Kababayan Oriental Market (Nestor area of San Diego)

This location of Kababayan Market closed and has moved to become Kababayan Bakery and food to go: 8423 Paradise Valley Road Spring Valley 91977 (619)267-1493

 

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog and Kirk is still way too busy at work to blog about anything; he'd rather sleep. Ed (from Yuma) is busy (in Yuma) and would probably also rather sleep than blog. So, here's Cathy today, blogging.

Earlier I began writing about the first stop on a Food Crawl I shared with fellow bloggers, caninecologne and Dennis earlier this month. (If you look at the bottom of the post belonging to caninecologne, you'll see all the places we stopped that day). I try to return to places to get a better post-or to try other items which piqued my curiosity, and this week, The Mister and I ventured South to Kababayan Oriental Market. I don't know why it's named 'Oriental', since all the items for sale here are Filipino in origin and style and 'Oriental' would mean there are items from other East Asian countries, but that's the name on the sign.

Located in the mall at the NorthWest corner of Coronado Avenue and Saturn Boulevard, in the part of San Diego known as Nestor, Kababayan is in the middle of one of the two strip malls of storefronts in this area with a very large parking lot.

I'm always curious about the various vending machine offers I see at stores lately; a far cry from 'penny candy', bubble gum balls and Chiclets that were my choices growing up.

The signage in the front window lets you know some of the goodies available for sale. Bulaklak means 'ruffle fat'...

Bibingka-you can read the link, or

just look at the display on the table, which holds all the ingredients.  This traditional Filipino rice cake, coconut flavored dessert that is cooked in a banana leaf over coals is very time consuming to make and finding it here, fresh and available was a delight.  The texture is sponge-like and this particular version was particularly tasty.

At the back of the store are the trays containing Pulutan- fried finger foods...our reason for this food crawl.  From the left-pata (fried pork skin leg), bulaklak, dilis(fried anchovies) and chicharon manok (chicken skin). We ordered about a pound of mixed of the three items to the right, since all of know about fried pork skin.

Here's a close up of the bulaklak-ruffle fat...or fried intestines, as is an accurate description.

Here's a bit of each that we shared when we sat down- the chicken skin is wonderful, and I liked both the fried anchovies and the bulaklak (when I stopped thinking about what it was and instead concentrated on the flavor and texture).  We were given several containers of the garlic-vinegar dipping sauce, which is very complimentary (opposed to salting everything). 

When I went back with The Mister this week, we grabbed 1/2 lb of the fried chicken skins($4) and from the cash register area, garlic peanuts ($2.50).

We were very good and waited until we got home to eat our snacks.  The chicken skins are a new craving of mine...

as are the garlic roasted and salted skin on Spanish peanuts.  

Another great place, where I might not have stopped if not for this food crawl.  This link to caninecologne's blog has more detailed descriptions of Filipino foods and what is available in this store.

Kababayan Oriental Market 1840 Coronado Avenue San Diego, CA 92154 (619) 575-0800

 

Comments

[Faye]

The fried chicken skin and garlic peanuts look amazing. And the prices seem pretty reasonable.

I haven't been to the Nestor area before but I think it's worth a visit to try this market out.

I've been looking for another Filipino place that offers that garlic vinegar sauce too

[Cathy]

It's in the same parking lot with the Save A Lot food store (which is a great place to eat in) and next to Oasis Ice Cream (which is wonderful stuff) and right across the street from Baja Oyster and Sushi (which is now my favorite place for mariscos), Faye. Lots of Filipino markets (Seafood City), small restaurants (Tita's) in the Chula Vista and National City area as well as this part of San Diego (Chow King and Jollibee are chains but started in Quezon City, Philippines and serve familiar food for ex-pats)

[caninecologne]

Hi cathy - yay, you guys were able to go to Kababayan! i really like the chicken skins there!

a few doors away from oasis is "Dona's Filipino Food (I don't know if the sign still says "Hawaiian" but they don't serve Hawaiian food there at all) if you ever are in a need of a filipino food fix.

correction - crispy pata is the fried pig leg.

@faye - that dipping sauce is so easy tomake. just use coconut vinegar (can be found at seafood city; i like the 'datu puti' brand) and smashed garlic cloves. you can also kick it up by add one or two thai chilis.

[Cathy]

The chicken skins are the perfect snack, cc...no carbs! We saw Doña's and thought about going there for a light lunch, but had eaten before driving South-next time, or the time after that. (Leg skin...? I corrected the post; just knew none of us thought it would be as interesting as the other choices and we didn't even order it).