mmm-yoso!!!

Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe Revisited

My recent visits to Paris Sandwiches had me wondering about Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe. I've actually thought the Banh Mi at Phuong Nga to be pretty good when compared to all those pho (faux) banh mi places these days. I do wish the shop had weekend hours as it would be a decent breakfast stop when doing my "Saturday rounds", but as is, they are only open from 8am to 3pm Monday to Friday. I made some time to visit during a weekday morning to see what was going on here.

I strolled on in and ordered the Dac Biet - #1, $6.99 which is par for banh mi these days. Within minutes, my sandwich was ready and I sauntered on back to the office. It did feel a bit hefty.

 And yes, it was quite full of Cha Lua, Thit Nguoi...... What I think banh mi purists' will appreciate, I'm looking at you "Billy" is that Phoung Nga still includes cucumbers in their banh mi, a rarity these days. The bread, as usual is a bit heavily baked (onsite), making it more hard and crusty than having a nice balance of light, crusty-flaky. But these days, this is almost a blessing, as much of what I've had is soft and doughy. There's a good amount of pickled veggies, the jalapenos were present, but not overly spicy on this visit. This was a nice lunch for me.

It is my favorite banh mi in the area.

If you know of something you think is better, and no, it ain't Cali Banh Mi, please let me know!

Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 8am - 3pm
Closed on Saturday and Sundays

Tadian Café and Paris Sandwiches Revisited

Man, did some one flip the "summer switch" or what? I was actually planning on doing my post on Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai last night but it was just too hot to even think about ramen. So, I thought perhaps I'd do it today....but after stewing in my juices (literally) I decided to just put off that post until next week. I think folks would enjoy a post on ramen more when (if?) the weather is a bit cooler or at least when we're at the point where we've grown a bit more used to the heat.

Of course the rather warm weather has changed my eating habits a bit........so here's what I've had for lunch this week.

Tadian Café:

It had been a while since I've had a sandwich from Tadian. The fact that they open at 9am is convenient as is the fact that an online order can be placed with no service fee. So, I can order online and head on over and pick up my sandwich in no time at all. As always, my sandwich was waiting on the counter when I arrived. The young lady who works here is always smiling and friendly.

As before, I got the Thai Roast Beef ($10.75), on which I requested jalapenos and extra toasted (no charge), and avocado ($1.25).

I removed my fairly hefty sandwich from the package and quickly noticed the, ahem, "skid marks".

And yes, the bread at the bottom of the sandwich, even though I ordered it extra toasted was saturated. The sandwich is quite "bready", so the addition of jalapenos really adds some umph. I enjoyed the interplay of the creamy avocado and the pickled, banh mi-ish veggies. Also enjoy the cucumber, though I wish there was more cilantro on this. I can barely make out the "peanut sauce" used on the sandwich.

Like I noted previously, this is almost like a bready, pseudo banh mi. I think I'll pass on the mayo next time.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd. 
San Diego, CA 92121

Paris Sandwiches:

I know, I just posted on Paris Sandwiches two months ago. I actually drove to the area thinking that I'd do some takeout from Ngon Ngon. But when I got out of my vehicle it felt so darn hot that I turned right instead of left and headed on over to Paris Sandwiches.

For some reason, some nem nuong sounded good to me so I ordered the Nem Nuong Banh Mi ($6.75). 

    I enjoyed that the bread was airy, crusty, and slightly yeasty. The bright and acidic pickled veggies pared well with the good amount of cilantro which was mostly leaves...having a banh mi full of cilantro stems is a pet peeve of mine. There were two slices of sinus clearing jalapenos in the sandwich. I enjoyed the savory, slightly sour, nem nuong, which also had a nice slightly chewy-meaty texture.

I'm appreciating the consistency of the banh mi at Paris. Heck, I may have just found my new favorite banh mi shop in San Diego!

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

I hope everyone is keeping cool and staying hydrated!

Paris Sandwiches (Mira Mesa)

Back in June of last year, I noticed that a place named "Paris Sandwiches" was opening up next to LHK in Mira Mesa. When I did a quick check on the listed URL a familiar name came up. Yes, Paris Sandwiches is under the auspices of Paris Bakery, an old favorite of mine. Paris Bakery and wholesale Le Chef Bakery produces the bread for many Banh Mi shops in San Diego. So, I'd know exactly where they are getting their bread from, right? To digress, I actually had someone send me an email regarding a really "special" Banh Mi I made and posted on over 15 years ago! Read it if you dare. I guess nothing disappears on the Internet?

