Closed – Page 68

Song Huong – Mira Mesa

December 28, 2010 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Song Huong has been replaced by Saigon Corner

I've been kinda hesitating "pulling the trigger" on this post. Based on comments and emails I've gotten, it seems that opinions of Song Huong are somewhat polarized……. But after a recent third visit to Song Huong I decided it was time for a post….. and I still waited and visted one more time….just to make sure….. When my good FOY (friend of yoso) "Yummy Yummy" told me that there was going to be a second Song Huong opening in Vinh Hung Market, I had mixed feelings. We've had a couple of decent meals at Song Huong on El Cajon Boulevard, but it just seems that the same dish was never the same twice…. perhaps some would find the somewhat whimsical preparations an interesting surprise. For us it was just plain maddening.

And then they opened….. and folks started emailing and commenting. On one side, "Yummy Yummy" and "Janfrederick" were thumbs down. On the other hand "Joe" (you can read his comments on this post) enjoyed it. "Melanie" (thanks for the emails!) was more on the positive side. By the time I finally visited I already had some recommendations……and some dishes to avoid as well!

If this doorway looks familiar, this is where Chibugan used to be (more on Chibugan at the end of the post).

Looking at my photos of Chibugan; it seems that the folks removed a good amount of the interior clutter and opened the place up a bit…… I never realized how high the ceilings here were!

The place does end up being on the cold side, and things tend to echo.

Like the ECB location; this place seels all manner of shakes and drinks, one thing which the Missus always enjoys at the ECB shop.

I pretty much knew what I wanted to order…… Melanie and Joe recommended the Banh Cuon. So I went with the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($6.50):

As things go; this was decent by San Diego standards. The rolls used Banh Cuon Uot, and the pork was fairly bland and dry. The Nem Chua was pretty good, I like mine a bit more sour, and there was only one slice of it.

The Banh Cuon were a bit drier than I enjoy as well. The Nuoc Mam Cham also tasted watered down. The Cha Lua – lean defatted pork sausage were decent. Overall, I thought this was better than the version at Tan Ky Mi Gia, but not even close to say, Banh Cuon Tay Ho. Of course nothing beats having it made fresh in the morning. To be honest, I returned at a later date and had this again, this time it was much better(though they gotta bump up that Nuoc Mam Cham)……. so I guess YMMV??

I sitll wasn't quite sure about this place, so I returned and got the very thing I was told NOT TO get….. the Pho. "Joe" did mentioned that the place had changed Pho cooks, so perhaps my bowl of Pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach….. heck just call it #6 ($5.75) would be ok.

I swear, this could be the twin of the bowl I had at Vietnamese Cuisine on Miramar Road. It was cloudy and lacked any distinctive character…. it was far from terrible, but maybe a "C-". The garnishes were fairly scarce. The noodles however, were prepared perfectly.

Where this bowl fell really short was in the protein department…..

For some reason all the cuts of meat were very dry, none more than the flank which was tough as well. The worse was the tripe which had that unpleasant soapiness to it.

Still, I returned…… And when I ordered my Banh Cuon the second time, I was starving so I decided to try the Thit Nuong Cuon (grilled pork spring rolls – $3.75):

Aside from being a bit too wet, and the bun being on the mushy side this was ok. I also thought these were on the skimpy side, and would have appreciated more herbs to cut the saltiness (in a good way) of the thin slices of the pork.

Being on the wetter side, these started falling apart pretty quickly.

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I returned to Song Huong one more time…… this time for the Bun Bo Hue ($5.50):

All thoughts that this was going to be a "bland bowl" went away as the bowl arrived, and the funky fragrance of Mam Tom, fermented shrimp paste hit me before the bowl arrived. For me, the over-riding smell sends mixed signals, as what passes for Bun Bo Hue in most Pho shops is a basic clear broth with Mam Tom and chilies, something which totally misses the mark. And unfortunately this was, well, that. I liken it to having a trio play something designed for a quintet…… all the music is there, but certain parts aren't played. The plate of finely shredded cabbage and bean sprouts, though on the small side did fine. I could have used a bit more mint to add a herbaceous flavor to the bowl. The lime came to good use…. it helped me cut through the strong shrimp paste flavor.

