mmm-yoso!!!

Kumi Cafe (Kearny Mesa)

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food.  Cathy is writing today while Kirk (and His Missus) are enjoying weather and food elsewhere.

 Back in March, Kirk mentioned that Chopstix Too would be closing and that Kumi Cafe would be expanding to San Diego.  Last week, The Mister and I stopped in. 

 As always, I ordered hot tea ($2.50).  This green tea, served in the thermal cup, was of excellent quality. 


The Japanese centric menu (there's a 'Spicy Seafood Bowl'/Bibimbap offered) is straightforward.  

 The cucumber salad ($5.95) was served in this deceptively deep bowl.  It was refreshing, sweet and salty, cool and crisp and was munched on throughout the meal.
 We were here on one (of many) unbearably hot days last week and I was craving Tsukemen.  Seeing the Tenzaru Soba ($11.95) on the menu under "Cold Noodles", it was ordered;  a very reasonable substitute.  The Zaru soba-chilled buckwheat noodles- served with a lovely soy/dashi (salty) cold sauce along with green onion was quite perfect.  The "Ten"-mixed tempura- was nice serving of perfectly fried vegetables and one shrimp.  The  tempura sauce (dashi, soy, mirin and sugar) was quite good and complimentary.

The Mister ordered from the "Entree" part of the menu: the Chicken Katsu Curry ($13.95).  All entrees include miso soup, rice and salad. 
 The miso soup was a notably good quality. 
   The plate served was Chicken Katsu ($1 less than the Chicken Katsu Curry).  When reminded the order was for curry, our waiter apologized and went to the kitchen.  There was a wait because the curry was being prepared.  The bowl arrived in a bit (it was quite busy and only two people were working) and WOW- what a lovely curry sauce; carrot, onion and potato.   Slightly sweet (from apple I think) yet savory, the thick sauce was very tasty.   The chicken katsu was a good thickness, had a nice panko breading and was perfectly deep fried and crisp.  The rice and salad were also nicely flavored.  I suppose the 'proper' curry plate would have had more rice and less lettuce, with the curry poured over the serving, but eating it this was was nice and we got to see the Chicken Katsu Entree.

Everything here so far is excellent. 

Kumi Cafe 4380 Kearny Mesa Road #300 San Diego, 92111 (858) 565-1288 Open Sun- Th 11-9:30, Fri-Sat 11-10 

Chopstix (again)

mmm-yoso!!! is back with another post written by Cathy.  Kirk and His Missus remain on vacation and are enjoying so many activities!
 Kirk wrote about Chopstix in 2005 and again in 2009.  I included a mention on a multi-post in 2016 and again in 2017 even though this 'original' location (Chopstix Too closed earlier this year) has been a rotational stop for The Mister and I for decades. 

 Menu selections are consistent; no need to change what is good.  The most recent 'change' is that hot tea is now $1.  
 An order of mixed tempura ($11.95) is, as always, perfectly fried and includes three shrimp along with eight pieces of in-season vegetables.
 I was craving Hiyashi ($13.95) on this warm day and did select the 'traditional' egg-ramen noodles (being able to select udon or somen is always an option).  The colorful bowl, anchored with chilled noodles and cold, crisp vegetables (cucumber, sprouts. ginger, seaweed and corn) and shredded egg/omelet along with the moist, perfectly crisp pieces of chicken karaage and pieces of imitation crab when mixed with the tangy, sesame/soy vinaigrette dressing is very refreshing.
 The Mister was craving both the sweet and spicy flavors of Mabo (stir fried ground pork with tofu) ($10.95) and also Ton Katsu (deep fried breaded pork) ($2), so  He ordered the Mabo Don set which includes the miso soup and a small salad.  A full meal for $12.95.

The home-style food, atmosphere and friendly employees have remained consistent and Chopstix has survived-for more than 30 years.

Chopstix 4633 Convoy San Diego 92111  (858) 569-9171 open Sun-Thurs 11-9, Fri-Sat 11-10 Website

Takeout Lunches from Wa Dining Okan

In my most recent takeout post on EE Nami, "FOYs" Jason and Jessica mentioned that Okan's lunch specials were still priced right. Which made me wonder when I last did takeout from Okan. So I did a quick lookback...and geez, it had been over 2 years!

Since I needed to pick up some groceries from Nijiya, getting takeout from Okan would be perfect!

