and Broadway on our way to breakfast at Talavera Azul.

I’m usually not swayed by the myriad of “Mexican Grills” and truly not by most places who use the word “authentic” in their name. Call me a cynic…..guilty as charged. But for some reason, this place hung around in my “grey matter” as we ate breakfast. I’m not sure what it was; the strange location, my love for al pastor, or whatever.

So later the same day, I headed back down to Chula Vista to see if the place was even open. And they were. Rather empty at 11 am on a Saturday, but still open.

Al Pastor Grill 02

The two women working were very friendly. The menu huge! With everything from Alambres to Tortas. And there was a strange familiar ring to several of the items on the menu.

That’s when I saw him; the owner of Aqui es Texcoco in the kitchen talking to staff. Strange. So I sent my good buddy Candice a text asking if he had opened up a new restaurant. The answer? Yes. I then asked the Server who smiled and said “yes”. Apparently, the place had just opened.

Still rather full from breakfast, I decided to get a couple of tacos which are all priced between $2.50 and $2.75.

The salsas are similar to what is served at Aqui es Texcoco; straight forward and nice and spicy.

My tres tacos.

Let’s go from right to left. The Costilla (rib meat) was fairly chewy, but not bad, but in need of a bit more seasoning. The arrachera; skirt steak, was fairly tough, but had been seasoned simply and perfectly with a nice grilled-smokey flavor. The winner was without a doubt the al pastor as it had the wonderful slightly sweet flavor along with a nice porkiness that reminds me of Char Siu. Nice crispy bits along with meatier bits were provided. I thought the toritllas were just average; they held up okay, but for some reason lacked the nice corn fragrance and flavor.

A mixed bag overall, but that al pastor was pretty good. I returned the following weekend.

I had seen a couple of items I was interested in on the menu. I started with the Huitlacoche Quesadilla and the Taco de Al Pastor (of course).

The al pastor was a bit tougher than on my previous visit; but the flavors were still good. I didn’t care too much for the quesadilla; it was quiet fragrant; the wild mushroom smell tickled my nose, but it was quite bland. But it wasn’t griddled right and the tortillas were really hard to cut and I still think it was missing something.

I also ordered the Tostada de pata de res (cow foot tostada)

This was an interesting mixed bag. The tendon had been diced quite finely….I’d have preferred a larger dice so I could enjoy and appreciate the texture a bit more. It was also a bit too acidic and sour for my taste. The beans were lovely; nutty and rich. Loved what the cotija cheese brought to the dish; a light salty-milkiness. A bit too much lettuce for my taste though. Lot’s of crisp, crunchy textures, had me wishing for something a bit more toothsome.

As I mentioned a few paragraphs up. A mixed bag, nice service, priced reasonably. I did enjoy the al pastor.

The menu is huge and I’m looking forward to trying other items like the Caldo Tlapeno or Chuleda Ahumada (smoked pork) tacos….or perhaps even Cazuelitas (sopes) Chicharron en Salsa Verde.

I’ll give them a bit of time to get settled in before revisiting though.

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill
520 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Ban Lao Cuisine Revisited

June 14, 2018 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants

**** Ban Lao has closed

The last couple of week; since we've gotten back from our trip have been nice. At least in terms of work for me. No more long days and weekends. The recent muggy weather has also changed my eating strategy a bit as well. I was craving Lao food. I decided to head back to Ban Lao to see how things have changed since my first visits there.

The place looks basically the same; except for the strategically placed ATM. The menu though, has evolved a bit, with some new dishes.

I was really thinking about getting the Sien Savanh (beef jerky) which I really enjoyed on one of my previous visit. I saw "fried pork belly" on the menu and really couldn't make up my mind. I finally asked the really nice young lady working here. She basically said she enjoys both, but because I'd had the beef jerky before, why not try the pork belly…..such good sales, huh?

This was ok. The pork belly was nicely fried; though there were some tough bits and without that wonderful fish sauce-chili-citrus dipping sauce it would have not been very good. The seasoning was too mild and it was rather plain.

I really wanted some Nem Khao, which turned out being better than what I'd had here before.

Nice crunchy-crispy bits, good amount of herbs, nice amount of pork skin, I think it could have used a bit more sour sausage, but texturally, this was quite nice. The portion size was a lot larger than on previous visits. And while it didn't look like it; there was a good amount of lettuce for wrapping up the nem khao. It's still not quite there in terms of the sour sausage-pork skin-herbs ratio, but it's better than what I've had here before.

A big plus is how nice the staff has always been in this tiny shop. And it seems things are getting better…….

