mmm-yoso!!!

Ramen Revisits - Chopstix, Tajima, Gunco Ramen, Teri Cafe, and Santouka

The recent weather made me want some ramen. So I decided to revisit a bunch of places I've posted on before. This really isn't a comparison, as my favorite style of ramen is Tonkotsu style, which is made by rapidly boiling pork bones, making the broth a rich, cloudy white. Not all of these shops sell Tonkotsu style ramen, or if they do, I've had that before and it wasn't very good, so I went in a different direction. I've arranged them from my least favorite to my favorite....and I was a bit surprised. So let's get slurping......

Chopstix:

As I've mentioned in my previous post on Chopstix, I've never had two bowls of Ramen at Chopstix that were the same. No Tonkotsu Ramen here, so I went with the deluxe Chashu-men($7.95).

I don't quite know where to start......the broth which tasted like salted soy sauce water, or the Charshu which was extremely dry, crumbly, with a stale, fridge-flavor. The noodles were typical mass produced, standard ramen noodles, but were prepared perfectly.

Geez, this was pretty disappointing, the only thing I finished were the noodles. I dunno, I haven't been here in quite a while, and I'm hoping this was just an off day.

Chopstix
4633 Convoy St Ste 101
San Diego, CA 92111

Tajima:

Before Santouka came to town, Tajima was where we went to for ramen. I hadn't been back in a while, but expected the same dependable Tajima. In my mind, Tajima has always made a decent bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen, and that's what I went with, a Regular Tonkotsu Ramen ($6.95):

I expected the broth to lack the amount of richness that I enjoy, but this was pretty weak in that department. It was also very, very salty. And there was a familiar after-taste that I tried to place. It wasn't until I was making some ramen at home, opening that foil pouch that I recognized the smell, and later the flavor.....could it be that they are augmenting the Tonkotsu broth with some kind of base? I hope my sense of smell and tastebuds are wrong.......

The Chashu was also very tough and chewy. My favorite item was the boiled egg......

Say it isn't so........

Tajima Japanese Restaurant
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Teri Cafe:

I've never really had great luck with Teri Cafe. Even after my rather unsatisfactory visits to Teri Cafe, I returned due to several comments and emails, some of them rather nasty, but all of them informing me of the error of my ways....... I did return, and it only confirmed that I enjoyed the noodles, but the dishes were overly sweet, too salty, and to me, seemingly put together in a rather cavalier way. But I decided that I needed to visit them again....it had been two years after all, but I decided to skip the Tonkotsu Ramen, and tried the simple Shoyu Ramen($5.95):

This was not bad, nice shoyu flavor, maybe a bit on the mild side....but no artificial taste. It was decent, though the Chashu was soft, but tasteless. Funny thing was, the item I've always enjoyed most, the noodles were a bit over-cooked in my opinion on this visit.

Still, I was pleasantly surprised, and may revisit Teri Cafe again soon. Hopefully the next time those noodles would be on point.

Teri Cafe
7305 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Gunco Ramen:

I thought it wouldn't be fair to do a post on ramen in San Diego without including the much over-looked Gunco Ramen. Located in Chula Vista, it might be a bit out of the way of you live in North County or close to downtown, and I wasn't really impressed on my previous visits. Still, I'd make sure to visit Hogetsu Bakery, which would make the trip worthwhile...heck if I didn't enjoy the food, I could still hit Internacional 2000 for some Al Pastor to ease the pain.

Here I went with the Shio (salt) Ramen:

The noodles were decent and well prepared. The Charshu had good flavor, but was a bit on the tough side. The broth was perhaps a bit too light, but wasn't overly salty, and I enjoyed it, except for one thing....... there was a fairly strong, and cloying ginger flavor that clung to my tongue......

Still, based on these visits, pretty much even with Teri Cafe.....

Gunco Ramen
305 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Santouka:

I sometimes wonder if I'm just very biased.......but here in San Diego, Santouka does the trick for me...or perhaps I should say us, as the Missus, never a big ramen fan, based on what She says is bang for the buck, really will only have ramen from Santouka in San Diego. Yes, it is pretty expensive, if you're looking at only portion size....... but it is more than that. I'll let the photos do the talking:

 
The Missus and I discussed why She enjoys the broth at Santouka so much, and She came up with this. When She was child, and got sick, Her parents would make a deep boiled pork bone soup as a remedy, which I believe is much like Korean Gamjatang. Santouka's rich broth reminds Her of that, and when She is feeling a bit under the weather, She now wants some rich Tonkotsu broth. Coming from a background where dough is king, She also enjoys the noodles at Santouka.

