mmm-yoso!!!

Cinque Terre - Back to Monterosso al Mare, Aperitivo at Ananasso Bar, and Dinner at Gambero Rosso (Vernazza)

After enjoying our time in Riomaggiore and Manarola, the Missus decided She wanted to revisit Monterosso. Which was not a big deal since it was just a 12 minute train ride to Monterosso and boy was I happy we weren't hiking there! My knees were still stiff from that one! Like before, we got out at the station in the New Town and walked thru the tunnel to the Old Town. This time we went further up the main street, Via Roma.

Along the way, we came across something that kinda reminded us of Japan in a way. A vending machine. This one is like a portable pharmacy!

We enjoyed doing the "Flâneur" thing. After a busy morning, just wandering in the largest village of the Cinque Terre with a "massive" population of 1,300, away from the major tourist stops was relaxing.

It gave us time to really appreciate the beautiful colors of the Cinque Terre.

As we got closer to the train tracks and the shoreline more businesses appeared, but because this was the winter season, things seemed quite sedate.

Sometimes, just meandering around can be more fun then having to see all  the required sights.

As we headed back to the New Town and the train station, the Missus decided She wanted another gelato from Gelateria La Scogliera. And of course we needed to sit and have that view of the bay as well.

Gelateria La Scogliera
Via Fegina 20
Monterosso al Mare, Italy

Back in Vernazza, we climbed those stairs back to the apartment and relaxed, before heading back out. We strolled down Via Visconti toward the breakwater to get that "typical" view of Vernazza Harbor and Piazza Guglielmo Marconi.

It seems that more than a few folks had the same idea in mind.

Then it was time for something I'd really taken to during our stay in Milan; aperitivo time. And the lovely Piazza Guglielmo Marconi seemed like the perfect place.

So, we were back at Ananasso Bar, where we'd had our morning espresso. We actually sat at the two top right out the door of the shop. And guess who decided to take a "break" below my seat?

Yep, it was the ferocious feline we saw earlier in the day! Of course, I wasn't going to try to make it move, nor even bother it at all!

As for our aperotivo.

The Missus ordered the "non si sa", the "bartender's choice"! In this case an interesting aperol with tequila and mezcal, which was right down the Missus's alley. I got the  Negroni Basilico; made with Cinque Terre Basil and Cocchi Americano which added a nice bitter-sweet tone; the basil added some interesting peppery-anise flavors.

Ananasso Bar
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 30
Vernazza, Italy

We also got some free entertainment, courtesy of this fellow.

I guess he's one of the caretakers of the piazza. He came on down singing, greeting everyone, playing "air guitar" on his broom!

Such a nice and friendly fellow.

By this time, the waves started picking up.

Quite dramatically.

At one point, the first couple of tables nearest the beach on the piazza got splashed. I'm glad we sat where we did!

For dinner, we picked a spot next to Gianni Franzi where we'd had dinner the previous night. We were told that Gambero Rosso was the "finest" restaurant in the area, so we had to check it out, right?

It had started drizzling and the waves were pounding the shore, so we dined in the warm, stone walled dining room.

The service was a bit rushed, but the place was pretty busy. Prices were a bit more than on the previous night. Sticking with local seafood/products and uncomplicated dishes had served us well thus far so we weren't going to deviate.

First up was the Misto de Acciughe alla Gambero Rosso. The house style anchovies. Basically both fried and filet of anchovies.

These were fine; the fried version crisp and savory, the salted filets fine, though not as full of umami as we'd had the night before.

The Trofie al Pesto was better than we'd had the previous night, though not as enjoyable as what we'd had at 5 Terre Bistrot.

The real "winnah" of the evening were the Mussels. Oh my, so plump, mildly sweet - oceany, not a bit of grit to be found!

 Cooked simply and perfectly. We plowed thru this in no time!

Like I said, simple and local.......

Ristorante Il Gambero Rosso
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 7
Vernazza, Italy

Things were quite damp when we left the restaurant. And not all of it due to the mild drizzle.

Looking between the buildings you could see what the waves had brought ashore. In fact, waves were hitting the window of the living room of the apartment! I wish I had taken a photo of that!

We were really enjoying ourselves. The charming and colorful villages, the views, the wildness of the sea....but, to be honest, it was those little special moments that really made our stay memorable!

