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Going Loco – A Revisit to L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – College Area a Decade Later

October 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** This location of L&L has closed

When I started putting together The Big List, there were quite a few instances where I wondered what was going on with places that were still around all these years later. I first posted on L&L in the College area back in May of 2005 and a second with the "Are You Loco" comparison that September. So I thought, ten years is a good long time….and even though L&L is not my first choice for Plate Lunch (let's not go into that Hawaiian BBQ versus Plate Lunch stuff….plate lunch came first….Hawaiian Barbecue is a branding/marketing strategy), I thought it was about time. Also for this one, I broke out the "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds, who measures each item on the loco moco and assigns an aggregate based on this….so no, this won't be like one of those ramen things on that "Four lettered site" that says, "the noodles were fantastic, but the soup was just okay so I give it one star…." Which will always lead to the question; "does that mean if the broth was fantastic and the noodles fantastic, the best this place could do is two stars on a four star scale?"

So, it's been over a decade. Can you imagine how many starving students this location of L&L has served? On the downside; can you imagine how many folks think that this is the best that Hawaii has to offer on a plate?

If my recent visit is any indication, they'll be serving many more classes of SDSU students.

The tables are a bit more sticky than I recalled and as to be expected, the folks here….both in the front and the kitchen can't really pronounce the dishes correctly….stuff like musubi and katsu sounds kind of odd…and to be honest, a bit painful.

But lets get down to the Loco Moco – which is now $8.99, over 9 bucks with tax. Yikes, that's over 40% more than what it used to be. It has now reached the level of, "this better be good".

And let's get it on with the Rubio scale shall we?

#1 – Burger:

Good lord, preformed and cooked to death. Lacking in seasoning. Like eating gritty bits of shoe leather….still, it was barely edible. Thank god for the gravy…well, maybe not.

1.0

Not a good sign.

#2 Eggs:

This actually saved the loco as it was easy-over. I know, everyone is afraid of eating eggs out nowadays. But this one was right. There could have been crisp edges and some browning, but this was ok.

2.5

#3 Rice:

Seems like it was undercooked and sitting for a while. Average.

2.5

#4 Gravy:

Good lord, we sent Old Betsy to the glue factory. The texture was not to my liking…too gooey/gluey, no beefy flavor, glue like texture. It was nothing without Tabasco…..

1.0

#5 Stuffs:

Of course we have to attend to the Mac Salad. This one was put together fine….all the minimum requirements and it was nice and cold. Lack of salt was an issue, but it was ok.

3.0

So we have a 10 out of 25….perhaps this is the state of Hawaiian Barbecue loco mocos these days. After all, I think they "jumped the shark" years ago.

Still, it had been quite a few years and I had to find out for myself.

A small part of me wonders how the location in Puente Hills Mall fares. It was the first location on the mainland and was just a couple of miles from where we lived way back when. It was pretty good…they brought in a bunch of cooks from HNL to get them started and the folks there were really nice…….maybe it's better that I not know…..

L&L's Hawaiian BBQ
Campus Plaza 6083 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 5B-1
San Diego, CA 92115

Jinya Ramen Bar – Pacific Beach

October 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** This location of Jinya Ramen Bar has closed

About the same time Nishiki Ramen opened with a great deal of hype, the first location of Jinya Ramen Bar opened in PB, to what seemed to be a lot less fanfare. Maybe it's me, but I think many were paying attention to the upcoming Hillcrest location. Jinya has several locations in LA and one in Vegas. And while Jinya has Jonathan Gold's seal of approval, the locations in LA seem kind of interesting; Studio City, Santa Monica, and now here in Pacific Beach.

My memory might be foggy, but I think a couple of businesses ago this was the location of Ed from Yuma's favorite Thai Restaurants, Karinya.

Man, this was one nice restaurant….looking very modern gastro-pubbish…….

Nice bar area….and very friendly folks…even though one of them did call it "Tonkatsu style Ramen"….

This young lady eating at the bar was really funny. After trying with chopsticks for a few minutes, she waved the white flag and asked for a fork.

I thought the menu, besides the ramen quite interesting…there were the "classics", rice bowls, chicken karaage….and other items I would never have ever thought of seeing in a ramen joint. Quinoa Salad, anyone? Well, the Missus does like Her quinoa, which She really started enjoying in Peru back in 2007.

Of course I got some ramen. I decided on the Jinya Tonkotsu Black ($10.80).