There was a tiny speck of meat on the pork hock, and the thick slices of beef were tough and dry…. and to think folks complain about the meat at Mien Trung, which along with Hoai Hue is in a total different league.

On the good side; the broth was scorching hot; as must for this type of soup, and the noodles were cooked properly.

In the end, the food here is not terrible; but when it comes to everything other than the Banh Cuon, in my opinion there are other much better options in the area. I do really like the young lady who I believe runs the place…. she is quiet, but very nice…..they've never charged me for tea, and "round down " my check. As to whether I'll return? Maybe after a fairly long break….

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Postscript:

So what happened to Chibugan? Well, they moved over to a smaller space one door over:

One thing I've always liked about Chibugan is that they serve vertically challenged folks like me! Hah, just kidding…. but that's the first thing that went through my mind when I read "We make short orders!!!" Got a crispy pata for shorty over here?

Pho Santee. Yes.

December 17, 2010 Cathy Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are reading and enjoying vicariously. Today, Cathy is blogging because Kirk is waaay busy and ed(from Yuma) is busier than Kirk.

It is going to be a cold, rainy weekend. Some sort of soup is going to be craved. East County. Santee. I live here. We have Costco, Lowes and Home Depot, Target and WalMart, many chain restaurants, a steak house and now have two Thai restaurants, three places which serve sushi, eight Italian eateries (but more than half of those are pretty much pizza places) , seven taco shops and now, two Vietnamese restaurants. Yes. In Santee. The American home of Comedian Dat Phan. This post is about the unimaginatively named Vietnamese restaurant.

Pho Santee is in an nondescript shopping mall, just across from the Santee Sheriff Station. It used to be Royal Szecheuan/Sushi, neither of which was done very well. The menu at Pho Santee is Vietnamese -and Chinese- both are done quite well. Good enough that I come here for lunch when I have a craving instead of driving the 15-20 minutes to Convoy Street or 20 minutes Mira Mesa Boulevard. The interior here is clean and shiny (also a contrast to the old place). Two televisions, but usually only one is on.
With a little Christmas decor at this time of year…

Table settings are standard.

Pho Santee serves pho and other standard Vietnamese items (bun, broken rice, steamed rice) and some more or less Chinese items (fried rice, stir fried noodles, stir fried vegetables). .
No sawtooth. Pretty basic add ins.
Pho Ga-large ($6.65). We asked for added shrimp ($3) to go with the chicken broth (The Mister was starting to have a cough/cold/crud). The (hot!) broth was not greasy and had a good chicken stock. The noodles were not mushy and only slightly clumpy. The shrimp were quite large, as was the portion of chicken for this bowl.
BunThit Nuong-grilled pork ($6.95). Only lettuce, no fancy greens under the chilled rice noodles. The grilled pork was not crispy. It was nicely flavored and not fatty. The add in sauce was just the right amount of fishy vinaigarette (no fish sauce on the table condiments).

I like that you can order Cha Gio (fried egg rolls) either 3 ($3.99) or 6 ($5.99)…these were nicely fried, filled with ground pork and shrimp, egg, fungus and cellophane noodles. Served with lettuce and mint.

The Goi Cuon (spring rolls, we chose tofu as the filling- [all fillings (chicken, shrimp, pork or tofu) are the same price: two for $3.99-these are cut in half] filled with vermicelli noodles, mint and lettuce, these were very fresh and good. The spicy peanut sauce for dipping was very good.

