mmm-yoso!!!

Takeout Revisit from Golden Island

And so it came to pass....a few days ago I went into the office and due to vacations, etc, I was the only one there. A huge office space that once held maybe over 75 people, was left to me. Of course I was used to an empty office when I get into work at around 515am....but by 830, there I was, all by my lonesome. Then around nine-ish I went to refill my water bottle, when I noticed the motion control light in the back was one. There was one other person in the office.....being from a different team/department, we often passed each other and said hello, but never really spoke. But today, well, while filling my water he came into the kitchen area to use the coffee pod machine and we had a nice short chat. At the end of which, he mentioned it just having been Lunar New Year and yet, he hadn't had any Chinese food this year. I think he thought I was Chinese. Anyway, I ran into him again when going to the restroom and he mentioned he'd be getting lunch at this place he had wanted to try called Golden Island. I mentioned that I'd visited for takeout a couple of times and what I knew about the place. I also told him he could order online and not to freak out at the prices. Anyway, he decided to go for it and told me that if I wanted to place an order he'd be happy to pick it up for me. It had been nearly five months since I last visited and I had been thinking about the getting the Kwai Fei Ji from there....about the only thing I really enjoyed. So I went and placed an order, gave the dude some cash, and he went tp pick up my order....hey, who needs Uber Eats/Doordash/etc, etc, etc!

Anyway, he returned at around 1130 with my order. In addition to the Kwai Fei Chicken, I ordered the dim sum item that was at least decent during my visits, the Shrimp Siu Mai (now $6.69 was $6.19 a few months ago) and decided to try something new, so I went with the Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Dumpling ($6.69).

When I opened my package, I knew something was amiss....do you see what it is?

No, it not the Shrimp Siu Mai, which again, while being a bit on the tough side, was perfectly serviceable.....perhaps a bit mild in flavor...it could have used more of the briney-sweetness of really good shrimp. I brought two of them home and the Missus thought they were not bad.

I'd never seen Pan Fried Shrimp and Chive Dumplings that looked like this:

What the heck is going on with the wrappers? Jiu Cai Jiao wrappers are usually made with combination of wheat and tapioca starch or glutinous rice flour. When pan fried, this allows for a nice crispness, and a pleasant, very mild sweetness. This looked like they just went with some leftover siu mai wrappers, then threw in in  pan to get a hint of "brown" on it. The filling as almost all chive, which over-powered everything else.

This was so weird. I mean, the online process is - you place your order and wait for an acknowledgement, you get a confirmation email where the restaurant can update your order....the guy in the office ordered turnip cake, but they were out so he replaced it with something else. I'm thinking they should have done that here? I only ate one, I brought the other two home and when the Missus saw this, She just plain refused to eat it.

In case you're wondering what this should look like.....

At this point, I was kind of worried about my Kwai Fei Chicken ($15.99). But I was relatively happy with what I got.

The sauce wasn't quite as good as what I'd had the last time. It had much more oil and not enough scallion, the flavors seemed a bit muted, but it wasn't terrible.

As for the chicken, well in terms of the nice winey-anise-poultry flavor, with a bit more salt this time which actually helped. I did find the white meat on the dry side, but the dark meat slices were very nice.

So no complaints with that.

I do wish I could find some other dish at Golden Island other than the Kwai Fei Chicken....let me know of any dish you recommend here.

Golden Island
10660 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
858-578-8800
Current Hours:
Daily 10am - 930pm

Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho To Go From 777 Noodle House

This past weekend the Missus wanted me to drop off some coffee from Her favorite place at work.

After dropping off Her caffeine fix; I felt a bit hungry and decided to head on over to City Heights, a regular stop for me, but not so much in these days of Covid-19. While I had visited the area for some takeout, that was before Christmas....to think that I'd usually be in the area at least every other week in those days "BC" (before Covid).