The bowls were very nice; though I did notice that the actual portion size of the ramen might be a tad smaller than it actually looks. First off, the egg was nicely flavored, but over-cooked, the yolk dry. Speaking of over-cooked, the Hakata style noodles were also not to my liking, being too soft and mushy. The chashu was nice, but could have used more flavor. The broth wasn't hot enough, which led to this really rich pork tonkotsu developing a "skin" rather quickly and also attaining a greasy texture. Too much bitter garlic messed up the flavor as well…don't get me wrong, I love garlic, but this was a bit too much for me.

I could tell the ramen had potential and all the hiccups could be remedied. After all, they had just opened.

Seeing Pig Ear Chicharron ($8.50), I just had to order it.

I really enjoyed this dish. The pig ears were fried crisp and rather light. The harissa added a nice flavor and the fried, crisp kale was nice as well. The onsen tamago threw me at first as it was ice cold. But it was beautifully runny and added a nice creamy-richness to the whole mess…..it was a lovely mess.

I was pleased enough with what I had, that I was actually able to talk the Missus (who was quite dubious of going to PB for ramen) into having an early dinner here.

The main selling point being the Tempura Brussel Sprouts ($5.80). The Missus loves Her Brussel Sprouts. At one point last year, I was making bacon fat sautéed Brussel Sprouts in a balsamic reduction 3-4 times a week!

The Missus likes Her tempura either light and feathery, or full on thick and crunchy. This was the latter. The Missus also loves truffle oil…guess what was drizzled on these? This was quite good, though I couldn't help but think how good a tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce) would go with these as well. No complaints from the Missus.

Her Pork Chashu Bowl ($8.00) was quite large.

That egg was quite good, cooked nicely. The sauce was also decent and the rice cooked well. The pork was on the dry side, but passable. I don't think we'll have this again though.

We won't be having the Caramelized Cauliflower ($5.80) either.

I think of cauliflower as being a wonderful palette for different flavors, but this seemed uninspired….not roasted nearly enough, with too much citrus that just overwhelmed the whole dish.

This time, I got the Tonkotsu Assari ($8.80). When I think of Assari Ramen I think of a light broth. This was still a bit thicker than what I expected, but I'm not complaining.

The broth was nice and porky while perhaps on the higher end of the sodium scale, but not terribly so. The broth coated my tongue nicely and I'd say it was better than what I've had recently at Yamadaya. The thicker (it's all relative) noodles were prepared well, nice and al dente, a touch of chew to them. You can tell that the egg this time around was better as well. The chashu was the same as before. Overall, this was a much better bowl of ramen……

Of course I got the Pig Ears, but the Missus, who loved the egg, kale, and harissa, didn't care for the pig ears, which weren't quite as good as on my previous visit.

Strange. What She really wants is something crisp on the exterior, but still having that crunchy-chewiness in the exterior. She believes that doing this to pig ears defeats the purpose of using it as an ingredient. Of course conversation went to the fantastic pig ears we had in Hiroshima, but that was a totally different prep. Oh well, I'll still be ordering this.

Strangely, Jinya wasn't very crowded on either visit, but it could because they've recently opened and we usually eat fairly early. As with my previous visit, people watching is half the fun. I'm wondering if they had some kind of doll making class nearby…otherwise this photo of the young lady having ramen while her doll "watches" seems kind of weird.

It seems like Jinya is trying to please a variety of different folks…quinoa salad, craft beer, and French fries on one hand….the classic trio of ramen, gyoza, and rice bowls on the other. Who knows, they might just pull this off. I know I'll have to return….especially since I totally forgot to try the karaage!

Jinya Ramen Bar
825 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

What’s My Craving? Myung In Dumplings

October 19, 2015 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** Myung In Dumplings has closed

** Note: Myung In Dumplings has moved to the Zion Market Food Court

Well, maybe the Missus is right. Fall might be the best time of the year….at least it is when you get milder, non-triple digit temps in October. Now that things have cooled off a bit, I could start up on my soups and stuffs again. And I think a six month lag for a revisit is a good amount of time.

Strangely, my favorite dish over the course of my previous series of visits was the Mandu Guk; dumpling soup. It seemed like the wrappers of the dumplings really took to being in a liquid and the broth was just tasty enough.

I was wanting that soup for a while.

So it's what I had…….though it's now $12, which I think is kind of high for a clear soup, with some egg, naengmyun, and ten jiaozi dumplings. The panchan, like before is nothing special…just filler….