Dac Biet (small)($5.85) was filled with meat, various onions, the same good and almost not clumped noodles. The broth was rich, not greasy and not overly flavored (other than beef…not much anise).
In fact, if you just want meat and noodles, this is the place. The pieces of tendon, brisket, tripe and rare beef were plentiful.
The lunch special chicken chow mein ($6)[most expensive lunch combination is $7] comes with..um.. egg flower soup (tasted beefy), egg roll (the same Cha Gio but without lettuce, mint or dipping sauce) and fried rice. The chow mein…well..excellent flavored chicken, water chestnuts and pea/carrot mix. No MSG overload and very fresh.

Pho Santee is maybe not as authentic as some of the places in San Diego. It is good, not pretentious and very good to have in East County. The people who work here are very friendly and all of them help you. We have had at least four different individuals assist with refills, questions, etc. at our table each visit.

Pho Santee 8790 Cuyamaca, Suite K Santee 92071 (619)562-5151. Sun-Th 9-9, Fri/Sat 9-10

Pho Cali & Grill

November 30, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Cali & Grill

Man was it cold enough for you last night? Geez, I almost wish we had another mutt, because it surely was a Three Dog Night if I ever felt one…. I know us West Coasters are wimps…….

Way back in June, I noticed one of those coming soon signs in the same strip mall that houses Golden City. As the months past, there never seemed to be any progress as the place seemed frozen in time. In fact, Mignon Pho + Grill started up in August and opened at the end of October. So it was a bit of surprise to see that the place had finally opened.

As I entered, I noticed a certain "look" to the place…..then it clicked, and when I asked the gentleman serving me confirmed that this was owned by the same folks who own Pho Cali in Mission Valley. You know that you've been in too many of these places when you recognize differences in generic decor, sigh…. I always try to reserve judgement, but I couldn't help being a bit disappointed as I really didn't think much of the Pho there.

So I just went ahead and ordered the Dac Biet (Special – $6.59) to just cut my losses, eat and get back to work. The portion size of the garnishes is the same rather skimpy sized portion as the Mission Valley counterpart….. though I can tell you, that after recent experiences, I was rather happy to see some Ngo Gai (rather one leaf) on the plate.

My bowl of Pho arrived……

And I was rather surprised; the broth was fairly clear, the fragrance mildly beefy, little droplets of oil floating on top…. this looked pretty good. The flavor really didn't deliver; it was really salty….. way too salty. The noodles were of course, in the ever present clump on the bottom, but weren't still cold in the center as I've experienced twice at the Mission Valley location.

The rare steak was just as bad as everywhere else….though I've had even worse since (coming up in a future post). The brisket, though perhaps a little too close to disintegrating, was probably the best item.

The tendon is a touch too hard for my tastes, but is still better then many places I've been. Overall, this wasn't too bad…. in fact, I need to revisit the Mission Valley location, just to see, you know…..

This past weekend, FOY (Friend of Yoso) Fred, sent me an email (it's always great to hear from you…. and best wishes to the Missus). Part of the last sentence of his email cracked me up, " it doesn't seem especially different than any other Pho place." I can see where one can think that. I do believe that this place is better than Pho T Cali, though, and the service, set-up, and much of everything else does fit that generic Pho shop look. I think folks will like that the place is new, and thus looks pretty clean.

Pho Cali and Grill
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

$3 Lunch Special at Sushi Yaro

November 27, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Does this photo tickle your memory?

Well, it's not quite the same rumpled "Abe" of my Convoy Sushi and Fish Market post. If you recall that post, it went over the $5 lunch specials at that now defunct restaurant. I decided to take another photo of Abe because in a bit of irony; Sushi Yaro, which is now in that location has a $3 lunch special.

To be perfectly honest, when Sam told the Missus and I that he'd be starting a three dollar lunch experiment, we had our doubts…… in this day and age what can you really serve customer for three bucks, and why would you do that? I guess the experiment has worked out pretty well, since on my last visit, Sam told me that the three dollar lunch will be served until further notice…. or as Sam told me, "until I'm broke!" Sam also told me that I should drop by during lunch and try it out for myself. So there I was…… and there it was; the $3 lunch.

