Closed – Page 78

Sab-E-Lee – Beef Salad or the Nahm Tok Nuea?

September 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed

That has been the question that has been driving the Missus crazy recently when ordering from Sab-E-Lee. Do I get the Beef Salad? Or do I get the Nahm Tok – Beef? Which is resolved with a simple question, "which do you prefer?" Which inevitably drives the Missus into a bout of crazed indecision….it's almost like asking if she'd prefer Sammy to Frankie, or visa versa. And from my emails, She's not the only one that's a bit confused. Yes, there is a "Beef Salad" on the menu (Yum Nuea), it's located under salads, #22. And there is Nahm Tok Nuea (basically "water-fall beef"), under "Specialties". In two of the emails I received, said individual(s) ordered the Beef Salad, and expected the Nahm Tok(I knew right away when I read, "there was no rice powder in my salad"). Not that they didn't enjoy the Beef Salad, but they had expected the Nahm Tok. This point was driven home recently, when the Missus and I had dinner at Sab-E-Lee. We met 2 really nice young men; Justin and Mark, and in the confines of the tiny restaurant, we chatted. In the course of the discussion, we were asked what the difference between the 2 salads were.

So here we go; just a short post tonight. But I'll try to describe the differences between Sab-E-Lee's version of the two dishes.

The Beef Salad($6.95):

Don't let the rather innocuous dish fool you. This is plenty spicy. The Yum Nuea utilizes heat from a good amount of fresh Thai Chilies, which is a very upfront and to the point heat. The fish sauce flavor is not as strong, and the simplicity of the salad allows for the citrus tones to come through. What I really enjoy about the salad are the slices of garlic, which seem to be slightly pickled (I could be wrong), which taste almost sweet. In this case the carrots have been mixed into the salad, along with sliced red onion and scallions. The salad is topped with a generous amount of cilantro.

The Nahm Tok Nuea($6.95):

This dish has the benefit of mint leaves and roasted rice powder, which adds a mild nuttiness to the dish. In addition, chili paste is used instead of the chopped chilies, which, at least for me, creates a slower "burn", that can sneak up on you. I find this dish to be a bit more pungent than the Beef Salad, and prefer it over the Beef Salad(don't tell that to the Missus though). I think of it as a more hearty dish, and love to eat this with sticky rice. Shredded carrot and purple cabbage, as well as the standard wedge of cabbage is also provided.

So there you go…..2 dishes that seem to be one in the same, but are quite different. So which does the Missus prefer? Well, recently, it's been dish #3…….this:

It took me a while to get Her to try it….but when She did….well, I'm kinda sorry I did. Now the Missus and I fight it out. What is it? I'll cover that in a future post!

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

My previous posts on Sab-E-Lee can be found here and here.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!

Lightning Jack’s BBQ – Clairemont

August 30, 2008 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

**** Lightning Jack's has closed

I'm sure you've felt this way…..totally pooped, half-way wiped out, hungry, and looking for something close to home. Which is why I ended up at Lightning Jack's, in the "food court" area of Clairemont Town Square.

I'm not quite sure why I decided to pick up dinner here…in the words of Captain Jack when I told him I bought BBQ from Lightning Jack's; "what the hell were you thinking?" Yeah, what was I thinking? I walked into the tiny restaurant, looked around, and almost decided to turn around…..but something kept me there.

And the gentleman running the place was very friendly…so I made a decision to just go for it. Looking over the menu, I noticed that the ribs were "St Louis Style", which made me understand that the type of ribs used were Spareribs. But I wondered if the sauce was St Louis style, a basic spicy-sweet tomato based sauce….sort of like what Phil's uses(more of that in a future post). A friend once gave me a bottle of Maull's which is supposed to represent that style of sauce. So I asked the Gentleman behind the counter what style of BBQ Lightning Jack's serves. His response? "Ummm…uhhh(blank look), we use a lot of liquid smoke!" Not very promising, but I ordered a half-rack($10.49), which came with a roll, and a side. I chose Baked Beans, which the Missus loves.

The ribs were dry and tough, and the only smoke I could detect was from the super liquid smoked sauce(the Guy wasn't kidding).

