mmm-yoso!!!

The Veggie King Ramen from Ramen Nagi

Back to Ramen Nagi so soon? Well, it wasn't really intentional. I was headed elsewhere at UTC, but I found that the posted opening time of the business was not 11 as I had found on Westfield Site, but 1130. So, I decided to head on back to Nagi to check how busy things were and there was basically one party in line when I got there at 1110! This was a Monday mind you....

Well, perhaps this was fate? Now as I was handed the order sheet, I made an interesting decision. You see, I received not one, but two emails regarding my post on Ramen Nagi. One from Vinh and another from Franklin. Both of them endorsed the Veggie King Ramen. To quote Vinh's email:

"It's the best vegetarian ramen I've ever had and I think it's even better than the Original King (which was pretty great) and the Black King (I thought this was kind of mediocre)."

Plus, FOY Peter mentioned wanting to try the Veggie King as well in the comments of that post.

So, why not, right?

I filled out the order form.....now, I didn't go "full vegan" on this, as I added a tamago (of course)! And other than requesting my noodles "firm" I made no other customizations.

There were two tables filled and one person on the counter when I was seated, a far cry from my previous visits.

My rather large bowl arrived soon after, with two "hashbrowns" looking like wings for the bowl of noodle soup.

    Before my ramen "took to flight" I dug in. As with my previous visits, the tamago was perfect, still warm, with a runny yolk. The firm noodles were indeed that, good stretch, slipperiness, and chew.

As for the rest? Well, those potato cakes were really like hashbrowns. Kinda strange. They started getting soggy and falling apart quickly. Not my favorite thing; but if you do get this bowl, perhaps you could request this on the side? The spinach was fine, quite typical. The mushrooms were really hard and chewy.

As for the broth? Well, this was sort of like a shoyu ramen. There was a savory component that was hard to pin down. I know the broth is mushroom based, but the fungi-flavor wasn't pervasive. It had a good amount of oil, but wasn't overly rich in texture. And, like my first bowl at Nagi, it was very salty, way too salty.

While I don't think I'll order this again; if I did, I'd order it with less salt. I'm not overly familiar with vegetarian/vegan ramen so I have no real baseline in that comparison. That said, while I won't be changing my "ramen-ways", this was not bad.

And thanks to Vinh and Franklin for suggesting I try this. You both are "FOYs" for sure now! I do enjoy recommendations as it helps to broaden my horizons.....

Ramen Nagi UTC
4301 La Jolla Village Dr. Suite 2033
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Daily 11am - 230pm, 5pm - 9pm

Minh Ky - Under New Ownership

This past weekend, after returning from our last trip, I was craving some "comfort food"....which at that time meant noodles...and in this case Beef Satay Egg Noodle "dry" ("Kho"). So, of course Minh Ky came to mind. Especially since I've been going here since way "back when". In fact, it was one of my last stops before the Covid shut down in 2020. What has recently changed is the ownership of Minh Ky. I was interested to see if things were different after the change of ownership. I did wait until we got back from our last trip and visited this past weekend.

Upon arrival there were some things that were totally the same....for instance; that parking lot is still terrible. The back parking lot is now totally run by Paris Bakery and there are warning signs posted not to park there. The sign for Minh Ky however, is quite shiny and new!

Though the interior looks the same.

I noticed that prices have gone up since my last visit in March of last year, though my guess is that prices have risen everywhere. The Mi Sate Thit Bo is now $11.95 and guess what? There's now a 50-cent upcharge for getting it "Kho" (dry).

Still old habits die hard, and I really wanted to see if my favorite dish from Minh Ky had changed with the ownership. The young lady working said they've kept the kitchen staff.

    There was one thing I quickly noticed when my bowl arrived; the portion size seems a bit larger than before. Also, the sauce was a lot "redder" in color and while it had a decent savory-nutty - pungency, was also saltier than I recalled. The beef was not quite as nicely velveted and was on the chewy side, though I've had that happen on previous visits.

The broth at Minh Ky had usually been on the weaker and blander side of the scale and perhaps it was me really focusing in on things; but take a look at how pale that soup is. It just speaks for itself.

 

There was a good amount of tomato and onion. The noodles, which were provided in abundance were really undercooked, hard, and brittle.

