One good thing about not being the most "popular kid" in the San Diego Food Blogging Class is the lack of Spam emails....at least these days. Though once in a while I'll get a couple....they're mostly rather harmless and annoying, but occasionally there would be one like I caught about 3-4 weeks ago. It really ticked (off course I was more than "ticked" but you get the point) me off because it was somewhat racist in content, actually describing Filipino "turo-turo" joints as the breeding ground for Coronavirus, and finished off with a "slogan", you can guess what it was. For some reason, it really bugged me, because as a whole I haven't run into any real xenophobic/obnoxious/racist folks during this pandemic....except for the one guy at Costco who yelled at me "your kind are causing Coronavirus"....while (of course) driving away....there's always once, right? So, instead of letting it stew, I decided to do what would probably bug this individual the most. I'd go and check out those turo-turo places and let's see how they're doing. And to stretch things out; I'll probably do this in two or three parts.
First up, R & B Filipino Cuisine, which in my opinion has the most consistently decent Sisig in the Mira Mesa area.....feel free to disagree; because it gives me an excuse to keep eating sisig.
Instructions where clearly marked as I arrived.
They were doing some decent business when I arrived.
You need to find your box...…..it's ok to think (and dream) outside the box....but if you want your food....stay inside the box.
So, you can see that things are pretty well organized. The only issue I saw was that even though there's space for one at the register and one at the steam table....folks are used to walking back and forth....so the customer at the register wanted to look at something on the right, while the person now at the steam table wanted to check out how the sisig was doing on the left and they kept passing each other. Well, at least they had face coverings on.
I decided on the sisig and a nice hot tray of Bicol Express came out while I was in line so I got that.
The sisig, while not perfect, is my favorite in the MM area. The Lechon Kawale is not overly waxy and has a decent texture and there's more spice and a nice amount of vinegar.
I wasn't as fond of the Bicol Express as it had a strong "livery" flavor, lacked spice and not enough bagoong. It was also, as you can see, really greasy.
Overall, I was just happy to have sisig. And as you can see; there are procedures in place to handle spacing and other issues.
Heck, I just might need another sisig fix soon....so, if you see a middle aged Asian guy sporting a "Covid-19-in-need-of-a-visit to-the barber mullet" that might be me! On second thought, that might not be a rare sighting these days!
R & B Filipino Cuisine
11257 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Sorry you have to deal with idiots sending you emails, don't let them bother you. It's notable that they do it either driving away or through email, it's like they want a confrontation but are too afraid of a confrontation.
Posted by: Jason | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 09:41 AM
Yeah, those Spam comments are sometimes really weird Jason. On the bright side; it's not a common occurrence. Hope all is well!
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 10:18 AM
That sisig looks good!! Racism in any form makes me sad. Glad you found a positive way to deal with it. My wife cut my hair, so no mullet but it might look a bit strange 😳.
Posted by: RedDevil | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 10:30 AM
The Missus is much too anxious to get the green light to cut my hair RD.....the only thing is; She would have to use Frankie's shears..... I think R&B makes the best sisig in the MM area.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 10:37 AM
Sorry for your encounter with the mentally ill person. Sounds like the Sisig made you feel better anyway. And now I'm craving it. I no longer live in Mira Mesa, but have noticed a place near Stater Brothers in PQ, Orient Valley, that I'd like to try. They seem to be closed for the quarantine though. Edit: Looks like they have a limited menu for takeout available.
Posted by: Janfrederick | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 03:07 PM
Sorry to hear you got a ridiculous message. I miss the days when Gmail actually gave spam recipes in the spam folder. Food looks great! I wonder when they'll open Max's Restaurant up there. Have you been to EE Nami yet? The tonkatsu looks good. I hope I can try them soon.
Btw, thanks for letting me know that Mien Trung was open in your other post. I had BBH with banh nam recently and it hit the spot.
Posted by: Elle | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 05:37 PM
am surprised at how much spam has decreased with this pandemic...glad you got to check out more eateries:)
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 05:51 PM
I've heard of K&K Jan, if that's the place...if you check them out let me know what you think!
Glad you enjoyed Mien Trung Elle. As for EE Nami - here's a preview:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mmm-yoso/49880420848/in/dateposted-public/
I have noticed more Spam text messages Kat....really weird. Hope all is well.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 06:27 PM
That sisig looks really good. I might get Mr. C to get me some. Nothing to do with food but I gave him a faux-hawk haircut the other day.
Posted by: TFD | Tuesday, 12 May 2020 at 09:43 PM
It was decent TFD! The Missus is much too anxious to attempt to give me a haircut.....using Frankie's shears!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 06:05 AM
The tonkatsu in your preview pic for EE Nami looks sooo good! I made chicken katsu recently, and while it wasn't very pretty, it tasted good AND the breading stayed put!
Posted by: Sandy | Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 07:53 AM
Nice Sandy! Did you brine the chicken before breading? That really help the moisture and texture!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 09:25 AM
No, I seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper. Will try brining next time - thanks for the tip.
Posted by: Sandy | Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 11:36 AM
Hi Sandy - Here's what I have from a previous post:
"For one pound chicken breast; cut and pound to an even 1/3 inch thick, then brine is a solution of 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 quart water for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to dry the chicken well before initiating the breading process.
You'll find that you won't need to add much more seasoning when breading the katsu."
Have fun!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 12:05 PM
Spam email definitely is down. Many spam mills had to close when countries started issuing lockdown measures.
Posted by: Junichi | Wednesday, 13 May 2020 at 10:48 PM
That's interesting Junichi, haven't been looking into that!
Posted by: Kirk | Thursday, 14 May 2020 at 05:58 AM
Does anyone look on the ground, see the red square or X there, and think that you've seen this in a Road Runner cartoon?
Posted by: Loren | Friday, 15 May 2020 at 01:13 PM
That's too funny Loren!
Posted by: Kirk | Friday, 15 May 2020 at 01:20 PM