I drove on over; parking is not so bad before 11am, walked on over to Okan, did the QR code thingy, and waited a few minutes until they opened. I was impressed to see that the prices for most of the base lunch specials were only $11.50, a bargain these days. Taking into consideration the drive home, when my chance to order arrived I went with the Buta Kakuni lunch set, which is what I also ordered during my last takeout visit.

I then went into Nijiya and did some quick shopping. I'm used to doing shopping at Nijiya at 9 in the morning....so the check-out line was a bit longer than I had expected. The young lady at Okan told me my order would be ready in ten minutes; but I took twenty at Nijiya. So, I quickly walked back over to Okan.....but to my relief, my order took another ten minutes anyway.

I drove on home and then opened up my Buta Kakuni Lunch Special ($11.50). It really didn't look too promising.

 Sadly, the best thing about this lunch set was the okara salad of which there was a scant tablespoon and the miso soup, which was pretty good, as it always has been.

The rice was on the hard side and the boiled egg was a bit overcooked but fine, with no off flavors.

As for the buta kakuni, well, it looked very, very dark....as in black in color.

  I bit into a piece, which was really salty; it had been sitting in the marinade too long and it was super dry and tough. In fact, the first thought that came into my mind was; "I ordered buta kakuni....not pork jerky".

I do understand that food costs are high these days, but this was really bad quality control. I guess they weren't kidding when they said things are "tough all over". Just look at that pork!

This meal really made me a bit sad, since I have a long history with Wa Dining Okan and also some great memories of meals shared with friends. So, I just had to give them another shot to see if that meal is the norm these days; or perhaps takeout just won't cut it at Okan.

I was really craving the Tori Nanban here, but just knew it would not hold up....so, I decided to go with the Shogayaki. This was basically the same drill as the last time; told ten minutes, but actually took twenty-five. 

Here's what I unpacked at home; the Shogayaki (Ginger Pork - $11.50). You can tell right away that this was a definite improvement from the buta kakuni.

   

The miso soup was as good as on my previous visit; the rice much better this go-around. 

The pork, while being a tad on the salty and chewy side was decent. In fact, it went well with the sliced cabbage which helped to cut the saltiness down. Now if they just sliced that cabbage finer....like, ahem...EE Nami??? This is stuff my Mom used to make, so of course I'm used to that flavor profile; more ginger, a bit sweeter.....but this is not bad and I'll readily have it again.

I was somewhat relieved that my second meal was better than the first......though now the question arises; which is the norm here? I'm hoping it's more like my second meal. So perhaps soon, once I feel more comfortable dining al fresco here; I'll return for my Tori Nanban.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks to Jason and Jessica for reminding me about the lunch set menu at Okan!

Midweek Meanderings - Sunmerry, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa, Palomino's #3 and Matador Mexican Grill "Under New Management"

It's amazing what you can find during one short drive. Here's what I noticed when I went to get some groceries and lunch from Nijiya. I took the "long way"; which meant starting on Clairemont Mesa, then down Convoy, then all the way down Linda Vista to Morena.

Here's what I saw.

Sunmerry, The Great Greek, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Even though I haven't done a post on Sunmerry; a bakery chain from Taiwan, it's a must stop on our road trips North and during visits to Bistro Na's. We'll also stop in at the Rowland Heights location as well. For some reason, this past week, I mentioned that Sunmerry was opening somewhere near Convoy to the Missus, so She'd be able to get Her Pineapple Cake fix locally. I was thus instructed to find out the location. Finding the location was simple using our friend......Google. 

In the same strip mall as Costco Business and Target I saw three structures and this sign:

So, I got three for the price of one here.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a small chain out of Nevada and Sunmerry will occupy one building.

7951 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai which according to Eater, originated in Fukushima in another.

8001 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like I got a "three for one" here.....

Palomino's #3 "Under New Management":

I go to Nijiya so frequently that I usually just head on in and then back to my car without a glance; but today I noticed that the Taco Shop in the strip mall had a "Under New Management" sign. Which I believe means new ownership.

Cathy has done several posts on Palomino's #2, but not on this location. I last visited in the days BB ("before blogging").

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So maybe.....and no, I haven't tried Two Hands Corn Dog yet either.....

Matador Mexican Grill Reopening:

On my way back, heading down Linda Vista, I took a look at the spot that used to house Matador Mexican Grill which closed several months back and noticed they were reopening. Of course; it's under the ubiquitous "under new management".

I'd never been; though an ex-coworker of mine used to like the place.

5201 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92110

And under the you never know what you'll see label......

