mmm-yoso!!!

Paris - Petit Palais and Dinner at Onii-San

Our train from Strasbourg was on time and we got into Paris-Est right around 1230. From there it was a snap getting back to our apartment.

After two nights at various Christmas Markets and watching me enjoy myself whether it was doing the flanuer thing, spending the morning on Rue Montorgueil, or just deciding where I was getting my morning croissant from, the Missus was ready to get into "shopping mode".

And so we unpacked, put in a load of laundry, and headed on out.

Passing thru some very familiar places.

And places we had just recently gotten to know.

Past Place Venodome.

All dressed up for the season.

Down Rue Saint-Honore.

The Missus knew the way by heart.

As before, we were treated like royalty at our destination with a personal shopper, some light refreshment......

And as several times before, we left, the Missus happy, our credit card not so much....but such is life.

Chanel
31 Rue Cambon
75001 Paris, France

We then headed out, with no objective in sight, just enjoying the day and came across the Petit Palais.

Life many of the places we visited on this trip, we had passed by the Petit Palais many times and finally decided to visit. Free admission made things a lot more attractive as well. The Petit Palais is an art museum, housed in a beautiful building that was built for the 1900 Paris Exposition.

It houses many several well known works and also temporary exhibitions (of which there is admission).

We were here on a whim, so had no agenda in mind. We'd just be wandering and enjoying things.

There's a grand portrait of Sarah Bernhardt.

It is by Georges Clairin and is said to be a favorite of the Actress who kept it all her life. It was donated by her son after her death.

Being that we're in the Les Halles area a good amount of time during our stays, we enjoyed this work.

Which captures the busy, chaotic place that "the Belly of Paris" was during the 19th century.

We also noticed folks actually painting as well.

It seems like this is an art group or class enjoying Petit Palais.

We got some tea and coffee and settled in the Terrasse and just enjoyed the place.

Petit Palais
Av. Winston Churchill
75008 Paris, France

We then started to head on back to the apartment; doing our share of lèche-vitrine - window shopping (literally translated as "window licking" in French) along the way. Though not everyone wanted us "licking their windows" it seems!

The Missus wanted something for le goûter (tea time) and we decided to stop at Fou de Pâtisserie on Rue Montorgueil again.

She chose the La Tarte Citron.

It was a "tart" tarte indeed, not overly sweet and the Missus enjoyed it.

Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

When it as time for dinner, well, a few days previous, we passed what looked sort of like a modern Japanese restaurant. The tiny place was packed and I cracked up at the name "Onii-San" which means "older brother" in Japanese. So, we walked on in and made reservations for dinner.

We were welcomed and seated. Looking at the menu; it became apparent that this was a pseudo-Izakaya, featuring some interesting dishes. The staff; except for one person we saw in the kitchen was French, so this was going to be an interesting meal. I need to apologize for the photos as the lighting in the place was quite flakey.

We placed our order and soon enough, the dishes started arriving.

First off, the Tempuras de Legumes - Vegetable Tempura (14€/$15.25US).

The batter was a bit too thick and heavy for tempura, the dashi was actually pretty good, nice savory tones. The vegetables were too hard.

The Shiitakes (15€/$16.35US) was interesting.

There were only four halves of mushrooms in this...like 2 Shiitakes! The wakame cream was kinda weird in flavor, mildly savory-oceany, but also milky. There was a interesting bitterness to the dish. We later found out that there sansho pepper in this. The ikura were actually trout caviar and were quite good; salty, with a sweet finish.

The Aubergine (Eggplant - 15€/$16.35US) was another con-"fusion" dish.

The eggplant was on the undercooked side for our taste. We liked the blanched watercress as it had a pleasant bitterness that went well with the sweet-soy-wasabi flavors in the sauce. Not sure about the cheese though as it just didn't seem to belong here.

Things took a nice turn for the better with the Tuna Tartare (26€/$28.40US).

