mmm-yoso!!!

Takeout from Prime Grill

Man, talk about hot.....man, talk about us being wimpy....especially after reading that Death Valley recorded what might be the second hottest temperature ever! I mean, we've been getting mid to high 80's here in Bay Park and we're complaining. Though we don't have A/C.....we did purchase two portable units; but our place was built in the 50's.....before the time of air conditioning it seems. So, we've been kinda sweating it out. Usually, we'd be heading out, trying to beat the heat, with cooler dishes and some nice A/C. Which, well, just isn't possible this year. Still, I'd been wanting some Bi Bim Naengmyun, one of my favorite hot weather dishes. So the Missus told me to just go ahead and order takeout from Prime Grill.

Here's where it gets kinda funny....I call and order the Bi Bim Bap for the Missus and then try to order the Bi Bim Naengmyun. The woman on the phone quickly asks me how far I live from the restaurant. I tell her about 15 minutes and she says "too far away, bi bim naengmyun is no good after that time....too far away.....no good to order!" Wow...ok..... I guess some folks would get a bit upset; but I took her statement to mean that she wanted me to have the best experience with the dish. The Missus told me to order some Dak Bulgogi; so I went with that.

I drove on over to pick up our order and cracked up. Not only had the side portion of the parking lot Prime Grill shares been converted to what almost looked like a Pojangmacha! There was a huge sound system blasting in front of the restaurant which the folks sitting outside of Min Sok Chon were enjoying as well. A older gentleman was working with a saw on a couple tables.....more capacity for the outdoor eating area I guess.

I went up to the older woman who was working and told them I was here to pick-up my order. She quickly got it and as I was leaving told me; "come back and have the bi bim naengmyun here...." I had to laugh.

Anyway; I got home and unpacked things.

The Missus and I quickly realized that something was definitely missing when ordering this way. The bim bim bap had kind of lost its personality..... The rice had lost it's heat; the heat from fried egg had started making the other items slightly soggy. Of course; there would be no wonderful crustiness from a dolsot, but we expected that.

The panchan, specially the baechu kimchi, which Prime Grill usually does fairly well was missing a nice slightly funky, but delicious fermented flavor.

The Dak Bulgogi (BBQ Chicken) didn't have any caramelization and looked a not-so-appetizing grey in pallor.

In terms of flavor, it wasn't bad, but the texture was too chewy and gummy, and I missed the extra texture and charred deliciousness of some browned and crisp edges.

Perhaps we've been pushing our luck a bit with all of our takeout successes and this was a bridge too far.

I guess when I feel comfortable actually eating in a restaurant (parking lot); I may just give in and have the bi bim naengmyun…..might be more sooner than later if this weather keeps up. Probably not though.....

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

On a side note....we worry about Frankie keeping cool; so I bought a little swamp cooler for him. We get a kick checking on Frankie when we have it on......he'll cool off a side of his body; then move around to get another area cool. He's doesn't enjoy having a fan blow directly on him; so the gentle breeze of the swamp cooler does just fine.

What a character.

He is enjoying that little portable cooler.

Frankie hopes everyone is being safe and keeping your cool; physically and mentally!

He sure is.....

Thanks for stopping by!

 

It's a Woomiok Wednesday!

In my post on doing Covid-19 takeout from Et Voila (man that was May, but it just seems so long ago); "FOY" Jason mentioned Woomiok, which, shortly after opening became a favorite of the Missus. It just seemed too hot for Woomiok at that time. But when the weather cooled down substantially a few weeks back....well, it was time for the Missus to get Her fix.

I placed my order online, then went over to pick my stuff up. It was ready right on the table at the designated time. I paid and then hele'd back to my car...then home.

We basically went with the Emperor's Soup ($18.99) the bone broth with oxtail, brisket, ox knee, cheek meat, shank, and king mushrooms. Of there's kkakdugi and baechu kimchi, a nice portion of rice and some noodles. Salt and scallions completed the package.