The broth was not quite as tasty as on my previous visit; though there's a bit of sneaky garlic in the broth; it is neither as rich or flavorful, though still barely passable.

The fillings of the dumplings were better than I recalled; decent pork flavor, reasonably seasoned. The wrappers though, were not; much more brittle, without the nice pull, perhaps the dough had been "worked" too hard.

The one woman who mostly works in the back is very nice; so too was the guy who asked me what nationality I was and when I told him Japanese, he started talking to me in Japanese! Apparently, he lived in Gardena and all his neighbors were Japanese so he learned some of the language. When I told him my wife is Chinese, he started speaking Mandarin….I am truly not worthy. I'm not sure if I enjoyed myself enough to return anytime soon. Good people though…….

Myung In Dumplings
4344 Convoy St,
San Diego, CA 92111

Urbn St Brewing Co (El Cajon)

October 13, 2015 Cathy Beer, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to see what mmm-yoso!!! is writing about today. Kirk is under the weather and Ed (from Yuma) is otherwise occupied (in Yuma) so Cathy is writing this short post.

There are five different locations of URBN and the one closest to home is this one, URBN St Brewing Co, in El Cajon.This is the building from the parking lot. The front door is on Magnolia at Main (the North West corner, next to the Starbucks).The 'windows' are the roll up garage door kind, so everything is exposed. You can see the bar area has plenty of taps. The side televisions are beer menus.Once inside, the industrial hipster brewery look is obvious.The Mister was here to try some of the house beers ($7 for an URBN flight) (of four): Saison (bright and light in flavor), Unite (a red Belgian rye, brewed in collaboration with Twisted Manzanita Brewery (located in Santee)), Brown (graham cracker with chocolate undertones) and Triple Brown (strong coffee notes). Each beer was unique and fresh in taste. We enjoyed all of our choices.

The menu at dinner is straightforward, with pizza and salad being the primary choices along with four appetizers and desserts.The URBN salad (small, $7). A nice mix of greens topped with gorgonzola, pears, a walnut brittle and a light vinaigrette. This could be a meal for one (the bowl is deep), but we shared. It was very fresh and flavorful.None of the preselected ingredient pies appealed to us, so we chose to 'Craft Your Own'. We chose a Small, White with parmesan/garlic/evoo ($10) then added Ricotta ($2) and artichokes ($2).

That small pizza is on a regular size cookie sheet (half sheet cake size)! More than enough.

The flavor combination was just right, with the garlic and olive oil complimenting -and not overpowering- the Ricotta or artichoke hearts. The crust was more cracker-like than the edges, which I don't normally like, especially when cold..but this pizza never got to the point of being leftover…

URBN St. Brewing Co. 110 N. Magnolia (at Main) El Cajon 92020 (619) 328-6922 Website Open Sun-Thurs 11:30-10, Fri-Sat 11:30-midnight

AppeThai

October 12, 2015 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** AppeThai has closed

Back in the end of September, I mentioned that what looked to be a Thai Restaurant, named AppeThai was replacing Yes! Pingo. To my surprise, just a few days later I saw the "Now Open" sign posted.

The place looked open one morning at a bit after 10am. With my scheduled booked through the normal lunch hour, I was headed to Nijiya, but decided to stop here instead.

The menu seemed very "street-foodish" with a variety of noodles and curry, you know, the pick your protein thing. The setting wide-open and fast casual, much like J&T. You order and pay at the counter and such. I really like the setting and seating arrangement.

I ended up ordering something I will usually order when faced with a typical noodle menu to check the kitchen's stir fry skill and something I hadn't seen in a while.

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that my test of a Thai cooks stir fry skills is the simple Pad See Ew. At it's most simplest, rice noodles, soy sauce (light and dark), egg, Chinese Broccoli, garlic, and perhaps palm sugar. All the same ingredients. It's up to the cook to make it right. So how was this?

In terms of flavor, this was pretty good. A bit more garlic than I'm used to and not as sweet, but you couldn't say it was bland. Shrimp was also prepped decently and quite moist and tender. The wok skills weren't quite what I consider top-notch as the noodles were too mushy and some of the pieces of the gailan were too hard while other pieces were too mushy. It was, however, far from being bland. The rest of the "stuff" was just filler….the really bad pre-frozen bulk gyoza and the totally insipid soup.