The tuna was chopped nicely; it almost melted in your mouth; the shiso really enhanced the dish as did the trout caviar The ponzu sauce added that savory-sour-tangy component and the wasabi cream added a nice richness. We weren't sure about the brioche, but this seemed more like Japanese milk bread and was quite good.

Speaking of Milk Bread, I saw Toro Sando (26€/$28.40US) on the menu and just had to order it. It was our favorite dish of te evening.

Initially, I took a look at the fish and it sure didn't look like toro; but it was surprisingly tender. The breading, while not the best, still had a bit of crunch. The bread was fairly fluffy, buttery, with a mild sweetness. The wasabi mayo was a perfect match and the ponzu shallot worked so well with seafood. This was a surprisingly good sando!

  On an interesting note; while searching for addresses I found that Onii-San opened a Sando shop named Ototo last years as well! Makes perfect sense.

While this wasn't a perfect meal, it was an interesting fusion, sometimes "Con"- fusion. While we've been used to French cuisine with Japanese touches; this place went in the opposite direction, with interesting results. Such is the ever changing state of food in Paris!

Onii-San
82 Rue des Archives
75003 Paris, France

Our accommodation was just 2 long blocks away. We passed the "very blue" Mairie de Paris Centre, the "Mayor's Office" along the way.

We had a day trip set for the next day, so it was off to bed early for us.

Thanks for stopping by!

Big Island - Tex Drive In (Honokaa), a Revisit to Suisan (Hilo), and Liliʻuokalani Gardens

After enjoying our visit to the Waimea Town Market, we packed up, checked out, and headed back to Hilo. We could take our time since our flight wasn't until 230pm and decided to stop at Tex Drive In in Honokaa. It had been a bajillion years since we'd been here and decided it was time to try out the malasadas one more time.

We were surprised that it wasn't very busy as this was a Saturday.

We just ordered one plain malasada.

   It was as we remembered; a bit too dense and bready for our taste. But it was fun just to be here again after all these years.

Tex Drive-In
5-690 Pakalana St.
Honokaa, HI 96727

From here it was a clear shot down the Belt Road. We had been in these parts many times so we really didn't bother to stop until our "lunch" destination. You know what the Missus wanted, right? Yep, it was Suisan one more time! In other words "hana hou"!

This time we got a plate; with the Ahi Shoyu and the Ahi Mango Habanero, a half pound of the Ahi Limu, and a Half pound of the Spicy Ahi.

The quality of the fish in the Shoyu Ahi was much better this time; but still not the best. The ahi habanero was quite buttery and there was some decent spice and salt. I never knew that the Missus had never had Ling Hing Mango before! She just loved the stuff! The rice was a bit on the dry side but passable.

There was much more limu in the ahi limu this time around and the fish was nicely salted and tender. This was quite "old school" delicious.

The spicy ahi was good as well. Mild spice, the fish tender.

Suisan Company Limited
93 Lihiwai St
Hilo, HI 96720 

We were lucky and scored the bench right in back of Suisan.

We still had a bit of time on our hands after lunch, so we decided to cross the street and check out Liliʻuokalani Gardens. Man, we hadn't been here in years!

The original 5 acres was dedicated by Queen Liliʻuokalani to be a public park in 1907. The park was increased in size to 17 acres in 1917.

The park was then dedicated to the first Japanese immigrants to the island and has claimed to be the largest Edo-style garden outside of Japan.

There are lovely arching bridges over fish ponds, pagodas, torii, stone lanterns, and a wonderful view of Hilo Bay.....

Funny thing, even though I've been here several times, I never knew the history of the park until after my return from this trip.

You can find even more info here.

Soon enough, it was time to fill up the rental car, and head to the airport.

I'm hoping we won't have to wait another decade before returning!

Midweek Meanderings - Da Kine's Back to Only Catering and Green China Grill is Officially Lanzhou Noodlelicious

Two quick items for a lazy (me) Wednesday.