I'm not quite sure if it was me really focusing on things or what? But the couple on the table behind me was having a lively debate. The young man said that his egg noodle dish was not quite up to par and was very salty; the young woman said her won ton soup was just the same and the kitchen staff is the same. She punctuated the argument by telling the young man "I've been coming here my entire life, you never came here until we met 5 five years ago, so you obviously don't know what you're talking about!" Touche!

So, while I did detect some differences; I'll need to return in a couple of weeks....or months, this was obviously not quite to my liking, and see.

So, tell me; if you've been to Minh Ky since the ownership change, have you detected anything different with what you had?

Minh Ky Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115

Sunday Stuffs - Xinjiang BBQ (supposedly) Opening in Linda Vista in January, Monsta Ramen and Curry Coming to Convoy, and Cocinas del Monte Replaces Mariscos el Cata

I haven't done one of these in a while, so.......

Monsta Ramen and Curry Coming to Convoy:

I noticed the sign when I drove by Convoy Village Shopping Center, so I headed on in to take a look.

Hmmm.....something called Monsta Ramen and Curry. Well, perhaps ramen and Japanese curry haven't hit saturation point in San Diego yet?

Tried to do some searching on this, but didn't find anything, so perhaps some of you "FOYs" with better skills can fill us in?

4344 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Cocinas del Monte Replaces Mariscos el Cata:

While driving back yesterday after doing my Saturday routine, I noticed that the sign for Mariscos el Cata had been replaced.....

It's now Cocinas del Monte? I mentioned this to my good friend Candice, who replied "this corner must be cursed". I have to agree.

2543 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110

And finally....

Xinjiang BBQ (supposedly) Opening in Linda Vista in January:

You know how you get used to just seeing the same 'ol, same 'ol when driving? Well, I guess I had gotten used to seeing this:

The signage had been up for over four years and Yum Cha Cafe had vacated the space over two years earlier.

So I'm not sure how many times I drove past here before I noticed this.

Whoa so like seven years later, it looks like a business will open in this spot!

I'm thinking this is an offshoot of the Xinjiang BBQ in the SGV? So, it looks like one of those lamb skewer and beer places that have become quite popular in the SGV.

And when I did that "Google thing" I saw this:

January is just over a month away!

So we'll see....

6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Ok, so we'll see.

Chiayi - A Lou Shi Turkey Rice (阿樓師火雞肉飯), Wenhua Road Night Market (Again), and River Bird Coffee Roaster (江鳥咖啡- 嘉義吳鳳北路店)

After returning from Alishan we had some snacks at the 7-11. I was quite shocked to see draft beer "pulls" in the store....you can get draft beer at a 7-11!

We returned to the hotel, took a short nap, then headed out for an early dinner. The Missus was really in Her element in Taiwan. She would chat up folks and get recommendations. We were so taken by the Turkey Rice that we wanted to have that again. The young lady at the Tea Shop right at the corner recommended a Turkey Rice shop named "A Lou Shi". She told us it opens at 4pm, so we headed on out and wouldn't you know, we found the place!

And there was quite a line! Since this is Taiwan, the line was a good thing! It moves so quickly.

Check out who was waiting for some Turkey Rice right in front of us!

One quick look at the counter and you knew what they specialized in.

The place was in continuous movement of folks ordering, eating, then vacating.....

We really enjoyed the stir fried veggies in Taiwan, so of course we ordered all of it!

All the greens were prepped the same way, blanched, then sauced, then minced garlic were added.

The ong choi was crunchy, there was a light sauce which heightened the flavor. The garlic added a nice pungency.

The lettuce had what tasted like oyster sauce on it, along with the garlic.

The yam leaves had a texture like spinach, without the "gooeyess", but also had a nice mild sweetness along with the chlorophyllic flavor.

All were quickly blanched so the flavors weren't leached and there was some crispness to things.

And of course, we loved the bamboo shoots.

Crunchy, with a earthy-nuttiness and a hint of sweetness.

This place served Turkey Rice two ways. Sliced and a version more braised.

   The rice was perfect, but the sauce was greasier and milder in poultry flavor than what we'd had earlier and the turkey meat was more chewy/tough as well. 

Overall, we preferred A Hong Shi.

A Lou Shi (阿樓師火雞肉飯)
No. 102 Wufeng North Rd.
East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan

Still, check out the line as we left!

We had to walk thru Wenhua Road Night Market on the way back to the hotel.

And the Missus decided to stop at this charming looking stand for some Douhua - beancurd pudding.

Which She enjoyed.

And of course there was a "show" going on at the Central Plaza that evening as well.......

