mmm-yoso!!!

Chiang Mai: Pratu Chiang Mai Market

Chiang Mai didn't quite have the constant fragrance of food wafting through the air like Bangkok. In fact, at times you kinda had to work a bit to find something that wasn't tourist, Western style, or Pseudo-Thai Food. After walking around Chiang Mai a bit, we were rather happy we stayed in the Inner Moat area, right across the street from the Tha Phae Gate. The hotel, The Montri was a bit worn, and there was a huge renovation project going on during the day, which didn't bother us much since we were out of our hotel by 8 am. One of the places we visited many times was the area by the South Gate, called Pratu Chiang Mai. The Pratu Chiang Mai Market area really has something going on during all hours.

 

At night all the food stalls and carts are going strong.

 

During the day, there are more formal stands within the market area, and more produce vendors lining the street.

 

The evening carts seem to get started right after the afternoon rains, and get going pretty quickly.

 

On the day we arrived in Chiang Mai, the Missus decided to do a quick walking tour of various Wats.

 

And at the end, I was bushed. I remember seeing food stalls on our way in the from the airport, so we took a walk to Pratu Chiang Mai, and had our first dinner here. The only problem is what to get!

 

 

The TFC (Thai Fried Chicken) stand was going strong, and you can eat well for less than 2 bucks. At the time of our visit it was 33 Baht to a Dollar. So here I was in Thailand....so why not get some Pad Thai???

Place your order, and things get rolling pretty quickly.

 

 

Meat on a stick, just 15 Baht (50 cents):

 

Which on this day was enough for the Missus and I....a buck-fifty for dinner.....

The Sausage was decent, but had a bit too much rice and was not sour enough for my tastes, but the Missus really enjoyed it. It was garnished with slices of cucumber and galangal.

 

The Pad Thai was pretty good, a bit greasy, but in a good way.

 

It was surprisingly filling. We had gotten to appreciate Thai portion sizes, which seemed to be just enough to be satisfy you without taking you over the edge.

I do remember watching in amazement as a Thai Gentleman poured several scoops of what looked to be palm sugar over his Pad Thai before consuming it!

 

And finishing things off was some Kanom Krok.

 

This woman made the best we had on the entire trip! It became our "gold standard" for Kanom Krok, wonderful hints of coconut, without being too sweet. A wonderful crisp crust with a tongue melting molten interior. Familiar and simple, but complex in texture and taste at the same time.

 

It was a nice first meal.

Over the course of our stay in Chiang Mai, we always knew we could stop by for a nice snack. For us, it provided the perfect pace unlike the crazy and tourist saturated Night Bazaar, which we visited once, and decided never again.

 

 

 

Turo Turo Thursday: Betchay's Pancit Lumpia & Grill

**** Betchay's has closed

It's Thursday, which means it is time for another installment of "Turo-Turo" (point-point) Thursday. In these posts, I'm checking out these little mom-and-pop shops serving what I call "Filipino soul food". You can almost always count on generous portions, and most of the dishes served will without a doubt stick to your ribs. Taking a different approach, I'm just trying out places outside the National City-Chula Vista area. And Betchay's in Rancho Penasquitos is about as far away from there as you can imagine. Located in the huge shopping complex off Black Mountain Road, Betchay's can be kind of difficult to find.

 

Whenever I visit, I always chuckle. One of the signs for Betchay's overlaps the front of the pet store next door. I'm sure this must cause some customers(and employess) a bit of consternation????

Still, the folks here, are very, very, nice. One young man in particular, is so friendly, polite, and helpful, that I just think he's amazing. In fact, he always asks me if I want some Sinigang with my plates, something that is a request item at most turo-turo joints.

 

If you asked me if free Sinigang tastes better, I'd say yes without hesitation!

So here's a summary of a couple of items I've had over the last couple months (years?).

