mmm-yoso!!!

Road Trip: Binh Dan Restaurant - Westminster(OC)

Since starting this blogging thing, I've had the pleasure of meeting meeting so many wonderful individuals. The larger than life person we know as "Beach", dubbed the "Don of Little Saigon" by the OC Foodbloggers, that esteemed group that includes, Elmomonster, ChristianZ, and the one and only ChubbyPanda, is one of those individuals. I've been the recipient of Beach's generosity before, as documented in detail by CP. Beach has been helping the Missus and I with a current project, and on this day, I needed to drop by Beach's, so I made my way up to OC. Beach in his usual generous way, made time for even though it was Tet Weekend. Imagine my joy, when we had completed what we needed to, and Beach said, "okay, what for lunch?" I proceeded to walk(sprint actually) to my car, and bring out my wad of crumpled post-it notes that listed various restaurants in the OC that I was interested in trying. Taking off toward Westminster, I started reading off my almost indecipherable scribbling. Driving on Bolsa, I was amazed at Beach's encyclopedic knowledge of every restaurant, no matter what size, and an intimate knowledge of the various specialties..... We had decided on Pho Tau Bay, but when we arrived, we found them closed until February 15th. Next on the list was Binh Dan Restaurant...and wouldn't you know that Beach is a "regular" there! Beach turned to me, and said, "are you sure, this is a real hole-in-the-wall, and they serve what we call beer food?" That sounded perfect to me.

Yes indeed, with the 4 or so thrift shop dining sets...this was indeed a hole-in-the-wall. It looked like the kitchen area took up more than half the restaurant. All of the fragrances from the kitchen seemed to make its way into the dining area...on second thought, maybe that's by design.....

The menu was perfect.....I barely knew anything on it! I could make out a few words here and there("nuong", "bo"), and I've had a few items before("gia cay heo", "bo luc loc") but that was about it. Luckily, I had the perfect guide in Beach. After discussing the menu we placed our order, and soon enough a plate of very fresh herbs arrived:

Along with a plate of lime slices and chilies, and 2 small bowls of very pungent Mam Nem, fermented fish sauce. This is powerful, and tasty stuff.

I watched and mimicked Beach's technique for incorporating the chilies into the Mam Nem....this added a nice bit of heat to the salty and slightly sweet flavor.

Soon enough a plate of Toasted Sesame Crackers made its way to the table:

The reason that I had Binh Dan on my list was that the specialty of house is goat(De). And if you know me, you know I love goat! Soon enough, the first course arrived, De Nuong:

This was marinated and grilled goat, slightly tender, with decent flavor. The drill was place some herbs in the bowl, dip the meat into the Mam Nem, and eat with herbs and crackers.

Beach had told me, that because the Owner's Father owns a Goat Farm in Riverside County, the goat is fresh, and also the staff of Binh Dan really knows how to prepare goat, removing the smell. I found this to be very mild in flavor. If I gave it to a person who had never had goat, they'd have no problem believing this was beef.

The next dish, De Nuong La Lot Mo Chai, arrived soon thereafter.

Oh my....talk about delici-yoso!!! These were basically minced goat meat, and seasonings, wrapped in Caul Fat...grilled and ooozing with juice and fat! Eaten alone, it was very rich...but wrapped in a few basil leaves, and dipped into the Mam Nem.......oh my(again)! I think in this case, the photos say it all. 

The next dish up was the De Xao Lan:

  Along with the De Nuong La Lot Mo Chai, this was on all the other tables, and Beach told me that most of the people queuing up waiting for take-out had ordered this as well. This was a stir-fry, using the tougher cuts of goat, along with the skin. Flavored by a mild curry, and Ngo Om (Rice Paddy Herb), which had a mild citrusy tumeric-cumin taste, this was excellent. The onion and bell peppers added a touch of savory sweetness to the dish.

Wouldn't you know, that about this time a group of men that Beach knew arrived...... Beach had been thinking of another dish, and asked his friend about the Ve De Nuong, but the friend said not to bother....so no Grilled Goat Nipples for us! Instead, Beach ordered Oc Noi Hap La Chuoi:

The best I can describe these is a snail-pork-cloud ear fungus dumpling filling, wrapped with a banana leaf, and steamed. Dipped into some Nuoc Mam Cham, these were mildly sweet and earthy. There was a combination of chewy textures that was not unpleasant. Nice dish!

As we were eating, Beach, always on top of things, made sure to order a few items "to go" for the Missus. soon enough we were finished, so satisfied, and happy. Next time perhaps I'll try the De 7 Mon....seven course of Goat, though I don't know if I'm up for Goat Blood.