The Missus prefers the Miso Ramen, which I find too salty. I prefer the Shio Ramen. When the Missus is feeling a bit under the weather, we'll often go to Santouka, and share a bowl of ramen, the result of which is usually this:

 
Though recently the Missus has "discovered" the Tokusen Toroniku version which comes with everything on the side, along with a more fatty version of the Charshu.

At over ten bucks a bowl, this ain't cheap...but I've never had the Missus leave Santouka hungry.......

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for hanging in there and reading!

Chicken Hekka (with one modification)

I'm guessing that not too many folks here on the mainland have heard of Chicken Hekka......

So what is Chicken Hekka? Well, most folks I know, and my Mom called it "Chicken Sukiyaki", though I thought it was a bit different than the Sukiyaki I know. There's also a Chinese influence, the addition of bean thread and ginger, and the use of white pepper for flavoring. So I'm not quite sure........

 I can say that it was a nice post-Thanksgiving meal, and really hit the spot on a very rainy day....the first one in over 160 days here in San Diego.

About fifteen years ago, I modified my recipe after seeing a version in Sam Choy's cookbook, With Sam Choy. I did make a couple of changes, including ratios, and not including cornstarch in the marinade.The one thing I took from that recipe was first creating a marinade for the chicken, in addition to the "warishita". That was the last bunch of changes I made, the last time I made this, maybe thirteen of so years ago.

There's one thing you'll quickly notice when looking at the photos of the Chicken Hekka:

Where the tofu??? To be perfectly frank, I forgot to buy tofu....sigh. Call it Karma for kidding Kayako of Umamimart for running out of rice. Since it was raining pretty hard, I decided to try to improvise. What I did have was some aburaage in the freezer, so I thawed that out, and quickly poured some boiling water over it remove the oil from the exterior. I cut the pieces crosswise into triangles and used that in place of tofu. And to be honest, I loved the fried tofu flavor and the aburaage also soaked up all the wonderful flavor of the sauce, so this might be the permanent change.....I'm thinking even thawed frozen tofu, which would soak up liquid like a sponge would work well too.

I also pour some boiling water over the bamboo shoot to remove the smell, which some find unpleasant. Again this is a pretty simple recipe........

 
 Chicken Hekka

1 - 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into cubes

Chicken Marinade:
1/2 Soy Sauce (I use Aloha Shoyu - old habits die hard)
2 Tb Mirin
2 Tb Dark Brown Sugar
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tb ginger grated
Dash of white pepper
1/3 Cup Canola Oil

Sauce:
3/4 Cup Soy sauce
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Mirin
1/3 Cup Water

2-3 Tb Canola Oil
1-2 packages of Long Rice (bean thread)
1 15 oz can of Bamboo Shoots sliced
8 oz Shiitake Mushrooms sliced
1 medium onion sliced
1 cup julienned carrot
2 stalks celery sliced
1-2 bunches watercress cut into 1" lengths
5-6 stalks green onion, green part only sliced in 1" lengths
1 2" piece of ginger crushed
1 Block of Tofu cubed or 4oz Aburaage cut into triangles

- Combine marinade items and marinate chicken for 30 minutes
- Combine sauce ingredients
- After marinating for 30 minutes or so. Heat a pot or wok over medium heat.
- Add 2-3 Tb of Canola Oil. Drain chicken and saute with crushed ginger until chicken starts to brown.
- Add the remaining marnade and bring to a boil
- Add onion, carrots, bamboo shoots, and celery and saute for a minute.
- Add the sauce, shiitake mushroom, aburaage(if using) and bean thread, mix, and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Add watercress and tofu (if using), mix gently, bring back to a simmer, and turn off heat.
- Add green onions before removing from heat.

And yes, you'll need rice for this dish....

A Chicken Hekka Story:

Yes, just like my Portuguese Bean Soup, I've got a Chicken Hekka story. The first time I recall having Chicken Hekka was in a garage in Lahaina, Maui. My Mom was from Maui, and we had to return for a funeral. Being just a "Keiki" (this was over 35 years ago), I was quite overwhelmed by all the folks...."uncles" and "aunties" that I had never met, and have never seen since.  There was a gathering, and in the garage there was a large cast iron pan of "Chicken Hekka" being made.  This was "Uncle's" special Chicken Hekka, and he held court, a bottle of Primo in hand. I distinctly remember being mesmerized by the bubbling pan of Hekka. "Uncle" noticed and squatted down.....I instantly caught the scent of pomade, Old Spice, and Primo..... In a whisper, "Uncle" asked me, "you wanna know da' secret of da' hekka?" It was not a question to be answered..... "Uncle" pointed to his bottle of Primo, "it's dis'.......da' secret." Fascinated, I watched "Uncle" making his Hekka and never noticed Primo being added. But the thing that I was most amazed by was that no matter how much Primo he drank, that bottle always seemed full. Hmmmm, the mystery of the unending bottle of Primo.......