Anyway, the shop opened back in January and I finally got around to visiting in between recent trips.

It's a simple counter set-up with a couple of tables and chairs outside. On both of my visits, the young lady working was very nice.

And yes, this is 2023, thus I didn't expect a $3.50 Banh Mi like I used to get at the ECB location, but I was glad that none of the Banh Mi's were in the $9 range!

Since JeffP was in the office on this day, I decided to order two sandwiches, the Dac Biet ($7.25) and the Bi ($6.75).

I got back to the office and split things up for us.

    First off, the bread was as I recalled from the "old school" location, crusty and fairly dense, with some yeastiness.

The Bnh Mi was much more "stuffed" than the versions I've had from the ECB location. And man, the jalapenos in all the sandwiches were no joke. The folks making the sandwich tend to bunch them together, so I learned to do a quick check. The pickled veggies were crisp and the flavor quite "bright".

The proteins were good, I especially enjoyed the generous portion of the funky-offally pate.

In my opinion, this was the better of the two sandwiches.

 I did find the ratio of Bi (pork skin) to be kind of small compared to the amount of pickled veggies and even cilantro. And of course, I think that it's all about ratios when it comes to these sandwiches. Strangely, I found that the Bi had an almost sweet-sour flavor? Though those jalapenos did a good job of clearing my sinuses.

A couple of days later I had a chance to drop by and grab another sandwich. Even though it was a weekend, I arrived early and the place was empty.

I decided on the Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly - $6.75).

 Much like the Dac Biet, this version had quite a bit more meat than what I've had from Paris Bakery. In terms of consistency, Paris scored well as the bread was crusty and yeasty, those jalapenos nice and spicy, and the pickled veggies nice and refreshing.

I did find the pork belly, while porky with a hint of sweetness, to be on the waxy side. So perhaps next time I need to go with the nem nuong?

Overall, this was much better than the mediocre banh mi I last had which cost me $9. It's great to have another option. I'm thinking I need to compare Paris Sandwiches to Phuong Nga one of these days?

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 8am - 630pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Closed on Sundays

The Spam and Egg "Banh Mi" from Cali Banh Mi (Convoy)

Last weekend I went about doing my "Sunday" rounds which involved a stop at Sprouts and Lazy Acres (both open at 7), then Target and 99 Ranch Market (both open at 8), then ending things at Nijiya (open at 9). I must have had some major momentum on this day because there I was heading out of 99 Ranch Market at 820! Now how did that happen? One thing for sure, all that shopping sure did make me hungry. I still had quite a bit of time before Nijiya opened, so I thought I'd grab something quick for breakfast. And then I realized that my options in the area, unless it was for a sit down breakfast or something from a taco shop were really limited. Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe would be an obvious choice, but they are closed on weekends, Sau Voi Deli has closed, and Grab & Go on Convoy Court is closed on weekends as well. I recall places in the area that used to be open before 10am but think that "Covid" times have changed things.

Well, there was one option left; Cali Banh Mi.

I used to drop by every so often when this was Cali Baguette Express, I'm not sure what the story is, but this location became Cali Banh Mi, along with a location on Garnet and things have just not been the same. Especially the bread. Now, I had visited this location back in June of 2020 and left unimpressed. But heck, it had been over two years since that visit, so I thought "why not"?

The last time I visited there was no indoor dining allowed, now the place looked alot more "normal".

What was not a nice change was the price of the banh mi I wanted. The Spam and Egg is now $9! Whoa! When I last ordered that at the Garnet location it was six bucks and I thought it expensive then! The jumbo size Banh Mi Dac Biet I got from Phuong Nga in August was $6.19, later that month I got one from Avian Sandwiches that was $6.95.

Anyway, I got my banh mi and drove down to the Nijiya parking lot. Yep, this was going to be one of those "eat on the hood of your car" kinda thing. I opened things up to reveal this nine-dollar banh mi.