We gotta get back to Laos one of these days.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜)

June 12, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Hunan Kitchen has closed

I was driving around Convoy a few weeks back and noticed something about this sign.

And looking at the photos posted told me this wasn't the Noodle Hut I knew.

And then the electric sign scrolled down…….

Revealing "Hunan Kitchen". I took the photo home and the Missus translated it to Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài, basically Tujia Hunan Cuisine. Still, the addition of "Kitchen" to the name made me wonder……

And so, having some time for an actual lunch a few days later, Calvin and I hit up Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut.

We were the first folks in the place. The same wood paneling and tables as the old Noodle Hut, but with signs of various dishes on the menu and of course, some chili pepper décor.

I instantly thought of Village Kitchen when I saw this on the menu.

This was going to be an interesting meal…….

First to arrive was the La Rou, Hunan Smoked Pork with Dried Radish.

The La Rou was a bit tougher, less smokey, but definitely spicier than VK's version. The dried radish was crunchy, but not hard and the dish wasn't too salty. I thought this was better than the version at VK.

And then, this.

So, think about the signature eggplant, preserved egg, and green chili dish at VK. Without the eggplant. The peppers were fairly tender and there was a large amount of pidan in this. It was also pretty darn spicy. The portion size of this dish was also deceptively large. We enjoyed it and it was the best dish of the day by far, but man, there was no way we could keep on eating this. I think my Hunan Chilli King days are behind me. Even the Missus thought this was quite spicy….though She had it the next day, when it was even hotter.

The Cumin Lamb was so-so.

Calvin's wife can't stand lamb so just about the only time he gets to eat it is with me. Too little cumin, in need of more onion and cilantro, though the lamb was tender enough. And strangely, for once, I wished the dish was more salty. I'd have loved a bit more color on the lamb as well.

Calvin was fascinated by the Baby Cuttlefish with Four Chilies.

This was quite one-dimensional in flavor. Yes, it was fairly spicy, but other than that, not much else to say. The cuttlefish was very rubbery and had no flavor. This was bean sprout city…..

The service was typical and we ended up with a bunch of leftovers.

A few weeks later we were both craving that century egg and green chili dish. So we returned. This time; I did all the ordering.

Starting with a favorite of the Missus; the Steamed Preserved Meat.

Usually, it's smoked pork, duck, and fish. Here it was pork, duck, and chicken, which made me wonder how dry this was going to be. It was however, quite good, very smoky, nice textures, chewy, but not tough. While not among the best version of this I've had, it was a notch above decent. The Missus loved the leftovers.

Of course, there was one basic reason we returned to Hunan Kitchen. The Pounded green Chilies and Century Egg. If anything, this was even better than on our previous visit.

It was even more tender and buttery, with more pidan.

Oh, and perhaps even more spicy. Man, I had the leftovers two days later and it was pretty darn hot.

Still, I think this dish is a winner, spicy, yes, but the texture of the preserved egg, the dish was nicely seasoned both times we had it. Typing this out makes me want it again. You get that nice endorphin high. Like I said….my tolerance must be pretty low these days.

We finished with the Mao Style Pork in Brown Sauce.

This was a decent, but not outstanding dish. This version of Hong Shao Rou was a bit lacking in complexity of flavor (no anise) and the pork was bit tough. It also lacked that nice glistening color I love in other versions of this dish. While I though it wasn't too spicy, eating the leftovers two days later had increased the intensity of the heat.

While not everything at Hunan Kitchen was a "keeper"; I actually enjoy the more rustic preparations and flavors here more than VK. As does the Missus….whose Father is from Hunan province and really enjoys more traditional, earthy preparations of Xiāng Cài. Still, while I'm thinking we need to head on back to the SGV for our Hunan fix; we'll be dropping by whatever the name of this place is once in a while.

Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜)
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And, if you're keeping score; back in 2011 this was Nam An, in 2014 Yunnan food was served at Jin's Pot, in 2015 Xi'an Kitchen, then in 2017 Noodle Hut, and now this place. Let's see if they have a bit more staying power.

Banh Mi Baguette Cafe

June 11, 2018 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches

**** Banh Mi Baguette Café has closed

Last fall, "MichealW" sent me an email telling me that Bale Sandwich & Deli had closed after a very short run and was now "Baguette Café". Then of course came the crazy fall and winter….and spring……so I wasn't able to visit until recently.

I'm not sure if the name is Baguette Café or Banh Mi Baguette Café…..and then there's the sign that says "by Cali Express". Hmmmm……

And the menu looks strikingly familiar.

