mmm-yoso!!!

Zion Market Food Court-eating in

Today, mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy. 

Before The Mister and I go food shopping, we try to have a small meal.  Most markets have a steam tray area or nearby restaurants with the same ethnic foods, so we get an idea of what we might buy inside the grocery store.  Zion Market does have a prepared foods area, as well as a food court area (the building used to be a K-Mart and is very large).  We can buy inside the market, pay, then sit at a Food Court table. 

However, during Covid and all the restrictions, we chose to give our business to the storefront restaurants in the Food Court area. All of them.
  This post began in late June of 2020. As of now, just assume most every entree is around $12. 

Wok Bar- Mabo Tofu.  Plentiful, spicy hot and good on a rainy day.  The soft tofu and ground pork, along with the creamy spicy sauce is very satisfying.
 Gala Chicken (it used to be inside the Market).  The three piece leg combo (or you could get wings or chicken strips) is a perfect size.  The chicken is lightly breaded and crispy. The Mac salad is lightly dressed and the shredded cabbage and its dressing are just the right sides to go with the rice. $1 for the side of radishes because it tastes good.  
The generically named storefront has a great version of Bibimbap.
 When it was packed 'to go', it was just as tasty and plentiful as the 'for here' version.
 The pork katsu is a good choice when you are craving crispy. The Mister loves the choices at Poke U.
 The medium size bowl is quite large, includes four scoops of marinated seafood, a base of rice and/or salad, cucumber, seaweed and krab.  There are about six sauces and eight shakers of seeds and spices you can have mixed and matched on top.    There are also Bento box options  as well as some appetizer-ish sides (takoyaki) for about $5. 
  The former CDD Tofu and Grill changed hands sometime in 2020.  
 The bulgogi platter is quite large, very flavorful and the side of calamari ($4) made for an easily shareable meal.   The Bibimbap here is wonderful and almost always a choice... But there was this day when I thought...'hmmm, a Tuna Mayo Bowl", let's try that.  Then I ordered the side of sweet potato.
 Oh my!  Tuna, mayonnaise, rice and lots of seaweed.  Perfect, simple, wonderful.  The sweet potatoes were lightly breaded and fried and just, well just all of this was a perfect meal.  This place.  The menu is loosely translated.  Number Seven. The receipt says Tangsuyuk.  Get it. 
 No, that isn't styrofoam.  It is magic surrounding tender pork.  It is addictive in texture and flavor.  The vegetable dipping sauce that comes with it is warm.  It's really good.  The yellow things are radishes.  A wonderful surprising meal. 
 Paris Baguette.  So many choices.  We have been stoppng here and picking a dessert to take home. The lemon meringue croissant is one of the seasonal choices.  Get it.  The coconut cream croissant, also seasonal, also wonderful.
 Everything here is good. 

Sadly, Cocohodo closed in May 2021.  We would stop to enjoy a small, sweet treat if we were not going to go to Paris Baguette. This was where I saw the infamous 2020 Covid Concoction, Dalgona Coffee, being sold. I never was sure I made the simple recipe correctly at home and really liked the thick version here.

Always interesting and always good.  The Food Court here is unique.

Zion Market Food Court 7655 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard 92111

   Our dear piano playing teddy bear has gone into isolation.  Damn Covid!

 

Food Court Kimchi Fried Rice - Bann Korean Cuisine versus Sue’s Korean Kitchen

I was working from home recently and just needed to get out of the house. Luckily, I had some time to grab some lunch. For some reason, I was craving Kimchi Fried Rice....now granted, I could have just made my own at home.......but that wouldn't be any fun, would it?

I decided to head on over to the H Mart Food Court; I hadn't been to Bann since 2019. And I thought they made some decent kimchi fried rice. The food court was fairly busy; even at a few minutes past 11.

But there was only one person ahead of me in line at Bann.......

I quickly noticed that the price of the Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam had gone up in price; by $2 since my last visit and was now over $13!

Anyway, it was ready in a fairly quick amount of time and I headed home.

   First thing I noticed was that the egg hadn't travelled real well and the usual runny yolk was now solid. There was an abundance of Spam and large slices Kimchi in the fried rice. It had a decent "kick", perhaps a bit more than I prefer as it kind of over powered the Spam. The rice was nicely coated, moist, and there were no complaints. Like I mentioned in my previous post, the portion sizes here at the H Mart location is a lot larger than when Bann was on Miramar Road. It's also a lot spicier as well. And I did appreciate the amount of Kimchi and Spam.

