mmm-yoso!!!

Midweek Meanderings - Spicy Lao Kitchen Coming to Kearny Mesa and Vinya Vino + Vinyasa Coming to Balboa

Here are a couple of places I noticed when doing takeout recently.

Vinya Vino + Vinyasa Coming to Balboa:

I was doing some takeout from Noble Chef a while back when I noticed construction taking place in the old Beverly's location off Balboa.

Doing a bit of research it seems like this'll be a Yoga Studio/Wine Bar/Tapas sort of place....man Balboa sure is changing!

And I had a chuckle wondering if any of the customer base would do yoga, have a glass of wine, and then head over to Noble Chef for some....well...maybe Steamed Pork with Salted Fish? Somehow it just seems like something I'd see further up north? Hopefully I have the target customer base all wrong!

6185 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Spicy Lao Kitchen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Funny, I saw Vinya when doing takeout from Noble Chef.....I saw this one when doing takeout from Golden City.

I believe this used to be the Subway in Spectrum Center. Googling the name of the place led me to this post. Apparently, the owners of the Jerky Shop in the strip mall are opening this up. Now this one, I'm kinda excited about!

5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Sunday Stuffs: Ban Lao Cuisine Takes Over the Que Huong Space, if You've Ever Wondered What I Sound Like, and Other "stuffs"

Just some "stuffs" for Sunday.

Ban Lao Takes Over the Que Huong Spot:

After picking up lunch at Fredcels, since I hadn't been around City Heights since March, I decided to take a quick peek on University to see what was going on. I drove over the 15 freeway and to the corner of Marlborough and University; noticing that Cafe Dore had their doors open. I then took a quick look left and noticed that it seemed that Ban Lao's sign was gone. I was bummed.....I then took a turn into the parking lot and was even more shocked......you see Ban Lao had taken over the space where Que Huong used to be. Que Huong was gone! "CC" had told me that Que Huong had changed ownership a while back and that Jay and his sister no longer owned the place. But this was still quite sad since I'd been visiting here since 2005! Bummer......I'll miss my favorite fish sauce chicken wings and boneless chicken feet salad. After seeing this; I just decided to turn around and head back home.

RIP Que Huong.

Here's a link to something from 2012.

4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Speaking of sad - I've been looking at posts I did from my Portland Trips:

So, this all started when I read in Portland Food and Drink that Cheese Bar was closing. Wondering what all this collateral damage was from Covid-19, etc. I started looking at all the places we visited during trips to Portland and I was shocked at how many places were recently permanently closed or soon closing. Not including those places that are still temporarily closed.

All Pok Pok locations

Tasty N 'Alder - This one really hurts since it was a favorite of the Missus and even inspired a copycat version of the Missus's favorite dish there.

Bailey's Tap Room

Blue Star Donuts

Toro Bravo

Alma Chocolates

Ataula

You can find a list here.

Have you ever wondered what I "sound" like?:

Back at the beginning of October; I received an email from Kristy Totten at the UT:

"I host a podcast with Abby Hamblin about interesting people around San Diego and we were wondering if you'd come on our show this week or next."

Which caught me totally off guard. I'd always thought that I have done a pretty good job of flying under the radar. So naturally, the first thing I did was take a quick look at the Podcast; which is named Name Drop San Diego. I was and still am not quite certain why "FOY ChrisR" recommended me for the podcast. And after reading first the description:

"Name Drop San Diego is a weekly podcast from The San Diego Union-Tribune celebrating people who have shaped San Diego and been shaped by it. Join hosts Abby Hamblin and Kristy Totten each Tuesday as they get to know the people who make San Diego proud."

And looking at the line-up of folks who had already been on the podcast....frankly, I was thinking someone had made a mistake here.....

Still, I agreed to a phone call with Kristy and Abby, who were both so warm and friendly....setting me immediately at ease, I agreed.

Abby and Kristy made the whole process quite fun to be perfectly honest. I'm not sure how; but they worked some magic and made my rambling answers seem somewhat coherent. So kudos to them.

There were a couple of things that were somewhat funny. First, not being a big fan of my voice (though I will say; I got a great face for podcasting), I was surprised at how fast I speak. Second was a totally on the nose observation made by some of my close friends, each of whom said in a similar way that I'd totally fail the "lightning round" since there was just no way I could answer questions on food in a single word or sentence. I guess they know me well.