Along with some veggies, this was actually enough for both the Missus and I. The cheek meat and the tendon like ox knee were favorites of the Missus. I enjoyed the very beefy oxtail.

I actually heated the soup up in our dolsot and got it good and boiling. We did need to add a bit more salt than what was provided, but that was fine.

The baechu kimchi wasn't bad; but definitely less fermented in flavor than I prefer. The kkakdugi (radish kimchi) was nice and crunchy; somewhat refreshing in a way. The Jangahjji (pickled peppers and radish) also really added to the meal.

This was perfect for the Missus whose stomach was bothering Her after eating all that spicy stuff from Village Kitchen for several days. In fact, the Missus had me order this three more times over those two weeks! At times; I'd just have whatever bone broth that was left over and mix it with rice and the noodles as sort of a porridge.....

Then of course, it got really hot and even though the Missus was wanting more bone soup, was really much to "atsui" for it. And then I saw Bossam ($34.99) on the online menu....I swear it wasn't there before. It had been a while sine we had decent bossam; Grandma's Tofu (Halmouny) used to be our favorite in San Diego, but the last time we had; things were just not the same. I just decided to order it.

Just take a look.....man, this was so much better than I thought it would be!

The pork belly had been nicely simmered; with a bit more soy sauce flavors than what I'm user to in bossam. Also, while it looked really fatty; this was very tender, not waxy, and definitely not greasy. The oysters....something that we're just suspicious of in this dish, was fresh with no off flavors. 

This came with two large portions of rice and also baechu kimchi....way more than we could eat.

There as also the standard and much needed garnishes; shrimp paste, bean paste, and sliced raw garlic (which the Missus just loved on this), jalapenos, and especially Musaengchae (thinly sliced radish kimchi). The napa cabbage had been brined; which changed the texture and added another layer of flavor.

It made for some very nice bites indeed!

So, it looks like we've got a new favorite for bossam in San Diego....and no; it's not like what we had at Samhae Jip in Seoul, but it's pretty darn good in it's own right.

A quick hint if ordering online....I'd recommend ordering a bit ahead of time. Often, pick-up times close to when you place your order aren't available.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Missus is already considering ordering the Assorted Boiled Beef in Stone Pot (a favorite of ours at Woomiok) for take-out. Mid-80 temps be damned!

Thanks for the "Woomiok reminder" Jason! What would we do without all of our great "FOYs"?

Clearing Out the Memory Card - Revisits to Tribute Pizza and Woomiok

Here's an unlikely pairing....though both places are pretty much on our rotation. Tribute was our last meal before heading to Mexico City and Woomiok our first restaurant meal after returning. As with our COMC posts; verbiage is at a minimum.

Tribute Pizza:

Our fridge emptied before our trip; the Missus wanted to head to Tribute, which I've posted on a number of times.

And the food did hit he spot as usual.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104

Woomiok:

Returning from our trip; the Missus needed something to fortifying. I suggested Woomiok, which did the trick.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I understand that perhaps you drop in to see something new; bright and shiny....but in all honesty, I don't think that's how most people eat.....someplace new everyday. And I'd like to think we're pretty much normal folk. I'll have something new soon; but for now, thank you for dropping by. And......

What have you been craving lately?

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

Revisits - Woomiok and Mien Trung

It feels like (San Diego) winter now; so here's a couple of revisits to a new place on the rotation and an old favorite.

Woomiok:

Woomiok has become a favorite of the Missus. So, with the recent cooler weather, the Missus wanted Her fix.

This time around we ordered the assorted beef in stone pot. As with previous visits; the kkakdugi and the squid panchan were the best, while the baechu kimchi was decent but, could have used some really more intense fermented flavor. The japchae was really bland.

We were pleasantly surprised with the portion size of the dish ($34.99).