Bann Korean Cuisine
7725 Balboa Ave. (In the H Mart Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues - Sun 11am - 730pm
Closed Mondays

I couldn't help but wonder how this compared to Sue’s Korean Kitchen. So, the very next day at the office, I headed out between meetings. I like the fact that Sue's opens at 10. I can get there early and get my food rather quickly.

I guess I've been coming here fairly often; the really nice woman working remembers me......."no jokbal, today?" Was the question presented on this morning. I told her that I was only getting lunch for me today and she laughed.

Of course, the first obvious thing is that the Kimchi Fried Rice here is $9.99. 

The prep is much more rustic than the version at Bann. Also, as you can see by the shade of red on the rice; it's not as intensely flavored, though make no mistake about it; there's some decent sour-fermented tones and a mild spice to things. Not as much Spam or large pieces of Kimchi in this version and of course it's just julienned egg instead of a golden orb crowning the rice. 

Still, I think it's one of the better things on the menu and I really like the friendly folks that work here as well. I think of this as being a more homey version of kimchi fried rice....like what my friend's mom would make for us back home. And you can't complain about the portion size as well.

I'm also glad that it seems like they're doing some good business. There was one customer in the place when I arrived. She picked up a rather large order....it came to $150!!! Good for them!

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 10am - 9pm
Closed Sundays

So, pick your poison....a more spicy, refined fried rice, with a generous portion of Spam and Kimchi....or something homey and rustic, that makes you feel like your Auntie made it. I think they both have a place in my lunch rotation....and my stomach!

 

Prime Grill

Well, after a rough 15 months we here in California are on the cusp of reopening, yes, tomorrow the capacity limits for businesses ends and mask requirements will be modified for those vaccinated....though I truly doubt that many businesses will be asking for proof of vaccination. Does this mean things get back to normal? I really don't know how to answer that one....I mean 3700+ deaths and 280,000 cases later, a fifteen month lockdown, politicization of what should have been a public health emergency......what is normal?

As for rushing out to grab a meal at restaurants.......I think we're in "wait and see mode". As a whole we're not big on crowds anyway......so we may just lie low until after Father's Day. But who knows. I will say we had our first indoor dining experience last week as San Diego entered the Yellow Tier allowing for 50% indoor capacity. It's been getting kinda hot...in fact, I think tomorrow we may have record temperatures. I was working from home and the Missus finished work early. I was craving some Bi Bim Naengmyun and the Missus, a Dolsot Bi Bim Bap. And after I tried and failed to order Bi Bim Naengmyun to go from Prime Grill and since they were open straight through from 11am, we decided to give the place a shot. Prime Grill had stopped doing outdoor seating a while back, so indoors was the only choice. It was however, only 430pm when we arrived and we didn't expect the place to have customers.....but we were wrong and the place was about 1/3 full.....we requested and got a table in the far corner.

The Missus of course wanted Her Bi Bim Bap and I went for the Bi Bim Naengmyun....the Missus asked me to order some Dak Bulgogi as well. So, the older Korean woman came over to take my order.....and when I tried to place my order, she shook her head, "no...no....better for you to order the combination....you save money." I suddenly recognized her voice; she was the one who told me not to order the Bi Bim Naengmyun to go the last time! Well, I pointed out that the menu said "Naengmyun" and I wanted Bi Bim Naengmyun.

To which she answered "no worry, we make bi bim naengmyun for combo." You gotta love it!

And while it looked like the gyeran jjim (the steamed egg) had pretty much collapsed due to over work, the rest of the panchan was quite good....the baechu kimchi looked like it wasn't fermented enough, but it was good.

And the Missus got Her Dolsot Bi Bim Bap.

Which She let "rest" to develop the rice crust from the hot stone bowl, while devouring the gyeran jjim and also the Dak Bulgogi, which was much better eating here as it got some nice caramelization....use the takeout photo to compare. In fact, She ended up taking half of the Bi Bim Bap home to eat the next day.

As for me....well this was just what I wanted...heck, needed after 15 months. The stretchy naengmyun, cut to an edible length with scissors, the spicy sauce.....