So, if after all this rambling you're still interested here's the link.

Kristy and Abby if you do read this post; thanks so much to the both of you for a wonderful experience. It was a pleasure.

And Chris, thanks....I think; for the recommendation.

And, I was also reminded of another one I did back in 2008 - here's the link from the wayback machine!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant Revisited (Garden Grove)

We were in the OC and it felt like a bazillion degrees. It was 10 in the morning and we were getting hungry, so where to go? I had a couple places in mind; though it was just too hot for most of what I had in mind. The Missus had a favorite of Hers, Song Long in mind. And then it came to Her....what would be perfect on a hot and humid day; it had been a while since we'd been to Vientiane; no not the city (though we loved it there); but Vientiane Thai Laos, which we had first tried in 2009 and really enjoyed. So, we drove on over to Westminster Avenue and the strip mall that hosts this little restaurant. Man, has parking always been so bad in this strip mall?

Anyway, the restaurant has changed over the years; it looks much more up to date, though we were hoping that the food would still be the same.

The young lady who served us was adorable, so sweet, and nice.

And of course we started with what was perhaps my favorite version of Nem Khao outside of Vientiane (the city).

Everything was so sparkling fresh. The Missus loved the amount of pork skin and sour sausage in the dish. I wasn't so thrilled as this was not quite as good as what I'd had here before. I thought the rice, instead of being crisp, was on the harder, more chewy side....not bad mind you; just not as crispy, though it was crunchy as what I'd had here on previous visits. There was till that nice sour-sausage-smoky-savory thing going on; but it didn't have the light, faint coconut flavor I recalled.

The Missus wanted Her favorite dish here; the Koong Chae Nam Pa, raw shrimp salad.

These days; the wonderful garlic-lime-fish sauce-chili sauce is now served on the side. Of course it was poured over everything. The shrimp were chilled, with just the amount of toothsomeness you'd want. The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and sweet and tangy. This was every bit as good as what we remembered.

The Missus also wanted Her Lao Style Papaya Salad.

By the time my attention went to this dish, the Missus had almost devoured the whole thing. Not as much salted crab as I recall; but man, this was so perfectly funky and savory; with a stiff spiciness....and again those tomatoes; though this time it had been perfectly bruised in the mortar and was so tender and sweet!

We had decided to add one more dish for the meal and asked the young lady for a suggestion. She recommended the beef salad. Asked how we'd like it done, I said "raw"....she looked up in surprised and said, "are you sure?" And I said, that's how it is traditionally, right? To which she nodded......and it turned out to be the right decision.

And it turned out to be the right decision. Unlike other versions where the meat is minced or chopped and served; this one was pounded in the mortar, making the texture wonderfully tender; like a good tartare. The rice powder added a nice nuttiness; the citrus the acid. The real bonus was the tripe which was surprisingly soft and buttery.

This was just the perfect meal for a hot and humid day. While other tables were getting pad thai and curries (and one dude seemed so hungry he was eating a plain bowl of rice!); we were cooling off with traditional Lao dishes.

It's good to know Vientiane Thai Laos Restaurant is still doing well nearly ten years since we first visited.

Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant
10262 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove,CA92843
Hours:
Mon      11am - 9pm
Tues     10am - 9pm
Thurs    10am - 9pm
Fri- Sat 10am - 10pm
Sunday   10am - 9pm
Closed on Wednesdays

 

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #2 and multiple food adventures: Porto's, Iron & Kin Coffee, Cafe 86 and Kra-Z Kai's Lao BBQ

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food and there is always a reason we find the food.  Over the weekend, Cathy and cc woke early to drive to Irwindale, photograph participate in the second float road test and then took many side roads to enjoy some great foods and beverages while heading home.

Link to Road Test #1

Link to Road Test #3

Link to Road Test #4

Link to Road Tests #5 and #6

First, the road testing for 2020 Rose Parade floats.  This early morning, multiple floats were being tested at Phoenix Decorating Company for mechanics and maneuverability, some with 'weight' on board.  The weight was humans, who will be riding on the floats during the Parade on January 1, 2020.  cc and I were asked if we would like to help by sitting on a float while it was driven a short way down the street, backed up, turned around and then participated in a fire drill, making sure that all the people (including the Driver and Spotter of the float) could disembark in 45 seconds. 