There's no way I'd pass up Sisig at anywhere if I hadn't sampled it before. And Betchay's is no exception. In fact fellow pork lovers, I've just created a category for Sisig, for your heart-stopping, artery clogging, enjoyment.

  

The version here has a good texture, the lechon kawale is still crisp, and it's not drowned in "juice". It does a lack the nice sour punch, and for my tastes is a bit low on the heat scale. It is decent overall.

The Pork Adobo.....

 

The texture was good, the meat tender. It had enough salt, but was lacking in all the other categories. It was also super oily, and not in the "fei ur bu ni"(rich without greasy way). If you're a frequent reader of my posts, I don't think I'm a shrinking violet when it comes to oil, but man this was just too much........

There are also Chicken Wings, 3 pieces for $2.25:

 

This should probably not sit under a heat lamp, as they were soggy and greasy. Also short on the flavor scale as well.

On one of my visits I got my combo-plate with pancit instead of rice, and enjoyed it. More "al dente" than most places, and mostly just noodles, but served as a starch, it does just fine.

 

As you notice above, I ordered Tocino. And on this day, the Tocino was excellent. Tocino originally is a cured pork dish, so it should be a bit chewy. This version had the perfect amount of chew for me. It was not overly dry, and had a perfect ratio of salty to sweet for my taste.

 

If you've been to Betchay's, you know that I've only scratched the surface. With the nice service I've had, it's really easy to like the place. On one visit, which was in the morning, I was filling up my soda, when one of the young ladies in the back, leaned out the service window. Not knowing I was there, she started singing in a very sweet voice. When she saw me, she immediately stopped, and gave me an embarassed look. I turned, and gave her a thumbs up, and she gave me the brightest smile.

It's easy to like places like that.....

Betchay's Pancit Lumpia & Grill
13223 Black Mountain Rd
San Diego, CA 92129

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Revisits: Kayaba, and (yet) another visit to Izakaya Sakura

Just some revisits for today......

Kayaba:

***** Kayaba hasss closed

Sometimes just the mention of something can really get me going....... Yesterday, all it took was reading one of the daily posts from one of my favorite food blogs, Our Adventures in Japan. Kat, much like me, is an ex-pat Kama'aina, and is currently on vacation visiting "home" which, of course, would be Hawaii. Obviously I'm glued to each and every one of her posts. So yesterday, what does she post on? Why it just had to be Tonkatsu (albiet a Tonkatsu Sandwich), from Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin. The worst thing was that Kat, who usually includes a few photos from every meal, didn't do that for this meal. With good reason as she was having lunch with a good friend, and I'd do the same. The problem was, that all I could think about was their $36 Tokusen Kurobuta Tonkatsu Teishoku. Sorry to say, there's no Tonkatsu Ginza Bairin in San Diego......but I just had to have some Tonkatsu. So I settled for Kayaba:

  

It did a decent job of "scratching that itch".....it ain't no Ginza Bairin, but was bit a bit cheaper at $8. I think if I'd missed the boat at Kayaba, I'd have even settled for shredded cabbage with tonkatsu sauce......weird, I know, but much like Kathy, I can't resist slathering katsu sauce all over my cabbage. One does need 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day right?

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 - In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111

 (Yet) Another Visit to Izakaya Sakura:

Yes, you can say it now.......how many posts can one do on Sakura? It's bad enough that Ed, Cathy, and I have all done posts on Sakura. But to make matters worse, we've each done multiple posts. I have however, taken comfort in the fact, that I haven't even come close to the level of obsession with the place as displayed by Dennis in his wonderful food blog, A Radiused Corner. Oh, and in case you missed it, here's his latest post on Sakura. Now that's dedication!

And our recent weather had a nice visit to Sakura written all over it. On this visit, the Missus and I sat in the "smoking section"...... just joking, we sat on one of the tables outside where I've seen guys taking surreptitious puffs of cancer sticks in the past. You can't drink alcohol on these tables, but you can sneak in a few stealth puffs if you need to.

