mmm-yoso!!!

Noodling Around City Heights - Lotus Garden

While making my way to Northgate Market to get some pig's feet, I noticed that there was a "Pho" sign on the awning of Lotus Garden. Looks like the Lotus Garden was expanding the menu from the seafood and the typical Chinese dishes served there.

Since Lotus Garden opens at 9am, I decided to visit when finishing up my shopping in the area.

As it was fairly early in the morning; it was easy finding parking in back of the building, where it shares the lot with Minh Huong Supermarket. looking at the sign above the doorway; I guess it's now Lotus Garden Seafood and Pho.

I walked in and the friendly young man directed me to a seat. It's a pretty nice dining area and I believe they have even more space in the back dining room as well.

Man, the menu here has over 120 items on it.....and there's a second menu with pho on it as well. I was going to order the pho, but noticed all the egg noodle and hu tieu items. And seeing that this place is a (sorta) Chinese restaurant; I decided to get the BBQ Duck Egg Noodle Soup ($8.99). I really didn't expect much, but was quite pleasantly surprised at what I got.

The blanched bean sprouts was a good first move. The broth of the egg noodle soup, while being on the salty side also had some savory notes to it; with a heck of a lot of oniony-slightly pungent and a light, almost seafood like flavor. The fried shallots was also a good move aa was all that scallion.

The noodles were decently prepared, with a nice pull to them.

The most surprising thing for me was the duck.

While being perhaps a tad on the dry side; the skin of the duck had been crisped up nicely, no rubbery skin here, and there was a nice salty-sweet flavor to the skin. I also enjoyed the quite gamey flavor of the duck...perhaps not everyone's cup of tea; but I enjoyed it. This was actually not bad at all and really didn't need any sauce, or jus on it at all.

I really liked the young man working; I believe his name is "Tu", he was quite friendly and we chatted about Little Saigon....I believe he's from the OC, and he even told me he knew of a place in his 'hood that made pretty decent duck...."Lien Hoa?" I asked and he seemed surprised. And then I mentioned always getting a side of the "jus" with my duck from there....he cracked up.

I decided to return the following week to try the pho....and of course, when I first try a place's pho...it's the dac biet ($9).

The basil and sprouts arrived; even though a few of the basil leaves were starting to discolor; there was enough of it so that it didn't really matter. And of course the Ngo Gai was present, crisp, fresh, like a pungent cilantro with a hint of sweetness.

The broth however, was underwhelming. It was cloudy, severely defatted, lacking in beef flavor and....as is typical in San Diego these days, too sweet and overly salty.

The rare steak was tough and dry, the flank too chewy and flavorless, though the brisket was fine, tender with a mild beefiness, the tendon was soft and buttery, and the tripe was crisp and crunchy, without any off flavors.

The typical clump of noodles was decent as well; edging on over-cooked, but okay. Still, I don't think I'll have the pho here on future visits.

I had taken a closer look at the menu on this visit and wanted to try something I saw on the menu so I returned the following week.

This time I had the House Combination Egg Noodle Soup ($7.99), which was pretty much fishball city.

The bean sprouts weren't as well blanched on this visit. The soup was also more salty; with that annoying "sweetness" to it. I needed all of the lime to help temper it.

The noodles were prepped perfectly; nice al dente pull to them.

There were some pieces of meh shrimp in the broth, fairly muddy in flavor....the item I enjoyed the best were the pleasantly toothsome and mildly funky pork stomach.

But the item I had really come to try was the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($8.99)….well, there's a "Doritos" version as well, but I stuck with the, ahem..."classic".

The wings were fried fairly well; being quite moist and tender. The batter was  bit too soft and got soggy quickly. The garlic was burnt and bitter, not great eats in my book. It wasn't overly salty and could have actually used more seasoning....though no more of the bitter garlic. Not sure I'd have this again, but it wasn't terrible.

In the end, Lotus Garden was not bad....I mean, I'd eat here every so often if it was in my neighborhood as it's better than the options that I have near by. I enjoyed the young man who served me on my first visit and there are still items on the huge menu to try.....heck, I haven't even gotten to the Beef Sate Egg Noodle yet.