There's always something happening here I guess!

In an earlier post, I mentioned having problems getting train tickets because of the Qingming Festival (i.e. Tomb Sweeping week). Well, in order to get back to Taipei, I ended up hiring a driver, which in terms of US prices is quite inexpensive. In fact, after doing this car hire, I went ahead and did the same for other "excursions" during our trip. One good thing about having your own driver is that you have greater control of your schedule. So, I timed things so we'd be getting to our hotel in Taipei right at check-in time. This meant that we wouldn't leave Chiayi until after 12.

So, after grabbing a snack at the Hotel, we checked out and stored our bags and decided to take a walk around Chiayi.

There was a kind of rusticness to Chiayi, making it quite different from Taipei and Taichung. Businesses dotted the landscape all along Wenhua and Wufeng Road.

On Wufeng Road we came along this shop and decided to get our caffeine fix.

It turned out to be quite the hipster coffee shop.

The young lady working was so nice and sweet, while also being a bada$$ barista!

She made the Missus's pour over and I got my cold brew.

And she gave us some "treats" to have with our coffee.

River Bird Coffee Roaster (江鳥咖啡- 嘉義吳鳳北路店)
No. 132 Wufeng North Rd.
East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan

After our nice caffeine stop, we decided to stroll on back to the hotel. We stopped to do some shopping (and sampling) along the way.

Right at the center of the city is a fountain that dates back to the Qing Dynasty when Chiayi was the center of the sugar industry. The fountain stands where the city wall stood during the Qing Dyansty. But there's something else that catches your eye.

Yes, it's a baseball player; specifically a pitcher. This is known as the "Kano" statue. The statue is of the late Wu Ming-Chieh, star player of the Kano Baseball Team, the team from Chiayi was chosen to represent "Formosa" in the Japanese High School Baseball Championship in 1931 and against all odds made it to the final, losing in the championship game. Wu Ming-Chieh was the pitcher on that team. It is said that the success of the Kano Team encouraged Taiwanese to play the sport and now baseball is considered to be the national sport of Taiwan. An award winning movie was made about the team in 2014. And this is a wonderful article if you'd like to have more info! Everyone loves an underdog story!

We walked back to the hotel and in a few minutes our driver arrived and we were headed back to Taipei.

Thanks for stopping by!

Chiayi - The Wenhua Road Night Market and Alishan National Scenic Area

**** Not much food in this one....though I did love that Pepper Bun!

I thought I'd give you a break on all my Paris/France posts and head on back to Taiwan......

After checking into our hotel and having lunch at Ah Hong Shi Turkey Rice, we relaxed for a bit. We were staying right off Wenhua Road, right across the Central Plaza. Wenhua Road Night Market is but one block away and we weren't very hungry after our lunch, so it was a natural pick for grabbing a light dinner and getting in a nice stroll.

  And even though it seemed pretty busy along the whole 500 meter route, there was a laid back vibe to things. And so, we actually enjoyed this night market more than the Yizhong and Ningxia Night Markets. Of course Taipei and Taichung are the first and third most populous cities in Taiwan at 7.8 and 1 million, while the entire population of Chiayi County is 260,000. The city just seemed quite laid back and we could take our time to notice people....and their pooches!

It seems like folks really like to take their dogs around in dog strollers in Taiwan!

We did get to take our time visiting various stands.

And ended up getting some baozi; sorry the photos of that didn't come out.

And our favorite item of the night from this stand.

   The woman working was quite a good salesperson. She saw the Missus and I walk up and immediately started conversing with the Missus. And apparently this tactic worked as we got a Hujiao Bing - a pepper bun. 

I found that I really enjoyed Hujiao Bing, a juicy meatball laced with scallions, a the flavor of white pepper dancing on your tastebuds....

This was one of my favorite items on the trip....until we came across an even better version in Taipei.

As night set in, we headed back to our hotel.

As I mentioned earlier; our hotel overlooked the Central Plaza. The hotel was a bit dated and kind of noisy, but it was interesting to watch the happenings at the plaza from our window. On this evening there was some kind of talent/music show going on.

The next morning we woke and headed on over to Chiayi Station where I grabbed something quick from the 7-11, before we boarded the bus to Alishan.

And we were dropped off right in front of the main gate to the area.

And very popular......

We found Alishan quite easy to navigate, with wooden walkways, easy trails, a pleasant experience for all.

There are actually four villages within the confines of Alishan.