As I went on my way......Beach said to me; "next time Kirk, we'll go to the place that makes all the good Rabbit dishes!" I can't wait!

Binh Dan Restaurant
10040 McFadden Ave
Westminster, CA 92683

As always, thanks for being such a generous guide and host Beach!

Sunday Shopping.....

Price Wars......

I was interested to see what the reaction to the opening of Marukai would be. So earlier this morning I decided to do a quick "run". Since Nijiya, Mitsuwa, and Marukai are just within a mile of each other, it will be very easy to "cherry-pick" your way through the 3 markets(and you can include Zion to make 4). Since both Nijiya and Mitsuwa open at 9am, and Marukai opens at 930, the timing is pretty easy as well.

I arrived at Nijiya at about 910am...and probably because of the weather(rainy and windy) and the Super Bowl, the place was relatively empty.

I noticed a bunch of sales, and purchased just a few items:

It would seem to be nothing Earth-shattering....Yama-moto-yama tea bags....not high quality, but good to have at the office. At 2 for $1, a major bargain for me! That's a shade over 3 cents per tea bag. And the Pocky...well to quote the Missus, "what, regular Pocky? I've soooo moved on from that...." Until I told Her...also 2 for $1! I think the sale is only for the weekend, but it seems that Nijiya is taking the competition seriously. I'll keep close eye on Nijiya flyers in the future.

Arriving early had its benefits, I got out of Nijiya by 925am...and by 930 reached Mitsuwa. The only thing I noticed at Mitsuwa was a giant poster....sorry, but my photo didn't come out. You get one item free (i.e. miso....) with a $10 purchase.

I arrived in the empty parking lot at Marukai (I took note of the empty parking lot, because this may be the only time I ever see it empty) at 940am. And entered Marukai. As I took a lap around the store, I noticed a few additional things. First, the fish department is up, but it was slim pickins' at this time of the morning.

There were some great deals:

The only thing I got was this for the freezer.....its good to have on hand, for those days when you feel lazy, and just want something simple at home. And at 98 cents a package, another bargain:

Of course my camera can't ever resist an "end" display of Spam:

Though if you want something a bit more high-end, there's Wagyu Beef from Japan:

"Only" $68.99 a pound!

Looks like competition will be a nice thing for us customers, just as prices came down at Mitsuwa once Nijiya renovated and moved to their new location.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Mitsuwa Marketplace
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119
San Diego, CA 92111

Marukai Market
8151 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

And just to make it an even "foursome":

During my trip down to Garden Grove, and after my lunch at Anna's Mondu, I drove the block and a half down the street, and dropped by Hannam Supermarket:

Though this location was a bit "worn", and the variety was not a great at the Diamond Bar location, it was still nice to stretch my legs and do some browsing.  I hadn't intended on taking any photos, but I came across this magnificent display of "Spammy goodness", and could not resist. Huge display with almost every version of Spam known to mankind.......amazing! SPAM® Cheese! SPAM® Hot & Spicy! I think I saw all the different varieties, except for SPAM® Garlic(maybe they were sold out...).

The prices were quite reasonable, especially the dried Filefish and dried squid:

The Missus thought this dried filefish was excellent when roasted...it was chewy, but not hard, and had a nice salty-fish flavor, with a slight hint of sweetness. I'm glad I didn't come home empty handed....Oh, and dried squid, toasted, chopped, and dipped into mayo with a touch of soy sauce....delici-yoso!!!

Hannam Chain Super Market
9772 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Anna's Mondu - Garden Grove(OC)

This ever happen to you? I'm having dinner at Sammy's, and in keeping with the neighborly atmosphere I start up conversation with a nice young fellow, whom I've never seen before. And of course, the conversation drifts to food.....and to Orange County(where this young man is from), with sights directly set on Garden Grove(where this fellow lives). During the conversation, he mentions a little hole in the wall that makes hand made Mandu(aka Korean Dumplings). Talk about getting my attention...not having paper handy, I quickly scribble the name down on the back of my hand near my wrist. Oookay, I get home, grab some paper, and as I'm ready to write down the name of the place....and I notice that part of it is smeared...so it looks like "Ahn's Mandu" or maybe "Ann's Mandu". No problemo, the Internet is such a great tool, so I start typing this stuff in, and several combinations, and nada! So I check all my favorite Orange County Food Blogs; Chubbypanda, Monster Munching, Wandering Chopsticks...but again, nothing! Egad...what to do?? I'm left crying over smeared ink, or lost mandu....like two dumplings passing in the night..... After stewing for a few weeks, I finally had to make a trip down to Orange County, and vaguely recalling the directions; "22 freeway West, exit Brookhurst, it's on Garden Grove", I arrived in the area I call "Koreatown South", the Korean Business District that runs along Garden Grove Boulevard. Boy, is this place growing like crazy....looks like at least 2 new "gallerias", as they call 'em, are under construction.

