Midweek Meanderings

Just a couple of quick things to get us over "Hump day".

Poke at Costco Mission Valley:

I've seen them in Costco's back home in Hawaii, but never in San Diego, until a recent visit to Costco in Mission Valley. Of course, other than gas, I really don't get to Costco that often. It just so happened that I needed enough toilet paper to last until the next millennium.

It looked to be part of the Seafood Fair. Did I buy any? Well, no....heck I don't even buy the stuff they sell in Costco in Hawaii. I did ask the guy if the fish was "gassed", that is, treated with carbon monoxide. They guy looked at me strangely and shrugged his shoulders....whatever that means.

Anyway, I guess Costco now has poke.....

Some new stuff at Nijiya:

I've noticed some interesting new stuff at Nijiya over the last year or so. First, they started selling their bentos with brown rice. I guess the "brown rice revolution" that I first noticed on one of my trips home to Hawaii, now has a foothold. Heck, even Okan offers brown rice as an option with lunch. Then I noticed Shio Koji chicken. And then it was....drum roll please......

And while you'll never catch me eating this stuff....though I've been known to have brown rice on occasion to please the Missus (don't get the Brown Rice Shio Koji Chicken...it's a double whammy), I thought it kind of neat that Nijiya is really working on keeping up with things.

I also noticed Chicken Karaage being sold with various sauces. I do enjoy chicken nanban - basically chicken seasoned with vinegar and, yep tartar sauce, though I try to get the sauce on the side when I remember to. A little goes a long way. I thought a sauce made with kurosu, a brownish vinegar made from unpolished rice might be really good on karaage. I was wrong; the sauce had been thickened too much, it was too sweet, without enough sour tones. Not my thing.

Still, it's quite interesting to visit and see new things, which seem to quite often....I usually grab a bento or something for lunch here about every other week.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Can you guess the restaurant?

Had dinner with some good friends a while back....not my kind of place, though the portions were huge..... Much of it was dry, overcooked, tough, and seemed like it had been lying around for a while. I hadn't been here in ages and now I remembered why.

Enough to feed an army though.... Can you guess where? 

Comments

[kat]

great round-up!

[James]

I'm sorry, I can't get behind brown rice in the context of bento or sushi. But, I love the way Nijiya remodeled the prepared food section a few months ago - everything looks great!

[Kirk]

Thanks Kat!

I'm having my problesm with it too James. A lot has to do with the texture of brown rice and also the more pronounced flavor.

[Sandy]

I bought the poke at the Mission Valley Costco a couple of weeks ago. The spicy poke and the limu poke were good, but the shio poke was so-so. They can't give you samples to test before buying. Anyway, it inspired me to buy my own fish to make it at home during the previous heat wave.

[Kirbie]

Oh I had heard from some friends that the Costco in Tustin was selling poke on weekends but I didn't know it was in sd too. It's supposed to be decent, like the ones in Costco Hawaii quality, but I guess since you don't buy that either...

[Kirk]

Hi Sandy - Mu biggest problem right now is finding quality fish to make my own poke...

Hi Kirbie - I'm not sold on the quality of fish they use and I know someone who works, or used to work at Costco in the islands....which is why I won't eat the stuff.

[Carol]

Haven't been to Nijiya in a couple of months but I've always enjoyed their prepared food section. I usually pick up something for a quick bite to eat when I shop there.

Poke at Costco in SD, every interesting. Would have tried it until you mentioned you knew someone who used to work there. :-)

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - Half the fun is checking out what new "wrinkle" Nijiya has.

[Lynn]

Is the mystery restaurant Aladdin?

[Kirk]

Nice Lynn...that's it exactly.

[Lynnea]

I have to admit, I like the brown rice just because it is so much healthier!! =) and I grew up eating sooo much brown rice. the flavor doesn't bother me at all. it is weird in a bento, but sooo much healthier =D

[Kirk]

Hi Lynnea - I think part of the problem is that I grew up eating white rice; everyday....sometimes 3 times a day. I kinda ok with it in a bento, but don't think I can do sushi.