Lotus Garden Restaurant
4007 Euclid Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Open Daily 9am - 10pm

 

Bonchon Revisited

Man, has it already been over a year since I did my post on Bonchon? Time sure does fly. I'm always curious how a place is doing after all the hype has worn down......plus, I was wanting some wings; so I decided to head on back to Bonchon.

And while the parking lot was a total mess.....folks often take up two parking stalls here; Bonchon itself was quite empty at 1130am; on a Wednesday.

They now have lunch specials......

I went with the Half & Half; Soy Garlic and Spicy, with the Pickled Radish as my side ($10.95)….I chuckled at the calorie count....which version of this meal would have just 640 calories???

The wings stayed nice and crisp through my entire meal; though the drumettes seemed a bit more ponderous than before. The chicken was nicely twice fried, crisp, moist, no off colors....decent QC there. Not as evenly coated as when the place was in soft/grand opening mode. I always think the Soy Garlic is going to be much too sweet, but these weren't bad. The Spicy isn't very spicy to me....more savory-beany. And as always, I enjoy gnawing on the wing tips....though I know folks complain about that.

The pickled radish was a bit too sweet, not pickled enough, and kind of mushy in texture.

Overall though, Bonchon is pretty much holding the course and I prefer it to other options in the greater San Diego area. Heck, even though these weren't perfect; I enjoyed them more than some of the "KFC" we had in Seoul. And while I think most folks want to see the "latest, hippest, and most shiniest", I think it's good to do revisit posts. It's always good to see how a place is doing.

Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

40N Pho & Grille

A few weeks back, Calvin told me about a new Vietnamese/Pho shop that had opened in his neighborhood. He said that he was taking the family there on a regular basis. It was located in a strip mall in Scripps Ranch? Scripps Ranch? I had to go and check the place out.

40N is located off of Scripps Ranch Boulevard, in the same Strip Mall as Vons and Starbucks. I have to say; I didn't even know this strip mall existed; even though it's but a few miles from Miramar Road and the 15 Freeway.

I was the first customer on this weekend morning; there was a nice, friendly Asian woman working....she seemed to know all the customers who came in after me. She was wonderful, though this was the only time I saw her on during my three visits.

By the looks of the restaurant; I could tell this used to be a Sushi bar as the sushi case was still in place.

Since Calvin had told me the Pho here was quite good; I ordered the House Special (Dac Biet - small $8.50).

This was actually not too bad. The rare steak was still rare when the bowl arrived. The noodles were nicely done, it still had a bit of chew and wasn't mushy. The broth, while cloudy, wasn't overly sweet as is the norm in San Diego these days. It had a mild beefiness, light saltiness, though it lacked complexity was a bit on the bland side and was overly defatted for my taste.

The other cuts in the broth were fine; though the flank was tasteless, the brisket had some beefiness, and the tendon was adequately tender, if not buttery in texture.

The basil was starting to brown and the amount of bean sprouts was rather sparse as is the case in many more "westernized" Pho shops.

So, overall not horrible.

During my visit, it seemed that every table ordered the Cha Gio. So, I decided to return and try it out.

I got the 3 roll ($4.50).

I knew I was in trouble when these came out in less than 3 minutes. It had obviously been reheated. The wrappers were really chewy and this lacked any crispness. The nuoc mam cham was watered down and way too sweet. The filling was fine, but was totally ruined by how bad the wrapper was. Well, at least the lettuce was fresh, right?

Well, the meal wasn't over yet. I ordered the Banh Mi Bo Kho ($10). It actually says "Beef Stew" on the menu....what arrived wasn't no "stew".

Lukewarm, doctored pho broth, made really salty by whatever seasoning was used to make it seem like Bo Kho. The meat was too chewy and some pieces were still slightly cold. The best part of this were the carrots; which looked unwieldy, but was fairly tender.

The banh mi was standard issue, no complaints as it was light, yeasty, and had been heated up.

This was just not a very good meal at all.