I've had Sam's spicy pork, a version of Daeji Bulgogi. I was somewhat surprised that a bowl of miso soup was provided….. even though miso shiro is served with just about every lunch special; it's usually these "side dishes" that are part of the first cut when doing bargain basement specials.

So here's what my three bucks bought:

Scoop of rice, scoop of spicy pork, green salad; about the equivalent of a plate lunch stand's "mini plate"…. which I believe is closer to four buck nowadays…….

While eating, I got to thinking what I could get for three bucks lunch wise…… Banh Mi maybe? But even most of those are over three bucks…. a 6" from Subway…. basically a salad in a roll…. I'm sure there are many fast-food answers to that three-buck question. You could get one and two thirds of a taco at Tacos El Poblano or El Gordo, two fish tacos (with some change left over) at Mariscos El Pescador, and for the big bargain 3 tacos Al Pastor from Internacional 2000. In fact, for six bucks you could get two lunch specials, which will still be about the price of a sandwich at many places.

And while I have reservations with regards to Sam's sanity…….. it's nice to know that I can either this:

Or this…..

Depending on how big that hole in my pocket is…….

So what's the catch? Not much really; the three dollar special is available between 1130 and 230 seven days a week. Yes, even weekends. How long will this last? I don't know…. and I don't think Sam does either. So if you're a bit cash-strapped this holiday season, this might be something you could try. After all three bucks doesn't buy much of a lunch nowadays……

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Aria Kabob Cafe

November 22, 2010 mmm-yoso Afghan, Hot Dogs

*** Aria Kabob Cafe is now Chaba Thai

We really haven't had any Afghan style food since Kabul Market closed a year or so ago. So I was fascinated when I noticed that an Afghan Restaurant called Aria Kabob Cafe was opening in the same strip mall as Pho Fusion. It took quite a few months for Aria Kabob Cafe to open, but a couple of weeks back it finally did.

I noticed the $3.99 breakfast and $4.95 lunch signs, wondering what the heck was going on. And was even more puzzled when I walked in and read the menu…….

Bagels? Eggs? Smoothies……. Hot Dogs?

For $4.95, you'd get a plate of rice and two items from a not so promising looking steam table (the Missus would later prove me wrong).

Looking a bit closer at the menu I noticed the type of dishes I was looking for.

I had a seat at one of the tables in the small dining area and placed my order…. and waited…and waited…. and waited. About thirty minutes later my Lamb Tika Kabob Plate ($8.99) arrived.

Looking at my plate…. well, I was a bit underwhelmed. The salad was totally mass produced packaged stuff, as was the pita. Digging in changed my opinion…… I loved the brown basmati rice…. in fact I texted the Missus telling Her that I was actually eating brown rice and enjoying it. The rice was fluffy, fragrant, and was prepared well. The tangy spicy "chatney" was good…. though I really enjoyed the yogurt based dressing on my cubes of lamb. There wasn't a ton of lamb, but it was very good. I was amazed at how well it was prepared and cooked, soft and tender, but not mushy, and seasoned with a restrained hand. The juices of the lamb had soaked into the pita which made it even more delicious. You knew you were eating lamb, but was not overwhelmed with the "flavor of the pasture" (though I do love gamey lamb). This was a very pleasant surprise……though everyone else was ordering the $4.95 lunch, salads, and the such. On my way out, the gentleman working apologized for the wait, and asked me how I enjoyed my meal. My response? "It was good, well worth the wait." Though think I'll be calling ahead during a work week lunch.

The Missus, shocked that I had actually eaten brown rice (something I've been cooking for Her for months), just had to check this place out. On our visit I told Her, "this may take a while, but you'll enjoy the food." She had the Lamb Tika Kabob and really enjoyed it. I tried one of my favorites, the Chapli Kabob, here it's very well seasoned ground beef patties ($6.99):

The patties had a nice char on the exterior, with some nice cumin-coriander hints. While eating this I noticed something…….. I wasn't using any sumac. Neither was the Missus. I guess that we both thought the seasoning was just right for our tastes…. I did use a liberal amount of the "dressing", and the Missus loved the Chatney. In spite of the wait (35 minutes this time), we both enjoyed the meal….. so we returned a couple of nights later.