I was craving some Bun Mang Vit from Tu Thanh and since it was after the scheduled opening time; about 930am, I drove on over....only to find them closed...sigh.....

I quickly decided on a "plan B", 777 Noodle House. Man it had been over a year since I last visited and I was wondering how things were.

As I arrived to the back parking lot, I noticed that sets of tables and chairs had been set-up for outdoor dining.

The interior was stark and looked so bare with all the tables and chairs stacked up in the corners. Plexiglass had been set-up on the counter, all those Covid precautions.

The one thing that has remained the same is the wonderful woman who works here; even though I hadn't been back in over a year she greeted me and even with her mask on I could tell she was smiling! I ordered my "usual", the Hu Tieu Nam Vang ("Phnom Penh Noodles") Kho ("Dry"), though this would be the first time I'd be having it to go. I paid and waited in the back parking lot for less than ten minutes before my order was ready.

Here's what it looked liked unpacked at home.

Things nicely packed. And like other experiences I've had with take-out, I noticed that the portion size seemed a bit larger. A lot more ground pork, noodles, and soup.

The broth was still hot, so I didn't need to heat anything up.

The noodles were still warm and had been coated with a mildly sweet soy. It wasn't stuck together in a clump which was good; but like on a few previous visits were on the overcooked side and somewhat mushy.

When eating at 777 the bean sprouts are blanched which made for a nice textural contrast. In this case it wasn't blanched....I could have taken some time to heat up the broth and blanch those bean sprouts, but I was hungry.

Nice combination of flavors and textures with the ground pork, the fried garlic, slices of char siu. The shrimp were nicely cooked, but tasted a bit on the muddy side. I really liked the mildly pungent, citrus tones the cilantro added to the bowl so I added a bit more that I had onhand.

The soup was pretty good this time around, not overly salty, but not as deeply flavored. That rather hefty pork hock was just perfect swiney goodness, tender, but not mushy, nice bits of slightly chewy tendon.

I did enjoy this, it did "hit the spot", and for the price of slightly north of seven bucks how can you complain? And that woman who is always so nice and gracious....I need to visit more often.

It had me thinking of how the other stops for Hi Tieu Nam Vang was doing. Perhaps in the next few weeks I'll find out!

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 283-3185
Current Hours:
Daily 8am - 9pm

Takeout Revisit - GyroGrill

Back in October I did a post on GyroGrill. A few weeks later, I went ahead and got lunch for the skeleton crew at work and they really took to the place. It has become a regular stop for them. They basically order one item; the Pork Gyro Meal. Even though the price has gone up a dollar; I still think it's a good deal for $8.99. Another change is that GyroGrill now closes on Sunday. Also, see below for changes in the hours of operation.

And while the pork still has the same shortcomings as before; sometimes a bit chewy, slightly dry, and a bit light in the seasoning department, it still has a decent pork flavor. It's not bad and way better than the mystery meat "Kronos" gyros you see everywhere. I also enjoy the hand cut potatoes, which is the one thing here that I prefer to Zgara. That thick Tzatziki....with a cream cheese texture has grown on me....

On my previous post on GyroGrill, I mentioned that I would try other items on the menu. So, on one of my visits; I went ahead and ordered the Beef Souvlaki Combo.

And ordered the rice pilaf and garbanzo beans as my sides. The garbanzos were much more tender this time around and still had that nice and tangy tomato flavor. The texture of the rice was quite good; but it was bland. The garbanzos were the best thing about this plate.

As you can see that beef was really dry and bland. You can't complain about the portion; but man, it really entered "two dollar steak" territory. This was way too much food so I shared it with a coworker.....who is a fan of that Pork Gyro meal and he didn't care for it either.

So, I guess I'll stick with this.

The folks from my team in the office on my Birthday, all two of them, wanted to buy me lunch.....so guess what we had?

It was a very nice gesture! And made my day......things like that just seem that much more special during these times.

