Finally got to check out a ramen place I've been wanting to go to a few weeks back called Foo Foo Tei in Hacienda Heights off Seventh Ave. The place is a little small, but the wait was minimal.


A cutoff picture of their menu.


Miso Pork and vegetable ramen with extra egg. The ramen came out very hot, so +1. The broth had a strong pork/meaty flavor to it, which overpowered the miso a little bit. There was a lot of veggies in this with cabbage, onions, and some sprouts. The pieces of pork were big, chewy(but not overwhelmingly so) and almost sweet tasting. And yes, there werenoodles underneath it all, which I found to be perfectly cooked. This was a pretty big bowl that I had trouble finishing.

Service was friendly and efficient. I'd come back here again to try something else on their menu. Nice to know somewhere I can get my ramen fix now.


15018 Clark Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

On the way back, I stopped by Beard Papa's inside the Puente Hills Mall (same entrance as AMC Theatres) to get some cream puffs. If you've never had it before, I think it's worth a try. I don't really like cream puffs, but I think the word "cream" is a bit misleading here because it's more of a custard. They have regular (vanilla) in which you can see the specks of vanilla bean in the cream and some other flavor of the day. I recommend their regular. It is a bit pricey with one being over a buck, but it's a nice treat to have every once in a while.


The puffs are a bit flaky and airy. The nice thing about them is that they're filled to order, so no soggy puffs, unless you leave them out for a while.


Worker X making my order.


I got 6 for around 10 bucks. The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. Sorry, I should have taken a closeup shot of the inside, but we all ate these pretty quickly.

They've also got some drinks and other things, but otherwise not too big of a menu.

Beard Papa's
1600 Azusa Ave #160
City of Industry, CA 91748

Convoy Tofu House

Ah Convoy...the place to get (most of) your Asian cravings. I headed over to Convoy Tofu House with a friend to get lunch before I left. This place is in the same plaza as Victor's and I made a mental note that I'd have to come here next time to check out Wal Mi Do (read mmm-yoso's review here). My regret that day was that we didn't stop by K's to get some sandwiches...


The Kimchi Soondubu (Spicy). There was a slight sour taste, which may have been from the use of kimchi juice in their soup. There were also big pieces of pork, which was a stark contrast from the puny pieces of beef or pork you get at other places. This was pretty good, and probably the best soondubu that I have had in while.


The banchan from top left and going clockwise: seaweed, soy bean sprouts, potatos simmered in some sweet soy sauce, kimchi, mook (acorn jelly), and fish cakes. The banchan was good, and I also liked how the waitress left us a pitcher of tea.


Teriyaki chicken. The chicken wasn't dry and had a pleasant chew. The sauce tasted a little burnt, but otherwise, this got a solid B in my book.

Service was friendly, and the total price for 2 tofu soups and the chicken ran about $33, which is pretty much the same as other places I've gone to.


4229 Convoy St
(between Armour St & Othello Ave)
San Diego, CA 92111

Lastly...


Some of the Delirium family. Belgian Ales. I haven't tried the Noel yet, but I have had Tremens on tap. Don't let the happy elephants and dancing crocodiles fool you. There's a reason it's called Delirium...


I drank the Noctorum (8.5%) last night. It was a lot darker and heavier than its sister Tremens. Very enjoyable with a fruity aftertaste.

And with that said, your weekly lazy Sunday update is complete. Have a good one folks.

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

San Diego Part III: More tacos and a visit to campus

Although we ate to the point of almost puking the night before, the taco feast was far from over. Cold weather and rain be damned...we were off to German's on University and 35th for lunch.




If you can tell by the pictures or the menu, the truck specializes only in seafood. No prices are listed and I'm not sure how much it was because a friend bought us lunch, but reading on Yelp, people seem to agree that it's cheap. It's a truck for goodness sake!

I ordered the shrimp cocteles, one marlin taco, and a mixed seafood taco.


While we were waiting, the lady gave us each a cup of free soup. FREE? SOUP? The lady had won my heart. The soup warmed us quite nicely in the chilly weather. It was a vegetable broth with some oregano and bay leaf, and I found pieces of cabbage(?) and celery in it, as well as a piece of small fish. Score!


Para mi bebida, I got an apple cider. I've read that Mexican sodas are better than American(i.e Mexican vs. American Coke) because they use real sugar instead of corn or fructose syrup. This was definitely toothsome, but oh...my poor teeth.


Medium camaron cocteles. I've been craving a good ceviche for quite some time now and finally can die happy. There was a good amount of shrimp in this one with bits of red onion and cilantro.


Marlin taco served with some cooked peppers and onions over gooey Mexican cheese. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. That taco is huge! This isn't one of those small tacos, where you can eat it in a couple of bites. This was my first time having marlin aka billfish. It honestly tasted like meat. Could it have been smoked? It may have been the seasoning, but I thought it was pretty damn tasty.


Mixed seafood (mariscada) taco. Everything from squid to scallops to fish was in this. Even found a small mussel. I liked it, but it was kinda hard to eat as a taco. It was better off on its own with some hot sauce.


A picture of the feast we had and the array of hot sauces available.


Habanero hot sauce. "Very Hot." I put a few drops of this on my taco to see what it was like, and this was no joke kid. While at first, it has an enjoyable burning taste that is well manageable, the hot sauce creeps up on you and sucker punches you in the mouth, leaving you to down your Jarritos or sangria. I felt like if I put this on my skin, it'd burn me.

Mission Como Buenos Tacos completed. I wanted to try some other tacos here, but I was stuffed and learned my lesson from the night before. I'd also like to try their 7 mares caldo the next time I come down. There is limited seating with a few tables, but people were friendly and didn't mind us sharing their table.




Marisco's German Taco Truck 3
3504 University Ave
(between 35th St & Wilson Ave)
San Diego, CA 92104
*The next part consists of a walk down memory lane, so the food stuff ends here people. Don't say I didn't warn ya...*

Afterwards, I visited the ol alma mater. I hadn't visited campus since I graduated last year. The new Price Center is huge! I had to walk around a bit to get my bearings. Wendy's is no more, and Fez is out of a job....


I picked up some of these at the small market they had inside. When it comes to gummy candies, you can't beat Haribo. Their gummys have a nice resistant chew that makes it fun for the whole family, and its intense flavors will make you keep poppin them in your mouth. I love their gummy bears, but have to limit myself eating them because they'll kill your teeth. Their techno bears are awesome too.


Good ol 705 Camp Snoopy on the outskirts of campus.


My short stint in production for catering. They were closed though.


Which tree isn't real?


Many hours (mostly naps) spent here.


Hello there!


Peterson Loop with some naive freshman waiting for rides, not knowing that Kyrie always lags. haha =)


I had to visit Eastbluff too. Our neighbors definitely hated us.

Man, I missed San Diego.