As you walk within the park, you'll come across amazing trees. An example would be the "three generation tree". Where one tree grew upon another, each serving as a base for the next generation, a symbol for all who some here.

All the trees are known and have names.

It's quite impressive.

  There were very nice wooden paths and bridges making Alishan a very easy visit. Perhaps too easy for the Missus as She was getting kinda bored with the whole place. Whereas I enjoyed the view and the trees. Oh the stories they could tell!

We eventually found our way down to where the Alishan Railway Station was. This would have been our transportation here had all our planning worked out; but of course I didn't know anything about the Qingming Festival at the time.

From here we headed off.

This is the Tree Spirit Pagoda.

The relations between Japan and Taiwan are quite complicated and I won't really get into that because there's much I do not understand. What we did see in Alishan was the Tree Spirit Pagoda. Which the sign describes.

There are amazingly old Red Cypress trees, many of which have interesting shapes. This is called the Elephant Trunk Tree.

This is the Xianglin Arch Bridge.

Beyond which there was this wall, which was busy with people.

They were all interested in this flower.

The Missus tried to figure out the significance of this flower and asked several folks, but couldn't get a clear answer. Perhaps one of our "FOYs" can clarify for us!

From here, it was a close walk to Alishan Shouzen Temple.

And there was one thing I wanted to see. I had read that in every April....we were here in the beginning of April, moths will roost on the statue of the Supreme Emperor of the Dark Heaven, whose birthday is the 21st of April. We were here during the first week of April and guess what?

My goodness, do you see the moth? Whoa.....

At this point...well, the Missus needed some tea, with aiyu.

From here we walked back to the main village making a atop at a tea shop.....Alishan tea is quite famous a renowned and the Missus wanted to sample some.

And She ended buying  some tea.

Before heading back to Chiayi....

It wasn't quite noon when we headed back, so we'd have time to grab some lunch.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Safe Thanksgiving!

The Missus has to work over the next couple of days; so we're keeping it simple. I'm just making some Niku Dofu by request.

The folks here at mmm-yoso would like to express how thankful we are for the visits, wonderful comments, and emails. We wouldn't still be around 6,755 days later (yes, I counted on my fingers and toes) if not for all of you!

Thanks as always!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Something to be Thankful For - Lucky's Breakfast

I'd recently heard that a place near and dear to my heart was up for sale and would be closing its doors; Lucky's Breakfast. From the first time I set foot thru those doors back in 2008, Lucky's has been a sentimental favorite of mine. Beyond the old-school breakfast, it was the owner, jack of all trades, who took your order, bussed the tables, served the food, and cooked everything, Lucky that was the reason I visited. Even though I used to drop by every so often, I'd do a post about every five years it seems. But, I hadn't visited since before Covid, and when I did drop by, usually on weekends, the place would be pretty busy, so I'd just wait. It seems that various social media outlets had made Lucky quite popular. Though, having been a customer for over 15 years, I know Lucky would never change.

Having a weekday off and having heard the news, I headed on over.....

And the place wasn't busy, so I had a seat.

Looking at my old photos, I guess I always sit in the same spot here? I always take a few minutes to appreciate the kitschy beauty of the place....it reminds of diners from my "small kid time". As I've said and repeated on all my posts on Lucky's "I'm sure thousands of stories have echoed off the walls" here.

Of course, there are changes. Of course, breakfasts are no longer $4-$6, but the prices are quite inexpensive for the area.

And of course, that calendar keeps moving. Lucky does look older now, he moves a bit slower, and maybe should take a "second" retirement (his "first" retirement was when the place went from a Chinese restaurant to only serving breakfast).

But there are those things that hold steady; Lucky's always trying to refill your coffee, he hates waste (one of the hipsters left a piece of toast and Lucky wrapped it for him to take with him), and while things move a bit slower these days there's the ever present wit.

I heard the classic "Lucky line", which I've heard many times during my visit to here. When a "mature" woman would order coffee, Lucky would tell them the classic line I heard on my very first visit; "you too young for coffee, it will stunt your growth!"

As for my breakfast.....

It did the trick. And at $9 bucks, this is bargain these days!

As for Lucky selling? Well, I'd heard that the listing was pulled. I thought of asking, but really didn't want to be nosy and the place was filling up. I just wanted to enjoy my visit and take in the "atmosphere".

And of course, Lucky makes sure you get some fortune cookies.....