On this visit, the Missus had one dish in mind, while I had several. I started with one of my favorites Maguro Yamakake. Simply cubes of Maguro topped with Yamaimo (mountain yam) which has been grated to give it a gooey texture. Along with a bit of soy and wasabi, I find this a refreshing dish. Though a good FOY (Friend of Yoso) calls it "snot on tuna". (You don't want to know what he says Shiokara smells like) It really has a mild flavor, and is more of an acquired texture than anything else.

I followed that up with the Albacore Tataki, slices of seared Albacore in ponzu sauce, topped with sliced onions and scallions. The meaty Albacore, which sometimes can be on the dry side, does well with the citrusy ponzu, and just as red meat goes well with sweet, acidic onions, the Albacore does the trick.

In need of something rich, I also ordered the Ankimo (steamed monkfish liver), another of my favorite dishes:

 

I realize that it's not the optimal time for Ankimo (which is winter), which is probably why this wasn't the best Ankimo that Kazu has ever created. It was very fishy, with a more wax like mouth feel than the usual pate texture. It was too strong for the Missus, who also loves Ankimo.

When it's hot, I love Zaru Soba (cold soba), and I enjoy the version at Sakura.

 

The Missus was still waiting for Her dish, and wanted a a taste of my soba. I had forgotten how She eats Her Zaru Soba; She ended up dumping the entire ball of wasabi into the tsuyu(the broth), creating a nasal singeing experience for me. I had to keep reminding myself, "real men don't cry in their soba"...... ouch! On the good side, my sinus problems were a thing of the past......

Finally, the Missus' Chirashi arrived, looking mighty good.

 

The Missus attacked this with gusto, and based on Her reaction it sure must've hit the spot.

Of course, I got my share of the Chirashi as well, in the form of the very plump oyster, as well as some of the Ikura and rice:

 

While eating the Chirashi, the Missus thought of the perfect item to top off Her meal......

 

Shishamo of course, which She can eat like french fries.

We left Sakura as we always do after a nice dinner there.....maybe a bit lighter in the wallet, but satisfied.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

Dining at Artisan: Paso Robles

Cathy and Kirk continue eating, but today ed (from Yuma) is not only eating, but he's also inviting you to share a dinner.

I first visited Paso Robles nearly 25 years ago (geez, I'm getting old).  Back then it was quite literally a little Cowtown.  Maybe there were six or seven wineries scattered around, some of which weren't especially good, and I could find no interesting place to eat in town.  Nowadays, over 230 wineries lie within a few miles of the city, and numerous eateries beckon you to sample their gourmet cuisine.

My favorite place for dining in the town had been Bistro Laurent, which features a modern California approach to traditional French cuisine.  Memories of dishes like veal cheeks, roast squab, and venison shanks still make me salivate.  Unfortunately we were going to be in town on a Sunday and Monday, the two days BL closes each week.

So Tina and I did some research and then walked around downtown Paso reading menus, asking about daily specials, and discussing where we wanted to go.  The decision, however, was an easy one to make as soon as we got to Artisan: The dishes on the menu sounded interesting, the wine list was varied and almost affordable, and all that walking around made us hungry.

As we sat at our table looking over the menu, several slices of outstanding crunchy French bread (baked by a small bakery in Atascadero) showed up: This was the best bread on our trip.  The rustic half baguette came with a generous pat of soft sweet cream butter.  This was a good omen for the rest of the dinner.

We had decided on building a meal around a local white wine.  The most interesting wine, at least the most interesting one I could afford, was a Vermentino from Tablas Creek ($38): One great thing about dining at restaurants like Artisan and Passionfish is that you get a chance to try wines that you might otherwise never encounter -- particularly if you live in a place like Yuma, Arizona. This Vermentino is the first California grown version of that varietal that I have ever encountered on a wine list. Even in Europe, this type of grape is not common, it being the predominant white grape only on the island of Sardinia -- though it is grown elsewhere.  The Tablas Creek version was crisp, richly flavored, and smooth.

