Kroran Uyghur Cuisine – A First Look

**** 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……..

Kroran 01

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

Kroran 02 Kroran 03There'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.

Kroran 04

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.

Kroran 05

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.

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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.

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

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

Vacation 2010 03 404

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

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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…..

Vacation 2010 03 392

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"……..

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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)

**** 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.

Shaanxi Magic Convoy 99 01

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

Shaanxi Magic Convoy 99 02

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.

Shaanxi Magic Convoy 99 03 Shaanxi Magic Convoy 99 04While 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:

Shaanxi Magic Convoy Rev 01

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….

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Golden City (still underrated) another revisit

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.DA4DE9BF-2561-4BCC-A114-90A2CA7C041FIt'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). 

IMG_3888The interior is spacious and a good place for large groups/families to have a meal.
IMG_3888We 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.
IMG_3888 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}
IMG_3888The 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.
IMG_3888The 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. 
IMG_3888 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

IMG_3890…everything has to have nutrition facts these days, even the fortune cookies…

Village North Revisited

**** 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.

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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.

Rev VN 01

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.

Rev VN 02

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.

Rev VN 03

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)

**** 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.

Aaharn NC 01

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.

Aaharn NC 02

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.

Aaharn NC 03 Aaharn NC 04This 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.

Aaharn NC 05 Aaharn NC 06There 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.

Aaharn NC 09 Aaharn NC 10The 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.

Aaharn NC 11

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.

Aaharn NC 12

Aaharn NC 08 Aaharn NC 13I 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.

Aaharn NC 15

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.

Aaharn NC 14

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

Ta’cul

**** Ta'Cul has closed

Because I like to make more than one visit before doing a post, I sometimes take too long. As was the case with El Trebol, a taco shop that a couple of folks had recommended to me at what I call the "gateway to PB". By the time I went to make my second visit, a shop by the name of Ta'cul had taken its place.

Tacul 01

The configuration has been changed around a bit and the place is looking kind of rustic. But the young lady and the guy working the kitchen are quite nice.

Tacul 02

I liked the menu; both mariscos and what I consider a bit different for this part of town, tacos guisados are available.

Your guisados can be ordered as "street tacos" or larger tacos and run at $2.25 a pop for the smaller sizes. The prices for tacos de mariscos are four bucks and up.

Well, since I was here and fascinated by the menu, I ordered Al Pastor and Cochinita Pibil street tacos, and in typical form for me when it comes to tacos de mariscos, a Gobernador ($4.95).

Service was rather "laid back" as some of the containers on the tables were missing napkin and such. It also took a while to get my tacos.

Tacul 03

Tacul 05

Even though I saw the trompo in the kitchen, it was not in use. The "al pastor" was heated on the plancha and laid to rest in a mild tasting corn tortilla. It had a very strong, earthy, lightly peppery achiote flavor which kind of overwhelmed everything. It was also quite dry and tough; lacking the different textures of something off the vertical spit. The guacamole helped a bit, as did the onions, but still this really lacked the mild sweetness and balanced flavor I enjoy in a tacos al pastor.

I was quite excited to be able to try the Cochinita Pibil, which I rarely see on menus here in San Diego.

Tacul 06

While this was also on the dry side and the achiote flavor was also quite pronounced, there was a mild porkiness to the meat, and the time on the flat top helped add some textural contrast to it. The flavor really reminded me of a milder version of my carne guisada. I did expect a bit more complexity; citrus, cinnamon, garlic, and cloves……but this was better than the previous taco.

The Gobernador looked a bit skimpy, but at least the tortilla was nicely coated with melted cheese to preserve the integrity of the taco.

Tacul 04

Not enough onions…peppers….and the shrimp was over cooked. This was the best of the three tacos, but it's hard to get super excited about this……since I usually expect this when I order a Gobernador.

MElPescador05

And this for an Al Pastor.

Internacional08

But this is PB and all……

I really did like the friendly service and this time I returned rather quickly.

And ordered the Fried Shrimp ($5.00), Pulpo ($5.95), and a Birria (de res) street taco.

Tacul 08

The fried shrimp taco, while being a bit on the greasy side was the better of the two. The shrimp had a nice oceany-briney flavor, the onions and lime helped to cut the greasiness a bit; the batter had a lacquer like crunchiness and the shrimp were moist this time around. The octopus had a nice texture, not too chewy, but really had no flavor and was over shadowed by the peppers and even the queso.

The best was saved for last. It took a while for my taco de birria to arrive. But it was worth the wait.

Tacul 09 Tacul 10While this won't make me forget Fernandez or any number of places; most of them are in the South Bay. While the meat was on the stringy side; this had a nice beefiness to it with a decent richness. Definitely the best item I'd had on my two visits.

Due to the nice, friendly atmosphere, I may return for a some more birria and perhaps something else from the menu. Though it's not very high on my list. Also, all they had on my two visits were bottled salsas.