The item I really enjoyed, maybe because I haven't had it in years….I just don't recall seeing it on menus is the Tod Man KhaoPod – Fried Corn Fritters. Talk about Thai Street Food…… Not cheap at $3 a pop, but I really enjoyed these.

The sweet corn, the batter, crunch and slightly doughy, with a mild sweetness….I believe the classic recipe uses rice flour. While not quite as savory….versions I've had seemed to have garlic, perhaps scallions, and sometimes even a bit of curry. This was simple, but I enjoyed it. And it displayed the kitchen's ability to fry….. I found the sauce provided a bit too sweet for my taste and pretty one-dimensional.

So, of course I returned, with my co-worker CF in tow for an early quick lunch….we were headed to a meeting that would span the normal lunch hour. On my way out the door on my previous visit, I asked the really friendly young lady for some recommendations. Which I ordered on this visit….along with those corn fritters.

Spicy Noodles with Chicken.

While the stir-fry job was much better this time around, I gotta say this was pretty bland. It lacked sweetness, spice, and the chicken….breast of course was dry as heck.

The corn fritters were nice as before and I also got the Larb Moo Tod…basically deep fried larb. It' seems to be a problematic dish, as when I've had it before, the meatballs, let's not kid ourselves, really just tasted like deep fried meatballs, without the wonderful flavors one would associate with larb.

Now these little orbs were $4….for basically 4 rather small meatballs. And unlike the Tod Man Kha0 Pod, this needed a sauce as other than a nice lemongrass flavor, I found it lacking. I thought it really needed a citrus-sweet-spicy "punch".

The Nam Tok was also just ok.

I was happy when they didn't ask us for a "heat level". not so happy when we got "gringo'd" Not enough of that nutty rice powder, not enough citrus, too sweet, the beef was a bit too tough, no pungency from garlic, and kind of bland (really lacking in fish sauce) overall. I guess ok as a basic "salad" but not even close to what I make at home…..not that I'm expecting that.

Not sure what CF really thought, though he did bring his wife there for those corn fritters and a taste of Beer Lao which they serve. I'm thinking it might be a nice snacking option when visiting Common Theory next door. On my way out the door, the very warm and friendly young lady told me the cook is from Bangkok, so I'll probably revisit in the future….to see if any of their other fried items are as good as the corn fritters.

Appethai
4813 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ono’s Cafe

October 11, 2015 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Plate Lunch

**** Ono's Cafe has closed

Waaay back in May of 2006, I had the "malasadas" At Ono's Café. I'm always meant to return someday, especially after reading CC's post back in 2008. Now, I'm not much of a "rolls" kind of guy, but some of the other items on the menu were just the kind of "grindz" I enjoy.

Man, they've really spruced up the place since I'd last been here. When I visited the place did mainly snacks and smoothies. Now it's a proper restaurant……

Let me first say that the folks here are wonderful. I had really nice Servers on all my visits, very friendly, efficient, just great kids.

An acquaintance of mine recommended the Kalua Pork, something I grew up eating, and of course I make a version for parties and friends. And so, I ordered it.

So let's start with the good….the rice was nice. The salad with the Maguro was a nice touch, even though it was "saku" fish and the whole salad was quite large, larger than the portion of pork. The dressing was way too mild.

I didn't care for the kalua pork prep. That teriyaki sauce was cloyingly sweet and just masked any flavor from the pork. I did taste the pork and felt it was under seasoned and a bit too greasy.

Still, the folks were so very nice that I decided to come back during happy hour.

Looking over the happy hour menu; one item was a no-brainer….the Spam Musubi, which was actually some kind of Spam Roll.

Much like the kalua pork, this was a bit too much. I would have been fine without the sauce which kind of blurred the entire dish. I thought the spam could have been seared a bit, which would have added that nice crisp texture. The rice was a bit too mushy for my tastes.

Sadly, the Chicken Karaage was even worse. Just look at the color!

The temp of the oil obviously wasn't hot enough; the batter was gummy and this wasn't very pleasant to eat. Unlike the other items I had, this was also very mild in flavor. Not good eats.

And yet, the service was so very nice….so I decided to give them another try. This time I ordered a favorite of mine; Chicken Katsu.

This came with some miso soup, which didn't have enough miso in it. It was quite weak and watery.

When the chicken katsu arrived, I noticed a problem right off. A pet peeve of mine….the breading was peeling off.

And while this can happen to the best of them, there really is no excuse for it. Also, I quickly noticed how thin the chicken had been pounded. Too bad because the breading was nice and crunchy, the Asian slaw went well with the dish, and the rice was cooked nicely.