Da Kine's Back to Only Catering:

Well, the saga of Da Kine's continues. As I'm getting older, I really can't put it away like I used to. I now kinda space out my plate lunches. I thought I'd head on down to La Mesa and see what was up with Da Kine's. I did a quick check to verify hours, when I noticed that the address was different as was the name - it now said "Da Kine's Hawaiian Catering". I went and checked Nelson's Facebook site and yep.....man, things ended at the La Mesa shop back in June! I must be losing my touch!

I quickly contacted "FOY" Kerri who verified that Nelson was just doing catering for the time being while looking for a new location.

I'm guessing you can contact Nelson via Facebook if you have any ideas.

In the meantime, if you need some catering:

(619) 581-5613
6334 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115

Hope he finds another location soon!

Green China Grill is Officially Lanzhou Noodlelicious:

Remember, during my post about my last visit to Green China Grill, I mentioned that the business was listed as Lanzhou Noodlelicious? Well, I did a quick stop to see what was up with the reconstruction of China Max since the fire.

Passing the former Green China Grill; the sign now says......

Lanzhou Noodlelicious......so I guess Green China Grill is now officially Lanzhou Noodlelicious. Not sure about this name change.

Lanzhou Noodlelicious
4688 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

I'll drop by again soon just to check in to see how "noodlelicious" things are.....

Thai Test Kitchen

A few months back, I heard about a Thai Restaurant located in an office park in Sorrento Valley. I did some quick "Googling" (hmmm...is that an appropriate present participle?) and Thai Test Kitchen came up, located off of Lusk Boulevard, right down the street from Eurofood Depot. The place was fairly close by and they even open at 9am! A Thai restaurant! So, after returning from our last trip, I headed on over to grab an early lunch.

Thai Test Kitchen is located in the Sea View Corporate Center. Such an interesting location.

There's ample parking. The interior is a collection of posters, knick-knacks, with a certain charming kitschiness.

I took a look at the menu posted and have to say, the prices did give me some pause. I thought it was all in my mind, but when I did a menu check, in some cases Soi 30th was cheaper!

The young lady working was very friendly and when I mentioned the decor, she laughed and told me that they were previously a deli and coffee shop and decided to change course. They still do a couple of sandwiches like the BLT and also coffee. but now the focus was Thai Food. Things were going so well that they decided to open until 7pm on Fridays! Good for them!

I decided to try out the Crispy Pork with Basil ($15.49).

 No, your eyes aren't fooling you. That's a fairly small portion. The egg was crisp at the edges just like I enjoy it, but a bit over cooked for my taste as the yolks was hard.

The pork belly was quite good, crisp, yet fatty. I really liked the spice level; it was a bit too much for "CY" whom I gave a sample to, but I enjoyed it. Also enjoyed the green beans and the Thai basil flavor, there's hint of garlic, just enough sodium, with nice umami from fish sauce and soy. This was definitely not an "Ameri-Thai" dish.

The portion of rice was quite large in comparison to the amount of pork belly which consisted of 4 pieces.

Well, while the price to portion ratio seemed a bit skewed, I decided to return and try one of the pick-a-protein dishes and settled on the Eggplant with Basil ($12.99). The young lady recognized me from my previous visit. I asked her what protein would go best with the eggplant and she said chicken.

Like before, the flavor and heat were quite good.... perhaps I'd enjoy a bit more basil, but no complaints with the rest. On the negative side, the chicken was really tough and dry, the eggplant was not cooked the way I like it. It was too hard. I like a slightly crisp exterior with a creamy interior; this was solid all the way thru. Like before, there was quite a generous portion of rice provided.

As I was leaving, the young lady handed me a card with a QR code on it. She told me to just scan, order, and pay.... then my order will be ready for pick-up. There's no upcharge.