My eyesight is getting pretty bad, but I couldn't detect a "smoke ring". Which kinda goes against what the menu says:

I think I need to see the "pit smoker" if I ever eat there again.

The Missus enjoyed the beans, which I thought was very bland. I also ordered some Steak Cut Fries ($1.80), which was a very generous portion of thick cut fries which was probably the best thing about the meal.

I also ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($5.99), which came with 1 side. I asked the Guy if I could just get some Hushpuppies with it, and being the amicable Gentleman, he said, "no problem".

Before the big sandwich reveal, let's read what the menu says:

For me that says a Hickory Smoked Pork Butt……. I haven't had North Carolina BBQ in North Carolina, but have had said style at Mike and Ed's and Country's in Columbus, Georgia, and Dusty's in Decatur, Georgia (near Emory University – Brunswick Stew….). And I can honestly tell you, this wasn't it. The pork was on the tough side, and you really could only taste the sauce……same sauce as the ribs. And no "pile of coleslaw"……

The Missus thought the Hushpuppies were okay. Since the Gentleman was nice enough to give us this instead of some other side, I'll give it a pass. I will say that I'm glad I still have my teeth after eating them.

In retrospect, perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh. But I try to be consistent….if you say you make Sichuan food, I'll expect Sichuan Peppercorns or at least something that is representative of the basic 23 flavors of Sichuan cuisine. Likewise, if you say something is North Carolina style BBQ….. If I didn't know better, perhaps my opinion would be very different.

I really don't even qualify as a novice when it comes to BBQ, and I've only eaten in 1 of those hallowed BBQ havens. I had lunch at Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City in 1997. I did have decent BBQ at a couple of places in Fort Smith, Arkansas (the only one whose name I can remember is Jerry Neel's), a couple places in Atlanta (i.e Dusty's and Fat Matt's Rib Shack), Columbus, Georgia, and one really good shack in Fayetteville, Arkansas. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. Still, I think I've come far from the kid who only had Tony Roma's while growing up in Hawaii.

As for Lightning Jack's, the service was nice and friendly, and the prices are relatively reasonable.

Lightning Jack's BBQ
4705 Clairemont Drive (In the Clairemont Town Center)
San Diego, CA 92117

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ

August 26, 2008 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** Junz has closed

This one is for TanyaS who is always nice enough to let me know when She sees something "new".

It looks like North Park now has a plate lunch shop. Junz Teriyaki & BBQ opened in the beginning of July, and all it took was the mention of the word "Loco Moco" courtesy of an email from Tanya to get me in the front door of Junz.

If I recall, this was a Gyros & Fried Chicken Shop. But man, it's sure been "prettied up"(is there such a phrase?).

And, if you really need it, you can still get a Gyros or Falafel Sandwich…with a side order of Spam Musubi.

So what did I get? Well, being the consistent (a nice way of saying predictable) guy I am, I got the Loco Moco ($5.95). On the menu it's the "Loco Moco Hawaiian" which I think is kinda, well insulting…perhaps it should be the Hawaiian Style Loco Moco? This was the first of many signs that perhaps this was just another attempt at cashing in on "Hawaiian BBQ". The next indicator was when the Loco Moco arrived:

What the heck? I had not read the part that said, "Gravy Teriyaki Sauce"…..actually it was just teriyaki sauce. I did enjoy the egg, which was a very Bi-Bim-Bap-ish perfect, and for the price expected the preformed hamburger patty, which was unexpectedly cut into 4 pieces. But the rest of this was a train wreck. From the teriyaki sauce to the mixed peas, corn, and carrots mixed into the rice…to the soggy iceberg lettuce, to the mushy rice, this wasn't very good.

At least the Teriyaki Sauce wasn't overly sweet. This was just a bit strange. Just one more thing, on the menu it says "Hamburger Patties" and "Eggs". Last time I checked, those are plurals, as in "more than one".

Not that I need to do any additional damage to my cholesterol level……but perhaps this should be fixed in future editions of the menu? I'm still trying to figure out which "Island" this "Style" of Loco Moco is from. And here I thought that the Loco Moco that Kat posted about was a bit odd!

Still, that egg was mighty good, and in some very strange way I really wanted to like this place. I liked the decor, and the ladies are very nice. So I decided to give it another go. This time, because of the that egg, I thought perhaps there was some Korean roots to the food, and thought that perhaps the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki($6.95) would be a good item to try. I mean, a nice Dak Bulgogi style chicken with Kochujang for a tad of heat.