Gyrogrill
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 586-7700
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 9am - 7pm
Sat       830am - 6pm
Closed Sun       day

Kim's Deli

In previous posts I've mentioned the phrase "Google is your friend". Here's another example.....I went ahead and Googled "Teriyaki Beef Sandwich" and was surprised at one of the results. It was fairly close to the office, named Kim's Deli....which seemed like one of those little business park sandwich shops. Looking over the menu, I was fascinated and based on the name, well, it immediately reminded me of The Sandwich Place. I went ahead and drove on over finding the shop in (of course) a business park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

I entered and headed over to the social distancing marks....I was the only person in the place. Soon enough, a very nice Korean woman came over and I ordered the Teriyaki Beef sandwich, priced nicely at $7.

I went ahead and drove back to the office and opened my sandwich.

This was actually not bad for the price. The beef, while obviously reheated in a microwave was more tender than what I expected and while a bit on the sweeter side, nicely marinated and not overly salty. It's actually better than TSP's. The bread was standard issue a bit crumbly, but yeasty. I'm not sure about the provolone cheese on this, the jury's out.....I'll try it again and see. There was a bit too much mayo, but this was a decent sandwich....especially for seven bucks.

While waiting for my sandwich; I noticed that there were some poke bowls (sorry, not for me) and a Bulgogi Bowl ($9) available. The woman working told me it was available every day. So, a week later, I called in my order, which was ready for pick up when I arrived.

I was quite surprised at the heftiness of my package and when opened was surprised at the quantity of food.

I cracked up when I opened my "box" up....as this was bit more than a "bowl"; but beyond that, the plate totally reminded me of something I would get from a lunchwagon back in my hanabuddah days or if they added in some, say namul and kimchi, it would look like one of the "local kine" (I always say local style meat and three) Korean takeout places.

Nothing fancy here; the japchae was straightforward; on the salty side and mostly just noodles.

The Bulgogi was the same meat as the teriyaki; but more tender this time and fairly well marinated.

Again, no frills, straightforward.

I mean, really, what do you expect at this price point?

The green salad was fine, fresh, with a sesame dressing.

The extra sauce for the bulgogi tasted like Yoshida's.

The rice was plentiful, but on the dry side.

No complaints really; I felt I got what I paid for...….

After this visit; I decided that I needed to try a deli sandwich to just complete the set. I called in an order for the Green Chili Roast Beef ($7). Again I called in my order which was ready for pick-up when I arrived.

As you can see; the sandwich used a standard issue telera style roll; though it was a bit more substantial than some I've had.

This one fell a bit short for me; mainly because I wished for a bit less lettuce and more roast beef. The slice of green chili only covered half the sandwich as well. There was quit a bit of avocado in this though. It was on the bland side overall.

Kim's seems to be a good place for hard working folks to get decent food at a good price.

Folks who are regular readers of our little blog know that I have a definite affection for these family owned, mom-and-pop places. Nothing fancy here; just decent food at good prices and on many days....well, that just fits the bill.

Kim's Deli
8515 Arjons Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-0370
Hours:
Mon - Fri 7am - 2pm
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays

Takeout Revisits - Sizzling Pot King and Village Kitchen

Man, what a difference a year makes. Last year, we kind of celebrated the Lunar New Year by taking a trip to San Francisco (I'll finish those posts one of these days). The LNY fell on January 25th last year; quite early. This year, well it's a whole different story....a whole different world it seems. Hard to believe that I first started working on Covid-19 items on February 10th of last year!

Still, we wanted to have some Chinese food; nothing fancy....we knew for sure that places would be swamped and really just wanted a dry pot to go from Sizzling Pot King; which has been a recent favorite of Hers.

So, I headed over to SPK and got there right when they opened and placed an order. Of course they were busy and I was told that instead of the usual 15-20 minute wait, it was going to be at least 45 minutes. Anyway, I placed my order and walked back to my car......and then it came to me; why not do a short version of the Missus's "I want it and I want it all"? Thinking about timing and such; I decided on Village Kitchen, which is about a 10-12 drive from SPK.