After a short drive on Garden Grove Boulevard, I see this sign:

Geeez no wonder.....it's spelled Mondu, not Mandu like I'm used too. And right in the front window was a large laminated copy of Gustavo Arrellano's OC Weekly Article...... I entered the tiny hole-in-the wall, the dining area consists of 4 tables, 3 four tops(I'm being very generous with the term "four"), and one sorta, kinda communal table. There was one young man reading a magazine, and an older woman with a warm smile who greeted me in Korean....to which my response was a fumbling, "sorry, I don't speak Korean", etc, etc, etc..... The woman smiled and pointed to the "menu" posted on the wall:

I recognized a few items like Dduk Bo Ki and Kimbap(think Korean futomaki), but I had come here for Mandu, or if you prefer Mondu. So I asked the lady, who half answered, half pointed to the "combo A"($7.95), as well as the nice photo on the opposite wall. Which looked great to me.

I had a seat, and a battered old tea pot with a tea bag tag sticking out arrived. And after a while, the young man's Dduk Bo Ki arrived, as well a a couple of dishes of panchan. A few minutes later a large steamer arrived at my table:

As I removed the steamer lid, the smoky-woodsy smell of a well seasoned bamboo steamer met my nose...a scent so warm and comforting, that I wanted to give that 'ol steamer a bear hug. The steamer contained 5 pork and vegetable steamed mandu, and 4 large rustic looking mandu that I've never had before. Later I would learn that these are called Wang Mandu.

Along with the steamer, 3 plates of panchan arrived:

The best of the lot was the Water Radish Kimchi, which was so very refreshing.

The wang mandu is sort of like Baozi, the filling was a pretty tasty combination of  various vegetables and pork. I'd have preferred my dough a bit more light and fluffy. The steamed mando was also pretty good, nice wrappers were a bit on the dry side, but there was nice home made feel to it. These were fine with a light dip in soy-vinegar-chili powder.

For me the best item was this:

Once, a friend of mine back home in Hawaii, made some home made Fried Mandu for my Birthday, the likes of which I'd never had before. This was the closest I've ever had in terms of texture; initially crunchy, with a good chew, and well flavored filling to boot. Not the most photogenic mandu, but I loved the rustic and home made look. The woman, who I'm assuming is "Anna" enjoyed watching me eat....and asked me how the food was several times. When I mentioned that everything tastes good, and hand made, she stuck her hands out palms down and said with a proud smile, "yes, everything made with this...."

While I continued eating, "Anna" sat down with what looked like some Japchae, and started eating. A minute later she, asked me, "you eat squash?", and proceeded to pass me a little bowl of panchan. Sticking her hand out and putting her index finger and thumb parallel with a space of about an inch-and-a-half between them, squinting one eye, she told me, "this small squash".

This was actually squid, and it was delici-yoso, spicy, sweet, umami.....surprised that I enjoyed it, my bowl was refilled twice.....just like Mom would!

The damage....a grand total of $8.50. I left Anna's stuffed and satisfied. For me, decent hand made mandu is a rarity. And I thoroughly enjoyed the homestyle service. This was a one man, or more accurately one woman show, at least on my visit. Things may take some time.....but you wouldn't rush Mom, would you?

Anna's Mondu
9972 Garden Grove Blvd
Garden Grove, CA 92844

Road Trip: Sakura Saku - Huntington Beach(OC)

On a recent trip to Orange County, I was beset by hunger. Not really quite sure if I should make the trip over the 405 freeway to Westminster, or just keep driving in what seemed to be fast food and chain restaurant hell. When out of the corner of my eye, I spied a little restaurant next to a Michael's.

My curiosity piqued, I decided to pull over into a parking space in this vast strip mall parking lot, and check the place out. I was still wondering what drew me into this little restaurant....it sure wasn't the Hello Kitty motif, but there was a kind of charm and a quaint kind of vibe to the place. Looking over the large menu, it became clear that this was a little mom-and-pop Japanese Fast Food joint, with items like Salmon Onigiri, Vegetable Curry rice, and Oyako Donburi on the menu.