A shot of sweet-spicy cho-jang, a squirt of vinegar to get those salivary glands to pucker up. The Asian Pear brings a bit of sweetness and helps cut through all that spiciness. Aaahhhh.....

Just what the doctor ordered......

And even though we felt a bit out of sorts eating indoors after so long, just for a few minutes; there was no pandemic in sight....we were having a nice meal......what would be a "normal" warm weather meal for us, and all seemed right in the world. During these times it's a feeling I've come to treasure.

Prime Grill
4620 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am - 10pm

So, here's a question for all our "FOYs" (Friends of Yoso). With the reopening happening tomorrow are you making plans to go out? To eat, to a movie, your favorite watering hole, perhaps the gym...a museum? Or are you going to adopt a "wait and see" position? 

Sue’s Korean Kitchen

It was Good Friday and I decided to run out between meetings and grab some lunch. I thought I'd give Nanay's another shot. Unfortunately, Nanay's was closed for Good Friday. So, taking a quick look around I noticed Sue's Korean Kitchen....hmmm.....don't remember seeing this place before. So I thought why not?

   It was around 1030 or so; there was just one very kind middle aged Korean woman working. The menu consists of Korean standards; though there was one item that looked interesting. More on that later. There are lunch specials and also a basic menu.

In addition, the coolers are full of various panchan.....the woman told me it's all made inhouse. In fact, while waiting for my order, two older Korean women came by and just bought Kimchi.

There was something about this place that just reminded me of those places "back home" like Gina's BBQ. 

And what did I order? Well, the Kimchi Fried Rice ($9.99) with Spam (of course) sounded like just what I needed on this day.

 I really enjoyed this. There was a nice fermented tone to the dish.....I think the baechu kimchi might be worth trying. Not overly sour or salty; it had a decent spicy kick and tons of savory goodness. A generous amount of Spam and pork as well. Chunks of kimchi.

This hands down was the best dish I've over the course of my visits. Quite rustic and enjoyable.....like your Halmeoni (grandma) would make.

I returned the very next week to try something else from the menu. I was greeted by the really nice woman who took my order the last time. This time she was working in the back and another really nice woman was working the front counter.

This time around I ordered the Cup Bap (i.e. BiBimBap) Lunch Special with Bulgogi ($9.99).

The portion size was quite generous. I do prefer my bulgogi to be marinated a bit more as this was quite mild in flavor. At this price point, I didn't expect the beef to be of the highest grade and it was indeed a bit on the dry and tough side.

I did enjoy most everything else provided. The rice was perfectly cooked, loved the eggs....I need more veggies in my life so the salad was perfectly fine. The kongnamul (marinated bean sprouts) and sigeumchi namul (marinated spinach) took me down a nostalgic road.

   This totally reminded me of the little mon-and-pop Korean takeout places of my youth. The one's where you'd pick a protein and three side dishes (panchan); what I call Hawaii's version of the "meat and three".

That following Friday, I decided to try "that item" I had seen on the menu. It was the jokbal, pig's feet cooked in shoyu and other ingredients. I was quite curious about how a little shop would handle this. I fully intended to put out out the jokbal ($30) and a couple of other dishes in the walkway and share it with folks who could grab a plate and head back to their office. On the funny side; there were only three people in the office on this day! Still, it was full speed ahead. I hedged my bets and got kimchi fried rice and kimchi pajeon (kimchi pancake - $7) to hedge my bets. The same woman was working; alone again, she told me that the other folks start coming in around 1030 or so. She was quite surprised that I ordered the jokbal and very happy as well. She also gave me a container of Kkakdugi (radish kimchi), which I forgot to take a photos of. It was quite good; with some mild fermented tones. The Missus enjoyed it as truly fermented kimchi is hard to come by.

Anyway; the jokbal is premade and kept in the fridge. I brought it back to the office, opened it, and cracked up!

Jesus......this was enough for a large family! It came with some kimchi and the saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp) was pretty good.

And of course the other "stuffs".

  And of course the kimchi fried rice and pajeon. I was shocked at the portion size of the fried rice....maybe it's because I ordered it with the jokbal?

The fried rice was again quite good; a bit spicier than on my previous visit with huge chunks of kimchi.

The pajeon was ok; I enjoy mine a bit more crisp than this....but it could have been the 15 minute travel time. 