It was not to be, it was just "spiked" teriyaki sauce, on top of fast-foodish, food courtish, chicken. The 1 scoop of rice, was cooked perfectly this time, and the macaroni salad was a bit too runny, but tasted fine.

There was very little to separate this stuff from what you'd get at generic shopping mall food court…you know, the "same chicken, different sauce" syndrome. Perhaps I should have had a Spam Onigiri (Falafel Sandwich?).

It's kind of a bummer. Like I said, the ladies working here are really nice, and the place is sparkling clean and bright. As I looked at the take-out menu, I noticed that this place is run by the folks who own North Park Sushi & Grill across the street, and Hanaoka Japanese Restaurant, which I understand has been in National City forever. The menu has items like Saimin, Gyoza, Hummus(!), and Teriyaki in several forms. Maybe someone can tell me what I need to order from Junz!

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ
3010 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am – 9pm

Thanks for letting me know when you see something you think I'd be interested in Tanya!

Sab-E-Lee Part 2

August 14, 2008 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed

After our first few visits to Sab-E-Lee, we knew we had a "keeper". Even if we didn't find any other dishes we enjoyed than the few had tried, we'd still be coming back for more. As I got to know Koby a bit, I learned a bit more about him, and his crew. They had worked in the kitchen of a little restaurant in Thai Town(LA), and when the place was being sold, and the previous owner retired, they decided to move on.

On to the food……

Thai Beef Jerky ($6.95):

The Beef was more tender than what I've had before. It was also fairly mild in flavor, though the fish sauce-chili dip added some decent punch. It goes well with sticky rice ($1.75). The sticky rice here is on the uneven side, some of it too dry and hard, and portions of it too mushy. The Jasmine Rice that is served has always been fragrant and cooked perfectly…though there's something to be said about grabbing a clump of rice, and using it to wrap around your food, than plopping it into your mouth.

Catfish Larb ($6.95):

The chopped catfish is so crunchy that I thought it was fried (the menu says grilled). Combined with the roasted rice powder, this dish was very nice texturally. The lime juice, mint, lemongrass, and other herbs made this a bracingly refreshing dish. It had nice spice, that wasn't overwhelming.

Pad Woon Sen with Beef ($6.25):

This was a disappointing dish. Very bland, and the "glass noodles" were a bit over-cooked and mushy.

Issan Sausage (Thai Sausage – Northeastern style. $6.95):

Though not made inhouse, this was good. This style of sausage, studded with rice, and a bit of pork skin, with a nice sour finish, is one of favorites. I've had this 3 times, and it has always been prepared perfectly.

Nahm Tok (Nahm Dtok – $6.95):

Why not Yum Nuea? This type of beef salad is a Northern Thai style beef salad, prepared much like larb, featuring a generous amount of rice powder and chili. I enjoyed that we weren't asked how spicy we wanted our food; it was prepared in the manner the cook thought was best. In this case the spice level approached incendiary! Still, I couldn't stop eating it. The name Nahm Tok means something along the lines of "water falling", referring to the meat juices that form and fall from the side of the meat away from the heat when it is being cooked. There is also a "Beef Salad" on the menu. i was told that it didn't use rice powder, and was prepared a bit differently.

Bamboo Shoot Salad (Sup Nor Mai – $5.95):

This is another Issan specialty, where the meaty texture of Bamboo Shoots is substituted for meat. In many ways similar to the Nahm Tok, except that the earthy flavor of the bamboo shoots added a nice depth to the dish. It was not quite as spicy as the Nahm Tok, which allowed for the lime flavors to come through…this is something I'll have quite often.

Of course, we just had to try the Pad Thai (with chicken – $5.95):

After the Pad Woon Sen, I had some concerns, but this turned out to be pretty good. Very tangy, the Missus loved the noodles. I thought the chicken a bit dry, but this was much better than Pad Thai twice the price. I think the Missus will order this again.