The really nice older Gentleman, took my order, and I had a seat. Meanwhile two groups of young people entered, they ordered quickly....they had obviously been here before and knew what they wanted.

I started(yes, started....I was starving) with Pork Cutlet Combo(Tonkatsu Combo $7.00). When the food arrived I was a bit disappointed with the portion size, which seemed on the small side(except for the rice).

The small pork cutlet was nicely breaded though on the tough side. It was covered with a good amount of katsu sauce. The "salad" was shredded iceberg lettuce, with a mild mayo based dressing...I've had this salad many times, mainly from Bento-ya's back home in Hawaii. The yakisoba was a stroll down memory lane.....it tasted almost like my Mom's! Mildy salty, with just a touch of sweetness, not the most amazing Yakisoba, but it brought back nice memories.

I had also placed an order for a side of Chicken Karaage($3.50). Compared to the Tonkatsu, this was quite a bit of food for a side order....three large pieces of chicken thigh, marinated, dusted with a corn starch-flour coat, and deep fried.

This really tasted home made...like it came from the kitchen of someone's Mom. The flavor was sweeter than most versions of chicken karaage, but it was still pretty good. In fact, I would have done well with a couple of onigiri and a side order of this....or even a Chicken Karaage Combo($6.00).

Meanwhile one of the young men on a nearby table was eating the strangest bowl.....it smelled like taco meat.....and when I inquired, I was told, it was something called "Taco Rice", which was taco meat topped with cheese, tomato, and lettuce on a bowl of rice! I was told that the "young people like it." Now why didn't I think of that??? The menu also features versions of shaved ice, Udon, Curry Rice, and other items......all created with a home made touch.

The food at Sakura Saku won't set the culinary world on fire, in fact based on the tonkatsu I'd say YMMV(Your mileage may vary), but in the vein of fast food, it is a more than worthy alternative to all those chain fast food places. Nice folks as well. Heck, I wish we had a Sakura Saku in our neighborhood....I know I'd be eating there often. 

Sakura Saku
7572 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm

Postscript: Food blogger extraordinaire Elmo of Monster Munching, went ahead and had the Taco Rice. You can read his post here.

Road Trip: Ha Noi Restaurant - Westminster(OC)

A few months back, the one and only Wandering Chopsticks was nice enough to share a list of  restaurant recommendations with me. Needless to say, it is quite an exhaustive list. One of the restaurants on that list was Ha Noi Restaurant located on...where else? Bolsa Avenue. On a recent weekend the Missus had to drop off a gift for a friend who moved back to the OC. I immediately saw a large "window of opportunity" open up in front of me. Leaving a bit "early" we arrived at the strip mall that houses Ha Noi at about 1015am. It was quite obvious that the strip mall was going over an extensive face-lift.

The parking lot was also packed.

Luckily, I noticed that there was some parking available in the back of the strip mall. We made our way to the fairly small restaurant, which was almost full. But the thing that caught my attention where the Servers, there were at least 6 of them, where walking very, very, quickly dropping off food, busing tables, taking orders. They all seemed to be going in a circular pattern.....like they were trying to qualify for pole position at the Indy 500.

For some reason watching these Guys move, made us feel kinda pressured to do things quickly....

We placed our order, and a few minutes later, all our "stuff" started to arrive.

Need an inventory? 2 plates Bun(rice vermicelli), 3 plates of various greens, 1 plate of sliced onions, lime, and jalapenos, 1 plate with sesame crackers and peanuts, 1 bowl of Nuoc Mam, 1 bowl of fermented shrimp paste, 1 bowl of fermented shrimp sauce...this was just the "garnishes" if you will!

The Missus just had to order the Bun Rieu($5.50):

Per the Missus, mushy noodles, not enough savory seafood flavor, and too much tomato......

As for me....well I had been craving Bun Cha Hanoi($6), so I made sure to order that.

This was good, better than anything in San Diego, that's for sure. The sauce had a nice balanced sweet-salty flavor. The pork meatballs, and the grilled pork both were well flavored, and not too tough. Dropped into a bowl with Bun, lettuce and various herbs and some pickles, and have at it.

Not nearly as good, as what we ate at Beach's, but it did "scratch that food itch".

