It was 7:30pm on Friday when I got home from working at a client's, a little later than usual. Typically I would eat something quick and wind down for the night. I don't really like running into the crowd and long waits on Friday nights. But I decided to end the work week with a bang. I had the pleasure of dining at Thee Bungalow in Ocean Beach and what a delight it was, not to mention they had a table at 8pm, perfect timing! I have heard about that place but sometimes I don't take other people's review too seriously. After all, food and taste mean different things to different people. (Likewise, I also don't take other people's movie review too seriously either.)
Thee Bungalow is a small and cozy restaurant situated right next to the Ocean Beach dog beach. I'd miss the understated structure if I wasn't looking for it. From the outside, the interior looked dimly lit and I was a bit concern that my casual attire was a little too underdress. But once inside, the Maitre'D's warm reception and the mix of nicely dressed and casually dressed patrons erased my concerns. The atmosphere is cozy and *not* pretentious. I like that. Food just don't taste good when people are uptight!
Once I took a peek at the menu, I knew I had to come back again to try all the dishes. Escargot, pate sampler, jumbo lump crab cake, lobster bisque, smoked salmon, roasted duck, braised Kobe short ribs, pan seared striped bass, filet mignon, Maine lobster two ways, Bouillabaisse Provencal... all of them calling out to me!
The taste: Their jumbo lump crab cake, I have to say, is up there with Oceanaire's in Gas Lamp, and Oceanaire's crab cake is quite a treat. It's full of crab meat in every bite. Their lobster bisque is also tasty and I have to say it's better than Peohe's on Coronado, although Peohe's is served in a cute mini-cauldron. But taste trumps presentation in this case. At this point, I'm really looking forward to the entree, and hoping Thee Bungalow will become my new favorite.
Their special for the night is the venison with cherry sauce over a bed of red skin potatoes, different types of mushrooms and spinach, which made me abandon the Maine lobster two ways. I'm not a fan of cherry sauce - any cherry sauce - but this one was done just right and perfectly sweetened the perfectly grilled venison - its center is red and outside has a slight crunch as you bite into it. The red skin potatoes, mushrooms (shitaki, oyster, portobello etc) and spinach are delicately made so that they don't soak up too much of the sauce and lose their own taste. After my first bite into the venison, a "wow" and a smile are my first reactions. I am ordering this again.
Their roasted half duck with pepper rum sauce does not disappoint! The skin of the duck is crisp and meat tender, the rum sweetens the duck just right while the peppercorn gives you that kick. Oh, they really care about their food! I'm choosing their duck over La Veche's in Hillcrest.
Next time, I'm going to try the pate sampler and save some room for dessert; the creme broulee and souffle from the next table look really good.
Thee Bungalow actually garners quite a few accolades, good for them. But all I care about is that their food taste great to me, and to the friends that I bring there!
Bottom line: They care about their cooking and serve food that put a smile on your face. You'll want to make a reservation and bring your friends.
Type of food: Contemporary cuisine with a country French accent
This is the second time I've dined at Terra. The Entertainment book offers a 2-for-1 coupon and it introduced me to try Terra last year. This time, I also used OpenTable to make the reservation. OpenTable is the reservation system used by many fine restaurants and they also offer Dining Rewards for frequent hungrry monkeys. Certain peak hour slots may not be available via OpenTable, or that there's a certain limited number of slots available, but most of the times you are able to conveniently book a slot with just a few clicks. I like that.
Terra has the roast duck on the menu, but both times they're out of it. My dining buddy TopPig's favorite is the roast duck so it's quite disappointing that they are out of it again. Next time, better call ahead. Together, we ordered the crab cake, steamed mussels, Kobe sliders (mini Kobe beef burgers), sea bass, the ribeye special and creme brulee.
The taste: The Kobe sliders are a treat, the grilled medium rare meat patty is tender and deliciously sandwiched between two mini buns that are also lightly toasted. Their steamed mussels are garlicky and the wine base not too powering. The sea bass is cooked just right and well within expectation. The rest of the dishes are up to par but not particularly memorable. That doesn't mean they don't taste good, just within expectation.
Dependable Vietnamese noodle at Pho Viet Cali in Mira Mesa
I say "dependable" because you can depend on them to have a quality bowl of noodle. They offer more than just noodle, but I almost always just order the noodle. #1 Pho Special (Pho Dat Biet) used to be my staple, but I actually love the raw meat and tendon a lot more so I started order the Pho Tai Nam Gan (which has slices of raw eye-of-round steak, well done flank, and soft tendon) regularly. Their eggroll is not bad, although I'd say Pho Hoa Cali in Kearny Mesa has the best eggroll in town.
One time i made a to-go order and they forgot to include 2 Vietnamese sandwiches. I was quite disappointed once I got home, but I didn't call back to tell them about it. A week or so later I made another order and they'd remember me as well as the mistake they made (I guess it was because I ordered the same thing!) and took the sandwiches off the check.