As for the star of the show.....

No complaints from me. While the flavor wasn't quite up there with our favorite version in San Diego; it was far from bland. Nice swiney goodness. Love the contrast in textures. The saeujeot really cut through any collagen stickiness. There was also the actual pig foot; or what remained after all the meat was sliced.....just in case someone wanted to do some gnawing. There was quite a bit leftover; so I split the rest with JeffP....hope they enjoyed it. JeffP told me that he was going to bust out the beers at home with this.

I think I might order this again........the leftovers did quite well in noodle soup.

And I'm for sure going to get my Kimchi Fried Rice fix here again....and perhaps try out some other items on the menu. I have a special places for these little mom-and-pop shops and hope they do well. The folks that work here are so kind and warm...they make you feel welcome. No tables in the shop; but lot's of outdoor seating in the Plaza Sorrento Food Court area.

I'm glad that Nanay's was closed on Good Friday, because I found Sue's! Sometimes things just seem to happen for a reason, huh?

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 352-6511
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 10am - 9pm

 

Donkatsu from Gala Chicken (Brown Donkatsu)

I had to run an errand for the Missus recently....She requested something from the Korean Market, so I headed off to H Mart, which didn't have what She wanted. So, as much as I didn't want to; I then went to Zion Market. Where, as my luck would have it, had the product on sale. After an "interesting" incident at the check-out stand (more on that at the end of the post); I decided to treat myself and grab some chicken wings for lunch. I hadn't been to Gala Chicken in a while so I decided to head on over.

I had my sights set on an order of wings; but unfortunately, the really nice guy working....he was very nice, told me that they were out of wings and weren't sure they'd be getting more. My first thought was to just cut my losses and leave; but the gentleman was really nice and I noticed a sign above the counter that I hadn't seen before; "Brown Donkatsu". Hmmmm…...when did Gala start making d(t)onkatsu? Brown is a fairly well known brand in Korea. So, I decided to try the regular pork cutlet ($11.95). After about 15 minutes, my order was ready and I headed home.

The portion size of the cutlet looked quite generous.

The mac salad had been replaced by one made with penne pasta...or maybe they had just run out of macaroni? Regardless, it wasn't quite as sour as before and was seasoned well, nicely chilled, the pasta firm, though was a bit overdressed with mayo.

I think the version of donkatsu here has sealed it for me. I'm not a big fan of the watery, not overly savory typical sauce served with this version of tonkatsu. There's something weird in the texture like they put cream or milk in it? I opened up my bottle of Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce.

The rice was really mushy as well.

As for the pork...well, this was pounded really thin, so the panko to meat ratio was quite high. However, the breading was uneven, though in terms of temperature control, things must have set-up well since the breading was not separating from the meat. The pork was quite bland and very dry.

I'll pass on this next time...…"give me wings or give me nothing at all...."

Gala Chicken
7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (In the Zion Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 279-7959
Current Hours:
Wed - Mon 11am - 8pm
Closed on Tuesdays

As for what the Missus needed....well, ahem, I think many husbands will relate to this; She needed "fem hygiene" stuff. Anyway, I hit the jackpot, or something like that at Zion; it was on sale. And me not wanting to repeat this again for a while went and bought six boxes! So, I'm waiting in line with my basket of "stuff", maybe I should have bought other things to help camouflage those boxes, but I didn't. There were two customers in line in front of me; both older Korean women. The one in front of me looks at my basket and says:

"Why you buy so much of that; what you going to do with it?"

I could feel that bead of sweat rolling down the middle of my back as the woman in front of her peers over at what I have in my basket....

My response:

"It's for my wife. And you are really embarrassing me right now!"

The woman in the front starts laughing......

The woman's response?

"Humph.....you don't need to buy so many"

I almost say something like "well, you wouldn't know because you don't have to worry about using this at your age", but I bite my tongue and respond with:

"Well, it's so that I don't have to come back and buy more and have people in line question why I'm buying this....."

Ah yes, just another day standing in line at Zion....where the sign in the produce section says:

I have another similar story; but one much nicer about Paris....hopefully I'll remember to add that to a future post.