So just today, I walk into Sab-E-Lee to place a take-out order, and Koby tells me; "Kirk, I have what you want, I have it today!" What was he referring to? It was this:

It's Koi Soi (Spicy Raw Beef on the menu – $6.95). When I first inquired about the dish, Koby said he couldn't make it because he wasn't able to source the appropriate grade of meat. And having had a very good version of Koi Soi (at Lotus of Siam), which was good. And one bad version, at a restaurant in LA, that I've blocked out of my consciousness…it was that bad…take my word for it! So I wasn't about to insist on getting some Koi Soi before its time. So this evening I lucked out….Koi Soi. Now, the beef has been "cooked" a bit with the lime juice, and the quality of meat, spices, and herbs have cut out any metallic or "raw" beef flavor. In fact, if I served this to you, you probably won't even know it's raw beef. The texture is a bit firm, in fact it reminded me somewhat of Maguro(Bluefin Tuna). It was pretty spicy, but just as the Nahm Tok, I just couldn't stop eating. I'll be having this again soon, and hopefully Koby will have the Pork Tongue Jerky, I guess good pork tongue is hard to find.

The dishes at San-E-Lee tend to be more savory and spicy than the usual overly-sweet stuff that is served in San Diego. Mainly due to the Northeast Thai roots of the Owner and cooks. Even if you enjoy the standards, I think this place is worth trying, in fact I think it belongs on our rotation. The restaurant is small, and you never know who you'll run in to. I ran into Captain Jack this past evening. How was the Koi Soi CJ? San-E-Lee is a small restaurant, and sometimes there may be a wait…but you can't beat the prices, everything is under 7 bucks. Like I said before, it's not LOS or Renu Nakorn, but it's my favorite here in San Diego. You may even run into me getting my Thai food fix.

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Part one can be found here.

Thanks again for the rec SomTommy! I owe you one.

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant Part 1

August 11, 2008 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed

It has been a pretty busy couple of weeks for me. It's during these times that I'm so thankful for having great FOYs (Friends of Yoso) like Cathy and Ed, who allow me a break. I'm pretty sure that mmm-yoso, would not exist without the help of Ed, Cathy, Mizducky, Vicky, and Omar. They, along with all of you, keep things humming along. It's also pretty easy to get in a rut, I mean really, after a while, mediocrity blurs things……I have a ton of photos of "eh" places, and even more places I need to visit a second time before doing a post. So it's great to be able to post on something the Missus and I really enjoyed. So we'll just have to push those other PIPs (posts in progress) to the back of the line here. I hope you don't mind. Now, it's off to the post:

I'm always amazed at how quickly, and how many, recommendations I get. Several days after I posted on a new restaurant in the former Linda Vista Food to Go, Mo Ngoc So 1, and Thai by Tara location I get an email. From "SomTommy" (you gotta love the name), who, in spite of the rather difficult to understand email, made it very clear that the new restaurant makes really good Thai food. Which meant that the Missus and I had to check it out.

The small sign in the front was in Thai, so I wasn't quite sure what the name of the place was. The interior looked exactly like Thai by Tara, with the same postage stamp sized dining area. But when the menu arrived we were surprised! Over 100 items, and stuff I've never seen on menus here in San Diego. The Gentleman running this tiny place was very nice and friendly. I noticed a few items on the menu I was interested in, so I inquired as to where he was from. "North Thailand", which made me even more excited. Next question, "what kind of food, Issan or Lanna?" This raised a big smile, as he replied "I'm Issan, and my cooks are also Issan!" Which got an even bigger smile from me. So I automatically went for a few items from the menu…unfortunately, they were out of the Issan Sour sausage and Koi Soi(raw beef salad). But we were told that the Pad See Ew and Som Tom(Papaya Salad) was really good.

So we started with the Pad See Ew with Beef($5.75):

When the plate arrived, I knew that whomever cooked this really knew what they were doing. The balance of soy to sweet was perfect for my taste. The dish was neither oily, nor where the noodles mushy. And what shocked me most of all, was the "wok hey"! The noodles had the wonderful smoky umami of a well seasoned wok…..

The beef was decent, and though the Missus liked the GaiLan, I thought it a bit undercooked. Still, the best Pad See Ew I've had in San Diego…..

When we ordered the Papaya Salad($5.50), the Gentleman asked, "Thai or Lao?" Then, he looked at me, and asked, "maybe Issan style?" Was that even a question?