The appetizers soon arrived.  Tina had chosen crabcakes ($16), which were perched on quarter size disks of firm potato, covered in a very tasty, lightly spicy remoulade sauce.  A sprinkling of micro greens decorated the golden brown cakes: Although I don't quite understand the potatoes, which to my mind seemed out of place on the plate, the crabcakes themselves were packed with tasty crab meat: I ordered seafood chowder ($10) for my first course:
Having grown up close to the Oregon coast, I consider myself something of a chowder aficionado.  This one was quite good.  The broth was creamy and richly flavored.  Most notably, the predominant taste was mussels, with small chunks of potatoes and halibut studding the soup and providing texture variations.  Allegedly, some clams were also present, but any clams were very much in the background.

For my entrée, I had decided on the halibut, which came with lobster raviolis, grilled spring onions, micro greens, ceci beans (fresh chickpeas), and a small side of chard ($28): Halibut cannot be broiled more perfectly.  Inside the crisp crust, the fish was incredibly moist and tender: The beans and greens added variety to the platter.  The lobster raviolis, unfortunately, did not taste strongly of lobster, although they certainly looked right: As good as my main course was, Tina's selection was the gem of the entire evening.  On the menu it was described as "Summer truffle pici, handrolled pasta, piopinni mushrooms, goat cheese toast" ($25).  It looked like this: We both agreed that this was as good as a noodle dish can be.  The noodles themselves, lightly golden with the faintest hint of truffle, were mimicked by the shimeji (piopinni) mushrooms, which presented the same colors and shapes: Yet the flavors and textures of the two were very different.

The noodles and mushrooms were only one of the flavorful matrices that interacted on the plate.  The robust contrastive tastes of grated aged Italian cheese and absolutely fresh peas mingled with every bite of pasta.  To those of us bored by standard frozen peas, these freshly shelled nuggets were a joy -- and their flavor was accentuated by the pea greens strewn on top of the noodles:
If Tina's entrée had any shortcoming, it was the goat cheese toast: There was nothing wrong with it, but it was unnecessary and played a distinctly second fiddle in the orchestra of flavors set before her.

Even though one or two aspects of the dinner might have been better, we both were extremely impressed.  In addition to the creative, interesting, and flavorful food, the service had been friendly and attentive throughout the meal.  Just for one example, we both drank a lot of water that evening since we had been wine tasting in the afternoon and then had walked around 95 degree Paso Robles looking at menus.  As soon as the waitstaff watched us slurp down our first glasses, a large carafe of iced water was placed on the table. I also enjoyed watching the manager, a young woman who seemed to miss nothing going on in the restaurant. Kitchen and waitstaff totally professional.

This dinner was, by my standards, a pretty pricey meal.  It was, however, so tasty and intriguing that we decided to do something that I almost never do -- come back to the same place on the next night for a second meal.  Stay tuned for the results of that adventure.

Artisan, 1401 Park Street, Paso Robles, California 93446, 805-237-8084

Laylah's Patties & Jerk - Just the Patties

While looking to make a U-turn on El Cajon Boulevard on my way to Sang Dao, I saw brightly colored shop. The signage that said "Jamaican Beef, Chicken, Veggie Patties" can't help but get your attention.

 

A few days later, I stopped by, and found that this little shop was nice little market, so I restocked on my Grace Hot Sauce. And yes, I did get a couple of patties:

 

For those thinking that a Jamaican Patty is a piece of ground beef ready for the grill (I won't name names, but you know who you are), a Jamaican Patty is basically a savory pastry filled with meat. Similar to an empanada, turnover, or meat pie. I'd had a Jamaican Patty once before(so count me among those who is far from an authority on the subject), and though I didn't care for the "shell" which I thought was greasy, the ground beef filling was pretty spicy, and quite delicious.