The 2020 Kiwanis International float, "Soaring with Hope" passed its road test (the open doors are from where the Spotter and Driver exited for the fire drill).  

The Rotary International 2020 Rose Parade entry, "Hope Connects the World" was painted in and road tested. (It wasn't yet painted in for the first Road Test).

This is the off camera side view of the Lutheran Hour Ministries float, "Anchored in Jesus".  It will appear as if underwater. 

"Hope for 2020",  the Lions Clubs International  float entry was also tested that morning. 

"First Responders Bring Hope", the 2020 entry by Oddfellows and Rebekahs was fully color coded for easy placement of natural materials during Decoration Days and also tested.  Behind it was the Mrs. Meyers Clean Day float, taking its first road test.  If you zoom in, you'll see a wheelbarrow with what looks like squash covered by an umbrella.  No artist rendering yet. 

It was fun and informative to be able to help with a road test. Use this link to the Rose Examiner to keep up to date with Tournament happenings. 

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It was the start of a day of food and adventure! cc was without Bert and I was without The Mister. 

Back to Portos! Only six miles and a few minutes away. My second visit ever.  Again, not very crowded (before 9 a.m.)

Sandwiches are available all Day. We decided to share a Pan con Lechon ($6.65) Slow roasted pork, mojo garlic sauce and pickled onion on Cuban bread (with plantain chips on the side). Wow. This was pretty much the best sandwich ever.
I was curious about the Tamal a Caballo ($4.75) as a breakfast item and it was another wow moment.  The masa, so very soft, had whole pieces of corn, the savory pork filling, a salsa verde and plantain strips.  

We purchased more than several items to take home.  I had a handwritten list from The Mister.   We also enjoyed beverages at the table.  The prices here are great, the freshness and quality are consistent. More menu items will be tried next month. 

Portos, many Los Angeles County locations. website

Soon it was off to our next planned stop for coffee.  cc had researched and found a coffee shop with an unusual caffeinated offerings in Pomona, sort of 'on the way home'.  Iron and Kin opened in May 2018 inside a restored downtown Hotel.  Half of the shop is a Craft Cocktail Bar, O'Donovan's Pub, open in evenings.  The other side is an efficient coffee bar.  cc had asked Josh, one of the owners of Iron and Kin, about the special "Affirmation Drinks" menu (she saw photos on Instagram).  We wanted to try each of the drinks, but knew we couldn't drink that much caffeine (or liquid).
 Josh was kind enough to prepare sample sizes of each of these unique beverages.  First, I must say the espresso, on its own, is of very high quality.  A smooth, strong, sweet yet not bitter/sour base to each beverage.  The unique Affirmation flavors were distinct, fresh and really wonderful: varying from chillies and cinnamon with cloves to turmeric with ginger, cardamom and honey with black pepper to figs with vanilla, brown sugar and black pepper to smoked salt with cream, brown sugar and Old Forester Bourbon as well as the iced matcha/gingerbeer/limeade/yuzu. Beverages not found in San Diego. Quality.

Iron and Kin 101 E. Third Street, Pomona, CA (951)808-7584 Website
We also made a quick stop at Cravings by 99 Ranch, but didn't snack there.  One block away is a Filipino Coffee and Tea Shop. Cafe 86 has been on Edison Avenue since 2014 and serves matcha, coconut, mango, hibiscus, ube and calamansi iced and hot beverages, ice cream and pastries in addition to coffees.   
  I think ube is the 'new' flavor of the year- even Trader Joe's is carrying an ube ice cream.  We only purchased the ube/coconut mini bundt cakes and iced Madelines. These were delicious with a cup of hot tea the next morning.

Cafe 86 4110 Edison Ave Chino, CA 91710 Website

 cc had one last planned stop- the only Lao BBQ restaurant in Southern California- Kra Z Kai's.  It's located in a large mall area anchored by a Sonic.  We each ended up purchasing food to go as well as some to eat in-all of the BBQ meats.  The distinct Southeast Asian flavors of garlic and lemongrass with the char grilled meats is just so perfect.  The house made sausage is coarse ground and has onion and leeks. Of course, sticky rice is the only proper rice to have with these items, even though steamed and fried rice are also offered.

