I was craving some Nian Gao (sticky rice cakes) and noticed that Chef Chin doesn't have it on the menu anymore. So I headed over to Tasty Noodle House since it had been over a year since I last visited. even though it was just past eleven (there was still parking in the worst lot on Convoy), the place was about a third full already!
Looking at the menu I decided to order a couple of items; even though the Mei Cai Kou Rou (steamed pork belly with preserved vegetable) wasn't very good the last time I had it; I ordered it again. I was a bit worried when it was the first dish to arrive....in like five minutes after I ordered it. Can you say microwave?
Still, while not particularly hot, this was much better than what I'd had here before. The pork was very tender, moist; though a bit underwhelming in terms of porkiness and soy sauce flavor. The preserved vegetable was basically cold, but had some saltiness, and a mild, pleasant bitterness. I actually took most of this home....the Missus heated properly in a microwave and proceeded to devour the whole thing......so I guess it must be pretty good?
I saw the Green Chilies with Black Bean Sauce on the menu and decided to try that. Man, the portion size was pretty large.
The mild chilies were nicely charred, but the sauce was way to sweet, obscuring the savory-fermented flavors of the black bean. The pork was on the chewy side and a couple of pieces....well, have you ever bitten into a piece of meat and felt like you got a toenail? There were several very hard, tooth chipping piece amongst the chewy minced pork.
As for the Chao Nian Gao.....well, it was not stir fried well; some pieces were really hard and others over-cooked and too mushy.
And I've noticed how stingy they've become with the Jì Cài (Shepherd's Purse), the green vegetable that adds a nice vegetal sweet-bitterness to the dish. The pork was actually not bad if a bit on the tough side. Decent seasoning; enough saltiness and a light hand with the sesame oil.
A fairly uneven meal, though the young man who waited on me was quite nice and friendly. And while I was tempted to order the Zui Ji ( Drunken Chicken), perhaps I should have.
I think these days it's all hot pots and meat skewers with regards to Chinese food in San Diego. We seem to be in a slump with regards to decent regional cooking.
Tasty Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
bummer
Posted by: kat | Thursday, 11 October 2018 at 10:40 PM
Always seems to be busy so they must have fans. And yes that is the worst parking lot in Convoy. The print shop recently closed down and is probably gonna turn into another restaurant to make matters even worse.
Posted by: Junichi | Friday, 12 October 2018 at 09:21 AM
Yeah....not very satisfying Kat!
That parking lot is crazy Junichi.
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 12 October 2018 at 10:36 AM
Count me as a fan, but it seems we order different items. With DTF now open and great wow still going strong, we don't make it there very often though.
Posted by: RedDevil | Monday, 15 October 2018 at 09:56 AM
I'm not a fan of the Shen jian bao here RD....if that's what you're referring to. Which is too bad since the location in San Gabriel made; or perhaps used to make since it's been a number of years a really good Tianjin Baozi.
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 15 October 2018 at 12:48 PM
Yes, the shen jian bao, are what I like among a few others. They are inconsistent but often as good as I've had in SGV and easily the best I've had in SD. There used to be a place in SGV that everyone raved about -- Kang kang food court or something close to that, that was waaay too sweet for me so maybe that's closer to what good ones taste like and why I like TNH better. Who knows. Take care.
Posted by: RedDevil | Monday, 15 October 2018 at 01:35 PM
Hi RD - You might like some of these older posts then:
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2011/01/suzhou-noodles-and-sheng-jian-bao.html
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2009/05/sheng-jian-bao-in-mostly-pictures.html
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2011/11/road-trip-tasty-noodle-house-san-gabriel-los-angeles.html
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2009/12/road-trip-kang-kang-food-court.html
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 15 October 2018 at 02:19 PM
Man, those SJB from your MIL look fantastic! If she ever comes to visit and you need extra eaters, I'm available.
Posted by: RedDevil | Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 07:56 AM
Lol RD......I'll let her know!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 16 October 2018 at 08:02 AM
"We seem to be in a slump with regards to decent regional cooking."
This may be one of the greatest understatements I've read in quite some time.
Posted by: Marc C. | Thursday, 25 October 2018 at 11:04 PM
Well Marc - I'm obviously not prone to hyperbole....pretty much just the opposite, no?
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 26 October 2018 at 06:42 AM