Thanks for reading......no worries, a post of San Diego restaurants is coming up tomorrow!

Happy Thanksgiving

We're keeping a pretty low profile this Thanksgiving, just hanging out and relaxing.

The Missus and I did run into Dennis of A Radiused Corner at Izakaya Sakura. Dennis and I have a long standing joke about running into each other at Sakura, and it finally happened....on Thanksgiving of all days.

The Missus had Her standard; Unadon, while I had Menchi Katsu, usually described at "deep fried meatloaf", "deep fried hamburger" or or something like that.

 

Nice and crunchy panko crusted exterior, moist ground beef with just the right amount of filler.........it sure did fill me up!

 
Tonight, perhaps it'll be another place on our rotation. You know which one, right?

And maybe some Gan Bian Niu Rou Si......

Anyway, we'd like to wish you all a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

New to the Rotation: Mariscos El Pescador

Over the last couple of months, I've noticed that much of our rotation is seasonal. There are places like Latin Chef that fit into our Spring/Summer plans than during the Fall or Winter. Other places, like Asia Cafe we really don't visit often enough anymore. So those have been removed from the rotation...maybe just until the next time I update.  

Over the last 3 months, the Missus has often requested a drive down to Chula Vista, and a visit to the Mariscos El Pescador truck. Even though thre are more than a few Mariscos places and trucks closer, heck there's even the new Mariscos German truck about a mile-and-a-half from us. But the Missus enjoys the Caldo de Pescado (fish soup) from MEP the best.

 So we'll make the drive so the Missus can get Her hands on the always scalding hot Caldo de Pescado from MEP.

It's not super consistent. We've found that the soup is best between 10am and 2-3 pm, so we usually drive down on a Saturday or Sunday......though I have found myself racing traffic (and the clock) down the I-5 on a weekday evening to get the Missus Her fix.

She loves the large and abundant chunks of fish, usually plump and tender.

It comes with some hand scalding tortillas wrapped in aluminum foil, and for $5, is well worth the price.

Of course, I enjoy the fish tacos here. And I'm not above ordering something else to sate my hunger.

Tacos de Marlyn anyone?

 
Mariscos El Pescador(In the parking lot of RTA/Toys R Us)
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Our updated "Rotation" Page can be found here. There will be one further update coming up.  

Of course, if we're making the effort to drive down to Chula Vista, we're going to attempt to maximize the effort. Which means that if we're in the area on a Saturday, a stop at Hogetsu Bakery is a must...

As is a stop at La Moreliana, so the Missus can restock on Coricos. We'll usually make one additional stop, and thus far, it's the Al Pastor from Internacional 2000 that has the lead over the Carne Asada at El Poblano. You gotta love greasy goodness.....

So what's on your rotation this winter?????

Karina's Mexican Restaurant- Seafood- The El Cajon location

mmm-yoso!!! is just a blog, writing about food consumed.  Today, Cathy consumed.

Hi.  The Mister and I have been in the Rancho San Diego area of El Cajon lately and have noticed places we hadn't previously. Karina's is one of those places.
We finally stopped in the other day and were pleasantly surprised.
The bar area is pretty large and has two televisions and the regular seating area is nicely decorated.  You can see the type of chairs in the dining area...kind of looks like we are in Mexico.  But with air conditioning.  Most people had a bucket of beer on their tables.  We were here for the food, though.  
I had to order a marlin taco ($3.75).  Unfortunately, this was the disappointing part of the meal.  The marlin was smoked well  but it was stir fried with green peppers and onions in some sort of grease and was very salty. I found a few unadulterated chunks and those were good, but the combination of the stir fried flavors and the cheese on the corn tortilla was overwhelming.  I still finished it though...  
  The Mister chose from the appetizer menu-the melted cheese molcajete with both steak and shrimp ($17.95).  This photo is not as detailed as I would like, and you can't see the molcajete bowl (a mortar-no pestle)  that is heated  and very deep.  Filled with a tender, flavorful carne asada and at least 8 very large, juicy shrimp, the melted cheese laden area also was interspersed with sauteed mushrooms, fresh tomatoes and green peppers (no onions). It was well worth the price paid.  Apparently you are supposed to enjoy the cheese with tortillas or chips.  We did, once we got tired of everything else, but it took us a while.

I decided to at least appear to be healthy and got the mixed seafood salad ($12.50).  Tomatoes, cucumbers, mixed greens, shredded red cabbage and shredded carrots along with fresh cooked octopus, tuna and shrimp (not as large as were in the molacajete, but just as flavorful and plump) topped with a light flavored citrus based creamy dressing. There was plenty of seafood hidden under the already mixed lettuces.