So, what to say….I love the folks who work here, but the food? Well, call me picky, but each dish on my visits seemed to have one, or more issues. Too bad, because I really like the staff and the vibe of the place.

Ono’s Cafe
4154 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

T-Pop – Desserts and More! (Mira Mesa)

October 6, 2015 Cathy Desserts, Ramen, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Once again, mmm-yoso!!! is here with another post. Kirk is having more technical difficulties today than he had yesterday; Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying being retired and isn't glued to his computer; Cathy is in front of her computer sharing a meal she enjoyed in the recent past.

A few weeks ago The Mister and I were in Mira Mesa, planning on going to that location of Seafood City and planning to eat before shopping, as we usually do, similar to the food court of the South Bay Seafood City location. But the parking lot was pretty full and we pulled up on the far West end and noticed this storefront. You know we had to stop and check it out. I vaguely recalled posts by cc, Kirbie and Mary from earlier this year…thinking this was a 'dessert only' place. But there are menus on the door and on the wall as you walk to the back to order. The Mister noticed a 'Ramen' page and I noticed 'Appetizers'. We walked in.The eclectic decor is interesting in that there are so many choices of 'eating areas' and levels of comfort. I'm glad I could take these photos, because almost all the tables filled up within about 15 minutes.Duck ramen with tonkatsu broth ($9.99) with the basic toppings (soft boiled egg, seaweed, scallions, sesame seeds and bean sprouts). This was very good in flavor and size (enough to share). The broth was rich, porky and not very salty. The noodles had a 'bite' and were not mushy. The duck leg was standard. The vegetarian pot stickers ($3.99) were also standard. Fresh fried and crispy with a good amount of filling. Quite large for pot stickers.

The Kani-Cheese Croquette ($2.99) is basically potatoes mashed with cream cheese, formed into a patty and rolled in bread crumbs then deep fried. Topping is kewpie and teriyaki. Again, freshly made but pretty standard. Nice sides to munch on while waiting for my turn with the ramen bowl.

Looking at the menu, I remembered the desserts I had seen online.Shubuya honey toast…presented with a theme. We decided on "London".Based on the photos from other bloggers and the menu, there was a small disaster during the assembly, but all the ingredients are there. The (very) large piece of honey toast was hollowed out and cubed, the cubes toasted and most placed back inside the outer large cube of (also) toasted bread. Ice cream, bananas, caramel sauce, toffee and a side of custard sauce. A really nice, and fun dessert.

T-Pop Desserts and More 8945 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858) 566-6494 Website open Sun-Th 11-10, Fir-Sat 11-11

Vinz Wine Bar (No Wine) (Escondido)

October 5, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is having some technical difficulties, while Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying the pleasant weather (in Yuma) and Cathy is writing a quick post.

We parked in front of Vinz a few weeks ago when stopping at EscoGelato for a sweet treat and The Mister kept it in mind when it was His turn to choose one of his birthday meals. Vinz has been here at the corner of East Grand at Kalmia since 2008.One side of Vinz is a bar and the other side (closed during lunch) has tableclothed tables and only wines stored on display.

A daily lunch menu is provided and The Mister and I both had narrowed our choices to two – the same ones. Serendipity!The House Cheese & Pate Plate ($14) included great multi seeded crackers along with a partial baguette, some greens, roasted garlic cloves, olives, a dollop of a hearty mustard, capers and some fig jam. The seemingly small scoop of duck mousse pate was more than enough of pure luxury; rich, smooth with fresh herbs and cognac melded together, giving a burst of flavor in each bite. The cheeses were a smoked Gouda, Havarti and Brie. This would have gone perfectly with a glass of wine…but you know-daytime, driving, laws.The Pizza Blanca con Spinaci ($11) was really wonderful. Homemade ricotta cheese, roasted garlic, fresh spinach, and mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. You can see the wonderful thin crust. The homemade ricotta…all of it…it just went so well together.

A very nice lunch for a special celebration day.

Vinz Wine Bar 201 East Grand (at Kalmia) Escondido 92025 (760)743-8466 website Open Mon 11:30-9, Tues, Wed, Th 11:30-10, Fri, Sat 11:30-11 Sun 11:30-8

Alaskan Seafood Connection (Normal Heights)

October 4, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm- yoso!!! is a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing a blog post so that Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) can relax and enjoy more of this beautiful, cool weekend.

