Midweek Meanderings: What's up with "Chef Chin" and H Mart is coming to San Diego

What's up with Chef Chin?:

Is the question that fellow food blogger Dennis asked me. In case you're wondering, there's new signage up over Chin's Convoy.

I heard through the grapevine that an "Investor from Shanghai" decided to buy the place. So different ownership; different name. I've also heard that the food has severely downhill....I'll have to go check it out one of these days.

Chef Chin
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111 

H Mart is coming to San Diego:

*** H Mart has opened

I mentioned that possibility in an earlier post about the Zion Market move. I received an interesting email telling me that what I had heard was a bunch.....well the word rhymes with slap. Apparently, what I heard was true. On Monday, my coworker EK told me that H Mart was opening in the place formerly occupied by Ralph's on Mira Mesa Boulevard.

Here's the sign.......

Like the space to be occupied by Zion Market, this is going to be a huge store....the sign also says "food court". Looks like we'll soon have two Korean "super-stores" in San Diego. I wonder how that'll work-out.

9440 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Comments

[caninecologne]

Yay for H Mart! The one in Niles (near Chicago) is huge, it's called Super H-Mart. It was like a Costco but with Korean and other Asian products. I could have spent hours in there!

It'll be nice once Zion moves to the bigger location as well...I hate parking over there!

[Dennis]

Hi Kirk, cool looking forward to H Mart too. Imagine they're comparable to Freshia/S Mart?

[Jillian Mckee]

Hi,

I have a quick question about your blog, do you think you could e-mail me?

Jillian

[Kirk]

Hi CC - I'm thinknig the parking at H Mart might now be worse than the upcoming Zion. That parking lot, even though huge was sometimes a pain.

Hi Dennis - Yes, sort of like Freshia - Hannam Chain, etc......

[Sandy]

A friend had told me about a Korean market replacing Ralphs, but she didn't know the name. I assumed it was HMart, which is confirmed by the banner. That parking lot isn't too bad (tip: park in the back lot), but the traffic on Mira Mesa Blvd can be a pain.

This Chef Chin logo looks similar to the restaurant on RB Rd & Bernardo Center near I-15.

[Janfrederick]

Woah, I didn't notice that Ralphs closed, and I LIVE in MM! By the way, an interesting place just opened in that mall: http://www.poandpho.com/

We'll be checking it out later this week.

[Jason]

I didn't realize that Ralph's closed either. But yeah, I think parking will suck, not only competing with the In N Out folks but also it seems like there's a weird and unofficial 5 way stop right at that entrance... not really condusive to traffic flow.

[kirbie]

I saw the Chef Chin sign the other day and wondered what was going on. I'm excited about HMart though surprised about the location.

[Jady]

I saw that Chins became Chef Chin for almost a month now. I thought it was because of the owners switch inside the family of the owners. Hasn't been there since it was changed, I hope it's not gonna taste that bad.
Super excited about H Mart and Zion's expansion!! Thanks for confirming.

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - I think much of the hassle with that parking lot are the traffic patterns.

Hi Jan - I recall a place called something like "Green Pho" did this business replace them?

Hi Jason - Yeah....but man, it'll be fun checking the place out when they open...though I'm sure it'll be a zoo.

Hi Kirbie - I haven't heard good things about the palce since the change over.....I've got to go and check it out myself.

Hi Jady - I did check with a two sources, both of which said the same thing.

[Sandy]

Yes, the traffic patterns in this parking lot aren't the greatest; that's why I park in the back lot. Green Bowl was near Ralphs; I also wondered if this Po & Pho replaced it. Green Bowl wasn't very good, so I'm not surprised it didn't last long.

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - I gotta get up there and find out....

[Carol]

Hi Kirk! I wonder if that Chef Chin is related to the Chef Chin in RB??

Woowoo! It'll be nice to have a Korean store a bit closer to home.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Could be......