A nice and simple Papaya Salad, just the way we like it. There was a pungency that approached, but did not reach the very strong and potent Lao style salad. There were bits of salted crab for flavoring…tiny pieces, I just crunched away. This was more of a savory dish…good with sticky rice. There were some good long beans and a few tomatoes. It was quite spicy…..funny, it didn't burn my lips, but it fried my tongue. It was not sweet enough for the Missus, as it lacked the palm sugar flavor the Missus enjoys in the Her Thai Papaya Salad…so I kept telling Her; "think Lao……"

Which meant more was in order. The Thai Sausage (Naem) Fried Rice($6.50):

The Missus loved this. A great combination of flavors, and the rice came out cooked exactly how She enjoys.

The Spicy Shrimp and Basil Noodles($5.95). The menu says "Mint", but there was Thai Basil in this dish:

Of all the dishes we had sampled thus far, this was our least favorite. On the good side, there was a good amount of Thai Basil, much more than the 2-3 leaves usually found in these types of dishes. The noodles were again cooked with expertise. We found the overall flavor to be on the bland side…but maybe it was because everything else had so much flavor. The shrimp were a bit overcooked as well.

Funny thing; to this point, I still hadn't bothered to get the name of the restaurant. So I asked, and the nice Gentleman told me laughing, "I forgot to have them put the English name on the sign". He then grabbed a business card and wrote:

So there you have it. No, it's not Lotus of Siam or Renu Nakorn, but the food is well prepared, and not your average American-ized Thai Food. The menu is large, so there is much to try.

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Which begs the question….where's the Koi Soi? Well there's more to come…….

Que Huong Revisited…many times Part 3 – Maybe it is all about the Jackfruit Salad?

August 7, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

After our previous visits to Que Huong, you'd have thought that we'd had our fill. But the Missus thought the menu had some potential, and so in future visits we tried a few different items. So here they are:

Banh Xeo($5.95):

This is something I remembered from our first visits to Que Huong way back in 2005. It was still delivered with a pile of fresh herbs and lettuce. It was still crisp, and not oily in the least. I do think that they've cut down on the amount of shrimp and other "fillings", but it's still my favorite in version in San Diego.

The Catfish Clay Pot($8.95):

It looks large in the photo, but it was more of a "personal sized" version. The strong fish sauce- maggi-lemongrass flavor was great, but the fish was a bit too "muddy" for my tastes. The Missus enjoyed it, and there was one added "bonus" that I liked. The bottom of the pot was lines with pork belly..soaked in the sauce and caramelized…delici-yoso!!! I ordered this during another visit with Ed from Yuma, and the most wonderful Tina (thanks for putting up with us!). I knew this was right up Ed's alley, so maybe we'll find out how he enjoyed it. You'll need some rice for this one.

The Jackfruit Salad ($12.95):

Most of the versions I've had of this dish(Goi Mit) tends to be on the milder side. And this dish would be as well, except that it has a nice amount of Rau Ram, peanuts, and a Nuoc Mam Cham that runs on the sweeter side. If you've never had Jackfruit before, and have some preconceived notions about taste and texture….the jackfruit is very mild, and has an almost "meaty" texture. There a nice amount of pork and chopped shrimp in the dish, and the portion size is pretty large. It comes with sesame-rice crackers. The only real problem, and I've noticed this with some of the dishes here….there always seems to be that "one thing". There are many hard peppercorns in the dish…real hard…chip your teeth hard, so tread carefully.

On one visit, we decided to try the Goat Hot Pot (small – $22.98). I had thought it was a bit on the expensive side, but it was enough for 3 people. The broth is laden with dried Jujubes, and has a very strong lemongrass flavor.

The best item is the taro, which has been fried before being added to the hot pot, giving it a nice texture and flavor.

I really wouldn't order this if you're a meat lover, the chopped goat was an after-thought, tough and flavorless.

A plate of Mi (egg noodles) is provided, along with some vegetables, in this case a plate of Bok Choy. The soup is "never-ending", in that you can request refills of the soup (but not the noodles or veggies…that'll cost you). After a refill, we needed to add some water to the broth, it was getting pretty salty. For the final refill, they provided a bowl from which we could just refill as desired. You can see how much "stuff" is in the broth, just by looking at the bottom of the bowl:

The jury's still out on this one.

