**** Liu's Chinese Restaurant has closed
Funny thing, I've been in a bit of a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing slump. Royal Mandarin has been kind of going downhill and the last two orders from Mandarin Canton have been less than stellar. For almost the last year, I've heard folks mentioning a place called Liu's on Coronado Avenue in Nestor. One even dubbed them the "King of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings". So finally, FOY (friend of yoso) "RightCowLeftCoast" mentioned the place....this provided the impetus for driving down the I-5 toward IB and stopping in a strip mall to find Liu's. Which is located near a Rite Aid and a Barber Shop.
This place looks like something from a different age....man, those 70's were something, right? I loved the A-B-C-D on the window. I always call these types of restaurants ABCDE - abceedee - American Born Chinese Dining Establishments.
Man, the interior of this place is kinda beat.
Though I did kind of love the little figures lined up on the old fashioned diner sill.
And no, the peeling wallpaper, yellow and running signs, the torn seats, nor the rather sticky floor that could use a steam clean, or perhaps a hand grenade didn't bother me at all. I've had no less than three people tell me that this place made really good chicken wings. Places like this don't stay in business by poisoning their clientele.
The menu actually gives you reverse sticker shock.....Shrimp Fried Rice $5.85? I love that all the dishes also had Spanish translations. Still, I was here with one thing in mind, the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($7.50), which happens to be one of the most expensive items on the menu.
If it's all about the batter, you'll like these, not as salty as other versions, but still with a touch of sneaky heat. The batter is lacquer like; which puts it into the class of Mandarin and Mandarin Canton...there's lots of crunch going on here.
My big complaint is the very low quality of the wings. Do you see the wings with the "black" in them. The bones in these wings had broken and the fluid and the marrow from the bones had seeped out, changing the flavor of the meat. I know you probably don't eat wings for the meat, but still...... That one drum on the bottom tasted freezer burnt. Nine wings at $7.50, that means 80 plus cents a wing....in spite of the prices of other items on the menu, that's not a good value based on the lack of quality control. One of these days I gotta learn about how wings are graded and sold.....I'll put that on my bucket list.
The wings here are not bad....in fact, if you run into a batch that isn't freezer burnt, or suffering from marrow ooze, you'll probably like it a lot.
The King of Salt and Pepper Wings.....don't start the coronation yet.
Liu's Chinese Restaurant
1850 Coronado Ave
San Diego, CA 92154
Never knew about this place and we're down there every weekend too. This is the same strip mall that has Oasis ice cream parlor. A few doors down from Oasis is a Filipino take out place that sells fried chicken skin by the pound!!!!!
Posted by: caninecologne | Monday, 25 March 2013 at 08:53 AM
I thought you were going to surprise me Kirk. My son gave up "fried" for lent and the first thing he wants on Easter is some good ole salt and pepper chicken wings! Guess we'll go to his favorite, Golden Chopsticks...
Posted by: Jack | Monday, 25 March 2013 at 09:33 AM
You are funny Kirk, I have to do a visit once I'm on spring break.
Posted by: TFD | Monday, 25 March 2013 at 04:12 PM
Hi CC - Yes, this is the same strip mall.
Oh Jack, really.....how could anyone give up fried foods! ;o)
Check them out TFD.....
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 25 March 2013 at 04:24 PM
I giggled when I saw this post b/c i was JUST craving asian fried chicken wings today! AND i was thinking how your blog brought me to the wings at Phuong Trang!! I still think they have THE best wings for some reason. But yeah - who orders wings for the meat?! It's all about the seasoning and batter!
Posted by: Faye | Monday, 25 March 2013 at 04:47 PM
I never understood why the quality of Chinese food in SD is so subpar. There's such a large Chinese population, so there's definitely a market for it but you just cannot compare our Chinese food to what they have in LA/OC.
Posted by: J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats | Monday, 25 March 2013 at 05:26 PM
Hi Faye - It's good that you have a favorite!
Hi JS - This post really isn't about "Chinese food". It's mainly about one specific item which is very popular. It seems that the market here is quite satisfied with the meager offerings with regards to Chinese food, though Ba Ren really had a good run.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 26 March 2013 at 06:04 AM
too bad about the quality
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 26 March 2013 at 05:19 PM
I know Kat. It would have been that much better.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 26 March 2013 at 07:07 PM
Say no to fried blood clot meat!!!!
Posted by: nhbilly | Thursday, 28 March 2013 at 01:29 PM
LOL Billy.....you know exactly what I'm talking about!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 28 March 2013 at 03:00 PM
What are your top 5 wing spots in San Diego now?
I tried looking for updated rankings, but I only saw your post from 2009.
Posted by: Kha | Thursday, 29 August 2013 at 09:57 AM
Hi Kha - Hard to say....maybe I should do some rankings, huh? Fish Sauce Wings from Que Huong and Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings from Mandarin Canton or Royal Mandarin(Though YMMV) Teba from Yakyudori. Buffalo wings...can't find anything that significantly tops what I make at home. I have an entire category for wings:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/chicken-wings/
BTW, thanks so much for the Song Long recommendation! Loved the Cha Ca Thang Long!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 29 August 2013 at 10:12 AM
Thanks for the update Kirk. I'm glad you liked the Cha Ca Thanh Long at Song Long.
I'm a big chicken wing fan. My favorite American style wing joint in SD is Dirty Birds down in Pacific Beach. Phileas Foggs can been good too, but they are a little inconsistent.
Completely off-topic, but if you haven't been to SA Deli yet off of Clairemont Mesa Blvd., you should check it out. They do meat pies there. I would call in ahead to see what they have on a given day. The steak and mushroom is my favorite so far. The curry vegetable one is good too.
Posted by: Kha | Monday, 09 September 2013 at 03:00 PM
Hi Kha - I really didn't think Dirty Birds was that good so let me try them again.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 09 September 2013 at 09:18 PM
I'm guessing the wings at Dirty Birds probably aren't as crispy as you like and the meat is not top notch either. I suppose I like the variety of sauces they carry.
Posted by: Kha | Wednesday, 18 September 2013 at 11:27 AM
That's about right Kha.....still, I'll check them out again soon!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 18 September 2013 at 05:42 PM