I'm not sure if Cali Baguette Express runs this shop, or is it a "franchise" kind of thing….. But the young man working here was really nice and friendly.

I just went with the Dac Biet….good 'ol number 1. Still a bargain at $3.75.

As I walked out of the place, I gave the banh mi a little squeeze……and nothing…..it just kinda gave way. Not a good sign. I had visions of my last to the Mira Mesa Cali Baguette Express. And upon setting the banh mi free….well, I had verification. A pale, cold, doughy banh mi.

The sandwich was the signature 10" and there were thin slices of pork and cha lua.

What was just as annoying as the bread was how it was sliced. Just the top piece….so you either had to find a knife or take you chances tearing it apart. And when the cilantro and veggies aren't sliced, you get this.

Enjoyed the sneaky jalapeno and everything else was status quo…… But what happened to the crusty, light, and yeasty banh mi?

As I've been doing recently, here's what it used to be……back in 2015 at the Convoy location.

I've got to head back to the City Heights location of Cali Baguette Express to find out if the bread I've gotten on my last two visits are now the status quo. It's what used to make them stand above the rest. Hopefully it won't be "strike three".

Banh Mi Baguette Cafe
9005 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Micheal!

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine – A First Look

June 5, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Kroran has closed

I've had several inquiries regarding the opening of Kroran, one from "FOY Black Belt Jonez" and two via email (I heard ya' SomTommy). The place opened while we were away on vacation. So, on the weekend we returned, I decided to drop by. My visits were solo because, as I noted a few years back, the Missus isn't a big fan of Xinjiang Cuisine, unless it's as good as we had in Beijing. That's a rather tall order……..

I arrived on a Sunday. The place looked empty, but the restaurant was pretty busy.

There's a really nice guy who works here. He sat me quickly, a really sweet young lady was my Server….though things did take a while. But they have just opened after all, so I'll give that a pass. I believe the gentleman is Pakistani, the other front of house folks are a mix of Chinese and Middle Eastern ethnicity. I was told that the kitchen staff is from Xinjiang….which boded well.

Though a quick look at the menu was interesting…..there were a few classic Xinjiang type dishes, Laghman (lāmiàn), Chuanr (kebabs), Dàpánjī (Big Plate Chicken) and so forth. Somewhat puzzling was the addition of a bunch of Sichuan dishes and the lack of some of my favorite mutton preparations.

They were also out of a bunch of items…either it had been more busy than anticipated or the kitchen just wasn't ready for those dishes.

Not being physically able to put away Big Plate Chicken, I went with the Spicy Laghman. Supposedly the spicy version of the traditional hand pulled noodles of the region. Other than the noodles looking to have been chopped to smaller pieces, it looked good.

The texture of the noodles were pretty good as well, doughy, with a decent pull and chew. The flavoring though was way off; the beef was extremely salty and strangely dry. I expected tomato on the dish, but it was a bit too much…..and quite salty as well. And this had basically no spice….at least for me it didn't. The portion size was quite large.

Still, the texture of the lamian was pretty good. I made it a point to follow-up the next weekend. I invited some friends to join me, but got no takers. So it was me solo again.

The restaurant was even more busy this time around.

Same really nice folks working as well. Though as with the previous weekend, there were many things not available.

I started with the standard Uyghur Nan.

This was really dry and flavorless…..like it been sitting for a while.

I guess I was kind of expecting something closer to this…..

I really enjoy a good yang rou chuanr; so I figured the Lamb Kawab would have to be good, right?

First off; these arrived in like five minutes, so they were predictably cold. The texture wasn't bad; I expect some toothsomeness and this was fairly tender as a whole. I would have appreciated the meat being a bit more moist, more cumin, and while most are usually fairly salty, this was in need of more salt, and more seasoning as a whole.

For your reference…..

I also got just about the only item available (other than the nan) form the appetizer menu; the cold beef salad. Please note that the description mentions a "homemade chili sauce"……..

The beef shank was very beefy in flavor. It was as you can tell as dry as heck, though pretty tender. It did need much more in terms of seasoning to bring out the best in the product….like maybe more anise tones or even a "homemade chili sauce"?

So here's the deal. I like the nice gentleman and the young lady who work the front of house, the food is not terrible, but as I've mentioned before, as much as I like Xinjiang Cuisine, I'm not just "happy to have it". I'm going to give the place a "pass" for now. I'll drop by again in a few months.

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine
4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Fri 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 10pm

Revisit – Shann Xi Magic Kitchen (99 Ranch Market Food Court)

May 31, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** This location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen has closed.