It's an interesting crowd at Que Huong, during the earlier hours, it's Vietnamese families(for the hot pot, and other family style dishes), and an occasional Hispanic visitor (they seem to enjoy the fried rice and pan fried noodles). As the evening gets later, the group gets younger, and people start ordering the wings, and other smaller dishes.

One of the Young Men, by the name of Jay is fabulous. He'll come by and answer any questions you may have, and tell you about some of the other menu offerings.

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

BaLe Linda Vista Reopens

July 30, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Bale has closed and is now Farm Sandwiches and Market.

So finally, Ba Le on Linda Vista resurfaces. The sign on the "old location" said the end of May, but when I took that photo it was already June! And when I shopped a Vien Dong Market a few days later, that sign was gone. This past weekend, I noticed that Ba Le had indeed taken the place of the old Dai Tan Supermarket, which had been there for quite a while.

In spite of the looks, there is quite a bit of parking further down the lot, where you're not packed in, and people aren't backing into you(I saw a little Vietnamese Lady driving a BIG SUV, hit another parked, BIG SUV, and she just kept on going…). As I walked in, I wondered what the heck Ba Le was doing with a market….but I guess that's the plan.

Seeing that the sandwich counter is not yet completed, I inquired about Banh Mi, and was told, that even though the counter, and seating area wasn't finished yet they were serving Banh Mi. And the current special is; buy 2 get 1 free. So I placed my order, and seeing the chaotic situation; a line of grocery customers, I took a walk around the market.

Dai Tan never struck me as being the cleanest looking market, but the place has been cleaned up a bit, and the lighting is much better. The produce looked fresh, and there was quite a steady flow of customers.

Which meant I'd probably be waiting a while, so I took a seat. Surprisingly, a few minutes later one of the Gentlemen comes walking out of the back of the market with 3 Banh Mi. Which I paid for, than proceeded to hightail it out of the parking lot, before a little lady in a BIG SUV had a chance to hit my car.

So, what did I get? Well let's start with the Dac Biet (special – $3.50):

In my visits after my post on the old BaLe location, I found the sandwiches to be inconsistent. There was a tendency to over-margarine, than over toast the baguette, making the bread crouton-hard…the stuff that rips up the roof of your mouth. This would obviously distract from the decent crust-to-bread ratio. Today, the baguette was okay, slightly crusty, but nothing special. The meats were piled to each side of the baguette…the ham on one side, the Cha Lua on the other…kind of strange. All of the meats, and the pate were very mild in flavor, if not down-right bland. The jalapenos were quite mild on this day. All in all, nothing special….

The Xiu Mai(meatball sandwich – $3.00):

The crumbled Xiu Mai(meatball) had a very mild flavor…sort of like what could be described as a "pork meatloaf". Not bad, even though I enjoy a more assertive flavor. Because of the juicy meatballs, this Banh Mi got soggy pretty quickly, but at least it wasn't dry.

As for the Banh Mi Bi, the Missus didn't feel like eating it, so I took it for lunch, well, breakfast the next day. I won't go into that, "Bi-cause" I wouldn't want to wish that decomposed sandwich on anyone. It just is not a fair assessment of the Banh Mi.

With regards to the Banh Mi, not much has changed at BaLe. If you enjoyed the sandwiches at the former location, you'll enjoy them here. But at least now you can catch up on some shopping while waiting for your sandwiches. All sandwiches run from $3 to $3.50.

BaLe Supermarket and Sandwiches(In the former Dai Tan Market location)
6959 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA

Que Huong Revisited…many times Part 2 – How about some Cha Ca?

July 24, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

I know you're wondering….why so many "short" posts. Work has been quite hectic, and though I meant to do these as a single long post, I just haven't been able to make the time. So my apologies…

After my Chicken Feet Salad visit, I mentioned that Que Huong had a new menu to the Missus. The menu was wide and varied, and it was obvious that not everything would "work", but at least the 2 dishes I had tried had flavor. The Missus had little use for boneless chicken feet, "what's the use? You take away the most fun part of eating chicken feet…the gnawing and sucking." But when I told Her they had Bun Rieu, She decided that She needed to check it out.

