Man, what a difference a year makes. Last year, we kind of celebrated the Lunar New Year by taking a trip to San Francisco (I'll finish those posts one of these days). The LNY fell on January 25th last year; quite early. This year, well it's a whole different story....a whole different world it seems. Hard to believe that I first started working on Covid-19 items on February 10th of last year!
Still, we wanted to have some Chinese food; nothing fancy....we knew for sure that places would be swamped and really just wanted a dry pot to go from Sizzling Pot King; which has been a recent favorite of Hers.
So, I headed over to SPK and got there right when they opened and placed an order. Of course they were busy and I was told that instead of the usual 15-20 minute wait, it was going to be at least 45 minutes. Anyway, I placed my order and walked back to my car......and then it came to me; why not do a short version of the Missus's "I want it and I want it all"? Thinking about timing and such; I decided on Village Kitchen, which is about a 10-12 drive from SPK.
So, I headed over and there was a small queue, but after 10 minutes, I managed to make a takeout order, which I was told was going to take about 30 minutes. Perfect! I jumped back in my car and returned to SPK where my order was just being packed...….
After which I headed back to VK and after a five minute wait, my order was ready to go.
So, the Missus got Her fix from Sizzling Pot King (and I was told on a previous visit, no more cauliflower).
Good "ma-la" and spice, even at medium heat. The trip was quite good on this day.
And was pleasantly surprised by the "bonus dishes".
The La Rou with Cucumber Skin was on the greasy side and not very spicy. There was a lot of smoked meat though.
The Stinky Tofu "Stew" had some decent spice and funkiness, with a touch of acidity.
After our last experience with the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg, I decided not to order it.
And so, we'll have leftovers for a couple of meals, which suits us just fine. Maybe I won't have to cook as much this weekend!
Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Yes, it's almost like we're living in a different time these days. Still, whether you say “Gong xi fa cai”, “Gong hei fat choy”, “Chuc mung nam moi”, or "Saehae bok mani badeuseyo", we'd like to wish you a healthy, safe, and wonderful 2021. A much better year than 2020.
Take care!
Happy Lunar New Year!! I ate a lot of banh tet this week haha.
Posted by: Elle | Friday, 12 February 2021 at 08:02 PM
Gung hay fat choy! Nice dinner for new year, and yay that you were able to time the pickups. Even better yay that you enjoyed the food! Last lunar new year, I had dinner with friends at Noble Chef. It seems like a lifetime ago.
Posted by: Sandy | Saturday, 13 February 2021 at 08:35 AM
Happy Lunar New Year! We got some crabs at 99 ranch (which was super busy) then had them cooked at Sam Woo. Very good but heavy on the MSG! Glad to hear you guys had some good food! Take care
Posted by: RedDevil | Saturday, 13 February 2021 at 11:45 AM
Gong hei fat choy
Posted by: Soo | Saturday, 13 February 2021 at 05:19 PM
hoping 2021 will be good for everyone!
Posted by: kat | Saturday, 13 February 2021 at 11:15 PM
I'm glad you're getting your "fix" Elle! Happy Lunar New Year!
Getting together with friends and family seems like a distant memory these days. My hope that we'll be able to return to that in 2022 Sandy!
Xin Nian Kuai Le Soo!
I truly hope so too Kat! Glad you both were not overly affected by the earthquake!
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 14 February 2021 at 08:45 AM
Happy lunar new year! People were lighting fireworks in Linda Vista late Thursday evening. Woke me up in the middle of the night.
Posted by: Junichi | Monday, 15 February 2021 at 01:54 PM
Happy Lunar New Year Junichi! Sounds like folks really had to blow off some steam! Hope all is well.
Posted by: Kirk | Tuesday, 16 February 2021 at 06:14 AM
A belated (unless you are among those who celebrate for all the days leading up to the full moon and are therefore technically still celebrating) "Xin nian kuai le!" to you and the Missus and Frankie (and Cathy)! Wishing good health to you all and as much peace as is possible in these unusual and often challenging days. I hope the craziness at work will slow down a bit soon and that you and the Missus can eventually get back to the traveling you both enjoy doing so much!
Posted by: dancing | Saturday, 20 February 2021 at 06:16 PM
Thanks, Dancing.
I did not know we could get crabs cooked at Sam Woo, RD!
We really like everything from Sizzling Pot King, Kirk. Happy Year of the Ox!
Posted by: Cathy | Sunday, 21 February 2021 at 05:51 AM
Happy Lunar New Year Dancing! Hoping that this one will be much better than the last. Hope all is well! Thanks again for the womderful comments!
Thanks Cathy! SPK has become a go-to on those evenings where I'm too tired to cook or we don't know what to get.
Posted by: Kirk | Sunday, 21 February 2021 at 03:33 PM