My terrible revisit to Shan Xi Magic Kitchen had me wondering how it compared to the location in the rather desolate 99 Ranch Market on Balboa.

And I mean desolate….as in this was noon on a Sunday……..

Anyway, I went with the Yang Rou Pao Mo, which has gone up three dollars in price since the place opened. It's now $11.99.

The young lady working here fit right into the mold….she was more concerned about stuff on her smartphone than customers.

While being just mediocre, a bit too thin, lacking richness, this was much better than what I had at the Convoy location. The broth wasn't overly seasoned with white pepper, the lamb was nice and "muttony". Still not a fan of "paomo" in the states. In China it's leavened bread…..here it waxy, dumpling like dough. A few random pieces of tofu….a few strands of bean thread.

At least it wasn't as bad as this:

Still, not very good at all.

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

As for those wondering how this location of 99 Ranch Market survives……it looks like there's some attrition going on. Looks like Mr A Café has closed….

Golden City (still underrated) another revisit

May 26, 2018 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog centers around food. Kirk and Cathy write posts here. It's Cathy's turn today. Kirk is on vacation.

Kirk first wrote a three part post about the original Golden City in 2005. New owners took over in 2006. I first wrote a post in 2014, even though there had been many visits, trying the menu. About a year ago, I wrote another post. Golden City is really part of our 'regular rotation', where we bring friends and out of town guests for a good meal.It's an 'anchor' business of the mall at the SouthEast corner of Claremont Mesa and the 163, which also has Anny's Fine Burger and Pho Duyen Mai (which Kirk has posted about several times now).

The interior is spacious and a good place for large groups/families to have a meal.
We ordered from the 'Lunch and Late Dinner' menu (available seven days) and each of us received a fresh fried vegetable egg roll served with that tangy-sweet red sauce along with our complimentary loose-leaf tea.
The large bowl of chicken-corn soup ($9.95) was indeed large and we had to take home leftovers, which heated up quite nicely the next day. {Usually with a lunch special, a choice of egg flower or sweet and sour soup is offered; not necessary with this choice, which could be a meal in itself}
The soup was thick with egg, sweet corn kernels and minced chicken, all in a chicken broth. It really hit the spot on this overcast day.
The Mister craves egg foo young, chicken, $8.95) and really likes the version here. The omelette portion -beaten eggs mixed with bean sprouts, cabbage, carrot and onion is fried perfectly and placed on a (very large) platter then topped with the gravy and minced chicken (same as in the soup, above) as well as some green onion. The crispiness of the omelet is what I like, along with the taste of gravy and chicken on the 'soggy' parts. Such a great meal.
The lemongrass fish filet ($9.95) is always good here. Served with a bit of matchstick cut pickled daikon and carrots, the flavor meld is just right. The batter fried crisp over the meaty fish portions is just a perfect amount of textures in a bite.

We have never been disappointed with the food and are always happy to be able to bring others here.

Golden City Restaurant 5375 Kearny Villa Road San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 565-6682 open daily 11 a.m.-midnight

…everything has to have nutrition facts these days, even the fortune cookies…

Village North Revisited

May 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Village North has closed

I had these photos sitting around for a while. In my Shan Xi Magic Kitchen post, "FOY" Derek asked if I'd been to Village North recently.

Well, yes……many times. You see, since we've been making our own Suan Cai over the last three years, the Missus has me get the Suan Cai with Pork take-out and will eta that mixed with our funky, fermented suan cai over the course of three or four meals. So there hasn't been much to write about since I haven't been eating it.

A couple of weeks ago, we decided to head on over and actually have a sit down dinner at Village North.

And of course the Missus got the stir fried Suan Cai with Pork.

This is the Missus's favorite dish here by far. The sour-mild anise-slightly salty flavor goes a long way. It's even better now than when they first opened. They sure know how to make this dish. The Missus would only allow me one serving of this…..She needed to have left-overs to take home.

One of the dishes we really enjoyed in the past here was the Pork Intestines in Dry Pot.

This wasn't as good as what we had in the past. There wasn't much intestine; which was really tough and chewy. Though this was decently spicy, the seasoning was off and it was too salty, and a bit on the greasy side.

The Black Pepper Flank Steak was another favorite here in the past.

The portion size of this dish has definitely gotten smaller and they used much more green bell peppers this time around. This was much more spicy than on previous visits. The beef was toothsome; though the velveting technique was not quite as good as on previous visits and this lacked that smoothness. Not bad, though not as good as on previous visits.