Everything here was very fresh and very good.  We will be dropping by again soon. The lollipops that come with the bill are made in Mexico and are really good...

Karina's Mexican Seafood Cuisine 820 Jamacha Road El Cajon 92019 (619)588-4119

Website

  
  
 
  
 

Village Grill - El Cajon

Over the years Cathy has mentioned that El Cajon, and Main Street El Cajon has become an enclave for Iraqi's in the US. A few months back, I was meeting two of my favorite FOYs, Candice and Howie in El Cajon for lunch. I arrived a bit early and decided to drive down El Cajon Boulevard, which turned into Main Street, and I was astounded by the amount of Middle Eastern Markets, restaurants, and snack shops. Coincidentally, I would receive an email later that evening from FOY KennethB, who also mentioned Main Street. So over the last couple of weeks, the Missus and I have been driving East to El Cajon to kinda just look around and eat a bit.

On one of our drives we noticed a small shop doing some pretty good business, and I added it to my "list". It was called "Village Grill".

 
On this day, we decided just to take a drive down to El Cajon and make our decision when we arrived. Little did we know that today was also the day when the annual Mother Goose Parade was held. We decided to park, and head out on foot, and just stop by somewhere......

I've got to say that walking down Main Street past places called Babylon Market, while passing marching bands, and clowns, and cowboys, and walking into Village Grill, the scent of meat grilling on the vertical spits permeating the air was somewhat surreal. The interior of Village Grill is spartan, with just a few simple tables and chairs. We looked over the one page menu, ordered and sat down at our table watching the parade go by.

One thing about these restaurants..... I don't think you'll ever leave hungry, and you'll soon see why.

First to arrive was the Baba Ghanouj (small - $3.99).

Along with one of my new favorite things in the world, the wonderful flatbread I was told is called "Khubz". The Missus thought the Baba Ghanouj had too much tahini in it. I thought it lacked that wonderful, smokey eggplant flavor. The bread was fine, but served barely warm, and wasn't quite as good as the version at Ali Baba (a post is forthcoming) up the street.

A large plate of "Turshi", various "mezze" also arrived.

I expected the usual pickled turnips, but here it was replaced with a pickled turnip and cabbage flavored with tumeric and other spices, giving it a bracing sour-curry flavor. I really enjoyed it, the Missus did not.

Knowing what I had ordered, the Missus went with one of the "Rice & Stews"; the Okra based "Bamia", this one had beef as the meat.

The stew came with a large plate of rice. We both thought the broth was excellent, rich and tangy, with large chunks of flavorful beef, that looked tough, but was fairly tender. The okra was plentiful, and this would be quite a filling meal. I really loved the whole cloves of tender garlic in the soup, sweet and pungent, it was wonderful.

Of course, this is when my order started arriving. I had ordered the "Village Grill", the mixed meat plate. At $12.99, it was one of the more expensive items on the menu. Things started with a good sized salad.

The Missus loved the salad, which She called "refreshing"....good amounts of citrus and olive oil made this very tasty.

And then my huge plate of meat arrived. This was enough for two people at the least.

The Missus's favorite was the Shawarma Beef, also called "Gus".

 

This was very moist, with a nice beef flavor, that the Missus said was almost "beef jerky-ish".

Most beef kabobs in these type of restaurants tend toward the tough side, and are sometimes a bit short on flavor. This one was moist with good flavor, and if a bit on the chewy side, I wouldn't call it tough, not by a longshot. It was my favorite meat item.

Of course, that's not to snub the Tekka Beef, which was very moist.

It was also quite tender, and had a decent beef flavor. The rice on the bottom really benefited from the meat drippings.

The only item that I didn't care much for was the Hummus, which again had too much tahini, and not enough lemon, nor any other flavor to carry the day.

This was quite a meal, we left with tons of leftovers, and a full belly. The young lady who works the front of house was very sweet and nice. The prices are very reasonable, and the ingredients, except for the rice are of good quality. We'll be back without a doubt. And because I know folks like RONW love menus, here's a photo of the simple menu at Village Grill:

 Ooops, wrong side! (Click to enlarge)

I really think the Mixed Platter for three would probably feed 4-5. And you could always order the Kousi - a 33 pound roasted lamb stuffed with rice.

The best deal here right now is a buy one sandwich, get one free deal.

Village Grill
550 East Main St
El Cajon, CA 92020

El Cajon sure has been full of surprises for us......

Local Kine Portuguese Bean Soup

Overall, I think these are more cooking notes than a true recipe, as every version of this dish I've had has been different. I also call it "Local Kine" simply because, as with many dishes in Hawaii, it has been mixed with many "local" influences.