So, deciding I needed to do one more visit, I did the QR thing and ordered the most expensive item on the menu, the Spicy Basil Duck ($20.99). Even though it wasn't the same young lady working on this visit, the woman working was every bit as friendly.

As you can see; there's quite a bit of rice. I really enjoyed the seasoning and spice again; the bamboo shoots were wonderful with the Thai Basil and savory components; nutty-anise goodness. The duck was a bit on the dry side, but the flavor was good, nice "duckiness" with a touch of sweet and assertive savory components.

 I really appreciate having a place like this fairly close by. It's definitely not "Ameri-Thai", though I do think the proportion of rice to dish is a bit skewed on the starch side and the prices fairly high for the portion size.

Still, the folks here are quite friendly and nice. I also like that they open early, since I often like to get lunch at 10-1030. So, I'll definitely drop by again and try some other dishes. So, I guess they "passed the Test"?

Thai Test Kitchen
10184 Telesis Ct.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs   9am - 5pm
Friday             9am - 730pm
Closed Saturday and Sunday

Poke Etc. Revisited

Recently, the Missus sent me to National City an urgent mission to get an ahem, "essential item". So off I went. I really don't get to the area as much as I used to....you know, when we used to complain about gas being $3.50 a gallon? Since my destination didn't open until 11, I decided to pick up lunch....but the question was where? It was a rather warm day for November and I decided that a revisit to Poke Etc. would be in order. I knew I hadn't been there in a while; but man, it had been over 7 years since my last visit! Time sure has flown by, hasn't it?

I was surprised to see the parking lot only half full....on a weekend! It looks like they've refreshed the sign since I last visited and now even call themselves a "Hawaiian Restaurant". Hmmm.....

Well, at least from what I remember, they aren't one of those "Chi-poke" places...you know 2 ounces of poke and all kinds of other "stuffs" for twenty bucks....

I just went with the "create your own bowl" priced at $14.95. I'm glad the guy working asked me how many scoops of rice. I only wanted/needed one scoop. I got my plate and headed on home.

 I saved the seaweed salad for the Missus, not a fan of the stuff. The rice was moist and cooked decently.

I had checked out the poke and ordered the Spicy Garlic Ahi and Ahi Limu.

The ahi in the spicy garlic was really chewy and tough, not great quality fish. It was however, decently spicy, so much so that I really couldn't make out any garlic.

The quality of the fish in the ahi limu was better, though not great. But at least it didn't have too much "sugi" (connective tissue). I love the crunch and the oceany with a slight touch of salty-iodine flavor of good ogo. I do wish there was more of it. The seasoning wasn't overly salty; I could taste a bit of sesame oil and of course shoyu. Overall this was not bad. I'll put the place in the "etc" category.

My curiosity abated; it's back to HFS at Centerpark Labs for me.

Poke Etc
916 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 10am - 730pm
Sunday 10am - 7pm 

Sunday Sandwiches - San Diego Bakery & Cafe

Back at the end of last year, I noticed a new business near the corner of Linda Vista and Ulric.

Yes, this was once the location of BaLe, then Farm Market and Sandwiches, then Pho Tommy. You know, one of those locations that seems to turn over every couple of years (or less). Initially, I thought it was simply a Mexican Bakery and just kinda left it at that. But, as the months passed I noticed taco trucks in the parking lot and the ever expanding signage.

So, just before we left for our last international trip in October, I decided to just head on over and check the place out. Walking to the shop, I noticed the opening hours. The place opens at 530am Tuesdays thru Fridays and 6am during the weekend!

The rather cavernous space is pretty large, especially for just a bakery.

Well, like that classic informercial saying goes; "but wait, there's more!"

Yes, to one side is a case of bakery items and a case of various cakes for sale.

And there is a coffee stand, but I've never seen it open.....

But what really got my attention was the "menu".

And there were items less than $5! 