And in this case; I'll let Lucky's Fortune Cookie have the last word!

Lucky’s Breakfast
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 715am - Noon

Big Island - Dinner at Merriman's and Waimea Town Market (Kamuela/Waimea)

During our last trip to the Big Island, we decided to stay the night. As I've mentioned in a previous post from almost 10 years ago, Kamuela holds a special place in my heart. I'm glad the Missus enjoys the laid back, gentrified, farm-village vibe of the town. This time around we decided to stay for the night; something we hadn't done in years. We stayed at the Waimea Country Lodge and enjoyed strolling around town. For dinner, I had made reservations at Merriman's. We'd had dinner there over two decades ago and really didn't enjoy it much. This time, I hoped for better.

We walked on over.....

We arrived a bit earlier than our reservation; but the young man at the host stand told us "no problem" we have a table. We experienced this type of warm and accommodating service during our entire meal. It was such a pleasure dealing with folks who were efficient and professional, yet so very warm and kind.

The place was about two-thirds full at 530 pm. The Servers and staff seemed to know quite a few folks eating, so I'm guessing many were regulars from this town of about 9500. The Missus and I were so impressed by the staff....there was a young man with obvious learning/cognitive disabilities having dinner with his parents. Apparently he's a regular. All staff members dropped by to tell him hello, they knew he was wearing his "favorite shirt", they knew his favorite dishes....they embodied the "Aloha spirit". And this reminded me of why I almost took a job there back in the early 90s!

It's totally a tasting menu here two starters and desserts and a main. What we really enjoyed was that you could order 2 first courses and bypass the dessert! We ended up ordering three starters and one dessert which suited us perfectly!

Peter Merriman is considered one of the pioneers of "Hawaii Regional Cuisine", something that I have a love-hate relationship with. At its best the food represents the melting pot of people and cuisines of my home. At worse it is a cliched, soul less con-"fusion" of flavors and textures. I was hoping for the best here and the wonderful service had us off to a good start.

The amuse was Smoked Ulu (breadfruit) with Taro Chips. Basically a version of pulehu ʻulu.

I don't think the Missus has had ulu before. There were all the flavors She enjoys in this; a mild smokiness, a pleasantly sweet-rich flavor which harkens to a mix of sweet potato and roasted chestnut. She loved it.

Next up, the Shoyu Poke.

The Ahi as of excellent quality, so tender, well marinated in shoyu, though we would have appreciated more inamona and ogo. The mashed avocado kind of dulled the flavor of the poke.

The shrimp in the Grilled Wild Shrimp Bulgogi was fabulous; sweet and briny.

This really didn't need much and we were glad that the "bulgogi" flavoring did not interfere with the wonderful sweetness of the shrimp which were also cooked to perfection.

The Kalua Pork Quesadilla was our least favorite dish of the evening.

The pork was too salty, the smoke flavor too mild, the "tortilla" was more too hard and brittle; the sauce too sweet. This could have used something with a bit of "heat" to it.

The Missus ordered the "Day Boat Catch". 

The fish was mahi mahi and was quite fresh, nicely cooked, mist and tender. The prawns were the highlight of this dish; fabulously tender and sweet. 

This being cow country; I went with the Kua'Aina Beef Tenderloin. It was a great choice.

   It was cooked to a perfect medium rare, loved the beefiness. I was told this is grass fed beef, so I expected it to be more toothsome. The cauliflower was delicious; at least that's what the Missus said as She quickly poached them all from the plate. The jalapeno mashed potatoes were quite creamy and not really spicy at all.

The Missus enjoyed the "Chocolate Purse".

Overall, we enjoyed the meal and loved the service. We'll definitely return in the future.

Merriman's Big Island
65-1227 Opelo Rd.
Waimea, HI 96743

I had picked the Waimea Country Lodge for a simple reason. Right next door is the Waimea Town Market, which opens at 730am on Saturdays! In fact, I could see the market, which takes place at the Parker School from our window.

And we headed on over right after the market opened.

We enjoyed our time there.

And made some nice purchases.

Waimea Town Market at Parker School
65-1224 Lindsey Rd
Waimea, HI 96743

On a fun note; the gentleman who was working the Akaka Falls Farm stand started chatting with us. He asked us where we were from and we told him "San Diego". He asked "where in San Diego"? And we said "Bay Park". He stuck his hand out to us for handshakes and told us, "North Clairemont baby!!!!" We cracked up.

Such a small world, huh?