The tendon was buttery and the brisket and other usual "tougher cuts" were tender and beefy. There was what looked like typical pho top round, which was drier and tough and the worst cut overall. The bone based broth was very nice with a touch of salt. A very comforting dish overall. In fact, I loved the leftovers which I mixed with rice and heated up; making a rice porridge of sorts.

We left warm and satisfied.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Mien Trung:

Just like last year; Mien Trung was my first real meal out after returning from our trip.

The place was hopping; I just ordered the smaller bowl of Bun Bo Hue. It looked kinda light; but it was pretty good. Nice spice, great lemongrass flavor, the meats were more tender than on previous visits....even the tendon. Not over-loaded with MSG......the noodles were slippery and firm; the veggies (I still miss not having banana blossom though) fresh.

This had that "aaaah" factor going.

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Modeum Bossam from Grandma Tofu & BBQ (Halmouny)

After our recent meals at Prime Grill; the Missus mentioned Grandma's Tofu and BBQ. And while I thought that She was thinking of the Heokyumso Jeongol (Black Goat Stew) from Halmouny, the Missus was actually thinking about the Modeum Bossam, something that we hadn't had in maybe.....five years! Perhaps our visit to Bossam Alley in Seoul kinda put a damper on things.....

But now, finally, the Missus was wanting the Modeum Bossam again and we headed off to Grandma's. Upon getting seated and opening the menu; we noticed something right off.

Notice the fine print - "rice and Korean side dishes not included". So, no rice or panchan with the bossam dishes anymore. Still, we went ahead and ordered the Modeum Bossam.

I quickly noticed another thing when the plate of porkiness arrived....the usual napa cabbage had been replaced by regular boiled cabbage. Yeesh....what's with all the cutting costs going on?

Anyway; everything else was in order, from the fermented baby shrimp, to the pink salt, to the chilies....though the amount has been cut down....to our favorite garnish here; the fermented bean paste. The kkandugi (radish kimchi) was actually quite good....heck even the low quality oysters were fine.

The Missus didn't care for the soondae, the blood sausage which was really mushy, sticky, and metallic in flavor this time around.

The pork belly was more tender than it looked, with a nice porkiness. The pig's feet was the best item as it had a decent, soy sauce flavor, a very mild sweetness, great swine-iness, and that texture......that only a trotter lover would enjoy.

So while there was a bit of disappointment....no rice, no panchan, regular cabbage; the meal turned out fine in the end. I'm thinking we'll need to order something else in addition to the Gul and Jokbal Bossam. I think the Missus is finally over trying the soondae here.

Grandma Tofu & BBQ (Halmouny)
4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

 

Saturday Stuffs - PT Eatery Replaces Pho T Cali, Chef Jun Replaces Spice & Soul, and Recently Consumed

PT Eatery Replaces Pho T Cali:

In my latest post on Pho Duyen Mai, "Derek R" mentioned that PT Eatery was replacing Pho T Cali. I had noticed that the Pho T Cali sign was covered while driving by during the week, but didn't have time to stop by. So, today, while running errands I drove into the parking lot and took a photo.

Derek mentioned that this place is related to Phuong Trang....so I'm not sure if I should be really happy about this....we'll see.....

7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Chef Jun Replacing Spice & Soul:

I saw a notice posted in the window of the building that formerly housed Spice & Soul.

So, this morning, on my way to Costco, I took a short detour to see what was up. Looks like this place will become Chef Jun. Sounds like perhaps a Korean restaurant? I had heard that the person who either owns the lease or the mall is Korean; so this might make sense.

Update: Chef Jun will be a Sushi and Kappo style restaurant. Thanks Derek!

Interesting for Bay Ho.

4033 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

And finally......I think the Missus is missing Japan. She had requested that I make tempura four times during the last week....during the week....sigh....

And then last night; She wanted a Sukiyaki-ish "thingy" for dinner.

So last night after my (hopefully last for a while) batch of tempura was consumed, I made my standard warishita. This morning I picked up the Missus's favorite ingredients....and the Missus feasted this evening. We'll have enough for a couple of meals.