I decided to get one of the Breakfast Bolillos; the Mexicana which was $4.99. What was quite interesting and refreshing to note that when I paid by credit card I did not get a "tip" prompt! So, of course I left a tip...in cash. Also of note, I looked at my receipt and it said "La Princesita Bakery". I asked the nice woman working who told me that the place had the same owners as the La Princesita trailer, Which by the way, I noticed as I left. It is in the parking lot and now painted pink!

  It did seem like my sandwich was sticking "its tongue out at me"......perhaps mocking me? To use a single word to describe this would be "light". From the slightly crusty, yeasty-airy bolillo to the filling. Other than a good amount of heat from the jalapenos this was quite light. In my mind, it could have used a bit more salt (when was the last time I wrote that?), tomatoes, and onions. Still, it was a decent breakfast and the price was right.

On my way out, I decided to get something for the Missus.

And I decided to get Her a slice of the tres leches cake.

She thought this was not bad, if a bit on the sweeter side.

A couple of weeks ago, I was in the area fairly early in the morning, so I decided to drop by. This time I got the Preparados Mixto which was also priced at $4.99.

 This came on a by-the-book, yeasty telera roll. The chorizo was nice and smoky, with a hint of spice. The jamon was a rather thin slice and was made irrelevant by the chorizo. The gooey cheese was the glue (no pun intended) that added a slight milky flavor to things. There was a bit of jalapeno for some zip, but I could have used more beans on this. I think I'll have the papas con chorizo version of this next time.

And with those two visits I was going to do my post. But then I wondered how the most expensive sandwich, the $10.49 Torta Milanesa was. So, I decided to head on over and did a takeout order. This was an interesting visit as my sandwich took 20 minutes. Perhaps they weren't ready to make this at 930 in the morning.

This was a fairly hefty sandwich. I didn't care for the milanesa as it was very tough. I enjoyed the amount of onions and jalapenos, though I would have appreciated more beans. 

Of course, I couldn't help but compare what I've had here with Barrio Donas. Personally, I think the actual sandwich in terms of composition and proportion is better at BD. Though on my last two visits to Barrio Donas it seemed that the telera had changed and based on that I prefer the bread here. So, I guess this means I need to get back to BD.

As for San Diego Bakery, I'm glad I finally visited and will keep on stopping by when I want a five dollar breakfast sandwich.

San Diego Bakery & Café
6959 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours - The Bakery only. The taco trucks and such are open during the evening.
Tues - Fri 530am - 5pm
Sat - Sun 6am - 5pm

Big Jim's Roast Beef & Subs (Pacific Beach)

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this blog about food.  Cathy is writing today; Kirk is busy.

The Mister and I were in the Pacific Beach area and it was time for lunch.  We planned to park and walk.  Finding a spot on Cass Street was serendipitous.  We didn't have to walk very far.

 Big Jim's Roast Beef & Subs opened as a Food Truck/pop-up about March 2021 and has steadily built a following of its New England Style slow roasted style Top Round sandwiches, ultimately opening this storefront in September.  They still Pop-Up at the Wednesday Ocean Beach Farmers Market and the Thursday Oceanside Sunset Market.
 A simple menu.  When you order, toppings are described and you can decline or ask for an ingredient 'on the side'.

Junior Beef Sandwich ($9).  This sandwich is very large; the in house roasted top round, sliced thin and served medium rare, the beef chilled.  This has wonderful flavor and texture.  It is served on a butter grilled burger bun with a horseradish mayonnaise and American cheese.  We asked for the BBQ sauce on the side.  
French Dip ($16).  Apologies for the photo.  The aroma of the roasted beef was amazing.  Again, thin sliced beef, cooked more medium, served warmed with Provolone cheese.  Great sandwich, easily shared.
  The Italian bread roll, sesame-seeded, was fresh, flavorful and sourced locally from a bakery in Little Italy.  The jus had bits of meat in it and was not salty.  Quite perfect.  
 The BBQ Sauce had a nice 'tang' and the grilled onions were sweet.  Each was added as a condiment at the end bites of the sandwiches.  