 So, I peeled back the bread to reveal watery, runny, flavorless eggs, and though the Spam slices were fairly thick they lacked color. I recall trying to order a Banh Mi Op La here and the young man working had no idea what I was saying...probably my (mis) pronunciation though.

The jalapenos lacked heat, though maybe I just got the "luck of the draw" with that. The pickled veggies were fine, but the bread was terrible. The crust was too soft, the bread too doughy. It lacked the light crisp-crusty exterior and the interior was mushy and doughy instead of airy and yeasty.

This was just not very good, even for an "Americanized" banh mi.

Well, at least I gave them another try. I should have just waited and got something from the deli at Nijiya. Live and learn, I guess.

Cali Banh Mi
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Daily 8am - 7pm

Avian Sandwiches Revisited

I had to do some shopping at Thuan Phat Market and was feeling a bit hungry. It had been quite a while since I'd had the Banh Mi from Avian Sandwiches and Water. In fact, I believe the place was still named Flavaful Yogurt/Avian Water at that time. The fro-yo side of the business is long gone though.

   As I walked toward the shop I noticed several gentleman sitting facing the front of the store and then noticed that they have a television facing the parking lot, so folks can watch from outside of the place! Funny thing. Though I'm quite used to the Vietnamese Men "doing coffee" thing.....I don't ever recall seeing them watching Paw Patrol before, which is what was streaming at the time I entered the shop.

The shop is, well....they do pack things in pretty tight. With all the lottery stuff posted everywhere; it seems that it's a big part of the business here as I saw fours guys come in to buy lottery tickets while I waited for my sandwich. 

Because of how tight things were in the shop, I waited outside for my Banh Mi Dac Biet now priced at $6.95. It took about 15 minutes for my sandwich, after which I headed home.

 The bread seemed to be at that overly dry, almost stale stage as it was quite crumbly and hard. Check out all the cilantro, that wedge of cucumber, and all those pickled veggies! I guess they wanted to make I was getting my daily allowance here! Of course that threw the balance of the banh mi off a bit. The jalapenos weren't overly spicy, the pate nice and funky, the Cha Lua sliced super thin, and the Thịt Nguoi standard issue. 

This was ok, but not something I'd go out of my way for.

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Daily 8am - 7pm

On an interesting note, while waiting for my sandwich I saw the hours posted which threw me off at first.....

Sun-Mon 8am - 7pm.......but open 7 Days????

Phuong Nga Bakery and Café Revisited

With the recent hot and relatively muggy weather, I'd been craving banh mi. Also, I had been wanting to revisit Phuong Nga Bakery and Café, but when I initially dropped by after work, I saw that their hours were now only from 8am to 3pm Mondays to Fridays. I did pass by on a Saturday and I noticed activity in the place. And then it dawned on me.....all that bread you see Phuong Nga selling from their counter is baked here! Duh..... And so, I made it a point to actually drop by during the shop's business hours to grab a banh mi.

The young man working was very nice and did confirm that the bread at Phuong Nga is indeed baked here.

I ordered the Banh Mi with Ham and Pate (Banh Mi Thịt Nguoi - $6.19, all sign are only in English) to go and my sandwich was ready in a few minutes.

 The banh mi here have always been on the "hefty" side in my opinion and this was no different. First off, the bread was really crusty, I felt perhaps a bit too heavily baked? One bite resulted in crusty "shrapnel" flying in all directions. Still, this was much better than what I've recently had from Cali Baguette and Cali Banh Mi, both of which seemed to have "jumped the shark" a while back.

There was a nice smear of pate which I enjoyed and perhaps a bit too much Thịt Nguoi? But maybe that because of my own "PPP" (personal proportional preference)?

The jalapeno was pretty mild and for some reason I felt the sandwich could have done with more cilantro and pickled veggies? Perhaps that's because of the larger amount of protein in this sandwich?

Anyway, this did fill me up and I think is a decent option for banh mi. If that bread was just a little less baked, it would have brought it up a notch as it was nice and yeasty and the non-crust portions nice and tender. So, I'll probably check them out again soon.

Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 8am - 3pm
Closed on Saturday and Sundays

Monday Meanderings - Da Kine's Opening in La Mesa , Paris Sandwiches Coming to Mira Mesa, and Sau Voi Deli Closes

Well, this post was supposed to go up on Saturday except that I ran into all kinds of issues with uploading photos and comment notifications. Things finally seems straightened out today. And perhaps there's a silver lining on this one....read below:

Da Kine's Opening in La Mesa: 

*** You can find a post on Da Kine's here.

KerriK has been a wonderful "FOY", keeping me updated on what's happening with Da Kine's reopening in La Mesa.

Anyway, last Friday Kerri emailed me, letting me know that "Uncle Nelson" had updated his Facebook page informing folks that Da Kine's was (finally) (re) opening sometime this week.

That's a screenshot on the right.

So, this was all ready to go...and then I suddenly couldn't upload photos! Sheesh.....

But I guess it was fate; because Kerri, via our good old "Coconut Wireless" shot me an email this afternoon with the simple line:

"Nelson has declared tomorrow, June 7th, at 11:00am, as the opening."

So perhaps the delay was meant to be?

Thanks so much Kerri, for always thinking of us, and for all the support over the years! We appreciate it so much!

Da Kine's
7436 University Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91942

Paris Sandwiches Coming to Mira Mesa:

After picking up lunch recently at R&B, I saw the sign for Paris Sandwiches while driving back to the office. I needed to run some errands on Saturday so I went to check things out. Located next to Luong Hai Ky, now known as LHK.

The place really looked like it was open already; but a quick glance as I was passing by revealed that work is still going on.

I was wondering about the place and the name; so I followed the URL posted on the sign out front and guess what? The other address listed is for Paris Bakery on El Cajon Blvd!

I guess we know where the bread is coming from, right?

10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Sau Voi Deli Closes:

I guess I haven't been to the Clairemont Mesa location of 99 Ranch Market for a while. On a recent shopping trip, I was shocked to see that Sau Voi Deli had closed!

And from what I could gather, they've been closed since the end of February!

Even though SVD was never a favorite of mine, it's sad to see such a long standing business shut down.

7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Anyway, hope everyone is in good health.

Take care and have a great week!

Revisits - Saigon Sandwiches & Deli and Cafe Dore

My last visits to A Chau and Cali Baguette left me wondering how some of the other "old school" banh mi shops were doing, And another Phuong Nga errand had me in City Heights once again. I was craving a Banh Mi Ba Chi from Cafe Dore, so I headed west on University. I was in luck and found some parking in the lot on Marlborough and walked over to Cafe Dore....and sheesh; the place was packed to rafters with groups "old timers" and oh my, the cigarette smoke. There was no way I wanted to walk in....so, I walked on over next door to.....

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli:

Man, I didn't realize it at the time; but it's been nearly fourteen years since I last visited!

And of course things (not including prices) have changed.....whereas I used to joke that Saigon Sandwiches had a huge secondary market in phone cards and cigarettes; well you know what they have now?

Masks in every shape and size it seems!

The Banh Mi Ba Chi ($5.39) looked quite good.

 Though when I opened up the banh mi...well, it was either mocking me, or perhaps a fan of the Rolling Stones?

All kidding aside, I really enjoyed this sandwich......the bread was crusty, it also seemed to have been lightly buttered. The pork belly was sliced on he thin side; but I enjoyed the cilantro, which was mostly leaves and full of stems. I liked the ay the jalapenos were thinly sliced instead of one giant piece. It was perhaps a bit on the light side in regards to pickled radish and carrots; but that worked well in proportion to everything else in the banh mi. Which, at least for me is what a good banh mi is all about.

I'll make sure not to wait fourteen years before returning!

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli
4133 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Open Daily 7am - 7pm

Still, I was wondering how Cafe Dore was doing....

Cafe Dore:

So, I returned to the same strip mall at just after 7am the next morning.

The place was already two-thirds full of older gents....more then a few of them puffing away. Though these days, as I noted in my last post three years ago, all those "video machines" are gone.

I walked on up to the counter and the older gentleman and woman working behind the counter actually smiled and greeted me form behind the plexiglass! I went ahead and placed my order for the Banh Mi Ba Chi ($5), my favorite banh mi here at Cafe Dore.