Happy wife, happy life, right?

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

Mukeunji Daejji Galbi Jungol from Prime Grill

I know most folks think of Korean BBQ when one mentions Prime Grill.....I mean, "grill" is in the name of the place, right? But for the Missus and I, PG has been a place to get Bi Bim Bap and Bi Bim Naengmyun when the mercury soars here in San Diego. When things cool down a bit, it would probably be Seolleontang from Woomiok or Heokyumso Jeongol from Grandma's that would come to mind. But now, the Missus has another favorite; the Mukeunji Daejji Galbi Jungol from Prime Grill.

It's a dish that uses "Mukeunji" which is poggi kimchi that has been aged at least six months. It's got a much stronger fermented flavor and is what we eat at home. Along with Daejji Galbi; braised pork ribs; which here add a nice porcine touch to the dish. There's a couple of huge pieces of kimchi that is sliced before placing the pan over the heat. Throw in some nice and meaty king mushroom, tofu, enoki mushroom, ssukgat - what I grew up calling "shungiku"; chrysanthemum leaves, and some rice cakes, this makes for quite a comforting meal.

We enjoy the leftovers even more; as the pork tends to add much more flavor overnight. I add in even more aged, fermented, kimchi...the good stuff, minced maneuljong muchim, the potent kimchi garlic scape, daikon, watercress, and tofu, and we have a heck of a second meal.

It's one of those dishes that tastes even better the second night......

Though it's pretty darn good at the restaurant as well.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

So, now that things are cooling off; what dishes are all you nice folks thinking of?

Bann Korean Cuisine - Now in the H Mart Food Court

Of all the places in the H Mart Food Court; the one that really interested me was Bann. While I considered Bann to be a decent option for lunch on Miramar Road; the food was prepared fresh, the flavors, while on the mild side, was decent, with the Kimchi Fried Rice the stand-out. Still, with a more discerning crowd, I was interested to see what changes, if any Bann had made since the move.

And so I headed down to H Mart at around 11am. The place is not nearly as crowded as when the place first opened. Good for me....not sure for all the businesses.

Bann is located to the right of Myungran Hot Dog.

The menu is tight and dishes no longer have the superflous green salads and mandu added to the menu items. Prices are about the same; even a few cents cheaper than before.

Though if you chose to have beef with your kimchi fried rice; it would be almost fourteen bucks!

I placed my order for the Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam (of course) and had a seat at one of the table.

Soon enough, I heard the mechanized "voice app" go off, it's the same voice for all the stands. It seems that each stand has a number sequence, so you'll deal with numbers in the thousands; "order five thousand - six hundred - seventy - three"......

First off; the portion size seemed to have increased quite a bit.

Secondly, it's way more spicy than it used to be....quite nice, though it might mute some of the other flavors. Couldn't really make out salty - savoriness of the Spam, which might be a good thing for some, but I really like the flavor of Spam.

Good amount of kimchi used; though it's not good fermented kimchi as it lacks the complex cheesy-sour-savory tones of a good baechu kimchi.

Thirdly, the egg was a nice sunny-side up.

Overall, a nice version of straight-up Kimchi Fried Rice. It won't win any awards, but is a decent version.

I really enjoyed the nice folks that used work the register at the Miramar location, but did not recognize the young lady working on this day. She was fine, but not nearly as pleasant. This was a decent lunch and Bann seems less fusiony these days. Nothing to go out of your way for; but perfectly fine if you're shopping at H Mart and need to load up on carbs.

Bann Korean Cuisine
7725 Balboa Ave. (In the H Mart Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Eating to Beat the Heat - Revisits to Buga, La Miche Kabobgee, and Santouka

Well, it cooled down for a bit, got warm again, cooled off, and then it's Monday and quite warm again......and it's not really the temps, but rather the humidity that's kind of bothering me. Man, to think I was born and raised in Hawaii. Crazy.

Anyway, here are a few revisits.