So of course I got the classic Beef Patty:

 

At first glance, the patties looked a bit on the "skinny" side, not like the one's I had tasted previously. At first bite, mixed signals were sent to my brain. I enjoy the crusty-grittiness of the shell. On the other hand, I found the filling to be terribly bland, totally against character for Jamaican food. It was also kind of greasy.....

 

To my tastebuds the Chicken Patty fared a bit better. Though it also had just a thin smear of filling, the ground chicken was better seasoned and moist, though still not very spicy. Looking at the filling, I thought I saw what looked like chopped Ortega Chilies, though I'm probably mistaken.

 

Based on the patties, I'm not really motivated to return. What does motivate me to return is the "Reggae Kitchen" being built next door. I was told that it'll be a Jamaican Food take-out joint set to open in a few months. So I'll hold off on any more patties, and wait for the Jerk Chicken.....

Laylah's Patties & Jerk
5712 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Roadtrip: Xiang Wei Lou - San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

**** Xiang Wei Lou has closed

To complete the Hunan "trifecta" the Missus and I decided to check out Xiang Wei Lou, located on Valley in the same strip mall as Papa Walk and the San Gabriel Hilton. We had saved this one for last because it seemed to be the nicest looking, and strangely enough had an "A" LA DOH rating, a rarity in the San Gabriel Valley.

 

The place was pretty dark when walked in, until the next set of customers arrived. They immediately took over the place, telling the mellow, but indifferent young lady to turn down the A/C, turn up the lights, I want this.....I want that.

Meanwhile the Missus and I were coming up with a gameplan, and placed our order. As usual, we started with a Hunan standard, the Combination Smoked Meat (Preserved Delicacy Combination - $10.99):

 

This was a disappointment, the meats were hard and the smoke flavor was lacking. Compared to Hunan Seafood(which was the best) and Hunan Chilli King, this was the worst so far.

The Missus had been dreaming about Hunan Pickled Green Beans since our visit to Hunan Chilli King. She had even gotten Her Dad involved, as he has been attempting to make this from memory. According to my FIL, the traditional way of making this is a dying art in Hunan. Looking over the menu, I wondered what type of meat, or cut (other than something smoked), would stand up to the briney pickles, and the chilies. We decided on Pork Intestines, and ordered the Intestines with Sour String Beans($8.99):

 

This was probably the most well prepared pork intestine I've had. The intestine was sliced lengthwise and cleaned, so there was no "bonus" material. So I wouldn't be tasting what was Mr or Mrs Piggy's last, or second to last meal. It was also cooked well, yielding at first bite, slowly gaining a bit of chewiness. The earthy, dark flavor went well with the pickled green beans and the salted chilies. The green beans weren't done very well, they didn't have the semi-crunchy texture of well cured green beans, and weren't as briney and sour as the version at Hunan Chilli King. another big issue was that even though we ordered this "Big Spicy", this was quite mild. I didn't even break a sweat, a real rarity when it comes to Hunan or Sichuan food. Still, this was some goos "guts".

The last item we decided on, well, we just had to order since there was a huge photo of it on the back wall. Also, when considering San Diego prices, $8.99 is dirt cheap for a whole steamed fish.

We ordered the Whole Steam Fish, Big Spicy, and yes, it was just $8.99.

 

At heart this is a typical Chinese Steamed whole fish, with a kicker. It is topped with a layer of chilies. The fish was fresh, though like I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of fresh water fish. In this case it was slightly muddy in flavor. The Missus thought this was wonderful, as it was steamed very well, the flesh firm and moist, and not mushy. I was happy with pouring the sauce over four bowls of rice......... Oh, and in spite of looks, I didn't think this was particularly spicy....... But is was only $8.99!

While on the subject of spicy; the family that was bossing the young lady around spoke to her in Mandarin, but when talking among themselves in another dialect. The Missus said that they were from Hunan, but couldn't understand why they ordered everything "small spicy". What was even more funny was the coughing, choking, and various unappetizing noises coming from their table as they ate their "small spicy" food.