We will definitely try the onion rings next time...because there will be return visits.  If you are from the East Coast, you will have memories evoked.

Big Jim's Roast Beef & Subs 4508 Cass Street Suite B San Diego 92109 (858) 352-6762. Website

 Seating out front.

COMC, the Takeout Edition - De Cabeza/El Único, Zgara, Sue's Korean Kitchen, and One More....

So, here's a collection of takeout revisits on places I've posted on a bajillion times. 

De Cabeza/El Único:

I was off on a Wednesday and wanted something rich, beefy, and hefty for lunch, so De Cabeza was a natural pick. We hadn't been in a while and Cabeza en su Jugo is so nice during colder weather.

I forgot that Wednesday is Jesus's day off. He really knows how to put things together the way we like. 

Still, this was quite savory, warming, and rich.....beefy goodness, with a good amount of spice as well.

Even though we get two orders; we usually have leftovers.....

I need to remember to ask them to put the onions and cilantro on the side......

De Cabeza/El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Zgara Greek Grill:

I think it's rather surprising that I don't get stuff from Zgara every week, since it's not too far from home. Still, I do visit quite often and always get the same thing, the pork gyro.

The place seems to be doing some great business. Good for Eric and his Family! He opened during the middle of all the Covid restrictions and has done well! 

Seasoned porky goodness, with nice crisp bits, pungent onions, refreshing milky goodness of the tzadziki........enrobed in a pillowy pita.

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Sue's Korean Kitchen:

Speaking of businesses that opened during the times of Covid. Think we were still in "red-tier" when Sue's opened in April of 2021.

The main dish I get here is the Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam (of course). It's still makes my preferred "under $14 for lunch" mark priced at $11.99. Though back in March it was $10.99.

Still, Sue's opens early at 10am, so I can get there before any lunch rush. For some reason, the woman there always remembers me?

I will say, that on my last visit, the portion size seemed to have shrunk a bit.

Still, this is enough food for me...... I like the fermented spice of the house made kimchi and of course the Spam. You know, the salty-savory-fermented kinda thing.

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121

Speaking of fermenting....here's a photo of a take out meal that has been relegated to one of my folders for so long that it would be the photo equivalent of Suan Cai. So, while I'll delete all the detail photos, here's one of the entire meal. Can you figure out where it's from?

And on that note, I'd like to know, what's in your current "rotation"?

2024 Rose Parade Float Decorating, dinner at Tokyo Central

Today, mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy while Kirk attends to other things.

Yes, it's that time of the yea, the final countdown to the Tournament of Roses , which will include the Rose Parade shown on television on January 1, 2024, not long after the New Year officially begins in the United States.  Since June, I've posted about some of the Road Tests for some of the 42 floats which will appear in the Parade.  December has arrived and now it is time to begin decorating those floats.  

The Saturdays before Christmas are "Dry Decorating Days" and we volunteer with the Petal Pushers at Phoenix Decorating Company.  There are two shifts (8-4 and 4-8).  Everyone is welcome-and if this is one of your 'Bucket List' items, now is the time to show up!  Live flowers will begin being delivered on December 26 and decorating hours are extended.  

Here is a brief glimpse of this past Saturday.

We arrived at about 7:30, parked, checked in and were shown to our assigned float.

 Statice (three colors) all will have to be cut, dried and blended into powder.
Bark has to be peeled and brushed smooth so the glue can adhere.
 Straw flowers need to be cut and divided into colors (see the darker gold?)

It took hours for two of us to cut the bucket filled with the dark statice.

 Meanwhile, some people were decorating the City of Alhambra float (seen fully open and collapsing down on this post) 

 The Oddfellows were preparing their float for tourist groups and decorators (This is the 'off camera' side, which I didn't photograph during the second Road Test.
 Local students, earning Community Service Hours, were working quietly and efficiently.
 Gluing dry wheatgrass -to resemble dog fur- begins at the feet.

