Hoxton Manor - A Quick Look

So, I thought I'd better get around to to this one....this is the visit that had me wondering if I should do these "quick look" posts. Hoxton Manor seemed to make a bit of a splash when it opened; mainly on the name of chef Ryan Costanza, who opened acclaimed Dija Mara in Oceanside. And so I thought it might be worth a visit. I went and let the Missus preview the menu and She was all in.

This visit was just before the Omicron surge....we hadn't dined indoors in San Diego for ages and the Missus was really excited to try this discreet, signless restaurant in the former location of the North Park Breakfast Company. So I made reservations for the earliest possible time.

The interior look nicely styled, though the hard surfaces really amplified the sound in the restaurant and the music was very loud during our visit.

The menu looked wonderful; with seemingly reinvented-modern renditions of classic Asian dishes. As is our MO we stuck with apps and starters so we could get a wide ranging set of dishes.

First up was the Duck Confit & Oyster Mushroom Imperial Roll.

 This fancy Cha Gio was quite beautiful. However, with all the "stuffs" garnishing it a key component was lost......the wrapper was not crisp/crunchy; more chewy and hard. Good amount of oyster mushrooms, which presented with a nice earthiness but made the whole spring roll overly chewy and we could not make out any flavor from the duck confit.

The Marinated Hamachi was waaaaay too sour.

Man, if done right, the shiso would have added a wonderful anise brightness to the dish; but there was way too much of it, which seemed like a bit of a waste and the pickled cucumber and marinade for the super thin slices of yellowtail just overwhelmed the dish.

We saw some yakitori type items on the menu and were intrigued; so we ordered the Pork Meatball and the Oyster Mushroom Skewers.

 The oyster mushrooms were really tough and rubbery and was super salty. I expected a bit more smokiness; as in the "touch of binchotan", but that was lacking as well.

I just had to order the pork meatballs......after all I've often said that whether in San Diego or in Japan (this is the original Yakyuudori in Nagoya); I tend to judge the skill of the cook by the Tsukune (here's one of our favorites from Torito in Kyoto).  And even though this was pork not chicken there's the combining of the meat and fat at the appropriate ratios along with how it is mixed.......to make it moist, tender, and almost airy that appeals to me. And adding the perfect amount of salt and tare to create a nice caramelization and crisp exterior as well. I had wondered if Hoxton would be able to do this with pork....and sadly; this was super tough; the tare of nuoc mam might have worked; but this was just too tough and dry.

The best dish of the evening was the Taiwanese Fried Chicken.

The chicken was crisp and light, perfectly seasoned, tender, just a joy to eat. It paired well with the basil; but the pickled cucumbers; sort of like kyuri amazu-ae detracted from the dish.

The last item out was the "Vietnamese Crepe" a version of Banh Xeo. Much like the version of Cha Gio; this was quite over wrought.

 It really didn't need an overdose of perilla leaf (Tia To). Also the crepe was not light and crisp, but just hard and rubbery. The pork was very salty and this was just hard for us to enjoy....so hard that we just had to leave most of it.

To say this was a disappointing meal...well......we had not eaten in a restaurant for ages at this point in time and were really looking forward to this meal. The presentations were interesting; but the combinations just didn't seem to work for us. Aspects of certain dishes (the "soul") had been lost. It just seemed more "con-fusion", then fusion, this coming from a kid from Hawaii...you know, the home of Hawaii Regional Cuisine???

You see why I was torn when trying to figure out if I should do these posts based on one visit. In the days before Covid; based on price and the experience we would never have returned and this post would never had seen the light of day and the photos would have been sent to the recycle folder.

Tell me what you think?

The Missus and I always look forward to our  dinners out and the pandemic has just magnified how much we missed dining out. We and our pocketbook take no joy when we have disappointing meals.

Hoxton Manor
3131 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104

Comments

[Junichi]

Dang. Only 1 outta 6. If this was spring training you'd be cut!

[Kirk]

Lol Junichi......

[kat]

:(

[Sandy]

I get the feeling that they're trying too hard on these dishes. Con-fusion is right!

[Soo]

That's good they make good fried chicken.

[Kirk]

It was quite disappointing Kat!

Yes, it does seem that way Sandy!

Unfortunately that was the only dish that was pretty good Soo.

[Peter]

All show, no go -- unfortunate.

Again, I personally like these quick looks, Kirk. I think you're providing your blog readers (like me!) with a lot of value. I trust your palate/judgment a lot more than the random Yelper.

[Kirk]

Thanks so much Peter! I appreciate your visits and comments!

[Cathy Greene]

As a North Park resident, I've felt bad about not trying it, but the prices and lack of outdoor dining put it on a back burner. It didn't look like a good candidate for takeout. Sadly, it looks like it will be shoved much farther back. Frankly, I think you sampled plenty of their dishes to give them a fair report. If this pandemic is ever over, I might try a dish or two, but my "guilt" is assuaged. Thank you!

[Kirk]

I think a lot of folks love the presentation Cathy. But for us; many of the dishes had too much going on and the "soul" of the dish had been lost. And yes...the prices..... If you do check them out; let me know what you think. Hope all is well!

[Corey Muirhead]

Hi Kirk, I am the executive chef of Hoxton Manor. I apologize for the disappointing meal you had. Based on pictures, you visited us in October right when we were changing the menu for the first time and handling a tricky situation. Most of the items in your review are no longer on the menu, and we’ve been improving and solidifying our identity as a restaurant. I’d love for you to give us another try so we can rectify our past errors! Thanks for your time and consideration!

[Kirk]

Hello Chef - Give us a bit of time and I'll try to convince the Missus to revisit. As for "errors"; well, it's a matter of tastes and preferences which are subjective. Which is why I never call my "posts" reviews. I'm glad that the menu has been fine tuned and wish you the best!