If anything, the meal here had me wondering what the intestine would be like at Hunan Chilli King, and the fish had the Missus wanting to come back and get the Fish Head...and then there the Spicy Pork Feet Skin...... And oh, did you know that there's a Hunan Restaurant opening across the street from Chilli King????

Xiang Wei Lou
227 W Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776 

Grilled Cumin and Sichuan Peppercorn Lamb Loin Chops

Today was another grill day, it is still kinda hot here, so the prospect of grilling was quite attractive. I try to do something a bit different during every grill session. Today, I had some Lamb Loin Chops. I really didn't have anything in mind when I purchased the chops. Returning home, I still had no idea of what to make. I was replying to some comments on my Shao Kao 818 postwhen it came to me. We were very disappointed with the Yang Rou Chuan, and I wondered, how hard is it to get the wonderful salty-cumin flavor of good Yang Rou Chuan...... Rummaging through my pantry, I managed to put together the ingredients for this dish.

 

The Sichuan Peppercorn heightened the saltiness of the dish, and really didn't hit you right away. You felt a numbing "buzz" a few seconds after eating the chops, it was quite interesting. Much like my Cumin Lamb recipe, I do a short marinade before grilling. Make sure to toast those cumin seeds until the wonderful smell of "BO" floats around your kitchen.

Grilled Cumin and Sichuan Peppercorn Lamb Loin Chops:

Spice Mix:
4 Tb toasted Cumin Seeds
2 Tb roasted and ground Sichuan Peppercorn
2 Tb sea salt
1 Tb ground coriander
Ground red chili to taste

Marinade:
1/4 cup Premium Light Soy Sauce
1/4 cup Canola Oil
2-3 Tb Shaoxing Wine
2 Tb Dark Soy sauce
4 cloves Garlic finely minced

- Mix marinade and pour or brush marinade over lamb chops. Make sure to coat lamb chops well.
- Let lamb chops marinate for 20-30 minutes
- Sprinkle on a generous amount of the spice mix, making sure to getting some on the sides of the chop.
- Let chops sit for at least 10 minutes before grilling.

- Grill to desired doneness. As a whole, most Chinese are used to eating their lamb well done. Make sure to turn the chops and grill on the edges and sides as well.
 

I've been grilling a lot of Shishamo (sm elt) for the Missus. Recently, the Missus found that She really enjoys grilled Urume Maruboshi (dried round herring):

  

For some reason, the grilled fish always catches my attention. I wasn't quite sure why....until today. Doesn't this look really familiar?

 

 

What do you think?

 

(BTW, The Scream by Edvard Munch is in the public domain in the United States because it was first published more than 95 years ago.)

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Paso Robles: Lunch at Thomas Hill Organics

Kirk or Cathy will be with you tomorrow, but today ed (from Yuma) is describing another meal on his summer road trip.

On our first evening in Paso Robles, Tina and I were walking back from a great dinner, and suddenly we smelled the most delicious aromas wafting our direction on the warm nighttime air.  Even though we were stuffed, both of us had to track down the origin of such savory scents.  Heading up an alley, we discovered the location of Thomas Hill Organics: The next day at lunchtime, we walked around the central park in Paso, looking at menus and discovering nothing as appetizing as those aromas from the evening before.  After relocating the restaurant, we were offered the choice of inside or outside seating.  Although it was kind of hot (by the standards of Paso Robles, not Yuma) we opted to sit outside in a small partly covered courtyard that sits surrounded by buildings in the middle of the block: The first dish that arrived at our table was a watermelon gazpacho.  And it was a thing of beauty: I can think of no soup that would have been as appealing as this summertime gem.  The "broth" was red watermelon juice, with a few pools of extra virgin olive oil on top and minced mint and perhaps a squeeze of lime within.  The chunks throughout the soup were sweet yellow watermelon.  But as we began eating we discovered more: In addition to these halved dark grapes, we also encountered blackberries and raspberries:
 The berries and grapes added touches of tartness to the sweet soup.