Kra-z Kais 1218 Magnolia Ave #G110 Corona, CA 92881 (Southwest Corner of I-15 and Magnolia) Website

The end of an epic road trip.  There were other stops, because we avoided traffic. These were the highlights...plus my view while on the road test...

Ban Lao Cuisine Revisited

My recent revisit to Mekong Cuisine had me wondering how Ban Lao was doing. It had been nearly a year since my last visit, so on that very next weekend, I decided to head on up to City Heights and check things out.

Ban Lao opens at 10am on weekends, so the severe parking shortage in the lot isn't quite as bad. I arrived right after they opened and was seated by the friendly and talkative women working.

Of course I had to decide what to eat. It was fairly warm that weekend so I went with the Nem Khao. The last time I ordered the Nem Khao here I thought the portion provided was on the smaller side. This time though.....

It was twice the size of what I'd previously had here! This was a rather rustic version; large chunks of pleasingly sour sausage; thicker slices of pork skin. It was a very pleasing in terms of savory-sour tones; though the rice that had been on the outside of the ball when fried was more chewy than crisp. Lots of lettuce and herbs provided, allowing for a nice combination of various flavors; from the mild anise to sour to salty, and so forth.

I also went with what was one of my favorite items here - the Sien Savanh, the Beef Jerky.

The version here is not totally dry and hard; rather it is crisp on the exterior and chewy and on the softer side on the interior. The umami of the fish sauce really set things off and the chilies and sweetness in the dipping sauce added another dimension to things.

I enjoyed my meal so I returned the next weekend. Things had cooled off a bit.....we're having such crazy weather this year. Which made for a good opportunity to try the Khal Piak (Khal Peak).

Man, this was a huge bowl of soup. The broth was not quite as thick as the version at Mekong, but it was just as scaldingly hot! It was more salty than that version, along with being more peppery. The noodles in this case had been cut into short pieces, but had a nice chew. The broth had a touch more complexity than the version at Mekong. A couple of standard issue, "squeaky" meatballs completed the soup.

It did "hit the spot" and I left with full, warm belly. Nice to know that Ban Lao is still making decent Lao food.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Mon - Fri 1030am - 930pm
Sat - Sun 10am - 930pm

Still Soup Weather! Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai Revisited

I'm a bit under the weather - so just a short post tonight.

Recently, while sitting at my PC wool-gathering; basically looking at photos from past trips, I opened my Luang Prabang folder and all the memories came flooding back. The sights and sounds of the Morning Fresh Market....the "River of Orange" as I call, more widely known as the "Saffron Circuit" as the monks collect their morning alms each morning.

Rain or shine.....

Which brought me back to one of our favorite places in Luang Prabang. We never knew the name of the place; it was simply a booth located at the end of the Fresh Market we called "Same-Same", because we'd stop by every morning and the woman running the place would look at us and ask "same-same"? Of course the answer was "yes". And we'd have our coffee and a bowl of Khao Piak, what I pretty much consider the Lao National Noodle Soup.

I'd forgotten how much I loved Luang Prabang...…. And the recent cooler-rainy weather led me back to Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai.

Not sure how things are going as I had the place pretty much to myself during my visit. The young man serving me was pretty serious and stoic; until I started talking to him about the food. He became more and more friendly as my lunch went on.

I hadn't had the Khao Piak (Khao Peak Sen on the menu), so I decided to try that.

In many versions; like this one, the tapioca starch isn't dusted from the noodles and thickens the simple broth. This creates a rather thick soup....this one was perhaps the thickest I'd had in a while, almost like a potage. It was super hot and the density of the broth meant that it stayed lip singing hot for the entire meal. The noodles had a nice chew to them. The flavoring of the broth was very simple; I'm used to having more cilantro and perhaps lemongrass notes; but this one was fine. As I had figured; the chicken, it was white meat was dry and tasteless. But let me tell you, because of the viscosity, this is pretty filling.

And of course I had to have the Sai Ua (Sai Ou on the menu) as during my previous visits, I thought this place made a good Lao Sausage. And yes, it did deliver.