According to the timeline on Hawaiian-roots.com, the first large groups of Portuguese arrived in Hawaii in 1878. When the Portuguese arrived on the shores of Hawaii, they brought with them a variety of "food stuffs" that reflected the influences of a cuisine that had been traveling between the Old and New World for over 400 years. Even though at first glance, it would seem that the Portuguese is rather under-represented when compared to other cuisines in Hawaii, a closer look shows a large influence. For example, malsadas, or how's this, that King's Hawaiian Sweet Bread..... is a version of Pao Doce. And the real winna' as we would say, is what we call "Portuguese Sausage", a local version of Linguica. A simple breakfast trip to McDonald's when in the islands will quickly reveal how deeply embedded Portuguese Sausage is....... McDonald's serves Portuguese Sausage, Eggs, and Rice for breakfast. Or if you're really hungry, you can get the "Local Deluxe Breakfast". Portuguese Sausage, Spam®,  Eggs, and Rice. 

Of course this version bears no resemblance to the two, so called "real" versions of Portuguese Bean Soup I had, one of which had collard greens and no linguica, and the other had chayote. Also, the first version had a pretty intense anise and clove flavor. And I'm also guessing it may not resemble versions you've had of this soup in Hawaii, many of which will use chopped smoked ham, cabbage, and other stuffs. My soup is also bit more hearty, and perhaps uses a bit less kidney beans, mainly because part of the target audience really doesn't care for beans.

Instead of ham hocks, I really like the smoked pork shanks that Siesel's and Iowa Meat Farms carry. They have some heft. Also, since the phrase "Purity Brand is the only Portuguese sausage...." has been branded into my grey matter, that's what I use as well. I've posted about folks from Hawaii and brand loyalty before.

And then there's the elbow macaroni. The first Portuguese Bean Soup I had (see story at the end) had elbow macaroni in it. My Mom always made her's with elbow macaroni. These days I make maybe 8 ounces of macaroni, very al dente, and place in the soup bowl right before serving if desired. I've kinda lost my taste for mushy macaroni, especially since, like most soups, this tastes better the next day. At that point, the macaroni will have soaked up a lot of the broth, and become mush. As to the "why macaroni?" question. I'm guessing, that perhaps in the beginning it was used as filler.....

Another problem I used to run into was that all the flavor of the Portuguese Sausage would leach out into the broth. Great for the broth, but this leaves behind flavorless sausage. Also if you just add sliced raw onions, they would melt away pretty quickly as well. So a few years back, I added a step where I lightly saute the sausage. I then remove the sausage from the pan, and add the onions, which I also lightly saute. I deglaze the pan in the end with red wine vinegar, and reserve everything to add to the soup later on.

In the end, if you like more carrots, add carrots......more potatoes....you get it, right?

Local Kine Portuguese Bean Soup:

2-3 Smoked Pork Shanks or Ham Hocks
2 10oz Portuguese Sausages
2 large onions
1 bunch cilantro rinsed
5 cloves garlic
2 dried bay leaves
2 Tb Black Peppercorns
2 dried red chilies sliced in half and deseeded

1 16 oz can tomato puree
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
2 15oz cans of Kidney Beans
2-3 Tb Paprika
2+1-2 Tb Red wine Vinegar

4 Stalks of celery, plus 2-3 stalks of the leafy celery "heart"
3-4 carrots, plus 1 carrot chopped into four pieces
4 potatoes

Tabasco Sauce to taste
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Olive Oil
Water

- In one pot place the ham hocks and cover with water. I use anywhere from 8-12 cups. Add the bay leaves, peppercorns, and red chilies.
- Quarter one onion and add to the pot, along with the celery "hearts" torn in half and the one chopped carrot.
- Chop off the stems of the cilantro, and chop about 3-4 tablespoons worth. Add this to the pot.
- Smash the garlic and also add to the pot.
- Bring to a slow simmer and cover.

- Slice the Portuguese Sausage into 1/2 - 3/4" rounds. Or, you could cube the sausage. At this point you'll have 4 end slices, which many folks don't like to eat. I throw this in the pot with the ham hocks to add flavor to the broth.

- Slice the other onion crosswise into slices.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium low heat. Add the olive oil to coat the pan, and lightly saute the sausage until partially cooked and firm. Remove and reserve sausage in a large bowl.
- Add onion slices and saute for a minute or two until slight soft.Deglaze with 2 tablespoons of red win vinegar. Remove onions and remaining "liquid" to the bowl with the sausage slices.

- Check on the Ham Hocks after about 2 hours. If the meat is soft and will come off the bone remove the hock to a plate.