I noticed a bit of a crowd on the Convoy side of Jasmine as I stopped at the light. There were news teams and bit of a hubbub. While sitting at the light, I noticed someone holding a freeway sign. And then it became clear. I know that there was an effort to raise money for six "Convoy Asian Cultural District" signs and it looks like they've raised the money and the signs are done.

Good for them!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

A Takeout Revisit to EE Nami and "Paying the Price" for Online Ordering for Pick-up

I'd been craving some Tonkatsu from EE Nami for a while. And even though they they reopened at the beginning of June, I just couldn't find a good time to do takeout.

Finally, I had waited long enough and I decided to order the Pork Loin Katsu for dinner. Previously, at least when I last ordered at the end of 2020, prices didn't seem too crazy. But this time, when I looked at the online choices for pick-up the Pork Loin Katsu Combo the prices ranged from $26 to $31.50!!! What the heck? I took a look at EE Nami's website and the PDF takeout menu and the combo is now priced at $22..... Now the online prices do not include tip either. It's getting pretty crazy these days. Heck, I'd rather have EE Nami get that extra money as a tip....so I went and called in my order. Which, by the way was a fairly hefty $23.71 anyway.

I drove on over and I gotta say, the place is doing some good business as folks were waiting for tables outside so I didn't take any photos. My order was waiting when I arrived, I paid, added in cash to make it a straight $27.......let me quickly ask, are you tipping for takeout?

This is what I unpacked at home.

   So, first off, let me say that the former "weak link" in the combo, the miso soup, while still being kind of weak overall, was much better, less watery. The rice however was hard and very dry. So, perhaps it's not worth the extra three bucks for that? I can probably do better with what I have at home.

There was a smaller portion of the shredded cabbage and they've replaced the tofu with edamame; which wasn't a favorite of mine.

But of course, I didn't order this for the edamame, right?

    Man, the tonkatsu is the best I've had in a while, even better than on my previous takeout visits. Notice that the breading isn't falling off the pork loin, this tells me that it's been fried at a good temperature and time. The panko breading was crisp and light. The pork was so tender and moist. It was just so good. I've gotten used to the sweeter katsu sauce form EE Nami and use it sparingly.

I guess it's really worth the prices these days?

EE Nami Tonkatsu Izakaya
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Phone: (858) 246-6903
Hours:
Wed - Sun 1130 - 2pm, 530pm - 10pm
Closed Monday and Tuesday

Saturday Stuffs - Diamond Palace Coming to Rolando, Chef Chin (Convoy) Has Closed, and EE Nami (supposedly) Reopening on June 1st.....now June 8th!

I haven't done one of these in a while; so here are a few things I saw during my wanderings.

Diamond Palace Coming to Rolando:

I saw this when I went to Northgate Market to get some ingredients to make pozole for the Missus.

In the former location of Lucky Star. A quick check when I got home yielded this post by Eater San Diego. Apparently a new Dim Sum/Chinese BBQ place run by the folks behind Golden Island. Hmmmm, based on my last couple of revisits to the place...albeit of the takeout category, I'm just not overly excited. Hopefully, I'm way off base on this.

3893 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

Chef Chin Has Closed:

I noticed that most of the windows on Chef Chin were covered when I drove past so I pulled into the parking lot.

And yep, they are apparently closed......

Haven't heard anything about what this location is going to be yet......

4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

EE Nami Closed for Plumbing Repairs, set to Reopen on June 1st , now June 8th - Supposedly:

*** Update - thanks to "FOY" Derric; it now seems that June8th is the date! Thanks Derric!

After returning from Paris and Scotland I was craving some Tonkatsu. I hadn't done takeout from EE Nami in a while, so I thought I'd do a takeout order. I checked online and found that they were "temporarily closed", which is sometimes a bad sign. So I drove on by on the way home and saw this posted on the door.

Apparently there's some plumbing work going on and according to this, they should reopen on June 1st....which is like next week! Great. Except that the multiple UPS notices on the door kinda worries me a bit?

Hopefully I'll get my tonkatsu next week.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope everyone is having a restful Memorial Day weekend!

Tenkatori (Miramar)

The much anticipated Tenkatori's San Diego location opened while we were on our trip. I had the Gardena and Sawtelle location on my "LA list", so I was quite happy to know they were opening here. You know how much I enjoy my Karaage, right? Heck, I even went to see if the signage of the shop (replacing TJ Dumplings) was up back in the middle of April!

So, upon returning from our trip....well, I had to check out Tenkatori!

After checking the hours and knowing how much I hate the small parking stalls and turning ratios in that strip mall parking lot I got to Tenkatori at five minutes past eleven (opening time) and was kinda confused as the business sign blocking the door said closed; while the lighted sign said open?