Bottom line: Good prices and quick service; noodles you can count on.
I've been going to Pho Viet Cali (also on Mira Mesa/Camino Santa Fe, closer to the 805) during lunch several times and always wonder how another Vietnamese noodle place a few blocks away to the east compare. Pho Ca Dao is located in a much larger store than Pho Viet Cali (blog here) with newer interior. It exudes a more modern and successful look than the usual mom and pop Vietnamese pho places.
With the intention of comparing Pho Ca Dao with Pho Viet Cali, I ordered my usual - Tai Nam Gan (which has slices of raw eye-of-round steak, well done flank, and soft tendon) and a plate of egg roll. The noodle's soup base was ok, so were the rest of the ingredients, and the egg roll was just not quite as good. They do serve their food quick for the lunch crowd, which is a plus. But I couldn't say much more other than if I'm in the neighborhood craving Vietnamese noodle, I would go to Pho Viet Cali.
Bottom line: An "ok" place to do quick lunch, food does come quickly. Their large store also means less wait during the lunch rush.
There are two Tajima's in San Diego, one in the Convoy area and one in Clairemont Mesa. Both serve a variety of Japanese dishes, including noodles, sushi and small dishes of snacks akin to snacks you'd order at a bar. Tajima, particularly the newer store in Clairemont Mesa, seems to have a menu catering to the after-work crowd. Since the dishes are in small portions, you can order try many different ones at a time, i.e. fried squid legs, fried chicken wings etc.
The taste: I love appetizers in general, so the small portion dishes at Tajima is right up my alley. Their many fried dishes are delicious and it's just fun to share with friends. You can't expect their sushi to be better than a sit-down sushi restaurant, so don't. Order the other dishes and Tajima does not disappoint.
Bottom line: Great place to have happy hour and full dinner with friends.
I had the most juicy and tender Macadamia Halibut at the Coronado Boathouse last weekend. Located on the island of Coronado in San Diego, the Boathouse is actually a historical landmark built in 1887. From the many black and white pictures hung in the restaurant, you can see that the restaurant was initially built out on the water, with a narrow wooden walkway connecting it from the shore. It is now just right at the edge of the water because, as I believe, that part of Coronado had been filled and extended.
I was going to order the Ahi Tuna - it's one of my favorites, but the waiter, Wayne, suggested that the Macadamia Halibut is THE best. You hear these recommendations all the time but I was afraid that when cooked with bad timing, it could be pretty disappointing. I hesitated, but I did order it, with my fingers crossed. Besides the fish, I have got to try the fried calamari and steamed New Zealand green-lip mussels. I'm always looking for a repeat heavenly experience after tasting the most tender and juicy mussels on a trip in Miami, Florida a few years ago. (sorry, didn't jot down its name)
The taste: "Wow". That was my first thought. It was unexpectedly tender - but still thoroughly cooked ;) The dish is a right-sized piece of halibut with bits of Macadamia nuts as the crust, teriyaki sauce as glaze, saying "eat-me, eat-me" over a bed of mango puree. The teriyaki glaze actually tasted a bit like caramel which I don't particularly like (so I had to scrape off a bit of that towards the end), but they actually do all go well together and I had to give it the Hungrry Monkey two thumbs up!
Now back to the appetizers... the fried calamari was just right and mussels were quite juicy and meaty (if you can say that about mussels). I also had a bite of the filet mignon and it was grilled perfectly with just the right kind of texture.
All and all, the dinner definitely put a smile on my face! The restaurant may be considered a bit pricey, but the atmosphere is definitely not stuck up. People are dressed in resort-wear, given that it is located right next to Hotel Del Coronado (another historical landmark). It's got the outdoor patio and indoor seating that is perfect for San Diego.
Next time, I gotta try the Ahi Tuna!
Bottom line: Tasty tasty tasty dishes in a cozy, unpretentious, historical landmark.
Type of food: Steak and Seafood
Price range: $50 per person (not incl. wine) Also accepts the Entertainment card. ;)
Point Loma Cafe is a diner around the Shelter Island area - close by the pier. It is right next to the Holiday Inn so initially I didn't think much of it. However, I do pass by it quite a bit so I decided to try it out, besides, I have a coupon and it's also good to eat with a discount, right? ;)
Most of the dishes are of American diner style but one dish that is worthy of a mention is their fried calamari. My eyes twinkled when I had my first bite - it was delicious! Lightly battered, each piece was crunchy and not overdone. You don't taste old oil so every bite was refreshing, perfect to go with the spaghetti sauce.
Bottomline: It's worthwhile going there even just for the calamari.
I tried the Samba Grill for the first time while on a ski tip in Salt Lake City, UT. I always love meat so an all-you-can-eat meat place is my kind of place. I've longed for a revisit to Samba Grill so I was pleasantly surprised to find that they've opened a location close to home.