- Strain the liquid through a colander, and discard the pieces of celery, bay leaf, etc....
- Pour the liquid back into the pot and place back over the low simmer.
- Place the ham hocks on a cutting board and chop to desired size, and set aside.
- Open the two cans of kidney beans a drain through a colander over a bowl. Reserve the liquid.
- Add the tomato puree, tomato paste, kidney beans, and paprika, and bring back to a simmer.
- when broth comes back to a simmer add the ham hocks back to the broth, along with the Portuguese Sausage and onions. Don't forget all of the liquid in the bottom of the bowl!
- Simmer for about 15 minutes, until sausage is heated through.

- Mean while chop, slice, or dice the celery, carrots, and potatoes as desired.
- Add the vegetables and simmer for 15 more minutes.

- After the 15 minutes, add 1/2 of the reserved liquid from the canned beans.
- Taste. If the flavor of the beans does not faintly come through add more liquid.
- Add salt and pepper, red wine vinegar, and tabasco, if desired to taste.

- At this point you can simmer until vegetables are cooked to the desired doneness, or simmer until vegetables are just a step before desired doneness if serving the next day.

You can serve garnished with cilantro, over some elbow macaroni, rice, or with bread (Pao Doce). Folks I know usually add a bit more Tabasco.

This recipe may seem pretty long, but it's mostly just letting things simmer. I actually made this while watching the Chargers beat the Eagles last weekend.

 If after this super long, but easy recipe, you're still up for a little story read on........

Portuguese Bean Soup and Cilantro.

Strangely enough, I remember the first time I had Portuguese Bean Soup. I must've been about four, since we were still living on Date street, and hadn't moved to Palolo yet. In the apartment across the way, lived a couple, and the husband was, at least to me at the time, a hulking man of Portuguese-Chinese decent. And as large as he seemed, his booming voice made him seem even larger. One day, "Uncle Henry" as I called him called my Mom and I over....... while my Mom and his wife chatted, "Henry" stood hunched over a large cauldron, slowly stirring and tasting. After awhile Henry declared, "it's ready, time to eat." And along with the "adult bowls", I was even given a "Keiki bowl" of soup. My Mother quickly told Henry, "I don't think he's going to like this....." But Henry shrugged her off and declared (he never really spoke, he declared), "Da' boy's hea' he eats...." To my Mother's surprise, and Henry's delight, I ate a couple of bowls..... it was three or four according to Mom. I remember that the flavors exploded in my mouth, and the soup went down wrapping me in a nice warm cloud of satisfaction. My Mother was curious about I enjoyed about the soup since it had Tabasco and Portuguese Sausage, and kids usually don't like spicy. So when she asked, I pointed to the sausage....and to her surprise, the cilantro, which we called Chinese Parsley. It was such a new a remarkable flavor, that I remember it to this day. Today, perhaps I'm able to duplicate the flavor of that bowl, but have seldom been able to capture the wonderful feeling of discovering new flavors.......

Hmmm.... I think someone's waiting for a Ham Hock bone.... And maybe a haircut after that????

Darda Seafoods - Amazing Chinese-Islamic Food

It's Vicky again... blogging away about another restaurant up here in the Bay Area.

Sam and I recently moved in the Bay Area and left the vicinity of this restaurant that used to be a staple-go-to-place. For months we didn't swing by but would occasionally entertain the thought of eating there. Yesterday, bogged down with 18 library books were pushing the deadline for being overdue, we had rushed to my cousin's solo concert at San Jose State to hear her perform for her graduate studies... and still forgot to go to the library. When we got home, we decided to go to Darda for dinner since there was a library branch along the way.

It's interesting... how over time and distance certain cravings become more muted. When I first decided to move away from La Jolla, I couldn't fathom how I would be able to survive with Roberto's or Mister A's. Over time, I whetted my cravings with a taqueria crawl up here and spanning distance, those cravings slowly disappeared. To us, Darda was the same way. Fortunately, it's not a plane ride away. Unfortunately, it meant that we'd have to fight tooth and nail through some really bad traffic in order to get a good meal. Last night was the perfect opportunity.

It was a nice familiar shopping center and we found parking at our usual curbside spot. Walking into the restaurant, Sam had told me that we moved to the Peninsula to be closer to San Francisco, yet it seemed like our dinner variety had greatly been reduced and at the end of the day, we actually visited SF far more frequently than now. I guess that just means we should schedule in more day trips up to eat.

Darda is a favorite amongst the Muslim community here. I remember when I was attending UCSD, and meeting some of my new suitmates, one of them hailing from Walnut Creek (which is an hour northeast of San Jose) we bonded over our mutual liking of the green onion bread from Darda.