I finally waved down the young man working; who then moved the sign over and told me they were open.

So, I went and placed my order; for the Mix Bento Box.....

Which I thought was nicely priced at $9.90...really, what can you get these days for less than ten bucks?

And then the young man broke the news to me. He asked me to come back in 20 minutes! Which is what I did and I still had to wait another 10 minutes.

I got back to the office and opened up my bento.

 This was a decent amount of food; there were two whole wings, both drumette and wing attached including the wing tips which I like. There were also two large pieces of karaage.

For some reason, I thought the "mashed potatoes" was really going to be Japanese potato salad....but, it was really mashed potatoes.....albeit creamy and topped with a teriyaki-ish sauce. Just in case that wasn't enough carbs, there was a generous portion of rather undercooked rice.

 Both the wings and the karaage were moist and tender. The karaage handled the short trip back to the office better than the wings as the light batter, probably using potato starch, doesn't hold up for very long. The wings seemed to have more seasoning than the karaage, as the marinade seemed very mild. What I really liked was that the chicken thighs used for the karaage still had the skin attached which added more crunch and additional flavor as well.

This was okay, perhaps a bit underwhelming, but the place hadn't been open for very long so I was definitely going to give it another try.

And since Calvin was actually coming into the office the following day, I decided to do takeout from Tenkatori again. This time, I called in my order. The woman working told me my order would be ready in 15 minutes and it was!

Calvin got the Mixed Bento and this time I went with the Karaage Don ($9) and since I had some "extra stomach space" available (aka Calvin), I also went for a small order of Gizzards ($7.70) to share.

This time my order was ready and waiting when I arrived.

And this time the karaage was even better! It was nicely fried, evenly seasoned, the marinade seemed to have permeated the thighs, and I liked that teriyaki-ish glaze that was lightly applied to the sliced dark meat chicken. The rice was much better this time as well. The boiled egg looked lovely, until I cut it open and discovered that it was overcooked and thus dry. The accompanying greens were starting to brown a bit; though I basically just considered it "garnish".

I shared the fried gizzards with Calvin and we both enjoyed the chewy-crunchy, poultry-ist flavor.

The gizzards were also nicely seasoned and even seemed to have a touch of shichimi togarashi, adding a light "kick" to it. I'll definitely have this again......plus, I'll need to try the nankotsu karaage as well.

And so, I'd usually stop and do a post with these two visits....but....I decided to do one more visit "for the road". I enjoy tori nanban and decided to order some for lunch. Once again, I called in my order and it was ready for pick-up fifteen minutes later when I arrived.

I liked the portion size of this bento and like the mix bento is priced nicely for these times at $9.90.

The chicken was still crisp when I got back to the office. Again, I really enjoy the fact that the dark meat chicken pieces still have the skin on them; it just makes the texture and flavor better. I appreciated the fact that there was that sweet-soy based sauce as well as the tartar sauce on this since the tartar sauce was really one dimensional and lacking in the light vinegar tones that help to balance out all that mayo. The rice was decent; the potato salad and shredded cabbage the same. Not sure I'd have this very often though.

I could definitely see the improvement of the product Tenkatori was putting out; from the shaky and rather mediocre first visit, to the following two visits where things seemed to be falling in place. I think the prices are quite reasonable for 2022 and since I love my karaage (and enjoyed those gizzards), I'll be back. It's great to have another option in the area. And like "FOY" Junichi said, this place "goes perfectly with Beeramar."

Tenkatori Miramar
6780 Miramar Rd Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92121
Phone - (858) 200-2016
Current Hours:
Daily 11am - 230pm, 4pm - 8pm

Paris (2022) - Bo & Mie, Ippudo, and Getting Reacquainted

And so it came to pass.....almost two-and-a-half years since we were last in Europe, we headed back. There were so many thoughts going thru our heads as we planned and then left for our first stop; Paris. Would it still be our favorite city? Was cafe culture going to be impacted.....what kind of precautions were in place? How would traveling during these times be?

On our flight outward it seemed that the quality of the food on our flights and in the lounges seemed to have taken a hit....generous portions; but not very good eats...

That shrimp salad was surprisingly the best item we had during transit.

As for masks? Well, almost nil on our flight from San Diego to LHR and in the airport. Required on the flight from LHR to CDG and also on the RER Blue Line though very sparse in Paris as a whole.

