Just a few midweek odds and ends, and other stuff....
Just An Observation
I was having lunch at Pho Hoa Hiep recently, when I gave my Com Tam dish (Com Tam Bi Cha Suon Nuong - $5.80) a "break" and came up for air.
As I gazed across the restaurant, I noticed something. Two-thirds of the customers were non-Vietnamese! During a meal a few days later, I noticed the same thing. I recall that when I first started eating here, almost all the customers were Vietnamese. I couldn't help but smile...... You see, sometimes when I read that the "Best Chinese Restaurant" in San Diego is PF Chang's(Pick up Stix is #4!), the "Best Japanese" is Benihana (Todai is #6!), sheesh.... This mild change in demographics tells me that San Diego's tastes are changing, albeit slowly, and people are trying new things.
I think it's a wonderful thing....
BTW, the Com Tam was pretty good, the pork chop was moist and tender, if a bit shy in flavor, shredded pork is tricky, this version was soft and moist, not the dry and tough stringy stuff. Not bad at all.
Rice Is Nice!
I don't know what it is....perhaps withdrawals from doing Plate Lunch Week. But I've been craving rice. My rice intake had been seriously cut down since moving to San Diego, but recently...I dunno. I've been making stuff like Kimchee Fried Rice.
No recipe, I just use whatever's on hand. The required ingredients are Kimchee(of course!), onions, Gochujang, and another one of those magical "four letter word" ingredients,(others being stuff like L-a-r-d and P-o-r-k) Spam®! I also like garlic in my Kimchee Fried Rice.
It could have been worse, remember my Spam® Katsu Curry?
Which led me to make stuff like this.....
Just an omelet.....
A fried rice omelet. Some left over Portuguese Sausage Fried Rice as filler......
Marukai Coming to San Diego
Check out this building on the corner of Balboa and Mercury.
No big deal, huh? Maybe a closer look....
There it is....Marukai. This looks like a 99-cent store operation, but all the buildings in the complex are being worked on. Daiso is a large Japan based "100-yen" store operation.
I'd been waiting for Marukai to open up since we moved to San Diego. I sent Marukai Corporation an email, and here's the response:
Dear Valued Customer,
Thank you for contacting us.
We are planning to open San Diego store.
Hopefully non-food section will be open in August 2007 and food section will be in late this year.
We will put our upcoming store information at www.marukai.com.
Again, thank you for contacting us.
We hope see you at our new store soon."
Regards,
Marukai Corporation
Tel: 310-660-6300
Fax: 310-660-6301
So there it is.....
Some other posts on Marukai can be found here, here, and here.
Passionate Eater....
Like I've said before, I truly feel blessed to have gotten to know some of the wonderful fellow bloggers and readers of our little blog. It seems like mmm-yoso just started a short time ago, so I was a bit startled when Jay, the Proprietor of the Linkery graciously called me "The dean of San Diego food bloggers", kinda makes me feel really old....... But come to think about it, my San Diego Food Blogs typelist has really been growing, with excellent new blogs starting up all the time. I hope you give them a try.
I haven't been able to meet one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Passionate Eater, but 'PE' as we call her, has always filled her wonderful posts with humor, and Her comments have always been so kind and positive. So when PE broke the news that she was leaving San Francisco, I knew that I needed to do something a bit special. This is not bad news per se, PE will be taking on exciting new challenges in New Orleans(another great food city!). Since PE was the one who requested, nay demanded that Sammy and Frankie have their own photo album, I thought this appropriate:
Good Luck PE!!!
"oh-oh, did I do that?"
Awww what a great post! A little bit of everything ... I, too like broken rice and that pork chop did look pretty tasty! A dish like that here in OZ will set you back about $8.50 though so food is still cheaper over there.
Also, great bit of home cooking there :) looks like it was bought! Spam was made to go in fried rice I reckon!
I looove your pics of Sammy and Frankie soooo cute!
P/s Singapore has a Daiso too !
Posted by: Rachel | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 06:59 AM
Hi, Kirk,
I think you might be right about the Vietnamese trend. I noticed it when I went to Pho Sao Bien in PB and there were no Vietnamese customers. And PB just had another pho place open up.
Maybe Vietnamese is becoming like Japanese in the 80s. Instead of the dozen sushi places lining Garnet, you'll see pho joints.
Posted by: howie | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 07:42 AM
You are right about people opening up to new food. I think we live in exciting times (United States of Arugula anyone?) I would like to thank you for contributing to this. For example, I would have never thought to check out Birria. Now I'm on a mission. My tastebuds and belly thank you kindly.
Posted by: Janfrederick | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 08:08 AM
Speaking of the Vietnamese trend, a new pho/banh mi place recently opened in the very bland food court near my work: www.pho-station.com
They're typically a lil' overpriced and narrow-menued for Viet places in higher-rent areas, but a bargain for the area. Maybe more people will eventually explore other places further down Mira Mesa and beyond...
