I had been craving Yang Rou Pao Mo for a couple of weeks. I really loved that muttony - thick soup with leaven bread during our visit to Xi'an. Over time, I've accepted the fact that while versions might come close, it seems we just can't get the bread part right. During the recent cooler weather, I finally had a real lunch hour. I wrangled Calvin, who has, over time really developed a taste for the yang rou pao mo. I decided to revisit Shan Xi Magic Kitchen, which I thought was pretty good during my initial visits. Though I believed the place had slipped a bit during the last time I'd had a meal there....but that had been nearly two years ago.
So we arrived at around 1145 and place was almost half full. We got to the door....and were totally ignored, until I got the attention of the young lady working.
The service was quite perfunctory......just like I went back in time and landed in the SGV when we lived there in the late 90's.
I ordered three dishes....pretty much the items I'd enjoyed on my previous visits.
Starting with the Yang Rou Pao Mo.
Good lord this was so bad. The broth was very thin and had too much white pepper in it. There was almost no mutton-ny flavor. Two small slices of lamb, hardly any "bread", which, even though it can't touch the stuff in Xi'an is an integral part of this dish. A few strings of bean thread. Well, at least it was hot.....dishwater.
I also asked for the typical pickled garlic-chili paste and the young man looked at me like I had grown a second head. After a rather uncomfortable pause he told me; "we don't have that here." So much for that. One thing about having had a food blog for a bajillion years....I can always go back and find a photo of the dish I had during a previous visit. Here's that from back in 2016.
I saw the Pidan (century egg) and Tofu back no the menu so I ordered it. I didn't know it was tofu mush..... It looked so sloppy.
So this is what happens when you just carelessly stir tofu up......it's all broken up. I think they did this to hide how little pidan (maybe less than half an egg minced up?) was actually in the dish. Also, too much sesame oil....too little chili-peppercorn oil.
This is what I was expecting.
On my previous visits, I'd thought the Garlic Eggplant here, while on the oily side was quite tasty. And Calvin always needs a vegetable dish.....
This was the best dish of the day; though it didn't have enough garlic flavor and some pieces of eggplant weren't cooked fully through. It needed to be cooked a bit better.
And guess what? It was indeed much more gooey in our previous visits.
Like I said; the service was quite perfunctory. They just wanted us the heck out of there as soon as possible. I had thought this place displayed promise when they first opened; I'm not sure what happened here. Also, I noticed a few more Sichuan type dishes on the menu. I'm wondering if kitchen staff has changed? Whatever the reason......this was a disappointing meal. It also has me wondering how the 99 Ranch Market location on Convoy is doing? I guess I need to check them out.
Shan Xi Magic Kitchen
4344 Convoy St,
San Diego, CA 92111
:(
Posted by: kat | Sunday, 13 May 2018 at 11:12 PM
Looks like you visited on the chef's day off. Huge difference in the before and after photos.
Posted by: Soo | Monday, 14 May 2018 at 07:34 AM
Yuck, they just don't care anymore apparently.
Posted by: jason | Monday, 14 May 2018 at 07:56 AM
I've found that the quality of their food in the Ranch 99 location to be leaps and bounds better than their restaurant. Even though there's less choices - they still have all the main options and the quality more than makes up for the limited selection.
Posted by: Derek | Monday, 14 May 2018 at 12:51 PM
It was pretty sad Kat.
I highly doubt the Chef or key staff would be off on a Thursday Soo......
Seems like it.
That's kind of sad Derek. I gotta get over to the food court location.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 14 May 2018 at 01:10 PM
They've gone downhill and probably don't care anymore. :(
Posted by: caninecologne | Monday, 14 May 2018 at 05:07 PM
Apparently so CC!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 14 May 2018 at 06:05 PM
yikes! that's too bad. I love that you have the old pics for comparison to show how much the place has gone downhill.
Posted by: Kirbie | Tuesday, 15 May 2018 at 10:04 AM
It was such a disappointing meal Kirbie.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 15 May 2018 at 12:06 PM
Have you been to Village North lately? How has their food held up? (hopefully better than SXMK)
Posted by: Derek | Tuesday, 15 May 2018 at 01:01 PM
We went a few weeks ago Derek. I gotta get that post done.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 15 May 2018 at 01:43 PM
My mom still likes this place even though there's no consistency with their dishes. And service tends to be rudely brief. I love their eggplant dish but last time it was just mushy & greasy.
Posted by: Faye | Thursday, 17 May 2018 at 10:56 AM
This was a truly disappointing visit Faye.
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 17 May 2018 at 06:53 PM
Aww that's sad to read. I haven't been here in a long time but when I did, it was for their handmade noodles dish. I wonder if that is still good these days. Friends also liked their cabbage dish.
Posted by: Lynn @ Oh-So Yummy | Friday, 01 June 2018 at 04:28 AM
From what I gather; it's kind of hit-and-miss here these days Lynn.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 01 June 2018 at 06:44 AM