We found our meal to be decent. I've got to come by more often and try other dishes rather than just doing take-out for the Missus. The nice woman who works here knows me already and is always very friendly. Once she saw me waiting in the parking lot; the Missus wanted Her suan cai and it was a few minutes before opening time. She smiled and waved me into the place; unlocking the door for me. So I'll obviously be coming back.

Village North
4428 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Aaharn by Koon Thai (National City)

May 6, 2018 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Aaharn has closed

The weather's been warming up, so the Missus decided it was time to start hitting up Zarlitos again for Her weekend poke breakfast. While driving past National City Boulevard, I noticed this.

At street level of Bayview Towers. The thing that caught my eye was the "by Koon Thai" on the signage. Returning home, I did a bit of searching and found out this is a new "concept" by Koon Thai. Along with this National City location, there's one on Kettner near Santa Fe Depot. Shows how long it's been since I've been around those areas, huh?

Anyway, that evening, with the Missus working, I decided to drop on by….yes, back and forth to National City twice in a day! Now that's dedication, right? Actually, I was that curious about the place. Which was small, but I liked the décor.

The young lady working was so warm and friendly.

The menu can be described as Koon Thai "light"……stuff like gyoza? But there were still some ungringo dishes on the menu. I placed my order, not really thinking a couple of things thru.

I started with the Nam Tok, which I ordered spicy. The poor young lady was so concerned about my personal welfare….I assured her that I'd be able to take the heat…evening mentioning Sab e Lee. But she looked so concerned (more about this later), that I ordered it medium.

This was definitely not a "Thai sized" portion. Holy smokes, there was a decently sized steak under the herbs and veggies. On an interesting note; unlike what I've had at Koon Thai, the lime-sugar-saltiness was decent if a bit on the mild side for my taste. I've usually found the beef at Koon Thai on Convoy to be pretty tender. This on the other hand, looked great, but was cut way too thick, and was really sinewy and tough. I'd have appreciated more lemongrass flavor and roasted rice powder, but at least this wasn't too sweet. Oh and it wasn't hot at all….barely tickling my tongue.

I was happy to see a Koon Thai favorite on the menu; the Khao Karr Moo ($10). Again, I found the portion size to be quite large.

There was quite a bit more pork that what I get at Koon on Convoy. There was a nice balance of sweet-soy sauce going on. The pork was a bit drier and tougher than I prefer; except for the darker, fattier slices. There were boiled eggs, decently done for this dish which takes me back to Thailand. I wish the usual pickeld greens were used instead of the gringo broccoli and carrots.

Still, not too bad. The young lady was very nice. When I mentioned the spice level not being up to par, she apologized and told me a couple of stories about folks not quite knowing what "real" Thai food was like and the various questions, challenges, and folks basically almost dying from "mild" level heat. I get it.

I decided to return yesterday and there was this really nice young man working….same friendliness and warmth, a really nice guy. As temperatures had soared to the mid-eighties, I wasn't in the mood for any curries or soups. I saw something called "Herby Chicken" ($12) on the menu and asked if it was "Kai Yang" and he smiled and said "yes". A whole half chicken arrived.

The photo above really doesn't do the portion size justice as it is a pretty hefty half chicken. As with most American birds, the thigh and leg meat was vey nice and moist, but the large and hefty breast was really dry and didn't absorb much flavor. In terms of taste, well, this was quite mild for me. It was salty enough, but definitely needed more. I use lemongrass, garlic, and ginger in my recipe. It could have also been a touch sweeter. The skin was tough and rubbery.

Still, this wasn't bad by any means, better than many Thai restaurants in San Diego.

I also got free Thai Coffee/Thai Tea with my entrée. I'm guessing this is a grand opening perk.

I love the artwork and really enjoyed chatting with the folks working here. I was told that someone actually came in and had no idea what Thai Curry was!!! The top selling dish? Pad Thai.

I hope they do well. I might return one of these days. I was the only customer in the place during both my visits. I hope and wish them well.

Aaharn by Koon Thai
801 National City Blvd
National City, CA 91950
Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 3pm
430pm – 9pm
Saturday 430pm – 9pm
Closed Sunday

There are three or four parking spaces behind the building specifically assigned to the restaurant. Though I parked along A Avenue. After driving in Italy and France, I've kind of learned to appreciate roundabouts and there's one here.

I also enjoy the historic homes in the area.

Right next to the quite 70's looking building is Morgan Square Plaza, a colorful little oasis. And on this day, it looked like some teens were having their graduation pictures taken.

They added some life to a rather desolate area on a Saturday evening.