We arrived to an empty restaurant, and had a seat at one of the tables. The Missus noted that the place looks a bit more worn than when we first visited. Of course She got the Bun Rieu($5.95)

I thought the Bun Rieu broth to be very clear and mild, and the ground "seafood" had a pretty strong flavor. The noodles were fine, if a bit on the soft side. The Missus told me, this isn't too bad, in fact, this almost tastes like what we had in Hanoi. The Missus really enjoyed the fresh and sparkling herbs, and there was a generous portion of banana blossom.

Though nowhere as good as the Bun Rieu at Mien Trung, the Missus thought this to be a passable version.

Why did I want to return to Que Huong? One of the reasons was that they had Cha Ca Thang Long($12.95) on the menu. It wasn't cheap, but because I enjoy this dish so much, I wanted to give it a try. Cha Ca Thang Long is a turmeric-flavored fried fish dish, that uses what some consider to be some atypical ingredients when it comes ti Vietnamese Cuisine. That would be turmeric and dill.

Much like the version at Ha Noi Restaurant in Westminster, this was served on a sizzling plate, with dill, onions, and green onions scattered on top. One thing we noticed, was that, the version we had at Cha Ca Thang Long in Hanoi used the dill as a vegetable, and it was used in great quantity, at Ha Noi Restaurant, and here at Que Huong, it is treated like a garnish of sorts. This version used snapper as the fish, which added a bit more chew, and made it less moist, but flavor wise it was pretty close to other versions we've eaten. Another difference was that much less oil was used for this, which for me took away some of the richness and moistness from the dish. There was a huge amount of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, pickled vegetables(nice and tangy), but the amount of Bun (rice vermicelli) was a bit lacking. And what to do with the huge leaves of lettuce? This isn't Banh Xeo! The SOP sesame crackers and peanuts were made available, as was a bowl of Mam Tom(Fermented Shrimp Paste) mixed with sugar and chilies which was so good, the Missus asked for another bowl.

If you've never had it before, this isn't a bad introduction. Not the best, but much less oily than other versions……

By this time, we'd become a bit of an oddity here, and had gotten to know one of the young men who ran the place. He brought us a sample of the Ốc len xào dừa. Snails braised in coconut milk.

He also gave us a quick demo on how to suck the snails out of the shell. I must say, these were fresh and tender. Forget about the rubbery Ốc we usually get with Bun Rieu. The coconut milk based broth had a little bit of a chili kick to it.

As we drove out of the parking lot, the Missus looked at me and said…"man that fermented shrimp paste tastes so good when you're eating it, but the after taste is hell!" She then turned to me and said; "we're coming back in a few days."

Stay tuned for part 3!

Que Huong Revisited…many times Part 1 – Boneless Chicken Feet Salad Anyone?

July 22, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

In case your wondering where we've been the last couple of months, it's been at Que Huong on the corner of Malborough avenue. I'd posted on Que Huong before, way back in August of 2005. Our meals were pretty mixed, and so I kinda left it alone for a while. But recently, thanks to some comments about the food at Que Huong (thanks Y-Y!), and the various dishes offered at Que Huong, I found myself back in front of the restaurant behind Burger King.

The first thing I noticed was a chalkboard menu of specials, I recognized a few of them – Ốc len xào dừa, snails braised in coconut milk, but as a whole, I understood much less than I knew. As I entered the empty restaurant, it looked like it had been in a time warp for the last 3 years.

Except for a few things…..

Have you ever written on a greaseboard with the "wrong" type of pens, and the darn thing wouldn't erase? For some reason, several specials were written on the mirrors lining the walls of the restaurant.

The other dramatic change was the menu. It had been pretty long and diverse before, with stuff like Crocodile.

But now I noticed many more dishes…..and an entire sheet with various noodle soups like Bun Mam, and Rice Porridge(Chao – which has always been popular here). Much of it was probably due to my increased exposure to Vietnamese cuisine over the last few years.