Then something interesting happened...the woman asked me to take a seat and brought me a cup of iced tea; "for you while you wait"! Whoa, was this really Cafe Dore? I did feel a bit like the guys were staring at me in the place....but looking up; I noticed I was right under the television with the lottery results! Well, at least some things haven't changed.

The older gentleman brought me my sandwich and thanked me......

   I really enjoyed this sandwich. While perhaps the bread was prepped a bit better at Saigon; here it was also nice and crusty. The slices of pork are a bit thicker and also seems to be sweeter. The jalapenos were also thinly sliced and had a nice kick. Good amount of cilantro and pickled veggies.

It seems, that even though, some things haven't changed, the customers are almost all male....old timers experiencing what I call the "Coffee Culture of Vietnam" which can be a bit intimidating....the service here just seemed to be a softer, kinder, more welcoming Cafe Dore.

Cafe Dore
4135 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Mon - Sat 7am - 5pm
Sundays 7am - 4pm

Revisits - Cali Baguette and A Chau

Man, talk about see-sawing weather....one week it seems like it's finally fall; the next week we got days in the 80's...... During one of my trip to get the the Missus's current favorite bun rieu I was, well, a bit hungry. Just for something to keep me until a late lunch or early dinner. For some reason I just wanted a Banh Mi Pate Cha....and good lord, it had been a while since I'd had a "real" banh mi; not one of those fusiony versions, that always seem to miss the mark for me. And since I was there on 54th and University, I thought I'd check out.....

Cali Baguette Express:

Man, it has been years since I'd been here. Once upon a time Cali Baguette had quite an empire with locations on Convoy; which is now Cali Banh Mi. Not quite sure what the story is; but it's definitely not the same; especially the bread. In fact, my last trip to Cali Baguette Express in Mira Mesa was not quite up to par either.

But here I was, craving a banh mi pate cha....so.....

Good thing I wasn't craving some noodle soup here; since they were out of a lot of stuff. Supply chain issues and all that I guess.

And as a sign of the times; what was once a $3 sandwich is now $5....which is still not a bad price considering. 

Arriving home, I went ahead and unwrapped the banh mi....

A couple of things struck me right away; first the cutting was kinda off center....good thing I wasn't sharing this as a snack with anyone. Second, the bread was soft and doughy; lacking in crusty-flakiness, a hallmark of good banh mi in my opinion. Decent amount of cha lua, though hardly any musty-offaly pate......too many cilantro stems, not enough leaves. Still, that huge slice of jalapeno did get me pretty good.

I just wish the bread was better.......

Quite sad, because I remember this place being much better.

Cali Baguette Express
5125 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Mon - Sat 6am - 8pm
Sunday 6am - 7pm

This banh mi had me wondering how some of the "old school banh mi shops were doing in San Diego. And so, the following weekend day, I headed off to....

A-Chau:

Which was the first Banh Mi shop I posted on back in 2005. Over the years, I think A Chau has slipped a bit. The service has always been perfunctory; but on recent visits; the bread has been stale.....though I gotta say at a bit past 7am....I had the entire horrific parking lot to myself.

The place is looking a bit worse for wear; but not much else has changed....except the price; the Banh Mi Pate Cha is now $5.50.....it was $3.95 on my last visit; but that was three years ago.

A lot of businesses in this strip mall has closed as well.

 This was a bit better than what I'd had  on my last visit. The bread wasn't stale; though it could have been toasted a bit more. There was quite a bit of cha lua and perhaps too much mayo in this, which just nullified the scant amount of pate. Again; when it comes to banh mi, it's all about proportion to me. Also, not enough cilantro and jalapenos were MIA. Not quite sure if it's because of supply issues....but I did miss that.

Not bad and definitely better than what I'd had previously.....and, I decided to try the cha gio....which, perhaps because it was early in the day was still hot.

These are now $1 a piece! The rice paper wrapper is still a bit more chewy then I recall; but it's still much better than many other places. And it's pretty much stuffed to the gills with pork.

A Chau Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Daily 7am - 530pm

These two visits has got me wondering how the other places I frequent in City Heights is doing. I guess it's time to start making the rounds!

Fusion Eats

**** Fusion Eats is now White Rice Morena

Back in July of last year I noticed a shop called Fusion Eats had opened off Linda Vista.....I believe it was a Vegan Vietnamese place previously. FOY "Som Tommy" mentioned in the comments of one of his posts that a couple of folks who lived in the area liked the place; especially the banh mi and wings; though I wasn't really keen on the name. 