Ta’cul
2015 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Hours
Open Daily 11am – 10pm

I wonder if this pooch was waiting for some tacos?

Wheres my taco

 

Maestoso

**** Maestoso has closed

The Missus had really loved the pasta in Emilia-Romagna. The simple, yet perfectly executed, fantastically textured pasta. And She was craving it from the time our plane landed back in San Diego. So, I've been toying around with various pastas, some fresh, some dried, but when you get the chance to have some house made pasta, at a place where your friend from Italy (my good buddy "Al"), and even the Eater endorses, you gotta give it a shot.

Which is how we ended up in Hillcrest, in the strip mall that houses TJs, Ike's Place, and many others. Things tend to turn around quickly here…..the Hillcrest location of Tokyo Deli came…and went in the blink of an eye.

And if memory serves me right; I think this used to be Napizza. Anyway, I'd heard the place can get crowded, so the Missus and I got over to Maestoso right as they opened.

Maestoso 01

They've done a nice job with the space; there a large bar area where all the action takes place.

The menu is small and tight, with flat breads, pastas, and the rest (i.e. starters/mains).

Maestoso 02

There's also the interesting concept called "passage" ("to pass by") whereupon carts with various dishes, a la dim sum, will circulate in the dining area.

The Missus always has to order the Meatballs whenever She spies them on the menu. It was no different ere.

Maestoso 03

The two most delicious things about this dish were the amazing Parmesan sauce; milky, but not salty, tongue coatingly perfect. And the confit tomatoes, which added brightness to the dish. The meatballs were fairly mild in flavor and on the dry side, though the Missus enjoyed them.

We got the La Selvatica as the pinsa, this flat bread topped with duck and wild boar salami.

Maestoso 04

We both loved the light, but crisp texture of the bread. But this was way too sweet, which really interfered with all the other flavors.

We were both thrilled when the Tagliatelle arrived. We loved that it wasn't over sauced, it also smelled lovely.

Maestoso 05

The tomato sauce and tomato confit were very good……I always say, "it tastes like sunshine", so bright, perfectly acidic, just wonderful. We weren't as pleased with the pasta as it was too "brittle",,tearing too easily, and lacking the springy pull that we enjoy. Regardless, we loved the flavor of the dish.

The big winner of the night was the Strozzapreti, the texture of this rolled-tubular pasta was just perfect. Tender, with a nice chew to it. The texture totally reminded the Missus of the wonderful spinach strigoli we had in Modena.

Maestoso 06

The oxtail was so beefy and there was just the right amount of it, any more of it and the dish would be too rich. There wasn't much tomato in this and the "mirepoix", added some nice textural contrast as well. There's ground cocoa on the pasta, which really didn't add much to the dish. The portion size of this dish was quite large, I took the leftovers for lunch the next day and "R", who is from Torino asked me where I got this……I'm guessing he'll be visiting soon.

As we were eating, the cart came by……

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And we got a nice beet salad.

Maestoso 08

That pasta….and the meatballs, meant that we'd be returning. Which we did a week or so later.

This time the meatballs were amazing……so moist and tender. There was a pleasant mild gaminess that had us almost thinking there was lamb in these.

Maestoso Meatballs 09

This was just plain wonderful.

This time around we tried the Maccheroni, basically macaroni, though thinking of the typical American tubular pasta would be an insult to how good this was.

Maestoso 10

The description "al dente" is perfect for how the pasta was cooked, perfect firmness, but not hard. The tomato sauce had the brightness that we'd experienced here before. The protein was pork cheek, but we'd have been happy with the tangy-acidic tomato sauce and that wonderful Parmesan sauce.

Of course we ordered the Strozzapreti again. Though this time it was bit different.

Maestoso 11 Maestoso 12This one had much more oxtail, which nicely balanced out by more tomato sauce this time around. It seemed like a different dish, but the flavors were just as good. The pasta was a bit too under cooked this time. Still, we're going to definitely order this again next time.

We got the quinoa salad off the cart as it passed by. It was nothing special.

We enjoyed our meals at Maestoso. I'm thinking because our meals were quite early, before the place started getting busy; there wasn't much in terms of "passagi". But that's ok, we're going to keep coming here for the pasta. Service was efficient……there's some colorful characters here; which remind us a bit of Rome; without the attitude (aka "typical Roman service per our friends from Italy"). This place just might be on our rotation soon.

Maestoso
1040 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Open Daily 5pm – 10pm

Circling Back to Di Chan Thai Restaurant

**** It seems that Di-Chan has closed

Right before our office moved from the Kearny Mesa area, I noticed that Di Chan Thai had new signage. A bit of a more modern freshened up look. It had been 12 years since my last visit. I hadn’t been too impressed with the “Ameri-Thai” style food. But heck, a new look, a new leaf, right?

Di Chan Circle 01

Di Chan Circle 02 Di Chan Circle 03Man, look how bright it is here now!