Cinque Terre - Morning Coffee at Ananasso Bar, Checking Out Riomaggiore and Manarola

**** No food in this one, but if you'd like to see where we visited in Riomaggiore and Manarola read on!

We woke early on our second morning in Vernazza. We walked on over to Piazza Guglielmo Marconi and took a look at the waves breaking. Yes, it was fall and it was pretty rough out there. Right at the end of the piazza and on the harbor is the popular Ananasso Bar, which serves coffee in the mornings and cocktails during the evening.

A nice espresso.

We'd end up stopping by on our next morning as well.

You get a front row seat of the harbour as well!

Ananasso Bar
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 30
Vernazza, Italy

Speaking of a front row seat. During rough seas, the fishermen will bring their boats ashore and while passing among the boats we heard a loud whimper and saw a large Golden Retreiver run to it's owner for comfort. What was the cause for this distress. Well, the source soon walked out from among the boats.....

Like I mentioned in a previous post, these cats have no fear and apparently are not to be trifled with. We saw this feline hiss at a couple who tried to pet it making them back away, it also scared away a fairly large mutt on the next morning. After my previous experience with a "Killer Pussy" on Easter Island, I knew better than to mess with them!

After our coffee we headed on out. We decided on visiting the two southern most villages of the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore and Manarola. We went and purchased the two day train card at the stop in Vernazza. This gave us free access to the La Spezia - Cinque Terre - Levanto railway line, free use of restrooms, etc. It took us just 10 minutes by train from Vernazza to Riomaggiore, the second largest of the five villages. It's an interesting train station, overlooking a ravine. You access the village via a tunnel.

From there we got onto Via Telemaco Signorini and walked on up to the village.

It's a fairly steep hike, but the views are quite fabulous.

We took a turn around the bend and found the stairs (yep more stairs!) up to Castello di Riomaggiore.

The hulking structure, built in the 13th century, has some pretty nice views, though it wasn't open to visitors. There's also an interesting small church the Oratorio di San Rocco which was built to commemorate the end of the plague.

Walking inland along Via Pecunia, you'll get some nice views of the town.

Via Pecunia ends at a piazza where the Church of San Giovanni Battista stands.

The grey stone church stands above the village. While originally constructed in 1340 and dedicated to John the Baptist, the church went thru a huge renovation in 1870.

From here we headed down to the main street of the village; Via Colombo.

At the end of Via Colombo was one of my favorite spots on this trip. As you approach the train tracks, you'll find stairs leading up to a square. This is Piazza Vignaioli and is right above the train tracks. 

And also nice views of the lovely pastel colored buildings in the town.

But what really caught our attention were the views of the "harbor"....I'll just use quotes on that. Because of the rather rough weather, the boats had been pulled up onto the square...which really look like the street! It really look like the waves are breaking on the village streets.

Quite dramatic looking, huh?

On our next stop, we were going from the second largest, to the second smallest village in the Cinque Terre, Manarola with a population of about 350. And in keeping with the number 2, the train ride from Riomaggiore to Manarola takes about 2 minutes! The village is tucked into a ravine and to get to it from the train station means a 200 yard walk thru a tunnel. The tunnel opens right up in the center of town, which was pretty busy on this day.

The view from the harbor was lovely and you can see the trail that we took along the vineyards to the cemetery...with of course, a wonderful view a short time later.

We then headed back up the main street, lined with shops and restaurants, for some reason, this seemed to be the most touristy of the villages.

The higher up into the the village, the less tourists we saw. 

As you get to the bend in the road you'll come across a large water wheel.

Manarola is the oldest of villages in the Cinque Terre, supposedly dating back to the 13th century founded by the Romans. The town was built alongside a large creek and according to the story there was a large waterwheel (magna rota in Latin) in the village from which it got it's name .

Things seemed a lot quieter here.

And so it seemed like a nice time for a Limonata break.

Before heading onward.

We finally came upon the trail we were looking for. It was right next to this church.

This is the Church of San Lorenzo which dates back to 1338.

The namesake of the church is Saint Lawrence, who is the patron saint of the Cinque Terre. I found the ceiling fresco to be quite "interesting". It has San Lorenzo holding a grill.....

The grill "gridiron" is the symbol of San Lorenzo as he was roasted alive on it. It is the symbol of his martyrdom!

To quote the Wikipedia page:

After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!"