Plenty of people showed up, but still many more volunteers could be accommodated.

 The materials used on the 'candies' included powdered rice, mung beans and dark lettuce seeds.

 These completed 'lightbulbs' were spotted near the City of Newport Beach float (a group of seven satellites)
 People were working on the 'keyboard' of the Coding for Veterans float.  There will be two back to back large screens with a fun video on this symmetric float.  (Many floats are not symmetric, hence the "Camera Side" and the "Off Camera" side). 
 You can see more of the candies, which will be used on this satellite of the city of Newport Beach float.

There is so much more.  We will be driving up a few more times this year to decorate.   

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It was a long day and we knew the traffic home would be bad, but we also know there would be a football game on the radio.  We wanted a quick meal and stopped back at Tokyo Central, where we had stopped after the first Road Test this year.

 The steam trays were not available.
  A few Sandos were in the counter.
 The Noodle Bar also was not filled.
 There were plenty of desserts.
 We picked up a few things, paid and went to the seating area.

 We used the microwave for the Tempura Set ($6.99) Took home two sections of the Katsu Pork Sando ($4.99) We also heated the Yakisoba ($5.75) and ate about half.

Tokyo Central 1420 S. Azusa Avenue, West Covina (626) 214-9590

It took more than three hours to drive home, but listening to the football game and knowing who would be playing in the Rose Bowl made it a nice night.  Go Blue!

Spicy Lao Kitchen Revisited

After returning from our latest trip, there was one place the Missus wanted to eat at.....Spicy Lao Kitchen. It had been six weeks since our initial foray and we were interested to see how things were coming along. Based on our last visit, which took a bit over two hours, we decided to arrive a bit later and got there at 130pm.

Things were a lot quieter this time around as only half the tables were full.

There was one woman working the entire dining room, a different one from the last visit. This time there wasn't a wait to place our order. However, just like our previous visit, it took 45 minutes for the first dish to arrive.

We had seen the Moo Tod ($10) on the menu and though it might be a good dish to try.

Man, this was delici-yoso! The pork was crisp at first bite, but not hard, and kinda melted away into a nice, pork-bellyish creaminess. Great array of flavors; coriander-garlic-chili. As before, the Jeow Mak Len was the weak link, being too mild, and not spicy enough. It wasn't really needed.

Our next dish came out a few minutes later. Now, I'm not sure why the Missus ordered the Chicken Satay ($9)?

But this was our least favorite dish of the bunch. The chicken was dry and bland. The sate sauce was really thick, like miso paste, and overly sweet.

Of course, we had to get the Goong Nam Pla ($17). This time we got it at a "3" heat level. And though it took a while to get to our table, this was even better than what we'd had on our previous visit.

The tender shrimp had a decent amount of "heat"; but it was also seasoned better, great sour tones, loved the spice, and the presentation was also quite nice. This dish is a keeper.

And then there was a pause in the action......and 30 minutes later, our last dish, the Nam Khao ($15) arrived.

We were just thankful the dish arrived. The couple behind us had already been eating when we arrived and was still waiting for their papaya salad! They finally cancelled that dish, paid, and left.

The nam khao was a confluence of textures, different variations of crisp, toothsome, and crunchy, with nice sour tones. We enjoyed the spice and the pungency of the onion. Sadly, this time, there wasn't quite as much sour sausage in the dish, and we missed that.

Spicy Lao Kitchen still seems understaffed as indicated by us having another 2-hour lunch here. We're hoping that things get better as this place as we enjoy the food and the folks working a bit harried but nice. But we don't always have time for 2-hour lunches.

The place still opens at noon, but now is closed on Sundays.

Spicy Lao Kitchen
5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 12pm - 8pm
Closed Sundays