And yet, there were two more items on the menu I wanted to try; so I decided to head on back.

I'd seen Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings on the menu. So I ordered the 6 piece ($7) version.

While looking a bit greasy, these were actually fairly crisp, with a good amount of seasoning....edging perhaps on the salty side, but not spicy at all. All the pieces were moist, the wings were actually quite good. The huge drumettes on the other hand, while crisp and moist, had a bitter, slightly freezer burnt flavor to them. Too bad, because this might have been pretty good overall. I ate all the wings....and said goodbye to the drumettes.

I also ordered Banh Xeo ($10). Sadly, this was not very good.

The crepe lacked crispness and was very spongy, the bottom a soggy mess. It was also very bland and the watered down, overly sweet nuoc mam cham did it no favors. The pork and shrimp were tough and dry; the bean and mung bean sprouts under-cooked. This really looked like it was slapped together. All that wonderfully fresh lettuce and mint deserved a better version of banh xeo.

So, while the pho and the chicken wings weren't bad, I didn't care for anything else as it just seemed a bit dumbed down. I'm sure folks in the neighborhood appreciate the place; but for me, I don't think it's worth going out of my way for....after all Mira Mesa is just right up the I-15.

40N Pho & Grille
9978 Scripps Ranch Blvd
San Diego, CA 92131
Hours:
Mon - Sat 11am - 9pm
Closed on Sunday

 

Tomson D - Chinese (and Krispy Krunchy Chicken) (La Mesa)

This food blog named mmm-yoso!!! has Cathy posting on this hot summer day.  Kirk is enjoying the start of a long weekend.

A sort of odd location, next to a Subway in a curved row of storefronts, this used to be Slides,  a great concept with nice owners (I still crave the eggplant as well as the fish sliders from here).  Now owned by a friendly couple, who seem to always be working, Tomson D has an interesting mix of food offerings as well as clientele. 
When Tomson D first opened in October 2017,  it offered Mongolian BBQ in addition to the still existing menu items, hence the empty 'salad bar'/refrigerated area to the right, in the above photo.
 To the left, when you enter, is a wall menu of various appetizers,Chinese offerings and beverages. 
 To the left of the cash register is a display of fresh Krispy Krunchy Chicken, a Louisiana style franchise with four San Diego locations. (Which Kirk has written about, twice.).  The chicken display always seems to be fresh and we have noticed that it is changed out regularly during the day if not sold out.  

First things first.  I've been here on my own before, on Fridays, when I don't eat meat.  The 'Appetizer' menu has 'fried white fish' ($2.68 per piece).
One piece is quite large, and cut in half per order. 
 Light, crispy batter with some herbs; the tartar sauce isn't really necessary, but I end up using it on the second half, if I want variety. The fish is meaty, flaky and properly fried; not greasy.
 The Chinese menu sells items by size- lunch, dinner and party.  This is the "Tomson Beef" (L $7.38).  Pretty much beef and onions.  The beef is tender with a nice sauce of garlic and chilis.  Each Chinese meal comes with a vegetable egg roll, served in a glassine paper bag.  The Tomson Shrimp (L $7.98) isn't spicy and is stir fried with zucchini, carrot, onion and mushroom.  Very plump shrimp and good, fresh vegetables. 
The Pekin chicken (L $7.58) has a one chili 'heat rating' and it's pretty mild.  Bell pepper, mushrooms, onion and chili are the ingredients and it's all fresh, juicy, flavorful.  

Our first time trying the Krispy Krunchy chicken.  We did order the three piece 'Meal Deal' ($5.59) and received four pieces, which was a nice accident.  So, two legs and two thighs and a honey butter biscuit.  Wow.  The biscuit was really well made- fluffy inside with a crisped bottom and topped with definite honey butter covering the crispy crust; a perfect biscuit. What great fried chicken-light, crispy, the crust- seasoned 'politely' and not 'overwhelmingly'.  The chicken meat was juicy, moist.  Nothing needed to be added.  

A great local owned restaurant with choices which should satisfy most cravings. 