Thus Saint Lawrence is not only the patron saint of Cooks, but also the patron saint of comedians as well!

Turning back down the street, next to a wine bar you'll see the sign for Trail 502C. This trail heads up past lovely vineyards to the cemetery, which of course means that the best views.

I mentioned that cemeteries were moved out of villages for hygienic purposes and many seemed to have ended up on hills with wonderful views.

From the cemetery, you can take some stairs and end up with amazing views!

Check out the harbor and breakwater!

We then took Via di Corniglia back to the town and the train station.

Since it was still fairly early, the Missus decided that we should head back to Monterosso before calling it a day!

Niu Rou Mian from Zen Modern Asian Bistro (Sabre Springs)

In the comments section of my post on the Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky, "FOY" Dereck mentioned the Beef Noodle Soup from Zen Modern. I found this interesting since Calvin had also mentioned enjoying the Niu Rou Mian from Zen Modern. So, I guess it was time to make my way to Sabre Springs to check things out. 

I found the location of the restaurant to be interesting, right next to the MTS parking lot, in a small strip mall with a tight parking lot, squeezed between a 7-11 and a location of March and Ash which was doing some major business.

As for the restaurant, well it was empty at a few minutes past eleven.

Once seated, I was handed a menu that had everything from Egg Rolls to Salt & Pepper Wings to Udon to Kimchi Fried Rice to Nigiri to a huge collection of "Rolls"....you kinda see why I hesitated in visiting. Both Dereck and Calvin advised me to only get the Beef Noodle Soup. Which I finally found on the menu below the Crispy Chicken Spring Roll and above the Chinese Chop Salad.

So, I placed my order for the Beef Noodle Soup ($19) and the default dining utensil was delivered to the table.....

Hmmm.....luckily there were packs of wooden disposable chopsticks in the container on the table. 

This is what the niu rou mian looked like.

    This was actually not bad. The soup could have used more anise and beef flavor for my taste, but it had a mild peppery spice, a balanced sodium content, good soy sauce tones, and was not bad at all. In fact, I've definitely had worse in the Convoy District and at a popular chain from Taiwan in Mira Mesa...this was definitely better in my opinion. The richness and texture of the soup was on par with what I've had in San Diego.

The noodles were slightly over cooked, thus they lacked a good "QQ" springiness but were fine.

The beef were a mixed bag, some really under cooked and tough pieces, while some bits were very tender and tasty.

Overall, I was rather pleasantly surprise considering the almost Americanized Asian Fast-Foodish looking shop and menu with dishes from all of East Asia. The price at nineteen bucks wasn't a bargain, but like I said, I've had worse in the "Asian districts" of San Diego. If Zen was in my 'hood, I'd probably have the NRM every once in a while.

Who knew; NRM in Sabre Springs!

Zen Modern Asian Bistro
13510 Sabre Springs Pkwy Suite 103
San Diego, CA 92128
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs 10am - 9pm
Friday            10am - 10pm
Saturday       11am - 10pm
Sunday          11am - 9pm

Thanks for the recommendation Dereck!

Lunches with JJ - The Crack Shack (Little Italy)

So, now that we have JJ I've been looking at places that are pooch friendly. I quickly noticed something; there are several places that I had actually visited years back, but really weren't too impressed. In those days I would always try make at least two visits before doing a post. These places were pretty much a "one-and-done". So those photos just ended up in the recycle bin. These days, with prices and such, I feel less tied to having to make multiple visits. Plus, with JJ in tow, it makes for additional points of interest, right? I did my one visit to the Crack Shack in Little Italy probably somewhere back in 2015, I recall the portions being large, but not being too impressed with what I'd had and not bothering to return (BTW, even Juniper and Ivy met that same fate as well).

But now, with JJ in tow, perhaps there's a new wrinkle to my priorities. And perhaps the food has improved? Plus, since I go to the Little Italy Mercato almost every Saturday, parking on Ivy Street, this location is in my view every week.

I liked the fact that the place opens at 10am daily, so I decided to see how it would be at 10 on a Sunday. I found parking on Kettner and was surprised how quite things seem. Perhaps folks were still recovering from New Year?

So, it was time to finally return to see how things were. I was greeted as I strolled up to the ordering window by a very cheerful young lady, who also smiled and greeted JJ when she saw him. She was very nice and friendly.