Unfortunately, I was there during Mother's day and was there a bit late . If there's any word of caution to my fellow hungrry monkies, it would be to NEVER arrive LATE to a Brazillian BBQ place. NEVER! Not only do you not get the freshest supply of food, your meat might be overcooked due to the extended period of time the skewers remain on the grill. As I was late, I only saw 2 other tables (and I thought, goodness, how can they sustain business with no customers? but then I was reassured it was only because the early crowd celebrating Mother's Day had left already) and the salad bar had been wiped out by this earlier swarm of locus. So I really can't judge it very well, worse, I had to pay $10 more because of the special occasion.
However, because of the fewer people there, I was able to get several slices of grilled pineapple - the highlight of the night - and something that isn't usually served at other Brazillian BBQ places. Usually grilled pineapples are fought over and by the time it gets to your table, you don't get the grilled side, you get the inside... so you only get to savor the caramalized perimeter, and not the whole cross section!
Bottomline: Get there early and enjoy the "endless parade of meat" and salad bar. Make sure to try the grilled pineapple that's fresh from the grill.
Chinese porridge at Luk Yu - Monterey Park, Los Angeles
I was first introduced to this mom-and-pop Chinese restaurant when I was a freshman in college, ate there a few times during the rest of college, but had not been back since. So it's a good opportunity for me to revisit and introduce it to my little sister (Fatmoomoo) who is now a freshman. I always remember this to be a porridge place, and it still is. I also remember it having no service, but I was wrong about that, the waitress - the same motherly aged Chinese woman who has been working there since I first visited is all smiles and even opened the door for us. Then I remember, hey, I think I left a big tip last time because she was very nice to us.
As with any college kids who have not eaten authentic-anything (except for authentic dorm food) for a while, we ordered a bunch of plates so we could eat til we drop. Usually when your belly gets bigger, your wallet gets smaller. Not in here! We had the thousand-year-old-egg and pork porridge,fish fillet porridge, ja-leung (I'm still trying to figure out how this fried delicacy is translated) and chow mein with soy sauce (not the typical chow mein), all for about $20, and still had plenty to take home for an encore). The chow mein with soy sauce was not the spectacular plate that I was anticipating, but the porridge really delivered. They are so flavorful that they don't taste like they were made plain and extra ingredients were put in just before serving. (and if they were, kudos to them, certainly didn't taste like that).
Bottom line: It's an authentic Chinese place, no gimmicks. It's no wonder why I remember this as a porridge place.
Type of food: Chinese
Price range: $2-5 or so per plate (simply affordable)
Chef's Special - Sashimi Plate at Harney's Sushi - Old Town, San Diego
To celebrate HungrryMonkey's friend TopPig's birthday, we went to Old Town San Diego where HM's coworker once recommended. Located in the quaint Old Town area of San Diego, it has a small store front that if we hadn't been looking, we would have missed it.
We arrived earlier to beat the crowd but half the restaurant was already filled with young and hip patrons. With the restaurant blasting music and the weather turning warmer, we decided to take the patio seats.
Harney's serves a rather large selection of rolls. Though many are quite interesting, I was more curious about the quality of their fish and ordered the Chef's Special Sashimi Plate. Worried that I might be served cooked shrimp or something, I asked to make sure there would be a yummy array of sashimi. I was delighted to hear there would be amaebi, I couldn't wait to find out how fresh their raw shrimps are!
First taste: The plate came with a selection of snapper, raw shrimp, tuna, salmon, octopus and yellowtail. I took my first bite on the New Zealand snapper as the server told me they're very good, it had a fresh taste and a just-right texture. Next, I had to try the amaebi (which would usually be my first bite). Its size and taste was ok* (*ok means it didn't make me frown but it also didn't make a big impression). It wasn't the juiciest or biggest, but it's hard to compare after trying the so-big-and-juicy-they-flip-off-of-my-shopsticks amaebi served at a hole-in-the-wall sushi place in Marina Del Rey, Los Angeles (will write about that later).
Bottomline: Hey, it's got some young and hip patrons and serves a large selection of rolls. They also have a late night happy hour from 10p to midnight (or something), so if I'm hungrry at 11p after working on a project, I would head out to Harney's.
Type of food: Japanese, American-style (Am style because it isn't one of those authentic sushi houses)
Price range: The sashimi plate is $35, rolls are generally $10-20.
Hungrry Monkey is always hungry for food. GOOD EATS give her good memories and she loves to share these memories with her fellow hungrry monkeys.
This is the chronicle of Hungrry Monkey and her friends' food adventures around Southern California (San Diego, Los Angeles...) and places they travel... anything from fine dine to cheap eats.
If you're also a hungrry monkey, please share your food finds! Join as a member by emailing: hungrrymonkey AT gmail.com
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