A few months back, I had the great pleasure of having dinner with a friend's(2 of them actually) family. Their Mom invited the Missus and I to dinner, and when I saw what they were making I was quite happy! She made Cha Ca Thang Long, and was quite surprised when I knew what it was! since that time, I've been itching to have it again. So I was so glad when I clearly read "Cha Ca Thang Long" on the banner. Of course we ordered it(Cha Ca Thang Long for 2, $13.95):

This is a turmeric flavored fish served with dill, served on a bed of onions, on a sizzling plate. Eating is  basically the same drill as the Bun Cha Hanoi. All topped off with a nice spoonful of savory fermented shrimp sauce. I thought the amount of dill was sufficient for the dish, and the caramelized onions, with the addition of more onions, had a nice flavor. The fish was very soft and tender, and the mild flavor was balanced out by the dill which also served to cut the oil. If we still lived in LA, we'd be here on a pretty regular basis. Again, this was not quite as good as the home made version we had, but was still enough to cure my craving.

We noticed that almost every single table(except the one where everybody was eating what looked like Chow Mein) had either, or both, the Bun Cha Hanoi or Cha Ca. So I guess we did ok. Feeling the pressure of the hustle and bustle, we finished everything within 45 minutes...that includes ordering and waiting for our food! As we left, people were starting to line up outside..........I wouldn't worry, they'd get a table soon enough!

Ha Noi Restaurant
9082 Bolsa Ave
Westminster, CA 92683

 

Road Trip: Inka Mama's Peruvian Cuisine - Foothill Ranch (OC)

Recently, we had to attend to some business in the Lake Forest/Foothill Ranch area, and went looking for some sustenance. The sign and the words "Peruvian Cuisine" stood out as a better alternative to the various chain restaurants in the area. And since the Missus is now addicted to Cebiche, we just had to stop here.

Inka Mama's interior is very well adorned in rich browns, and the two Servers, who appeared to be the Owners were very warm and friendly...practically oozing warmth. They literally couldn't help themselves but dance to the music.

Of course the Missus started with the Ceviche (Cebiche Pescado - $11.95):

We had kinda wondered about the prices, since they seemed a bit high for the location, but the the portion sizes were quite large, and the Cebiche was no exception. I found the fish to be overly tough and stringy, and the Leche de Tigre ("Tiger's Milk" - the Cebiche Marinade) to be extremely sour. I prefer more balance between the sour-salty-spicy flavors. I'm glad the dish was studded with Cancha (fried corn kernels). After a bite, I needed a big sip of Inca Cola($2) to clear my palate. The Missus enjoyed this more than I, though when She tried to drink the Leche de Tigre, Her face turned into a sour pucker, not seen since I told Her that I couldn't tell the difference between Her Chanel handbag, and a similar knockoff.......

I had ordered the Chicharon De Pollo ($8.95):

This was an immensely tasty and satisfying dish on many levels. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs had been marinated in a garlic-lime mixture, than deep fried until the exterior was a beautiful brown color. The chicken was topped with a mildly biting, but refreshing Salza Criolla (Salsa Criolla/Zarsa Criolla), a simple relish of thinly sliced red onion, lime, cilantro, and some chilies. The flavor of the moist dark meat chicken and the relish was excellent. The various textures complemented the flavors well. So good, it's worth another look!

The Missus ordered the Cabrito Norteno ($14.45):

This stew was made with lamb instead of kid, and is also known as Seco De Cordero, and Cabrito(or Cordero)  al a Nortena. The thickened sauce is flavored with cilantro and garlic, and in this case the flavors were balanced out with the Sarza Criolla.

 

Served with a large portion of beans and rice, the Missus wasn't able to finish....so I took over, and wiped the plate clean.

What about my entree? Well, totally against character(and possibly in response to the, "sheesh you're so boring and predictable" comments from the Missus), I ordered something a bit different from what I'll usually try the first time(aka Lomo...). I went with the Ajiaco de Pescado($13.45):

Described as Cod Filet seasoned in a spicy garlic chili sauce, this was not very spicy, and though I could taste some onions and cilantro, there wasn't much garlic flavor. It was a very thin tomato based sauce studded with diced potatoes. The Cod was very dry, and tasted very fishy...even for me. I guess I had expected more powerful flavors.

Still, based on the Chicharon de Pollo, I'd say this was a good meal. If we visit again, we'll definitely order that, and I'd go with some basic dishes...and maybe some fried ones. As I mentioned before, the service was warm and friendly...oh yes, and the Lucuma(Egg Fruit) Ice Cream was nice and refreshing. Funny thing is.....Egg Fruit grows in Hawaii! I had never had it, and would never have known, until I did a bit of research. I've seen these trees before, but never thought the fruit was edible!