Looking at prices, I was pretty surprised that they hadn't gone up too much since my visit way back when. It looks like about a $2-$3 increase in like 9 years? 

In the end, just wanting an idea of the how the chicken sandwich is compared to what I recalled, I went with the Coop DeVille ($14) and the Fries in Schmaltz ($4.50), which I didn't order last time. JJ and I had a seat overlooking Kettner.

The gentleman who delivered our tray to the table was very nice and even said hello to JJ.....so this place is obviously dog friendly, at least it was on this day. JJ of course, just wanted to play with everyone!

  Man, those were quite a bit of fries! Unfortunately it was over fried and super salty...way too salty to enjoy. I love the richness of schmaltz, which also has a savory component to it; but this was just too salty. I couldn't finish the fries.....

As for the sandwich. Well, the brioche handled the mayo ridden slaw well; I do wish for a bit more acidity and the cabbage was chopped too thick for my taste. More pickles would have also been a nice touch. The batter did well and held up even with the generous amount of slaw.

 Now I understand that Jidori chicken is a bit chewier, but this was very tough and rather leathery. Also, having had my share of Jidori, which flavors differ from region to region, I expected some interesting poultry flavors. None were to be found.

It was a good size sandwich, priced reasonably, though I think the version I had back in 2015 was better! With locations in Las Vegas and the OC, has CS taken on the chain restaurant model?

Though JJ did enjoy the service! The staff was wonderful and it was a nice, sunny, San Diego winter day.

Still, unless my "FOYs" can come up with a recommendation of what to order....and please; no "Mexican Poutine" which is basically pollo asado fries and has no cheese curds! I think I need to find other options to check out.

The Crack Shack
2266 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Sun - Thurs 10am - 10pm
Fri - Sat        10am - 11pm

Revisits - Spicy Noodle and 777 Noodle House

I don't know if it's old age or what, but for some reason it just seems colder this year? Well, at least it's good weather to get  some noodles and noodle soup. Here are a couple of revisits for ya'.

777 Noodle House:

I was actually trying to head to Ly Heng, since it had been a while since my last visit. However, there's some crazy road work happening on University between 44th and 46th. They seem to be putting in roundabouts in the street. Anyway, there was just no parking to be had, so I headed further down University for my next choice, Tu Thanh, but again no parking near the restaurant, even on side street 3-4 blocks away. Which left me with one choice....

Well, I wasn't too sure about this since my previous visit was not very good. Still, I've been coming here since 2010 and the same folks are still working the front of house and all, so why not give it another shot, right?

There was only one table occupied when I arrived. I was waved to a two top and handed a menu, though I knew what I was going to order.

The Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho of course, which is now $11.97, kind of cheap for these days, but I still remember it was $4.77 when I first visited back in 2010!

It looked like the same ol', same ol'.

    But, any doubts were soon dispelled when I started mixing things and eating. The shrimp was decently plump with no off flavors. There was more ground pork than on my previous visit. Of course the sliced pork is chewy and quite rustic, but it flavor. There was still only a single lonely fishball in the bowl.

The hu tieu was decently al dente and well coated with the savory-sweet-salty sauce.

   The pork hock has gotten smaller over the years, but the meat on this one was more tender than on my previous visit and the soup, while still heavy on the msg, had a bit more flavor and a dose of white pepper.

The bean sprouts were nicely blanched and still had a bit of a crunch to them.

While I did mention to my friend "CY" that I never thought I'd see the day when I'd consider a $12 bowl of noodle soup to be inexpensive, that's how things are these days. I'm just glad that my Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho was satisfying on this chilly day. I'd been here so many times and would you believe this is my 29th post on the place?

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105 

Spicy Noodle: 

From a place that I've done nearly 30 posts on to one that I've only done one previous post on in March of last year, Spicy Noodle. I was looking for a fairly early lunch and I recalled that Spicy Noodle opens at 1030, so I headed on over.

And yes, they were open.

I had a seat and placed my order via the QR code. The nice woman brought me a pitcher of water. 

There was one item I enjoyed during my previous visits, the Fat Intestine Noodle which is still priced at $15. I was shocked that my bowl arrived in less than 10 minutes after I placed my order.     But a quick bite of the "fatty" intestine assuaged my doubts. It was tender and full of "bungy" goodness. Don't stare at the intestines too long; you might start seeing things.... Nice mild funky-savory tones.