Posted by: Trent | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 09:05 AM
Kirk, I am speechless!! I appreciate your friendship so very much! And seeing the candid action (or time-lapse) shots of Frankie and Sammy brings tears of joy to my eyes! You are definitely the kindest, most loving food blogger that I have ever known. Thank you so much for everything Kirk. This post makes me feel like I've made a huge mistake by moving to New Orleans--and not to San Diego!
Posted by: Passionate Eater | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 09:24 AM
PE,
I lived in N.O for about a decade, and can reassure you that there is a lot to explore there beyond the historical restaurants.
Great markets, local niches, a huge Vietnamese community, and even more largely Hispanic immigrants who did much of the reconstruction. So, much of what you find in SD is also mingling into N.O. You're not making a mistake.
Posted by: Trent | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 09:46 AM
Aloha Amigo!
You truly show us all here in blogland the true meaning of the Aloha spirit. You treat everyone one with a great sense of Ohana.
And for that we typing and eating food blogging fanatics will forever be in your debt. I can only wish that one day my simple reviews will someday come alive as yours and everyone who writes for you do.
Mahalo
Michael
Posted by: Michael | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 10:57 AM
wow! i'm so excited for marukai to open here! i had no idea, and i drive by there often enough!
i've been reading your blog for a while now, but this is my first comment. i could tell right away that you were from hawaii! and just because you're from hawaii, i feel that i can appreciate your foodie tastes more than others i've read. you guys are awesome!
mahalo nui loa
farrah
Posted by: farrah | Thursday, 02 August 2007 at 11:36 PM
Aww, what a nice thing for PE. Those pictures of Sammy and Frankie are so cute!
While everyone else is getting into Vietnamese food, my VNese parents are gradually trying more non-Vietnamese foods, haha.
Posted by: Christine D. | Friday, 03 August 2007 at 12:48 AM
Hi Rachel - Sammy and Frankie thank you! There are few things as easy as fried rice.
Hi Howie - It just may be.....
Hi Jan - Let me know how your "mission" comes along!
Hi PE - No, thank you for always being so positive! I'm glad I'll have somebody "on the ground" when I visit NOLA.
Hi Trent - Checked out the site....couldn't they have better photos? The photos don't make me want to eat the food there!
Hi Michael - I'll answer your Aloha Amigo, with Mucho Mahalo! I enjoy your reading your blog, and check in daily!
Hi Farrah - Thank you so much for the kind words. We're quite excited over Marukai.
Hi Christine - I think that's great....there's always room for us to spread our wings!
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 03 August 2007 at 09:45 AM
Hey Kirk! Great post to get my weekend started. I think the eating trend is awesome. And to think it took a trip to HI for The Mister to finally ask me to take him to have pho. Hey, whadeva it takes! He's also been getting into Thai too. All good for me!
Have a great weekend, and everyone else too!
Posted by: Carol | Friday, 03 August 2007 at 10:44 AM
Hi Carol - I'm glad you enjoyed the post! Have a great weekend.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 03 August 2007 at 11:44 AM
Kirk, been catching up with your blog. You're so lucky getting a Marukai near you but considering the demographics of San Diego, it probably should have been there five years ago. I have to tell you that I have a serious jones for kimchee fried rice but I can never do it right. I do know that the kimchee needs to go sour, that a little of the juice should be used, onions should be done til not quite translucent and not browned, dried shrimp should be used after rehydrated, and also use of a finish of sesame oil. I think the use of soy sauce should be very important, I've been thinking of a mix between the dark soy and a sweet version (the thickened sweet soy sauce that you see sometimes in malay noodle dishes). Oh and lots of green onion. and sesame seeds toasted and crushed.
I've had the best kimchee fried rice at a korean night club and at a korean acquaintance's wife's lunch. It was awesome.
Take care Kirk, hope you can still go on the trip.
Posted by: Jeff C | Saturday, 18 August 2007 at 11:35 AM
Hi Jeff - Hope all is well. You've really put much thought into your kimchee fried rice! Why don't you try to get Kimchee that has a lot of fermented shrimp and anchovy in it. Gochujang adds a nice depth of flavor, I use a touch of soy(a balanced version like Yamasa), and some of my friends like sesame oil.
Posted by: Kirk | Saturday, 18 August 2007 at 12:50 PM
I really like your ' work ' .It will probably take much time to read all of them but I'll try to since they look real nice
Thank you and keep up the good work
Duc
'From the proud homeland,Vietnam '
Posted by: Duc | Friday, 31 August 2007 at 02:35 AM
Hi Duc - Welcome and thanks for the kind words!
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 31 August 2007 at 03:34 PM