So what to eat? There were 2 dishes that were mentioned to me. The first was mentioned by several persons, and I thought it was just a "natural". Fish Sauce Chicken Wings($9.95):

I'd been warned that these sometimes edged on being "too salty", and that it was a "weird" combination. But I found these to be pretty good, perhaps a tad too salty, with a mild sweet flavor. And these were nice and crisp. The nice young man running the place on this day told me to eat these hot since they don't stay crisped for very long, and he was right. I didn't finish them, and by the time I got home they were starting to get a bit chewy. I'd have them again, though I think they are a bit on the pricey side. When he packed them for me, he told me to make sure the lid stayed "open". There are several types of chicken wings on the menu, including Chickens Wings in Tamarind, which I was told is a sweet-sour wing. The small order is $9.95, the large order $12.95.

The other dish, mentioned to me by FOY "Y-Y" was Gỏi Chân gà rút xương – Boneless chicken feet salad($9.95)! How could I resist?

The photo is kind of deceptive, this was a pretty large salad. First off, the Chicken feet are boned, (how'd you like that job? ) so you really can't tell it's chicken feet. In fact, if you wanted to "punk" someone, you could tell them this was…say tripe…but well, most people I know who wouldn't eat chicken feet, wouldn't eat tripe either, and visa versa. The chicken feet had no taste, and seemed to just be here to add some crunch to the dish. The overall flavor of the salad was nice, sour-salty-mildly spicy. The Nuoc mam based "dressing" had a ton of ginger in it, and every bite had its own flavor and texture. Every so often you'd run into some Rau Ram, and the powerful peppery-spicy flavor would hit you. There was quite a bit going on here, and though it wasn't a "homerun", it kept me interested. At least interested enough to want to return. The only thing is….

How would I convince the Missus? Stay tuned…………

Siem Reap: Khmer Noodles

July 21, 2008 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

Even though the previous day had been pretty full, from sunrise until our afternoon trip to Lake Tonle Sap, we were ready to go the next morning. I was especially rarin’ to go, since Narin had told me we’d stop at his favorite noodle stand on the way to our first stop Kbal Spean, which was a bit out of Siem Reap.

We stopped at a crossroads village outside of Siem Reap. The place was colorful and bustling, dusty and yet somehow alluring. And tons of tourists and visitors in sight….except these were mostly from Phnom Penh. There were several mini-buses parked alongside the road, along with SUVs, and motorbikes.

This place was doing some major business.

Narin ever so concerned with our welfare, first stepped out and checked the well water….

This is the noodle dish that arrived:

A very nice and mild coconut milk based fish noodle soup. The noodles provided were rice noodles, which looked just like the "Bun" we had in Vietnam.

Along with the noodle soup several garnishes arrived. At the bottom of this bowl are some of the most amazing long beans we’ve ever tasted. So very sweet.

A bowl covered with a plate arrived at our table. On top lime and chilies.

Underneath was a brown fragrant sauce, that at first glance I mistook for some tamarind based sauce. Until I tasted it, a strong and complex sweet flavor, with pungent, savory undertones. I was told it is called Tik Pha Em, and is a basic sweet fish sauce.

I also had Narin write down the name of the noodle dish, he called it Num Banh Chok. The only real reference I could find to it was a recipe found here. Apparently, what makes this dish unique to Siem Reap is they way it is served, with the sweet sauce, and with all of the herbs, many of which I hadn’t tasted before. No it’s not table decoration, it belongs in your Rice Noodle Soup!

It was a staggering variety of herbs, some tasting peppery like cilantro, some had a celery like saltiness to it. The most amazing were the green leaves, which tasted almost like curry leaf:

I asked Narin to write the name of it down for me. Poor guy, he must think I’m a nut! He spelled it Kantrop. I found several citations of it, in English it’s called Wampee, or Chinese clausena. It is the leaf of a certain type of citrus fruit tree. In Vietnam it’s called Hồng bì, I had never had anything like it before. We even saw the trees growing on the trail up Kbal Spean.

All of the herbs like the Lily Stems added an amazing flavor to the dish, making it unforgettable.

We were also told that dish was famous in Khmer legend. After searching a bit, I found a post, here. The story of Thun N’chey and the Chinese Emperor. Who’d have thunk, revolutionary noodles, in a little village outside of Siem Reap.

Narin insisted on paying for the meal, telling us that, if we paid, they would overcharge, and would not take reimbursement. I was determined to make up for this later.

Meanwhile, the Missus had wandered away……I just knew She was up to no good!