Sam and I settled in and ordered our classic staples: Knife Cut Noodles Stir Fried w/ Chicken, Green Onion Pancakes, Beef w/ Scallions, and Szechuan Green Beans... Ahhh... it was glorious!

The beef dish came out first, glistening was flavor and absolutely fragrant with the "high heat wok smell." The beef was extremely tender which leads me to put in a little blurb for how much I love Halal restaurants... their meats all taste extremely fresh and are tender to the bite.

The beef was followed up quickly by the knife cut noodles. Being that we just came back from TW, the noodles weren't as chewy or "Q" as we'd like them to be. They didn't have that much of a bite to them and the thinner pieces were bordering on the mushy side. At the end of the meal we had mentioned this to our server and she advised us to make it a point to order it on the "Q" side in the future and it would come out perfectly.

Ahhh... and the green onion pancakes... they were more like crepes, super thin, yet extremely extremely chewy. It was perfect! Sam wrapped the beef in the crepes and ate them a la burrito style.

I love that they sear the beans with oil at an extremely high heat which results in the skins separating and wrinkling. The beans are cooked with marinated turnip and ground beef and finished with some wine and soy sauce. Delicious!!

I'm starting to drool as I'm writing up my recap. As we finished our meal and walked out with really full stomachs, again... we questioned why it took us so long to make the drive out here after we moved... Darda... oh Darda...

Oh and ironically since I finally did do my TX post... I just booked my tickets to head back to Houston to spend New Year's. More southern eats coming ahead! :)

Darda Seafood Restaurant
296 Barber Ct
Milpitas, CA 95035-7915
408.433.5199
http://www.dardaseafood.com

Chicken Wing Thing - City Dragon

If you ever want my undivided attention, all you need to do is say "chicken wings". If you've read through enough posts, you know that I kinda have a thing about chicken wings..... from Fish Sauce Chicken Wings at Que Huong to trying my hand at making Chicken Alice's legendary Chicken Wings, and Kyochon,  to the granddaddy of them all; doing a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing tasting. I guess I've got a thing 'bout them wings.......  

Recently, I got a taste of some wings from a Chinese fast-food joint called City Dragon. It really wasn't too bad. I thought the name sounded familiar, and sure enough when I drove up to the place, I realized I had been there before.

 Located next to Ray's Mexican Restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard, I'd actually once gotten some pretty generic Chinese food from this place.

And the menu does nothing to persuade you that City Dragon is nothing but another of the possibly hundreds of Chinese Fast Food joints littering strip malls through out San Diego. In fact, just a quick glance at the generic menu, and interior makes me want to turn right around and walk out. I can't even bear to place it in the Chinese Food category......

 
But of course, I just had to check out those wings...which is what I did. They are called "Dragon Spicy Wings" and are $6.99 per order. It is fried to order and takes about fifteen minutes or so. So meet the wings......

From a value point of view, this ain't cheap, 7 wings for $6.99, that's Kyochon territory, and this is no Kyochon. No rice, nothing else, not even a fortune cookie for me. The flavor is decent, a bit of heat, good salt, could use a bit more garlic. The wings are moist. The batter could probably use a bit more leavening, as these did not hold up too well. I'd have appreciated a bit more of a crunch.

In the end, I guess if you'd stick one of these under my nose, I'd gladly consume it. But you wouldn't lose a finger in the process. In other words, I don't think these are worth $1 a wing. Still, this got me wondering how many of these little places have something on the menu, ala Fortune Cookie Express's Chowmamein? So maybe you can tell me?

City Dragon
2885 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Pho in Rancho Bernardo - Pho Hoang Express and Pho Ca Dao & Grill

It's getting to be that time of year again.....the mid-morning and afternoons may still be warm, but the mornings are quite cool. Perfect for Pho. Though I've had recommendations for Pho Hoang in RB, I never thought of making a special trip North to RB. Until Pho Ca Dao opened a new branch just a stone's throw (if you were Roberto Clemente) away. So one recent cool morning, I bolted on my spare stomach, and made my way up the I-15 to Ranch Bernardo.

Pho Hoang Express:

Is located right off the Bernardo Center Drive exit. If you didn't know it was there, along with Spices Thai Cafe and Passage to India Restaurant, you'd think you'd be driving right past another business park.

 

The interior is on the dim side, and has an almost classic Vietnamese restaurant feel to it. From the simple tables and the spoon and chopstick stand, to the ubiquitous paintings of Halong Bay and a Hmong Woman and Baby scene. The service here is also classic..... you walk in, are pointed to a table, menu tossed on table, the guy stands waiting for you to order. Not rude, just no nonsense..... 