 

Inka Mama's Peruvian Cuisine
26676 Portola Pkwy, Suite B
Foothill Ranch, CA 92610
(949) 951-6262

Hours - Mon-Thurs 11am-3pm, 5pm-9pm
        Fri 11am-3pm, 5pm-10pm
Sat-Sun 1130am-9pm

Road Trip: Miyabi Tei - Costa Mesa(OC)

On the way back to San Diego on a recent shopping trip in Orange County, we decided to drop by Mitsuwa Marketplace for a late lunch. Winding away through the cramped and snaking parking lot with very small stalls, we thought that we'd be okay since it was nearly 2 pm, and figured that most people would be shopping and not eating. Boy were we wrong, the food court was a madhouse, and every seat was taken, with people in the aisles waiting to pounce on any open table!

The picture above was taken as we were leaving......

We had thought about doing an "about face" and marching directly back to the car, and fight our way out of the parking lot, but we gave in to hunger. Especially after checking out what everyone else was eating.....and all of the plastic food.

We first thought of Santouka, but the lines were outrageous. So we settled on the place that had the best looking plastic food in the house; Miyabi Tei, which had a line of it's own.

I know there's something witty to say about the girl with the snow cone red hair and plastic food....but I'm really not able to think of anything right now.

While I waited for our food, the Missus started circling looking for an open table. She was still circling when I picked up our food. I felt very uncomfortable circling around and standing between tables, our tray of food in hand. Hovering over a couple having lunch provokes a strong feeling of guilt. I couldn't help but feel like a vulture....circling for my prey. And a very unlucky vulture at that. I noticed three basic ways that people reacted when they see someone waiting for a table they are occupying. The first, "the wolfers" always makes me really feel guilty, they start wolfing their food down like there's no tomorrow, and I feel really bad about disrupting their lunch. Another set, the "zen masters" are able to block everything out, and act if you are not there...such concentration! The third set, which I have a name for, but am not able to write about without a massive use of profanity, will purposely s-l-o-w down, and look up at you, and move as if eating underwater, and perhaps start a conversation among themselves about Einstein's theory of relativity....

After all of that, we finally found some room at one of the large communal counters. By this time we were ravenous. The Missus had ordered the Zaru Soba and Una Don(Eel Rice Bowl) combination($6.75):

She managed to suck this down in an instant. Between bites, she gave me Her critique. Good Unagi(fresh water eel), no muddy flavor, the sauce was good, not overly salty, and rice....you can't go wrong with rice. The Zaru Soba was not so good, the noodles overcooked and the sauce tasted watered down. In Her mind this was worth $6.75!

The sample of the special of the day, the Chicken Katsu Curry($5.75) totally sucked me in.

This was a very generous amount of food for the price. I liked the curry, it wasn't overly sweet, and had a very nice flavor, if a bit on the "thin" side. Great on rice! The chicken katsu had not been cooked properly, the breading was on the oily side, and the (dark meat) chicken really tough.

Don't ask me about that boiled egg, it belonged to the Missus. I'll definitely be back for the Curry!

We managed to finish everything in less than 15 minutes. In fact, it took us longer to find seats than to eat! I still wonder what the people sharing the counter with us thought; the two of us eating like Longshoremen, describing the taste of the food between bites.....we must've appeared quite odd.

The prices at Miyabi Tei are very reasonable, and we thought we got our money's worth. Though I think we'll try to eat at either a very early, or very late time in the future. On our way back to the freeway we passed a McDonalds, and the Missus said, "you know, a lunch at McDonalds equivalent in size to what we had would cost about the same..."(leave it to the mathematician) Which would you rather have?

Miyabi Tei(in the Mitsuwa Marketplace Food Court)
665 Paularino Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Engrish Lesson for the Day....

"What kind of name is that for a place is that?"

"Huh?"

"Roach-chi Bo-Bo's"

I almost drove off the road!!!!

Road Trip: A & J Restaurant - Irvine(OC)

Don't you just hate it when you drive 80 miles to your destination, and find that the restaurant is unable to serve you because of a water pipe break? Well, it's no one's fault, just one of those things....but here we were in Irvine, trying to think of a plan B. The only place that came to mind was A & J, right off the Jeffrey Road offramp.

I thought it was going to be my lucky day when I immediately found a parking stall in the packed to the gills mall.

When we got to A & J, I knew my luck had run out...there was a wait, which lasted about 20 minutes...