Soon after we finished the first course, our sandwiches arrived: Each sandwich was accompanied by a truly outstanding salad.  Because the Central Coast is lettuce country, chefs have the ability to blend their own selection of various greens, rather than merely relying onlettuces already mixed.  These salads contained primarily green and red oak leaf lettuce, two of the best and most flavorful salad greens available.  The leaves were lightly dressed with a tomato vinaigrette, accompanied with cucumber slices, and topped with Kalamata olives, radish slices, and goat cheese.  Salads don't get much better than this.

The sandwiches themselves were equally outstanding.  One of them was a tuna sandwich: As you can see, this is no tuna sandwich like your mother served you.  The seared albacore was topped with a slice of thick smoky bacon.  Also, the slices of rich herb bread had been pressed like  Paninis, so they were crunchy as well as flavorful.

The chicken sandwich may have been even better: On the same type of bread, the chicken breast slices were accompanied by bacon, melted mild cheese, and slices of green apple -- the taste of the whole was flavorful and complex.  An outstanding sandwich.

This restaurant has been in business about six months, but it is clear they know what they are doing.  If we hadn't already made plans for dinner that evening, we would have returned here because the lunch was outstanding.  I'm surprised that I had not heard of this place before my visit.  I'm certainly glad that Tina and I followed our noses.

Thomas Hill Organics Wine Bar and Bistro, 1305 Park St, Paso Robles CA, 805-226-5888.  Website

Niu Rou Mania - Hunan Chinese Restaurant

Unfortunately, this is one of those PWTSDS (sounds like putdz) posts....... "Posts Where the Sun Don't Shine". I had thought about just deleting the photos, but I don't get up to North County very much, and I'm not sure I'd want to have the NRM here again. So my apologies in advance......

Somewhere, in the comments section of one of my posts, someone mentioned that Hunan Restaurant in Rancho Bernardo made Niu Rou Mein. Being a big fan of NRM, I made sure to drop by when I was in the area.

  

To be perfectly clear, there ain't anything "Hunan" about Hunan Restaurant except for the name. I had a meal here years ago, and it was totally "ABCDE" (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment). But looking at the menu board, I noticed a section that had various noodle and rice dishes which looked promising.

So I entered the restaurant, and stepped into an alien green world!

 

I just found the greenish hue somewhat unappetizing, but I've never let stuff like that stop me before. Since I like to keep a low profile, and never use a flash, the lighting made taking photos somewhat difficult. For a while I tried timing my photos to the opening of the front door which would let light into the place. But of course, the wait between photos would have been pretty long!

The women here are pretty nice, and I simply ordered the Niu Rou Mian, which got the lady speaking to me in Mandarin, during my entire meal....... I don't think she ever figured out that I really didn't understand what she was saying!

Soon enough the NRM ($6.95) arrived.

 

When my bowl arrived, all I could think was "what the Pho?" That's what the broth looked like, Pho..... Though scalding hot, it was insipid, there was just a trace of five spice flavor, and it lacked any of the richness or the beefiness of Niu Rou Mein. What the heck? The noodles were the packaged stuff I buy from 99 Ranch Market, and was cooked well. What was impressive about this bowl was the amount of meat in this bowl. There was just as much meat under the noodles as was on the top!

 

The meat was tender, but lacking in flavor. I think I just found a NRM for those folks who think Bun Bo Hue is all about the meat, and should taste like "spicy Pho".

 An acquaintance of mine loves the ABCDE food from Hunan, so those dishes might be good. I thought the service was very nice and friendly. But I cna get Americanized Chinese in dozens of places less than 25 miles from home.

Hunan Chinese Restaurant
16719 Bernardo Center Dr
San Diego, CA 92128

Open Daily: 11am - 9pm

Road Trip: Sea Harbour in Rosemead

Not a Kirk or a Cathy Road Trip - This post is part of an ed (from Yuma) Road Trip. Buckle up and enjoy!