The broth doesn't strike me a being too spicy; there's a bit of ma-la going, on this visit it was decently rich, if a bit on the salty side of the tracks.

The noodles were nice and stretchy-chewy, it was a good vehicle for picking up the soup.

Overall a decent visit; I do wish the soup had a bit more "kick", but did fine on a cold morning. The folks working were very nice. While there seemed to be several takeout orders, I was the only person dining in during my entire visit. I'm hoping they do ok.

Spicy Noodle
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Saturday Stuffs - Phuong Nga Opening a Second Location, Inka'fe Replacing Humble Bean, and by Request, More JJ Photos

Just couple of things for this Saturday.

Phuong Nga Opening a Second Location: 

In the comments section of my latest post on Mien Trung, "FOY" Elle, who always has the "scoops" on City Heights and Mira Mesa mentioned Phuong Nga was possibly opening another location near World Foods where Tan Ky Mi Gia used to be. It just so happens that a couple of days later, the Missus was craving the Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga (you can read that post here).

So, I decided to head into the parking lot at 5237 El Cajon Boulevard and wouldn't you know it.....the sign reads:

So, when I had a moment when picking up my noodle soup from Phuong Nga I asked the young lady working. She confirmed that this will be a second location because "business has been very good". So they are not moving. There was a line forming so I didn't ask any other questions. Good to see that their business is doing well!

5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Thanks as always for the info Elle!

Inka'fe Replacing Humble Bean:

I took JJ for his first grooming appointment. We decided to try a place fairly close by. Since this was his maiden voyage, I decided to get a bite to eat and also take a walk. I was surprise to see that the Humble Bean, which I've bean been to is being replaced by something named Inka'fe?

With a name like that I'm assuming it'll be Peruvian Coffee? It's interesting because the drive thru Gold Soul Coffee is nearby and right down the street is the now crazy busy Superbloom.

2615 Denver St.
San Diego, CA 92110

I did note that Google said the place was open, but it definitely wasn't on this day.

As for JJ, what do you think about his haircut?

Which leads me to....

By Request:

In the comments section of my post on Bica, "FOY" Junichi requested some photos of JJ, so here you go....

Been taking JJ exploring a bit, you might recognize these places.

JJ would like to thank his "Uncle Junichi" for the attention!

Cinque Terre - Passo del Termine, Monterosso, Gelateria La Scogliera, and Trattoria Gianni Franzi

So, on our first morning, the Missus was rarin' to go. She wanted to do the typical hike from Vernazza to Monterosso. Unfortunately, due to some landslides that oceanside hike was not available. So, instead it was decided to do the Via Passo del Termine route, which is over 4 miles long and considered at challenging route, sigh.

Instead of starting where the Alltrails hike starts, we went up to the beginning of Via Brigate Partigiane, like we did the previous day.

Because frankly, the views are fabulous.

And also because of the lovely, serene cemetery that resides on a hilltop.

Those "residing" here have one of the most beautiful views of the village. You can read more about it in this post by Rick Steves. Cemeteries were located outside of town by law for hygenic reasons in the early 19th century.

And then we were back on the trail again.

Sometimes you'd get a peak at Vernazza below.

And soon we ended up in a clearing and this church.

This is the Santuario di Nostra Signora di Reggio. And right on the other side is a road that leads to Highway 51.

It was fairly easy to find our way as you'll look for the "signs".....

We started walking among the terraces; grapes were grown along the steep hills. There were often these devices on rails that went up and down the terraces so folks could maintain and harvest the grapes.

From here we walked along the highway, until we saw the signs indicating the way to Monterosso. At that point we got back onto the trail. This would be the last view of Vernazza on the trail.

And of course, what goes up, must come down.

And soon enough we could see Monterosso in the distance.

And then it was really "downhill all the way". Alltrails says the elevation gain is 1,771 feet and my knees could feel every foot as we descended. Said joints didn't recover until we were in Paris later on during the trip.

Somehow, we ended up in Centro Storico, the Old Town of Monterosso. Monterosso al Mare is made up of two distinct "towns" which are separated by a pedestrian tunnel. One of the first buildings we saw was the Oratorio di Santa Croce o dei Bianchi. 

In need of a break, we decided to take a look inside.

The Oratory was built in the 15th century as is named for the brotherhood, who ran the hospital and dressed in white (Bianchi) robes.