We arrived in Paris at around 10m and since we decided to stay at the same 'ol AirBnb off Rue Montorgueil, we were familiar the RER Blue line drill, getting off at Les Halles, then the short walk for key pick-up at the Key Cafe Kiosk on Rue Marie Stuart, before heading to the apartment. We were shocked at how busy all the businesses on Rue Montorgueil were....places seemed packed to the gills! The crowd also seemed much younger than I recalled. I guess I needn't have worried too much about all the cafes going out of business as overflow customers were actually standing on the sidewalks having their drinks and socializing. I thought that perhaps this was because it was a Friday night; but it seems that on almost every night all the cafes/bars were packed until at least 10pm.

The next morning I woke early, the Missus was still sleeping off the jet lag, so I decided to head on out and grab some croissants. Rue Montorgueil seemed totally different at this time of the day.

Place Goldoni seemed so peaceful.

I headed down the rather "gritty" Rue Saint-Denis past Passage du Grand Cerf....

And at the intersection with Rue de Turbigo was Bo et Mie, a place I had in my "Croissant Files" list.

The place was quite modern and what we found on this trip was that just about everywhere in Paris now takes plastic; albeit folks instantly knew you were American once you busted out the card since most US Credit Cards will not do chip and pin and/or need a signature.

It was very easy ordering in line, paying by card, and heading out. Bo & Mie has three locations in Paris and is obviously not a Artisan Boulanger, but I had read some pretty good things about the place.

Bo & Mie
18 Rue de Turbigo
75002 Paris, France

I took a different way back; heading past Les Halles and onto Rue Montorgueil, where things were still quite peaceful this morning.

Saint Eustache looked quite lovely in the morning sun.

Once back at the apartment; the Missus made me some coffee via the "pod machine" and we had the croissants.

This was not bad....lacking in enough salt and butter, though it had a decent flakiness and the interior was light and fluffy.

By now it was time to head on out for our "morning assignments". Mine was to pick-up our pocket wifi. The company that I'd been dealing with over the years now had a splashy new store on Opera and the Missus had Her sights on Chanel Cambon; so we headed on out in that general direction. One thing we noticed is that Paris seems to be getting smaller for us. We got to Place des Victoires so very quickly.

At this pace we'd be getting to our destination before opening time; so I decided to take a detour to what I read was the longest passage in Paris; Passage Choiseul.

According to this wonderful post, Passage Choiseul has only been reopened to the public since 2013.

There seemed to be quite a number of eateries in the passage.

We took our sweet old time.....and in doing so we noticed things we had before like Place Gaillon.

We popped out on always busy Opera and picking up our pocket wifi....or as they call it here "weefee".....

And then it was time to hit up Chanel Cambon; which I've detailed in earlier posts. After which we explored the "high rent district" before deciding to head on back to the apartment.

On the way back; on Rue du 4 Septembre, we passed a Picard. Tomorrow would be May 1st, which is Labour Day in France. It is a major holiday here and many places would be closed. I had dinner reservations, but we decided to head into Picard to see if we could get something for that day's lunch.

Picard is a frozen food grocery store chain, with over 900 locations in France. It's fun checking out these shops....think of Trader Joe's frozen food section on steroids....

We bought some frozen morels and an eggplant dish for our Labour Day lunch.

On the way back we were getting a bit hungry. In spite of it being late April, things felt a bit on the chilly side. Before our trip, having been to Paris once or twice a year since 2016 (except for those Covid years) we had decided to treat Paris like a home away from home....sure, we'd indulge in a Michelin meal or two, but since we sincerely believe we'll be returning until we're not able to travel any longer, we'd just have fun, exploring, but not overdoing the sights, museums and such.

And since our last real meal in Paris was Ramen, we thought it would be fun to have some slurping for lunch! And, having been to Ippudo locations in Osaka and Kyoto, I was interested to see how the Louvre location would compare.....so why not, right?

We arrived a shade past the noon opening time and went with an outdoor table....yes, it was a bit chilly, but the ramen would cure that. We were surprised at how quickly the restaurant filled up....though no one chose an outdoor table until there were none left inside.

As we usually do at Ippudo and other ramen shops in Japan; we ordered a ramen, this time the Akamaru Special and also a rice bowl, which in the case here was a Teriyaki Pork Don.

 First off, the broth was totally Ippudo; not overly salty, nice and rich tongue coating thickness, porky, the black garlic oil adding a nice nutty, sesame flavor with a pleasant pungent-sweetness.

The tamago was a perfect orb of egginess.