The Missus started with the Borani Bonjan ($3.49), roasted eggplant in a tomato based sauce, topped with drizzles of tangy yogurt.

There was a noticeable, though subdued amount of spice, and even with all these very strong flavors you could still taste the eggplant.

The Missus noticed that the steam table was still up and running, even though it was dinner time, and went for the "two plus rice"……. Two items from the steam table.

This came with a plate of the brown basmati rice….. the Missus loved the cauliflower… a lot…..

By this time, for some reason, I became curious about the Fried Hot Dog….. it just seemed so out of place on the menu. Because of that, there seemed to be some sort of reverse-exotic mystery to it. And even though the young man replied, "well, it's a hot dog….. that's fried" when I asked about it, I still ordered it. I told the young man I'd take the Fried Hot Dog, with three toppings ( the way he'd eat it). And what I got was this……

It really was a hot dog (all beef) that had been deep fried…… in this case topped with mayo-mustard-relish, in a sesame seed roll. Yes, just a hot dog…..really.

Though the other dish I ordered was quite good, the Pakawra ($2.95):

These well spiced potato fritters were the hottest item I tried here….. they are also quite addictive if a bit on the heavy side. I enjoyed these, as the layers of flavors along with the spice kept me interested.. This time, our meal arrived pretty quickly……

A couple of days later, the Missus wanted the brown rice and cauliflower from Aria. I dropped by to see if they still had some on the steam table. Unfortunately, they weren't serving that on this day. But the gentleman working here, by the name of Mike, had a solution for me. By this time he recognized me, and told me "if you can come back in 45 minutes, we'll make it fresh for your wife." How's that for service? So I went and did some shopping, returned after 45 minutes, and the Missus got Her food.

And loved it……

You know, Mike could have just said "we don't have that today" and be done with it, but he went the extra mile for us. That along with the food, both priced right and delicious will keep us coming back.

Aria Kabob Cafe
8010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Lunches at Ichiro

November 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

**** Ichiro's has closed

When I first started coming to San Diego over a dozen years ago for work, one of the first places recommended to me was Ichiro. I grew up eating in little mom and pop places like Ichiro. Speaking of "mom", my Mother's favorite restaurant was one of these places, called Wisteria Restaurant, which sadly at the end of 2004. It seems that these places I refer to as Japanese-American Diners are slowly disappearing. Recently, I was in the same strip mall as the restaurant, looked over at Ichiro, and felt a bit guilty. It had been a good number of years since I visited.

In some ways, perhaps the years haven't been very good to Ichiro…. and the sign near the front door speaks volumes.

About five years ago, I noticed changes at Ichiro, starting with the addition of "kozara" (small dishes) of standard Japanese bar food fare.

Still with places like Izakaya Sakura, Okan, and even Tajima to a certain extent; Ichiro is sometimes forgotten.

Being in the area a bit more often, I decided to have a few lunches at Ichiro, just to see what was going on. Things look about the same with regards to the dining area, and the service is the same….. friendly.

All lunches start with a small dish of Tsukemono…..

And come with miso soup (watery), and a pretty routine green salad.

A couple of months back, I was told to try the "Ponzu Chicken", which is what I had on my first visit.

Actually, this was fairly disappointing. The chicken was a basic salt rubbed, grilled chicken; like something I'd make at home. It was also on the dry side. The ponzu tasted bottled, and was not of good quality. In the end, it was just sustenance.

And yet, the two women working here were so very nice, I just didn't want to leave it at that. So a week later I returned and had something I'd eaten a few years back, and thought was pretty good. The menchi katsu, this time as Menchi Katsu Curry ($7.25).

Man, that was a load of curry……. not too bad, mild spice, but nothing but onions in them. The breaded meat patty was pretty good, a bit leaner, with less filler than I remembered. It didn't have the rich flavor of the version at Izakaya Sakura, and for some reason I like my mechi katsu to have more filler.