When our number was called we were hustled to our table, and a paper "order sheet" was flung on the table...I guess we weren't that far from San Gabriel after all! The Missus was looking over the sheet, and the Server came by again, and impatiently asked the Missus if she understood Chinese...while the Missus was reading the Chinese order sheet. By this time we'd been waiting for a while, and really didn't feel very hungry any longer, so we just ordered a few things.

We started with the Si Xi Kaufu(aka Szu Hsien Kaw Fu - Four Happiness Wheat Gluten - $1.95)

Unlike a few people we know, we don't mind the spongy texture of wheat gluten, which has the ability to absorb flavor, well, like a sponge. The four items included lily buds, soy beans, tofu, and carrots. We both thought this was fairly good, nice sweet-soy flavor. But I don't think it was much better than this stuff:

The Jiang Niu Rou($3.75):

This wasn't quite as dry as it looked, but fell far short in flavor...except for the over-powering flavor of sesame oil that was drizzled on it.

Deciding to share a noodle soup, we got the combination Beef and Tendon Noodles Soup($5.75):

First the good, the tendon was perfect, soft, and full of flavor. The Beef was okay, soft, but with a bit less flavor. We opted for the thin noodles(you have a choice of the thin or thin noodles), which were pretty good, with a decent pull, and slight chewiness. Where this bowl fell really short was the soup, it was super oily. Now if you've read other posts of mine, you know that I like a decent amount of oil in my broth, but this layer of oil must've been a half inch deep. You can see the sheen of oil covering the noodles in this photo:

The broth lacked depth with only the bit of spiciness, and almost no beef flavor. We finished the meat, tendon, and noodles, and left all of the broth.

I dunno about this place.....check out the crowd as we left.

While writing this, I kept wondering what ChubbyPanda thought about the Beef  Noodle Soup at A & J. I didn't recall seeing a post. So I did a quick google search, and found a mention of the NRM at A & J on another post, which you can read here. To quote;  "I've eaten niu rou mian at every Chinese place in Irvine that serves it. I know whereof I speak. The only contenders that are close are A&J across the street, their's is too oily and thick...." Good ol' CP got it right....though I didn't think it was that thick. So remember to trust your inner Panda!

A & J Restaurant
14805 Jeffrey Rd Ste D
Irvine, CA 92618

Road Trip: Chabuton Ramen Noodles - Costa Mesa(OC)

*** Chabuton has since closed.

Boy, did the hunger pangs really set in during a recent shopping trip to Marukai Costa Mesa. So I decided that I needed something to eat...and fast! Which was a great opportunity to try out the ramen at Chabuton, which opened last year in the Marukai Food Court.

From what I understand Chabuton is the brainchild of Chef Yasuji Morizumi, and is another link in the Chabuya "chain" that has restaurants in Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, and Los Angeles. There also seems to be a rather strong marketing campaign behind the restaurants. I had gone looking for a good bowl of ramen, and ended up reading phrases like, "ramen is arguably the lifeblood of today's Japan." "Ramen is an open dialogue..." "When Chabuton introduced Tokyo's urban style ramen to Los Angeles it sparked a conversation." "Our food is meant to feed the soul." "Chabuton is where Americans are becoming fluent in the spiritual language of gourmet ramen......" I can feel that glazed-over look coming on.

And to think, all I wanted was a bowl of decent ramen...and now I'd be attaining ramen Nirvana...the home of perfect, harmonious, slurping...of endless noodles, and eternal chashu bliss! BTW, I do think the "spiritual language" of ramen is the slurp.....

Dizzy from reading all the signs and mission statements, I was glad that the menu at Chabuton is mercifully short, 9 variations on ramen, some rice bowls, and that was it. So how much for a slice of ramen heaven?

I ordered The Classic with Pork Chashu ($8.25).

So let's pick over this ramen of the gods..... I thought the soup was a thick, though weak tonkotsu style broth. I also thought the oil content was on the medium low side. Funny thing, because I've read that many people think the broth at Chabuya is too salty, but I just thought it was missing that bit of umami that would make it taste really good. As it was, I thought the broth to be on the "flat" side. Basically, rich in texture, not in taste. The bitter fried garlic didn't do a thing for this bowl of ramen, and I'm a garlic lover. The bamboo shoots were fine, and the thin sliced Chashu pork was excellent, soft, moist, and tender.

The thin noodles had a nice crunchy texture, but was missing that nice springy pull that I enjoy. I still prefer the noodles at Santouka. Overall, a decent, bowl, but not a favorite of mine. But still if you're shopping at Marukai Costa Mesa, and are "Jonesing" for a bowl of ramen you could do much worse.