Kim's Deli

In previous posts I've mentioned the phrase "Google is your friend". Here's another example.....I went ahead and Googled "Teriyaki Beef Sandwich" and was surprised at one of the results. It was fairly close to the office, named Kim's Deli....which seemed like one of those little business park sandwich shops. Looking over the menu, I was fascinated and based on the name, well, it immediately reminded me of The Sandwich Place. I went ahead and drove on over finding the shop in (of course) a business park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

I entered and headed over to the social distancing marks....I was the only person in the place. Soon enough, a very nice Korean woman came over and I ordered the Teriyaki Beef sandwich, priced nicely at $7.

I went ahead and drove back to the office and opened my sandwich.

This was actually not bad for the price. The beef, while obviously reheated in a microwave was more tender than what I expected and while a bit on the sweeter side, nicely marinated and not overly salty. It's actually better than TSP's. The bread was standard issue a bit crumbly, but yeasty. I'm not sure about the provolone cheese on this, the jury's out.....I'll try it again and see. There was a bit too much mayo, but this was a decent sandwich....especially for seven bucks.

While waiting for my sandwich; I noticed that there were some poke bowls (sorry, not for me) and a Bulgogi Bowl ($9) available. The woman working told me it was available every day. So, a week later, I called in my order, which was ready for pick up when I arrived.

I was quite surprised at the heftiness of my package and when opened was surprised at the quantity of food.

I cracked up when I opened my "box" up....as this was bit more than a "bowl"; but beyond that, the plate totally reminded me of something I would get from a lunchwagon back in my hanabuddah days or if they added in some, say namul and kimchi, it would look like one of the "local kine" (I always say local style meat and three) Korean takeout places.

Nothing fancy here; the japchae was straightforward; on the salty side and mostly just noodles.

The Bulgogi was the same meat as the teriyaki; but more tender this time and fairly well marinated.

Again, no frills, straightforward.

I mean, really, what do you expect at this price point?

The green salad was fine, fresh, with a sesame dressing.

The extra sauce for the bulgogi tasted like Yoshida's.

The rice was plentiful, but on the dry side.

No complaints really; I felt I got what I paid for...….

After this visit; I decided that I needed to try a deli sandwich to just complete the set. I called in an order for the Green Chili Roast Beef ($7). Again I called in my order which was ready for pick-up when I arrived.

As you can see; the sandwich used a standard issue telera style roll; though it was a bit more substantial than some I've had.

This one fell a bit short for me; mainly because I wished for a bit less lettuce and more roast beef. The slice of green chili only covered half the sandwich as well. There was quit a bit of avocado in this though. It was on the bland side overall.

Kim's seems to be a good place for hard working folks to get decent food at a good price.

Folks who are regular readers of our little blog know that I have a definite affection for these family owned, mom-and-pop places. Nothing fancy here; just decent food at good prices and on many days....well, that just fits the bill.

Kim's Deli
8515 Arjons Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-0370
Hours:
Mon - Fri 7am - 2pm
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays

The Lunch Special To Go from Bonchon (Convoy)

A few weeks back, I was craving some chicken wings; so I thought why not grab some K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken). It was lunch time and I decided to see if and how Bonchon was doing and was happy to see that they still did the lunch special for wings (8 Pieces + side, $10.95) and haven't raised the price, even during the pandemic.

I was quite impressed with the whole online process. I placed my order, got a text message letting me know when it would be ready. Right when I got to the parking lot, I got another text asking me to respond when I arrive. I responded and when I walking into the restaurant, the young man asked me my name and my order was right there. Really efficient.

I initially was just going to order the Soy Garlic Wings; but decided to give the Spicy one more try and got half and half.

I didn't order the Soy Garlic easy on the sauce; but it wasn't too over-sauced and sticky, nicely lacquered, moist, and retained a good crisp crunch without being too hard. Not overly sweet....though I could always go for more garlic, these are definitely my favorite at Bonchon.

I'm kinda giving up on the spicy....unlike on previous visits, the Spicy wings were actually spicy! However, I could not detect the savory, almost beany flavor that was present on past visits. These too retained a good measure of crispy-crunchiness and were moist. They seem to take really good care of the wings here.

I do miss the wing tips though; as it seems those aren't included on the wings anymore. I get great pleasure munching on those. It seems the drumettes are getting a bit larger....I prefer them a bit smaller to enhance the skin to meat ratio, but these were fine.