Still, this was nicely prepared, crunchy and moist.

During one of the recent 90 degree plus days, I wanted some Zaru Soba. Instead of heading to Izakaya Sakura, I decided to return to Ichiro for lunch one more time. This time I had the Zaru Soba Tororo ($8.50).

On the good side, Ichiro includes a quail egg for the tsuyu, on the bad, the tsuyu had a super salty artificial taste to it. The soba was also undercooked and was very hard.

I didn't expect soba like I-Naba , but this was like something I'd throw together at home.

After five plus years since my last visit to Ichiro, I found that the service here is still very nice and friendly. I see that Ichiro is taking steps to try and upgrade the menu. Also, Yasu, an old time Itamae favorite of mine is working there, though only on Fridays these days. On my visits I noticed that most of the customers were either older "Gaijin", and once two elderly Japanese women who were friends with the owner. I'm still up in the air as to whether I'll check out Ichiro during the evening, or for Happy Hour…… sadly, the food just seems s bit tired and dated(and I like old-style Japanese food) to me. Perhaps you'll find it more to your liking than I did.

Ichiro Japanese Restaurant
4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill- Brunch

November 8, 2010 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Buffets, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Today Cathy is "blogging" on mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is "working". ed(From Yuma) is "recovering".

Hi. I've posted on Pacific Beach Bar and Grill a few times. They have really good food, lots of beers on tap, televisions everywhere…

and technically, the front area is an outdoor patio, covered with a sturdy tarp.

It's been a while since we had Brunch here. It's a buffet. $7.95 on Saturday from 9 until noon and a bit more on Sunday, but then there are more items to choose from. Coffee is $1.95 and a very good French Roast. I don't take photos of people and today it was kind of busy, so only have photos of our plates.
From 12:00: Eggs Benedict, thick cut maple bacon, skin-on breakfast sausage (just the right amount of spice; really good), biscuit with gravy (the gravy needed pepper added), a potato cake (not greasy), a banana nut muffin (still warm and with vanilla in the batter), a 'spicy' burrito (it was chorizo and egg filled and very good).
The Mister had a cheese/tomato/spinach/mushroom omelet made to order and also picked up a still warm, buttery, crispy chocolate chip cookie.
(Counterclockwise from 9:00) I picked up some " scrambled eggs Florentine" which had bacon, onions and spinach in it, some "home fries" made with onion and lots of cheese and a "Jose Benedict"-slice of avocado, Hollandaise sauce, good, runny poached egg and carne asada on a biscuit.
See? Poached egg and carne asada. I could eat three of these as my breakfast. Easily.
Later (we were watching a *very long* football game), I went back and got some of the omelet add- ins and made myself a salad of spinach, tomatoes, chopped bacon and mushrooms. I also got more of the eggs Florentine and a good selection of tasty fresh fruit.
The Mister ordered a Bloody Mary ($3.50). I could taste every flavor in this- the tomato juice, the vodka, the black pepper, the Tabasco…and the olives were marinated in something. Like vodka. It was good, but very strong. I only had a few sips.
Then The Mister went back and had a waffle made to order. That strawberry topping is the frozen, sugared, memory triggering childhood strawberries-in-Winter stuff I grew up with. At least He took some pieces of fresh watermelon…

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill 860 Garnet Avenue San Diego 92109 Website (warning: LOUD! website)

Tea Garden. Fancy-ish beverages and really good snacks!

November 5, 2010 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Tea Garden has closed

Cathy is penning today's issue of mmm-yoso!!! The guys (Kirk and ed(from Yuma)) are merely writing things in their brains.

Hi. The other day, FOY(friend of Yoso), Food Detective, asked me in a comment if I had been to Tea Garden. I haven't, even though I have driven by, parked in front of it, walked past it and knew it was there. It is on Convoy, at Engineer Road, across from China Max and sometimes has parking when no place else on that street of countless amazing restaurants has parking available.