Tomson D 7406 University Avenue La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 597-6666 Open Tues-Sun 11-9 CLOSED MONDAY

The menu has several teas offered, each for $3 (boba extra).  The peach tea is very nice; you can taste the tea. But really, they sell chicken here. 

Chicken Wing Thang - Katzya (In the H Mart Food Court)

Friend of Yoso "KenP" was nice enough to remind me that today, July 29th was National Chicken Wing Day. So, I decided to see what I could dish up and found photos from visits to Katzya in the new H Mart Food Court.

Not sure it's quite ready for "prime time", but hey, it was two visits.

A few weeks back, Candice, Xiāngjiāo and her hubby MichaelFC, wanted to have lunch. We decided on checking out the new H Mart Food Court. We each picked a place and got something from each shop. I got Katzya, which is the new Donkatsu (Tonkatsu) and Chicken Wing Shop.

I did two orders of wings....it's a sign of the times when folks actually say, "wow, it's only $11.95 for eight wings....that's so cheap", like the girl in front of me exclaimed. I guess when you compare this to Furaido or Bonchon it is cheaper. I guess it's all relative.

Anyway, I did one order of the regular fried wings and one order of the "Spicy Chicken Wings". Sorry to say; this is the only surviving photo I have of that visit.

The wings were medium sized with a decent batter to meat ratio. The flesh was fairly moist, no complaints there. The batter had some crunch but was on the crumbly side and the regular wings were so bland, really lacking in flavor. Notice the quotation marks on the "Spicy" wings.....that's because, while being quite sticky and messy, the wings were way too sweet and not very spicy at all. The pickled radish was fine...….but man, nothing could cut the teeth rattling sweetness of those wings.

Soon after; I started my visits to the H Mart Food Court to start tasting the various dishes and such. Other than Bann; which is kind of like a revisit since which I'd eaten at quite few times when they were on Miramar; Katya was my first revisit.

With the intention of sharing my lunch with folks in the office; I ordered two items; the Soy Garlic Wings and the Spicy Pork Cutlet.

The Soy Garlic Wings were a pleasant surprise.

The wings were still crunchy when I ate them. I'd expected cloying sweetness; but this was more balanced then the (not) spicy chicken wings. More salty than sweet, perhaps in need of more garlic pungency; moist flesh, decent crunch and not overly crumbly, decent meat to batter ratio. Not bad at all.

Then came the Donkatsu; which was nicely packaged; the "gravy" and shredded cabbage separated from the pork cutlet and rice. Good job there!

The pork cutlet didn't fare as well as the wings as it was already getting pretty soggy when I got back to the office. It was pretty lean and so on the rubbery side. The rice was still hot and slightly fragrant.

To be perfectly honest; I enjoyed the crunchy, refreshing, simple shredded cabbage with sesame dressing the best.

Because that "gravy".....well.....

Well, I poured it onto the pork cutlet, it was a bit too gloppy-gluey in texture. It had a serious, slow crescendo of heat.....no joking around there. But it had nothing else to really bolster the spice....no salt, no sweet, no other seasonings and spices. It was very one-dimensional.

This is not something I'd order again.

I had truly intended on doing one more visit. But heck, since KenB did mention it was National Chicken Wing Day....I found a reason to just go with what I have and move on. Those Garlic Soy Wings weren't bad, though one out of four ain't so great. Heck, even in baseball, a .250 batting average might get you sent down to the minors.

Katzya
(In the H Mart Food Court)
7725 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Open Daily 11am - 8pm

Thanks for the friendly reminder Ken!

Chicken Wing Wednesday - Cross Street Chicken and Beer Revisited

I always try to return to places and I thought it was about time for a revisit to Cross Street. My previous visits were when the place was in pre-soft opening mode and I'd waited a good long time...since then there's been several other "KFC" places open in the San Diego region. So, I was interested to see how Cross Street was doing.

The place is open for lunch these days so I headed over between meetings.

I got there right at 1130 and actually found a parking spot......seemed like a good sign.

