Road Trip-Yang Yang Sushi and BBQ

mmm-yoso is NOT on vacation.  Cathy is blogging while Kirk is not.  You looked in, why not stay and read?

Hi.  So, my best friend from 4th grade all through High School was attending a seminar this past Saturday, in Ontario, a less than 2 hour drive (she lives in San Jose) and so I had to take that little drive to visit for a few hours...emails and birthday and Christmas cards just can't summarize what your life has been like. 

Neither of us knows the area, but I can say that the address of her hotel, being on North Vineyard, is *not* located north of the 10 freeway...and I can also say this was the least-infiltrated with Starbucks area of Southern California I have been to.

So, I saw this sign inside a Stater Bros grocery store parking lot, and we stopped.

The hours said it was open until 10 on Saturday and it wasn't even 8, but tables were empty.

There are only 8 tables inside, but it seems they do a very brisk phone in/pick up business. That is the menu overhead and here is a paper menu:

Since Yang Yang is closed on Sunday and this was late Saturday night, apparently they don't keep much of an inventory, so when we tried to order, quite a few things (mostly the raw fish) was out...still, we managed to get a few, nice and interesting quick bites.

The miso soup was nice, but unremarkable except for the thicker, fresh tasting seaweed.

I was pleasantly surprised by the appetizer of baked green mussels ($5.45).

Six mussel shells, each with 3 small mussels in the shell, covered in a spicy, creamy orange colored sauce and baked and topped with some sweet tonkatsu sauce on this pleasantly decorated plate...with cherry tomatoes, ginger, sliced oranges and limes...interesting and it tasted very nice.

I had been craving poke ever since Kirk's report on it from Hawaii (and the great deal at Safeway) and when I saw the Spicy Tuna Salad on the menu for only$6.95, I wanted to try it.  This is a HUGE serving, nicely very spicy served with picked veggies on top, lots of onions, radishes, pickled ginger and, more sliced limes and oranges...pretty and filling and tasty.

Then, since the place is called Yang Yang Sushi *and* BBQ...well, I thought we should try some BBQ...seems logical, right? hmmmm...The nice waitress told us they did not have Japanese BBQ beef available, but they did have some Korean BBQ beef...bulgogi..cool.  I like that..in a bowl, fine.  Price was the same ($5.95).  Picture showed beef and some kind of salad on top of rice...

Oh, please, click on the photo and make it larger...words cannot describe how this was served, but I will try.

It was a good sized, heavy bowl of rice, covered with a lot of *excellent* bulgogi..and then there was some shredded cabbage, radishes, limes and then on top of that, yes..that party mix stuff, pretzels, croutons, cheese crackers, pieces of shredded cereal...and miniature marshmallows... yes, THAT mix...

I dunno.  It did taste good, and I admit the flavors were nice, but I guess I need to get more creative in the kitchen next time.

I know I've told you to not be afraid to try someplace new...this wasn't scary..and it was quite interesting.  Good food.  An adventure.

Yang Yang Sushi and BBQ  1953 East Fourth Street (at Vineyard) Ontario, CA 91764 (909)948-9838 Tues-Sat 11 a.m-10 p.m.

Comments

[Ted]

I LOLed at the site of the cheese-its. GREAT!

[nhbilly]

LOL - party mix salad toppers that's a first for me ;-)

[Trent]

This reminded me of a new US immigrant's story I had read in which they mistook a block of Velveeta and tried to use it as soap.
Actually, I mixed some leftover rice cracker mix with kombucha and rice the other night. It was pretty good.

[cathy]

Hi Ted....you should have seen the looks on our faces...all I could think of was how to describe it in a post....
Hi Bill-yes, an absolute first, and I am known to be *very* creative in the kitchen...
and then there is you, Trent-I honestly have never done crackers with anything other than soup, chili or cheese...and maybe with peanut butter...but, mixed with rice...never a thought of it. Now I am going to...
The Velveeta soap story is similar to when they mailed out free samples of Head and Shoulders shampoo in these new fangled containers-tubes, like toothpaste came in- to everyone in the Detroit area. I know my Grandmother said it was really bad tasting toothpaste....(she couldn't read English).

[nhbilly]

OMG...funny asian stories. Boy if I could recall some of my families crack ups. Three words "canned dog food"

[cathy]

eeeeewwwwww...although canned corned beef hash can have a similar texture and smell...sort of....eeeewwwww

[dietchilicheesefries]

hey k!

you were in the 909! my part of the hood.... i was reading and you said Stater Brothers, and i couldn't ever remember seeing one in San Diego... anyways, glad your exp. was positive, cause there are a few good spots but a non-local would never be able to find most of em...

you should bring kirk down to San Dimas... got some places to take you to!

[Andy 食神]

hahaa.. I know exactly where that plaza is. Maybe I should go check out tonight... it's only 10 mins away. Maybe they will have party mix on the Japanese bbq beef too!

[cathy]

Hi DCCF!- There are 3 Stater Bros I know of in SD County, on Poway Road, Carmel Mountain and the one in Ramona...

The Mister and I will be driving that way in the next 2 months-we decorate floats for the Rose Parade with the Petal Pushers volunteer group...I am sure we will stop and eat somewhere...

Andy! Oh please, let me know if what I experienced was some anomaly or just a bizarre nouveau cusine...and if it will be Japanese BBQ or Korean...(the Korean is my favorite anyhow)...

[Chubbypanda]

Mmmm... Beer nuts and bulgogi, breakfast of champions.

- Chubbypanda

[cathy]

Hi, CP- I have been known to be sooo very creative with ingredients...but now you bring up breakfast...and new thoughts are running in my head...