Balboa International Market-the in store restaurant (revisit)

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are reading.  Kirk is off in a foreign land, eating and writing a post.  ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma, eating and also writing a post.  Cathy is in San Diego. She ate and wrote this post.

Hi.  I wrote a post about Balboa International Market around the time it opened, in October of 2010. This is a short update.  It is not located directly on Balboa Avenue, but is parallel to it, behind the two banks  and mall with a See's Candy store. 

There are quite a few  Mediterranean Markets  in East County, closer to where I live. All have an in store or attached to the store restaurant. Occasionally I travel West and enjoy lunch and do some shopping at Balboa International Market. 

Balboa International Market has an excellent selection of pickled vegetables

as well as jarred and canned sauces and many brands of canned seafood

and condiments and spices of all types.

Olive oils from many countries, packaged cookies from many countries and (look at the sign straight ahead) certified Halal meats and other products are sold here.

There is a good selection of fresh fruits

and vegetables at very good prices.  Looking straight ahead in the above photo, is the bakery area.  Fresh, in store baked flat breads of many types can be purchased here.

I did make such a purchase as The Mister ordered lunch-at the far left corner (from the front door) of the store -at the meat counter.

This bread was labeled as wheat. It was thicker/spongier/had a good 'tooth' than the usual flat bread and still hot when I grabbed it off the shelf and paid for it ($2.29) and took it to the table, where The Mister had started a cup of hot tea ($1) after he had ordered and paid. The sesame seeds and the bottom floured layer of this particular bread made it tasty when re-heated the next morning.  Yes, there was bread left over for the next morning because this photo is not some sort of optical illusion: The loaf of bread is about three feet by eight inches.

My fish plate ($7.99). Two very large white fish (tilapia) filets which were very lightly floured and seasoned with a mix of Middle Eastern spices then lightly pan fried.  The fish was meaty, moist and had just a bit of crispness. The rice is called 'green rice' -it is basmati rice with fresh dill and topped with a spoonful of the yellow (saffron) rice. This is Persian, as are the seasonings used. The side order of salad with onion, cucumber and tomato is topped with a mustard vinaigrette.

Originally The Mister wanted a chicken salad which is a salad with Feta and olives and a chicken breast kabob.  It costs $7.99.  But this is the chicken kabob plate with no rice but instead salad substituted for the rice along with the salad the plate comes with and is only $6.99.  The kabob is marinated boneless chicken breast which is charbroiled.

The in store bakery  at Balboa International Market does not sell sweets, other than one sweet bread, but in the same mall is Balboa Bakery.  -Another post-  It is a small bakery and just fresh pastries and coffee sold here.

Balboa International Market 5907 Balboa Avenue San Diego 92111 (858) 277-3600 Website

 

Comments

[foodie wannabe]

I like how they used Bamboo flooring for the tabletops.