The woman working was really friendly and quickly brought me a menu.

It was the typical “pick your style – pick your protein” menu of most Thai places.

Not really sure what to get; I went with the Garlic and Pepper Shrimp ($8.95) spice level 10…….I figured that it would be basically a five.

First up; the worst soup that I’ve had since my visit to Appethai.

Di Chan Circle 06

Talk about bland…..

Soon enough my plate arrived.

Di Chan Circle 05

Let’s just forget about the wonton and other stuff. Focusing on the main. The broccoli was soggy and over-cooked, the shrimp was as well…..quite rubbery. The sauce was watery, too sweet, and lacked almost any spice at all. There was garlic, not so much pepper…….not so much my taste either. It seems like the veggies and shrimp were cooked over too low heat as there was a lack of wok hay.

I’m sure folks who just want “some grub” for less than nine bucks might like this.

In the back of my mind, I thought if lunch was even half way decent, maybe I’d come back for dinner. I think I’ll pass for now.

Di Chan Thai Restaurant
5535 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Chopstix Too, one more time

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog with a recounting of meals enjoyed.  Today, Cathy is posting because Kirk is still on vacation.  

Kirk posted about the original Chopstix, on Convoy Street in 2005, He blogged about Chopstix Too when it first opened, in 2006.  In the interim, He and I have each posted about  one or the other over the years.  The restaurants serve fairly standard Japanese fare at good prices without pretense.

IMG_2521This location, in the same parking lot as Mitsuwa Marketplace is yet "another" place to get ramen with one stop parking.
IMG_2521The chalkboard by the soda machine shows daily specials.
IMG_2521The cucumber salad ($4) is a choice on most visits, because I like cucumber. The bowl is deceptive; there is a lot of the vinegared and salted vegetable.  IMG_2532
The agedashi tofu ($3) is lightly breaded with potato starch, crispy fried and served with a light soy/mirin/dashi sauce.  This simple treat is a nice addendum to any meal. 
IMG_2521If you read any of my prior Chopstix posts (go to that search box at the top left), you know that The Mister ends up ordering mabo ramen ($7.95) following his 'pretending' of reading the menu.   He enjoys the slightly sweet spiciness the sauce, filled with ground pork and tofu. The barely cooked egg is always shared.
IMG_2521The chicken katsu and tempura plate ($8.45) also comes with a bowl of miso soup and is properly fried: crunchy and not greasy. The refreshing salad arrives 'naked' and there is a container of salad dressing on the condiment tray on the table. 
IMG_2521
IMG_2521A plate of eight shrimp shu mai ($5, on the chalkboard) was tasty, but not very shrimpy. Still, it was shared and rounded out the meal. 

Chopstix Too 4380 Kearny Mesa Road San Diego 92111 (858) 565-1288 open Sun-Thurs 11 a.m. until 9 p.m., until 9:30 p.m. on Fri-Sat website

 

Sizzling Pot King

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog and Kirk (and His Missus) are on vacation.  Cathy is stepping in with another short post.

Spring has sprung in San Diego and the mild, chilly mornings with the resultant pollen count in the air have The Mister and I figuring we either have severe allergies or another bout of the flu about to occur.  In any case, the craving for a  hearty and slightly spicy meal was predominant the other day.  

IMG_9898
IMG_9898 Kirk has posted about Sizzling Pot King twice  mentioning the 'comfort food' aspect of the menu here, which made me curious. 
IMG_9898
IMG_9898  IMG_9885 We ordered the medium size dry pot with lamb ($20.99) and were impressed with the amount of food, while enjoying the aromatics released with the sizzle as the pot was placed over a sterno warmed stand.  In addition to a good portion of lamb, the sizzling pot contained potato, cauliflower, celery and mung beans.  We did ask for a spice level of 'mild' and it was just right; we were able to taste the mild gaminess of the lamb and the potato and cauliflower had absorbed just enough spice to even out each bite.  Of course, I do love celery with just about everything and interspersed bites of meat with the crispy mung beans and celery slices.

IMG_9898 Of course, I hadn't remembered Kirk's initial post, mentioning that the wonton in spicy sauce ($5.99) weren't that good…but his post was from 2016… The sauce had a pleasant, mild/medium spicy 'kick' and was just enough for the two of us to be able to enjoy without needing to ask for water or some other cooling beverage.  I did dip some of the lamb in the leftover sauce and liked the way the flavors melded. 
IMG_9898
IMG_9898 The filling was a good ratio to the noodle wrapper and did have a distinctive (in a good way) pork flavor.  

Understanding the comfort food aspect of Kirk (and His Missus') taste buds is expanding my comfort.

Sizzling Pot King 8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 Website Open 11:00 a.m.-10:30 p.m. daily

 

IMG_9895 There were enough leftovers for a great meal the next day- the sauce had been absorbed into the vegetables and the ingredients stir fried into a nice, crispy melange, which went well over rice.