Natural Style Chicken-Low fat, healthy and delicious chicken and Korean beef at fast food prices

mmm-yoso is not on vacation.  Cathy has finally gotten around to pulling stuff out of her camera and putting it into the computer.  Kirk is probably at home reading this.

Hi.  If you go to the San Diego Sports Arena via I-8 all the way to the Sports Arena Boulevard exit, taking a left under the freeway and then before getting to that intersection where it is Sports Arena Boulevard to your left and Point Loma Boulevard to your right, you probably have seen this teensy sign on the building on the northern most end of that mall on the west side of the street .  Most likely, you are stuck, waiting for that light, as I almost always am.

Well, The Mister and I have gone here for a number of years, because his office used to be in the Sports Arena area and he could walk here and we could meet for lunch.   It is simple, healthy, plentiful food, cooked in a heart-healthy way with a sort of Japanese and Korean touch (and sauces). When you go in the front door, there is a menu and photographs, with the neon wording of "teriyaki chicken and beef".  The photos under those neon letters show some Korean items; bulgogi and kalbi.

Of course, the pink menu that is photographed here (click onto the photo and it will enlarge) does not show bulgogi or kalbi on it, but both are served here, and are not much pricier than the chicken. (For those who don't know, bulgogi is thinly sliced beef sirloin, marinated in a sauce made of soy, fruit puree (usually pear puree), sesame oil, garlic, onion, black pepper and wine vinegar then grilled. Kalbi, or Galbi is thinly sliced beef short ribs marinated in a slightly sweeter sauce using a rice wine vinegar and pear juice.)

The chicken is prepared on a rotisserie over a wood fire in the brick oven that is right inside the door when you walk in; you can see about 8 of them through the window in this photo.

Again, this place is not fancy; You order, pay and the nice lady from behind the counter will bring out the food to you on a plastic tray, with plastic plates and plastic cutlery.

Anyhow, the Mister and I got our "usual"- the teriyaki chicken plate ($4.49)

This is a *lot* of chicken, moist, already cut up, with no skin (hence the "healthy" description and AHA recommendation) and a sweet teriyaki sauce and served with good rice and an iceberg lettuce salad with a choice of standard dressings.  If there is a glob of teriyaki I drop it onto the rice so there isn't so much on the chicken, but it isn't a bad teriyaki sauce, just a little sweet for my taste.

We also usually get the beef bulgogi ($5.39)- the plentiful amount of meat was grilled with some cabbage, onions and carrots.

It tasted wonderful, not sweet; more garlic-y was a lot of food and did not cost much at all.

The Mister (who despises onions)wanted onion rings, and since they were only $1.45, he got them, but we should not have...

They were the standard minced onion centers from a bag in the freezer ones...but, they were fried, and I mixed some Sriracha with soy sauce and that made them edible.

If you are in the area, stop in.  Its been there forever.  There is a reason.  They seem to do a lot of phone in/pick up business.

While we were there on a Saturday some SDPD officers on a lunch break came in to eat.  This meets my test of being good food.

Natural Style Chicken 3944 W. Point Loma Boulevard San Diego 92106

(Corner of Sports Arena Boulevard and West Point Loma Boulevard, in the Longs and Souplantation parking lot, all the way east and north in that parking lot)

Open 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. seven days (619)223-9887.

Comments

[Andy 美國土子]

it seems almost if that glob of ranch dressing would kill all the benefits of eating that rotissiere skinless chicken. I'm guessing that glob would have half the amount of saturated fat already in the chicken eh?

[Cathy]

Excellent observation, Andy! Thanks for looking at this post....I suppose people who are on a heart healthy diet are more likely to ask for low fat salad dressing, on the side...because they have been educated on how to order out. There were a couple of low fat salad dressing options available. I do so love crispy chicken skins.

[Kirk]

Hi Cathy - Thanks for doing a post on this. I've always wondered about the place because of the somewhat odd name.

[Cathy]

Ah, that's because you and The Missus are probably more used to those un-natural chicken places that serve the chicken with oh so un-natural pieces of crispy, delightful, fat under layered skin attached...along with bulgogi and kalbi that you don't know about until you look at the pictures at the front door. :) It is good and plentiful as well as inexpensive. We really have eaten here for years.

[Eric]

To get aside any of the dressing, a mix of the teriyaki already on the plate, soy, and sriracha make for a tasty dressing and it's much lighter than any added dressing.

I moved from San Diego about 7 years ago and this is the place I miss the most! :(

[Cathy]

Hi, Eric- great idea. I have asked for dressing 'on the side' and have added sriracha and soy to it and then only dipped a fork into it and then into the lettuce...but making it all, using the teriyaki and no ranch sounds great. I'll try it- this week! I'm glad I brought back some memories for you.

[danielle k]

OMG!!!!!! my mom and i were just talking about this place!! i moved to st louis from san diego 12 years ago, i miss everything about diego, but this was just the best place to eat when i worked in mission valley!!!

[Cathy]

How cool Danielle, small world. It is still there; The Mister and I just went a few weeks ago. I posted this about a year and a half ago. Great little place and seems to have never changed the menu in all these years: No need to.

[Marla, Matthew, Mayson]

I have lived about a block from this place for over 27 years and have eaten there more times than I can count! The food hasn't changed and except for the screen door, the restaurant hasn't changed either. The staff have always been extremely friendly and helpful to me (as I am disabled and need help from time to time) and to my kids too. I have never had a bad bite of food there!! Great food at great prices! I've both eaten in and I've taken it home. If you go there about noon to about 1pm, you'll have a line to wait in, but it always moves fast (10 minutes about the longest). If you like chicken, you'll like this restaurant!

[Cathy]

Hi Marla, Matthew, Mayson and welcome to our blog! I love this place too- and ate here just last night (I was working for the Registrar of Voters and that was one of my neighborhoods)