It was time for Tina and I to head off on vacation, ultimately arriving in Monterey for a few days.  San Gabriel Valley, fortunately for us, is about midway between Yuma and the cool breezes of the Monterey Peninsula.  We arrived in Rosemead armed with some recommendations from Kirk for Chinese seafood.  At the top of the list was Sea Harbour: (sorry about the drive-by shot)

When we arrived hungry for our 6 p.m. reservation, the stylish restaurant was largely empty, though its numerous fish tanks looked ready for customers: The first item to hit our table was a complementary seaweed salad.  It was nothing spectacular, but it was a nice and refreshing way to begin the meal: When we made reservations, I had inquired about corkage fees and was told that I was welcome to bring my own wine for the modest charge of $10. I was happy to learn this as we had come over from Yuma with a special bottle in our ice chest. After I handed the Chalone Chardonnay to a server, it soon reappeared with adequate stemware and a chilled ice bucket. The servers kept our glasses properly filled throughout the meal: Unusually for a Chinese restaurant, our meal was served European style, in courses.  First arrived two abalones ($15 each) taken fresh from a tank.  Each was prepared in a different style.  This one was covered in a slightly sweet soy-based sauce, somewhat resembling a teriyaki sauce:The shellfish was very tender and flavorful.  We cut it into small enough pieces so that we could savor each bite; after all, it had been years since I had eaten cooked fresh abalone, and I wanted the maximum number of bites for $15.

As good as that abalone was, both Tina and I preferred the second one: Here the saucing was much simpler -- basically just garlic.  But that was really all the abalone needed in my mind.  It was really good!

The next course represented the only slight glitch in the entire meal.  I was hoping for some unusual vegetable, but didn't see anything especially exotic on the menu, so I asked if there was some special vegetable that evening.  The waiter said that, indeed, they had a fresh seasonal vegetable, so I ordered it.  Like a salad course, it arrived before the major entrée: There was nothing wrong with this order of Chinese greens ($12) at all.  As the waiter said, they were incredibly fresh and arrived steaming at the table.  The simple preparation showed off the their goodness and impeccable freshness.  The only glitch for us was that we had had this very same choi sum at least twice in the previous two weeks at Yummy Yummy.  While the vegetable in Yuma was not as fresh as it was at Sea Harbour, I had had hopes for some thing more different.

Our main dish that evening was steamed whole red cod, taken from a tank and as fresh as could be ($36 for about 1  1/2 lbs): This was a beautiful fish, steamed to perfection and presented with a light tangy soy based sauce.  Unfortunately, my picture does not do justice to this outstanding entrée because the server was waiting next to our table for me to take pictures before he removed the spine and attached bones, and I felt bad for keeping him standing there.

Now is as good a time as any to mention the wonderful and attentive service.  Some online postings at various websites indicate that the service at Sea Harbour is perfunctory and almost rude.  Perhaps that is the case when the restaurant is serving its popular dim sum, but Tina and I were treated exceptionally well throughout our meal.  While thoroughly professional, all of the servers were friendly. They answered my questions with a smile and generally provided helpful advice.  I can't recall better service at another Chinese restaurant.

Now back to the food. I just want to share one close up of the fish flesh on my plate: The taste of the red cod was every bit as moist and tender as it looks in this photo.  Each mildly fishy bite melted away on the tongue. It was so good that we consumed everything -- cheeks, brains, eyeballs, skin, and anything else we could scrape off the bones.

We were then each brought a complementary bean porridge, which was lightly sweet and slightly savory: I thought that was going to be the conclusion of the meal, but Tina and I both were then given these two desserts: I have no expertise whatsoever with Chinese desserts, but these did taste good and provided an attractive ending for the meal.  Thanks Kirk for the rec! The place is definitely yo-so delicioso!

Sea Harbour, 3939 Rosemead Blvd, Rosemead, 626-288-3939