From here we headed toward the shore on the main street in the Old Town, Via Roma.

Taking time to stop at a few more churches; the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista....

And the Oratorio Mortis et Orationis - Confraternita dei Neri.

Basically, the Oratory of the Dead.

So, we'd seen the "White Brotherhood"; this was the home of the "Black Brotherhood" who took care of burials for those who could not afford it. The interior is adorned with skeletons and skulls.

Eventually, you get to the railroad tracks....the actual station is in the New Town and right past the tracks is the beach.

Monterosso is the "resort" town of the Cinque Terre with hotels and beaches.

We took the pedestrian tunnel over to the New Town. And took a stroll along the Fegina, the waterfront of the New Town. This being winter, things were quite peaceful and relaxed. That's the distinctive "Eden Rock" in the photo below.

At about this time, I wanted a break. It was indeed winter, but I thought some gelato would be nice. And this shop is right along Via Fegina.

And the tables with a view of the beach across from the shop were unoccupied. It was a nice and refreshing stop.

And the view was wonderful as well.

Gelateria La Scogliera
Via Fegina 20
Monterosso al Mare, Italy

After a nice break, we strolled, or in my case "lurched" our way to the Monterosso Train Station.... I'm kinda glad the Blue Trail back to Vernazza was closed due to blockage because there ain't no way I'd make it back.

Needless to say, it was nice to be able to rest my aching knees back at the apartment. When dinner time came around we picked a spot that had been recommended to us; Trattoria Gianni Franzi, which was located right on Piazza Guglielmo Marconi. 

The waves were riding high on this day and it had started drizzling so there would be no al fresco dining on this winter evening. The warm and cozy interior of the restaurant was quite busy on this evening, yet we were able to get a table.

The menu is quite large and there was a section of "typico" dishes, which is where we made our selections. The prices were 4-5 Euros more per dish than on the previous evening. The service was a bit rushed, but professional.

We ordered two Antipasti and two Primi. First up was the Pulpo con Patate, yes octopus and potatoes.

Sometimes simple is best, like in this case, the pulpo was just the perfect texture, firm, but not chewy, with a mild "oceany" flavor highlighted by the olive oil. The potatoes brought a bit of starchiness to the dish.

Now, if you wanted an umami boost, well, the Accinghe Salate, salted anchovies had that in spades.

The textures of the anchovies were almost buttery, the flavor was very salty-briny and umami....while I wouldn't call it fishy at all. Just a plain umami bomb.

Of course I got the Trofie al Pesto.

I didn't enjoy this as much as what I'd had the previous evening. The flavors seemed watered down. And indeed, there was a pool of thin liquid at the bottom of the bowl as if the pasta had not been drained properly. I would have also enjoyed a bit more pesto on this as well.

The Mussels in the Spaghetti ai Muscoli might have been the highlight of the meal.

I enjoy my pasta to be nicely coated, not overly drowned in sauce like many places do in the states, so this version perfectly al dente, coated in peppery-fruity olive oil, with a hint of garlic and hidden red peppers did fine. Those mussels were very good, sweet, tender, and without any grit. This got us ordering mussels when we'd see it on the menu from this point forward. And though we'd have even better mussels a day later, this paved the way for our future ordering.

Even though we were eating in touristy type restaurants; we were enjoying our meals

Trattoria Gianni Franzi
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 1
Vernazza, Italy

When we got back to the apartment, I took a quick look at my walking distance for the day.

Whoa....164 floors! No wonder my knees were screaming for mercy!

Ujin - Soft Opening Visits

So, I recently got word that Ujin Ramen, whose storefront I first noticed in March of last year had finally opened. Man, what's with Renaissance Towne Center? Remember Kuljem Chicken & Beer, that was first supposed to be JJ Chicken and then Honeyjam Chicken, before the final renaming? Well, I remember when Ujin was going to be named Ramen Hanyuzur?

Anyway, I thought I'd check things out during the soft opening. Our friend "Google" and the other four-lettered site said Ujin opens at 11am. So, having some time I headed on over and for some reason easily found parking at 1115. I then walked over to the shop.

Where I found a gentleman opening the door. I walked on over and was told that they weren't opening until 1130.....fine, it's the soft opening period, so I went for a short walk and returned at 1130.