The weak link was the noodles. This was a total Hakata style noodle fail as the thin noodles were very brittle and hard; lacking any "pull". 

The rice bowl was fine....

The rice was cooked decently; something that we'd find was not the norm in Paris. The pork crisp and light.....

The customers were all Parisians as far as we could tell; no other Asians in sight. This was quite interesting as we'd find Parisians had quite diverse tastes during this trip to Paris.

Ippudo
74-76 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
75001 Paris, France

As we headed back to the apartment, the sun had come out.....and with that, all of the Parisians......

Enjoying the sun and socializing. It was as if Covid never happened. Or perhaps folks were relishing and celebrating a hopeful return to normalcy? It was just a tad too crowded for us, so we decided to head on back to the apartment and rest up. We'd be headed to a favorite of ours for dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Natural Style Chicken (Point Loma)

Here you are, looking at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk and His Missus are really enjoying themselves on their well deserved vacation (I have photographic proof).  Cathy is writing this post. 

I posted about Natural Style Chicken in 2007.  Kirk posted about it in 2014.  It's been more than seven years, the restaurant has survived through Covid and it's time for a revisit post. At the far (Northeast) end of the mall on the Northwest corner of West Point Loma Boulevard at Sports Arena Boulevard, a few doors down from the original location of Gaglione Bros, is the longstanding (more than 40 years) location of Natural Style Chicken.
 The menu is pretty simple, primarily consisting of rotisserie cooked chicken  which you can see spinning in the oven at the front window if you arrive early in the morning.
 A chicken teriyaki plate ($11.99) weighs close to (if not more than) one pound.  Rice, an iceberg salad and chicken- a LOT of boneless, skinless, tender, juicy rotisserie chicken.  Served with a warm, house-made teriyaki sauce that isn't too sweet and not salty; just right.  An easily shared meal.
 But, the owner is Korean and there are both kalbi and bulgogi plates offered.  The bulgogi ($14.99) plate is wonderful, with thin sliced, marinated beef, griddled on a stovetop with cabbage, carrot and onion slices.  So tender and so much flavor!  This day we opted for the vegetable/fried rice (+$2) which was made to order with carrot, onion and egg.  Very good (again, the plate was heavy and shared). 
 There are a few side dishes on the menu.  The onion rings ($4.99) are an excellent choice.  Hand battered, expertly fried, light, crunchy, not greasy.
 Chicken Kyoza (Korean gyoza/mandu)(five for 5.99, ten for $8.99) are also perfectly fried dumplings , filled with chicken and cabbage and served with a tart, vinegar-based sauce.  

You can't go wrong here.  Nice people.  Fresh, tasty, good food.  

Natural Style Chicken 3944 West Point Loma Blvd San Diego 92110 (619) 223-9887 Open daily 11-9

Panda Machi (Alpine)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy (again).  Kirk and His Missus have barely begun to enjoy their vacation. 

In the first months of each year, when I am driving around the County for my job, I make notes about places I see and would like The Mister and I to return to check out once things slow down.
 There in the left corner-walking distance from an Ayres Hotel, Chase Bank and a Carl's Jr., I had seen Panda Machi.   The Mister and I returned one weekday.  This Chinese-Japanese restaurant (Panda, for its Chinese roots and Machi (means 'town' in Japanese)) is a tribute to the roots of this family owned and run (since 2020) restaurant. 



The front of the extensive four page menu lists the less expensive lunch specials and appetizers.
 
The sushi chef was busy around noon the day we were here.
 The Almond Chicken (lunch, $8.95) with fried (instead of white) rice was what we decided to order.  The large plate of stir fried chicken with celery, peas and carrots included a cream cheese wonton, pork potsticker,  
 salad with ginger dressing and an excellent egg drop soup.  The freshness of all the ingredients was notable and of great quality. 
 The Mister and I ordered the Assorted Egg Fu Young ($13.95), as we do on first visits to Chinese restaurants. Chicken, beef and shrimp along with fresh mushrooms, sprouts, water chestnuts, peas and carrots in a lovely gravy covered the unique omelette.
 The version made here is baked in the pan (rather than fried like an omelette, with thin edges)- the top, bottom and edges were uniform and a consistent bake.  The eggs were blended with lightly mashed cauliflower and broccoli.  It is so interesting to see the various versions of this dish, which is basically a way to use up leftovers.    

We will be returning to try out the Japanese side of the menu.  So happy we stopped here.

Panda Machi 1730 Alpine Blvd, Suite 101 Alpine, CA 91901 (619) 445-6224 Open seven days 11-9 website