Deceptively small looking from the front, there is seating capacity for 57 inside. Of course, as is the rule for Convoy Street and its environs, parking availability does not correspond.You walk in and can grab a menu and sit on the couch next to the cash register, or just read the wall behind the register (that is just the beverage menu), or order a special straight from the whiteboard. Pay. Get a number. Find a seat. Free wifi, a shelf filled with board games, two televisions and nice surroundings. For our first visit,

We decided to try a green tea float ($4.25). Green tea, strong brewed, over ice with vanilla ice cream floating at the top. Very rich flavored. There must be matcha powder in it.
My standard Beverage of Indecision (coffee-tea-milk, no sweetener added) ($3.75)-no sweet at all. I could taste each of the three ingredients distinctively. Very nice. An appetizer of popcorn chicken ($3.99). Crispy and moist, mild thin breading flavored with fresh basil leaves (on the plate) from the fryer.
An appetizer of salt and pepper squid ($6.99) Soft squid, light breading topped with a relish of garlic, scallions and red pepper. Just enough heat.
House Special fried rice noodle ($7.99). A wonderful smoky flavor infused in the thin noodles and perfectly sauteed shrimp, beef and chicken along with green onion tops, onions, carrots, sprouts and (I think) bamboo. Maybe it was a fungus. Those brown things…they had a woody texture and not much flavor. Lots of flavor in everything else.
The other day (before this crazy heat wave happened), The Mister wanted soup. So we went back and He ordered the BBQ pork ramen ($6.99). This had a not salty, surprisingly rich broth, along with peas, carrots and cabbage as well as a few pieces of sliced BBQ pork (standard, not outstanding) and noodles which had a nice 'tooth',although not as good as the noodles at Yakyudori, my new favorite.
At lunchtime, most main courses come with a free iced black or green tea. You can ask for no sweetener (I think it is a simple syrup) and taste the tea…
I wanted to try the fried tofu ($5.59). When this came, I thought it looked like a thick, hard crust and was almost disappointed.Instead, I was pleasantly surprised at the delicate thinness of the coating and soft, soft fresh tofu inside. The dipping sauce was a very dark soy and sesame oil base and filled with chopped garlic, green onion tops and some red pepper flakes. Extremely complimentary for the tofu, and just the right amount of heat. I think if I had ordered the salt and pepper fried tofu (50¢ more), this dipping sauce would have been overpowering.

All in all, the food here has been great. A pot of hot tea is $5.95. Other items on the menu I am wanting to try include a Hot Clay Pot, fried udon, fried rice, congee, sizzling steak, other soups, brick toast, shaved ice and something called "vinaigrette soup" ($5.95), either shrimp, pork or squid. Oh and juices, smoothies and…yes, more appetizer snacks. You can easily get a meal, the plates and bowls are a very good size.

Thank you Food Detective!!! This is a great place.

Tea Garden 4685 Convoy Street, Suite 110 San Diego 92111 (858)277-8988 Website

Hours: Sun-Th 11:00 a.m.-midnight, until 1 a.m. Fri-Sat

Red Lotus. Good Mandarin and Szechuan food. Santee.

October 27, 2010 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! – that's the name of this blog. It's just food that we have enjoyed. Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy are the main bloggers, although some others occasionally participate. Today, it's Cathy's turn.

Hi. There's a new Mandarin-Szechuan restaurant in the same location as a now closed Mandarin-Szechuan restaurant in Santee. I enjoyed Flaming Wok for many years, but it closed and Red Lotus took over.
Red Lotus is an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) because as soon as you sit down,
A bowl of fresh fried crunchy bits and plate of 'dipping sauce' are brought out to your table. But those are fresh fried crunchy bits and the sauce is somehow not too sweet and has some vinegar-y tartness and is quite pleasant.
The egg drop soup ($5.75), not salty, very deep flavored chicken stock and swirled with egg and not cornstarch thickener, is excellent.
A nice view from our table…while we were waiting.
Ma Po Tofu ($7.50). Very nice heat, very good pork and a good, fresh, firm tofu.
No. Not just a chicken dish.