Lovely, slightly sour porkiness, nice lemongrass - kaffir lime leaf - gingery tones, a hint of spice. The rice in the sausage gives it a wonderful texture and every time I've had this here, the sausage casing had been crisped up nicely. As I've before; that tamarind based sauce really isn't needed for this.

The young man said; "it's good, yes? We make our own sausage here." He seemed quite proud, rightfully so. Now, I gotta find other dishes on the menu, because man does not live on sausage alone, right? Hmmm......

Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
 

Ban Lao Cuisine Revisited

The last couple of week; since we've gotten back from our trip have been nice. At least in terms of work for me. No more long days and weekends. The recent muggy weather has also changed my eating strategy a bit as well. I was craving Lao food. I decided to head back to Ban Lao to see how things have changed since my first visits there.

The place looks basically the same; except for the strategically placed ATM. The menu though, has evolved a bit, with some new dishes.

I was really thinking about getting the Sien Savanh (beef jerky) which I really enjoyed on one of my previous visit. I saw "fried pork belly" on the menu and really couldn't make up my mind. I finally asked the really nice young lady working here. She basically said she enjoys both, but because I'd had the beef jerky before, why not try the pork belly.....such good sales, huh?

This was ok. The pork belly was nicely fried; though there were some tough bits and without that wonderful fish sauce-chili-citrus dipping sauce it would have not been very good. The seasoning was too mild and it was rather plain.

I really wanted some Nem Khao, which turned out being better than what I'd had here before.

Nice crunchy-crispy bits, good amount of herbs, nice amount of pork skin, I think it could have used a bit more sour sausage, but texturally, this was quite nice. The portion size was a lot larger than on previous visits. And while it didn't look like it; there was a good amount of lettuce for wrapping up the nem khao. It's still not quite there in terms of the sour sausage-pork skin-herbs ratio, but it's better than what I've had here before.

A big plus is how nice the staff has always been in this tiny shop. And it seems things are getting better...….

We gotta get back to Laos one of these days.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Asia Cafe (new owners; same food)

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! We write about food. Today it is Cathy writing. This is uncharted territory; Ed has died, memories flow.  Thanks to everyone for your kind messages about our dear friend. 

I remember reading Kirk's two-part post, as well as a third visit, all in 2006, about Asia Cafe.  

The first time I went to Asia Cafe, it was in July 2008- I met Ed (from Yuma) when He stopped here *before* checking into his Point Loma motel. He didn't have a mobile phone then and we had to coordinate the meeting time.  Neither of us posted about the meal.  {We did however, write this post about lunch the following day}.
 Other than some new(er) tables and chairs, the exterior and interior haven't changed much.  The owners have.  The menu (at the bottom of this post) is similar, with the 'off menu' items now listed.  Ordering hot tea ($1) gets a nice size mug delivered.
 The Mister is back into his spicy cravings mode and ordered the papaya salad ($6) at a heat level of '3'(out of 5).  Good thing he did; this was a just right amount of heat for him, while I was still able to taste the freshly shredded green papaya. The tomatoes added a bit of calming flavor as did the savory salty fish sauce in the base.    I was here for the Nem Khao ($8) and it did not disappoint.  The crispy rice with fried garlic and sour sausage dish was just about as I remembered, although the sausage was a bit more chopped up/in finer pieces than I remembered.  The flavors (I could taste the lemongrass in the sour sausage) were all there.   As our third dish, (we try to order one for each of us plus 'one for the table'), The Mister wanted to try the Phad See Ew with chicken ($6.50).  Crisped pan fried wide noodles with egg, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms made this dish a flavorful combination of comfort. 

Some good friend and good food memories recalled today.

Asia Cafe 4710 Market St San Diego, CA 92102

Asia Cafe 4710 Market St San Diego, CA 92102

Ban Lao Cuisine

Ban Lao opened up a couple of months back. Located next to Que Huong, I believe this used to be a taco shop if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, the place sure took its sweet ol' time opening up. Since their opening I've visited about 6-7 times.

The interior is bright and clean....and nicely air-conditioned; a big plus over the last couple of months.

On one of my visits, I looked up.....and noticed that they'd built a little platform for their offerings and such. Interesting.