Buga:

I just looked at my last post on Buga and it's been exactly one year! Strange; I thought it had been longer than that. I wanted some bi bim naengmyun and Buga is right off the 805; so I thought it would be a rather quick and easy meal.

I got there right at opening time so the place was empty. Strangely, it stayed that way for my entire visit. Even though I got out in 25 minutes, it was pretty strange to see the place completely empty.

And no; I didn't order the "Internal Organs Special"; which would have been too much for me anyway.

I got the Bi Bim Naengyun as planned.

The last time I had Bi Bim Naengmyun at Buga it was a bit strange. It was water and quite soupy, a far cry from the drier, more spicy version that used to be served here. What I got this time was a bit different as well; it seemed like a bowl of regular Naengmyun in a typical dongchimi - based soup topped with the usual spicy gochujang based sauce for bi bim naengmyun. It seemed like a hybrid of sorts; which actually wasn't too bad. It still had the spiciness along with the bracing - refreshing - sour - Asian pearish soup. The noodles were perfect; stretchy, but not hard. Enoguh to bring some sweat to the brow, but also cool me off at the same time.

Sadly the panchan was mediocre; really lacking in punch, with no fermented tones at all....it was all quick-kimchi and a too sweet potato salad.

Buga Korean Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

La Miche Kabobgee:

We usually head to La Miche Kabobgee when the temperature rises; to get some of the mezes we enjoy. So, one evening I headed over to grab some take-out and the place was closed.

I noticed the sign posted on the door with limited hours posted.

It seems that the really nice gentleman who owns the place had some heart surgery.....which had me a bit concerned.

So I dropped by during a lunch service.

I was happy to see him working. Moving a bit slower perhaps, but he was still the very mellow, and gentle guy I recalled. I chatted with him for a minute before this large party came in. He's doing better and is almost back to full speed. I'm glad.

The menu has fewer mezes than before; I think it's a bit of an abbreviated one; but there were still a couple of items I had previously enjoyed, starting with the Muhamarah.

I really enjoy the combination of flavors in this red pepper - walnut - pomengranite "dip" which is thickened with bread. Though it's much less spicy and tangy than I recalled; it's still a winnah' with the fresh pita that arrives scorching hot. I've learned that it's better to just eat all of the bread as it just isn't as good a few hours later.

I also got the Makanek; these little sausages had a wonderful snap, the ground veal is nicely seasoned, and that lemon based sauce is quite bracing!

This was a nice meal and it was good to know Nabih is doing well. So well, that La Miche will be back to normal hours in September.

La Miche Kabobgee
9350 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123

Santouka:

In my last "eating to beat the heat" post; Junichi mentioned the Hiyashi Chuka from Santouka. I had actually had the Hiyashi Chuka from Santouka once before and had not been too impressed. But man, that was eight years ago! So, I figured it was time to try it again.

I wasn't certain that Santouka had the Hiyashi Chuka, but sure enough it was the summer special. I could tell it had been a very long time since I'd had this; it was $8.50 then; it's now $12.50. So, I guess its been going up by 50 cents a year?

Anyway, I ordered my noodles and had a seat. A few minutes later my number was called.

Well, if anything, Santouka gets points for consistency in presentation, as this looked basically the same as what I'd had eight whole years ago. At that time Dennis of A Radiused Corner (we miss you man!), called it a "tease" when it came to the proteins.

Those two thin slices of toroniku look rather lonely on that pile of noodles, huh? The provided toppings were rather "sparse"; though if you're carb loading, you've got your dish!

The "sauce" was weaker than I recalled, not as dashi forward and the sour tones were muted. I ended up mixing in all that mustard to help give things some "umph".

The noodles were nicely prepped and well chilled; so no issues there.

And as much as I like carbs and Santouka (remember us hunting down the original store in Asahikawa as few years back?), I'm not the biggest fan of the Hiyashi Chuka here.

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Things seem to be cooling down nicely as I'm finishing up this post......so maybe cooler weather is in store.