I got my usual accompaniment to these wings; the pickled radish, which was decent this time around, nice and crisp, though still a bit too sweet for me. It still does a decent job of restoring my palate after all the fry-o-lated goodness.

I was really tempted to do what FOY Junichi recommends when having these wings......go for a cold one; but I was still on the clock. Maybe next time!

The lunch specials are available from 1145am - 245 pm Tuesdays to Friday.

Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 836-1287
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs 1145am - 930pm
Fri - Sat   1145am - 10pm
Sunday      515pm - 930pm

Emperor's Soup To Go From Woomiok

So, the Missus as a frontline healthcare worker got the first course of the Pfizer Vaccine last week. I anticipated the possibility of some mild side effects and felt She could probably use some Emperor's Soup ($17.99) from Woomiok. So, I placed my order to go and then went over to Nijiya to do some shopping. Also of note, you can order an extra portion of bone broth for $6-$8....depending on who is working that day. I'm often happy with just the soup and rice made into sort of a porridge....so it works out well for us.

As before, nicely packed.

This time I used our Iwatani Butane stove to heat things up at our dinner table.

Even though the Missus had minimal side effects....Her arm hurt like hell and there was a mild rash that broke out around the injection site, She did enjoy having a nice tongue and tummy coating soup, seasoned with salt, tender oxtail, tendon, ox knee, etc. This was good on a fairly chilly night here in San Diego.

Even though both the baechu kimchi and  kkakdugi (radish kimchi) were a bit on the weak side this time around, the soup did hit the spot. Because I ordered more than twenty bucks worth of food (with that side of bone broth), two soft drinks were given to us gratis.

Just what we needed on a chilly evening.

Woomiok
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 737-4599
Current Hours:
Daily 11am - 9pm

On a side note; I'm scheduled to get my Covid-19 Vaccine soon.....are you planning to get the vaccine?

Tofu House (Mira Mesa)

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, is being written by Cathy today.  Kirk and His Missus are really enjoying a well deserved vacation.

I hadn't realized how long ago Ed(from Yuma) and I had met for lunch at Tofu House.  I will miss his wit, wisdom and sense of adventure. When restaurants were allowed to reopen and we started being less afraid of COVID-19, The Mister and I decided we wanted to get food we could not replicate at home: Korean, in particular.  Cravings, you know.

As usual, we drive without a plan and look for open restaurants.  We also now look for tents outside of businesses and noticed the other location of Tofu House was open. As part of our "COVID-19 Caution", we think getting somewhere right when it opens means the tables are freshly sanitized.
   When we left, it was getting busy.

There are giant menus on the exterior of the building, 
 
As well as a QR code on each table, so you can read the menu on your phone. Once you order, your condiments and utensils are brought out.
 An appetizer (or possibly complete small meal), the crispy fried dumplings ($8) are good to share. The Korean 'pot stickers'/mandu have a thicker skin and are primarily meat filled.  These are very good. Crispy fried tofu with mushrooms and seasonal vegetables ($12) is a very satisfying meal.  The fresh fried tofu as well as the stir fried melange of vegetables have a variety of textures and bright flavors.  After eating about half, I added some kimchee/spicy condiments to the plate.  It was a whole new set of flavors. 
  The Hot Stone crispy rice  Meat Party ($12) was the choice of The Mister on one visit.  Marinated rib eye, beef short ribs and chicken served on top of the rice, sizzling in the stone pot (creating such a lovely crust of rice to enjoy at the end of the meal), this was a fragrant, nicely spiced good sized serving of all the ingredients.  I could still taste/discern the various flavors of meats and enjoyed each of them.   
 The Boiled Tofu Seafood Special Combo ($11) is my personal favorite item to order.  Shrimp, clam, scallop, fish ball, calamari, beef and pork as well as the soft soon tofu all served as a bubbling, flavorful stew.  
 The bulgogi with glass noodle (no tofu) ($12) is another good selection on a cool day.  Another stew, the marinated rib eye, shiitake and white mushrooms along with seasonal vegetables is another flavorful choice. 

 The stews come with either white or multigrain rice (which is sort of purple in color and has a wonderful nutty flavor).

Tofu House 9089 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego CA 92126 (858)860-5296 Open noon-8 daily website 

PLEASE NOTE: This location is currently (November 2020) only doing Take-Out. The 4646 Convoy Street location has Outdoor Seating

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!