The menu has changed a bit since my previous visits, with lunch specials, and other items though the service was just as friendly and nice.

I started with something I found interesting on the menu; the Corn Poppers ($7).

I actually enjoyed these fried little spheres. The interior was like a molten bechamel and had some nice and sweet corn; wasn't overly cheesy, the bacon was a nice savory touch.

I actually enjoyed these more then the wings.

After some contemplation, I went with the Soy Garlic ($12) Wings. Now, in my previous post I mentioned how large the wings here were and my preference of a smaller wing with a better batter - skin - meat ratio. If anything, these were even larger than before!

The coating seemed to have also been revised as it was harder and more lacquer like then before. Not necessarily a good thing in my book as it was a bit too crumbly. It as also drenched in sauce....previously, there was a nice light glaze; which made for a decent balance in saltiness to sweetness to batter to tasting the chicken. In this case it was just way too sweet as the glaze just overwhelmed everything. Not sure if this is the new standard here. The chicken was moist and cooked perfectly so no complaints there.

Like I said; I enjoyed those corn poppers....and used to like the fried pickles which are no longer on the menu. I also really like the young people working here. I'll probably return; but with a few more folks in tow and this time will definitely order those garlic parmesan wings instead.

Cross Street Chicken and Beer
4403 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours
Sun - Wed   1130am - 930pm
Thurs - Sat 1130am - 1130pm

Song Huong Mira Mesa Revisited

A few weeks back; Calvin asked if I'd join him at Song Huong; he wanted to have some Banh Cuon for lunch. I told him I wasn't the biggest fan of the Banh Cuon at Song Huong; nor much of anything else I've tried during several visits. Still, it had been over three years since I'd last visited, so why not. Unfortunately; or perhaps fortunately, Song Huong was undergoing some renovation work at that time....so we got Menya Ultra instead. 

Fast forward a month and Calvin asks if we could go and check the place out. So, why not?

There're now a couple of groups of older Vietnamese guys hanging out on the tables outside the place. Guess they've found their coffee hangout.

Other than the fresh coat of paint and some wooden tables and benches, the place looks pretty much the same. Though I heard someone saying something about ceiling damage and repairs.

Calvin had one thing on his mind; the banh cuon. I on the other hand, really wanted nothing to do with any of the noodle soups here and was kinda fascinated by the new fried food menu.

Anyway, the Banh Cuon and Banh Uot was mediocre.

The banh cuon was especially bad; the rolls too thick and chewy, the filling bland, the nuoc mam cham watery....'nuff said.

Meanwhile, after a short wait all the fried food started arriving. First the chicken gizzards ($5.99). Holy smokes, the portion size was more than I bargained for.

These were crunchy, nicely seasoned, and in my opinion the best item of the meal. A good dose of Louisiana Hot Sauce added a nice kick and acidity to cut all that fry-o-lated goodness.

The fried okra ($2.49) was again a good portion size.

While it could have been more crunchy; it was still decently crisp, with a nice, gooey interior. Not bad; though this could have used more seasoning.

And last; the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings (6 pieces - $6.99).

Unevenly battered, bitter garlic, too salty, and rather dry flesh.....this wasn't too good. a lot of the batter just flaked off as well. This one needs some work.

There was a ton of leftovers. We took it back to the office and gave it to Big Daniel from Georgia and he whacked those gizzards in minutes. Then looked sleepy for the rest of the afternoon.

As for the Banh Cuon; Phuong Nha definitely does it better. The woman working was much more friendly than I recalled. But am not sure I'll return.

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Seaside Pho & Grill

A few weeks back, I recently had to run down to Point Loma to pick a package up at the Post Office for the Missus. I thought it a bit strange that the info given on the slip in our mailbox was for the Point Loma location, not the usual Midway Station. And to make things worse, that Post Office is only open from 10 to 1230 on Saturdays! So, I headed down at 1030, found some parking and headed into the Post Office and stood in line. Only to find out that I was given the wrong location....it should have been the usual Midway Post Office! Sigh.....