The menu is diverse; with all the usual suspects.

So of course on my first visit I ordered the Nem Khao ($8.95) and Lao Sausage.

The Nem Khao was decent; better than the version at Mekong Cuisine in my opinion. Though it was a bit more chewy than I enjoy; I could actually make out the hints of coconut in this, there was also a good amount of sour sausage as well. Strangely, the dish was served on the cold side and there were only two leaves of lettuce provided.

The Lao Sausage ($6.95) was decent, nicely charred.

The sausage had a nice chew, though it didn't quite have enough lemongrass and herb flavors. So in this case, I think Mekong Cuisines version is better. That jaew; the dipping sauce had a nice citrus kick to it.

I really liked the folks working here, they were mellow and friendly. So, I ended up coming back quite a few more times. Here's a rundown on some other dishes.

Kha Pao Thousand Year Old Eggs ($9.95).

This really had me wistfully thinking of Yai Cuisine, as the eggs weren't fried right, the batter had turned gummy and the eggs were rubbery and still slightly cold inside. Not enough basil to really give this umph.

Sour Sausage Fried Rice ($9.95).

The rice was a bit more "wet" than I prefer, but man; there was a ton of sour sausage in this. Nice flavors, though some of the chunks of sausage were on the large side and could have been chopped a bit better and more evenly incorporated into the fried rice. Not bad though.

I'm on the fence with regards to the Crying Tiger ($9.95).

At this price point I don't expect a really good cut of beef, but this was better than I expected; a bit toothsome, but not too bad. The beef, while still lacking in a good amount of seasoning (I'm looking for sweet-savory flavors), had a nice crust. And darn if this didn't go real well with a dip in the jaew and a ball of sticky rice.

Lao Style Papaya Salad ($7.95) was cut much too thick.

Man, this was pretty heady stuff; even more pungent than the version at Thai Papaya. It was bit too rustic for my tastes and wasn't very spicy (I ordered spicy). Strangely, I find the pungent flavors from whatever they use for Padek here in the states to be mainly pungent, sometimes almost bitter and lacking in the savory nuances like what we've had in Laos. Of course at the markets in Laos, there are many different versions on Padek available; at different stages of "fermentation". There was a good amount of preserved blue crab in this as well.

The Chicken Wings ($7.95) was another dish that came close.

The wings were nicely fried; though there was a good amount of blackening around the bone, the meat was tender, the skin fairly crisp. Seasoned "salt and pepper" style. I really didn't care for the bitter fried lemongrass that topped the wings.

The Beef Jerky ($7.95) though, was good.

The Sien Savanh, though not totally dried, which might have been a good thing, was pleasantly chewy, the flavors had permeated the meat nicely. This was delicious with sticky rice...and it didn't even need the jaew.

The Stir Fried Pak Bong with Garlic (Ong Choi/Water Spinach) looked over-cooked, but it was not.

Nice and crunchy; with the perfect amount of salty-savory notes and a light hint of sweetness.

By now, I thought it was time to just go for it. I went ahead and ordered the Beef Larb ($10.95). The really friendly woman working was shocked when I said "Lao style" and nodded yes, when she asked me if I wanted it "rare".

As you can see; by "rare" she basically meant raw. There was a good amount of nutty rice powder on this, though I wish it was more spicy. What really made this "Lao" for me was that it had no citrus, but a good amount of puckery-bitterness, which goes really well with the mint and other herbs. I'd learned of the importance of beef (water buffalo) bile in koy and larb during my cooking class in Luang Prabang. Though no one else in the class would even try the stuff, I found the flavor quite interesting. Here, I could have used a touch of citrus as well; I'll have that done the next time I have the dish. As for the bitterness? Well, I had a nice discussion with the woman working and was told they pick up fresh beef bile from a specific farmer once or twice a week.

In the end I enjoyed several dishes from Ban Lao and will gladly have them again. when the weather turns cooler, I'll try some of their soups as well. While it's not quite on the level of Vientiane in Garden Grove, it'll do in a pinch.

And sometimes, because I try not to do "just one visit", things turn out well for me.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
Open Daily
11am - 930pm

Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai

I'm not sure why I waited so long to visit. I recall seeing the new sign back in March of last year. Perhaps it was because Sang Deuan really never satisfied my craving for Lao food, even though it was fairly close to work.