Chicken egg foo young ($7.50). Crispy, moist, flavorful with crispy bean sprouts, onions topped with a great, not salty, un-gloppy gravy.
Of course, there are lunch combo specials, daily from 11:00-3:00.
These come with a cup of soup and the requisite fried crispies and nuclear red colored sweet thick yet somehow tasting made from scratch dipping sauce.
The spicy honey shrimp lunch special ($5.95) includes rice, egg roll, cheese wonton and this -light, crispy, fluffy batter- deep fried juicy large shrimp, glazed with a sweet-hot sauce. Really- see the shrimp to batter ratio? It's good.
The hot spicy chicken ($4.95-all shrimp dishes are $1 more) wasn't too spicy, the sauce is smooth and has plentiful white meat stir fried with a thin crisp crust which lets the chicken stay juicy yet have a pleasant light crunch of a crust. This was with fried rice.

All in all, this is a very good selection for Santee. There are many ABCDE dishes (shrimp with lobster sauce, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Double Happiness) which are all done very well. Fresh ingredients and quality cooking. I suppose it is more stereotypic Americanized Chinese, but it's really well done good food. A very short drive or long-ish walk with going uphill to get home for me.

A Plus!!! You get Fortune Cookies here, too. Really easy Chinese Word Fortune Cookies.

The Red Lotus Mandarin & Szechuan Cuisine 9888 Magnolia Avenue (At Mast, in the Albertsons Center) Santee 92071 (619)596-3749 Mon 4:30-9:30, Tues-Sun 11:00-9:30

A Cafe…um “A” Cafe…Hong Kong Style dining

October 26, 2010 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is blogging today. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are busy with other things.

The other day, I got a frantic SMS from Mr. C. who was at work and apparently was hungry and wanted to know if there was Hong Kong style food in San Diego. As if I am my own Google.

Of course, I immediately answered with
this photo. I appeared to be organized. "A" Cafe is on Convoy Street, and part of the parking lot from hell group of restaurants.
This is the sign on the building from the parking lot side.
There is a menu in the window at the door. Yes. It says "Hong Kong Style Specialize".
You are seated quickly and asked about beverages. There are many boba/juice/2 pages of beverages on the menu, but ordered hot tea ($1.75. Each.) It is small inside (8 tables) and there is a patio area. The tea apparently is brewed and put into a cup and them more water is added to the container using the same bag. It brews a nice second cup.
We ordered two dishes to share and a good size cup of a nice, not salty egg drop soup was brought out for each of us.
Chicken fried rice ($6.99). Not bad. Not great. Chicken fried rice.
Mixed seafood chow fun (rice noodle)(no gravy) ($8.99). Lots of seafood. Not bad. Not great. I liked the noodles and onions most. The shrimp was large and flavorful, pieces of fish good, squid was tender.

Turns out that Mr. C also had not found what he was craving, some sort of noodle dish…which he says can be found at Garden Cafe in Rowland Heights, off the 60 freeway at Colima and Fullerton. Road Trip!

We were still hungry, so walked through the parking lot, to Tapioca Express.

Mr. C. had not been here before, but he was the person who introduced me to boba drinks. He was fascinated with the 'snack food' aspect of this place. We decided on just a dessert, which took less time than choosing beverages…
We each got a coffee tea milk: mine hot, his cold with boba. We shared the fried baked donut dessert, which comes with dipping sauces of whipped cream and-yes, diluted frosting. (total was ~$11)

Not a bad lunch. But not great.

A Cafe 4646 Convoy San Diego 92111 (858)874-6989 Open 7 a.m.-midnight Sun-Th (until 1 a.m. Fri- Sat)

Tapioca Express 4646 Convoy San Diego 92111 (858) 636-7889 Open 11 a.m.-midnight Sun-Th (until 1 a.m. Fri-Sat) Website