Well, I decided to grab some lunch in the area before heading back up Rosecrans to the correct Post Office. I decided to check out a place that had been on my "list" for a while.

An acquaintance recommended Seaside Pho & Grill to me for a specific dish. More on this shortly.

I walked on over and easily found a table as the place was totally empty on a Saturday at 11am. The Server was a bit disorganized and kept calling me "honey".....ok. The vibe is definitely fusion, gastro-pub/bar, very modern. Looking over the menu; well, there's all types of Asian noodles; everything from Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Ramen, to Pho.

My source had recommended that I try the "Garlic Noodles" with Shrimp, not cheap at $16.75. I had pictured something like Crustacean's Garlic Noodles or Momofuku's Scallion Noodles. This tended more toward Crustacean's....though more like a version you'd make when you had midnight munchies and robbed the fridge.

The typical noodles were mushy; the sauce was gloppy-gooey with hardly any flavor and definite greasiness to them. The shrimp were nicely cooked but really bland and lacking in "shrimpiness". I added all the parmesan cheese and was definitely tempted to dump Hoisin and Sriracha on this....but I held back.

For some reason; I decided to head back and try the pho. So I returned a few weeks later. In contrast to typical pho shops there are limited options. So, I got the "Beef Combo" ($10.75 - small bowl). But first, some Garlic - Butter Wings (6 pieces - $9.95).

The wings had a nice crunch and were moist and very hot. Not a fan of all the broken bones and discolored flesh. Also, the garlic was too raw and was on the bitter side; the "sauce" was bottled lemon juice with black pepper.

This could have been a winner.....but no cigar.

I got the "Beef Combo" (small - $10.75); rare steak, brisket, flank, and tendon.

As I had anticipated, not much in terms of basil and sprouts; but at least it was fresh. That lime was much needed since the broth was super salty and like most "San Diego style" pho, on the sweet side. It lacked beefy-anise tones that I usually appreciate in a good bowl. The noodles; while in the typical clump were prepped nicely. The rare beef wasn't too rare by the time it hit the table; but it was more tender than the usual lousy top round I get at most pho shops; the flank and brisket were fine, both were fairly tender. The two pieces of tendon were slightly chewy, but passable as well.

In the end; another newish, modern "pho to not offend" shop. Fairly pricey with small bowls of pho near, or over ten bucks and limited options. And no; I'm not going to get the ramen here. The service was kind of; well, distracted, even though I was the only customer in the place during both visits. 

And yes, this place is right next to Shanghai Bun.....still not sure if I should check that place out. What do you think?

Seaside Pho & Grill
1005 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon - Thur 11am - 9pm
Fri - Sat  11am - 10pm
Sunday     Noon - 9pm

Chicken Wing Wednesday - Krispy Krunchy Chicken Revisited

Just a short post for "hump day".

I had just finished a meeting and it was nearly noon.....a terrible time for lunch in the Kearny Mesa area....unless you love crowds. It was one of those times when I just wanted something....fried. So, I decided to head on over to the 99 Ranch Market on Balboa, which was pretty sedate as usual and decided to get lunch at Krispy Krunchy Chicken. I'm glad they ditched the terrible ramen here a while back.

I didn't want heat lamp wings, so I did what the young lady who works here told me back when they opened; if you order the ten piece wings, they will be made to order. If you order waffle fries, they will be made to order. So, I did both and ended up with way too much food.

These were hot, moist, and indeed c(k)rispy and c(k)runchy. The seasoning and batter still reminds me of Popeyes, nothing wrong with that. Though I find the meat itself more moist and with a definite "saltiness" without the spice like Popeyes. Just a little dip into Louisiana hot sauce, the vinegar and spice really helps cut any richness....but not the guilt I'm afraid.

While I'm not the biggest fan of waffle fries; these were at least crisp. Though I'll just stick with wedges next time.

One of the folks in the office was the beneficiary of a half dozen wings and a ton of waffle fries.

Well, I got my fried food fix in...…..until next time.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken
5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111

Kimae Ramen

Are you tired of Ramen yet? Well, I hope you have room for one more....or maybe not.

