I've been craving some interesting things lately......for some reason, I've been wanting some baozi or Sheng Jian Bao. Man could I go for some Guo Bu Li Baozi ("stuffed buns that even dogs would not eat" - a specialty of Tianjin).
It had been a while since I'd been to Tasty Noodle House on Convoy and I thought some Zui Ji - Drunken Chicken would be good as well, especially since this would be a solo lunch. The Missus is not fond of Kwai Fei Ji, Zui Ji, and similar type dishes, so this would a chance to have some. JJ was bushed after having two morning walks and it was nap time; so I thought I'd head out to see how things were at Tasty Noodle House.
I haven't been to this strip mall in ages, since the bike lanes went in. There's a somewhat confusing parking situation. The signs say two hours free when at businesses in the mall, then parking will be charged, all other need to pay. But there was nothing to indicate you were at one of the businesses, no attendant, how the heck would they know? Surveillance cameras???
Anyway, walking into the restaurant I asked, and the woman said "no worry" and walked away......ohhh-kay.....
I had arrived right at 11 and the place was empty. In fact, there were no other customers during my entire meal.
I placed my order for the House Rice Wine Chicken (Zui Ji - $10.99) and the Shanghai Grilled Pork Buns (Sheng Jian Bao - $14.50), both of which seemed decently priced for these days. I was told the sheng jian bao would take 20-25 minutes, which was fine, so long they didn't tow my car!
The chicken arrived in the blink of an eye.
Well, this was decent sized portion. The chicken was haphazardly chopped with pieces not completely sliced thru. Unlike the rather decent rendition I'd had in the past; this was pretty bad. The chicken was very bland, the liquid (I really can't call it sauce) had barely a hint of the "pungent-bracing-slightly astringent" flavor I enjoy with this dish. Heck, I'd even take the super salty version I'd had here on a previous visit over this.
Rather than the 20-25 minutes I was told my baozi would take, it was out in less than 10 minutes! Hmmmm.....
Sadly, this was just as bad as the version I'd had here almost a decade ago. The dough was very soggy and rubbery; I like the tops of the baozi to be slightly fluffy. The bottoms were somewhat burnt and on the bitter side, hard instead of crisp. Look, I'm not expecting what we had in Suzhou or what my MIL makes. Heck, if it could be even close to the version at the Hacienda Heights location I'd be happy.
The filling was mushy and overly salty for my taste as well. It lacked a nice porky flavor....or perhaps, all that sodium just messed everything up?
Well, this was a bummer of a meal......
Kinda sad actually.
Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
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