Recently, for some reason, I've been craving Lao and Thai food....especially Lao...man, has it already been 8 years since we visited Laos? For some reason, Laos, especially Luang Prabang really got to me.

So, I decided to finally visit Mekong on one recent, bright, sunny day.

To get a measure of if I should go more toward the Thai or Lao side of the menu; I asked the Server, a very nice woman, who told me the family (I believe she is one of the owners) who runs this restaurant is Lao.

So in looking over the menu, I noticed a couple of my favorite Lao dishes, which I ordered.

Of course, I started with some Nem Khao, which was a very large portion.

Good lord, this was a lot of food. In terms of flavor, it was not bad; there was a slight touch of coconut something that some Lao restaurants don't include in their Nam Khao, but my favorite version that I had in Vientiane had in spades. The amount of herbs in this was decent, though it was really fried too hard.....almost all fried, so it lacked that textural contrast that makes versions, like the one at Vientiane Thai Laos in Garden Grove enjoyable. The rice was way too hard and the pieces of sour sausage, while quite large, would have been better chopped smaller, thus spreading the flavor thru the whole dish.

Mok Pa, fish cooked in banana leaves is another of my favorite Lao dishes; I make a steamed version at home, though I learned to make it on a brazier (Tao-Lo) in Luang Prabang.

The flavoring of this was good, nice dill, kaffir lime leaf, perhaps a bit short in spice. The fish was very moist; but the quality of fish wasn't to my liking as the flavor was very muddy.

Still, this was a decent meal; in terms of flavor, it was pretty close. I also noticed that there were several tables of Lao as I left....they ordered Lao dishes....everyone else; Thai. That set the stage for my next visit.

I had noticed that two tables had ordered the Sai Ou (Sai Ua), the Lao style pork sausage that is usually full of herbs. So I made sure to order it.

And of course I got some sticky rice. Man, this sausage was very good. The casing had been browned nicely and was crisp; the porkiness was very distinct, I loved the lemongrass flavor in this. The tamarind based sauce isn't really needed, but it does add another dimension. I took the leftovers home and the Missus loved it and the well prepared stick rice as well. From this point on; I'd order this on every visit; sometimes also having an extra order to go as well.

Unfortunately, the Mok Nor Mai didn't fare as well.

This steamed bamboo shoot dish really lacked flavor, though it did have the gooiness of something that's made with yanang juice. The earthy flavor of the bamboo shoots really needed a bit of heat, shallots, fish sauce, lemongrass, or something else to bring things together.

Next visit; well more sausage of course......

And the Lao version of Papaya Salad, which is usually a lot spicier and more pungent due to using Padaek and fermented crab.

This was fine; we'd ordered a heat level 3 on a scale of 1 to 5, not taking any chances, and should have gone up a bit. Not too bad; a bit of fermented funkiness, for some reason the papaya didn't seem as crisp as I prefer; but I'd have this again. I think of Lao papaya salad as being more savory than refreshing and this was a tweener.

Finally, on my last visit....well sausage of course; but I was curious about the Nam Tok. This was basically the See Nam Tok that I've had a local Lao places.

Basically, seasoned, seared beef, served with a sauce. Years ago, Asia Cafe made a decent version of See Nam Tok. I expected the beef to be on the chewy side and it was; the beef didn't seem to be seasoned, as it usually would have some lime, salt, lemongrass, or the like. The dipping sauce was quite weak; though it wasn't bitter as I'd experienced the last time I had this dish. Though bitter wouldn't have been bad since I enjoyed the flavor it added. Still this, while being quite a generous portion was very mild for my taste....I probably just enjoy the Thai style Neua Nam Tok I make at home a bit more.

Still....there's that sausage and the really nice folks here. Plus, I still haven't ordered anything from other than the first two pages of the menu...perhaps when the weather cools down I'll have some Khao Piak...and maybe, just maybe, It'll take me back to that little hawker booth located at the end of the Fresh Market in Luang Prabang. A lofty goal for sure....but one can always hope.

Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues - Thur 11am - 9pm
Fri - Sat 11am - 10pm
Sunday 11am - 9pm