Kimae Ramen opened up at the end of October by the same owner as Poki (poke...please poke, ok) One N Half. It's located in La Jolla Village Square right next to Daphne's and two doors down from a location of PONH.

I finally made it here at the end of December and really liked the lay-out of the place.

The staff, while not particularly friendly, were quite professional on my two visits.

The menu is printed on what is basically a paper "fan" and hangs on the wall around each table. There are four basic ramen with Spicy versions of the Signature, basically a chicken and pork tonkotsu, the Miso, and also have a Veggie and Spicy Seafood ramen on the menu as well. The other side of the fan has appetizers, rice bowls, and drinks.

So, being the old, boring, fuddy-duddy that I am, I went with the Signature Ramen ($10 - of course).

The presentation was nice, but the broth wasn't as hot as I enjoy. It also lacked depth and richness. No fragrance, no tongue coating texture, sorry to say it was like they used packaged tare, as it was salty and had a "tinny" finish.

The tamago….the egg hadn't been marinade properly and was bland and the yolk was ice cold.

The noodles were over-cooked for my taste and the wood ear was cold and really hard. The chashu looked good, but was rubbery and lacked flavor.

I was starving so ate all the noodles and stuff, but couldn't bring myself to have any more of that broth. You know, I thought we had hit "critical mass" with regards to ramen when Karami and Ryoma opened. I was even more sure after mediocre ramen at Yamachan and Isshido opened. But HiroNori gave me hope. I'm now certain we've hit saturation point....

After this rather sad bowl, I wasn't going to even do a post on the place. I really didn't feel like getting another bowl of ramen from Kimae….at least for a while.

But, about 2 weeks ago; Faye did a post on Kimae. Where she tried the chicken wings and enjoyed them. And since I really enjoy wings; well, I thought I'd give them another try.

But no ramen for me. Looking over the menu; well, I got the Crispy Chicken ($8) and finally also went with the Unagi Rice Bowl ($8), basically Kimae's version of Unadon.

The bowl came with a side of the "signature broth"; which was even more salty this time around. I left it as is. The kabayaki no tare (sauce) seemed water down and rather weak, more salty than sweet, very little savory tones...if it's bottled stuff, it's not a good brand. The four slices of Eel hadn't been broiled long enough and lacked the hint of a crisp exterior, it looked like they'd just opened a package, sliced a couple of pieces, and dumped it in a bowl.

I did enjoy the rice, mixed well with furikake and diced veggies. But that was about it.

Soon enough the chicken wings arrived. This was interesting as it resembled some of the double dipped Southern Fried Chicken I'd had in Atlanta when I worked there during the late 90's.

The first wing I ate had a very nice "crunch" and while slightly crumbly was not nearly as hard, nor dry as Furaido. It was super moist, though sadly was lacking in seasoning. And that mustard sauce, which lacked enough "umph", that would be some distinct flavor....pungent, sweet, salty, spice......was so bland. I actually had to add salt and togarashi to the wings....something I almost never, ever, do.

Next up was the drumette. I bit into it and got some flavor all right...a weird bitter, almost offal like flavor......freezer burn. Look at all that black marrow leakage. I was done.

So, the wings, well, it has potential, but really needs some flavor....or bring your own sauce, or whatever. I'm hopeful that drumette was an aberration. At least I hope it is. I took the other four wings back to the office....after the first bite, Calvin dumped half a bottle of Sriracha on it. At least the other four pieces didn't seem to have any off flavors.....

In the end, the concept and design is nice. The portions and price are right. Service was good and professional. But that's just the lipstick and I actually want the pig and this didn't do it for me. Calvin actually asked me if I'd rather eat here or at Tajima....he was shocked when I told him Tajima. Heck, maybe I'd even go to Ajisen before Kimae (though I might go back here before Yamachan). I think I'm done with new ramen places for a while.

Kimae Ramen
8657 Villa La Jolla Drive
San Diego, CA 92037
Hours:
Sun - Thurs 11am - 10pm
Fri - Sat   11am - 11pm