Still, I never thought I'd come face to face with the "spiritual soul" of ramen in the food court at Marukai!

Chabuton Ramen Noodles
2975 Harbor Blvd. (In the Marukai Food Court)
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

Open - Mon-Sat 11am - 730pm
       Sundays 11am - 630pm

Road Trip: Little Saigon & Meeting the OC Food Bloggers.....

Last Saturday, I had an appointment with a group of very important people. The meeting place had been predetermined...the location of this chowdown?

Yes, the destination; Little Saigon, Westminster, California. Luckily, I arrived an hour and a half early. I enjoy arriving a bit early as it gives me time to check out the locale, get myself oriented, and breathe in the atmosphere. More importantly, I was able to find a parking spot in Asian Village Center with relative ease.

In Little Saigon you never know what you'll run into....like a Lion Dance!

Maybe not the most artistic Lion Dance I've ever seen; but what was lacking in technique was made up in enthusiasm.

And of course you need a little noise to go with the Lion Dance:

Whoa, that's my car nearby..........

Having some spare time I was able to take a stroll across the street to the Asian Garden Mall across the street. Well, not exactly a stroll, man does that traffic light change fast.....

I didn't expect much since it was 9am on a Saturday morning. But of course Asian Garden Mall is no regular mall! The Food Court was alive and buzzing.

From this view, this could almost be any food court in any mall.

You won't find your local Sbarro's Pizza here...but if you're in the mood for a Banh Mi(Vietnamese Sandwich), you'll find Lee's Sandwiches.

And instead of the usual stands selling the same chicken with a different sauce, you'll find dishes such as Bun Mam, Bo Kho(Vietnamese Beef Stew), and Banh Canh.

I was tempted, but stayed the course, and did not give in to temptation......

An entire wing of Asian Garden Mall consists of jewelry stores! I walked to the end of the wing and took this photo:

At the very end is a security kiosk. One of the security guards noticed I was taking photos, and started following me around....thinking perhaps that I was "casing the joint????" At that point I decided to leave. After all I didn't want to irritate security personnel, and I especially didn't want to anger these fellows.

Asian Garden Mall
9200 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, California 92683

I crossed back over to Asian Village Center which was now becoming a never ending circling stream of automobiles. There was an almost constant cacophony of horns blaring....I figured it was just a matter of time until I saw the latest installment of Battle of the SUV's...... In spite of the mass of metal and humanity in this mall, I knew there was a little oasis of peace in this mall. Having read Wandering Chopsticks fantastic Virtual Tour of Little Saigon, I knew that there existed a Cultural Court in the back of Asian Village Center with statues of Confucius and His Disciples.

Which gave me a nice break. Soon enough it was time to meet the OC Food Bloggers so I walked over, past Duong Son BBQ:

Where I made a mental note to pick up a little something for Da' Boyz...which I then immediately forgot.

Maybe next time!

I made my way to Dragon Phoenix Palace Chinese Seafood Restaurant, sheesh talk about a mouthful. When the Missus heard the name of this restaurant, She cracked up and said, "all you need is to add, New Golden, to the front, and include Panda after Phoenix, and you'd have the ultimate Chinese restaurant name!"

There's always a bit of nervousness when meeting a "new" group of people, but all apprehension melted away after meeting everyone; the one and only Chubby Panda, the Epicurious Wanderer, Christian Z of Orange County Mexican Restaurants, Wandering Chopsticks, Deb from Dinner at Six, Elmo of Monster Munching, and Elonweiss who posts on OC Food Blogs, and Her Brother. Joy also made an appearance, but unfortunately Her SO, was caught in one of the inner circles of Dante's parking hell, endlessly circling the parking lot, and had to leave.

The restaurant itself was the usual bustling Dim Sum restaurant.

I only took two photos of the food. Wandering Chopsticks did a more comprehensive post, which you can read here.

Much of my attention was diverted to the conversation, which ranged from food(what else do you think we'd talk about), to Chubby Panda's "cheek technique" for taking photos(it's not what you think). In what was a somewhat novel event, we had most of our language bases covered, from Cantonese(Elonweiss), to Mandarin(CP), to Vietnamese(WC)...I don't think my Pidgin would have been of much use here.

And two hours went by in a flash. As I got into my car, and somehow made it back to Bolsa Avenue, I couldn't help but think what a nice group of people these OC Food Bloggers are.....

Thanks again for including me, I am both touched and so appreciative.

And don't forget to read OC Food Blogs!