The interior is quite modern "trendy - artsy"??? There's a huge statue of Mercury at one of the corners. There are a few tables indoors and some al fresco seating, along with the standard bar area. There's also a communal 12 seat table where I was seated by the very sweet young lady.

It also seems that they may make their own ramen noodles. I asked about that, but never got an answer.

The menu is brief, something I actually like; especially when it comes to stuff like ramen. You don't see any of the good ramen shops in Japan making all styles of ramen...it's only here where places like Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai will have to start making tonkotsu ramen.

The ramen did seem kinda modern with porcini and mushrooms featured in the soup for several versions. There are two mushroom type broth, the tsukemen, shoyu, and shio soup features chicken.

Well, I just wanted to get some ramen, so I went with the "Classic Tokyo" Shoyu Ramen ($17.95). When my bowl arrived, I quickly noticed the noodles which were quite straight. I've always thought of Tokyo style ramen to have curly noodles of am medium thickness. Also when does a classic version of shoyu ramen have truffle and porcini?

  You could make out the scent of truffle. If you took a look at the broth, you'd notice little flecks of black. The more flecks, the stronger the truffle flavor. The broth was very light and in my mind could have used a bit more richness. The savory flavor of shoyu was barely evident. More of a mushroom broth to me. 

Two of my pet peeves were instantly fulfilled when the menma and the tamago were delivered ice cold. The egg could also have used a bit more time marinating.

 

 The noodles were of the thinner variety and a bit overcooked for my preference. 

The meats were interesting.

  The chashu had been grilled before serving; which totally changed the texture and taste. I like a nice "buttery" chashu and the grilling had made it rather tough and stringy. The flavor was on the lighter side as well.

The chicken breast was an oddity. At first glance I thought this was gio lua. Perhaps the thought was that it would be something decadent, almost like a pate or foie gras, instead the texture was odd, dry, fairly chewy, the flavor quite bland. Really did not enjoy that. 

It was an interesting bowl. Consumed while under the watchful "eye(s) and wings" of Mercury.

One thing good about the location....it's fairly close, so I decided to try the shio ramen....sorry mushroom/vegan ramen is just not my thing. On this visit, even though I confirmed an 11am opening time before I left previously, I arrived at 1130 just in case. Well, even with this buffer Ujin was not open. The young guy who mans the cooking area came out and told me they weren't opening until noon. Ah yes, the "softest cushion" of a soft opening. Luckily, I needed to get a couple of things from CVS and managed to kill time that way.

When I returned at noon, there were already several parties seated, so I'm guessing they opened before noon? Well, anyway, I decided to order the 3 piece Chicken Karaage ($6), along with the Shio Ramen. There are three different proteins you can have with your Shio Ramen; the Chicken Breast Chashu.....based on my previous visit, no thanks, Sliced Beef, or Wagyu. I decided on the sliced beef version ($18.95).

I was a bit hesitant about ordering the Karaage; after all it said "3 pieces", so I kept thinking it would be 3 typical sized pieces of karaage, but I was mistaken as these were quite large.

 I must say; this was fairly good, at least in terms of how moist, tender, and for the basic marinade/seasoning. The coating could have been a bit more crisp or crunchy as it deteriorated quite fast. Much of that was probably due to the overly sweet and sticky glaze used.

Still, this was much better than I thought it would be and definitely has potential.

As for the ramen. Well, the "beef" in the ramen was beef teriyaki-bulgogi like.

 There were some definite improvements on this visit. The noodles were firmer, the menma and tamago were not iced cold.

The beef was really low quality, lots of "sugi" (chewy fat and connective tissue), quite tough, the teriyaki style; sweet-soy-ginger type marinade was kind of interesting and really clashed with the large amount of savory-salty-oceany katsuobushi provided. The beef was really like something you'd get at a low-level Hawaiian BBQ type place.

The thin broth was dominated by the katsuobushi. There was just too much going on here in my opinion.

    Overall, the service was unobtrusive, the young lady working the front was very sweet.

While I'm glad things are moving on from San Diego being "tonkotsu city", I'm not quite sure about the ramen here. I enjoy shoyu ramen to have the flavor of shoyu; if the chicken is used in the broth, perhaps there should be a reflection of that. To me, the perfect home for Ujin would probably be North Park, South Park, or Normal Heights...

Perhaps I'm just out of touch and this is the future of ramen in San Diego? And perhaps I'll return after the soft opening period. Perhaps....

Ujin
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122