Lazy Sundays are hot hot hot!

Oh me, oh my! I am loving my break so much! Onto my SD adventures...

Ba Ren is a Chinese restaurant off Clairemont Mesa that specializes in Szechuan/Szechwan/Sichuan cusine. After a friend told me about Ba Ren, discovered through Kirk's blog, I learned a new level of what spicy meant, and it quickly became a favorite to eat at with friends . They have a huge menu here, and I'm not even close to trying it all yet. It was nice to come back and see that everything was still the same.


Dry cooked beef. Lots of red peppers and peppercorns in this one that combine to give one helluva spicy punch, and the chili oil creeps on you, like a surprise kick in the nuts. Underneath this was a good amount of soy bean sprouts, which you mix all together. Sometimes, I find that the spiciness level fluctuates here. Although the dish was spicy, it didn't have me downing water like I usually do. But then again, I steered clear from a lot of the peppers after suffering on the john the night before. I noticed that there were some jalapenos, which I hadn't seen before...


Chicken with pickled peppers. Chicken with some peppers, green onions, mushrooms and celery. This wasn't too spicy, and we had no problem finishing this up quickly.


Double cooked fish in chili sauce. (Honestly, I always get confused with this dish and the boiled fish.) This was delicious, and looking at it now makes me want it again. Large pieces of fish along with black bean, slices of garlic, and peppers. I find it always nice to order one dish that isn't spicy to give your mouth a break. Their double cooked pork is also pretty good.


As we were halfway into our meal, one of the ladies came out with some complimentary bowls of chicken noodle soup. Woohoo! I thought the noodles were kinda gummy, but the broth was quite good. It kinda tasted like the same soup base as a wonton or three sizzling rice soup. Why the free soup? I read on Yelp that they were celebrating their 6th year anniversary and that this dish was called "mi xien."

I don't remember the exact prices, but the total came out to $40 for three dishes + rice. It is a little pricey, but I think it's worth it. I also recommend checking out their little display in the front for some appetizers. Service has always been friendly, and this visit was no exception. And if you can't handle the heat, you might want to bring your own water bottle...


Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
(between Clairemont Mesa Blvd & Conrad Ave)
San Diego, CA 92117