So, I headed over and there was a small queue, but after 10 minutes, I managed to make a takeout order, which I was told was going to take about 30 minutes. Perfect! I jumped back in my car and returned to SPK where my order was just being packed...….

After which I headed back to VK and after a five minute wait, my order was ready to go.

So, the Missus got Her fix from Sizzling Pot King (and I was told on a previous visit, no more cauliflower).

Good "ma-la" and spice, even at medium heat. The trip was quite good on this day.

And was pleasantly surprised by the "bonus dishes".

The La Rou with Cucumber Skin was on the greasy side and not very spicy. There was a lot of smoked meat though.

The Stinky Tofu "Stew" had some decent spice and funkiness, with a touch of acidity.

After our last experience with the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg, I decided not to order it.

And so, we'll have leftovers for a couple of meals, which suits us just fine. Maybe I won't have to cook as much this weekend!

Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Yes, it's almost like we're living in a different time these days. Still, whether you say “Gong xi fa cai”, “Gong hei fat choy”, “Chuc mung nam moi”, or "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo", we'd like to wish you a healthy, safe, and wonderful 2021. A much better year than 2020.

Take care!

Takeout From Green China Grill

When I did takeout from Bonchon, I look over and realized I hadn't been to Green China Grill in a while. A week later, I was working from home and it was pretty chilly, so I thought the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage might be good on a chilly day. I did a quick search and found that GCG did online ordering and placed n order for the Beef Noodle Soup with Sour Cabbage, which is now $11.99. I then headed over to pick-up my lunch.

Man, I remember when this parking lot used to be pretty crazy, but on this day there was so much parking available at noon. Sign of the times.

I walked into the doorway and up to the table.

And told the young lady my order; which was ready to go.

This time around, wanting something a bit more substantial, I went with the flat noodles. Things were packed quite well.

While I got the broth up to the temp I wanted, I put the noodles, pickled mustard greens, I liked that there was a pretty generous amount provided, and was quite happy to note that the noodles weren't clumped together.

This was actually not bad, still a bit too much MSG and white pepper for my taste, but the broth, a pretty simple one, wasn't too bad.

The slices of beef looked tough, but were fairly tender, and full of nice beefy tones and I detected a hit of anise as well.

The straight forward pickled greens were briny and also added that sour-pickled palate restoring taste that I enjoy.

The noodles....well, I know I usually go with the regular Lamian here, but these were nicely prepared, with a nice pull and al dente chew that I may just order things this way in the future.

Overall, nothing fancy, but quite simple and satisfying....just what I wanted on this day.

A couple of Friday's back, I was working from home and the weather was crazy, rain pouring like a river in bursts of 10-15 minutes, thunder, and hail....hail! I actually went out looking for clouds of locusts and wondered if we would be having three days of darkness!

I was actually going to order the same noodle soup from GCG again....but after taking a look at the menu online, I saw that they had Yang Rou Pao Mo......like I've said before; I've given up on finding "true" Yang Rou Pao Mo, like we had in Xi'an in SoCal, with a thick, rich, very gamey broth and hearty, but not waxy-dense-slippery-noodley unleavened bread.

So, like my previous visit, I placed my order, had a super easy time finding parking, and my Yang Rou Pao Mo ($12.99) was waiting when I walked to the table.....in and out in less than three minutes! The bag felt pretty darn heavy.....and sheesh looked at all the pseudo pao (soaked) mo (unleavened bread).

Because of the density of the dish, it was still steaming hot when I unpacked it at home. I just had to pour it into a bowl.