It's that time of year again; The Mister celebrated his birthday and mine was a week later. We go out to eat every day in between and therefore I have quite a few meals to share with you.

Today's post is from a 'my choice' day. The Mister didn't know where I was driving nor what to expect, as is common during our birthday week…we only discuss sharing items when ordering but not restaurant choices.From across the street, I was happy to see the two tables in front of Corner Liquor (which is near but not *on* the South East corner of Adams at Felton) were empty. Those two tables and six chairs are the only seating available.

Alaskan Seafood Connection has shared a space within Corner Liquor since 2013. Seeing an up close of the sandwich board with the current menu should make it clearer to you as to why I chose Alaskan Seafood Connection for my special lunch. Here's a peek inside the door. The menu is repeated on the counter.Walk to the far end of the counter to place your order and pay. You can also purchase refrigerated and frozen seafood items from the cases on this side. You place your order and pay…and will be told how long the wait will be.

The back and other side of the space (not photographed) is the beverage/liquor store and its cash register is just across from this one. (You know, in case you want a beverage with your meal). Our 'appetizer' choice: 'Steamed P.E. Mussels' ($5.99). 'P.E.' is an abbreviation for Prince Edward Island Mussels, a sustainable seafood item. These small yet meaty mussels were simply steamed and served with a garlic butter. There were about two dozen in this serving (usually we count, but we didn't this time). We ended up tearing off some bread to eat the mussels and butter from the below item-The Lobster Roll ($12.99). Fresh Maine lobster broken into chunks and mixed simply with mayonnaise, salt and pepper…served on a lightly toasted roll with some lettuce and sweet pickles. There was a lot of lobster meat in this sandwich. The simple preparation made the sweet meatiness of the fresh cooked lobster shine through.Deciding on a fried item was easy for us; the Fried Scallop Platter ($9.99) included french fries and cole slaw…more to share. The sweet Bay scallops were breaded and fried to perfection (as were the potatoes). The slaw was refreshing and simply sauced.

There are condiments on the counter if needed, but all of the items are just right, to my taste.

All in all, a tasty, fresh and fun birthday lunch. From a kitchen inside a Liquor Store.

I hope you'll have a good week!

Alaskan Seafood Connection 3355 Adams Ave San Diego 92116 (619)281-3089

Closed Monday Open Tues-Fri 11:30-3:30 and 5-10 Sat 12-10:30, Sun 12-8This is the view from the table, in case you don't want to look for addresses or cross streets.

Revisits: Dumpling Hut and Golden City

September 29, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

So here’s a duo of revisits……..

Dumpling Hut:

**** Dumpling Hut has closed

I’d been wondering what was going with Dumpling Hut since they opened in June. During those visits, the quality control seemed lacking as was the service which was totally out of synch….all the “little things” seemed to have been missed. And while the folks here seemed really nice, they looked like they were totally out of their depth. I did make myself a promise to return to try the lamb jiaozi….so sooner was better than later, right?

Wow, this was really strange……while the place was quite busy during my previous visits; this time around the place was totally empty….during my entire meal! The state of Chinese cuisine in San Diego is quite interesting…..the old guard are loyal to the places that have been around a long time, even though the product is mediocre….but they have a problem with change. Other folks don’t mind mediocre technique and products, so long the portion size is large. But it seems that everyone draws the line, and rightly so, at waiting 40 minutes plus for jiaozi, wrong orders, having to hunt down your own utensils and napkins (which I had to do on this visit though I was the only customer – my napkins were soiled by vinegar), and other problems, which is what I saw and experienced on my previous visits….though perhaps this visit was an exception and they do a booming business on other days (this was a Thursday 1115 am).

Anyway, my lamb jiaozi. As before, the jiaozi wrappers were decent…..

The lamb had a decent gamey flavor, but was really dry, tough, and gritty. It also needed a bit more flavor. This ain’t even close to our favorite version of lamb jiaozi.

The attitudes, like before was very cordial and nice….though the execution of small things…like having napkins was lacking. It seems like there are no systems in place here. Too bad……. I’d hoped that they’d improve.

Dumpling Hut
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Golden City:

**** Golden City has closed

I should really know better….after all of my visits over the years. I won’t bother you with too many details, but will leave you with a simple rule….

Kwai Fei Chicken makes for a nice lunch.

Adding Macao Roast Pork shows lack of self control…….

And can lead to meat sweats and problems staying awake for afternoon meetings……

Bad move on my part….

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