Usually, I'll just order the special ("Dac Biet") when I eat at a new Pho shop, just to get a nice overview of the various meats. But I've really gotten tired of the same 'ol rare steak in San Diego, which is usually of low quality, dry, and tough. You can get it on the side if you want, but it really doesn't make much of a difference.....maybe if the meat was, say, Shabu-Shabu quality, a nice dunk might be great. But until I start seeing Filet Mignon Pho served in San Diego.....

I went with the #4 - well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($5.70). In less then three minutes, my plate of garnishes, and my bowl of Pho made it's way to my table.

One large and one small (and withered) sprigs of basil, lime, a couple of slices of jalapeno, Ngo Gai (culantro...yay!), and maybe a half handful of bean sprouts. This is about right for San Diego nowadays. The Ngo Gai was fresh, and had that light, but slightly more anise cilantro like flavor. The bean sprouts reminded me of a funny encounter I observed at Pho Hiep and Grill. A Korean Gentleman was apparently trying to show off to the two women eating with him. He did the whole Neoc Beo, meat on the side, etc, etc...... running the poor Server crazy by not making his requests with his order, but piecemeal. And not in a very nice way as well. He did things in a very superior - narcissistic, "I'm the customer, and you'll serve me" kinda way. I specifically remember him telling the two women, "yeah, I eat Pho all the time, and this is how I roll....." Finally, when the garnishes arrive, he tells the very good natured young man to take his plate back. He wanted is bean sprouts "blanched". The Server was really accommodating, and trying to be friendly he told the young man, "oh, you have false teeth?" The Korean guy, "what....no, I have perfect teeth, no trouble!" The Server; "oh, because my mother and grandmother have no teeth, and they need to have their bean sprouts made that way....." The two girls started giggling, the Korean dude turned several shades of red, all the while the Server kept a straight face, with a look of total innocence. So I'm still not sure if he was getting a bit of revenge, or if he was dead serious...... It was funny though.... I guess "that's the way he rolls....."

Back to the Pho:

 
The broth was on the dark side, but clear. The flavor was mildly beefy, but lacked any good pronounced clove-anise tones, and could have been more savory. The noodles were bunched in the bottom of the bowl, SOP..... and were a bit overcooked and mushy.

There was a good amount of meat, the best being the tendon which was buttery and excellent. The brisket was cooked much to long; it had good flavor but had fallen into tiny pieces. The flank looked good, but had a slight "refrigerator" flavor.

Not a bad bowl, I've had much worse, the amount of meat was impressive. As in most Pho restaurants, everything happened pretty quickly, and I was out in 20 minutes.

Pho Hoàng Express
16425 Bernardo Center Dr
San Diego, CA 92128

Right up Bernardo Center Drive, taking a left on Rancho Bernardo Road, and I was at Pho Ca Dao.

Pho Ca Dao & Grill:

Open just two weeks at the time of the visit, Pho Ca Dao was much more well lit, and had folded the usual "Pho dining set" into kind of a shiny pseudo-tropical looking dining area.

The service here was much more friendly, though not as efficient in the "well oiled Pho machine" way of Pho Hoang. My water was even refilled three times during my meal! But as different as the two restaurants were, there was much in common. The prices looked the same, and the well done steak, flank, brisket, tendon, and tripe was item #4 here as well. And when my garnishes hit the table, it looked like the exact twin of what I had at Pho Hoang.

That's where the similarities ended, as this bowl of Pho looked totally different from Pho Hoang's version:

In fact, it was markedly different from the soup at Pho Ca Dao's El Cajon and Mira Mesa locations. The broth was very light and clear, with almost no oil. I got a spoon of the broth, and took a photo.... it's almost transparent.

The broth actually had more anise-onion-clove flavor than Pho Hoang's, but was much more salty, and obviously less beefy. The broth also did better with regards to being able to taste the couple of leaves of basil and Ngo Gai. The noodles were perfect, a bit of stretch, and a mild toothsomeness. The meat was on the sparse side, and even though some of my favorite tendon is served at Pho Ca Dao's ECB location, this wasn't even close. Actually, I thought the flank, though a bit chewy had the best overall flavor.

I was asked twice how things were. The service is bordering on Western in standards. Even with all of this, I was still out in 40 minutes. Very quick for lunch, maybe forever when it comes to having a quick bowl of Pho. The folks working here are attentive, and have obvious pride in their shiny new digs.

Pho Ca Dao & Grill
11808 Rancho Bernardo Rd
San Diego, CA 92128

So which do I prefer? I dunno, it's a toss-up. More meat, it Pho Hoang. Want a clean and sparkling restaurant? Pho Ca Dao. Dark broth, Pho Hoang, lighter broth Pho Ca Dao..... you get it. Half a dozen of one, six of the other. It's nice to have choices, isn't it?