The menu had everything from "Banh Mi" to wings, to poke bowls, to "burritos", to curries, beef and broccoli, kung pao/orange chicken and fried rice........you name it.....

Still, the place had online ordering; though the prices seemed on the high side, and it gave me a break from stewing in my home office for the entire day. So I placed an order and headed off to the strip mall on Linda Vista that houses Ballast Point, Buta Ramen, and formerly International Deli and Cafe and Da Kine's.

   During my first visit, there was an outdoor dining area set-up. My bag was on the counter next to the register for pick up when I arrived. The young lady working was quite cheerful.

I ordered the Angus Beef Bulgogi "Banh Mi" ($9.95) and the Garlicky Wings ($8.95).

The banh mi looked standard issue.

And came with a side of what was described as won ton chips; but seemed more like pseudo plantain chips to me. Actually, that was my favorite thing about the dish.

 In terms of a standard banh mi set-up this wasn't bad. The bread was decent standard issue, with nice yeastiness and crackly. The pickled veggies were abundant, not overly sour. Boy did this place like their cilantro, though I wasn't a fan off all the hard stems in the sandwich.

Where this didn't fare well was the "Angus Beef"; which was under marinated, and a bit too chewy for my taste.

The beef was just on the tough and bland side.

When I opened my wings, I quickly noticed globs of what appeared to be boogers fat on the greasy looking wings.

   Which apparently were globs of butter? The wings were slippery and greasy. The batter was hard instead of crunchy-crispy....maybe it needed to be that way to stand up to all that garlic-butter? The flavor was kind of off as well; way too much butter, giving it kind of a rancid taste to me. The wings were decently fried and moist, but it was hard for me to get past the greasy texture and I wasn't fond of the taste.

In fact, I almost never went back.....which meant that I'd never do a post. Finally, a couple of months later, after taking into consideration how smoothly the online ordering went and how nice the young lady working was, I decided to give Fusion Eats another try.

Same drill as the last time; ordering was a breeze, my order was ready within a few minutes of arriving, and the young man working was very nice. By this time, things were open for  50% indoor dining and the outdoor area had been cleared.

This time around, I ordered the Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi (sorry, just couldn't order the Orange Chicken/Won Ton Soup....and of course not the poke bowl) and something that "ST" mentioned to me called Crispy Avocado Rolls.

The Lemongrass Chicken Banh Mi ($8.95) wasn't quite as good as the Bulgogi Banh Mi.

   The bread was starting to go stale. Good amount of pickled veggies and cilantro as before. The lemongrass chicken had been stir-fried and while being a bit chewy was nice and moist, but quite bland. Also, there were almost inedible pieces of lemongrass mixed in with the chicken that made the whole process of eating somewhat ponderous.

Again, my favorite item were the won ton chips.

The Crispy Avocado Rolls ($8.95) were basically Avocado Lumpia

 I'm not quite sure what to think of these. Perhaps these need to be consumed right away as the oil was starting to seep through the wrappers after my less than 15 minute drive home. There was a kind of greasy mushiness to the fried avocado....I've had fried and tempura avocado before....but perhaps because it was coated in panko/batter before frying....I had enjoyed it. Here it just seemed bland and greasy. Not enough corn/black beans/cilantro to actually make a difference in flavor. Imagine an eggroll/lumpia wrapper folded over a glob of fat......then biting into it. The garlic sauce could have used more garlic as well.

   The menu just seems a bit all over the place; more "con-fusion" than fusion in my opinion. Perhaps it's more suited to the palates of USD students? Or maybe I've just tried the wrong things....I did try most of the items based on recommendations. Like always, I'll depend on all of you to lead me to the best items on the menu....though don't count on me going for the Orange Chicken. While the prices seem to be on the high side; I do want to like this place as the staff is so nice and the online ordering - pick-up process has been seamless.

So, any recommendations on what to try?

Fusion Eats
5299 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92110
(858) 633-2974
Current Hours:
Tues - Thurs 1130am - 8pm
Friday 1130am - 830pm
Sat - Sun Noon - 8pm