In terms of how this compares to Shann Xi Magic Kitchen and other versions, I thought it a bit better for a couple of reasons. The broth had a much stronger gaminess, though it did have a bit too much MSG for my taste. The lamb was super "ewe-y" and fairly tender, though there wasn't much of it. What there was a plethora (sorry, I always think of this when I hear the word "plethora") of was the waxy faux pao mo....though it wasn't bad, not overly hard....I just think of it being more like noodles....like in alphabet soup.

And this sure did warm me up on a wet and chilly day.

In case you were wondering what I'm all waxing nostalgic about:

From Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) in Xi'an.

Oh well; it wasn't too bad, though I think I'll stick with my "usual" the next time around.

Green China Grill
4688 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 292-5555
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 1130am - 3pm, 5pm - 10pm
Sat - Sun 1130am - 10pm

 

Travelling With My TasteBuds, Thinking of Peru - Lomo Saltado From Latin Chef

A few weeks ago; I was looking thru some of my old photos and came across our Peru folders which brought back some great memories of not only places we've visited, but also of memorable meals we've had during our visits. It goes without saying that I really love Peruvian cuisine. From a wonderful Cebiche or Tiradito, to Anticuchos, and of course, Lomo Saltado….to the point that I've even done a comparison post in the past. I of course instantly needed some lomo saltado. I had visited Latin Chef after the change of ownership and move to Liberty Station. I hadn't been to this part of town since before the pandemic started, so I called and placed a takeout order and headed down to Liberty Station. This being early January, San Diego was still in the "purple tier" with only takeout service. I was a bit taken aback with all the folks walking around Liberty Station. Perhaps I should have chosen a non-weekend day for my fix.

Anyway; I took the side entrance and waltzed right to the Latin Chef Counter.

My order wasn't ready, so I walked to the far corner and waited. Unlike my previous visits, the new owner, Tony Kaneshiro wasn't working....just two young men. A few minutes later my Lomo Saltado ($14.50) was ready. I had thought of checking out the rest of the stands a bit; especially Chris' Ono Grinds, but the place was just too crowded for me, so I headed home.

Perhaps I should have ordered from Eli's, because this was quite disappointing. The meat was really tough, dry, with a metallic tinge. I appreciated the tomato in the dish because it really helped to cut the salty and greasiness of the dish. The papas fritas were fine; but also on the dry side. The rice was hard and dry. I was thankful for the Aji Verde....which while very straight forward, also helped to get past the salty-greasiness.

Kind of sad overall.

Maybe it was because Tony wasn't on hand and not to beat a dead horse, but I couldn't help but lament how far Latin Chef has fallen. It was, once upon a time our favorite Peruvian Restaurant in San Diego. We used to visit 2-3 times a week! LC was the place that inspired us to travel to Peru; as much as Machu Picchu amazed us; it was the cuisine that always seemed to be progressing that we loved.

My hope is to find a Peruvian restaurant in San Diego that will take my tastebuds back to Peru......until we can once again travel and visit Peru.

The Latin Chef (Liberty Station)
820 Historic Decatur Rd.
San Diego, CA 92106
(619) 269-3360
Current Hours:
Sun - Wed   11am - 7pm
Thurs - Sat 11am - 8pm

Midweek Meanderings: Ichiro's Closes and Ramen Ryoma (Kearny Mesa) Closes.

Just a quick post for today.

Ichiro's Closes:

In my last post on Tadokoro, "FOY" Junichi mentioned that Ichiro has closed and their last day of business was January 30th. So, I decided to drop by during regular business hours and while there was no indication of a sale or change of business, the place was closed.

Thanks to "FOY" Sage for sending me the link to Ichiro's Facebook closing announcement.

The restaurant has a long history here in San Diego, I believe of 36 years! It's the end of an era.

4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Ryoma (Clairemont Mesa) is closed:

I saw this one a while back.....seeing no signage on the place I made a real quick turn into the parking lot.

While the other locations in Hillcrest and Pacific Beach are still open; it seems that this location couldn't make a go of it. I believe they closed back in November, another casualty of Covid.

9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123